News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. For the first time an Indian rocket is ferrying a payload of about six tonnes. 2005 .. #coronavirus-additional cases New COVID-19 cases under 30,000 for 4th consecutive day South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 30,000 for a fourth straight day Saturday with the daily death toll down to its 14-week low for a Saturday. The country reporte... #BLACKPINK BLACKPINK to headline BST Hyde Park festival next year K-pop sensation BLACKPINK will headline British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park in London next year, the group's agency and the festival announced Saturday. The four-member act will... #COVID-19 New COVID-19 cases post sharp on-week rise amid resurgence woes South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the fifth consecutive day Sunday, but the daily count recorded a sharp hike from the previous week amid rising concerns ove... #BLACKPINK BLACKPINK to headline BST Hyde Park festival next year K-pop sensation BLACKPINK will headline British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park in London next year, the group's agency and the festival announced Saturday. The four-member act will... Regulator dismisses reports of blacklist Updated: 2016-03-26 09:34 By Cai Xiao and Agencies(China Daily) Investors check stock prices at a securities brokerage in Haikou, Hainan province. [Photo/China Daily] The securities regulator on Friday dismissed reports that it had created a blacklist of 30 to 40 problematic listed companies, which it planned to delist, as it seeks to restore investor confidence through an intensified elimination of law-breaking firms. Deng Ge, a spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said: "Stock exchanges are responsible for the delisting of listed companies. Listed companies should operate according to the rules and regulations." He also said that plans for the introduction of a new strategic emerging industries board in Shanghai were excluded from the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) earlier this month because they are still at the discussion stage. The spokesman said the government's blueprint for the next five years focuses on general trends and directions, and confirmed events, but that various details regarding the board still need to be finalized. The securities regulator originally planned to establish the board on the Shanghai Stock Exchange to give newer companies easier access to funding. After it emerged that any mention of its possible launch had been removed from the five-year plan, there was strong speculation its creation had been scrapped. Analysts had also speculated there could have been a holdup in the implementation of a registration-based initial public offering system, which was planned as the basis of the new board. Deng, however, appeared to quash those suggestions on Friday, after adding that accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries remained "a national strategy, and the CSRC pays close attention to supporting their development in the capital market". The Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday delisted Zhuhai Boyuan Investment Co Ltd, the first company to be ousted by the CSRC for violation of disclosure rules and fraudulent practices, including forging commercial bills and inflating assets and profit. On Friday, mainland stocks capped a second week of gains, as consumer-staples producers rallied on improving earnings prospects, while property developers halted a three-day slide. Kweichow Moutai Co rose to a nine-month high after China International Capital Corp said the liquor maker's earnings may beat consensus estimates this year. Shanghai's move to tighten criteria for non-local homebuyers to help stem surging property prices was also seen as a "temporary end of negative news", according to KGI Securities Co. The Shanghai Composite Index added 0.8 percent this week. The benchmark index rose 0.6 percent to 2,979.43 points at the close on Friday, with trading volumes slumping 19 percent below the 30-day average. Justin Shults and Stephanie Shults An American husband and wife missing after the terror attack in Brussels have been confirmed dead. Justin and Stephanie Shults were listed as missing shortly after suicide bombers attacked an airport in Brussels last week. Justin Shults' employer, Clarcor, confirmed his death in a statement on its website Saturday. The statement reads in part: "We have learned today that Justin Shults died in the bombing at Brussels Airport. We grieve with his family and continue to offer our support as they mourn this unimaginable loss." Stephanie Shults' employer, Mars Inc., confirmed her death Saturday in a statement on its Facebook page: Today we learned from Stephanie Shults' family that she and her husband, Justin, were among those killed in the attack on the Brussels airport. We are mourning the loss of our colleague and friend. Our hearts and thoughts are with their families, and with all those who are suffering during this terrible time. The couple was at Zaventem Airport in Brussels with Stephanie's mother, Carolyn Moore, when bombs ripped through the international terminal, killing dozens on Tuesday. Moore, who was scheduled to fly home that day, was uninjured, NBC News reported. The Shultses had been living in Brussels since 2014. A US State Department official declined to comment on the couple "out of respect for the families." The agency confirmed last week that two siblings from New York were also among those killed in the Brussels attacks. More From Business Insider Belgium Brussels attacks Belgium has the highest per-capita rate of foreign fighters of any Western European country, and its anti-terrorism police are struggling to keep up with the number of cases of radicalized individuals they see. The small country, which shares borders with France, the Netherlands, and Germany, has been described as "Europe's terror hotbed," a moniker that was widely repeated in various forms on Tuesday when more than 30 people were killed and more than 200 injured after explosions ripped through a Brussels airport and metro station. The terrorists who are thought to be responsible for the Brussels bombings also have links to the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. The terrorist group ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh), claimed responsibility for both attacks. Both plots were at least partially planned in Belgium, which is thought to have an extensive network of jihadists. Belgians have contributed more than 400 fighters to extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, according to a 2015 report from strategic security firm The Soufan Group. Of those, more than 100 are thought to have returned to Belgium. There's no one-size-fits-all explanation for why so many young Belgians are drawn to terrorist organizations, but experts have identified socio-economic inequality, existing terrorist networks, and an overwhelmed security force as major factors that make Belgium a fertile ground for extremism. Brussels suspect Existing networks Belgium has long-existing jihadi networks that became especially active as Western countries got involved in conflicts in the Middle East. Edwin Bakker, director of the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism of Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Business Insider that Belgium's participation in a US-led anti-ISIS coalition has been cited as a reason why terrorist have targeted the small European country. Story continues "The existence of a number of well-organized salafi-jihadist networks such as Sharia4Belgium contributed to the growth of salafi-jihadist scenes from which many individuals left for Syria after the outbreak of the civil war and after governmental action was taken against these organizations," Bakker said in an email. He continued: The (long) existence of jihadist networks is an important explanation, in combination with charismatic leadership. That also explains why some cities have "produced" no or only a few jihadist foreign fighters and cities and towns like Brussels and Vilvoorde relatively many. Petter Nesser, a senior researcher with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and author of the recent book "Islamist Terrorism in Europe," noted after the Paris attacks that savvy jihadi recruiters can be a powerful pull: The European jihadi underground revolves around experienced jihad entrepreneurs, who recruit and socialize misfits and drifters, politicize grievances they may have, and employ them as tools for transnational militants, such as al-Qaeda and IS. Social despair may create a hospitable environment for recruitment, but in many cases social ties and loyalty to entrepreneurs are sufficient driving forces. In an article for The New Yorker last year, Ben Taub noted that the Sharia4Belgium group, established in 2010, recruited dozens of young Belgian people to travel to Syria and wage jihad. The group wanted to "replace the parliament with a shura council and the Prime Minister with a caliph; stone adulterers and execute homosexuals; and convert or banish all non-Muslims, or force them to pay jizya, a tax levied on those who dont adhere to the faith." Essentially, the group wanted to transform Belgium into an Islamic state governed by strict Sharia law. Molenbeek Paris attack Segregation and lack of opportunity A lack of opportunity and feeling isolated from more privileged parts of European society couple with a lack of knowledge about Islam could attract young Europeans to jihadist recruiters, who offer them a purpose in jihad and promise that they will be sent to heaven as religious martyrs. Taub noted that one Belgian fighter who had been raised Catholic was drawn to Sharia4Belgium after his grades started slipping at school and his girlfriend dumped him. He later told police that he started "looking for an alternative to the pain" and then found Islam and, eventually, Sharia4Belgium. Each person's path to radicalization is different, but some young Belgians who don't have much opportunity at home and are searching for purpose in their lives might feel that foreign jihad or attacks on the homeland offer a worthy path. "Some argue that Syria and the violent jihad attracted more Belgians because of social-economic problems that young (north-African) Muslims are facing in places like Brussels," Bakker said. In contrast, as US President Barack Obama pointed out on Wednesday, one of the reasons the US hasn't seen more homegrown terrorist attacks is that the US has "an extraordinarily successful, patriotic, integrated Muslim-American community." People shop at a market in the neighborhood of Molenbeek, where Belgian police staged a raid following the attacks in Paris, at Brussels, Belgium November 15, 2015. In many places of Europe, Muslim immigrants are not integrated into the mainstream. Rik Coolsaet, a terrorism expert and professor at Belgium's Ghent Institute for International Studies, described the situation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in a paper that was published two weeks ago: More than a decade and a half before it became a "global byword for jihadism," it was the scene of some widespread rioting (similar to the rioting in English or French suburbs). At the time, the aforementioned Belgian investigative journalist Chris De Stoop attempted to gauge the malaise in this borough. He found a complex mosaic, composed of vibrant local community activities, pockets of genuine despair and accumulated frustrations, and cliques of troublemakers. This rioting, according to a local social worker, was born out of desperation about lacking prospects in a neighbourhood characterized by poor job prospects, bad housing and deficient education. But the roots of jihadism have a more complicated origin. Nesser cautioned against relying too much on the socio-economic trope to explain why some Belgian youth are attracted to extremism. "Although jihadi hubs are oftentimes located in socio-economically deprived areas, this is not always the case," Nesser wrote. "For instance, the new generation of jihadis in Europe," including the Sharia4 groups that exist in several areas of Europe, "recruited many members among university students and in middle class environments in the UK." brussels attack belgium Overwhelmed security forces An expert who met with Belgian counterterrorism officials last week told Business Insider on Tuesday that the country is overwhelmed by the number of radicalized people who pose threats to the country. "Belgians have a really big problem because they have the largest number per capita of western foreign fighters from any country," said Matthew Levitt, the director of The Washington Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, adding that Belgian police have only begun to understand the depth of the country's terrorism problem in the past year. "The numbers are simply overwhelming." The problem of radicalization in Belgium has been festering for a while, making it more difficult to reign in. "They have a problem both in terms of getting on top of the immediate threat that has developed over time and then also moving the needle early in the process and putting in place a 20-year plan in places like Molenbeek to prevent radicalization," Levitt said. Because authorities have only recently come to terms with the extent of the problem, the cooperation between police forces and intelligence networks on the ground aren't where they need to be. "The situation in Brussels is worrisome where local officials do not cooperate and police forces have little connection to the populations of parts of the Brussels region with a lot of Muslim migrants," Bakker said. "In other words, they lack eyes and ears on the ground," he said. "They are investing in local networks, but it seems a case of too little too late." NOW WATCH: Trump and Rubio are trying to one-up each other with these incredible insults More From Business Insider Supporters of Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, gather at the party headquarters in Brazzaville on March 23, 2016 (AFP Photo/Eduardo Soteras) Brazzaville (AFP) - Five defeated opposition candidates in Congo's recent presidential poll called on their countrymen to challenge the re-election of President Denis Sassou Nguesso through "peaceful" and legal actions, according to a statement confirmed by AFP. Sassou Nguesso was declared the winner of the March 20 elections held under a media blackout, extending his 32 years in power in a vote the opposition says was marked by "massive fraud". AFP received confirmation Saturday that the rallying call was signed by runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas who received more than 15 percent of votes cast, third-place candidate Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko who polled nearly 14 percent, and candidates Claudine Munari, Andre Okombi Salissa and Pascal Tsaty Mabiala. They called for a repeat of the "ville morte" (dead city) national strikes in which some Congolese have participated in recent months to protest Sassou Nguesso's controversial bid for a third term. In their statement, they also described the contested circumstances of last week's election in which Sassou Nguesso was named the winner with 60 percent of the votes just hours after the polls closed as "an abuse of power". "We urge the Congolese people to fully exercise their sovereignty over a democratic victory through elections recognised by law: dead cities and other strikes, meetings and peaceful marches, until the verdict of the ballot boxes is respected," they wrote. They called for a first post-election strike on March 29 after the Easter holiday weekend. The European Union had refused to send election observers to monitor the polls, saying conditions had not been met for a transparent and democratic vote. And on Saturday the Socialist Party of French President Francois Hollande issued a statement saying the election results were "not credible" and denounced the lack of transparency in the electoral process in the former French colony. Story continues Oil- and timber-rich Congo has been on edge since an October constitutional referendum that ended a two-term limit on presidential mandates, allowing Sassou Nguesso, a 72-year-old former paratrooper colonel, to run for office again. Critics accuse him of rampant corruption and nepotism, blasting the referendum result as a "constitutional coup". Contacted by AFP, Congolese government spokesman Thierry Moungalla said the opposition's decision to contest the results in the Constitutional Court was "a responsible move", but as for strikes or other mass actions he noted the opposition had tried that after the October referendum without much success. He added that the country's people wanted a return to "normal life". From Tuesday onwards the interior ministry will deposit the official election results at the Constitutional Court which has 15 days to validate them and to hear challenges from the opposition. Sassou Nguesso served as president from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997 following a civil war. He won two successive terms in 2002 and 2009, but both elections were contested by opposition parties. Congo recorded growth of five percent over the five years to 2014 but the vast majority of the population lives in abject poverty. Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during the Republican candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Donald Trump's border-wall proposal has been roundly excoriated, and experts have told Business Insider that the wall itself would not only be impractical, but it may also embolden the very criminals it's supposed to stop. "Donald Trump talks tough about the cartels, but his policies are tailor-made to increase their profits," Tom Wainwright, author of "Narconomics" and previously The Economist's reporter in Mexico City, told Business Insider. "He talks a crackdown at the border, but crossing the border is what they do best, it's where their advantage lies, that's where they make their money, that's why drugs cost so much more in the States than they do in Mexico." Americans spent more than $100 billion on illegal drugs in 2010, according to a White House study, and many of those drugs get a substantial markup because of the difficulty involved in getting them to the consumer. A border wall may raise the prices of drugs, but it "won't do much to reduce consumption, because people who are addicted to drugs on the whole are very responsive to prices," Wainwright said. "So all it will succeed in doing is inflating the value of the criminal economy." Colombia coca plant farm cocaine In the case of cocaine, the price goes from a few hundred dollars for the coca leaves needed to make it in Colombia, to "more like $150,000 per kilo," when it retails on US streets, Wainwright told Business Insider in an interview, a price that would likely rise with a border wall. "I think if the cartels could vote, they would vote for Donald Trump. His policies suit them down to the ground," Wainwright added. 'P unch a hole through it ' "Trump's wall would not have any impact on the movement of drugs through the US-Mexico border," Mike Vigil, a retired DEA agent who spent time undercover in Mexico and Colombia, told Business Insider. Story continues crashed drone with crystal meth "The Mexican drug traffickers would punch a hole through it, fly over it," Vigil added. "They would be able to circumvent that with medieval technology, catapults, shooting stuff across the wall." Suggesting drug traffickers could fly or fling drugs over a border wall is not speculation. They have done just that. In the past, cartels have made use of fleets of hundreds of aircraft to move shipments of drugs over the border clandestinely. More recently, traffickers have employed ultralight crafts and drones to ferry drugs into the US. In another, more low-tech effort, smugglers used a catapult to hurl marijuana over the Arizona border. "They just put the drugs there and whoom! over the border fence, and then somebody picks it up on the other side," journalist Ioan Grillo told Business Insider. Mexico drug smuggler catapault Mexican cartels have also proved adept at transporting illegal drugs by sea, in both ships and on homemade narco submarines. The occasional bust of seaborne narcotics may be a sign of how lucrative this method is. "Donald Trump is mentioning this wall like it's going to have an impact because he's playing to what people want to believe that he's going to do in terms of immigration," said Vigil. "But that wall would serve absolutely no purpose." ' The only way ... to stop it is with boots on the ground ' The benefits of a wall which Trump's varying estimates put at anywhere from 30 feet to 65 feet tall closing off the US-Mexico border have also been called into question by people who live along the frontier. Ranchers and other residents near the border in southwest New Mexico have seen an uptick in incidents related to illegal border crossings, including break-ins and, late last year, a brief kidnapping, according to the Albuquerque Journal. "The vandalism and the trespass issues have increased," Erica Valdez, who ranches more than 40,000 acres in Hidalgo county, New Mexico, which makes up the state's bootheel, told the Journal in early March. New Mexico bootheel Mexico wall Trump But, despite these criminal incursions, residents seem wary of Donald Trump's promises "to close up that border and build a wall." "The border is not secure It doesn't matter how tall of a wall you put up, they are going to tunnel under it, they are going to torch through it. If they want to come across, they will," Valdez said, in what seems to be a reference to Trump's proposed border wall. Despite the Border Patrol intercepting 11,000 unauthorized border-crossers in fiscal year 2015, "The folks down there have never gotten any relief from illegal crossings," Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association, told the Journal. Animas_New_Mexico Rather than a static wall, residents in the area have pushed for a larger Border Patrol presence, which the agency has said it is in the process of deploying. (Trump has proposed tripling the number of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers.) "The only way they are going to stop it is with boots on the ground at the border," Valdez said. "We would like to see more agents." NOW WATCH: How a Trump victory could be good for Mexican drug cartels More From Business Insider Connelly Ford Futurist Everyone in business wants to know what's going to happen in the future, and for some time now Ford has been investing in futurism, an evolving academic and professional discipline. The need for this was particularly evident after the Business Insider Transportation team in New York spent a few days at the New York Auto Show, asking everyone to predict was will happen in 2016 and beyond. The car business these days is all about change: automakers becoming "mobility providers," electric cars potentially displacing gas-powered vehicles, even autos driving themselves. Heck, even Apple may get in on the action. For nearly a decade, Sheryl Connelly has been Ford's manager of global consumer trends and futuring. "In this role, she tracks global consumer trends to aid in the discussion of long-term planning and strategy across the entire company, including design, product development, and corporate strategy," the auto giant says. We've spoken with Connelly several times, most recently in late 2015 when she was in New York City to talk about Ford's 2016 trend report. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. Matthew DeBord: Give us a quick rundown of what it's like to be the house futurist at America's first car company. Sheryl Connelly: It's a good gig, for sure. One of the first times I spoke at a conference, I had that "fraud" phenomenon, where I thought everybody would see right through me. But someone who reviewed the presentation said that it was great, "especially coming from a dinosaur like Ford." That epitomizes my experience. People are surprised that a 100-plus-year-old company employs a futurist and has dedicated the time and the resources just for someone to explore. We can't always assume what worked in the past will continue to work in the future. DeBord: So understanding the future is the most valuable commodity any car company can have? Connelly: I would go up one and say for any company, because I don't look at cars or trucks. My job is specifically designed not to talk about cars or trucks. We have no shortage of automotive expertise inside the company. Story continues My job is to slow down the conversation and ask, "Are you sure young people will always see the car as a status symbol? Are you sure the emerging middle class in China and India want to be just like the Western counterparts?" DeBord: So you're also the house counter-factualist? Connelly: I call myself the "polite contrarian." People ask me, "How do you think like a futurist?" Well, the next time you're in a meeting and somebody says, "That'll never happen, not in my lifetime, never under that management," that's the perfect place to start. Our topline for futurists is to help an organization learn to expect the unexpected. Ford electric car DeBord: Based on your research, what's your big takeaway for 2016? Connelly: We think 2016 is going to be about how people lift themselves up, so we've highlighted trends that speak to inspiration, ingenuity, and identity. Our first trend is embracing heroes. There's this idea of mistrust in business, government, and media. It's not new. But we think embracing heroes is a move where people want to celebrate the good work of their neighbors, people in their community, and regular citizens. These are not huge feats of courage or death-defying acts. They're small things, but they are powerful, and people love to share those stories. I don't think this trend would be nearly as relevant without social media. We recognize that consumers as a whole are much more likely to share good news than bad news. We also look at lifestyle in general. People don't want more stuff they want better things. Things that are more durable, of higher quality, with greater versatility. For Ford, as a carmaker, that means utility vehicles. There's lots of talk about millennials not being traditional fans of cars. That may or may not be certainly true. We've seen a shift in buying patterns as many of them get older and start families. We're really excited about their interest in utility vehicles. I think that has to do with this idea that "I'm going to buy this car and I'm going to hold onto it for a long time, not two to four years like my mom and dad did, but for a decade, maybe longer. So this vehicle has to have the ability to grow with me." Time is also important. Rich or poor, old or young, we all only have 24 hours in a day, and what we do in that time is becoming increasingly precious to us. Digital devices were sold on the premise that they would save us time, but that was the greatest modern scam ever, because they really blur the boundaries between work and home life. We're calling out deliberate efforts to take back time. Ford Mustang GT 2015 DeBord: Remember when you could get in a car and drive someplace and nobody could get in touch with you? Connelly: That's a perfect tee-up for our next trend, which is "mindfulness goes mainstream." If you were to talk to our designers, the DNA for our interiors right now is "the car is a sanctuary" a hub that protects you from the noise, the pressures, the distraction around you. We also talk about time poverty. Devices can deliver some really great things through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced algorithms that are not only there to meet your needs but to anticipate your needs. DeBord: Self-driving cars were very futuristic a couple of years ago, but suddenly it feels as if the future is arriving at a rapid pace. Connelly: As a child, I was always hearing about the flying car. I'm still waiting for my flying car. A cynic might have said that the autonomous driving vehicle is a lovely idea that captures the imagination of the public, but it will never see the light of day. But now it seems like we've hit an acceleration point. My personal opinion on this is that this has a lot to do with the aging population, another trend that we call out. The aging population is, without a doubt, a macro trend. Scientists have declared that the first person who will live to be 150 years old has already been born. This will bring with it some interesting consequences with it, not the least of which is, "How long does she want to work?" If she wants to work to 65 and lives to be 150, that's going to be an interesting math equation. Tesla Model S autopilot DeBord: And for Ford the question will be "How long does she want to drive?" Connelly: If I'm 83 and give up my car keys, and I think I'll live to be 85, I can deal with that. But if I think I'll live to be 105, or 125, my willingness to give up the keys might be much lower. Therein lies the business case for autonomous driving vehicles. Autonomous-vehicle development is going to be driven by demand from the baby boomers, who love their cars, who created the car culture. To give up so much of their identity, so much of their freedom and independence, is a proposition they're not willing to accept. But I don't think it's an all-or-nothing proposition. Autonomous vehicles make sense in the right context. And they won't be universally appealing. I live in Detroit, where traffic is not horrible. But Beijing has an average daily commute of five hours a day, and earlier this year experienced a traffic jam that lasted 12 days. They had this idea of a 50-lane highway. They're looking for better solutions. China and India are the countries most eager for this type of technology. The people who live there say that they can imagine themselves in an autonomous vehicle. DeBord: A lot of people are really interested in companies like Uber. They're cheerleading for the disruption of the traditional automakers. But I don't think they're fully aware of what's going on inside the major carmakers on this front. Connelly: Anyone who has heard Bill Ford's TED Talk has heard him say that having spent a good portion of his life thinking how to sell as many cars as possible, he reached a point where he asked, "What happens if that continues?" It won't serve anyone if you're stuck in global gridlock. And fundamentally, he believes that mobility is a critical component to the advancement of freedom and innovation, which is a powerful concept. That dovetails beautifully with Ford CEO Mark Fields' idea that our company can make lives better. So we're exploring car-sharing, and we're looking at ride-sharing. Bill Ford DeBord: As Ford evolves to be a mobility provider, a discussion is emerging about data. Whose data is it? Is it Ford's data? Is it the customer's data? Is it the customer's data after they own the car outright? Does the bank own some of it? Where are you guys at on that? Connelly: Ford as a company has a responsibility to be good stewards of that data. It is an issue that's coming to the forefront. Last year, as a trend, we called it the "give-and-take of privacy." I don't think customers mind sharing their data, if it's done openly, transparently, and the benefits are clear and direct. What's in it for me if I give you that data? I think most consumers are not aware of the value of their personal data. But at some point, hopefully it's sooner rather than later, they will become aware. DeBord: There are some obvious angles on all this data. For example, Ford could know if your car is sitting idle 95% of the time. So maybe you don't need a car Ford could advise you to buy a mobility service instead. Connelly: To a certain extent, I think those things have been in place. When I started with the company in 1996, my first job was to answer questions on the 1-800 line: Where's my local dealer? How do I tow a boat? What's the maximum weight I can carry? But we also know that when customers had issues, we would take that data and we would record it, and it would be rolled up to look at patterns in terms of engineering. The challenge is the management of data and how we optimize that information, but in a way never undermines the integrity of our relationship or the duty we have toward our customers. NOW WATCH: This is what it's like to drive Chevy's Tesla-killer More From Business Insider NEW ORLEANS, LA--(Marketwired - March 25, 2016) - Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 9, 2016 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against comScore, Inc. (SCOR), if they purchased the Company's securities between May 5, 2015 and March 7, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased shares of comScore and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com). If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by May 9, 2016. About the Lawsuit comScore and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On March 7, 2016, comScore disclosed that, on February 19, 2016, the Audit Committee "received a message regarding certain potential accounting matters," which were being investigated. As a result, comScore has been unable to finalize its financial statements pending completion of the review, and therefore has to delay filing its Form 10-K for fiscal year 2015 until after the Audit Committee completes its review. The Company has also suspended its share buyback and has moved back its investor day indefinitely. On this news, the price of comScore's shares plummeted by over 33%. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. US President Barack Obama said Cubans should be free to speak without fear, should not be detained for their thoughts and should embrace democracy, in a speech televised across the Communist-run island (AFP Photo/Nicholas Kamm) Havana (AFP) - President Barack Obama praised the bravery of Cuban dissidents Tuesday in a meeting at the US embassy in Havana, although opponents back home dismissed the event as a "token" gesture. On the last day of a landmark trip that has seen him press for democracy on the communist-run island, Obama hosted more than a dozen figures from Cuba's embattled civil society, the White House said. "All of the individuals around this table have shown extraordinary courage," Obama told the group. "They have spoken out on behalf of the issues that they care deeply about." The group included Berta Soler, of the opposition movement "Ladies in White," who was briefly detained by police on Sunday as Obama arrived, and former hunger striker Guillermo Coco Farinas. After the meeting, which lasted just over an hour, dissident Manuel Cuesta told AFP that it had been "excellent." "The president showed that he was very receptive and patient. He listened to all the different opinions of the participants," Cuesta said. Obama said the meeting was important to show that his trip was not only about meeting President Raul Castro "or government-to-government relations." "Much of this is a matter of us being able to hear directly from the Cuban people and making sure that they have a voice and making sure that their concerns and their ideas are helping to shape US policy." Obama earlier made an address to the Cuban people that was broadcast live on national television and served as the capstone of a historic visit that critics say gave too much away to Castro with too little in return. The Republican party's national committee said Obama's visit was an "embarrassing display of weakness and lack of moral clarity." "Absent any real progress on human rights or the release of political prisoners, President Obama's visit to Cuba will be remembered as a historic mistake that legitimized an oppressive Communist regime. Story continues "A token meeting with pre-screened dissidents cant distract from the fact that political prisoners continue to languish in jail for expressing their beliefs." The White House believes that forcing Cuba to open up will bring democratic change. Castro answered angrily when asked about the detention of political prisoners at a press conference Monday. "After this meeting is over, you can give me a list of political prisoners and if we have those political prisoners, they will all be released before the night ends," he said, sticking to Havana's insistence that no one is imprisoned for political reasons -- only for crimes. home construction America is entering a new housing crisis. As opposed to the last housing crisis, in which supply was too abundant, this one will be defined by rising prices because of there not being enough homes. The CEO of KB Homes, the eighth-largest homebuilder in the US, perfectly sums up nearly all of the problems facing the housing market today. On the company's quarterly earnings call, CEO Jeff Mezger had this to say: Over the last three years, its kind of interesting, our first-time buyer mix has ranged right around 50% for the last three years, and if you put that in the context of how much our average selling price has lifted, I think its over $100,000 in that period. It shows you how weve been able to flex and find a first-time buyer in these higher income more desirable sub-markets where they have an easier time getting the mortgage and underwriting is getting easier, but its not easy yet. There's a lot to unpack, but let's dive in. The first thing Mezger hits on is that first-time home-buyer business is way down. For KB Homes, the percentage of buyers who are making their first purchase has dropped from around 60% to 70% in 2008 and 2009 to just 50% now. Now there are many explanations for this, from the mind-set shift of millennials to lower wage growth, but Mezger notes one important piece: credit. Many would-be homeowners have shied away from taking on the debt associated with buying a home, whether for psychological or financial reasons. In Mezger's assessment, this is a big part of the reason the homeownership rate is at historic lows. Secondly, Mezger notes that the price point for a first-time homebuyer has increased by over $100,000. This reflects the fact that new housing starts are well below the pre-crisis and historic recovery averages. The lack of new homes has driven prices up. Mezger also hits on the post-crisis trend of Americans moving from the suburbs to cities in his "higher income more desirable sub-markets" comment. Story continues For the past few years people have trended away from the suburbs and toward the cities in search of jobs. This has made it difficult for suppliers to keep up with demand, said Mezger. "And our choice right now is to continue to target those areas that are more land constrained, so its harder to bring things to market," he said in the call. For instance KB Homes CEO Jeff Mezger said in the same call that the company has been curtailing their building in rural areas in California, and spending more on pricier developments in urban areas. march 7 cotd 2016 Mezger does note a possible solution. As the labor market recovers, more people may have an incentive to move away from urban centers to areas where supply is more easily available. "And depending on the market, as they each recovered at their own pace, youll see us go a little further out from the job core, because demand is stronger out in the ring around the jobs," said Mezger. "A good example would be the Texas cities where the economy has recovered pretty nicely, and you have a fairly typical housing recovery where our first-time buyer percentage is higher." So as the labor market continues to improve, people will have more desire to move away from city centers to areas where supply is more easily built, making the supply issue easier to solve. NOW WATCH: A designer invented purposely annoying furniture to make a point about laziness More From Business Insider Qunar in 4Q15: Close to Break-Even but Mired in Airline Dispute (Continued from Prior Part) Why airlines have boycotted Qunar In January 2016, nine Chinese airlines suspended their products on Qunar (QUNR). These included major airlines such as China Eastern Airlines (CEA), Air China, and Hainan Airlines. The latest to get on the bandwagon is China Southern Airlines (ZNH). All airlines have cited increasing passenger complaints about price discrepancies and refunds for tickets booked on Qunar as the reasons for the boycott. Qunars rivals Ctrip.com (CTRP) and Alitrip (BABA) have faced similar issues. The road ahead The real reason for the boycott is difficult to determine. Qunar initially said the real reason China Eastern and Hainan Airlines withdrew tickets from its platform was because they were unhappy with the ranking. The airlines wanted tickets to be displayed alphabetically instead of by price. However, in its recent conference call, Qunar said it will work closely with the airlines to resolve all the issues. This will involve cleaning of third-party agents. Flight reservations formed 53% of Qunars 2015 revenue. This boycott is bound to affect short-term flight volumes. Also, Chinas civil aviation authorities have asked airlines to increase their direct sales of tickets to 50%. Its currently at 20%30%. These airlines need the online travel agents in order to reach a large number of people. All this means is that business for online travel agencies will have to undergo a drastic change. Airlines have already reduced commissions paid to agents in 2015, which also reduces margins. Ctrips response has been to sell travel packages that will include car rentals, hotels, and airfare. It has also introduced stringent rules for third-party agent qualifications on their site. You can gain exposure to the Chinese OTA (online travel agency) market by investing in the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB). Lets go on to the next part to see why Qunar is trying to start its own airline. Story continues Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: Los Angeles (AFP) - The US government said it may have found a way to crack the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino attackers without Apple's help, possibly avoiding a showdown with the tech giant. In a court filing, federal prosecutors said that on Sunday, an unidentified "outside party" had demonstrated to the FBI a possible way to unlock Syed Farook's iPhone. "Our top priority has always been gaining access into the phone used by the terrorist in San Bernardino," Justice Department spokeswoman Melanie Newman said in a statement. "With this goal in mind, the FBI has continued in its efforts to gain access to the phone without Apple's assistance, even during a month-long period of litigation with the company." She said the government was "cautiously optimistic" that the latest option to recover data from the iPhone would work. A California federal judge who was set to preside over a hearing in the contentious case on Tuesday granted the government's request for a delay and asked that a status report be filed by April 5. The new development may help avert -- at least for now -- a full-blown showdown between the US government and the world's most valuable company that could have wide ramifications on digital security and privacy. Privacy advocates hailed the FBI's apparent drawback in the case as a win for Apple and encryption. "With the FBI backing down on this case, this is at least a short-term win for Apple," the Center for Democracy and Technology said in a statement. "This has always been a case about the government attempting to mandate technological backdoors that would make all Americans less secure." Federal prosecutors and Apple for weeks have traded a volley of legal briefs related to the FBI's demand that the tech company help investigators unlock Farook's work phone. The FBI says the device may contain critical information for its probe into the December 2 shooting that left 14 people dead and was the deadliest terror attack in the US since 9/11. Story continues Apple, however, has balked at a court order to help investigators, citing customer privacy and security concerns. The company, backed by security experts, civil rights advocates and other tech giants -- including Google, Facebook and Microsoft -- contends that assisting the FBI would jeopardize users' data and set a dangerous precedent. "We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and our privacy," chief executive Tim Cook said, speaking at Apple headquarters to unveil a new line of iPhones and iPads. "We believe strongly we have an obligation to help protect your data and your privacy. We owe it to our customers. We will not shrink from this responsibility." The FBI had been seeking Apple's help in writing new software -- or what the company said was creating a "backdoor" -- that would allow investigators to circumvent the iPhone's built-in security. - 'Open Pandora's Box' - It argued that Apple is not above the law and that its request for technical assistance concerns only Farook's work phone from the San Bernardino health department. Farook and his Pakistani-born wife Tashfeen Malik died in a firefight with police after the attack. Two other cell phones linked to the couple were found destroyed. Tech giants and civil rights advocates have warned that the case goes beyond just one phone and that if the court sides with the FBI, it would spring open a "Pandora's Box" for human rights and digital security. "Governments trying to undermine encryption should think twice before they open this Pandora's Box," Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Amnesty International's deputy director for global issues, said in a statement. "Weakening privacy online could have disastrous consequences for free societies, particularly for the human rights activists and journalists who hold our leaders to account." Rights advocates also argue that while the FBI's request to access the data on Farook's phone may be legitimate, the method of accessing it raises concerns. Technology analyst Rob Enderle speculated that the undisclosed person now helping the government crack Farook's iPhone may be an ex-Apple employee or a computer security expert. "An ex-Apple employee with the right set of skills could do this," he told AFP, dismissing the likelihood that the tech company itself could quietly be helping authorities. "If this was Apple coming in through the back door, and it leaked, the repercussions for Apple in terms of trust would be huge." Apple officials could not immediately be reached for comment concerning the latest twist in the case. 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Cam Broden is promising more money for the arts in Saskatchewan. Free pencils for artists, so they can draw unemployment and welfare. The article mentions ''La Troupe du jour,'' a Francophone group based in Saskatoon. Anyone dare to contact their Federal MP and find out how much they're already getting from the feds in Ottawa??The Saskatchewan NDP is reinforcing their promise that, if elected, they would boost funding to the province's arts industry.NDP leader Cam Broten repeated the pledge at La Troupe Du Jour in Saskatoon on Thursday night. He said the Saskatchewan Party should recognize that cancelling the film tax credit in 2012 was a mistake."The need to better diversify our economy, the need to provide opportunity for our young people, the need to celebrate who we are as Saskatchewan people, to celebrate our stories, and the need to share them, not only with the people of the province, but around the world," Broten said.He said, if elected, the NDP would restore a film employment tax credit and boost funding for other cultural industries by 50 per cent. The funding increase would invest $3 million more over four years in addition to the funding available through the tax credit.mo Muslins r pushing Quebec to try to pass Bill 59 which will make it criminal to criticize Islam. #qcpoli Canadians have been debating all week in the Quebec legislature about potential passage of a bill called, Bill 59. What is Bill 59? Its a hidden Sharia model of how to implement phase 1 of sharia blasphemy laws. However, when the enemy lives right amongst the people how many decades does it take before this presence manages to gradually picks the freedom apart, in small pieces at a time? Eventually left-wingers will give them the freedom to block everyone else the access to freedom.The full clip from the National Assembly of Quebec, in French, can be seen here. Listen to the Muslim duplicity, weaved into careful wordings, that would endorse the condemnation of the non-islamic world and views, while islam will be exclusively protected. A subtle threat is given by stating that laughing at Islam or criticizing it will give Canada many problems down the road.Watch the clip at 1:04 minutes as Imam Salam Elmenyawi of the Muslim Council of Montreal tries to conceal his agitation when Quebec politician Agnes Mailtais, a Member of National Assembly of Quebec, suggests that criticism on religion is discussing ideas and not a reference to hatred and to propose a ban on criticism of religion would be rather extreme:the rest The EU is a huge version of Belgium and it cant deal with the modern world Europe lacks the will and capacity for self-defence against the kind of attacks we witnessed this week By Charles Moore 25 Mar 2016There was a lot of tut-tutting after the atrocities in Brussels this week when some Brexit supporters used the events to claim that the EUs policy of free movement and open borders is bad for security . David Cameron rebuked a Ukip MEP who said as much. His statement was not appropriate, said the Prime Minister.Perhaps Mr Cameron was right, in terms of decorum. There is a natural order on these occasions first, condemn the terrorists; next, express ones sympathy for the victims, their families and fellow-citizens; only then feel free to argue about causes and failings. If you get this order wrong, you sort of let the killers get away with it. Much of the coverage this week expended more rage on the Belgian authorities than on the Isil-backed murderers.But the question of what the EU does or does not do for the security of its citizens is important, and will affect the referendum vote on June 23. Before the Brussels attacks, Mr Cameron said so himself. In his view, security is a central reason to vote Remain. Is he right?Well, the EU does have a Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. He is, as it happens, a Belgian, Gilles de Kerchove. His predecessor resigned in 2007, because he felt that his post, which was set up after the Madrid bombings of 2004, had no proper powers. It is no disrespect to Mr de Kerchove, or his nationality, to suggest that he may not have been able to move things on very much.For five or six years now, the EU has wrangled over a passenger names record directive, which, if passed, would make air-passenger manifests available to the relevant security authorities of all member states. Theresa May had another go at a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers two days after the bombing. But still nothing has actually, well, happened.(By the way, isnt it strange that we are threatened, if we leave the EU, with ten years of negotiations about the details, as if this would be a shockingly unfamiliar experience? As a result of being in the EU, we have been negotiating incessantly, often inconclusively, for 40 years.)Slowness is not the only problem. A resistance to strong security within the Union is built into its constitution. The doctrine of free movement of peoples, for example, means that the British authorities are not allowed to subject EU citizens entering this country to the systematic checks they can use on other foreigners.The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg rigorously upholds these citizenship rights. Last month, it published a preliminary opinion that the daughter-in-law of the terrorist Abu Hamza could not be deported from Britain. Although she is Moroccan, not an EU citizen, and has a criminal conviction, she is the sole carer for her child, who is an EU (British) citizen. So they must stay, and we must pay.Citizenship rights, of course, are always important, and I am not saying that, from its own point of view, the court is wrong. But how much faith will citizens have in the legal order which it so virtuously upholds if the potential application of that order cannot protect them from the people who want them dead?Unstarry-eyed pro-Europeans, such as Mr Cameron, might acknowledge real problems here, but assert that improving EU intelligence and security cooperation is vital.They are right, but there is a fundamental problem. Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, has been widely quoted this week . In an article in Prospect magazine, he asserts that the cost of Brexit from a national security perspectivewould be low. No one has fully focussed on why he is saying this.Sir Richard speaks of the Third Party Rule, which is essential to intelligence cooperation worldwide and inadequately understood by politicians. It states that the recipient of intelligence from one nation cannot pass it on to a third without the originators agreement. If he does so, trust breaks down, and intelligence dries up. The EU has 28 member states, so the phrase Third Party Rule hardly does justice to the problem. A 28 Parties Rule would be more like it. If you propose to tell your secrets to Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Belgium - indeed, you might as well just put them out on the internet.This explains why, as General Michael Haydon, the former chief of the CIA, said yesterday, the EU is not a natural contributor to national security. Since it seeks to dilute the concept of nationhood, why would it want to be? By far the highest level of intelligence trust in the world is the Five Eyes alliance, between the US, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. They share an experience of cooperation in wars, a language, a Common Law tradition and, in four cases, the Crown. This week, New Zealand voted to keep the Union flag on its own national banner. Trust runs deep.The EU is not remotely like that. It is still defined by its beginnings. It was formed as a project for the reconciliation of enemies. It was successful, for many years, in getting most Europeans to buy into the project. The project could even partially at least cope with the end of Communism, because many of those formerly ruled by the Soviet Union preferred the offer of a common European home.But what the EEC (as it then was) was not designed to do was to confront external threat, extremism and violence. The danger of Soviet Communism was dealt with, militarily and politically, by the main NATO allies - above all, the United States. On the rare occasions when the EU did try to take on really nasty problems, it failed. Radovan Karadzic, sentenced in the International Criminal Court at The Hague this week, was able to commit his genocide in the early 1990s partly because the EU was too weak to stop him.In the 21st century, the picture has darkened. The United States has retreated. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has reverted to aggression. The turmoil in the Muslim world has led to mass migrations westwards and to extremism and terrorism within the borders of the Union. By far the greatest power in the EU is Germany, but Germany, because of Hitler, is passionately committed to not acting like a great power, especially where the use of force is concerned.The EU is simply not equipped to deal with these shocks. Some argue that it should be re-equipped to do so, but how, and by what authority? The EU is like a huge, sprawling, continent-wide version of Belgium, whose bombed capital it shares. It tries to reconcile internal differences by pretending they dont exist. It lacks the will and capacity for self-defence.This weak arrangement is obviously preferable to a single dictatorship ruling Europe. But it puts the EU at the mercy of President Erdogan of Turkey as he decides whom to send our way, of Putin as he toys with us in the Middle-East and Ukraine, of Assad in Syria as he wonders whom to kill or expel next, and of Isil as they try to create a pan-European insurrection against the infidel. How secure does that make you feel? People talk about how flat Nebraska is, but Im sure they have never visited the salt flats of Bolivia. Covering an area just a tad bit smaller than Connecticut, the horizon melts into the sky and leaves the impression the flatness goes on forever. The salt flat is actually a crust the upper layers of dried salt that can range from one inch in thickness up to 32 feet. This crust rests on a lake of brine that can be as deep as 400 feet. This fact didnt really sink in until after I had left the salt flat and driven many miles across it in our 4-wheel drive SUV. The brine is saturated with sediment and minerals. It also happens to contain 50 to 70 percent of the worlds lithium reserves. So one day when our streets are filled with electric cars, the batteries that power them will most likely be made with lithium that originated in Bolivia. The driver stopped our SUV so we could get out and stretch. I then noticed the salt flats had dried in a specific pattern. Most of them are hexagons that are approximately the same size; this holds throughout the majority of the salt flats. I was stumped when I first saw the pattern and then again over the several hours when it didnt change. Why should it be this way? Why this specific shape and the same size? The answer to these questions is in physics and a process called convection, or the transfer of heat in the evaporation process. Thus, what the presence of the hexagons can tell us is that between the rainy season and the dry season, the salty water is for the most part allowed to quietly evaporate. It looks like one big salt quilt spread across the ground. Our SUV continued across the salt flat for an hour until we reached one of its edges at the base of a mountain. Here a small mountain stream entered the salt flat and disappeared into the endless white. This is one of the few locations where wildlife can be seen. A pair of flamingos waded through the soupy water, feeding on the tiny crustaceans or brine shrimp that lived in the salty water. The elegant flamingos were such a contrast to the lifeless horizon backdrop. The stop offered us a chance to have lunch, make friends with some of the local llamas that grazed along the edge of the flats and take some photos. Taking photos in the salt flats is fun. Because of the flatness, its easy to create optical illusions. Taking these types of photos is a tradition with all the tourists, which included me. After lunch, we made our way to a small outcrop in the middle of the salt flats called Incahuasi. The location was previously an island in the lake, and it is now covered with centuries-old cacti. According to our guide, The place is the top of the remains of an ancient volcano, which was submerged when the area was part of a giant prehistoric lake, roughly 40,000 years ago.As we climbed to the top of the hill, I stopped from time to time to catch my breath in the thin air at 12,000 feet. During my short breaks, I studied the rock formations. They looked volcanic, but they werent. Made of petrified coral, they are indicative of ancient sea life that once flourished at the bottom of this ancient sea. At the end of the day, our driver brought us to a location to watch the sun set over the salt flats. Ive always been a fan of watching the sun go down. For me, its a sacred way of marking the passage of time. But, in all my travels, I have never seen anything as expansive at this. It would be akin to me trying to explain the Grand Canyon. It overwhelmed the senses of my eyes, as I struggled to take in the shear magnitude and scale of the color-filled sky. I asked the driver which way we would be going when we left and started to walk in that direction. The voices of my fun companions were distractions; I wanted to hear what the winds wished to tell me. So I walked for 20 minutes until it was just the wind, the color-filled sky and me. I smiled with a sense of gratitude; to be alone with this moment was like dancing with the heavens. It was a sacred way to end a beautiful day. A former Midland University student credits one of the schools numerous programs with giving her real-world skills that helped her land her first job after graduating in December 2015. Briana Laymon, of Missouri Valley, Iowa, now works as a Region Events Specialist for the American Red Cross. Her hard work and dedication in both school and internships played a vital role in preparing her for the career path she elected to purse, released information says. Midlands Personal & Career Development Center helps students like Laymon find internships while in college and prepares them for their future careers. Laymon is an example of how the Personal & Career Development Center collaborates with students to provide valuable assistance with internship and job searches, development of career documents and interview preparation. During her time at Midland, Laymon worked toward completing her degree in psychology and a minor in sociology, interned for MECA and Sycamore Education and was a work study Event Coordinator in the Midland University Development Office. She was also involved in Phi Omega Sorority and competitive cheerleading. Laymon earned the High Five Award for Stewardship and a Whos Who Among American Colleges and Universities acknowledgement. These opportunities helped her develop perseverance and prepare her for a career with the Red Cross. During her time at Sycamore Education, Laymon coordinated events to promote the Fremont Creative Collective and to organize the first May Day Conference for entrepreneurs. Laymon said she believes that without her internship experience she would not be where she is today. I was able to have on-the-job event planning training on both a small and large scale. Both my internships showed me how to maximize my personal skills in order to have a successful career in the event planning industry, she said. I know I would not have been given the job I have now without the experience my internships gave me. Laymon said internships taught her valuable skills in communication, organization, networking, time management, and logistics. Time management has been a key to Laymons success. She was able to balance cheer practice, classes, internships and sorority meetings on a daily basis. I was lucky enough to have cheerleading practice in the mornings and my sorority meetings later in the evening, meaning I could spend most of my day focusing on internships and school, Laymon said. Balancing all my activities was tough, but I was determined to make them all work and was able to manage my time in very effective ways. Laymons family was also a big part of the process. The constant support of her parents and sister helped motivate her, she said. My parents are my biggest cheerleaders and it is in large part to them that I have been able to have all my amazing experiences, Laymon said. They have never once questioned if I was capable of doing something, instead they encouraged me to try harder and push for bigger things. My sister has also been a big supporter for me and is always around to talk through any frustrations I am having and to celebrate with me in my successes. Laymons experiences at Midland helped her land her job at the Red Cross. Andrea Noon, Laymons employer, said that Laymon had all of the traits the Red Cross was seeking. When hiring for our Region Events Specialist position we were looking for a person who was very organized, incredibly good at creating and executing a plan and someone who could lead groups through successful events across a two state region, Noon said. She had everything we were looking for. Noon said the experience and skills Laymon acquired at Midland played big role in the selection process. Once Laymon was hired into the position, she effortlessly became part of the team. Briana came into the Event Coordinator role and truly hit the ground running, said Noon. Briana took the position as her own and improved upon previous standards. In addition to her fitting seamlessly into this role, she has been a great addition to the development team. Vietnam War veterans will be honored at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at a Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration at the John B. Muller Administration Building, Bellevue University, 1000 Galvin Road South, Bellevue. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-hosted commemoration is to recognize all who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War, from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. During this time period, nearly 9 million Americans served in the U.S. armed forces. Approximately 7.2 million of these Veterans are alive today. Officials from the VA and the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs will honor Vietnam Veterans. Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces, regardless of location, between Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, are invited to attend, and will receive a Vietnam War Commemorative lapel pin. To learn more about the Vietnam War Commemoration, go to: www.vietnamwar50th.com. Along with the commemoration ceremony, VA will be host a veterans claims clinic at the same location, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Veterans and their survivors can file a claim for compensation, submit evidence, speak to a VA claims processor, and attend a claims exam, if needed. In addition, experts will be available to discuss VA vocational rehabilitation, home loan guarantees, education programs and health care eligibility. Nevernevergiveup wrote: Quote: A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Bakers Beach, the worlds sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and prevented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching. Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Bakers Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago. Clearly, environmentalists prediction that the worlds Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists prediction? A. The chemical spill five years ago occurred at a time when there were neither Merrick sea turtles nor Merrick sea turtle eggs on Bakers Beach. B. Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Bakers Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old. C. Under normal conditions, only a small proportion of hatchling female Merrick sea turtles survive in the ocean until adulthood and return to lay their eggs at Bakers Beach. D. Environmental pressures unrelated to the chemical spill have caused a significant decline in the population of one of the several species of sea birds that prey on Merrick sea turtle eggs. E. After the chemical spill, an environmental group rejected a proposal to increase the Merrick sea turtle population by transferring eggs from Bakers Beach to nearby beaches that had not been affected by the spill. how can B be the correct answer? Lets us analyze the question part. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists prediction? or strengthen the environmentalist prediction? Environmentalist predicted that Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill. The argument disapproved it saying that since no of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Bakers Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago, Merrick population did not decline because of the spill. Inorder to address the question above either we have weaken the argument evidence regarding increase in adult female Merricks arrival or we have to prove that Merrick population decreased because of the spill. I do not see any options doing the job and am clueless as to how OA does it. Source: Gmat prep Exampack 2 Nevernevergiveup Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Bakers Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old . Magoosh Test Prep Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats (1865 1939) Mike McGarryEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats (1865 1939) Signature Read More DearI'm happy to respond.This is a truly brilliant question, like many of the official questions. Let's agree that choices (A) & (C) & (D) & (E) do not do the job: we can eliminate those.We know there was an oil spill five years ago, killing all the eggs then. In other words, all the Merrick sea turtles that would have been born five years ago were wiped out. Obviously, that's bad.Then, we find out, since that spill (and I guess a clean-up project?), the number of female Merrick sea turtles coming to lay eggs has increased.OK, the juxtaposition of these two facts raise an interest question. How old does a female Merrick sea turtle have to be before she starts reproducing?If a 1 or 2 year old female Merrick sea turtle were old enough to reproduce & lay eggs, and if five years after the spill, more and more are coming to lay eggs, it would seem that the population already has rebounded from that accident. That would be great!Instead, consider what (B) says:Let's say the spill happened five years ago, in 2011. The female turtles who came to Bakers Beach in the next year, 2012, were born in 2002 or before. The ones who came in 2013 were born in 2003 or before. Even this year, 2016, the turtles who come to lay eggs were born in 2006 or before. All the currently egg-laying turtles were born well before the spill. This means we haven't yet seen the reproductive "shadow" cast by the spill. The current egg-laying turtles were all born before the accident. The turtles who would have been born in 2011, the year of the accident, would not have started laying eggs until 2021: that's when we may see the effect of that missing generation of sea turtles. We simply wouldn't be seeing this population gap yet, because turtles born in 2011 would still be in some part of the extended turtle childhood, still five years away from reproducing.Thus, the evidence that the environmentalists are citing is irrelevant. Any turtles that have come to lay eggs over the last five years were born well before the accident. The absence of the ones who died in the accident will be felt later, starting about 10 years after the accident, or five year from now. In terms of the Merrick sea turtle population, the worst is yet to come, and what we have seen so far doesn't indicate the full impact of the accident. What's happening right now in terms of current egg-layers reflects births well before the spill, so we have not gotten to the point in time yet when the killed turtles would have started to reproduce. We have not seen the full reproductive impact of the accident yet.Does all this make sense?Mike_________________ We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today Bodega cats are the pride of NYC, keeping rats out of small delis and rewarding shoppers with balls of fluff to pet after they manage to knock the toilet paper off the top shelf. Bodega cats do not harm us, making it all the more awful to hear of one getting attacked: a man allegedly attacked and injured one such cat after stealing it from a bodega in Bedford-Stuyvesant yesterday, and the incident was caught on video. The Daily News reports that Salah Zaid, 28, allegedly stole a bodega cat named Nancy from Seven &One Deli & Grocery on Fulton Street at around 3 p.m. on Friday. The owner of the bodega, Ahmad Hussien, told the tabloid that Zaid had come into the store earlier in the day and began asking him questions about his background. Hussien said he asked Zaid to leave, but he came back and snatched Nancy. "We were just about to feed her and she was gone," one employee told the tabloid. Nancy managed to escape Zaid, according to the News, and ran into nearby Chinese takeout joint New Peoples Restaurant. That was when Zaid wrestled with her, slammed her into a wall and counter, and threw her into the restaurant's kitchen. He was crazy, one employee said. He opened the door and the cat came inside. He beat the cat, he smashed the cat, he threw the cat against the wall. You can see the incident on graphic video below: The NYPD tells us that Zaid, who lives near where the cat attack took place, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. Nancy is being treated for her injuries at an ASPCA Animal Hospital in Manhattan. Culture Shooting for Double XL was a liberating experience for Huma Though Huma has mentioned multiple times, in jest, that this was the best prep she ever had to do for a role since she got to eat everything she wante... Groups in the Townsend area are gearing up for what's expected to be a fun-filled summer in what Broadwater County Development Corporation President Ernie Forrey called a "hub of Montana." "Everything you want to do is within a few minutes to a couple hours away," Forrey said, adding that fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, skiing and lake activities are among the many recreational opportunities available nearby. While the Townsend Rodeo and the Townsend Fall Fest scheduled for later in the year are among the most well-attended festivities in the community, Townsend will be buzzing with activity well before either one of these events arrives. Provided by the BCDC, here is a sampling of some of the most popular things to do in the Townsend area this summer. Goose Bay Glass blows glass most days into beautiful, useful and decorative items. This is quite an art form to see in action and worth the trip to Townsend to see how all glass items used to be made. Goose Bay Glass is located at 101 S. Front St. Call 266-4496 or email cactusflat@mt.net for information. Broadwater County Museum is open May 15-Sept. 15, Monday through Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed July 4.) For more information call 266-5252, email bwcomuseum@mt.net or visit www.broadwatercountymuseum.com. Slice of Summer will be held at Heritage Park in Townsend June 16, July 21 and Aug. 18 from 2-8 p.m. Food, live music, dancing and childrens activities will be available. Festivities start at 2 p.m. with the kids activities and free use of the swimming pool and bouncy rooms. The pool will open at 1 p.m. A band will play from 5-8 p.m. Rotary and Lions will be selling hamburgers, nachos, bratwursts and hot dogs. A BHS club and the Broadwater County 4-H Exchange club will be selling floats, watermelon and healthy drinks. Call Adam at 431-8957 for more information. The July 4 Fly-in at Townsend Airport is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Planes and ultra-lights from all over the state of Montana gather at the Townsend Flight Festival for the 4th of July every year. Breakfast will be available for those that fly in or drive in. Airplanes of various vintages will be on display in the tie-down area. The EAA chapter of Helena will sponsor free airplane rides for children ages 7-17, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a licensed EAA pilot. Parental permission must be signed before a flight can be done. A courtesy car is available for pilots that do fly in and want to go into Townsend for the city's 4th of July activities. Other rides into town will also be available. There is a pilot's lounge and picnic area. Airplane fuel is also available. Live music will also be performed at the field. Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact Neil Salmi at 266-5400. Old Fashioned 4th of July will be held at Heritage Park July 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by the Townsend Area Chamber of Commerce, the event hosts a potluck picnic with hamburgers and hot dogs, and sodas and other drinks are also available. If you can, please bring a salad, side dish or dessert to share with the others, but your presence is what we desire most. Please bring your children or grandchildren, as this is a family event with games and prizes for the children. Food is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is growing every year, with people looking to enjoy an old-fashioned 4th of July in small town rural America. This event allows quality time with friends and family. Contact Mary Alice at 266-4101. The Townsend Farmers Market will be held from June 16-Sept. 29, every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Wi-Fi Park on Front Street. Contact Chris or Don at 266-4330. The Townsend Quilt Show will be held on Friday, July 15 from noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Broadwater High School Gym, located at the corner of North Cedar and North Spruce. Every other year the local guild 'The Quack-N-Quilters' puts on a quilt show with a great assortment of quilts, a silent auction, and lots of vendors. Admission to the show is free, although donations are welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The deadline to enter quilts is July 3. Forms can be obtained at Creative Closet, or J.L. Wright's Trading Post. Contact Connie at 266-3929. The Broadwater County Fair & Townsend Rodeo is scheduled for Aug. 4-7. Events include the local kids rodeo at 5 p.m. Thursday; the livestock show at 8 a.m. and NRA Rodeo at 7 p.m. Friday; the livestock show at 8 a.m., market sale at 5 p.m. and NRA Rodeo at 7 p.m. Saturday; and the barbecue from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., rodeo parade at noon and local adult rodeo at 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.townsendfairgrounds.com or www.townsendmt.com or call Michele at 266-9251. Shakespeare in the Park's "Richard the Third" is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 31 at Heritage Park behind the swimming pool. Visit www.shakespeareintheparks.org. The Townsend Fall Fest and Antique Car Show will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2. A little bit of everything with lots of old-fashioned fun for the entire family will be found at the Townsend Fall Fest. There's something for every taste, age and interest with a parade on Saturday at 11 a.m., 90-plus craft vendors, numerous food vendors including Rotary's famous brats and beer, and kids games. The Townsend Car Show starts Sunday with antique and classic cars from Montana and the Northwest. A total 300 cars showed last year. For more information and entry forms visit www.townsendmt.com, for information and booth rentals contact Laura at 980-1648, for car show information contact Jamie at 266-4336. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. On March 25, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian received Foreign Minister of Georgia Mikheil Janelidze, who is paying an official visit to Armenia. Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian mentioned, that traditionally close partnership relations have been established over the years between the representatives of the governments of the two neighbouring states, directed towards strengthening and deepening of cooperation between our states. Reflecting on bilateral ties, Edward Nalbandian commended, "To say that the relations between Armenia and Georgia are friendly, means to say very little. This is a time-tested friendship based on mutual respect. Everything which characterizes Armenian and Georgian peoples is closely interconnected. This is not a coincidence, as we live side by side for over thousands of years." Expressing gratitude for the invitation and the reception, Mikheil Janelidze stressed, that this is his second meeting with Foreign Minister of Armenia in the capacity of new Foreign Minister of Georgia in two months, and that was a good opportunity to discuss issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as international and regional issues. The Foreign Minister of Georgia said, that the two states actively cooperate in different areas, and stressed that Georgia is ready to exert additional efforts to further deepen and strengthen the cooperation. During the meeting, the process of implementation of agreements made by the Presidents of our countries, numerous issues on the Armenian-Georgian agenda were discussed; expansion of legal framework, consultations between the MFAs, activity of Inter-Governmental Committee, inter-parliamentary exchanges, preservation of Armenian cultural heritage were touched upon. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia presented to his counterpart the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, attaching importance to Georgia's support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs the only internationally mandated format. The ministers delivered press statements following the meeting. Top photo: Minister Mikheil Janelidze, Minister Edward Nalbandian By Sofia Manukyan When one thinks of a context where Turkey and Armenia are both involved, one immediately concentrates on politics, history, closed borders and the absence of diplomatic ties. Some may go further and think about cultural, linguistic similarities. However, hardly anyone goes as far as to think about policies in the energy sector; policies that often negatively impact the environment, cultural heritage and human rights in both countries. Meanwhile, the environment, unlike states, recognizes no borders and therefore any deterioration in one place is a regional if not a global threat. Therefore, my research - conducted from October 2014 until May 2015 - sought to look at the official policies of Armenia and Turkey in the energy and natural resource sectors and find out how these policies impact the environment, and human rights, of the local populations. The research was implemented as part of the Turkey-Armenia Fellowship Scheme established by Hrant Dink Foundation within the scope of the programme Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process financed by the European Union. The research was prepared at Human Rights Law Research Centre of Istanbuls Bilgi University. Clearly, Armenia and Turkey are neither geographically nor demographically comparable, however, as it turns out, policies in the energy and natural resource sector are what matter and these are pretty similar in both countries. Energy and natural resources play a key role in the development plans of both Turkey and Armenia. National strategies, regulations and policies are therefore adopted in these sectors as key contributors to the states development plans, with the goal to merge a rise in the quality of lives of people with least degree of environmental harm. Sustainability is therefore central in these plans, with a particular stress on developing renewable sources. However, in practice both governments have favored investments in more conventional energy and natural resource sectors, resulting in a costly impact on the environment, the health of local residents and overall standards of living in the region. Such practices have not only contradicted official policies of the two states, but have also led to a violation of a set of human rights recognized by both countries. For example, one of the common problems in Turkey and Armenia is the mishandling of environmental impact assessments (EIA). In 2014 an amended version of EIA regulations entered into force in Turkey. Some positive amendments included public accessibility of the EIA report and the possibility for public intervention during the preparation of the EIA and not after its finalization as was the case before. However, the amended EIA exempted a number of big projects from the EIA reports, including hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of/under 10MWm, water projects with capacity less than 100 million m3/year, dams and small lakes with capacity under 10 million m3/year, projects for reconstruction of agricultural lands, as well as projects for transformation of forest areas for other purposes. Another drawback negatively affecting the environment and local livelihoods has been the so-called rapid expropriation or immediate expropriation law, adopted in Turkey in 2011, under which immediate seizure of target property is authorized for the use of public good. This criterion has been frequently abused as this law has resulted in the expropriation of large amounts of land for use by energy companies without regard to the value of these lands in terms of the environment or local history. The number of cases of rapid expropriation has grown from eleven in 2011 to 250 in 2013. In Armenia too, the EIA has often been just a formality. Natural resources are exploited, while the public have limited access to information. The new law on the EIA, adopted in 2014, threatens to further complicate public participation in the decision-making process linked to environment and livelihoods, as it fails to simplify the processes of environmental impact assessment and public participation mechanisms, as well as to clearly identify the specific actors responsible for ensuring public participation. The pressure from investors (sometimes local political figures) undermines the adequacy of environmental inspections. The EIAs prepared for projects are often a disguise, since many EIAs are not comprehensive and do not cover all environmental concerns of the projects. Poor working conditions, especially in the mining sector, is something else shared by Armenia and Turkey. Whether it is unsafe conditions or unpaid wages as in case of Ermenek or Soma mines in Turkey in 2014, or the 2015 firing of thirteen employees of the Akhtala Mine-Enrichment Plant in Armenia after they signed a petition demanding better working conditions and higher salaries, the respect for human rights, in both countries, is being trumped by profits and the interests of the few. Individuals and communities both in Turkey and Armenia also often have to confront private interests that impair their right to decent wages and a decent life for them and their families. This has been the case in 15 provinces in Turkey, where decisions to expropriate lands for energy projects meant the destruction of olive groves. This has been a concern not only for producers and the olive industry, but also for local communities who are deprived of their income, as in the case of Yirca, a village in Turkeys Manisa province. In 2014, local residents protested against the decision to construct a thermal power plant in an area where they had cultivated thousands of olive trees for years. Hydropower plants, in turn, pose challenges for gaining ones living through farming in Armenia as these plants exhaust irrigation water. Especially in summer, the operation of hydropower plants is problematic since water tends to evaporate in small rivers, thus threatening local economies. Villagers in Marts, a village in Armenias Lori Province, for example, opposed the construction of a small hydropower back in 2013, expressing concerns that the latter would leave around 30 hectares of forage area dry and the livestock without hay, while at the same time endangering their orchards. Cultural heritage as well has often been threatened due to energy projects in both countries. Estimates say that Turkeys Ilisu Dam hydropower project, located on the Tigris River, will create a reservoir of 313 square kilometres. It threatens to submerge around 300 archaeological sites including the 12,000 year-old Mesopotamian town of Hasankeyf. Mining projects pose a threat to Armenias cultural heritage of Armenia. The extraction of copper and molybdenum in the forest of Teghout, not only poses huge environmental risks, but also threatens the preservation of historical sites dating back to Bronze Age. (Another historical site here is the medieval church in Kharatadzor which, according to the mining project, will be submerged under the tailings dam. Obviously, my research contains much more detailed information on regulations, official policies and practices in the energy and natural resources sector in Armenia and Turkey as of May 2015. Concurrent with their rhetoric regarding sustainability, my research presents the outcomes of activities in this sector - activities which have negatively affected human development and nature preservation. The objective of this work, therefore, is to expose the set of human rights violated as a result of the disconnect between Armenias and Turkeys policies and actions in the sector of energy and natural resources. For the full study, click Here. P.S. Due to undemocratic processes unfolding in Turkey, resulting in huge pressures on freedom of speech and information, the former opposition newspaper Todays Zaman was forced to delete all its archives. The newspaper was singled out due to its coverage of Turkish governments link to the terrorist group ISIS. As a result, most of the sources used in this research paper that were taken from the English version of Todays Zaman are no longer available. However, one can still find the necessary information from other online newspapers by searching the title mentioned in the footnotes via Google Search. Top photo: Yeghegis River small hydropower plant - Armenia; Deriner Dam - Turkey (1st photo courtesy of Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project; 2nd photo Sofia Manukyan) Sofia Manukyan specializes in the field of business and human rights, and advocates for responsible business practices by assisting businesses in implementing various policies and guidelines, including more familiar regulations established by the Corporate Social Responsibility model, as well as more advanced guidelines specifically in human rights adopted by the United Nations. A UW-Madison student living at Sellery Hall was accused of spitting on another resident of the dormitory March 12 and calling her names based on race, gender and scholarship status. Katherine M. Robiadek: Take Machiavellis advice: Reinstate the right of WASP pilots to their resting places at Arlington Some have been famous from the beginning, others are rarely commented on. Its always interesting, though, to pick up a long unnoticed article from 1788 and realize that Colonel Hamilton was so prescient, he foresaw the kind of people and problems that we have today, two and a quarter centuries out. So the best and brightest of the Founding generation met at Philadelphia one more time, in 1787, and hammered out the Constitution of the United States, a brilliantly designed framework for government which immediately so shocked and worried many of their countrymen that Alexander Hamilton gathered his allies James Madison and John Jay together to begin a ratification campaign on the Op/Ed pages. Jay was injured during his heroism in the Doctors Riot and had to pull out after just five essays, and Madison wasnt as prolific as Hamilton, so Hamilton wound up writing about 2/3 of the marvelous essays now known to the world as The Federalist Papers. The United States of America declared our independence in 1776, and finally concluded our revolutionary war at the negotiating table in 1783, but that didnt solve our problems. The wartime alliance under the Articles of Confederation was a failure, uniting all the colonies under a loose and toothless Confederation Congress that could neither enforce the law nor pay its troops. Federalist Number 75 Federalist Number 75, written by Alexander Hamilton, was published in the Independent Journal on March 26, 1788. In this edition of the series, he addressed the question of the treaty-making power, specifically, who should hold it, how such a power should be shared, and what the risks were in getting it right. Then as now, everyone knew the challenges in accomplishing anything in large groups, so there was a temptation to leave treaties entirely to the President (remember the famous line from Ben Franklin, when asked why he didnt want to write the Declaration of Independence? I make it a rule to never write anything that will be edited by a committee.) but there were risks in giving so much power to the President too. Remember the Framers approach of shared sovereignty: the House directly representing the people, the President indirectly representing the people (through carefully weighted filtering by a thoughtful Electoral College), and the Senate directly representing the states (having been appointed or elected by the governors and state legislatures, until the horrendous error of the 17th Amendment). The Framers tried to have most things go through at least two of these bodies, to add as much distillation and caution as possible. Whether it was a new cabinet level department, a new tax, or a treaty with a federal government, it ought to go through the deliberate vetting of at least two very different bodies. In Federalist #75, Hamilton compares our system with the system of the foreign kingdoms from which we sprung. A king in England or France might rule for twenty, thirty, even fifty years, and then be succeeded by his son or grandson, so whether the king was good or venal, either way hed be sure to think of the long-term in any negotiation with a foreign power. American politicians, on the contrary, could be expected to have short times of office just a term or two in the executive or legislative branches and then return to the private sector thereafter. Not to say that this difference would ensure corruption, of course, but it might make it more of a risk, and certainly changes the feeling of long term planning versus short term planning so critical in the arena of foreign relations. Hamilton specifically warned of the risks of avarice in Federalist #75. Consider this section, from the middle of the essay: But a man raised from the station of a private citizen to the rank of chief magistrate, possessed of a moderate or slender fortune, and looking forward to a period not very remote when he may probably be obliged to return to the station from which he was taken, might sometimes be under temptations to sacrifice his duty to his interest, which it would require superlative virtue to withstand. "An avaricious man might be tempted to betray the interests of the state to the acquisition of wealth. An ambitious man might make his own aggrandizement, by the aid of a foreign power, the price of his treachery to his constituents. "The history of human conduct does not warrant that exalted opinion of human virtue which would make it wise in a nation to commit interests of so delicate and momentous a kind, as those which concern its intercourse with the rest of the world, to the sole disposal of a magistrate created and circumstanced as would be a President of the United States. Colonel Hamilton wrote this 228 years ago today, so the odds may seem unlikely, but who do you think he had in mind? When the nation was founded, we had no political parties, but todays Republicans leave the nation in the hands of Democrats, and then Democrats leave the nation in the hands of Republicans, back and forth, again and again. How often have we heard people say Lets see what this bozo leaves for his successor?! So much for the long-term thinking that the philosophers hope will animate the treaty-making process. But there is another risk that outranks the fears of incompetence or short-term political gains: the risk of avarice that motivated Hamiltons support for treaties to be very broadly controlled, negotiated by an executive, yes, but then placed completely in the hands of the Senate, so that the state governments, far from Washington D.C., would have a veto power to protect the nation from a sellout executive. Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation Long before Hillary Clinton was named as Barack Obamas Secretary of State in fact, in the very first weeks of her tenure as a US Senator, as soon as her husband left the presidency in January of 2001 the Clinton family established The Clinton Foundation. Originally believed to be a simple high-overhead charity to enable the ex-president to travel in the style to which he had become accustomed, and to philander in the style hed always desired the Foundation soon became much more. A vehicle to power the family to 1% level wealth, a platform to launch a daughter of mediocre skills into the realm of the high-performers, a slush fund to meddle in not just our own government but others as well, flaunting the regulations of both campaign finance and nonprofit status, as the Clintons always do. During the eight years of Hillary Clintons US Senate career, the Foundation appeared to operate much as people had expected but once Barack Hussein Obama appointed her to the leadership of the State Department, the Foundation kicked into high gear. Investigative journalists are just beginning to scrape the surface of the massive alleged corruption of her four years as Secretary of State. While proof of an actual quid pro quo (or at least of a solicitation or offer thereof) is usually necessary to prove bribery (cf, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act), many of the timelines that appear to link donations to the Clinton Foundation with US government action are just overwhelming. While such allegations are just that, for now, a few such red flags currently drawing investigative journalists like an electromagnet draws steel include the following: The New York Times reports that Russia gained US Government approval to purchase Uranium One, a North American uranium mining and production company (yes, due to nuclear proliferation risks, such sales require State Department approval) after millions of dollars in donations to the Clinton Foundation. ABC News reports that Moroccan-owned mining company OCP donated millions to the Clintons groups, while seeking approval to control disputed lands in the Western Sahara. The Washington Free Beacon reports that convicted criminal Claudio Osorio received a $10 million government loan for his InnoVida company, to help rebuild Haiti, after donating tens of thousands to the Clintons, of course. The International Business Times reports that the middle east is full of countries whove received lucrative arms deals from the US government, after making generous contributions to the Clinton Foundation, all while Hillary Clinton was running the State Department the one entity that all applications governed by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) must go through before approval. And on top of all this, the single most logical tool for an investigation to prove or disprove wrongdoing on her part the Secretarys email record throughout her tenure has been corrupted through the now internationally notorious email server scandal, in which Secretary Clinton carefully and successfully routed all of her correspondence, both job-related and personal, away from the security framework of the government, and then destroyed at least half the evidence before it could be analyzed. We could look at Barack Obamas second term, and the nightmarish deals that his second Secretary of State former Senator John Kerry, serial billionaire-marrier and jet-setter, negotiated in these past few years. We could look into the Iran/Kerry deal in the midst of Iranian weaponizing, Obamas unilateral lifting of sanctions on Cuba while their mass-murdering dictators still reign, the administrations refusal to acknowledge terrorist group after terrorist group, sometimes for years, until they have grown too large to easily eradicate but the Hillary Clinton example is sufficient to make the point. On this anniversary of the publication of Federalist #75, we again recognize the forethought of our Founding Fathers. They recognized the temptations inherent in the trappings of power, and they built a system that would insulate against it, ensuring that administrative excesses could be tempered by a responsible Senate that would look out for the interests of the state governments they represented. The plan was for the Senators to impeach and eject a criminal officeholder in the executive branch, and to reject international agreement that bore the stench of corruption or that worked against the interests of the states. Of course, the Framers never dreamed that the nation would be foolish enough to undo all their efforts with a 17th Amendment, severing the ties that gave the states power over the federal government. But for 120 years, the system worked beautifully, and it remains amazing, doesnt it, to see how farsighted Publius was, in foretelling the very dangers that we would someday suffer under an Obama administration, from way back in the days of our birth, on March 26, 1788. Copyright 2016 John F. Di Leo John F. Di Leo is a Chicago-based writer and international trade lecturer. A former minor conservative activist and political campaign volunteer, he served as Milwaukee County Republican Party Chairman in the mid-1990s; he has now been a recovering politician for almost nineteen years. Permission is hereby granted to forward freely, provided it is uncut and the IR URL and byline are included. Follow John F. Di Leo on Facebook or LinkedIn, or on Twitter at @johnfdileo. Feds dismantle another cross-border drug tunnel, seizing over a ton of marijuana and making multiple arrests Calexico, California - Federal officials seized a cross-border tunnel Wednesday morning following a lengthy multiagency investigation that resulted in six arrests and the confiscation of more than a ton of marijuana. The tunnel, more than 400 yards in length, stretches from the former El Sarape Restaurant, now a coffee shop, in Mexicali, Mexico, to a two-bedroom Calexico residence located at 902 E. Third Street, about 300 yards north of the international border. In the front room of the residence, agents found a hole concealed in the floor about three feet in diameter with an opening that descends several feet beneath the foundation. Two of the defendants identified during the investigation, Marcia Manuela Duarte-Medina and her mother Eva Duarte De Medina, were arrested in Nogales, Arizona, Tuesday night. Both women were expected to make their initial appearance in federal court in Tucson Wednesday afternoon. Two additional defendants, Joel Duarte Medina and Manuel Gallegos Jimenez, were taken into custody Wednesday morning in Calexico. Gallegos was encountered at the tunnel residence, while Duarte was arrested at a home located on Horizon Street where authorities recovered more than 1,500 pounds of marijuana. Both men are scheduled to make their initial appearance in federal court in El Centro Thursday morning. All four defendants are charged by federal complaint with drug trafficking, money laundering, and tunnel-related offenses. The remaining two suspects tied to the case were detained by Mexican authorities in Mexicali Wednesday morning. This is the first operational tunnel discovered in Calexico in a nearly a decade. According to federal investigators, it also represents the first time drug traffickers are known to have purchased property and constructed a house for the sole purpose of concealing the exit of a subterranean drug tunnel. The search warrant affidavit and charging documents allege the traffickers scouted properties in the area and selected the Third Street parcel in a residential section of Calexico. The sale of the property for $240,000 was finalized by the defendants in April 2015. This house and tunnel were constructed under the watchful eye of law enforcement, said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. For the builders, the financiers and the operators of these passageways, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We will seize your drugs and your tunnel before you even have a chance to use it. Court documents describe how special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) used court-authorized wiretaps and other investigative techniques to monitor the construction of the house during October and November of 2015. According to the case affidavit, the property owners told the construction contractor to leave a space for a floor safe when pouring a cement foundation for the house. Investigators believe the owners intended to use the hole in the foundation as the tunnels exit point. In late December 2015, coconspirators rented a walk behind saw and concrete blade from a local business in El Centro, presumably to create the tunnel exit. The residence was completed in December 2015 at a cost of approximately $86,000. Todays enforcement actions are the culmination of months of tireless investigative work by HSI and its enforcement partners, showing yet again our collective resolve to use all of the resources at our disposal to combat this increasingly dangerous form of cross-border smuggling, said Dave Shaw, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. Id emphasize that our investigation in this case is still very much ongoing, but preliminarily we believe the shuttering of this latest smuggling tunnel has dealt a serious blow to yet another narcotics trafficking organization that was determined to succeed at all costs. Once the house was finished, the drug trafficking organization opened the tunnels exit point in preparation for smuggling activity. Based on intercepted calls and surveillance, investigators believe the traffickers began transporting narcotics through the tunnel after Feb. 28. Investigators are confident that was the first time the tunnel was used. On March 7, HSI special agents and the West Covina Police Department seized over 1,350 pounds of marijuana that had been smuggled through the tunnel and transferred to the two storage locations before being transported to Los Angeles via Brawley. This is the only known instance where traffickers moved narcotics from the Calexico storage locations to onward locations for distribution. This significant cross-border drug seizure and tunnel discovery is an excellent example of the integrated efforts taking place daily across multiple law enforcement agencies to protect America by providing secure borders, said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott. This tunnel discovery is further proof that Americas investment in border security is paying off. As we continue to improve border security, criminal organizations are forced to resort to tunneling and other complicated and costly smuggling methods, which increases their exposure to detection by law enforcement. If these drug trafficking organizations think they can move their operations east and no one will be the wiser, they are mistaken, said William R. Sherman, special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego. With the assistance of our law enforcement partners, we will remain vigilant in both San Diego and Imperial counties to ensure that these dangerous cross-border drug tunnels are shut down and the organizations responsible are put out of business. According to court records, the drug traffickers used the residence where defendant Duarte was arrested, located at 1056 Horizon Street, to store smuggled narcotics. Eventually, the traffickers moved the contraband from that location to a nearby warehouse at 260 Avenida Campillo where it remained until it could be moved north by the rings transportation cells. The trafficking organization used multiple storage locations and multiple drivers as a means of compartmentalizing their operations to keep various players in the dark about their methods. The passageway shuttered in Calexico Wednesday is the 12th large-scale, operational drug smuggling tunnel discovered along the California-Mexico border since 2006. The majority of these passageways have been detected in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego, where the terrain is easier to excavate and the thousands of warehouses on either side of the border provide camouflage for illicit activities. If you type keywords such as 'anti-national', 'sedition', 'patriotism' and 'bharat mata ki jai' on google maps, you will be directed to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). By India Today Web Desk: Last few months have been quite heavy for the Jawaharlal National University (JNU), with the widespread protests against few students, who organised an event at the Sabarmati Dhaba against the execution of Afzal Guru and separatist leader Maqbool Bhat and marched for Kashmir's right to self-determination. The Delhi police had filed a case of sedition against those students and arrests have been made.Social media networking platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter were flooded with posts from people all over India, expressing their disapproval regarding what all transgressed. Hashtags such as 'anti-national', 'sedition', 'Azaadi' were mostly used along with the posts. advertisement And now, if you type keywords such as 'anti-national', 'sedition', 'patriotism' and 'bharat mata ki jai' on google maps, you will be directed to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). According to newspaper reports, this data is generated through algorithms and not by any individual or group. These terms have been extensively used in news recently, hence, they became associated with maps, this is the reason why this result triggered in. Google authorities say that this is a bug, and that they are working to fix it as soon as possible. Earlier also, when the users searched for keyword 'nigger house' they were directed to White House and on typing 'top 10 criminals', Prime Minister Modi's name was shown. "We will raise the issue with the administration to send an official communication to Google in this regard. We have been protesting against the branding of an institution as anti-national and now the search giant has gone a step ahead in certifying that," said JNU Students Union vice-president Shehla Rashid. Read: 9 polytechnics and 28 technical colleges in Haryana shut down For information on more latest news and updates, click here --- ENDS --- Rebel Congress MLAs released a sting video and alleged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat tried to woo them with money and buy their support. By India Today Web Desk: After rebel Congress MLAs released a sting operation CD alleging Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat tried to woo them with money, a recommendation was made by the chief minister to the speaker for the dismissal of the rebel leaders from the state Assembly. Speaking to the media after meeting the speaker, Rawat said, "I had come to meet the speaker as the leader of the Congress party. I was asked as to what all construes the anti-defection law on these nine MLAs." advertisement Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker GS Kunjwal had on Saturday issued a notice under anti-defection law to the nine rebel Congress MLAs, who have joined hands with the BJP to oust the Harish Rawat government in the state. Earlier today, rebel Congress MLAs released a sting video and alleged Chief Minister Harish Rawat tried to woo them with money and buy their support. TOP DEVELOPMENTS Congress claimed that this was a BJP conspiracy. In a late night presser, Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "What is happening in Uttarakhand is a huge conspiracy by BJP and Centre to destabilise Congress governments?" PM Modi has called an emergency meeting over the ongoing Uttarakhand crisis. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, who has demanded Chief Minister Harish Rawat's resignation, today met the President. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat made a recommendation for the dismissal of the rebel Congress MLAs from the state Assembly. Rebel Congress MLAs Kunwar Pranav Singh and Saket Bahuguna, son of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, released the CD at a press conference in Delhi saying it showed Chief Minister Harish Rawat was resorting to horse trading ahead of a crucial trust vote on March 28. Saket Bahuguna demanded the Harish Rawat government be dismissed and fresh elections held in the state. Opposition BJP, which has been backing the rebels, also hit out at Rawat after the sting was released. Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs for violating the party whip in the state Assembly during voting on the Finance Bill. The legislators, reacting to the notice, demanded proof from the speaker. Chief Minister Harish Rawat denied the allegations levelled against him by the rebel MLAs and said the sting operation CD is fake. "The CD is false and farce," Rawat said. Expressing concerns over their security the rebel Congress MLAs said, "We are getting threats. We need security as our lives are in danger." The BJP has rubbished allegations of horse trading in Uttarakhand where nine Congress MLAs have revolted against Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The party also challenged Rawat to prove his majority in the house. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has criticised the BJP for what he described as "brazen horse trading" in Uttarakhand. ALSO READ: Uttarakhand: Congress dismisses all 9 district party unitsUttarakhand crisis: BJP MLAs march to meet President Pranab Mukherjee --- ENDS --- John Abraham has expressed his desire to work with Ayushmann Khurrana on a film project again. The latter started his Bollywood career with Vicky Donor which was produced by John Abraham. By Indo-Asian News Service: Actor-producer John Abraham, whose film Rocky Handsome released on Friday, says he would "love" to make a film again with actor Ayushmann Khurrana. John worked with Ayushmann in the latter's debut film Vicky Donor, which was produced by the Force star. Ayushmann took to Twitter to laud the 43-year-old actor for his latest actioner, which has been directed by Nishikant Kamat. advertisement "He fights like Rocky and looks so Handsome. John Abraham you're so awesome in Rocky Handsome. Must watch," the Dum Laga Ke Haisha actor tweeted. He fights like Rocky and looks so Handsome. @TheJohnAbraham You're so awesome in #RockyHandsome. Must watch! Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) March 24, 2016 John thanked the 31-year-old actor and shared that he would love to work with him once again. "Thanks Ayushmann. Would love to make a film with you again soon," he tweeted. Thanks @ayushmannk . Would love to make a film with you again soon :) https://t.co/YRcM5E3tTs John Abraham (@TheJohnAbraham) March 25, 2016 Vicky Donor which released in 2012, is a Indian comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar. It also stars Yami Gautam and Annu Kapoor in the lead roles. The story is loosely based on the Canadian French film Starbuck. On the work front, Ayushmann is currently busy shooting for Manmarziyaan with Bhumi Pednekar. He also has another film in his kitty - Meri Pyaari Bindu, which features Parineeti Chopra, who will be seen playing the character of an aspiring actor. John is currently busy prepping for his next film Force 2, which also stars Sonakshi Sinha and Tahir Raj Bhasin and is directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. --- ENDS --- It was initially expected that PM Modi's visit may be cancelled, but despite the terror attacks, his visit will go on as scheduled and he will attend the European Union Summit. By India Today Web Desk: In light of the recent terror attacks on the Belgian capital Brussels, reports say that Belgian Army will be deployed along with police to guard venue of multiple engagements during PM Narendra Modi's visit to the city at the end of March. At least 5000 strong Indians are expected to meet PM for cultural evening - Stronger Together. advertisement It was initially expected that PM Modi's visit may be cancelled, but despite the terror attacks, his visit will go on as scheduled and he will attend the European Union Summit on on March 30. According to sources, terror, trade, economy, clean energy and Namami Gange (clean rivers) tops PM's agenda. Modi is scheduled to visit Brussles enroute to the fourth Nuclear Security summit hosted by US President Barack Obama in Washington on March 31 and April 1. From the US, Modi will stop at Riyadh on his way back for his meeting with the Saudi Arabian government. Also read: Brussels attack: PM Modi's visit to go as planned on March 30, says government --- ENDS --- By Mail Today: The Bengaluru police arrested 3 drug peddlers on Friday when they were trying to sell brown sugar on Hosur Road to college students. The police recovered brown sugar worth Rs 1 crore from them. According to the police, Murugan, Seena and Palani, habitual offenders from Tamil Nadu, had recently shifted to the city. On Friday, the police received information that the trio was selling brown sugar to college students near a college on Hosur Road. The police raided the premises and arrested the trio. Murugan, Seena and Palani, habitual offenders from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the police. advertisement The police are interrogating the trio, as this is for the first time in recent months that there is such a major drug haul in the city. The police are tracing the source of the drug to the city. The police have booked cases against them under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. --- ENDS --- BJP has promised to completely seal the Indo-Bangla border in the state to stop illegal infiltration if it comes to power and also take action against entities employing infiltrators. By Mail Today: Hopping for victory in Assam, BJP has promised to completely seal the Indo-Bangla border in the state to stop illegal infiltration if it comes to power and also take action against entities employing infiltrators. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the vision document 2016-2025-Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas for the state while accusing Assam CM Tarun Gogoi of destroying and changing the demography of the state by allowing infiltration. Assembly polls in Assam will be held in two phases on April 4 and 11. advertisement Meanwhile, BJP President Amit Shah addressing two rallies at Sibsagar and Sonari, said a party government in the state would take steps to stop illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, alleging Assam has never been safe under Congress' 15-year rule. Closing borders "Assam's border has been opened as a road for lakhs of infiltrators from Bangladesh to snatch away employment from Assam's youth," Shah said, as he urged the electorate to help form an NDA government in Assam and and stop infiltration 100 per cent. "Congress has been doing it (allowing infiltration) for many decades and took no action," Jaitley said, adding that if BJP comes to power, it will work closely with the Centre for complete sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam. The vision document said a law would be enacted to sternly deal with industries, businesses, SMEs or any other agencies employing infiltrators. It further said all encroachments will be removed from forest, religious bodies, wasteland and tribal belts. "We are clear in our mind that 2016 election is a historical chance to defeat and uproot the failed 15-year-old Congress government. That is why all anti-Congress social and political parties have united and are fighting together," Jaitley said. Jaitley exuded confidence that BJP-led alliance would mark a landslide victory in Assam. "The mood to change the ruler is consolidating day by day and a desire for a change is sweeping across the state. People of Assam are fed up with slogans and want growth on ground. The aspirational politics is visible among youth, who are our core strength," Jaitley said. The BJP document promised to construct model villages in collaboration with BSF, ex-servicemen and indigenous people along the border, besides securing the inter-state boundaries through amicable settlements. Shah promised to take the state on to a corruption-free government. "Corruption is highest in Assam. No money is being spent for development of roads, electricity supply, building good hospitals. If you search, the money sent for development will be found in minister's houses," Shah alleged. On Congress' allegation of fund cut to the state by the NDA government, Jaitley said, Assam will get 148 per cent more in 2016-2020 compared to 2011-2015 due to higher tax devaluation of 42 per cent as against 32 per cent earlier. He said Assam will get Rs 1,43,239 crore as tax devaluation as recommended by the 14th Finance Commission as against Rs 57,854 crore during 13th Finance Commission. --- ENDS --- advertisement The 12,000-year-old Valmiki Temple on Holi located in the narrow streets neart the new Anarkali bazaar in Lahore was buzzing with music, laughter and lots of colours. By Mail Today: Located in the narrow streets near the New Anarkali bazaar in Lahore, the Valmiki Temple on Holi was buzzing with music, laughter and lots of colours. The local shopkeepers and bystanders also found it hard to resist the temptation of splurging into a fight of colours with the Hindu community. "Our temple continues to spread the message of unity and we welcome people from all faiths be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian in our place of worship to celebrate Holi," says Swami, a saywakar at the temple. advertisement He points towards the veranda of the temple and says, "When all the people are drenched in colours then how does one distinguish between faiths? Humanity is the biggest faith. The 12,000-year-old Valmiki is the only other operative temple in Lahore along with Krishna Temple located on Ravi Road. It would not be an over exaggeration to call Valimiki temple a veteran, a personification of one bruised and tormented by the religious extremism of the subcontinent. The historical old building has survived several attacks by angry mobs and land-grabbers. Back in 1992, in the aftermath of the Babri Mosque attack in India, an angry mob wielding weapons stormed into the Valmiki Temple, smashing idols of Krishna and Valmiki, including a tile of gold by Valmiki's feet, breaking utensils and crockery in the kitchen and seizing the sacred gold and jewels, which embellished the statues. What was left of this monumental religious symbol was mere rubble and ashes Today, the reconstructed structure where idols have been replaced with mounted photographs of religious figures, offers worshippers and outsiders a chance to experience and celebrate Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali "We Pakistanis need to celebrate all religions and love the diversity of this land. Red is a colour of love and that love was expressed by Krishna when he coloured Radha in red, that's why on this day we celebrate and admire the idea of love," says 28-year-old Sonia Raj, daughter of Pundit Bhagat Lal Khokhar. Khokar's ancestors have been taking care of this temple and earlier the entire Valmikistreet, which had 35 Valmiki families in this area before the partition. But he voices his concern over the future of the place. "This is our sixth generation serving the Valmiki people of this region but how will this be carried on by the next generation is a question I often don't have an answer to," she says. Not many people are aware of the worship and functioning of the two temples in Lahore. Usha, a 23-year-old Nepali student studying Pharmacy at Punjab University says: "I've been living here for the last four years, but I didn't know that in Lahore there actually is a mandir, which has a worship space. I never thought that in a conservative country like this, there can be a mandir," she smiles. advertisement Similarly, Arif Masih a 47-year-old a Christian activist says that celebrating each religion's festival is a sign of loving the diversity of what this land once stood for. "I am a Christian but my ancestors were Hindus so I don't see a point in not celebrating Hindu festivals with as much fervour as Christmas or Easter," he says. The adoption of a resolution in the National Assembly proposing public holidays on Diwali, Easter and Holi in Pakistan was earlier met with much enthusiasm among people but the resolution failed to see the light of day. "We have a long way to go until the government takes such steps," says Swami. However, he says, Holi originated from Multan, Pakistan, where ruins of the old Prahladpuri temple still exist. After killing Hiranyakashipu, Lord Narasimha took a dip at a place called 'SurajKund', a pond in Multan. "With such a diverse heritage, one can only wonder how great this land can be, if we are to shed the religious extremism that ails our entire region," he says. advertisement Also Read: See pics: Priyanka Chopra celebrates Holi on the sets of Quantico --- ENDS --- Amid allegations of horse-trading in Uttarakhand, rebel Congress leaders today released a sting operation CD and alleged that Chief Minister Harish Rawat tried to woo them with money. By India Today Web Desk: Amid allegations of horse-trading in Uttarakhand, rebel Congress leaders today released a sting operation CD and alleged that Chief Minister Harish Rawat tried to woo them with money. Addressing a press conference, rebel Congress MLAs Sanket Bahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat and Subodh Uniyal today said the CD has exposed massive corruption in Uttarakhand. advertisement They said, "Ham 9 MLAs ke saath kuchh BJP MLAs ko bhi kharid farokht karne ki koshish ki jaa rahi hai (Attempts are being made to buy the support of nine Conrees MLAs and some BJP MLAs". Expressing concerns over their security the MLAs said," We are getting threats. We need security as our lives are in danger." Harak Singh Rawat's letter to Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul on alleged horse-trading in the state. Speaking on the issue Sanket Bahuguna said, "Uttrakhand suffers from corruption, land maffia and liquor Mafia". However, Chief Minister Harish Rawat today denied allegations levelled against him by his party MLAs and said the sting operation CD is fake. "The CD is false and farce," he said 'Ample evidence' of involvement of others in U'khand crisis: Congress Amid allegations that yoga guru Ramdev was behind the political crisis in Uttarakhand, Congress on Friday said there is "ample evidence" of involvement of some people. The Congress on Thursday dragged yoga guru Ramdev into the picture, accusing him of "hatching" a plot jointly with the BJP leadership to topple the state government but the yoga guru refuted the charge. "There is ample evidence of involvement of other people. All these facts will come out in the open," party leader Sachin Pilot told reporters. Harak Singh Rawat's letter. However, asked about the involvement of Ramdev, he did not give a direct reply. He suggested the party would speak on the matter after the Harish Rawat ministry has faced the confidence vote on March 28. BJP rubbishes horse trading allegation The BJP on Saturday rubbished the allegation of horse trading in Uttarakhand where nine Congress legislators have revolted against Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The party also challenged Rawat to prove his majority in the house. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised the BJP for what he described as "brazen horse trading" in Uttarakhand. Harak Singh Rawat's letter. "Allegations of horse trading are ridiculous. The legislators of Congress have revolted against the functioning of Rawat and his dictatorial attitude," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters. advertisement He also said the Congress leaders, who have revolted against the chief minister are not those who can be bought for money. ALSO READ: Uttarakhand: Congress dismisses all 9 district party units Uttarakhand crisis: BJP MLAs march to meet President Pranab Mukherjee --- ENDS --- By Adila Matra: We know them as dressed in mostly white, with prayer caps, cooking great food and very industrious. We romanticise them, their descent, make movies about them and make them interesting characters in our novels. But the Parsi community is slowly vanishing with dwindling numbers and sooner or later will be limited to the romanticism we attribute to them. So will vanish the multi cultural ethos that they brought with them. advertisement Also read: Ancestral Affairs: A Parsi writer and his take on India's partition To celebrate the multicultural ethos that makes the unique ethnic and cultural identity of the Parsi-Zoroastrian community, Ministry of Minority Affairs under their scheme Hamari Dharohar in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Parzor Foundation is hosting a cultural spectacle The Everlasting Flame International Programme at premiere cultural institutes across the city. Three exhibitions, titled The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination at the National Museum, Threads of Continuity: Zoroastrian Life and Culture at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and Painted Encounters: Parsi Traders and the Community at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) along with many cultural and educational events will be held over a period of three months. "After the success of the MOMA Jiyo Parsi programme, we needed to explain why such tiny communities were worth saving and their contribution both to world history and culture and specifically India . So Pheroza Godrej' and FPM s exhibition at NGMA and Parzor's TOC address these issue," says Shernaz Cama, one of the curators. The highlight of the festival are the specially created artistic performances by Astad Deboo and Dadi Pudumjee. The unusual mix of a non Zoroastrian designer , India's great Wendell Rodricks explaining the symbols of our faith - the simple white sacred shirt with its 1 inch square Pocket of Good Deeds and Ashdeen, a Parsi showcasing the glories of the intercultural amalgam of Parsi embroidery are things never done before. "For Threads of Continuity, the loans from the National Museum, Tehran and Tehran Zarthushti Anjuman Museum , the display of the most precious documents of Parsi history from the Meherjirana Library, Navsari and the two gifts from Akbar to the first Dastoor Meherjirana at Fatehpur Sikri- the Firman and the Genealogy never shown before are objects of great historic importance will be exhibited," says Cama. Photographer Sooni Taraporevala will showcase her photographs of her Parsi family and others that she has been documenting since 1980. She says the community has evolved a lot over the years. "Youngsters are much more hip than they were in the eighties. There are many more marriages outside the community & many more kids of mixed parentage who are having their navjotes thanks to some liberal priests who have the courage to perform them," says Taraporevala who thinks the best and unique quality of Parsis is "our ability to laugh at ourselves." advertisement Katayun Saklat, the septuagenarian Parsee artist from Calcutta will hold a Stained Glass Workshop. There will be an introduction to the art and craft of stained glass. "Parsis have a long association with stained glass. Agiaries like the one in Bandra have beautiful stained glass probably manufactured in France. Magnificent portraits done in medieval technique adorn the reading room of the JN Petit Institute in Bombay. These are merely two examples, there are several. Since Parsis have always been interested in European art, it is natural that they would be drawn to stained glass," she says. All in all, the exhibition seems a fascinating one to catch. -The Everlasting Flame International Programme is on till May 27 at various venues. --- ENDS --- U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford speak to press about counter-ISIL operations at the Pentagon, in Washington March 25, 2016. Photo: Reuters By Reuters: Islamic State's second in command and other senior leaders were likely killed this week in a major offensive targeting its financial operations, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday, the latest setback for the militant group. Carter told a Pentagon press briefing the United States believes it killed Haji Iman, a senior leader in charge of finances for the self-declared caliphate, and Abu Sarah, who Carter said was charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli is seen in an undated picture from the U.S. Department of State. Al-Qaduli, the second-in-command of the Islamic State, was killed in a raid in Syria on Thursday, a U.S. official told Reuters. advertisement U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the briefing the deaths reflected "indisputable" new momentum in the fight against Islamic State. U.S. special forces carried out the strike against Haji Iman, officials told Reuters. The original plan was to capture, not kill, him. But after the commandos' helicopter was fired on from the ground, the decision was made to fire from the air, said one of the officials. Coalition soldiers rarely operate in Islamic State-held parts of Iraq, where there are no friendly forces to help if a mission runs into trouble. Dunford said he expected to increase the level of U.S. forces in Iraq from the current 3,800 and bolster the capabilities of Iraqi forces preparing for a major offensive against Islamic State in Mosul, but that those decisions had not been finalized. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said, using another acronym for the group. The strike comes amid growing pressure on Islamic State, which is steadily losing territory in Iraq and Syria to U.S.-backed forces. While the operational significance of removing Haji Iman from the battlefield is not yet clear, it is the latest in a series of strikes against the group's top leaders, including Abu Omar al-Shishani, described by the Pentagon as the group's "minister of war," and a senior Islamic State chemical weapons operative captured by Iraq-based U.S. commandos and turned over to the Iraqi government. Carter said the killing of Haji Iman, who also went by Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and other aliases and who was imprisoned in the region until 2012, would hamper the group's ability to operate inside and outside of Iraq and Syria. But he conceded that alone was not sufficient to cripple it. "These leaders have been around for a long time. They are senior, they're experienced, and so eliminating them is an important objective and it achieves an important result," he said. "But they will be replaced and we'll continue to go after their leadership and other aspects of their capability." MOSUL OPERATION advertisement U.S. officials said they were helping Iraqis prepare for a major operation in Mosul to take back territory from Islamic State, which aims to establish a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. U.S. Marines were providing artillery fire at the request of Iraq to help support Iraqi forces moving into new positions, they said. They said Iraqi forces were carrying out the assault and that the U.S. military was not digging in for a larger ground combat role. Carter said Haji Iman had been involved in external affairs for Islamic State and played a role in recruiting foreign fighters, but could not confirm he had anything to do with this week's deadly attacks in Brussels, which killed 31 people. "It's a big blow to IS," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution think tank. "He has been an important figure going back to a decade ago during Abu Musaib Zarqawi's era in creating what became ISIS," he said, using another acronym for the group. Carter did not explain how the United States had been able to successfully target Islamic State leaders like Haji Iman and al-Shishani. But the military's recent successes suggest that bounties on the group's leaders are yielding tips from members of Islamic State's top command, said Hisham al-Hashimi, an adviser to the Iraqi government on Islamic State. advertisement The United States offered a reward of up to $7 million for information about Haji Iman, according to the State Department website. Dunford said the U.S. military had significantly increased intelligence sharing with European militaries in recent months as authorities sought to stem the tide of foreign fighters streaming into Iraq and Syria. He said fighters from more than 100 countries were now in Syria and Iraq and there were estimates the total exceeded 30,000. Greater cooperation was needed by all those countries to avert attacks like the ones in Brussels, he said. --- ENDS --- A nurse from the south Indian state of Kerala and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a rocket attack in violence-hit Zawiya city of Libya. By PTI: A nurse from the south Indian state of Kerala and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a rocket attack in violence-hit Zawiya city of Libya. Sunu Sathyan and her son Pranav were killed in the rocket attack on their apartment block yesterday at around 4 PM in Zawiya city, 45 km from Libyan capital Tripoli, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. advertisement "On 25 March 2016, around 4 pm Mrs Sunu Sathyan an Indian nurse from Kerala and her son Pranav were killed when a rocket (hit) their apartment. "We have got in touch with her husband Vipin Kumar. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital," Swaraj said in a series of tweets. Sonu and the toddler were sleeping in their house when it was rocked by the explosion, her father Sathyan Nair, hailing from Kondadu in Kottayam district, said. The victim was working as a nurse in Zawiya Medical centre AZ Zawiya, Libya. Her husband Vipin, who is a male nurse in Libya, was away on duty. The External Affairs Minister made a fresh appeal, urging people in conflict zones to move out. "We have issued advisories many times. I request you once again - Please move out of the conflict zones," she said. Nair has sought Kerala government's help to bring back the mortal remains of his daughter and grandson. "Yesterday I got information through phone that my daughter and her one-and-a-half-year-old baby died in a bomb blast at her residence while they were sleeping," he said in his letter to the government. Nair also requested for help and protection to Sunu's husband, who he said is in a state of shock. "I came to know that the blast occurred due to regular fights between the rival groups in Libya. So I humbly request your good self to make available the detailed information about the incident and help us bring back the dead body of my beloved daughter and her son, whom we have never seen." Meanwhile, state's Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said eight to nine people are stranded in Libya and efforts are on to bring them back. --- ENDS --- By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Mar 25 (PTI) A woman from Kyrgyzstan was rescued from a flat in Bhubaneswar where she was allegedly brought by a group suspected of running a sex racket, police said today. The woman in her mid-thirties visited Goa and Bangalore in February before she was was brought here by an agent from Kolkata, Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrat Bhoi told reporters. advertisement "We have requested the Kyrgyzstan Embassy in New Delhi to provide her travelling and other details. We will go for further investigation after getting the details," Bhoi said. The woman is in India on a tourist visa which expires on March 31. The language of the woman, who is presently accommodated in a state-run home, is a barrier in questioning her, he said. She would be handed over to officials of her countrys embassy on their arrival here, police said. In the raid on Wednesday in which the Kyrgyz woman was rescued, one person identified as Somesh Panda was arrested. Panda was an associate of suspected sex racket kingpin Sunil Meher, who managed to escape during Wednesdays raid, police said. Stating that the racket used to lure rich people with foreigner women, the officials said, adding a special team has been set up to nab Meher who has earlier been in police custody. Meanwhile, Bhoi said the police will summon the owner of the flat to know whether he had verified the identity of the tenant before renting out his flat. PTI AAM NN KIS --- ENDS --- According to an intelligence report, front groups working for the Maoists are making efforts to revive several defunct Maoist front bodies in urban areas rallying on events like Rohit Vemula's suicide and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest. By Abhishek Bhalla : Rohith Vemula's suicide and the recent police action against Kanhaiya Kumar and other Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students on charges of sedition are new tools for rebel group Communist Party of India (Maoist) in their bid to gather support in urban areas, according to an intelligence report. The report states that affiliates of CPI (Maoist) have formed a Joint Action for Social Justice that has been criticising the administration for the death of Rohith Vemula, a Phd scholar in Hyderabad Central University, arrests of JNU students and former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani who was acquitted in the Parliament attack case. advertisement "We have no information about such a report. We would like to make it clear that we have no links with Maoists in any way, and I am only a member of the All India Students' Federation," said a JNU student, quoting Kanhaiya on the subject. Kanhaiya, President of JNU students' union, students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were arrested for being part of an event on January 9, to commemorate the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Anti-national slogans were reportedly shouted at the event. All three are currently on bail along with Geelani who was also arrested for a similar event. Intelligence agencies have in the past flagged Geelani's organisation, Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, as a Maoist front but the former Delhi University professor has earlier maintained that this is the state's attempt to oppress dissenting voices in the country. He insisted the organisation only gives a voice to people who have been framed. Geelani could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off. Front groups working for the Maoists have held several meetings where issues like Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide was discussed. Front groups working for the Maoists have held several meetings where issues like Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide was discussed. Front groups working for the Maoists have held several meetings where the issues related to Vemula's suicide and arrests of students were taken up. "The participants demanded withdrawal of sedition charges and end to alleged government interference in educational institutions," the report states. The report has identified 'Radical'- a student front for Maoists for organising such events mainly in West Bengal. Vemula, a Dalit scholar, committed suicide on the Hyderabad university campus following suspension from the hostel in August last for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader. It is alleged that his scholarship was also suspended. This led to financial hardships which prompted him to take his own life. Vemula's suicide and the slapping of sedition charges against JNU students had created a political outcry with the Centre coming under attack from the opposition and other sections of society. The report on the activities of Maoist front organisations taking up these issues names groups that have come up in West Bengal. Sources say these groups are making efforts to revive several defunct front bodies of Maoists in urban areas by highlighting recent developments. The Maoist movement which started from West Bengal has suffered several setbacks over the years and the has lost the firepower it once had. The recent intelligence report that has been shared with Delhi and West Bengal police throws light on efforts being made by many Maoist front bodies to revive the armed rebel movement demanding unconditional release of Geelani and others along with punishment for those who are responsible for death of Vemula. advertisement In an earlier report submitted to the home ministry, 128 such organisations were identified for having links with the red rebels. Reports indicate that these organisations carry over-ground agitational activities in an attempt to enlarge the mass base of the party and prepare the stage for armed insurrection. Many of these groups are based in urban centres and provide logistical support to the movement ensuring fusion between overground and underground activities. They are responsible for recruitment of educated youth who go to field areas to keep the movement alive and play the role of ideologues, sources say. ALSO READ: Kanhaiya Kumar denied permission to enter Hyderabad Central University Bihar CM condemns crackdown on HCU students --- ENDS --- India plans to provide the Pakistan probe team, which will arrive on Sunday, access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from National Security Guard or the BSF. By India Today Web Desk: India plans to provide the Pakistan probe team, which will arrive on Sunday, access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from National Security Guard or the BSF. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. advertisement The sources said the five-member delegation led by Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai will not be provided complete access to the Pathankot air force base but to limited areas where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with security forces. The Pakistani team which also comprises Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer will be brought to the airbase in a special plane on March 29. The airbase will be visually barricaded by NIA to prevent any view of its critical areas. The team will be briefed thoroughly on March 28 at the NIA headquarters here which will include a 90-minute presentation on the investigations carried in the case so far, the sources said. This will be the first time that Pakistani intelligence and police officials are travelling to India to investigate a terror attack. Witnesses, excepting personnel of NSG, BSF and Garud commandos of IAF, have been lined up for the Pakistan probe team. The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured people. --- ENDS --- By PTI: London, Mar 26 (PTI) Parents of very premature babies are more worried about their grown up childrens lives than those whose babies were born full term, a new study has found. Researchers at University of Warwick in UK and University Hospital Bonn in Germany compared the perception of parents whose children were born very preterm with a control group born at term. They also analysed the opinions of their children. advertisement The participants and their parents were asked when they were 13 and then as adults at age 26. In the study 260 individuals born very preterm (at 31 weeks or less) or with very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grammes) were compared to 229 who were born full term. "Previous work had suggested that the health-related quality of life of preterm born individuals may decrease as they reach adulthood," said study first author Nicole Baumann, from the University of Warwick. "However, this study found while quality of life improves for term born adults it remains lower for preterm born participants," Baumann said. "Very preterm individuals are at risk for health problems and lower health-related quality of life in childhood," said Peter Bartmann, researcher at the University Hospital Bonn. The researchers looked at health-related issues such as vision, hearing, speech, emotion, dexterity and pain. They asked questions relating to these such as are you able to recognise a friend on the other side of the street? and are you happy and interested in life?. The researchers also found that participants with lower and parent-perceived health-related quality of life had more periods of unemployment, more often received social benefits, had fewer friends and were less likely with a partner. There is a positive element to the study, researchers said. It indicates that preterm participants do not believe that their health-related quality of life gets worse between age 13 and 26, even though their parents believe the quality does diminish, particularly in pain and emotion. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics. PTI MHN AMS --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Post her appearances on numerous reality shows on the telly, just when we were left hoping to see Sana Saeed essay an exciting character onscreen, the actress revealed her plans to take a sabbatical from her acting career. Also read: Sana, Aishwarya, Sidharth: Khatron Ke Khiladi stars shoot for Vivan's personal calendar Currently, the actress is among the finalists in stunt-based reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi: Kabhi Peeda, Kabhi Keeda, hosted by Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor. However, as the show gradually moves towards its end, Sana spoke about her plans to head to Los Angeles for further studies. advertisement "Well, I am taking a sabbatical to concentrate on my studies. Next month I am going to Los Angeles for further studies. I will focus on my career when I am back," she said. The 27-year-old actress, won hearts when she made her debut as a child star in the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hai by portraying Anjali. While she made her onscreen debut as an adult in a supporting role in Karan Johar's Student of the Year, she's primarily been busy with television serials and reality shows on the tube including the likes of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Nach Baliye, both of which earned her rave reviews for her dancing abilities. --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi/Dehradun, Mar 26 (PTI) Uttarakhands rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28 and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake". Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. advertisement Releasing the alleged sting video in Delhi, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the rebel MLAs, said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds." "The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. In a statement, AICCs chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Reacting to the sting video, BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. "We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said. PTI ALM SPG KR SMN RT SMN --- ENDS --- By PTI: Jammu, Mar 25 (PTI) Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to fulfil their long pending demands. "The State government should fulfil their long pending demands and resolve the legitimate issues of the Coal mine workers", President, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, J&K(CITU) and MLA, M Y Tarigami said. Bhartiya Coal Khan Mazdoor Union, Moughla Kalakote held a rally of coal khan workers which was attended by hundreds of people in the area. advertisement With red flags in their hands, the workers raised slogans urging the government to fulfil their long pending demands. Addressing the rally Tarigami said that the neo-liberal economic policies implemented since 90s have broken the back of the working class and down-trodden people across the country. "Curtailing subsidies on the pretext of managing fiscal deficit seems absurd as the same dispensation provides incentives to the corporate and business houses in the form of tax foregone/concessions", he said. He said working inside coal mines is both health hazardous and risky, as such, the government and the management must come forward to fulfil their long pending legitimate and genuine demands which include regularisation of casual labourers working for more than 15 years. Tarigami also demanded that these workers be brought under the ambit of Skilled Category for payment of wages notified under Minimum Wages Act by the State Government. PTI AB RG --- ENDS --- Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers, an exhibition by the United Nations, is the story of these medieval Africans - their grit and determination. By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: When they first arrived in India, the hordes of Africans were forced into slavery by their masters. But slowly, many of them rose in ranks and power and came to occupy positions of importance in the region's military troops. Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers, an exhibition by the United Nations, is the story of these medieval Africans - their grit and determination. advertisement Rajiv Chandran, National Information Officer at the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan, says, "Currently the show is also being held at the UN headquarters in New York. Ours is a bilingual exhibition - both in English and Hindi." This exhibition has been created and curated by Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/The New York Public Library and tells the story, primarily, of the Sidis and Habshis (ethnic groups of African origin who settled in the subcontinent), through photographs and texts. Not only does the show chronicle the slave trade but also focuses on a liberal and open Indian society that allowed the Africans to ascend the social ladder and gain respectability, even as a ruler. Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf, who is one of the curators, says that Africans were successful in India because of their military prowess and administrative skills. "African men were employed in very specialised jobs, as soldiers, palace guards, or bodyguards. They were able to rise through the ranks becoming generals, admirals, and administrators," she adds. Giving a few examples of these rulers, Chandran adds, "The Habshi sultans of Bengal (1486 to 1493), the nawabs of Janjira (1618 to 1948), the Siddi Masud of Adoni (17th century) and the nawabs of Sachin (1791 to 1948) were all rulers of African origin. In the Deccan sultanate there were many high ranking Africans," says Chandran. "Also, there were at least five states with high-ranking Africans holding positions. These included Khandesh, Gujarat, Kutch, Bhavnagar and Hyderabad," says Chandran. Apart from India, more than sixteen United Nations Information Centres around the world will be hosting this exhibition. The exhibition itself is part of the Department of Public Information's Remember Slavery Programme to observe the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade which is commemorated every year on March 25. The theme for this year's observance is'Remember Slavery: Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and its Roots. Africans in India - From Slaves to Generals and Rulers is on display till March 31 at the South Asian University Gallery, Chanakyapuri; 11 am to 5 pm. --- ENDS --- Directed by Boyapati Sreenu and produced by Allu Aravind, Sarrainodu has Rakul Preet in the female lead. The film also has Catherine Tresa in the lead. She was paired opposite Allu Arjun in the historical film Rudhramadevi. By India Today Web Desk: After a pretty impressive teaser of Sarrinodu, Allu Arjun is now back with a promo song that has gone viral. It is a visual treat to watch the lightning-speed dance moves of Allu Arjun in the song. ALSO READ: Sarrainodu teaser - The teaser of Allu Arjun's next is here Actor Anjali, who is known for her Tamil films, has made a special appearance in the song. advertisement Directed by Boyapati Sreenu and produced by Allu Aravind, Sarrainodu has Rakul Preet in the female lead. Initially, the makers had plans to rope in Samantha Ruth Prabhu but they later changed their decision. The film also has Catherine Tresa in the lead. She was paired opposite Allu Arjun in the historical film Rudhramadevi. Recently, the makers announced that there will be no formal audio release function for Sarrainodu since Arjun is busy with his sister's wedding preparations. But it is said that the crew is contemplating a mega promo event in Vizag before the film's release. Sarrainodu is all set to hit the screens on April 22. The music for the film is composed by SS Thaman. The composer recently announced that all the actors of the film Boys - Siddharth, Bharath, Manikandan, Thaman and Nakul- are planning to come together for a film. --- ENDS --- Expressing her satisfaction over the BJP's support to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti said that she is ready to take her father and former Jammu and Kashmir chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's ideas and legacy forward. By India Today Web Desk: Expressing her satisfaction over the BJP's support to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti said that she is ready to take her father and former Jammu and Kashmir chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's ideas and legacy forward. "We will move forward together to attain Mufti Sahab's agenda of alliance for peace, development and reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir," she said. advertisement After almost two-month of stalemate, the PDP and the BJP today jointly met Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra to form the government in the state. Chief minister-designate, Mehbooba after the meeting said, "We're thankful to the BJP for their unconditional support in formation of Government in J&K," adding, "I am very satisfied with the assurances we received from PM Modi." Mehbooba, who lead a joint delegation of PDP and BJP, handed over letter of support to the Governor. Mehbooba was accompanied by leader of BJP Legislative Party and former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, leader of the BJP Legislative Party, party's state president Sat Sharma, MP Jugal Kishore and senior PDP leaders and MPs Tariq Hamid Qarra and Muzaffar Hussain Baig. Nirmal Singh said, "We shall sit together with PDP and discuss all details & formalities. Have submitted letter to governor where the BJP legislators have unanimously supported PDP in government formation." The untimely demise of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had left the state in the lurch. His daughter and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had also kept its ally, the BJP, hanging for almost two months. Governor's rule was imposed in J-K on January 8 after Mehbooba decided against taking over the reins following her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's death. --- ENDS --- The pictures of Amitabh Bachchan exploring the fish markets in Kolkata have found their way onto the internet and have gone viral. The 73-year-old actor is shooting for his upcoming film, TE3n. By India Today Web Desk: Amitabh Bachchan, in real life is a pure vegetarian, is going that extra mile for his upcoming film TE3N. The pictures of Big B exploring the fish markets in Kolkata have found their way onto the internet and have gone viral. ALSO SEE: Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui ride a scooter on the streets of Kolkata for TE3N advertisement In the pictures, the Piku actor is shooting for an important scene in Kolkata's fish market. It seems like Amitabh is haggling over the price of fish in a local market. These pictures have created a stir among the fans of Amitabh Bachchan and have added to the curiosity around the film. It's not the first time, Amitabh has been shooting for the film in Kolkata. The 73-year-old actor was earlier spotted riding a scooter with Nawazzudin Siddiqui on the streets of Kolkatta. FB 1165 - Bahut samay baad , Kalkotta ki sadak par scooter chalaya .. itni saari yadeein saamne aa gayein .. bagal mein...Posted by Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday, 29 November 2015 Reportedly, Amitabh signed on to the project without even seeing the script. He will play a Bengali babu again, John Biswas. Produced by Sujoy Ghosh and directed by debutant Ribhu Dasgupta, TE3n also stars Vidya Balan in the pivotal role. The film is set to release on May 20 this year. --- ENDS --- By India Today Travel Plus: Day 1 There are not many cities in the world where you can choose to live on different continents, are there? As a traveller, however, it is best to stay on the Europe side of Istanbul as this is where most of the popular attractions and bazaars are. There are several hotels to suit all budgets in Istanbul but for the sake of atmosphere and history, choose Swissotel. You are in Europe after all. The hotel that recently celebrated 20 years has the best views considering its location (at a height) and has a great breakfast spread (www. swissotel.com/istanbul). If you fly Turkish Airlines, you will get to Istanbul by 9 a.m., which gives you the morning to relax. There is a lot to see in Istanbul and we suggest you do none of that the first day. Here's what you can do instead: take the longest and most luxurious Bosphorus cruise you can afford (one hour is ideal; www.bosphoruscruise.com) and see the sights from a vantage point-lying back in the sun, a glass of wine in hand, a light lunch. On your one side is Asia and on the other Europe, as you spend time realising the significance of where you are; how fluid geography is; and how by doing nothing you are doing so much. Have dinner at the very posh Gaja Roof at your hotel, looking out at the Bosphorus this time. advertisement Day 2 When in doubt, head to Sultanahmet. This is the hub of all activity what with all the big landmarks- the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofiya and the Topkapi Palace-within walking distance. Keep a day for the three sites if you are short on time but we suggest you keep two days-one for the mosques and one for the palace. Let this be your day for the mosques. If you take the rear entrance to the Blue Mosque, you will stand in a shorter queue but that still means about half an hour to enter. Inside, the mosque is peaceful even with the hordes and admiring the interior will take you a while, especially if you are interested in design and architecture. Walk from here to Aya Sofia via the pretty Arasta Bazaar with quaint boutique shops. Lunch at the fantastic Matbah that serves a twist of Ottoman cuisine (www. matbahrestaurant.com) and plan to spend at least two hours at the historical and beautiful Aya Sofia with murals from a time gone by. You could opt for a dinner show tonight; try Istanbulin (www.istanbulin.com). Day 3 This is your day for Topkapi Palace, a ramble through which will leave you rich in information and incapable of taking in any more information or sites. Take a break inside the palace with lunch at Konyaly restaurant within the complex or eat a picnic lunch on the many leafy areas within the palace. Visit as many exhibits as you can and keep an appointed hour and time to meet your friends or family, as you are sure to want to do different things. Day 4 On your last day, start late and have a brunch at Maiden's Tower, an old lighthouse on the Bosphorus, before heading to Uskudar on the Asia side. Chuck the touristy hill with a 'viewpoint' here, which everyone will advise you to go to, and instead walk around to take in the difference between the two sides, this one being quieter and more residential. Head back for you have kept the best for the last. Shop for silly things, lovely things, necessary things, unusual things, everything at the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar and hope that the airline will let you check in the baggage the next day. --- ENDS --- Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, reacting to the demand of beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today disqualified nine rebel Congress MLA's from the House. Subsequently, the effective strength of the House has now been reduced to 61 and the mark for a simple majority down to 31.This is likely to make Rawat's task easier as he has a total of 33 MLAs - Congress' 27 and PDF's six. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat addressing the media outside the Assembly in Dehradun on Saturday, March 26, 2016. According to sources, the assembly speaker disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs late on Saturday evening.( Photo: PTI) By India Today Web Desk: Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, reacting to the demand of beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today disqualified nine rebel Congress MLA's from the House. The suspension of the MLA's came after the deadline to respond to the notices served under the anti-defection law ended today evening. Speaker had issued notice to all the nine MLAs on March 19, a day after they created a furore in the state assembly. advertisement The nine rebel MLAs had accused Rawat of bribing them to get their support during the floor test in the Assembly. They also released a 'sting' video purportedly showing the CM to substantiate their claims. However, Rawat dismissed all the allegations. Earlier today, Rawat approached Speaker seeking disqualification of the MLAs soon after PM Modi called cabinet meeting to discuss the Uttarakhand crisis. Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. Meanwhile BJP has moved the political battle to the President, criticising state governor KK Paul's decision of granting 10 days to Rawat government to prove majority in the house. Uttarakhand Assembly has an effective strength of 70 MLAs excluding a nominated member who does not have voting rights. With nine of its MLAs aligning with BJP, Congress is left with only 27 members of its own besides six members of PDF who are backing Harish Rawat government. BJP, on the other hand, has 28 MLAs including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty is 'questionable'. Though he won on a BJP ticket, Arya has been suspended for openly speaking out against the party. With the Speaker disqualifying the nine rebels the effective strength of the House has been reduced to 61 and the mark for a simple majority down to 31.This is likely to make Rawat's task easier as he has a total of 33 MLAs - Congress' 27 and PDF's six. ALSO READ: Uttarakhand crisis: CM Harish Rawat to meet Congress top brass in Delhi today Uttarakhand crisis: BJP MLAs march to meet President Pranab Mukherjee --- ENDS --- In the wake of unrest at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in the south Indian state of Telangana, its Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile has sought the cooperation of parents and students for smooth functioning of the varsity. By India Today Web Desk: In the wake of unrest at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in the south Indian state of Telangana, its Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile has sought the cooperation of parents and students for smooth functioning of the varsity. "The university administration seeks your kind cooperation and requests you to advise your ward to avoid any activity that will affect the reputation of the institution from which they wish to graduate," Appa Rao appealed in a release to parents of the HCU students. advertisement "The university was and will always be committed to freedom of speech and expression. While difference of opinion and dissent is not discouraged, the university certainly does not take kindly to vandalism and other acts of indiscipline," Rao said. He was referring to ransacking of the VC's lodge on March 22 allegedly by a section of students, when he resumed his duty after going on leave at the height of agitation over the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula on January 17. He said the university has set up mechanisms for grievance redressal at all stages of administration. "We request you to please remain in touch with your ward and encourage them to seek redressal through those mechanisms, should they need it, at their respective Department/School". The students should feel free to approach their mentees/ heads to talk to them about any anxieties or problems, he said, adding, "We wish to reassure the parents that the university will always be for students and will not shirk its responsibility towards them". The current semester is drawing to a close and end- semester examinations will begin soon. Afterwards, several students will graduate and step out into the world in search of a meaningful life, Rao said and sought cooperation of parents, and students in particular, in the smooth functioning of the university. Twenty-five students and two faculty members of Hyderabad Central University, who were arrested in connection with incidents of ransacking of VC's lodge and stone pelting on police personnel, are lodged in a jail here. Rohit's mother Radhika and brother Raja, along with certain teachers of HCU and parents of some of the arrested students had on Friday demanded immediate unconditional release of all those arrested and withdrawal of cases against them. They also sought immediate arrest of Podile stating that there was a case registered against him for abetment of Rohit's suicide. --- ENDS --- In view of the BJP's recent national executive's political resolution that said refusing to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai amounts disrespect to the Constitution itself, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor reacted saying, "Absolutely not, because first of all, this is a huge stretch. By Mail Today: In view of the BJP's recent national executive's political resolution that said refusing to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai amounts disrespect to the Constitution itself, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor reacted saying, "Absolutely not, because first of all, this is a huge stretch. Nobody is refusing to say anything about Bharat, it is about Bharat Mata. Bharat Mata is fine for me, probably fine for someone else and certainly, a lot of Hindus and Muslims do not have difficulty with that." advertisement He added: "But some Muslims have explained patiently that to them it seems deification of the nation as a Hindu goddess. Bharat Mata as you know depicted in Hindutava iconography as Hindu goddess, a figure with six arms and seated on a lion, and this kind of worship of a goddess figure, they find uncomfortable. They say tell us to say Jai Hind, Hindustan Zindabad, Jai Bharat we'll do it but do not ask us to say Bharat Mata ki Jai. Our democracy and our Constitution give them the right to say or not to say it. That is what we should respect." The Congress leader said, "The same Constitution that gives us the right to freedom of speech also gives us the freedom of silence. We cannot put words in people's mouth." Mentioning BJP's justification for the political resolution that Bharat Mata ki jai is not merely a slogan, he said it was a mantra for inspiration to countless freedom fighters during the independence struggle and it is the heart beat of a billion people today. "But there are some muslims for whom it is a problem and surely we must respect their freedom of religion and as well as their constitutional rights to allow them not to say it. I do not think nationalism can be linked to forcing someone to mouth a particular expression that they do not believe in." In other words, he said every Indian citizen has a right to refuse to say Bharat Mata ki Jai. Tharoor said in case of our national anthem, there is a SC ruling that says that merely standing up and refusing to sing is acceptable. "When people can refuse to sing the national anthem, of course people can refuse to shout any particular slogan from Bhrat Mata ki Jai to Vande Matram, to even Jai Hind." He further said, "Last Monday, Pratap bhanu Mehta said for any political sytem to force and coerce people into saying Bharat Mata ki Jai would be objectionable. I do agree to this and I have objected to that. There is no acid test or litmus test for nationalism." When asked if the slogan Bharat mata ki jai has precedence over other slogans like Jai Hind, sare jahan se acha or even the left favourite Inquilab Zindabad, he said, "No, it does not. The irony is that various slogans were used in different times that has a tremendous potency in the national movement. People have to accept that history has thrown up a lot of such expressions." advertisement On the second issue whether it is acceptable or unacceptable for an Indian citizen to criticise the nation? Quoting PM Narendra Modi from a national daily, Tharoor said, "His party was accepting a political criticism of itself but not of the nation." "First of all you have to decide what the criticism of the nation is. I worry about the tendency of the BJP to quickly dismiss issues as antinational, there is a conflict in the BJP's mind between the party which is not the government and the government which is not the nation. The nation is something larger than both the ruling party and the government. The BJP does not seem to understand that. Patriotism is love for your own country and nationalism is associated with the power - the notion that your country is right and beyond criticism. Tagore wrote against this kind of nationalism," Tharoor said. ALSO READ: Congress distances itself from Tharoor's Bhagat Singh remark advertisement Why every thinking girl has a crush on the suave Shashi Tharoor --- ENDS --- Police Head Constable Salim P K - was not actually drunk as portrayed by a YouTube video, but had in fact suffered a blackout due to several health problems. By Harish V Nair: Four days after Mail Today exclusively reported that "drunken cop on metro" - Police Head Constable Salim P K - was not actually drunk as portrayed by a YouTube video, but had in fact suffered a blackout due to several health problems, most of the cop's demands before the Supreme Court have already been met before the hearing set for April 1. advertisement Not only have most leading news organisations reported the facts in the case, even YouTube, which hosted the original 37-second video that had went viral in August, 2015 and had triggered primetime TV debates on safety of metro commuters, has now clarified that the cop was not drunk. This comes following the uproar on social media as well as other media platforms on the injustice meted out the seriously ill Salim, with questions being raised if social media posts can be taken at face value. The caption of the original YouTube video has now been altered to 'Policeman having a seizure in Delhi Metro" from the earlier Drunk Delhi Police man on Delhi metro - Funny'. It is not clear if the caption has been changed by YouTube or the person who had originally uploaded it. It is to be noted that most newspapers and TV channels had reported about the video and Salim's suspension but had not published his reinstatement after a clean chit. As bedridden Salim was not available for comments, his lawyer Wills Mathews said: "Though my client is not in a position to comment due to medical and other reasons ... I am visualising a more dignified life for him and his family members. After the publication of the news titled, 'This cop was disabled, not drunk' in Mail Today on March 21, 2016, followed by the issue being diligently taken up by almost all print, visual and social media at their prominent places, all I can say is thank you media. Vigilant reporting should ensure that it will not rob an innocent person of his dignity which is a superior right protected by Article 21 of the Constitution of India." In a petition filed through Mathews, Salim had wanted the Delhi government, Police Commissioner, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, and the Press Council of India to take steps so that he can "regain his lost dignity by publishing the correct factual position in some prominent places, print and electronic media". Salim has knocked at the doors of the Supreme Court, saying he has endured the "worst kind of defamation one can suffer through social media". His suspension was withdrawn and he was reinstated in the force on November 5, 2015, within two months of the clip going viral. advertisement A police enquiry and verification of his medical records found that Salim's repeated claims that he was not drunk on board the metro on August 19, 2015 were true. Also Read: Delhi cop in viral video was on medication, suffered seizures --- ENDS --- Long term fans would surely be excited to see the return of BoomSound in the 10. The technology is one of the driving elements of HTC's top-end phones and sort of a standard for top-notch audio. By Saurabh Singh: HTC's next flagship phone -- expected to be called the HTC 10 -- will go on sale starting April 15, just three days after its confirmed unveiling, suggests a new report . HTC will announce the phone on Aril 12. According to the report, the phone will be available for buy in Taiwan from April 15. The report however makes no mention of its global availability. advertisement The company has been on a leak-spree with respect to its upcoming #powerof10 phone for quite some time now. The most current piece of information leaked by the company suggests that the HTC 10 will come with its in-house BoomSound Audio technology. Whether or not it would sport dual-firing speakers is yet to be seen though. That said, the leak carries an images that hints the phone might actually come with dual speakers. The purported images of the HTC 10 have already shown off the speaker placement, one towards the bottom edge. As per the HTC teaser, the '10' is seen carrying a top line of staggered audio elements along with a lower row of five larger, elongated ovals. This could mean that the HTC 10 may have the earpiece doubling up as a speaker out, while the lower stack may function as the second audio out. Whatever be the case, long term fans would surely be excited to see the return of BoomSound in the 10. The technology is one of the driving elements of HTC's top-end phones and sort of a standard for top-notch audio. That HTC will launch the phone on April 12 is already confirmed. The company will be hosting simultaneous events in New York, London, and Taipei on the said date where it will launch its #powerof10 phone. It will also be live streaming the launch proceedings via its official website. Rumoured specs of the HTC 10 include: a 5.15-inch QHD Super LCD 5 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel (UltraPixel) camera on the rear. This camera, says HTC will be very, very compelling. --- ENDS --- Iranians began their New Year on March 20 with the advent of spring. Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action on March 24 and urged for stopping the execution of the young man, Himan Uraminejad who is on death row. According to Amnesty International Himan Uraminejad was sentenced to death in August 2012 after he was convicted of murder over the fatal stabbing of a boy during a fight, when he was 17. He is now aged 21, and on death row in Sanandajs Prison, western Kurdistan Province, where he has been told he will be executed after the Iranian New Year holiday period ends on 1 April. He was retried in June 2015, and sentenced to death again. The retrial, before Branch 9 of the Provincial Criminal Court in Kurdistan Province, had been ordered by Irans Supreme Court in September 2014, based on new juvenile sentencing guidelines in Irans 2013 Islamic Penal Code. These allow courts to replace death sentences with alternatives if they determine that a juvenile offender had not understood the nature of the crime or its consequences, or there were doubts about their mental growth and maturity at the time of the crime. The court used this discretion to resentence Himan Uraminejad to death. In its ruling, the court ignored the absolute prohibition, in international law, on using the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the time of the crime, and the fundamental principles of juvenile justice that require all those under 18 years old be treated as children. Instead, it focused on Himan Uraminejads mental health, noting an official medical opinion from June 2015 that found no evidence of a disorder at the time of the crime which would extinguish [the accuseds] criminal liability. The court also referred to Himan Uraminejads statements confirming that he had no mental illness or history of hospitalization. This reasoning was confirmed by the Supreme Court in November 2015. Ahmad Shaheed, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran released a 21 page report in which he noted that over the 10 year period between 2005 and 2015, at least 73 juvenile offenders were executed, in clear violation of international law and the provisions of two human rights documents that the Islamic Republic has signed. According to Amnesty International the judicial proceedings that led to Himan Uraminejads conviction were unfair. He admitted stabbing the victim during the interrogations, which were conducted without a lawyer present. He is believed to have been tortured while he was held in a police detention centre (agahi): this included severe beatings that apparently left scars and bruises all over his face and body. His trial was held before an adult court, without special juvenile justice protections. No investigation is known to have been carried out into his allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. Ahmad Sheikhzadeh, 60, faces seven charges including conspiracy to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, money laundering, and helping arrange false tax returns, the May 18 indictment said. Federal prosecutors unveiled the charges a few hours after a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, where U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen set a $3 million bond for the defendant. His lawyer Steve Zissou said his client has been accused of violating sanctions, money laundering and tax issues. According to Reuters, Sheikhzadeh was arrested nearly three weeks ago, court records show. The case came just two months after Iran emerged from years of economic isolation when world powers led by the United States and the European Union lifted crippling sanctions against the country, in return for curbs on Tehrans nuclear ambitions. According to the indictment, Sheikhzadeh was paid a regular cash salary by the Iran mission, often through a colleague employed there, and deposited it into a Citibank checking account. But the indictment said he also used that account for side transactions with two U.S.-based co-conspirators who wished to invest in Iran, and at their request directed an Iran-based co-conspirator to funnel money to people in that country. The defendant did not obtain any license from the (U.S.) Department of Treasury authorizing these and other activities, the indictment said. At Wednesdays hearing, Chen barred Sheikhzadeh from going to the Iranian mission and limited his contact with people there, after a prosecutor expressed concern about whether the defendant might seek sanctuary or become a flight risk. He does work for a hostile government, and the mission might be a potential safe haven for him, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tali Farhadian told the judge. Farhadian also said Sheikhzadeh had family in Iran who has substantial assets. Iran and the United States have no diplomatic relations. The bond will be secured by property belonging to Sheikhzadehs brother, who worked at New York University. About $800,000 of Sheikhzadehs assets have also been frozen, Farhadian said. The Iranian mission had no immediate comment. Neither it nor Citibank was named as a defendant in the indictment. On Thursday, however, the current committee issued a new statement that reads in part: The Swedish Academy decries the retention of the death sentence for Salman Rushdie and that state-controlled media are permitted to encourage violence directed at a writer. This apparently comes in response to the renewed attention brought to the fatwa by forty Iranian state media outlets, which banded together to add 600,000 dollars to the original three million dollar bounty placed on Rushdies head by Khomeini. That bounty and the order for any supporter of the regime to kill the author remain in effect, as acknowledged by Khomeinis successor, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in 2005. The Nobel committee was apparently more willing to respond to the additional bounty than to the original fatwa because of the popular perception of new political conditions in the present day. The conclusion of a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers last July has led many international observers to anticipate the normalization of relations between the two sides of a longstanding global divide. However, incidents like the reassertion of the fatwa are indicative of a more general increase in rhetoric and provocation aimed at Western nations and prominent Western figures. The renewed commitment to an extrajudicial death sentence is also indicative of the continuation of threatening behavior and human rights violations by Iranian state institutions, even under the supposedly progressive conditions established by negotiations and interaction with the West. This behavior and the general lack of reform were also highlighted this week by the United Nations Human Rights Councils renewal of the mandate for Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in Iran. The Islamic Republic has consistently refused to cooperate with Shaheeds investigations, and has in fact used its own internal human rights monitor to issue various denials of the special rapporteurs observations. Those observations are supported by numerous non-governmental human rights organizations, about three dozen of which joined in signing a letter to the Human Rights Council urging the renewal of the mandate of the special rapporteur. Shaheeds latest reports have emphasized that the rate of executions in Iran have dramatically increased in recent years, with approximately 1,000 having taken place during 2015 alone. These statistics are accompanied by observations regarding the lack of due process in many cases, the prevalence of political imprisonment, and the continued use of punishments and judicial practices that are in clear violation of international standards. As one example of this, the Iran Human Rights website reported on Thursday that a 28 year-old Iranian man unintentionally damaged the eye of another man during a fight has been sentenced to have his eye removed as punishment. The Iranian judiciary generally passes several sentences each year that involve the removal of eyes of the amputation of limbs in keeping with religiously-justified laws. But as the Rushdie fatwa indicates, some of the Iranian regimes ongoing abuses are unrelated to actual legal proceedings, but are rather more arbitrary in nature. The Human Rights Activists News Agency reported upon two relevant examples of this on Thursday. In the first place, it pointed out that a civil and childrens rights activist who is currently facing criminal charges for participation in peaceful rallies was targeted by regime authorities at his workplace, where he trains other activists. The training center was raided by plainclothes officers who were not in possession of a warrant but who threatened Aso Rostamis employer in order to force the closure of the classes without appealing to actual legal processes. Such actions are easily interpreted as efforts to intimidate activists, especially in light of other stories like HRANAs report regarding two inmates in Uremia Prison who have been imprisoned since 2011 for financial crimes. The two men initiated a hunger strike a common form of protest in Iranian prisons to call attention to the apparent official neglect of their cases. But authorities responded by not only transferring the prisoners to solitary confinement but shackling them to the doors of the cells for three days as a warning against other prisoners engaging in similar activism. Some critics of the Iranian regime have highlighted these sorts of ongoing human rights abuses to support the argument that the supposed normalization of relations between Iran and the West will likely not result in moderation of the formers behavior. Furthermore, human rights groups have warned that excessive focus on the nuclear agreement could lead to neglect of the domestic situation in Iran. Indeed, this danger was cited by those groups who publicly urged the extension of Ahmed Shaheeds mandate. On the other hand, the Nobel committees long-delayed decision to condemn the Rushdie fatwa may indicate that in at least certain instances the expansion of interactions between Iran and the world community will make foreign entities more interested in, or more willing to call public attention to persistent abuses. [March 25, 2016] Thin and Terminal Clients Volume Ends 2015 on a Down Note, But Asia/Pacific Proved Resilient, Says IDC The global enterprise client device market, composed of thin and terminal clients, ended the fourth quarter of 2015 (4Q15) with a 6.8% reduction in shipments compared to the same quarter one year ago, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Client Device Tracker. For the full year 2015, worldwide shipments declined 6.9% versus 2014, as many projects saw cutbacks or delays in the face of a faltering economic outlook and reduced public budgets. "2015 was hampered by a number of distinct factors," said Jay Chou, Research Manager, Worldwide Enterprise Client Device Trackers at IDC (News - Alert). "While there was a certain amount of slowdown expected as many organizations had just refreshed their systems a year or two ago, the extent of economic and currency-related issues had a definite impact in the budget and timeline of other projects which were supposed to be in the pipeline. Nonetheless, awareness around VDI continues to improve, and IDC does expect an improved outlook ahead, especially as companies begin to think about moving beyond Windows 7." Highlights HP and Dell (News - Alert) closed 2015 virtually tied* in global market share. Both were affected by an overall softness of the market. NComputing rebounded from its past troubles, finishing the year above 12% growth in volume. Centerm was the beneficiary of some major financial project wins in China. Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) remained resilient, growing just over 10% for all of 2015, the only region to see positive growth for the year. Worldwide Enterprise Client Device Unit Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Calendar Year 2015 (shipments in thousands) Vendors 2015 Unit Shipments 2015 Market Share 2014 Unit Shipments 2014 Market Share 2015 vs. 2014 Growth 1. Dell* 1,300 25.6% 1,508 27.7% -13.8% 2. HP Inc.* 1,272 25.0% 1,497 27.4% -15.0% 3. NComputing 518 10.2% 459 8.4% 12.8% 4. Centerm 457 9.0% 398 7.3% 15.0% 5. Igel 243 4.8% 276 5.1% -12.1% Others 1,290 25.4% 1,316 24.1% -2.0% Total Market 5,080 100% 5,454 100% -6.9% Source (News - Alert): IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Client Device Tracker, Q4 2015. * Note: IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide enterprise client device market when there is less than one percent difference in the shipment share of two or more vendors. In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic illustrating worldwide ECD shipments to emerging and mature markets as well as year-over-year growth for the overall market for the 2014-2017 forecast period is available here. Instructions on how to embed this Graphic into online news articles and social media can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com. About IDC Trackers IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker products on their iPhone and iPad. The IDC Tracker Chart app is also available for Android Phones and Android Tablets. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160325005253/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory 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Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Birgunj town struggles to get back on its feet In the third week of September, when continuous protests and an unofficial blockade by the southern neighbour struck Birgunj, a vibrant business city of the country, like a bolt from the blue, the commercial hub had to knock off its tradenot out of choice but out of compulsion. Building bridges from the debris In a catastrophic year for the tangible heritages of the Kathmandu Valley, it is the unwavering faith of its inhabitants that will emerge as the silver lining Chinese flags defaced in Prague ahead of Xi visit Chinese flags hoisted in the Czech Republic ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping have been defaced. Dahal stresses need for unity govt UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said a national unity government would resolve the current crisis country was facing. Fuel shortages in East as workers protest Twelve districts in the Eastern Region have been facing fuel shortages for the last two days after tanker drivers and petrol pumps workers launched protests against the arrest of their men by Morang Police. German MPs points out need to speed up post-quake reconstruction Visiting delegation of Member of Parliaments (MPs) from Germany has stressed the need for speeding up the post-quake reconstruction. Haze attributed to raging jungle blaze When raging blazes across Indonesias jungles resulted in thick haze, which also covered parts of Malaysia and Singapore, they were labelled a crime against humanity in a portrayal of their deadliness, as the forest fires were said to be responsible for up to half a million cases of respiratory infections. KMC's second quadrimester review: Spending slow, revenue collection target unmet After being dealt a double whammy by earthquake and prolonged fuel crisis last year, Kathmandu metropolis has been slow in recovering, key economic figures of the city authority showed as development expenditure and revenue collection are short of target. Natl Science conference from march 29 The 7th national science and technology conference is taking place in the Capital on March 29. Profit determinant of pvt school fees Private schools can consider profit while charging monthly tuition fees from students. The Private School Directive endorsed by the Education Ministry has specified five costs that may be taken into account while determining the fees. Rasuwa by night Outside the calm chaos of Kathmandu, merely 130 km away, is Gosainkundapleasant during the day, absolutely enchanting by night Stakeholders: Ratify UN convention on refugees Various stakeholders and human rights defenders have called on the government to ratify the UN Refugee Convention and enact domestic law for the better protection of refugees settled in Nepal. US-Bangla Airlines gets nod to fly to Kathmandu The government has granted operation authorization to US-Bangla Airlines, a private Bangladeshi carrier, to operate flights on the Kathmandu-Dhaka route. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Its easy to think that the HBO model was born with the debut of The Sopranos in 1999, but in reality the cable providers legacy of critically lauded, profoundly influential television started years before with Garry Shandling and The Larry Sanders Show. Shandling, 66, died Thursday of an apparent heart attack. During its six seasons and 89 episodes, The Larry Sanders Show with a veritable murderers row of talent serving as executive producers including Shandling, Brad Grey, Paul Simms, Peter Tolan and Fred Barron explored a vaguely fictionalized Hollywood via the production of a fictional late-night talk show of the same name. Debuting in 1992, the series found its roots in Shandlings stints guest-hosting The Tonight Show in Johnny Carsons absence. The series boasted landmark performances by both Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor, as well as a stacked supporting cast that included Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, Scott Thompson and Wallace Langham. Sanders also moved away from the traditional multi-camera sitcom style of the era, opting for multi-cam use only when filming the talk-show scenes, which were also shot on video with a live studio audience, as opposed to the film used for the backstage access scenes (which existed sans added laughter). This transition from multi-cam served as the predecessor for much of modern televisions sitcom style, from NBCs The Office to ABCs Modern Family to Foxs Malcolm in the Middle, while the use of multiple formats was a tactic used to great effect by CBS How I Met Your Mother. But Sanders was also deeply influential for reasons beyond its technical prowess. Within its acerbically exaggerated Hollywood, there exists no wholly sympathetic audience surrogate, paving the way for antihero comedy for years to come. Even the most obvious of the shows successors, HBOs own Curb Your Enthusiasm, provides Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) as an outlet from the barrage of Larrys (Larry David) unpleasant, if hilarious, temperament, just as 30 Rock found that sanity in protagonist Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) as she attempted to wrangle her own show-within-a show. The series didnt shy away from the casually profane language of modern life, a trend that carried through long after its time at HBO had ended, particularly in the networks marquee dramas, such as The Sopranos and Deadwood. In writing about the series in 2010, New York Magazines television critic Matt Zoller Seitz perhaps described The Larry Sanders Show better than anyone could, by harking back to an apocryphal line about Velvet Underground: Three thousand people bought their first album, and every one of them started a band. That was The Larry Sanders Show. A series that, though overlooked by audiences of its era, took root in the souls of Hollywoods creatives and changed the very face of television as we know it. Incumbent Peg Jerome faces challenger Devin Schmidt, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student, in the race for La Crosse County Board supervisor in District 8. The Tribune asked the candidates in contested county board races the same four questions. The La Crosse County Board has come out strongly in favor of protecting the countys UW-Extension program from the restructuring proposed by the state. Do you support that decision? Why or why not? Jerome: UW-Extension touches our lives in many ways we may not realize, not just with the more obvious 4-H, family living and agriculture programs, but with community and economic program educators who assist cities, villages and towns with analyzing and planning their housing needs as well as with economic development. The university extension system is the embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, which proposes that education should influence peoples lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom. This vision of the extension of education has been with us for over 100 years and is vitally important to all of us in La Crosse County. The proposed restructuring would be giving us reduced services without a reduction in cost. Our extension program works well and should be preserved. Schmidt: I support the restructuring of the UW-Extension program. Dividing the counties into four major regions not only simplifies the structure but also allows funds to be distributed amongst all the colleges in those regions, thus allowing the colleges that are in need of more funding are able to have access to it. Not only does it allow each region to allocate funds in a more need-based manner, but it also saves money by eliminating unnecessary positions that are currently using up funds that could be spent elsewhere in the extension. The county has moved to invest in residential properties through neighborhood revitalization grants, with a focus on neighborhoods in the city of La Crosse. Do you think its wise to focus on the city or are there other areas the county should invest in? Jerome: It is important to remember that the economic health of a county correlates with the health of that countys central city. The disadvantage to new home building in the city of La Crosse is that tear down and rebuilding are more expensive than building on an empty lot. Helping the city renovate deteriorating housing and revitalize neighborhoods will make them safer and use less services. Since many county residents work in the city but reside outside of it, more housing choices may mean less of a commute. The county should not just focus on helping the city, however, and does provide economic assistance to other areas in the county when needed, with the Holmen community center being one example. Revitalizing our neighborhoods will not only not only improve our communities, these improvements will be an asset to the county as a whole as well. Schmidt: I believe that it is important to revitalize La Crosse neighborhoods. Improving the quality of neighborhoods in La Crosse would make room for new homeowners who are looking for nice homes to settle down in, but right now many vacant homes in our area are not move-in ready, either that or they may be causing low property values within neighborhoods. Revitalizing the city of La Crosse can bring more new homeowners and young families out to La Crosse County and bring more taxpayers to La Crosse County. This will, in turn, make the city of La Crosse an exciting place of culture and beautiful history once again. Like most of Wisconsin, the La Crosse County Highway Department is facing budgetary challenges when it comes to maintaining its infrastructure. How do you think the county should handle those needs? Jerome: Unless we get the state of Wisconsin to address this situation, or we change the way we determine what should be done, we will not be able to fix all of the roads that need repair. La Crosse County is not going to be able to resolve this issue on its own. Schmidt: At the end of 2014, La Crosse County had an unrestricted fund balance of over $21 million; this money could be used to assist with funding the La Crosse County Highway Department to maintain county infrastructure. What do you see as the major issues facing the county board this year? Jerome: La Crosse County needs to continue to be innovative as we deal with maintaining needed services and keeping expenses low. Dealing with increasing drug and addiction problems in our county continues to be an issue. The preservation of our multifaceted university extension system is critical to the health and welfare of our county. Schmidt: One that will be the most difficult to reach a solution is what to do about the new North-South corridor project. There are many variables to consider with this project and each option has its consequences, so finding the best solution may take some time and much collaboration between county policymakers and citizens. Another challenge will be to address the countys debt which currently sits at around $110 million compared to $59 million at this time last year that is putting our bond rating on thin ice. (Editor's Note: The La Crosse County budget's debt retirement schedule lists the amount of debt to be paid off at $89 million through 2035). Italy doubts Egypts claim that gang linked to student death ROME Doubts mounted Friday over Egypts claims that members of a criminal gang were linked to the torture and death of an Italian doctoral student, amid continued speculation that Egyptian police themselves were involved. Im sorry, I dont buy it, tweeted former Italian Premier Enrico Letta. Egypts Interior Ministry said Thursday that police found ID cards and other personal belongings of Giulio Regeni during a search of a house connected to a gang that specializes in abducting foreigners while posing as policemen. Four gang members were killed in a gunfight, the statement said. Air ambulance helicopter crashes, killing 7 TEHRAN, Iran Irans official IRNA news agency says that an air ambulance helicopter has crashed in southern Iran, killing all seven onboard. The report Friday says the helicopter was carrying a patient in a serious condition from a remote area to the southern city of Shiraz when it crashed. Four helicopter medics were among the victims. It says that the cause of the crash is not immediately known, but an investigation is underway. Air accidents are not uncommon in Iran, and are often thought to be caused by aging aircraft and poor maintenance. Southern Iran has experienced wind, heavy rainfall and low visibility in recent days. 1,000 opposition supporters march in Belarus capital MINSK, Belarus About 1,000 supporters of Belarus beleaguered opposition have held a march in the center of Minsk, the capital. The march Friday was the largest opposition gathering of the past year. It was held in commemoration of what the opposition calls Freedom Day, the anniversary of the 1918 founding of the independent Belarusian Peoples Republic, which fell about nine months later to the Bolsheviks. Police did not interfere with the march. Under authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in office since 1994, Belarus has cracked down on opposition and independent news media. In February, however, Belarus released all its political prisoners, leading to the lifting of European Union sanctions that had been imposed five years ago. Israels Shimon Peres: Peace will prevail over terrorism PARIS The worlds family of peace will prevail over terrorism, former Israeli President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres said Friday. The 92-year-old statesman capped a two-day visit to Paris with a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, who said despite arrests in the extremists attacks in Paris and Brussels there is still a threat looming. We are all in the same family of peace and humanity. Were in the same struggle against terror, said Peres. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man investigators say was involved in a business transaction with one of the victims in the "horrific" triple murder near Santa Barbara.The L.A. Times reports that 27-year-old Pierre Haobsh of Oceanside was arrested at gunpoint around 12:30 a.m. Friday in San Diego County. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said a loaded handgun and "property belonging to one of the victims" was also found inside Haobsh's car. "This was a diabolical, premeditated crime," said Brown at a press conference, according to NBC San Diego. "One of the most odious that I have ever been involved with." Brown also said that the three bodies were found in the garage of their home, wrapped in plastic and bound with duct tape. While detectives are still trying to determine the motive, investigators believe Dr. Weidong Henry Han, his wife Huijie Yu, and their 5-year-old daughter Emily could have been killed for financial gain. Han was an acupuncturist who ran a successful Chinese herbal medicine clinic. According to KSBY, Haobsh will be transported to Santa Barbara and booked in the county jail on three counts of murder. Brown said that Haobsh has no criminal history. A holistic healing clinic in Santa Barbara, Community Centered Oriental Medicine, told the Times that Dr. Han "helped hundreds of people in this area with his knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine...he practiced here for years treating very difficult and complicated illnesses, especially cancer." You have the power to keep local news strong for the coming months. Your financial support today keeps our reporters ready to meet the needs of our city. Thank you for investing in your community. Stories like these are only possible with your help! Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Finally, you can spend time cuddling with pups while sipping a pourover coffee with the arrival of the country's first dog cafe here in L.A. The Dog Cafe, a laid-back coffee shop where you can visit with adoptable dogs, recently opened its doors and will host an official grand opening on April 7. The cafe is owned by Sarah Wolfgang, who hosted a "pup-up" version last January, and will feature rescue dogs from South L.A. Animal Shelter and other local organizations, according to Eater LA. The new permanent home is located in a strip mall on Virgil Ave. near Silver Lake Blvd., at the nexus of East Hollywood, Silver Lake and Koreatown. You'll be able to order espresso drinks and pouroversmade with beans from Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co., of courseand then visit with the dogs in an adjacent space (for health and safety reasons). They'll also offer iced tea and lemonade, though no food at this point. The mission of cafe "is to revolutionize dog adoption by reinventing the way people connect with rescues who need homes," according to their website. "The Dog Cafe offers a comfortable and fun space for humans and dogs to hang out with each other, far from the cold, often scary environment of overcrowded shelters, which can provoke fear and aggression in perfectly adoptable pups." In addition to offering a chance to spend time with dogs that you can adopt, the cafe also provides the chance for people who are unable to adopt or have pets to spend some quality time with some furry friends. You can also volunteer to foster a dog during the hours that the cafe is closed if you're not yet ready or able to make the full commitment. To help cover some of the costs of the operation, there is a $10 entry fee, but that will include one complimentary beverage and all the snuggling you can handle. Knowing how popular the pop up cat cafe was back in 2014 and how many lined up for "pup-up" of The Dog Cafe, you can expect the place to get busy. Admission to The Dog Cafe is currently on a first-come-first-served basis, but they do plan on adding reservations soon, so keep an eye out for those. The Dog Cafe is located at 240 N. Virgil, Unit 13, Los Angeles, (213) 810-2872. Hours during the soft opening are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday (closed Easter Sunday). George Washington University is at the top of the list of U.S. schools with the Most Politically Active Students in 2016. But students at the school say they are not so sure about that. VOA asked several students about how politically active they are on a scale from one to 10. None of the students put themselves higher than a six on that scale. VOA also asked the students to describe the presidential election in one word. Several said, "crazy." The Princeton Review created the list of schools they say have high numbers of politically active students. The Princeton Review is an organization and publication that ranks U.S. colleges and universities each year in a book called "The Best 380 Colleges." The Princeton Review surveys more than 136,000 students at 380 schools. But the organization told VOA that the list of politically active schools is based on only one question. Student-run political groups have an active presence on campus: [Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree] Regan McAllister, 19, is a first-year student of international affairs and Asian studies at George Washington University, or GW. Originally from Niceville, Florida, McAllister says the reason politics are important at GW is the location: Washington, DC. "Just being right by the White House and the Capitol and everything. Our professors and the students are constantly hearing about the news. And it kind of hard not to, because its right where we live. ... People with interests in politics come to GW to be among it all." McAllister first started following politics when she studied in Turkey in 2015 before coming to GW. "There was a big election that happened in June. Leading up to that election was when I really got into it and it was mostly Turkish politics at the time. I learned a lot about it and so that just kind of carried over when I came to college." The political activity of young people can be hard to predict. For example, college-educated young people vote differently from young people who never attend college. Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg is the director for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE. CIRCLE is an organization based at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. CIRCLE studies the political activity of people in the U.S. younger than 30. Kawashima-Ginsberg says college-educated young people are twice as likely to vote in primary elections as those with no college experience. She says the 2008 campaign that elected President Barack Obama broke a 30-year record in numbers of young people involved. The 2012 campaign also had high numbers of young voters. But, she added, young people have trouble feeling connected to politics. "We were hearing both from young people who are in college and out of college about how they perceive voting. For them, it was starting to become this old, outdated thing that has no relevance or impact. And that showed, truly, in voting statistics, where we recorded the lowest youth turnout ever in 2014." Young people are not alone in their low turnout numbers. FairVote is an organization that studies U.S. democracy and elections. FairVote reported only about 36 percent of the entire voting population voted in the 2014 midterm election. But, Kawashima-Ginsberg states, things are changing for young people once again. Some presidential candidates are gaining back the youth vote. Senator Bernie Sanders has received more than 1.5 million youth votes in the primary race, she says. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and businessman Donald Trump have both received more than 600,000 youth votes. Nancy Thomas is the director of the Institute for Democracy and Education, also at Tufts University. The institute started working on a project called The National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, or NSLVE, in 2013. NSLVE researchers examine enrollment and voting records from 2012 and 2014. They use the information from these records to study the voting habits of U.S. college students. Thomas says there is no other project like NSLVE. There are more college students now over the age of 30. Studies of young people find different results than studies only of college students. She also says student movements like the Black Lives Matter protests show college campuses are important places for political activity. "People in college back in the 80s and 90s were pretty disengaged. And they were disengaged from public or civic life in general. "But I think the combination of enthusiasm for these primaries and the last couple of years of student protests means that some kind of sleeping giant is being awakened." Thomas adds that schools where politics are frequently discussed in class have the most politically active students. If professors use political examples in any subject, including math or history, students will see how important politics are. Hanna Corn, 20, is a second-year student studying international affairs and political science at GW. Originally from Wilmington, New Jersey, Corn is also the membership director of the GW College Democrats. The GW College Democrats are a student group that supports the Democratic political party. Corn says there are many political student groups and events at GW. Also, political discussion is everywhere. "Students would be talking about it in line to get their food at cafeterias. Youd be in the library and youd look over at people laughing and theyd be watching a political talk show. Even at a social gathering, people are discussing politics. ... Even when you dont want to hear about it, it will be right outside your door So you might as well reach out and also engage in it." Corn joined the GW College Democrats in her first year because she wanted to learn more about the Democratic Party. But she says she has also learned a lot about people with different opinions from her own. She frequently talks and debates with members of the GW College Republicans. "We share an office actually , so we are constantly exchanging ideas. Its good to learn both sides. ... But I think its very difficult to be a strident conservative or Republican at our campus because the Republicans even I know are not so far to the right. "People that are more conservative dont speak out. But I think that there are more of them in our campus than you realize." VOA reached out to the GW College Republicans but received no response. Both Thomas and Kawashima-Ginsberg agree there is an increasing number of young Republicans voting in this primary. But Thomas says young Republicans care about different issues than older party members. Older members care more about terrorism, while young members care more about government spending. Both younger and older Democrats seem to care about the same issues, she says. But fewer young people are joining any political party at all. Kawashima-Ginsberg points out that technology plays a major role in how young people choose to be involved. "Social medias played a bigger role in this age. In a way, young people are able to organize themselves online with their like-minded peers and start some action or cause without being told what might be helpful for a candidate or what theyre supposed to do for the campaign." Thomas says that students entering the field of education vote more than any other group. Students studying math and science vote the least. Also, African-American students vote more than white, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American students. But no matter how they vote, Thomas says, college students are a force that politicians will have to recognize. "There are 18.5 million college students in this country. They could really shape the results of an election." Im Pete Musto. Pete Musto reported and wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. How politically active are young people in your country? At your universities? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story scale n. a range of numbers that is used to show the size, strength, or quality of something rank(s) v. to place someone or something in a particular position among a group of people or things that are being judged according to quality, ability or size survey(s) v. to ask many people a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something campus n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school primary n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election perceive(d) v. to think of someone or something as being something stated outdated adj. no longer useful or acceptable relevance n. relationship to a subject in an appropriate way turnout n. the number of people who go to or participate in something midterm election n. Congressional elections that occur halfway through a President's term of office enrollment n. people who are entered as a member of or participant in something disengaged adj. no longer involved with a person or group enthusiasm n. a strong feeling of active interest in something that you like or enjoy giant n. a person or thing that is very large, powerful, or successful class n. a series of meetings in which students are taught a particular subject or activity political party n. an organization of people who have similar political beliefs and ideas and who work to have their members elected to positions in the government cafeteria(s) n. a place such as a restaurant or a room in a school where people get food at a counter and carry it to a table for eating strident adj. expressing opinions or criticism in a very forceful and often annoying or unpleasant way peer(s) n. a person who belongs to the same age group or social group as someone else When Cuban President Raul Castro was asked his view of the U.S. presidential election, he did what foreign leaders usually do. He did not answer the question. Castro responded, I cannot vote in the United States at a news conference Tuesday with President Barack Obama in Havana. But other foreign leaders are breaking with tradition of not taking sides in other countries elections. Most of those who are speaking out are criticizing the leading Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto compared the language of Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Trump has called for Mexico to pay for a new wall between the two nations. He also said Mexico is sending people that have lots of problems... they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." Pena Nieto responded in an interview with Mexicos Excelsior newspaper. "That's the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived," he said. In England, Parliament debated a resolution to ban Trump from entering the country. The debate came after Trump called for a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Parliament ended up not voting on the Trump resolution. But British leaders still criticized him. "I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong," said British Prime Minister David Cameron. After the March 22 terrorist attacks on Brussels, Trump tweeted a link to remarks he made in January, calling the Belgium city a hell hole. Time & time again I have been right about terrorism. Its time to get tough, he tweeted. When the New York Times reached Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur for a response, his office wrote, We don't react to Mr. Trump's comments. Have a nice day. The day before the terrorist attacks, Trump said he favors reducing the U.S. involvement with NATO. NATO is a 28-nation coalition that works for the security of its member nations. Trump has argued throughout his campaign that other nations besides the U.S. should be paying more to defend Europe and Asia. Ana Palacio is a former Spanish foreign minister. She expressed concerns about Trumps views in a recent interview with Politico. The opportunism, unreliability and amorality that we have seen during the [Trump] campaign would be damaging for the world in general and hurt Europe in particular, she said. James Thurber heads the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University in Washington D.C. He said it is highly unusual for foreign leaders to criticize a candidate for the presidency, even before he has won his partys nomination. Thurber just returned from Turkey, where many already have negative views of the United States But they are appalled at what Donald Trump is saying about Muslims, he said. Some foreign leaders praise Trump Trump is getting some support from abroad, particularly in Russia. He called Russias President Vladimir Putin a strong leader and said he would probably get along with him [Putin] very well." Putin, in return, praised Trump as a bright and talented person. Victoria Zhuravleva is a Moscow-based expert on U.S.- Russian relations. She said the U.S. has criticized Russia and Putin over the last two years. So, when you hear something that is not so critical and even friendlier towards your country its like, Thank God. Theres one person we can talk to, Donald Trump. She told Reuters. Trump is also getting praise from some anti-immigration leaders in Europe. They agree with Trump that immigration from the Middle East should stop. Jean-Marie Le Pen is the former head of the French National Front Party, which wants to limit immigration. He tweeted, If I were American, I would vote Donald Trump, Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story respond v. to say or write something as an answer to a question, a request or criticism remarks n. something that someone says or writes to express an opinion or idea tweet v. to make a short comment on the website, Twitter. survey n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something opportunism n. someone who tries to get an advantage or something valuable from a situation without thinking about what is fair or right unreliability n. not able to be trusted particular adj. used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others appalled v. to feel disgust LEXINGTON, Neb. An investigator with the Dawson County Sheriffs Office pleaded not guilty to a misconduct charge in Dawson County Court. The State of Nebraska filed a class-two misdemeanor charge of Official Misconduct against Cheri Saunders, 50, on March 11. She entered a written Not Guilty plea through attorney Derek Mitchell on March 21. Court records indicate the alleged misconduct occurred on Aug. 31, 2015. That was the same date that a member of Saunders family was involved in a fatal vehicle/pedestrian collision in Lexington that killed Alejandra Zamora and critically injured an infant. When asked directly if the charge against Saunders is related to the collision, Suzanne Gage with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office said, As a matter of procedure, in cases of misdemeanor charges, no felony arrest warrant affidavit is filed. The charges do stem from circumstances surrounding a motor vehicle accident. Sheriff Gary Reiber issued a statement that said, The Dawson County Sheriffs Office is aware of this pending criminal case. Further action on the part of the Dawson County Sheriffs Office will be determined at the conclusion of the Nebraska Attorney General Offices prosecution of this matter. This officer has been placed on administrative leave. According to a first certificate of discovery filed by Nebraska Attorney Generals Office attorney Jason Bergevin, the following documents were hand-delivered to Saunders attorney on March 21: Copies of two State Patrol Investigation binders including a combined 88 pages, seven DVDs, and three CDs of photos and a 9-1-1 call A copy of a March 9 investigative report on Cheri Saunders conducted by Investigator Christina Oliver with the Nebraska Department of Justice A copy of the interview Oliver conducted with Saunders on March 9 A copy of the Dawson County Sheriffs Office Code of Ethics, Rules of Conduct, Crime Scene, and Evidence and Property Storage. A trial is scheduled in Dawson County Court for April 18. Dawson County Court Judge Jeff Wightman recused himself from the case. A member of the Cozad Fire and Rescue Department received a major recognition from the Nebraska EMS Association. Gary Banzhaf received the 2016 Hero of the Year award. Cozad Rescue Chief Marlene Williams praised Banzhafs performance during a particularly horrifying rescue call to an Interstate 80 accident in 2015. He was fire chief at the time, and he was able to continually think outside the box in an extremely difficult situation. For example, he was able to get a tow truck in to lift a vehicle, Williams said. That was a three-hour extrication, but he stayed on top of it and kept coming up with resources, all the while continuing to work the scene. Williams wrote in her nomination letter that when Banzhaf joined the department 13 years ago, He didnt just become a fireman, he was like a sponge and absorbed all the information and training he could and perfected his skills to the point of becoming one of the best and known for being the go to person on scene. The letter continued that after a few years, Banzhaf became an EMT with the same amount of drive and dedication that he had with firefighting. Lives have been saved and quality of life has been restored because of the willingness of a young man taking the time to watch, listen, remain humble and act upon his skills to the highest level he has been trained. He has been recognized along with his peers four times for CPR saves; he recognized a new born babys hypothermic condition as life threatening, and acting on his skills to save this infants life; he used his firefighter skills and a thermal camera during a trailer house fire to find a young girl lying on the hall floor near the back door, then immediately used his EMT skills to rescue and begin treatment while carrying her through the maze of fire hoses to the ambulance. Williams said she initially nominated Banzhaf for EMT of the Year, but the Association believed him to be worthy of their highest honor, the Hero of the Year. LINCOLN What a change a couple of weeks can make in the State Legislature. Lawmakers Tuesday killed a bill that would have ended a ban on food stamps for some drug offenders leaving prison. The demise of Legislative Bill 910 came two weeks after it easily advanced, by a 31-5 vote, from first-round debate. A good bill can go bad, said State Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo, who said LB 910 had acquired too many amendments. The food stamp issue joined the bill as an amendment during first-round consideration. It would have ended a lifetime ban on receiving food stamps for those convicted of dealing drugs or those convicted of three or more felony charges of possessing or using drugs. The ban on receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as food stamps, is part of the federal welfare to work act of the 1990s. But since then, 43 states have either opted out of the federal ban or modified it, in part to help former inmates transition back into the community. On March 9, the food stamp amendment drew support from 35 Nebraska lawmakers. But Tuesday, only 28 voted to halt a filibuster of the bill. Thats five short of the 33 votes needed to stop debate and advance a bill. Thus LB 910 died. Gov. Pete Ricketts had voiced his disapproval of the food stamp amentment. So had his Department of Health and Human Services. North Platte Sen. Mike Groene, too, opposed it, saying Tuesday that lifting the ban would reward convicted drug users and dealers. We are supposedly a law and order, personal responsibility, conservative state, he said. I thought thats what we believed. Groene proposed an amendment to require those who would see the ban lifted to pass drug tests or undergo drug abuse treatment as a condition of receiving food stamps. That amendment failed. Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld, sponsor of the food stamp amendment, said it was morally wrong to deny food to former inmates trying to start a new life. Other supporters have said it is unfair for drug offenders to be denied food stamps while the benefits are allowed to more serious felons, including those convicted of rape and murder. Drug tests, they said, would be expensive and impractical and would disqualify very few recipients. Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln, who introduced LB 910, said she didnt think senators opposed the original intent of the legislation, which was to ensure that the Legislatures Inspector General for Corrections has oversight power over a new, separate state parole agency that will be created as of July 1. Bolz said she was exploring whether that part of the bill could come back to life as an amendment to another bill yet this session. Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher had offered another amendment to LB 910 but before a vote could be taken the bill died. His change would have allowed a prison inmate whod spent 90 days in solitary confinement to request a hearing before a judge to determine whether additional isolation was needed. Critics of long-term solitary confinement say it has been shown to harm mental health and cause behavior problems. Schumacher said solitary confinement is overused by the Nebraska Department of Corrections and said reforms the department is drafting dont go far enough to comply with a state law passed last year. LINCOLN Nebraskas iconic Sower will grace Nebraskas next license plate but critics say the image is bland at best and bordering on erotic at worst. The new standard plate features the Sower, which is a statue atop the State Capitol, pulling grain from a pouch and throwing it. The plate also has a navy blue stripe, Nebraska in gold lettering, and the years 1867 and 2017, a nod to Nebraskas 150th birthday next year. Gov. Pete Ricketts said the plate incorporates a lot of things that are unique to Nebraska. The Sower represents agriculture, the states No. 1 industry. The navy and gold colors match the Nebraska state flag. But people took to the Internet to complain that the design is too boring, uses colors too closely associated with University of Michigan or is too obscure for people outside of the state to grasp. Some even went so far as to suggest that the Sower image has a sexual connotation, saying it appears that he is sowing a different kind of seed. I know what it is supposed to be, wrote one commenter, but it looks like a creepy guy pulling open his pants. Through a spokesman, the governor rebuffed the criticism, saying the Sower is a well-recognized Nebraska icon that for decades has stood atop of the State Capitol. It is entirely appropriate to use the image on the state license plate, spokesman Taylor Gage said. Its unfortunate that some are disparaging this symbol, which is emblematic of our states agricultural heritage, he said. Complaints about the states license plate are nothing new. In 2009, state officials let an online vote decide among four designs for the new standard plates. But a humor website asked followers to cast online ballots for what it called the most boring design, and that design won the vote. Officials then recounted the votes and declared a different plate, one with a goldenrod and meadowlark, as the winner. Beverly Reicks, who led the Department of Motor Vehicles at that time, said the process, with or without public input, is never without controversy. People take a lot of ownership of their license plates, said Reicks, now the president and CEO of the National Safety Council in Nebraska. They put it on their personal vehicles, so maybe it feels like its something that makes a statement about them. Not all the chatter about this years plates was negative; some people on Tuesday praised the minimalist approach, saying it will be easy for law enforcement to read. This years plates were created by the Department of Motor Vehicles staff and graphic design personnel from license plate vendor 3M. The governor gave final approval. State law requires that new license plates be issued every six years. Designer Drew Davies, who owns Oxide Design Co. in Omaha, said the ideas behind the plate are intriguing but were carried out poorly. There are a lot of things that are unclear about it, he said. Theres a spark of a good idea there, but the execution couldve used a professional involved. Part of the problem, said artist Larry Ferguson, chairman of the Omaha Public Art Commission, is that its difficult to replicate a statue in a simple design for a license plate. It just does not work, he said. Its terrible. Ive had friends even email me from Hawaii saying what in the heck is wrong with the design of the plate? The new plates will be issued starting in January 2017. They will replace the plates featuring a goldenrod sprig and meadowlark, the state flower and state bird. A plate featuring the Sower has been suggested in years past, said Rhonda Lahm, director of the Department of Motor Vehicles. She expects that more than five million plates featuring the Sower will be made. There are alternatives to the standard plate. New this year are mountain lion conservation plates, available Oct. 1, and Nebraska sesquicentennial plates, which are available now. Specialty plates cost more than the standard plates. Ricketts called the new plate beautiful. While his wife has a specialty sesquicentennial license plate, he plans to get a standard plate for his vehicle, now driven by his son, Roscoe. This brings in a lot of the themes of Nebraska and is a great way for us to brand our state, the governor said. Shooting survivor A.J. Walker and his mother recall Trolley Square and their journey since the siege Vickie Walker and her 25-year-old son, A.J. Walker, simply call it "the incident." They mean that terrifying evening nine years ago, when a teenage gunman killed five people and wounded four others. They mean the night Vickie lost her 53-year-old husband, Jeff Walker, and A.J., then 16, suffered life-threatening head injuries and their dual journeys took a detour. They mean the Feb. 12, 2007, Trolley Square mass shooting. Since then, mother and son have faced additional challenges. She lost her job, her insurance, her home. She was hit by a drunken driver and injured both legs. He had to relearn to read, speak, write and comprehend. Together, they sought ways to find meaning through service. In 2010, they created Circle the Wagons, a nonprofit organization offering support, information and solace to victims of violence. That same year, A.J. spent several weeks in Uganda, providing humanitarian relief. A couple of years later, he served a full-time Mormon mission. Here, Vickie Walker and Alan Jeffrey Walker offer a rare glimpse into the thoughts and spiritual understandings of their traumatic experience then and where they are now. This interview was conducted in their east Salt Lake City home. It has been edited for length and clarity. Vickie and A.J. Walker What was life like before "the incident"? Vickie: I had a fairly typical upbringing and normal expectations for the future. My two younger brothers and I grew up in Granger [now part of West Valley City]. Raised in the [LDS] Church, I did the whole Mormon toeing-the-line thing. I went to Ricks College [now Brigham Young University-Idaho], came home and met and married a man I had gone to high school with. We did the appropriate Mormon thing got married in the temple. About a year into it, I discovered that he had a bit of a "wandering eye." We tried to make it work for a couple more years, then it happened again. Fool me once, but don't fool me twice. I found myself in the mid-1980s, 26 and divorced. I felt like I was odd man out. I didn't know many divorced people my age. I had a hairdresser who had a friend and together they lined me up with Jeff. I really didn't look back. Where were you living then? Vickie: I was in Granger; he was from California but came to Salt Lake to find a "nice Mormon girl." Instead, he found me. [Laughs] He was divorced but had custody of his two young kids, which I think was indicative of the kind of person he was impressive that he would even attempt to raise them as a single father. I think that speaks volumes for him. Several years after we married, I was able to formally adopt Korrina and Jeremy. I found out by the end of my first marriage that I would likely never have my own biological children, so when I married Jeff and had an instant family, I was absolutely thrilled. Thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. I never really thought I would be a mom. Walker family photo left to right Jeremy, Korrina, Alexandra, Vickie, A.J. What was your marriage to Jeff like? Vickie: As with most marriages, when you are young, you don't have experience. You have that Plan A in your mind that you do everything right and everything will turn out right. Then you have a steep learning curve. But we both had been married before, so Jeff and I felt we didn't have that learning curve. We knew which mountain we wanted to climb. A lot of things we let slide, because they just weren't that important. Throughout our lives, we had our ups and downs financially. The last five years he was here, though, he found a lot of financial success by selling annuities. He loved his job and traveled quite a bit. We moved into a big new house in South Jordan. It was his dream house that we built. Honestly, Jeff was beside himself he was so happy. How about you? Vickie: I had a big epiphany in that home. You spend your life in your 30s and 40s, trying to achieve. I remember lying in bed one night and thinking about the house and the pool, taking vacations, and having recreation vehicles everything we had been working toward finally came to fruition. I thought, "This is so interesting, we finally achieved everything and eh." [Shrugs] I found it to be not as fulfilling as I thought it would be. That was really big for me. Did you expand your family? Vickie: We had the two kids, then one day we unexpectedly adopted a newborn, Alexandria, and right away I found out I was pregnant I thought I had eaten bad oysters with A.J., our little "miracle." I was shocked Alex and A.J. were nine months and 10 days apart. It was so fun to have two babies so close in age. But when they laid A.J. on my stomach after he was born, I had another epiphany: I thought I would feel more connected to him because he was my "biological child." But I didn't. I felt as connected to Alex (and to Korrina and Jeremy) as I did to A.J. Some nice memories were made that last five years in South Jordan. By the time of the incident, the older two had moved on with their lives. So take me through the Trolley Square experience. What do you remember? A.J.: We had gone there looking for last-minute gifts [before Valentine's Day] for loved ones. We had bought dinner for the family at Desert Edge Brewery and were on the top part of the parking garage, almost to our car. The shooter, [18-year-old gunman Sulejman Talovic] was just arriving. I remember everything vividly. I didn't start to forget things until I was in the hospital, about to have brain surgery. Vickie: My youngest daughter and I were home watching TV, and Jeff called to say they had picked up dinner and would be home in half an hour. As usual, I ended my conversation with "love you." It was just routine, but I am really grateful that I did. Then we saw the news crawl about a shooting at Trolley Square. I jumped into action, started calling their phones. I am not a negative person, so I started making excuses in my mind: They probably turned their phones off or teens don't answer the phone if they see it's their parents calling. Shortly after, our home phone rang. Caller ID said, "University Hospital." The woman on the line spoke quickly and she sounded panicked. She said they had A.J. and to hurry up and get up there. I asked if they had my husband. She said they did bring in a 52-year-old man [it turned out to be shooting survivor Stacy Hanson, who was 53], but didn't know if it was my husband since they are taking people to different hospitals. I called a neighbor and said Jeff and A.J. were at Trolley and we needed a ride to the U. hospital. From that point forward, it was really surreal. I was on autopilot. My daughter looked to me to see how to behave so I had to be calm. Were you alert during the shooting? A.J.: The whole time; it was horrible. I remember everything. I remember him shooting, me running away. It was the worst feeling I have ever felt in my life. So dark and consuming and evil. After I had been shot, I ran for the underground parking. There were people in a car who saw me. I cried for help but they were scared so they drove off. I started to run through the garage to find a place to hide. I thought he was chasing me and heard another gunshot (which was the second gunshot at my dad) so I fell to the ground between two cars to hide. Once I realized I couldn't hide, I said a quick prayer, "Give me peace. Give me peace." Just then, another car pulled up and I jumped in and said, "We need to go, we need to call the police." I couldn't feel the left side of my head. I felt like I had a hole in my head. Blood everywhere. The girls in the car knew it was bad. They took me around the north side of Trolley to an ambulance. Vickie: On the drive to the hospital, we went by Trolley and I had the sickest feeling in my stomach. But my optimism kicked in, and I tried to stay positive. When we got up there, lots of people surrounded us in the conference room. Pretty soon friends started showing up, my dad and brother. The conference room filled up. The doctor came in and told us the extent of A.J.'s injuries. His ear was shot up and he had received a number of shotgun pellets from the blast. They didn't take them out? A.J.: They couldn't do it without damage to my brain. Now, I can't get an MRI, because they're metal and it would pull them out. They've done CAT scans. A few years ago, we were at church and I thought I had a pimple or something at the back of my skull. I scratched it and a shotgun pellet fell into my hand. Were you still awake when you got to the hospital? A.J.: Yes. The first person I saw was my [Mormon] bishop. He gave me a priesthood blessing. After that, I felt calm and peaceful. When my mom came in and asked me where dad was, I told her he was so smart, he pretended to be asleep. You didn't know he was dead? A.J.: No. When did you find out he had been killed? Vickie: I was in the hospital waiting room waiting for A.J.'s surgery to be completed. About 2 a.m., I was informed. A.J.: I found out after surgery the next day. What was it like in the year after your husband was killed? Vickie: While I was helping A.J. recover, which was tough, I was amazed at all the acts of kindness, big and small. Domino's delivered free pizza every Friday for a year. People sent flowers and notes, were incredibly generous. About 18 months after Trolley Square, a woman came up to me in a grocery store and gave me a hug. I can't tell you how much that little gesture meant. A.J.: I spent 10 days in intensive care, 10 days in a regular hospital ward, and about 10 days in rehab about a month in the hospital altogether. I had to learn to speak, read, write and comprehend all over again. A teacher from my high school came by three days a week through the summer and into my senior year to help me with my classes. She brought flashcards with pictures of animals and foods on one side and the names on the other. In so many cases, I recognized the items, but could not find the words. I lost short-term memory, organizational skills and peripheral vision on the right. Balance continues to be an issue. I graduated from high school and was going to attend Salt Lake Community College but realized how unprepared I was. So I got a job at a credit union as a sales rep. Sometimes I had to call my mom and ask her how to count. When I was 20, I took some classes at Westminster College. Vickie: I was living in our South Jordan dream house, but eventually I lost it as part of the 2008 housing collapse. I came home one Friday to find an eviction notice on my door so had to get out. The day I moved, people in my Mormon ward showed up in droves to help me back and move my stuff. I then rented a house in Sugar House. It was hard, but overall the move has been good. Then I was hit by a drunk driver, which later required knee replacements. Oh, I also lost my insurance. What was your spiritual life like through all this? A.J.: Growing up, going to church was a chore. I didn't have a testimony and was not a fan. I didn't have a testimony of [Mormon founder] Joseph Smith. I had faith and hope, and I believed in God, but I didn't pray all the time. My experience at Trolley helped me understand prayer more. In the hospital, I had an overwhelming sense of peace. The first week I felt a strong connection with my dad and loved ones who had moved on. I felt they were in the room. I felt safe. It was like a spiritual restart. I developed a testimony of prayer, but I didn't want to go on a mission because of my health challenges. Still, I felt something was missing, so I started to travel. I thought that could be my calling to do humanitarian work for a few months. I started helping with the Navajo Nation down in the Four Corners. Then, in 2010, I went to Africa. Serving those people was the strongest I had felt the spirit to that point. It was a chance to think about something besides myself putting their needs above my own. When I came home, I was on a spiritual high. I had been going back to church for a while, but now I had a desire to go. Then I started to hear a voice in my head, saying, "You need to go on a mission, A.J." I pretended not to hear it. The voice in my head got stronger and stronger. I kept making excuses not to. As soon as I said "yes," I had an overwhelming sense of peace. Vickie: Right after Jeff died, we had a friend from South Jordan, Tracy Mower, who drove to our house every Sunday and studied LDS scriptures with A.J. He stepped in as a surrogate dad to my son. He even taught him how to drive. He constantly thought about how he could help him. His words turned into actions. A.J.: Yeah, he definitely helped me prepare for my mission. After I put in my papers, I told everyone that I would like to go to a Spanish-speaking mission, like to the Dominican Republic, where my brother served, or to Brazil, where my dad went. People were telling me there was no way because of my head injuries. When my mission papers came and I opened them, I started to read, "You've been called to serve in the San Diego, California Spanish-speaking Mission," I felt a huge, immense spirit, warm and peaceful, fall upon me. I knew it was right, where I needed to go, and I was happy. Then I looked up and saw my mom and she was wailing. Vickie: I knew that Jeff had been a "visa waiter." When he couldn't get a visa to Brazil, he spent the first 14 months of his mission in San Diego. A.J.: The exact same mission where my dad served, I was going there. It was exactly what I had hoped for. My prayers were answered. What do you think about the gunman Sulejman Talovic today? A.J.: I don't have either negative or positive feelings toward him. I do have a sense of sadness, but no anger. I forgive him. Vickie: I saw a photo of his funeral in Bosnia [Talovic was shot to death at the scene], and a shot of him from above, lying in a casket. I was shocked at how young he was. He was a boy. And I thought, "I want to hate you. I should hate you, but I don't have it in me. If I had an ounce of hate, there would be no energy left to build a life for us full and joyful." What was your mission like? A.J.: My favorite part of my mission was the MTC [Missionary Training Center], where I truly gained a testimony. It was hard because I had to relearn how to speak English, so having to learn Spanish was difficult. Up to that point, it was the strongest I had ever connected to God. It was intimidating because I had never felt those feelings before, so it was empowering and making me a better person. A.J. Walker does Reverse Warrior pose at Vitalize Studio in Sugar House Saturday March 19, 2016. What do you do now? A.J.: I am going to the U., studying finance, and helping with the foundation. I also teach yoga. Looking back now at all the issues and trials and challenges I have faced, I can see how the Lord's hand has always been there to guide me, direct me or lift me up. Vickie: Jeff was my life, and I didn't want to hover over all my children. A few years later, I was watching cable news and saw the Trolley incident listed in the top five "postal moments." I knew then that in order to make my life meaningful, I needed to take this experience and help others. I am also trying to fill a hole in my heart by doing it. Essar Steel Minnesota LLC, a U.S. affiliate of India's shipping, natural resources and power conglomerate Essar Global Group, has hired financial and legal advisers to help it restructure its debt, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is in the final stages of building a $1.8 billion iron ore pellet plant in northern Minnesota. Its woes underscore the impact that cheap Chinese imports have had on the price of iron ore and U.S. steel manufacturers. Essar Steel Minnesota has hired investment bank Guggenheim Partners LLC and law firm White & Case LLP as debt restructuring advisers, the people said this week. Essar Steel Minnesota has about $1 billion in debt, one of the people added. The sources asked not to be identified because the appointments are not public. Spokespeople for Essar Steel Minnesota, Essar Global, Guggenheim and White & Case did not respond to requests for comment. Essar Steel Minnesota's move to restructure its debt comes less than six months after the bankruptcy filing of its Canadian sister company, steel manufacturer Essar Steel Algoma Inc. Essar Steel Algoma also filed for bankruptcy in 2014. Essar Global moved into Minnesota in 2007, shortly after it acquired the Algoma manufacturer. At the time, the company said it was positioning itself to be close to high-value steel markets and sources of iron ore. The plant, whose construction started in 2010, is scheduled to open this year, according to the company's website. It will permanently employ 350 people once it opens, according to the state. Last year, Essar Steel Minnesota failed to make timely payments to its vendors, according to press statements from the office of the Minnesota governor. The company did not live up to the terms of the original agreement it had with the state, and at the end of last year it accepted a plan to repay Minnesota's $66 million loan. Reuters Hyderabad: Google (search) on your iPhone whether a product is available on Amazon while you are on the move in an Uber taxi. Your nimble fingers would most likely have some tech connect with the most happening Southern City of India, Hyderabad. The uber cool and upwardly mobile people across the globe would surely have been cloud-connected with the city. Is Telangana the new California in the making? Apple, Amazon, Google, and Uber have queued up to have their second largest development centres, outside the United States of America, in Hyderabad. All within a radius of 10 km. The city is set to witness a different level of vibrancy with these marquee companies making it the second home. Already, it is home for biggies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. A beaming K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT of the Government of Telangana, sums it up saying: Hyderabad is the biggest bang for the buck for all those investing here. A ballpark estimate of investments flowing into Hyderabad from various industries is out at close to $3-4 billion, with an estimated employment opportunity for 25,000 people and 1.25 lakh indirectly. Hyderabad has innate advantages in terms of geographical location and availability of talent pool. KTR ascribes the decision of these global majors for choosing Hyderabad to the best industrial policy, proactive policies, and a decisive government. This stands testimony to our proactive policy. Hyderabad is the destination for growth. We are a state that is growing very rapidly. IT exports have posted a YoY growth by 16 percent against a national CAGR of 13 percent, KTR told Firstpost. Apart from these four, Airbus is proposing to set up a helicopter-manufacturing unit at an estimated investment of Rs 2,500 crore to generate employment for close to 4,500 people. The aircraft maker wanted the Telangana Government to allot 40 acres of land to which the state has shown three different sites close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and asked the company to choose that suits the best to its needs. A delegation of Airbus recently called on Chief Secretary of Telangana Government Rajiv Sharma and submitted proposals. The company wanted to collaborate either with Tatas or Mahindras in India and it proposed to manufacture 100 choppers a year. Ikea Swedish Home furnishings giant IKEA is setting up its Indias first store in Hyderabad. It has purchased land and work is going on at a brisk pace. It has bought 13 acres at a cost of close to Rs 20 crore an acre near the IT Hub. Uber Uber opened its Centre of Excellence on 26 February this year. This will have teams of more than 500 customer service specialists to 24/7 assistance to riders and driver partners. Uber has already hired close to 30 percent of the total team strength and has started support operations from its Center of Excellence in Hyderabad, an official spokesperson of Uber told Firstpost. The Center of Excellence will provide support via multiple channels--email, phone and social media to ensure seamless experience before, during and after the ride. The team of specialists will also be proficient in multiple local languages to address support issues from across the country. Amit Jain, president, Uber India,said: We are excited to unveil Uber's centre of excellence in Hyderabad that will be the heart of customer response for our India operations. The government of Telangana has shown great vision in supporting innovative technology companies and continues to remain an ideal location to do business. Apple Apple, one of the worlds richest corporate houses, will establish its worlds next largest technology development centre outside the USA in Hyderabad at a cost of $25 million close to Rs 175 crore. Though it has considered many cities, including those in Eastern Europe, it has zeroed in on Hyderabad and one of the focus areas for this new centre would be to develop Apple maps. This centre is likely to provide direct employment to 4,500 techies in 250,000 sq. ft in Tishman Speyers Waverock building in the Citys IT hub. Chief Executive of Apple, Timothy Cook had said in a shareholders conference: "The population in India is in some ways some of the best in the world. There's a huge amount of young people moving up the ranks and the consumer will rise up there." Basking the afterglow of signing agreements with worlds biggest corporate houses, Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary of the Government of Telangana, told Firstpost: Apple considered many cities not just in India but also in other geographies like Eastern Europe before finalising on Hyderabad to locate its technology development centre for Apple Maps. This is a very strong endorsement of the value proposition that Hyderabad offers to a marquee company like Apple. With this addition, the 4 most valuable companies of the world (Apple, Microsoft, Google & Facebook) will all have their largest development centers outside of the US in Hyderabad. If we add Amazon, the 8th most valuable company of the world, which too is developing its largest development centre outside the US in Hyderabad, we have the enviable distinction of having 4 of the top 4 and 5 of the top 10. Google Google proposed an investment of Rs 1,000 crore staggered in four years to establish its South Asias biggest development centre in two million square feet facility in Hyderabad. Google CEO Sunder Pichai announced in December last that the company would set up its largest campus outside the USA in Hyderabad. KTR signed a Memorandum of Understanding with David Radcliffe, global head of facilities and workplaces of Google, in May last year. This will provide an employment for 6,000 people in a 7.2-acre facility in Gachibowli in the City. The company has already announced that its street view project in India will begin with Hyderabad. Amazon Worlds eighth largest corporate, Amazon, too doesnt want to lag behind. The company, which had already set up its Asias largest warehouse (280,000 sq. ft) on the outskirts of Hyderabad, too will have its biggest development centre outside the US here in the City of Pearls. A large chunk of its $2 billion investment is likely to flow into Hyderabad, for the State Government has allotted a 10-acre site for building close to three million square-foot facility that houses a work force of 13,500 people, while the existing headcount of Amazon in Hyderabad is 1,000. Groundbreaking for this facility is likely to happen in a few days. Wish there is a day when Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Sunder Pichai, Jeff Bejos, and Tim Cook do a human-chain on the highstreets of Hyderabad. Jewellery industry body AIBJSF on Friday decided to continue their strike for an indefinite period against imposition of 1% excise duty on non-silver jewellery and announced plans to hand over keys of their shops to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. All India Bullion, Jewellers, Swarankar Federation (AIBJSF), which had organised a big rally at Ramlila maidan in the national capital on March 17, is continuing their strike, though three major associations -- GJF, ABJA and GJEPC -- had called off strike last Saturday after government's assurance that there would be no 'Inspector Raj'. AIBJSF and other local associations, particularly those in Delhi- NCR, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, were against calling off the strike. "Nothing less than a complete roll back of excise duty levied on jewellers is acceptable to us," AIBJSF President Praveen Goel said in a statement issued by CAIT. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which is supporting the jewellers protest, has urged the government to initiate the process of dialogue with protesting traders to end the logjam. In a meeting held on Friday, AIBJSF said representatives of more than 375 Jewellery trade associations from different states "unanimously decided to intensify the strike" till the government rolls back the excise duty. A large number of jewellers and bullion traders across the country continued their strike for the 24th day on Friday, despite the government constituting a panel to look into their demand. AIBJSF said it will hold a series of protests beginning next week including "handing over keys of shops to the Finance Minister, blowing whistle in front of buffalo, ringing bells at district headquarters, gherao of MPs and presentation of memorandum, forming of human chain and transfer of registration papers of shops in the name of Finance Minister." Meanwhile, the government has constituted a panel under former Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahri to look into the demands of jewellers. The panel, which has been asked to submit its report in 60 days, will look into issues related to compliance procedure for the excise duty, including records to be maintained, forms to be filled, operating procedures and other relevant issues. The government in the Budget for 2016-17 had proposed 1% excise duty on jewellery without input credit or 12.5% with input tax credit on jewellery excluding silver other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones. PTI On the fourth day of his cross-examination in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case before the court, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley claimed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had not recorded his statements accurately and that he had no personal knowledge of Ishrat Jahan. Headley on Saturday claimed that LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi had told him about Ishrat Jahan 'operation' though he had also learnt about the case through the media. He said that he had told NIA that "a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" and other things but could not say why they were not recorded by the agency. However, he went back on a part of his statement to the NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that "Ishrat Jahan module" was a "botched-up operation" and added that "these were my thoughts". He also admitted that he had "no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan." "When Lakhvi introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said "No, I did not say this to NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded," he told Judge G A Sanap here. The 55-year-old, who has turned approver in the 26/11 case, is being cross-examined by Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Jundal who is an alleged key plotter of the 2008 Mumbai siege, via a video-link from the US. NIA had recorded Headley's statement in the US in July, 2010. On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, "No" and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He also said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Headley said he told NIA that before Sajid Mir, Muzammil was the head of the group (LeT). Headley was then confronted with his own statement asking him why information about Bhat has not been recorded. To this, Headley said he cannot explain this. He also told Khan that he had told NIA about an "unsuccesful operation near police naka in India" but could not explain as to why it has not been recorded in his statement. Headley also said that he told NIA that there was a woman wing in LeT and the mother of one Abu Aiman was heading it. He further said he had told NIA that "a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why this too was not recorded by the agency. To a question, Headley further clarified that he had informed NIA that "this woman (Jahan) was an Indian and a LeT operative" but could not explain why this was not recorded in his statement. Relplying to another question, he said, "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan." Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004 While testifying in February, Headley had said that Jahan, a 19-year-old student from Mumbai, was affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Headley also said that he had told the agency that Muzammil's operations were all over in India and concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra but can't tell why this was not recorded in his statement. "It is true that Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil to me in 2005," Headley said replying to a question. However, he denied that Lakhvi had told him that Muzammil was a top LeT commander whose every project fails. "Lakhvi did not tell me this and I also did not tell NIA about this," he said but failed to explain why this was reflected in his statement. Hafiz told me Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson: Headley On Friday, Headley also disclosed that the LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". After hearing this (that Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson), Headley had told Saeed that this would be done, he said. To a question, he said he had not requested for any time "to accomplish this task", but said "it would take six months". On Friday, Headley had revealed that he had "arranged" a fund-raising programme for the Shiv Sena in the US and had planned to invite Thackeray to the event. The 55-year-old LeT operative, who has turned approver in the case, said that Sena man Rajaram Rege had told him that "Thackeray was sick and so may be his son and other officials may attend the programme." Earlier this week, Headley had told the court that terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to eliminate Thackeray but the person who was assigned the job to kill the Sena chief was arrested and he managed to give police the slip. "We wanted to target the chief of Shiv Sena... His name was Bal Thackeray. LeT wanted to kill him wherever a chance arose. I knew that Bal Thackeray was the head of Shiv Sena. I have no firsthand knowledge but I think an attempt was made by LeT to kill Bal Thackeray," he had said. "I don't know how this attempt was made. I think the person (who was sent to kill Thackeray) was arrested but he managed to escape from police custody. I don't have firsthand knowledge about this though," Headley had told Judge GA Sanap, who is hearing the 26/11 terror case against Abu Jundal in the sessions court in Mumbai. PTI Islamabad: Pakistan made an official protest to India on Friday after detaining a man it says is an Indian spy who illegally entered the country and was captured on Thursday in the violence-plagued province of Balochistan. India's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Pakistan's foreign secretary had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad but denied the man is a spy. "The said individual has no link with the Government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy," the spokesman said in a statement. "We have sought consular access to him." According to The Indian Express, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian national arrested in Balochistan was a former Navy official, however the MEA denied any links to the government. The paper also reports that the alleged spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav was being accused of having illegally entered the country and that he was indulging in "subversive" activities. The Times of India report claims that "the picture of his passport on news sites have his names as Hussein Mubarak Patel and a valid Iranian visa." According to Livemint, Vikas Swarup, MEA spokesperson said, The said individual has no link with the government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy. We have sought consular access to him. India has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country and firmly believes that a stable and peaceful Pakistan is in the interest of all in the region." While such allegations by Pakistan have been on an increase in the last couple of years, this is the first instance of New Delhi acknowledging the arrest across the border of an individual associated with its armed forces. Pakistan based newspaper, The Nation reported that Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that "maps of different installations and sites were recovered from his possession." Tensions are already high between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a January attack on an Indian air base, in which seven military personnel were killed. "(Pakistan) conveyed our protest and deep concern on the illegal entry into Pakistan by an RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, referring to a message conveyed to India's ambassador. RAW is Research and Analysis Wing, the country's main external intelligence agency. Pakistan believes that India is supporting separatists in the resource-rich Balochistan province, as well as militants fighting the state from the lawless tribal areas. It also sees India as fuelling strife in the volatile city of Karachi. India denies any such interference and has itself accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants to launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan say it only offers diplomatic support to the Muslim people of Kashmir living under what it says is heavy-handed Indian rule. It denies backing militant attacks in India. A Pakistani military official in Balochistan told Reuters the alleged RAW spy was an Indian navy officer. Another Pakistani official gave the same information. Both declined to be identified because they were not authorised to give details of the incident to the media. One of the officials said the man had been moved to Islamabad for interrogation. The neighbouring countries have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. Balochistan's provincial interior minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, told reporters that the arrest "proved Indian involvement" in his province. Last year Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the RAW was determined on annihilating Pakistan. "RAW has been formed to undo Pakistan and to wipe Pakistan off the map," Asif said in a television interview. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sought to improve ties with India since his election in 2013, but his efforts are widely considered to have caused friction with the army, which sees relations with India as its domain. Last December Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet Sharif, the first visit by an Indian premier in more than a decade, raising hopes that stop-start negotiations might finally make progress after decades of hostility. With inputs from Reuters Dehradun: The political crisis in Uttarakhand took a new turn with the Congress dragging Ramdev into the picture accusing him of "hatching" a plot jointly with BJP leadership to topple the state government but the yoga guru on refuted the charge. Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress President Kishore Upadhyay created a flutter in political circles in Dehradun on Wednesday by alleging that the yoga guru and BJP chief Amit Shah had hatched a conspiracy together to dislodge the state government and the rebellion against Harish Rawat by the partys MLAs was a result of this. Claiming that he had enough evidence to substantiate his charge, Upadhyay said "Ramdev was in touch with Congress rebels and is one of the key persons besides the BJP President involved in hatching a conspiracy against the ruling party. "He(Ramdev) worked like a BJP agent to foment a rebellion against the state government and topple it." Upadhyay claimed that Ramdev was in touch with the nine rebel Congress MLAs before 18 March when the crisis erupted in the state Assembly during a vote on the appropriation bill on the states annual budget. However, taking cognisance of newspaper reports in this regard, Ramdev said he was unnecessarily being dragged into the ongoing political turmoil in the state despite the fact that he had nothing to do with it. "I read in the newspapers that Ramdev and Amit Shah together conspired to topple the state government. "Not even in my dream did I have a talk with any Congress MLA or party worker. Whatever we do, we do it openly. "If we have to make or break something we do it openly we dont do anything with a hidden agenda behind the curtains," Ramdev told reporters in Haridwar when asked to comment on the charges levelled against him. "We have no role to play in this matter. Political parties are responsible for political incidents," he said. Reacting to this, Pradesh Congress chief spokesman Mathuradutt Joshi said no amount of clarification on part of the yoga guru can absolve him of his role in the political crisis in Uttarakhand. "The yoga guru runs a business empire worth nearly Rs 2000 crore in Uttarakhand and there are a number of cases under investigation against his trust. "He has many scores to settle with the state government. "The involvement of Ramdev and the top BJP leadership in the ongoing rebellion is direct," Joshi claimed. PTI Hyderabad: The incidents at Hyderabad Central University and Osmania University rocked the Telangana assembly on Saturday with the opposition stalling the proceedings to demand full-fledged debate. The house was adjourned thrice since morning as the opposition Congress and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) insisted on a debate on the police brutalities on students at Hyderabad Central University (HCU). As soon as the house met for the day, the two parties demanded their adjournment motions on the issue be taken up but Deputy Speaker Padmadevender Reddy rejected this. Members of Congress and MIM rushed to the well of the house, seeking an immediate debate. They wanted the government to respond to their demands for withdrawal of cases against students. The Congress party also raised the issue relating to the attack on its legislator Sampath Kumar's car in Osmania University and demanded action against those involved. The MLA's vehicle was damaged when he visited OU campus on 23 March when students were staging a protest after recovery of a body of a man from a sump. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government, however, suggested that the debate on the university incidents be taken as part of the demand for grants for home department. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao termed as 'unfortunate' the incidents that occurred at the two universities. "The death of a student at HCU is unfortunate," he said referring to the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. He said that the attack on MLA's car in Osmania University is condemnable. The chief minister, however, wondered as to why the Congress MLA did not lodge a complaint with police. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, told the house that the government is ready to discuss all the issues. He took objection to the manner in which the opposition was raising the issue and alleged that they are only interested in taking political mileage. MIM leader in the house, Akbaruddin Owaisi said the chief minister's suggestion that the issue be discussed as part of the demand for grants is an insult to Dalits. He condemned the arrests of students on HCU campus and the police atrocities on them. Owaisi demanded that the house pass a resolution to urge the central government to recall HCU Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao. He also sought an inquiry into the beating up of students by police and university security. Police arrested 24 students and two faculty members of HCU on 22 March when they were staging a protest over P. Appa Rao resuming charge as the vice chancellor. The protestors alleged that Appa Rao is responsible for Rohith's suicide in January. Student groups alleged that police beat up students after arresting them and also assaulted them in police stations. Meanwhile, Congress party's Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that police attacked the vehicle of MLA. He said student and youth leaders of the Congress party were being harassed by police by summoning them to police stations. Assam is now a "diseased state" and Congress must be uprooted to overcome it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday asking the electorate to vote for change in the April assembly polls. Prime Minister Modi began his five-day public meetings in the state on Saturday. He started with a rally in Tinsukia where Modi emphasised on the need for development in Assam and talked about bringing Assam back to its glory days. Will campaign in Assam today. Shall address rallies in Tinsukia, Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and Jorhat. @BJP4India @bjpassampradesh Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 26, 2016 "It has already been decided by the people of Assam to vote for BJP, but make sure that the work is not half done. Please ensure that you bring the party to power with two-thirds majority so that the BJP government can work whole-heartedly to make Assam a leading state in the country," Modi said addressing two election rallies in Upper Assam's Bihpuria and Bokakhat constituencies. The presence of women in large numbers in the meetings are a clear indication that days of the Congress government in the state were over and it "does not stand a chance in the coming elections," he said. "Assam is now a diseased state and the root of all disease and trouble is Congress, which must be uprooted at all costs," Modi said. The state was represented by the erstwhile prime minister (Manmohan Singh) for ten years but now its people have to be reminded that they were represented by a former PM, he said. "I have three agendas. Development, fast development and all round development," he said at an election rally here as he hit the campaign trail and claimed his government had allocated many times more funds for state's infrastructure than the previous governments. The PM also took a swipe at 79-year-old Gogoi who had called the Assembly election as a direct fight between him and Modi, saying he can only pay his respects to the elderly leader. He heaped praise on BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, describing him as one of his best ministers. "The leader of Congress who will turn 90 in a few years says his fight is with Modi. Respected Chief Minister, you are an elder and I am young. I pay my respects to you. In our culture, the young do not fight their elders and the elders give their blessings to them. "My fight is not against Gogoi but against poverty, corruption and destruction of Assam. I am not fighting against any individual," he said. The PM said if Sonowal becomes the Chief Minister, it will be his government's and his personal loss because Sonowal is one of his best ministers and "a bright, capable and simple person". "There is only one 'anand' (joy) in Assam, it is Sarbananda," he said. Modi, however, made no mention of the contentious issue of infiltration, a major poll plank of the BJP-led NDA, and chose to stick to his development theme and lack of progress in Assam. He said the state was among the five most prosperous states after Independence but is among the five least developed states now and blamed successive Congress governments for this. "You give me five years, you give Sarbananda five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty," he said. Trying to connect with the crowd, he touched on his early days as a tea-seller, saying he sold their tea to energise others and due to his he shares a special bond with the people of Assam, a large tea-producing state. Modi appealed to Assam voters to give BJP and its allies five years to correct 60 years of Congress "misrule" in the state. "Today after 60 years under Congress rule, Assam has become the fifth poorest state in the country. No development, youth are unemployed today, no electricity and drinking water. Who brought about this condition of Assam?" "Every village should get electricity for bringing in development, good education, to run mills and see TV. But even after 60 years of Independence even electricity poles have not reached 1000 villages in Assam," Modi said. Noting that Assam has immense water resources, the mighty Brahmaputra and heavy rainfall, he said, "yet what can be more painful than seeing people here do not have drinking water. The Congress government is responsible." "Money was given from Delhi for building houses for the poor here. But that money has not been spent and is lying unused in the bank. If this continues there will be no development in Assam. Gas is produced in Assam. Do the poor get gas in their homes here? We have decided to provide 5 crore poor gas to replace their smoky cooking stoves", he said. Highlighting a number of developmental schemes of the Centre, Modi projected his government as one "for the poor" as he spoke about the decision to allow small shops to remain open seven days a week. Modi said his government had electrified over 1000 of the 2000 Assam villages, where power had not reached yet. Citing a CAG report, he said the Gogoi government did not provide answers to its queries on whereabouts of money and asked people to give their answer on 4 April through EVM machines. "Even a Prime Minister can inaugurate one, two or three project by pressing a button. You can start a new era of development by pressing the EVM button. Your power is more than that of a Prime Minister," he told the rally. The state is going to the polls on 4 April and 11. "I ask you to give (chief ministerial candidate) only five years to correct the misrule of Congress for 60 years. Vote for BJP and our alliance partners to usher in a new era of development for Assam", the Prime Minister appealed. "With you I want to bring development to Assam, provide job opportunities to the youth, electricity to villages. We have given funds for development of Assam's infrastructure, railway. To fulfill the dreams of the youth I ask for your blessings", he said. He claimed the state government had been able to spend only one-fourth of the funds provided to it by the Centre. "Please mark my words. Children will be taught 'A for Assam' after this election.... Assam is going to get a young chief minister after the polls," he said, while urging people to vote for BJP. Later on Saturday, the Prime Minister campaigned in Majuli and Bihpuria. He urged the people to give a chance to BJP to rule the state and asked them to question what the current Congress government has done in the last 15 years. "The people of Assam have the right to ask the government where their money went," he said. He announced that his party aimed at providing "education to the poor, employment to the youth and medicines to the senior citizens". According to The Hindustan Times, he will become the first Prime Minister to visit Majuli, an island located in between river Brahmaputra and Lohit. He is also scheduled to address rallies at Rangapara and Karimganj on Sunday. BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting from Majuli assembly constituency. Assam will vote in two phases on 4 April and 11 April. The BJP is contesting on 91 of 126 assembly constituencies of the state leaving 24 seats for Asom Gana Parishad and rest for Bodo People's Front and other smaller parties. With inputs from agencies With the announcement of the first list of candidates by the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) for the 2017 Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, the pressure has started building up within the BJP to expedite the restructuring of the organisation in the state. As it is, the party is nowhere in the reckoning as far as preparations for the 2017 election are concerned. The SP has released the list for those constituencies from where it had lost the 2012 election. While some of those who had unsuccessfully contested the election are included in the list, most of the nominees are first-timers. The list of 143 names for the 403-member Assembly indicates a reliance on the tested Yadav-Muslim combination, with a fair sprinkling of other castes. There are 27 candidates from Muslim community, 18 from Yadav and 12 women. Of the 143 seats, 21 are reserved. The party has not considered 76 candidates who had lost the 2012 election while the others have been repeated. The announcement of names has created pressure on other parties to do the same, as an early announcement obviously gives sufficient time to the candidates to embark upon their people-connect campaigns. Backed by the advertising blitzkrieg, the ruling SP expects to keep several paces ahead of its rivals, even though the party has given hints that the list could be revised in days to come. Already, some voices of protest and resentment have started rising over some names in the list. Within hours of the list being announced, one change was made in the nominee for Rampur (reserved) constituency in Saharanpur district. Among the significant names are those of a Peace Party MLA Anisur Rahman as SP nominee from Kaanth (Moradabad), Umar Ali Khan, the son-in-law of Shahi Imam Maulana Ahmad Bukhari of Jama Masjid from Behat, independent MLA Vijay Singh from Farukhabad, and former minister Ambika Chaudhry, who was dropped from the ministry, from Phephna in Ballia. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had named its candidate for several constituencies a few months ago even though it has not yet come out with an official list. The candidates have been directed by the BSP president Mayawati to intensify their grassroots campaigning. Reports from many districts indicate that the BSP candidates have been going from village to village in their attempt to reach out to the voters. The recent indications from a survey that the BSP stands a fair chance to emerge with the largest number of seats in the election has enthused the party leaders and candidates. The Congress party, on the other hand, has started the exercise of identifying its candidates in right earnest with the newly-hired strategist Prashant Kishore having invited feedback from party leaders which is to be submitted by March 31. Kishore had attended a meeting in Lucknow on March 10 when district leaders had been given a 14-page form to be filled and submitted. The leaders have also been asked to identify at least 20 dedicated party workers in each district who would eventually be given the responsibility of handling the local campaign. Kishore's strategy is being discussed among Congress leaders in Lucknow and elsewhere as being a sureshot way to plan a fail-proof campaign to ensure a surprising comeback for the party. It is only the BJP where no significant preparations for its Mission-2017 are visible. The state party president Laxmikan Bajpai has been serving as a 'working president' for the last many onths even as the party's national leadership is taking its time to decide on the new president. As a result, other office bearers of the state BJP, too, are unsure whether they would continue in their posts. While officially Bajpai has been asked to continue on his post, a meeting of state's office bearers has been called on March 31, followed by a meeting the state executive on April 1. Recently, the party's UP-incharge Om Mathur had come to Lucknow and addressed a meeting in the party office in which Bajpai was reportedly not invited. Bajpai had reacted sharply at his exclusion and the incident had once again pointed to the prevailing factionalism in the party. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who is the MP from Lucknow keeps visiting Lucknow frequently, and party president Amit Shah had also visited Lucnow a few weeks ago to inaugurate the new party office. The uncertainty over the party's long-awaited reshuffle despite the close watch of party leaders is causing serious concern among party workers. According to one leader, most of the BJP MPs in Uttar Pradesh are not taking active part in party functions and activities except for those who are Union ministers. On the other hand, some of them are known for their statements and speeches which cause embarrassment to the party. "In such a situation we really do not know how we will get ahead of our rivals in the run-up to the election," said the leader wishing to remain unnamed. By Sanghamitra Baruah If political loyalty has its limits, politicians in Assam have crossed all limits. Switching sides is not new in any election season but Assam is witnessing an unprecedented trend with turncoats swiftly walking in and out of parties to join opposition camps. Congress: Even though three-time chief minister Tarun Gogoi exudes confidence of coming back to power for a historical fourth time, the Congress in Assam received a major jolt in November 2014 when Gogois once blue-eyed boy and former health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the BJP along with eight other Congress MLAs. While it was trying hard to recuperate from the 2014 Lok Sabha debacle (BJP won 7 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats while Congress managed only 3), former ally Bodo People's Front (BPF) forged an alliance with the BJP after ending its eight-year long ties with the Congress. But nothing is permanent, a fact that was made more evident by the Rajya Sabha election results on 21 March, which the Congress has termed a trailer to the Assembly poll results. The ruling party won both the seats as opposition All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP and BPF abstained from polling. What's more, five of the 18 AIUDF MLAs (the main opposition party in Assam Assembly) voted in favour of the Congress candidates. The BPF, an ally of the BJP in the state poll, had declared its support to independent candidate Mahabir Prasad Jain but disowned him on the polling day--reason enough to make the saffron party wary of the permanence of its alliance. BJP: The saffron party has more to worry about. Not all within the party were ready to welcome Sarma and the other Congress turncoats. Insiders believe Sarma's much-hyped entry into the party was a major reason behind hurriedly declaring a sulking Sarbananda Sonowal as its chief ministerial candidate. The saffron party after its Delhi debacle (remember Kiran Bedi) had refrained from declaring a CM candidate in Bihar. However, it was forced to declare its CM face in Assam after the Union Minister reportedly threw a fit fearing that Sarma will spoil his chances. The BJP, which till recently had no prominent faces except Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty (former AGP member) and ex-party chief Ramen Deka, has seen a surge in its membership with Congress and AGP turncoats joining the party following the Modi "wave". In March 2014, former AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary and former AGP minister Hiten Nath Goswami had also joined the BJP. Interestingly, Sonowal was also a member of the AGP till 2011. But the saffron party still couldn't avert some major defections when BJP leaders Sankar Prasad Ray, former president of All-Assam Students Union (AASU), and noted lawyer Sabda Ram Rabha (had earlier dicthed the AGP to join BJP), joined the Congress after falling 'victims' to the saffron partys new alliance (with AGP). Asom Gana Parishad (AGP): The regional party, which came into existence in 1985 after a six-year-long Assam Agitation against illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis, was twice in power. But after losing all credibilty and clout in the state it has thrown in the towel and aligned with the BJP. Even though some leaders from both parties have floated breakaway factions--Trinamool BJP and AGP Anchalikatabadi Mancha--in protest against the arrangment, the alliance remains with leaders hoping to further avoid dividing the anti-Congress vote. While infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh remains the core issue for the alliance, the AGP does not distinguish between Hindu and Muslim Bangladeshi immigrants. The BJP's stand is, however, different. Even though it has vowed to disenfranchise millions of Muslim immigrants in Assam (and detect and deport Bangladeshi infiltrators once the saffron party came to power, a promise made during Lok Sabha polls by Modi), the Modi government has decided to grant citizenship to Hindu refugees who migrated because of "religious persecution". Speaking on this, AGP president Atul Bora admits, "We have differences on certain issues." He, however, refuses to dwell on the subject more. AIUDF: Often faced with allegations of protecting the illegal Bagladeshi immigrants, the state's main opposition party is led by Assam State Jamiat Ulema chief and perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal. The AIUDF, which has 18 MLAs in the Assembly, holds sway in Muslim-dominated areas in Lower (southern) Assam and is expected to steal the show in minority-dominated areas in western and central Assam as well. While the BJP's vote share in the Lok Sabha poll was 37% with seven seats, the AIUDF got 14.80% by winning three seats (Congress also won 3 seats). Muslim votes account for over 30 per cent of the electorate in the state. Ajmal claims no one can form the government in Assam without its support even though the Congress has openly rejected all overtures made by the AIUDF. While the Congress and the BJP have been accusing each other of having a secret alliance with the AIUDF, Ajmal has kept his cards close to his chest. The party faced its latest crisis when MLA Ataur Rahman Majhar Bhuyan, along with 4,000 AIUDF members, joined the Congress this month. Former AIUDF MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, who was suspended by the party a year back, has joined the Congress. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi recently claimed that the five more sitting legislators from the AIUDF, who were denied tickets for the Assembly elections, are in touch with the Congress party. Bodo People's Front (BPF) The BPF rules the Bodoland Territorial Council that governs the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) comprising four districts--Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri. Sixteen of the 126 assembly seats fall in these districts. In 2006 when the Congress fell short of the half-way mark of 64, it formed the government with BPF's support which had won 10 seats. In 2011, the Bodo party won 12 seats. The Congress chose to continue the alliance even though it had 14 seats more than the required majority. But after BPF broke its alliance with the Congress, the latter forged a partnership with the Bodo heartland-based United People's Party (UPP). While parties and their candidates remain busy playing musical chairs, they are surely giving the voters a hard time keeping a track of who is from where, stands for what. Brussels: Belgian officials have named the second suicide bomber in Brussels attack at airport as Najim Laachraoui, and said that his DNA was found at sites of Paris attacks. The news came as three people were arrested in Brussels in connection with Tuesday's attacks that left more than 30 people killed, BBC reported. Prosecutors said that the arrests were linked to a raid in Paris on Thursday, where an attack was apparently foiled. Other suspects have been arrested in Belgium, Germany and France. The attacks came days after the arrest of November 13 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam in Brussels. Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said on Friday that Abdeslam, who had initially agreed to co-operate with investigators, had ceased to do so. "The federal prosecutor has just informed me that Salah Abdeslam no longer wants to talk since the attacks on Zaventem (airport) and the Brussels metro," he said. Also it emerged that police in Mechelen had failed to pass on vital information in December 2015 to colleagues in Brussels that could have led them to Abdeslam. Local police chief Yves Bogaerts said that the information was not deliberately withheld. The Islamic State (IS) has said that it carried out both the Brussels and Paris attacks. Brussels attack left more than 30 people killed while at least 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks. As clear connections emerged between the militants involved in the two sets of attacks, French President Francois Hollande warned of a threat from other similar networks. "We have had success in finding the terrorists both in Brussels and in Paris," he said. "There have been some arrests, and we know there are other networks, because even though the one that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out with a number of its members arrested, there's still a threat looming." Brahim el-Bakraoui has already been named as one of the perpetrators of the airport attack. A third person remains unidentified. In the same statement, the prosecutor's office said that three more arrests were made in Brussels on Friday. Turkey has said it arrested and deported Brahim el-Bakraoui, last June, warning Belgium he was a "foreign fighter" but the message was "ignored". Bakraoui's brother, Khalid, attacked Maelbeek metro station, where at least 20 people were killed. IANS 24 March: A placard at the Maelbeek metro station in Brussels read: Why? Pourquoi? Halum? Maelbeek station is one sites of the triple bomb attacks on 22 March that ripped through Brussels the bustling city that hosts the Continents bureaucracy. Israels minister for intelligence, rather creatively, pinned down the why to the Belges penchant for eating chocolates and enjoying life. However, if one were to put aside ludicrous statements for a bit, the 22/3 attacks were bloody chronicles waiting to unfold in Brussels. That no society can unassailably fortify itself against a certain amount of discontent or even terrorist attacks is a given. However, feeding into such discontent and inadvertently expanding the scope for such attacks, whether through structured policies, mainstream political narratives, or through bridgeable gaps in the intelligence mesh, is another matter. Spotty intelligence After the Brussels attacks, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a press conference said that Ibrahim el-Bakraoui one of the Bakraoui brothers who blew himself up in the Zaventem airport was caught in Turkey in June 2015, and deported to the Netherlands. He said that Turkey informed both Dutch and the Belgian authorities. Ibrahim el-Bakraoui had also been sentenced to nine years in prison for attempted robbery at a currency exchange office in 2009. Additionally, the Interpol was on the look out for him after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, although he was living in the centre of Europe Brussels --between November 2015 till the airport attacks, undetected. Khalid el-Bakraoui, Ibrahims brother and the suicide bomber at the Maelbeek station, was also wanted by the Interpol for violating conditions of his parole for attempted car jacking. He had rented two apartments in Brussels on fake documents. Similarly, the Paris plotters had moved in and out of Europehatching their plan in Belgium, attacking Paris, and in the case of at least one of them, returning to Brussels. The ringmaster of the Paris carnage, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed five days after the attacks had remarked in an Islamic State magazine how easy it was for him to negotiate Europe in terms of his movement across borders. Belgium was unaware that its citizen Abaaoud was on its soil before Paris was attacked in November last year. Around 5,000 EU citizens have travelled to Iraq and Syria as foreign fighters, the Europol database has the names of only about 2,786 fighters. A centralised European counterterrorism agency, though in existence for the past ten years, is largely ineffectiveEuropean intelligence reports describe it as having no operational capacity to offer. Similarly, the information collection at the Schengen Information System (SIS) has spotty information, at best. There is no systematic exchange of information at the European level. There is a general lack of confidence between the national intelligence agencies, even between friendly neighbours like Belgium and France. The Schengen passport-free zone with its open borders suggests the dire need for more consolidated intelligence networks that should have been established long time ago. Though the Europol, the law-enforcement agency of the EU, facilitates information exchange and analysis, but does not have the authority to carry out investigations with a paltry budget of around $112 million. On March 25, European officials acknowledged that more could have been done to avert the bombings amid rising concerns over the repeated failures to share information among the national police forces and intelligence agencies as well as investigators at the European level. Belgiums Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens reportedly offered to resign due to Belgiums failure to act on Turkeys warnings but the resignations were not accepted by prime minister Charles Michel. Up to four attackers, according to intelligence reports, have been linked to both the Brussels and the Paris attacks. Apart from the larger acute structural deficiencies, there are specific traits in the Belgian political structure that go against judicious intelligence sharing. It is a federal state with several layers of government. Edwin Bakker, professor at the Center for Terrorism and Counterterrorism at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, told Reuters in November last year that such a set-up often hampers flow of information to investigators working to the advantage of terrorists. Moreover, Belgium is political split and has bitter rivalries between the French-speaking south and Dutch-speaking north, making the path for inter-agency cooperation bumpy. The croissant pauvre As with the French banlieues, Brussels inner cities have a huge problem with poverty, alienation and radicalisation that often emanate from a structural disadvantage to assimilate. Molenbeek home of the deceased Bakraoui brothers was part of the citys croissant pauvre or the crescent of the impoverished. This semi-circular run-down area includes Schaerbeek, where Salah Abdeslam who was wanted as a co-conspirator in the Paris attacks and who was arrested last week by the Brussels police grew up and where the Belgian policy is conducting ongoing raids. This is also the area where the Bakraoui brothers and Abdeslam lived undetected after the November 13 Paris attacks. Najim Laachraoui, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, who was reportedly the second bomber at the Brussels airport and also, the bomb-maker for the Paris attacks, lived in the southern area of this circle. Molenbeek suffers from a palpable problem of economic and cultural isolation. Home to about 1,00,000 people, 40 percent of its residents are unemployed. Though only a hop away from the affluent city centre, Molenbeek which started filling in with immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East about 50 years back, is as far from affluence as Brussels is from Damascus. Youth from immigrant backgrounds find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in the job market. Bilal Benyaich, a senior fellow at a think tank called the Itinera Institute had told The Washington Post last year that funding from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states that started in the 1970s set up conservative, religious schools in the area influencing the disillusioned youth. A growing right-wing party has further alienated minority and impoverished communities, with the 2012 Islamic veil ban indicating the cultural gap between the immigrant minority and the Catholic mainstream. A key factor in gathering effective intelligence is gaining the trust of local communities. But Belgium seems to be suffering from a major trust deficit in this regard. Many terrorist attacks have been foiled when trusting communities have passed on information to officials. The country has given the highest number per capita of foreign fighters to Syria as compared to any other European countryalmost 500 citizens to fight on the side of the Islamic state. Some of the terrorists were fighting and killing Syrians in Syria before they went back to their capital in Brussels and the same applies to the attacks in Paris, Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the UN in New York and the chief negotiator for the government in the Syrian peace talks , told reporters in Geneva on March 23. Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the UN in New York and the chief negotiator for the government in the Syrian peace talks referred to the fact that some of the terrorists were fighting and killing Syrians in Syria before they went back to their capital in Brussels and the same applies to the attacks in Paris when paying condolences to the victims on 23 March. Syria for the past 5 years has been facing this terrorism and calls once again for a consolidation of all efforts to combat, all international efforts to combat terrorism, and to put a stop to the sponsors of terrorism and to make them stop their support to terrorist groups in order to achieve stability and peace in the region, he urged the international community. The countrys bilingual government and the starkly discrepant linguistic cultures have further muddled the governments response to integrating immigrants better. Guardians recent report on Belgium states: Belgiums division between Dutch and French-speakers has led to a patchwork of policies on education, social welfare and even security and policing. Belgium also has the ignominy of being considered a hub for gun smugglers. The toxic mix of the lack of economic opportunities, drugs, guns and alienation has made for fertile grounds on which the Islamic State can wage a war in Europe. A group led by preacher Fouad Belkacem called Sharia4Belgium has been accused of being a channel for recruiting foreign fighters for Syria and Iraq. As IS rapidly loses territory in Iraq and Syria there is a real possibility of carrying out more and more attacks on foreign soil. The terrorist organisation launched eight suicide attacks in Syria and Iraq in October as against the normal rate between 30 to 35 attacks per month. The spate of attacks on foreign soil since that time has increased starting with attacks in Turkey, Paris and Brussels. It has also lost about 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and about 15 percent in the Syria. The Russian and government forces reclaimed a citadel on March 25 advancing towards the historic and symbolic city of Palmyra. Unless there is a mass relocation of entire communities even this rather unpragmatic way out would only prove to be a temporary solutionquite simply, there is no short cut to making systematic attempts to reduce alienation among the impoverished and minority communities. It is much more convenient to bomb the hell out of ISIS, to use a Donald Trump phrase, on foreign soil where civilian casualties are but numbers, (delete comma) than to tackle a horde of alienated citizens on home ground. Europe has seen rise of far-right parties across Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, among others, who feed into the fear and alienation of minority communities and immigrants. Far-right parties have found a renewed raison detre in Europe in building a project of fear by constructing a dangerous other. Such narratives directly help ISIS as well. One of the key objectives of groups like IS is to provoke overreaction among governments, media and the public. On 25 March, Donald Trump featured in a propaganda video of ISIS that praised the Brussels attacks. ISIS, like far right parties, is against refugee movement and vehemently opposes Syrians escaping the country from their brutality. They also play the peddlers of fear by capitalising on the extreme statements of right wing leaders. Supporters of what is known as Brexit whether Britain should remain within the 28-member EU bloc polling for which will be held on 23 Junehave already used the Brussels attack for garnering more support for their position. The best will fall short However, even if the most stringent security measures are taken, a zero-risk situation in the future is not possible, stated Jambon after the attacks. Brussels was already on alert level three when the airport and metro blasts happened. Many countries have introduced additional layers of security screening at airports where even baggage arriving in cars, buses and taxis are checked. Such checks have also been introduced at metros resulting in long queues. However, if a bomber decides to detonate in a crowded public space there is little that any government can do. According to Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago and founder of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism, who has evaluated 4,600 suicide attacks in the world since 1980, says that reality lies somewhere between what Hillary Clinton states that IS has nothing whatsoever to do with Islam and what some others believe that IS can be reduced to a staunch religious group holding carefully considered beliefs. "Its a group whose outward expressions of religious fervor serve its secular objectives of controlling resources and territory virtually all of the groups leaders were once high-ranking officers in Iraqs secular military", Pape says. According to US intelligence officials, of the 5000 foreign fighters, some 1,500 have returned to Europe over the past five years to carry out IS-inspired attacks. The arrest of Abdeslam has sprung up a number of bad surprises for the European police and intelligence agencies. The IS networks networks have turned out to be far more extensive than previously assumed. The ensuing raids after the Paris attacks have revealed that ISIS may have mastered the art of making sophisticated but volatile explosives that use triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP made from common raw materials such as nail polish removers and hair lighteners. Another additional challenge is to detect terror cells that operate within a family up to 30 percent of members of terror groups share family ties. This essentially means convenience of communication without the use of cellphones or other devices reducing the risk of being betrayed by accomplices or leaving behind trails. A central piece in the jigsaw of addressing terror is to bring peace and stability to the long suffering Middle East. The just-concluded round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva has crucial red flags: for instance, the future of Assad that (delete 'the') has thrown up tough diplomatic challenges. The West- and Riyadh-backed High Negotiations Committeea powerful opposition group-- is adamant on overthrowing Assad before any substantial talks begin while the Syrian regime negotiators would have none of that. A stable Middle East does not seem to be a realistic target in the short-term future. The lurking threat over Europe, unfortunately, is not going to disappear anytime soon. From strengthening intelligence, to restraint of reaction to the long-term objective of better integration among populations there are no quick fixes in the path to Europes confrontation with the enemy within and the enemy without. The Hague: UN war crimes judges on Thursday found former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic guilty of genocide and sentenced him to 40 years in jail over the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. The court said Karadzic, the most high-profile figure convicted over the wars that tore Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s, bore criminal responsibility for murder and persecution in the Bosnian conflict. Karadzic, sporting his familiar bouffant hairstyle, will face judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at 1 pm GMT (6.30 pm IST) for the historic ruling. Now 70, the one-time psychiatrist will be the highest-profile politician from the Balkan wars to face judgement, after former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic died in his prison cell in The Hague while on trial in 2006. Karadzic, as president of the breakaway Republika Srpska, is accused of taking part in a joint criminal scheme to "permanently remove Muslim and Bosnian Croat inhabitants... from areas claimed as Bosnian Serb territory". Here are the 11 charges contained in a 69-page indictment at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: Genocide Between March 31 and December 1992, Karadzic allegedly with others "planned, instigated, ordered and/or aided and abetted genocide" of Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croats to permanently remove them from territory claimed by the Bosnian Serbs across various municipalities. Genocide In July 1995, he began to implement a plan with others "to eliminate the Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica by killing the men and boys and forcibly removing the women, young children." Almost 8,000 men and boys were killed. Persecution Karadzic allegedly instigated, aided and abetted the persecution of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats in 19 towns and villages by allowing forcible deportations, harassment, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence. The persecution allegedly included forced labour in detention camps and the use of human shields by Serb and Bosnian Serb forces. Extermination Prosecutors say Karadzic knew "extermination" was "a possible consequence" of the campaign to get rid of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats "and willingly took that risk." This included the sniping and shelling during the 44-month siege of Sarajevo and the deaths in Srebrenica. Murder (as a crime against humanity) Karadzic was allegedly behind a joint criminal enterprise "to permanently remove Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory" through acts of murder including in Sarajevo where some 10,000 people were killed, Srebrenica and other municipalities. Murder (as a war crime) Karadzic stands accused of aiding "organised and opportunistic killings" in direct violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention governing the rules of war. Deportation Karadzic allegedly knew that between March 1992 and November 1995, Serb forces and Bosnian Serbs "forcibly displaced Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from areas within the municipalities and within Srebrenica in which they were lawfully present." Inhumane acts Karadzic along with others targeted Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats through measures such as "arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence, killing, and destruction of houses and cultural monuments" which forced them to "flee in fear" from their homes. Terror Karadzic is accused from April 1992 to November 1995 with others of using the Sarajevo Forces to "spread terror" in the city through a military strategy of "sniping and shelling to kill, maim, wound and terrorise the civilian inhabitants." Unlawful attacks The Sarajevo siege included indiscriminate and excessive attacks "which were disproportionate in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated." Taking of hostages Between 26 May 1995 and 19 June 1995, Bosnian Serb Forces detained over 200 UN peacekeepers and military observers in various towns, including Pale, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Gorade, with Karadzic accused of abetting the kidnappings to force NATO not to carry out air strikes against Bosnian Serb military targets. AFP Gagnoa, Ivory Coast: Under the canopy of a 50-year-old cocoa tree, Paul Kouame Kouassi reaches out to inspect a dusty, green pod protruding from a tired-looking trunk. "It'll be a disaster," he says. "If we don't do anything, a disaster.'' He rests against a low-hanging limb. Kouame Kouassi is taking a break from teaching better pruning, fertilising and harvesting methods to 30 farmers of a cocoa-producing village in the Ivory Coast, which produces a third of the world's supply. "We're facing so many problems. The farmers are getting old and the trees are old and not growing many pods. There's also disease and it's not raining much," says Kouame Kouassi, from government agency Anader, which is trying to save the country's cocoa sector. "We have to change the way we do things, otherwise it'll be disastrous." Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, at Parliament House in Canberra. Credit:Andrew Meares According to the Grattan Institute year 9 students were meeting the national minimum standard even if they were actually achieving below the level of a typical year 5 student. "Australia must raise its sights," says the report's author Peter Goss. Andreas Schleicher of the OECD is concerned about falling Australian standards. Credit:Jeffrey Glorfeld "The bar we are setting with the [NAPLAN] national minimum standard is just too low. If we set the bar too low, it is very hard to aim high." The warning signs have been there for over a decade. Australia's PISA results have been on the slide since 2003. NAPLAN tests have shown the writing ability of Australia's students has not improved since 2008. Australia must raise its sights. Peter Goss All the while the computer literacy of the nation's students has reached a crisis point. The 2015 results showed that in an area crucial to the nation's future prosperity, only 55 per cent of 10,000 students tested by ACARA were considered IT proficient. As our literary and computer skills have declined, so too has the nation's mathematical ability, drawing outcry from the academic and business communities. The chair of the National Committee for Mathematical Sciences, Nalini Joshi, says that compulsory mathematical subjects "absolutely have to become a national policy". "We are leaching out the mathematical skills from the majority of the population," she says. "We are not just talking about university entry anymore, we are taking about larger portions of the population who would find it difficult to work out something that isn't plugged into a calculator. "Apprentices are becoming bricklayers who don't how many bricks to order and students are becoming nurses who are unable to work out dosages." Schleicher identified a lack of investment in Australia's teachers as the central reason for the lacklustre results. He described Australia's education system as "a classroom led by robotic widgets", forced into delivering a rigid curriculum. Teacher quality, Schleicher believes, is at the heart of every successful education system, from Finland to South Korea, and Australia must do something about it to have any hope of thriving in the global economy. "What I like is the image of a professional that is not just defined by delivering an established curriculum but people who see themselves as owners of professional standards," he says. "People who learn from and with their colleagues, where there is a greater degree of professional collaboration and professional autonomy." Schleicher says the education industry is about 150 years behind health in its capacity for collaboration and development, key aspects that have seen doctors rise to the top of the social and professional ladder. "We are still very far away," he says. "In Finland they are doing really well, every teacher has to do a masters thesis to create a professional inquisitive mindset, so they know 'I work with my colleagues but I'm also responsible for developing the work of my colleagues'." He says teachers in Shanghai spend one lesson a week in someone else's classroom working on collective lesson planning, design and evaluation. "Look to Australia, you more or less define teachers by the number of hours that you teach in front of students, and that is part of the problem." Educators, politicians, and academics agree, Australian teachers have an image issue. In September, NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said the choice of teaching as a profession had become "a joke". "I keep hearing stories about students coming into schools and principals saying that they are not up to scratch," Piccoli told an education leaders' conference in Sydney, before announcing tough new entry restrictions on teaching degrees. "There is this joke, I couldn't get into physiotherapy so I went into teaching. That is just unhelpful for that person and it's unhelpful for the profession," he said. The same dilemma was at the heart of the debate among world leaders in Dubai where the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] sought to define the teacher of 2030. "Is it a real profession, is it for talented people?" asked the executive director of Brazil's Education Laboratory, Beatriz Cardoso. "I think we have to face these dilemmas." Indonesia's Education Minister Anies Baswedan told global leaders that Australia's largest neighbour had taken steps to elevate the status of the teacher in response to the recommendations of the OECD. "We now have a dedicated teacher check-in desk for Garuda Airlines," he said. "We would also like them to introduce priority boarding, first class, business class, and teachers class." "Why? It's a reminder to everyone. Airports are where policymakers are constantly, it makes them realise they are flying because teachers taught them, without those teachers they would not be flying." Schleicher sees targeted funding as crucial part of allowing education systems to be able to afford to rotate teachers through professional development and classroom time. He praised Australia's needs-based Gonski reforms, which directs funding to students with disabilities and from low socio-economic areas, as a step in the right direction. The federal government does not agree with Schleicher's assessment. It has so far refused to honour the final two years of Gonski funding, potentially stripping an estimated $4.5 billion out of the nation's schools. Last week Education Minister Simon Birmingham seized on Australia's declining PISA results as evidence that more funding does not necessarily equal greater results. He did so again when the Grattan Institute's damning report came out this week. "The report is a wake-up call for those policymakers who are fixated on how much Australia spends on education," he says. "It highlights the need to focus education reform conversations on how to lift standards, not a simplistic debate about how much we spend." Despite the near unanimous calls from teachers over the effectiveness of Gonski funding and Piccoli's passionate belief in its merits, the NSW government now appears to have backed down on its demands. Fierce lobbying from Piccoli and Premier Mike Baird has given way to compromise, with two years of funding now set to be spread over four, a pattern likely to be replicated across the states, according to documents obtained by Fairfax Media. Professor Carr is entitled to maintain an office funded by NSW taxpayers, who also pay his telephone expenses. Since exiting the foreign minister's role, Professor Carr has been made director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney. He was in China this week on business. Bob Carr's taxpayer funded telephone bill has blown out to $9755 in six months. Former foreign minister Bob Carr with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Credit:AP But the gravy train stops short of overseas mobile phone calls. The Department of Premier and Cabinet said it routinely alerted former premiers of any expenses they are personally responsible for, requesting they repay the money, and this had occurred on more than one occasion for Professor Carr last year. The $9755 bill published on the department's website didn't take into account money later reimbursed by Professor Carr for his overseas mobile phone calls, because it was not credited before December 31. A total of $986.50 was racked up for overseas mobile phone calls in the period. Premier Mike Baird will step back from his call for terrorism suspects to be detained for up to 28 days without charge in a bid to secure national support for new terror laws that would allow police to question people held on preventative detention orders for up to two weeks. The NSW cabinet has agreed that 14 days is the appropriate limit, because of the increasing number of children becoming involved with Islamic State and likely to be held by police under revamped preventative detention orders. Vowed to tackle tough issues, such as corruption in the political donations systems: NSW Premier Mike Baird. Credit:Nic Walker It is understood that Mr Baird has come to the view that 14 days was appropriate if the prohibition on suspects being questioned while detained is lifted. The Baird government has prepared revised terror laws it wants to introduce when the NSW Parliament returns. Mr Baird will urge the other states to adopt the same changes at Friday's COAG meeting. The day after Christmas last year, tornadoes tore through Rowlett, Texas, a quiet suburb of Dallas. The aftermath was the image of destruction: splintered wood, metal and brick - once the foundation of homes - covered the streets. Nearly 450 buildings were damaged or destroyed; hundreds lost their homes; one person was killed. At the time, Lindsay Diaz and Alan Cutter considered themselves lucky. The duplex they owned needed repairs, but it was structurally sound. In the meantime, Diaz and her family were living in a rented home. On Tuesday, Diaz received a frantic call from Cutter's wife, ABC affiliate WFAA reported. Their duplex was gone, she said. Gone? The body of Daniel O'Keeffe, who was thought to be missing for almost five years, was found in a cavity underneath the house, a family friend has said. Then 24, Mr O'Keeffe was last seen in his family home in suburban Geelong on July 15, 2011. One of his sisters, Loren O'Keeffe, launched an extensive nationwide search for her brother. At the age of four, Arlow developed a tic. He had an inexplicable blink. In the absence of a medical diagnosis, his mother Kobe Poulter, put the cause down to stress. Arlow had worn fairy dresses to creche, but around the time his blinking emerged, he was in kindergarten and hiding his dresses. Two years later, on Arlow's first day of school, he kicked and screamed and begged not to wear the boys' uniform. Video from the scene showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. A bomb squad robot approached the wounded man, checking for explosives. Police point their weapons in the direction of an injured terror suspect in Brussels. Credit:Sudpresse via AP Islamic State suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such attack in Belgian history. Investigators believe those attacks were carried out by the same cell responsible for November's gun and bomb attacks in Paris. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said six people were held in Brussels on Thursday, of whom three were released and three were remanded in custody facing possible charges. Police officers in front of a house in Duesseldorf, where a German magazine says two people with possible links to the Brussels attacks were arrested on Friday. Credit:DPA Three others were detained on Friday following the arrest in France of Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old Frenchman sentenced to 10 years in Brussels in absentia in July as part of a Islamist recruiting network dubbed the Syrian Connection. Germany's Der Spiegel magazine said German police had arrested two people, one of whom had received phone messages with the name of the metro station bomber and the word "fin" French for "end" three minutes before the metro blast. The German interior ministry declined immediate comment. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Brussels. Credit:Andrew Harnik A person familiar with the investigation in Belgium said one of the people arrested there was believed to be a suspected accomplice caught on security camera footage with the metro station bomber. "We have strong indications that this is the suspect who was hunted for the last couple of days. The identification is still ongoing," the source said. However he said those arrested before midday on Friday did not include a third suspect seen on video alongside the two who blew themselves up at the airport. Floral tributes placed to the victims of the attacks in the Belgian capital at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels on Friday. Credit:Alastair Grant 'Grieving for you' The attacks in Brussels, home to the European Union and NATO, have heightened security concerns around the world and raised questions about EU states' ability to respond in an effective, coordinated way to the Islamist militant threat. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Brussels on Friday to offer US assistance in security. Two of the Brussels victims were Americans. China and Britain said one each of their nationals were also among the dead. "The United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks," Kerry said after meeting Prime Minister Charles Michel. "Je suis bruxellois. Ik ben Brussel," Mr Kerry said after brief remarks in French and Dutch, expressing solidarity in its two languages that he too felt a citizen of the Belgian capital. In Paris on Thursday, authorities arrested Kriket, a French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France. French officials did not directly tie that plot to the Brussels attacks, but Mr Clerfayt, the Schaerbeek mayor, said the man wounded on Friday was linked to both investigations. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a televised address that Kriket's arrest helped "foil a plot in France that was at an advanced stage". A police source said investigators found acetone peroxide explosives in an apartment in a Paris suburb after the arrest. Belgian Prime Minister Michel rejected resignations offered by his interior and justice ministers on Thursday over a failure to track one of the airport bombers, Brahim El Bakraoui, 29, who had been expelled last year by Turkey as a suspected fighter. Bakraoui's brother Khalid, 26, was the bomber who struck Maelbeek metro station. Prosecutors confirmed the second airport bomber was Najim Laachraoui, a veteran Belgian Islamist fighter in Syria suspected of making explosive belts for November's Paris attacks. Jihadist network The Brussels attacks came a week after Belgian police killed a militant during a house raid that led them to Salah Abdeslam, the only suspected participant in the Paris attacks to have been captured alive. His lawyer says he has been cooperating with the investigation but did not know about plans to attack Brussels. Belgian public broadcaster VRT said investigators believed Abdeslam had probably planned to carry out a shooting and suicide bomb attack in Brussels, similar to Paris. Belgian daily De Morgen said investigators had identified a new suspect they believe played a role in the Brussels bombings, 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. The paper said he was on a list circulated to the security services of other European countries after Tuesday's attacks, and was also suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks. Belgian police captured a suspect carrying what a broadcaster said was a suitcase full of explosives after shooting him in the leg during a major police operation on Friday . An injured man lays on the ground at a tram stop in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday. Credit:AP The federal prosecutor's office said that arrest was one of three in the city that day linked to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swooped on militants they link both to the Brussels attacks that killed 31 people and to attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Police point their weapons in the direction of an injured terror suspect in Brussels. Credit:Sudpresse via AP Heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Mr Clerfayt as saying the suspect was detained after being wounded. It said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives. Blown out windows at Brussels Airport on Friday. Credit:AP Witnesses told local media police had shot the man in the leg at a tram stop after he failed to respond to their orders. One witness told RTBF the man had a girl of about eight with him. "I heard two explosions, they were shooting. I opened the window and saw a man lying near the tram stop. The police ordered him to show his hands, remove his jacket. They said that if he did not comply, they would use their weapons," a witness who lives nearby told La Libre newspaper. This 2015 family photo shows Alexander Pinczowski and his fiance Cameron Cain in Greece. Belgian authorities and the Dutch Embassy positively identified the remains of Alexander Pinczowski, and his sister, Sascha Pinczowski. Credit:AP Video from the scene showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. A bomb squad robot approached the wounded man, checking for explosives. Islamic State suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such attack in Belgian history. Investigators believe those attacks were carried out by the same cell responsible for November's gun and bomb attacks in Paris. Mason Wells an American survivor of the attacks in Belgium in a hospital in Ghent, Belgium, on Firday. Credit:AP The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said six people were held in Brussels on Thursday, of whom three were released and three were remanded in custody facing possible charges. Three others were detained on Friday following the arrest in France of Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old Frenchman sentenced to 10 years in Brussels in absentia in July as part of a Islamist recruiting network dubbed the Syrian Connection. A member of emergency services wearing protective clothing investigates the area around a tram station in Schaerbeek, Belgium, on Friday. Credit:AP Germany's Der Spiegel magazine said German police had arrested two people, one of whom had received phone messages with the name of the metro station bomber and the word "fin" French for "end" three minutes before the metro blast. The German interior ministry declined immediate comment. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a televised address that Kriket's arrest helped "foil a plot in France that was at an advanced stage". A police source said investigators found acetone peroxide explosives in an apartment in a Paris suburb after the arrest. A steward frisks a soccer fan as he enters the stadium ahead of the international friendly soccer match between The Netherlands and France in Amsterdam on Friday. Security has been stepped up across Europe after the Brussels attacks. Credit:AP A person familiar with the investigation in Belgium said one of the people arrested there was believed to be a suspected accomplice caught on security camera footage with the metro station bomber. "We have strong indications that this is the suspect who was hunted for the last couple of days. The identification is still ongoing," the source said. Belgian authorities have attracted heavy criticism in the wake of the Brussels attacks, over a series of apparent missed opportunities to catch the suicide bombers. Attention also focused on the interrogation of Salah Abdeslam who was arrested four days before the Brussels attacks, and a known associate of at least one of the suicide bombers. His initial interrogation Saturday a week ago only covered the Paris attacks, rather than potential future threats. The interview only lasted two hours as he had been wounded during his arrest. He was shown photos of the El Bakraoui brothers and Najim Laachraoui, who days later would attack Brussels airport and metro, but denied knowing them, Le Monde reported. In a subsequent interview he exercised his right to remain silent. Abdeslam has stopped co-operating with his interrogators since Tuesday's attacks, Justice Minister Koen Geens said. Amid fears that the terror cell may have been planning an attack on a nuclear power plant, authorities on Friday stripped security badges from some workers at a Belgian power plant. And Belgian media reported that a security guard who worked in the nuclear sector had been killed on Thursday night and his access card, which allowed access to critical areas, was stolen. After this was discovered the badge was deactivated, HLN.be reported. North Koreas continuing drive for nuclear weapons, coupled with its growing isolation, is increasing the danger of further provocations from Pyongyang, U.S. experts warn. Although the international community is tightening sanctions to punish the North for its nuclear and missile development, Pyongyang appears to be defiant. The North has ramped up its threats against South Korea and the United States and fired more missiles following the U.N.s adoption of a fresh resolution expanding sanctions against it earlier this month. North Korea said this week that it had successfully conducted a high-powered, solid-fuel rocket engine test. If confirmed, the move would mark a major step forward in the countrys missile development. Analysts said the progress would allow North Korea to spend less time to launch a missile, which will enhance the countrys missile attack capability. 'Miscalculation' concerns Frank Jannuzi, president of the Mansfield Foundation, a U.S.-Asia policy think tank, said there is a "great possibility for miscalculation and misunderstanding" by the North Korean leadership. At the same time, he said, there is growing uncertainty about North Korean leaders intentions. "One of the downsides of isolating North Korea is that we also have less ability to monitor whats really going on and what theyre really thinking and what theyre really calculating about their future," Jannuzi said. "So I think were at a dangerous time on the peninsula here." Pyongyang has often blamed Washingtons "hostile policy" for its development of nuclear weapons. Washington has long maintained that it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang while seeking denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. This week, a senior U.S. official dismissed the North Korean accusation again. "Collapsing North Korea is not our strategy. If it were, our actions would look a lot different than what they are today," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said at an event in Berlin. Jannuzi raised doubts that the U.S-led sanctions would curb Kim Jong Uns nuclear ambitions. "The last thing he wants to do is to demonstrate that this foreign pressure can force him to capitulate," Jannuzi said. Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research think tank in Washington, said sanctions slow down Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programs, although they may not keep the country from pursuing nuclear weapons. More tests Given Kims apparent eagerness to demonstrate his countrys nuclear capabilities, Pyongyang is likely to conduct another nuclear test or launch a long-range missile in the near future, Klingner said. Kim Jong Un is really telegraphing that there will be more nuclear tests and more long-range missile tests. He almost seems frustrated that experts dont believe his capabilities, the former intelligence official said. Klingner, however, cautioned against overanalyzing Pyongyangs behavior, saying not every move is aimed at Washington. North Koreas internal politics also play a role in the countrys nuclear stance. Some analysts say Kim is trying to build an image as a strong leader by showing off the countrys nuclear capability to the nation. Kim Jin-moo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, South Koreas state-run research institute, speculated that the timing of the fifth nuclear test could be tied to the opening of North Koreas ruling party gathering in early May. On Friday, North Korea issued new threats against South Korea, escalating tensions between the two sides. North Koreas state media said Kim ordered the countrys military to be on high alert and ready for an attack against South Korean leaders. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country is ready to do anything it can to restore its relations with Saudi Arabia, for the sake of promoting progress and prosperity in the Muslim world. Rouhani, who wound up a two-day visit to Pakistan Saturday, said he believes in resolving differences through talks, although direct talks between the two nations are unlikely in the short term. Saudi Arabia broke off relations with Iran in January, when mobs stormed into the kingdom's embassy in Tehran to protest against the Saudis' execution of a Shi'ite religious leader. Hope for a resolution Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Rouhani said Iran is "not interested in tension with Saudi Arabia." "Iran is a very big country in the region and the Muslim world," he said. "Saudi Arabia plays an influential role in the Muslim world. Therefore, if there is a problem between the two countries it has to be resolved. Rouhani noted that Iran's nuclear agreement with the international community last year provided a good example of how seemingly intractable problems can be solved through negotiations. Since arriving Friday on his first visit to Pakistan as president, the Iranian leader has concluded agreements with Pakistani civilian and military officials on expanded trade and economic relations, cooperation on energy issues and improved security along the two countries' 1,000-kilometer-long border. In Tehran's view, Rouhani said, the standoff between Saudi Arabia and Iran is holding back progress and prosperity throughout the Muslim world. We hope that in the near future we will find the right path to lead us to resolve the issues between us, he told reporters, adding that Pakistan is one of several nations that have offered to mediate between Shiite Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose monarchy follows the Sunni branch of Islam. Syrian conflict Differences between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have long divided the two countries, and they have been on opposite sides of the civil war in Syria Iran backing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia supporting rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. As a first step toward cooperation, the Iranian president said all sides should choke off weapons shipments that allow Islamic State terror gangs to keep fighting. Rouhani also called for an absolute ban on trade involving oil that Islamic State produces in the parts of Iraq under its control. Despite continuing violence in several parts of Syria, Rouhani said Iran welcomes recent moves toward a cease-fire between Damascus government forces and opposition fighters. Islamabad has deep political and financial ties to Riyadh, and has been trying to maintain a delicate balance to promote ties with Tehran while not upsetting Saudi Arabia. Tehran has almost completed work on a natural-gas pipeline that could supply Pakistan's energy needs, Rouhani said, and he urged Islamabad to complete the project on its side of the border. He said Pakistani leaders assured him they are committed to the pipeline project, but that work had been stalled by international economic sanctions against Iran. South Korean activists have dropped tens of thousands of propaganda leaflets on a border city of North Korea to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean ship in which 46 sailors were lost. Seoul blames Pyongyang for the sinking and in return suspended trade and investment ties. Some 50,000 leaflets floated into the city of Paju Saturday, carried by gas balloons, carrying messages condemning North Korea's tradition of absolute power centered in one family. They called on dictator Kim Jong Un to step down and stop threatening Western nations with nuclear war. Saturday is the anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan warship, which Seoul blames on a torpedo from a North Korean submarine. North Korea responded by dropping leaflets on South Korea Saturday as well, criticizing South Korea's democratic government and President Park Geun-hye. Tensions between the two Koreas rose earlier this year when North Korea conducted a nuclear test in early January, followed by a long-range rocket launch in February. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga says her country has increased its efforts to arrest citizens who have become foreign fighters with Islamic State (IS) in Syria or Iraq. In a visit to Voice of America's Albanian service Thursday, Jahjaga said that while 13 people from Kosovo were found to have joined IS last year, there have been no new IS recruits from Kosovo in 2016. Kosovo is the "only country in the region, and even wider," with a very well-organized police operation that has conducted several arrests of foreign fighters in Kosovo who at one time had joined IS, she said. Several hundred young people from the Western Balkans have engaged in foreign fighter activity in Syria. Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs says about 320 Kosovo Albanians have joined IS fighters and about 60 have died in Syria. Jahjaga said Kosovo police have also shut down several illegal mosques in the country, as well as several NGOs that have been operating as front organizations to radicalize youths. However, she said, "no country is immune" to this global threat of terrorism and violent radicalization. The wide-ranging interview also covered political and economic development in Kosovo. Appearing on VOA Albanian's Ditari television program, Jahjaga noted that "the political class in Kosovo continues to benefit from nepotism and has yet to demonstrate the will to wage war against corruption, which has deterred foreign investment." While in Washington, Jahjaga also met Thursday with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. The White House said Biden thanked Jahjaga for her "efforts to counter violent extremism and her leadership in strengthening Kosovo's democracy." Biden also emphasized the United States' strong support for the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, and urged the two countries to advance the normalization process. Methodist Church Easter Sunrise Worship TWIN FALLS The Twin Falls First United Methodist Church invites the community to an Easter Sunrise Worship at 7 a.m. Sunday at Shoshone Falls Park in Twin Falls. We will gather in song, reading the scripture, and hear a short message celebrating that Christ is risen. All are welcome. Information: 208-733-5872. Agape Luncheon TWIN FALLS The Agape Ministry luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 6, at the Community Meeting Room at the Gooding Fair Grounds, Gooding, Idaho beginning at 11:30 a.m. The theme for this luncheon will be New Life. Sonya Denton, of Twin Falls, and her grandchildren will celebrate in music the new life we are given with the resurrection of Christ during this Easter season. This is a catered event and reservations are required. If you will be having lunch, please contact Carolyn Herzinger at 934-5700 on or before Sunday, April 3. Cost of the lunch is $8.50. The program, which begins at noon, is free to the public. Burley First Presbyterian Easter Egg Hunt BURLEY Burley First Presbyterian Church invites you to their 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt & Lunch. Enjoy the fun 11 a.m., March 26 at 2100 Burton Ave, Burley. Any questions, please call the church at 678-5131 All are welcome! Come early, bring a friend. Easter Sunrise Service PAUL An Easter Sunrise Service is scheduled for 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 27 at the Paul Cemetery Chapel. All are encouraged to attend. Organized by the Paul First Baptist Church, the program will include responsive worship readings, traditional Easter hymns of celebration, and Scripture readings on the resurrection of Christ Jesus led by several local pastors and lay leaders. Music ministry presentations by several local musicians will be included. The cemetery is located at 550 West 100 North of Paul. Information: 438-5126. Life Church Easter Breakfast JEROME Life Church invites you to Easter Breakfast, 8:30 to 10, March 27 in the family room of Life Church. Breakfast includes southwestern breakfast casserole, biscuits and gravy, bacon and fruit. Sunday school is cancelled for this Sunday. Easter worship services follow at 10:30 a.m. Kids will be released for children services following Worship Celebration. 425 Nez Perce, Jerome. Information: 208-324-5876. Jerome United Methodist Easter Brunch JEROME The Jerome United Methodist Church invites the community to an Easter brunch and worship on Sunday, March 27, at 211 S. Buchanan St. Brunch will be served from 10 to 11:15 a.m., and worship will begin at 11:30 a.m. The Spring Equinox: Understanding Balance Whats the first thing you picture when you think of balance? Is it a math equation? A juggler on a high wire? Maybe a set of scales? What about this is being balanced the same as being equal? The equinox is the day when the night and day are balanced. As such, Pagans take this day to look for ways to renew the promise to ourselves to seek personal and spiritual balance. As we ask these questions, its normal to feel like weve failed to maintain that balance. But that perception is rooted in a misunderstanding of what balance truly is. Instead of considering balance to be a scale or a system to manage chaos, or even a measuring stick what if we think of balance as a process? A way of managing the chaos, drama, stress, and guilt of everyday life? Join us this Sunday for a Pagan-themed discussion of balance. Well cover healthy approaches to defining and implementing balance in your life. Well also explore basic definitions of balance, what it means to each of us personally, how to make room for it, and most importantly how to give ourselves permission to manifest balance in our lives. Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another. Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is available. Please visit the Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Vendor Blender and Event Center, 588 Addison Ave. W. in Twin Falls. The Vendor Blender is located at Martin St. and Addison Avenue West. Information: 208-734-9161. Calvary Senior Outreach SHOSHONE Tuesday, March 29, Calvary Chapel will begin an outreach at the Shoshone Senior Center. You are invited to come join us every Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a time of studying in Gods Word. United Methodist Easter Sunrise Service TWIN FALLS The Twin Falls First United Methodist Church invites the community to their traditional Easter Sunrise Service at 7 AM at Shoshone Falls Park Sunday, March 27. The celebration will be led by the Reverend Robin Yim. Pastor Yim will also lead the Easter worship at 9:30 AM at First UMC and offer Holy Communion. The handbell choir will play Fairest Lord Jesus and Come, Christians, Join to Sing, and the chancel choir will sing Jubilate Deo. Located at 360 Shoshone Street East in Twin Falls, the church building is handicapped accessible and the services are welcoming to all. Immanuel Lutheran Easter Service FILER Immanuel Lutheran Church will celebrate Easter Services on Sunday with a SONrise Service at 7 and a 9:30 service, both in the Sanctuary of the church at 2055 Filer Avenue East. Breakfast will be served by the Boy Scouts from 8:00 -10:00. Everyone welcomed to join us! Unity Spiritual Life Center Spring at the Unity Spiritual Life Center of Southern Idaho is about celebrating hope and renewal of the Christ Consciousness within. Weekly Sunday services are held at 10 a.m. in Room 248 of the College of Southern Idahos Taylor/Student Union Building. Mediation occurs each Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the CSI Chapel (2nd floor of the SUB). On March 27, Unity will celebrate Easter with the Resurrection experience, exploring how Christ was freed to be within us at all times, helping us live life to the fullest. Unity is a non-denominational faith and we honor the universal truths in all religions. For information contact Rev. Kathleen McKevitt at 421-1078. Sunrise Easter Celebration CASTLEFORD The Castleford Sunrise Easter Celebration and worship service will be held at 7 a.m. Sunday, March 27, on Wells Bluff, 3800 E. and 800 N. (look for the bonfire). Breakfast will follow at the Community Center. An Easter worship service will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Castleford First Baptist Church, 290 Winesap Ave. Come celebrate and worship the Risen Savior with us. Immanuel Lutheran Church Holly Communion To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Easter Sunday Services are scheduled for 7 a.m. and 9:30 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 2055 Filer Avenue East, Twin Falls. Holy Communion will be celebrated in both services. Breakfast will be served beginning at 8 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join us! Buhl Calvary Easter Celebration BUHL Buhl Calvary Assembly of God wants to invite the Buhl, Castleford, Twin Falls community to their 2016 Easter Celebration at 9 a.m. Sunday March 27. Free family breakfast. During the breakfast we will take free family pictures. At 10 a.m. we will have small groups for all ages, then at 11 a.m. we will have our Easter Service. Our amazing Kids Pastor Candace Woodroof is planning an awesome 4:12 kids Easter service! We are giving away a gift bag with treats and other cool stuff inside to each family. Please know from the heart of Pastors Matt and Candace Woodroof, and the Calvary Assembly family you dont have to dress fancy on Easter. Its not about what you wear but about Jesus and his great love for you. Some will be dressed up and some will be casual. Come as you are. If you have any questions please call/text Pastor Matt on his cell at 208-934-7250, church office at 208-543-5559, or email him at mattwoodroof@hotmail.com or on Facebook at Buhl Calvary Assembly of God. Calvary Assembly is located at 110 Fruitland Ave. in Buhl. www.calvaryassemblybuhl.com. To submit information about church events and news. Contact Matt Gooch at mgooch@magicvalley.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday for publication on the Saturday religion page. Please insert Church News in the email subject line. Millennials are the only age group in America in which a majority views socialism favorably. A national Reason-Rupe survey found that 53 percent of Americans under 30 have a favorable view of socialism compared with less than a third of those over 30. Moreover, Gallup has found that an astounding 69 percent of millennials say they'd be willing to vote for a "socialist" candidate for president - among their parents' generation, only a third would do so. Indeed, national polls and exit polls reveal about 70 to 80 percent of young Democrats are casting their ballots for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who calls himself a "democratic socialist." Yet millennials tend to reject the actual definition of socialism - government ownership of the means of production, or government running businesses. Only 32 percent of millennials favor "an economy managed by the government," while, similar to older generations, 64 percent prefer a free-market economy. And as millennials age and begin to earn more, their socialistic ideals seem to slip away. So what does socialism actually mean to millennials? Scandinavia. Even though countries such as Denmark aren't socialist states (as the Danish prime minster has taken great pains to emphasize) and Denmark itself outranks the United States on a number of economic freedom measures such as less business regulation and lower corporate tax rates, young people like that country's expanded social welfare programs. Coming of age during the Great Recession, millennials aren't sure if free markets are sufficient to drive income mobility and thus many are comfortable with government helping to provide for people's needs. Indeed, a Reason-Rupe study found that 69 percent of millennials favor a government guarantee for health insurance and 54 percent support a guarantee for a college education. Perhaps most striking is that millennials favor a bigger government that provides more services - 52 percent of them do, compared with 38 percent of the nation overall. So, will it last? Are millennials ushering in a sea change of public opinion? Do they signal the transformation of the United States into a Scandinavian social democracy? It depends. There is some evidence that this generation's views on activist government will stick. However, there is more reason to expect that support for their Scandinavian version of socialism may wither as they age, make more money and pay more in taxes. The expanded social welfare state Sanders thinks the United States should adopt requires everyday people to pay considerably more in taxes. Yet millennials become averse to social welfare spending if they foot the bill. As they reach the threshold of earning $40,000 to $60,000 a year, the majority of millennials come to oppose income redistribution, including raising taxes to increase financial assistance to the poor. Similarly, a Reason-Rupe poll found that while millennials still on their parents' health-insurance policies supported the idea of paying higher premiums to help cover the uninsured (57 percent), support flipped among millennials paying for their own health insurance with 59 percent opposed to higher premiums. When tax rates are not explicit, millennials say they'd prefer larger government offering more services (54 percent) to smaller government offering fewer services (43 percent). However when larger government offering more services is described as requiring high taxes, support flips and 57 percent of millennials opt for smaller government with fewer services and low taxes, while 41 percent prefer large government. Millennials wouldn't be the first generation to flip-flop. In the 1980s, the same share (52 percent) of baby boomers also supported bigger government, and so did Generation Xers (53 percent) in the 1990s. Yet, both baby boomers and Gen Xers grew more skeptical of government over time and by about the same magnitude. Today, only 25 percent of boomers and 37 percent of Gen Xers continue to favor larger government. Many conservatives bemoan millennials' increased comfort with the idea of "socialism." But conservatives aren't recognizing that in the 20th-century battle between free enterprise and socialism, free enterprise already won. In contrast with the 1960s and '70s, college students today are not debating whether we should adopt the Soviet or Maoist command-and-control regimes that devastated economies and killed millions. Instead, the debate today is about whether the social welfare model in Scandinavia (which is essentially a "beta-test," because it hasn't been around long) is sustainable and transferable. Millennials like free markets, and most already accept that free markets have done more to lift the world out of poverty than any other system. Instead, what this generation has to decide is whether higher education and health-care innovation, access, and high quality can be best achieved through opening these sectors to more free-market reforms or though increased government control. This is a debate we should be glad to have. Imagine if Ted Cruz or Donald Trump proposed a policy to monitor thousands of Muslim citizens even if they had no specific ties to terrorist groups. Then, for good measure, they called for a new law to allow the police to search the homes of suspected terrorists without a warrant and to place terror suspects under house arrest without a court order. Sounds like a nightmare. One can imagine the indignation. Pundits and politicians of good conscience would intone against the politics of fear. Some on the right would respond that political correctness should not be a barrier to counterterrorism. But what I have just described is not a Republican sound bite. Rather, it is the current counterterrorism posture of France. Since the attacks in Paris last November, the socialist government of President Francois Hollande has placed his country under a state of emergency. France's national guard has been deployed to protect sensitive religious sites and other "soft targets." The country of Voltaire, Diderot and Camus is in 2016 the police state that critics warn Cruz or Trump would bring about if given the chance. Just listen to Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister. Earlier this month, I asked him at a speech at George Washington University how many French citizens his government was now tracking. He responded, "We are monitoring several thousand people, individuals, not all of them are necessarily terrorists." He went on to explain that his ministry is working with allied intelligence services and universities to spot trends among young people who self-radicalize. He pointed to a recent case where a high school student in Marseilles with no prior connections to terrorist groups attempted to murder a teacher. "The difficulty of counterterrorism today is less the difficulty of the intelligence we have, but the difficulty of analysis," he said. "When we have a low signal attached to an individual, that person doesn't seem to be involved in terrorism, it doesn't mean that person is not dangerous." It's not just France. In the U.K., the National Health Service has a program encouraging citizens to report neighbors who may be going down the path of radicalization, to intervene before a person makes the plunge. British social workers cooperate with British police to prevent teenagers from joining the jihad. One need only look at photographs in the last week from the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek to see in practice what Cruz called for on Tuesday when he said the police should "patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods" in the United States. None of this is to say that America should adopt Europe's approach to counterterrorism, or for that matter Cruz's law enforcement strategy for Muslim neighborhoods. After all, how does one define such a neighborhood in a country like America, where people of all faiths feel free to live wherever they choose? And while Cruz says he was only calling for a return to what he characterized as the New York Police Department's "proactive" intelligence-gathering policy of the 2000s, many counter-terrorism experts say such rhetoric fuels suspicion among the vast majority of Muslim-Americans the police and FBI count on to help them with counterterrorism investigations. Fortunately, the U.S. is different than Europe. The Muslim community here is far more integrated into society than many Muslims in European countries. As Seamus Hughes, a former U.S. National Counterterrorism Center official and deputy director of George Washington University's program on countering extremism, told me Tuesday, there have not been many examples of Muslim groups sprouting up in the U.S. that openly call for violence. What's more, Hughes said, among the 84 individuals arrested in connection to the Islamic State, there is no common profile, other than that they tend to be younger men. "In the United States, communities don't radicalize, individuals do," he said. But the response in France, Belgium and the U.K. to violent jihad is nonetheless a cautionary tale. When advanced democracies are terrorized, our freedoms are often the first casualty. This is not because of an inordinate fear of terrorism. It is rather because playing defense against a homegrown terror threat presents us with terrible choices. We debate closing our borders, enhancing state surveillance or accepting the reality that every now and again one of our neighbors will engage in mass murder. And while the U.S. is not Europe, as the San Bernardino shootings showed, our citizens are not immune to the lure of radicalization. Policing "Muslim neighborhoods" or preventing Muslim immigration will not prevent terrorist attacks. There is no silver bullet. But to dust off a chestnut from the George W. Bush presidency, it's also true that it's better to fight terrorists over there than over here. As Europe is now learning, to delegate the war on terror to the police is not the end of war, but rather the beginning of a police state. Nonprofit Says Thanks A word of appreciation to Chad Dodds, DDS, Elevation 486, First Christian Church, Gem State Paper, Glanbia, Immanuel Lutheran, Joel Newton, DDS, Worst, Fitzgerald & Stover PLLC and also to our loyal donors. Thank you for helping Niche Assistance get off to a good start. The mission of our nonprofit is to assist homeless and other struggling individuals who desire to become more self-sufficient/successful. Your support in doing that is valued. Phyllis Berg President of Niche Assistance Inc. IVC Grateful for Donation On behalf of Interlink Volunteer Caregivers Board of Directors, volunteers, staff and donors, we would like to thank the Kissler Family Foundation Philanthropic Gift Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation for selecting IVC to receive a very generous grant. IVC is honored to have been one of many Idaho nonprofits to receive these much needed funds! The funds will be used to assist IVC with day to day operations to ensure that people, who can no longer drive, be provided transportation at no charge so they may have access to their health care providers. IVC appreciates the Kissler Family Foundation Philanthropic Gift Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation for recognizing the need to provide such critical services for some of our most vulnerable citizens! Thank you one and all. Edie Schab IVC Executive Director Grieving Family Expresses Gratitude The family of Gene Haskin would like to express our heart felt thanks to those who supported our family during our time of loss. Whether you sent a beautiful flower arrangement, a card expressing your love and sympathy or some of the wonderful food we enjoyed, we are truly appreciative. We also thank those who offered donations to a charity of their choice in Genes name. We cannot thank you enough, The Haskin Family (Camille Haskin, Mike and Tracy Haskin, Pam and Dave Smith The Letters of Thanks column will publish letters of up to 200 words from: Organizations thanking contributors or supporters. Individuals thanking public agencies and businesses for extraordinaryservice. Send letters to mgooch@magicvalley.com. If you would like to purchase a classified ad to express gratitude of a personal rather than public nature, call The Times-News Customer Service department. The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution requesting that human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein launch an investigation into the implications of the Israeli settlements on Palestinians and create a database of businesses involved in activities in the occupied West Bank. The resolution provoked criticisms from Israeli and U.S officials. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel said UNHRC is an anti-Israel circus that attacks the only democracy in the Middle East and ignores the gross violations of Iran, Syria and North Korea. Almost 40 resolutions were adopted by the body and there were no resolutions on the three countries stated by Netanyahu. The resolution targeting Israel was presented by Pakistan as it argued that the Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories violate international law. Netanyahu deplored that the council has refused to condemn Palestinian attacks but rather discriminate against Israel as he called on responsible governments not to honor the decisions of the Council. Of the 47 members of the council, 32 supported the resolution with 15 preferring abstention while none voted against it. Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, alleged that the council is acting obsessively against the Jewish State and added that the database is a blacklist. UNHRC wants the list to be updated annually and a report assessing human rights and international law violations involved in the production of settlement goods by the businesses concerned. Danon said the resolution recalls a dark period in Europe when Jewish businesses were singled out. US Ambassador to the UN Keith Harper said it is a disturbing resolution reinforcing the councils one-sided actions against Israel. The implementation could be a challenge because Israel is known for not cooperating with envoys on missions that it deems critical to its policies. Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh arrived in Ramallah for a brief visit on Thursday to discuss the installation of security cameras at Haram al-Sharif. Palestine, Jordan and Israel agreed to the installation of the cameras since October but technicalities have delayed it. Palestinians are reportedly concerned that the cameras will be used by Israeli security forces to identify and crackdown on protesters against Jews visiting the site while Tel Aviv also demands that cameras be fixed inside the Dome mosque as they allege that it is used for hoarding stones hurled at its forces during protests. Judeh met with President Mahmoud Abbas and said that Amman is committed to maintaining the status quo and the cameras are meant to defend the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He said they will enable the entire world to see any violation that takes place on the ground as well as expose all trespasses or assaults on holy sites. Israels demand for cameras to be installed inside the mosque was refuted by the Jordanian minister as he stressed that the cameras will be installed on walls around the vicinity and not inside buildings. Last week, a Jordanian government spokesman said the installation of the 55 cameras will take place in the coming days but Israel is unwillingly to let the installation go ahead without the satisfaction of its concerns. Focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Judeh said the only solution that would guarantee peace and security in the region is an independent Palestine under a two-state solution. Iraqi Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Military Command, said the operation to free Mosul, a town held by the Islamic State since 2014, has begun. The city is 225miles northwest of Baghdad. Taking over the city will be a huge blow to the extremist group and would serve as a symbolic political and psychological victory to Baghdad. Iraqi officials have on several occasions announced military operations against IS but success had hardly come by. The operation to retake Mosul is baptized Operation Conquest and the Iraqi forces have taken over several villages near Makhmour, east of Mosul. The U.S-led air campaign is providing aerial power. IS group is alleged to be using land mines, suicide bombers and snipers to fight and slow the progress of the offensive. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had claimed that his forces would take over the city but some security officials believe that the battle for Mosul could go on till 2017. In February, Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart of the United States, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said he was not as optimistic as the Prime Minister. Operation Conquest has stretched out IS because it is also battling with the Syrian forces at Palmyra. There are reports that the extremist group ordered the civilians to leave the city as fighting goes on. Russian airplanes are providing aerial support to pro-Damascus forces. Historians and Archaeologists are hoping that the Syrian forces will take over the town to salvage the World Heritage Sites relics that the extremist group began to destroy shortly after arriving in the city last year. In the February 1971 issue of Freedom First, Nani Palkhivala, a prominent lawyer and economist who specialized in cases of constitutional law, wrote on the inalienable nature of the Constitutions fundamental rightsand the need to strengthen the right to property, in particular. *** India has never known true democratic freedom in its entire history except during the last 23 years. If Platos dictum regarding political evolution is correct, our newly won freedom will have to be zealously guarded if it is not to be supplanted by dictatorship. In a nascent republic where freedom is not bred in the bones of the people, the danger of dictatorship is always vastly greater than in democracies which are centuries old. In India freedom is not more than one election away from extinction. When an attempt to uphold the rule of law is called a manifestation of vested interests"; and when the preservation of the sanctity of the Constitution is called the handiwork of reactionary forces", it should be clear to any thinking mind that freedom is in peril. Political freedom and civil liberty are the keystones of the Indian Constitution. Our Constitution is primarily shaped and moulded for the common man. The only persons who would be disappointed with our Constitution are those who believe in outdated ideologies which can only result in levelling down and not levelling up. The Constitution believes in the distribution of wealth, and therefore it not only permits but encourages the creation of wealth by enterprising individuals who with their vision and expertise are prepared to take risks and develop their country. That is why our Constitution confers on all citizens the fundamental rights to acquire, hold and dispose of property and to carry on any trade, business and profession. The great makers of our Constitution clearly intended that the integrity of the Constitution should be preserved against any hasty or ill-considered changes, the fruits of passions or ignorance". The essential purpose of our Constitution is to ensure freedom of the individual and the dignity of man, and to put basic human rights above the reach of the State and of transient politicians in power whose naked juvenile chatter is covered by the fig-leaf of demagogic claptrap. With the growing powers of government all over the world, it is eminently desirable for any democracy to have fundamental rights which cannot be curtailed or abrogated. In the words of Mr. Justice Frankfurter, man being what he is cannot safely be trusted with complete power in depriving others of their rights. The protection of the citizen against all kinds of men in public affairs, none of whom can be trusted with unlimited power over others, lies not in their forbearance but in limitations on their power. At least such is the conviction underlying our Constitution. With our varying and widely divergent creeds and ideologies, and a wide variety of religions and languages, our country is pre-eminently a country where inalienable fundamental rights are an absolute necessity. These rights have been called, not without justification, the conscience of the Constitution or the soul of the Constitution. In material terms, they constitute the anchor of the Constitution and provide it with the dimension of permanence. No time in Indias history would be more inopportune than the present for amending the Constitution and empowering Parliament to abridge or take away the Fundamental Rights. With the growing sense of insecurity in different States, when fanaticism of all sortsregional, linguistic, communal and economicis gathering momentum, it would be not merely a mistake but a betrayal of the fundamental freedoms to enable Parliament to trifle and tinker with them. The right to property is often derided as the least defensible" right in a socialist democracy. Yet a little reflection should show that this right is of the essence of a sound body politic and of a democracy which aims at marching forward economically. Any attempt to abrogate the Fundamental Right to property would be erroneous, because it would run counter to the eternal laws of human nature. Men will sooner, Machiavelli said, forgive the deaths of their relatives [than] the confiscation of their property. It is a sad reflection on human nature that, generally speaking, a man will work for himself and his family as he will work for no one else. However, until this law of human nature is changed, the abolition of the right to property can meet with nothing but disaster. There is no democracy anywhere in the world where as a matter of law and of constitutional practise the right to property is not respected. The right to property is enshrined in the Constitutions of the States where the rule of law prevails, as for example in the Magna Carta, in the American Declaration of Independence, in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and in the German Constitution. Even in Communist countries like the USSR, the right to private property in the fruits of personal labour and the right to inherit such property are recognized. Under our Constitution the right to property is elastic and flexiblethe Legislatures and the Executive are entitled to subject it to all such reasonable restrictions as are in the public interest. The right to property cannot be invoked at all against laws relating to Zamindari and other estates in lands or against other laws relating to agrarian reforms. Sixty-four Acts passed by Parliament and the State Legislatures are constitutionally declared to be valid although they may directly infringe on the right to property. The adequacy of compensation cannot be challenged in our Courts of Law. Far from there being any need to abridge the Fundamental Right to property further, the truth is that perhaps in no free democracy of the world does the right to property exist in such an abridged and attenuated form as it does in India. Countries where freedom has become a way of life can do without the luxury of a constitutional right to property. But in India where economic fanaticism has become a way of political life, it is imperative to retain the right to property. It would not be too much to say that the right [to] property is, in a sense, the handmaid to the other fundamental rights. Of what avail is the fundamental right to the freedom of speech and expression to a newspaper if its property can be taken away without reasonable compensation; or the fundamental right to form associations or to religious minority is to be held on the sufferance of the party in power? The myth has been sedulously propagated by wily politicians that it is the Constitution which stands in the way of the nations economic progress and the uplift of the masses. This is the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the people. The truth of the matter is that it is the wooden-headed and disastrous economic policies of the Governments at the Centre and in several States which are truly responsible for the miseries of the seventeen million unemployed and the many more millions who, though employed, are still living below the minimum subsistence level due to the erosion in the value of the rupee. There is not a single sound economic policy or scheme for social development of the masses which is in the slightest degree hampered or hindered by any of the provisions of the Constitution. The significance of the judgement of the Supreme Court in the Privy Purse case is not so much for the Ruler as for the common man. The basic issues involved in the case were not concerned with Privileges and Privy Purseswith the booming of salute guns or the counting of our devalued currency; the basic issues centred round the sanctity of the Constitution and public morality. Could the Constitution be silenced and its mandate sacrificed at the altar of political expediency? If privy purses could be stopped by executive action, the most unsafe investment in the world would be the securities of the Indian Government. The funds of charities and trusts for widows and orphans, and provident funds of millions of workers, are invested in Government securities. If privy purses can be repudiated, so can the Governments obligation to pay the principal and the interest in respect of Government securities, because the Constitution has used exactly the same words in guaranteeing privy purses as for guaranteeing the Governments obligation in respect of securities. What was at stake was nothing less than the nations honour and its reputation for financial integrity in the eyes of the world. The importance of the Privy Purse judgement from the point of view of the common man can be well gauged from the following passages in the judgements: The President cannot claim a total immunity for his acts from the scrutiny of the Court. Neither the paramountcy of the Grand Moghul who could give subhedarships to his Generals as he pleased nor the paramountcy of the British Crown has descended to him." (Per Hidayatullah, C.J.) . The Foundation of our Constitution is firmly laid in the Rule of Law and no instrumentality of the Union, not even the President as the head of the Executive, is invested with arbitrary authority." (Per Shah J.) Breach of any of the constitutional provisions even if made to further a popular cause is bound to be a dangerous precedent. Disrespect to the Constitution is bound to be broadened from precedent to precedent and before long the entire Constitution may be treated with contempt and held up to ridicule. That is what happened to the Weimar Constitution The basic issue arising for decision in these cases is of far greater significance than it appears at first sight. The question whether the Rulers can be de-recognised by the President is of secondary importance. What is of utmost importance for the future of our democracy is whether the executive of this country can flout the mandates of the Constitution and set at naught legislative enactments at its discretion. If it is held that it can, then our hitherto held assumption that in this country we are ruled by laws and not by men and women must be given as erroneous." (Per Hedge J.) There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of thinking men strongly believe in the Fundamental Rights and are deeply conscious of the outstanding role played by the Courts in preserving our cherished values. But unfortunately they constitute the silent majority. There are times in a countrys history when inaction and silence can be a culpable wrong, and we are living in such times. It is not enough that we believe in our national motto that truth with ultimately prevail. We must take active steps to see to it that falsehood does not have a very long innings before the ultimate moment of truth arrives. This piece has been selected for publication by IndianLiberals.in, an initiative of the Centre for Civil Society. It is an online library of all Indian liberal writings, lectures and other materials in English and Indian languages, with an aim to preserve an often unknown but very rich Indian liberal tradition. Source: February 1971 issue of Freedom First Comments are welcome at feedback@livemint.com Topics The fate of the 102-year-old Lincoln School in the Rattlesnake has clouded up again. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Missoula, which signed a buy-sell agreement last July for the endangered, abandoned schoolhouse in the middle of a new subdivision, is pulling out of the deal, faced with potential legal fees it says it cant afford. Unitarian Universalist, which has met in a bungalow-style house at the corner of McLeod and Higgins avenues for more than 50 years, was granted a conditional use permit by the city in December 2015 to use the building as a church. We knew that the immediate neighbors planned to sue to prevent that, but felt a court judgment to amend the covenants would be in our favor, the Unitarian Universalist board of trustees said Friday in a letter to the Missoulian. However, after much delay, and faced with the risk of paying all legal fees in the event we lost, we as a small congregation have determined that we cant continue with the project." Felix "Phil" Petrilli and Brad Shefloe, who both own houses adjacent to the schoolhouse, voiced issues with the church before the Missoula City Council approved the conditional use permit on Dec. 3. Neither could be reached Friday for comment. The Schoolhouse Addition subdivision was approved by the city in 2008 but failed in mid-development. Its financier, Missoula Federal Credit Union, took ownership in 2014 and was thrust into the uncomfortable role of developer to sell the vacant schoolhouse and unsold lots, all of which are zoned residential. When the credit union accepted Unitarian Universalists proposal last summer, the homeowners association raised objections to its plan. It said property owners bought lots and, in some cases, built houses on the block with the understanding that Lincoln School would become a housing unit and not a public building. They raised issues of parking and noise. I guess the problem Im having is Im not understanding why it is they seem so intent on trying to fit a round peg into a square hole in this thing, Shefloe said in December. At the same time, Petrilli said Missoula Federal Credit Unions attorney had approached the homeowners and asked if theyd be interested in buying Lincoln School if the church backed out. Our answer is yes, Petrilli said. We will buy the properties, we will get developers, and well make sure the four remaining lots remain residential. Whether that will happen was hanging in the air Friday. At this point Id only say that it has been a real pleasure working with the good people at UUFM, Jack Lawson, the credit union's president and CEO, noted in an email. We at Missoula Federal Credit Union wish them all the best and good luck in pivoting to search for a different future home for their fellowship. Other neighbors and the historic preservationist community hailed the churchs plans for the Lincoln School. Preserve Historic Missoula established a Lincoln School Award for preservation. Its 2016 co-recipients earlier this month were Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Missoula Federal Credit Union for their efforts to preserve the school. Lincoln School was opened for grade-school classes in 1914 and was last used as a school in 1982. Its most recent tenant was the Lincoln School Baptist Church in 2006, before the block it sits on was subdivided. Representatives of the church's board didn't respond to requests for comment Friday. Unitarian Universalists Sara Berndt said at the time of the purchase agreement that the church had an active roster of 25 to 35 that doubled if you counted transitional members such as university students and still-active past members. The larger space Lincoln School would accommodate, after extensive repairs and upgrades, large functions such as funerals and weddings. Were just really excited about the space and the location, Berndt said in July. Its going to be a really good transition for us. We feel weve been limited. In their letter Friday, UUFM board trustees said they werent privy to the details of current negotiations with potential buyers. We believe that the parameters by which Missoula Federal Credit Union will decide to accept a proposal have not changed, the letter stated. Those parameters included maintaining the historical integrity of the Lincoln School building. The board thanked supporters of its efforts to buy the church, especially those who spoke in its favor at the City Council meeting in which the conditional use permit was approved 12-0. The lawsuit that ultimately shot down the church project was filed by seven property owners. It seeks damages to cover attorney fees and loss of property values. Grandma, too, was saved by a gun. While distracting the wolf with compliments about the size of his eyes and ears, she slowly reached for her weapon. The wolf leaned in, jaws open wide, then stopped suddenly, Ms. Hamilton wrote. Those big ears heard the unmistakable sound of a shotguns safety being clicked off. Those big eyes looked down and saw that grandma had a scattergun aimed right at him. Hansel and Gretel got a similar treatment. The story began with them hunting in the woods, eventually bagging a magnificent 10-point buck, when they stumble upon a gingerbread cottage where two little boys were imprisoned by a witch. The siblings climbed through the cottages windows and rescued the boys while the witch slept in the next room. As Hansel unlocked their cage, his sister stood at the ready with her firearm just in case, for she was a better shot than her brother. When they returned home the next morning, the children told the parents about the witch and soon, Villagers, prepared with rifles and pistols, headed into the forest, Hansel and Gretel leading the way. The witch was locked up by local law enforcement, and then everyone ate her house. Efforts to reach Ms. Hamilton on Friday were unsuccessful. In an interview with N.R.A. News, she said her versions were kinder than the originals by the Grimm brothers because no grandmothers or children were eaten and, despite the guns, the villains were not shot. The kids do just what they are supposed to do and get an adult, she said. Mr. Everitt of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence compared the modified fairy tales to other N.R.A.-produced fare aimed at young people, such as Noir, a program on N.R.A. News starring Colion Noir, a young African-American gun enthusiast who shoots guns and delivers monologues on the importance of the Second Amendment against a hip-hop soundtrack. Our group was briefed several times about the things we could and couldnt do. We were not allowed to bring Bibles, satellite phones, cameras with telephoto lenses, notebooks, pornography. We were told to expect that our group would probably be spied on and to not bad-mouth any of the regimes leaders, past or present, even in private. Once your Russian-made Air Koryo jet lands and you are in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, you lose control. You hand over your passport for security reasons. You are taken where the government wants you to go, you eat whats given, you are not allowed to seek out unscripted encounters. The 47-story Yanggakdo Hotel, the one place where all the foreigners stay, is on an island, physically separated from the rest of the capital. But even so, there is a warping effect that being an American gives you. My mother, who suffers from anxiety, insisted that I call my brother to make sure shed locked her door back home. When I told her we were in North Korea and couldnt call, she suggested email and I had to remind her that we couldnt use the Internet either. North Korea is also kitschy in a way that only a country that has little contact with the outside world and yet wants to impress the outside world can be. The subway has chandeliers that Louis Comfort Tiffany would have deemed too baroque. In our hotel, one of the clear pillars in the lobby had a sad shark swimming in it. The secretiveness of North Korea has made it an easy target for America to project various stereotypes, about Asians and about dictators. American tourists often dont take the country seriously; reports of drunken high jinks on tours are becoming more common. The travel agency Mr. Warmbier used advertises itself as tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from, mentioning fun, thrill-seeking and adventure at a great price! _____ On whether he would withdraw United States forces from Japan and South Korea if those countries do not increase their payments to cover the costs of those troops: Yes, I would. I would not do so happily, but I would be willing to do it... We cannot afford to be losing vast amounts of billions of dollars on all of this... And I have a feeling that theyd up the ante very much. I think they would, and if they wouldnt I would really have to say yes. _____ On his standards for using American troops abroad, such as for homeland protection, for humanitarian intervention, or to aid allies: It sounds nice to say, I have a blanket standard; heres what it is. No. 1 is the protection of our country, O.K.? Thats always going to be No. 1, by far. Thats by a factor of 100... After that it depends on the country, the region, how friendly theyve been toward us. You have countries that havent been friendly to us that were protecting. So its how good theyve been toward us, etc., etc. _____ On recent American engagement in the Middle East: If you would go back 15 years ago, and Im not saying it was only Obama, it was Obamas getting out, it was other peoples getting in, but you go back 15 years ago, and I say this: If our presidents would have just gone to the beach and enjoyed the ocean and the sun, we wouldve been much better off in the Middle East, than all of this tremendous death, destruction, and you know, monetary loss. _____ On whether he would stop buying oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates if those countries refused to send ground troops to fight ISIS: Theres two answers to that. The answer is, probably yes, but I would also say this: We are not being reimbursed for our protection... You know, Saudi Arabia... the amount of money they have is phenomenal. But we protect countries, and take tremendous monetary hits on protecting countries. ... And yet, without us, Saudi Arabia wouldnt exist for very long. It would be, you know, a catastrophic failure without our protection. _____ On the United States fight against ISIS and our efforts to seek a political accord between President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and rebel forces: Well, I thought the approach of fighting Assad and ISIS simultaneously was madness, and idiocy. Theyre fighting each other and yet were fighting both of them. You know, we were fighting both of them. I think that our far bigger problem than Assad is ISIS, Ive always felt that. Assad is, you know Im not saying Assad is a good man, cause hes not, but our far greater problem is not Assad, its ISIS. Here in Jersey City, the public schools are classic candidates for a lead problem. Two-thirds are over 80 years old, and a third more than a century old. The system had been under state control since 1989 because of poor management and low test scores; only recently, with Marcia Lyles as the superintendent, did the state agree to return control to local officials. Jersey City taps and fountains went untested until the E.P.A. took samples in 2006, again part of the federal outreach program, and turned up lead concentrations up to 60 times the federal threshold at eight schools. Not until early 2008, after more tests found fresh contamination at six of the schools, did the superintendent at the time, Charles T. Epps Jr., switch those students to bottled water. Jersey Citys mayor then, Jerramiah Healy, declared the matter closed. We believe this is a situation that is isolated to the affected schools and to certain water fountains within those schools, T he Jersey Journal newspaper quoted him as saying. Mr. Healy was wrong. The district tested all its fountains and taps in mid-2008 and found that water in 27 more schools was as much as 80 times higher than the E.P.A.s lead threshold. Under pressure from advocates, the district tested selected water sources at 38 buildings in 2010 and found yet more lead. In a 98-year-old school, Nicolaus Copernicus Elementary, 16 of 19 water fountains and coolers were found above permissible levels. That school and some others were switched to bottled water, and fountains and taps were turned off. But that was not the end. A 2013 retest of all 2,000-plus water sources found yet more contamination, including one fountain whose water tested 853 times the accepted maximum. Among those water sources were 10 in prekindergarten classes where daily tooth brushing was part of the regimen. Any fountains in this building, they dont even work, the Nicolaus Copernicus principal, Diane Pistilli, said this week. Parents were concerned, and rightly so. Nothing can ever justify people being thrown in detention for trying to fulfill a basic human need to connect with their family and friends, said Arnold Fang, the author of the report, which relied on interviews with experts and 17 recent defectors from North Korea. Mr. Kims clampdown on phones linked to Chinese mobile networks also heightens the risk for those who help bring news about his totalitarian country to the outside world. North Koreans use the phones to talk or send text messages and even photos to reporters and activists in South Korea and elsewhere. If they are caught by officials from the North, bribes are virtually the only way to avoid prison, or worse. When my sources call me, they shut the doors of the house and keep a lookout outside, said Kang Mi-jin, a reporter for Daily NK, a news website based in Seoul that focuses on the North. I tell them to have a place to quickly hide their phone and carry bribe money, usually 2,000 Chinese yuan, with them, always. It can decide whether they live or die. Thanks to her sources in North Korea, Ms. Kang, 48, broke some of the most talked-about news on Mr. Kims secretive government in recent years. She was the first to report that Mr. Kims wife, Ri Sol-ju, was pregnant in 2012 and that the leader was limping in 2014 because of ankle surgery. The people I talked to in the North are thirsty for outside news asking as many questions of me as I do of them, said Ms. Kang, herself a defector. They want to know how defectors live in the South, how much a South Korean worker makes a month, whether its really true that South Korean housewives have so many pieces of clothes they throw some away. Image Ju Chan-yang, a North Korean defector who came to South Korea in 2011, at Korea University, in Seoul. Credit... Jean Chung for The New York Times North Korea runs its own mobile phone network. Started in 2008 as a joint venture with the Egyptian company Orascom, the network, Koryolink, has more than three million subscribers. But it does not allow international calls. For ordinary citizens, landline calls are monitored and mostly confined to domestic connections. Butte Police Reports DISTURBANCE Brenden White, 24, of Butte was taken into police custody at a residence on the 1700 block of South Warren Avenue at 11 p.m. Thursday. Police responded two previous times since Wednesday for reports of Whites behavior. His hallucinations scared his mother and grandmother. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to the jail, where he was set to undergo a mental health evaluation. RESTROOM DARTS A syringe was found stuck in the wall of the mens bathroom on the first floor of the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse about 2 p.m. Thursday. WANTED Irene Appline, 34, of Butte was arrested Thursday on the 600 block of West Galena Street on a $940 misdemeanor criminal contempt warrant issued in Butte city court. DUI A citizen driver reported that a vehicle was traveling into opposing traffic on Montana Street on Thursday night. The citizen followed the vehicle to Platinum Street where police pulled over the wandering vehicle in the Town Pump parking lot. David Robertson, 57, of Butte appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic. He was arrested for a traffic violation and felony DUI, his sixth offense. He was taken to the Butte hospital to have his blood drawn. ASSAULT A 37-year-old Butte man reported he was assaulted while walking to his residence on Silver Bow Homes property about 2 a.m. Friday. Two men punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. The men in their 20s or 30s fled. Police have no suspects. The victim was transported to the hospital for a possible broken arm and lacerations to his face. 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 [] Lori was born in Edwardsville, PA, March 12th 1957, and was raised in Fairlawn, NJ with her sister Karen Nagle of Charlotte, N.C., with her predeceased parents, Barbara and Bob Brussock. Lori left Fair Lawn, N.J. in 1976 and met up with Brian in Venice Beach, California. Then in 1980 they decided to make a new home in Napa on Mt. Veeder, and lived on Wall Road for the next 30+ years. They raised their 2 sons, Timothy and Tyler, in one of the most beautiful places in the world. In addition to building a great family, Lori and Brian started a family winery in 1996, creating Vinoce Vineyards with grapes from the property they originally planted from their very first harvest to today. President Barack Obama's historic trip to Cuba this past week returned U.S. and world attention to the small Caribbean island of 11 million people and the long, curious history between it and the United States. It's hard to think of a similarly sized country that has had such a memorable, tumultuous, often romantic hold on U.S. history and imagination. That narrative encapsulates a welter of assumptions - some propagated by the 1959 revolution, others by the Cuban diaspora and the rest by Americans who haven't seen Cuba up close in more than half a century. Here are some of those myths. 1. Cuba's free health-care system is great. In a 2014 visit to Cuba, the director general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, declared Cuba's health-care system a model for the world: "This is the way to go," she said. And U.S. documentarian-provocateur Michael Moore, in his movie "Sicko," favorably contrasted Cuba's system with the expensive, complicated American arrangement. Yes, there have been health-care advances in Cuba in the past half-century, especially when compared with some of the poorest countries in the hemisphere. According to UNICEF, life expectancy in Cuba is 79.1 years, the second-highest in Latin America. And, of course, the country is famous both for training foreign physicians and dispatching its homegrown ones to nations across the region. But while Cuba made great gains in primary and preventive care after the revolution, advanced health care is flagging. In the famously closed country, reliable statistics and rigorous studies are impossible to come by, but anecdotally, it appears that the health system used by average Cubans is in crisis. According to a report by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, hospitals "are generally poorly maintained and short of staff and medicines." The writer visited facilities in Havana such as the Calixto Garcia, 10 de Octubre and Miguel Enrique hospitals and describes them in an advanced state of neglect and deterioration. In the 10 de Octubre, "the floors are stained and surgeries and wards are not disinfected. Doors do not have locks and their frames are coming off. Some bathrooms have no toilets or sinks, and the water supply is erratic. Bat droppings, cockroaches, mosquitos [sic] and mice are all in evidence." One reason Cuba still sends doctors abroad despite findings like that: Its foreign medical program is a huge moneymaker, bringing in approximately $2.5 billion per year to the cash-strapped government. With more than 50,000 Cuban health professionals working in 68 countries other than Cuba, the doctor export program has created a shortage of medical practitioners in Cuba. 2. Cubans already have plenty of contact with other people, so lifting the U.S. embargo won't help the country liberalize. An op-ed in the Miami Herald last year asserted that "international tourism has not brought about political reforms in Cuba," a sentiment repeated often by Cuban American supporters of the embargo. And it's true that tourists from Europe, Canada, Latin America and other places (close to 3 million in 2015) have been visiting the island for years with little discernible effect on the regime. But this doesn't begin to match the exposure that a U.S. opening to Cuba could bring. Once the ban is fully lifted, some 1.5 million Americans are expected to travel there each year. But the real difference-maker will be Cubans themselves. More than 2 million Cuban Americans live in the United States, and they are likely to return for visits bearing news, goods, cash and ideas. Already, they make 700,000 trips each year since the George W. Bush-era cap on Cuban American travel was lifted in 2009. They are passing out USB drives (called on the island "el paquete") with U.S. movies and TV series on them - already a huge popular sensation in ways the U.S. taxpayer-funded Radio and TV Marti could never become. At the same time, by virtue of the limited hotel space and unappetizing state-owned restaurants, U.S. tourism is already helping to support the burgeoning private sector in Cuba. Today there are close to 500,000private entrepreneurs allowed under the law, many of them serving clients from the United States. More than 3,000 private restaurants (paladares) serve meals in people's homes and ask clients to review them on Yelp. More than 300 bed-and-breakfasts (casas particulares) are open for tourists and listed on Airbnb. These numbers will explode if and when the embargo dies. And the Bermuda-shorts-wearing, sunscreen-slathered tourists are supporting businesspeople who for once are gaining a measure of economic independence - and with it, a stake in a more democratic future. The Europeans and Canadians who arrive on package tours to all-inclusive tourist traps run by state-sanctioned companies aren't doing that. 3. Che Guevara was a freedom fighter. Guevara's iconic picture by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda is a favorite for T-shirts, flags, coffee cups - even baby onesies - for the international left and the supposedly socially conscious. When students, fashionistas, activists, and stars such as Jay Z, Shia LaBeouf and Johnny Depp bear his image, they're nodding to his struggle for world justice and his early death. But revolutionary chic comes with a high moral price tag: For 11 months after the revolution, Guevara oversaw the execution by firing squad of some 220 officials from the previous government, whom he lined up after kangaroo-court trials. He also launched a system of labor camps that became home to gay people, AIDS victims and political opponents. The regime of Fulgencio Batista, which Che helped overthrow, was autocratic, kleptocratic and violently repressive. But what followed the revolution wasn't an experiment in high-minded ideals; it was a mass slaughter and brutal crackdown. 4. Cuban cigars are the best. At the time of the revolution, Cuba was the cigar capital of the world, and the brand was so strong that its dominance has persisted. From the iconic images of Fidel Castro puffing away dramatically to attempts to use the stogies in secret diplomacy to a "Seinfeld" episode, Cuban cigars have kept their mystique for more than 50 years, even as their quality has declined. Shortly after the revolution, many of the large growers took the Cuban seeds to equally fertile soil in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. At the same time, according to a number of experts, a lack of technology and a lack of competition has decreased the quality of the national product. And no wonder: Tobacco growing and cigar production are controlled by the state. Since then, the relative quality of Cuban cigars has dropped. According to Bill Shindler, the general manager of Rich's Cigar Store in Portland, Ore., one of the principal problems is the lack of consistency. And in 2015, Cigar Aficionado named just three among its top 25 smokes. Nicaraguan stogies, by contrast, landed in 13 spots. The Dominican Republic had six, Honduras two, and one was assembled in Miami. 5. Cuba has achieved racial equality. In his news conference Tuesday with President Obama, Raul Castro touted Cuba's record on economic and social rights and racial equality, to which Obama admitted the United States' shortcoming in "race relations." The idea that post-revolution Cuba is a racial utopia is a common one that served the revolution well during the 1960s, as American civil rights activists such as Harry Belafonte and members of the Black Panthers flocked to Cuba. But a few facts and recent developments belie the regime's claims. Official counts put the country's black and "mixed" population at about 36 percent, though some Cubans believe those stats are undercounted. Meanwhile,study published in Socialism and Democracy in May 2011 found that "black and mixed populations, on average, are concentrated in the worst housing conditions" and tend to work in lower-paying, manual-labor jobs. With the rise of the tourism industry in the 1990s, the emergence of the entrepreneurial sector and an increase in remittances, structural disparities have increased. The Socialism and Democracy study found, based on surveys conducted among approximately 7,000 workers, that blacks and mestizos occupy only 5 percent of the lucrative higher-end jobs (managers and technicians) in the tourism industry but are heavily represented in low-level jobs. Because the majority of those who have left Cuba are of more European extraction, the transfer of remittances back to the island overwhelmingly goes to its non-black population. According to areport by the North American Congress on Latin America, white Cubans are 2.5 times more likely to receive remittances than their black fellow citizens. Despite Raul Castro's description of racial harmony, structural and racial inequality there, like here, is a permanent facet of life. Sabatini is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and director of Global Americans, a research institute focused on the foreign policy of human rights and social inclusion. Iranian MP: Iran will conduct military exercises wherever it deems necessary Finnish delegation to visit Ankara to discuss NATO membership Social media giants are likely to oppose Turkey's new law Pastor steals $900,000 to buy stocks and car in U.S. Lithuanian President Nauseda is named most popular politician in country Charles III will embark on longest tour of world in history of royal family Deputy Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS: Baku's goal is that Karabakh has no Armenian population Hurricane Roslyn in Pacific Ocean intensifies to third category Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, begins forming government U.S. Treasury Department records budget deficit of over $429 billion in September Why does Baku need aggravation on border with Armenia? Skakov assesses likelihood of new aggression Iranian Foreign Minister: I had important meeting with Pashinyan in Armenia Johnson spotted in economy class on flight from Dominican Republic to Britain Armenian PM and European Parliament Resident Rapporteur for Armenia discuss Karabakh situation Authorities in Kherson urge residents to immediately leave city Russian expert: Baku's attempts to open corridor by force will cause negative response not only from IRI or Russian Telegraph: Britain to send about 60 old tanks to NATO base in Germany for exercises Artak Beglaryan: You will see me in new position Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal could bring Russia 'hundreds of billions' Russia and Turkey begin to develop gas hub project PM Pashinyan discusses agenda of bilateral relations with Iranian FM Anna Hakobyan meets Armenians in Paris Sargsyan: Recognition of Artsakh people's right for self-determination must be reflected in legal documents Italy's first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, sworn in Private jet goes missing off coast of Costa Rica Times of India: India tests nuclear-capable Agni Prime missile Spiegel: German Foreign Minister and Defense Minister ask to allocate 2.2 billion for military aid to Kiev Deputy PM of Armenia and Head of Sharjah Heritage Institute discuss strengthening of Armenian-Emirati relations Biden allows participation in U.S. presidential election in 2024 Secretary of Security Council of Armenia and representatives of AIISA discuss security issues Kakhovka reservoir increases water discharges in case of possible destruction of HPP Pashinian's spouse: Yesterday at Elysee Palace I was received by dear Brigitte Macron At least 15 people killed in bus-truck collision in India Explosion at Uzbek Defense Ministry depot injures 16 people Armenian NA Speaker receives Iranian FM: Tehran opposes obstacles on border with friendly Armenia President Harutyunyan receives group of members of Union of Artsakh Reserve Officers NGO Newspaper: Armenia restores diplomatic ties with Hungary? China hit by 5.5 magnitude earthquake Armenian Defense Ministry denies Azerbaijani report on shelling, calling it disinformation Blinken: Moscow is not interested in stopping aggression against Ukraine Japan and U.S. will hold joint military exercises France withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty CNN: White House is in talks with Elon Musk to create satellite Internet service Starlink in Iran Baku outraged by Iran's statements and frightened by IRGC military exercises Who are main beneficiaries of 'Zangezur' corridor?: Another anonymous article by 'Haykakan Zhamanak' newspaper Ankara decides to stand up for Riyadh amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and U.S. French Foreign Minister considers it vital to keep lines of communication with Russia open Pentagon refuses to give details of conversation between Austin and Shoigu Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Head of Caucasus Muslims Department again made slanderous and false statements Erdogan denies using chemical weapons against Kurds and threatens those who dare to talk about it Saudi Arabia and China will strengthen their ties in energy sector Governor of Gegharkunik province receives representatives of OSCE fact-finding mission Penny Mordaunt runs for Prime Minister of Great Britain Sweden expects ratification of NATO membership application by Hungary and Turkey to be completed soon European Union will allocate 1.5 billion euros per month to Kiev in 2023 An Israeli-built flight school opened in Greece Russian Railways is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Iran to launch the Rasht-Astara route Overchuk: Construction of road through Meghri, whose sovereignty is not in question, depends on Armenia's position Armenian Defense Minister's working visit to India is over Hungary will not agree to limit prices for imported gas Iranian Foreign Minister: Iran considers Armenia one of most important transit countries Naribekyan participates in meeting of secretaries general of PACE parliaments Delegation from United Arab Emirates visits Armenia at invitation of head of MONKS: Two agreements signed Dollar, euro drop in Armenia Iran consul general in Armenias Kapan: We do not accept any change of borders Baza: Mobile military registration and enlistment offices will be removed on Russian-Georgian border Iranian Consul: Countries of region do not need presence of foreign armed forces Armenia FM: Iran consulate general in Kapan will be important for regional security Iranian Consul General advises Kapan residents not to worry anymore: Iran is here for Armenian people FM reaffirms Armenia plan to open consulate general in Irans Tabriz Turkey to open consulate in occupied Armenian Shushi city of Artsakh Turkish Ministry of Finance: Ankara can buy Russian oil without Western funding Armenia Security Council chief briefs European Parliament rapporteur on recent Azerbaijan military aggression British bookmakers name favorite for post of prime minister Erdogan: Armenia-Azerbaijan relations progress will contribute to Armenia-Turkey relations normalization Iranian Consulate General opens in Kapan Erdogan: Turkey is looking for alternative to American F-16 fighters Iran consul general: We are here for Armenian people Turkey FM slams OSCE decision to send needs assessment mission to Armenia Peskov reacts to Erdogan's words about Putin's softening on Ukraine negotiations European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia to legislature speaker: Attack was from Azerbaijan, naturally Armenia President to EEU PMs: We will manage to take another confident step by respecting mutual interests EUSR Toivo Klaars exclusive interview with NEWS.am on EU Monitoring mission,Nagorno Karabakh future and violence videos Explosions rock Ukraines Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia President meets with newly formed Artsakh Public Council members Armenia PM: We need understanding in price horizon, at least in medium term Lawyer: 20 of fallen solders parents detained from Yerevan military pantheon are recognized as injured party PM: Armenia trade with other EEU countries increased by 74% France region to provide 300,000 to Armenias Syunik Province affected by Azerbaijan military aggression Eurasian Intergovernmental Council extended meeting underway in Yerevan MOD: Armenia did not fire at Azerbaijan positions, vehicle MPs in Strasbourg, present threatening dangers: Armenia has powerful support in European Parliament Years first snow falls in Armenias Shirak Province World oil prices on the rise Newspaper: Russia dismisses Armenia PM's news on Karabakh Russia PM in Yerevan, to discuss with EEU colleagues single oil, natural gas markets formation Newspaper: Why is Iran in hurry to open consulate in Armenias Syunik Province? France, Spain, Portugal agree to build Barcelona-Marseille natural gas pipeline Admiral: U.S. should now prepare for Chinese 'invasion' of Taiwan YEREVAN. The large families in Armenia do not receive state support, attorney Liana Balyan said at a press conference on Saturday. The law on assistance to large families and state incentives for mothers with many children is in force, but, in reality, this law has remained on paper, the attorney noted. Large families [in the country] receive little benefits, [and] since they dont have the support of the state, they are classified among the families that have the poorest social class. Balyan, however, sees the solution of this problem in Armenia in the adoption of a law on the protection of the rights of mothers with many children, and she is working in this direction. With a bill, which will soon be submitted to the National Assembly, the attorney proposes the granting of several benefits to large families in the country. Many families [in Armenia] avoid having many children, since they believe they cant take care of the children, Liana Balyan added. The state needs to encourage, assist newly formed families to multiply. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The P.Adamyan State Armenian Drama Theatre of Tbilisi is launching major renovations in April, artistic director Armen Bayanduryan informed Armenpress during an interview. "Renovations of the theater will begin in April. The theater is currently financed by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia. The theater seems to have no problems. Nobody tells us what to do and what to perform. We have freedom in sense of creativity. Capital repair will take place, since the building is very old, renovation funding is also provided by the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, "he said. Armen Bayanduryan noted that Armenia is also attentive to the theater. "They are observing us; the ministers of Culture, Diaspora, and Foreign Affairs are ready to help. The Armenian theater of Tbilisi is closely connected with all theaters of Armenia, "he said. Bayanduryan stressed the fact that young actors perform in the theater. The most important thing is that the youth is engaged.90% of the performances is played by the youth, who have received education in Tbilisis, Sh. Rustaveli Institute. The theater lives like all other theaters, we have good, bad, and average performances, "he added. Tbilisi State Armenian Drama Theatre after P.Adamyan is planning to expand its activities this year. "In late May and early June we will go on tour to Yerevan, Vanadzor, Gyumri, Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Akhaltsikhe, we will participate in the theater festival in Georgia dedicated to Nodar Dumbadze. All theaters of Georgia are participating in this festival, "the artistic director of the Armenian Drama Theatre in Tbilisi after P.Adamyan added. The P.Adamyan State Armenian Theater of Tbilisi performed the Ordinary Story play in Yerevan on March 25. The tour of the theater is held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the support of the Ministry of Culture. The Tbilisi P. Adamyan Armenian Professional Drama Theater is the only Armenian state theater outside the borders of Armenia. Since the very beginning, the theater played a major role in the cultural life of Armenians of Tbilisi, while also serving as a bridge in Armenian-Georgian friendly relations. The story of Armenian Theater in Tbilisi begins in 1824, when Armenian plays were staged at the Nersisyan School. Already in 1856 there a professional Armenian theater was founded, which was led by Gevorg Tchmshkyan. The Armenian Dramatic Theatre, which was renamed after P. Adamyan in 1991, is headed by artistic director Armen Bayanduryan. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani side, which was recently creating tensions by false rumors, was preparing for destabilizing the situation during Christian holidays, ignoring the calls of international organizations. In the last 24 hours along the entire Armenian border, as well as along the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Armys responsibility zone, Azerbaijan intensively fired different caliber weapons, and also 60mm and 82mm mortars and TR-107 missile systems. The Azerbaijani armed forces do not refrain from bombarding civilian settlements and civilians also. As "Armenpress" was informed by the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, on the evening of March 25, 64 years old Armenian citizen Norik Alikhanyan, a resident of Berkaber village, was shot and wounded near his home. Another residents agriculture suffered big losses. The armed forces of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh took actions at stabilizing the situation and suppressing the Azerbaijani side. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The Seismological Network of the Seismic Protection Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations registered a 2.3 magnitude earthquake on March 26 at 00.11 local time (GMT 20:11 pm) at the northern latitude 41,090 and eastern longitude 43,880 geographic coordinates (Armenia-Georgia border, 5 km north-east of Ashotsk village), "Armenpress" was informed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The earthquake epicenter was 3 magnitude. The earthquake was recorded in Ashotsk by 3 magnitude. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Stanford offers admission to 2,063 students from around the world The Office of Undergraduate Admission announced today that 2,063 high school students have been admitted to the Class of 2020 from a pool of 43,997. Stanford University has offered admission to 2,063 students, including 745 applicants who were accepted last December through the early action program, the Office of Undergraduate Admission announced today. Richard H. Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid, said the Class of 2020 was carefully selected from 43,997 candidates, the largest application pool in Stanford's history. The admitted students come from 50 states and 76 countries. "We are honored by the interest in Stanford, and overwhelmed by the exceptional accomplishments of the students admitted to the Class of 2020," Shaw said. "Our admitted students reflect the deep and profound diversity of the world in which we live. We believe these students will impact that world in immeasurable ways." Under Stanford's generous financial aid program, which the university expanded in 2015, for parents with total annual income below $125,000 and typical assets for this income range, the expected parent contribution will be low enough to ensure that all tuition charges are covered with need-based scholarships, federal and state grants and/or outside scholarship funds. For parents with total annual income below $65,000 and typical assets for this income range, Stanford will not expect a parent contribution toward tuition, mandatory fees, room or board. Students admitted under the early and regular decision admission program have until May 1 to accept Stanford's offer. Media Contact Richard H. Shaw, dean of admission and financial aid: (650) 723-2091, rhshaw@stanford.edu Mehbooba will hand over the letter staking claim to form the government while Dr. Nirmal Singh will hand over the letter from the BJP side supporting her claim. Earlier, the state BJP elected Dr Nirmal Singh as Legislative Party leader in a meeting of BJP legislators held at Jammu yesterday. Singh was also nominated as the candidate for Deputy Chief Minister's position who has served in the same capacity in previous PDP BJP coalition government. BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and BJP MP and Union Minister of State in PMO Dr. Jitendra Singh also attended the meeting. (ANI) With Pakistan claiming to arrest a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent in Balochistan province, Sarbjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur on Saturday said she just feared if Islamabad was not trying to create another Sarabjit. Dalbir, who today met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over the issue of Indians imprisoned in Pakistan jails, said that it was nothing new with Pakistan making bogus claims of arresting an innocent person and calling him a spy. "What else we can expect from Pakistan. They have been arresting innocent Indians who have accidently, by mistake, have landed a foot in their territory. We can only expect that they would call that person as a RAW agent," she told ANI. "Every time, the India Government provides them with the evidences, they say that they are not enough. The intention of the Pakistan Government is not right towards the Indians. I am just worried whether they are not trying to create another Sarabjit," she added. Dalbir further called on the Indian Government to take firm and immediate steps to bring that person back to the country. Sarabjit Singh, who was alleged to be Manjit Singh by Pakistan, was an Indian national convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court in 2003. He was tried and convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for a series of bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 bystanders in 1990. The Pakistan security forces earlier this week arrested a man during a raid in Balochistan province who, according to them, is 'a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to RAW. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said that Indian Government has no link with the arrested individual, adding that New Delhi has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the matter was raised today by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. "The said individual has no link with Government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," Swarup said. A Pakistan security official earlier told Dawn that the arrested individual had been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, as he was suspected of involvement in various acts of terrorism and other dissident activities in Balochistan. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in Assam on a two-day tour to eastern and northern parts of the state during which he will address seven rallies in the poll-bound state. PM Modi's special flight touched down at the Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh around 1000 hours.He is scheduled to address rallies at Tinsukia, Majuli, Narayanpur, Bokakhat and Jorhat. He will campaign for BJP's chief ministerial candidate and Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Majuli, becoming the first PM to visit the river island. After spending the night at Jorhat circuit house, he will address a rally at Rangapara in northern Assam and at Hailakandi in southern part of the state. He will return to New Delhi from Hailakandi tomorrow afternoon.Election for 126 Assam Assembly seats is scheduled in two phases on April 4 and 11 next. The BJP is going all out to win its maiden term in Assam and defeat the Congress, which will be seeking a fourth straight term. The BJP has forged an alliance with regional parties Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front. UNI SG KK ADG GC1229 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-654029.Xml With the time for the Congress district presidents as well as local in-charges of the Party's frontal organisations to provide names of 32 loyal Congress workers in each of the 403 Assembly constituency along with dully filled 15-page Form is now coming to an end, poll strategist Prashant Kishore commonally known as PK as well as AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistri and State president, Nirmal Khatri, would now start touring to each Assembly constituency from next month. The leaders will reportedly verify whether the information given to them had enough `substance' and they could go ahead to execute the `Strategy' set up by PK to revive the oldest political outfit in this biggest state of the country. "The time of providing the details sought by Prashant Kishore is now coming to an end and from beginning of April, the poll strategist as well as Mistri and Khatri would start touring the Assembly areas to verify whether the information provided to them had `substance' which would help them to implement the plan for come back of the Party and form next Government", disclosed Satyadeo Tripathi, chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Media Committee here today. Mr Tripathi, who remained minister in the State about four decades back, said that the morale of the Party and it's every members is very high after their recent success in by-polls at Deoband assembly seat in Saharanpur and now they were making efforts to make a comeback here in UP. "Recent Bihar elections and by-polls in the State in which we also won one of the Assembly constituency all pointed that people still remembered the good old days which they had during Congress government's regime and if we can prove that we are still capable of giving them a clean and strict administration, then they will definitely vote for us", Mr Tripathi said while claiming that the main plan of the Party is now to make a reach to every citizen and tell them that they had already seen governments of all other Parties so they must vote for the Congress if they wanted good old days. "The job of Mistri, Khatri, Kishor and all other senior Congress leaders is to visit each Assembly constituency and use the services of 32 dedicated Congressmen to make a reach to the people and tell them about advantages of having Congress government in the State as well as how the other Parties particularly Bharatiya Janta Party, our main rival in the next Assembly election are just trying to divide the society just to make political gain out of it", Mr Tripathi added. Prashant Kishore, during his recent meeting with party leaders here in Lucknow, had sought names and telephone numbers of 20 active party workers from each Vidhan Sabha segment. The six frontal organisations like women, minority and others too have also been asked to submit two names each from every Assembly segment. These party workers are to be ones who are not ticket seekers. The list has to be submitted by March 31 along with a 15-page form, duly filled. Apparently, PK wants to directly interact with these party workers and work out the strategy for each segment. He will also keep a watch on the progress in each assembly segment. He sought details like how the Party failed to perform well, which caste or community not voted for the Party, which community can be easily attracted to vote for the Party, what are the caste equations in each Assembly constituency etc. Interestingly most of the local leaders are finding it difficult to find 32 active Party workers who are ready to work for the Party but without seeking a ticket for themselves. "We had enough of workers who were loyal to Congress now for over last three decades even when we are not in power here in UP but providing their names to Kishore is very difficult as majority of them were not ready to contribute their full time without confirmation that what they would gain out of it", disclosed a district president hailing from Eastern UP town. "It is very difficult to convince our old and dedicated colleagues to work selflessly for the party without expecting an immediate return", he pointed while adding that everyone wants instant gains and no one has the patience to wait longer for a ticket or any other post incase the Party come back to power. Another district president apprehended that the exercise may set up a parallel party organisation in every district. "Those from the mainstream Congress are unwilling to be listed as workers they all want to be recognised as leaders. If Kishore still insists on 20 names, then we may have to enlist outside support and this will lead to clashes within the party," he explained. A senior Congress leader who earlier remained as UPCC chief, however welcomes Kishor's move and said that he had hit the nail on the head. "Congressmen are now hopeful about the future of the Party. Kishore had identified the malaise that is affecting the Party in this biggest state having maximum seats. In the state, we have no workers, only leaders and this has crippled the Organisation because no one is ready to work at the grassroots level. If Kishor has managed to identify the problem, he can also treat it," the leader said. Mr Satyadeo Tripathi, however was not ready to buy the above theory. ``Every Congress worker was ready to work for the revival of the Party. At the moment, we are all waiting to see the Congress back in power and every party worker big or small is ready to work towards the goal,"he said while ruling out that any single (read Kishore) could do any miracle for the Party.UNI MB ADG 1410 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0103-654004.Xml A local court in the summer capital has accepted the closure report in the disappearance of a three-year-old boy from downtown in Srinagar in 2008 by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The minor Mehran Lateef, went missing when he was returning from school at Habba Kadal in the old city in 2008. The incident triggered massive protests following which the case was handed over to CBI. The case was handed over to CBI on February 6, 2014 by Crime Branch (CB) of Jammu and Kashmir Police following directions by the High Court (HC). The CB had closed the case as untraced and had filed the report before the court. However, following massive protests by the locals in Srinagar, the HC directed the CB to handover the case diaries and other relevant documents pertaining to the case to CBI. Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar, Masarat Shaheen, accepted the closure report filed by CBI asserting that the parents of the missing boy were convinced with the investigation of the case. The court said as not only the court was convinced by the investigation of the case, but also the complainants were convinced with the investigation, hence the closure report presented before this court by the CBI is accepted. However, the court said the CBI can reopen the case at any point of time in case any leading information was received by the investigating agency in the future. "We are convinced with the investigation conducted by the CBI," the parents of the missing boy stated in a statement before the court. The parents admitted before the court that during investigation of the case they were asked to visit Delhi and were shown a child, but he was not their son. They said that their child had undergone circumcision but the minor who was shown to them had not undergone circumcision although he resembled with their son, adding the hair of the child did also not resemble to that of Mehran. UNI BAS ADG PM1320 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-654054.Xml People, mostly women, today took to the streets at several places in the civil lines, including busy Amira Kadal, Budshah chowk and nearby areas and blocked the main roads. Raising slogans against the government, the demonstrators were demanding immediate roll back of FSA, alleging that its implementation will deprive them of daily food. Hundreds of vehicles got stranded in the civil lines after the demonstrators blocked both important busy bridges. Traffic was also diverted through other routes because of demonstration. Security forces and state police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the demonstrators and restore traffic in the city. Later, security forces burst teargas shells at several places to disperse the demonstrators who were also pelting stones. People in the Kashmir valley are holding demonstrations almost daily against the implementation of FSA. Meanwhile, ration for the month of March could not be distributed as people at several areas locked the sale centres of Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD), demanding ration as per past practice.UNI BAS SV AS1348 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-654107.Xml YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. 64-year-old resident of Tavush regions Berkaber community, who was wounded as a result of the Azerbaijani shelling, is in stable condition, head of the Public Relations department of Erebuni Medical Center Shushan Hunanyan informed Armenpress. "The Berkaber resident was brought here with a gunshot wound. He was immediately taken to the intensive care unit. His condition is stable; he is conscious and is breathing without assistance, "Hunanyan said. She added that they will inform other details a bit later. On the evening of March 25, 64 years old Armenian citizen Norik Alikhanyan, a resident of Berkaber village, was shot and wounded near his home. Another residents agriculture suffered big losses. Resident of the Taghavard village of Artsakh, Yervand K. Pirumyan, born in 1989, engaged in agricultural activities, was also wounded as a result of the shelling. The armed forces of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh took actions at stabilizing the situation and suppressing the Azerbaijani side. The jawans moved by special buses led by Commandant Ananta Das, officials said, adding thatafter Assam election, the troopers will move to West Bengal, as the Home Ministry has asked Tripura government to send TSR troopers to Assam and West Bengal as part of the central forces. Earlier, the TSR troopers were deployed in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Nagaland and Mizoram assembly elections. The troopers also provided security during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. TSR battalions, specially trained for counter-insurgency operations, were constituted in 1984 to deal with terrorism.UNI BB KK SV GC1352 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0212-654003.Xml The Ministry of External Affairs today warned the Indian expats against continue staying in war-torn Libya and asked them to evacuate as early as possible.''We have issued advisories many times. I request you once again Please move out of the conflict zones," Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said in a series of tweets, following confirmation that an Indian nurse and her 18-month old son were killed in shelling in the city of Zawiya, 45 km from Tripoli''We have got in touch with her husband Vipin Kumar. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital. On 25 March 2016 around 4 pm Mrs Sunu Sathyan, an Indian nurse from Kerala, and her son Pranav were killed when a rocket [hit] their apartment," Ms Swaraj tweeted.The Minister said she received report from the Indian Ambassador to Libya Azar AH khan regarding the death of the 29-year-old nurse and her son in Libya. UNI PRA RJ SW 1628 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-654409.Xml :National Fish Workers Forum (NFF) chairperson M Illango today called upon fisher- women to avail Prime Minister's Mudra scheme to purchase small boats and nets for the purpose of their business. Speaking at the International Women's Day celebrations organised by the women's wing of the NFF, Net Fish among others here today, Mr.Illango said up to Rs ten lakh would be provided as loan under the Mudra scheme and all the poor fisher-women should avail this benefit .The NFF volunteers across the country should guide the poor fisherwomen to avail this loan, he pointed out. The chairperson said the NFF had organised an agitation in front of the Parliament on March 10, following which, Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh met the leaders and assured to sympathetically consider the demands of the fisherfolk. Mr Singh also informed them that the calamity relief fund for fisherfolk was enhanced to Rs.4500 from Rs.2700. As many as 15 fisherwomen leaders were felicitated in the function.UNI PAB KVV AK 1555 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-654207.Xml Talking to newspersons here, Mr Shabbir Ali said the recent incidents of violence in University of Hyderabad (UoH) and Osmania University (OU) were a clear proof that TRS Government was being remote controlled by RSS to target the students, who are opposing casteism and communalism in educational institutions. The Congress leader said BJP Government at the Centre and TRS Government in Telangana were jointly responsible for unleashing a reign of terror on students' community, especially those belonging to Dalit, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Castes and minority communities. Mr Shabbir questioned the inaction of Cyberabad Police in arresting HCU Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, despite registering a case under SC/ST Atrocities Act. "How Prof. Appa Rao was allowed to enter the university, despite the fact that he is facing a criminal case and enquiry of one-man judicial commission is pending against him?" he asked. He also objected to the indiscriminate arrest of young students, of whom, majority are aged between 19-23 years. The Congress leader also alleged that the UoH students were brutally beaten up and were shifted to different police stations in ambulance. "This is nothing but revenge against students, who challenged anti-Dalit approach of BJP and TRS Governments," he lamented.MORE UNI KNR KVV AK 1645 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-654407.Xml The incident occurred last night when Sunu Sathyan and her 18-month-old son were sleeping in their house at Sabratha city. In the explosion, the two Indians and several others were killed, according to information received by the family members. Her husband Vipin, who is also a male nurse, was away when the mishap occurred. Sunu's father Sathyan Nair sought the Kerala Government's assistance to bring the bodies. The Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said steps were being taken to bring all those Indians, who were stranded in the strife-torn regions in the country. UNI CR KVV AK 1805 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-654476.Xml Police forces were deployed on the campus following protests by students against the return to duty of UoH Vice-Chancellor, P.Appa Rao early this week. Prof Rao was forced to go on leave, following a long-drawn unrest on the campus after Dalit Research Scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide in January this year.The VC is named in Rohith's suicide. JNU students union president Kanaihya Kumar came to Hyderabad on Wednesday last to express his solidarity with the UoH students, but was barred from entering the campus. Addressing a meeting near the main gate of UoH, Mr.Kumar said that he would continue till Rohith Act was enacted to ensure justice for all. He had also met and consoled Radhikha. mother of Rohith. The UoH events also figured in the assembly today.UNI SMS KVV AK 1905 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-654668.Xml The prime object of the meeting was to increase the conviction rate and decrease the acquittal rate with the coordination of police and prosecution agency. The meeting also discussed about certain aspects like Test Identification Parades, Bail Opposes, police custody petitions. Court staff of North Zone were also present at the meeting.UNI KNR KVV AK 1910 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-654807.Xml Replying to a question raised by members in the House, Mr Chinarajappa said, of the cases registered in the state, 115 cases were taken over by CID during 2015. Investigation is nearing completion in Missamma Bunglow case in Ananthapuram and is likely to be completed by end of March , 2016, the minister added.UNI KNR KVV AK 1912 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-654810.Xml Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today said he was waiting for the report of the jail authorities in connection with the assault on anti-mining activist Ravindra Velip, who was allegedly assaulted in Sada Sub Jail, Vasco on March 23. Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said, ''I am waiting for the report of Inspector General of Police (Prison) Elvis Gomes. It would be the first step into the inquiry. I would not utter a word over it unless I get first hand report. To get to the bottom of the problem, you have to look into all aspects.'' Mr Velip, also a village panchayat member, was allegedly attacked in Sada Jail while he was in judicial custody. He was arrested on March 22 along with four other villagers when they stopped a truck while transporting of e-auctioned ore from a mining company. Their grievance was that government was constantly ignoring their demand of running truck transport of iron ore through a local co-operative society. Villagers, political parties and activists had condemned the incident and demanded a probe into the incident. Mr Velip had written a complaint to Goa chief secretary and inspector-general of Prisons wherein he had blamed the superintendent of jail, a mining group having mines in the villages in South Goa and a local BJP MLA being behind the attack by unknown persons in the jail.UNI AKM SS NP SW BL1903 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-654787.Xml Chief Minister and Trinamool congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today said CPI(M) and Congress have given up their ideologies to form an alliance. Addressing an election rally here at West Medinipur district, Ms Banerjee appealed to the people to defeat the opposition nexus to maintain peace in Jangalmahal. "Your vote will defeat the CPI(M)-Congress nexus. We must take the pledge not to bring back the days of violence under CPI(M). You must defeat them politically. I challenge my detractors to fight me politically, ideologically," she said.The Chief Minister said peace prevails in Silda, which was infamous for bloody violence once upon a time. Silda once made headlines for the massacre of EFR jawans "In 2010-11, over 400 people were killed due to violence in Jangalmahal. We have not forgotten Netai, Nandigram, Singur. Earlier people were killed and buried or thrown into Haldi river," she said. " Those who have ignored you for 34 years are now making grand speeches on TV. We have done a lot of work of for the development of Jangalmahal There is no cure for jealousy. Some people are jealous of the surge of development," Trinamool supremo said. "We have not forgotten that people ate eggs of insects in Amlashole in the past," Ms Banerjee said. ''Youths of Jangalmahal are getting jobs, they are participating in sports. Folk art is flourishing. at least 33 lakh girls have received the benefits of Kanyashree scheme. Almost 8 crore people in the State are receiving rice at Rs 2 a kg,'' Ms Banerjee added.Jangalmahal will go to polls on April 4.UNI BM RSA RK1903 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-654751.Xml YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The lawsuit on the return of the Sis Catholicosate, filed by the Great House of Cilicia, may be finalized within 5 months. As "Armenpress" reports, the lawsuit in Turkey is being handled by famous lawyer Cem Sofuoghlu, who in an interview with the editor in chief of "Zhamanak" daily Ara Gochunian, said that the Turkish Constitutional Court referred the issue to the Justice Ministry. According to Sofuoghlu, the Constitutional Court is expecting the Justice Departments view on the issue. Since any lawsuit filed in the Constitutional Court is regarded as a lawsuit against the state, the Supreme Court transfers the issue to the Ministry of Justice. According to the lawyer's forecasts, the lawsuit could reach an end during five months. As soon as the Constitutional Court receives the conclusion of the Ministry of Justice, it will be handed over to Cem Sofuoghlu. In his turn, he has to submit his approach within 2 weeks to reach a verdict. In Sofuoghlus opinion, the verdict might be issued this summer, just before the annual vacation of the justice system, or during the post-vacation period in September. The lawyer said that the fact that the Constitutional Court has sent the materials to the Ministry of Justice is very important, because "it means that the government shows serious attitude towards the cause and thoroughly discusses it. "I have to admit it is very difficult to win such a lawsuit. We worked a lot. However, as a lawyer, I opened the lawsuit in order to win, said Sofuoghlu. The team, which was granted visas on Friday, would visit the NIA headquarterson March 28 and Pathankot on March 29. According to sources, the JIT comprises of Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) AIG Rai Tahir as convener, Intelligence Bureau Lahore Deputy Director General Azim Arshad, Lt. Col Tanvir Ahmed of the ISI, Lt, Col Irfan Mirza of MI and Gujranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer. However, reports state that the team's movement would be restricted only to the area of the engagement between security forces and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said earlier that Pakistan's joint investigation team would arrive in India on March 27 and start functioning from the very next day. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said that the modalities for conducting the Pathankot attack probe would be worked out once Pakistan's joint investigation team arrives in the country. "Pakistan JIT team is coming on March 27 to probe the Pathankot terror attack. The modalities will be worked out once they arrive," Singh had told the media. On 2 January, terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, part of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force. Four terrorists were killed and two security personnel were martyred in the gun battle. (ANI) Jammu and Kashmir Police today arrested two drug peddlers, including a woman, and recovered contraband from them in Srinagar. A police spokesperson here this evening said following a specific information, police arrested two people at Khanyar in Srinagar. During checking, police recovered two kg charas from them, he said, adding the drug peddlers were identified as Ashiq Mir and Naseema. Police have registered a case and initiated investigation to nab other people involved in the drug trafficking.UNI BAS SW VN1952 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-654889.Xml The team will be allowed to the selected areas of the airbase, and examine eyewitnesses, and record statement of victims, sources here said. The five-member team, which will land here in the forenoon will first get briefing here by the National Investigation Agency for two days. It is for the first time that a team of Pakistan's intelligence and Police and military officials has been allowed to visit India. New Delhi believes that Pakistan's extremist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out the January 2 Pathankot attack in which seven Indian security jawans had lost their lives. The incident had derailed the India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary level talks. The date for the visit of the team had been decided after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Nepal.UNI NAZ RSA 2044 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-654993.Xml Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the chief ministers of all the states exhorting them to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to roll back the excise duty levied recently on non silver jewellery in the country. A few days back, the Chief Minister himself wrote to the Prime Minister requesting him to withdraw the one per cent excise levied on jewellers. The agitated jewellers have met the Chief Minister twice in connection with their demand and urged him to support them in their protest against the excise duty. Mr Kejriwal extended his cent per cent support to the stir and vehemently condemned the excise duty imposed. In his letter to the PM, the Delhi CM has said Delhi government strongly opposes the excise duty on non silver jewellery it and has requested Mr Modi to immediately withdraw it. In his letter to the CMs, Kejriwal said, ''Till now, no excise duty was imposed on the jewellers. With this step, an atmosphere of fear is prevailing in the jeweller community. I appeal to you also to stand against this decision of the government to levy excise duty on jewellers as it is not in their interest. Must write to the Centre to register your protest and I am sure that the whole of jeweller community will be highly grateful to you all.''UNI SY/AR RSA 2047 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-655008.Xml Prime Minister Modi is set to begin his three nation visit to Belgium, the United States and Saudi Arabia on March 30. The Prime Minister is beginning his trip from Belgium, from where he would depart for Washington D.C to attend the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit on March 31 and April 1. The Nuclear Security Summit process has been instrumental in focusing leaders' level attention on the global threat posed by nuclear terrorism and urgent measures required to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from gaining access to sensitive nuclear materials and technologies. From the United States, Prime Minister Modi will proceed for an official visit to Saudi Arabia on April 2 and 3. (ANI) Congress' rebel legislators in Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat which, they alleged, showed him indulging in horse-trading to save his government, prompting BJP to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention for his dismissal. The sting showed the chief minister, allegedly offering money to legislators to vote for his government in the vote of confidence mandated by Governor K.K. Paul before March 28. Releasing the video, rebel Congress lawmaker Harak Singh Rawat said that the chief minister was trying to bribe the nine rebel Congress legislators as well as few of those of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also alleged that the rebels have been receiving life threats. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had served notice to nine rebels, seeking their responses by March 26 (Saturday) on why they should not be disqualified from membership of the house under the anti-defection law for violating the party discipline and aligning with the opposition BJP. Harak Singh also said that the sting video clearly showed that the chief minister was talking of offering Rs.5 crore to each legislator to return to the party and was also heard saying "chalo maamla saste mein nipat gaya (The issue has been settled at a cheap price)". "We have expressed concern over our security to the central government as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make arrangements for us. We have also requested the governor to immediately dismiss such a corrupt government of the mafia," he added. "We have also written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee to take objection to the whole situatiom. There is a constitutional crisis in the state," he said. Soon after the sting was released, the chief minister held a press conference where he accused the journalist, who conducted the sting, of conniving with opposition parties to "destablise his government and bring a bad name to the state". The BJP and the people behind the sting operation, he charged, were "immoral and greedy". Nine Congress legislators led by Harak Singh had rebelled against the chief minister couple of weeks back when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker rejected the demand. Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 legislators. Meanwhile, a BJP delegation on Saturday met the president to seek his intervention in the Uttarakhand political crisis and demanded that Congress government be dismissed at the earliest as it has lost its majority in the state assembly. "There is no need of vote of confidence as it has already been proved by a sting operation that Rawat has been indulging in unfair means to win numbers. Uttarakhand government is already in minority and president's rule must be imposed in the state at the earliest," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting. He said this is necessary to avoid any "corrupt practice" - alluding to the horse trading charge against Chief Minister Rawat. "Even if they (Congress) prove majority in the house, it will be muder of democracy," he said, adding that the president has assured them of necessary action. Harish Rawat, however denied the charges as baseless and his Congress also backed him, accusing the BJP of releasing a fake sting and using shameful tactics of defaming the state government. "After Uttarakhand High Court's decision to dismiss the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, the BJP is now resorting to dirty politics of releasing a fake sting to defame the state government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. Former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is among the Congress rebels, however, sought imposition of president's rule in the state saying: "Rawat has lost all the moral grounds to remain in power." --Indo-Asian News Service bns/vd ( 676 Words) 2016-03-26-21:51:31 (IANS) In the maiden sentencing after the Central Bureau of Investigation assumed the reins of the inquiry into Madhya Pradesh's Professional Examination Board inconsistencies, a local court today handed down five years' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000 to a person hailing from Bhind. Special Judge Arun Kumar Verma awarded the punishment to Rahul Singh in a case relating to the Constables Recruitment Test. According to the prosecution, Rahul was supposed to appear for the related physical test at the Motilal Nehru Stadium on February 5, 2014. Scrutiny of documents revealed that signatures were not matching. On sustained questioning, the youth appearing for the test divulged that he was not Rahul but Harendra Singh. The tout involved was Bali Singh. Harendra was sentenced during the period when the probe was being conducted by the Special Task Force.UNI XC-AC RSA BL2235 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-655083.Xml In a blitz offensive, the Syrian army captured the airbase east of Palmyra on Friday, the military source said on condition of anonymity. The fresh progress came just hours after the Syrian troops backed by Russian air force and Shiite fighters, including those with Hezbollah, captured the ancient citadel of that oasis city in the eastern countryside of the central province of Homs. The city fell to the IS militants last May and the Syrian army started a broad offensive to recapture it two days ago. Local media said the IS militants withdrew from the ancient citadel of Palmyra toward the al-Amiriyeh district, adding that the terror group had tried to bring in reinforcements from its strongholds in the northern province of al-Raqqa, but the Syrian army struck the backup forces of the IS. Since capturing it last May, the terror-labeled IS group destroyed the city's notorious military prison and several Islamic tombs. The IS also put on public executions of soldiers and people accused of working for the government. Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. Syria has many prehistoric, Greek, Byzantine and Islamic heritages. Before the crisis, Syria had attracted many multinational archaeological missions coming for searching new clues of historical facts on the development of civilizations. --Indo-Asian News Service ahm/ ( 267 Words) 2016-03-26-03:47:31 (IANS) Criticising the 10-point agreement that Nepal signed with China during Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's visit to the nation, Federal Socialist Forum chairman Upendra Yadav said that there was nothing new in the same. He pressed that the 10-point agreement contained things which the Government of Nepal had already expedited in 2009. "Those who are speaking high of the new Nepal-China agreement and those who think they have achieved big things are under a wrong impression," the Himalayan Times quoted him as saying. He argued that Prime Minister Oli failed to seal new deals with China to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of hydro power, communications, transport and human resources. The Madhesi leader asserted that although China wanted to extend all possible help to Nepal but the Oli-led government was not able to seek help from Beijing. Yadav said the country would not progress if Oli failed to understand geopolitics, adding the government had failed to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours. Meanwhile, speaking on the issue of Madhesis, he said that the United Democratic Madhesi Front has asked the government to address the issues till mid-April otherwise the front would intensify its stir again. He added that the next movement would be a joint people's movement, with participation from Tarai, hill and mountain regions. "Unless the people of this country take ownership of the constitution, welcoming of our constitution by a foreign country is meaningless," he said. Highlighting that the country would not achieve the goals of prosperity as long as inclusion was not ensured, Yadav said the new Constitution failed to meet people's expectation as major political parties in haste passed the same in their attempt to hold elections for the new Prime Minister and the President. (ANI) Pakistan today complained to Iran that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was involved in its internal affairs, especially in Balochistan. Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif raised the issue with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, here on a two-day visit.A statement by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Gen Raheel called on President Rouhani to discuss matters relating to regional security and Pakistan-Iran relations.Pakistan had arrested an Indian on Thursday in Balochistan, claiming that he was trying to enter illegally in its territory and also charged him with 'subversive activities'. Local Pakistani media described the accused, identified as Kulbhushan Jadhav, as a Commander-rank officer in the Indian Navy and an officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).The Indian Ministry of External Affairs yesterday rejected the charge, saying Kulbhushan was a retired Navy officer who had no links with the Government.UNI XC RJ 1536 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-654244.Xml YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Norik Alikhanyan, the 64 year old Armenian villager who was wounded in the village of Berkaber by Azerbaijani fire, will not need surgery. As "Armenpress" reports, this was stated by the press secretary of Erebuni Medical Center Shushan Hunanyan. She noted that the patient will be transferred from the intensive care unit and will continue treatment in the department of thoracic surgery. "The condition of the patient who has been transferred to "Erebuni medical center from Tavush region is stable. The patient sustained a gunshot wound to the left upper shoulder. The soft tissue was mainly damaged, the gunshot did not penetrate. The patient also has a third rib fracture. Prior to being transferred to "Erebuni" medical center, the patient was treated in Ijevan MC and the bleeding had been stopped. In "Erebuni" medical center immediate primary processing of the wound was carried out, foreign bodies were removed, "Hunanyan said. On the evening of March 25, 64 years old Armenian citizen Norik Alikhanyan, a resident of Berkaber village, was shot and wounded near his home. Another residents agriculture suffered big losses. Resident of the Taghavard village of Artsakh, Yervand K. Firyan, born in 1989, engaged in agricultural activities, was also wounded as a result of the shelling. The armed forces of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh took actions at stabilizing the situation and suppressing the Azerbaijani side. Syrian government forces fought Islamic State fighters around Palmyra today as they pressed their offensive to recapture the desert city from Islamic State militants, state media and a monitoring group said. Syrian state television said the army, which drove Islamic State fighters out of the symbolic and strategic old citadel overlooking the west of the city on Friday, took full control of the northern district of Al-Amiriya. But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting continued in that area, adding that Islamic State militants had launched counter-attacks - including car bombings - against government forces advancing in the city. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia's intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar al-Assad's favour. Syrian army and allied militia fighters, backed by heavy Russian and Syrian air strikes, have been fighting on the edges of the city for several days. The Britain-based Observatory, which monitors the fighting through a network of sources within Syria, reported overnight fighting inside Palmyra in the neighbourhoods of Mutaqa'ideen and Al-Jami'iya. Television footage from the citadel on Saturday showed a soldier waving a Syrian national flag by the medieval castle walls, while smoke rose from a central city district. Palmyra had a population of 50,000 according to a census more than 10 years ago. Those numbers were swelled hugely by an influx of people displaced by Syria's conflict, which has raged since 2011, but most fled when Islamic State took over. Recapturing the city would open up eastern Syria, where Islamic State controls most of the Euphrates Valley provinces of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, to the army. "Our heroic forces are continuing to advance until we liberate every inch of this pure land," a soldier told state-run television in a broadcast from slopes of the citadel, which overlooks the city's monumental Roman-era ruins. In August, Islamic State fighters dynamited two ancient buildings, the temples of Bel and Baal Shamin, which had stood as cultural landmarks in Palmyra for nearly two millennia. The United Nations described their destruction as a war crime. Television footage broadcast in the last 24 hours from the edge of Palmyra has shown some of the city's structures and famed colonnades still standing, although the extent of any damage was impossible to assess. Syrian officials said last year they had moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations before the city was overrun by Islamic StateREUTERS SW AS1528 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0101-654279.Xml According to a statement issued by the airport authorities, the Zaventem airport is now "studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, and considering new security measures at Belgian airports, decided by the federal government." Zaventem airport was the first target on Tuesday, with two suicide bomb explosions in the departures hall killing 11 people. An hour later, 20 people died in the suicide bombing of a metro station, BBC reported. A team of airport engineers and technicians is being given access to the terminal building for the first time since the attack. They will assess the damage and stability of the building. The airport authorities will also install new security measures. The airport check-in area suffered severe damage when two blasts seconds apart hit opposite ends of the departures hall. Police in Belgium on Saturday continued operations to search for members of the terror cell, in particular the missing man from the airport image and a man suspected of aiding the metro attack. The two suicide bombers were identified by DNA as Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui. They were pictured in an airport CCTV image. Twelve people were arrested on Thursday and Friday in Belgium, France and Germany. --Indo-Asian News Service ksk/bg ( 239 Words) 2016-03-26-16:59:30 (IANS) Chinese ships left the port of Qingdao today to take part in naval exercises off the coast of Indonesia, China's Ministry of Defence said, a week after a dispute between the two countries over contested waters in the South China Sea.In a notice posted on its website (www.mod.gov.cn), the ministry said the Chinese navy flotilla will hold joint blue-water training and conduct disaster relief exercises with 16 nations, including Indonesia, the United States and Russia.The exercises, run by the Indonesian navy, will begin at Padang and nearby islands on April 12.Last week, Indonesia attempted to detain a Chinese trawler it accused of fishing in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, prompting the Chinese coastguard to intervene.Tensions have been rising in the South China Sea as China continues to reclaim land and stake claims over vast swathes of an important shipping corridor. Several Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the area, including Vietnam.The ministry said in a separate notice that Defence Minister Chang Wanquan was due to visit Vietnam today to participate in high-level talks.REUTERS RJ AS1549 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-654323.Xml A Burundi rebel group led by a former officer who launched an abortive coup claimed responsibility today for the killing of an army colonel this week in the capital, the group said on a Twitter account.The claim by FOREBU, which wants to topple the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza, will add to international worries that Burundi's year-long political crisis is sliding towards a full-blown conflict. More than 400 people have died so far.Lieutenant Colonel Darius Ikurakure was shot dead on Tuesday by an assassin dressed in a military uniform, the army said. Soldiers gave similar accounts and also said he was killed inside the ministry compound in the capital Bujumbura."We promised the people to defend them. We are at work. We will not stop until the mission is accomplished," FOREBU announced on a Twitter account. Journalists confirmed the account had been used for other FOREBU statements."Those who took that oath are behind the operation against Lt Col D. Ikurakure. You'll see them again soon. For, it is just the beginning," it said.It was not possible to get independent comment from members of FOREBU, who has said it is led by Godefroid Niyombare, a former intelligence chief and senior army officer behind an attempted coup in May.The government had said this week it had retrieved the weapon used in the assassination and was pursuing the killer.Burundi's crisis was sparked by Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in April last year, a move the opposition said violated the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended the nation's 1993-2005 civil war that left 300,000 dead.The government cited a court ruling saying the president could run again. Nkurunziza won a disputed election in July.Western states have cut back aid to the poor country in a bid to push the government into a serious dialogue with opponents, but regionally sponsored talks have stalled.More than 220,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, which suffered from a genocide in 1994. Like Burundi, Rwanda has an ethnic Hutu majority and Tutsi minority. REUTERS AY BL1930 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0352-654882.Xml Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today rejected the claim that the issue of Indian spy agency RAW's alleged involvement in Pakistan was discussed during his meeting with the country's leadership, Dawn News reported.President Rouhani said this while addressing a press conference in Islamabad before his return home.He was replying to a question regarding the claims made earlier by the Pakistani government about discussing the issue of RAW's involvement in Pakistan's internal affairs with the Iranian president.Mr Rouhani denied having had such a discussion and said, "Whenever Iran comes closer to Pakistan such rumours are spread."During the meetings, he said, the two sides held wide ranging discussions for cooperation in the areas of trade, economy and energy as well as the regional and international issues of mutual interest.Earlier, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan, Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, shared the text of Genl Raheel Sharif's meeting with the Iranian president."There is one concern that RAW is involved in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, and sometimes it also uses the soil of our brother country Iran," read the text of meeting shared by Lt Gen Bajwa.During the meeting with the Iranian president, Gen Raheel reportedly asked Mr Rouhani to tell them [RAW] that "they should stop these activities and allow Pakistan to achieve stability", Lt Gen Bajwa tweeted. UNI XC AT 2222 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0352-655088.Xml YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Clashes between government troops and militants of the terrorist group "Islamic state" are taking place in all districts of Palmyra, excluding the historic part of the city. As "Armenpress" reports, citing "RIA-Novosti", the Syrian army restarted the return process to Palmyra, they are moving to the center from north-west and south-east. At the same time, it became known that the soldiers of the Syrian army tore down the Islamic State flag from the old castle on a hill in Palmyra .The Syrian army burned the flag of the terrorist group. The State Agency for Protection of Monuments of Syria also hopes to resume works in Palmyra in April, when the city will be completely safe. "I think that we will start in April, when the city will be completely safe. Specialists will evaluate the situation and will assess the damage, CEO of the agency Maamun-Abdal-Karim said. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. According to the data of the Defense Army, from March 20-26 on the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh -Azerbaijani armed forces the adversary fired more than 13000 shots from different caliber weapons at Armenian positions, including 60mm and 82mm mortars, AGS-17 and RPG 7 grenade launchers, "Armenpress" was informed by the Press Service of the Nagorno Karabakh Defense Ministry. On March 26, at 07: 30-07: 40, in the south-eastern direction of the contact line, the adversary fired TR-107 artillery-missile systems, as a result of which , resident of Taghavard village Yervand K. Firian born in 1989, was wounded. The adversarys attack was suppressed by the Defense Armys punitive actions. The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Ministry strongly condemns the escalation of tensions by Azerbaijan, and declares that the entire responsibility of the consequences falls on the adversary country's political-military leadership. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish General Department of Security sent special instructions to its units, urging them to take security measures during celebrations of Easter, Armenpress reports citing Anadolu. The security department informed that special inspections will be conducted in churches and in foundations of Christian and Jewish minorities; to ensure that there is no threat. Armenian "Agos" of Istanbul contacted the Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, who said that they did not receive any written warning. After the information about the warning, the Archbishop spoke with the governor's office, where he was informed that security measures will be taken across all churches." YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. The third terrorist of the Brussels airport attacks has been found and arrested, "Armenpress" reports citing the Soir newspaper. It is believed that he was the leader and recruiter of the terrorists. "During an inspection of a vehicle near the Belgian prosecutor's office , Faisal Cheffou was located and identified as the 3rd terrorist of the March 22 Brussels airport attacks. He was recognized by the taxi driver who drove them to the airport, "the paper writes. The prosecutor's office has not yet commented on this information, at the same time, the paper claims that the police have reasons to believe that the arrested Faisal Cheffou is the man in the hat seen in the CCTV photo spread by the mass media. Earlier, identities of two suicide bombers of the March 22 Brussels airport attacks were confirmed. They were: Brahim Bakraoui (whose brother Khalid Bakraoui carried out the subway bombing on the same day) and Najim Lachraoui, but the identity of the third man, who had left the building before the explosion was still unknown. Betsey Johnson revealed last August she was going to be bicoastal, splitting her time between New York, where she's resided for several decades, and her newfound home, Malibu. But now, the designer has decided to move West permanently. "You can announce that my New York apartment is up for sale! I just decided," the always-energetic designer told Pret-a-Reporter of selling her one-bedroom apartment on 85th Street and Madison Avenue. Though she has yet to put up the listing, she said, "I have to call my girl to sell it, but yeah, it's kind of freeing." And so far, Johnson's enjoying all the sunshine SoCal has to offer, as far as we could tell on Thursday, when she hosted a pool party at Sunset Tower Hotel, where guests (Perez Hilton, Karrueche Tran and Unfriended star Renee Olstead included) were treated to a brief performance by pro synchronized swimmers the Aqualillies, as well as a variety of pop tunes spun by DJ Amy Pham. BETSEY'S BABES: Betsey Johnson with the Aqualillies (Photo: Getty Images) "I needed a major change. And when the kids decided to move we're so close, I could never," said Johnson of how it would have been too difficult to be away from daughter Lulu (who starred in the short-lived reality show XOX Betsey Johnson with her mom) and granddaughters Layla and Ella. "My family decided seriously after last winter, they said, 'I'm out of here!' " Johnson, clad in a striped dress and a belt that spelled out New York, explained of the big move. "And it's night and day: the weather, the kids being outside so much." Another perk of the designer moving to the West Coast? A chance to visit her house in Zihuatanejo, Mexico or, as she refers to it on Instagram, "Villa Betsey," where she's able to enjoy dinners by the water with a beautiful sunset as a backdrop. Not only does she have an adobe down south, but, she also revealed, "I'm opening up a little villa hotel in Mexico." (She already owns two villas in the Mexican seaside city.) Story continues But back to Malibu. If you're ever in the coastal city, don't be surprised if you bump into Johnson at one of these three restaurants she listed as her favorites: Geoffrey's, The Sunset Restaurant and Taverna Tony. Now let's all give the cartwheeling creative a big warm welcome to the West Coast, shall we? [Warning: This story contains spoilers from the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.] One memorable member of the Portakalous family has a major moment in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Angelo, the comical cousin played by Joey Fatone, comes out as gay to his family and introduces them to his partner. Though the scene in the Universal sequel is short and mostly free of dialogue, it was an important one for writer and star Nia Vardalos to include. "Our gay and lesbian brethren and sisters are 10 percent, if not more, of the population, including in my own family," she told reporters. "When my cousins came out, the love that came at them was so intense and unconditional, that I thought, 'This is just my chance to put in a little message of acceptance.'" "It's a way of showing, 'My family is your family,'" she continued. "And isn't it time that we just had this moment treated with a shrug and a smile?" Read More: How Nia Vardalos' Fight to Become a Mother Finally Led to 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' (Q&A) Before the initial table read, another castmember approached Fatone and asked what he thought of the reveal, but he had yet to read it and started to panic: "What happens? Do I die?!" he recalled. But Fatone was completely on board for Angelo's arc. "It's quite an honor to give me something like that, because not many people see the non-comedy side of me," he said, adding that he drew from the coming-out experience of one of his best friends. "It's a hard situation because you don't know what your parents are gonna say or do, and you don't want to be rejected. You love them. How do you deal with that?" Shooting the scene "was a really special moment," said director Kirk Jones, who noted that the first few takes weren't very good because Fatone "wasn't there yet, emotionally." After a break, "he just clicked in and delivered a beautiful, subtle performance." Story continues John Corbett called the move "smart" and noted that, upon watching the original 2002 film again after wrapping the sequel's shoot, "I only see Joey's character as gay now," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "With no intentions of Joey ever playing the character gay, it ties in you'll rewatch it and say, 'Of course he's gay!" Read More: 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding': THR's 2002 Review YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan will depart for the United States on March 28 to attend the Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, during which the president will also have a number of meetings. As "Armenpress" was informed by the Public Relations and Mass Media Department of the Presidential Administration, the President's US visit will start in Boston, where Serzh Sargsyan will meet the governor of Massachusetts, community leaders and members of the House of Representatives. Massachusetts Institute of Technology will host the President, where he will visit the Media Lab of the educational institution and meet with Armenian-American scientists in the "Samberg" conference center. The President is also scheduled to meet with scholars and graduates of "Luys" foundation. The President will visit the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and will meet the university administration, lecturing staff and the Armenian citizens who participate in "Tavitian" Foundations educational program. Serzh Sargsyan will give a lecture at the Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where he will meet with students and the universitys administration. The President is scheduled to visit Watertown, which is populated by many Armenians. Serzh Sargsyan will be hosted by the Armenian Library and Museum of America, will meet with the Armenian community and visit local Armenian centers and churches, as well as the "Armenian Heritage Park", where he will pay tribute to the Armenian Genocide victims. La Paz (AFP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said his country has decided to file suit against Chile at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a water dispute. Bolivia argues it owns the Silala spring waters originating in its southwest department of Potosi and that it is not being compensated for Chile's use of the water, which flow across their shared border. Chile, however, argues that the waters constitute an international river. "We have decided as a pacifist country to go to The Hague so that Chile respects our water in Silala," Morales said at a public event. Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz said Saturday his country would file a counterclaim if Bolivia goes forward with the suit. "If a suit materializes regarding use of the water from the Silala River at any time, Chile will file a counterclaim against Bolivia to safeguard our interests," Munoz said. The move would mark the second legal action taken by Bolivia against Chile at the Netherlands-based court that oversees disputes between countries. Last year, the ICJ agreed to take up a century-old dispute between the two nations in which La Paz is seeking to regain its former access to the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia became landlocked after losing a four-year war against Chile at the end of the 19th century, forfeiting territory and its access to the sea. After a number of fruitless negotiations with Santiago over the issue, La Paz lodged a complaint to the ICJ in April 2013. Belgiums prime minister was contrite after the Islamic States deadly attack on one of worlds most important cities. We have to do more, Prime Minister Charles Michel said, and we have to do better. Those comments were made in November 2015 after ISIS, as the Islamic State is also known, attacked multiple locations in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding scores of others. On Tuesday, Michel made similar remarks after ISIS struck Brussels, killing more than 30 people and wounding 300 others. What we feared has happened, he said. We were hit by blind attacks. The terrorist groups strike at the heart of EuropeBrussels is both the Belgian capital and where the EU has its headquartersshowcases not only its ability to conceive, plan, and execute attacks outside the Middle East, but also highlights the intelligence failures that allowed ISIS to carry out attacks in two European cities four months and 200 miles apart. Recommended: What ISIS Really Wants There were warning signsseveral of thembefore the Brussels attacks: Belgium has long been known as Europes hub for Islamist radicals. More Belgians have joined ISIS as a proportion of the population than have people from any other Western country. Many of the Paris attackers were Belgian nationals or residents. One particular Brussels neighborhood, Molenbeek, has come under scrutiny from counterterrorism officials as well as the media as the epicenter of Belgian jihadism. Another, Schaerbeek, where police raids in the aftermath of Tuesdays attacks were carried out, will likely face similar scrutiny soon. Europol, the EUs police agency, warned as far back as January that ISIS special forces had planned to target European cities in attacks like those on Mumbai, India, in 2008. But in the aftermath of Tuesdays attacks there appear to have been as many opportunities missed by Belgian intelligence agencies as there were chances to stop the carnage. Belgian officials have not explicitly connected the Brussels and Paris attacks, but there are enough commonalitiesincluding the attackers activities in Brussels itself and the name of Najim Laachraoui, who authorities say was one of the suicide bombers that struck Brussels airport and who they say made suicide vests used in the Paris attacks. These commonalities indicate that had Paris been prevented, or its alleged logistical mastermind, Salah Abdeslam, caught sooner than last Friday, then an examination of the intelligence missteps that led to Tuesdays events in Brussels may have been unnecessary. Story continues Recommended: Was There Another Way With Cuba? Although it might be temptingand uncharitableto attribute the attacks to Belgians love of eating chocolate and enjoying life and looking like great democrats and liberals, as one Israeli minister did, Tuesdays attacks point to a far more systemic problem. Europes intelligence serviceswith the exception of Britains and to some extent Franceshave long been viewed skeptically by their counterparts elsewhere. Of these, Belgium is seen to have one of the weakest. There are several reasons for this. Belgium, which my colleague David Graham described as a fragile artificial creation, riven between French- and Flemish-speaking citizens, not unlike the Middle East, has been described as a nation without a state. And like the Middle Eastand unlike the Europe in which it sitsillegal weapons are readily available, a legacy of the conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s. Belgium has a weak central government and several powerful local municipal entities that are often at odds with one other. This spawns a gigantic bureaucracy. The Brussels area, where 1 million people live, is governed by 19 municipalities and is served by six police forces, each of which answers to a different mayor. Their actions are often hampered by rules such as no police raids between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.rules that could politely be called comical. The case of the Abdeslam brothers is a case in point. Theyd been on the radar of at least one Belgian intelligence service as far back as July 2014. Another Belgian intelligence service, however, said it became aware of them only in January 2015six months later. The brothers were among the terrorists who struck Paris on November 13, 2015, and one of them, Salah Abdeslam, is believed to have been the only survivor. Abdeslam spent the next few months on the run. Belgian authorities came close to capturing him once, two days after the Paris attacks, but couldnt raid the apartment in Molenbeek in which he was believed to be holed up because of the restrictions on when police can carry out raids. By the time they made it to the apartment, Abdeslam was gone. When he was eventually captured last Friday, four months later, hed been hiding under everybodys noses: in Molenbeek. Recommended: Photos of the Week: 3/19-3/25 After the Paris attacks, Committee P, a government agency that serves as the police watchdog, identified several deficiencies and weaknesses in how authorities handled information on the Paris attackers. RTBF, the Belgian state broadcaster, reported that the watchdog cited several reasons for the failure, including technological ones. Certain IT problems were not resolved, it said, according to RTBF, and the watchdog criticized a lack of qualified personnel. Another issue was one of information-sharing: a nom de guerre used by one of the Paris attackers featured in several Belgian police databases, but not in the central one, the watchdog said. Then there are more mundanebut possibly more seriousproblems, including misspelled names in terrorism databases that prevent efficient information-sharing not only in Belgium, but across the EU. All of which leads to Tuesday and Brussels. The Belgian federal prosecutor confirmed Friday what Belgian media had reported earlier this week: that Najim Laachraoui was one of the suicide bombers at Brussels airport. Laachraoui, a Belgian, was an associate of Abdeslam and is believed to have made suicide vests used in the Paris attacks. His DNA, and Abdeslams fingerprint, was found in a Brussels apartment in December. Belgian authorities asked the public for information about Laachraoui after Abdeslams arrest last Friday. It was too late. On Tuesday, he, along with another suicide bomber, blew himself up at Zaventem airport. There appear to have been both general and specific warnings about the threat to Brussels itself. Haaretz reported that Belgian security services knew the airport would be targeted. On Wednesday, a Turkish official said Turkey had deported Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, who Belgian authorities say attacked the airport along with Laachraoui, to the Netherlands last year and had warned that he was a foreign fighter captured on Turkeys border with Syria. Nevertheless, el-Bakraoui was released. So far, no one has lost his or her job. Justice Minister Koen Geens and Interior Minister Jan Jambon both turned in their resignations this week, but the prime minister declined their offers. When asked who was to blame, Geens said: It is clear it is not one single person, but it is true that we could have expected from Ankara or Istanbul a more diligent communication, we think, that perhaps could have avoided certain things. And he added: Our own services should perhaps have been more critical about the place where the person had been detained. When someone is arrested there in a city few people know, it is clear enough for insiders that it could be a terrorist. Here, though, he was not known as a terrorist. It is the only moment we could have linked him to it. And that moment, perhaps, we missed. That missed momentand the ones that preceded itproved costly. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. In case you missed it the first time, the 12-part series Landmark Cases about the Supreme Court is re-airing on C-SPAN in prime time. landmrkcases Landmark Cases explores the human stories and constitutional dramas behind some of the most significant and frequently cited decisions in the Supreme Courts history. This 12-part series delves into cases that represent some of the tipping points in our nations story and in our evolving understanding of rights in America. These cases include the first major Supreme Court decision, Marbury v. Madison, and concludes with a look at Roe v. Wade. Produced in cooperation with the National Constitution Center, the 90-minute programs will air each night on C-SPAN at 10 p.m. ET, from Monday, March 28 to Saturday, April 2 and Monday, April 4 until Saturday, April 9, 2016. Here is a complete list of air times. For more information, go to http://landmarkcases.c-span.org/ Monday, March 28 10 pm Landmark Cases: Marbury v. Madison (10/5/15) Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the Constitution as the supreme law of the United States, asserting the Courts power of judicial review. The Supreme Court found that federal courts have the power to invalidate acts of other branches of government when they violate the Constitution. Tuesday, March 29 10pm Landmark Cases: Scott v. Sandford (10/12/15) Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) denied blacks citizenship under the Constitution and invalidated the Missouri Compromise, Congress effort to balance slave and free states. Wednesday, March 30 10pm Landmark Cases: The Slaughter-House Cases (10/19/15) The Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) limited the privileges and immunities of U.S. citizenship guaranteed by the newly enacted Fourteenth Amendment. Thursday, March 31 10pm Landmark Cases: Lochner v. New York (10/26/15) Lochner v. New York (1905) is the namesake case of the Lochner Era, in which the Court struck down many state and federal regulations on working conditions. Story continues Friday, April 1 10pm Landmark Cases: Schenck v. United States (11/2/15) Schenck v. United States (1919) helped define the limits of the First Amendment right to free speech, particularly during wartime. It created the clear and present danger standard, which explains when the consequences of speech allow the government to limit it. Saturday, April 2 10pm Landmark Cases: Korematsu v. United States (11/9/15) In Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 vote, upheld the governments forceful removal of 120,000 people of Japanese descent, 70,000 of them U.S. citizens, from their homes on the West Coast to internment camps in remote areas of western and mid-western states during World War II. Monday, April 4 10pm Landmark Cases: Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (11/16/15) Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company v. Sawyer (1952) significantly curbed executive power when the Court overturned President Trumans seizure of steel mills during the Korean War. Tuesday, April 5 10pm C-SPAN2 Landmark Cases: Brown v. Board of Education (11/23/15) Brown v. Board of Education (1954) struck down the doctrine of separate but equal established by the earlier Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson. In Brown, the Court ruled racial segregation in public schools inherently unequal and unconstitutional based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Wednesday, April 6 10pm Landmark Cases: Mapp. v. Ohio (11/30/15) Mapp v. Ohio (1961) strengthened the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, making it illegal for evidence obtained without a warrant to be used in a criminal trial in state court. Thursday, April 7 10pm Landmark Cases: Baker v. Carr (12/7/15) Baker v. Carr (1962) established the right of federal courts to review redistricting issues, which had previously been termed political questions outside the courts jurisdiction. Friday, April 8 10pm Landmark Cases: Miranda v. Arizona (12/14/15) Miranda v. Arizona (1966) gave rise to the Miranda warning now issued upon arrest after the Court ruled 5-4 that suspects must be informed of their rights before they are questioned. Saturday, April 9 10pm Landmark Cases: Roe v. Wade (12/21/15) Roe v. Wade (1973) determined that a womans right to have an abortion is protected under the Fourteenth Amendment right to privacy established by the previous Supreme Court case Connecticut v. Griswold. The Court ruled, however, that this right is not absolute; states can restrict an abortion based on the viability of the fetus. YouTube, UNPACU Well, that was fast. On Tuesday, President Obama addressed Cubans about the importance of human rights and peaceful dialogue. On Thursday, pro-democracy demonstrators in Havana were beaten and arrested by Cuban police agents just steps away from where Obama had spoken. The demonstration occurred three blocks from the Grand Theater of Havana, where Obama spoke live to the Cuban nation, and was swiftly broken up by plainclothes officers, who attacked demonstrators violently and then stuffed those they had captured into police cars and swept them away within moments. This reporter witnessed the brutal arrests of two demonstrators during the midafternoon eruption of public dissent in one of the most public forums in the city. According to witnesses, a small group of demonstrators had entered a park on San Rafael Street, the most popular of Havanas newly opened Wi-Fi hotspots, where hundreds of people were busily connecting to the Internet or placing international calls over VOIP services. It is unclear how many participated in the demonstration or were arrested; attracted by a loud, angry crowd that had formed on one of the citys principal avenues and was filming the arrests, I arrived on the scene too late to see the original incident but witnessed part of the aggressive police response. As hundreds of Cubans flooded into the park, perhaps more than 60 raised their cellphones and recorded a rough, even vengeful series of arrests. One protester I witnessed appeared to be running away from the police response as muscular men in guayabera shirts chased him down, pinned him to the ground and then punched him repeatedly in front of hundreds of their fellow citizens as well as foreign tourists and this reporter. Story continues A female demonstrator was dragged to a police car and quickly removed from the scene, although a large crowd appeared to pursue the police car for more than a block, filming the arrest. They were shouting pro-Obama slogans and saying things like Down with Fidel, said an Australian tourist who was standing on San Rafael Street when the incident began. He described a curious but passive crowd gathering around a small group of active demonstrators, who marched toward the Grand Theater, scene of Obamas unprecedented live address to the Cuban nation. Protesters handed out small pamphlets a little bigger than a dollar bill, the Australian witness said before police agents swept in. The papers were cleaned off the street as quickly as the demonstrators were. Obamas speech was a rare interruption of Cubas state-run monopoly on public discourse. The presidents remarks were broadcast live across the country and, by agreement with U.S. negotiators, reprinted in their entirety in the Communist Party newspaper Granma, the islands only daily. Obamas nuanced remarks were simultaneously designed to avoid antagonizing the Cuban government while sending a clear message that the United States supports multiparty democracy and open debate on the island. Protesters appear to have taken that message to heart, using some version of a slogan that one witness described as Obama si, Castro no. The sight of dozens of cellphones raised overhead to record the incident and the police response did not deter officers. According to Elizardo Sanchez of the Cuban Human Rights and Reconciliation Commission, Cuban police have been retrained in recent years to use less visible tactics when responding to dissent, including physically isolating and gently removing demonstrators. None of that was visible on Thursday. Plainclothes officers punched and kicked a defenseless man who had already been pinned to the ground by another officer; screams could be heard as another demonstrator was dragged into a police car that accelerated dangerously in the crowded street. Watch out, a tall, powerfully built Cuban man shouted to people around him. There are more police than not in this park. He was referring to plainclothes officers who often monitor public gatherings in Cuba. Moments later, at least six Cuban police cars roared to a stop at the park, disgorging uniformed officers whose presence rapidly reestablished a sense of order. The number of Cubans watching quickly fell by half. Many Cubans have been unwilling in the past to express direct political opinions in the face of police enforcement and government demands to conform to a predetermined political agenda. But many remained on the scene, filming with their phones even as the area returned to normal. There are no secrets anymore, said Reinaldo Escobar, an anti-government dissident and publisher at 14 y Medio, an independent online newspaper for Cubans. In an interview later, Escobar said he had not heard of the afternoon demonstration on San Rafael Street, but he reported a separate incident in the morning in which pro-democracy activists had been arrested on the steps of Cubas capitol. This isnt about a dialogue between Obama and the Cuban government, said Rosa Maria Paya, another prominent activist who has pushed for a plebiscite on President Raul Castros rule over the island. We need a dialogue between the Cuban people and the regime. Paya added that, whatever slogans or pamphlets the protesters had offered, When they say 'Obama si, Castro no, what they are really saying is 'Democracy si, Totalitarianism no. An American tourist on San Rafael Street had a different, perhaps more partisan, take on the scene that had just unfolded. If they are cheering Obama, he suggested, obviously they dont know him. Donald Trump may have declared debate season to be over, but he has agreed to another town hall, this one hosted by Chris Matthews on MSNBC at 8 PM Wednesday, March 30. Matthews will put questions to the GOP front-runner, as will voters in Green Bay, WI, where the town hall will be set. With 42 delegates on the line in the April 5 primary, Wisconsin is a critical test for Trump, who needs to secure 1,237 delegates to seal the deal on the partys nomination. MSNBC has hosted 10 previous town halls with Republican and Democratic presidential candidates this campaign season including Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Martin OMalley. Trump declared he was done with debates after the RNC had tried to schedule another one for this past Monday on Fox News Channel. FNC had to cancel after Kasich said he too would decline if Trump was a no-show. RelatedDonald Trump Rips Lindsey Grahams Daily Show High Jinks I think weve had enough debates, Trump said at a news conference about a week before that debate was scheduled. I mean, how many times do you have to give the same answer to the same question? Trump said at that news conference, announcing hed snagged Ben Carsons endorsement. Trumps chief rival, Ted Cruz has suggested Trumps afraid to debate him again and challenged Fox News Channels Bill OReilly to convince his pal Trump to another debate, which OReilly would moderate. Related stories MSNBC "Candidate Event" To Feature All Presidential Hopefuls But Ted Cruz TV News Caught In Donald Trump Vs Ted Cruz National Enquirer Crossfire Keith Olbermann Talks Trump, Announces Availability On 'The View' Gibraltar (AFP) - It's early morning and the sun shines down on a line of cars in southern Spain waiting to cross into Britain... or rather its overseas territory Gibraltar where a potential Brexit has set alarm bells clanging. Miles away from the debate gripping Britain over whether to leave or stay in the European Union, this rocky outcrop of 33,000 residents where fish and chips and double-decker buses are a fixture is nevertheless eyeing June's upcoming referendum with increasing alarm. At stakes are a thriving services-based economy that relies in large part on access to the EU's single market, and a sovereignty spat with Spain it believes threatens its only land access to the continent. "I'm very concerned that it would mean that our current economic model would not be sustainable," says Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, sitting in a white government building in the city centre. - Flashpoint - The territory -- half the size of London's smallest borough of Kensington and Chelsea -- relies on tourism, financial services, online gaming and shipping services for its economy, which grew an estimated 10.3 percent in the last financial year. Part of the attraction for foreign investors lies in its low-tax regime. But Gibraltar's EU membership also allows firms approved to operate there to do business in any other nation of the bloc without having to re-apply for permission. The combination has proved attractive to investment, insurance firms and others in the financial services sector, which represents around 20 percent of Gibraltar's economy. "One of the reasons why companies are here is their ability to sell their services throughout the EU... and that reason for being in Gibraltar will be taken away," says Picardo. Not far from his government building, crowds throng a main street lined with shops, including the quintessentially British Marks & Spencer. Nearby, tourists take pictures at a red phone box, just some of the millions who visit every year to get a taste of this seaside, sun-baked corner of Britain. Story continues A large majority of visitors come across the small land border -- a long-time flashpoint in the row between Gibraltar and Spain, which has wanted the Rock back ever since it had to cede the territory to Britain in 1713. Spain's dictator Francisco Franco went as far as closing the crossing in 1969, all but stranding inhabitants who had to rely on air and boat links until it was fully re-opened in 1985. Relations have ebbed and flowed since, but the past four years have seen a regain in tension under Spain's conservative government, which apart from sovereignty claims also bristles at tobacco smuggling across the border and accuses Gibraltar of being a corporate tax haven. - 'Desperate' - In one particularly belligerent row over disputed waters, Spanish authorities upped border checks in 2013, creating hours-long logjams and forcing the European Commission to wade in and ease the crisis. Many fear this could happen again if Gibraltar loses its EU status. "Half or more of the clients we have are people who cross the frontier," says Isaac Batista, who works at a liquor store on the main street, where cigarettes and alcohol are far cheaper than in Spain. "If the border closes, it's going to be very different," he adds, not just for retailers but also for the 10,000 people who make the crossing daily from Spain to work. People like Manuel Marquez, an employee at a factory in Gibraltar's port who rides his scooter to the Rock every day from the border town of La Linea de la Concepcion with his wife Maria-Carmen, a cleaner. The 57-year-old recalls how he sometimes had to wait up to nine hours to go home after a full day's work during the 2013 logjams. His exasperation boiled over into protests and cost him two separate fines. "I was desperate... We were thousands of people working here, suffering," he says, sitting at a fast-food joint on the Spanish side of the frontier -- Gibraltar's large rock ever present in the background. The spectre of Franco's border closure also hangs over many families who are divided between Spain and Gibraltar. At the time, Marquez lived in the Rock. When he found out his father had died, he tried to cross via the sea, failed and jumped the border fence instead. "I just didn't know what to do," he explains. He was promptly detained by Spanish police, who allowed him to go see his family before sending him back to Gibraltar via Morocco. But for Juan Franco, Mayor of La Linea, the real concern would be Brexit's impact on Gibraltar's economy. Unemployment in his 72,000-strong city stands at 40 percent, one of the worst-hit places in Spain, and the majority of those who work do so over the border. "If Gibraltar stopped to generate work, it would be a real problem for our city," he says. YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev will visit Armenia to attend the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, Armenpress reports the official website of the RF Government informed. Talks with the Armenian leadership will focus on the status and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic, investment, energy, industrial, cultural and humanitarian areas, among others. A number of intergovernmental and interagency documents are due to be signed, reads the statement issued by the Government of Russia. On 8 April, the Russian Prime Minister will attend a session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan. The agenda includes the priority goals of deepening Eurasian economic integration. The Hague (AFP) - The former prosecutorial spokeswoman for the Yugoslav war crimes court, convicted in 2009 on contempt charges, was being held under "suicide watch conditions" at the tribunal's detention unit, her lawyer said Saturday as efforts continued to get her released. French national Florence Hartmann, who was sentenced on appeal to seven days in prison in 2009 after writing a book containing confidential court details, was dramatically grabbed Thursday at the tribunal's entrance as she tried to get in to hear the landmark verdict against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Hartmann's lawyer Guenael Mettraux told AFP his client was being held separate from other detainees, "under suicide watch conditions, meaning with light in her cell 24-hours a day and that she is being checked on every 15 minutes by the guards." "She is isolated from other detainees and so far has only been visited by the French consul," he said. "I have filed applications yesterday (Friday) including one for her conditions of detention to be urgently modified as these measures are totally unnecessary, unjustified and disproportionate," Mettraux said. Hartmann, a former Balkans correspondent for the French daily Le Monde, was grabbed by blue-shirted UN guards in front of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia's (ICTY) entrance, where she once worked as the spokeswoman for former prosecutor Carla Del Ponte between 2000-2006. She had been prosecuted in 2007 for revealing details of two confidential appeals chamber decisions in a book published that year. The data, which emerged during the trial of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, allegedly implicated the Serbian state in the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, Bosnia. In 2009, Hartmann was initially fined 7,000 euros ($7,800) for contempt for disclosing confidential information in her book "Paix et Chatiment" (Peace and Punishment). Story continues In 2011, after Hartmann had not paid the fine, ICTY judges sentenced her to seven days in jail. The court asked French authorities to arrest her, which the French foreign ministry refused to do. Mettraux said Saturday he has also asked "for her early release, a course of action even extended to war criminals convicted by the court, who are released after serving two-thirds of their sentence... she should be entitled to the same." He added that he did not expect any reaction from The Hague-based UN tribunal, set up in 1993 to try those accused of atrocities during the 1990s Balkan wars, as it was closed for the Easter weekend public holidays. "We expect to know more on Tuesday," he said. The ICTY could not immediately be reached for comment. ICTY war crimes judges Thursday sentenced Karadzic to 40 years in jail for his role in Bosnia's 1992-95 war that killed some 100,000 people and left 2.2 million others homeless. This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.com A day after his unexpected death, PEOPLE has learned that Garry Shandling collapsed as he called for help. Assistant L.A. County Chief Coroner Ed Winter told PEOPLE that Shandling, 66, called 911 himself before collapsing and being taken to St. Johns in Santa Monica, California, where he died Thursday. (Its been reported that the comedian suffered a heart attack at his home, though Winter said the investigation remains ongoing.) Winter also revealed that Shandling does not yet have a death certificate: Theres no doctor to sign the death certificate and we are looking into it. Thats all I can say at this time. Since Shandlings death, tributes to The Larry Sanders Show and Its Garry Shandlings Show star have been pouring in from friends and fellow comedians. Sunday, my longtime friend Garry Shandling was here, making every1 laugh, tweeted Kathy Griffin, whod just spent time with Shandling and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk this past weekend. She continued, I loved him. Ill miss our talks the most, and Odenkirk added, I cant believe this. Very sad to say goodbye so abruptly. Conan OBrien also dedicated his Conan monologue to Shandling on Thursday night, saying, He was a masterful writer, a performer who went on to create incredibly groundbreaking comedy show that inspired an entire generation of comedians, myself included. Idomeni (Greece) (AFP) - Greece said Saturday it has begun emptying the main migrant camp on its border with Macedonia, as the huge tide of refugees flooding into the country slows to a trickle following the EU-Turkey deal. Eight buses transported around 400 refugees from the Idomeni camp Friday, while another three buses left on Saturday, taking them to other camps set up in northern Greece, local police said. Those persuaded to board the first buses were mainly parents with children who can no longer tolerate the difficult conditions in the squalid camp. Janger Hassan, 29, from Iraqi Kurdistan, who has been at the Idomeni camp for a month with his wife and two young children, said he will probably leave too. "Theres nothing to do here. The children are getting sick. Its a bad situation, the last two days its windy, sometimes its raining here," he told AFP. "We don't have a choice. We have to move." But some are still holding out at Idomeni. "People who have no hope or have no money, maybe they will go," said 40-year-old Fatema Ahmed from Iraq, who has a 13-year-old son in Germany and three daughters with her in the camp. "But I have hope, maybe something better will happen tomorrow, maybe today," she added. On Saturday, inside one of the soaking tents of the camp, a 24-year-old woman travelling from Kobani with her two little girls, gave birth to another baby girl. According to Athens News Agency, the woman was helped by the charity Doctors of the World during her labour that lasted just half-an-hour and was then taken to a hospital with her baby. A total of around 11,600 people remained at the sprawling border camp on Saturday, according to the latest official count. Giorgos Kyritsis, spokesman of the SOMP agency which is coordinating Athens' response to the refugee crisis, said the operation to evacuate Idomeni will intensify from Monday. "More than 2,000 places can be found immediately for the refugees that are at the Idomeni camp and from Monday on this number can double," Kyritsis said, pledging to create 30,000 more places in the next three weeks in new shelters. Story continues - Influx slowing - Meanwhile, the flow of refugees arriving in Greece has been slowing dramatically. Greece on Thursday said no migrants had arrived on its Aegean islands in the previous 24 hours, for the first time since the controversial EU-Turkey deal, under which all migrants landing on the Greek islands face being sent back to Turkey, went into effect on Sunday. Before the deal the numbers arriving each day had numbered in the thousands. On Monday, 1,662 people arrived, but this fell to 600 on Tuesday and 260 on Wednesday. By Friday the number of new arrivals was 161, then down to 78 on Saturday, according to official figures given by the Greek government, while the total number of migrants in Greece stood at 50,236. Greek authorities have used the relative calm to put in place logistics to send people back to Turkey, including the deployment of 4,000 security personnel and asylum experts. All new arrivals in Greece are being taken to registration centres set up on five Aegean islands. Those seeking asylum will stay there while their applications are considered by Greek and European officials. Meanwhile Greek authorities said Saturday at least six foreign nationals were arrested during an operation on the island of Kos in an effort to dismantle a network selling counterfeit documents to refugees and migrants. During home raids, Greek police seized personal computers, cameras, numerous documents, mobile phones and SIM cards. Refugees are also trying their luck on the Greek-Albanian border. Albanian police arrested on Saturday seven Syrian refugees who had entered Albania from Greece, who police then said they sent back, Athens News Agency reported. Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, who has been in Athens this week for talks with his Greek counterpart, had pledged Albania's help "despite its modest financial resources." Hugh Jackman isnt just a superhero on-screen he just proved hes also heroic in real life. The Wolverine star saved his 15-year-old son, Oscar, and other beachgoers from a dangerous surf at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday. WATCH: Ryan Reynolds Interviewing Hugh Jackman Is Too Much Hotness to Handle According to a report from Australias 9 News, the 47-year-old actor helped his son escape the intense rip tide, then waved down others in the water including his 10-year-old daughter, Ava signaling them to make their way to shore. The local news station obtained footage of Jackman in action, where he can be seen grabbing onto the arm of a man who was later identified as Peter Adam. I was assisting [Jackman] to get his daughter up to the sandbar, Adam explained. He then grabbed my hand to [help] get us [both] up. Following the rescue, Bondi Beach was said to be shut down due to the harsh conditions, and Jackman was reportedly too shaken up to speak to media on location following the drama. ET has reached out to Jackman for comment. PHOTOS: Hugh Jackman Posts About Latest Cancer Scare The actor was previously traveling to promote his latest film, Eddie the Eagle, and had returned to his native Australia just one day earlier. In less scary news, Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, are celebrating 20 years of marriage next month. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Jackman revealed that after all this time, their relationship just keeps getting better and better. Hear more in the video below. Related Articles An Indiana mother of three who vanished without a trace in 1974 has been found alive in Texas. Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller was 28 when she signed away her parental rights to her three children, including a newborn, over to her parents. A letter her parents received was postmarked from Richmond, Indiana in 1975 and was the last time they heard from Gillespie-Miller. Gillespie-Miller thought she was too young for motherhood, she reportedly told her parents. For the next four decades, she was a missing person in the state of Indiana. According to the Indiana State Police, that all changed after Detective Sergeant Scott Jarvis took the case in January 2014. The Doe Network, a group that assists families with missing persons investigations, initially contacted ISP about Gillespie-Miller. Read: Family of Kentucky Couple Missing in Brussels Were Mistakenly Told They'd Been Found Gillespie-Miller began his search in Richmond, where he discovered a case of a Jane Doe whose body was buried in an unmarked grave in the Indiana town. The detective took a sample of Gillespie-Miller's daughter's DNA to compare to her missing mother's and potentially determine whether the buried body was hers. While awaiting the DNA test results, police said Jarvis' investigation took him in some new directions. He began to following the trail of a woman with similarities to Gillespie-Miller who had lived in Tennessee in the 1980s, then moved to Texas. That trail led to a woman who'd been living in a small Texas town since the 1990's, possibly under an alias. Read: Family On Edge As American Couple Still Unaccounted For in Belgium After this past Thursday, Jarvis would no longer need the DNA results after Texas Rangers the detective asked to visit the woman in Texas made contact. Police say the woman admitted to them that she is, indeed, Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller. She is now 69 years old. Gillespie-Miller has committed no crime, police say. Authorities will not reveal exactly where she now resides because she also retains her right to anonymity. Story continues However, she gave police permission to give her daughter Tammy Miller her address so the two might soon reconnect. However, Tammy told PEOPLE that's simply not going to happen. "I'm angry," Miller, 45, said in her first extensive interview. "This isn't going to be one of those happy, made-for-TV movies." Watch: Teen Sisters Found Alive a Year After Missing, Family Friend Arrested Related Articles: Tehran (AFP) - Iran on Saturday denied supporting cyber attacks against the United States after a New York court indicted seven Iranians over hacking dozens of American banks and a major dam. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had dangerous cyber actions on its agenda and does not support such measures," Hossein Jaber Ansari, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The United States on Thursday announced computer hacking charges against seven Iranians who it said worked for firms linked to the Iranian government, accusing them of infiltrating nearly 50 banks and financial institutions, as well as a major New York dam. The announcement comes after a nuclear agreement last year between Iran, the United States and five other major powers raised hopes for better relations between Tehran and Washington. In a standoff that lasted more than a decade, the US and the European Union imposed sanctions in a bid to stymie Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and ensure a bomb was out of reach. Iran persistently denied seeking atomic weapons. The United States and Israel allegedly attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in 2010 with a computer virus called Stuxnet, although neither government has acknowledged it. The virus, which temporarily hobbled Iran's nuclear refining facilities, was believed to be the first programme designed not just to steal information or hijack computers, but to damage equipment. "The United States, which with its cyber attacks against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities put millions of innocent Iranians at the risk of a environmental disaster is in no position to accuse citizens of other countries, including those of Iran," Ansari said. Rome (AFP) - The "crossing season" for migrant boats from Libya to Italy has not yet begun, yet arrivals are already up on last year's count, raising questions about where the new wave of tens of thousands will be housed. Amid unseasonably fine weather and calm seas, warnings have been sounded in recent days over the number of migrants in Libya ready to attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing -- 500,000 according to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, while French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian puts it closer to 800,000. "In 2016, we risk having to manage a greater number of migrants than in 2015. We can pretend it's not true, but it is," said Giuseppe Sala, running as the centre-left candidate for Milan mayor. The Italian Interior Ministry has so far registered 13,829 arrivals this year, compared with 10,075 in the same period in 2015, but it is unclear whether this marks a real increase in numbers or just an early start on movement usually seen in April. According to Mussie Zerai, an Eritrean priest who has become a reference point for migrants in distress, there are currently "tens of thousands" of migrants waiting to disembark from Libya -- actually fewer than last year. However, there are also a large number of Eritreans in camps in Sudan, readying for the journey. Waiting for them in open sea is a veritable armada: Italy's navy and coast guard, ships with the European anti-people trafficking operation Sophia and Frontex border control vessels. They work tirelessly to prevent shipwrecks and avoid disasters like the ones that saw 1,200 people drown over a few days in April last year. Once picked up, the migrants are ferried to "hotspot" processing centres on the islands of Lampedusa and Sicily and in southern Italy. The problem lies in what happens next: in 2014, only 37 percent of the 170,000 arrivals applied for asylum. In 2015, that number rose to 56 percent of the 153,000 newcomers. Many of the rest will have travelled to northern Europe. Story continues - System overload - But with the EU's distribution system for refugees not working and the closing of borders in countries along migrant routes, Italy may be forced to hold on to the majority of people landing on its shores. Closure of the Balkan route could even see diversions to southern Italy instead of Greece, increasing numbers further. Italy has been forced to rapidly expand its reception centre facilities: in March 2014, it was hosting 29,000 asylum seekers; by 2015 the number had risen to 67,000, and by this March 106,000. There are currently 8,000 people in centres run by the state, 20,000 in local council-run centres and 78,000 in temporary centres run out of hotels or similar buildings by private entities which receive government funding. Would-be refugees are often housed in the centres for up to 18 months while they apply for asylum and file appeals to rejections -- meaning they are unable to free up space for fresh arrivals. The interior ministry declined to comment on what plans the government has to shore up an overburdened system. "Italy has a widespread system of emergency structures supported by the regions. Reconverted hotels, former schools... we will continue to find places," Flavio di Giacomo, Italy spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told AFP. The pressure has forced authorities to get creative. In Milan, a village of prefabricated houses, built for the security team behind last year's Universal Exhibition, was chosen to shelter migrants. However an outcry from right-wing protesters has forced the authorities to find a fresh alternative. Claudio Palomba, chairman of Italy's union of prefects, or local administrators, said that "tenders have been launched across the country for new places in reception facilities. Even in areas where local officials are opposed, my colleagues find solutions." Mother tells me I cried all night and nothing they did could make me go back to sleep. They thought I was going to die that night. And so I was introduced to life on planet earth. My mother tells me I had a pretty typical childhood. I was born in the former Kundiawa General Hospital and a day later spent the night in Sikewake, near there. The life I have now today really when I started school. But I had an earlier life which I can only recollect in patches. My parents were illiterate and were unable to write any of my story, or even have photos of my early life. Now, of course, I do have photos of school, college, and university life. I CAN best tell my story by presenting it in sketches. Not that it is a glamorous or significant story, its been ordinary; yet, to me, quite spectacular! For a brief period, I succumbed to all sorts of minor ailments and frequently visited the nearby Koge Health Centre with my mother. It was an accumulation of the penicillin from injections that caused a deep-burrowing sore on my right hip. The sore caused my young legs to be weak, so that for a long time I could not walk and had to be pushed around in a wheelbarrow. Two outcomes awaited me if nothing was done: death or permanent inability to walk. Mother was frantic. I was her first child and she was not going to let circumstance dictate the outcome. She swung into action and took me to all the doctors in Simbu who had an opinion or advice. She did this carrying me in a bilum and walking for the most part because there were few PMVs then. My mother told me that a particular doctor saved me by applying a treatment not known in medical science at the time. So I have a scar to show my children. I am convinced that, though life did not favour me above others, it did keep me safe within its palms. For that I am thankful every day. After I began primary school in the early 1980s, many of the boys and girls I went to school with left after a year or two. School to them appeared gruelling and punishing. They got caned for coming late and for fighting, for not bringing lunch and sometimes for not washing. They would be made to stand on one leg in front of class and they were made to pick leaves or clean a classroom if they were up to any mischief on school grounds. But I survived because I liked listening to the stories of the teachers and the radio programs about Yokomo, Raka, Ranu, Noka, Tabu and other personalities. School was also a place where my character was shaped. I did not always have lunch money and sometime missed breakfast. Mum did her best but she had another five mouths to feed. Although we never went to bed hungry, there were times when I did not have food to eat for breakfast or lunch. I did not have a pair of shoes until I was in high school. Yet somehow life did not push me away, it kept me in. I grew up not expecting much from my parents but making the most out of the things that were in front of me. I sometimes tell my own children, who now go to school, to appreciate the things they have that I lacked back then: running water, a secure roof, power, school uniforms and clothes, lunch money, shoes, books and access to technology and information. And I have always taken them to the best doctors in town if they felt sick. I want them to appreciate the things they have now and how they can become better people in a holistic sense. Not just through wealth, possessions or fleeting success. I am very pleased that my two daughters are doing well in secondary school in Port Moresby. Both have strong inclinations to careers in the natural and physical sciences. During the final year in primary school, I began to develop a liking for reading. I read anything I came across. I think this did more than anything to improve my performance in other subjects. I slowly gained confidence but doing something with this confidence would wait a few years down the line. I read notes, books and anything with words during the day and beside the fire or by candlelight at night. I am certain this habit contributed to my bad eyesight. The obsessive reading habit followed me into high school. By the time I reached Grade10, I had to sit in front and squint to see the board clearly. I have always considered myself lucky, which is not quite the same as being successful. I was among the many students from Muaina High School who went to national high schools in PNG. We set the record for the most number of students going to national high schools and other colleges. A record I believe still stands today! Back then there were only four national high schools. We were on a government scholarship called Natschol. I was supported by this until I completed my studies at the University of PNG in 1996. We were among the last group of students to be awarded national scholarships, since then things have changed. I consider myself lucky to have travelled widely within PNG and abroad, including Australia and England and countries in Asia and the Pacific. I have discovered that confidence is an important ingredient to realising ones potential. Two things happened at high school that cemented my conviction to pursue a life of knowledge and the development of human capability. The first was in Grade 7 when I offered the correct meaning for the word comprehend. I knew exactly what it meant as I had earlier studied the word and its meaning. The second incident was after I scored the highest mark in the written expression examination in Grade 10 at Muaina; it was one of the highest marks in Simbu Province at that time. I scored 19/20. I have written about both incidents in a piece I wrote for the Crocodile Prize in 2015 entitled, If you can read this, thank a teacher. In my own life, I have seen in the power of reading and writing. I have been promoted these gifts and encouraged people, especially young people, to read and write. I realise now that to say that some aspects of my life have been bad and others good would be unfair to life itself. Life has always presented itself to me simply. It did not colour one day different from another. Nor did it value one event in my life more importantly than the rest. However, the events I prefer to remember as important include: getting selected for high school which started this life of learning; attending Passam National High School; receiving a government scholarship to attend UPNG; walking up to the podium to get my degree with my mother looking on; working with an international NGO for four years; receiving a European Union Scholarship for post-graduate studies at Reading University in the UK; and working for a time with Australias development assistance agency, AusAID. A few other events that should be added to this list have facilitating the development of plans and fundraising that resulted in Muaina High School becoming a secondary school in 2010. The recognition and blessing for this came from then Education Minister James Marape. I see myself in a privileged position now to impart knowledge in my own field and also instil in students the desire and belief to realise their potential. Becoming an academic was not my dream job or intention, but I have come to thoroughly enjoy it. It presents me with the opportunity to impart some of the wisdom I have accumulated over the years. And the fun part is that I am always learning new ideas and taking on new challenges. While teaching, I have been presented with many opportunities to provide consultancies, views and perspectives to international and national organisations. I have developed the Career Development and Employment Enhancement Program on UPNG Waigani campus to assist students to develop a sense of career and enhance their employment prospects. Three years ago I partnered with Michael Esop of the Psychology Strand at UPNG to introduce into the program career tools or psychological tests. I am thrilled that Dr Leo Marai, a specialist in industrial psychology, is lending his support. Together we are building a very strong team around a vibrant program. This is what excites me, since it is doing something different that is appreciated and needed by the students. I have received many positive testimonies from students and young people who have attended our workshops on how they have applied the learning in their job applications and career choices. Many have secured jobs after attending the workshops. Because of my human service background and involvement with young people, I have been invited to apply to be a mentor in the Queens Young Leaders Program through Cambridge University in the UK. If selected, I will mentor a young leaders in PNG or the Commonwealth for a year. These are young people who have been recognised by the Queen herself. Of course I will do this without payment. And I have made up my mind to continue to promote writing and reading on the UPNG Waigani campus, in Port Moresby and in PNG. This will be an important part of my life going forward. An event held on 20 March unveiled a portrait of Lee Kuan Yew made from thousands of flag erasers. Photo: Yahoo Singapore/Bryan Huang The daughter of Singapores late founding premier Lee Kuan Yew has spoken out against the hero worship she has witnessed a year after his death. In a lengthy Facebook post on Friday (25 March), Lee Wei Ling, 61, questioned the need for a commemoration so soon after her fathers passing and wrote that he would have objected to the activities being held over the week of his death anniversary. The elder Lee died on 23 March last year, at the age of 91. The younger Lee, who is a senior advisor at the National Neuroscience Institute, said she was motivated to write her post after seeing a front-page article in The Straits Times newspaper on 21 March which carried a photo of an outline of Papas face made with 4,877 erasers that form an installation titled Our Father, Our Country, Our Flag. It was a well-meaning effort but it made me wince, she wrote. Lee said the article brought back memories of her first visit to China with her father in 1976, during which their delegation was greeted by a very contrived welcoming party of children. Despite the exuberant display of goodwill, she and her father were not impressed, and continued to behave as Singaporeans - whom she described as being not prone to excessive, unnatural displays of emotion. Coming back to her fathers death anniversary, she wrote: (In) looking at acts of commemoration in general, I would ask how the time, effort and resources used to prepare these would benefit Singapore and Singaporeans. She also emphasised that her father was dead set against a personality cult and any hint of cronyism and cautioned that (any) veneration could have the opposite effect and lead future generations of Singaporeans to think that my fathers actions were motivated by his desire for fame, or creation of a dynasty. Lee also wrote about two other political leaders - Mao Zedong and Winston Churchill - and compared the commemorative activities that took place following their deaths. Story continues In closing, Lee noted: Perhaps we should allow some space for sentiment for those who feel last years events that took place immediately after Papas death were not enough to honour Papa But it would be even better if we honour Lee Kuan Yew by working for the well-being of Singapore and Singaporeans. (Read Lee Wei Lings full Facebook post below) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday Americans were among the more than 30 people killed in Brussels in Tuesdays attacks. The United States, I want you to know, is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those who have been very cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks, he said in Brussels alongside Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister. An unnamed U.S. official later said two Americans had been killed. Neither has been publicly identified. Before Friday, those victims of the attacks who have been named so far werent identified by embassies or government officials, but by families on social media. Victims from more than 40 countries are among the dead and injured, which could account for why governments have been so slow in naming the dead publicly. Two forensic teams have been working to identify the bodies. The nail-packed bomb blasts and damage to the bodies may also have made identifying the dead more difficult. Recommended: What ISIS Really Wants So far, eight people have been publicly identified. Adelma Tapia Ruizs death was confirmed in a Facebook post by her brother. She was a 36-year-old mother of twin daughters, originally from Peru, who had lived in Brussels nearly nine years. Leopold Hecht was a law student studying at the Universite Saint-Louis in Brussels. The president of the university posted a Facebook message Wednesday confirming Hecht had died. Olivier Delespesse worked for a company that helped French speakers in Brussels, called La Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles. The company confirmed Delespesses death. David Dixon, a British father living in Brussels, was also confirmed dead Friday by his family, as was Bart Migom, a Belgian student, whose death at the airport was confirmed by his father. Three Dutch citizens, a brother and sister who lived in New York, and a woman who was on her way to New York for a funeral, were among the dead. Story continues CBS in New York reported the family of Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski, the siblings, sent a message to the news organization Friday, that read: We received confirmation this morning from Belgian Authorities and the Dutch Embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha. We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all. The third Dutch victim was identified as Elite Borbor Weah, who was about to fly to the U.S. for a funeral. Recommended: Photos of the Week: 3/19-3/25 China said at least one of its citizens died in the attack. Morocco said three women were killed. Then there are those still missing. The families of Justin and Stephanie Shults have not heard from them since the bombings. He was from Tennessee, she from Kentucky, and the married couple had lived in Belgium for the past two years working as accountants. Stephanie Shultss mother had visited, and the two had dropped her off at the airport around the time of the attack. On Wednesday, Justins brother, Levi Sutton, tweeted that the U.S. State Department said the couple had been found. Then Sutton tweeted thered been a mistake. He wrote,I am disgusted that the information given to us wasnt 100% correct. This is exactly what we were trying to avoid, Sutton tweeted (the account is now private), and now Ive told friends and family members things that werent true. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Miami (AFP) - Britain's Andy Murray moved into the third round of the ATP and WTA Miami Open but Rafael Nadal, dizzy as he struggled to cope with the heat and humidity, retired from his match. World number two Murray, twice a Grand Slam champion, downed Uzbekistan's 76th-ranked Denis Istomin 6-3, 7-5 to reach the third round in a night match. "That second set was tight but I managed to get through it," said Murray, who next faces Bulgarian 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov in his quest for a third Miami crown. Spanish fifth seed Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion playing in the heat of the afternoon, feared for his safety and handed 94th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur a 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 triumph, stopping during a match for the first time in six years. "Everything was fine until the end of the first set and I started to feel not very good," Nadal said. "It was getting worse and worse and worse. "I get a little bit scared to be too dizzy and to lose fluids. I called the doctor a couple of times. I decided I was not safe. I wanted to finish the match but I decided I would not." Two-time Slam winners Stan Wawrinka and Petra Kvitova crashed out of the hardcourt event, although Nadal's exit proved most stunning of all. "Hopefully it's nothing," Nadal said. "Hopefully it's just the extreme conditions out there, the beginning of a virus combined with the conditions." Nadal, a four-time Miami finalist but never a champion, was also a first-match loser at the Australian Open, only the second Grand Slam opener defeat of his career. Dzumhur, 23, won 22 of the last 29 points as Nadal, 29, repeatedly spoke with a trainer, asking for his blood pressure to be taken after two games of the third set. "Can we not check the tension, if it is good or bad please?" he said. Told it was good, he said, "Continue." After dropping the third game, he sat with his head down as a trainer told him, "If you're feeling bad, there's no point to continue." Story continues Nadal battled through three more points and finally said he could not go on. "Definitely I want Rafa to recover," said Dzumhur. "He's one of the best players in tennis and I wish all the best for him." World number one Serena Williams ousted Kazak Zarina Diyas 7-5, 6-3, in the match after Nadal and was also tested by the conditions. "It was definitely humid," Williams said. "Rafa played before me. He was in the most intense part of the sun whereas I was on the tail end of it." - Wawrinka, Kvitova fall - Swiss fourth seed Wawrinka, who has won titles this year at Chennai and Dubai, was ousted by Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-3 while Czech eighth seed Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon winner, fell to Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-4. Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open champion, managed only 16 winners against 37 unforced errors and went 0-for-8 on break point chances. Kuznetsov, ranked a career-best 51st, avenged a third-round loss to Wawrinka at Indian Wells and made the Swiss his highest-ranked beaten foe. With Nadal and Wawrinka out, the top-ranked player in their quarter of the draw is Canadian 12th seed Milos Raonic, coming off a runner-up showing at Indian Wells. Raonic beat American Denis Kudla 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 and next faces US 22nd seed Jack Sock, who advanced 6-2, 3-2 when Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky retired with a back injury. The losses also mean highest-rated obstacles to Murray reaching the final are in his quarter of the bracket, Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori and French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. - Nishikori, Kyrgios advance - Nishikori advanced to the third round by downing 107th-ranked French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). The 2014 US Open runner-up, coming off a fourth consecutive title at Memphis last month, next meets Ukraine's 27th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov. Australian 24th seed Nick Kyrgios routed Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-1, to set a third-round date with 132nd-ranked US qualifier Tim Smyczek, who outlasted US 13th seed John Isner 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5). Beijing (AFP) - A North Korean defector made a rare public appearance in China on Saturday, criticising Beijing's repatriation of asylum seekers despite alleged warnings from South Korea not to speak out. Hyeonseo Lee, who escaped from North Korea to China in 1997, called on Beijing to let refugees from her original homeland -- who it routinely sends back -- pass "safely without being caught by the Chinese authorities". Human rights groups have for decades condemned Beijing for deporting North Korean asylum seekers, who they say face torture and imprisonment when repatriated. China is North Korea's sole major ally and chief trading partner. It has recently supported UN sanctions on Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test, but restricts criticism of its neighbour in the media and in public venues. It generally says those deported are illegal economic migrants. Lee said she was detained and interrogated by police after arriving in China in the 1990s. Though later released, she said she subsequently had to hide from authorities during her near 11-year stay in the country, fearing repatriation. Speaking at a book festival to promote her recently published title "The Girl With Seven Names" -- which describes living in constant fear of Chinese authorities -- Lee told an audience that China "has no obligation to listen (to) the North Korean regime". "China is a heaven compared to North Korea", she said, but also described harassment by Chinese police. "I want to tell the very basic things about what is happening to North Koreans here," she said, speaking in English to an audience of several dozen mostly non-Chinese listeners. "China is the place we have to cross, but here many people are caught, less than 50 percent will succeed". Lee said intelligence officials from South Korea, where she now lives, tried to dissuade her from visiting China, warning of possible damage to diplomatic relations. Story continues "They are telling me I had to be careful in China, saying only talk about North Korea, don't ever touch China, especially don't touch the Chinese government," she said. - 'Many evils' - China's attitude towards North Korea has hardened as Pyongyang continues with an internationally-condemned nuclear program, but it defends the isolated communist state against criticism of its human rights record and routinely censors media which take too critical a stance. North Korea released a video Saturday showing a nuclear strike on Washington and threatened South Korea with a "merciless military strike" for slandering leader Kim Jong-Un. AFP could find no record of a North Korean defector previously giving a public speech in mainland China or publishing a book there. "No defector made a public speech in China, but I have to make a stand & tell Chinese people the truth," Lee said on Twitter. She was encouraged by the reception of an earlier subtitled video in which she described her stay in China, viewed more than 110,000 times on Chinese video sites. Speaking to AFP, she said: "I will not change the Chinese government," adding: "people in the mainland, to let them know what their government is doing, that's really crucial". "There are many evils living in China, human traffickers, but at the same time there are many good people," she said. "I'm grateful to those good people, but not the Chinese government". Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon will submit proposals to President Barack Obama for strengthening military support to Iraqi forces in the near future, a top US military official said Friday. "We have a series of recommendations that we will discuss with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces," said General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "(Defense Secretary Ashton Carter) and I both believe that there will be an increase in US forces in Iraq in coming weeks, but that decision hasn't been made," Dunford said Friday during a news conference at the Pentagon. The recommendations will include ways that the US can "enable" Iraqi forces in their efforts to recapture the city of Mosul, the largest urban center in the Islamic State group's "caliphate," an operation that's expected to be long and difficult. Pentagon officials have previously mentioned their desire to accelerate the training of Iraqi troops, or to provide logistical support for the Mosul offensive. The US military confirmed this week the presence of some 200 Marines and artillery in northern Iraq, with the artillery used to support Iraqi troops as they advanced in the region. "There is no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation is doing every single day" in its bombing campaign against IS, he said. Officially, there are 3,870 US troops deployed in Iraq. But the actual number is likely about 5,000, according to media reports that Dunford did not deny on Friday. Strengthening US military presence in Iraq is a sensitive issue for the Obama administration, which has vowed not to deploy ground forces there. Shiite militias in Iraq also oppose additional US deployments to their country. Dunford and Carter, who was also at the briefing, warned that the battle against IS will play out outside Iraq and Syria as well. Story continues Efforts to prevent attacks such as those carried out in Brussels will not succeed "unless all the countries that are affected by the foreign fighters are cooperating at the law enforcement, the intelligence community level and the military level," Dunford said. Carter added that these were "critical" components in the fight against IS, especially in European countries. The United States has repeatedly called on European nations to improve shortcomings in their intelligence sharing and police cooperation, with criticism only heightened in the wake of the Belgium attacks this week that left 31 dead and 300 wounded. After delivering the Lords prayer to the faithful following Him, Jesus went on to speak of fasting: When you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men when you fast, wash your face and anoint your head, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret. St. Basil (fourth century): It is necessary most of all for one who is fasting to curb anger, to accustom himself to meekness and condescension, to have a contrite heart, to repulse impure thoughts and desires, to examine his conscience, to put his mind to the test and to verify what good has been done by us in this or any other week, and which deficiency we have corrected in ourself in the present week. This is true fasting. Orthodox Christians throughout the world began their season of Great Lent on March 13 this year with the celebration of Forgiveness Sunday. Orthodox Christians follow the early Christian church date for celebrating Great Lent and Pascha (Easter). Fasting practices, which have been in effect for centuries, are very strict and, in truthfulness, are not always followed by all members of the faith; special dispensation is given to those with illnesses or disabilities. For Orthodox Christians, fasting does not simply involve giving up something like chocolate or pastries. It involves following a regimen developed by early Christians that basically includes fasting from both meat and dairy products, and also at times eliminating meals, with the expressed intent of donating the funds you would have used for those meals to charity. For Great Lent, we emphasize the essential practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are the tools that can assist us in returning and remaining close to God. Liturgical services unique to Great Lent immerse us in a way of communal pray that is solemn and penitent, but which also lighten and unburden the soul through the mercy and grace of God so abundantly poured out upon us through these inspired services. An example of what orthodoxy teaches for the first week of Lent: Only two full meals are eaten during the first five days, on Wednesday and Friday after the presanctified liturgy. Nothing is eaten from Monday morning until Wednesday evening, the longest time without food in the church year. (Few laymen keep these rules in their fullness). For the Wednesday and Friday meals, as for all weekdays in Lent, meat and animal products, fish, dairy products, wine and oil are avoided. These rules might seem harsh to many (and they are!), but they teach us to have power over the urges and yearnings for different foods. They teach us that we control ourselves, rather than foods or behaviors controlling us. Church services differ during the Lenten season. The full celebration of the divine liturgy is offered only on Saturday and Sunday, and special holy days. The first week offers a special canon on repentance by St. Andrew of Crete. Instead of full liturgies during the week, presanctified liturgies are offered, with the Holy Eucharist (Communion) prepared at the previous Sunday liturgy. Orthodoxy begins its Holy Week with Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. There are very beautiful services offered during the week. If you have driven by an Orthodox church on Friday or Saturday of Holy Week, you may have seen a procession taking place. On Good Friday, we process around the church in the afternoon, bringing Christ to His grave. Friday evening, we process commemorating the holy myrrhbearers who came to anoint Christ. At midnight on Saturday, we process around the church searching for the Risen Lord; we then proclaim Christ is Risen and re-enter the church for the Paschal services, followed by the blessing of baskets of foods fasted from during Lent. Great Lent is a time for all Christians to look at themselves a bit more closely, to examine their commitment to their faith. Whether youll be celebrating Easter on March 27, or celebrating Pascha on May 1, everyone should be encouraged to practice through fasting, prayer and charity. How do we begin? As orthodox, one short hymn from Forgiveness Sunday guides us: Today is the joyful forefeast of the time of abstinence, the bright threshold of the Fast. Therefore, brethren, together let us run the race with confident hope and with great eagerness." Just days after President Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba, the country's security forces began a harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Havana. Yahoo News' Patrick Symmes writes that a Thursday protest three blocks from the Grand Theater of Havana was interrupted by plainclothes officers who "attacked demonstrators violently and then stuffed those they had captured into police cars and swept them away within moments." Let your citizens speak their mind, #Cuba! #arrested #protest @BBCWorld pic.twitter.com/iEGaQ5FqhF https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ceaq1QXWsAIOVNu.jpg:large An Australian tourist told Symmes "They were shouting pro-Obama slogans and saying things like 'Down with Fidel.'" Video posted by the dissident organization Patriotic Union of Cuba captured the forceful security action, which was also filmed by dozens of people with camera phones. Symmes noted Obama's pro-democracy remarks in the country, which were rebroadcast on state television and in the Communist Granma paper, may have helped spark the demonstrations. "Obama si, Castro no," some of the demonstrators said, according to a witness who spoke to Symmes. "I believe citizens should be free to speak their mind without fear to organize, and to criticize their government, and to protest peacefully, and that the rule of law should not include arbitrary detentions of people who exercise those rights," Obama told crowds at the same theater where Thursday's demonstrations took place. Amnesty International notes that while Cuban law enforcement have relied less on long-term imprisonment to suppress protests against the Castro regime in recent years, it received "over 7,188 reports of arbitrary detentions from January through August 2014, a sharp increase from approximately 2,900 in 2013 and 1,100 in 2010 during the same time period ... [detainees are] often beaten, threatened and held incommunicado for hours and even days." The president's visit to the island nation came after months of increased detentions. h/t Yahoo A prominent New York City emergency room doctor accused in January of sexually abusing four female patients was indicted this week on five criminal counts, PEOPLE confirms. An indictment was returned Thursday against Dr. David Newman, a 45-year-old physician and book author who has given TED Talks and blogged for The New York Times and Huffington Post. An Iraq war veteran, Newman was the director of clinical research in emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Newman has since been fired, hospital officials confirm. Authorities initially arrested Newman in January after a woman claimed he had drugged, groped and masturbated on her, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Newman has been indicted on one count of first-degree sexual abuse and four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement. His alleged crimes occurred between August 2015 and his January arrest. 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. "As alleged in this indictment, four young women who came to the hospital for medical treatment were sexually abused by the very doctor entrusted with their care," Vance said. "One was sedated to the point of being physically helpless a nightmare scenario for any patient to endure." Vance contends Newman allegedly sexually abused three of his victims who sought treatment in August, September and October. In January, Newman allegedly sexually abused a female patient who complained of shoulder pain. One of Newman's alleged victims, Aja Newman, filed a civil suit against the doctor last month, claiming he'd given her morphine during her visit and waited until she was sedated before assaulting her. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. It names other emergency room staffers who, the suit alleges, "failed to enforce internal policies." The suit also claims the hospital allegedly "negligently" hired, trained, and supervised Newman, according to court documents. Newman's Huffington Post biography claims his book, Hippocrates' Shadow: Secrets From the House of Medicine, "explores the underbelly of modern medicine and the fraying of the patient-doctor bond, using patient narrative and examples of misconstrued research." Newman's attorney, Susan Necheles, did not return calls or emails seeking comment Friday. Hundreds of people - including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon - have attended a vigil to honour a respected shopkeeper killed in what police are treating as a "religiously prejudiced" attack. Asad Shah, 40, was found with serious injuries on Thursday night after being attacked outside his shop, Shah's Newsagent and Convenience Store, in the Shawlands area of Glasgow. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with Mr Shah's death. Police Scotland said: "A full investigation is under way to establish the circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced." It has emerged that Mr Shah, a devout Muslim, posted a heartfelt Easter message on Facebook just hours before his death. The message reads: "Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation. "Let's follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds." After the vigil, Ms Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area, tweeted: "Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family." One of the vigil organisers, Eildon Dyer, said: "It was very respectful. There were a lot of people clearly very upset. There were a lot of tears and lots and lots of flowers. "Everybody has said he was the nicest man. He was clearly much-loved. Everybody had nice stories to tell about him and warm stories. It's just very, very sad." People in the area have described Mr Shah as a "pillar of the community". Isabella Graham, 64, said Mr Shah employed her daughter at the shop when she was younger and that she cried when she called her to say what had happened. She said: "He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldn't do enough for you. He wouldn't hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. "I can't believe he's gone." Meanwhile, a fund-raising page set up on the GoFundMe website in support of Mr Shah's family has raised more than 14,000. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders greets his supporters at a rally in Seattle last week. (Photo: David Ryder/Reuters) Bernie Sanders has dubbed his presidential campaign a political revolution, but some of his supporters are rebelling against the very party he is hoping to lead. A voluble group of die-hard Sanders backers is vowing online that its Bernie or Bust, saying they will never support his presidential primary opponent and, at this point, the likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Nearly two months after voting began in the Democratic primaries, Clinton has racked up a lead among pledged party delegates that makes a Sanders victory increasingly implausible. In apparent recognition of this mathematical challenge and the need to begin aiming fire outside the party, Sanders in recent weeks has pivoted away from Clinton and toward Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Yet at the same time Sanders is making the case that hes actually more electable in a matchup with Trump, he has also started talking about the circumstances under which he would endorse Clinton. His senior adviser, Tad Devine, has even suggested that Sanders would consider serving as Clintons running mate. Despite these glimmers of reconciliation with his rival, Sanders may have unleashed a rebellion that will be beyond his power to control when it comes time to unify the party. Some Bernie or Bust stalwarts say they wont back Clinton even if Sanders joins her ticket. After Clintons string of victories in the first weeks of March, this weekend begins a favorable stretch of the primary calendar for Sanders. This kicked off with a sweep on Saturday, with wins in the caucuses in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington. This momentum means that theres little reason for some Sanders backers to reconsider their primary season passions anytime soon. Russ Belville is an Internet radio host and marijuana legalization advocate based in Portland, Ore. In late February, he wrote a column for the Huffington Post laying out the bones of the Bernie or Bust position. In a conversation with Yahoo News earlier this month, Belville said Clinton couldnt get his vote even by joining forces with Sanders. Story continues If Bernie Sanders were to accept a vice presidential bid from Hillary Clinton, it would so disillusion me to the integrity of Bernie Sanders that I dont know what I would do. I cant even conceive of him accepting that offer, Belville said. James Scolari, a photographer in Los Angeles, echoed that view. I would never vote for Hillary Clinton, and, God, I hope Sanders wouldnt serve as her running mate, Scolari said. I dont believe he would. A supporter holds a poster at a rally for Sanders in Los Angeles on Wednesday. (Photo: Michael Owen Baker/AP) Clintons campaign declined to comment on this story. The Bernie or Bust voters who spoke with Yahoo News cited several areas where they view Clintons policies as insufficiently progressive, including her stance on military intervention in the Middle East, fracking, the minimum wage, Wall Street regulation and campaign finance reform. They also pointed to instances where she has changed her position, such as on gay marriage, the Keystone pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I just cant see myself voting for someone thats a warmongering person, cinematographer Andy Kirn of Los Angeles said of Clinton. There are certain things about Clinton that are so unsavory and so undesirable that I cant see myself legitimizing that with a vote, and I dont think Im alone there. Belville argues that Clinton is a Rockefeller Republican in Democratic clothing. I have longed for the return of moderate Republicans, just not in the Democratic Party, Belville told Yahoo News. I think my basic objection is: Im on the left. Id like there to be a party that represents me. Michael Moore, a 36-year-old Iowan who volunteered for Sanders in his home state and neighboring Nebraska, said he wont vote for Clinton if shes the partys nominee. She has always embodied whatever was most politically expedient at the moment, and she has come very clearly on the neoliberal corpus of hawkish foreign policy and pro-corporate policies that very often harm individual Americans, Moore said. Data compiled by Twitter for Yahoo News shows there were about 110,000 total tweets sent with the #bernieorbust hashtag in the month from Feb. 8 and March 8. The number of messages peaked on Feb. 28, the day Clinton began to pull ahead with a huge win in South Carolinas Democratic primary. A search on Facebook showed that as of Friday afternoon, there were about 100,000 conversations with the #bernieorbust hashtag on that site. A child holds a sign supporting Sanders while awaiting the candidates arrival at the San Diego Convention Center on Tuesday. (Photo: Lenny Ignelzi/AP) Bernie or Bust is not a position Sanders would want his supporters to take, says liberal radio talk show host and author Bill Press, a longtime ally of Sanders who hosted an early strategy meeting for Sanders campaign at his home in Washington, D.C. I do not belong in that camp. I dont think Bernie belongs in that camp. I havent talked to him about it, but Im pretty sure he does not belong in that camp, Press told Yahoo News. He told me early on, the first time we talked about the possibility that he might run for president, that if hes not the nominee, he would do nothing to hurt the Democratic nominees chances. He would do nothing, in other words, that might help a Republican get the White House. Sanders is not exactly a part of the mainstream Democratic establishment. For more than two decades in Congress, Sanders identified as an independent, though he generally voted with Democrats. He only officially registered as a member of the party last year, after announcing his presidential bid. Naturally, many of Sanders supporters are independent voters rather than party stalwarts, as well. Press is similarly distant from the party establishment. Last month, he published a book that made the case that President Obama let progressives down. The back cover featured an admiring blurb from Sanders. Nevertheless, Press is adamant that his fellow liberal Sanders supporters should back Clinton if she manages to win the primary. Just to make it clear, Im for Bernie. If Bernie doesnt get the nomination, in a New York heartbeat Im for Hillary, enthusiastically. Enthusiastically! said Press, repeating himself for emphasis. Press argued there is too much at stake for progressives to war among themselves and potentially aid a Republican candidate. Indeed, Bernie or Bust has generated backlash from liberals who believe the phenomenon could benefit the GOP. This criticism has been particularly fierce because Donald Trump is currently leading the Republican pack and many Democrats view him as an especially dangerous candidate. INTERACTIVE: Delegate scorecard and calendar >>> However, many of the Bernie or Bust voters who spoke to Yahoo News said they were not deterred by the prospect of a Trump presidency. Matt Rogina, an assistant chefs instructor in California, said hes more concerned about sending a message to the Democratic leadership. If it hands the election to Donald Trump, that is the direct fault of the Democratic national party. Theyre the ones that have set the policy, theyre the establishment, theyre the status quo that were tired of, Rogina explained. Were tired of them pretty much being another corporate party, being a Republican lite party. Belville, the radio host who wrote the Bernie or Bust column, argued that electing Clinton could cement American politics in a far-right/center-right state. Though he acknowledged Trump could do some dastardly things in office, Belville believes those problems would open up a lot of peoples minds to more progressive solutions and move the country to the left. Moore, the Sanders campaign volunteer from Iowa, is also not concerned about the possibility he could help the GOP by hewing to the Bernie or Bust strategy. Im not given to voting based on fear, said Moore. I believe that the two parties have, through the use of this fear of the other side, brought us to where we are today, where they throw up horrible candidates who are part of the oligarchic system basically just two sides of the same coin. Scolari, the photographer, took things a step farther. He said he plans to vote for Trump if Sanders bows out. To me, Bernie or Bust means I will not vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstances. And if that means I get a President Trump, I feel like hell be farther left than she would be anyway, Scolari said. At least hes a Beltway outsider. Hes a lunatic, but I think hes probably going to be pretty easily handled by a professional Cabinet. Supporters cheer Sanders at a campaign rally Monday at West High School in Salt Lake City. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images) Primary season divisions and vows never to back the opponent are neither unprecedented nor restricted to Democrats. Some conservatives are currently rallying around a #nevertrump hashtag and declaring their plans to refuse to back the Republican frontrunner. And when Clinton lost the Democratic presidential primary in 2008, some of her supporters promised they would not back Barack Obama. These Clinton loyalists called themselves PUMAs, an acronym for Party Unity, My A**. Obama survived the PUMA rebellion and data shows Clintons standing within the party is comparable to his at this point in the cycle during the 2008 election. A Bloomberg/L.A. Times poll from February 2008 showed that Obama had a net favorability of 78 percent among Democrats, while just 13 percent viewed him unfavorably. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday found that Clinton has a nearly identical net favorability of 74 percent among Democrats. While her net unfavorability was 25 percent, higher than Obamas, she has universal name recognition among Democrats. In 2008, about 10 percent of party members said they had not heard of Obama or did not know enough to have an opinion about him. Press cited his experience in a past liberal primary rebellion as evidence of why he wont vote Bernie or Bust. My very first political campaign was 1968, [Eugene] McCarthy for president. When McCarthy was denied the nomination and it went to Hubert Humphrey a whole bunch of us, we all boycotted the election, Press recounted. We didnt vote for Humphrey. And so what did we get? We got Richard Nixon. Lesson learned. Though he disagrees with the Bernie or Bust strategy, Press said he understands the sentiment behind it. We have two centrist parties right now, and the Democratic Party has become not as much as the Republicans but very much the party of corporate America and Wall Street, said Press, adding, I think Bernies mission is to win the presidency, but also to push the progressive agenda and get the Democratic Party to adopt the progressive agenda. Indeed, all of the Bernie or Bust voters who talked to Yahoo News said they voted for Obama in 2008 and have been disappointed that his administration has proved not to be sufficiently progressive. I voted for him twice, and I respect the man, and I think he was in some ways a splendid president, but he didnt end the Bush doctrine and the terrible war on terror, Scolari said of Obama. In fact, he expanded drone warfare in a way I find shameful and shocking. He didnt get Guantanamo closed. Kirn, the cinematographer, said he believed he was supporting someone like Sanders when he voted for Obama in 2008. We were thinking we were getting what Bernie is, Kirn said. Well, he didnt follow through. Moore, the Sanders campaign volunteer, said he has been drawn to a more activist approach since voting for Obama. That attracted him to Sanders and its also why he wont follow along if Sanders lines up behind Clinton. In the process of going from 2008 to the present, Ive kind of come into the revolution that was part of the Occupy movement and is now being embodied in the Bernie Sanders campaign, Moore explained. But that revolution isnt Bernies revolution. He is just the current battle in the revolution, and if he doesnt stand with the revolution, then I have no reason to support him. This post was updated on March 27 with results from the caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. Spike is putting its first scripted series in nearly a decade on hold. The Viacom-owned cable network has pressed pause on its forthcoming series Red Mars following the departure of showrunner Peter Noah, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. "We will continue to develop Red Mars with Skydance. The Red Mars trilogy is one of the most beloved modern-science-fiction properties, in part because of its tremendous scope and ambition," said Spike in a statement. "We are pausing to ensure we get the script right and to deliver fans what they want a fantastic show that fully captures the spirit of these wonderful books." An adaptation of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars trilogy, the series follows the first settlers charged with terraforming a mysterious planet, all of whom have competed to be a part of the mission. Red Mars delves into the lives of these relative strangers, cut off from everything theyve ever known and living in the harshest environment imaginable. Over time, viewers will witness the mind-blowing evolution of humans and technology as they learn to adapt in their inhospitable new home. Read More: Spike TV Exec on Plans for 'Lip Sync Battle' and Luring More Women J. Michael Straczynski (Sense8) will write the series. He also will executive produce with Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones) and Skydances David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross. Skydance (Grace and Frankie, Manhattan) will produce in association with Straczynski's Studio JMS. Additionally, Robinson will consult on the series. Greg Yaitanes (House M.D.) came on board earlier this week as director and executive producer. Red Mars was slated to begin production this summer for a 2017 premiere. Ten episodes had been ordered when the drama received a straight-to-series pickup in December. This is the latest stumble for Spike in its push back into scripted. The network, which last aired a scripted series nine years ago, first ordered Harvest from Jerry Bruckheimer to series in August, but it pulled the plug in November. Story continues When speaking with THR in February, Spike's executive vp Sharon Levy explained the change of heart. "They're great people; it was a great script," she said. "Some things just don't work out. That's the business." However, Levy was much more optimistic about the promise of Red Mars, saying, "We need something that has a big hook to it that is unique, and that's what led to Red Mars." The return to scripted follows Spike's success with the period miniseries Tut and is part of its efforts to branch beyond its largely male demographic. I rarely go into long-winded and futile discussions with anyone on social media. Needless to say, it is a waste of energy and time. In fact, when a battle of views follows one of my posts, I prefer to delete the whole rant especially if it turns sour. Still, in a spontaneous discussion that took place on Twitter today, I saw the other side freely air its views for thousands to speculate on and consider. Here is the conversation. Though the person has no qualms in speaking out loud herself, Im not into defaming anyone, so Ive opted to remove the persons namelets call her She. The conversation was in Arabic, but, again, Ive opted to translate it to English. She: El Sisi rule has failed in every field. Azza: I dont understand. Is this something that would make you happy? She: Of course, if it entails the failure of the current bloody regime, it makes one extremely happy. Azza: So for the regime to fail you really dont mind that Egypt fails, too? Do you know the story of the two women who fought over a child? And the real mother told the fake one to take the child provided it remains uninjured? She: So you want us to support the bloody coup? This regime has kidnapped Egypt, and it is it that is failing Egypt. Never does a bloody coup build or save Egypt. This is the crux of what was exchanged. Others intervened and added their two cents creating even further mayhem. Bear in mind, the person I spoke with has 280,000 followers. She is also outspoken, hateful of the regime, and disturbingly un-Egyptian. I dont really mind if she hates the current regime. It is her prerogative to think the way she pleases even if it is totally warped and severely skewed. However, what I abhorred in the conversation was her glee that Egypt was failing. It actually gave her a sense of power and dominance. This brings us back to the true feelings of most Egyptians today. It seems that if you are siding with El Sisi, you are for Egypt, and vice versa. You are then grateful for Egypts men who are giving up their lives gladly to serve their country and its soil, and you are appreciative of the efforts made to improve the economy and eradicate terrorism. If you side with the current regime, you look for the good and you bring it to the forefront. Egyptians realized that their precious country was on the verge of collapse. It was about to go to the dogs, literally. It was only El Sisi who was confident and bold enough to intervene and oust Ex-President Morsi. From then onwards, the love affair between Egyptians and President Sisi has not waned or diminished. But those who are against El Sisi, and hence Egypt, are many. They come in different shapes and forms: members of the Muslim Brotherhood clan, the perennial activists, human rights followers, western media, and more importantly, youths who think they can change presidents every other day. I dont know enough about the above-mentioned person, but She can be affiliated to any of these groups. In any case, we should be wary that many, in the millions if I may add, are like her out there. Now if you are against the current regime, you sit and await disasters only to spew hatred and ridicule soon afterwards. You see both the army and the police force as weapons in the hands of the regime, wiling to harm and to kill, ignoring the fact that hundreds of these young men are dying at the hands of those who wish Egypt ill. You also dont believe anything officials say. You assume the army is out to take control not defend. You believe the cabinet is filled with incapable ministers, the parliament, with imbeciles. You conclude everything announced is made up and fake. You also find fault with the best of accomplishments. Exposing these folks is a must. Not by name calling and cursing, which many tend to do, but by focusing on the good that the current regime is working hard to achieve in spite of the challenges. When She says the current regime kidnapped Egypt, we explain to the world how the current regime had saved Egypt. When She says that the coup is bloody, we prove how bloody the Brotherhood was, and when they ignore all good accomplishments, we zoom in on them. More importantly we should make every effort to highlight the positive and never believe the negative. The is the role of dedicated Egyptians today. Washington (AFP) - More than 22,000 people have signed a petition calling for Americans to be allowed to carry firearms at the Republican National Convention -- because the ban puts lives at risk. Guns are not allowed inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where the event -- which could descend into a heated battle for the party presidential ticket -- is taking place in July. The petition went up on the Change.org website and by Saturday had been signed by 22,633 supporters in just a few days, with numbers rising fast. "Cleveland, Ohio is consistently ranked one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in America," says the petition, which among others is addressed to the Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and his rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich. "By forcing attendees to leave their firearms at home, the RNC and Quicken Loans Arena are putting tens of thousands of people at risk both inside and outside of the convention site." In the event of an attack on the venue people there "will be sitting ducks," raising the specter that the Islamic State extremist group could target it, the petition says. "We are all too familiar with the mass carnage that can occur when citizens are denied their basic God-given rights to carry handguns or assault weapons in public," the petition adds. Firearms were banned by the Secret Service at the Republican convention in Tampa in 2012, US media say. Sanaa (AFP) - Thousands of Yemenis rallied in the rebel-held capital on Saturday to denounce the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign against the country's insurgents a year ago. The intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi that began on March 26 last year has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Huthi rebels and their allies, who still control Sanaa and key parts of the country. "Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression," said a large banner in Sanaa's Sabaeen Square where protesters gathered, as coalition warplanes flew overhead breaking the sound barrier in an apparent show of force, an AFP photographer said. Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Iran-backed rebels and whose party had called for the protest, appeared briefly at the rally where he reiterated his call for direct talks with Riyadh. "From here, we extend a hand for peace, the peace of the brave, for direct talks with the Saudi regime without going back to the (UN) Security Council," he said. Saleh however called on the Security Council to "issue a resolution imposing arms embargo on the Saudi regime," according to the rebel-run Saba news agency. The veteran leader had in December called for direct talks with Riyadh instead of the government of Hadi. The Huthis also organised a protest in north Sanaa, where thousands of demonstrators chanted anti-Saudi and anti-US slogans, Saba said. - 'Criminal killings' - Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi addressed his supporters in a defiant televised speech on Friday. "One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression... It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. (But) this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide," he said. "The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region," he added, in an apparent reference to increased tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Story continues The Huthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 then advanced south, raising fears in Riyadh that the Shiite rebels from Yemen's highlands would extend Iran's influence in its southern neighbour. Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies in the coalition vowed to restore Hadi's government to power after he was forced to flee into exile in March last year. Loyalists backed by the coalition have since managed to drive the rebels out of five southern provinces including second city Aden, where Hadi has established a temporary capital. But the rebels have stubbornly held on to eight of Yemen's 22 provinces and heavy fighting has been raging for months in five others. The Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda have exploited the chaos, widening their footholds in the south and carrying out deadly attacks, mostly against forces loyal to Hadi. IS claimed suicide bombings on Friday on checkpoints of loyalist forces in Aden that killed at least 22 people, including 10 civilians, according to a security official. The UN says about 6,300 people have been killed in the conflict since the coalition launched its campaign, more than half of them civilians. International rights groups have repeatedly criticised the coalition for civilian deaths, and urged the United States and other world powers to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh's key ally Washington has expressed concerns over civilian life losses. Hopes for a breakthrough in the conflict emerged on Wednesday when UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said warring sides had agreed on a ceasefire to be observed before peace talks on April 18. Previous negotiations have failed and several ceasefires were never respected. The Republican nomination battle between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz is starting to resemble an ugly barroom brawl, with the pair trading personal accusations about their attitudes toward women that could wind up greatly influencing that key demographic in the next primary. With the GOP presidential race basically a two-man contest, Cruz, the Texas Republican, took a calculated risk on Thursday to get down in the mud with the frontrunner after Trump retweeted an unflattering photo of his wife, Heidi Cruz. Related: Trump Might Win the Nomination, but Cruz Won the GOP "It's not easy to tick me off. I don't get angry often," a visibly angry Cruz told an NBC reporter during a campaign stop in Wisconsin, the site of the next major GOP primary on April 5. "But you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, that'll do it every time. Then he looked directly into the camera and said forcefully, Donald you are a sniveling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone." The gambit might have backfired if a story from the National Enquirer published on Friday turns out to be true. It charges that Cruz has been involved in at least five extramarital affairs, which Cruz claims was planted by Donald Trump. The story claims one of the affairs was with Katrina Pierson, a Texas communications specialist and Trumps official national campaign spokesperson. Pierson went on Twitter to call the situation stupidity on all levels. Of course the National Enquirer story is 100% FALSE!!! I only speak to myself, however. Carry on... Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) March 25, 2016 This National Enquirer story is garbage. It is garbage, complete and utter lies, Cruz said Friday. It is a tabloid smear, and it has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen. Related: ISIS Propaganda Video Uses Trump Comments to Celebrate Brussels Attacks Story continues Rick Tyler, Cruzs former press secretary who was forced to resign after being accused of committing dirty campaign tricks in early primary states, defended his former boss and suggested that Trump or an ally shopped the story around to several news organizations until David Pecker, an associate of Trumps and the National Enquirers publisher, agreed to print it. Tyler told MSNBC that Cruz is a man of integrity and a man of decency, and that he was 100 percent certain the story is false. Trump issued a statement on the Enquirer article, saying he had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it and have not, as yet, read it. Ted Cruzs problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin Ted Cruz, he added. That Cruz must spend time dealing with such controversies -- time that could prove critical before the Wisconsin primary, which is less than two weeks away -- plays right into Trumps hands. Prior to his statement, the former reality TV star had been virtually non-existent on the campaign trail for much of the week. Related: How Clintons Speech Capitalized on Disenchantment with Trump-Style GOP Foreign Policy Trumps last event was a major speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington on Monday. That was the same day he told The Washington Post editorial board that the U.S. should reconsider its involvement in NATO; the remarks have come under immense scrutiny from both parties following the terror attacks that took place in Brussels on Tuesday. And aside from a few storms, Trump has mostly stayed off Twitter, his preferred method for picking fights with his critics. Taken together, the episodes give further fuel to the anxieties of GOP leaders that their presumptive nominee, who has been accused of sexism through his campaign, will alienate female voters, including those within their ranks. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted before the war of words over Heidi Cruz, found that 47 percent of Republican women could not see themselves supporting Trump, a number significantly higher than for any other GOP candidate. And a new poll conducted by Emerson College found that the two are running neck and neck in Wisconsin, where Cruz could make his last stand against the billionaire. However, Trump is 10 points underwater among Republican woman, with 50 percent unfavorable to 40 percent favorable. Ironically, it was left to Pierson, Trumps chief spokesperson and one of the five women implicated in the controversial National Enquirer expose, to defend the billionaire businessmans standing with women. Pierson said that she and the Trump campaign have been hearing for months that Trump has alienated women voters, and that it is simply not true. Mr. Trump has been winning women as these elections have occurred, and I think hes going to continue to win them because women care more about the education of their children, their safety and security and their jobs in this country, she told MSNBC. That could change if Trump becomes the nominee and faces Hillary Clinton, who would be the first female standard-bearer of either major political party. Polls by Fox News and Bloomberg Politics released earlier this week each showed the former Secretary of State beating Trump by double-digits. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Ankara (AFP) - Police in Turkey have warned of possible Islamic State attacks against Christians and Jews over the Easter weekend, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported on Saturday. The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, according to the news agency. The security alert came after the latest attack last Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian in a busy Istanbul shopping hub, blamed by the Turkish authorities on a jihadist with links to the IS group. IS has been blamed for four of the six bombings that have rocked Turkey in the past eight months, including a double suicide attack at a peace rally in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. A radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the other two attacks. The police have warned that IS group members may have scouted out places of worship as well as consulates and embassies, saying that churches and synagogues especially in Ankara, as well as foundations belonging to non-Muslims should be on their guard. Ankara (AFP) - One Turkish soldier was killed and another injured on Saturday when missiles fired by Islamic State (IS) fighters hit their base during clashes between the jihadists and local Kurdish forces, the Turkish army said. The army said that missiles launched by "Daesh terrorist group", intended for Kurdish forces, had landed in Gedu military base, where Turkish troops are deployed. Daesh is another name for IS. The casualties were transferred to Turkey by helicopter, it said, with the wounded soldier taken to a hospital in the city of Sirnak bordering Iraq. Following the incident, Turkish forces returned fire on IS targets, the statement said. It was not clear from the statement where exactly the Turkish base is located. Turkey's military presence in the Bashiqa area of northern Iraq has become a bone of contention with the central government in Iraq. Turkey says its troops train Iraqi forces fighting IS extremists but Baghdad has accused Ankara of using the pretext of training to increase its influence in northern Iraq. Police still searching for Keston Another woman along with two men have also been detained in connection with the missing man. His abduction has left close relatives and friends baffled as Mahabir has been described as a decent young man who focussed on empowering the lives of others. He is expected to get married to girlfriend Shereza Mohammed in November. When contacted yesterday a senior officer said the search continus while enquires are ongoing. Blame yourself Fr Gomez was delivering the sermon early yesterday morning, at the Station of the Cross, Calvary Hill, Covigne Road, Diego Martin. We are all to blame the church, the government, the citizens, once we are part of the society we are to blame, he said. He said citizens are in a society where they no longer teach young people how to share and how to be responsible. We have gone the way, I see for myself and no longer for anybody else but in the Christian prospective you love your neighbour as you love your self. Jesus left us with a commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. He continued, If there is no love and there is only selfishness, and there is only me then what do you expect? Of course crime will continue to perpetuate because we are doing nothing about it because it does not affect me personally, he declared. He said yesterdays walk is a witness to demonstrate the love for Jesus, and as we go along making the Station of the Cross it is to encourage people to renew their faith, renew their trust in God and that He lives, the Church lives, and the Church is visible in this community of Diego Martin. Fr Gomez made an urgent call to all Christians people, especially living in this time, and noted that suffering is part of the Christians identity. We have not been faithful in all aspect, we need to teach children how to deal with pain and suffering, because we find that today people dont know how to deal with pain and suffering so you have a lot of anger coming out. He continued, It is very different now from when we were children and our parents did not shun us from a lot of things, today children are shielded from a lot of things so they dont know how to deal with difficult things when it comes their way. Clad in white and red robes, several altar servers, a huge crowd of the young and old, led a Stations of the Cross procession along Wendy Fitzwilliams Boulevard to Calvary Hill from as early as 6.30 am. The procession, accompanied by a police escort, was led by Fr Gomez along with parishoners from St Johns Roman Catholic Church and St Michaels All Angels Anglican Church. Beauties and the beast Addressing the contestants following a guided tour conducted by Zoo staff, Senator Rambharat espoused the view that the opportunity provided by such pageants goes beyond beauty alone. Participation in events such as this can help to broaden perspectives and is a wonderful learning opportunity about the rich tapestry that is Trinidad and Tobago. He added, Even more relevant, coming to the Zoo is a good fit for the contestants as Mayaro is rich in biodiversity and this visit is sure to inspire conservation ideals. President of the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Gupte Lutchmedial who hosted Senator Rambaharat and his wife Camille and daughter, and the contestants expressed his pleasure with the visit. Also spending some time with the entourage was Senator Avinash Singh who came to lend support and extend his best wishes. Following the tour in which the contestants had the opportunity to feed the giraffes and meet Max the macajuel and Carrot the Zoos green-winged macaw up close and personal, Lutchmedial gave a brief address, speaking of a special affinity for the east coast, having himself extensive conservation interests in Manzanilla. He also pledged a special prize of one year free entry to the Zoo for the winner and her immediate family. This announcement was met with great anticipation and certainly something that the contestants will keep their eyes on as the pageant will be held today at Queens Beach Hotel. Judy Perrot, Director of the pageant and the Public Relations Officer of the Mayaro Regional Carnival Committee, explained that this is one of the activities on the calendar of this body that is aimed at bringing back Mayaro to its former vibrancy. In the past holidays and festivals were exciting times in the community with events such as these. With Senator Ranbharats support, the Committee has gained new impetus and the feedback from the community is encouraging, Perrote stated. For the contestants, this was a most enjoyable visit and speaking on their behalf, contestant Temerra Fonrose summed it up as a great and unforgettable experience. Judiciarys Juvenile Court Project Hosts Youth Forum on Peer Resolution Peer Resolution is a system by which the Court asks children aged 13-17 to recommend solutions for children under 18 who come before the Court on minor offences. The Youth Forum drew participation from several schools including Moruga Secondary, Holy Faith Convent (Penal), San Fernando East Secondary, ASJA Girls College, Vessigny Secondary School, Naparima Girls High School, St Benedicts College, Ste Madeleine Secondary School, Holy Name Convent (Point Fortin), St Stephens College and ASJA Boys College. The event marked the second in a series of youth fora in Trinidad aimed at raising awareness about the Peer Resolution programme being piloted by the Judiciary, through the Juvenile Court Project, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and technical support is provided by the US-based National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The first youth forum was held on March 17, 2016. Similar sessions were conducted in Tobago in June 2015. Using a mix of multi-media presentations, open discussions and role play, students were given an in depth look at how and why Peer Resolution is being piloted in Trinidad and Tobago. In Peer Resolution, a child or respondent who is referred to this court-annexed programme is questioned by his or her peers who are called Peer Assessors. The Peer Assessors, who also listen to statements by Peer Advocates speaking on behalf of respondents and others affected by the offence in question, deliberate to recommend sanctions that help the respondent take responsibility for, and repair the harm done. We are young. We understand what it means when it happens to young people. We think alike, said one female student at the Youth Forum. She was reacting to a video presentation of a young person who had gone through the Peer Resolution process after committing an offence. Another student expressed similar thoughts saying, If I was in that situation, I would want someone to help me. Justice Halcyon Yorke-Young, who was also present at the Youth Forum, felt that the students were well engaged and asked intelligent questions. I think we are most certainly heading in the right direction, she said. Children seem to be quite angry of late. Talking to their peers may have a greater impact on them rather than having an adult as they say in their face or talking down to them. Young volunteers involved in the Peer Resolution programme learn first-hand the lesson that there are consequences that follow actions. Participants also learn decision making and team-building skills. Respondents get the opportunity to actively make up for something they have done wrong and if they successfully complete their sanctions, they avoid having a record of conviction. The Peer Resolution pilot is the second component of the Trinidad and Tobago Juvenile Court Project (JCP) which aims to establish the supporting mechanisms needed to adopt a rehabilitative approach to treating with children in conflict with the law and those who display challenging behaviours. The other components of the project comprise the establishment of a new Children Court system, and execution of Public Education and Communications strategies. Cipriani Labour College students cautiously optimistic Cipriani Students Guild (CSG) President, Runako Williams, told Newsday although the director gave no real answers or realistic timelines during the open forum at the schools Valsayn Campus, he wants to remain positive that the guilds actions are not in vain. We have seen where our (previous) intervention has triggered the administration to release outstanding graduation certificates for 2015, which I was relieved to receive today (March 23). I expect more issues will be resolved soon and I will keep up the pressure until this comes to pass, Williams stated. Other matters still to be addressed include the frequent lack of toilet paper and toilets in need of repair, no WiFi nor other form of internet access on campus, a non-functioning library and what Williams recently described as health and safety non-compliance issues at the Valsayn campus while Tobago needs a new campus. The CSG president also said Thompson told students many of the issues plaguing the institution were as a result of severe budget cuts. However, Williams shared, Vice-President of the Tobago Campus, Aaron Trim, took the floor to outline the woes of Tobago students. He said they are fed up and almost ready to protest. He said following a meeting with students at the campus last week, staff and students were ready to take immediate action but (Trim) hopes some of the very pertinent issues at the campus can be resolved once and for all. Issues at the Tobago Campus are similar to those at the Valsayn Campus overall health and safety at the campus, unopened library and internet access. Trim stressed that plans to secure a new campus for Tobago should be revisited and given priority once again, Williams told Newsday. Cuffie: Squatters in cemeteries The issue of squatting in Tobago as well as the limits of the powers of the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) came up at a hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities on Wednesday. In an interview with Newsday, the Minister yesterday assured the State was moving apace to tackle the issue. Cuffie said squatting is a very complicated issue and the legislation governing the LSA dates back to 1998. Its a very complicated issue, the Minister who is also responsible for Public Administration said. Some of the squatting is in cemeteries and recreation grounds. I know people are squatting on all manner of land and the Government must take a position on squatting. We recognise that this is something that we need to treat which. Of the LSAs governing statute, Cuffie said, The Legislation was passed in 1998 and people had until 1999 to register and apply. Since that time, squatting has mushroomed and several amendments to the legislation are being contemplated which will address the ongoing concerns. He gave no further details. Minister of Housing Randall Mitchell did not immediately reply to queries on reforms, nor did the LSA. The Parliament committee on Wednesday heard of the minimal impact the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) housing programme appears to have had on squatting nationally. Trinidad alone has about 220,000 squatters, the LSA said, prompting Independent Senator Ian Roach to describe the situation as a squatting explosion. The problem of squatting in Tobago is also on the rise with about 30,000 squatters, officials of the LSA told the Parliament committee on Wednesday. LSA CEO Hazar Hosein noted the agency which is meant to regularise and deliver security of tenure to families who were in unauthorised occupation of State land prior to January 1st 1998, and to contain further squatting on State land has no jurisdictions for Tobago. However, the LSA does have a relationship with the Tobago House of Assembly and in 2014 received feedback from THA officials indicating that the problem of squatting at Tobago, while different from Trinidad, was nonetheless also on the rise. Sasha Darbeau, the manager of the LSAs Tenure Regularisation Unit, said the problem was a growing one, with about 30,000 squatters on the island, according to information she recalled being given. Tobagos total population is estimated to be about 63,000, meaning about half of the population is squatting according to the information given to Parliament. However, the extent of the problem appears to be under-reported, LSA officials said. Said Darbeau, We had a conference in 2014 and we invited members of the THA to make presentations and papers were presented specifically on squatting in Tobago. And the THA recognised that whereas there is a squatting problem, it is not widely reported because the nature of the squatting is a little different from the squatting in Trinidad. The LSA official said squatting in Tobago is related to issues surrounding the inheritance of land. Their challenge is what they call family land, said Darbeau. Tobago is made up of several large unmanned estates that have been caught up in family ownership, perhaps without administration, without probate, without proper passing and disposing of ones interest to another generation and persons live without knowing clearly where defined boundaries are or who is the clear owner. So it is a different nature of squatting. And it is within families. That is the general trend we get coming from the THA. Darbeau said there were indications in 2014 that the situation was worsening. I did have some discussions with one of the Authoritys officials and they indicated that the problem is growing, she told the Committee. It may not be State land however. But there is a growing problem, though it probably has not reached to such alarming stages as in Trinidad. . What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news HEIDI CRUZ: HER EVIL PAST IS NOW BEING REVEALED By John Spring March 26, 2016 NewsWithViews.com While I am aware that Heidi Nelson Cruz apparently does suffer from deep depression, just after Hillary Rodham Clinton, she is the next person to be feared the most in this presidential race for 2016. Yes, I believe in common decency, but I also stand for the dignity of women, which means that they must be respected and treated equally even if it requires the truth. In an article written by Jesse Byrnes for The Hill that was released today on March 25, 2016, under the title "Trump aide fulfills threat to 'spill the beans' on Heidi Cruz," he reports on the recent interview on MSNBC that Steve Kornacki had with Katrina Pierson who is an aide for Donald Trump. See video below. According to Katrina Pierson, "Spilling the beans is quite simple when it comes to Heidi Cruz. She is a [George W.] Bush operative; she worked for the architect of NAFTA, which has killed millions of jobs in this country; she was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations whoin Sen. Cruz's own words, called - a nest of snakes that seeks to undermine national sovereignty; and she's been working for Goldman Sachs, the same global bank that Ted Cruz left off of his financial disclosure. Heidi's entire career has been spent working against everything Ted Cruz says that he stands for." According to the Council on Foreign Relations when Heidi Cruz was on the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on the Future of North America in 2004, she served at the White House under Dr. Condoleezza Rice as the Economic Director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council as Director of the Latin America Office at the U.S Treasury Department, and as Special Assistant to Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick, then U.S. Trade Representative. Previously, Heidi Cruz had been employed with J.P. Morgan at New York. Heidi Cruz had contributed to the writing of Building a North American Community, which was published by the Council on Foreign Relations and released in May of 2005. Its goals were the following: 1. ESTABLISH A COMMON SECURITY PERIMETER BY 2010 2. DEVELOP A NORTH AMERICAN BORDER PASS 3. DEVELOP A UNIFIED NORTH AMERICAN ACTION PLAN 4. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MILITARY COOPERATION 5. SPREAD BENEFITS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 6. ESTABLISH A SEAMLESS NORTH AMERICAN MARKET FOR TRADE 7. INCREASE LABOR MOBILITY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA 8. NORTH AMERICAN POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS All of the aforementioned goals were designed to establish a supranational government that would destroy our nation's sovereignty and supersede our Constitution as the forthcoming North American Union with its own currency call the Amero. The proposed "North American Border Pass" would essentially "erase" our international boundaries with Canada and Mexico. To "Establish a Common Security Perimeter" for North America and "Increase Labor within North America" would weaken our national defense because we would no longer have any authority or control over who enters Canada or Mexico from overseas or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. As a graduate from Claremont McKenna College, the Solvay School of Economics and Management at the Free University of Brussels, and Harvard School of Business, Heidi Nelson Cruz had the opportunity to attend some of the finest private institutions of higher learning in the world. So, as a woman, she has access to effective "analytic tools" for business. But based upon her own record, she has contributed to one of the repressive administrations and also an organization that is attempting to destroy our nation's sovereignty as well as our former standard of living, which has plummeted since NAFTA. So when we think about what Heidi Cruz has already accomplished to destroy America, we must be objective and become aware of her evil past as we should already understand about Hillary Clinton. This is why you must take the time to check these "allegations" for yourselves by searching on the Internet. Otherwise, the same clandestine or "hidden" powers in America will continue to destroy our jobs, our families, our homes and our freedom. Please, wake up now before you no longer have that opportunity to do so! May all of you have a blessed Passover and a happy Easter as well as a better tomorrow! Please, click on "Mass E-mailing" below and send this article to all your friends . i 2016 John Spring - All Rights Reserved John W. Spring became a talk-show host on his commercial radio program "Sound-Off!" He currently lives in Anaheim, California where he continues to write about matters that are ignored by the new media. E-mail: johnwspring@gmail.com A tree in the Beatrice Community Hospital lobby sprouted new leaves this week. Volunteers on Thursday and Friday collected angel leaf cards and hung them on a metal tree, the Hospice Tree of Life, as an annual fundraiser for the Beatrice Community Hospital Hospice Program. This money is not used for medications or salaries or anything like that, said Sam Rennick, executive director of the Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation (BCHF). It goes toward the little things that make a big difference in the lives of people using hospice services. Rennick and BCHF office manager Melinda Chleboun gave examples: a handicap rail, a lift chair, a window air conditioner unit, a bird feeder and Christmas gift shopping by BCH hospice staff on behalf of hospice patients are all sponsored by the fundraiser. Rennick said on Friday it was projected that the fundraiser would bring in more than $6,000. The hospice program provides services to patients and their families in Gage, Pawnee, Jefferson and Saline counties. Services include personal visits to patients, therapies, companionship, assistance with everyday needs, hospice chaplain visits, bereavement support for families for at least one year following the death of a loved one, and grief education classes held four times a year at BCH. Hospice makes the end of a persons life as quality and as comfortable as possible, Rennick said. I think hospice is equally about helping an individual and a family come to grips with eventual death. Organizers said the Hospice Tree of Life fundraising campaign has been a tradition at BCH since the mid-1990s during the week prior to Easter. Chleboun said most donations came into the foundations office by mail shortly after it sent out a letter about the effort, roughly a month before the physical booth was set up in the hospital lobby. I invite you to honor a special person in your life or a cherished loved one who you miss with a special angel leaf card, said hospice coordinator Paul Jensen in the letter. Please know that 100 percent of your donation will be used to assist current hospice patients or be placed in the hospice endowment to provide assistance in future years. Chleboun and Rennick said families who have used the hospice programs services always have positive and appreciative things to say about their experience. I think thats why this program is such a success every year, Chleboun said. The hospice program gets thank you notes and comments like, Your nurses were angels, which is partly why we put the angels on these cards. It represents that well. Chelboun said the foundation and the hospice program is really fortunate to have community support. The metal tree that holds the angel leafs year-round was custom built two years ago, Rennick said. People have been generous and its really nice that there is such a large number of people who support the hospice program and make it possible for them to do good work, Rennick said. Rennick said some donaters give to the effort annually, while the fundraiser also sees new names each year due to individuals' personal circumstances and connections with the hospice program. Volunteers manned the booth next to the tree from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The tree will remain in the hospital front entrance lobby for two weeks and then will be moved into the chapel, where it will remain with the cards intact until next years fundraiser. Donations toward the hospice program are accepted year-round through the Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation with a special note to designate it to the hospice program. The hospital's hospice care is provided to patients at their home or wherever they consider home, including assisted living facilities or nursing homes. Share This is a short week in the Next Generation Communications Community because of Good Friday and Easter. However, that did not mean there was a shortage of interesting announcements and insights to share with community members. For example, with the OFC conference taking this place this past week in Anaheim, CA (News - Alert), there were optical products announcements to highlight, and as will be seen below our features touched on a little bit of Everything. News As noted, companies which unlike community host Nokia (News - Alert) with its 1830 PSS 2 portfolio expansion, chose not use prior weeks to introduce new capabilities prior to OFC, several did use the event to reveal some interesting solutions. Ones that caught our attention were: The Infinera Infinite (News - Alert) Capacity Engine multi-terabit optical subsystem which offers super-channel capacity up to 2.4 terabits per second while reaching up to 12,000 kilometers. The addition to Lumentum Holdings transmission components and modules product lineup of the new 10G tunable small form factor (SFP+) optical transceiver. Nokia made a bit of news in a very important public safety vertical market. Current Analysis (News - Alert), Carrier Investment Plans for Evolving Today's 4G Networks Toward a 5G Future, which surveyed over 100 service provider executives worldwide, found Nokia as the number one vendor of 4G public safety solutions. Features As noted at the top, the eclecticism of community interest was certainly a focus this past week as we looked at such diverse areas that ranged from smart highways to the need for multi system network cable operators (aka MSOs) to continue to evolve their networks. I explained that while article about smart cars get the headlines these days, realities are that smart highway systems based on next generation IP/MPLS networks are as, if not more important to future traffic safety. And, speaking of IP/MPLS WANs, they present some interesting challenges as part of the growing web of interconnected data centers which is where state-of-the-art data center interconnect (DCI) solutions can really make a difference. In the past week we wrote about Nokias major expansion of its optical 1833 PPS 2-based portfolio, and this week we looked at its practical application in power utility networks for a host of reasons including greater of security, bandwidth availability, reliability and manageability. In our final feature we delve into five things cable MSOs need to keep in mind as they transform their networks to be competitive now and going forward. Weekend Reading Yes, this is the Easter Holiday weekend. Hence, this is a very soft sell on looking at making use of the community home page for links to constantly up-dated news, whitepapers, videos, podcasts and case studies. I also continue to recommend the new additions from TechZine, including: RAN virtualization: Real-world successes Cyber security in the IoT smart home and city And, links to other outstanding community resources such as the Digital Ideas section, along with links to eBooks and blogs are worth more than just a click. Not Found The requested URL was not found on this server. Apache Server Port 80 Four area students atthe University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha are among more than 100 that received residency assignments at the campus' Match Day earlier this month. One of the students will remain in Nebraska, while the other three will travel to Wisconsin and North Carolina. Students are matched through a computer program to align their preferences for residency programs in order to fill the thousands of training positions available at U.S. teaching hospitals, according to a press release from UNMC. The students, along with their fields of study and residence assignments, are: Andrew C. Ensz of Auburn, family medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. Thomas Henry Luers of Beatrice, internal medicine, Gundersen Lutheran Med Foundation, La Crosse, Wis. Miranda S. Mesloh of Hebron, emergency medicine, University of Nebraska Affiliated Hospitals, Omaha, Neb. Sydney Lynn Rees of Liberty, internal medicine, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, N.C. The number of Russian tourists is expected to soar in the coming years following the visit paid lately by King Mohammed VI to the Russian Federation, a visit which gave a new momentum to Moroccan-Russian cooperation. To achieve this goal, Moroccan national tourism office has signed several agreements with big Russian travel agencies to sell Moroccan destination to some 85,000 Russian tourists in 2016. These agreements were sealed on the sidelines of ongoing Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (MITT.) The four-day exhibition, which opened doors on March 23, is the largest event in the Russian travel sector. It brings together more than 1,850 companies and tour operators from 192 countries. Last year, Russian tourists, who visited Morocco, spent over 25 million, according to the latest data released by Moroccan Observatory of Tourism. About 60 percent of these Russian tourists were accompanied with relatives, while 18 percent of them came in organized trips. Over 49 percent of them stayed in rated hotels, while 45 percent chose Riads or rented apartments. During their holiday, the Russian tourists visited museums and historical monuments besides sightseeing in Moroccan coastal cities. Agadir remains Russian tourists favorite destination in Morocco wherein tourism professionals say the North African country can attract over 200,000 Russian tourists a year. This target is attainable and within reach. Morocco has deployed an ambitious strategy for the development of the tourism industry. This strategy, adopted in 2010, seeks to double the size of the tourism sector and put the country in the top 20 tourist destinations globally by 2020. A Belgian police officer in the midst of an anti-terrorism raid in Brussels on Friday. Photo: Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images Belgian authorities have announced that they have arrested and charged three terrorism suspects following a Europe-wide effort to identify and capture ISIS terrorist-cell members following Tuesdays suicide bombings in Brussels. One of the suspects may be the man in white captured by surveillance cameras walking with the bombers at the Brussels airport before the attack. The Washington Post reports that that man has been identified in Belgian media as an independent journalist named Faycal Cheffou who has a history of advocating for radical Islamist causes, including a prior arrest for attempting to recruit refugees in a public park. No weapons or explosives were found when authorities searched his home. Three other men were taken into custody following police raids throughout Brussels on Friday, and according to the New York Times, one of whom was shot in the leg by police during a raid. Two of those men have been charged with terrorist activities as well. Elsewhere, German authorities detained a man who had been deported from Turkey with one of the Brussels attackers last July, and authorities in France arrested a 34-year-old French native, also connected to Belgium, who they say was plotting an imminent attack, though apparently has not been linked to either the Paris or Brussels attacks. Belgian officials have additionally confirmed previous reports that one of the airport bombers was 24-year-old bomb maker Najim Laachraoui, whose DNA was found on explosives used in the Paris attacks. The Times reports that the Moroccan-born Laachraoui had grown up in Brussels and studied both engineering and electromechanics over two incomplete stints at colleges. His family then lost track of him after he travelled to Syria in 2013, and Laachraoui was first connected to terrorism in February after being suspected of links to a convicted jihadist who had originally recruited the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks. Laachraoui was also apparently stopped by police on the Hungary-Austria border in September traveling with now-arrested Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam. Meanwhile, Belgian prosecutors acknowledged yet another security lapse on Friday, disclosing that when they interrogated Abdeslam following his arrest on March 18, they focused solely on the Paris attacks and in fact did not ask him about future plots already underway. Abdelsam stopped speaking with investigators following the attacks in Brussels. Belgian authorities continue to face criticism over multiple intelligence failures with regard to preventing Tuesdays bombings, which killed 31 people. Photo: Ruslan Dashinsky/Getty Images According to the dudes who make up most of our government, hair braiding is a dangerous, serious business and must be regulated as such. Most states, including New York, demand licenses and have costly educational requirements for stylists to braid hair, but one state is going against the norm. Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts just signed legislation into law that will no longer require braiders to obtain a license, which in the state included a $22,000 tuition tab at cosmetology school. For somebody who is a young single female, potentially a young single mom, who doesnt have a lot [of] resources and is already struggling to make ends meet, cosmetology in the state of Nebraska is expensive, Nicole Fox, the Nebraska state senator who introduced the bill, told the Daily Signal. Prior to the new law, if you braided hair without a license in Nebraska, you would face up to three months in jail and $500 in fines. Further infractions included $25,000 in fines and a felony charge. Now that the menacing practice of hair braiding has been dropped from bureaucratic scrutiny in Nebraska, perhaps more states should follow. New York, say? No need to worry about any big future push to get all of Libyas oil back on pre-Gaddafi footing to worsen the supply glut. There is that, at least. Libya now has a third government, tacked on by a hasty decision by the UN. This new UN-backed unity government is now adding to the chaos that has hijacked already elusive Libyan stability since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. This is a power-sharing deal gone bad. There were two rival governments: one internationally recognized government with a parliament that couldnt even set foot in the capital, Tripoli, and has been relegated to the countrys east; and one Islamist-backed government controlling Tripoli and using a myriad of militias to prop itself up. Under the new UN plan, these two parallel governments were to hand power over to a new Government of National Accord (GNA) under prime minister designate Fayez al-Sarraj. Its not going to happen. The UN envoy cant even get into Tripoli to talk about it, and neither side has even endorsed the new GNA formally. The GNA can try to move into Tripoli, but its not going to get very far. It wont have control over Libyas money or its army, as it stands. And it would also have to deal with the militias controlling Tripoli. If they make a move, the conflict will move to the next bloodier level. ISIS will reap the benefits of this greater chaos. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict No need to worry about any big future push to get all of Libyas oil back on pre-Gaddafi footing to worsen the supply glut. There is that, at least. Libya now has a third government, tacked on by a hasty decision by the UN. This new UN-backed unity government is now adding to the chaos that has hijacked already elusive Libyan stability since the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. This is a power-sharing deal gone bad. There were two rival governments: one internationally recognized government with a parliament that couldnt even set foot in the capital, Tripoli, and has been relegated to the countrys east; and one Islamist-backed government controlling Tripoli and using a myriad of militias to prop itself up. Under the new UN plan, these two parallel governments were to hand power over to a new Government of National Accord (GNA) under prime minister designate Fayez al-Sarraj. Its not going to happen. The UN envoy cant even get into Tripoli to talk about it, and neither side has even endorsed the new GNA formally. The GNA can try to move into Tripoli, but its not going to get very far. It wont have control over Libyas money or its army, as it stands. And it would also have to deal with the militias controlling Tripoli. If they make a move, the conflict will move to the next bloodier level. ISIS will reap the benefits of this greater chaos. With Brussels added to the list of ISIS attacks in Europe, coming after Paris and last week, Istanbul, Europe must deal with a problem that it cant control without putting the entire continent on lockdown: ISIS ability to attack soft targets. The ISIS cells operating in Europe are not large in number, are largely sleepers waiting to be temporarily activated for an attack, and are difficult to track and trace because of their semi-autonomy from the wider group. They are scattered and spread out across Europe in small groups and are looking for soft targets and timing attacks for maximum human casualties. Airports are among the best soft targets on ISIS listas in Brussels, where they targeted the departure terminal. As ISIS gains give impetus to al-Qaeda groups whose MOs had needed a bit of a rethink, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked the In Salah gas facility run by BP and Statoil in Algeria, promoting the two companies to relocate all staff from this facility and a second, the In Amenas gas facility, which was attacked in 2013 and in which 40 workers were killed. The In Salah facilities were hit by two apparently homemade mortars fired from outside the perimeter. BP and Statoil work with Algerias state-owned energy company Sonatrach at the gas facilities. The two facilities are extremely important for Algerian gas production, and the In Salah project is tied to Algerias third-largest gas field. Discovery & Development Australian Woodside Petroleum is scrapping its $40-billion floating LNG (FLNG) project in Western Australias Kimberly coast, in the Browse Basin, due to cost considerations as oil and gas prices remain depressed. Western Australia was hoping for some $1 bill in royalties from this project. Poland has completed construction of its $794-million LNG terminal near the Baltic Sea and should get its first commercial shipment in July this year. It could also get a boost from a planned pipeline to Norway. The pipeline, funded by Polish state-run PGNiG, is an old plan that was shelved and, now revived again, could be completed by 2022 and would carry gas from Norway. Poland is hoping the two projects will help it become a regional gas hub in Europe and reduce reliance on Russian gas. Poland has secured one contract for LNG for the new terminal so far, from Qatargas, for 1.5 billion cubic meters annually for 20 years. Cyprus has officially launched its third round of gas exploration licensing in Blocks 6, 8, and 10 in the offshore economic zone (EEZ). Interested parties have four months to submit applications. Earlier licenses went to Noble Energy, Total SA, Eni and Kogas of South Korea. Noble has made a 4.5 trillion cubic feet discovery and development is underway, while Eni has come up dry in two gas drillings, and Total will drill its first exploratory well later this year. Noble Energy and Israeli partner Delek are looking to raise up to $4 billion to develop the giant offshore Leviathan gas field, according to unnamed sources cited by mainstream media. According to the sources, Noble and Delek will secure their portion of the funds to their ownership in the supergiant gas field. Noble owns 40 percent of the field, while Delek owns 45 percent through two different units. Private talks are said to be underway with a number of lenders to cover some 65 percent of Leviathans development costs. Chevron has shipped its first cargo from its $54-billion Gorgon LNG complex departed Barrow Island in northwest Australia for delivery into Japan. The cargo will be delivered to one of Chevrons foundation buyers, Chubu Electric Power. The Chevron-operated Gorgon project is a joint venture between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (47.3 percent), Exxon Mobil and Shell with 25 percent each and three Japanese companies as partners with minor stakes. At full capacity, were looking at 15.6 million ton per year of production from this project. New Zealand will be taking bids for oil and gas exploration in five areas totaling more than half a million square kilometers, including for offshore blocks in the Northland-Reinga, Taranaki, East Coast and Canterbury basins, as well as onshore blocks in the Taranaki Basin. Bidding on the blocks is open until September, with results in December. There are around 149 million barrels of oil reserves remaining in fields already in production. Kuwait's state oil company has discovered a new oil and gas field in the countrys west. The find is being pegged as significant, but tests are still being carried out. This is in the al-Jathatheel field. No estimates have been revealed as of yet. Kuwait has 102 billion barrels of proven reserves, according to EIA estimates. The country plans to increase production from 3 million barrels per day to 4 million bpd by 2020. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions TransCanada will acquire Houston-based Columbia Pipeline Group, which operates a 15,000-mile network of interstate natural gas pipelines extending from New York to the Gulf of Mexico for nearly $10 billion. The acquisition will give TransCanada some 57,000 miles of pipeline in North America. The deal is expected to close during the second half of the year. The acquisition comes after US President Barack Obama in November rejected the Keystone XL proposal. Canadian Banker's Petroleum has announced the sale of oil exploration and production rights in Albania to Hong Kong-based Geo-Jade Petroleum for $442 million. The company has been one of Albanias largest foreign investors and had been exploiting the Albanian oil fields of Patos-Marinze and Kucova. However, its income fell by half last year as a result of the oil price downturn, and a request by the Albanian tax authorities for $75 million following a tax reassessment of company expenses in 2011. The company was accused of reporting unrealistic expenses in order to avoid a profit tax. The Canadian company filed two complaints with the International Court of Arbitration, which the company later withdrew after reaching a deal with the Albanian government to resolve the issue in an amicable way. "Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is back for another round, brought to you by Great Northern Distilling: grain to glass spirits, handmade in Wisconsin. The whole month of March, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars readers poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in! There are some topics that the majority of people are simply uncomfortable talking about and the frequency of sexual violence, particularly date rape druggings, is one of them. Ayla Boyle learned this first hand after a drug was put into her drink which caused her to black out for many hours in the summer of 2015. Boyle says she left her drink at her table when she went to play pinball. She lost consciousness within minutes of sipping her drink. However, because she was still interacting with people and somewhat communicating, her friends, at first, thought she was just really drunk. They eventually realized this was not the case, that something was really wrong with her, and they took her to a safe place where she slept for hours. "When I woke up, I didnt have a hangover, but I was covered in bruises from falling over so many times before I finally passed out," says Boyle. "I remembered nothing after playing pinball." Boyle decided to try to get answers and piece together what happened to her. She posted to Facebook what happened and engaged in conversation with many people. She was unable to decipher who or why her drink was tampered with, but she made connections with numerous people who had been in similar situations. "There is so much apathy from people when you tell them what happened to you," says Boyle. "The day after I felt scared and afraid but I wasnt ashamed because I knew it wasnt me." Boyle decided to start a Kickstarter fund to raise money to buy date rape drug test strips to donate to local bars so men and women who leave their drinks for any amount of time could ensure it was drug free. Within five hours, she had met her monetary goal on Kickstarter. "I quickly realized that test strips werent going to eradicate date rape culture," says Boyle. "We needed to start a movement." Meanwhile, Erika Wolf and Lian Markovich were doing similar work, also trying to expose the issue of sexual violence and rape culture while educating people about it at the same time. Wolf was particularly inspired to speak up after the violent attack of a 33-year-old woman in Snails Crossing, a Riverwest park, in December of 2014. Wolf organized a Take Back The Night event in the park, and 200 people showed up. "This was the beginning of a lot of great conversations that werent already happening," says Wolf. "People were angry and afraid and they werent hearing anything from the police." Wolf reconnected with friend and fellow community organizer, Lian Markovich, and before long, they were introduced to Boyle and the three women started Date Rape Awareness Milwaukee (DRAM) in early 2015. "Everything started happening very quickly and at the same time," says Markovich. "It immediately had a lot of momentum." The mission of the group is to "educate and eradicate rape culture" through a collaborative process with everyone in the community. "We are building a network of people to take action, to be intolerant of sexual violence who will hold themselves and each other accountable for our choices," reads one of their printed statements. DRAM developed the Upstanders Program, which is an effort to create consent culture in local bars, businesses, schools and community in general. The program is a work in progress, but has already been implemented in a few different ways. Recently, the women facilitated three days of workshops at the Sojourner Truth House in conjunction with a Healthy Dating Summit for Milwaukee Public School high school and middle school students. "We talked to young people about what consent is and how to ask for it. How to hear 'no,' and what to do when you hear 'no,'" says Markovich. "When we were growing up, no one ever talked to us about this. DRAM also focuses on education in bars and offers a certificate training course for service industry employees to create and maintain a safe space for themselves and their customers. Alcohol is the number one date rape drug, not roofies," says Markovich. The Rverwest Public House will be the first bar to go through the program this spring. After a bar completes the program, they are also given the drug test strips for free, which were purchased through the Kickstarter campaign as well as through a $3,000 donation given to DRAM from Riverwest FemFest earlier this year. Unfortunately, the technology of test strips is still lacking, and the strips only check for the two most common date rape drugs. "The strips are a part of a holistic approach to change the culture," says Wolf. "Were not the date rape drug test strip fairies. The idea is that they are part of a tool kit for bars that are serious about being a safe space and being responsible for their patrons." Often, the focus is put on the victims: what they "should" have done differently in order to avoid the outcome. Overall, DRAM is attempting to "shift the focus from victim responsibility to engaging and deconstructing peoples choices to behave violently in order to stop violence from reoccurring," says Markovich. The women of DRAM know that it is beyond the ability of some people to help, but they want to provide referrals for people who are violent and need help. "We cant write off people because they did something terrible. They still matter and we all have the capacity to grow and to change," says Wolf. "Were not going to be able to solve everyones problems, but we want to help people find what they need provide them with a list of resources whether they need professional help or a safe space. Its really about everyone working together to show that we are a city that does not accept sexual violence." Anyone who saw Donald Trump asking for a Hitler-like salute to accompany a vote pledge from his supporters, or watched an angry follower elbow-punch a protester in the face, should realize that if he were to take the White House, we would all be in deep trouble. Trump's behavior, ideas and political rants are outrageous and alarming. But make no mistake: we'd be in trouble if any Republican candidate were to win the election. Trump's opponents espouse much of the same policy claptrap when pressed; they just use softer language and forego violently throwing protesters out of the room with the Stalinist vigor of the frontrunner. The party of the right has helped fuel the escalation in violence and vitriol we are experiencing. They've done nothing to put a lid on what's happening and they continue to support Trump in the election. They have never disavowed his accusations about the President's birthplace. They've refused to pass legislation the president proposes and they have never treated Mr. Obama with respect. Even more worrying than the fascist machinations of the authoritarian Republican poll leader is the numbers of people flocking to his events cheering on his stereotypical scapegoating. The hate inherent in Trump supporters is a scary reminder that a lot of Americans stand on shaky ground. We are not alone in the fact that about half our population is dangerously right wing. Recently Spain's conservative government strengthened laws originally aimed at controlling separatists. The laws resulted in the arrest of puppeteers who used a political play on words at a Carnival show and the prosecution of a musician and a poet whose work suggested criticism of the government, all in the name of fighting terrorism. Maximum prison sentences for such infractions have been increased and a new "gag law" penalizes unauthorized public demonstrations. Even before the Paris attacks in November last year France reinforced a similar gag law to punishes statements deemed to be inciting terrorism. Since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, French authorities have moved to enforce the law and have been accused of rushing to convict people who may have spoken provocatively outside the realm of terrorism. Other European nations, both east and west, have also enacting broad and troubling laws, some aimed at maintaining a leader's control, others at limiting political speech as fears of Islamic extremism rise. Germany, for example, is showing serious signs of moving right in view of the Merkel government's welcoming of refugees. In Turkey, the Erdogan government recently seized the largest circulation newspaper in the country which had been critical of his leadership. Within 48 hours it was publishing pro-Erdogan propaganda. In shutting down the press police acted after a court in Istanbul placed the paper under the administration of selected Trustees without explanation. The editor of the paper was fired and Turkish sources reported that the paper's online archive was being eradicated. This action is just the latest move by the authoritarian Erdogan, who has imprisoned critics, jailed journalists, and gone back to war with the Kurds. Oh, and it's now illegal to insult Mr. Erdogan. Nearly 2,000 cases for that crime were filed over the last year and a half. The New York Times, in reporting events in Turkey, noted that "it is unsettling that the US and Europe have responded so meekly to Mr. Erdogan's trampling of a free press." It's also unsettling that EU countries are not willing to bear any responsibility for trapped refugees. The challenges of resettlement are huge, of course, but part of the reason no country wants to help the teaming masses is an almost hysterical fear of terrorism, which seems to have trumped (no pun intended) human rights and compassion. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Alon Ben-Meir Blog In the wake of the unimaginable horror of World War II the international community committed itself to never allow such atrocities to take place again with impunity. But as was the case with the many tragic genocides that happened since then, including Bosnia and Rwanda, witnessing in real time the systematic destruction of a country and its people without enraging the human conscience is a shame with which every single head of state will have to live. Syria became nothing but a pawn in the hands of the merchants of death, the states and various extremist groups who mercilessly used Syrians' lives to further their narrow political schemes. The fact that more than 300,000 Syrians have died, twice as many were injured, and more than 12 million became refugees or internally displaced did not seem to faze either Russia or Iran, who have provided unflinching support to the Assad regime. They continue to supply Assad's killing machine only to secure their interests, which in fact they could have done without the loss of a single Syrian life. This is how Khamenei expresses his style of mercy and compassion, and how Putin demonstrates his caring for the Syrian people. The body and soul of two generations of Syrians have been crushed, their hopes and dreams have been shattered, their dignity and pride was robbed, and millions were left languishing, hoping to wake up each morning from a nightmare only to realize that a nightmarish life is their lot. It is hard to fathom how many violent extremist groups converged on Syria, competing and killing one another, and how such madness could warp their minds and let insanity reign. What is in the DNA of these cruel irredeemable groups, especially Assad's army and ISIS, that drove them to commit such savagery with equanimity? We are living in a leaderless world, in an age where complacency has become a virtue, indifference a relief, lack of courage a cautious maneuver, and the absence of resolve a salvation. The whole international community could not muster the resources and moral commitment to end the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. Is it any wonder that such atrocities can happen time and again? Developing a plan of action and strategy to end the civil war early on could have prevented the carnage in Syria from taking place. When the community of nations fails the test of time and ineptitude becomes a guide for the future, why should any country subject its national security to the caprices of other states or the UN, where politics not humanity dictates the agenda of the day? Now that the US and Russia agreed to bring an end to the Syrian tragedy, they must ensure that any future solution carefully considers the psychological state in which the various groups and sects find themselves. First, a representative transitional government should be established which reflects Syria's demographic composition, is composed of professional bureaucrats and remains in power for at least five to seven years. Such a governing authority must focus on rebuilding infrastructure, schools, clinics and hospitals, maintain internal security, and systematically engage in a process of reconciliation to prevent revenge and retribution. Second, however despicable President Assad may be, he should be part of any solution perhaps for two to three years of the transitional period. This will not only help facilitate a solution but allow Syria's major institutions, especially the military, internal security, intelligence, and the bureaucracy to stay in place to prevent the disintegration of the country as long as these entities remain subordinated to the central transitional government. Third, there is no place at this juncture to try to incorporate into any resolution the idea of establishing a democracy by writing a new constitution and instituting general elections before the expiration of the transitional government. The US and the EU must not simply assume that Western political values can be implanted or that such an idea could even succeed in the short or long term. The US' efforts to prematurely establish democracy in Libya, Egypt and Iraq have miserably failed and should not be repeated. Fourth, the solution must avoid any wishful thinking that by some miracle the country can simply be put back together as if reconciliation between the sects who have become sworn enemies will be a natural process. Each group needs the time to reflect and heal. The Sunnis, Alawites, Christians, and Kurds in particular must be given the space and latitude to regroup. The move by Syrian Kurds to establish a "federal democratic system" should be welcomed and emulated to avoid conflicts between each other which are bound to occur. Reprinted from Consortium News In late August 2013, with Barack Obama on the verge of launching retaliatory airstrikes against the Syrian military for its alleged role in a lethal sarin gas attack, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper informed the President that U.S. intelligence doubted that Bashar al-Assad's government was actually responsible, causing Obama to pull back from the attack. That new detail was disclosed in Jeffrey Goldberg's opus for The Atlantic on Obama's foreign policy, but Goldberg -- in an extraordinary display of cognitive dissonance -- then wrote the rest of his lengthy article as if he had forgotten his own reporting. He made his story conform to the powerful Washington "group think" that Assad had carried out the attack and thus had crossed Obama's "red line" against using chemical weapons. But the disclosure of Clapper's warning that U.S. intelligence lacked "slam dunk" evidence implicating Assad's forces confirmed reporting at Consortiumnews and a few other independent news outlets in 2013 -- and also underscored how President Obama then joined in lying to maintain the anti-Assad propaganda themes. Not only did the White House issue a "Government Assessment" on Aug. 30, 2013, trying to pin the blame for the attack on Assad's regime -- and not only did Obama dispatch Secretary of State John Kerry to make the dubious anti-Assad case to the country -- but Obama himself asserted Assad's guilt in his Sept. 24, 2013 address to the United Nations General Assembly. "It's an insult to human reason and to the legitimacy of this institution to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack," Obama said. Yet, the President knew that many of his own intelligence analysts doubted that the Assad regime carried out the attack. In other words, if Obama's statement is taken literally, he was asserting that much of the U.S. intelligence community was either dishonest or crazy. But, more likely, Obama was just reading the words of a speech prepared by State Department propagandists who understood the need to knock down the growing suspicion that the attack was a provocation committed by Islamist extremists trying to trick the United States to join the war on their side. Obama must have recognized that his words were deceptive but he didn't have the integrity or the courage to strike them from the speech. He just went along like a willing puppet of the foreign-policy establishment mouthing falsehoods prepared for him rather than acting decisively as America's Commander in Chief to protect his own and his nation's credibility. Obama's U.N. speech puts into a different context the narrative that Goldberg presented in The Atlantic article. There, Obama seems to relish his refusal to go along with what he "calls, derisively, 'the Washington playbook,'" which dictates a military response to foreign challenges like the Syria sarin case. Goldberg wrote that Aug. 31, 2013, when Obama backed away from the widely anticipated Syrian bombing campaign, "was his liberation day." But several weeks later, Obama went before the United Nations and denounced as irrational anyone who raised exactly the doubts that had been central to his decision not to bomb. So, what is one to make of Obama's passive-aggressive resistance to the military imperative mandated by the "Washington playbook" while succumbing to its propagandistic tactics to justify war? Even as he resisted the demands to bomb, he could not challenge the Washington establishment enough to explain to the American people that U.S. intelligence analysts were uncertain about Assad's guilt. Instead, Obama allowed his subordinates to pile on the calumnies against Assad -- with Secretary of State John Kerry doing so in belligerent speeches and the White House releasing a "Government Assessment" fingering Assad's forces -- while Obama let those distortions go unchallenged and, indeed, reinforced them in his U.N. speech. Telling the American People By contrast, Obama could have taken his case to the American people. He could have given a speech saying that war is too serious and solemn an act for a president to go off half-cocked. He could have said he would not launch military strikes if the U.S. intelligence community wasn't sure who was guilty. The American people would have surely understood that point of view -- and they would have been empowered by being brought in on what the U.S. government knew and didn't know. Yes, it would have undermined the propaganda campaign then underway to demonize Assad, but if you believe in democracy and the concept of an informed electorate, wouldn't that have been a good thing? What I was told at the time -- and what the Clapper disclosure in The Atlantic confirms -- is that in the days after the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin attack, Obama knew quite well that there were serious questions about who had fired the one home-made, sarin-laden rocket that U.N. inspectors recovered in the Zamalka neighborhood outside Damascus. by NW Spotlight A rather scary side story re-emerged this week during investigations into Tuesdays terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium attacks that left 30 dead and 230 injured. On Tuesday, the NY Times reported that two nuclear plants in Belgium had been evacuated the result of new information, and the events of today. What new information? On Thursday, NBC News reported that an expert involved in a probe into ISIS threats told them the brothers behind this weeks Brussels bombings also spied on a top nuclear researcher and hoped to build a so-called dirty bomb. The brothers were responsible for planting a hidden camera outside the Belgian researchers house, according to a French former intelligence official who was hired to investigate potential plots targeting Europes nuclear sector. As was reported last month by NBC News, Belgian police discovered the secret film on Nov. 30 while searching the home of a man with ties to ISIS. According to NBC News reporting this week, the camera produced more than 10 hours of film showing the comings and goings of senior researcher at a Belgian nuclear center and his family. The NBC News reporting last month said Belgian authorities have since speculated that the group was trying to figure out a way to collect materials from the nuclear center as the first step in building a bomb. The same reporting noted Many U.S. experts consider the eventual detonation by terrorists of a dirty bomb containing radiological materials to be inevitable. Dirty bombs: Goal is fear and anxiety actual radiation danger limited According to CBS News, a dirty bomb can use a conventional explosive to disperse radioactive material, and is not to be confused with a nuclear explosion, but experts say such a device could release relatively small amounts of radiation over several city blocks and have its most devastating effect in the panic it probably would create. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) notes A dirty bomb is in no way similar to a nuclear weapon or nuclear bomb, and is not a Weapon of Mass Destruction but a Weapon of Mass Disruption, where contamination and anxiety are the terrorists major objectives. Regarding actual impact, the NRC says a dirty bomb would not release enough radiation to kill people or cause severe illness the conventional explosive itself would be more harmful to individuals than the radioactive material. In this Feb. 15, 2016 file photo, snow-covered mountains are seen behind the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. The massive Alaska ice field that feeds Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier, a tourist attraction viewed by hundreds of thousands each year, could be gone by 2200 if climate warming trends continue, according to a new University of Alaska Fairbanks study. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File) A Rhode Island-size ice field in the mountains behind Alaska's capital could disappear by 2200 if climate-warming trends continue, according to a University of Alaska Fairbanks study. The study published this week by the Journal of Glaciology predicts 60 percent of the ice in the Juneau Ice Field could be gone by 2099. The Juneau Ice Field is the source for a major Alaska tourist attraction, the Mendenhall Glacier, visited last year by 450,000 people at a U.S. Forest Service center. By 2099, the study authors said, the glacier's ice will be harder to find. "By the end of this century, people will most likely not be able to see the Mendenhall Glacier anymore from the visitor's center," said Regine Hock, a UAF glaciologist and one of the authors of the study. The Juneau Ice Field, one of the largest ice fields in the Western Hemisphere, covers 1,500 square miles in the steep Coast Mountains, the range that lines Alaska's Panhandle and much of British Columbia. The Mendenhall Glacier, a 13-mile river of ice, terminates about 10 miles north of downtown Juneau. The paper's lead author, Florian Ziemen, of Hamburg, Germany, worked on the study during a year of post-doctoral work at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Modeling the melt of the ice field was challenging because of the lack of weather stations in the remote mountains. Lacking weather data, models make computations based on physical characteristics such as sunlight, clouds and their movement and precipitation, Ziemen said. "It just grabs the physical system of the climate," he said. The numbers are translated into grid points every 20 kilometers, which Ziemen had to adjust to account for Juneau's topography. "The topography in the Juneau area is very steep," he said. "Just having one data point every 20 kilometers doesn't really resolve the mountain flanks and how the precipitation falls." The researchers applied corrected climate data to a forecasting model and combined it with a glacier model developed by UAF researchers that has been used to make predictions for the Greenland Ice Sheet. If warming trends continue, more than 60 percent of the ice will be lost by 2099, the paper predicts. All climate models predicted increased warming of the planet, Hock said. "Even the lowest emission scenarios that are realistic predict a warming, essentially, all over the world," she said. "It's only the question, how aggressive?" Ziemen picked a middle-of-the-road forecast, Hock said. The high altitude of the Juneau Ice Field would make it less vulnerable to melting. If current climate continued, the ice field would shrink by 14 percent, Hock said. Explore further Greenland model could help estimate sea level rise More information: FLORIAN A. ZIEMEN et al. Modeling the evolution of the Juneau Icefield between 1971 and 2100 using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), Journal of Glaciology (2016). Journal information: Journal of Glaciology FLORIAN A. ZIEMEN et al. Modeling the evolution of the Juneau Icefield between 1971 and 2100 using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM),(2016). dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.13 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Rollins Follow Rollins 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 With apologies to Poor Richards Almanac, it appears that the watched pot has started to boil. Many have paid lip service to the problems in the prison system and lawmakers have approved a plan to provide money for more beds at an existing facility. But, following the governors lead, the focus has been on property tax relief and limiting the spending of schools and local government. Some lawmakers have been promoting a plan to provide health insurance for thousands of Nebraskas working poor. But a special legislative committee looking at corrections and any number of experts in the field have cautioned that low staffing levels and excessive overtime coupled with extreme overcrowding is a recipe for trouble. The American Civil Liberties Union has warned that it is ready to file a lawsuit to force Nebraskas hand to directly address the situation. Meanwhile at the states toughest prison, the maximum security Tecumseh prison, three employees were attacked by inmates. That attack was one of three at three different prisons within a week. The system is still smarting from a Mothers Day riot in 2015 which left two inmates dead and several other inmates and staff injured and cost nearly $1 million in cleanup and repairs. Tecumseh now has 1,045 inmates in facilities designed for 960. And, the facility has a new warden. Corrections Director Scott Frakes decided to make a change in leadership. The incumbent warden resigned and was immediately replaced with a longtime corrections employee and administrator, someone Frakes said fit his vision to transform the agency. State officials blame low staffing levels and excessive overtime as factors in the unrest. Those two aggravating circumstances come at a time when prisons are over capacity. Over capacity leads to some unrest among inmates because its not like you can go someplace else to get away from the crowd. I have spoken with formerly incarcerated people who say that disrespect by the staff is a big trigger in bad behavior toward staff. Again, inmates dont have much left in regards to privacy or the ability to do much more than adapt to the culture of the population. Losing the respect of fellow inmates goes with the territory. But losing respect from staff can be the last straw. Cuts in programming, for either punitive or financial reasons, have increased the amount of idle time among inmates. And that can have unpleasant circumstances. Educational or vocational classes would help give inmates a sense of purpose and a hope. Alternative sentencing would help the overcrowding situation. Establishment of non-traditional courts (part of Gothenburg Senator Matt Williams LB919) is a giant step in the right direction. Frakes maintains that corrections leaders are held to a high standard, occupying a unique position of trust and responsibility. He says a warden plays a key role in shaping morale, good order and discipline. Morale has been a problem at Tecumseh and the states inspector general for corrections, Doug Koebernick, said that Tecumseh employees are the unhappiest among workers in the corrections systems 13 agency locations. Frakes acknowledges that the system suffers from a culture of fear. Koebernick said many Tecumseh workers said they felt unsafe at work, didnt feel they could discuss concerns with supervisors, and that they either didnt know what direction the department was heading or that it was headed in a negative direction. Senator Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, whose district includes Tecumseh, said he agrees that culture has to change, but admits it is going to be a big deal to change it. The change in warden was a surprise to many state senators. Judiciary Committee Chairman Les Seiler of Hastings said he thought the previous warden seemed to be engaged with employees and inmates. Executive Board Chairman Bob Krist of Omaha said he had been impressed with the warden in past encounters and said he was forthcoming about problems and concerns. Watermeier agreed. Koebernick said he understands the move in light of the staff turnover and tension between employees and leadership. He said time will tell. One has to question if there is time. With the ACLU on the verge of filing a suit and the prison leadership on the ropes with the recent acts of violence against staff, the pot is beginning to boil. The clock is ticking on promised changes and solutions. Bulgari Combines Payments, Technology and Security in its luxury intelligent watch In the wearable technology industry, function usually takes precedence over fashion. With the innovative new Bulgari Diagono Magnesium, there is now a luxury wristwatch that combines technology and convenience with traditional style. Setting itself apart from smart watches, this intelligent watch is the development of the luxury brand Bulgari in conjunction with MasterCard and the Swiss digital security firm WISEKey. Owners will be able to use the watch to make secure payments at millions of locations worldwide as well as access other advanced features not previously available in a high-end wristwatch. The mechanical watch has a classic design with a modern magnesium face and a cryptographic chip embedded with WISEKey NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. Using this technology, the watch syncs with the Bulgari Vault Application on the users tablet or smartphone to act as a key to unlocking personal information such as credit card numbers, passwords, user identification details and more. The encrypted data is stored on a secure cloud located in a Swiss military barracks in the Alps. Bulgari boasts this is the most secure technology available to protect the assets of their clients without sacrificing the style of a luxury watch. The Bulgari Diagono Magn@sium prioritizes design and security over the myriad technological features of other smart watches on the market. As an intelligent watch, it will allow users the convenience to make purchases at over four million locations accepting MasterCard contactless transactions. Bulgari plans to introduce more secure access features such as the ability to open select automobile doors and Bulgari hotel rooms and sync with other participating partners to expand the Bulgari ecosystem. BVLGARI Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin explained, The cooperation between BVLGARI, MasterCard and WISeKey on the Diagono Magn@sium intelligent watch perfectly embodies Bulgaris vision. We believe that technology and craftsmanship can be artfully combined to deliver a valuable and unique benefit to our clients without compromising the integrity of a timeless mechanical luxury watch Bulgari hopes to introduce the Diagono Magn@sium to the market before the end of the year. For a video highlighting the features of the watch, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAyKfPOYwws&feature=youtu.be More Point of sale articles: For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser Students on both sides of the Atlantic have declared war on the past.Here in the UK, students at Oxford University recently held a protest march past landmarks in the city that are linked to Britain's colonial past. This was to mark the first anniversary of the #RhodesMustFall campaign to have statues of Cecil Rhodes, the colonialist and educational benefactor, torn down.Although the march itself was not well attended it attracted national media attention after Oxford's chancellor, Lord Patten, announced that students who don't like Cecil Rhodes should "think about being educated elsewhere." His stand is a remarkable display of backbone in the academic world.Meanwhile, Cambridge University agreed to remove a statue of a bronze cockerel after students argued it had been unfairly taken from Africa in the nineteenth century and should be repatriated back to Nigeria. The statue had been in place at the University since 1930 but today's students argued it should be returned because, "The contemporary political culture surrounding colonialism and social justice, combined with the university's global agenda, offers a perfect opportunity for the college to benefit from this gesture." Cambridge students also want memorials to slave owner Christopher Codrington and Jan Smuts, former Prime Minister of South Africa, removed. Elsewhere in the UK, students are just as eager to put the past on trial and have called into question campus monuments to Queen Victoria Over in the United States, the Royall Must Fall group succeeded in getting Harvard Law School to stop using a crest which included the seal of eighteenth century slave owner Isaac Royall. The crest was adopted in the 1930s and since then has been displayed on buildings and merchandise associated with the school. It is only with the current wave of student protesters that the crest has come to be interpreted as somehow condoning slavery.Late last year Georgetown University responded to student protesters and agreed to rename two buildings on campus, Mulledy Hall and McSherry Hall that had been named after slaveowners. Students demanded the institution show an increased awareness about its racial legacy. The 16-member Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation, comprised of students, faculty and administrators, has recommended the buildings be renamed Freedom Hall and Remembrance Hall.Elsewhere in the U.S., the war on the past has taken a more surreal turn.Harvard has dropped the title " House Master " and replaced it with "faculty deans" after students complained that the label "master" served as a reminder of slavery. And protesting students used the same dubious logic to demand that Lebanon Valley College change the name of Lynch Memorial Hall, named in honour of a former Irish American College President. The building has now been renamed Clyde A. Lynch '18 Memorial Hall, so as to avoid any possible implication that the college was recognising the lynching of black people by the Ku Klux Klan.Students are raging against history and when the past is judged according to today's standards, it provides an immense supply of atrocities and injustices for them to rail against. In this respect, history serves a useful function for young people who want to use it to assert their moral superiority over their unenlightened ancestors. Fighting against the past affords students an opportunity to display their moral righteousness and certainty to full effect.However, as the Harvard students show us, when history is presented as a morality play rather than a search for the truth, it no longer has to have any relationship to reality. Pitching the benefits of hindsight that come with an entirely different social, economic and political era against a decontextualised past allows today's students to take the moral high ground.As a consequence, current protests against the past obscure how far society has progressed, the great strides that have been made in tackling oppression based on race, gender and sexuality. Indeed, in allowing youngsters who lead privileged lives with a reason to believe that they too are victims, this denial of social progress appears to be a prime motivation driving the protesters.Complaining about history is far easier than challenging injustices in the present. The past is never able to answer back and defend itself and arguing against the past rarely entails adverse consequences for today's protesters.In demanding the removal of statues, crests, and the names of buildings students show a childish approach both to history and to the contemporary problems society faces. Those championing the removal of statues consider themselves absolved of responsibility to advocate intelligent solutions to today's problems.In many ways, today's students are simply acting out the lessons about the past they have been taught at school and university. For many years, history teaching has been dominated by the assumption that it needed to be made "relevant" to the lives of modern students and used to meet a range of instrumental objectives. They are often asked to imagine the past as they would have experienced it themselves, then to reflect upon their own feelings.For example, a history lesson for young British children involves them being told to crouch down under a table squashed up next to each other. After staying like this for some time the teacher will then inform them that this was what it was like for people traveling from Africa to America in slave ships. The children will then write about how they felt.In higher education, the instrumentalisation of history continues. For several decades, college students have been urged by postmodern professors to deconstruct knowledge in order to expose ideology and the workings of power. Too often, the take home message is that studying the past has no positive justification other than highlighting decontextualised examples of oppression and injustice.Young people today are encouraged to see the past through the narcissistic lens of their own emotional reactions. And when it offends them, it needs to be literally deconstructed through the tearing down of monuments.Although ostensibly focused upon historical figures and events, these current student campaigns tell us far more about the present than the past. In ransacking the past to find a justification for applying the label of victim to themselves in the present, they inadvertently reveal the moral bankruptcy of our education system. LIFE ElderCare(FREEMONT, Calif.) -- Mary Margaret Sims turns 90 years old this Easter weekend, but if you see her in motion, you just might not believe it. She is a familiar face in Fremont, California, an hour south of San Francisco, where she is a faithful Meals on Wheels volunteer. Her 90th birthday is on Saturday. With the strength and vigor of someone much younger, and a heart of gold, Sims jumps into her car every Wednesday and drives door to door to deliver meals to people who rely on her because they are sometimes too sick or frail to leave their homes. Sims reaches about 23 households on those days, and usually doesn't miss a beat, according to Patricia Osage, executive director of LIFE ElderCare, the organization that runs the Meals on Wheels program in Fremont. "She has been volunteering for 31 years and we've only been delivering meals for 41 years," Osage said with a laugh. "But she'll say, 'Oh no, it wasn't 31 years because I took a few months off in 2007 when my husband passed away.'" Sims couldn't be reached for comment by ABC News. "She tells us she got back out of bed because Meals on Wheels needed her," Osage said. "And we did." "Serving others gives us self-satisfaction," Sims told local news station Fox 13. "So that's how come I am still driving around delivering meals." Meals on Wheels America Communications Vice President Jenny Bertolette told ABC News that Meals on Wheels "delivers nearly one million meals a day to isolated, home-bound older adults," across the country. The program serves 2.4 million seniors each year, relying on almost 2 million volunteers, added. The irony is not lost on Osage that Sims is much older than many of the seniors she serves. "She is an inspiration because she's incredibly kind," Osage said. "She has an enormous heart. ... She goes above and beyond." Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Press Release: Contact: Amy Holcombe Amy Holcombe amy.holcombe@vidanthealth.com GREENVILLE Dave Galloway and Dorothea Handron, patient and family advisors at Vidant Medical Center (VMC), are the recipients of the Outstanding Patient Family Advisory Award by the North Carolina Quality Center, an initiative of the North Carolina Hospital Association.The award recognizes the work being done in North Carolina hospitals and health systems to improve patient experience and patient safety through concrete strategies. These strategies include being able to partner well with leaders, staff and organization in decision making and improving patient experience, devoting time and energy to their job, providing useful and respectful feedback, displaying leadership regarding the development of projects and working with people and creativity and innovation.Galloway's road to becoming a patient and family advisor began back in 2008 when he was riding his bicycle and was hit head on by a car, resulting in him being airlifted to VMC.Galloway sits on the Vidant Health Board Quality Committee which actively monitors national, state and local developments in patient safety, quality and experience and provides general guidance and direction on the patient and quality program at Vidant Health. Having a patient and family advisor on this team supports Vidant Health's commitment to ensuring that the voice of the patient is heard and decisions are made as partners in health care.Dave still visits with patients when the rehabilitation department calls upon him to assist with a patient who needs to hear that recovery is possible from someone who has lived the experience.Handron has a long history of hospital visits, beginning in 2009 when she was admitted to the hospital for a seemingly routine abdominal surgery. She ended up spending 91 days in the hospital. A surgical complication that went undetected led to sepsis and a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).Her hospital experience coupled with her career as a professional nurse educator led her to pursue the role of a patient and family advisory in 2011.In this role, Handron has advocated for enhancing communication for the non-verbal patient as well as pain management. She possesses the knowledge of the clinician and the experiences of the patient and is therefore able to convey how to express empathy and compassion and work collaboratively to develop a plan of care.Over the last few months, Handron has worked with a team of graduate medical educators and senior hospital leaders to create a process of interprofessional education to enhance physician communication. She rounds with an internal medicine team and observes the physicians' bedside interaction. She then works with the patient experience leader to educate the physicians on the desired behaviors during patient and family encounters. This innovative program, focusing the patient advisory as educator, is on the cutting edge of impacting traditional models for education and ensuring compassionate care is emphasized.Galloway and Handron were recently honored at the 2016 Patient Engagement and NC Care Transitions Summit in Durham. 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. ECU German Club members pose for a picture outside the refugee facility in Munich-Waldperlach following the completion of their work on Saturday, March 12. Pictured, left to right, are Jeffrey Cox, Paige Vaughan, Anthony Razov, Austin Vaughan-Harris, Amber Halle Nobles, Daniel Franch, Kestra James, Jeffrey Mullins, Devan Herron, Bennett Yeargan and Kendall Grissom. (Photos provided by Dr. David Smith) L to R: ECU students Jeffrey Mullins, Bennett Yeargan, Anthony Razov, Associate Professor David Smith and student Kestra James listen as Bavarian state parliament member Christine Kamm answers a question regarding Germany's response to the refugee crisis while Vaniessa Rashid, representative for integration in Perlach (Munich) and Kamm's assistant, looks on. Eleven East Carolina University students passed up traditional spring break activities by traveling to Munich, Germany to support local organizations in their humanitarian outreach efforts to refugees and asylum seekers.In the past year, Germany has absorbed a large influx of displaced refugees from the war-torn areas of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.said ECU German Club President Anthony Razov.Dr. David Smith, ECU associate professor of German in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, led the group during their weeklong trip March 4-13.said Smith.Under the guidance of Helferkreis Waldperlach, the local aid organization responsible for the refugees' well-being, ECU students met and advised 150 adult refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq on topics relevant to their new life in Munich. They helped guide refugees on how to use public transportation, shop for necessities and speak basic German. The students also organized free-time activities, and helped provide clothing, food and books from donations raised on a GoFundMe account that was established before the trip.Razov was hesitant at first because he had seen reports in the British and German media about sexual assaults, harassment and asylum-seeking men banned from public swimming pools in a couple of German towns.said Razov.Paige Vaughan, vice president of the ECU German Club, was unsure of what to expect too.said Vaughan.Vaughan described the refugees as everyday people she would see on campus or in Greenville - teachers, doctors, athletes and police officers.said Vaughan.The ECU German Club made headlines of its own while volunteering. Many Germans read about the ECU students in the south German newspaper, Suddeutsche Zeitung, which ran a story highlighting the club's work.Later in the week, students had the opportunity to meet with Christine Kamm, a local representative in the Bavarian state parliament who is responsible for matters related to the refugee crisis. The students learned about the refugee crisis from a new perspective and shared their ideas on the issues, including how the crisis is depicted in U.S. media.said Smith.Though the ECU students only spent a week in Germany, they learned a lot about themselves and the ongoing needs of the refugees' plight. Students and faculty are talking about how the ECU German Club may maintain a connection with the volunteers they worked with in Germany.said Smith.The German Club will host a student-led roundtable discussion about the trip from 6:15-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29 in Room 244 in Mendenhall Student Center. He said the ban had affected foreign exchange inflow, income of vegetable farmers and small farm holders. READ MORE: Vegetable farmers advised to form groups The ban on pepper, aubergines and gourd followed an advice by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the EU. In an audit report at that time, FVO, which said Ghana stands the risk of a ban from the European Commission as a result of improper documentation for exports and presence of pest on produce. Then minister of agriculture Fiifi Kwetey, now minister of transport, upheld the temporary ban to streamline activities of the vegetable exporters and to make them adhere to the world standards. The Vegetable Sector Business Opportunities Report which aims at enhancing commercial agriculture in Ghana is an initiative of GhanaVeg and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The report provides an analysis of Ghana's vegetable sector, emerging certification scheme, and Ghana Green Label, which focuses on reducing food safety risks in the local market. The Ningo/Prampram District Chief Executive, Alhajj Sa Rhack Nartey,said the wind farm would be located between Mangotsonya and Lekpongunor in the Ningo Traditional Area. The stakeholders, including the chiefs and landowners of the area, therefore, held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the demarcation and survey of the various clan/family parcels of land, the demarcation of the boundaries of the entire project site and geotechnical survey within the project area. Alhaji Nartey said the government was very much in support of the wind project because of its enormous benefits to the traditional area and the country as a whole. I wish to thank the Ningo Traditional Council for its efforts to make this project a reality, Alhajj Nartey said. He expressed gratitude to the various clans/families who had released lands for the project. He appealed to all stakeholders to cooperate with each other and agree on matters that would help the project to materialise. Should Americans be thankful for North Carolinians setting precedent in taking a stand for their state's right to manage the safety of their public facilities, where separation of the sexes remains, or should they follow Bruce Springsteen's lead and boycott the state as bigots since they will not allow grown Transgender men to use the same bathrooms /locker rooms as pre-pubescent girls? North Carolina is right to control the separation of the sexes as a matter of decorum and safety. North Carolina is a bigoted state to not require that children of opposite sexes share the same public facilities with adults of the opposite sex, although misidentified - the Transgender. I generally prefer the natural environs of the vacant, although rather public, large tree. 236 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? No. Businesses are not limited by this bill. Private individuals, companies and universities can adopt new or keep existing nondiscrimination policies.2.No. In fact, for the first time in state history, this law establishes a statewide anti-discrimination policy in North Carolina which is tougher than the federal government's. This also means that the law in North Carolina is not different when you go city to city.Yes. This bill allows and does nothing to prevent businesses, and public or private facilities from providing single use bathrooms.Yes. That is the prerogative of private businesses under this new law. For instance, if a privately-owned sporting facility wants allow attendees of sporting events to use the restroom of their choice, or install unisex bathrooms, they can. The law neither requires nor prohibits them from doing so.No. Town, cities and counties in North Carolina are still allowed to set stricter non-discrimination policies for their own employees if they choose.No. This law simply says people must use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate. Anyone who has undergone a sex change can change their sex on their birth certificate.Absolutely not. North Carolina law specifically prohibits bullying and harassing behavior against children on the basis of sexual identity.No. Statewide law also bans discrimination based on disability.The bill was passed after the Charlotte City Council voted to impose a regulation requiring businesses to allow a man into a women's restroom, shower, or locker room if they choose. This ordinance would have eliminated the basic expectations of privacy people have when using the rest room by allowing people to use the restroom of their choice. This new local regulation brought up serious privacy concerns by parents, businesses and others across the state, as well as safety concerns that this new local rule could be used by people who would take advantage of this to do harm to others.In fact, the Charlotte City Council tried to pass this ordinance before but failed, and passed the same ordinance in February of 2016 despite serious concerns from state officials, business leaders and other concerned citizens.The law provides exceptions to young children accompanied by parents or care givers.No, according to a federal court which has looked at a similar issue.Absolutely not. Nothing will prevent people from receiving medical attention in public or private accommodations.This bill does not affect companies in North Carolina. North Carolina was one of the top states to do business in the country before this law was passed, and preventing Charlotte's bathroom ordinance from going into effect on April 1 won't change that.North Carolina is one of at least 37 states like Virginia where cities and towns cannot pass rules or regulations that exceed the authority given to them by the state. In passing the bathroom ordinance, Charlotte was exceeding its authority and setting rules that had ramifications beyond the City of Charlotte. The legislature acted to address privacy and safety concerns if this ordinance was allowed to go into effect on April 1.No. Not that we are aware of. Therefore, nothing changes in North Carolina cities, towns and counties, including in Charlotte, regarding discrimination practices and protections now that this law has passed.No. 11 Democrats voted for this bill in the N.C. House of Representatives and no Democratic Senators voted against it. In fact, Democratic Senators walked out to avoid voting on the issue at all because many were going to vote for it and they did not want show their division.The new Charlotte ordinance, which would have required all businesses to change their restroom policies and take away the expectation of privacy people have when using the restroom, was going to go into effect on April 1 if no action was taken.No. In fact in the last 3 years without an ordinance like this, North Carolina has created the 6th most jobs in the country - over 260,000 net new jobs. We know of no examples of companies being recruited to North Carolina that have asked if the state has an ordinance like the one Charlotte was proposing.Crystal Feldman Many graduates of Wisconsin International University College hold prestigious positions in a variety of industries around the globe. Of course it is a very tough time economically to find employment straight after university, but it is by no means impossible. These are the words of Hidaya Abubakar, a third year student of Wisconsin International University, which gave her the requisite skills to be an entrepreneur employing over 20 people in her company. Attending Wisconsin University is a great way to begin your career and life. Not only will you gain the knowledge you need to successfully begin your profession, but you will also build friendships that will last a lifetime. In an interview with Pulse.com.gh on Hero's Journey, she said, invaluable knowledge and practical business experience has been gained that has been extremely valuable. In particular, the skills I have gained have helped me propel myself into positions and situations I would not have dreamt about at these early stages of my business career. Wisconsin's combination of a supportive and nurturing community, excellent professors, and low student to faculty ratio work together to give Wisconsin grads an excellent foundation for further study. WIUC she noted gave her the vital experience she needed to obtain a job role. 'Having a business degree certainly gives me an advantage as I understand a number of business functions and can often apply this knowledge to the bigger picture, delivering better results. Watch the first episode of Hero's Journey here: The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Bolgatanga Hospital Morgue. According to the Head teacher of the school, Reverend Father Francis Koledogo, the students were warned on a number of occasions not to go and swim in the dam saying it was against the school rules. See also: University of Cape Coast graduate drowns He dispelled rumours that suggested that the student committed suicide after he was punished by school authorities for an unknown offence. He said the deceased would be buried on Monday. Mr Huichang told the Chinese press how he was bullied at school by other children who would laugh and sometimes jump on his overly large foot. As a result his brothers and sisters have always been very protective of him. Although the factory worker from Qu County in the Sichuan province of China has had a series of operations to reduce the foot it has continue to swell to an enormous size. He was originally told amputation was the only option. But he has now had three operations and a relatively normal sized foot, but has been told he'll still need more surgery to help him get rid of the limp. His family are now trying to raise funds for his future operations. According to a nurse on duty, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the robber easily gained access into the theatre recovery unit in spite of security guards at the hospital. "The robber took way all our valuable items including, expensive jewelleries, phones and monies. "We were all female nurses on night duty, we saw the robber trying to pull a knife when we attempted to confront him, hence we allowed him to go because we were frightened," she added. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Thomas Anaba and the Departmental Director of Nursing who later rushed to the scene immediately they were informed, intervened and provided transportation for the affected nurses. Dr. Anaba assured the nurses that management will ensure refund of their lost properties. Some Ghanaians have already questioned the extent of security at various hospitals in the country, considering events which have unfolded in the past, including reports of missing babies, patients committing suicide, among others. Additionally, the Council is advocating that there should be a transparent regulatory oversight system to back the regime. "Organ retrieval and retention of human bio-materials in Ghana is not routinely undertaken in-compliance with the existing legislation, which required that retention be carried out only with the consent of the family of the deceased," he explained. The legislation, he said, must reflect the social norms and values of the community as well as the wishes of the deceased persons and their families to encourage more people to donate their organs when they were dead. Respecting and recognition of such cultural rights, customary and family value terms, he said would be a better policy option as it would produce trust and support of the people. This was contained in a paper titled: Of Saints, Dead Interest and a Public Policy of Conscription of Deceased Organ for Transplantation Some Reflections, delivered on his behalf at the opening of the 2nd University of Cape Coast (UCC) Faculty of Arts Colloquium, in Cape Coast. The three-day colloquium on the theme: The Humanities and Indigenous Knowledge in Health is a biennial event that creates a platform for researchers in the humanities at UCC and other institutions to disseminate research findings on selected themes to inform policy briefs. Dr Banyubala noted that though test transplants involving the living of related donors were being conducted in the country after it was piloted in 2008 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the acts were being conducted in the absence of any legislation on human organ donation and transplantation. He indicated that over the years, human organ donation and transplantation had become the preferred treatment option to end organ failure in many parts of the world and had relieved and improved the quality of life for many patients. He said people were likely to embrace transplantation and organ donation if they recognised and understood through education that it was one way through which social values could be renegotiated after ones death. Dr. Banyubala claimed that indigenous knowledge, when sensitively and open mindedly explored, may illumine key health sector policies such as organ and tissue donation for transplantation and science research. Citing an example from the Kokomba Traditional setting, Dr. Banyubala said being an ancestor was a reputational issue of enormous cultural significance and that families were pleased at the custom not to interfere with such rights, the violations of which carry consequences on the involved party. The Vice Chancellor of UCC, Professor Domwini Dabire Kuupole said the socio-cultural practices that existed could not be ruled out in health care delivery system and challenged academicians to research and find ways of how that aspect could be effectively explored. The Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, said there was the need for stakeholders in the health sector to work together to bridge the communication gap that existed in health care delivery. She said it was for such reason that the Faculty had created the platform for issues of national and international interest in indigenous and orthodox health care to be discussed. The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Francis Eric Amoquandoh , said the inclusion of herbal medicine in the health care delivery chain was key and called on the current generation to revitalise it to supplement orthodox medicines. McDermott, 42, is wanted for his role in a conspiracy to import 71 million worth of cocaine into the United Kingdom in 2013. He was apprehended in Ghana on March 11, this year, based on an extradition request issued by the British High Commission to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ghana. Earlier, the fugitive was held for engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs. He pleaded not guilty when he appeared before an Accra Court on March 14. Currently he is being held over conspiracy to supply cocaine. At the High Court on Thursday, Detective Sergeant Mawuko Siaw, the investigator, continued to answer questions under cross examination by Mr Victor Adawudu, the fugitives lawyer. Sgt. Siaw told the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Merley Wood, that he had a warrant which gave him the authority to arrest McDermott. According to him, the fugitive was arrested between the hours of 0600 and 0700 hours on March 11, this year.When defence counsel asked witness whether he could provide the warrant, he said the documents were part of the depositions tendered in court. Sgt. Siaw said the arrest warrant was issued by Graham Roberts, a District Judge at Liverpool. When asked whether he had warrants from Ghana to arrest the fugitive, Sgt. Siaw said: I had one from the Liverpool District Magistrate Court and that was made available through the British High Commission in Ghana and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. According to him, the arrest warrant was also supported by an Arrest Warrant issued by the Ministry of the Interior. Sgt. Siaw said he obtained authority per the extradition request issued by the British High Commission and other documents tendered in evidence. Witness noted that the warrant was issued by the Minister of the Interior on March 11, this year. The investigator said he found those documents enough to arrest McDermott. When the investigator was quizzed for acting unprofessionally and arresting the McDermott unlawfully, Sgt. Siaw told the court that; I did not do anything outside the powers vested in me as a police officer. I can also arrest with or without a warrant so far as crime has been committed. When defence counsel challenged Sgt. Siaw that the date on the documents emanating from the Ministry of the Interior had been erased or falsified, he said that was the form of the documents before it was carried to the Interior Ministry to my office. On May 16, 2013, McDermott and four others were said to have held a meeting at KFC in Liverpool UK and discussed the importation of the 400kg of cocaine that was intercepted in beef imported from Argentina. If half the time we say that we are useless and we cant do it and we cant go forward, you wont go forward. You have to celebrate your successes one by one, and that is why I say count your blessings and name them one by one and it will amaze you what the Lord has done," he said. The President made this known while addressing the Light House Chapels Easter Programme dubbed Good Friday Miracle Service at the Black Star Square on Friday. In his address he stated that in the spirit of Easter, I say that one of the things that we have to do as a nation is to cancel self-doubt. We see other nations and we admire them and we say Korea has made progress, Malaysia has made progress. That is because they believed that their nations can be great, he added. President Mahama expressed his appreciation to all religious leaders in Ghana for their contant prayers for the nation. He said even though there were some local capacities to build and maintain roads, power plants, water treatment systems and other infrastructure in the country, there was the need for further capacity building given the new technological advancement in the sector. Dr Pelpuo said this at the Chatham House- the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the United Kingdom; where he delivered the keynote address at a conference that featured politicians, policy makers, businesses, private sector participants and key academic institutions. He spoke on the theme: The importance of local capacity in civil infrastructure: Strategies to support skills development and local businesses. Dr Pelpuo said the use of indigenes for infrastructure development would lead to more local employment generation, adding that, this could guarantee up to 10 per cent more local indigenes being hired. Dr Pelpuo said the need to close the infrastructure gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, must be accompanied by a strong involvement by local businesses. This can only be made possible through access to finance, capacity development and technology transfer, he said. He expressed concern that in many instances, financial agreements tied the nation to expatriate consultants because of the limited expertise saying, this also limited the room for local participation. He said over the past 10 years, Ghana like many Sub-Saharan African countries has witnessed increased income levels, mainly as a result of natural resource-fuelled economic growth and better financial management policies. This has led to the country ascending into the lower middle income country bracket. However, the irony is that most of these countries still have low income country infrastructure, Dr Pelpuo said. According to him, the substantial infrastructure deficits created a major constraint on business development, inhibited foreign direct investment and regional trade. Dr Pelpuo said more investment was required to build new infrastructure as well as in the operation and maintenance of what currently exists saying it would cost Africa US$90 billion every year for the next decade to close the infrastructure deficit. Like many countries around the world, Ghana is now looking beyond traditional sources of capital, namely government spending and aid, and identifying innovative alternative infrastructure financing solutions such as Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). This is with the expectation that the private sector will pass on its skills and management expertise to the public sector, Dr Pelpuo said. He said when there was enough local capacity to undertake civil infrastructure development, it helped to put a cap on capital flight since foreign capital was prone to leave when local conditions were not favourable. Local contractors are more likely to be paid in local currency than foreign contractors. Thus, having local contractors undertake infrastructure development relieves the pressure on the domestic currency, leading to possible exchange rate stability, he said. The lack of sustained investment in the sector, in the face of rapid urbanisation, resulted in many communities lacking basic social amenities; water, electricity supply and roads. By the 1980s there were broken infrastructure lying everywhere in the country mainly because of non-availability of needed skills and capacity to operate and maintain these new monumental infrastructure, he said. The Chatham House established since 1920 is reputed to host some of the world's most influential people. It's a platform for world leaders and policy makers to project their ideas. A section of the media reported that the BNI raided the Danquah Institute (DI) late Thursday night and ransacked the office of Perry Okudzeto, the deputy director of communication of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Several pictures purportedly showing some of the locations in disarray flooded social media Thursday night, triggering outrage and condemnation from a section of the public. A high-level source within the BNI has disclosed to Graphiconline that claims that the intelligence outfit raided those locations are false. The source said the BNI had gone to the Danquah Institute to speak to the director as part of their investigation into the importation of three South African former policemen by the NPP to allegedly train the security detail of the flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, and his running-mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. The source said the BNI dispatched three operatives and one uniformed person and a driver to the offices of DI at about 4 pm, but upon arriving there, the watchman was the only person they saw. According to the source, before they could ask the watchman any questions, he ran into a room, locked himself up and would not open. The source said: The officers asked him to call the Director of DI to come over and he could only shout Ive called him. He will come, he will come. It is important to note that all the offices were locked and it is also important to stress here that nobody attempted to enter any of the officers but after waiting for a while in vain, they withdrew. "We have not raided any place. We don't even know where this is coming from .We simply set out to do our work." Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) announced last week that power supply to Ghanaian consumers will be affected for a few days following the vandalism of some pipelines of the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) in Nigeria. As a result, gas supply from WAPCo has tumbled from 120 mmscf to 30 mmscf. If N-Gas is not giving us much of the gas, we should be able to negotiate with other suppliers in Nigeria and the agreement on the West African Gas Pipeline allows for third party access to the pipeline, executive director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, told Daily Graphic. So you can negotiate with other suppliers in Nigeria who can supply you through the same West African Gas Pipeline without breaking the law or breaching the contract. So Ghana should be looking at that option as well. He added. READ MORE: Ghana imports Easter power from Ivory Coast Energy officials and the deputy power minister, John Jinapor, last week negotiated with Ivory Coast to supply extra power to Ghana. The Chief Executive Officer of the VRA, Kirk Coffie, said Ivory Coast is willing to help and that over the weekend, they gave Ghana enough power. He added that they will also supply power to Ghana weekdays during off peak periods. I was in Ivory Coast with the Deputy Minister of Power, Jinapor and the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo to talk to them for some extra supply. They were willing and over the weekend they are able to give us enough and weekdays off peak they are able to also give us, he said on Citi FM. Touching on thermal plants, Mr. Coffie said adequate preparations have been made to buy crude oil, adding that the country has a million barrels of oil to be discharged to the various thermal plants to power it. We have made the adequate preparations to buy crude oilWe got almost a million barrelsWe discharged 300,000 barrels for our plants in Tema and we are on our way to discharge 400,000 barrels in Takoradi. The extra 200 will be discharged again in Tema, he said. READ MORE:Dumsor Energy crisis set to intensify as WAGPCO threatens to halt gas supply Tullow Ghana declared force majeure on two cargoes of Ghana's Jubilee crude oil after an issue on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility that exports the oil. "We have deferred two liftings at Jubilee while we implement new operating procedures for off-take from the FPSO," the company said in a statement. I had the chance, for the first time ever, to communicate directly with the chairman of the NCGOP. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how calm and cool he was - given all of the garbage being thrown his way right now. (Hasan Harnett did tell me that he had to be - on the advice of his personal legal counsel - limited in what he told me.)As we suspected, the monkey business got started on day one with this chairman. "I've got all of the responsibility that comes with being party chairman, but none of the authority," Harnett told me.Harnett said his authority as chairman has been regularly undermined by the executive director and other party leaders who have made it clear to HQ staff that they really don't have to listen to the chairman.One good example Harnett cites is the party's media operation. He said policy dictates that statements from him go out through the press secretary, who then coordinates with the media. Harnett said he submitted a number of releases for dissemination to the media that either (1) disappeared into the ether, or (2) appeared in the media attributed to executive director Dallas Woodhouse.said Harnett.Harnett said he has been locked out of the party offices, web site, and email on numerous occasions during his nine-month tenure.We reported in the last few days that Woodhouse, Joyce Cotten and some other party leaders had gone to the legislative building seeking signatures from legislators to call a special meeting about ousting Harnett from the chairman's seat.said Harnett.We - and many of our readers - have wondered where elected Republicans are aligning in this dispute. Harnett would not comment when asked if Dan Forest or Pat McCrory or any of their team had contacted him. The chairman said he has been encouraged by a "tremendous response" from elected Republicans across the state.Harnett said. He would not comment when asked to name the friendly legislators. 90Harnett said he was pleased with the response to an event he and senator Jerry Tillman coordinated this week with NASCAR legend Richard Petty in Randolph County. Despite next to no support from the state party apparatus, the event managed to draw nearly 100 attendees. Harnett said a party staff member tried to cancel the event five days before it was to happen. (He did add that person eventually showed up to help with the Petty event.)said Harnett.said Harnett.said Harnett. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the youth of Ghana have a basic choice to make in this years election a choice between the current NDC government which is overseeing unprecedented levels of "economic difficulties and hardships." Read more: Market women mob Nana Addo at Fiapre Nana Addo speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Kobreso NPP Youth Wing in the Offinso North constituency, in the Ashanti region, on Friday March 25, 2016, he said "If you, the youth, feel comfortable with the current situation, then vote for the NDC and continuity. However, if you are dissatisfied with your current situation, then vote for change in November. We are living today in hardships and difficulties. This is not the kind of Ghana we want. Ghanaians want change and I strongly believe that the youth want change." With nearly 60% of Ghanas population being 35 years and below, the NPP flagbearer explained that if Ghana becomes a success story, the youth will be the biggest beneficiaries. However, if the nation fails, it is the youth who have most to lose. "Therefore, it is important that the youth view this election as being very critical, and an election whose outcome will determine whether the nation has a bright future. I believe Ghana has a bright future under the right leadership. So there is hope for the youth," he stressed. Read related: Nana Addo dares Mahama to debate He added: "The bad state of Ghanas economy is because of bad governance, evidenced by the implementation of bad policies over the last 7 years. It is bad leadership that has brought about the poverty, economic difficulties and hardships Ghanaians are going through. If the fundamentals of our economy were right, there would have been an abundance of jobs in Ghana. So there is hope for Ghana. Ghanas youth have hope. If we can vote for change in November, I assure you that Ghana will be a nation that will be able to provide for the needs of her youth." Nana Akufo-Addo, therefore, urged the youth to have confidence in him, trusting that when they give him the mantle to serve the people of Ghana, God-wiling from January 2017, "I am coming to do a job for Ghana. I am coming to use the resources of this nation, not to enrich myself, but for the benefit of all Ghanaians." He noted that in the United States and other civilized nations, once a person declares his or her intentions to run for office, the state security apparatus take control of the personal safety. Contributing to a panel discussion of Joy FM, Mr. Faible said: Nana Akufo-Addo has been elected flagbearer for the past two years. Has the Ghana Police Service considered that by reason of his election, he is a politically exposed person together with his running mate and their spouses such that few weeks or months after their election, security ought to have been put in place? He thus indicated that it was not out of place for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bring in three private security trainers from South Africa to train the partys security personnel on how to effectively protect their flagbearer and running mate. The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) arrested the South African trainers and charged with conspiracy to commit crime. On Thursday, an Accra Circuit Court granted them bail. The NPP has since received whispered criticism especially from the government. Mr. Faible however, believes that this matter is indicative that Ghanas security agencies have failed to protect its citizens. There have not been any breach of the laws of Ghanapeople have jumped onto a certain tangent and are doing all sorts of things. We forget that the first law of nature is self-preservation, he said. Ordinary people know that they are certain targets for armed robbers and so on so people have taken their own security into their own hands. It shows a certain failure of state. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! He was abducted by gunmen on February 17, 2016, but was released this week after 35 days in captivity. I was properly taken care of by the kidnappers. I ate three square meals daily, my drugs were administered to me appropriately by the boys, he said. The chief said they even asked other kidnapped victims with him to start paying allegiance to him as the only person that was untouchable in the camp. He said before they started treating him well, they argued between themselves from his house but on getting to the camp they resolved their issue. However, the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Asinim Butswat, said details of the release were not available. Former President Jonathan had told the police that he would not succumb to the demand for ransom. A NAN correspondent, who visited the scene of the incident on Saturday, reports that property worth millions of naira was destroyed but no life was lost. Alhaji Abubakar Bandam, the chairman of the central market management, who told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the fire was noticed at about 12:00 mid night, explained that the source of the inferno was yet to be determined. He said the management of the market was working closely with security agencies to identify the cause, just as he commended the state Department of Fire Service for its prompt response. Alhaji Bello Zagga, the state Director of Fire Service, told NAN that the fire lasted for several hours because the firefighting vans did not have easy access to the spot of the inferno. According to statement released by Frank on Friday, March 25, he accused the APC leadership of turning its back on the Senate leader. He said the party leaders remain "quiet in the face of evil." He said: "I sincerely hold that the current trial of Saraki is not only underserved, but amounts to paying a good man with evil. "I also want to say that the leaders of our great party have unfortunately remained quiet in the face of evil. "I don't believe we have forgotten that the victory of the APC during the last general elections could not have been possible without courageous strategists like Saraki who lent their political weight in favour of the APC at the risk of their own lives and personal survival. "I don't think we have forgotten how Saraki as a Senator in the 7th Senate brought the attention of Nigerians to the fraud perpetrated by the last administration in the name of fuel subsidy. "I recall how Saraki led five other governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the APC - a development that successfully turned the political tide against the PDP and eventually tipped the electoral scale against them during the 2015 general elections. "I don't think we have forgotten how Saraki led scores of Senators to cross over to the APC on the floor of the Senate,'' it said. He alleged that the judiciary is giving in to blackmail from a section of the media by refusing to do their job as required by law. "Saraki has paid his dues at a time it was suicidal for anybody to stand up to the then ruling PDP. "I believe it is time for all of us to act to save our party. "It is time to rally round our generals who have fought valiantly and led us to victory. To abandon Saraki is to abandon a worthy comrade,'' Frank said. Saraki is facing a 13-count charge of alleged false declaration of assets. "Even so, we believe that common sense will prevail and dialogue will resume immediately." Caixabank - BPI's largest shareholder - said on Friday it had failed to reach a deal with Santoro that would have allowed BPI to offload some risky Angolan assets before a major regulatory change, adding it would keep working with BPI to find a solution to risks linked to BPI's Angolan unit BFA. On April 10, European authorities will require banks to fully provision for Angolan assets and a failure by BPI to offload its assets there by then could lead to heavy costs. Caixabank and dos Santos have been at loggerheads for months over an existing 20 percent cap on Caixabank voting rights that blocked the Spanish bank's bid last year for the 56 percent of BPI it did not already own. Before talks broke off, sources said the sides were thrashing out details of a complex deal involving various entities, with forms of payment and future options still to be pinned down. Dos Santos, Africa's richest woman according to Forbes, is the daughter of Angola's long-serving President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and has various investments in Portugal. Under the proposed agreement, Caixabank would buy dos Santos' 18.6 percent stake in BPI while Unite, the Angolan telecoms firm she controls jointly with Sonant, would buy a controlling stake in BPI's Angolan unit BFA. BPI holds a 50.1percent stake in BFA, while Unitel owns the other 49.9 percent. The gang leader's wife, brother, sister, and brother-in-law were held, accused of concealing a criminal and hiding stolen goods, the sources said. Police have said they found Regeni's possessions at a house belonging to the sister. A judicial source told Reuters that local prosecutors dealing with the gang case requested that senior prosecutors handling Regeni's death add the questioning of the four relatives to their case file. On Thursday, Egypt's interior ministry said the gang, whose four members were all killed in a police shootout, had Regeni's bag and passport in their possession. The group specialised in impersonating police and kidnapping foreigners, it said. Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, said on Friday that the investigation into Regeni's murder would continue. The broken body of the 28-year-old Cambridge University student, who was researching independent labour unions, was found at the side of a motorway on the outskirts of Cairo in February. Human rights groups have said torture marks on Regeni's body indicated he died at the hands of Egyptian security services, an allegation the government has strongly denied. Australia will be 'right in the mix at the business end', asserts Lee ahead of start of T20 World Cup Super-12 stage T20 World Cup gives India chance to change trend of not having won ICC trophies in last 9 years, says Rohit Sharma Bopanna and Matwe enter doubles final of European OpenS With their win, Pahrump Valley has clinched a playoff spot in the 3A southern regional tournament. The Trojans need just one more win or a tie by Equipo Academy to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Mountain League. WASHINGTON -- "We have the Europe we deserve," admitted French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Wednesday. The question is how Europeans can build the security structures they need. The first requirement is solidarity, within each country and among the 28 nations of the European Union. This begins with better links with the Muslim communities, the angry, alienated people at Europe's table. Yes, Europe needs to be more welcoming, but that's only half of it. Muslims need to embrace the obligations of European residence and citizenship. What would this solidarity look like? After Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims in America by the thousands volunteered for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. They despised the terrorist acts that had been committed in their name by al-Qaeda, and wanted to show themselves and their fellow citizens that they were loyal Americans. European Muslims should step up now in a similar way. In immigrant neighborhoods like Molenbeek in Brussels or the (BEG ITAL)banlieues(END ITAL) that surround Paris, Muslim leaders who want change should organize campaigns to enlist their neighbors in the army, police and security services; these leaders can create a new social compact by showing their fellow citizens that they are ashamed of what the jihadist thugs have done and are unafraid of retribution. European Muslims need to feel ownership of security, rather than viewing the police as an occupying army. The jihadists often emerge from a youth-gang subculture of violence and intimidation. No wonder the Belgian authorities stumbled for four months looking for Islamic State fugitive Salah Abdeslam. No wonder they couldn't find the suicide bombers who struck Tuesday, four days after Abdeslam's arrest, even though they suspected an attack was coming. Nobody would talk to them. The community was "deaf and dumb," as the mobsters liked to say about ethnic neighborhoods in America. The second requirement is fairness. The European Union has largely been a project of the elites. The powerful companies (and nations) have prospered. The weak have suffered. When the bills came due, the haves told the have-nots to tighten their belts. Should it surprise us that this arrogant system is cracking at the seams? The Greeks may have exploited a system that gave them a financial free ride, but the Germans then insisted on imposing an impossible debt-repayment scheme that was meant to teach the debtors a lesson. The Germans should have known better: The punitive repatriations plan imposed by the allies after World War I created the bitter payback of Nazism. The third requirement is for Europe to grow up about intelligence. Many Europeans seem to think that good intelligence is created by immaculate conception, rather than through the hard and sometimes intrusive work of surveillance. The authorities often don't mind if America does the counterterrorist snooping, so long as they don't have to admit it to their publics. Europeans don't like to talk about intelligence, and they often pretend their countries don't spy. This immature approach leaves them unable to demand accountability from the security services after chronic intelligence failures like the ones we have seen in France and Belgium. How can you reform something if you won't talk honestly about how it works? A fourth requirement is for a trans-Atlantic partnership that's equal to the seriousness of this crisis. All the alarm bells are ringing. The leaders of America and Europe should meet in a crisis summit -- Brussels would be a good spot -- and they should stay until they have agreed on plans for collecting and sharing intelligence together, so that citizens across Europe are safer. Bureaucracy, a modern European specialty, is the enemy: To forge an alliance that can succeed, Europeans must break through national, regional and international barriers to fight a global adversary. President Obama, perhaps more popular in Europe than in America, can lead this trans-Atlantic partnership and create a legacy that's worthy of him. The final requirement is to think ahead about changes that will create better stability in the future. If it's 1941 in terms of the shock, it should be 1944 in terms of planning for the future -- devising the post-crisis equivalents of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations that can cope with the explosion of rage that has swept Muslim Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It's an interconnected problem, and the solutions require shared, visionary ideas about governance, economic development and global tolerance. Fix it or lose it. That's the challenge today for Europe. They won't get it right without American help. Now is the time to start. Investors went on spring break last week. After five consecutive weeks of stock market gains, a pause in the buying on reduced volume was surely expected. And surely, the time devoted to family life, with students of all ages on spring break, also took some investors' attention away from markets. At the end of the four-day week, shortened for observance of Good Friday, our Quad-City Times Key 15 was down 28.23 to 1,799.89. The decline comes after a five-week gain of 204 points, or 12.6 percent. Existing home sales figures, reported by the National Association of Realtors, were an unexpected disappointment. After trending upward persistently in recent years and months, sales were reported sequentially lower by 7.1 percent in February, compared with January. Seasonal adjustment of the report attempts to offset normal holiday and weather differences. Still, the decline was a singular poor report that will make watching this important housing sector a focus for investors in weeks ahead. And, perspective is important. Compared with one year ago, sales are up a modest 2.2 percent to an annualized home sale pace of 5.08 million units, up but well off the January year-over-year 10.9 percent gain. Nor did new home sales, reported by the Commerce Department, inspire enthusiasm. This report showed just a 2.0 percent sequential January-to-February gain, now to a 512,000 annualized unit pace. But, revisions to this report are common and sizable, so much so that the department itself warns of such likelihood. Here, the comparison to last February is a 6.1 percent decline, again uncomfortable, again an economic yellow flag, again encouraging vigilance for reports ahead. The profoundly shaking terrorist events in Brussels, Belgium, that greeted investors on Tuesday morning here also were cause for pause. Our U.S. markets opened lower on concern for the people there and the global economic ramifications after suicide bombings that took 32 lives and injured scores more at the airport and in the citys metro train system. Still, in a showing of resilience, markets closed fairly firmly, avoiding any serious decline. Closer to home, Exelon announced the removal of reactor number two from service at the utility's Cordova nuclear power station. The unit will be readied for scheduled maintenance and refueling before being returned to service in coming months. Even bigger corporate news came from Exelons release on Wednesday that the Washington, D.C., Public Service Commission finally approved the companys planned acquisition and merger with Pepco Holdings. This approval cleared the last regulatory hurdle facing the $6.8 billion deal that creates the countrys largest electric power distributor. The decision was a remarkable breakthrough, a turnaround for the three-member commission, which in August disapproved the deal despite Exelon offering $14 million in proposed new investment into Washington, D.C. Exelon later upped the offer to $78 million in new investment. In February, the commission rejected that proposal but agreed to reconsider if the allocation of the $78 million was changed in a way that involved residential rate guarantees. By Thursday morning, Exelons Internet site already headlined Exelon Corporation and Pepco Holding are now one company. Pepco, headquartered in Washington, provides gas and electric service there and in Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. The combined Exelon saw shares close Thursday at $35.33 (1), up 53 cents for the week. Kraft Heinz Corporation, parent of Oscar Mayer operations in Davenport and Heinz food processing in Muscatine, also had business in Washington, involving politicians in a meal-packaging event for the Stop Hunger Now program. It was a first such event for the capitol, bringing out House Agriculture Committee chairman Mike Conaway and ranking member Collin Peterson to help the two-hour packing project. The Kraft Heinz Micronutrient Campaign has been a signature program for the company for more than 10 years in partnering with Stop Hunger Now, and in impacting more than 5 million children in 30 developing countries. Kraft Heinz shares finished the week off just 85 cents at $76.46 (1). 3M Company prepared investors for upcoming insights into the companys progress, announcing an Investor Day at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the companys headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. Importantly for Quad-Citians, 3Ms adhesive operations are a major employer in Cordova. Importantly for all investors, 3M is a uniquely global firm across multiple business and industry segments, meaning that their insights into economic conditions around the world are highly valued. With $30 billion in annual sales and 90,000 employees, the company connects with challenges around the world. 3M shares retreated by 48 cents last week to close at $164.54 (1). The week begins on Monday for investors, who will look at the latest report on Americans combined personal income and spending to get insights into the consumer sector. Fridays start to April brings the Labor Department report on employment. Still, all week long, some families and some investors may continue with spring break. A retired fraud investigator for the South Dakota Department of Revenue pleaded not guilty on Friday to multiple federal charges, including bank fraud and money laundering, for which he could face a combined maximum prison sentence of 95 years and up to $1.5 million in fines. Steven A. Knigge, 69, who worked in the Revenue Department's Rapid City office, was arraigned at the Rapid City federal courthouse a day after he was arrested on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and tampering. According to his indictment, while Knigge was still employed at the Revenue Department in 2015, he took part in a scheme to defraud various people and companies. Banks in Georgia, Arizona, Washington and Texas were targeted with wire-transfer requests totaling $146,400, and Knigge sent part of the money he received to various people, the indictment alleges. In each case, the banks received emails containing false and fraudulent information, allegedly from an account holder, instructing a bank employee to wire large amounts of money to a separate bank account in South Dakota belonging to the defendant, Steve Arthur Knigge, says the 13-page document, which took Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson about 20 minutes to read in court. In reality, in each case the account holders email address had either been hacked or mimicked (spoofed) using an email address that closely resembled the bank customers actual email address, the indictment said. Of Knigges five money-transfer requests made between July 9 and Aug. 19, 2015 two succeeded in moving $42,200 to his bank accounts in Rapid City, according to the indictment. A Keybank branch in Washington state sent $18,700 to his Black Hills Federal Credit Union account, while the Arizona Bank & Trust wired $23,500 to his Wells Fargo account after receiving a false invoice with the heading Steve Knigge Consults. The other transfers were blocked by the target banks: The First Landmark Bank of Georgia, Pioneer Bank Texas and Bank of the West, in Arizona. When the Black Hills Federal Credit Union and the Arizona Bank & Trust got in touch with Knigge to tell him the money he received had been fraudulently obtained, he asserted to the BHFCU that the money rightly belonged to him as part of an investment, the court document says. Meanwhile, Knigge told the Arizona bank he would contact the police, which he did not. After receiving the money from Washington and Arizona, Knigge made eight transfers totaling $30,400, most of which were sent to Nigeria, the indictment says. Patterson told the Journal he could not discuss facts in the case, such as why Knigge sent money to the five names listed on the indictment, and how he obtained out-of-state bank account information. After agents of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation informed Knigge in September of 2015 that he was being investigated for fraud, the indictment says he attempted to delete emails on his computer with the South Dakota Department of Revenue. Those included "wiring instructions to specific individuals, and emails sent by the defendant attempting to solicit money from others." Knigge will be on conditional release while his case goes to trial. Bank fraud has a maximum prison sentence of 30 years; wire fraud, money laundering and tampering 20 years each; and conspiracy 5 years. Each charge comes with a fine of up to $250,000, except for money laundering, which comes with $500,000. The fines are separate from the restitution amounts for the money fraudulently taken from the bank accounts. If found guilty, the judge could order Knigge to serve his sentences concurrently, Patterson said. The landlord of the Idlewild Inn apartments, whose tenants suffered five days without running water, said this week the blame for the city's shut-off of the complex's water supply rests squarely on tenants who don't pay their monthly rent on time. Gerald Henning, of Milwaukie, Ore., speaking to the Journal by telephone this week, said he is trying to work out a plan to pay the city the past-due water fees, totaling $6,850, to bring his account up to date. On March 18 the city cut off the water to the 30-unit complex; on Tuesday evening Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, citing "humanitarian reasons," ordered the city to resume supplying water to the apartments. In interviews this week, some Idlewild residents affirmed Henning's reasoning, saying they had been late with rent or paid in installments. Still, many others claimed to be good renters who always paid on time. Henning said he that even though he lives far from the mounting crisis at his property, he was deeply concerned for his tenants' well-being. "I was worried sick about my tenants," Henning said. "I didnt sleep for three nights." Residents were stockpiling gallons of water in order to drink, clean and cook during the period when the water was shut off. This was the second time in a month the water was shut off with no warning or explanation to tenants. Henning said he has owned the Idlewild Inn since 2007 and hasn't had a problem paying the bills until this December. After his failure to pay for several months, the city tried to work out a payment plan. According to the city, a payment plan was agreed on and the due date for the first installment was set for Wednesday, March 15. The payment date came and went with no action from Henning, forcing the city the shut down the water for the apartments. Henning said he contacted the Water Department on the day the water was turned off to work out a deal, but it was too late. Moving forward Henning said he is considering altering the way utilities are paid at Idlewild. He is looking into having each tenant pay for utilities individually so that those who make their payments on time are not punished when others are late. Henning said that even though he has received a bad rap, he provides a needed service for lower-income people of Rapid City. "Im trying to provide a place for them to live at a reasonable rate and hopefully get by," he said. Allender said the city will continue to let water flow at Idlewild while attempts are made to work on a plan to get Henning to pay his bill. "I dont believe this sets a precedent" for allowing others to continue with water service without paying their bills, Allender said, adding. "This is very unusual circumstance and requires an unusual response." Allender said this situation exposed the problem of the lack of affordable housing in Rapid City. He said if there were other places for the residents of Idlewild to go, the city probably would have inspected the building and condemned it. But as the situation stands, Allender said, "If we close it down the people will be on the street." Investigators seek to extend detention of Russias Komi Republics ex-head MOSCOW, March 11 (RAPSI) - Investigators have filed a motion with the Basmanny District Court of Moscow seeking to extend the detention of Vyacheslav Gaizer, former head of Russias Komi Republic who stands charged with fraud and organized crime related violations, and his alleged accomplices, the courts spokesperson Yunona Tsareva told RAPSI on Friday. The court will hear the motion on March 16. Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported terminating the activity of a criminal group led by the head of the Republic of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer. Nineteen people are defendants in the case, including Gaizers deputy Alexei Chernov and Igor Kovzel, Chairman of the Republican State Council, and Konstantin Romadanov, Deputy Chairman of the Komi government. Gaizer pleads not guilty. Several high-ranking officials have been arrested in the fraud and organized crime case, as well as several business people that the Investigative Committee called finance technologists. During 80 searches in Komi, St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Security Service confiscated over 60 kg of jewelry, 150 watches worth $30,000 to $1 million each, over 50 stamps and seals from offshore corporations, and financial documents legalizing over 1 billion rubles ($14 mln) in stolen money transferred to the offshore zone. Investigators have also opened against Gaizer a criminal case on money laundering. On September 30, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to relieve Gaizer of his duties because of loss of trust. While small businesses represent the majority of American exporters, their export sales represent less than a third of the overall value of American exports. Ninety-five percent of the worlds consumers live outside of our countrys borders, but only one percent of American small businesses are selling to them.Small businesses make up nearly 98 percent of exporters in the six states I represent Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Exporting can be profitable for businesses of all sizes. On average, sales grow faster, more jobs are created, and employees earn more than in non-exporting firms. The recent Commerce International Trade Administration state report shows how critical exporting is in each state across the nation. The power of exporting will only be increased with the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).TPP would unlock additional opportunities for U.S. small businesses, which are the backbone of the U.S. economy. By addressing trade barriers that are particularly challenging for small businesses to navigate, TPP allows our small businesses to reach new markets in the Asia-Pacific region.Additionally, TPP will help more small businesses navigate the barriers by eliminating 18,000 taxes and tariffs that deter many from considering foreign markets.In other words, if ratified by Congress, TPP would help open doors for small businesses that would otherwise remain closed. It would be the first trade agreement that incorporates a chapter regarding American small and medium-sized enterprises.The chapter bolsters substantive commitments on these issues in chapters like those on Customs and Trade Facilitation, E-Commerce, and others by providing readily accessible information to small and medium-sized enterprises on the opportunities TPP will offer, and giving them an ongoing means to engage with TPP governments on ways to enhance the functioning of the agreement so as to benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises.By 2030, two thirds off the worlds middle class consumers are projected to live in the Asia Pacific region. The internet and e-commerce has opened up a new world of opportunity for small businesses to sell to them with the click of a mouse. TPP would help them realize that promise.Opponents of the deal contend that increased global trade moves jobs overseas. But for our small business sector which creates two out of three new jobs in our country the opposite is actually true. According to a study published by the Institute for International Economics, exporting firms not only grow faster, they are less likely to go out of business than non-exporting companies. Also, firms that export pay up to 18 percent more than companies that dont.Overall, TPP levels the playing field for American workers and American businesses, leading to more Made-in-America exports and more higher-paying American jobs here at home. Passing TPP would help small businesses share their ingenuity with vast new pools of waiting consumers who believe in the American brand, keeping alive that intrepid entrepreneurial spirit that makes this nation so great.(Betsy Markey serves as the SBAs Region VIII Administrator and is based in Denver. She oversees the agencys programs and services in Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.) Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy Kansas State football at TCU: Live notes and updates No. 17 Kansas State football clashes with No. 8 TCU in a battle of Big 12 leaders. We've got you covered with live updates. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Florida has first capital case head to jury sentencing after Hurst-required reforms | Main | Japan conducts two old-school executions despite international criticisms The title of this post is the headline of this Wonkblog posting via the Washington Post discussing some recent empirical research on sentencing outcomes appearing in the latest issue of the journal Race & Social Problems. Here is the post's discussion of the research: It's a fact that people of color are worse off than white Americans in all kinds of ways, but there is little agreement on why. Some see those disparities as a consequence of racial discrimination in schools, the courts and the workplace, both in the past and present. Others argue that economic inequalities are really the cause, and that public policy should help the poor no matter their race or ethnicity. When it comes to affirmative action in college admissions, for example, many say that children from poor, white families should receive preferential treatment, as well. In some ways, though, discrimination against people of color is more complicated and fundamental than economic inequality. A stark new finding epitomizes that reality: In recent decades, rich black kids have been more likely to go to prison than poor white kids. "Race trumps class, at least when it comes to incarceration," said Darrick Hamilton of the New School, one of the researchers who produced the study. He and his colleagues, Khaing Zaw and William Darity of Duke University, examined data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a national study that began in 1979 and followed a group of young people into adulthood and middle age. The participants were asked about their assets and debts, and interviewers also noted their type of residence, including whether they were in a jail or prison. The researchers grouped participants in the survey by their race and their household wealth as of 1985 and then looked back through the data to see how many people in each group ultimately went to prison. Participants who were briefly locked up between interviews might not be included in their calculations of the share who were eventually incarcerated. About 2.7 percent of the poorest white young people those whose household wealth was in the poorest 10th of the distribution in 1985, when they were between 20 and 28 years old ultimately went to prison. In the next 10th, 3.1 percent ultimately went to prison. The households of young people in both of these groups had more debts than assets. In other words, their wealth was negative. All the same, their chances of being imprisoned were far less than those of black youth from much more affluent circumstances. About 10 percent of affluent black youths in 1985 would eventually go to prison. Only the very wealthiest black youth those whose household wealth in 1985 exceeded $69,000 in 2012 dollars had a better chance of avoiding prison than the poorest white youth. Among black young people in this group, 2.4 percent were incarcerated. Hispanic participants who were less affluent in 1985 were more likely to be eventually incarcerated than their white peers with similar wealth, but less likely than black participants.... It could be that the white participants in the study still had other advantages over their black peers, even if they had been incarcerated. Perhaps they went to better schools, or lived in areas where it was easier to find work. At the same time, another reason for the disparity between black and white wealth could be that employers make negative inferences about black workers' pasts, even those who have never been to prison.... In a way, untangling economic and racial inequalities is a chicken-and-egg problem. In criminal justice, though, you can't just explain away the disproportionate rates at which black and Hispanic youths end up in prison by pointing out that many people of color did not grow up with the same economic advantages as their white peers. The "Hearst eagle," a masthead symbol that still adorns the San Francisco Examiner, was created by William Randolph Hearst during the paper's prime as a flagship Hearst Media property. But these days, the eagle of the Examiner, which is now owned along with SF Weekly by the San Francisco Print Media Company, has been pecking at the Hearst Corporation and its local paper of record, the San Francisco Chronicle. The Examiner sued the Chronicle in 2013 for allegedly offering discounted advertising rates to advertisers who would agree not to work with the Examiner. But after a drawn-out legal process in which the plaintiff, the Examiner, has presented little of its case for the defendant to view, an exasperated Superior Court Judge has ordered sanctions against the Examiner that will wound its case. Furthermore, the San Francisco Print Media Company must eventually pay Hearst's mounting legal fees. According to the original complaint from the SF Print Media Company, "Hearst has demanded and obtained agreements from key advertising customers, which preclude those customers from purchasing any advertising space from the Examiner for a period of a year or more." The same play, after all, had worked for the SF Bay Guardian in a similar contest with the Weekly a few years earlier. The Guardian, which would go on to join the Weekly as an SF Print Media Company before eventually folding in 2014, won a high-profile predatory pricing case against the Weekly in 2008. That decision was upheld when the state Supreme Court refused to review a lower court ruling, and the Weekly was ordered to pay $21 million to its rival. This time, as then, the case has maybe lingered for a while, but in this case the plaintiff isn't faring as well. The San Francisco Print Media Company's lawyers don't appear to have been forthcoming in the discovery process despite repeated orders from the judge. "Plaintiff's responses in the past, and those at issue now, are evasive and confusing," writes Judge Curtis Karnow. "They do not generally respond in a straightforward way to interrogatories." Further, "Given the remarkable time and effort expended in these discovery disputes," Karnow writes that "I am not inclined to again order plaintiff to provide further responses; this would be futile... All I can do now, for responses which remain deficient, or in effect, empty, is to ensure that in fairness [Hearst] is not surprised in the future with further materials which the plaintiff ought to have provided by now." By that, Judge Karnow means to indicate that he's imposing evidence sanctions. Any information the San Francisco Print Media Company does have but hasn't turned over during the lengthy discovery process can't be used at trial. As far as attorneys' fees, which have no doubt swollen over the unnecessarily lengthy duration of discovery, Hearst "is clearly entitled to these fee shifting sanctions: plaintiff's positions, and many months of evasions and confusing responses, have without any justification imposed delay, and cost..." Judge Karnow will issue an order on those by April 19. The case returns to court on April 7. Previously: S.F. Examiner Now Suing The Chronicle For Predatory Ad Pricing Landlords have been required to publicly disclose buyout agreements made with their tenants since 2014, finally giving us some numbers and transparency into what has previously been a shrouded subject last year. That information helps if you, for example, live in a rent-controlled apartment and are considering a buyout or being offered one. Sure, you might want the assistance of a lawyer... or, as a former employee of Google and Metromile proposes, help from an app. Here, Newsweek introduces us to Rentmasters, a soon-to-launch service that will negotiate on your behalf during a buyout in exchange for 20 percent of that buyout or a one-time $99 fee anywhere from 20 percent of that buyout to a one-time $99 fee. It is quite a complicated and important puzzle in the housing market, founder Brian Bensch talks buyouts with Newsweek. The best market for a startup to go after is niche markets that have a problem to solve. Buyouts can and should be a mutual scenario. Im a big fan of the buyout laws. RentMasters will provide buyout estimates based on your home and neighborhood. Average buyouts stood at $43,000 last summer according to the Chronicle. They'll then negotiate for you with your landlord based on the buyout range you'd like. Of course, this is not a great idea according to tenant rights attorney Joseph Tobener. Buyouts are extremely legally complex, he notes, and Bensch has no bar license to speak of. The founder does allude to speaking with law firms on the subject, but admits he has no formal relationship with any of them. The big question, as with so much of technology these days, might be, "Well, who is this for?" And as is so often the answer in startup circles, the answer might be " the founder and his ilk." Bensch sees as his target veteran tech worker types looking to cash out and get out of town. What's more, "We refuse to work with the starving artists of San Francisco whove been here since the '70s or '80s and plan to stay here for the rest of their lives, Bensch says. I don't expect those types want to work with him, either. Related: Has The Pro-Tenant Law Regulating Buyouts Prompted More Evictions? Civic Center will soon play host to a massive exterior public art project that, contrary to first impression, is about the cute and cuddly topic of the environmental destruction of our planet. A City Hall press release informs us that the piece is titled "Intrude," and "features five monumental nylon rabbits that are inflated to 23 feet high and internally lit at night." The work of Australian artist Amanda Parer, the installation will run from April 4 through April 25 in front of City Hall just missing Easter by a week. "We are proud to host Intrude, a remarkable family-friendly installation, and welcome these five rabbits to temporarily inhabit the heart of our City for all our families, residents and visitors to enjoy, notes Mayor Ed Lee. According to the artist's website, the rabbits are a reminder of the ecological destruction wrought upon Australia by the furry vermin, first introduced to the continent by white settlers in 1788. "Rabbits in artist Amanda Parers native Australia are an out-of-control pest, leaving a trail of ecological destruction wherever they go and defying attempts at eradication," a description of the project reads in part. "Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image, and a strong visual humour, to lure you into the artwork only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work. They are huge, the size referencing 'the elephant in the room', the problem, like our environmental impact, big but easily ignored." Recreation and Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg is stoked about the installation, explaining that his department is excited to host Intrude, which will bring a whimsical delight to Civic Center Plaza. The installation is coming to San Francisco a part of a worldwide tour, and after San Francisco it will travel to New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, and Denver. "I expect people will be drawn to the rabbits playful appearance," notes Parer, "and I hope they will also take the time to understand the deeper meaning in the work and discuss how our actions impact the natural world in which we all live. While the deeper meaning will most definitey be lost on some, giant light-up rabbits sure do look cool. Related: The 12 Best Public Art and Street Art Works in San Francisco Microsoft today issued an official statement regarding its wildly racist, sexist, antisemitic, homophobic, transphobic, 9/11 truther Twitter bot with the lovable name of "Tay." The machine learning, artificially intelligent bot was taken offline yesterday, but only after it had spewed hate for hours. The company today claims that Tay was the victim of a "coordinated attack" and that, they promise, designers had "implemented a lot of filtering" on the simulacrum before turning it loose on the world. Uh huh, surrrrrrrrrre you did. "We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay," reads the statement from Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Research Peter Lee. "Tay is now offline and well look to bring Tay back only when we are confident we can better anticipate malicious intent that conflicts with our principles and values." Lee further argues that Microsoft made a "critical oversight" (uh yeah you did) in not predicting that people would screw with the thing, and accepted "full responsibility for not seeing this possibility ahead of time." And yet, in its entirety, the statement reads mostly as a shifting of blame to those rascally hacking internet racists. Microsoft PR is essentially framing the @TayandYou racist AI incident as "we got hacked". https://t.co/jj7l1oseLq pic.twitter.com/URZhwTS0jX Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) March 25, 2016 After all, writes Lee, the company runs a similar bot in China that has yet to get into the kind of "Hitler was right" mindset of Tay. "In China," Lee explains, "our XiaoIce chatbot is being used by some 40 million people, delighting with its stories and conversations. The great experience with XiaoIce led us to wonder: Would an AI like this be just as captivating in a radically different cultural environment?" It looks like you have your answer. Also, Chinese people are enjoying stories told to them by a bot? So is that the end of Tay, the (perhaps) self-described "A.I. fam from the internet that's got zero chill"? Maybe, and maybe not. "We will remain steadfast in our efforts to learn from this and other experiences," notes Lee, "as we work toward contributing to an Internet that represents the best, not the worst, of humanity." Previously: Microsoft's Tween Twitter Bot Instantly Goes Full Racist, 9/11 Truther This week around the Bay we had Asia SF getting some strangely big accolades from OpenTable, we heralded in the debut of Waxman's in Ghirardelli Square, said goodbye to Triptych in SoMa, and we brought you a list of the city's finest dive bars. Now for everything else that's been happening. Some big-ish news breaking today for the Mission restaurant scene: Nostra Spaghetteria, the seven-month-old reboot of Plin from chef Alexander Alioto, is up for sale, as Capp Street Crap caught via this Craigslist ad. The space at 280 Valencia has never been the warmest, and it is, sadly, a little bit cursed. Original tenant Conduit, which had an award-winning interior designed by architect Stanley Saitowitz, closed pretty quickly during the financial crisis. That was followed a couple years later by Another Monkey, a Thai spot, and then Plin in 2014. Basically nothing has survived in this place more than about two or three years. In Hayes Valley, the replacement restaurant in the former Samovar space that we heard about last fall, the French-inspired Revelry Bistro, opened on Wednesday as Hoodline reported. It's a solo venture for former Bistro Central Parc chef Brad Roth, and will start things off with a concise but cool sounding dinner menu. Brunch and all-day cafe service will follow later. Cala (149 Fell) is going strong in its first few months in Hayes Valley having won raves, and it's not the easiest reservation to get right now. But now Tapas Cala (Hickory Street, behind Fell) will be making its debut in the back alley behind the restaurant, as promised, and as Inside Scoop tells us, what has been just a taco stand will now have some Mexican tapas in the mix too, and brunch in the restaurant is also now being served on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in addition to Sundays. The Tenderloin is getting a little British cafe, with food and special sounding British tea (and Sightglass Coffee), called Scullery (687 Geary). As Hoodline reports, it comes from the owners of the T-loin bar Bacchus Kirk, and it will feature Welsh rarebit, which is delicious. Chicks and Love Pizza is taking over Rainbow Grocerys outdoor cafe, as Inside Scoop reports. It's run by a pair of East Bay women who have been selling their handmade pie at farmers markets in Walnut Creek and Danville for a bit now. And while there will be vegan and vegetarian-friendly options, unlike the adjacent grocery store, they will serve meat pizzas. On Divisadero in the former Ziryab space, after a bit of a delay, new bar-with-food Horsefeather (528 Divisadero) is making its debut sometime around the middle of next week. It's a concept that's been in the making for a while from Bourbon & Branch alums Justin Lew and Ian Scalzo, and it's where they formerly, last year, had a placeholder bar called Tsk/Tsk. Now comes the real deal, and Eater has the food menu right here. (It was originally slated to be open this week, but things got pushed.) Over near the Oakland Airport, old-school Italian spot Francesco's with its bright green, red, and white awnings is giving up the ghost after 47 years in business. The three-generation family-run restaurant will close its doors for good on March 31, and they're calling any longtime regulars to swing back for a final meal, as Inside Scoop reports. This Week In Reviews Michael Bauer circled back this week for a return visit to Lord Stanley, which just debuted last summer on Polk Street, and he basically flips out about how good it is. Now calling it "one of the most interesting restaurants in the city," he says that husband-and-wife chefs Carrie and Rupert Blease "not only have found their voices [in the last seven months] but they practically shout them out from the plate." All told: three and a half stars. Yowza. For his Sunday review, Mr. Bauer headed to that culinary backwater known as Walnut Creek, where he's a little less in love with new Spanish spot Teleferic. He allows that it is "a fun and relaxed environment" and that East Bay diners will likely flock there, but the paella has no caramelized rice crust (for shame!), and thus: two stars. Over at the Weekly, Pete Kane is madly in love with David Kinch's new New Orleans-inspired spot down south in Los Gatos, The Bywater, which he says is "as worth-it as worth-it gets," and "a joyful romp through the world of Creole-Cajun cooking." Also, Kane makes a very funny joke about how getting San Franciscans down to the Peninsula to eat is like "herding... gatos." Anna Roth, meanwhile, surveys the local doughnut scene for the Chronicle, and of course, venerable old Bob's Donuts on Polk is front and center. And Ms. Roth also heads to Huli Huli Hawaiian Grill in the Bayview for the cheap eats beat, and she finds that while not all the food is successful, the rotisserie chicken and housemade kimchi are serviceable, and it's overall "a pleasant place to spend time." A brutal stabbing of a 44-year-old British man near the intersection of Franklin and Post on February 18 has become a homicide, and the SFPD is now seeking the public's help in apprehending the suspect. To that end, they've released some grainy surveillance footage of the attack, which you can view below via Facebook, and they report that Paul Tam, of Manchester, England, succumbed to his wounds on Thursday, March 24, five weeks after the incident. Per the Examiner, Tam spent the last five weeks in critical condition at SF General. As reported earlier, and as you can see in the video, this was a robbery gone bad in which Tam refused to let go of a messenger bag, and his attacker then chases him into the middle of the street where he ultimately stabs him in the head. After Tam is seen lying prone in the street, the suspect grabs his bag and flees. The bag reportedly held Tam's wallet, phone, and passport. The suspect is described as a "black adult male approximately 510 with a heavy build last seen wearing a dark hoodie and blue jeans." He is said to be in his 30's or 40's. The suspect also had a female accomplice in her 20's, who's described as "approximately 54 with long dreadlocks or braids up in a ponytail." #SFPD Seek Public's Help in Locating UK Tourist Homicide Suspects.On Thursday, February 18, 2016 at approximately 8:30 PM, a male and female victim were attacked during a street robbery on Post Street, between Franklin and Gough Street. During the course of the robbery, the male victim was attacked with a weapon. The two robbery suspects fled the scene on foot. On Thursday, March, 24 2016, the victim succumbed to his injuries and died. The victim was a 44 year old man who was a tourist from the United Kingdom. Video evidence was recovered that captured the brutal murder. Preliminary suspect descriptions are: -Black adult male approximately 510 with a heavy build last seen wearing a dark hoodie and blue jeans -Black adult female approximately 54 with long dreadlocks or braids up in a ponytail. SFPD Homicide Investigators are seeking the assistance of the public to identify the outstanding suspects. Please contact investigators if you were in the area of the crime near the time of the crime, observed any suspicious activity, or if you have information regarding the identity of the suspects. Please contact Sgt. Chris Canning at the Homicide Detail during business hours at 415-553-1145, anonymously at the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or tex-a-tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message. Posted by San Francisco Police Department on Friday, March 25, 2016 The crime, which occurred at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening, was witnessed both by a passing motorist, as shown in the video, and by Tam's niece, who had come to see him from Southern California and was walking with him at the time of the attack. She was not injured. As the Manchester Evening News reports, Tam, an IT expert, had come to San Francisco to pursue new career opportunities, and was staying in a hotel at the time of the attack. They believe he also had other family in the Bay Area besides the niece, who was visiting from Irvine. At the time of the crime we learned that the SFPD found a scarf at the scene that might belong to the female accomplice. Also, former sheriff Ross Mirkarimi took the opportunity to call for something he has called for often in his political career, which is more street patrols by the SFPD. "There needs to be more of a community policing presence throughout San Francisco. Tourists find every nook and cranny in the city." Anyone with information about the suspect and his accomplice are asked to contact Sgt. Chris Canning in the Homicide Department during business hours at 415-553-1145, or you can leave an anonymous tip at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message. Update: The SF Police Officers' Association is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. Previously: Tourist Fights For Life After Knife Attack STOCKHOLM | Paris, Copenhagen, Brussels. In just over a year three European capitals have been ravaged by bombs and gunfire. After each attack life slowly returns to normal. But it's a new normal for Europe, where terror alerts are always on high and where people in cities so far spared major violence assume it's a matter of when, not if. "With each atrocity that occurs we change," said Ian Duncan, a Scottish member of the European Parliament in Brussels. "We become less open. We pull down barriers and close doors. But it is a direction we are following now." The carnage in Brussels on Tuesday came as Europe was still reeling from the November attacks by Islamic militants in Paris that killed 130 people. In the following months France and Belgium have looked like countries at least partially at war, with soldiers in the streets, lockdowns and deadly shootouts with militants. WARNS OF LONG 'WAR' The rest of Europe has watched with trepidation. "These were attacks in Belgium. They could just as well be attacks in Britain or France or Germany or elsewhere in Europe," British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC. He said Britain's threat level remains "severe," meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks at the Brussels airport and in the city's subway that left dozens dead and scores more wounded. French President Francois Hollande said the attacks targeted all of Europe and he warned of a long "war" ahead. Though people in Western Europe have dealt with the threat of violence from Muslim extremists as well as homegrown nationalist and revolutionary movements for decades, the idea that a "war" is playing out in their streets is hard to imagine. But the recent frequency and scale of attacks have made some Europeans feel that it's just something they have to get used to. MOSCOW TIGHTENS SECURITY "Five years ago you didn't think about it so much," said Francesca Cervellini, a 20-year-old Italian tourist as she passed by the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. "It didn't happen so often before. Now it's everyday life. It's normal." In Moscow, security has been tightened notably at everyday locations in the wake of a series of attacks in the past 15 years. There are metal detectors at the entrances to all subway stations, all passenger rail stations do luggage scans, most indoor shopping centers have metal detectors and glowering guards. Airports do luggage scans at the entrance. In Western Europe people are more reluctant to trade civil liberties and an open society for more security. But after each attack that equation changes, at least temporarily, said Catherine Muller, of the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, England. "Terrorism is one of the risks people normally overestimate because it is very scary and has a strong emotional effect," said Muller. While those fears are perfectly understandable, she said, it's important to remember that "no matter what policies or laws are in place, there's not going to be 100 percent security." In Germany the fear of terrorism is less acute than in France or Belgium, but the risk of such attacks is something far-right and nationalist groups focus on a lot, especially in connection with the influx of migrants from the Middle East. There haven't been any attacks by Islamic extremists in Germany since Arid Uka shot dead two American servicemen at Frankfurt airport in 2011. However there have been several attempted attacks that failed or were foiled. German mainstream politicians have also been at pains to point out that Germany is a target for Islamic extremists and it's probably a matter of when, not if, such an attack happens. 'NO PEACE IN THE WORLD ANYMORE' Even in small countries on Europe's periphery the same fears are palpable. Denmark witnessed an attack in February last year, when a gunman, apparently inspired by the Charlie Hebdo shooting massacre in Paris a few weeks earlier, opened fire against a free-speech seminar and outside a synagogue. Sweden hasn't seen an attack since a suicide bomber blew himself up in Stockholm in December 2010, but failed to kill anyone else. But reports of hundreds of extremists from Sweden joining Islamic State fighters in Syria and last year's unprecedented influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have sparked concerns that an attack will happen sooner or later. "It could happen tomorrow or in a year or in five years," said Dani Amouri, a 23-year-old Stockholm resident who left Lebanon five years ago. "In Sweden, Denmark, Germany, everywhere. There is no peace in the world anymore. Not even in Europe." Duncan, who represents the Scottish Conservatives in the European Parliament, was supposed to give visitors from Scotland a tour of the European Parliament on Tuesday. Instead they had to stay in their hotels. He said the violence made him think about what, if anything, one can do to be more vigilant when moving in public places without overreacting. "It's not like a film where you can see the villain approaching," Duncan said. "Is it someone carrying a backpack? Is it someone who doesn't look like me? I can't tell you what I should try to avoid." There are many fitness goals out there that we desire. Some of us want to be leaner and others wish to put on muscle mass. The thing is, for you to achieve your fitness goals, you need to The tram-car that connected Bratislava and Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century may be repaired and used again, if finances allow. Font size: A - | A + The original L.W.P. Ringhoffer BCDFa 1400 car of Vienna Tram was festively welcomed in the small park of Vajanskeho Embankment, on the site of the original tram stop on March 18. Representatives of the city of Bratislava, the capitals borough of Old Town, Bratislava Region, and the Club of Friends of Mass Transport and Regional Transport were present. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The latter two organisations have collaborated for a long time, as well as with other fans and enthusiasts eager to save technology monuments, and the Bratislava Region in the past supported saving an engine of this tram line. This car was part of the historical Vienna tram line from 1913, which used to connect Bratislava and Vienna before World War II. Of the three cars manufactured and operated, only two remain: one is in a museum in the Austrian town of Mariazell, and the other in Bratislava, the Bratislava Region informed in a press release. It was brought to the Slovak capital by the Club of Friends of Mass Transport and Regional Transport civic association, the aim of which is to repair the car into its original shape and form, as was done with the preserved engine of a Vienna tram which is currently exhibited in the Slovak Technical Museum Museum of Transport in Sancova Street in the capital. I think this is important, not just for the city and, of course, for the Old Town, but also for the whole region, to show in this way our direct connection to Vienna, Bratislava regional governor Pavol Freso said. This bond has not just a historical, but also a cultural dimension, and this is the reason why we support this project. Within a scheme of regional subsidies, a total of 796,300 should be offered to 260 cultural projects. Of that, 5,000 should go for the repair of the Vienna tram historical car, as proposed by the independent council of experts. For this to happen, Bratislava Region representatives will have to approve this proposal. "The Western countries are going to have to pay for Syrian refugees one way or another. It would be cheaper and more efficient to pay for them to come home and remain home," he explained. Also, Turkey would probably fail in its efforts to prevent direct Kurdish participation in the Geneva talks, since Russia and the United States both favored the idea of Kurdish involvement, Naiman added. "I can't imagine that at the end of the day, if everything else is solved, Turkey will be able to exclude the Syrian Kurds. This is something that the United States and Russia strongly agree on," he observed. However, many problems still needed to be solved before the warring parties in Syria could meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerrys goal of a peace settlement by the end of August, Middle East historian and publisher Helena Cobban told Sputnik. "There are important things that need to be agreed for any more formal ceasefire to stick. Perhaps the main one is that wide infiltration of Jabhat al-Nusra and affiliated units into the US-backed opposition needs to be sorted out and somehow ended," Cobban pointed out. Responsibility for clearing the Islamists out of the opposition forces will lie with the United States and its allies, Cobban, publisher of Just Books Publishing specializing in issues of Middle East war and peace, said. This "is something the United States and its allies need to do and it will not be easy," she stated. Also, the Syrian government will insist that it be a direct party to the transitional talks which Washington may oppose, or recognize as necessary, Cobban concluded. Then some medics appeared out of nowhere. I told them I was going to throw up, which I did Then they put some stitches to my face and I put on a cap because my hair had all burned up. I looked like a Britney Spears with the face of Mike Tyson These tiny pieces of metal they were all over my body, so I sleep with them still inside me. It hurts, it really hurts. Im not complainingI think God saved me. I was so happy when I finally saw my husband who had been looking for me all that time, because I was still alive and hadnt left my son an orphan. The first thing I need to do now is to shave my head. As to the scar on my face well, I guess it will add some charm to my personality. Something to tell my friends about, Orphee said. The authorities also hope that the fines will encourage the scantily-clad sex workers to cover up, thus making them less attractive to clients and be less visible everybody else. In Italy prostitution is legal, but pimping, soliciting and brothels are outlawed. City authorities across Italy have in the past used all kinds of creative measures to phase out prostitution, including a ban on miniskirts and forcing streetwalkers to don high-visibility jackets. Other cities, such as Rome, have created 'tolerance zones' by setting aside areas of the city where prostitutes can work without fear of police intervention. In December 2015, eight members of the South Korean girl band Oh My Girl were denied entrance to the United States after LA immigration officials suspected them of being sex workers. After being held for 15 hours the young women had to fly back home. Their management company said they were mistaken as working women. According to the former French president, Europe should be divided into three zones. The first zone would consist of Eurozone countries, which in Sarkozy's opinion should aim for a closer integration. The second European zone should have "smaller countries" which would have less integration than their counterparts from the first group. And last but not least, the third European zone, which would include both Russia and Turkey as allies, should become the area of cooperation. In Sarkozy's mind this kind of integrationist model would make it easier to figure out many problems the EU's currently facing. Furthermore, by becoming the member of Europe's third integration zone, Turkey would solve the long-standing issue of its potential EU membership. Le Point suggested that Sarkozy's willingness to reform Europe and re-build the continent based on the three-zone model shows his desire to build closer relations with Moscow. Interestingly, Sarkozy said in the past that Turkey isn't a European nation and therefore should never join the EU. By suggesting that Turkey should join the "extended" version of Europe, Sarkozy is perhaps trying to kill two birds with one stone: on the one hand, benefit from economic and political cooperation with Ankara; on the other hand, keep the Turks out of the heart of Europe Eurozone nations. However, Giraldi warned that Turkey, which has an ethnic minority of 20 million Kurds about 25 percent of its total population would seek to prevent the YPG from establishing its own self-governed region, or be recognized as a separate negotiating partner in the Syrian peace process. "If they [YPG] are successful at carving out their own political identity, which is their goal, Turkey will do its best to scuttle the entire arrangement by citing a truce violation and intervening militarily," Giraldi warned. De Misturas program, including a proposal to lift international sanctions imposed on the Syrian government, would probably not be agreed to and imposed fully, but would be implemented on a gradual basis as the parties successfully agreed to and implemented different points, Giraldi said. "I think it is perceived as a framework. Sanctions relief would likely depend on a timetable for elections, easing out of Assad and reparations would be very dicey to arrange. Who would be willing to pay them?" he asked. Philip Giraldi is a former counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. At present, he serves as Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest. "The only way to end this conflict is for one of the key parties to admit, explicitly or implicitly, that they lost; and that therefore they are willing to accept whatever crumbs they are offered, and that they will agree to call this deal a reasonable solution," he insisted. Because of the success of Russias airstrikes in support of the Syrian army, incumbent President Bashar Assad was now certain to emerge as the victor from the conflict, Schirach maintained. "Like it or not, given the balance of forces on the ground, and Putin's open-ended support for Assad, the rebels have to admit defeat. With its direct military intervention a few months ago, Russia has made it clear that it will not allow Assad to sink and be defeated," he said. By contrast, the rebel opposition forces fighting Assad lacked a strong and consistent supply of weapons and equipment they needed, Schirach observed. "The Saudi-backed rebels, fragmented and disunited as they are, cannot count upon unconditional military and financial support from their Arab sponsors. And by now, they should have understood that the United States will not step in to change the situation on the ground," he pointed out. The rebels needed to recognize "the writing on the wall" and realize that they had no way to impose their political solutions to the ongoing civil war, Schirach concluded. Paolo von Schirach is a Professor of International Relations at BAU International University in Washington, DC, and publisher and editor of the Schirach Report. A joint military operation by the government forces, backed by popular defense units, saw the old citadel on the Syriatel hill liberated from Daesh terrorists who were forced to retreat. However, all attempts to raise the Syrian flag over the citadel have thus far been prevented by heavy tank, anti-aircraft and mortar fire by the militants, RIA reported. On Saturday, fierce fighting resumed in almost all parts of Palmyra, with the exception of the citys historical district. Militiamen from the Desert Falcons unit have so far been able to gain a foothold in the residential quarter beneath the citadel. In General Dunfords statement to the Pentagon press corps, he noted that while it was the position of the Pentagon that a troop surge would be necessary to combat Daesh, the White House has yet to actually approve such a measure. "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase in US forces in Iraq in coming weeks, but that decision hasnt been made," said General Dunford. General Dunfords comments on progress against Daesh were also more measured than that of the Secretary. The General remarked that there has been "indisputable progress" against Daesh in recent weeks through coalition airstrikes targeting the groups leaders, command and control structure, and financing. However, he restrained optimism noting, "by no means would I say that we are about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over." US President Barack Obama remained determined to force Syrian President Bashar Assad out of power and that goal still took precedence over bringing a rapid end to the five year conflict that had killed 250,000 people, Jatras, a former adviser to Republican members of the US Senate, said. "No matter what kind of understanding seems to be in the works between the United States and Russia, the former still sees regime change now dubbed political transition as a goal as great as, maybe greater than, defeating ISIS [the Islamic State, also known as Daesh," he added. The Obama administration remained committed to a false interpretation of the Syrian conflict that put all the blame for it on President Assad, Jatras insisted. "After all, its Assad killing his own people that caused ISIS, as Washington keeps insisting," he observed. Jatras also suggested that economic sanctions could be used as a tool to continue to bring pressure on Syria and prevent its economic recovery even after hostilities had ended. "Failing to lift sanctions means condemning the Syrian economy to stagnation even if hostilities have stopped," he predicted. Jatras also expressed skepticism that the reparations clause in De Misturas final declaration would ever be implemented. On Tuesday, March 22, a series of explosions struck the city of Brussels, Belgium; the infamous Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Commenting on the deadly Brussels assaults the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) underscored that "compared to other Western countries, Belgium is particularly vulnerable to jihadist terrorism." "First, the country has an especially longstanding and well-organized network of radical Islamist recruiters. Second, its police and intelligence agencies lack the resources to counter the surge in jihadist recruiting over the last five years," the ICSR reported Thursday, adding that "an estimated 500 Belgian nationals have travelled to Syria or Iraq with the intention of joining militant groups." This approach, according to the author, is way better than Barack Obamas method of taking the side of "history" and criticizing everyone on earth. It is also much more effective than George W. Bushs approach of unleashing a war for an idea, including democracy. Second, any actions should be carried out indirectly. The point is that a country does not have to engage in combat on its own. At the same time, the leader should be ready to support the proxy in order to make the strategy successful. During the wars in the Balkans the US used the Croatian Army as a proxy to weaken Serbias influence in Bosnia, the article read. In Afghanistan, Washington had a proxy in the Northern Alliance, which explains why the Taliban was defeated so swiftly. However, in Iraq the use of the Kurdish Peshmerga as a proxy was insufficient, and the US had to sort out the mess on its own. If the US leader is not sure that his proxies may perfectly represent American values, perhaps it is best not to launch interventions at all, the article read.] The third lesson would be setting realistic goals. Initially, Barack Obama warned that the Russian operation in Syria would risk repeating the Afghan scenario. But President Putin clearly realized that his country could not afford a lengthy military campaign. Professor Helen Fenwick, Professor of Law at the University of Durham and Joint Director of the Human Rights Centre joins this programme and elucidates on current thinking about how the EU should react to the horrific Brussels bomb attacks. Some of the comments she makes on this programme are listed below. The goal of the terrorists, is to produce a show of strength, by provoking attacks against Muslims which the ISIS [Daesh] propaganda machine would then use to support the idea that the West is hostile place, and thus that Muslims should join ISIS, and support the founding of a new caliphate. There are other methods [apart from using extra methods], such as counter-ISIS-propaganda within the Muslim communities which is having an effect. The Press has to be careful about portraying all Muslims as being the enemy. However there do seem to be positive signs, such as the fact that a large proportion of the population of Europe does seem to realise that there is a difference between political Islam and the terrorists. The clearer we are about this, the better. In an article entitled Kerry off to Russia for Syria Talks After Brussels Attacks, written by AP journalist Matthew Lee and carried by ABC News, the author claims that Obama administration is seeking clarity from Putin and Lavrov as to where Russia stands on a political transition for Syria, particularly on the future of President Bashar Assad. Matthew Lee is also addressing the issue of growing misunderstanding between Moscow and Washington over the basic terms and conditions of implementing cease-fire agreement on Syria. Russia on Monday warned the United States that it will start responding unilaterally to cease-fire violations in Syria if the U.S. refuses to coordinate rules of engagement against violators. The State Department, however, insisted that Moscow and Washington are working constructively to monitor the truce. The department also warned Russia against taking unilateral action in response to alleged violations, says Matthew Lee. Fedor Voitolovsky, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Science (studio guest); Fred Weir, head of Moscow bureau of Christian Science Monitor; and Anton Fedyashin, Director at the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History and Associate Professor, American University (Washington) commented on the topic. In 1925 she left her village to settle in Moscow and, after her mothers death in 1945, she moved frequently, welcomed secretly into the houses of the faithful. Not only the Muscovites but also people from afar, of all ages and conditions, thronged around her to ask her advice and her prayers. In this way she truly became the support of afflicted people, especially during World War II. When the sick and possessed were brought to her, she placed her hands on their heads, saying several prayers or driving the demons out, always insisting that she was doing nothing of herself but that God was healing by her mediation. Matrona passed away on April 19, 1952 and was buried at the Danilov monastery. Miracles have multiplied at her tomb and, ever since her remains were moved to the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in March 1998, the faithful who, in their thousands, line up to venerate Moscows new protectress, have turned to her icon and brought her their various problems as though Matrona were still alive in front of them. The Blessed Elder of Moscow was canonized in 1999. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Within the next five years, robotic repairman could travel beyond human limits to fix military, government and commercial satellites that hover in fixed locations 22,000 miles above Earth, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced in a press release. "A DARPA-developed modular toolkit, including hardware and software, would be joined to a privately developed spacecraft to create a commercially owned and operated robotic servicing vehicle (RSV) that could make house calls in space," the release stated on Friday. DARPA Program Manager Gordon Roesler noted that commercial and government space operators have sought such capability for decades. MOSCOW (Sputnik) US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for an alternative organization to NATO that would focus on tackling the terrorist threat and rely less on US funding. "I actually think in terms of terror you may be better off with a new institution, an institution that would be more fairly based, an institution that would be more fairly taken care of from an economic standpoint. You have many wealthy states over there that are not going to be there if its not for us, and theyre not going to be there if it is for terror. Whether its Saudi Arabia or others," Trump said during Saturday's interview with The New York Times newspaper. Trump has been vocal about his views on changing US foreign policy in the course of the ongoing Republican Party presidential primaries ahead of the 2016 US presidential election. On Thursday, the Republican frontrunner said that the time is right for the United States to renegotiate its NATO membership. The Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA) has announced that it will donate $5,000 (U.S.) to the South Florida Trotting Center Fire Relief Fund. On March 16, the fire sadly claimed the lives of 12 horses as well as injuring 11 others. "On January 4, a barn fire in Ontario claimed the lives of 43 horses and we saw the impact it had on everyone," said COSA President Bill O'Donnell. "Our hearts go out to all those involved and especially to those horses who lost their lives as well as the injured ones." COSA willingly supports all those affected by this horrific tragedy. (With files from COSA) Tajmeallover notched her first win of the year as she prevailed in a photo finish in the $11,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace to kick off the Good Friday (March 25) card of harness racing at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino. With the inside post advantage, Jet Hot Stuff (Ed Hensley) established the lead off the gate while American Passion (David Kelly), starting just to her outside, was rough-gaited at the start and ended up trailing the five-horse field early on. However, Nighttraintovegas (Nathan Sobey) looped the early leader just after the :29.4 first quarter and fronted the field past the half-mile mark in :58.2 in search of her second straight victory in this class following a 42-1 upset last time out on March 12. Meanwhile, Tajmeallover followed along in third-place before driver and co-owner J.F. Gagne was forced to make his move down the backstretch as American Passion progressed from the back of the pack. Tajmeallover applied first over pressure to Nighttraintovegas as they raced by three-quarters in 1:27.3 and then took over the lead into the stretch. Jet Hot Stuff was able to tip out wide and pursued Tajmeallover down the stretch to make it a photo finish. However, Tajmeallover managed to hold on by a head for the 1:56.4 victory over the 'good' track. Sing Like An Angel (Travis Cullen), the 4-5 favourite, came on for third after being shuffled to the back of the pack during the third panel. Nighttraintovegas finished fourth and American Passion completed the finish order. Tajmeallover paid $5.80 to win as the second betting favourite after hitting the board in three previous tries to start her five-year-old campaign. Marjorie Dumont trains the homebred Tajma Hall-Watch Over Me mare for Gagne and partners Peter Van Seggelen and Carl Warnaar. Tajmeallover now boasts top three finishes in 26 of her 29 career starts, including 16 wins. In other action the Century Downs Racing Club debuted Warrawee Rap, who rallied three-wide down the backstretch and was just edged out at the wire to finish second in rein to Philip Giesbrecht. Gerry Hudon trains the maiden sophomore filly for a group of over 50 new shareholders. The race was won by 4-5 favourite Outlawsurshotshark (1:58.4), one of five winners on the day for the meet-leading Travis Cullen stable. To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Century Downs. hidden Typing 'anti-national' into Google Maps search bar on Friday yielded a map of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus here, with a photograph of an entrance to the varsity on the left hand side. It is unclear what caused the glitch in the world's largest online search engine, but it has certainly not gone down well with some students and faculty who said they would approach Google India about the problem, according to media reports. JNU has now, for many weeks, been involved in a controversy over what constitutes anti-national words and deeds. The JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and two other students were arrested on charges of sedition. All three were granted bail earlier this month. They have been accused of raising anti-national slogans at a cultural event organised on the campus on February 9 to commemorate the third anniversary of the execution of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Only recently, a shoe was hurled at Kanhaiya Kumar when addressing a rally in Hyderabad. The youth in question was later arrested. With inputs from IANS Nation celebrates 46th Independence and National Day President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stand in solemn silence while paying tribute to the Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial in Savar on the Independence Day. Photo: BSS The nation celebrated its 46th Independence and National Day on Saturday with a fresh vow to build a prosperous and democratic Bangladesh with the united efforts of all. Thousands of people from all walks of life thronged the Savar National Mausoleum and paid rich tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the countrys independence. On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladeshs independence following the crackdown on unarmed Banglalees on the midnight of March 25 by the Pakistani occupation forces. Bangladesh gained independence on December 16, 1971 after a nine-month war that saw the supreme sacrifice of three million people and the loss of chastity of 0.2 million women. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the nation in paying homage to the war heroes by placing wreaths at the National Mausoleum. President Hamid first placed a wreath at the altar of the memorial followed by the Prime Minister. After placing the wreaths, the President and the Prime Minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyrs of the Liberation War of 1971. The bugle played the last post and a smartly turned out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented a state salute on the occasion. Later, President Hamid signed the visitor's book on the mausoleum premises. On her return from the National Mausoleum, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital. Flanked by central leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of her party. She also attended a rally of children and juveniles at Bangabandhu National Stadium arranged by the Dhaka district administration. Addressing the rally, Hasina urged all to build the country through united efforts so that the national does not lag behind anymore. Later, the Prime Minister greeted freedom fighters of the country and sent flowers, fruits and sweetmeats to the war-wounded freedom fighters as a mark of her good wishes for them. PM's Assistant Private Secretary-1 Jahangir Alam, APS-2 Saifuzzaman Shikhar and Protocol Officer Khurshid Alam handed over the items to the war-wounded Freedom Fighters at Muktijoddha Punarbashan Kendra at Mohammadpur in the capital. She also released a commemorative postage stamp at her official residence Ganobhaban marking Day. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also paid tributes to Liberation War martyrs by placing wreaths at the National Mausoleum in the morning, celebrating the day. Later, she along with her partys leaders and activists also placed wreaths at the grave of BNP founder and late President Ziaur Rahman on the occasion. The party leaders and activists also brought out a rally from its Nayapaltan Central office around 3:20pm. Leaders and activists of other political parties also paid homage to the Liberation War martyrs. Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanom hosted a reception at Bangabhaban marking the Independence and National Day. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the reception at the lawn of the presidential palace. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and former President HM Ershad joined the reception. Valiant freedom fighters and family members of Birshreshtha gallantry award recipients attended the Independence and National Day reception. Cabinet Members, Deputy Speaker, Advisers to the Prime Minister, ambassadors and high commissioners of different countries, Chief Election Commissioner, state ministers, Supreme Court judges, cabinet secretary, senior lawyers, the chiefs of the three services, members of parliament, senior political leaders, editors, journalist leaders, senior civil and military officers, academics, business community leaders, artistes and distinguished citizens also joined the function. The President and the Prime Minister together exchanged greetings with the war-wounded freedom fighters and other guests at the event. President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia issued separate messages greeting the people of the country occasion. The day was a public holiday. The government, different political parties, socio-cultural organisations and professional bodies held various programmes to mark the day. The national flag was hoisted atop government and private buildings while the government and semi-government buildings and other public places were illuminated on the auspicious occasion. Special prayers were offered at mosques, temples, churches and pagodas, seeking divine blessings for the departed souls of the martyrs as well as peace, stability and progress of the country. National dailies published supplements while Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and other private TV channels and radio stations aired special programme highlighting the significance of the day. -- Dhaka, Mar 26 (UNB) Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes. What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection? Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were. Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly. Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection: You get to see exactly what will happen to your money When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor. Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on. A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with. You find out about potential major repairs Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing. If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately. You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home. Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly. You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best. This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit. Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home. You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home. You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price. You can sell your home faster and for more money If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are. In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price. Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for. Your home will hold its value longer As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property. When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home. You can make smart decisions about property investments Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property. If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal. There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about. If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing. They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit. You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for. For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money. You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building. You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure. Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so. As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. Azerbaijani gas price for European countries will be set on the Turkish border, Milliyet newspaper reported citing Gurkan Kumbaroglu, president of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). He said Turkey can play a key role in setting prices for gas to be transported to Europe from Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran. It is planned to annually transport 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian Sea region to Europe through Georgia and Azerbaijan within the Southern Gas Corridor project. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. Azerbaijani serviceman, lance sergeant Elshad Abbaszade was killed as a result of armed clashes on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on March 25, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has expressed deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the killed serviceman. Abbaszade has been posthumously awarded with the third degree medal "For Distinction in Military Service" in accordance with the order issued by Azerbaijans defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov. The losses of the Armenian side are yet to be determined. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. The information spread by the Armenian side that allegedly, Armenian civilians suffered as a result of the shelling by Azerbaijani armed forces, is false, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry told Trend March 26. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry denies these allegations of Armenians who suffer losses in manpower and military equipment. Azerbaijani armed forces hold only the positions, trenches, military facilities, vehicles and communications of the enemy at gunpoint, according to the ministry. Each time, following the visit of representatives of Armenias military and political regime to the front line, the tension on the contact line increases, which is aimed at artificially exacerbating the situation, said the Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran and Pakistan are determined to promote their bilateral relations particularly in the economic field and in the fight against terrorism, according to Irna. He made the statements following signing up of six cooperation documents between Iranian and Pakistani officials here on Friday. 'In the negotiations, we discussed economic relations and the capacity to expand them including in the fields of energy, gas, and export of electricity,' he said about the meeting with Pakistani Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif. President Rouhani thanked the government and people of Pakistan for receiving him and the accompanying top-ranking delegation and said that cultural commonalities of the two neighboring countries facilitate their bilateral cooperation. 'Iran and Pakistan are also determined to cooperate in the fight against terrorism,' he said. 'Tehran and Islamabad agree that regional problems have to be settled through negotiations and political solutions.' President Rouhani congratulated his hosts on the occasion of Pakistan Day and Norouz. US President Barack Obama will discuss with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during his visit to the White House on April 4, the USled coalitions progress in its anti-Islamic State (IS, Daesh) campaign and Europes migrant crisis, the White House announced in a statement, Sputnikreported. "President Obama will host NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on April 4, 2016, the White House said on Friday. "The President looks forward to discussing with Secretary General Stoltenberg the progress Allies are making in the international effort to degrade and destroy ISIL, as well as the important role NATO is playing in alleviating the refugee and migrant crisis spurred in part by the terrorist group." The White House said that Obama would also reiterate that Washington stands with NATO following the deadly terrorist attacks in Belgium. "The leaders will also discuss preparations for the July 8-9, 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, including Allied efforts to reinforce deterrence in Europe, address instability on Europes periphery, and strengthen NATOs base of capabilities and partnerships," the White House announced in a statement on Friday. Iran rejected the reports claiming the Islamic Republic committed attacks against the US' financial sector. According to Hossein Jaber Ansari, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Iran never had such "dangerous actions" on its agenda, Fars news agency reported March 26. The US announced on March 24 that seven Iranians working on behalf of the Iranian government have been indicted for a series of cyber crimes between late 2011 and mid-2013 that cost US financial institutions tens of millions of dollars. Ahmad Fathi, Hamid Firoozi, Amin Shokohi, Sadegh Ahmadzadegan, Omid Ghaffarinia, Sina Keissar and Nader Seidi are identified in the indictment as the alleged attackers. Ahmadzadegan and Ghaffarinia claimed responsibility for hacking into Nasa servers and websites. Firoozi gained access to the computer system for the Bowman Dam in New York, and according to the indictment, he could have "operated and manipulated" a gate on the dam. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that the attacks threatened the United States economic well-being and its ability to compete fairly in the global marketplace - both of which are directly linked to the US national security. "We believe that they were conducted with the sole purpose of undermining the targeted companies and damaging the online operation of America's free market," she added. Meanwhile, Ansari said that the US is not in a position to accuse Iran without any evidence. He accused the US of launching cyber attacks against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities in recent years, which could be resulted with an environmental disaster threatening millions of innocent people. Iran has been victim of complicated cyber-attacks supported by certain governments in recent years, Ansari said, adding that Iran itself has always been supportive of international efforts against cyber crimes. Iran is ready to increase bilateral trade with Pakistan from current level of $1 billon per year to $5 billion, the Islamic Republic president Hassan Rouhani said. Rouhani made the remarks during a joint business forum in Islamabad, attended by senior Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the official website of Irans president reported March 26. Rouhani further said that the role of entrepreneurs, private and public sectors of the two countries for realizing the $5 billion annual trade target is very important. He also underlined that Tehran will contribute to the energy security of Pakistan. He ensured Pakistani people that Tehran, as a strategic partner will spare no effort to meet Pakistans oil, gas and electricity needs. Iran can help Pakistan in infrastructure sector as well including construction of dams, Rouhani said. He added that Tehran has fulfilled its commitments regarding the transfer of electricity and gas to Pakistan, expressing readiness to boost cooperation. The Iranian president further said that Tehran sees economic stability and development of Pakistan as its own economic stability and development. The two sides should boost banking and trade ties and prepare grounds for free mutual trade, moving towards preferential trade, Rouhani noted. Rouhani arrived in Islamabad on March 25 and met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. During the meeting they discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as economic cooperation at regional and international levels. Iran and Pakistan signed six documents, mostly focused on boosting economic ties. The sides signed documents including the commercial 5-year strategic plan, cooperation between Iran and Pakistans chambers of commerce, as well as the Central Insurance of Iran and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. The World Bank plans to lend Tunisia $5 billion over five years to support democratic transition in the North Africa country and revive its economy, Tunisia country manager for the World Bank said on Friday. The North African country is struggling with lower tourism revenue after Islamist militant attacks last year, protests over unemployment and slow progress on economic reforms that have lagged political advances made since its 2011 uprising. "The bank has developed a strategy for five years and plans to lend Tunisia $1 billion per year," Eileen Murray, Tunisia country manager for the World Bank, told Reuters. "We have confidence in Tunisia's transition and will continue to support its economy and to finance infrastructure projects and financial and education sectors." The country's economy has faltered since the 2011 revolt against autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, which sparked the Arab Spring revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East. Its problems have been exacerbated by last year's attacks by Islamist militants who targeted the country's tourism industry, which accounts for seven per cent of gross domestic product. Gunmen killed foreign visitors at a museum in Tunis and a beach resort in Sousse, forcing tour companies to suspend some operations in the country. Economic growth in Tunisia was 0.8 per cent last year and officials expect 2.5 per cent this year, but unemployment stands at 15.1 per cent and is far higher among young people in a country where more than half the population is under 29. The International Monetary Fund and Tunisia are in the advanced stages of talks over a $2.8 billion credit over four years to help to support the country's economic reform programme, an IMF delegation said this month. The World Bank manger in Tunisia said the bank will support reforms to create an environment conducive to stimulating investment and job creation. It also plans to intensify efforts to support development in disadvantaged areas. Last January violent protests erupted in the impoverished central city of Kasserine to demand jobs. The unrest quickly spread to other towns in the north and south of the country with protesters storming police stations in the worst violent protests since 2011. Tunisia also plans to issue a Euro-denominated bond in the second half of April and will begin the process, including sounding out potential demand, at the end of this month. Murray said that economic redorms are heading in the right direction but will take more time. She urged Tunisia to continue reforms in the financial sector and in transparency to attract foreign investment and boost employment. The World Bank chief will visit Tunisia next week to show support and discuss with Tunisian leaders their reforms, Murray said.-Reuters Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) said it has signed a deal with Piraeus Bank, one of the largest private lenders in Greece, to acquire 98.5 per cent of its Egyptian unit as part of its regional expansion strategy. This marks the completion of the transaction, which was announced by ABK and Piraeus Bank in May last year. The takeover of the Piraeus Bank Egypt (PBE) for $150 million realises ABKs regional vision of Egypt being considered a key focus market with a well-regulated yet underpenetrated banking market, further supported by the countrys attractive macro-economic fundamentals and robust population dynamics, boasting a young population of 85 million with a vibrant middle class. ABKs acquisition of Piraeus Bank Egypt realizes ABKs regional vision, Egypt being considered a key focus market with a well-regulated yet underpenetrated banking market, further supported by the countrys attractive macro-economic fundamentals and robust population dynamics, boasting a young population of 85 million with a vibrant middle class. The new ABK subsidiary in Egypt will be rebranded ABK Egypt subject to name change approval by the official authorities, and the new identity will be rolled-out over the entire 39 branch network in the first half of 2016. The official share transfer took place in November last year. On the deal, ABK chairman Talal Mohammed Reda Behbehani, said: "We are very proud to formally welcome PBE and its employees and customers into the ABK family. We are firmly committed to investing in its growth, and Egypt is a core market for us, building on the long standing business relationship that already exists between our two countries." "We look forward to developing and growing our business in the Egyptian market. Id like to thank all the concerned authorities in Kuwait and Egypt who have helped us to complete the deal in a very good time frame," stated Behbehani. CEO Michel Accad said: "Todays closing announcement is a transformational milestone in ABKs development into a significant regional player in the Middle East. It helps us to diversify our business profile and extends our regional connectivity, providing many new opportunities for ABK and ABK (Egypt) to grow and flourish." ABK has been advised by JP Morgan as its exclusive financial advisor on the acquisition of PBE, while Ernst & Young acted as transaction and tax advisors and Zulficar & Partners acted as legal advisors.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services is ahead of its peers in Brisbane (Australia) New York (US) and Toronto (Canada) with eight types of emergency services, said an international study ahead of the Dubai International Government Achievement Exhibition (DIGAE). The event is being hosted by the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, from April 11 to 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Dubai Corporation Ambulance Services enjoys a global unique position as it offers 22 specialised ambulance services to cater to the emergency needs of the society in the emirate, stated the recent global statistical study. The study also said that Dubai Corporation Ambulance Services offers motorcycles ambulance for narrow streets, four wheel ambulance for off-road rescue, and specialised ambulance services for the series of events, conferences, festivals and celebrations happening in Dubai. Khalifa Hassan Aldrai, the executive director announced the participation of Dubai Corporation Ambulance Services in the forthcoming edition of the DIGAE where it will showcase a wide range of its services and initiatives. "We are participating at the show that will be held under the theme Local Government and Global Achievements. In line with this theme, Dubai Corporation Ambulance Services has achieved a rapidly increasing international reputation among modernised peer departments in the world," stated Aldrai. As the show aims to highlight the development of the government performance and its progress in terms of innovation and smart services, our participation will showcase our achievements in this regard at a time Dubai has become a hub for creativity in the region, he added. DIGAE is a government initiative that aims to attract local government departments and institutions in Dubai to participate and put on display practical achievements and initiatives. It comes in line with the UAE Vision 2021 that calls for excellence at the international level. The exhibition promotes the excellence in government work in Dubai providing the best quality services to customers, institutions and individuals alike.-TradeArabia News Service Brahim El Bakraoui, one of the Brussels suicide bombers, was on a US counter terrorism watch list before the November attacks in Paris and his brother Khalid was put on the list shortly afterwards, sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters previously reported that both brothers had been known to US authorities before the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a French national who prosecutors say had a key role in the Paris attacks. Belgian prosecutors have identified Brahim as one of two suicide bombers who attacked Brussels Zaventem Airport on Tuesday, while they say Khalid carried out a suicide bombing at Brussels' Maelbeek Metro station, near European Union headquarters.-Reuters The political economy of oil prices in the United States is complicated. The United States is the world's largest oil consumer and one of its biggest importers. But it is also a substantial producer with large oil and gas resources. And its oil is medium-cost, more expensive to produce than the large fields in the Middle East but cheaper than frontier areas like the Arctic, according to John Kemp, a Reuters market analyst. US politicians tend to be happiest with mid-priced oil: not too expensive to upset motorists but not too cheap to threaten the survival of domestic production and increase dependence on imports, he stated. In the last century, the country has swung between confidence in its self-sufficiency and energy independence to extreme insecurity about its dependence on imported oil. In recent years, the debate has been characterised by optimism, even complacency, about rising US domestic production and falling reliance on imports, but that could easily change, as it has in the past. The shale revolution transformed America's sense of its energy security but it occurred thanks to high oil prices and a wave of technical innovation and entrepreneurship. The shale revolution had almost nothing to do with the political class, though politicians have been quick to claim the credit for an American success story, stated Kemp. But just as rising prices and production banished concerns about import dependence, so falling prices and output could reawaken them if pushed too far, he pointed out. US crude oil imports are rising for the first time for more than five years, a sign that Saudi Arabia is winning its war for market share against shale producers. In the week ending March 18, the United States imported nearly 8.4 million barrels per day of crude oil, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Weekly crude oil imports were the highest since July 2013. Faster imports were driven by a surge in oil deliveries from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria which cleared US customs over the seven day period. Reported imports are subject to considerable week to week variability depending on the timing of tanker arrivals and customs clearance, so it is important not to place too much emphasis on one week's figures. But there is no mistaking the trend. Crude petroleum imports have been trending higher since the middle of 2015. Daily crude imports averaged 7.9 million barrels per day over the last 13 weeks, up from 7.1 million bpd in the 13 weeks ending July 3, 2015. Imports are rising thanks to a combination of strong demand from US oil refineries and falling domestic oil production from shale formations. Crude is also being imported and put into tank farms. Traders favour storage in the US because it is a location of net consumption and has favourable banking, legal and physical infrastructure. Imports will almost certainly increase further over the remainder of the year as refineries ramp up production to meet record gasoline consumption and US crude output continues to decline. US crude production is forecast to drop from 9.4 million barrels per day in 2015 to 8.7 million bpd in 2016 and 8.2 million bpd in 2017. Meanwhile US consumption of refined products is predicted to increase by almost 100,000 bpd in 2016 and another 160,000 bpd in 2017. The growing gap between domestic oil production and product consumption can only be covered by additional imports of crude or refined products. Recapturing market share from shale and other higher-cost producers has been a key objective for Saudi Arabia and Opec. But there could be a political cost if the market share strategy is pushed too far, in the form of a backlash from the US, according to Kemp. The rise in US domestic oil production and reduction in imports has been hailed by policymakers from both major parties as an important achievement. Even if the concept of "energy independence" is an illusion in an interconnected oil market and global economy, rising domestic production has contributed to an improved sense of energy security. But if the price war continues to harm domestic oil producers, it is likely to trigger a political response at some point. In 1986, US Vice-President George Bush warned Saudi Arabia's King Fahd that oil price stability was a national security issue for the United States. Bush told the Saudis lower oil prices were a boon to many sectors of the US economy but not to all of them. "There are two edges to this sort of falling prices, and one of them has got to be the fact that this country - our country, the United States of America - has always felt that a viable domestic oil industry is in the national security interests of the US," he told his hosts in Riyadh. Oil prices, as well as security and the control of terrorism and radicalism, have always been central to relations between the US and Saudi Arabia. Saudi policymakers have strongly denied that their current price strategy is aimed against shale production. Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi told an audience of US producers at CERAWeek in Houston in February: "Let me say for the record, again, we have not declared war on shale or on production from any given country or company." "We are doing what every other industry representative in this room is doing. We are responding to challenging market conditions and seeking the best possible outcome in a highly competitive environment," stated Naimi. "Efficient markets will determine where on the cost curve the marginal barrel resides," he added. But the finer points of that argument may be lost on hard-pressed US shale producers and their political representatives. So far, energy issues are playing out in a minor way on the presidential and congressional campaigns. Democrats are more energized by renewable energy issues and much of the party's base is ambivalent or actively hostile to fossil fuel production because of its climate impact. Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, has promised to impose tougher conditions on fracking. "By the time we get through all of my conditions, I do not think there will be many places in America where fracking will continue to take place," she said during a debate earlier this month. Her rival for the party's nomination, Bernie Sanders, has taken an even stricter line, stating simply "I do not support fracking". Given that fracking now accounts for half of all U.S. oil production these positions may not be practical. The outgoing Obama administration is also adopting a tougher regulatory stance on all forms of fossil fuel production as part of an effort to make climate progress a legacy issue. In practice, most US oil and gas is produced in states like Texas, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Alaska that increasingly lean towards the Republican Party, though others like Pennsylvania and Ohio are swing states. For the moment, the party is convulsed by internal divisions as a result of the rise of businessman Donald Trump and is more focused about maintaining its control over Congress, stated Kemp. In 2012, the oil and gas industry tried and failed to make domestic energy production and energy security an election issue, and it may not be salient this year. But the political climate is unusually febrile in 2016 and falling oil production could play into it in unexpected ways, he added.-Reuters Brussels Airlines is restarting some commercial flights from Belgium on Thursday, using the airports of Liege and Antwerp, while its main hub in the Belgian capital remains closed following Tuesday's attacks. Belgian police were hunting on Thursday for a "third man" filmed with two Islamic State suicide bombers at Brussels Zaventem Airport as evidence accumulated that the same jihadist network was involved in the deadly Paris attacks last November. The airport, which serves over 23 million passengers a year, remains closed until further notice, forcing airlines to scramble to reroute over the busy Easter weekend. "There is much damage and we do not have access to the building as the investigation is still under way," the airport said on its Twitter account on Thursday. Brussels Airlines, 45 per cent owned by Germany's Lufthansa , said it will not be able to operate a full schedule, given the smaller size of Liege and Antwerp. The carrier will run just 15 short-haul aircraft and two long-haul planes on Thursday, out of its fleet of 50, a spokeswoman said. It is prioritising flights to popular holiday destinations in Spain, France and Italy over the Easter period, she said. Brussels Airlines, which also serves many African destinations, sent five empty planes to Africa to bring back passengers and is rerouting two planes from Africa to Zurich. Ryanair is making the most of Charleroi, around 30 miles (48 km) from the Belgian capital and the site of the low-cost Irish carrier's first base in continental Europe. It is rerouting all of its Brussels Zaventem flights through Charleroi until the end of Tuesday. Smaller carriers including Vueling and Jetairfly, owned by TUI, are flying into Liege, Charleroi and Ostend. But capacity at Belgium's smaller airports is limited. Lufthansa has cancelled all of its flights to Brussels until Tuesday and is putting passengers on buses for the 400 kilometre journey to and from its hub in Frankfurt. Low-cost rival easyJet is flying Brussels passengers to Lille in Northern France, while British Airways cancelled its Brussels flights for Thursday and is reviewing the situation for Friday. Reuters BOZEMAN, Mont. A Bozeman man who was charged with killing his girlfriend earlier this month faces additional charges for breaking into her house, stealing her vehicle and violating a restraining order. Gallatin County prosecutors filed a motion Thursday to charge 35-year-old Anthony Tobias Fagiano with deliberate homicide, aggravated burglary, theft and violating an order of protection. Fagiano appeared in Justice Court on the homicide charge on March 9, hours after 37-year-old Darcy Buhmann was shot. He did not enter a plea. His bail was set at $1 million. An initial appearance on the new charges has not been scheduled. Charging documents say Fagiano reported breaking into Buhmann's house and shooting her in the abdomen and head. He said he took her vehicle, drove into the woods and texted several people to tell them he'd killed her. Talk at JCC to explore early, current legacy of Jerusalem Temple The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies will present a lecture on the legacy of Jerusalems Temple in ancient and modern cultures. Joan Branham, a professor of art history and an associate dean at Providence College in Rhode Island, will discuss Reimagining the Jerusalem Temple: From Dura to Disney and the TV mini series DIG. The free lecture begins at 7 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road, according to press materials. For more information, visit judaic.arizona.edu or call 626-5758. Artists to tell citys Christian history with works at gallery More than a dozen local artists have created work inspired by stories of Christian leaders in Tucsons history. Those pieces, along with at least 20 of Ted DeGrazias Father Eusebio Kino paintings, will be on display at the City Psalms Art Gallery opening Friday, April 1, at Mos Gallery and Fine Framing, 3650 E. Fort Lowell Road. The focus of the art gallery was to create expressions of prayer for Tucsons future inspired by Tucsons spiritual history, said Brian Goodall, the prayer domain director for 4Tucson. City Psalms is a project of the Christian organization 4Tucson. The artists took inspiration from the stories of Father Kino, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Father Francisco Garces, to name a few. Some of the artwork will appear in an upcoming film produced by 4Tucson. The gallery open house on Friday will have refreshments, live music and time to chat with artists. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m., and the gallery will remain free and open to the public through May 7. For more information, visit facebook.com/citypsalmsartgallery A bill to restore government health insurance for children of working-poor Arizona families is a likely failure, but advocates say theres hope in the budget process. Proposed legislation that passed the Arizona House but failed to get a hearing in the Senate would have lifted the freeze imposed on enrollment in KidsCare, which is Arizonas version of the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. Arizona is the only state in the country without an active CHIP program. In spite of that setback, advocates of KidsCare say theres still hope during the state budget process next week. 10 PERCENT UNINSURED Lifting the enrollment freeze on KidsCare would not cost the state any money for at least two years. The program will cost an estimated $76 million during the 2017 fiscal year, and all of it is available through federal dollars, said Dana Wolfe Naimark, who is president and CEO of the Phoenix-based Childrens Action Alliance. The bill is dead, unless something extraordinary happens, which I do not expect, Naimark said. The other pathway is to do it through the budget process. Even though the budget amount is zero from the state budget, it can still be part of the budget process. Supporters say KidsCare provides much-needed health coverage for children of families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, a government health insurance program for low-income people. And they say if Arizona doesnt use the federal money thats available, it will go to kids in other states. Critics have concerns that the state will end up obligated, whether legally or politically, to pick up the cost once the federal government stops picking up the entire tab. Arizonas Medicaid program is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS. Arizonas rate of uninsured children is 10 percent, the third highest rate in the country. Only Texas and Alaska are worse, according to Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. The national rate of uninsured children is 6 percent. Arizonas lack of a CHIP program is fueling its rate of uninsured children, advocates say. ENROLLMENT FREEZE Before it was frozen in 2010, KidsCare provided health care to low-income children in families with incomes from 138 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or an income of $27,000 to $40,000 per year for a family of three. At one time, it enrolled nearly 50,000 children. The current enrollment is now down to 711 and expected to dwindle to zero unless the freeze is lifted. Advocates of the program say health insurance thats available on the federal marketplace is out of those families budget, even with federal subsidies. At the time the Legislature froze the program, Arizona had to provide federal matching funds for KidsCare. But currently, the federal government would provide all of the costs for at least the next two years and possibly until 2019. But extending it two years would be up to Congress. The Legislature can put into the budget directions to lift the freeze and the authorization for the state to draw down the federal money for KidsCare, Naimark said. Our job in the next few weeks is to make sure it doesnt fall through the cracks and to make sure it stays a budget priority. And also, we need the governor to support it. DUCEY NONCOMMITTAL So far Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has been noncommittal about KidsCare, a stance he reiterated on Thursday through spokesman Daniel Scarpinato. The governors office is in ongoing negotiations with the House and Senate leadership regarding the state budget, Scarpinato wrote in an email. As the governor has said, hes open to discussing any good idea that works within the confines of available dollars, and doesnt obligate the state to ongoing commitments we cant afford, Scarpinato wrote. The governors top priority, as reflected in his budget proposal, is more money for K-12 education. Naimark said Arizonans can voice their support by calling legislators and the governor now if they think it is important to restore KidsCare. They havent really begun the hardcore negotiations yet, Naimark said. We expect next week everyones attention to move to the budget. So I think its perfect timing for people to make their voices heard. Arizona has a new law that will stop Pima Community College from using inflated enrollment estimates to stay within its state spending limit. House Bill 1322, signed into law Thursday by Governor Doug Ducey, forces community colleges to use an average of actual enrollment instead of estimates to calculate their spending caps. A colleges spending limit, separate from its budget, restricts the amount of local revenue such as taxes that can legally be spent each year. It does not limit how other revenue, such as tuition dollars, can be spent. The new law also allows community colleges to count a student taking career and technical training as 1.3 students when calculating spending limits, since such programs often are more expensive to operate. And it permits colleges to exempt certain types of revenue such as funding from community business partners from the spending limit calculations. Ducey spokeswoman Annie Dockendorff said the new law will ensure our community colleges are producing a quality workforce that meets the needs of industry. A PCC news release said the changes will enhance the schools ability to train workers for jobs in high-skill, high-wage technical fields. Under the previous law, PCC regularly overestimated its enrollment by 30 to 40 percent, which kept its spending limit artificially high as the schools enrollment plunged over the past five years. Pride swelled within World War II veterans Nathan Shapiro and Anna Rogovin on Friday during a flag-raising ceremony at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. The residents at the centers Rubin Community, 2221 N. Rosemont Blvd., were among some 75 people who celebrated the American and Arizona flags that were raised by the Tucson Police Departments Honor Guard. Officers Charles Foley, 47, and Bradley Clark, 56, are the co-founders of Flags for the Flagless, a nonprofit formed in 2014 to raise Old Glory on barren flagpoles in Tucson. Foley comes from a long line of veterans, and Clark was a 20-year combat Army veteran. The American flag belongs to all of us. The flag represents our country freedom, responsibility and hope, said Foley. Foley was made aware of Handmakers need for work converting two poles into flagpoles, including a pulley system. He and Clark volunteered their time and renovated the poles, and presented the facility with the flags for the ceremony. The two, with support from the community and some $4,000 in donations, have renovated flagpoles and raised more than 200 flags in Tucson and cities across the nation. They have placed flags on empty flagpoles at businesses, private residences and provided Old Glory to schools for classrooms. After the morning ceremony, Shapiro, 98, a Brooklyn native who was in the Army and served in the Philippines as a captain in the artillery, explained that, The flag means freedom in addition to pride, justice and an opportunity to live the American dream. He said he was discharged from the Army in 1946 and became an educator, serving as a teacher and principal in the New York City school system. He also taught as an adjunct assistant professor in the graduate school of Hunter College. He moved to Tucson in 1996. Rogovin, 99, a native of the Bronx, said she salutes the flag because it represents my country ... sweet land of liberty. During the war, Rogovin was a member of the Navy WAVES Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and worked as a biochemist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Japan cut off the rubber supply, explained Rogovin. She said her research helped develop synthetic rubber. After her military service ended in 1946, she went to work for the American Petroleum Institute and retired in her 60s. She moved to Tucson in 2008 . While Shapiro and Rogovin reminisced about their military service and the love for their country, other residents and employees enjoyed their stories. It was the American flag that brought them together for a celebration. It is important at Handmaker that we have the American flag flying, not just for the veterans, but for all residents and the people who work here, said Anne Lopez, Handmakers assisted-living manager. The Tucson Police Department assigned 180 officers to provide security for Donald Trumps political rally downtown the largest contingent of officers assigned to the three political events in Tucson leading up to election day. In total, the department assigned 279 officers to the three separate election rallies held, with the city initially picking up the $133,163 tab to maintain the peace at the events for the presidential candidates. The city will bill the campaigns of Trump, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton for reimbursement, said Sgt. Kimberly Bay, a spokeswoman for the department. The Trump rally, which saw hundreds of protesters outside of the Tucson Convention Center and several disruptions during the GOP frontrunners speech, was the most expensive of the three events. Several violent incidents occurred during the Saturday afternoon rally, including when a protester being escorted out of the arena was punched and kicked by a Trump supporter, who was arrested. Records requested by the Arizona Daily Star show the department staffed the rally with a total of 180 officers, who worked, on average, 6 hours as part of the rally. The police department estimates the total cost to provide security was $81,838. One estimate suggests the Trump rally had more than 5,000 supporters at the TCC. A night earlier, TPD assigned 76 officers to a rally organized for Sanders, also held at the TCC. The cost to the department for the Sanders rally was $44,013, records indicate. Crowd estimates suggest Sanders had about 7,000 people attend the Friday-night event. The rally for Clinton on Sunday had the smallest number of officers staffing security. Hillary Clinton did not attend, but former President Bill Clinton stumped for his wife at Sunnyside High School. A total of 23 officers were assigned to the Clinton rally, which cost the city $7,312. About 1,400 people attended the event. OPINION: "To be sure, we have much more to accomplish at our borders, most notably by fixing our dysfunctional immigration system. But the pending progress on border infrastructure through port modernization is a monumental achievement and a big part of the picture that needs to be taken ful PHOENIX Gov. Doug Ducey is going to get a chance to sign three new measures designed to restrict abortion and the practices surrounding it. The House on Thursday gave final approval to three measures: Outlawing experimentation on tissue from aborted fetuses; Limiting less-intrusive medication abortions to the first seven weeks of pregnancy; Locking Planned Parenthood out of a payroll deduction plan for state employees. Ducey is likely to sign all three. He has pronounced himself strongly in the pro-life camp. He signed a different abortion restriction last year. And Ducey himself administratively imposed the ban on donations to Planned Parenthood last year. The measure on fetal experimentation, SB 1474, arose in the weeks after the posting of undercover videos that appear to show officials from Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of fetal tissue. Abortion foes and supporters continue to argue about the accuracy of the videos. But they have been enough to drive this legislation. If you deal with the videos about Planned Parenthood, its very evident to me that this buy and sell of fetal tissue is going on, said Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert. But he said the measure is not dependent on the videos. This is something we feel is inappropriate, which is to harvest body tissue from the fetus, he said. Planned Parenthood Arizona said it does not sell or donate fetal tissue, though Bryan Howard, the groups president, acknowledged that is not the case in other states. But Farnsworth said it doesnt matter if its not occurring here, saying this legislation will ensure that it does not happen because it will be a crime. Rep. Stefanie Mach, D-Tucson, focused on the part of the legislation that bans all experimentation on any tissue from an abortion Why wouldnt you want to use that fetal tissue to help save lives in the case of all the research that goes into Huntingtons and Alzheimers and a myriad of other tragic and horrible diseases that lead to a loss of life? she asked. Farnsworth said fetal tissue research has fallen out of favor as efforts to cure diseases with that have not produced results. Secondly, we have to decide what we think is valuable, he said. It doesnt make any sense to me to support harvesting fetal tissue to try to support somebody else who is sick. And Farnsworth said he does consider this to be more than mere tissue. My philosophy is that you have babies that are babies, he said. They are just unborn. SB 1474 was approved on a 41-17 vote. The vote on the bill limiting medication abortions was closer, passing 32-26. SB 1324 seeks to tell doctors they can use RU-486 to terminate a pregnancy only according to the label directions approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That label says it should be used only through the first seven weeks of pregnancy. But neither FDA regulations nor federal law preclude doctors from off-label use. And Planned Parenthood physicians have concluded that the drug is effective through the ninth week, and at a smaller dose. Rep. Jill Norgaard, R-Phoenix, did not dispute that. But she said the FDA approved the use of RU-486 under special rules she said are reserved for higher-risk drugs, which is why doctors should be barred from using it in Arizona beyond seven weeks. But Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, said doctors have since discovered that the seven-week limit makes no medical sense. Help India! By Amit Kumar for Twocircles.net This is the third in a four-part series on cases of Dalit atrocities in India which were brought up during a tribunal held by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights in collaboration with other other liked-minded associations. Support TwoCircles Delhi: For the past three and a half years, the Parmar family has been running from pillar to post for justice, but with little results: when the family came on stage at the National Peoples Tribunal to talk about how three Dalits, including one from their family, had been killed and one person seriously injured in a police shootout, and spoke at length. Unlike other families, they did not break down on stage. They were accompanied by one of the employees of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and were helped by the fact that one of the jury members, Aakar Patel, Excutive Director, Amnesty International, spoke to them in Gujarati. It was clear that the Parmar family had almost got used to talking about their tribulations, but to no avail: In September 2012, the district of Surendranagar was hosting a festival. The town had been in a festive mode, until a small incident changed the lives of the Dalit families forever. During the fair, someone on a spinning wheel happened to drop something which fell on a person: the family of Parmar says it was probably an ice cream packet, or an empty water pouch: it matters little now. The argument soon turned into a massive fight between the Bharwads and the Dalits, and soon, the police had been called into action. The Bharwads are not the most influential community in Gujarat; however, in the caste system, they are considered higher than the Dalits. The crowd got unruly, the police got agitated; the innocent got caught in between. Pankaj Sumra, was shot down by a stray bullet from the police. Even after injuring him, the police did not bother to take him to the hospitals and left the job to the relatives of Sumra. He was subsequently taken to the Thangadh Civil Hospital, from where he was against referred to Rajkot Civil Hospital, where he was declared dead. Wife of Prakashbhai Parmar (in red saree) with NCDHRs Deepika Rathod (with Mike in hand) The news of Sumras death sparked outrage among Dalits who took to streets, demanding a complaint to be filed against police officials responsible for the death. Instead of taking action against the guilty police officers, the police instead decided to clamp down on any subsequent protests. The protests occurred on September 23, during which the police, once again, opened fire. It was during these protests that Prakashbhai Babubhai Parmar, 26, Mehulbhai Valjibhai Rathod, age 17, were shot at and succumbed to injuries. Prakashbhai was shot in the head, and died on the spot. Meanwhile, another youth, Chhanabhai, 28, remained in hospital for months after the incident due to the severity of his injuries. A common theme in this series has been the reluctance on the part of the Police to file cases, especially when the Dalits are at the receiving end of the crime. In this case, it was even worse for them as the guilty/accused were all policemen. No wonder then, that when these incidents occurred, the police refused to file FIR against guilty officers initially. It was only after intense pressure that the four accused officers were booked under IPC Sections 302, 147, 148, 149, 114, 120-B and under the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989, Section 3 (2). However, in return, the police also filed a case against Dalit youth against seven Dalit youth for protesting the death of Sumra. They continue to be in jail. Also, importantly, the SSP was missing the day the firings took place. He was busy making security arrangements for the Swami Vivekananda Yatra of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. The wife of Prakash Parmar, who had come to the Tribunal organised by the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) in organisation with National Movement for Dalit Justice, spoke to Twociricles.net. The protests that followed the death were Sumra were meant to be peaceful, asking police to take action. We (Dalits) live on the other side of the railway tracks. Our protests were stopped in the way, before we even crossed the railway station, and we were shot at, she said. Deepika Rathod, the NCDHR worker from Gujarat, who had accompanied Parmars family, said the lackadaisical nature of the Police is clearly evident in the way they followed the case. Even after three and a half years, the chargesheets have not been filed, while Dalit youths remain in jail over protesting against the death of one of their own. Who do we approach now? she asked. As early as October 2012, Manjula Pradeep, the director of Navsarjan had written to the National Human Rights Commission. It was not April 2014 that they replied, saying that it has been revealed that the matter is being probed by the Commission of Inquiry. Monetary relief has also been paid in this matter and process of land allotment is also under consideration. Moreover, law is taking its own course and no further action is called for. It was the point of compensation that the jury focused on, adding that merely paying compensation is not justice itself: punishing the guilty is. In this case, a compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh to the families is not merely enough. Also, importantly, no job has been given to the family and for the family of Prakashbhai Parmar, who worked as a daily wage labourer in Thangadh, the times have been tough to say the least, with no end in sight. The Tribunal was one place where they could speak their heart out, and so they did. But since when has being honest ensured justice? Related: Where has all the anger gone? Dalit survivors of Sunped wonder as they fight for justice Nine months after attack, Dalits of Samastipur wait for justice while accused roam freely Help India! By TCN News, Chennai: Madras High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to ban consumption of beef in shops around the Palani Temple Hills Girivala pathai on the ground that eating non-vegetarian food is not an offence. Support TwoCircles While hearing PIL on March 18, 2016, the division Bench comprising Justices S.Manikumar and C.T.Selvam dismissed PIL praying to issue a Writ of Mandamus, directing the Authorities to remove the shops around the Palani Temple Hills Girivala pathai run by persons belonging to Islam and other religion in which they are eating beef and insulting the religious faith of the devotees and creating disharmony. The petition was filed by a practicing Lawyer and President, Hindu Munnetra Kazhagam who contended that around Palani Hills, the entire circle of the Holy Hills is used as Girivalapathai. After observing fasting for many days, Hindu devotees will go around Girivalapathai. The devotees feel uncomfortable to cross the shops housed in the Temples property, adjacent to Girivalapathai which are occupied by people belonging to Islam and other religion. Occupants of such shops indiscriminately use beef and other non- vegetarian food by sitting in the stairs of Palani Hills and thus insult the religious faith of Hindus of Palani. It is his submission that if the above facts are not checked, they would create religious disharmony, the petition reads. He also contended that persons belonging to other religion have been occupying the shops adjacent to Girivalapathai and eating non-vegetarian food, creating discomfort to Hindu devotees, which is an offence punishable under the Indian Penal Code. Dismissing all his contentions one by one, the division Bench said, Contention of the petitioner that the temple property, adjacent to Girivalathapathai, is occupied by people belonging to Islam and other religion is unsubstantiated, by even a scrap of paper. The petitioner has not substantiated that people belonging to other religion cannot have any shops in the property. The other contention that the occupants of the shops indiscriminately eat beef and other non vegetarian food, by sitting in the stairs of the Palani Hills and insulting the religious faith of Hindus and if the same is not eventually checked, it would lead to disharmony, is not supported by any evidence. The further contention that by eating non- vegetarian food they have created discomfort to Hindu devotees also not substantiated. The Court also held that Nowhere in the Indian Penal Code it is stated that eating non- vegetarian food is an offence. There is no law touching eating habits of any religion and in such a view of the matter, the contention of the petitioner that eating beef is an offence, cannot be accepted. The court also criticized increasing misuse of PIL and said, Public Interest Litigations are very useful handle for redressing the grievances of the people. But, unfortunately, lately, it has been abused by interested persons. Administration of justice should not be for any publicity interest litigation or private interest litigation or political litigation. There must be real and genuine public interest. Help India! The following is a speech presented at a seminar organized at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), the person who wrote this was made accused in a terror-related case. As a result of this accusation he lost his job, currently he is out on bail. He chose to remain anonymous for his safety. TwoCircles.net editor I got very happy when I was invited for the conference. I felt happy, not because I received this invitation but with the feeling that there still exist some courageous people in the country who organize such events even in such a critical and sensitive environment that is prevailing in the country since 22 months when scholars, academicians, poets, scientists, actors and even students are labeled anti-national because of their different ideologies. Support TwoCircles I felt happy that at least some people have not bowed down to the pressure tactics of the government but boldly thought of strengthening the society by organizing such conferences with an aim to study the problems in the system in order to correct it. I call such people to be courageous because not only did they organize this event but also remembered a person like me who is already labeled terrorist and had to spend few years behind bars under UAPA charges until the high court granted bail. However, I feel sorry that I am not able to gather courage of your degree to physically present before you and share my experience. But I would be guilty, if I cannot even pass my experience and thoughts to you that might help in the process of removing lacunae from the existing biased system and in building equitable and just society. Before I begin, let me tell everyone that whatever I shall speak here today it will be up and above the religion and it shall be applicable to everybody in India irrespective of their belief, creed and caste. I shall try to tell you people my sufferings in brief, although, it is very difficult to sum it up in few minutes. I shall first speak about the bad experiences I had first from police, then the judiciary and finally the prison authorities. Police I had never interacted with police in my life, except when I was called for police verification for issuance of a passport. This was well before my arrest. I used to lead a simple and peaceful life without any kind of disturbance. I had never fought with anybody and never had I abused anyone. But my life changed, when I was detained by police. Within minutes they started to use filthy and very abusive language. I could not hear those words they used abusive language against my mother, my sisterthey even invoked the almighty that I prayed with filthy words This was their first technique and I fell prey to it. I got ready to do anything to stop them using abusive language with me..they asked me to keep quiet and not to complain to anybody and to sign wherever they asked me to sign.thats itthey did this for 30 minutes. I accepted to keep quiet to make them shut their filthy mouth. I did not know this would cost me and my family a long incarceration and suffering respectively. They beat me only in the first meeting, silenced me and thereafter booked me in some UAPA cases, labeled me as a terrorist and kept me under police custody for over a month. They had achieved what they wantedmy implication in cases along with some other accused to close the pending casesand this is the reason that they did not beat me in month long police custody, never investigated nor questioned me but prepared their own investigation papers. Judiciary This is how a family that had never seen police machinerys functioning became an easy victim to it. People like me fear more from filthy language than beatings. Then came the role of judiciary I never expected any justice from the court, except that after more than four years I was released on bail. During initial hearings, I used to see the judge as a senior policeman who wore black dress. This was because, the Judge would listen to police and would rely upon their submission as if it was a universal truth. The Judge never suspected their submission and so easily granted them custody of 14 days twice, as if he is granting custody for 14 hours. I got more bitter experiences one after the other from the Judge. He allowed me to meet only one member of the family that too only for 5 minutes and in the full presence of police. This meant, if I chose to meet mother then I will not be allowed to meet my father or my wife who had come to talk to me for the first time after detention travelling all along 700 KM from hometown. On next hearing date, I saw no one from my family, may be because they were not aware about that hearing date but relatives of other accused yelled at me to inform that my wife has given birth to first baby. On knowing this news, I requested the court to allow me to make phone call to my wife and the judge allowed. But the prosecution asked who will pay the bill of phone call. The judge smiled and said cannot help. There were number of such instances when I was left with anguish and haplessness but had no resort than to weep and keep patience. Similarly, during bail arguments, the Judge would get easily influenced by the prosecution and would not question its submission and rather would say to my lawyer that allegation is very strong of waging war against nation. Fortunately, my bail was heard after four years before another judge who suspected police theory against me and rejected point wise their allegations against me and granted bail. Prison All along this, there was a totally different world inside prison. On the very first day, when I was lodged in Arthur road jail, I cried but there were no one except some Muslim people who were offering prayers, who talked some words of courage. But these people also left me alone after listening to the allegations against me, some left because they thought I am indeed involved whereas some left because they did not want to be seen with the person under those allegation fearing radical prisoners thrashing of such alleged terror accused on their entry to prison. I experienced that the prison authority regard prisoners to be third class citizens even though charges leveled against many of them were yet to be proven. They would treat every prisoner as if he has committed a crimethere was no difference between allegation and conviction for prison authority except that they immediately transferred convicted prisoners to other central prisons in the state. I found out that there were completely different rules for prison authority when it came to gangsters and businessmen who would give them regular money. These wealthy prisoners would give gifts and money to all the jail officials including DIG and Superintendent. Superintendent would ask prisoners to remove their slippers outside his cabin saying it is a rule that prisoners cannot stand before Superintendent wearing footwear. When I was asked to remove my shoes, I told him that British used to consider Indians as degradable human beings and hence they might have made such rule but after Independence of our country such rules should be abrogated. Following such arguments, he allowed me to come in with my shoes on, but he did not change the rule and other prisoners were made to remove their footwear whenever they went to meet him. I never got a feeling that Indian prisons are meant for reformation of prisoners but believed and realized it to be a chamber of torture. The prisoners are regarded as inhumanguards would never respect them, but would use bad language with them. Some prisoners are lodged in high security cells where human contacts are minimum and sun light is limited. They are lodged there and considered to be dangerous prisoners, although many of them are falsely implicated and never had criminal background. Some are even lodged under solitary confinement. They are locked in a room of 1015 sq. feet for 24 hours. For prison officials allegations leveled against prisoners by police is the ONLY criteria to decide how cruel that prisoner is no matter how good he behaves in the prison. Prisoners would be hated for the crime they are booked for. Most days, I would spend my time in the company of law books. Seeing me with the books, many prisoners approached me they were desperate for legal help. They had no lawyers, no family members to help. Most of their applications were written by co- inmates like me. I came across several persons booked under very simple cases of IPC. Just because they had no legal help, they ended up in the prison for years. Prisoners in need of lawyers would wait for months to be taken to the court to tell the judge he has no legal representation. He would seek help from other accused and keep an application ready to ensure he doesnt lose that one chance. Only finally when some judges would take notice and offer to release them on personal bond, would these persons be released. This, too, was possible only if the accused were produced before the court. Lack of police escorts and production through Video conference made it impossible for the courts to even realize the difficulties of the prisoners. Seldom did judges make prison visit. This too, they when they did was with prison authorities around them. Most of us were scared to speak up. Only when the judges asked us questions, we spoke. That too with lot of hesitation. In addition to this, one more thing I would like to mention here. And it is that after the change of government at the centre, I read in a newspaper that right wing accused Swami Assemanand, Swami Dayanad Pande, Rakesh dhawde, Chaturvedi were given parole by court even though trial against them is pending. They were never granted bail in last 6 years before change of government. Though, I am of the view that they should be given parole, I also feel that accused in other cases too be granted such parole. But, when I see that only these particular accused are granted parole, it leaves me disgruntled. There are many more things that I can tell, but better than that I wish to emphasize on the corrections that can help the people who are made to suffer for the crimes they never did. These are some of the suggestions that I think should be of great help, if implemented: 1. Accountability of police force should be increased and legal action should be taken against Investigation officer and his team when accused is acquitted by court. This will restrict police from falsely implicating accused in any cases. 2. As judicial system in India is very slow and accused have to wait long time to prove their innocence, provision for default grant of bail after a particular time period should be made irrespective of charges against accused, unless trial is delayed due to his acts. 3. Conjugal rights should be given to the prisoners after spending particular time in prison. This is because if accused is married then his wife has to suffer for the acts of his husband. This is also important because at times when accused has to serve some years in prison without trial then that disturbs his family life and his wife opts for another marriage. 4. Our courts require years in reaching to logical conclusion in some cases. Therefore some time should be bound beyond which if trial is not finished accused may be liable for grant of furlough. This is because it has been observed that some trails such as 1993 bomb blasts took 16 years for judgement and accused were not granted bail due to stringent sections of TADA but after their sentencing in 2006 started to get furlough. If accused can get furlough after conviction then why not before his conviction if trial is delayed. 5. Judges should be little liberal and should not be influenced by police submission while hearing bail applications. It is observed that prosecution sites case is very serious when they dont have credible evidences against accused and thereby put Judge into pressure. Judges should be pro accuse while listening bail considering the long time it takes in completing trial. Judge should also consider suffering of family of accused while listening bail applications. 6. Judges should ensure they take note if the accused has a lawyer. In cases where legal aid lawyers are appointed, the judges should make it a point to note if the lawyer was present and send the report to the legal aid authorities. 7. Along with the courts, jails should also be held responsible for providing lawyers. Every time a superintendent went around the jail on supervision, he should be accompanied by a legal aid lawyer, who took down notes of who is in need of a lawyer. 8. When in prison, accuse finds solace in worship therefore prisoners should be allowed to worship their religion without disturbing others. I found that prisons do not allow fruits and eateries sent by NGOs to Muslim prisoners in Ramadhan to break their fast. What is wrong in that? Prison authority should use that month in reforming prisoners by asking NGOs to send good orators who would deliver good lectures to these prisoners on the occasion of any festival while distributing eateries to them. Prison authority can do a security check and can use festivals to integrate prisoners and to help them in correcting their mistakes. 9. An intermittent training of prison guards should be made compulsory in handling prisoners that should include soft talking with prisoners, discussion on freedom movements, etc. I suppose if these ideas are implemented then it shall help in reformation of prisoners. Thank you very much for giving me a chance to speak before you. Thank you very much and have a nice time. May God bless the seekers of truth and those who strive for welfare of others. Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), International Bridges of Justice India (IBJ) and Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) organized a two day National Consultation on Prisoners Rights, Legal Aid & Prison Reforms in Mumbai in TISS on March 19th and 20th, 2016. The focus of this consultation was to review current practices of prisoners rights, legal aid and prison reforms and propose specific suggestions in order to accelerate the process of reform and build a network for implementation of those specific recommendations in order to move forward on to the next stage. This drink is associated with parties, celebrations, gatherings of friends and many other things. But not many people know that besides being refreshing beer is good for health when consumed in MODERATION. Health professionals do not usually recommend drink beer at all because people often think that since they are healthy, they can drink as much as they want. But it was proved that a beer or two daily is beneficial to health. Another thing worth remembering is that each portion of beer can contain up to 220 calories, depending on the type, which is another reason why you should enjoy it in moderation. Benefits For Stress: Moderate consumption can help combat stress and anxiety. The maximum daily recommended intake for women is 6 cups around (236 ml), and for men is 12 cups (473 ml). Help in relaxing the feet: After a long and difficult day, your feet can feel tired and even swollen. To calm them, try soaking your feet in a bowl. The effervescence will help them gradually relax. Benefits For Insomnia: Beer contains two compounds, nicotinic acid and lactoflavina, which help promote a good night's sleep. Also, if you suddenly feel sleepy after drinking a beer, they are due to these two compounds. Benefits For Skin: Beer contains vitamins and antioxidants that improve skin health by helping to remove impurities and stimulating new cell growth. In fact, beer is an ingredient in many of the treatments that will find in European spas, where they already recognize the incredible benefits of beer for the skin. Benefits for the Heart: The beer moderate consumption helps reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 40 or 60%. For studies showed that the yeast can reduce the bad cholesterol levels, preventing obstruction of the arteries and blood clots, and conseguintemente improving cardiovascular health in general. Benefits For Kidneys: Drinking a beer or two a day can help keep your kidneys healthy. Research conducted in Finland found that people who drink a beer a day if you have a 40% lower risk of developing kidney stones. The benefits are related to hops, which strengthens bones. Benefits For digestion: Beer provides a high amount of fiber that acts as a natural laxative. Unlike other beverages that contain fiber, beer can promote healthy bowel movements and protect the stomach and prevent intestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea. Remedy for Colds: Drinking warm beer when you have a cold can help control the symptoms and speed up recovery time. therefore hot Barley stimulates circulation and breathing, reducing muscle pain and strengthen your immune system. Five-year-old Rahma and her family took shelter along with others in a school in Tahrur, a village near to Aden, in the south of Yemen. They fled of the clashes between the Houthi rebels and the militar coalition lead by Saudi Arabia, which was supporting to Yemeni Government of Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The president had left Yemen on March 25 for seeking help in the neighbour country. That day, Riyadh started the leadership of theairstrikes against the Houthi insurgency, who hadtaken the capital, Sana, in September, in the middle of the demonstrations over thedrop of the subsidy of combustible. Since then, the conflict escalated. The familieswho were in the school trusted inthe safety of the place, but the bombs began to fall from the skyand killed 10 Rahma's relatives,including her mother and her cousins. 'Why did they bomb us?', asked the girl to her aunt Salama. However, the woman, who would regret not to have died with her daughters,had noanswer for her. The Rahma's story, gathered by Amnesty International, is just one more of theshocking episodes happened since the House of Saud initiated the bombings, with the approval of the United States.It points out how thebelligerent parts in the Yemeni conflict have failed inthe War laws. Schools, hospitals, markets, mosques and other civilians infrastructures have been targeted by both sides, especially by the coalition. This repeated Human Rights violation involves just the opposite of protecting civilians and has leadthe General Secretary of UN, Ban Ki Moon, to describe Yemen as a country "in flames" and "awashwith weapons" We need states that are party to [the] arms trade treaty to set an example in fulfilling one of the treatys main purposes controlling arms flows to actors that may use them in ways that breach international humanitarian law, has requested. Cessation of hostilities On Wednesday, the UN special envoyfor Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, welcomed the agreement of the cessation of hostilities. The deal will come into force on Abril 10, eight days before of the scheduleddate in Kuwaitto restart the peaceconversations. The diplomat emphasised that the face-to-facenegotiations will provide a mechanism for a return to a peaceful and orderly transition, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216.The envoy further explained that the talks will focus on five main areas: the withdrawal of militias and armed groups, the handover of heavy weapons to the State, interim security arrangements, the restoration of state institutions and the resumption of inclusive political dialogue, and the creation of a special committee for prisoners and detainees. The fights, the attacks against civilians, the blocking of the aid, the expansion of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the centre and the southeast of the countryand the factthat Yemen is the poorest country in the region, even since before the conflict, results in nearly 2,5 millions ofinternally displaced people, morethan 3.000 deaths and 83% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, including food, water, shelter, fuel and sanitation. Global Poker Index: ODwyer Still Leads; Charania, Busquet Trending Upward March 26 2016 Martin Harris Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a players results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Heres a look at the rankings as of March 23, 2016. GPI 300 Top 10 Rank Player GPI Score Change 1 Steve ODwyer 4438.59 - 2 Byron Kaverman 4140.29 - 3 Bryn Kenney 4064.73 - 4 Jason Mercier 4034.73 - 5 Connor Drinan 3975.62 - 6 Dominik Nitsche 3973.18 - 7 Nick Petrangelo 3946.01 - 8 Fedor Holz 3818.05 - 9 Anthony Zinno 3756.48 +1 10 Stephen Chidwick 3742.04 -1 It was a quiet week for the overall Global Poker Index top 10 with the top eight players remaining the same and only Anthony Zinno and Stephen Chidwick swapping the last two spots. Meanwhile Steve ODwyer remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world according to the GPI for an 11th-straight week. In fact the entire top 100 showed little change over the last seven days, with only two new names entering the list Andrew Lichtenberger (who moved up from No. 107 to No. 85) and former top-ranked player Dan Smith (who went from No. 103 to No. 95). Looking just at the top 100, the biggest upward movers this week were Mohsin Chrania (up from No. 82 to No. 61) and Olivier Busquet (up from No. 100 to No. 69). Charania recently took second in the World Poker Tour Rolling Thunder Main Event, just missing a third WPT title, while Busquet cashed twice in the same series including taking 27th in the Main. Welcome to the GPI Top 300 Rank Player Total Score 231 Daniel Strelitz 1817.16 260 Phillip Hui 1766.64 273 Michael Linster 1735.11 278 Felipe Ramos 1727.15 282 Craig Varnell 1723.36 298 Noah Schwartz 1682.64 299 Matthew Stout 1680.64 300 Wael Sarkis 1676.27 Considering the top 300 as a whole, there were just eight new names moving up to join the club this week, with Daniel Strelitz the highest-ranked among them. Strelitz went from No. 344 to No. 231 thanks to a 19th-place finish in that aforemented WPT Rolling Thunder event. All eight of these players have been in the GPI top 300 before, with Noah Schwartz once having been ranked as high as No. 6 (in October 2013) and Matthew Stout having been up to No. 21 previously (in April 2014). Biggest Gains Rank Player Total GPI Score Change 260 Phillip Hui 1766.64 +171 231 Daniel Strelitz 1817.16 +113 197 Derek Wolters 1934.19 +87 220 Felix Stephensen 1856.92 +70 224 Justin Young 1841.28 +69 While Strelitz made a big jump, Phillip Huis was even bigger as he rose from No. 431 to No. 260 this week. Hui cashed three times at Rolling Thunder, winning one side event, finishing second in another, then cashing as well in the Main Event. He then picked up another cash at the 2016 Battle at the Beach at the Isle Casino Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida to add a few more GPI points to his total. Biggest Drops Rank Player Total GPI Score Change 218 Jonathan Little 1866.77 -75 165 Shannon Shorr 2071.72 -56 258 Keith Johnson 1767.15 -53 204 Mario Lopez 1914.41 -42 215 James Gilbert 1885.09 -41 Of the players ranked in this weeks top 300, Jonathan Little slipped the furthest after going from No. 143 to No. 218. What to Expect Next Week Both the World Series of Poker Circuit Los Angeles festival and the Foxwoods Poker Classic series continue this week, with the WSOP-C also culminating another series at Harrahs Atlantic City. Poker players are also returning to Dublin, Ireland this week for The Irish Open 2016 while the German Poker Tour touches down at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. To view both the 2015 Player of the Year and GPI overall rankings in their entirety, visit the official GPI website. While youre at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Sharelines Steve O'Dwyer remains on top of the Global Poker Index rankings for an 11th-straight week. Mohsin Charania and Olivier Busquet climb the Global Poker Index rankings. Chinese navy fleet departs for joint disaster relief drill Updated: 2016-03-26 16:41 (Xinhua) QINGDAO -- A Chinese navy flotilla, comprising missile frigate Weifang and rescue vessel Changxingdao, left port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province on Saturday for blue water training and a multilateral disaster relief exercise in Indonesia. The drill is sponsored by the Indonesian Navy with 48 vessels, eight helicopters and four fixed-wing aircraft from 16 countries, including China, the United States, Russia and France participating. The exercise, which will be held from April 12 to 15, is divided into three stages: port-and-shore activities, maritime drills, and engineering and rescue ashore, said Wang Xianfeng, commander of the Chinese force. Economist Justin Lin Yifu speaks at the session "Dialogue of Asian Civilizations" during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2016 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, March 23, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING -- The continuous slowdown of China's economy does not mean the country will be unable to reach its target of maintaining an at least 6.5-percent growth during the next five years, a former World Bank chief economist said in a newly published commentary. In its recently adopted 13th Five-Year Plan, Beijing pledged to double its gross domestic product (GDP) and average rural and urban household incomes from the 2010 levels, which entails an average annual growth rate of at least 6.5 percent during the next five years. The required minimum pace, albeit significantly slower than the 9.7 percent China has averaged since 1979, is undeniably fast by international standards. It is also only 0.4 percentage point lower than the 6.9 percent China scored last year. Some pessimists, citing China's economic deceleration since 2010 as well as South Korea's and Japan's growth records, have expressed doubt over whether the 6.5-percent target is feasible. "I believe that it is," Lin Yifu, who also served as senior vice president of the World Bank, said unequivocally in an opinion piece posted Friday on the website of Project Syndicate, an international association of 404 newspapers across the world. The question for China, after 36 years of catching up, is how much longer it can continue to benefit from the latecomer's advantage, he explained. Some scholars believe China has reached its limits. Using historical data compiled by late economic historian Angus Maddison, they noted that the East Asian economies of Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong all decelerated after their per capita GDP reached about 11,000 US dollars in purchasing-power-parity terms relative to constant 1990 US dollar prices. In the five years after reaching that level, Japan saw its growth rate down to 3.6 percent, South Korea 4.8 percent and Hong Kong 5.8 percent. As China is projected to cross the same threshold sometime this year, those pessimists have claimed that its average annual growth over the next five years will fall well below 7 percent. "I disagree," said Lin, who is now honorary dean and professor with the National School of Development at Peking University. "What this analysis fails to take into account is the fact that advanced countries are not sitting by idly; they are growing and making technological breakthroughs. And that creates opportunities for developing countries to continue to learn." "The best indicator of China's growth potential is not its per capita GDP relative to some arbitrary threshold; it is the difference in per capita GDP between China and the United States, the world's most advanced economy," he said. "And on this measure, China has plenty of room for expansion." "When Japan crossed the 11,000-dollar threshold in 1972, its per capita GDP was 72 percent of the US level. When Taiwan crossed it in 1992, its per capita GDP was 48 percent of America's. The comparable figure for China today is only about 30 percent," he said. A better model to estimate China's growth potential is to examine how other East Asian economies performed when they were at a similar point relative to the US level, he said. In 2008, the last year for which Maddison provided figures, China's per capita GDP was 21 percent of the US level. Japan reached that level in 1951, and in the following 20 years it grew at an average rate of 9.2 percent. For Singapore, the year was 1967 and the pace in the next two decades was 8.6 percent. Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea kept growing at around 8 percent. "There is no reason not to believe that China has the potential to do the same until 2018," he said, adding that "the Chinese economy's current slowdown is the result of external and cyclical factors, not some natural limit." While the external drag is likely to continue as much of the developed world risks lost decades, China enjoys strong prospects in consumption and investment, on which it will have to rely to achieve its growth targets. "Unlike developed countries, which often struggle to find productive investment opportunities, China can pursue improvements in infrastructure, urbanization efforts, environmental management, and high-tech industries," he said. "And, unlike many of its developing-country rivals, China has ample fiscal space, household savings, and foreign-exchange reserves for such investments. The investments will generate jobs, household income, and consumption," he added. As a result, even if external conditions do not improve, it is "well within China's reach" to maintain an annual growth of at least 6.5 percent, Lin said. "In that case, the country will continue to be the world's primary economic engine, contributing about 30 percent of global growth until at least 2020," he said. Key IS leader killed in US raid: Pentagon Updated: 2016-03-26 07:05 (Xinhua) US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L), together with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, speaks to press during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 25, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua] WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon announced on Friday a senior Islamic State (IS) commander in Syria believed to be in line to lead the extremist group had been killed by the United States. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Imam or al-Afri, served as IS's finance minister, and was killed this week by US military, US defense chief Ash Carter said here at a Pentagon briefing. "We've taken out the leader who oversees the funding for ISIL's operations, hurting their ability to pay fighters and hire recruits," said Carter, adding that the US-led coalition was "systematically eliminating" IS's cabinet. Carter refused to offer details about the operation against al-Qaduli, whom many analysts consider the extremist group's second-in-command expected to lead the group if its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed or incapacitated. US TV network CNN on Friday quoted US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying that the US raid was initially intended to capture al-Qaduli alive. Meanwhile, Carter acknowledged that striking IS leadership was far from sufficient, noting that "leaders can be replaced." This was not the first time al-Qaduli had been declared dead. The Iraqi Defense Ministry last May announced that a US-led coalition airstrike killed him in northern Iraq, a claim soon dismissed by the Pentagon. The US Department of Treasury designated al-Qaduli as a specially global terrorist in 2014. In 2015, the US State Department offered a 7 million US dollars reward for information on him, the highest reward for any IS member except for the group's leader al-Baghdadi. DPRK carries out long-range artillery drill Updated: 2016-03-26 07:05 (Xinhua) The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducts a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery March 25, 2016, Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] PYONGYANG - Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un has guided a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery, which targeted South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the official KCNA news agency reported Friday.Involved in the drill were more than 100 long-range artillery pieces of various calibers including the DPRK-style artillery possessed by the large combined units on the front, the state media said.In response to the threat, on the same day, South Korea warned of stern and merciless retaliations if the North makes any provocations.Seoul said it has warned the DPRK against threatening terrorist attacks on the head of state and the Cheong Wa Dae and has urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such "nasty and shallow-minded" acts.On March 3, Kim guided the first test firing of a new-type large-caliber multiple rocket launcher.On March 10, he watched a firing drill of ballistic rockets, which Seoul said were two short-range Scud missiles.On March 21, Kim guided a second test firing of a new, large-caliber multiple rocket launcher.South Korea and the United States kicked off their joint annual war games "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle" on March 7.The "Key Resolve" command post exercise ended last week, but the "Foal Eagle" field training exercise would last until April 30.Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned and called for a suspension of the joint military exercises, saying they are "war rehearsals for northward invasion." Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. "There is now both an acceleration in loan growth -- mirroring a cyclical economic upturn -- and higher loan provisions related to problem assets, including securities from the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC)," Eugene Tarzimanov, Moodys vice-president and senior credit officer, said. Photo VNA HA NOI (VNS) The 2015 results of Vietnamese banking testified to an ongoing process of recognising and cleaning up problem assets, a credit positive, Moodys said in a new report released midweek. The report is titled Banks - Viet Nam: FY2015 results point to enhanced transparency on asset risks but rising pressure on profitability and capital. The rating agency said the corresponding increase in loan-loss provisions was also raising credit costs for banks, thus putting pressure on profitability. "There is now both an acceleration in loan growth -- mirroring a cyclical economic upturn -- and higher loan provisions related to problem assets, including securities from the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC)," Eugene Tarzimanov, Moodys vice-president and senior credit officer, said. "While these developments have fostered enhanced transparency on asset risk, we expect the continued build-up in large provisions will translate into weak bottom line results," Tarzimanov said. Moodys report said greater transparency on asset risks was the result of two regulatory developments. First, the acceleration in the carve-out and recognition of bad loans, as reflected in an increase in banks holdings of VAMC securities, is in line with the central banks mandated resolution to reduce NPLs to below three per cent of the loans by the end of 2015. Second, a tightening in the regulatory guidance on NPL recognition follows the full implementation of Circular 02/09 in April 2015 regulating asset classification and risk provision. While some uncertainties remain as to the true level of impaired assets in the banking system, the change in problem asset composition is in line with Moodys view that current asset quality metrics have become more transparent. Reflecting the increased recognition of problem assets through VAMC bonds, the 10 Moodys-rated Vietnamese banks posted a sharp 49 per cent increase in credit costs which reached VN24.9 billion (US$1.1 million) in 2015. The highest rated banks also reported declines in their equity/total asset ratios in 2015, reflecting not only higher credit costs, but also the systems rebound in credit growth. For 2016, Moodys expects a further weakening in the banks capital buffers, as credit growth and provisioning expenses outpace the capacity for internal capital generation. Banks also have few sources of external capital, given limited domestic resources and restrictions on foreign investments in banks. These observations continue to underpin Moodys concern that Vietnamese banks weak capital levels will remain a constraining factor for their credit profiles, even as the pressure on asset quality has stabilised. Finally, all rated banks reported a tightening in liquidity in 2015, as they allocated more of their assets to accommodate the rebound in loan growth. As a result, their holdings of liquid assets declined, a credit negative. VNS About eight other Vietnamese companies have shown interest in attending as well. Photo tapochitaichinh.vn HCM CITY (VNS) Two Vietnamese businesses have registered to exhibit their products at SIAL China, Asias largest food and beverage show to be held May 5-7. Long An Food Processing Export JSC and Rita Food & Drink Co Ltd will take part in the 17th edition of SIAL China 2016 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. About eight other Vietnamese companies have shown interest in attending as well. The expo is expected to welcome 66,000 visitors and over 2,900 exhibitors from 65 countries, according to a representative of the organiser Comexposium. The exhibition will showcase 21 kinds of products ranging from canned and preserved food to fruit, vegetable and seafood leading brands. They include Helios, Spains jam market leader, Ceremony Gida, Turkeys leader in chewing gum and Super Group, well-known in Singapore with Asian Coffee, among others. SIAL China 2016 will see the first ever milk- and milk-based product zone where Belgium and Germany will introduce their prestigious products. Last year, 10 Vietnamese companies took part in the event displaying their products of rice, beans, fruit and snacks. Thirty-four Vietnemese entrepreneurs visited the fair last year. VNS A Smart City Summit will be held in Binh Duong Province next week with the participation of 500 leaders and experts. VNS Photo HA NOI (VNS) More than 500 industry leaders, government officials, academics and business professionals will take part in a seminar on smart cities in the southern province of Binh Duong next week. Jointly organised by the province administration and the Dutch consulate in HCM City, the summit will discuss how to tackle urban challenges, forge new partnerships, and explore new ideas and share insights and expertise, in developing smart cities. On the sidelines will be an exhibition titled Smart City featuring live demonstrations by companies of smart city solutions. A Smart City Hackathon will be organised, with 20 teams of designers competing to create the best smart city applications within 24 hours. The hackathon will be held on March 26 and 27, with the winning teams presenting their solutions at the conference. - VNS A section of Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project in Ha Noi. It is one of many projects invested by Chiness businesses in Viet Nam. Photo vnexpress.net HA NOI (VNS) Investors from mainland China have been developing their businesses in Viet Nam to take advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs), as the country is a Trans-Pacific Partnership member. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency, Chinese businesses had sharply increased their investment capital from $312 million in 2012 to $2.3 billion in 2013 and $7.9 billion in 2014. Currently, some 1,346 Chinese projects are in operation in Viet Nam, with total registered capital of US$10.4 billion, making China the 9th largest investor of the 112 nations and territories investing in the country. The Chinese projects are each worth $7.7 million on average, half the average value of foreign investment projects in Viet Nam. Data released by the planning and investment ministrys Foreign Investment Agency showed that Chinese businesses had been focusing on investments in processing and manufacturing industries in Viet Nam, with 916 projects worth $5.38 billion, accounting for 68 per cent of the total number of Chinese projects in Viet Nam. Other Chinese projects are being conducted in production lines, electric distribution systems, gas, water and air conditioners. The businesses have invested in 54 of the total 63 cities and provinces nationwide, concentrating on areas with good infrastructure that are close to the Viet NamChina border or where many Chinese live, such as in the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong and in HCM City. The southern province of Binh Thuan has attracted the highest investment capital from Chinese businesses, with more than $2 billion spread over five projects. Its followed by southern Tay Ninh Province, with 36 projects worth $1.2 billion, and northern Ha Giang Province, with five projects worth more than $1 billion. By the end of 2015, Viet Nam had invested in 15 projects in China, with total registered capital of more than $16 million, focusing on production and service. This included the $3 million project to construct a trade centre by Viet Trang Import-Export Joint Stock Company and the $6 million workshop for the production and trade of weighing scales. Speaking at a Viet NamChina business forum held in Ha Noi earlier this year, Deputy Head of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys International Relations Division Pham Quang Thinh said when the TPP agreements were fully approved, Viet Nam was recognised as a gateway to enter the markets of ASEAN members and the rest of the world due to its geographic advantages and dynamic economy. VNS Freedom: Bangladesh celebrates its National Day today, which commemorates its independence from Pakistan on March 25, 1971, declared by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Bangladesh On the occasion of Bangladeshs National Day today, Viet Nam News presents an article written by the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Viet Nam, Mohammad Shahab Ullah. Since its birth, Bengal has harboured the free spirit of entrepreneurs. Its muslin, spices and other premium products have an exclusive market around the globe. Before the colonial accession by the British, Bengal was considered the fourth largest exporting country in the world. The balance of trade was always tilted to Bengal since colonisation. In recent years, the economy of Bangladesh is taking a fare turn. The economys growth has been persistent for a decade, registering 6 per cent growth and promising to reach 7 per cent in years to come. Bangladesh is now trying to establish itself as the next rising star in South Asia for foreign investment. The government has implemented a number of policy reforms designed to create a more open and competitive climate for private investment, both foreign and local. Bangladesh has been quick to undertake major restructuring for establishing a market economy, a key role played by the private sector. Its current development strategy is based on the creation and distribution of wealth through the acceleration of growth driven by competitive market forces. The government has moved speedily to translate its vision of becoming a middle-income country by 2021 through policy plans such as the Seventh Five-Year Plan, Perspective Plan, National Social Security Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals. Bangladesh has been consistently pursuing an open-door investment policy and playing a catalytic role to augment private investment. The government has steadily liberalised its trade regime. Significant progress has been achieved in reducing non-tariff restrictions on trade, rationalising tariff rates and improving export incentives. Relevant commercial and securities laws have been updated and modernised. The Industrial Relations Act has been amended to enhance labour market efficiency. Various pro-investor measures are being undertaken to match the global pace. Bangladesh is a winning combination of a competitive market, business-friendly environment and competitive cost structure that can yield the best returns. Bangladesh has strong growth prospects, a large educated and motivated youth demographic, a strategic location, regional connectivity and worldwide access. It also boasts a strong local market and growth, low energy costs, competitive incentives for exports and economic zones, increasing trade integration and increasing urbanisation. The broad investment climate of Bangladesh is very much conducive to investors. The government has given the highest priority to augmenting private investment. The regime is considered the most competitive in South Asia. There is no restriction on the amount of share of investment. Foreign investors are eligible to take advantage of a wide range of generous tax concessions and other fiscal incentives and facilities. Investment in Bangladesh is secure vis-a-vis nationalisation and expropriation. To facilitate investment, Bangladesh is signatory to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank Group, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of USA and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. It is also a member of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization. To mitigate the land crisis for industrial use and to create a fully serviced industrial zone, the government has taken measures to build economic zones in the country. As of now, 22 zones comprising 17,000 acres of land were demarcated, of which 19 are in the public sector and three are in the private sector. The government of Bangladesh has undertaken efforts to build 100 economic zones in the country. The government aims to encourage industrial investment in the private sector and promote necessary facilities and assistance in the establishment of industries. The one-stop service at BOI is invigorated to serve the investors at one stretch in pre- and post-investment facilitation. Related agencies such as the power division, Petro Bangla, National Board of Revenue, WASA, Department of Environment, BTCL and Bangladesh Bank officials are appointed at BOI to facilitate investors in their utility needs and to provide those services at one place. It is globally established that Bangladesh is comprehensive in its competitive business-friendly environment and cost structure that yields high returns. VNS Vi Thi Thanh (right), 41, head of ak RMang Communes Binh Phu Group, shows group member Lan Thi Loan how to recognise and treat a disease that affects coffee trees.e districts farmers have created so many initiatives to help each other and to develop the districts economy. VNS Photo Gia Loc Gia Loc AK NONG About four years ago, Vi Thi Thanh heard about a training project designed to empower ethnic minority residents in her district, an impoverished area located in the Central Highlands province of ak Nong. Thanh, 41, who is ethnic Thai, had moved to ak Glong District from the southeastern province of Binh Phuoc in 2007. With a four-hectare farm, she began growing coffee trees in ak RMang Commune but with little experience, Thanh was able to produce only one to two tonnes of beans per hectare. Then, in 2012, she began taking part in the Binh Phu Group, which is part of a training project in the district. She learned about coffee cultivation through field trips and training workshops. The trips (to see agricultural models) and workshops helped me get close to other farmers and become more confident about asking questions, Thanh said. The farmers learned about proper nutrition for coffee trees and how to treat diseases. One of the most important things I learned was how to properly use chemicals to kill insects, she said. To raise productivity, Thanh also changed to a new processing and harvesting method, and began to harvest ripe instead of unripe coffee fruit. Productivity on Thanhs farm has doubled since 2013. The members of her Binh Phu Group are now setting their sights on a 4C certificate, which is awarded to coffee growers who meet baseline criteria for sustainable production, processing and trading of green coffee, and who eliminate unacceptable practices. Thanh said she was also successful in persuading members of another agricultural project, called 3EM, to provide her group with five coffee processing machines, free of charge. I am now more knowledgeable, and Im proud that I have the confidence to do what I want, Thanh said. Besides cultivating coffee, Thanh also began raising 300 chickens after learning how to protect them from disease by consulting other farmers. She sells the chickens to a company in District 12. All the chickens have been vaccinated, and their coop is cleaned frequently. My chickens are not injected with any medicine, and theyve grown quickly and gained weight. The injections could affect consumers health, Thanh said. In November last year, she made a profit of VN10 million (US$448) selling the chickens, and she is now raising 500 chickens. Seven households in and outsite her farmers group have followed her lead and are now raising a total of 1,800 chickens. Mai Van Tung, deputy head of the districts Agricultural and Rural Development Division, said that the farmers groups were different from other projects as the members had voluntarily set up their groups with the same interests. The farmers share expertise and also decide when they need to seek outside help, while at the same time, check market prices on the internet and travel to other provinces to buy seedlings. We have seen their income increase three or four times, Tung said. The project, which includes 13 groups of farmers, is co-ordinated by the ak Glong Districts Agricultural and Rural Development Division, Farmers Union and the Centre for Community Empowerment (CECEM), a capacity-building organisation based in Ha Noi. Covering 145,000 hectares, the district, whose residents are mostly ethnic minorities, remains underdeveloped even though it has favourable weather and abundant resources. The poverty rate is 62.65 per cent of 13,178 households, according to Le Quang Dan, vice chairman of the districts Peoples Committee. The farmers co-operative project, which began in November 2013, will end in October this year. I believe these farmers groups will continue to help develop the economy of their communes and the district, Tung said. Funds for farmers Members of the farmers groups in the district that are part of the project also provide low- or zero-interest loans for their disadvantaged members. For instance, Nguyen Trong Thuong, head of the Tan Tien co-operative group, said that they voluntarily donated money to farmers so they could till their fields and orchards on the mountain slopes. The two most disadvantaged households in his group have received loans to raise goats. The Binh Phu Group of which Thanh is the head has used its funds to provide loans to farmers who raise poultry and cultivate pepper. Lan Thi Loan, a member of the Binh Phu Group, said that her income rose thanks to the loan worth VN7.8 million ($347) to grow pepper. Members of another group, Thanh Cong Group, have used their loans to buy coffee seedlings. Many members now have at least one hectare of coffee besides cassava and sorghum, which were their main plants in the past. Dan, vice chairman of the district Peoples Committee, said: Im very pleased that the districts farmers have created so many initiatives to help each other and to develop the districts economy. VNS Field is exhausted in southern Ninh Thuan Province. The Government should offer policy support for rice farmers in chronically drought-stricken areas, enabling them to switch to other crops. Photo dantri.com.vn HCM City The Government should offer policy support for rice farmers in chronically drought-stricken areas, enabling them to switch to other crops, a conference to review the 2015-16 winter-spring crop in the south-central and Central Highlands provinces heard. Farmers need such policies to feel secure, Nguyen uc Hoa, deputy chairman of the Binh Thuan Province Peoples Committee, which hosted the conference, was quoted as saying in Thoi bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) newspaper. Since the 2014 summer-autumn rice crop, drought has been a regular occurrence in south-central coastal provinces like Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa. This year the drought has appeared earlier, hitting the winter-spring crop, and is likely to worsen by the time of the summer-autumn crop. According to the Crop Production Department, with the drought and a reduction in the cropped area, the 2015-16 winter-spring crop is likely to see output fall by 129,000 tonnes year-on-year to 1.8 million tonnes. To cope with the drought, the department has urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to instruct farmers to plant earlier this year. Because of El Nino, high temperatures set in very early on a wide area and rainfall was 15 30 per cent lower than average; there was no rain at all in some places, Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy head of the Department, said. This has severely affected agriculture in south-central and Central Highlands provinces. Statistics show that around 177,000ha in these provinces suffer from severe drought, including 167,000ha in the Central Highlands. The drought will continue and affect the next crop this year, Hoa added. Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh inh provinces have advanced their cultivation schedule by 10 days to limit the impacts of the drought at the end of the crop. However, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa provinces have been unable to do that due to the effect of last years drought and a late harvest. The Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, and ak Lak started planting as early as the end of last year. The department encouraged farmers and local authorities to cultivate short- and very-short-term rice strains to avoid the impacts of the drought. According to the Irrigation General Department, the dry season started in December 2015 and will end in June in the south-central region and in April in the Central Highlands. Reservoirs in these provinces have mostly run out of water, causing shortages for both daily use and irrigation. The Government has agreed to provide VN500 billion (US$23 million) to 34 provinces to fight the drought, Nguyen Van Tinh, deputy head of the Irrigation General Department, said. We are considering using the money to drill wells, dig ponds and transport water. - VNS Journalist o Doan Hoang. Photo vietnamnet.vn HA NOI The Ministry of Information and Communications Journalist Department yesterday ordered Ha Nois Police Department to quickly identify three suspects who attacked journalist o Doan Hoang from the Lao ong (Labour) newspaper on Wednesday morning. Hoang, 40, received multiple injuries after being beaten by three men wielding sticks near Kim Van-Kim Lu Residential Area in Hoang Mai District. Hoang said the attack occurred while he was on duty and driving a motorbike. He said that fortunately he was wearing a helmet when he was attacked, so his head was not wounded. He reported the incident to district police immediately after it occurred. A representative of the district police told online newspaper Zing.vn that the police were still working on identifying the three suspects. Thuan Huu, a member of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnamese Journalist Association, told local media on the sidelines of the National Assembly meeting yesterday that the association would do everything in its power to protect its members. The association is supervising the police investigation to ensure the rights of the journalist are respected. Hoang, an investigative journalist, has won the National Press Prize four times. His investigative articles cast a spotlight on serious social issues, including wildlife trafficking. Under a 2013 Government degree, threatening or attacking a journalist on duty carries a fine of VN20-30 million (US$895-1,340). Under the 2015 Penal Code, which is set to take effect on July 1, the crime carries a sentence of 3-5 years in prison. VNS Workers at a garment company in southern ong Nai Province. National Assembly deputies yesterday called for the draft Law on Export-Import Tariffs to be adopted as soon as possible during their ongoing session in Ha Noi. VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam HA NOI (VNS) National Assembly deputies yesterday called for the draft Law on Export-Import Tariffs to be adopted as soon as possible during their ongoing session in Ha Noi. They said the law will lay a legal foundation to realise commitments regulated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well as other existing free trade agreements (FTAs).Viet Nam has so far joined 10 FTAs and other deals to cut tariffs and make the market more open. The imposition of trade remedies were also brought to the meetings attention. Trade remedies are policy tools that allow governments to take action against imports that damage a domestic industry. A number of lawmakers called for the measure to be stipulated in the law to protect domestic manufacturing and consumers. Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Bao from the northern province of Vinh Phuc emphasised the need to consider the market landscape when taking the measure. Earlier the same day, NA deputies discussed the revised Pharmaceutical Law, focusing on the management of medicine prices and supplementary food. Deputy Pham Khanh Phong Lan from HCM City said measures to control medicine prices should be added to the Law, noting that price difference in some kinds of medicine were due to exclusive rights to raise prices, multiple layers of intermediaries between importers and retailers, and misconducts in prescription. Hospitals should set medicine prices based on the price frame negotiated with the Ministry of Health and medical insurance agency, she said. While discussing management of supplementaries and cosmetics, deputy o Van Ve from Thai Binh province, said supplementaries were over advertised and not strictly controlled by the laws. He asked for more regulations to control supplementary food. They also discussed the issuance of pharmaceutical practice certificates for pharmacists, saying that it was necessary to issue permanent pharmaceutical practice certificates for pharmacists so they dont have to get their certificates extended. They stressed that it would help efforts to boost administrative reform towards transparency and simplifying administrative procedures. VNS HCM CITY-- A small but unique coffee shop located in downtown HCM City is attracting art lovers not only for its quality drinks but also for its exhibitions of young painters. The owners of The Workshop work with artists to organise exhibits every month that give young artists a chance to show their work to the public. Artist Ly Hoang Diep Anh, Pham Hong Nhu and Satoko Osiro have all taken part. At The Workshop, customers can take home a work after negotiating with the dealers on the price. Young amateur artist Pham Thi Hong Loan, who worked as an accountant before becoming involved in painting, has shown 24 of her works, mostly still life and portraits. Loan began her career in 2006, but she could not find public places to display her works. Luckily, she was able to make her public debut at The Workshop this month. Young artists find it hard to open a showcase at professional galleries. They need a place like The Workshop to introduce their art, said Huynh Phu Ha, head of the Hong Hac WS Point, a group of young artists who often cooperate with The Workshop. I dont care about sales. Im just concerned about the display, Loan said. -- VNS , chief executive officer at SRL Diagnostics, talks to Deepak Patel about expansion plans and regulations for the sector. Edited excerpts:We are starting our second lab in Virat Nagar, Kathmandu, which would be up and running in about three months. Because of the Madhesi problem in Nepal, it got slightly delayed. A second lab is coming up at Kandy in Sri Lanka. The first one was established in Colombo around 2.5-3 years before. The second one would start functioning by June 30.Congo is a very tough and different terrain. We underestimated the problems. There are huge issues around manpower, supplies, vendors and distribution. The good thing is that we are starting a huge lab in fact the largest lab in that country on Monday. This would be our first lab in the African mainland.In Nigeria, we have signed an agreement with IFC (International Finance Corporation), a local party and with GE (General Electric). There are four partners in that; a fifth partner is still eluding us. The plan was to open around 40 labs across four years. The fourth investor was taking some time, as they were unable to garner funds. Therefore, we're going ahead with Plan B, the truncated version, according to which we plan to establish three labs by the end of 2016-17. The focus would remain on Africa. Kenya is also very much on our radar. Our model there is the local investors/partners invest the money and we run the lab for them.Ghana is another one, on the western side. On the eastern side, we also have Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania; they need some good quality testing facilities. Some of these countries have historically huge affiliations with India. For example, around 50 per cent of Kenyan doctors are of Indian origin. Some of the service providers are already there, so this gives us an edge, as we are the largest in India and everyone knows us. The idea is to go into those geographies which are relatively easier to be in and start creating something.We are also focusing to get into every Saarc (South Asian) country. We are already getting loads and loads of samples from Saarc and West Asian countries. We have a very large lab in Dubai. The plan is to create two more labs in West Asia, in Sharjah and then in Abu Dabhi, by the end of 2016-17. On an operations and management basis, we'd like to go into Myanmar and Cambodia. Later, in Bangladesh and Myanmar, we intend to set up a lab, too.You are in a PPP (public-private partnership) agreement with the governments of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.Last year, you were also in talks with Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. What happened in those cases?We have in the past eight to 10 months signed PPP agreements with the Jharkhand and UP governments. We only had Himachal before that. We are also doing teleradiology in Assam, so that is the fourth state. That is radiology, not pathology. We are also in touch with various other states. This is a state subject -- we have to follow the process and it takes time. Right now, discussions to sign some form of PPP agreement are on with two-three northeast states. We are in touch with the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments, too. Worried about the adverse reaction on peoples health, the government has banned 344 drugs. Do you think the government should also be regulating diagnostics? What major steps do you think it should take? There is no regulation whatsoever. We, for a change, the private companies, are asking the government to bring some regulations. Of 100,000 labs in the country, only 700 are accredited to NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories), only 0.7 per cent. Other labs are not following any rules, protocols and regulations. The least the government can do is to make the accreditation compulsory. That way, they would be following some system. This accreditation by NABL or CAP (the global accreditation system) would bring some discipline in our sector, something missing. Ultimately, what must the government do? Price control is its prerogative. They can keep doing it. The governments task is to take care of public welfare and also ensure the industry does not suffer, a tightrope walk. There are industrial bodies like Ficci, Assocham, etc, through which we are in discussions with the government and are trying to find a good balance. I think the government work should be left to the government. If they think price controls are necessary at certain levels for a certain time, so be it. What has been the government response on making accreditation compulsory? This (situation) has been on for many, many years. For the government, it might not be the priority today but some day, it will hopefully become a reality. So, we have to keep working. Is each of your labs accredited? We run the largest network of accredited labs. Having said that, not all our labs are accredited, for various reasons. NABL does not have the bandwidth to give accreditation. At any point of time, five or six applications of SRL are pending with it. In our company, we have 550-odd doctors. Most of them are also NABL assessors and that is the contribution we are making to NABL. This is what we are doing to hasten the process. The government should not depend on NABL. They should create more and more agencies equipped to give such accreditation. These things will take some time but an unduly long time has already been taken. Let us hope things change. Uttarakhand's rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28 and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake". Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged 'sting video' in Delhi, former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the rebel MLAs, said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds." "The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Reacting to the 'sting video', BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. "We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said. 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 Mayor Quentin Hart is looking for money to rekindle a city-sponsored youth jobs program. Hart is working to secure up to $100,000 by May to help provide work and job skills training for some 55 young persons ages 16 to 24. We grossly need opportunity; those in the age group 16 to 24 need employment opportunities, Hart said. Its a way for us to make them employable, teach them the soft skills, give them work experience so we can get them off the streets and get them into work. City Council members approved Harts request to apply for $25,000 from the R.J. McElroy Trust and $15,000 from the Max and Helen Guernsey Charitable Foundation. Hes reached out to the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, Black Hawk County Gaming Association and others to help raise the full amount. The proposed program would utilize Cedar Valley IowaWorks, which already has youth employment infrastructure and contacts in place through its Promise JOBS program. It would start in late June with a week of instruction and training followed by six weeks of employment up to 30 hours per week for participants. With unemployment topping 36 percent for youth ages 16 to 19 and at 15 percent for those 20 to 24, Hart said the program would help equip young adults with jobs skills and experience to compete in the local economy. Moreover, the program will diminish the negative side effects of high levels of youth unemployment such as higher incidence of vandalism, crime, gang activity and drug use, he said. The city has sponsored youth jobs and recreation programs in the past. Former Mayor John Rooff started the Waterloo Mayors Youth Initiative in 1995, which was a $250,000 program to provide summer jobs, sports camps, Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and other activities when school was not in session. Funding restraints whittled the program down until it eventually dissolved in 2004. Former Mayor Tim Hurley started a new program in 2005, a $54,000 Youth Essential Skills initiative that used new revenue the city received from the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo to provide summer jobs and educational opportunities. The YES program ultimately disappeared due to budget cuts. Hart said he heard from many people during last years mayoral campaign that youth opportunities were needed. Business people used to ask the question: How can we be involved? How can we decrease crime? How can we have an impact on young people? Hart said. Well, you can provide them with a wonderful job opportunity where they can learn from you, where you can possibly be a mentor to a young person. You have an opportunity to show them theres a different way of doing things, he added. Im not saying all of these kids are bad or have problems. But its an opportunity to connect with the youth in this community and show them how you made it. Hart said businesses interested in providing work opportunities through the program or agencies wishing to assist financially can contact the Mayors Office at 291-4301. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may be one of the biggest and most ambitious movies ever made, but it's really just the beginning as far as Warner Bros' DC Extended Universe is concerned. The planned two-part Justice League saga will begin shooting in the coming weeks, with Part One slated for a November 2017 release, while Part Two will land in June 2019, and it has been Batman v Superman's primary goal to get all the intricate, moving parts in place. While some may argue that the massively-anticipated grudge match didn't hit all of its markers in terms of leaving audiences stoked to see the Justice League in action, it still set up a ton of potential for the future of the universe. And above all else, you probably already know you're going to see the movie no matter what, so why try and pretend otherwise? Here are 10 implications for Justice League we can take away from Batman v Superman, and of course,... past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 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(1) This morning as I walked Boza and we watched the world wake up. A thought crossed my mind. It was again about freedom and the misrepresentation that we have instilled in the term freedom. We toss the word freedom around like we do the words hate, love, liberty, God and thousands of more The coffee is hot and perfect this morning and I decided to talk about a subject that is close to my heart. Freedom The reason I am thinking about this subject this morning is, Free Windows 10! The reason that comes up again is this; Once again for the eighth time, I have had to hide a Windows Update, Update KB3035583 and Microsoft keeps trying to sneak it by me time and time again. They want to install, Free Windows 10! There is the example of the epitome of western freedom. Having free shoved down my throat, whether I want it or not and that my friend is not free and or freedom Western Freedom that we crow about: OMG! You yell at me, What does that have to do with true freedom and the wonderful life we have in the US? Lots and first you have to have freedom and that you do not. Unless you call governmental oversight freedom Freedom as I have said many times is in the eye of the beholder. I expect freedom to be left alone and not have things good for or bad for me shoved down my throat. I desire to do what I want when I want and if I do not want Windows 10, then by God, I do not want Windows 10 and that is where the issue should stop This issue is a small version of what the US has done to countries such as Libya, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and a whole bunch more. They did not desire freedom in the USA style, but by God they had freedom and democracy shoved down their throat, whether they wanted it or not. Fact Jack Well as an individual, I am having sneaky, underhanded, slight of hand and other things done to try to get me to download and install Windows 10. I do not want it, I tried it and I removed it. That is my right and my freedom to do so, but I do not expect to have to defend my right to remove with a constant effort to undermine my computer. It is my computer and what I do with it is my choice. Not Microsofts choice to shove Free down my throat Just like Libya as an example, was a well run, rich, stable country under Qaddafi, but we Americans allowed and let or government to kill the leader and destroy the country. Libya is a wasteland and ISIS has gone back there as they did to help America destroy Qaddafi. We shoved freedom, democracy and free right down their throats and then ran away after we destroyed the good life they had Oh get off your high horse; The life Libya has now is a hundred times worse than what they had and that is in anyones book. I swear America needs the same freedom shoved down their throats and I mean it. You would change your tune real quick if someone wiped your life away and left you living in the cesspool leftover and there was nothing you could do to stop them from doing it The freedom we crow about is not freedom, not free and not full of liberty. The freedom we have come to think as freedom is the freedom to have goodies and such, at a price that can not be refused, even if that price is Free! Freedom, liberty and justice for all is not free and it does not hang around if you do not fight for it. We like our iPhone, Android phone and internet to the point that these items can be used to control our freedom, or else these items could stop working Freedom is not manipulating elections, stirring riots within the minorities and freedom is not being rich and famous We fear real freedom: Seriously, I watched and have watched numerous videos and read articles about how terrible life could be without Capitalism, democracy and Freedom, Liberty and Justice for All. They use scare tactics to make the sheep cower, as they fear losing their internet and the fantastic freedom that iPhone gives them They fear the loss of their freedoms So yes a simple freedom stealing issue like Windows 10, can get me upset and it should upset you. No fear, just anger and wanting to fight back. For if you allow those major theft of your rights and desires. We all lose You can start looking at what we (US) as a country does to other countries. Just like we are trying to do to Russia. Russia does not want USA style democracy, freedom and Liberty, much less the morals of the western society, shoved down their throats and be forced and expected to savior on the flavors of the western dross being handed freely to them I do not appreciate what the west is doing and I am a westerner by birth. So I will never let Windows 10 back into my life and will fight daily to keep it from happening. The same goes for having a fake form of democracy, capitalism and freedoms shoved down my throats. You may think the that life is free, it just is a life that is used as a control factor. For you are simply under the control of the ones who want it that way.. So as democracy as we know it is shove down another countries throat and cheer as they die by the millions and hate as we are told to hate, those damn pesky brown people, yellow people, red people and just people in general. Unless they are USA people There is more to freedom than social media worshiping and Glen Beck denouncing Trump Oh did you know Windows 10 is free? Just remember, What goes around comes around! WtR If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first. Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well. What does their payout percentage look like? The payout rate refers to how much money you can expect to win after every bet. A high payout rate means youll be able to play more often without having to worry about losing all your money. Its also important to know the minimum and maximum bets allowed on each game. If youre going to play roulette, for example, then you probably dont want a casino with a minimum bet of less than $2.50 or even lower than that. The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. 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. How many games do they offer? There are lots of different types of games to choose from. Roulette, blackjack and poker are some of the most popular options, but you might find slots, video pokers, video bingo and others as well. You can usually filter these games down to only show the ones that interest you best, so make sure that your list isnt too long! Is there a bonus offer? Many online casinos offer free bonuses as part of their welcome package which includes new players being awarded 100% up to $10 instantly, for example. These offers are great but not everyone has access to them all the time (and some require you to deposit real money). If youd prefer to avoid paying a fee, some casinos offer no-deposit bonuses where you can get a certain amount of funds before you need to put any actual money into the account. These are usually offered alongside welcome bonuses, so make sure you read both parts of the terms and conditions carefully before signing up. Does it offer live dealer games? Live dealers are much preferred by many over regular virtual versions, so it pays to check this option out too. Most online casinos now offer live dealer games in addition to their regular offerings, allowing you to experience the thrill of the real thing without needing to leave home. Now that youve got an idea of what to look for when choosing an online casino, heres some tips for making the right choice It really comes down to personal preference. No two people are exactly alike, so everyone has an opinion on what they like and dislike about each casino. That said, here are some things to consider in order to narrow down your choices Popularity. Check out reviews, forums and Facebook pages to see what other people think of the casino. Also, ask around at work or friends houses who they would recommend to you. You could always take a look at the casinos website too, to see what kind of information they provide about themselves. Reputation. Find out what the general public thinks about the casino. Check out any customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, Amazon and Google Play to find out more. As far as gaming goes, you can also check out the Better Business Bureau to see whether there have been any complaints against the casino. Security. Make sure the casino uses SSL encryption to secure its transactions, meaning that your private data stays safe during transactions. Other than that, look for security seals on the site itself and verify that theyre legitimate. You can also check out the casinos privacy policy to see how they handle confidential information. Payment methods. Its good to have multiple payment options available, especially if you plan to play frequently. Its also nice to find a casino that accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. If youre worried about safety, you can always opt for a credit card or PayPal instead. With all those criteria in mind, heres our top picks Betway: Betway is a relatively new UK casino offering online gambling to residents of the United Kingdom and European Union. They offer hundreds of games across both land based and digital platforms, with plenty of top software providers like Net Entertainment, Microgaming and Yggdrasil Gaming Network. With a generous welcome offer that gives players 100% up to 100, you really cant go wrong with Betway. Coral Casino: Coral Casino is operated by the same company that runs the famous Caribbean casino, Grand Reef. Like many casinos, Coral Casino offers a wide variety of games, including plenty of video slots and table games. New players can benefit from a huge 100% match bonus up to 1000, while existing customers enjoy 25% cash back on deposits made within 48 hours of opening an account. 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Both have been charged with forgery. Nuss is also charged possession of a forgery device. Two other men have been arrested in the case, but have not yet been formally charged. Police say Nuss and another man used counterfeit $20 bills to buy merchandise at a Scottsbluff store earlier this year. Police say they later returned the items for cash. Police obtained a search warrant for a home where Nuss was staying. Police say Hernandez was a resident in the home and arrested after police searched it. Mar 26, 2016 | By Tess This last century has been marked by a number of amazing technological advancements, from cellphones, to smartphones, to electric cars, to airplanes, to solar-powered energy, the list could go on. When we look to our future now, almost anything seems possible, as engineers, scientists, and architects continue to strive towards sustainable and innovative new developments. Among those innovative minds is Shawn Moghadam, a California-based vehicle and product designer, who has designed a series of futuristic concept vehicles, some of which that can even be 3D printed. Moghadams project, which hes called his Concept Design Quest, began as a social media experiment three years ago, when the designer posted a series of concept vehicle sketches onto a Facebook page to see the types of responses he would get. With overwhelmingly positive feedback, the designer has now decided to share his futuristic vehicle designs with the public by publishing a book of his detailed and life-like designs. The book, which is currently being crowdfunded through a Kickstarter campaign, consists of 20 concept vehicles that push the boundaries of form and function. Among them are realistic renderings of vehicles like drones, spaceships, motorcycles, trains, aircrafts, and even flying cars. Not only images, however, the book also includes useful information for aspiring designers, as well as 3D printable files for some of the vehicle designs using QR codes. Moghadam notes that he is still working on some of the 3D printable files, so they will gradually become available to customers. Measuring 11x8.5 inches, the hard-cover, full-color book would make an impressive coffee table display, ready for guests and car, art, and Sci-Fi enthusiasts to peruse. With two weeks left of the fundraising campaign, Moghadam has already reached his Kickstarter goal of $5,000 for the project, but is encouraging others to get involved in order to receive the first edition of the book. For a pledge of $15 you can receive a digital copy of the book in PDF format, for $25 youll get an additional 3D printed sculpture of the concept vehicle of your choice, and for $35 you will receive the hard-cover collectors book. The top pledge reward (for $500 or more) will get you the full sponsor package of a signed and numbered book, small 3D prints of each of the 20 vehicle designs made out of Alumide, your name or company logo featured inside the book, an original sketch, and a PDF copy of the book. According to Moghadam, the books will be ready for shipping by August 2016, though more time may be needed to finalize the 3D models and prints. Moghadam, who studied Transportation Design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, has gone on to work for such established companies as GM, BMW, and Walt Disney Imageering among others. With such professional design experience, his innovative and conceptual designs featured in his collectors book could very well be what we will be riding around in in years to come. As the designer says on his Kickstarter page, I want this book to be a special thing you add to your collection, something that stirs your imagination with thoughts of how the world might be in the future. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: shawn moghadam wrote at 4/8/2016 4:26:59 AM:Hi Tess, Thank you for the support by writing about my Kickstarter project. You are one of a handful of journalists to cover this dear-to-my-heart project, so I appreciate you greatly! Please ad me on Facebook =) Shawn Moghadam John Jeremiah Sullivan in The New York Times: The blacks-in-blackface tradition, which lasted more than a century in this country, strikes most people, on first hearing of its existence, as deeply bizarre, and it was. But it emerged from a single crude reality: African-American people were not allowed to perform onstage for much of the 19th century. They could not, that is, appear as themselves. The sight wasnt tolerated by white audiences. There were anomalous instances, but as a rule, it didnt happen. In front of the cabin, in the nursery, in a tavern, yes, white people might enjoy hearing them sing and seeing them dance, but the stage had power in it, and someone who appeared there couldnt help partaking of that power, if only ever so slightly, momentarily. Part of it was the physical elevation. To be sitting below a black man or woman, looking up that made many whites uncomfortable. But what those audiences would allow, would sit for not easily at first, not without controversy and disdain, but gradually, and soon overwhelmingly was the appearance of white men who had painted their faces to look black. That was an old custom of the stage, going back at least to Othello. They could live with that. And this created a space, a crack in the wall, through which blacks could enter, because blacks, too, could paint their faces. Blacks, too, could exist in this space that was neither-nor. They could hide their blackness behind a darker blackness, a false one, a safe one. They wouldnt be claiming power. By mocking themselves, their own race, they were giving it up. Except, never completely. There lay the charge. It was allowed, for actual black people to perform this way, starting around the 1840s in a very few cases at first, and then increasingly and there developed the genre, as it were, of blacks-in-blackface. A strange story, but this is a strange country. Picture: Bert Williams having blackface applied in a production still from an uncompleted 1913 film that was identified in the MoMA archives in 2014. More here. Patrick Stokes at ABC: Conspiracy theories weren't invented by the internet. They go back at least as far as the elite reaction to the French Revolution, with a grand Illuminati-Masonic conspiracy theory taking hold on both sides of the Atlantic before the start of the 19th century. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories had tragic consequences during the last century, while today the Obama administration has had to contend with everything from demands for the president's birth certificate to state governments fuelling rumours of impending martial law. The consequences of conspiracy theories are, as they have always been, concrete and significant. Most of us use the term 'conspiracy theory' to refer to beliefs we consider outlandish, paranoid, and almost certainly false. Yet strictly speaking this is unfair: on the simplest definition, a conspiracy theory is simply any explanation of observed events that posits two or more actors working in secret. Philosophers who have considered conspiracy theories as a class of explanation insist that there's nothing intrinsically irrational about conspiracy theory so defined. In fact, if we didn't accept the idea of a group of actors plotting in secret, we'd be unable to explain a host of historical events, from the assassination of Julius Caesar to Watergate. Conspiracies happen. More here. Adam Kosan at The Quarterly Review: For more than forty years the English poet Christopher Logue worked in fits and starts on his narrative poem War Music, subtitled An Account of Homers Iliad. The poem, which he was unable to complete before he died in 2011, was published in several sections titled War Music (1981), Kings (1991), The Husbands (1995), All Day Permanent Red (2003), and Cold Calls (2005), corresponding, respectively, to Books 16-19, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-9 of The Iliad. These books have now been brought together in a single volume that tells the story of Logues fragmentary and highly original Trojan War. It benefits from the editorial care of Christopher Reid, who has appended excerpts from drafts for the works envisioned final section, Big Men Falling A Long Way, along with notes describing the source and contextual details for each draft. As the first volume since Logues death to take stock of his major poem, it is auspiciousin time we can expect Reids circumspection and restraint to be expanded on by critics working with Logues archives. This is not to say that War Music is in pressing need of elucidation. Logue was vehemently responsive to his times, a rascal, a provocateur, irritating, incisive. His poetry looks out at the world without being topical. He was drawn to ballad forms and created poster poems that were sold and hung around London (these pieces were the subject of a recent retrospective at Rob Tufnell). He was a pacifist who protested against nuclear weapons, a satirist who wrote and edited pieces for Private Eye magazine, and, among other things, an actor, screenwriter, and playwright, who collaborated frequently with artists in various media. He was, in short, committed to a public presence for poetry, and this commitment was crucial to the very particular, undiminished energy that we find in Logues work. In fact, it might surprise people that he began War Music in 1959so brilliant, so new, does it remain in a contemporary context. more here. How to watch and what to know about South Dakota State at North Dakota For the first time in more than 88 years, a sitting U.S. President embarked on a historic diplomatic mission to Havana, Cuba, and Charleston Reservists played a vital role. Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing took the lead in a medical mission and remained ready in case they were needed along with a crew from the 16th Airlift Squadron, while the president was on the island nation. Our job was to be prepare for the worst case scenario and to be ready at a moments notice in case we were needed, said Capt. Ed Sutton, a Reserve pilot with the 701st Airlift Squadron. This shows a lot of confidence in our abilities and confidence in the Reserve to lead a mission like this." This is where your training kicks in, said 1st Lt. Chelsea Lesniewski, a pilot from the 701st AS, who was on the mission. We are all excited about being in Havana, but we are here to get the president where he needs to go and to be trusted with that responsibility is a pretty big deal." In some ways, we do this kind of mission all the time, but being in Havana is significant, elaborated Sutton. I feel honored to be trusted with a medical support mission of this magnitude. Sitting on a C-17 in Havana with surgeons and medical staff for the president is significant, said Tech. Sgt. John McNiece, a loadmaster with the 701st AS. We definitely know how important it is being the first reserve C-17 crew to land in Havana." Spending several days in the communist country was also a unique experience for the crew.This is a historical mission that I was excited to be a part of, said Sutton. I brought a journal to take notes and I am taking lots of pictures. This experience will be cool to tell the family about years from now.Lesniewski also felt enthusiastic to be a part of the historic mission, You can feel it in the air; the people here are excited for the changes that are coming. But, I am just glad I was able to be here to see Havana like it is, before the chain restaurants and the modern technology moves in, she said.It was moving to have the opportunity to watch Air Force One land alongside a crowd of Cubans, said McNiece. The excitement was palpable and the vibe for the duration of his visit was upbeat and positive. Cubans and Americans came together to make this mission a success. The significance was certainly not lost on them. Fiona Godlee, the editor of the BMJ, says that the journal's conclusion of fraud was not based on the pathology but on a number of discrepancies between the children's records and the claims in the Lancet paper But he (Bjarnason) says that the forms don't clearly support charges that Wakefield deliberately misinterpreted the records. "The data are subjective. It's different to say it's deliberate falsification," he says. With regard to the evidence of Susan Davies, it is evident that what she is saying is the results of the biopsies were both consistent with significant inflammation and with normality. I note that after the recent intervention of Dr David Lewis as reported in Nature News Prof Bjarnason, Dr Godlee and even Mr Deer had to retreat substantially [1]: However, all the findings that were remotely relevant to the programme are still under appeal by Prof Walker-Smith, and this was not said, and the absence of any warning regarding this is surely a serious lapse of procedure on the part of the Corporation. The committee note that the tribunal has the same standing as a court of law: and its findings on fact were entitled to be relied upon by the producers of the programme. This is a false statement. These allegations first saw the light of day in a Sunday Times article by Mr Deer in February 2009, and were repeated in BMJ in January 2011. The defence at the GMC hearing which began in 2007 never had to address these allegations. The Committee noted for the most part, allegations made in the programme had been challenged in the course of the GMC tribunal. This is both a false alternative and an historically unfounded insinuation: as well as the red books Dr Wakefield was reliant on GP correspondence, the medical histories taken by Prof Walker-Smith, and the parent consultations with the neurologist Dr Harvey and the psychiatrist Dr Berelowitz. While this may be Mr Deers opinion it shows no respect for factual accuracy. It is not correct and it is not fair comment. The committee said that it was clear that it was the reliance of Mr Wakefield (Dr??) on the red books as of evidence of the childs prior normality which Mr Deer was criticising. Accordingly, the Committee did not uphold the complaint on this point. A discussion is obviously not fair in the context of a programme which persistently gives more weight to one person than another (and by the way fails to get to the bottom of what is being discussed). I note the ESCs concluding remarks: Once again this is an arbitrary judgement. It is saying that Mr Deer is such a fine person and dedicated journalist that normal ethical constraints do not apply in his case. But it has already been conceded that his unusual arrangement with the GMC was not explained in the programme (which also reflects on the ethics of the GMC). I note that the Committee now cite his current disclosure in BMJ, which also does not explicitly describe the arrangement, but it is also inconsistent on the part of the ESC because it is argued elsewhere in the document that what may have been said in the BMJ is no direct concern of the BBC. Indeed, it is evidently the BBCs choice not to disclose this embarrassing matter. There is, nevertheless, a serious inconsistency running throughout the response that one minute the BBC is leaning on BMJ, the next saying that programmes claims stand on their own (though they plainly dont). I also note that the committee failed to take account of evidence I provided that Andrew Wakefield had embarked in the documentable shape of published papers on a wider study to replicate findings in the Lancet paper so it is quite hard to know what Prof Pepys was complaining about. Some people want these papers withdrawn, but they are quite certainly there and their existence factually contradicts Prof Pepyss claim in its present form. The ESCs attitude to Conflict of Interest is dangerously whimsical: it leaves the BBC free to waive concern about people it likes and crucify people it does not. Unless they decide on objective, citable consistent criteria they will make arbitrary decisions. Anything else is touchy-feely, self-referential nonsense. I note that progress with the University College London Inquiry stalled after the programme, a source of frustration to the editor of the BMJ at least, who complained to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee [1]. I am responding to the document from Part 4... It is important to note that Mr Deers claims have unravelled very substantially in the past 5 weeks as the result of a report on Nature News, and further correspondence in BMJ Rapid Responses including statements made by the BBCs expert advisor on this complaint, Prof Ingvar Bjarnason, by BMJ editor Fiona Godlee, by Brian Deer himself and by Dr Amar P Dhillon, the senior histopathologist co-author of the Lancet paper. These events demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt the original recklessness and unfairness of the programme in March. The decision of the BBC's Editorial Standards Committee - whose six members are also Corporation trustees - fails to take account of emerging facts, and hides behind Brian Deer's flawed and logically untenable account of events. We publish UK Editor John Stone's final submission to the committee. Although Godlee had previously stated under pressure from Age of Autism readers in February [3]: The case we presented against Andrew Wakefield that the 1998 Lancet paper was intended to mislead was not critically reliant on GP records I note that Prof Bjarnasons admission came after new evidence and after his advice on this complaint, and suggests that he had been jumping the gun before. Further to this Dr Dhillon, the senior pathologist in the paper has also now made a lengthy statement which gives the clinical context in which the interpretation of the biopsy results were modified and which gives the lie to the suggestion that Wakefield was acting on his own and/or fabricating something [4]: The reappearance (BMJ Nov 2011 online: http://www.bmj.com/highwire/filestream/536428/field_highwire_adjunct_fil... ) of some of my histology grading sheets for the Lancet 1998 study (Wakefield AJ et al. Ileal lymphoid nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet 1998;351:637-41) is interesting. I have not seen the grading sheets since 1997-98 when I gave them to Andy Wakefield. Following the interest shown in the grading sheets in the November 12 2011 BMJ Feature Pathology reports solve new bowel disease riddle (BMJ 2011;343:bmj.d6823), accompanying articles and editorial it is evident that there are a number of misunderstandings. Many of these are a result of a lack of understanding of the essential difference between the systematic documentation of specific microscopical features in a grading sheet by a blinded (ie in the absence of any clinical, or other information) pathologist on the one hand; and on the other hand concluding an overall clinicopathological diagnosis by integration of clinical information with diverse lines of investigation (including information in the grading sheet). The difference between the two activities should be understood better. The online grading sheets represent an incomplete record of my observations of the slides of gut mucosal biopsies from patients who were included in the Lancet 1998 study, and there were normal control biopsies as well; however: -Of those grading sheets attributed to me not all are mine (grading sheets on p38-47 and p55-64 inclusive of the BMJ Nov 2011 online document belong to someone else: NB the handwriting is different to mine) -The boxes with assigned patient case numbers on the grading sheets have been put onto the grading sheets by someone else (ie child 1, child 2 etc): this information was not available to me at time either of the slide review or Lancet 1998 publication -Neither the clinical details per case, nor the original diagnostic histopathology reports were available to me at the time of my review of slides -At the time of my review I had been told that slides of study cases were mixed with normal controls: which slides were of study cases and which were controls was unknown to me. My research review of the slides in 1998 has important differences with the routine diagnostic histopathology process: -Routine diagnostic histopathology is done with knowledge of individual patients clinical details as far as they are available at the time of diagnostic reporting, and so the rendering of a diagnostic histopathological opinion in this situation is usual and appropriate (in direct contrast to the situation that pertains in a blinded research review) -Then there is a joint review by clinicians and pathologists to evaluate the significance of the microscopic observations in the light of additional clinical, endoscopic, radiologic, and laboratory data that has been obtained after the diagnostic biopsy has been reported -It is not unusual for the clinical significance of microscopic observations to be reinterpreted and altered by this process, and it could be that the histological diagnostic interpretation subsequently has to be corrected. Thus the purpose of my grading sheet observations in 1998 was not, could not have been, nor was it intended to conclude the final diagnostic assignment of colitis (which has to be made in the light of full clinical/endoscopic/radiologic/ laboratory data; and response to treatment) -Therefore on the grading sheets nonspecific means: this microscopical appearance doesnt remind me of any particular disease entity, and this is why in none of my grading sheet observations have I stated colitis. Bowel disease is not diagnosed by gut mucosal histopathology in isolation: -I am of the opinion that the histological interpretation should never (or not very often) replace clinical judgement -A final diagnosis can only be made with the full clinical information and a biopsy specimen should be reported as diagnostic only if full supportive clinical information is available. (Jenkins D et al. Guidelines for the initial biopsy diagnosis of suspected chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. The British Society of Gastroenterology Initiative. J Clin Pathol 50,93-105;1997). In 1998 there was no paediatric gastrointestinal pathology literature to refer to for guidance regarding ileal and colonic mucosal biopsy microscopical appearances and their interpretation or significance in autistic children. In 1998 the series of cases in the Lancet paper was unusual, if not unique, and it was one of the aims of the study to explore the significance or otherwise of the subtle histological changes in autistic children with gastrointestinal symptoms. Prejudgment of the significance or otherwise of the histological changes in isolation in the 1998 study cases would have been inappropriate previously, and remains so now. -Several expert gastrointestinal pathologists and gastroenterologists have commented on the grading sheets (BMJ Nov 12 2011) and they have stated that the findings cannot be colitis; however: -It is a mistake to apply uncritically adult gastrointestinal biopsy histopathological thresholds of normality vs abnormality to children -The expert gastrointestinal pathologist and gastroenterologist commentators have tried to assess the diagnostic implications of data represented in histopathological grading sheets alone -This is a fundamental mistake: the significance of the histopathological component of any diagnostic equation depends on consideration of the histopathology within the complete clinical context - The current opinions of the experts regarding the significance of the histology grading sheets are subject to retrospective bias by knowledge of events since 1998. At the time of submission of the Lancet 1998 publication I had the clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and histology information presented to me in summary tabular form, and aggregated descriptive text only. -My grading sheets were with Andy Wakefield and my general recollection of my impression of my slide review was that some biopsies were a bit inflamed, and others were not: I did not know which case was represented by which set of slides, and which sets of slides were normal controls. As far as I recall, the changes were not severe in any of the slides, but it is not unusual for gut mucosal biopsies to show little abnormality even in clinically well defined cases of gastrointestinal disease, particularly in children -My clinical colleagues had collated all of the available information, including my microscopical grading sheet observations in the context of their knowledge of each patients condition and concluded a final diagnosis of colitis when this was considered by them to be appropriate -Thus, at the time of submission of the Lancet 1998 publication, with the limited supplementary information available to me (which I had been prevented deliberately from knowing during the study); and in the context of a comprehensive clinicopathological review by trusted clinical colleagues, the designated diagnosis of colitis seemed to me to be plausible. Corroborating this is the sworn testimony of Prof Simon Murch at the General Medical Council relating to the meeting which took place to address Daviess initial concerns [5] Counsel Q Was there any meeting about the histology section? Murch A Yes, I recall a meeting. I suspect that I may not be alone with that, but I do have a very good recollection of the meeting. I think the reason was initially that Dr Davies had seen the draft of the paper and just wondered whether the description of the histology perhaps oversold it. In other words, was the description in the paper something that was rather more florid than the lesion she remembered and thus my recollection is that she arranged a lunchtime meeting I believe it was Friday, that is possibly irrelevant in the manner of our normal histology meeting in the same place, in the histology seminar room, where the various pathologists who had seen the tissues attended at the same time and so this would be from the paper Dr Anthony Q I want to run through a list of names and then if I miss out anyone then of course add them in. Let us start off with Dr Davies; was she present at that meeting? A She was indeed. Q Professor Walker-Smith? A Yes. Q Dr Thomson? A Yes. Q Obviously yourself. A Yes. Q Dr Andrew Anthony? A Yes. Q Dr Dhillon? A Yes. Q Dr Heuschkel? A I believe that Dr Heuschkel was present, yes. I am less certain about that, but that is my recollection from that meeting. Q Dr Casson? A I believe so, yes. Q Dr Malik? A I also believe so, yes. Q Dr Wakefield? A Yes. Q Are there any others you remember being present at that meeting? A I think Dr Alan Phillips may have been there as well but I cannot recall with certainty. Q Were the original histology slides that had gone to Dr Davies lab looked at at that meeting? A They were. Q What was the outcome of that meeting about the description of the histology? A That all the pathologists present when the slides were reviewed case by case agreed that the wording in the paper we had a table of the histological findings, which I believe will be as seen in the paper here they all agreed that the wording was reasonable. So I think that Dr Davies was then satisfied that the paper could go forward for publication without change in the histological description. Against this background it would be very unwise for the ESC to give precedence to Dr Daviess initial impression or to assume that they know what is in the GMC transcript on the basis of Mr Deers somewhat selective account. Was anyone told by Mr Deer of Dr Daviess Friday meeting in which between 9 and 11 doctors present came to a concensus about the papers histological findings in the GMC transcript? I note that Prof Murch was re-instated by the GMC and has not been accused of dishonesty. And I note the continued silence of Prof Bjarnason after Dr Dhillons intervention, in which he explicitly challenged his critics over interpreting grading sheets in the absence of the other clinical data, of using the same criteria for grading in the case of children as for adults. It is clear that programme gave a false and misleading impression about the significance of the pathology results. The point that Dr Davies initial readings did not detect significant findings is in no way anomalous in relation to clinical practice or the historical circumstances. This is taking a random detail out of context and making a meal of it to give a false impression. Dr Davies (who unlike Prof Bjarnason was there) pronounced herself satisfied and it was a group of 9 or possibly 11 experts who agreed the text of paper on this matter, including herself. The BBC cannot afford to indulge in unfounded innuendo over this matter. The Committee noted that the majority of allegations made in the programme have been found proven by the GMC tribunal and that the only other specific allegations in the programme are made by Brian Deer, sourced to Brian Deer and clarified in the script where necessary as allegations rather than proven fact. It is hard to corroborate this claim in detail, but once again the programme failed to state that the matters relevant to the programmes claim were still under appeal by Prof Walker-Smith and this surely must be an error of procedure. The Committee noted that subsequent verification by the editorial adviser of relevant sections of the GMC tribunal transcripts supports the programme's confidence in their sources. This is just citing an unidentified source as corroboration of unspecified claims. It is impossible either to dispute or sustain. Point 6 I have commented before on the BBCs surreal concept of fairness: inviting someone to contribute to a programme in which they have been told effectively that their character will be assassinated does not make it fair. The Committee noted that the opening of the programme, about which the complainant is particularly concerned, listed only those charges which had already been found proven by the GMC. This is a misrepresentation. I do not believe that I have ever commented on that passage, I objected to the hyperbolae afterwards, where I pointing out that nothing in this case compared as a modern medical scandal with Harold Shipman or Vioxx (and I might have added Thalidomide, contaminated blood for haemophiliacs, Paroxetene, the cover up of the Camelford water disaster or Joseph Mengele - who is actually still in living memory). It was patently a preposterous claim that it was the worst medical scandal in living memory, and unfair comment. The committee also failed to take account of the extent to which the association between autism and gut pathology is by now widely if not universally - accepted in mainstream medicine, for which I provided good evidence, including a very recent US National Institutes of Health paper which gave honourable citations to both Wakefield and Prof Walker-Smith. For this reason the strictures of Prof Jones which the committee invoked, and which I also do not agree with, were still not relevant at least in respect to gut pathology in autistic people. I find it troubling that my documentary evidence on this matter was not only disregarded but also not even reported, thus giving an entirely false impression of mainstream science in this field. [1] http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/111110-ucl--wakefield/ [2] Eugenie Samuel Reich, Fresh dispute about MMR fraud, Nature News http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111109/full/479157a.html?s=news_rss [3] Fiona Godlee,BMJ response to emails from readers of Age of Autism, 7 February 2011 http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452?page=1&tab=responses [4] Amar P Dhillon, Re: Pathology reports solve new bowel disease riddle, 17 November 2011 http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d6823?tab=responses [5] GMC hearing against Day 113 Friday 16 January 2008 Pages 43/44 . John Stone is UK Editor for Age of Autism. March 25, 2016, Glamour: Tribeca Film Festival Will Screen Controversial Anti-Vaccine Film Maggie Mallon From Glamour Magazine: For those who may be unfamiliar with Wakefield, here's a little background on the British ex-physician. Formerly a gastroenterologist, Wakefield rose to prominence in the late 1990s after publishing a paper linking vaccines to autismessentially single-handedly inciting the anti-vaccine movement. In a case study of only eight children, Wakefield suggested a connection between inflammatory bowl disease in children who had recently received the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and the development of autism. ... More recently, a 2015 study published by the American Medical Association found no link between vaccines and autism. ... According to the Tribeca Film Festival website, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe will "[dig] into the long-debated link between autism and vaccines" and include "revealing and emotional interviews with pharmaceutical insiders, doctors, politicians, parents, and one whistleblower to understand what's behind the skyrocketing increase of autism diagnoses today." One of the aforementioned doctors, pediatrician Jim Sears, insists he is pro-vaccination but does believe that the Center for Disease Control has engaged in widespread cover-up regarding links between MMR and autism. ... The Tribeca Film Festival committee, however, stands by their choice. In a statement, a Tribeca spokeswoman said: "Tribeca, as most film festivals, are about dialogue and discussion. Over the years we have presented many films from opposing sides of an issue. We are a forum, not a judge." Comment: Maggie Mallon, like most people reporting on the vaccine controversy, doesn't have her facts straight. "...the British ex-physician. Formerly a gastroenterologist, ..." Web Toolbar by Wibiya Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne enthusiastically campaigned for Justin Trudeau in last years federal election, a political gamble not rewarded by the Prime Minister in his first budget, according to experts and political observers. The federal budget mentions that the government is committed to reaching a deal with the provinces on enhancement to the Canada Pension Plan an issue that Premier Wynne has aggressively championed, even bringing in her own provincial plan but some critics and officials had wanted to see more on the issue in the document. On infrastructure stimulus, another of Ontarios signature projects, the money pledged by the federal government was not as significant as some expected. The Trudeau governments budget allotted $11.9-billion over two to five years to infrastructure, focusing on transit, social and environmental infrastructure. It also announced a deficit of $29.4-billion. Asked whether the Premiers support for Mr. Trudeau paid off, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa dodged the question: The payback is what is in it for the future of Canada, he told reporters. A strong Canada makes for a strong Ontario. Ms. Wynnes relationship with former prime minister Stephen Harper was frosty. The two barely talked to each other, and when she announced the details of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan last summer, Mr. Harper immediately denounced it as a job killer. He refused to help the province administer the plan, even going as far as to say he was delighted that Ottawas decision was making it harder for Ontario to proceed. The two Liberal politicians appear close, with Mr. Trudeau reciprocating Ms. Wynnes support by campaigning on behalf of her candidate in a recent by-election in Whitby-Oshawa. Yet in the budget, he did not help her out as much as some expected. Rather, Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter said the budget wasnt geared at favouring any province or region. I thought the plan went out of its way to do something for almost every region, he said. The flip side of that is that I cant say it was particularly favourable for Ontario. He believes that there was a pretty strong case for directing more of the stimulus at specific, hard-hit regions and provinces. The commodity price shock has hit some economies very hard and left others almost unscathed, he said. Accordingly, some regions are in much greater need of support now than others, assuming the main point of all of this new spending was to support growth. Albertans had asked for relief on employment insurance and the federal government responded by extending benefits to some of the areas hit hardest by the oil price slump. National pollster Nik Nanos, of Nanos Research, sees the budget as a strategic document and not one that includes a crass political payback. He said Mr. Trudeau was careful in his budget to give something to as many provinces as possible he noted that Ontario will receive transit infrastructure money and Alberta got its employment insurance reforms. I see those not as political payback but basically a federal investment in what the Liberals hope to be a more cordial relationship between the federal government and the provinces, he said. I think there is a higher-level political payoff because Canadians always feel better when the federal government and the provincial governments try to work together and its a clear contrast to the past. The reality is the federal-provincial dialogue is part of Justin Trudeaus personal brand as the Prime Minister of Canada. For Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP Vic Fedeli, the finance critic, there is no special nod to Ms. Wynne and her government in the Trudeau budget. In fact, he says its quite shocking that there was so little on the CPP. As well, on the infrastructure spending, he believes the roll-out and the amount were not what the province was hoping for. A senior provincial government official said Ontario will continue to work to try to find consensus on the need for an enhanced CPP. On infrastructure, the federal governments spending is less than that of Ontario $160-billion over 12 years but that the most important aspect is that the two plans are simpatico. He said the federal governments budget brings to life the federal Liberal plan that so completely aligns with the plan the Premier has been putting in place here in Ontario for growing the economy and creating jobs. Read more.... Web Toolbar by Wibiya Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have his first chance to shape the countrys highest court this summer, with the surprise announcement that Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell will retire on Sept. 1. Replacing Justice Cromwell, a centrist, is also an opportunity for Mr. Trudeau to put in place a new appointment process, after his predecessor, Stephen Harper, ended Parliaments role in the selection of Supreme Court judges and scrapped a public hearing after the appointment. The last three judges were chosen in a secretive process from which Parliament was excluded for the first time in more than a decade, with only brief announcements from the Prime Minister about why he selected them. But the courts coming vacancy will also mean a political headache. Mr. Trudeau has promised he will appoint functionally bilingual judges to the Supreme Court. That will reduce the pool of candidates. By convention, the judge needs to be from Atlantic Canada to replace Justice Cromwell, who is from Nova Scotia. Newfoundland and Labrador has never had a judge on the Supreme Court, and a 2011 study found it had no bilingual judges on its appeal court, the place from which most Supreme Court judges are drawn. At just 63, Justice Cromwell has been on the court for seven years, making him its third-longest serving member. The courts mandatory retirement age is 75. A soft-spoken man with an unassuming manner, he was considered one of its leading lights, and a possible replacement for Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, whose mandatory retirement date is in 2018. He was also the kind of judge some view as the ideal a man with both conservative and liberal elements in his thinking who could not be easily pigeonholed. He was someone born to be a judge, Wayne MacKay, a Dalhousie University law professor and former colleague, said. Hes a nice mix of the rational and a sensitivity to the actual situation. You dont want someone who is a rational machine; you want someone who puts together the rational and the more emotive side of judging. And I think he does this really well. The last three appointments have been a throwback to older, less transparent times. A Liberal justice minister, Irwin Cotler, first created a committee in 2004 to winnow down a long list of candidates to a short list, from which the prime minister would choose. In 2005, Mr. Cotler created a parliamentary hearing in which he explained his choice for the court. The following year, Mr. Harper introduced unprecedented transparency by putting the new judge in front of a televised hearing of parliamentarians. But two years ago, he cancelled both the parliamentary selection committee and the public hearing, after The Globe revealed the secret list of candidates from which he selected Marc Nadon, who was ultimately rejected as legally unqualified by the Supreme Court. Mr. Trudeaus mandate letter for Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould instructs her to ensure the process is transparent, inclusive and accountable. Justice Cromwell wrote for the majority in a 2015 case, M.M. v the Minister of Justice, ordering a mother extradited to the United States to face child-abduction charges though the children had run to her from their violent father. The minority judges called that Kafkaesque. He was in the majority in R v. Nur, striking down a three-year minimum sentence for illegal gun possession, which the minority judges suggested was an unacceptable form of judicial activism. In R v. Fearon, also in 2014, he wrote for the majority in a 4-3 ruling that police may search cellphones without a warrant when they make an arrest. In another 2014 case, R v. Spencer, he wrote for a unanimous court that police needed a judges permission to ask Internet providers for basic information on their customers including those suspected of being involved in child pornography. He did just about everything from A to Z, from aboriginal to zoning, Ottawa lawyer Eugene Meehan, a partner in a firm specializing in the Supreme Court, said. Justice Cromwell also is chair of a committee trying to improve peoples access to the courts. Sebastien Grammond, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, called him a great legal mind, very rigorous, yet at the same time compassionate, progressive but within a system of precedent. [Lawyers appearing in front of him] cannot argue things that are too creative. Read more.... Web Toolbar by Wibiya Children covered in sores and rashes in an Ontario First Nation are the face of a much broader health crisis faced by aboriginal communities across the country, says Charlie Angus, the NDP indigenous affairs critic. Angus joined ministerial officials and aboriginal leaders for a conference call Monday to discuss why some children in Kashechewan First Nation have developed unusual rashes and, in extreme causes, painful sores on their bodies. The call came after images of the children were shared widely on social media over the weekend. The pictures of those children were so shocking and so heartbreaking that it woke Canadians up across the country, Angus said. They were saying what the hell is happening in our country that children are getting sick like this? These children really are the face of a much larger systemic crisis that is facing northern First Nation communities. Angus, whose riding includes the long-troubled reserve, said three children have been evacuated from the community while another 13 are expected to be removed by officials for further examination and possible treatment. Health Canada has not yet confirmed when the evacuations will take place. Doctors are also expected to be sent into the community from Moosonee, Ont. to conduct door-to-door visits and determine if other children are developing similar symptoms. Health Minister Jane Philpott addressed the Kashechewan cases outside the Commons on Monday. The children in the community are not suffering from a water-related condition, she said. It is our understanding that that is not the case, Philpott said. In fact, the water has been tested as recently as last Tuesday and we know that it meets all of the appropriate standards for safety and drinking water and water to be used for other purposes. Philpott said she could not speak to specifics due to confidentiality concerns but stressed that all children who require care will be evacuated if necessary. I can say that all of the children who are requiring care are getting the care that they need, she said. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said the situation in Kashechewan speaks to why northern Ontario First Nations leaders decided to declare a public health emergency last month. Fiddler, who was also on Mondays conference call, said he heard a message from officials focused only on short-term problems. He said the government needs to also tackle broader systemic issues, such as a lack of clean drinking water, proper housing and possible mould issues, to determine why health problems are plaguing reserves. It was good to hear government officials commit to getting these children out for an assessment and hopefully treatment, Fiddler said. We also need to look at the longer term some of the determinants of health: housing, water, and education, everything else that contributes to the health and well-being of our families. Fiddler also said he is still waiting to hear from Philpott in response to the public health emergency. Here we are a month after our declaration was issued and we are still trying to confirm meetings with the federal Health Minister, he said. Meanwhile, things are deteriorating. When the emergency was declared, the Ontario First Nation leaders called on governments to respond within 90 days and to meet the chiefs to develop a detailed intervention plan. During question period on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signalled Tuesdays budget will contain historic investments to address indigenous issues. The fiscal blueprint is largely expected to be a litmus test of the governments commitment to tackling long-standing challenges including housing, drinking water and education. Trudeau has maintained no relationship is more important to him than the one with aboriginal peoples. Read more.... Web Toolbar by Wibiya Web Toolbar by Wibiya A Tennessee witness at Jasper reported having a strange feeling that caused him to move outside where he watched a silent, rectangle UFO larger than his apartment complex hovering nearby, according to testimony in Case 74637 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database. The witness was at home in his bedroom when he had a strange feeling to go outside about 6:30 p.m. on October 30, 2015. So I jumped up and ran out as fast as I could, the witness stated. And I look straight up and there it was a gigantic, black rectangle with red lights in the shape of a pyramid and one light off to itself on the edge of the craft. The witness was amazed at how large the craft was. It was so big that it was bigger than the apartment complex I live in. The object was moving very slowly. I watched it slowly move by. And I mean slowly almost a hover for about 10 minutes until it got so far I could not see it anymore. Ive been around military aircraft my whole life and I live close to an Air Force base so I see and have seen every type of flying machines known to man. I have never seen anything like this or that big. The witness is not sure what he saw. I dont know if it was a UFO, but its the biggest, slowest and most quietist thing that Ive ever seen in the sky. I would like to know why I felt it as strong as I did and wasnt able to hear it. The feeling of it being there was so strong that I practically ran as fast as I could outside and then it went away when I saw it right above my head just floating by like a skyscraper flying. Tennessee MUFON is investigating. The case was submitted to MUFON on February 23, 2016. No images or videos were included with the report. Jasper is a town in Marion County, Tennessee, population 3,279. Please remember that most UFO sightings can be explained as something natural or man-made. The above quotes were edited for clarity. Please report UFO activity to MUFON.com. Read more.... Assyrians Released By ISIS Suffer Trauma Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, during a visit to the Syriac-Assyrian church in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, as the region encounters conflict with ISIS militants. ( ARA News) The Assyrian Charity Association in Syria organized a festival for children who have been recently released by ISIS after months of abduction from Tel Temir town in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province. The association has also provided the freed children with psychological support sessions aimed at rehabilitating those children who had suffered traumatic events at the hands of ISIS militants. Speaking to ARA News, Siham Khammou Trainer, head of the Assyrian Charity Association, said: "We have worked on this project for the sake of supporting children who had suffered a lot during their abduction by ISIS." "We tried to include them into groups with other children. In the beginning they preferred to stay isolated, which raised our concerns about their psychological status. We are still working hard to bring them back to a normal life in cooperation with other children of their age in order to get rid of the traumatic experience gradually." Tel Temir town and the surrounding villages have been exposed to fierce attacks by ISIS militants in February 2015, where the radical group abducted some 280 Assyrian Christians. The abductees were recently released after the Assyrian organization paid ransoms to ISIS. The final butch of abductees was released last February. However, two Assyrian girls from Tel Temir are still held by the radical group. The kidnapped Assyrians had been deprived of their right to practice own religious rituals, and many of them were obliged to learn texts from the Quran. They had also been separated from each others; men were staying in a separate location than women and children, and those Christian women had been obliged to wear Islamic dress. Sabina Youkhana, a released Assyrian hostage, told ARA News: "The group has released us, and the Assyrian Charity Association has helped us enormously by organizing several activities. We are very happy now, and we have many new friends." On the other hand, reports confirmed that the recently freed Assyrian women had received a better treatment by ISIS compared to Yezidi women--who have been suffering slavery at the hands of ISIS jihadis for being deemed 'apostates'. Oudisho Youkhana, another freed Assyrian from Tel Teimr, said: "We have been abducted on the 24th of February 2015. We have been held in Shaddadi city, then we were transferred to a prison in Raqqa. The treatment was generally fine. We have appeared before a Sharia Court, which decided that we pay ransoms in accordance with the al-Baqara chapter in the Quran." After Jesus was crucified, did he "Descend into Hell," as millions of Christians recite during weekly church services in The Apostles' Creed? Nearly 2,000 years of Christian tradition and a scriptural reference in 1 Peter 3:19-20 make the case: "After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits - to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." (New International Version) The "harrowing of hell" refers to what Christ did when he descended to Hades or hell between his death and his resurrection. The early church believed that after his death Christ descended into hell in order to rescue the souls of the righteous, such as Adam and Eve. Jesus descends and breaks down the doors of hell, unbinds the prisoners and leads the just to heaven. In ancient paintings from the Eastern Orthodox Church, and in similar icons still used in Greek and Russian Orthodox churches now, the art depicts Christ standing over the broken gates of hell, angels binding Satan and Satan crushed under the gates of hell, while Christ pulls out two figures representing Adam and Eve who have been imprisoned because of sin. An early version of the Apostles' Creed, the Interrogatory Creed of Hippolytus from about 215 A.D., refers to Christ's descent to the dead. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead (or "he descended into hell" or "hades" depending on the translation). On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. Here are some more Bible verses that relate: 1 Peter 4 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though judged in the flesh like men, they might live in the spirit like God. Acts 2.27, 31 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.... Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. Ephesians 4 8 Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." 9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) Revelation 1 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." Millions of Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus this weekend on Easter Sunday, March 27. Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter, or Pascha, on May 1. What is Hell? Human ideas about hell were still in ferment as the Bible was being written. The theological concept of hell has a rich cultural heritage, according to historian Alan Bernstein, author of "The Formation of Hell." The ancient Hebrews focused on the afterlife following their Babylonian captivity, when they experienced the torment of ungodly enemies who seemed to have an unjustifiably good life on Earth. During the Babylonian exile, Jews were exposed to Zoroastrianism, which asserts there is an eternal struggle between good and evil, with good triumphing in the end. The Hebrew concept of "Sheol" -- the realm of the dead -- may also have been influenced by the Greek mythology of Tartarus, a place of everlasting punishment for the Titans, a race of gods defeated by Zeus, Bernstein writes. From about 300 B.C. to 300 A.D., those influences combined with Hebrew speculation about an eventual comeuppance to the worldly wicked. In translating the Bible from Hebrew to Greek, the Greeks used the terms Tartarus, Hades and Gehenna. In Greek thought, Hades is not a place of punishment; it's where the dead are separated from the living. The term Gehenna referred to a ravine outside Jerusalem that was used as a garbage dump. It had once been a place of child sacrifice and became a symbol of pain and suffering. As a garbage dump, it was probably often a place of fire as trash was burned, emphasizing the symbolism of the flames of eternal damnation. The Bible contains a litany of colorful images of hell as both fire and darkness, as in the Gospel of Matthew, which refers to "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" and "the outer darkness" where "men will weep and gnash their teeth." In Revelation 20:14, it is described as a lake of fire: "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." Someone got hurt when a small fire broke out at St. Vincent's Hospital Friday night. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded to the main building at about 7 p.m. Crews confirmed there was a small fire in a room on the fourth floor. One person was burned, although crews did not confirm how badly. It is not yet known if the victim was a patient, visitor or staff. This person was treated there at the hospital. Investigators are still determining how it started. Firefighters had the fire out in minutes. They then cleared the smoke and secured the rest of the building. A federal judge ruled today that convicted killer Judith Ann Neelley waited too long to challenge the constitutionality of a state law barring her from parole eligibility. U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins ruled that Neelley was aware of her potential claim no later than 2009, and because she did not file suit until 2014, the two-year statute of limitations has expired. Because of that, Watkins did not rule on the merits of Neelley's claim, which is that the state law was an unconstitutional ex post facto law and bill of attainder because the Legislature specifically targeted her. Neelley's lawyer, Barry Ragsdale, said the decision would be appealed. "We are obviously disappointed with the result, but it is important to remember that Judge Watkins did not find that this ex post facto statute was even remotely constitutional, only that Ms. Neelley should have complained about it in 2003, when the law was first enacted," Ragsdale said in a statement. Neelley's crimes were notoriously vicious, but Gov. Fob James commuted her death sentence to life in 1999 as one of his final acts as governor. No other death row inmate in Alabama has had their sentence commuted since 1962. She is at Julia Tutwiler Prison. Neelley was convicted of capital murder in the 1982 slaying of 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican. Neelley and her husband, Alvin Neelley, abducted the girl from a Georgia shopping mall. Testimony revealed the child was raped and that Judith Neelley injected her with drain cleaner, shot her and shoved her into Little River Canyon in northeast Alabama. A DeKalb County jury recommended life without parole for Neelley, but the judge sentenced her to the electric chair. On Jan. 15, 1999, James commuted her sentence to life imprisonment but did not specify whether that meant life without the possibility of parole. James later said he assumed she would not be eligible for parole. But state law at the time said that any inmate whose death sentence was commuted to life could not be considered for parole for 15 years. An attorney general's opinion advised the Pardons and Paroles Board that Neelley would be eligible in 2014. The Legislature intervened, passing a law in 2003 that said prisoners whose death sentences are commuted by the governor are not eligible for parole. Lawmakers made the law retroactive to September 1999, a few months before James commuted Neelley's sentence. Because of the 2003 law, the attorney general's office advised the Pardons and Paroles Board in 2014 that Neelley was not eligible for parole. That prompted her to file the lawsuit, alleging the law was unconstitutional. In his 29-page opinion today, Watkins did not address the merits of her claims because he said it was clear that Neelley was aware of the law and how it would affect her as early as 2003. Neelley's lawyer, Ragsdale, said, "It is strange but true that even basic constitutional rights have a statute of limitations. We certainly respect Judge Watkins' opinion, but this case was always headed to the appellate courts." Neelley also pleaded guilty to the murder of 22-year-old Janice Chatman of Rome, Ga., and agreed to testify against her husband. Alvin Neelley died in prison in Georgia in 2005. Washington state, Hawaii and Alaska Democrats caucus Saturday, March 26. This post will be updated with analysis and results (all times Eastern). CAUCUS RESULTS * 5:24 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders wins Alaska caucus * 6:28 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders wins Washington state caucus * 4:05 a.m. EDT, March 27: Bernie Sanders wins Hawaii caucus NEWS AND ANALYSIS 7:05 a.m.: Sanders has solid showing, but doesn't dent Clinton's delegate lead Bernie Sanders netted nearly three dozen delegates after his win in Hawaii, having swept three states. It's a solid showing, but it didn't significantly tighten Hillary Clinton's overall big lead. Sanders needs to win 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates through June to be able to clinch the Democratic nomination. So far he's only winning 37 percent. With 25 Hawaii delegates at stake, Sanders picked up 17. Clinton gained eight. That means in Saturday's contests, Sanders won a total of 55 delegates, having also won Washington state and Alaska. Clinton picked up 20. More delegates are likely to be allocated to Sanders in several weeks, when the Washington state Democratic party releases vote shares by district. Still, Clinton maintains a wide advantage in delegates. Based on primaries and caucuses to date, she's won 1,243 delegates to Sanders' 975. Clinton's lead is even bigger when including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate they wish. Including superdelegates, Clinton has 1,712 delegates to Sanders' 1,004. It takes 2,383 to win. 4:25 a.m.: Sanders wins in Hawaii Bernie Sanders has scored three wins in Western caucus contests, giving a powerful psychological boost to his supporters but doing little to move him closer to securing the Democratic nomination. While results in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii barely dented Hillary Clinton's significant delegate lead, Sanders' wins underscored her persistent vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival's unapologetically liberal message. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sanders cast his performance as part of a Western comeback, saying he expects to close the delegate gap with Clinton as the contest moves to the more liberal northeastern states, including her home state of New York. He also said his campaign is increasing its outreach to superdelegates. As of 2:50 a.m. Sunday, results from Hawaii were still pending. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, a strong voter turnout led to some confusion and frustration at the polls. Update from The Associated Press (10:37 p.m. Saturday): Sanders trims Clinton's delegate lead Bernie Sanders trimmed Hillary Clinton's delegate lead to below 300 delegates Saturday, having won big in Alaska and Washington state. But he still has a long way to go to catch up to her. For the day, Sanders netted roughly two dozen delegates, winning at least 36 to Clinton's 11. Results from Hawaii are still to come and some delegates from Washington won't be allocated until weeks from now. Based on primaries and caucuses to date, Clinton currently leads Sanders, 1,234 to 956. Clinton previously had a lead of more than 300 delegates after her five-state sweep on March 15. Including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton's lead is much wider. She now has at least 1,703, or 71 percent of the number needed to win. Sanders has at least 985. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates through June if he hopes to win the nomination. Update from The Associated Press (7:45 p.m.): Clinton's delegate lead strong despite losses Bernie Sanders clearly had a good day, winning big in Washington state and Alaska. But that's not impacting Hillary Clinton's overall lead in the Democratic presidential race much due to a smaller pool of delegates at stake Saturday. Ultimately, Sanders still needs to win more than 67 percent of remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses as well as uncommitted superdelegates to clinch the nomination. Based on primaries and caucuses to date, Clinton now has 1,228 to Sanders' 947. Including superdelegates, or party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton has at least 1,697 to Sanders' 976. It takes 2,383 to win. Update from The Associated Press (6:40 p.m.): Sanders basks in twin wins Bernie Sanders says the West is putting him on path to an improbable success in the Democratic presidential race. Despite his victories in Alaska and Washington state in the latest voting, Hillary Clinton remains in a far stronger position to capture the nomination. Even so, Sanders told a spirited rally in Madison, Wisconsin: "We knew things were going to improve as we headed West." And he implored his cheering Wisconsin supporters to turn out in the state's April 5 Democratic contest and advance him on a "path toward victory." He says he knew from the start of his campaign that he'd struggle in the Deep South but his fortunes would improve as the campaign went West. Update from The Associated Press (6:30 p.m.): Dividing Washington state's delegates Bernie Sanders' big win in Washington state means he stands to receive a majority of the state's delegates. But the exact tally may not be known for several weeks. With 101 delegates at stake, Washington is the biggest prize of Saturday's three Democratic state caucuses. Thirty-four of the Washington delegates are awarded on a statewide basis. Sanders will win at least 18 of those, and Hillary Clinton will receive at least five. The remaining 67 delegates are awarded based on vote results in the state's congressional districts. Those delegates will be awarded at a later date, when the state Democratic Party releases the vote shares by congressional district. Update (6:28 p.m.): Sanders wins Washington state caucus Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic presidential caucuses in Washington state, The Associated Press reports. And neither state's vote was close, The Oregonian says, with the Vermont senator scoring double-digit victories over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Hawaii caucus results are expected soon. Charles Chamberlain, executive director of the grassroots progressive group Democracy for America, heralded the outcomes and the continued momentum they give Sanders. "Bernie Sanders's resounding wins in Alaska and Washington state are big deals, period. And, likely a victory later this evening in Hawaii will only make it even bigger," he said in a statement. "With each victory today, Bernie Sanders is not only significantly cutting down Secretary Clinton's delegate advantage by delivering the margins of victory he needs take the lead in June, he's giving voice to millions of grassroots Democrats who know that Bernie continues to be our party's strongest nominee against Donald Trump's campaign of bigotry, hate and division." Update from The Associated Press (5:24 p.m.): Sanders wins Alaska caucus Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska. It's his first victory over front-runner Hillary Clinton in the three states holding party caucuses on Saturday. Update from The Oregonian (5:05 p.m.): Sanders on fire in Alaska, Washington With about 15 percent of the results in, Bernie Sanders is grabbing more than 80 percent of caucus-goers' support in Alaska and more than 70 percent in Washington. There are no results yet from Hawaii. Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have already turned their attention to Wisconsin, which votes on April 5. Clinton has dominated in the South and Sanders' greatest strength has been in caucus states. Wisconsin will give Sanders a key opportunity to show that his primary win in Michigan earlier this month was no fluke and that he really can compete with the front-runner all the way to the convention. Update from The Oregonian (3:12 p.m.): Is Bernie Sanders trouncing Hillary Clinton in Washington? In Washington state, "hostility toward Clinton has grown as her campaign pushed claims she has long been a champion of progressive causes," The Guardian reports. If you're going just by social media, Sanders is unstoppable in Washington, with Clinton a very distant second. "Huge voter turnout in #WAcaucus, especially with young voters," tweeted Khaled Beydoun. "Spells great news for #Bernie." There also seems to be a fair amount of fear among Sanders supporters of voter fraud and vote suppression. Washington offers 118 delegates, the most of the three states voting today. Hillary Clinton volunteers Amy Paxson, far right, and Charles Tice work the crown for their candidate at the Democratic party caucus in Anchorage, Alaska Saturday, March 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Sanders vs. Clinton in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington state Bernie Sanders is pushing for a trifecta of wins in Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington state. He's hoping to stage a spring comeback against the commanding front-runner, Hillary Clinton. The Vermont senator has spent much of the week on the West Coast, trying to build his enduring support among liberal activists into a sweep Saturday. That could help him narrow a gap of 300 delegates won in primaries behind Clinton. According to an Associated Press analysis, Sanders would need to get more than 67 percent of the total remaining delegates won in the primaries and uncommitted superdelegates to take the nomination. Washington offers the biggest prize of delegates on Saturday with 118, more than double that of Alaska (20) and Hawaii (34) combined. While Sanders faces a steep climb to the nomination, a string of losses for Clinton in the latest voting would highlight her persistent vulnerabilities. Clinton currently leads Sanders in the Associated Press delegate count, 1,690 to 946, with 2,383 needed to win the nomination. The Associated Press, The Oregonian and NJ Advance Media contributed to this report. An Indiana woman missing for 42 years was found living in a small Texas town under an alias. Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller, then 28, left her home in Laurel, Ind. in 1974 shortly after giving birth to her third child, according to the Indiana State Police. Feeling she was too young to be a mother, she signed her children over to her parents and left. Indiana State Police Detective Sgt. Scott Jarvis, who took over the missing persons case in January 2014, was able to track Gillespie-Miller down to a small town in south Texas on Thursday. According to the report, Gillespie-Miller didn't tell police why she left her family behind and had no contact with them for more than 40 years. The woman did allow the police to give her contact information to her daughter, Tammy Miller, who hopes to meet her mother. Jarvis took over the case after the Doe Network, a website that assists families with missing person's investigations, contacted the Indiana State Police at the Pendleton Post. The organization had been in contact with Gillespie-Miller's family. The family had told the site the last contact they had with Lula, was a letter they received from her, postmarked in Richmond, Ind. from 1975. Jarvis began to investigate and found Richmond police had a case of an unidentified woman found buried in an unmarked grave in the Earlham Cemetery in the city in 1975. The body was exhumed for DNA analysis. A DNA sample was also obtained from Gillespie-Miller's biological daughter for comparison. The woman wasn't Miller's mother, and the DNA was entered into a national data base for missing persons. No match was found there either. While awaiting the DNA analysis on the exhumed body, the investigation led Jarvis in a different direction. He began to investigate the trail of a woman with similarities to Gillespie-Miller, who had lived in Tennessee in the 1980s and then later in Texas. Further investigation led Jarvis to a woman living in a small town in south Texas since the 1990's, possibly still living under an alias. On Thursday, Jarvis contacted Texas Rangers in the area and had them go to the woman's home. The woman admitted to the Rangers that her name is actually Lula Gillespie-Miller, now 69 years old, and originally from Laurel, Ind. Gillespie-Miller did not commit any crime by leaving her home in 1974 and wanted to remain anonymous. Circuit Judge Robert Smith dismissed a capital murder indictment for a former Alabama State Trooper who served nearly 15 years after being convicted for burning alive his wife, Hammoleketh Martin, in her car in 1995. Smith's basis for the dismissal of the case stems from evidence he says the prosecution willingly withheld from the defense during the original 2000 case that sent former trooper, George Martin, to death row for killing his wife. In 2014, an appeals court overturned Martin's death row sentence. In 2015, the judge granted Martin bail and allowed him to work and live within Mobile County while awaiting further action in his trial. While on bail, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor. A major piece of evidence that changed in Martin's favor was an apparent false identification by the prosecution's star witness, James Taylor. Taylor reported that he saw a black male in an Alabama State Trooper's uniform in the area where Hammoleketh Martin's body was found in her car. However, when shown a photo lineup of all the black male state troopers in Mobile, Taylor identified someone who was not Martin. According to court documents, this information was buried by the prosecution and not presented to the defense. "If the Martin case is not one which is appropriate for dismissal, there may never be one," Smith wrote in a document signed on March 11. Similarly, the prosecution omitted the admission by the victim's sister that Hammoleketh Martin kept a can of gas in her car. "Experienced trial lawyers, including these prosecutors, know that they must be prepared to address the weaknesses of their case," Smith wrote. "The affirmative use by the prosecutors of partial truths and untruths with knowledge satisfy the element of the prosecution's willful misconduct in this case." Smith's order of dismissal was filed "with prejudice" which means that Martin cannot be tried for this specific charge again. Future litigation in the trial has thus been canceled and Martin is no longer responsible for wearing an ankle monitor. He is still considered on bond. UPDATED at 5:07 p.m. - The Coffee County Emergency Management Agency have identified the four people who were killed early Saturday morning when a Haynes Life Flight helicopter crashed. The victims are pilot, Chad Hammond; flight nurse, Stacey Cernadas; flight medic, Jason Snipes; and patient Zach Strickland, WTVY reported. - UPDATED at 4 p.m. -- The four victims of the helicopter crash were recovered on Saturday afternoon, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Their names will be released pending notification of next of kin. -- Four people were killed when a medical helicopter crashed early Saturday morning in Coffee County, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed. A pilot, nurse, medic and patient were believed to be on board the helicopter when it crashed early this morning, James Brown, deputy director for Coffee County Emergency Management Agency, told the Dothan Eagle at the scene. The aircraft was reported missing at around 12:17 a.m., and is believed to have crashed three minutes after responding to an automobile crash. The helicopter was discovered at around 7:02 a.m. in an area along Coffee County Road 615 in the Goodman community. The patient aboard the helicopter had broken a leg and was unconscious. The helicopter was on its way to a Montgomery hospital. The helicopter is reported to have crashed in a heavily wooded area in the Goodman community of Coffee County, about 10 miles west of Enterprise. This was about a half-mile from the vehicle crash site. Shortly after midnight, law enforcement again searching for the helicopter using other aircraft, search teams and triangulation through cell phone systems, the Troy Messenger reported. Recovery efforts could take days, Brown said. He told reporters that he wouldn't speculate on what caused the crash. ALEA Capt. Tracy Nelson told reporters that crews from the forestry service are using bulldozers to clear a path to the crash site. "It's a pretty wet area, and with all this rain moving in, it's going to make things very difficult," he said. "We're trying to utilize each resource possible and trying to make this a better outcome. Kirk Barrett, chief operations officer for Haynes Life Flight, declined to provide details of the flight and crew members. "It is a horribly tragic event," he told AL.com. "We are concentrating on the family members right now." Trooper Kevin Cook told AL.com that an investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration has arrived at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is also at the scene of the crash and investigating. NTSB investigating today's crash of a Eurocopter AS350 in Goodman, AL. NTSB (@NTSB) March 26, 2016 The Alabama Red Cross also confirmed the four deaths aboard the helicopter and has personnel at the scene to help first responders. The Troy Regional Medical Center Family is saddened today by the tragic loss of the Haynes helicopter crew members and... Posted by Troy Regional Medical Center on Saturday, March 26, 2016 At the scene of the aircraft crash in Coffee County. Waiting for more information. Will update ASAP. pic.twitter.com/sZ9w6Gh18i Justin McNelley (@Justin_WSFA) March 26, 2016 She is standing by the roadside at midnight, lit by the flashes of police car sirens, with mascara streaking with tears down her cheeks and speaking to us only because its better for her to talk to strangers than to think about what could have just happened to her sister. They were both dancers in the strip club we were standing outside in Acapulco, the resort town in Mexico struggling with prolonged, and now escalating gang warfare. Just an hour or so ago a group of armed men charged into the club and began shooting at clients and dancers alike. She managed to get out. But as she was running for the door she saw her sister lying on the floor, with blood on her face. She is desperate to know if she is dead or alive, but the police wont let her back in. So she is talking to us. Its like a dreamIm waiting to wake up, she says softly. Soon there is nothing more to say. She walks back over to the police outside the club as we and the local photographers film the bodies coming out, carried on stretchers and covered in plastic. Then we hear a gut-wrenching, low scream. The girl we have been talking to is doubled over on the bonnet of a police car with her head on her hands. She has just found out that her sister has been killed. Earlier in the day we had spent time filming another crime scene a decapitated man left in the middle of the road. But it is the memory of that girl that will stay with me, a moment in which her life changed, snapped, in front of us, a moment of bewilderment and extreme pain. Dead bodies make for shocking images but as a journalist, and a viewer, for me they can become surprisingly easy to see in terms of corpses rather than people with no emotional reaction required. The interviews I have had with parents, sisters, brothers of those killed in the violence are different. They are the hard part, when its possible to understand what the violence means on a very personal scale. When you connect, just for a moment, with the pain of someone who has lost a loved one, often in a senseless act of killing. When I have one of those interviews coming up I often wish that I could take a pass and simply not do it. That feeling, is of course, why it is so necessary that we do the opposite and continue to hear and tell the stories of those who have lost people in the violence. More than pictures of bodies, drug kingpins, narco tunnels or police raids, their testimonies go to the heart of the violence in Mexico, how it affects ordinary people and why we should care. Newspaper says one of the three people charged is believed to be a third would-be airport bomber who fled the scene. Belgian prosecutors have charged three men with terrorist offences, including a suspect who local media said appeared on security footage with two suicide bombers at Brussels airport shortly before they detonated their bombs. Authorities identified the suspect on Saturday as Faycal C., although Belgian media reported his full name as Faycal Cheffou. Prosecutors alleged that he was the man wearing a hat and a light-coloured jacket in last Tuesdays airport security camera video that showed three men pushing baggage trolleys bearing luggage. READ MORE: Belgian police detain three suspects in new raids The newspaper Le Soir reported that he is believed to be the third attacker at the airport, who has been on the run. The suspect was identified by a taxi driver who drove the attackers to the airport, the newspaper reported. Faycal C. was among those detained by authorities in raids on Thursday evening in the Schaerbeek and Jette neighbourhoods of Brussels. An arrest was also made in France on Thursday, while additional raids were carried out on Friday in Schaerbeek, Forest and Saint-Gilles areas of Brussels. Prosecutors said the home of Faycal C. was searched by investigators, but no weapons or explosives were found. Prosecutors also said that two other people were charged with participation in activities of a terrorist group but did not communicate a link between them and the Brussels attacks. The two men were identified as Aboubakar A. and Rabah N. The latter was wanted in connection with a related raid in France this week that authorities said foiled an apparent plan to carry out an attack. In total, nine people have been arrested in Belgium since Tuesday. Another two arrests were made in Germany. Nail bombs Prosecutors said the main suspects of the Brussels attacks evaded authorities by using an empty building under renovation to assemble the home-made nail bombs. Officials said there were no nearby neighbours to notice the suspects bringing in large quantities of strong-smelling household chemicals, as well as a suitcase of nails, to concoct an unstable white explosive powder known as TATP, or triacetone triperoxide. Meanwhile, Brussels airport officials said flights would not resume before Tuesday as they assessed the damage caused by the twin explosions in the terminal earlier this week. Authorities wrapped up their investigation of the crime scene at the airport, and will allow engineers into the building to check its structural safety and information technology systems and whether any damage can be repaired quickly. The Brussels Airport Company said on Saturday it is currently studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, taking into account the new security measures decided by the federal government. Brussels Airport handles 23.5 million passengers annually. It links Brussels with 226 destinations worldwide and is served by 77 different airlines. Brussels airport and a metro train were struck on March 22, leaving 31 people dead, including the bombers, and wounding at least 270 in the worst such attack in Belgian history. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, which claimed responsibility for the Brussels bombings, also took credit for coordinated attacks in Paris in November which killed 130 people. On Saturday, organisers of a peace march in Brussels announced its event on Sunday has been postponed, after appeals from officials, who said police were already overstretched, with investigations on the attacks still ongoing. Largest ethnic group in Ethiopia continues to rally against the government despite crackdown. Wolonkomi, Ethiopia Six-year-old Abi Turi and her nine-year-old brother Dereje have not been attending classes in Wolonkomi. Their school was closed in January as the Ethiopian government began what its critics call a crackdown on protests by the Oromo, the countrys largest ethnic group. It is uncertain how many people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters since November, when a series of demonstrations began. Local estimates put the figure at between 80 and above 200. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has said that more than 200 people may have died in about six months, a figure the government denies. With regards to allegations from human rights groups or self-styled human rights protectors, the numbers they come with, the stories they often paint, are mostly plucked out thin air, Getachew Reda, the information minister, told Al Jazeera. Abi and Derejes mother was among those shot in January. She was hit by a bullet in the neck. Despite receiving medical treatment, she died of her wounds in March. The little girl cries and keeps asking where her mother is. We feel her pain, said the childrens grandfather Kena Turi, a farmer. The older one cried when his mother was shot and died, but now it seems he understands shes gone. Oromo students began rallying to protest against a government plan they said was intended to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa, the capital, into Oromias farmland. Protests continue Oromia is the countrys largest region, and many there believe the government did not want to redevelop services and roads, but that it was engaged in a landgrab. Though the government shelved its Integrated Development Master Plan due to the tension, protests continued as the Oromo called for equal rights. In February, another anti-government rally turned violent. Nagase Arasa, 15, and her eight-year-old brother Elias say they were shot in their legs while a demonstration happened near their home. READ MORE: Oromo protests continue amid harsh crackdown I was in the back yard walking to the house when I was shot, Nagase told Al Jazeera. My brother was in the house. I couldnt walk I was bleeding. Then I was hit again when I was on the ground I felt the pain then my brother came to help me and he was shot too. Ethiopia has an ethnically-based federal system that gives a degree of self-rule to the Oromo people. But the Oromo opposition, some of whose members have been detained, says the system has been corrupted by the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front. A marginalised community Merera Gudina, an Oromo politician, said that members of his community feel marginalised excluded from cultural activities, discriminated against because of their different language, and not consulted in political or economic decisions. With double-digit growth over the last decade, Ethiopia has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but the majority of the Oromo remain poor. Until the Oromos get their proper place in this country I dont think it [dissent] is going to go. The government wants to rule in the old way; people are resisting being ruled in the old way, Gudina said. READ MORE: Ethiopia accused on bloody crackdown Reporting and recording human rights abuses is also risky, activists told Al Jazeera. Local and foreign journalists said attempts were made to intimidate them, with some detained. Al Jazeera spoke with local reporters who said they were too afraid to even try and cover the issue. Its very dangerous. Everybody is living in fear. They imprison people every day. People have disappeared. Doing this work is like selling my life, a human rights activist told Al Jazeera, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Government rejects claims Kumlachew Dagne, a human rights lawyer, said there was a need for public forums and consultation for debates on public policy issues to allow for different views to be heard. He added that the protesters who were injured or killed had not been armed. Many of those people were killed after the protests took place many of the people were shot in the back some were shot in the head, which shows that these people were not armed, he said. They were peaceful demonstrators. That is consistent with reports we had from victims families. The government rejects such claims as exaggerated or fabricated. People, whether they are civilians or security officials who have been involved in an excessive use of force, will be held responsible, Reda said. He said the government would consult with the Oromo people and address the underlying problems. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif insists ballistic missile programme not covered in the nuclear deal signed last July. Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has announced that his country will further boost its military arsenal, in response to a US move banning two companies with alleged links to the Iranian ballistic missile programme. Zarif said on Saturday that there are no limits to Tehrans missile capability, because this programme has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, the state television PressTV quoted him as saying. We will respond to recent US measures against Irans missile programme by further boosting our missile power, Zarif, speaking from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, said. READ MORE: Iran launches ballistic missiles during military drill Zarif was traveling with President Hassan Rouhani, who was on a two-day state visit to Pakistan. Last December, Rouhani had ordered Irans Defence Minister Hossein Dehqan to accelerate the production of various types of missiles, to improve the countrys defence. Three months later, Iran tested the long-range Qadr and Qiam ballistic missiles during military exercises on March 8 and 9. In response, the US blacklisted on Thursday the Shahid Nuri and Shahid Movahed industries, for supporting a company directly involved with Irans missile programme. Last July, Iran signed a nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers. But the agreement left a number of differences unresolved, including the issue on the use of ballistic missiles. Iran said that its ballistic missile programme is not covered in the deal, but the US and other western nations said the tests still violate a UN resolution. Iranian hacking Meanwhile in Tehran, Zarifs top spokesman said the US has no proof that hacking on US financial institutions were carried out by Iranians. The US cannot simply accuse foreign citizens and charge them without having concrete proof, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by Irans IRNA news agency. The US has charged seven Iranians with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for cyber attacks targeting the US financial sector and a dam, the Justice Department said on Thursday. Iran, which has often been a victim of cybercrime itself, condemns such hacker attacks, Ansari said. The so-called distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks occurred over 176 days from 2011 to 2013 and hit 46 financial sector institutions by disabling bank websites, preventing access to accounts and costing tens of millions of dollars to fix the problems, US officials said. One hacker also gained access to the systems of a dam outside New York City in 2013, prompting fears about the safety of the US electrical grid. The individuals worked at two Iranian computer firms, ITSecTeam and Mersad Company, that did work for the Iranian government. Those who were accused could face up to 10 years in prison, but their prosecution are unlikely because they live in Iran. Ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh calls for peace talks with Saudi Arabia as tens of thousands gather in Yemeni capital. Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the capital Sanaa on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the war between a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Iran-allied fighters who had overthrown the government. The gathering, one of the biggest in Yemen since mass protests in 2011 forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, took place ahead of a ceasefire and UN-sponsored peace talks next month. Saleh, an ally of the rebel Houthi group, made a rare appearance at the gathering, his first since the war began, offering an olive branch to the coalition. Saleh is the ultimate survivor of the Arab Spring by Peter Salisbury, Yemen analyst Yemen analyst and journalist, Peter Salisbury, told Al Jazeera that more people turned up at the rally to voice their opposition to the Saudis, rather than to support Saleh or the Houthis. We extend a hand of peace, the peace of the brave, for the direct talks with the Saudi regime without a return to the (UN) Security Council, which is incapable of resolving anything, Saleh told the crowd. Salisbury said the Houthis decision to enter into talks with Saudis has upset Saleh. There is division between his loyalists and Houthis, he said. The UN envoy announced this week that the warring parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 followed by peace talks in Kuwait from April 18 as part of a fresh push to end the crisis following two rounds of failed talks last year. The coalition joined the war to try to stop the Houthis from taking control of Yemen and to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. Trouble ahead The West-backed Hadi was ousted after Houthi forces took control of Sanaa in September 2014. Foreign forces intervened on the side of fighters loyal to Hadi six months later and are trying to prevent the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh from taking full control of the country. Saleh is the ultimate survivor of the Arab Spring, Salisbury said. He was pushed out in 2001, but managed to really remove many of his rivals from the north of the country and backed the Houthis in an attempt to militarily take the entire country by force. Despite a year of conflict, the Houthis maintain control of Sanaa, while Hadi loyalists are based in the southern port of Aden. The security vacuum in the country has created a space for al-Qaeda, which controls large chunks of territory in the southeast, Salisbury said. Even if the Saudi-led campaign can be ended, there is lot of trouble ahead, he said. The UN says almost 6,500 people have been killed around half of them civilians and at least 30,000 have been wounded. UN agencies report that more than 21 million people about 82 percent of the population need some kind of humanitarian aid or protection. More than two and a half million people have been forced from their homes. Students and teachers mourn the loss of Loubna Lafquiri, a young mother of three, after she was killed on the metro. Brussels, Belgium A popular teacher who worked at an Islamic school in Brussels was among those killed in the Brussels attacks. Teachers and students have been mourning the loss of Loubna Lafquiri, a young mother of three, after the confirmation of her death. They had been fearing the news since Tuesday, the day of the attacks, when she did not show up to work. She had been travelling via the metro. Coordinated attacks on the Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station in the Belgian capital left 31 people dead including the three attackers, and were claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. We cant be anything but angry and reject the beliefs of these people who claim to be Muslims, said Mohamed Allaf, secretary-general of the Muslim Schools Association. There is no religion in the world that advocates killing human beings. READ MORE: The slaughter of the innocent in Brussels The gym teachers students have been encouraged to express themselves in drawings, poems and messages. Other teachers said they hoped this would help the children to come to terms with their loss. In mosques across Brussels, talk of the attacks has dominated Friday prayers. Muslims have been thinking about their place in Belgian society and they are worried about the future. Khadija Zamouri, a Muslim parliamentarian in Brussels, said her children are beginning to ask questions about their faith. I hear from my own children. Its like, Can we still say that we are Muslim? Shouldnt we be secret about it? Can we say Allahu Akhbar? Its like everything to do with religion has become contaminated, she told Al Jazeera. The victims of the attacks came from several countries, including the US, UK, India, Morocco, Peru and China. A new initiative is bringing cinema culture back to Gaza, where movie theatres have been shut since the first Intifada. Gaza City The hall of the Red Crescent Society building in Gaza City quickly filled up. Groups of young people sat together in rows, their loud chatter subsiding as the lights dimmed and the screen lit up with the opening scenes of Leilas Birthday, a 2008 film by Gaza-born director Rashid Masharawi. The sight of an active cinema hall is not common in Gaza, where all cinemas were either destroyed or permanently closed around the time of the first Intifada. Save for a couple of failed attempts to reopen them in the 1990s, the 10 cinemas that existed across the coastal territory before the Intifada have remained shut ever since. What was once a drive-in cinema in Gaza is now a car park. Another former cinema in Khan Younis was reportedly turned into the headquarters of Gazas Quran and Sunna Society after the religious community argued that the cinema had shown pornographic films. The fate of cinemas in Gaza closely reflects the tumultuous history of this small sliver of land. But in recent weeks, a group of young Palestinians has been trying to restore some normalcy to the lives of Gazas 1.8 million residents, who have lived through a decade of economic siege and three wars. For a filmmaker in Gaza, every minute detail counts. My challenge, my message, is to stay and make films in Gaza. by Khalil al-Mozayen, filmmaker Gaza Cinema, led by members of the production company Ain Media, launched about six weeks ago with a goal to revive cinema culture in the besieged enclave, where younger generations have grown up without ever setting foot inside a movie theatre. Im from the generation that never experienced cinema in Gaza, 27-year-old Hossam Salem, one of the organisers, told Al Jazeera. People have a wider choice online, so one of the challenges is to get them to come and pay money to see a movie. I would like to see cinema culture one day become mainstream again. Tickets are 10 shekels ($2.50), but organisers say they can waive the fee for those who cannot afford it. Gaza Cinema is now screening films once a week, but organisers say they intend to increase that number to two amid increasing public demand. We are working with films that do not breach our tradition and that carry a good message, whether it is national or social, Salem said, noting blurbs about each film are submitted to the culture ministry for approval prior to screening. Most of the movies screened so far have been Palestinian feature films and childrens cartoons. READ MORE: Gaza cinema struggles amid post-war ruins The history of cinema in Gaza dates back to the 1940s, noted Khalil al-Mozayen, who directed a documentary called 36mm about the decline of cinema in Gaza. After 1948, war and refugees came to Gaza, Mozayen told Al Jazeera. UNRWA [the UNs Palestinian refugee agency] began showing Arabic cinema in the refugee camps. Before the film, theyd broadcast messages telling people to drink milk and clean their teeth. The project enjoyed a lot of popularity. In the 1950s, Mozayen said, businessmen started to open cinemas. But after 1967, religious groups started broadcasting messages against cinema, he said. Today, what used to be the largest of Gazas cinemas lies empty on a main thoroughfare in Gaza, its doors blocked by concrete slabs and its derelict facade partly concealed by trees. Despite the charred walls and debris strewn across the two-storey cinema hall, it is easy to imagine its former grandeur, with its neoclassical-style columns and high reliefs. A few blackened movie posters and an old lighting and sound machine remain inside. Al-Nasser Cinema used to show movies every day of the week back in the 1960s, recalled 57-year-old Waseem Khazendar, who lived across the street from the cinema during his childhood. At the time, Gaza was under Egyptian occupation, and films were brought from Egypt by train. Im from a modest family and could not go to the cinema often, Khazendar told Al Jazeera, inspecting the machine that he had helped his father, an electrical engineer, fix as a child. But I used to watch people going to the shows from my window, and I always knew what was on from the posters. Al-Nasser Cinema was closed after the 1967 war, only to be reopened a year later upon the request of the new occupying authorities, the Israelis. At that time, we could no longer bring films from Egypt; we brought films from Israel. The cinema started showing Chinese, Indian, and European films, Khazendar said. It was then that people began to stop going to the cinema. It became associated with the bad people. There are no written accounts of the history of movie theatres in Gaza. Maged Gazal, whose father co-owned the Nasser Cinema, said it closed at the end of the 1980s, during the first Intifada. It reopened for a short time after the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA), as part of a short-lived governmental initiative, but was burned down in 1996 amid clashes between PA security forces and Hamas, which rejected the Oslo Accords. Since then, Gaza has produced notable film directors, such as Rashid Masharawi and the Nasser brothers, known as Arab and Tarzan, who have pursued their careers outside of Gaza. For a filmmaker in Gaza, every minute detail counts, Mozayen said. My challenge, my message, is to stay and make films in Gaza. I work so that I can continue working, so that no one can tell me to stop. Mozayen last year organised the first human rights film festival in Gaza called Red Carpet. A red carpet was laid out in the middle of the Shujaiah neighbourhood, one of the most affected by the 2014 offensive. He is planning to organise the festival in another part of Gaza this year. Cinema should be the window that young Palestinians in Gaza view the world from, said Rama Humeid, 30, who had attended a couple of the Gaza Cinema screenings. Especially because many have never had the opportunity to leave [Gaza]. The Syrian army backed by Russia pushed deeper into ISILs stronghold of Palmyra and says it will be retaken in days. The Syrian army has advanced against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as both sides battled for control of the strategically located city of Palmyra. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that the government had managed to capture al-Amiriyah town on the northern outskirts of Palmyra. The Syrian army is pushing forward from the western parts of the city. Backed by government rocket attacks and air strikes, the army is advancing in its offensive to retake the ancient city of Palmyra, the observatory reported on their website. Al-Amiriyah town is considered the last line of defence for ISIL, Syrias state news agency, SANA said on Saturday. The operations have resulted in establishing full control over the neighborhoods of al-Mutaqaidin, al-Amiriyah and al-Jamiyat al-Gharbiyeh in Tadmur city, according to sources on the ground, SANA reported. To be restored SANA said on Saturday that the ancient citadel had been massively damaged by ISIL as it fled into the city. Palmyras ancient Roman temples and archway, blown up by ISIL last year, would be restored once the regime recaptured the city, the head of the antiquities authority, Mamoun Abdelkarim told the Reuters news agency on Saturday. Abdelkarim told Reuters he hoped Palmyra would be retaken within days, after government forces fought their way into the western and northern parts of the city, and promised to revive the Roman-era monuments as a message against terrorism. Inside Story: Why is ISIL targeting cultural heritage? SANA reported on Friday that the army, backed by forces loyal to the government, recaptured the Syriatel hill and the Palmyra castle after heavy clashes with ISIL. The army units combed the hill after destroying the last hideouts of ISIS terrorist organisation and dismantled the explosive devices left behind by its members, SANA reported on their website. SANA also reported that the Syrian army captured al-Qubour valley and al-Qusour Mountains, located 3km west of Palmyra city. The Syrian advance comes amid a government offensive to capture Palmyra that began earlier this month with support from Russian fighter jets. Read more: The future of ancient sites in the Middle East ISIL captured the city, also known as Tadmur, in May last year and began a campaign of destroying some ancient sites and using others to stage mass executions. The uprising that turned into a civil war in Syria began five years ago. More than 250,000 people have since been killed, according to the UN, and millions have fled to neighbouring countries and Europe. ISIL began capturing large swaths of territory in Syria in 2013 after wrestling territory off rebel groups and later through its own offensives against both the opposition and government. The group has held on to most its gains but has lost areas in northern Syria to Kurdish groups backed by US air strikes and Syrian forces backed by Russia. Analysis: Wrestling control of ancient city from ISIL would allow government to portray itself as defender of culture. Syrian state media this week broadcast images of pro-government troops advancing on the ancient ruins of Palmyra, located in a desert oasis northeast of Damascus. Forces loyal to the government are now said to have recaptured major parts of the historic city amid heavy clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, which took control of the area in May 2015. Palmyra is located on a strategic thoroughfare linking Damascus with Deir Az Zor in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. Control of the city would provide pro-government forces with a foothold in central Syria to extend control towards the Iraqi border. But victory at Palmyra would also represent a symbolic victory for President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers, with talks in Geneva set to resume in early April. READ MORE: Syrian army captures parts of ISIL-held Palmyra Wrestling control of the ancient city from ISIL could strengthen the Syrian governments perceived credibility in the eyes of the international community, not only as a force of moderation in Syria, but as one capable of collaborating with anti-ISIL coalition forces, analysts say. Strategically, the loss of Palmyra would not be a game-changer for the Islamic State, Aymen Jawad al-Tamimi, a fellow at the Middle East Forum think-tank, told Al Jazeera. In the larger picture, its loss may lead ISIL to try to reinforce fighting fronts in the Homs desert to prevent any further regime advances. Palmyra is more important for the regime, symbolically, to present itself as the defender of civilisation against barbarism. Imad Salamey, a political science professor at the Lebanese American University, noted that the Syrian government faces greater challenges to its authority and survival on other fronts. Deraa, Aleppo and Damascus are more strategically important. But Palmyra is extremely relevant for propaganda, Salamey told Al Jazeera. Since the outbreak of Syrias war in 2011, state media has systematically portrayed the Syrian government as the defender of Syrias religious and cultural heritage, while labelling opposition groups as terrorists. International watchdogs, meanwhile, have found the Syrian government to be responsible for the most civilian deaths in the conflict. Nadim Shehadi, the director of the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at Tufts University, believes the international community has become selective when processing such information, especially following the emergence of ISIL as a force capable of striking enemies not only in Syria and Iraq, but in Europe as well. The battle of narratives has been won by the regime and its allies, Shehadi told Al Jazeera. The regime gained legitimacy over Palmyra when ISIL took it over, because ISIL is illegitimate in the eyes of the world, so the regime becomes the legitimate custodian. First, by Mohammad without a fight, and now they are bombing it. The regime and ISIL are both enemies.] As images of Syrian government troops, standing and smiling beside road signs outside Palmyra, emerged on Thursday, UNESCOs director-general, Irina Bokova, welcomed their arrival, stating that under ISILs control, the ancient city and heritage site had become a symbol of the cultural cleansing plaguing the Middle East. Since taking control of Palmyra a year ago, ISIL fighters have destroyed a number of the ancient citys prized monuments and conducted executions in its Roman amphitheatre. Although Russian troops began to withdraw from Syria earlier this month, government advances on Palmyra have been facilitated by sorties carried out by Russian aircraft. The Russian Defence Ministry stated on Thursday that Moscow had carried out 146 strikes on Palmyra in the previous four days. At least one Russian special forces soldier was reportedly killed. Anna Borschevskaya, an expert on Russian foreign policy towards the Middle East at the Washington Institute, said Moscows involvement in Palmyra supported President Vladimir Putins projected narrative on Russias role in Syria. It fits into the narrative that Russias intervention is critical to fighting global terrorism in support of what he calls the legitimate government of Assad, Borschevskaya said. OPINION: Palmyra caught between two histories But for many pro-opposition figures, the potential PR victory for the Syrian government in Palmyra is a bitter pill. When ISIL took control of Palmyra, government troops fled without a fight. They delivered the city to ISIL, like a form of theatre, Hisham Marwah, former vice-president of the opposition Syrian National Council, told Al Jazeera. Now Assad can claim that he is liberating the city and saving culture. Mohammad Al-Khateb, a native of Palmyra and founding member of the opposition-aligned activist group, the Palmyra Revolutionary Coordination Council, says recent Russian air strikes on Palmyra have killed at least 20 civilians and damaged the citys famed archaeological ruins. Before the outbreak of Syrias war, Palmyra had a population of 70,000. This figure is said to have dwindled to 15,000 under ISILs rule. According to recent media reports, in anticipation of the battle, ISIL called on all civilians still living in Palmyra to leave. But Khateb says some people remain trapped. The bombing campaigns have been indiscriminate; some people have not been able to leave. First, the regime withdrew without a fight, and now they are bombing it, Khateb told Al Jazeera. The regime and ISIL are both enemies [of the people of Palmyra]. A year after fighting has left thousands dead, warring sides are moving towards diplomatic solution to the conflict. Over the past 365 days, a coalition of mostly Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia has been conducting air strikes in Yemen. Its main targets have been Houthi rebels who took control of the capital, Sanaa, and other areas in 2014. The power grab forced the UN-backed president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. Since then, the fighting has destroyed much of the country and killed thousands of people. Now, armed groups including ISIL (also known as ISIS) have become a serious threat in Yemen. On Friday, several suicide bombers linked to ISIL killed dozens of people in the southern port city of Aden. But, a glimpse of hope has emerged recently. Some Houthi leaders have held talks with Saudi officials with the aim of reaching a political deal. The UN has also announced the warring sides are expected to meet soon for further talks on the future of the country. So, will diplomacy work? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Hisham Al Omeisy Political analyst Khaled Batarfi Senior columnist for the Saudi Gazette Adam Baron Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations A look at the coverage of the Brussels attacks and the politics behind it; plus, the red lines in Moroccos media. On Tuesday, Brussels became the second capital city in Western Europe in less than four months to experience a deadly bomb attack. Like the Paris attacks, the story attracted wall-to-wall coverage. But also like Paris, the reporting raised the question: Why does the media focus so heavily on this story when equally deadly attacks occur in Ankara, Bamako and Baghdad? In the second wave of media coverage came the political spin the news anchors, pundits and politicians who have used the attacks in Brussels to advance their own agendas. Discussion quickly turned to the perceived threat of the refugees despite the two suicide bombers being Belgian nationals and in the US it even revived the debate around torture. To talk us through the coverage of the Brussels attacks and the politics behind it are: Habib Battah, editor of The Beirut Report; Jack Mirkinson, a reporter at Salon; Myria Georgiou, a media professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science; and Rudi Vranckx, a correspondent at Belgian state broadcaster VRT. On our radar this week: A Ukrainian pilot has been found guilty by a Russian court of complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists in Eastern Ukraine; media analysts in Kenya suspect that the countrys leading newspaper is purging journalists ahead of next years election; and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg does the rounds in China. Moroccos red line: Media vs monarchy This past week, seven journalists were to go on trial in Morocco on charges ranging from threatening state security to failing to report foreign financing. Five years ago, when the Arab Spring threatened to spread to Morocco, King Mohammed VI quelled the unrest by promising reforms and delivering a new constitution that guaranteed, among other things, freedom of expression. While Morocco has media laws that protect certain freedoms, the wording of those laws is so vague, and the possible interpretations so broad, that any reporting that crosses the line by offending the king, his political officials, national security questions, and the status of Western Sahara can land journalists in trouble. The Listening Posts Flo Philips reports on on the red tape reporters have to deal with and the future of journalism in Morocco. Ten years ago, Twitters co-founder Jack Dorsey posted the first-ever tweet. It read: just setting up my twttr. Since then the micro-blogging website has become a social media phenomenon boasting more than 320 million active users and more than a billion unique visits a month. Twitter has also broken some big news stories in just 140 characters. We end the show with a compilation of what we think have been some of the most important tweets over the past decade. Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer on documenting Indonesias killings of 1965 through the eyes of perpetrators and victims. It is one of historys greatest unknown crimes against humanity: More than a million people were killed after Indonesias military coup in 1965. The victims were accused of being communists, an umbrella that included not only members of the countrys Communist Party but also all those who opposed General Suhartos new military regime. This contrast between survivors threatened into silence, surrounded by the men who killed their loved ones, who are still in power and free to boast made me feel as though I'd wandered into Germany 40 years after the Holocaust only to find the Nazis still in power. by Joshua Oppenheimer, award-winning filmmaker The killers were often members of paramilitary groups or death squads who carried out the executions with the approval of the military government and killed with impunity. The perpetrators have stayed in power, living alongside the survivors and the victims families who were threatened into silence. Fear and anti-communist rhetoric persist in Indonesia today. For nearly 10 years, American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer researched and documented the atrocities. He spoke to victims and their families as well as the perpetrators of the crimes, shedding light on Indonesias dark past and todays impunity in his two films, The Look of Silence (2014) and The Act of Killing (2012). His first film tells the story from the point of view of the killers some of whom are celebrated as heroes in Indonesia today. The Look of Silence follows an optometrist, born two years after his brother was killed, as he meets those responsible for his brothers death. Neither film is a historical documentary about events 50 years ago. Both films are about a present-day regime of fear that subsists because everybody knows who the perpetrators are and knows what the perpetrators did, Oppenheimer tells Al Jazeera. He says that the perpetrators in his films are performing rather than re-enacting the past the present-day fantasies, lies, stories they tell themselves so they can live with what theyve done. Oppenheimer says that the films are fundamentally about impunity, but as he dug deeper, he realised it wasnt unique to Indonesia. What I was really finding there was an allegory for an impunity that defines so many of our societies. The filmmaker explains how his films have helped to spark a movement for truth, justice and reconciliation in Indonesia. I think my two films have prompted a fundamental transformation in how Indonesia talks about its past. So The Act of Killing had kind of catalysed this shift in the media. Where the media before was either silent or even celebratory of the genocide, now it talks about the genocide as a crime against humanity. And more importantly, [the media] talks about the genocide, talks about the criminal regime thats been in power in some form or other ever since 1965. Oscar-nominee Joshua Oppenheimer spoke to Al Jazeera while he was in Doha as one of five mentor filmmakers at this years Doha Film Institutes Qumra event. He spoke to us about his experiences documenting the Indonesian massacre of 1965 through the eyes of the victims and the perpetrators. You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook. Outside the classical genre, clarinet duos are not common but Turkish native Oguz Buyukberber and German, Tobias Klein, each play an assortment of clarinets including the lower octave bass and contrabass versions. Along with the more familiar Bb instrument, the two musicians cover a full spectrum of woodwind sounds. Both artists, now residing in The Netherlands, are brought together on Reverse Camouflage by the Amsterdam-based TryTone label.The program consists of structured compositions and improvisations with three of the thirteen pieces being penned by Klein and the remainder, joint efforts. The emphasis across the collection skews toward free playing and Buyukberber and Klein, who have been playing together for more than ten years, are adapt at holding the compositions together even as they push the limits beyond formal constructs. The two run the gamut from squeaks and low guttural grunts to melodic unison playing."Eptaenneadeka" opens the set with Buyukberber and Klein leisurely trading phrases back and forth before "Pallidus" introduces a clear melody but with a low, slurred, bluesy feel. "Diminutus" takes a bit more of a reflective and melodic approach, though still with a great deal of variation in its layers and density. There is an ambient element in several pieces as well, particularly on "Niveus" and later with "Tung Sten" which goes from minimalism to noise.Buyukberber and Klein provide a good amount of variety across these compact pieces. Some feel experimental, such as "Veligero," where fat round notes seem to bubble up from the surface. "Selene" is a blend of classical influences and Indian accents; not surprisingly, as Klein has spent considerable time touring in that country. At other points, Reverse Camouflage is darker, such as the mysterious "Bimaculatus" and the percussive and shadowy "Argus." Both utilize the deep, murky, lower registers of the bass instruments. The musicianship is first rate and the album, something different. The Band Photographs 1968-1969Elliott Landy160 PagesISBN: # 149502251X2015As much as the Band disavowed imagemaking, preferring to focus as strictly as possible on their music when they emerged from the shadows Bob Dylan's backing ensemble, when embarked upon their own career, they definitely nurtured a distinctive collective persona and the photography of Elliott Landy, in the midst of an illustrious career that found him capturing the essence of a range of rock and roll personalities including Hendrix Joplin and Van Morrison, was absolutely essential to that process.But the image of the Band was nothing if not an understated one, so the appearance of The Band Photographs is more than welcome as it offers credit where credit is due to the man who, for all intents and purposes, became the 'official' photographer of this iconic group, achieving that status, as indicated in the subtitle, within the relatively short time span of two years. The generally chronological arrangement of the chapters accentuates a dream-like quality to which the various essays allude, the combination of which only adds resonance for those who experienced first-hand the earliest phases of the Band's career: the sense of dislocation was much the same even then.It's important to note, however, that the approach Landy takes places these musicians in a reciprocal context that illuminates their place in musical history as much as their own legacy. And it might not have been apparent at the time these photos were taken, even to the Band itself (they turned out not to be quite as self-aware as they first seemed, except perhaps in comparison to peers of the day like the Doors), that the rustic surroundings in which Landy placed them evoked not just the pastoral air of Woodstock where they first coalesced as a unit, but the bucolic likes of the the Appalachian mountains (or slightly less so the Texas panhandle) where in lie the roots of their own music.The non-original songs they played with Dylan as contained on The Basement Tapes (Legacy, 2014) like "Ol' Lazarus." as well as covers they retained within their own repertoire, such as "Ain't No More Cane On the Brazos," had as much of an ominous undertone as the comforting simplicity to which the 'back to the land' migration of the psychedelic community aspired at the time Music From Big Pink (Capitol, 1968) was released. And the aura of mystery in that music surrounded the Band as well, which makes the black and white photos here, on the cover and inside the 12x12 hardcover, look very much of a time and place beyond (not necessarily behind), the flower power era that had just passed at the time of the photo sessions.Thus, it's no coincidence that the color photos here find the group dressed in earth colors that contrast the kaleidoscopic dress styles of that era (and the Joshua Light show in use at the Fillmore East). The Band Photographs 1968-1969 predate the latter stages of their career, including the periods of doldrums in upstate New York, the apparently riotous days of the 1974 tour with Dylan and the phase when they strove to match their early output and, arguably, did so only with Norther Lights, Southern Cross (Capitol, 1975). But Landy and editor Rachel Ana Dobken's ultra-focused concept reveals the truth behind the perceptions of the Band: they were an ensemble not just conscious of their roots, but reverent of them too, albeit just enough so to do them justice while simultaneously elevating their own artistry.Carefully annotated in the back pages, this sumptuous array photos does further justice to the group by illustrating that, no matter how serous they were about making music, when they were away from their instruments, the stage and the studio (in whatever form it took: homely split-level or sumptuous digs in the Hollywood Hills), they were easygoing good-humored men who enjoyed each others' company and that of friends and family. Although it's never mentioned directly, even in former road manager Jonathan Taplin's essay, this book will ensure that the rancor that arose around the time of The Last Waltz (Warner Bros., 1976) and beyond, remains in its proper perspective.Even so, the accompanying text from Landy, Taplin producer and musician John Simon, who worked on the group's two earliest landmark albums as well as Dobken, isn't sentimental as it is honestly affectionate toward the people and places documented in the book. As much as the Band stood apart from the mainstream around the time of these photos, so does this book preserve their distinct individual and collective personalities in such a vivid way, these visuals evoke the sounds they created even as they stand on their own terms. Those reciprocal effects are so strong on The Band Photographs 1968-1969, there's no higher compliment to pay the book. . AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] Once upon a time there were people who naively fantasized about how all the incompatible cultures of the world were going to magically blend, weaving a beautiful tapestry of colors and variations. They called this Multiculturalism. Increasingly, the tapestry is made up of glass shards and human remains. At what point do we begin to tally the lives ruined or taken by members of all the guest cultures from members of all the host cultures? Pretty soon, I hope, since that seems to be a recurring element of multiculturalism. Wherever you see one, you see the other. Cultures are either consciously abandoned, or consciously enforced. The theory of multiculturalism has always been a tonic for simpletons, since it celebrates the perpetuation and imposition of an incompatible culture, still being practiced by those who carry it, upon a host culture with which it is mutually exclusive. Multiculturalism is entirely subversive. It is intended to force one or more cultures upon the hosts who do not want or need them. Since both cultures cannot successfully coexist within the host, which has its own successful working culture, the purpose of the exercise has always been fraudulent. The melting pot concept worked not because of the concept of multiculturalism, but as testament against it. Those who came here in our parents and grandparents generation consciously chose to abandon the cultures they left in favor of the American culture. They became Americans, embracing one culture. If one was being less generous than to call multiculturalism a tonic for simpletons, it would be more accurate to say that modern leftist multiculturalism is actually a weapon. Its purpose is not to enhance the host, but to consume it. If the hosts culture is peaceful, it has no use for malcontents who insist upon the dominance of their native culture. Malcontents, in the form of angry and entitled guests, foment chaos and disorder. And yet, the leftists insist that we demonstrate our cultural superiority by abandoning the superiority of our own culture and importing incompatible languages, traditions, practices, and morals. Europe is being forced to account for its misguided multiculturalism on a grand scale, as it is being invaded and conquered voluntarily by the proponents and carriers of multiculturalism. Belgium, which prides itself on its diversity and multiculturalism, has been duly thanked this week by those it welcomed and upon whom it gifted its liberties and freedoms. France has also recently been thanked. So too has been the UK, Germany, Sweden, and all the rest, as their own cultures are being swept aside to accommodate those who intend to assassinate the culture, rather than assimilate. Increasingly, among the practitioners of aggressive multiculturalism, their gratitude is often measured in lives destroyed and the quantity of blood spilled to overwhelm the host. It is measured in rapes, and violent crimes, and pedophilia, and human trafficking, and all of the niceties of the guest cultures that have been blindly welcomed or ignored by the host, whose tolerance was only exceeded by its stupidity. Indeed, Americans have been thanked and continue to be thanked by all sorts of carriers of multiculturalism. The open southern border, an instrument of forced multiculturalism, has brought us gangs, and criminals, and drugs, and murderers, and cartels, all of which are simply part of the cultures of the countries from which their carriers traveled to enrich us with their superiority. The left so values these contributions, including the senseless murders of Americans by repeat offenders who prey on American citizens with the tacit permission of our government, that they proudly tout their sanctuary cities, which aid and abet the predators, while sacrificing the prey in the name of tolerance and smug superiority. We have been similarly thanked by radical Islamists, who have bombed us, shot us, and terrorized us for not surrendering to their culture, with all the superiority that comes with honor killings, female mutilation, subjugation of women, beheadings, throwing gays from rooftops, genocide and hatred of everyone and everything that is incompatible with their culture. Our government so approves of this that it facilitates the migration/importation of even more carriers of such culture in the form of Syrian Muslim immigrants whom it cannot vet, many of whom travel on forged visas created by ISIS to permit them to enter target countries undeterred. Even among Americans, who are free and have unlimited opportunities available to them, we are beginning to understand the extent of the anti-American subcultures that have arisen, and are working just as diligently to defeat us. There is within our own borders a rising culture of anti-Constitutional, anti-American aggression and fascism, perpetrated upon Americans by other Americans who are so assured of their own moral and intellectual superiority that they have no need of laws that constrain their dominance over their fellow citizens. They are smarter and better than the rest of us, because they say so. At the same time, we have a cultural movement embodied by innumerable young adults, trained to be perpetual crybabies and losers, convinced of their entitlement to steal the property and money of others, whom they mindlessly hate for successes that they cannot fathom, animated by puppeteers who themselves are paragons of failure. They think nothing of employing violence against those whom they have never met and do not know, but hate entirely. Make no mistake. The anti-American subculture growing in the United States is surprisingly deeply rooted and has even more potential to destroy this country than anything the left can import. They are carriers of their pathology, and they use our politics and media to infect. Like the other corrosive cultures, theirs celebrates lawlessness, injustice, and violence because they advance the goals of fear and intimidation. The extent of violence is the only remaining question mark, since most anti-American culturalists have not yet engaged in open homicide of their ideological enemies. The obvious exception is the Black Lives Matter subculture, which long ago jumped over that line and was rewarded by their allies with publicity and fake credibility. Will relative restraint continue if a candidate is nominated for president who recognizes the cancer that the anti-American culturalists represent to our national survival? Dont count on it. These are the ideological children of Bill Ayers. We will transition from a war of words to the inevitable war of violence, because they will start it to survive, confident they wont be blamed. Watch what happens this summer in Cleveland, by which time it will have begun, and how it is covered. Either we win, or they do, but our cultures are mutually exclusive. Imagine Winston Churchill refusing to say "Hitler." And then think how Hitler would interpret Churchill's silence. Like other killers in power, Hitler was an expert in spreading terror, because fear is the cheapest way to force enemy submission. Jihadis have known that since the Qur'an in the 7th century. Communists have known it since Marx's 1848 article on revolutionary terror. Nazi experts have known it since Mein Kampf. If our national defenders are not allowed to say "Muslim" or "jihad," all completely accurate words, we have already surrendered in the mind of the enemy. This is why Obama and the Democrats will never, never say the word "jihad." They have the childlike superstitious belief that not saying the bad word will make the threat disappear. Endless signals of submission and surrender to jihad were the direct cause of the terror attacks in Brussels, Paris, and all the rest. Angela Merkel's public submission to the rapefugee flood of sharia-indoctrinated teenagers in Germany was a clear and open signal of surrender to jihad. Tuesday's Brussels massacre is their answer: Europe is a big fat, lazy, mentally fixated, and cowardly target for war-hungry jihad killers around the world, and Europe will get hit again and again until it collapses (unless by some miracle it recovers its common sense). Until then, Europe is just paying off murderers to murder again. Only two modern nations have fought jihad successfully: Israel and Russia. Russia did it by destroying whole cities in Chechnya, and bombing pretty indiscriminately in Syria. Israel will never tell us how they do it, but they are a lot more selective than Russia. Russia and Israel do what Western militaries are never allowed to do in the Jihad War: naming and studying the enemy. Until the U.S. and Europe overcome our suicidal P.C. taboos, they will keep being victims. The United States suffered by far the biggest assault since Pearl Harbor on 9/11/01, by a Saudi-indoctrinated team of suicide-killers. But Bill Clinton and our other "leaders" never pinpointed the plain and obvious aggressors: Saudi billionaires indoctrinated in Wahhabi warmongering, and their willing executioners. To this day the Clintons will not say the word "jihad" in public. Obama will never let the words "Muslim killers" pass his lips, and therefore aids and abets the enemy of the civilized world. Like Obama, Eurosocialists live in the cult delusion that being nice will stop jihad. That is why they keep getting attacked by jihadist maniacs, who really believe that Allah will welcome them into paradise if they die in the act of murdering you and me, your family and children. It's all in excellent sources on the web, which means ignorance is culpable. Nobody can say he did not know. Ignorance is no excuse not if the facts are at your fingertips. You might not believe whatever the jihad killers believe, but that makes zero difference. They believe it 100%, and that is what matters. They think you are crazy and ignorant, and you're better off dead, along with your family and country. They don't mind dying for Allah. You do. Period. Suicidal war cultures are a dime a dozen in human history. The anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon has finally convinced other anthropologists that humans are warlike, and some peoples a lot more than others. The Imperial Japanese were suicide-warriors. Toward the end of WWII, the Nazis and Hitlerjugend were turned into suicide killers. In 19th century India, the Thuggee cult killed for pleasure and honor. In the Philippines and Malaysia, murder-suiciders still sometimes run amok. Charles Darwin saw naked Yanamamo Indian warriors running wild on his voyage of the Beagle in 1836. Only P.C.-deluded moderns are completely ignorant of suicide warfare, and their ignorance is willful. As for jihadist doctrinaire suicide-killing, it has plagued the world for 1,500 years, from the Middle East to North Africa, Asia, Spain, France, Eastern Europe, and India. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI quoted the following letter by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Paleologus II, while the Orthodox Byzantine Empire was under siege by jihadist hordes. Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhumane, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. That's about as nice a way as you can tell the truth. Pope Benedict was ridiculed by the P.C. ignoramuses, of course. And the Byzantine (Christian) Empire of North Africa was soon destroyed by jihad, leaving only the deserts of North Africa today. The EU cult that runs the former nations like Belgium lives in deep denial. They love to blame the victims, like the U.S. and Israel, and of course the provocatively dressed women of Germany and Sweden. Really. Check it out if you don't believe it. The most important lesson of yet another public massacre in Brussels is that it was self-inflicted by the cult that runs the place. Real leaders lead. False leaders mislead. Europe today has only a few real leaders Geert Wilders, Putin, Marine le Pen, and others who have the guts to tell the truth. Euro media scapegoat them as often as they can, on the fantasy that the crocodile will eat them last as Churchill said when the almost identical monster grew to ferocious size in Germany. We may never know what Obama really believes, because he certainly will never tell us. But by his actions he has enabled jihad against America. The Eurosocs in control of the place are essentially Obama clones. They are abject surrender monkeys. At least the Byzantine emperor told the truth about warmongering Islam in his time. The Swedes, Norwegians, Germans, French, and Belgians will never get to the point of telling the truth. Our politicians are no better than the Eurosocs, and their cowardice will bring disaster if they stay in power. This is just another reason to throw the rascals out before ISIS gets its dirty bomb, about this time next year. (But of course the Euro rulers are appointed, not elected, and they will never voluntarily relinquish power.) Today the biggest U.S. election issue is survival. Think about it, please. Our politicians will never get it until it's too late. Hes just not that into us. Barack Obama pretty clearly sees America as a malign force in the world. Wouldnt it be nice to have a president who actually thinks America is a good country, with a noble history of creating a nation depending on the consent of the governed, freeing its slaves at great cost in blood and treasure, twice saving Europe from tyranny, rebuilding and democratizing its vanquished enemies, and providing a cornucopia of invention and culture to all humanity? Call me a dreamer Photo credit: Paolo Reversi Rihanna is giving fans special treatment on her ANTI tour. After letting a man sing "FourFiveSeconds" with her, she's also signing autographs ...onstage. While giving your signature is normally reserved for meet-and-greets, Rihanna decided to give an album autograph while she was performing in front of thousands at her Detroit show earlier this week, which she posted on Instagram. Prior to that, fan footage captured Rihanna at her Washington D.C. concert as she signed two different sneakers from her Puma collection. Rihanna's ANTI tour will continue hitting major cities in the U.S. before wrapping up May 7, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. She will then begin her international leg June 11 in Amsterdam, wrapping up August 12 in Switzerland. An epic blunder by police in the lead up to the terror attacks in Belgium may have cost 34 people their lives. The first mistake made by authorities was a failure to share information that could have headed off the attack. A small town in the northern part of the country had received a tip regarding the whereabouts of Salah Abdeslam, the subject of a massive, continent wide manhunt following the attacks in Paris. But the police chief failed to pass on the address to counter terrorism authorities. Time: Yet those assurances came amid increasing details about bungled intelligence gathering in the months before Tuesdays attacks, with Belgian officials overlooking crucial information or simply failing to share it within the countrys highly fragmented policing structure. On Friday, the local police chief of Mechelen, a small city 13 miles northeast of Brussels, said his department had received a tip in early Decembernearly four months agoabout the possible whereabouts of Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving attacker from the Paris massacre on November 13, which killed 130 people. Abdeslam, 26, had slipped back into Belgium during the hours after the Paris attacks, then hid in his Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, evading street-to-street police raids for months. Last Friday, a SWAT team finally nabbed himat the exact address that a relative of Abdeslam had given Mechelen police last December. After Belgiums Dutch-language media broke the news on Friday, Mechelen police chief Yves Bogaerts told reporters that it was not clear back in December that Abdeslam might be hiding at that address, so his small department had not passed the address to the federal anti-terrorism unit responsible for hunting him down. There was no information deliberately withheld, Bogaerts told reporters in Mechelen. A mistake was made internally in the police force. Even more incredibly, once Abdeslam was in custody, authorities did not ask him about future attacks. Washington Post: Abdeslam, believed to be the logistics chief of the Islamic States November attacks in Paris, was apprehended March 18, apparently spurring one of the Brussels attackers to write that he feared capture by the police. But after Abdeslams arrest, investigators concentrated solely on the Paris attacks. Abdeslam was questioned for two hours last Saturday, the day after he was captured in a raid at a Brussels safe house and then no other discussions were held until after Tuesdays attacks, when he refused to speak further, prosecutors said. The failure to push Abdeslam for concrete intelligence even as close associates were known to be on the loose adds to an emerging picture of intelligence agencies, police forces and criminal investigators that repeatedly failed to take advantage of opportunities to avert the attacks on Tuesday, the worst single day of violence in Belgium since World War II. Perhaps most damning; get a load of the explanation by Belgian interrogators on why they didn't press Abdeslam for details on future attacks: Sources told Politico that interrogators had questioned Abdeslam only once, on Saturday, and only for one hour. After that interrogation, Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said in a press conference that Abdeslam had told interrogators he had been ready to restart something in Brussels. Yet interrogators apparently hesitated in hammering Abdeslam for details. He seemed very tired and he had been operated on the day before, one unnamed official explained to Politico, while another said interrogators were not thinking about the possibilities of what happened on Tuesday morning. Playing the world's smallest violin is inadequate to describe how most of us feel about the terrorist's well being. "Not thinking," indeed. Ultimately, that's where authorities botched the investigation. No imagination, no thinking outside the box. Just a bunch of flat feet oblivious to the threat against their country. The Belgian people were ill-served by their first line of defenders. Asad Shah, 40, a devout Muslim originally from the Pakistani city of Rabwah, had his head stamped on during a savage attack, according to one eyewitness. Around four hours earlier the victim wrote online: "Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation. "Let's follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds." On Friday afternoon, police confirmed that a 32-year-old Muslim man had been arrested in connection with Mr Shah's death. A spokeswoman added: "A full investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced." The victim was found seriously injured on Minard Road, Glasgow, and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he later died on Thursday. An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Record: As I drove past I saw two men standing over the victim. "One was stamping on his head. There was a pool of blood on the ground. It was horrific. The police arrived in minutes and the poor guy was getting CPR at the scene. I really hope he pulls through. On his Facebook page, Mr Shah describes himself as the self-employed owner of Shah's Health and Fitness. His social media account also features videos of Mr Shah in prayer. In previous posts, he also called "unconditional real love for all mankind". A police incident unit is stationed near the murder scene, while a body tent is visible. Resident Isabella Graham, 64, said Mr Shah had previously employed her daughter at the shop. She said: "He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldn't do enough for you. He wouldn't hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. I can't believe he's gone." If you think Obamas actions in Cuba showed some sort of disinterest in terrorism, or disrespect for the victims, you might be right. It is an inconvenient subject for Obama. It forces him to again have to try to differentiate terrorists and minimize their numbers from all others who might be in the camp of the unmentionable and much larger group -- radical Islamists, and almost alone describe the bad guys as ISIL rather than ISIS. For Obama,there are good victims of terrorism, and bad victims of terrorism. Annika Hernroth-Rothstein writes: Do Trump apologists have a clue as to the visceral dislike many women, especially married women, have for any man who ditches his wife for a younger model? In the latest polling, 73 percent of registered female voters in the United States had an unfavorable view of Trump, while [a] recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 47 percent of Republican women could not see themselves supporting Trump. Dumping his first wife for a newer model haunted McCain and may have cost him the nomination in 2000, when he probably would have won the general election. That Trump dumped Ivana, who is almost his own age, for the 15-year-younger Marla in a most cruel way, comparing the two women's sexual allure in the tabloid press, disgusts them. That he later dumped Marla for the decade-younger Melania deepens that disgust. Women have also noticed that when Donald shares a stage with Melania his body language does not show much affection for her. The Trump supporters seem to want to see a stud with a poised wife. I suspect much of the rest of the world sees a perpetual juvenile with a penchant for gold diggers with shady pasts. For the above reasons, I tend to agree with the idea that Trump might dump Melania. His whole image requires him to be a true stud, which precludes a menopausal spouse. I also have to wonder. What is it that some men see in these obviously enhanced beauties like Melania? Some of the more tawdry celebrity gossip sites are full of jokes about Melania's many cosmetic augmentations. If you look at the pictures over the years, she has had a lot of work done and much of it is not subtle. (Hillary definitely has had a more skilled plastic surgeon.) What I find laughable is how in many of the nude shots the perfect circular arc of implants are visible under the skin. Do these men enjoy hugging a pair of rocks, or is it just that they think that they would be envied by other men if they could acquire similar arm candy? Note: author corrected We now have a date for when the HTC 10 will be officially unveiled, which is April 12th, and itll be an online-only event. Thats basically what the company did to unveil the HTC One A9 last fall as well, held the event in an empty stadium (where their Tidal concert was happening later) and announced the device in virtual reality. Were just a few weeks away from the HTC 10s unveiling and it looks like the leaks arent stopping anytime soon. Coming out of China, we have plenty of live images of the HTC 10, including one with the inside of the back panel. The HTC 10 appears to line up to all of the leaks weve seen thus far. Including having those chamfered edges on the device. In theory, that should help with holding the device more comfortably, as well as it not slipping out of your hand. Something that is usually an issue with metal smartphones like the HTC One M7, One M8 and One M9.On the back we have the round camera, making a return. Instead of a square camera with rounded corners that we saw on the HTC One M9 last year. We have dual LED flash on the back and what appears to be laser auto-focus. Which would be a nice addition to the HTC 10. Advertisement As far as specs go, they appear to lineup perfectly with previous rumors. So we have a 5.15-inch quad HD Super AMOLED display (thats a 25601440 resolution display) along with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 inside, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It does look like were sticking with a 12-megapixel camera on the back of the device. Which may not be a bad thing, considering its still rumored to be sporting the Sony IMX377 sensor which is what we have on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. Both of which take some amazing pictures. HTC will be marketing it as an UltraPixel camera though. Boomsound is still there, but the front-facing speakers are not. There is said to be a pretty great amplifier inside which will still provide some great audio from the HTC 10. Well know all of the specs and details in just a few weeks when HTC unveils it on April 12th. Emory University students panic after someone writes the word Trump on a sidewalk So toxic is Donald Trump that even seeing his name reduces students to jellies. To Georgia, USA: Emory University students say they are in pain and afraid after someone left pro-Donald Trump chalk messages on their Atlanta campus, according to the student newspaper. Im supposed to feel comfortable and safe here, The Emory Wheel quoted one unnamed student as saying. But this man is being supported by students on our campus and our administration shows that they, by their silence, support it as well. I dont deserve to feel afraid at my school. The chalkings appeared overnight, saying Trump 2016, according to the newspaper. About 40 students held a protest demanding action from the administration, chanting You are not listening! Come speak to us, we are in pain! That Emory comedy club. What a hoot. It is a parody, right? Wrong: I legitimately feared for my life, Paula Camila Alarcon, a freshman at Emory who identifies as Latino, told The Daily Beast. I thought we were having a KKK rally on campus. It was deliberate intimidation. Some of us were expecting shootings. We feared walking alone, freshman Jonathan Peraza added. Grab the safe space mop and bucket: College president Jim Wagner met with the students, who expressed anxiety that the writings were threats to their safety rather than political speech, considering Georgias Republican primary was held earlier this month. The students shared with me their concern that these messages were meant to intimidate rather than merely to advocate for a particular candidate, having appeared outside of the context of a Georgia election or campus campaign activity, Wagner wrote in a university-wide email Tuesday. During our conversation, they voiced their genuine concern and pain in the face of this perceived intimidation. Jim Wagner might be beyond parody. How the hell did he get a job in education? Anorak Posted: 26th, March 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink Documents abandoned by IS fighters and statements from captured IS fighters indicate an ongoing oil trade link between Ankara and Daesh. Seized files include invoices, quantities, and lorry information. Civilians have been forced to work in refineries. Often unmanned Turkish border crossings facilitate IS recruits and fighters movement. Istanbul (AsiaNews) Documents abandoned by retreating Islamic State (IS) fighters in northern Syria found by Kurdish fighters, along with statements by captured fighters, provide evidence of a Turkey-IS oil trade link, this according to a documentary crew from the Russian RT television network. Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) found the documents after they seized the city of Ash Shaddadi, and detained several foreign fighters from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who confirmed ties between Turkey and IS (also known by its Arabic acronym of Daesh) Since Syrias civil war broke out, IS took over large swathes of Syria and Iraq. Beheadings, mass killings, and enslavement of entire ethnic groups, as well as apparent involvement in the Paris and Brussels attacks have given the group wide publicity, which it has skillfully exploited online. For some analysts and experts, running a viable military and political organisation would be impossible without external logistical and financial support. In addition to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey is considered one of ISs main supporters, something that Turkish authorities have vehemently denied. Facts on the ground tell another story. Some of the files seized include detailed invoices used by IS to calculate daily revenues from their oil fields and refineries, as well as the amount of oil extracted there. All the documents have the IS logo at the top. Each invoice had the drivers name; the lorrys type and weight, full and empty; as well as agreed price and invoice number. One invoice dated 11 January 2016 says that IS had extracted some 1,925 barrels of oil from the Kabibah oil field and sold it for US$ 38,342. RT spoke to local residents forced to work at IS-controlled oil field about what it was like working for the groups refinery and where the oil was sold. The latter was delivered to an oil refinery, where it was converted into gasoline, gas and other petroleum products. Then the refined product was sold, locals told the RT. Then intermediaries from Raqqa and Aleppo arrived to pick up the oil and often mentioned Turkey. A Turkish IS recruit captured by the Kurds provided important information about the IS-Turkish connection, claiming that IS sells oil to Turkey in such quantities that Turkish authorities had to know. A Kurdish soldier also showed passports from the dead bodies of IS fighters, and documents of several jihadists who had come from all over the world, including countries such as Bahrain, Libya, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tunisia, and Turkey itself. Captured foreign fighters said that they entered Syria and Iraq through unmanned Turkish crossing points. Under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankaras logistical support for foreign fighters trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assads government, or at least its non-interference with their cross-border movements, has been widely reported. A lot of IS propaganda material has also been printed in Turkey. Turkey is ISs direct neighbour. If it was willing to close the connection between Turkey and IS, the terrorist organisation could no longer survive, the author of the RT documentary said. Pardon me, Honda, but are you out of your goddamn bleeding mind? Whats done its done, though. Honda has discovered the defective design following a review of Takatas documents and presentations.As it happens, Honda had asked Takata in a hush-hush manner to change the design of said airbags after it found out about a death and four injuries linked to Honda vehicles equipped with Takata inflators. The thing is, neither Honda nor Takata wanted to acknowledge that the design flaw was larger in nature, which is why neither Honda nor Takata informed regulators about the faulty inflators.From my point of view, thats as shallow as a blonde teenage girl on a reality show. From a legal point of view, Honda could soon take the grunt of liability suits on top of the existing class action, state, and federal lawsuits. Make no mistake about it, nobody in their right mind will buy an excuse in the vein of Its one hundred percent the suppliers problem, not Honda's.Honda, like any car-making company with sales operations in the United States of America, is responsible for every nut and bolt that goes into their cars. Honda is obliged to report a problem with any of those parts, be they developed in-house or acquired from a supplier such as Takata. But Honda failed to comply for reasons that I cant quite comprehend. Fingers crossed regulators will bring those reasons to light in the near future.Honda has recalled approximately 8.5 million vehicles over the defective airbags manufactured by Takata. Still, Jeep likes to play with its imagination every year and see what crazy ideas can actually be turned into working concepts. The Comanche is one of them, a tiny truck with Trailhawk looks that made its debut earlier this month at the Easter Jeep Safari. It's painted in a funky color called "Beige Against the Machine" and looks like it descended from WWII army vehicles.We bet the idea of a shrunken truck is floating around the corporate offices of the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance. Because even RAM is considering the idea, as Mike Manley said the following in a recent interview: "I think theres opportunity there in the U.S. if you look at whats happened in the mid-size segment here - significant growth last year. I think that space is big enough, certainly, to have two offerings there."Manley also added that there was potential for RAM to use a Fiat pickup platform. That's important because the Toro truck recently launched in Brazil shares its underpinnings with the Jeep Renegade and the same 1.8-liter engine with flex fuel capabilities is available on both.As a one-off, the Comanche is special in many ways. It's equipped with a diesel engine, like the Renegade models that are sold in Europe. It also features a bed that appears production-ready, which is strange. The guys at TFL Truck make a great point in their short review of the concept: people won't buy a two-door pickup, which is why the regular Tacoma was discontinued. But maybe it will work as a fashion statement, like weathered jeans and many fake beards, only with an army twist. Photo courtesy of Volkswagen. A federal district judge has extended a deadline for Volkswagen to submit a plan to recall 600,000 diesel-powered vehicles with emissions cheat software, reports Bloomberg. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco on March 24 set a deadline of April 21 for the company to come up with a detailed plan. Breyer had previously given the company the March 24 deadline, and said "substantial progress" has been made in granting the extenton. The cost of buying back the affected vehicles could cost $9.4 billion, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. A Kelley Blue Book analyst put the amount at $7.3 million. Volkswagen can't move past its diesel challenge until a solution is confirmed for all cars that don't meet current standard," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "While any fix for these vehicles will be complex and costly, every delay extends the timeframe to get past this scandal and on to rebuilding the brand." A supersonic passenger jet inspired by the Concorde is under development in Colorado as a partnership between startup firm Boom and Virgin Galactics manufacturing arm, The Spaceship Company. Boom, founded by former Amazon executive and pilot Blake Scholl, wants to build a jet that can make a 3.4-hour round-trip flight from New York to London for $5,000 per passenger. The companys website promotes supersonic speed business class price and flights at Mach 2.2, faster than the Concorde and 2.6 times the speed of airliners. Bloombergs article this week on the project notes that the new jet would improve on ticket prices and other problems that saddled the Concorde program, which was retired in 2003. Booms composite-built aircraft would be quieter and more efficient, and carry up to 40 passengers who would all enjoy window seats right next to the aisle unlike the Concorde, which paired cabin seats along its single aisle and could carry around 100 passengers. However, the startup backed by venture capital has raised just over $2 million and would need many times that to certify its design, according to Bloomberg, which quoted an industry consultant who called the concept intriguing but questioned the viability of Scholls plans. Under Booms manufacturing deal, Virgin has the option for the first 10 jets, and an unnamed European airline intends to buy up to 15 of them, according to a Fortune report. Boom estimates it can get a one-third scale test aircraft in the air in 2017, Fortune reported. 26 March 2016 12:40 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani serviceman, lance sergeant Elshad Abbaszade was killed as a result of armed clashes on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on March 25, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry has expressed deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the killed serviceman. Abbaszade has been posthumously awarded with the third degree medal "For Distinction in Military Service" in accordance with the order issued by Azerbaijans defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov. The losses of the Armenian side are yet to be determined. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 14:43 (UTC+04:00) The information spread by the Armenian side that allegedly, Armenian civilians suffered as a result of the shelling by Azerbaijani armed forces, is false, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry told Trend March 26. Azerbaijans Defense Ministry denies these allegations of Armenians who suffer losses in manpower and military equipment. Azerbaijani armed forces hold only the positions, trenches, military facilities, vehicles and communications of the enemy at gunpoint, according to the ministry. Each time, following the visit of representatives of Armenias military and political regime to the front line, the tension on the contact line increases, which is aimed at artificially exacerbating the situation, said the Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 18:30 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijan Tourism Association and Russia`s Tyumen region have signed a memorandum of cooperation for a three year term. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of Travel and Tourism international exhibition in Moscow. Under the deal, the sides will conduct experience exchange, organize joint conferences, workshops and exhibitions, and implement joint projects. Tyumen enjoys fruitful partnership with a number of Azerbaijani regions. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, trade between Azerbaijan and Tyumen made 5.2 million US dollars in 2015. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Iran and France's Total have signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on giant South Azadegan oil field, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told Mehr News Agency. According to the signed agreement, Total is allowed to study the giant oil field to decide whether to get involved or not. Further details were not revealed. Earlier, the Project Director of the Development Project of South Azadegan Seyed Mahmoud Marashi said that according to preliminary estimates, the expected volume of investment to develop the second phase of South Azadegan would be less than $5 billion. Iran has developed the first phase of this field. Currently Iran produces 30,000 barrels per day from Azadegan, but the country plans to increase this figure to 320,000 barrels per day by completing the first phase and developing the second and third phases of this project. Iran also signed an agreement with Total earlier to export 160,000 barrels of crude oil. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 11:00 (UTC+04:00) President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday, discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as economic cooperation at regional and international levels, Irna reported. Immediately after the meeting between the two heads of state, Rouhani's accompanying delegation began negotiations with their Pakistani counterparts. Iran and Pakistan signed six documents, mostly focused on boosting economic ties. During President Rouhani's visit to Islamabad, the sides signed documents including the commercial 5-year strategic plan, cooperation between Iran and Pakistans chamber of commerces, as well as the Central Insurance of Iran and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. Following signing up of six cooperation documents between Iranian and Pakistani officials, President Rouhani said that Iran and Pakistan are determined to promote their bilateral relations particularly in the economic field and in the fight against terrorism. 'In the negotiations, we discussed economic relations and the capacity to expand them including in the fields of energy, gas, and export of electricity,' he said about the meeting with Pakistani Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif. President Rouhani thanked the government and people of Pakistan for receiving him and the accompanying top-ranking delegation and said that cultural commonalities of the two neighboring countries facilitate their bilateral cooperation. 'Iran and Pakistan are also determined to cooperate in the fight against terrorism,' he said. 'Tehran and Islamabad agree that regional problems have to be settled through negotiations and political solutions.' President Rouhani congratulated his hosts on the occasion of Pakistan Day and Norouz. Rouhani arrived in Islamabad on March 25 and met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. During the meeting they discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as economic cooperation at regional and international levels. Upon his arrival at the airport, the president was accorded warm welcome by Nawaz Sharif. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh, Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh, Director of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif and Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce Mohsen Jalalpour are accompanying the president in his visit to Pakistan. Mohammad Nahavandian, the chief of staff of the presidential office, Hossein Fereidoun, a special advisor to President Rouhani, Hessameddin Ashena, an advisor to the president on cultural affairs, Ali Osat Hashemi, the governor-general of the bordering Sistan-Baluchestan province as well as a 60-member group of Iranian businesspersons and representatives of private sector are also among those accompanying the president in his Islamabad visit. Developing bilateral relations, especially in economic areas after the nuclear deal and the subsequent lifting of sanctions, is among the most important issues to be discussed between the two sides. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 11:30 (UTC+04:00) Turkmenistan and Turkey have discussed the promising areas of cooperation in transportation and logistics, said the message from Turkmenistans Foreign Ministry. The discussions were held during the meeting with chairman of the executive committee of Turkeys International Transporters Association, Nejat Fatih Sener, at Turkmenistans Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the parties emphasized the importance of comprehensive cooperation between the transportation ministries for creating multilateral transportation and transit corridors. Turkmenistan is ready to be an active partner and participant of the Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) program, since the creation of a western transportation corridor from Central Asia is of great importance for reviving the Great Silk Road. Turkmenistan hosted a five-party meeting of heads of railway and maritime agencies of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Georgia in early March. The meetings agenda included the development of the East-West multi-modal transportation corridor and joint measures for increasing the transit traffic. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00) A medical emergency helicopter faced a fatal accident in the southern province of Fars on Friday evening while on an emergency mission in which all 10 passengers abroad perished. 'Six crew, one emergency technician, and three injured patients lost their lives in the accident which happened at 20:30 local time,' Director General for Crisis Management HQ at the Fars Province's Governorate General told IRNA. The chopper failed to reach Shiraz and fell down around 20 kilomoters of the city, Hassan Fayyazpour said. Earlier, an official in the Shiraz Medical Sciences University told IRNA that totally 7 people -- the flight crew, four paramedics, one patient and the accompanying person -- lost their lives in the air crash. The medicopter was one of the twin emergency service choppers providing medical support in the province. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 10:39 (UTC+04:00) Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, is not dead and negotiations over realization of the project continue, the Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamid Reza Iraqi told Fars News Agency. "Pakistan has agreed to build a 100km-pipeline from Gwadar port to Iran's borders to intake gas," Araqi added. He said that, once Iran offered to give $500 million loan to Pakistan in 2013 to build the pipeline in its territory, but the proposal was canceled by Tehran and Pakistan didn't start the construction of the pipeline. Tehran has already invested over $2 billion to construct the Iranian side of the pipeline, though it hasn't been completed entirely. But there was serious doubts about how Pakistan could finance the $1.5 billion needed for construction of 900km pipeline. After signing an agreement between Pakistan and China to build a LNG terminal in Gwadar port and construct a 700km-pipeline from Gwadar to central regions of Pakistan in 2015, the hopes for Iranian gas deliveries to Pakistan increased. "Now the LNG terminal and pipeline in Gwadar port- 100km away from Iranian borders- can link to Iran's 7th cross-country pipeline, aimed to export 22 million cubic meters per day of natural gas to Pakistan," he said. Pakistan should have started importing Iranian gas in January 2015, but it has yet to begin building the pipeline in its territory. Iran can get $200mn compensation from Pakistan each month owing to delays, but they are still negotiating the gas deal. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 16:00 (UTC+04:00) Iranian sources can meet the Pakistan's energy demand, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on March 25. Rouhani said that two countries have big potential to boost cooperation in economic, energy, transport, cultural and security issues, ISNA reported. His announcement came a day before his visit to Pakistan, scheduled for March 26. Shaha reported on March 25 that Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh will accompany Rouhani in visiting Pakistan. Previously, IRNA reported that negotiations over a long-delayed gas pipeline project is one of top agenda. Two countries is expected to sign a deal on power, aimed at exporting 3000 megawatts Iranian power to Pakistan. Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, is not dead and negotiations over realization of the project continue, the Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamid Reza Iraqi told Fars News Agency on March 24. "Pakistan has agreed to build a 100km-pipeline from Gwadar port to Iran's borders to intake gas," Araqi added. Pakistan should have started importing Iranian gas in January 2015, but it has yet to begin building the pipeline in its territory. Iran can get a $200m compensation from Pakistan each month owing to delays, but they are still negotiating the gas deal. Iran's Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian told IRNA on March 22 that exporting 3000 megawatts of power to Pakistan is possible. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 15:35 (UTC+04:00) Iran is ready to increase bilateral trade with Pakistan from current level of $1 billon per year to $5 billion, the Islamic Republic president Hassan Rouhani said. Rouhani made the remarks during a joint business forum in Islamabad, attended by senior Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the official website of Irans president reported March 26. Rouhani further said that the role of entrepreneurs, private and public sectors of the two countries for realizing the $5 billion annual trade target is very important. He also underlined that Tehran will contribute to the energy security of Pakistan. He ensured Pakistani people that Tehran, as a strategic partner will spare no effort to meet Pakistans oil, gas and electricity needs. Iran can help Pakistan in infrastructure sector as well including construction of dams, Rouhani said. He added that Tehran has fulfilled its commitments regarding the transfer of electricity and gas to Pakistan, expressing readiness to boost cooperation. The Iranian president further said that Tehran sees economic stability and development of Pakistan as its own economic stability and development. The two sides should boost banking and trade ties and prepare grounds for free mutual trade, moving towards preferential trade, Rouhani noted. Rouhani arrived in Islamabad on March 25 and met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. During the meeting they discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as economic cooperation at regional and international levels. Iran and Pakistan signed six documents, mostly focused on boosting economic ties. The sides signed documents including the commercial 5-year strategic plan, cooperation between Iran and Pakistans chambers of commerce, as well as the Central Insurance of Iran and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 26 March 2016 19:00 (UTC+04:00) Iran will respond to the US new actions against Tehrans missile program by strengthening its missile capabilities, the Islamic Republics foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif said March 26. We don't see any limitation for our missile program because it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, Zarif said, Irans state-run IRINN TV reported. The top Iranian diplomat further said that President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the defense ministry to strengthen Iran missile power. The US Department of the Treasury imposed financial sanctions on two more Iranian companies it claims are involved in the countrys ballistic missile program. Washingtons latest legal move against Tehran was announced on March 24, weeks after the United States imposed similar sanctions on 11 other companies and individuals alleged to be involved in the missile program. The United States said the companies are working for an industrial group, which Washington alleged is in charge of Irans ballistic missile program. Early in March Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles from several bases across the country as part of a massive missile drills. While a couple of Western and regional states claims the recent tests have violated a UN resolution, Iranian officials have constantly reiterated that Tehran's ballistic missile tests do not violate the nuclear agreement it reached with the P5+1 group of countries and are not in breach of a United Nations Security Council resolution. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 3.0 ( - - ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com A Kern County jury continues to deliberate in the murder trial of a former mixed martial arts fighter who beat two men to death in his Tehacha Pasco County deputies are looking for a Maine woman who may be missing in the Bay area. Deputies say Judith Therianos, 52, and another friend had traveled from Maine to the Bay area on Feb. 15. At some point during the trip she was dropped off at a friend's house in Tampa, and she eventually made her way to a friend's house in New Port Richey, but she has not been seen since March 14. Therianos is described as 5-feet-1 and 110 pounds with red hair and brown eyes. Deputies say she is known to frequent bars and hang out with unknown men, and that before she disappeared, she may have met a man named Charlie at a bar in New Port Richey. Charlie is described as a white man who is approximately 70. He's 5-feet-10 and has long white hair and a beard. She was seen with the man on March 14 and they were in a newer model white GMC Terrain. Anyone with information about Therianos' whereabouts is asked to call your local law enforcement or the Pasco Sheriff's Office at 727-847-8102. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-706-2488 or online. Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic presidential caucuses in Washington state. It's the Vermont senator's second victory over front-runner Hillary Clinton in the three states holding party caucuses Saturday. Sanders earlier won the Alaska caucuses. Hawaii is the third state holding a Democratic contest Saturday. The Vermont senator tried to build his enduring support among liberal activists into a Saturday sweep that could help him narrow a gap of 300 delegates won in primaries behind Clinton.Clinton and Sanders also competed in Hawaii. While Sanders faces a steep climb to the nomination, a string of losses for Clinton would highlight persistent vulnerabilities within her own party. Sanders continues to attract tens of thousands to his rallies _ drawing more than 17,000 in Seattle this week _ and has collected more than $140 million from 2 million donors. Most of his dozen primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. He's heavily favored by younger voters, who were a key part of the coalition that boosted Obama to victory twice. In Spokane, Washington, a huge line of caucus attendees snaked around a high school parking lot on Saturday morning. "I think one of the biggest things is free tuition for students," said Savannah Dills, 24, a college student who supports Sanders. "And getting big money out of politics. He's not paid for by billionaires." Retiree Dan McLay, 64, attended the caucus in a hard-hat, which he joked he needed because he was one of the relatively few Clinton supporters in the big crowd. "Look at this thing in Brussels," McLay said, referring to the deadly bombings. "We need a real experienced leader." For Sanders, turning passionate support into the party nomination has grown increasingly difficult. Clinton had a delegate lead of 1,223 to 920 over Sanders going into Saturday's contests, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expanded to 1,692-949 once the superdelegates, or party officials who can back either candidate, were included. Based on that count, Sanders still needs to win 58 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by June's end. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall _ from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates _ to prevail. "I have gotten 2.6 million more votes than Bernie Sanders," Clinton told supporters crowded into a union hall in Everett, Washington, this week. "We are on the path to the nomination, and I want Washington to be part of how we get there." Sanders implored thousands of supporters in Spokane to come see him speak again Saturday at a caucus. "Get there early," he said. "Let's have a record-breaking turnout." On Tuesday, Sanders won caucuses in Utah and Idaho but lost Arizona - the largest delegate prize - to Clinton. Because Democrats allocate their delegates on a proportional basis, meaning that the popular vote loser can still pick up a share, those victories netted Sanders a gain of about 20 delegates. He's looking to contests that follow in Wisconsin on April 5 and Wyoming on April 9 as a way to build momentum. Sanders spent several days campaigning in Washington state and dispatched his wife, Jane, to Alaska and Hawaii. Clinton campaigned in Washington state for one-day and did not send any high-profile supporters to either of the other two states. Clinton has been looking past the primary contests and aiming at potential Republican challengers. In interviews, rallies and speeches this week, she largely focused on Tuesday's deadly attacks in Brussels, casting GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as unqualified to deal with complicated international threats. Her campaign sees the April 19 contest in New York as an important one, not just because of the rich delegate prize but because losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate would be a psychological blow. She hopes to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern contests a week later. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Lamar professor Jeff Palis told a student on a foreign exchange program in Rennes, France, this week to "hunker down" in that city and to avoid Paris, large crowds and major sporting events. LU officials say they have vetted the university in Europe but acknowledge the risks involved in traveling abroad. This is the time of year when college students get ready to roam the world on spring break and summer trips - exploring, studying and volunteering. Two terrorist attacks in prominent European cities in recent months have intensified the anxiety for families with loved ones spending extended time outside of the country. On Tuesday, a group of suicide bombers killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds by using explosives to rip open a Brussels subway car and shatter the city's main airport terminal. The attack was the bloodiest on Belgian soil since World War II. Last November, three suicide bombers and mass shooters killed 130 people in and around Paris. Safety risks are faced not just by foreign exchange students or those briefly studying abroad, but also by those on religious mission trips or doing contract work in areas where there's conflict. University officials do not take the risks lightly. Palis advised the LU student to lie low just as a precaution, but said he would not hesitate to bring him home if necessary. "If we have to pull the plug on a program, we'll pull the plug on a program," Palis said. The biggest concerns he hears from parents and students interested in study abroad and foreign exchange programs are safety and global security: What's the political climate in said country, and, frankly, do they hate Americans? "I think we tend to be a little defensive sometimes," said Palis, who studied in Germany as a graduate student in 2003. "When there's disagreement with what our country is doing, it's easy to take that personally. The United States both fascinates and infuriates the world." Aside from politics, tragedies that are difficult to explain can happen anywhere. Palis said the scariest part about situations like those in Brussels and Paris is their unpredictability. Richard Gachot, an LU researcher studying art history, has lived and worked in Paris on and off for six years. He met his wife while doing research in Russia and has lived in New York City. Gachot said the benefits of living overseas far outweigh the fear factor. "You need to be prudent and vigilant, but life should not be ruled by fear," Gachot said. Kay-Alana Turner, an LU business major and 2013 Lumberton High School graduate, recently returned from a spring break trip to Panama. This was her second study abroad in less than a year; she traveled to Spain last summer for a month. Turner, like Gachot, said she does not think much about the risks, which are inherent with travel. But her mother does worry. It's worth it to Turner, she said, because she gains self-confidence and independence adapting to life in another country. Next spring, Turner plans to go on a foreign exchange program in France. "It is scary to think about with what's happened in two major European cities, but just about anything can happen anywhere," Turner said. Last year, LU sent 152 students to study abroad in small groups chaperoned by university faculty members. The university plans this year to top that number by about a dozen. Both students and faculty go through an intensive orientation period beforehand, learning about small tasks like how to pack and access your money while abroad to bigger issues like conduct and avoiding crisis. They talk about how to access their medical insurance, which is covered in the fee through the Texas State University System. When Palis studied abroad in 2003, right after the U.S. invaded Iraq, daily protests against the American government made him feel uneasy. "I remember my mother being concerned, so I have great empathy for students and parents when they're concerned about these things," Palis said. "And it's our responsibility as a university to let them know how we vet the programs." BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/BrandonKScott Read the complete story in the Beaumont Enterprise. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Wrightbus co-founder William Wright and Ulster-raised pub boss Tim Martin are just two out of 250 business leaders who have signed up as backers of a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the European Union referendum. The pair are on a list of 250 business bosses who are backing the Vote Leave campaign. Last month the Belfast Telegraph revealed Tim Martin - the outspoken chairman of JD Wetherspoon - said leaving the union would restore "democracy" to decision-making in the UK. The Campbell College past pupil also told the Belfast Telegraph he had not ruled out campaigning for a Brexit. "I have to put all my ducks in a row before I join any campaign, but 15 years ago I campaigned against Britain joining the euro, and that turned out to be a good decision," Mr Martin said. And earlier this year Wrightbus founder William Wright came out in favour of the UK leaving the EU. The business figures, including former HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan, hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and Luke Johnson - chairman of continental-style cafe chain Patisserie Valerie - have given their support to Vote Leave in a personal capacity. The campaign group also announced that former British Chambers of Commerce director general John Longworth, who quit after indicating his support for Brexit at the business organisation's annual conference earlier this month, will take up a new role with Vote Leave. Mr Longworth, who has been appointed chairman of Vote Leave's business council, said: "This is the most important political debate of a generation. Business is divided on the issue and it is vital the full breadth of business opinion is heard. Many firms struggle with relentless interference from the EU and rules that are stacked in the favour of a select number of businesses. "If we Vote Leave, liberated from the shackles of EU membership, jobs will be safer, Britain will be able to spend our money on our priorities and we can look forward to faster growth and greater prosperity in the future." Vote Leave's chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'We're delighted that John Longworth has agreed to chair Vote Leave's Business Council. His strong business track record and his courageous decision to share his true beliefs with voters makes him an extremely powerful voice in the EU debate." A survey of small and medium-sized firms commissioned by the group found that 32% said the EU hinders businesses like theirs, while 25% said it helped them, 40% said it made no difference. The YouGov study indicated that 14% of the firms believed that the EU makes it easier for their business to employ people while 31% said Brussels' rules made it harder for them to employ people, 48% said EU rules made no difference. Mr Elliott said: "With our growing list of business supporters, Vote Leave will make that case that whilst the EU might be good for big multinationals, for smaller businesses it acts as a job destruction regulatory machine. Brussels hinders smaller businesses, particularly those firms who can't afford to lobby Brussels to curry favour. Jobs, wages and our economy will thrive when we take back control and vote Leave." Remain campaigners insisted that British business supported a vote to stay in the EU in the June 23 referendum. Plans are underway to bring an end to subsidies for small on-shore wind farms Plans are underway to bring an end to subsidies for small on-shore wind farms. The controversial plans from Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell come after he pressed ahead with a decision to end a Government incentive scheme for large scale wind farms. The Ulster Farmers' Union and Simple Power said they would seek leave for a judicial review of the decision. The minister has confirmed that the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) scheme for new large scale projects, those generating over 5MW of power, will close on April 1. Plans to close the NIRO were criticised by farmers, who had invested in single turbines in the belief that there would be no change to subsidies until 2017. A consultation process has now opened over the closure of the subsidies for small schemes. Earlier this month, Mr Bell said jobs will be lost when another major green energy scheme is scrapped. Police officers and fans remain, on March 24, 2016, near the stage where UK rock band Rolling Stones will perform at "Ciudad Deportiva" in Havana. When the Rolling Stones rock Havana this Friday in their first ever Cuban concert, the sound system will blast to as many as a million fans. AFP PHOTO/ Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO ARANGUARODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images Technicians prepare, on March 24, 2016, the stage where UK rock band Rolling Stones will perform at "Ciudad Deportiva" in Havana. When the Rolling Stones rock Havana this Friday in their first ever Cuban concert, the sound system will blast to as many as a million fans. AFP PHOTO/ Rodrigo ARANGUA / AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO ARANGUARODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP/Getty Images Members of The Rolling Stones, from left, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, bottom, Keith Richards and Ron Wood, descend the plane upon arrival at Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Members of The Rolling Stones, from, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ron Wood pose for photos from the plane that brought them to Cuba at Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Members of The Rolling Stones, from left, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood talk to journalists upon arrival to Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Mick Jagger, right, and Ron Wood, from The Rolling Stones, walk on the tarmac as they arrive to Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Members of The Rolling Stones, from right, Ron Wood, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger deplane at Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Members of The Rolling Stones, from left, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ron Wood pose for photos from their plane as they arrive to Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Members of The Rolling Stones, from left, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ron Wood arrive to Jose Marti international airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, March 24, 2016. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after their plane landed at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood (L-R) of the Rolling Stones stand together as they talk to media after their plane landed at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: The stage is prepared for the free concert by the Rolling Stones on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play the concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wave as they exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: The stage is prepared for the free concert by the Rolling Stones on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play the concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after their plane landed at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wave as they exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after their plane landed at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones walk off their plane at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones talks to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones talks to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rollling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rollling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones rock and roll band exits his plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones talks to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wave as they exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rollling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wave as they exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rollling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones talk to media after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rolling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) HAVANA, CUBA - MARCH 24: (L-R) Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. The Rollling Stones are in Havana to play a free concert for the first time, after the music was once banned by the Cuban government. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A fan lies on the floor as she waits outside the venue where the Rolling Stones will play their concert in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 25, 2016. The Stones are performing in a free concert in Havana Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Fans wait outside the venue where the Rolling Stones will play their concert in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 25, 2016. The Stones are performing in a free concert in Havana Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution.(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) The iconic tongue symbol of the Rolling Stones is placed on top of the also iconic image of Cuba's revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara on a sign placed by fans outside the venue where the Rolling Stones will play their concert in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 25, 2016. The Stones are performing in a free concert in Havana Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution.(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) (L-R) Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones wave as they exit their plane after landing at the Jose Marti International Airport on March 24, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Rolling Stones have arrived in Cuba for their historic free concert in Havana. Sir Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood flew into Jose Marti international airport with family members and crew aboard their private plane. Their concert is the second landmark event in the country this week, after the visit by American president Barack Obama - the first US president to visit the country since the 1959 revolution. Sir Mick greeted fans in Spanish on their arrival, saying he was happy to be there. Prior to their landing, the band released a video in Spanish, with English subtitles, saying: "We have performed in many special places during our long career but this concert in Havana is going to be an historic event for us. We hope it will be for you too." The band, who are due to play at Havana's Ciudad Deportiva stadium, invited fans to vote for a song to be played on stage on their official website. The Rolling Stones have been touring Latin America, performing concerts in Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Brazil. The Rolling Stones and their fans in Cuba finally spent the night together as the band performed a historic free concert in Havana. The band opened the show with Jumpin' Jack Flash and lead singer Sir Mick Jagger addressed the crowd in Spanish saying: "Hola Habana, buenas noches mi gente de Cuba" - which translates as "Hello Havana, goodnight my people of Cuba", state media reported. He continued: "We're finally here. I'm sure this will be an unforgettable night." The show went ahead despite reports that the Pope had tried to halt the Good Friday concert. A tour insider told the Mirror: "The band's team were flabbergasted when the Vatican got in touch by letter - couldn't believe their eyes. "Much as they didn't want to upset the Pope, they had a contract to play and were going to honour it. "They have made a promise to the Cuban people and won't let them down." Another source told the newspaper the Stones replied to the Vatican, saying other global music events were being held on Good Friday. Sir Mick appeared on stage in a maroon silk shirt and a maroon and black sequinned jacket with black lapels. Richards sported a black and white bomber jacket with a multi-coloured headband while Wood opted for a bright blue jacket and green T-shirt. Watts chose a rather more demure white T-shirt and pale blue trousers for the high-profile show. After the concert, the band posted the set list on their official Twitter page, revealing the hits they performed for the crowd. It included Out of Control, Angie, Honky Tonk Women, You Got The Silver, Before They Make Me Run, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, Gimme Shelter, Start Me Up, Sympathy For The Devil and Brown Sugar, as well as All Down The Line, which was chosen by fans on social media, and an encore. The band's music was banned in Cuba for many years because it was considered subversive and blocked from the radio. Cubans listened to their music in secret, passing records from hand to hand and the band built up a huge fan base on the isolated island. Hundreds of thousands of those fans poured into the Ciudad Deportiva stadium to watch the veteran rockers. Sir Richard Branson told his Twitter followers he would be supporting the band at their landmark show, writing: "Excited to be heading to Cuba to see my friends the RollingStones rock Havana! StonesCuba." Sir Mick, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood flew into Jose Marti international airport on Thursday with family members and crew aboard their private plane. Their concert is the second landmark event in the country this week, after the visit by American president Barack Obama - the first US leader to visit the country since the 1959 revolution. Sir Mick greeted fans in Spanish on their arrival at the airport, saying he was happy to be there. Before their landing the band released a video in Spanish with English subtitles, saying: "We have performed in many special places during our long career but this concert in Havana is going to be an historic event for us. We hope it will be for you too." The Rolling Stones have been touring Latin America with concerts in Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Brazil. The band performed their hit You Can't Always Get What You Want with a choir and then Satisfaction as their encore. In a post on their website they said the audience in Cidudad Deportiva was "probably their biggest ever crowd". Sir Mick told the ensembled fans: "We know that years ago it was difficult to listen to our music here in Cuba, but here we are, playing for you in your beautiful land. I think that finally things have changed, haven't they?" The group later wrote on Twitter: "Thank you Cuba for an incredible, unforgettable show! It was wonderful to see all of you!" On the march: the 1916 rebellion's 50th anniversary was marked in 1966 and gave rise to a revival in republicanism Given the slaughter in Brussels this week, it was apposite that a television programme, devoted instead to the 1916 Easter Rising, would focus on the question of armed minorities, martyrdom and death cult. It was even more poignant that one of those taking part in Michael Portillo's examination of the rebellion 100 years ago was the veteran Middle East reporter, Robert Fisk. And it was by an uncanny coincidence that Fisk drew parallels on the show between the death-wish blood sacrifice that motivated Patrick Pearse and the young Muslim men from as far apart as Yorkshire to Iraq's Anbar province that die happy deaths in suicide-murders for their Islamist "cause". On the surface, there appear to be some parallels between the Pearsean vision of national-rebirth-by-blood in the first decade of the 20th century and the maniacal devotion to death by the murderers of Isis of this century. Martyrdom, the inspiration of individual acts of terror and violence (even against the wishes of a majority) and the holy writ of the vanguard are common features of both ideologies. Yet, the comparisons are also thin and ahistorical for a number of important reasons. Pearse actually called off the revolt on the Saturday after the Easter weekend, because, while courageously oblivious and convinced of his own fate by firing squad, he worried about the possibility of even more civilian casualties in Dublin. (One very worthwhile development of the 1916 centenary in the Republic has been the attention given to an important fact about the rising - the majority of those who died were civilians, including many children. Joe Duffy, of RTE, has done history - and his country - a great service here in his excellent book on the children of the Rising.) Pearse, the poet-dreamer who read the Proclamation on the steps of the GPO a century ago, was not only concerned that continuing the doomed uprising would result in more "non-combatants" losing their lives in Dublin, he also - it has to be stressed again - was wholly realistic about the north. Pearse ensured personally that there would be no parallel rising in what is now Northern Ireland, fearing - correctly - that there would have been a massive violent backlash from the unionist majority. So, in one critical area, Pearse had an infinitely more humane outlook about the loss of civilian life in conflict than the sexually frustrated, religiously brainwashed, sad-sack militants of Isis, to whom there are no non-combatants, only true believers versus the "Kaffirs" - ie the rest of us, including the vast majority of Muslims, both Sunni and Shia. A more troubling and also up-to-date concern about this year's centenary and its climax tomorrow along Dublin's O'Connell Street, is that it will act as inspiration for a new generation of hardline republicans, who are being told by the likes of the Continuity IRA that the there is "unfinished business" to do with 1916; that the "fourth green field", meaning Northern Ireland, is still in the hands of the British "occupier", ignoring, of course, the fact that the "British presence" are those unionists - the majority - who still prefer to remain British. There is some historical evidence that the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966 was one of the many precursors of the Troubles and also inspired many young idealistic and disaffected people to sign up and fight for Ireland again. It certainly spooked sections of the unionist community and was one factor in the reformation of the UVF in the same year, with attacks on the Donegal electricity supply and sectarian murders in Belfast. Yes, there are dangers that 2016 could be exploited by republican dissidents, who will argue that they are no different from their predecessors a century earlier, in that they, too, were going against the grain, were a minority within Irish nationalism and were, after the smoke cleared from the urban battlefield, vilified and condemned widely on the streets of Dublin. However, just because Ireland commemorates 1916 does not mean - in any way - that it is in the same socio-political scenario as 100 years ago. As Karl Marx pointed out, history can repeat itself, but often the first time it is tragedy and the second time it is farce. The Irish Republic of 2016 is a radically different place from the Ireland-under-the-Empire back then. In fact, it is now a society, which, despite all its problems, can have some pride looking back over 100 years. This writer is about to embark on a PhD about the Irish Civil War, which is arguably a more formative period in terms of establishing the modern Irish Republic. The period 1921-22 and its bloody internal battles were the years when the institutions of the state were forged - most notably the victorious Irish Defence Forces (then the Free State Army), of which 3,500 members will form the spine of the commemoration parade through Dublin tomorrow. It is a remarkable achievement that, in the age of fascism, communism and a second even more costly World War, the new Free State and later Republic never suffered a military coup, or a Right-wing takeover, or that the Garda Siochana eventually became the recognised and universally supported police force of all (barring a handful). And it is a tribute to the Republic's people that, even in present times of globalisation, economic crash, Emigration Ireland remains one of the few countries in Europe where anti-immigration parties have made no political impact whatsoever. Among the thousands of men and women in uniform marching past the GPO tomorrow will be veterans of UN international peacekeeping missions, stretching from the Golan Heights and the slopes of Lebanon to the jungles of Africa and the mountains of Afghanistan. While the Republic can point to the shameful failures of the UN in wars such as Bosnia, its military is still held in high regard for saving lives and helping to turn down the temperature in many other conflict zones. Most crucial of all, perhaps, has been the opening of a national, intellectual debate about the meaning and legacy of 1916. Much of this has been devoid of jingoism, or flag-waving and chest beating. There has been plenty of space for the greatest admirers of the rebel leaders within constitutional nationalism, such as Eamon de Valera's grandson, Eamon O'Cuiv, on the one hand and historian-critics of the Rising project, like Ruth Dudley Edwards, with her insightful, very critical, yet humane portraits of the rebels in her new book, on the other. Such latter voices were absent back in 1966, when the Republic was a far less open, more myth-prone, clerically dominated society than the multi-cultural, relatively tolerant and pragmatic place it is today. The solution to Katie Holmes's present predicament would appear straightforward. Can she deliver a performance that will re-ignite her career and go some way to offsetting the dominant perception of her in the public eye as the former wife of Tom Cruise? We are sitting in the plush surroundings of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in midtown Manhattan to discuss her new film, Touched with Fire, in which she plays a bipolar poet who falls in love with a fellow manic-depressive patient (played by Canadian actor Luke Kirby) in a psychiatric hospital. Since her high-profile split from Cruise in 2012 and move to New York with their daughter Suri, now nine, Holmes has alternated between little-seen indie films such as Miss Meadows, where she played a vigilante school teacher, and modern-day Chekhov adaptation Days and Nights, and supporting roles in movies backed by mogul Harvey Weinstein such as The Giver and Woman in Gold. She also appeared on Broadway in Theresa Rebeck's play Dead Accounts, which closed early, four years after she made her New York theatre debut in Simon McBurney's production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Holmes (37) has subsequently moved back to California from New York and critics argue that her career might have benefited from more direction. Touched with Fire is written and directed by first-time film-maker Paul Dalio, son of American hedge-fund billionaire Ray Dalio. It's an autobiographical study depicting the consequences of love for bipolar sufferers that also stars Christine Lahti and Griffin Dunne and is co-produced by Spike Lee. Paul Dalio suffers from the manic-depressive disorder himself. The film's subject-matter spoke to Holmes. "I approached this project not really knowing much about this disease so this was a wonderfully creative experience," she says. "When I met with Paul, I was so inspired by his passion and willingness to bring such a personal story to the screen. The opportunity to take on a role of such challenge was something that seemed right." The gamble has paid off, at least critically, with Holmes receiving the best reviews for more than a decade. Though the film is dark, she speaks of "filming being just so much fun. I wanted to keep doing more and more takes just because it was like playing a game [where] we got to be free." But while the film is raw and provocative, the same cannot be said for Holmes in person. Given her new film is about personal growth, I ask about how she has developed in that respect. She replies, "that's a really interesting question," before choosing to answer it in professional, not personal, terms: "I think this movie is more of an exploration of people at a certain time in their lives and trying to figure out the right way to deal with an illness. As an actor I think this was an incredible experience to grow creatively ... we all had different stories that we shared. I realised through this process how many people have been affected personally [by bipolar disorder] so it made the work really rewarding." Holmes has never fully opened up on what prompted her to leave Cruise, whom she married in 2006 (there were reports of her wanting to escape both his devotion to the Church of Scientology and allegedly controlling ways, the latter denied by his people). It's clear she is not about to start doing so on the day we meet. She is now reported to be dating Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, and said of Suri in a recent interview on NBC's Today show: "My little one is very, very generous and very sensitive. So she's always [saying]: 'Mom, let's give my old toys to people who need it.'" Hearing stories from the set of Touched with Fire, Holmes's reticence becomes more understandable. Much of it was filmed in outdoor settings in New York and such was the media frenzy surrounding the shoot that, according to a production source, at one time Holmes resorted to using a producer's apartment as her trailer. The paparazzi were unscrupulous even by their standards with the source adding that photographers told crew members that, unless they were given clear sight of Holmes on the set, they would shout "cut" in the middle of a take during filming. Contrasting with some of the lighter fare Holmes has appeared in, her new film deals with issues such as medication, madness and pregnancy. Abortion also features in the movie and Holmes, a practising Catholic, says she wasn't seeking to offend anti-abortionists. "It was part of the narrative," she says. "I think it was put there to put some realistic stakes in these people's lives. The character's choice is the character's choice. It's not a statement. "I'm proud of the whole piece and you take away from it what your own experience is," Holmes adds. "Somebody starts the movie thinking one thing and hopefully they learn something by the end of this movie. With this you really do and I'm really proud of that. Or maybe you don't but you recognise an experience that you've had." Holmes is reluctant to draw on her specific experiences but comparisons have been made between her choosing to be in a film that spells out in graphic detail the consequences of going off your medication and Tom Cruise's zealous warnings against the overuse of psychiatric medicine, which Scientology is opposed to, and which coincided with the early stage of his relationship with Holmes. Today show host Matt Lauer, who was notoriously dubbed "glib" by Cruise when the pair clashed over the issue in 2005, raised this suspected connection with Holmes during promotion of the new film last month, only for her to reply that director Dalio had "done a wonderful job". Dalio himself hints that Holmes's history made her even more suitable for Touched with Fire: "The casting director on this film [Avy Kaufman] actually discovered Katie Holmes in her first film, The Ice Storm, and they had a very strong relationship," he said. "She called me and said, 'I have a really strong feeling that Katie is going to resonate with the character'. Katie did strongly resonate with the role and had an intense draw to the character. I definitely knew that she would have a way into the character." Following The Ice Storm, Holmes quickly progressed as a Hollywood starlet with acclaimed roles in films such as Go, Pieces of April and Wonder Boys and, most successfully of all, TV teen drama series Dawson's Creek. One story I heard testifying to her youthful ambition recounts how, at the age of 20, she flew to London of her own volition to audition for the role of Pelagia in the film version of Louis de Bernieres's bestselling novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin (she may have dodged a bullet though, in losing out for the role to Penelope Cruz, given the tepid reception for the film). Holmes also starred in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins prior to her union with Cruise. Does she look at the forthcoming Batman v Superman and wish she was in more blockbusters? I've absolutely no idea - I ask her what her attitude to big studio films is, given she appears in so few of them, but she answers by saying how gratifying it was to be on the set of Touched with Fire and "be allowed to have the freedom to try different things ... we really had the space and the time to do that". Recently Holmes has migrated to TV, starring as Jackie Kennedy Onassis in 2011 mini-series The Kennedys, which received decidedly mixed reviews. She'll reprise the role in The Kennedys: After Camelot with the unlikelier casting of Matthew Perry as Ted Kennedy. She will executive-produce and direct one of the episodes. Shortly after we meet, it was announced that Holmes's directorial debut, All We Had, will receive its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival next month. It's a low-budget independent movie, in which she stars as a poverty-stricken mother living in New York. Katie Holmes might have reclaimed her independence but you get the sense she won't be giving up her adventures in independent film. Touched with Fire is out later this year Last weekend, the people of Londonderry rallied behind local event organiser and food hero Mary Blake to make the Legenderry Food Festival a huge success. This isn't the first time the walled city has flexed its culinary muscle to show the dismissive sophisticates down in Belfast that they, too, know a thing or two about good food. Last year, Derry made a stirring contribution to the all-Ireland Foodie Town scheme (run by the Restaurants Association of Ireland, on whose academy of judges your correspondent sits) securing for itself a place in the minds of most food writers and bloggers between Cork and Coleraine. Which is more than can be said about Belfast, which shunned the scheme entirely. And while the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink bubbles along nicely, Derry has captured a couple more victories. John and Sally McKenna's top 100 restaurants listings for 2016 feature two from the Maiden City: one has a champagne bar and the other is housed in an old container. Step forward street food pirates Pyke & Pomme and Waterside slicker Browns Restaurant and Champagne Bar. The great thing about the Legenderry Food Festival was that it gathered the best of the city into a vast tent in Guildhall Square. So everyone there: Ian Orr of Browns, the guys from Pyke & Pomme, Pier 59, Ollies, The Sooty Olive, Cupcakes Primrose and the Green Octopus were all cooking and offering their wares freshly made in front of the punters. And while all the fun and craic of watching No Salt chef Brian McDermot, Paula McIntyre and Paul Rankin cooking demo dishes distracted the natives, the advisor and I stole away over the magnificent Peace Bridge to the Waterside and Ian Orr's long-established Browns restaurant. Browns is the brightest thing on the steep Bond's Hill. Some crumbling elegance remains along the otherwise drab residential street, but the dual carriageway which runs along the bottom of the hill effectively cuts it off and isolates it in a dead end. Browns is as discreetly elegant as ever. It is looking slightly tired and it may be that Ian Orr has too many other things to be worrying about including his Lidl TV ads, Ard Tara Country House and Browns in Town. But frankly, Browns is still among the best in the North West. You can't take class away from class. It can get a bit blurred and shabby, but it's still class. And thanks to chefs like Phelim O'Hagan, they still do a good turn and make it worth the 80-mile trip. Really. Take the turf-smoked beef carpaccio, for instance. The beautifully micro-carved slices sit side by side on a white plate almost generating their own pale red light. The sous-vide egg yolk in the middle adding a little hedonism. Reinforced by a fine, millimetre spread of slaw underneath, it is a dish to talk about and savour. I made it last as long as possible. The advisor's fritto misto was more fritto unico as I detected only one white fish among the crisp, breaded little samples, but very tasty it was nonetheless. The wild seabass was crispy skinned and glistening white, flaky meat but to be honest I couldn't tell the difference between it and the farmed kind. Even when brilliantly cooked as this one was, when you've had stone bass, nothing else will do. I've decided to banish any kind of seabass from my life from here on in. The ribeye across the table was a masterclass in flavour, rested texture and consistency. An intriguing green bearnaise was also textbook. Service is as friendly and sunny as the food on the table. That ability to match charm with knowledge enhances any lunch or dinner. Amuse-bouches which included wild garlic soup with puffed rice which was exquisite were introduced with flourish and confidence as was everything else. Browns is a reliable restaurant and the go-to place in Derry. This kind of quality is outstanding in a country which already punches way above its weight. Ian Orr has won loads of honours and awards but I can't help wonder if he gave it a little bit more attention and sprinkled the kind of magic he used to excite us with, that he might pick up that elusive French tyre company star. The bill: Fritto misto 4.00 Turf beef 4.00 Fish of the day 13.95 Beef 16.90 Cheese 6.95 White chocolate delice 4.00 Large sparkling water 4.50 Glass Muscadet 4.00 Shiraz-Cab glass (x2) 10.75 Total 75.05 Grave suspicions: Sir Edward Carson saw the Rising as even more treacherous due to Britain's involvement in the First World War It was the second paragraph of the 1916 Proclamation which was to have the crucial and lasting impact on unionism: "Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment and, supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory." That "right moment", it seems, was when the United Kingdom - of which all of Ireland was still a member at the time - was at war with Germany and Austria-Hungary, among others. The "gallant allies" was taken to mean the Germans. In other words, it was pretty hard to draw any conclusion other than that the people behind the Easter Rising were guilty of treason. That's how it was interpreted by the British government at the time and it's how it continues to be interpreted by unionism in Northern Ireland. Unionism may have developed a reasonably cordial relationship with successive Irish governments since the mid-Nineties, but there's still no meeting of minds on Easter 1916. The DUP position is blunt: "The events of that failed rebellion should be studied, not celebrated. The legacy of 1916 is a poisonous one as it served to enshrine the notion that armed republican groups, no matter how small or deranged, can kill and maim for Ireland." The UUP confirmed it would be running its own event in Dublin in early-April: "We will not be celebrating, or commemorating, rather we will be challenging the causes and consequences of the insurrection. We've had very positive engagement with the Irish government through the Taoiseach's office and we are planning to attend another official event on May 26 at Grangegorman, which is being arranged to remember soldiers who died and were buried in the cemetery." Alliance Party leader David Ford has also turned down an invitation to an Irish government-organised event: "My problem is that the people who murdered Adrian Ismay, the people who murdered David Black, the people who murdered Ronan Kerr, the people who murdered two Garda officers, would all claim to be the direct inheritors of Easter 1916. I cannot associate myself with that, as minister of justice." Mr Ford also said he was "uncomfortable" about the state "marking the efforts of those who engaged in violence" and said there were other means of achieving independence: "Until the point when the British general ordered executions, I think all the evidence was that it was regarded as undemocratic by the great majority of the Irish people, whatever part of the island they came from, whether they were nationalists or unionists." The real problem for unionists, though, is their belief that the Proclamation remains the primary electoral/political fuel for republicanism in its democratic form; as well as the guiding star for armed republicanism. And, regardless of the fact that both the DUP and UUP are prepared to share Executive office with Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, both parties acknowledge that Sinn Fein's ultimate desire remains the fulfilment of the dreams and ambitions of the Proclamation. Sinn Fein would not regard the Easter Rising as a failure. For them - as for the dissidents - it remains unfinished business. It remains unfinished business, too, for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail who, while being prepared to put it on the long finger, still like the notion of "A Nation Once Again". Let's not forget, either, that, for decades now, the Proclamation has been read aloud outside Dublin's GPO every Easter Sunday by an officer of the Irish Defence Forces. To all intents and purposes, this remains a combination of a celebration and a commemoration of an unfinished task. So, it's no surprise that unionists don't want to be involved. That said, I do agree with the view that both sides need to understand their collective history. Let's be honest: unionists were quite prepared to import arms and ammunition (from Germany) to protect their interests in the early years of the 20th century; they were quite prepared to establish their own provisional government and certainly contemplated what could have turned into a civil war with their own government in Westminster. Their leaders, with the unambiguous support of the Conservative Party, made it clear in their 1912 Covenant (below) that they would fight their own corner, " ... using all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland. And, in the event of such a parliament being forced upon us, we further solemnly and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognise its authority". The language of the Covenant and Proclamation may be different, yet the sentiment and purpose was the same. Both were about identity and the right to be governed by what they regarded as "their own" people. Both documents were about defining territory and aspiration and both, albeit in different ways, remain relevant today. That's why unionists came together in September 2012 to celebrate and commemorate the Covenant: and it's why republicans and nationalists are coming together this weekend to celebrate and commemorate the Proclamation. But neither tradition can share the other's celebration, because they are competing and mutually contradicting celebrations. It would be like a divorced couple inviting each other to the wedding of their new partners, when those partners had been responsible for destroying the original marriage. So, yes, we need to understand why things happened and how we reached particular places; but it is a nonsense to pretend that having Arlene Foster on a platform in Dublin tomorrow, or Gerry Adams on a platform in 2021 to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland, is ever going to make a damn bit of difference about how we feel about each other. Most nationalists and republicans would still, in their heart of hearts, like a united Ireland, albeit not one emerging from the barrel of a gun. And most unionists will continue to resist Irish unity. That has been the state of play for centuries. And it will remain the state of play. It is important to understand why certain events mean so much to us, individually and separately, but it is stupid, possibly even damaging, to imagine that shoving our leaders into awkward photo-opportunities is the way to deal with history. Unionists also fear that the Republic would be a cold house for them in terms of their religion and political beliefs. The 2011 census indicated that Protestants accounted for less than 3% of the population and there is no current unionist political vehicle: unlike Northern Ireland, where both Catholicism and republicanism/nationalism continue to flourish. Against that background, there's little incentive - so they believe - for unionists to reach out. When it comes to both parts of Ireland, the past is always in front of us, because the past remains the unfinished business of an unclosed book. The invitations to stand shoulder to shoulder in "shared reflection" sound worthy, yet they serve no purpose. We haven't forgotten, or forgiven, what we did to each other. I'm not sure we ever can. Abortion guidelines agreed by the Executive will make life easier for medical professionals, the Health Minister has said. After it emerged the long-awaited guidance had finally been approved, Simon Hamilton described the process as "complex and time-consuming". It is understood the information will be circulated to medical staff shortly. The publication of the guidelines follows years of talks between the Department of Health, the Department of Justice and senior clinicians. "This guidance takes account of the issues raised in my department's public consultation in 2013 and also reflects the opinions of health professionals working in this area," Mr Hamilton said. "I know that this is an area of public policy where people hold differing views. "My focus is on ensuring that health professionals, who have to deal with extremely difficult cases, have the clarity around the law that they have been asking me for." The Royal College of Midwives and other groups have previously voiced serious concerns that with the lack of straightforward answers, they could face prosecution for carrying out abortions. Currently, women in Northern Ireland are allowed a termination only in cases where there is a risk to their life or a permanent serious risk to their mental or physical health. In a landmark judgment last December, Mr Justice Mark Horner ruled that the existing legislation breached the European Convention on Human Rights by banning terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or sexual crime. In 2013, Sarah Ewart was forced to leave Northern Ireland for a termination after being told her baby could not survive. She said the new guidelines would be no use to her because the underlying law would still remain the same. Yesterday, Mr Hamilton said there had been progress on the creation of a working group on abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. He added that he and Justice Minister David Ford agreed "it should engage with healthcare professionals and those people directly affected by fatal foetal abnormality, and take account of recent consultation on the question of legislative change as it goes about its important work". He also said that couples directly affected by fatal foetal abnormality in Northern Ireland should be involved in the outcome of the group. "The Executive has discussed this in recent weeks and I have also met with the Justice Minister about it," he added. "I am pleased that Mr Ford and I have agreed to proceed with creating an inter-departmental working group composed of officials from both our departments. "While work is ongoing to finalise terms of reference, we both agree that it should engage with professionals and those people directly affected by fatal foetal abnormality, and take account of recent consultation on the question of legislative change as it goes about its important work." Hate to admit it - but I've just turned 80. However, I'm proud of the fact that, at my great age, I am still scribbling stories for the Belfast Telegraph. I'm the oldest columnist the Tele has ever had in its pages and I'm delighted it still wants my stuff. I was paid a smashing compliment at my birthday party when I was told: "You still write like a young guy. Readers would never guess you are so elderly." Those words were spoken not by any of the celebrities I've met over the years, but by my 32-year-old son, Edward jnr. It meant a lot coming from someone of his generation - especially when I know he meant it. I'm a bit of an egotist, mind you: when well-meaning fans say, "I see you are still writing wee pieces for the Tele," I pull them up sharply, retorting that I only write big, important stories - most of them exclusives. I'm kind of joking, of course. Still they get the point. Yes, I have met many important folk down the years since I began my reporting career with the Telegraph back in 1956 and became deputy news editor before moving on to the Daily Mirror for 14 years, returning to my first love in 1989 to write the Ulster Log. I'm not going to bore you with too many star names - although there is one famous tale of Ian and Eileen Paisley and I that has to be related. It was the summer of '71 and I was driving Peter Sellers around town at the height of the Troubles when he asked me to take him to meet the Big Man. At the Paisley manse, Eileen answered the door and, when I mentioned the name of Sellers, she asked: "Who's he, anyway?" "Come on, Eileen, he's a famous star," I informed her. It turned out Ian was at Stormont and I did manage to get him and Peter together briefly on the steps. Years later, the Paisleys and I were reminiscing at a do in the Waterfront and she recalled the Sellers business, admitting she was a wee bit embarrassed not to be familiar with his name. "So I went off and got all his films on DVD and became a fan," she told me. It's quirky stories like that that have helped me reach 80 and which will keep me writing the Ulster Log until I'm 90. When I'm feeling low, or depressed (which isn't too often), I slip into the study, park myself at the computer and start putting Logs together. I get cheered up in minutes - especially when my wife and greatest critic, Irene, gives her approval. Actually, she and I spent our honeymoon in Oslo as members of the official party when Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize. I was covering the great occasion and Irene was charming the prime minister and his cabinet at dinner. I could go on and on - I nearly turned my back on journalism for good eight years ago, when my special friend, promoter Jim Aiken, died prematurely. Jim and I travelled Europe and America together, meeting superstars like Pavarotti, who liked me so much he insisted on me sitting in the front row of his open air concert at Stormont. Jim's death left a huge gap in my life and I miss his wisdom and chat to this day. Other friends, like Jim's son Peter and ex-BBC controller Robin Walsh, persuaded me that Jim would have wanted me to carry on, which I'm glad I did. I'll finish on a hilarious note about a happening that could have had a serious outcome and which I've never written, or spoken about, before. I used to go into the Belfast Telegraph building every Sunday morning with copy in the early days of computers, when email from home was still in its infancy. The building on this particular Sabbath was silent and totally empty as I boarded the lift on the third floor at the start of my journey back home. And the elevator stuck halfway. I was stranded for nearly an hour before, in desperation, I rocked it down nearly to ground level and created a gap through which I was able to squeeze to freedom. I've hated lifts and confined spaces ever since. A final thought, though: I'm just another hack, a journalist who always loved his job and who will be saddened when I have to bring the curtain down. I hope my meanderings in the Ulster Log still bring pleasure and warmth to all my readers. Fire fighters battle blaze on Killowen mountain in Co Down on Friday. Two crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service fought the flames on Friday. It is understood to be a large gorse fire. TUV councillor Henry Reilly describe the blaze as so fierce, it "looks like lava flow". He voiced concerns that high winds on Friday night were fanning the flames and helping it to spread more quickly. A spokeswoman for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire was not threatening homes or property in the area. Thousands of volunteers in Belfast and Dublin hope to bring the history of 1916 to life tomorrow by wearing period costumes and even travelling in horse-drawn carriages. But there has been confusion over one of the finer details - the colour of postboxes. For the Easter Rising parade in Belfast, the normally red postboxes along the Falls Road have been painted green, while in Dublin the green postboxes have been painted red. The Irish post service, An Post, chose the colour because in 1916 all postboxes across the UK and Ireland were red. Anna McHugh, head of communications for An Post, said the idea was a way of telling the story of the rising. "We were thinking about what our postboxes would have witnessed, because so many of them are in the same position as they were during Easter Week, and in many cases the same box is there," she said. "One of the first acts after Irish independence was to paint them green again." Royal Mail were less than enthusiastic about Belfast's green postboxes, which were painted unofficially. "We will be returning the postboxes to their original colour as soon as possible," a spokesman said. Political historian Dr Eamon Phoenix (below) said there was even more to the story. "The irony is that James Connolly, one of the executed signatories of the proclamation, was based in Belfast in the run-up to the rising, right up until his death," he said. "Connolly lived at Glenalina Terrace on the Falls Road between 1911 and his execution in 1916 as a trade union organiser. He famously said that a workers' republic would require armed struggle and it wouldn't just be a matter of painting the postboxes green. "Of course in his day, years before 1922 - the ending of British rule - the postboxes all over Ireland were red and bore the insignia of kings and queens. "It's ironic because a bust of James Connolly (has just been unveiled) near his house." Dr Phoenix pointed out that other prominent symbols in Northern Ireland have changed their meaning since 1916. "Famously, James Connolly's daughter reported to him in some horror in 1914 that she was making her way from Castle Street up the Falls Road and wrote him a letter - he was in Dublin at the time - to say the Falls Road was festooned with Union jacks," he said. "She was shocked and stopped someone who said John Redmond was coming to address a recruitment meeting in the Clonard cinema of the Falls Road. The flags were there to welcome him. "He was not just the Home Rule leader, he was a very ardent British imperialist. "People forget that before 1916 nationalist politicians like Joe Devlin, for example, the much-loved nationalist MP for west Belfast, spoke above a platform that flew two flags. "(They were) the green flag with the harp - the Home Rule emblem - and the Union jack. The Union jack had not been associated with any particular political party before 1916." In Dublin this weekend, messages printed on the side of the newly-painted red post boxes will allow passers-by to access interactive content about 1916 on their phones. Anna McHugh from An Post said: "These postboxes really do have great stories to tell." Five young people are treated in hospital every day in Northern Ireland because they have self-harmed, it has been revealed. Patients aged 18 and under were seen by A&E departments more than 1,600 times in the last year. The number of self-harm incidents has risen by almost a quarter since 2012. In the Belfast area alone, almost 600 cases of self-harm were recorded among young people in the space of 12 months. The details were released by Health Minister Simon Hamilton after an Assembly question from SDLP MLA Fearghal McKinney. It comes days after this newspaper reported on the alarming extent of depression among young people. Around 550 children aged under 16 were prescribed anti-depressants last year. Mr McKinney said the Executive had failed to deal with the growing crisis surrounding mental health. "Mental health should have been a priority in this mandate but it's clear from these figures on self-harm, and others on suicide, that young people in particular are being failed," he said. "It is difficult to imagine the pain and suffering many young people are feeling that they would consider in any way harming themselves. "An increasing trend in young people presenting at our hospitals in such distressing circumstances cannot be allowed to continue." Mr Hamilton's answer states that, in the 12 months to last April, 1,679 people aged 18 and under were treated at A&E departments in Northern Ireland. That is a 24% rise on the 2012/13 total of 1,353. Mr Hamilton said the number of cases does not equate to the number of people, as a person may seek treatment more than once. Mental health has long been a key challenge for Northern Ireland's health service. Earlier this week the Belfast Telegraph reported that one in six of our population is battling depression. In the 12 months to last April, a total of 299,946 people here were prescribed medication. The figure includes around 550 children under the age of 16, and a further 5,500 teenagers aged between 16 and 19. The number of children and teenagers given the drugs has increased year-on-year since 2012. The Bamford Review examined how services for people with mental illness or learning disabilities could be improved. It was launched in 2002 to evaluate the law, policy and provision of services for those with mental health needs. It concluded in 2006 and led to a raft of reports on the best way forward. Mr McKinney added: "As the demand for mental health provision grows, it is crucial that proper funding flows in the way that the Bamford review envisaged. "We are in the wrong place in relation to mental health and that is underscored by the pressures facing community services such as Fasa which has now closed its doors when demand could not be greater." Dubliners in Sackville Street in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising A parade marking the Easter Rising of 1916 is expected to draw huge crowds in west Belfast tomorrow. Organised by the National Graves Association in Belfast, thousands of volunteers will assemble in Hamill Street at 12.30pm before marching to Milltown ceremony where a ceremony of remembrance will be held. Those marching with the parade will be wearing period dress, and will include horsedrawn carriages, uniforms and memorabilia of the time. It's understood that among the marchers will be former republican prisoners and representatives of the GAA who will be lead by an Irish wolfhound, leaving Divis Tower at 12.15pm. The march will mirror the main Easter parade in Dublin which is expected to attract a crowd of up to half-a-million people. Along with the Belfast and Dublin parades, many separate events are planned to mark the Easter Rising across Northern Ireland both today and tomorrow. On Easter Sunday in Derry, a number of smaller commemorations will take place in Shantallow, Creggan, Waterside, Bogside and Brandywell. Parades involving pageantry and period dress will then leave from these areas to meet on Westland Street at 2.30pm before joining the main parade to the City Cemetery. In South Down, events today will include a proclamation reading re-enactment in Rostrevor at 3pm and a parade in Downpatrick at 5pm. Tomorrow, parades will begin in Newcastle at 2pm and in Castlewellan at 4pm. In Newry a parade will gather at 12pm at Patrick Street before a remembrance ceremony at St Mary's Cemetery. A number of political leaders in Northern Ireland have voiced their objections to some of the planned events. The Justice Minister David Ford turned down an invitation to the Dublin parade saying he was "uncomfortable" about the Republic of Ireland "marking the efforts of those who engaged in violence". Tom Elliott, the Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said he believed individuals planning parades in Clonoe and Coalisland were glorifying violence. "Unionists do not believe that the 1916 Easter Rising had any justification and certainly any commemoration should be lawful and respectful," he said. "This is, however, a world away from what appears to be planned for Clonoe and Coalisland this weekend at an event run by an organisation styling itself the 'National Republican Commemoration Committee'." Mr Elliott said the group had erected billboards and distributed leaflets which he believed encouraged violence. He quoted one of the leaflets said to be written by the group which read: "It is our opinion that while the denial of national self-determination and British occupation continue, so too will armed revolution." Mr Elliott said: "This is language which justifies violence as a legitimate political tool." Earlier this month, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he hoped the 1916 commemorations would be a chance for reconciliation. Speaking at an event at Queen's University, he said: "The 1916 commemoration should be seen as an opportunity to promote mutual respect and parity of esteem. "As republicans we must make a huge effort to engage people from the unionist community in 1916 commemorative events." Mr McGuinness added: "Our words of reconciliation must be matched by our presence at key commemorative events that are important to the unionist community." Sailings from Belfast to the Isle of Man have been hit after a high speed catamaran ferry crashed into a pier at the island's capital, Douglas. The accident has scuppered plans for anyone sailing from Belfast to the island for an Easter break. Five people were injured when the vessel Manannan slammed into the port's Victoria Pier just before 11pm on Wednesday, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said. The injured passengers were taken to hospital, after receiving initial treatment on board the ship, the company said in a statement. The ferry operators said they believed that a "systems control failure" led to the crash. The incident has disrupted sailings to the island in the Irish Sea, just as the lucrative tourism season gets under way with the Easter Festival of Running starting yesterday. The ship - which was arriving from Liverpool - hit the pier as it manoeuvred into the port. Rebecca Moy, a 20-year-old student from Douglas, was onboard the Manannan when it crashed into the dock. She was returning home for the holidays from John Moores University in Liverpool. She told the Isle of Man Today website that there was panic and screaming on board the ferry when it hit the port's sea wall. "An hour in, with no signal, me and my friend looked at each other in panic after feeling heavy vibrations on board. We were told by the captain that there was trouble with the stabilisers and that the engineer had overridden the problem. "The Manannan slowed down but then the same vibrations happened three more times - rather worrying. "Finally we could see Douglas and the overall feeling onboard was more relaxed then - we were making jokes, saying we should have listened carefully to the safety instructions." She added: "Ten minutes later, a voice that wasn't the captain suddenly said: "Passenger announcement: brace, brace, brace. 'We thought somebody had got hold of the tannoy as a joke, but five seconds later there was a heavy shudder and vibration. "Children on board were screaming and doors slamming, then we saw the contents of the whole fridge were lying on the floor. After the 10 seconds of panic people seemed to be making a joke of the incident, ringing their family and friends, who could apparently hear the crash from the terminal." "I didn't see anybody injured on board, we were just shocked," she added. None of the passengers was seriously injured, but the ship sustained major damage to its bow. It is not the first time that the Manannan has been damaged. Last year, more than 100,000 of damage was caused by the vessel hitting what was described as sea debris. Anyone with bookings with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company should check with the firm about replacement services. The neglected Highland terrier was put down to end its suffering A man who neglected his Highland terrier so badly it had to be put down has been handed a suspended jail sentence. Francis McErlain, from Church View in Randalstown, was sentenced at Antrim Magistrates Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to causing the unnecessary suffering and failing to ensure the welfare of the animal. The 59-year-old was charged following an investigation by animal welfare officers, who discovered the shocking state his dog was left in. The animal was found to be living in filthy conditions, severely underweight and with a coat heavily matted in its own faeces. It also had severely overgrown nails that were digging into its paws. After being examined by a vet, it emerged the terrier was suffering from dental abscesses and a chronic skin condition. The decision was then taken to euthanise the dog to prevent further chronic suffering and pain. District Judge Whyte imposed a two-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. Mr McErlain was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years and ordered to pay a fine of 241. The USPCA welcomed the punishment that was handed out. A spokesman from the animal welfare charity said: "There is no excuse under the sun for neglecting an animal's wellbeing and not feeding them. The USPCA supply pet food through food banks across the province. If anybody is struggling from a financial point of view there's an outlet they can go to and get support for their pet." The spokesman added that he was "delighted to see the 10-year ban" and the possibility of a custodial sentence. "It sounds proportionate, but then again is anything proportionate for doing that to an animal?" he asked. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, which brought the charges against Mr McErlain, said it hoped the sentence would serve as a warning. A spokesman said: "We give a high priority to the welfare of pets and operate a rigorous enforcement policy to ensure compliance of regulatory requirements. "Complaints are investigated thoroughly and where necessary formal action is taken, which may include the service of improvement notices or, in extreme cases, the seizure of animals. "The council may also prosecute for offences such as in this particularly harrowing case, which I hope serves as a warning to anyone who does not take appropriate care of animals." A distinguished Northern Ireland food scientist has died while on his way to a holiday. Professor Jack Pearce passed away at Heathrow airport in London. It is understood he was with his wife, Edith, and that the couple were due to fly to Miami before joining a cruise. Before retiring, Professor Pearce was head of the Department of Food Science at Queen's from 1994 to 2002. At the same time, he was deputy chief scientific officer and head of the Food Science Division (1994-2002) and of the Agricultural and Environmental Science Division (1997-2002) of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. He also served as President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) from 2005-2007. During his time with the IFST, he led numerous projects to encourage new entrants into the profession and helped organise a conference to assess the supply and demand for graduates to satisfy the needs of the sector. Professor Pearce graduated in biochemistry from the University of Liverpool in 1964, and did a PhD in microbial biochemistry. Initially, he worked in the field of nutritional biochemistry of domestic animals before moving into human nutritional biochemistry. He regarded his work in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 as one of the highlights of his career. As well as being responsible for monitoring a wide range of food for possible contamination from the fallout of the nuclear accident, Professor Pearce also became involved in devising measures to reduce such contamination. This led to him being invited onto a team working on a United Nations project to develop and implement these measures in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the countries most affected by the fallout. He later said: "We developed an effective countermeasure to reduce contamination in milk and meat, and it was very satisfying to be involved in a project with direct benefits for the local populations". Professor Pearce later became a chartered scientist, which he regarded as the gold standard for the profession. All scientists with the qualification are recognised as on an equal footing and all are benchmarked to the same exacting level. Mr Pearce had a long-time interest in watercolour painting, exhibiting frequently and also selling a number of his paintings. His main subjects were landscapes, many from holiday scenes, and animals. He was a member of the Hinds Art Group, which met regularly at Knock Methodist Centre, not far from his home in the Kings Road area of east Belfast. In a message posted online, the group described him as a "loved and very valued member of the class". It added: "He will be remembered for his gentleness, kindness and thoughtfulness; his great sense of fun and his enthusiasm; his talent, attention to detail and his humanity and modesty". Professor Pearce is survived by his wife, Edith, daughter Alison son Ian, and grandchildren Holly and Jake. Funeral arrangements have yet to be confirmed. The Orange Order is seeking a chief executive to lead the institution's development. The move follows a review of the overall staffing needs of the institution in light of the opening of the 3.8m Museum of Orange Heritage at Schomberg House in east Belfast. Historian David Hume previously served as director of services with the Order for 12 years, but his post was made redundant in late 2015. The organisation's activities have grown following the opening of the Schomberg House museum. The chief executive's role includes oversight of approximately 10 staff at Schomberg House, the Order's Belfast headquarters, the management of the institution's administration, and also the co-ordination of international events with Orange organisations across the globe. The successful applicant will also become a high-profile public spokesperson for the 200-year-old institution, which is no stranger to controversy. According to the post's job description on the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland website, the chief executive will lead "the development and execution of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland's long-term strategy". The person appointed must be a member of the Orange Institution, a requirement which radically reduces the pool of potential applicants. The necessity that the chief executive is a member of the Orange institution has been deemed a genuine occupational requirement in accordance with the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015. No salary range has been specified, but the qualifications and experience demanded are unlikely to be found for less than 50-70,000 a year - roughly the salary of an MLA. The ad for a chief executive comes just days after the Orange Order issued a controversial report claiming that the percentage of Protestants employed in the NI Civil Service was in rapid decline, and called for urgent action to reverse the trend. Both the Ulster Unionist Party and SDLP have slammed the decision by outgoing Health Minister Simon Hamilton to abolish Northern Ireland's Health and Social Care Board (HSCB). The Board commissioned services for the six health trusts that deliver the NHS. Most of the functions of the HSCB - which currently has 600 staff - will be carried out by the Department of Health, with a new monitoring group to be established. Some of the HSCB workload will transfer to existing health trusts, the minister said. Ulster Unionist MLA Michael McGimpsey - who set up the board when he was Health Minister - said the timing of the decision shows political vindictiveness. The South Belfast MLA said: "If the DUP genuinely cared about reforming the administration of health and social care in Northern Ireland, they would not have left the decision to abolish the board to the very final weeks of their five-year term at the top of the local health service." Calling Minister Hamilton's announcement a "smokescreen for failure", Mr McGimpsey said: "I believe that the minister has used the announcement of abolishing the HSCB as a smokescreen for the crippling failures that he has left the local health service with." SDLP health spokesman Fearghal McKinney called the closure a "cover-up" for what he described as the minister's failure to deal with ongoing critical challenges in the health service. "I am concerned that rather than making the system less bureaucratic and more accountable, the decision will only mean a change of name plaque on the door at its current headquarters." A spokesman for the public sector trade union Nipsa, which represents many of the 600 HSCB staff, said: "It is absolutely disgraceful that yet again before a holiday period staff are left in a heightened state of anxiety and distress as to where their futures may lie." A gift shop in the Assembly has brought in more than 250,000 over the past five years, it has been revealed. But revenue from the shop just off the Great Hall has fallen sharply, according to the Assembly Commission which runs Parliament Buildings. The main reason given is the gradual decline in tours of the premises and official functions. Gift shop earnings went down to under 51,000 last year from nearly 60,000 two years previously. The shop, just inside the main entrance to Parliament Buildings, has a range of retail goods for sale, including souvenirs. It also showcases a number of local crafts and industry, including a number of jewellery makers, pens and cards. Food and beverages are also on sale, and the shop also acts as the Assembly's Post Office. In 2011, the shop brought in 69,306, which went down the year after to 63,915 and to 59,824 in 2013. In a written answer to DUP MLA Nelson McCausland, the commission said the total went down to 53,124 in 2014 and 50,861 in 2015. "The gift shop sales revenue is dependent on the number of people visiting Parliament Buildings," it said. "The number of visitors to Parliament Buildings has decreased over the last five years due to a gradual decline in the number of functions and tours being hosted in Parliament Buildings and the wider economic downturn." SDLP Assembly member Dolores Kelly has slammed Tony Blair's comments over tackling segregation in Northern Ireland, accusing the former Labour leader of giving "unfair prominence" to the extremes during his time in government. Ms Kelly said it was "a bit rich" of Mr Blair to say that "democracy has taken root" in Northern Ireland when politicians are elected on their ability to lead the country. In an interview with BBC to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, he said that more work was needed to end segregation in Northern Ireland and stressed the continued need to be "vigilant" about the threat from terrorism. The former Prime Minister, who brokered the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in 1998, said there was no longer community support for terrorists here but "you can't drop your guard at all". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Some of the deep social problems and their political consequences still remain and what is true also is that it is still very easy for politics to break back into sectarianism. "You have got to break down segregation. It's not done always by laws or political agreements, it is also done at a grassroots level, it is done by changes of attitude in the mindset over time and it's also by achieving a sense in the politics that people want to move on. "You know when a democracy has taken root and that is when you elect the best person in your judgment to lead the country. It's not where the person came from or what background, it's what they stand for and what they can do for the people as a whole." Ms Kelly (below), who is a SDLP Policing Board member, said: "It's a bit rich and bit late for Tony Blair to be telling us that given his government gave undue and unfair precedence and prominence to the extremes and they didn't adequately support those parties, particularly the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP who actually made it (GFA) happen. "Tony Blair and his government of the day were not spectators, they had key roles to play and they could have laid down some basic obligations which one would have expected in a democracy. "People were prepared to give a silent nod and look the other way. This resulted in on-the-run (letters) and stuff that was hidden from view, and Tony Blair was part and parcel of those side deals and propped up the extremes and didn't call them out for their ongoing involvement in violence and criminality." DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who left the UUP in 2003 following a number of disagreements in the wake of the GFA, said the agreement was "deeply flawed". "I'm clear that the agreement is not a panacea and never could have been in terms of dealing with the legacy of over 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland," he said. "Sadly at times there are small elements of our society that can revert to sectarian attitudes. As someone who opposed the release of the prisoners, it would not surprise me if a number have become involved again in terrorism. "The Good Friday Agreement was deeply flawed and we have had to work hard over the years to put right the things that were wrong with that agreement and we have come a long way." Alliance leader David Ford said that other parties need to "step forward" in its progress. "The GFA is no longer a fragile young child, nor is it even a difficult toddler or stroppy teenager. It is reaching its maturity and it is long past time other parties stepped forward as well and helped Northern Ireland move forward, faster," he said. "This year will see some young people who weren't even born on Good Friday 1998 able to vote for the first time. That generation has grown up as their political leaders have squabbled and squandered chances." An actor plays Jesus during The Wintershalls The Passion of Jesus at Trafalgar Square Members of the four main churches came together to mark the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday during the second Walk of Witness, through the centre of Londonderry Northern Ireland's church leaders have spoken of the Easter message of hope in their traditional Holy Week messages. In a joint statement, the Church of Ireland Primate the Most Rev Richard Clarke and the Roman Catholic Primate the Most Rev Eamon Martin have called on people to reflect God's mercy in the way in which they live their lives, however imperfectly. The church leaders said: "There are those around us who are fearful and lonely, and who feel little hope for themselves or their families. "There are those further afield who have lost everything and who are the recipients only of suspicion and even hatred." And they added: "We cannot simply stand aloof, if we claim the name of Christ." The Presbyterian Moderator the Rt Rev Dr Ian McNie said that for generations the unique event of Easter had transformed people's lives. "One indisputable fact associated with the Easter Rising of two millennia ago has been the phenomenal growth of the Christian Church, leaving us in no doubt that Christ's resurrection has taken the world by storm, drawing people from every age and generation to the Gospel of God's Grace." He added that the Christian Church "has been entrusted with a responsibility and a message that no other institution or organisation has been called to share." The Methodist President the Rev Brian Anderson said that "one of the great joys of Easter is the message of hope. This is something which Christians around the world instinctively understand". He said that people "have been deeply concerned with the deaths of homeless people in shop doorways in Dublin and Belfast, but many Christians are endeavouring to bring the resurrection hope by walking the streets late at night to make sure that the homeless are warm and have food. Others offer this hope, through working at food banks, giving free debt advice, serving in shelters, and in a host of other ways." Dean of Belfast the Very Rev John Mann asked: "Away from the eggs, chicks, spring flowers and fluffy bunnies, and the hype of advertisers and retailers, what is there to say of depth and meaning in a world that avoids deep thinking but seeks solace in fantasy, sport and celebrity?" He said: "We rejoice on Easter Day as on no other. We seek to live the faith of a risen saviour by being his eyes and ears and hands and feet, to pray and work for peace and justice, reconciliation and compassion in a world where hatred and violence need the challenge of the God of love." President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has called for Irish people to take responsibility for building a true Republic. In a keynote address to descendants of those who fought and died in the 1916 Easter Rising, Mr Higgins said the ideals of the Proclamation can still inspire today. "Our nation has journeyed many miles from the shell shocked and burning Dublin of 1916. We can see that in many respects we have not fully achieved the dreams and ideals for which our forebears gave so much," he said. "A democracy is always and must always be a work in progress, and how we use the independence we have been gifted will continue to challenge us, morally and ethically. "We must ensure that our journey into the future is a collective one; one in which the homeless, the migrant, the disadvantaged, the marginalised and each and every citizen can find homes, are fellow travellers; a journey which includes all of the multitude of voices that together speak of, and for, a new Ireland born out of contemporary imagination and challenges." The President's speech at the descendants' reception in the RDS in Dublin followed the opening day in a weekend of centenary celebrations. Mr Higgins began the 100 year anniversary by laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square, the site where the Irish Volunteers was founded, in honour of all those who fought and died for Irish freedom. His wife Sabina laid a wreath at the grave of Countess Constance Markievicz in Glasnevin Cemetery. The celebrations are specially choreographed to remember a seminal moment in Irish history which sowed the seeds for independence. Official Ireland is striving to make the commemorations more inclusive and avoid offending unionists in Northern Ireland. Over the decades the role of women in the Rising has often been overlooked, alongside the deaths of 40 innocent children which were largely ignored until recent years. The President urged Irish citizens to grasp the need to keep building a republic, to make the founders of the state proud, representative of courage, vision and a profound spirit of generous humanity. "So today, let us look to our past in a way that is emancipatory and transformative. Let us recognise all that was powerfully suggestive in that past as we set about constructing the foundations of a new and better Ireland," he said. Mr Higgins recalled conditions in Dublin at the time of Rising with 5,000 tenements in the city centre's Georgian buildings housing 87,000 people, including 20,000 families with one room to call home. He also highlighted the important role of women in the rebellion, largely overlooked for much of the 20th century, other than by some historians and feminists. And he spoke of the diverse idealism which helped to inspire the insurrection including land rights, housing, language, politics, culture, nationhood and the pretext of the poorest in society fighting for empires in the First World War. Mr Higgins said: "All of these strands of the Rising are present in the idealism of the Proclamation which offers us a generous social and political vision, one that can still inspire us today." "We should never forget that it was addressed too to the nation's women, years before women over 30 would be allowed to vote as well as its men in equal terms, as it called forth a Republic that would guarantee: 'religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens'." The President also remembered all those who died in the insurrection - 485 people, more than half of whom were civilians, and 40 of whom were children. It is only in the last year that their deaths have been catalogued. "So this evening let us remember the sung and unsung heroes of 1916, those who fought for Ireland, and those who were caught up in the events on the streets of Dublin," he said. "Let us remember all those who died or were injured in Dublin, the majority of whom were civilians. We reflect and recall the loss suffered by all families. We recall and respect all the families who lost sons, fathers, brothers, sisters or daughters." President Higgins paid special tribute to the unsung heroes of the Rising and how each death left a family and loved one bereft. "The human price paid should not ever be forgotten, should remind us of the great debt of gratitude we owe to all of those who bravely risked their lives a hundred years ago so that future generations of Ireland could grow up as citizens of a free and independent State," he said. Some 1,350 people were killed or injured during the six day insurrection while 3,430 men and 79 women were arrested by the British. Fifteen of the rebel leaders including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, where another poignant tribute will be paid on Easter Sunday. President Higgins will be in the Stone Breakers' Yard to lay a wreath on the site where the sentences were executed. The biggest event takes place on Easter Sunday when more than a quarter of a million people will line the streets for a massive parade through Dublin city centre. Almost 4,000 members of the Defence Forces, emergency services and peacekeeping veterans will weave their way along the 4.5 km route from St Stephen's Green to O'Connell Street and past the General Post Office on to Capel Street. The unprecedented spectacle, which will include the reading of the Proclamation under the portico of the GPO is being billed as the largest public celebration in the history of the state. File photo dated 11/05/1916 of a part of the ruins of the Picture Gallery . PA File photo dated 11/05/1916 of the ruins of the General Post Office viewed from the top of Nelson's Column , Dublin as rebels, proclaiming an Irish Republic, seized control of the building on the 24th April. PA File photo dated 11/05/1916 of British soldiers guarding an improvised armoured car made from a locomotive boiler and used to convey troops from point to point during the 'Easter Rising'. PA File photo dated 11/05/1916 of damage in Dublin from the top of the Nelson Pillar. PA File photo dated 11/05/21916 of souvenir hunters of all ages scrabble amongst the rubble in the streets of Dublin in the aftermath of the 'Easter Rising'. PA File photo dated 24/04/1916 of a poster issued by members of Sinn Fein proclaiming the creation of an Irish Republic. PA File photo dated 01/05/1916 of children carrying wood from Sackville Street, Dublin after the Rising as a trove of rarely-seen photographs lays bare the utter carnage wreaked on Dublin during the tumultuous Easter Rising 100 years ago this weekend. PA File photo dated 01/04/1916 of crowds outside Bow Street court, for the Roger Casement Trial as a trove of rarely-seen photographs lays bare the utter carnage wreaked on Dublin during the tumultuous Easter Rising 100 years ago this weekend. PA File photo dated 11/05/1916 of Sackville Street from the Nelson Column after the Rising in Dublin as a trove of rarely-seen photographs lays bare the utter carnage wreaked on Dublin during the tumultuous Easter Rising 100 years ago this weekend. PA File photo dated 30/04/1916 of British troops at a road block outside Cassidy's Grocery during the Easter Rising in Dublin, 1916 as a trove of rarely-seen photographs lays bare the utter carnage wreaked on Dublin during the tumultuous Easter Rising 100 years ago this weekend. PA File photo dated 11/05/1916 of Sackville Street (O'Connell St) and the River Liffey at Eden Quay showing the devastation wrought during the 'Easter Rising', as a trove of rarely-seen photographs lays bare the utter carnage wreaked on Dublin during the tumultuous Easter Rising 100 years ago this weekend. PA File photo dated 14/05/1916 of a view from Nelson's Column showing ruins in the city of Dublin. PA A weekend of commemorations marking the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will start with a series of wreath laying ceremonies in Dublin today. Sabina Higgins, President Michael D Higgins's wife, will remember Countess Constance Markievicz at Glasnevin Cemetery while Ireland's President will lay a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in honour of those who fought and died for Ireland's freedom. Later, President Higgins is expected to meet the families of those killed during a special event in Dublin's RDS where he will speak about the debt of gratitude owed to the rebels immortalised in the history books as well as the "unsung heroes" who took to the streets one hundred years ago. The President is expected to focus on the "human essence" of the rebellion reflecting on combatants' differing motivations as well as their influence in post-independence Ireland. The Rising which began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916 was a seminal moment in Irish history, sowing the seeds for a war of independence that led to partition of the country and the creation of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Some 1,350 people were killed or injured during the six day insurrection while 3,430 men and 79 women were also arrested by the British. Fifteen of the rebel leaders including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. The biggest event of the weekend is due to take place on Easter Sunday when more than a quarter of a million people will line the streets for a massive parade through Dublin city centre. Almost 4,000 members of the Defence Forces, emergency services and army veterans will weave their way along the 4.5 km route from St Stephen's Green to O'Connell Street and past the General Post Office on to Capel Street. The unprecedented spectacle, which will begin at 10am with the reading of the Proclamation is being billed as the largest public celebration in the history of the state. Wreaths will also be laid in Glasnevin at the Sigerson Monument, which honours the dead of 1916, and at the graves of Edward Hollywood, a silk weaver from the Liberties in Dublin who put together the Irish Tricolour in 1848, and the grave of Peadar Kearney, who wrote the lyrics to Amhran na bhFiann. President Higgins will be in the Stone Breakers' Yard in Kilmainham to lay a wreath on the site where the 1916 leaders were executed. Further commemorations are planned for Easter Monday at each of the seven key battlefield sites in Dublin. Cultural events are also being held in more than 200 venues across the city including 500 free talks, exhibitions, debates, film, performances and dramatisations, with six outdoor stages and activities for children and families. Outside of Dublin simultaneous wreath laying ceremonies will take place in Athenry, Cork, Enniscorthy and Ashbourne. James Connolly Herron (right) unveils a new statue with Northern Ireland Culture Minister Caral Ni Chuilin, for his great grandfather James Connolly, one of the 1916 Easter Rising leaders on Falls Road, Belfast. PA A great grandson of 1916 leader James Connolly has unveiled a statue in the republican icon's "spiritual home" of Belfast. James Connolly Heron said it was an honour and a privilege to attend the event on the Falls Road in the west of the city. Addressing a crowd of hundreds, he said: "I feel in some ways that I have come home. "This is west Belfast and the Falls Road is very much the spiritual home of James Connolly. "He had many homes. He was a son of Edinburgh; he was a son of New York; he was a son of Dublin and a very proud son of Belfast. "His family forged their politics in and around this area." The life-size bronze sculpture, which weighs 200 kilograms, was designed by artist Steve Feeny and is located on the Falls in the west of the city. It was funded by Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Sinn Fein councillor Jim McVeigh, a member of the James Connolly Society, said it was an "exciting day". He said: "This is the best place for James Connolly, in the place where he lived and among the people whom he fought for." Culture Minister Caral ni Chuilin was also at the unveiling. She described Connolly as one of the greatest ever leaders and revealed that his photograph had taken pride of place in the home where she grew up alongside a picture of the Sacred Heart and US President John F Kennedy. Connolly was born in Edinburgh to Irish parents, rose to prominence during the Dublin lockout of 1913 as general secretary of Irish Transport and General Workers Union and commander of Irish Citizen Army (ICA), which was set up to defend workers from police brutality. He had close ties with Belfast and lived at Glenalina Terrace close to the Falls Road for a number of years from 1911. He has been hailed as one of the most influential and effective leaders of the rebellion and on Easter Monday, April 24 1916 led more than 220 ICA members to the General Post Office from where he commanded military operations. He was executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol in May 1916. It is hoped the new artwork will attract more tourists into west Belfast. David Dixon had been missing since the deadly terror attacks in Brussels A British man has been confirmed dead following the terror attacks in Brussels. The family of David Dixon, 50, who was originally from Hartlepool but was living in the Belgian capital, said they had received "the most terrible and devastating news". At least 32 people were killed and 270 injured when suicide bombs ripped through the airport and a Metro station on Tuesday morning. A statement issued on Friday by the Foreign Office on behalf of Mr Dixon's family said: "This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David. At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. Please respect our wishes." The Foreign Office said officials know of seven British nationals who were injured in the attacks, with three still being treated in hospital. Mr Dixon, an IT programmer, had been missing since the Metro blast, and his family previously said they were "anxiously waiting" and hoping for "good news" about him. It was reported that Mr Dixon's aunt had texted him following the airport explosions and had received a message back from him saying he was safe. But it is thought he then got on the Metro to go to work and got caught up in the attack. The news comes as US defence secretary Ash Carter said US forces had killed a senior Islamic State leader, among several key members of the militant group eliminated this week. He identified the senior IS leader as Haji Imam and described him as the group's finance minister. He said he was a "well-known terrorist" who had a hand in terror plots outside of Iraq and Syria. Police have also raided Brussels neighbourhoods in an operation the mayor said was linked to Tuesday's attacks and to the arrest in the Paris suburbs of a man who may have been plotting a new attack in France. Three people were detained, with two of them shot in the leg, the federal prosecutor's office said. The operation was conducted in the Schaerbeek district, which was raided on Thursday night, as well as the neighbourhoods of Forest and Saint-Gilles. Belgium's state broadcaster said one person was carrying a bag of explosive material. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him". A local electrician Norman Kabir said that after the man did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. Prime minister Charles Michel skipped a wreath-laying ceremony at the Brussels airport with US secretary of state John Kerry because of the police operation. Prosecutors said three of six people detained on Thursday in the investigation have been released. Three terrorists died in Tuesday's explosions and a massive manhunt was launched to track down other suspects believed to be behind the blasts. Belgian security services were hunting two men pictured with the suicide bombers shortly before the attacks and believed to be on the run. One of the men was caught on CCTV carrying a large bag and walking with jihadist Khalid El Bakraoui moments before the bomb detonated, according to state broadcaster RTBF and France's Le Monde newspaper. Another of the suspected killers, dubbed "the man in white", was pictured pushing a trolley through Zaventem Airport with Najim Laachraoui - who Belgian federal prosecutors have confirmed with DNA analysis was one of the airport suicide bombers - and Khalid's brother Ibrahim before they blew themselves up. Laachraoui, 24, is also the suspected bombmaker whose DNA was found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks. A Moroccan man was detained in central Germany on Thursday because he did not have valid ID. Prosecutors in Giessen said they found documents indicating the 28-year-old had been in the Brussels area recently and seized a mobile phone that they are now evaluating. They said officials established that he had previously entered Germany under various aliases and sought asylum, and that he is known to police in Italy. Der Spiegel magazine and two public broadcasters are saying the man received two suspicious text messages on the day of the Brussels attacks. A Belgian official has said the top suspect in the November attacks in Paris, Salah Abdeslam, has stopped co-operating with police since Tuesday's Brussels bombings. Justice minister Koen Geens said Abdeslam "no longer wants to talk". Federal prosecutors also said the suspect "refused to make the slightest comment" when questioned just after the Brussels attacks. Abdeslam was arrested in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek on March 18, just four days before the bombings at the airport and Metro. France is seeking his extradition, which his lawyer initially challenged, saying his client could have valuable information for investigators, but Abdeslam has changed his mind since the Brussels attacks and is prepared to go. Meanwhile, a US official said at least two American citizens were killed in the attacks and authorities announced that Chinese, French, and Dutch citizens were also among the dead. In light of security fears in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Mariah Carey has cancelled her concert in Brussels on Sunday. A message on her Facebook page said Carey had been advised to cancel the show to protect the safety of her crew and fans. In this image provided by Daniela Schwarzer, smoke is seen at Brussels airport in Brussels, Belgium, after explosions were heard Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Daniela Schwarzer via AP) The aftermath of this morning's explosions at Brussels airport. Pic: Jef Versele/PA Wire The aftermath of this morning's explosions at Brussels airport. Pic Jef Versele/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. The aftermath of this morning's explosions at Brussels airport. Pic: Jef Versele/PA Wire The scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard. Pic @davidcrunelle/PA Wire The scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard. Pic: @davidcrunelle/PA Wire A photo shows cars on a blocked highway near Zaventem, Brussels National airport, on March 22, 2016 after two explosions rocked the main hall of Brussels Airport, killing at least one person and wounding several others, officials said. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows smoke rising from the Maalbeek underground, in Brussels, following a blast at the station close to the capital's European quarter. Pic Getty Images The scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard. Pic: Stephanie Vanhemelryck/PA Wire The scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard. Pic: Stephanie Vanhemelryck/PA Wire A photo taken on March 22, 2016 shows Brussels Airport, in Zaventem, after two explosions rocked the main hall of the airport, killing at least one person and wounding several others. The Brussels metro service was being shut down on March 22, its operator said, following a blast at a station close to the capital's European quarter. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / Belgium OUT/AFP/Getty Images A photo shows cars on a blocked highway near Zaventem, leading to Brussels National airport, on March 22, 2016 after two explosions rocked the main hall of Brussels Airport, killing at least one person and wounding several others, officials said. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images People walk on a blocked highway near Zaventem, leading to Brussels National airport, on March 22, 2016 after two explosions rocked the main hall of Brussels Airport, killing at least one person and wounding several others, officials said. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images This view taken on March 22, 2016 shows the broken glasses at Brussels Airport in Zaventem after a two explosions targeted the main hall. A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station today, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / JONAS ROOSENSJONAS ROOSENS/AFP/Getty Images Passsengers wait, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers who were evacuated from the airport wait in Zaventem, on March 22, 2016, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport of Zaventem and a city metro station, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / SEPPE KNAPEN / Belgium OUTSEPPE KNAPEN/AFP/Getty Images A passenger waits, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images A passenger waits, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers gather, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers leave with their luggages, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Belgium police officers block a street in Brussels on March 22, 2016 after an explosion occurred at a metro station. At least 13 people have been killed after two explosions occurred this morning in the departure hall of Brussels Airport. The Brussels metro stations have been evacuated after explosions at Schuiman and Maelbeek-Maalbeek. Government sources speak of a terrorist attack. The terrorist threat level has been heightened to four across the country. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / PHILIPPE FRANCOIS / Belgium OUTPHILIPPE FRANCOIS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers leave with their luggages, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Two passengers wait, on March 22, 2016 near Brussels airport in Zaventem , following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are gathered near Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, following its evacuation after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images In this photo provided by Georgian Public Broadcaster and photographed by Ketevan Kardava a man is wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium, after explosions were heard Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Ketevan Kardava/ Georgian Public Broadcaster via AP) A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows a Belgian police vehicle driving past passengers who are evacuating the Brussels Airport of Zaventem. Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows passengers boarding a bus as they evacuate the Brussels Airport of Zaventem, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images The military police carries extra patrols at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, on March 22, 2016 in response to the attacks in the departure hall of Brussels Airport and at a Brussels metro station. / AFP PHOTO / ANP / Evert Elzinga / Netherlands OUTEVERT ELZINGA/AFP/Getty Images Policemen stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows passengers waiting in a bus as they evacuate the Brussels Airport of Zaventem, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Policemen and soldier stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A helicopter of the Belgian police flies above the area near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows a Belgian emergency vehicle driving past passengers evacuating the Brussels Airport of Zaventem, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Policemen stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Policemen stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A victim receives first aid by rescuers, on March 22, 2016 near Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A picture shows damage to the facade of Brussels Airport, in Zaventem, on March 2016 after two explosions in the airport. Belgian firefighters said there were at least 21 dead after "enormous" blasts hit Brussels airport and the city's metro system. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / DIRK WAEM / Belgium OUTDIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images A security perimeter has been set, on March 22, 2016 near Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A victim receives first aid by rescuers, on March 22, 2016 near Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A victim receives first aid by rescuers, on March 22, 2016 near Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Closed off road between Maelbeek station and Arts-Loi in Brussels. Pic: Shigeo Sugimoto/PA Wire Passengers evacuate the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, on March 22, 2016, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. The blasts come days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on March 18 of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November, after four months on the run. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters arrive at a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers board a bus as they evacuate the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, on March 22, 2016, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. The blasts come days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on March 18 of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November, after four months on the run. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Passengers are evacuated from Brussels airport, on March 22, 2016 in Zaventem, after at least 13 people were killed and 35 injured as twin blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport.AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Police officers walk past as a group of travelers stand together, after services were suspended on the Brussels Eurostar train route because of the attacks in Belgium, at St Pancras international railway station in London, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Authorities locked down the Belgian capital on Tuesday after explosions rocked the Brussels airport and subway system, killing at least 13 people and injuring many more. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) A police officers sets a security perimeter near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A police officers sets a security perimeter near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Emergency workers arrive at a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images An armed policeman secures the access to the terminal area of the Frankfurt Airport, on March 22, 2016, in Frankfurt, western Germany. The increased security comes in the wake of the explosions in Brussels, according to several media have claimed more lives. / AFP PHOTO / DPA / Boris Roessler / Germany OUTBORIS ROESSLER/AFP/Getty Images Policemen stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images An armed policeman secures the access to the terminal area of the Frankfurt Airport, on March 22, 2016, in Frankfurt, western Germany. The increased security comes in the wake of the explosions in Brussels, according to several media have claimed more lives. / AFP PHOTO / DPA / Boris Roessler / Germany OUTBORIS ROESSLER/AFP/Getty Images Policemen stand guard at the entrance of a security perimeter set near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images First aid workers arrive atr Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Belgian servicemen and police officers block the road outside the Prime Minister's office where a meeting of the National Security Council is held, in Brussels, on March 22, 2016, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. The blasts come days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on March 18 of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November, after four months on the run. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE / Belgium OUTJAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE/AFP/Getty Images French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve gives a statement after a meeting with French Prime Minister, French Defence Minister and French President following Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on March 22, killing at least 21 people in apparently coordinated attacks, officials said. / AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINSTEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images First aid workers arrive atr Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve gives a statement after a meeting with French Prime Minister, French Defence Minister and French President following Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on March 22, killing at least 21 people in apparently coordinated attacks, officials said. / AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINSTEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images Policemen speak at a security perimeter near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Belgian servicemen and police officers block the road outside the Prime Minister's office where a meeting of the National Security Council is held, in Brussels, on March 22, 2016, after a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 21 people, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. The blasts come days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on March 18 of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November, after four months on the run. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / James Arthur Gekiere / Belgium OUTJAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE/AFP/Getty Images A police officers sets a security perimeter near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve gives a statement after a meeting with French Prime Minister, French Defence Minister and French President following Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on March 22, killing at least 21 people in apparently coordinated attacks, officials said. / AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINSTEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve gives a statement after a meeting with French Prime Minister, French Defence Minister and French President following Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on March 22, killing at least 21 people in apparently coordinated attacks, officials said. / AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINSTEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters arrive at the scene near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: Crew and passengers are evacuated from Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after terrorist attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 13 people are though to have been killed after Brussels airport was hit by two explosions whilst a Metro station was also targeted. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: Crew and passengers are evacuated from Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after terrorist attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 13 people are though to have been killed after Brussels airport was hit by two explosions whilst a Metro station was also targeted. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images) A police officers sets security perimeter near Maalbeek metro station, on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, after a blast at this station near the EU institutions caused deaths and injuries. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images Picture taken with permission from the Facebook site of Jef Versele showing the aftermath of this morning's explosions at Brussels airport. A Eurostar representative gives advice to a traveler after services were suspended on the Brussels Eurostar train route because of the attacks in Belgium, at St Pancras international railway station in London, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Police dog handlers speak to travelers as they patrol after Eurostar train services were suspended on the Brussels route because of the attacks in Belgium, at St Pancras international railway station in London, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Belgian police officers detain a man at the Gare du Midi train station in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and its subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) Rescue teams evacuate wounded people outside the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels on March 21, 2016 after a blast at this station located near the EU institutions. Belgian firefighters said at least 26 people had died after "enormous" blasts rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station today, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. / AFP PHOTO / --/AFP/Getty Images A man looks at flowers and a sign reading (Defy terror, protect freedom) outside the Belgium embassy in Berlin on March 22, 2016. People left tributes to the victims outside the embassy after a series of apparently coordinated blasts ripped through Brussels airport and a train. / AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Police and rescue teams are pictured outside the metro station Maelbeek in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and its subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Smoke billows from the Zaventem Airport after a controlled explosion in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Bombs struck the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing and wounding dozens of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) Travelers wait at the counter of Brussels airlines in Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. After the Brussels attacks, Israel briefly announced that all Israeli flights from Europe were canceled, then reinstated the flights, Israel Airports Authority spokesman Ofer Leffler said. Pini Schiff, former director of security at Ben-Gurion Airport, said the attack in the Brussels airport was a colossal failure of Belgian security, and he said the chances are very low that such a bombing could take place in Israels airport. Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport is considered among the most secure in the world, an outcome stemming from several Palestinian attacks on Israeli planes and travelers in the 1970s. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Police and rescue teams are pictured outside the metro station Maelbeek in Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and its subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) An Israeli airport security guard patrols with a dog in Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. After the Brussels attacks, Israel briefly announced that all Israeli flights from Europe were canceled, then reinstated the flights, Israel Airports Authority spokesman Ofer Leffler said. Pini Schiff, former director of security at Ben-Gurion Airport, said the attack in the Brussels airport was a colossal failure of Belgian security, and he said the chances are very low that such a bombing could take place in Israels airport. Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport is considered among the most secure in the world, an outcome stemming from several Palestinian attacks on Israeli planes and travelers in the 1970s. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A pilot and cabin crew are evacuated from Zaventem Airport in Brussels by bus after an explosion on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. At least 26 people were reported dead. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) The blown out facade of the terminal is seen at Zaventem airport, one of the sites of two deadly attacks in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Authorities in Europe have tightened security at airports, on subways, at the borders and on city streets after the attacks Tuesday on the Brussels airport and its subway system. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Policemen and soldiers stand guard near a security perimeter set in the Rue de la Loi near the Maalbeek subway station, in Brussels, on March 22, 2016, after an explosion killed at least 11 people, according to spokesman of Brussels' fire brigade A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Policemem stand guard near a security perimeter set in the Rue de la Loi near the Maalbeek subway station, in Brussels, on March 22, 2016, after an explosion killed at least 11 people, according to spokesman of Brussels' fire brigade A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images A wreath is layed on a table along flowers and a candle inside the Belgium embassy in Berlin on March 22, 2016 as the national and EU flag is reflected in the window. People left tributes to the victims outside the embassy after a series of apparently coordinated blasts ripped through Brussels airport and a train. / AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Travellers gather at Ryanair helping desk at Barcelona El Prat airport after the Brussels attacks, in Barcelona on March 22, 2016. Europe froze air and rail links to Brussels as the authorities tightened security in alarm over a series of deadly bomb blasts that ripped through the Belgian capital's airport and a city-centre metro station. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENAPAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images A boy holds a placard expressing sympathy for the victims of the terror attacks in Brussels during a protest at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni on March 22, 2016. Greece will not be able to start sending refugees back to Turkey from March 20, 2016, the government said, as the country struggles to implement a key deal aimed at easing Europe's migrant crisis. The numbers are daunting: officials said as of Saturday there were 47,500 migrants in Greece, including 8,200 on the islands and 10,500 massed at the Idomeni camp on the Macedonian border. / AFP PHOTO / ANDREJ ISAKOVICANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images Travellers get informed at Ryanair helping desk at Barcelona El Prat airport after the Brussels attacks, in Barcelona on March 22, 2016. Europe froze air and rail links to Brussels as the authorities tightened security in alarm over a series of deadly bomb blasts that ripped through the Belgian capital's airport and a city-centre metro station. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENAPAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images The Belgian and European Union flags fly at half mast outside the embassy of Belgium in London, in the wake of coordinated bomb attacks on the main airport and the Metro system in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire The departure board at Rome's Fiumicino aiport displays the cancellation of flights to Brussels on March 22, 2016, in the wake of the series of apparently coordinated explosions ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing at least 26 people. Authorities in Europe have tightened security at airports, on subways, at the borders and on city streets after deadly attacks on the Brussels airport and its subway system. / AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABITIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images Travellers gather at Ryanair helping desk at Barcelona El Prat airport after the Brussels attacks, in Barcelona on March 22, 2016. Europe froze air and rail links to Brussels as the authorities tightened security in alarm over a series of deadly bomb blasts that ripped through the Belgian capital's airport and a city-centre metro station. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENAPAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images Police officers patrol entrances to Rome's Fiumicino aiport on March 22, 2016, in the wake of the series of apparently coordinated explosions ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing at least 26 people. Authorities in Europe have tightened security at airports, on subways, at the borders and on city streets after deadly attacks on the Brussels airport and its subway system. / AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABITIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images The flags of Belgium and the European Union are seen flying on half mast reflected in the window of the Belgian embassy in Berlin on March 22, 2016. People left tributes to the victims outside the embassy after a series of apparently coordinated blasts ripped through Brussels airport and a train. / AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images An Italian police officer patrols with a dog at Rome's Fiumicino aiport on March 22, 2016 as security measures were reinforced in the wake of attacks in Brussels. European countries vowed to defend democracy against terrorism after blasts at Brussels airport and in the EU's institutional heart left at least 26 dead and dozens injured. / AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABITIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images The Belgian flag flies at half mast above 10 Downing Street in London, in the wake of coordinated bomb attacks on the main airport and the Metro system in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire The Belgian flag flies at half mast above 10 Downing Street in London, in the wake of coordinated bomb attacks on the main airport and the Metro system in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire The Belgian and European Union flags fly at half mast outside the embassy of Belgium in London, in the wake of coordinated bomb attacks on the main airport and the Metro system in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire A Belgian soldier patrols outside Brussels Central Station as people are allowed in small group of ten to reach the station in order to take their commuter train following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bombs blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. / AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A man lights a candle at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A man puts a Belgian flag at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A Belgian soldier speaks to a police officer outside Brussels Central Station as people are allowed in small groups of ten to reach the station in order to take their commuter train following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bombs blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. / AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images A candle burns next to a heart drawing at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A woman leaves a bouquet of flowers in the Belgian national colours next to a French national flag with the lettering 'Paris - Brussels - Solidarity' at the fence of the Belgian embassy in Paris on March 22, 2016, in tribute to victims of triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSONTHOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A woman reacts as people gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A Belgian police officer watches people walk past during an operation to limit the number of people allowed into the central Station in Brussels on March 22, 2016 following co-ordinated attacks at the Airport serving the Belgian capital and its Metro system. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bombs blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. / AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNANDEMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images People hold hands as they gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images People hold hands as they gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A man plays the cello as people gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A replica of the Manneken Pis statue stands at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 in Paris shows a view of a smartphone screening an Instagram page with the ashtag "#JESUISBRUSSELS" (#IAMBRUSSELS) and two tributes images picturing the color of the Belgian flag, a drawing by French cartoonist Plantu and the famous Belgian comic character Tintin, in tribute to victims of triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels on March 22, 2016 after rush-hour bomb attacks killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. Within hours of Brussels attacks tens of thousands of people were sharing images on social media of Herge's cub reporter Tintin, the country's most famous creation, in tears. / AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTIONJOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images People hold hands as they gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Police forces block the access to the Maalbeek subway station, in Brussels, on March 22, 2016, after a series of apparently coordinated explosions that ripped through Brussels airport and the metro train, killing at least 14 people in the airport and 20 people in the metro in the latest attacks to target Europe. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images A man reacts as people gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: People leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A young boy helps light a candle as people leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A young boy helps light a candle as people leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) People gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights and European railways froze links with Brussels after a series of bomb blasts killed around 35 people in the city's airport and a metro train, sparking a broad security response. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Belgian flag flies at half mast above the Royal Palace in Brussels on March 22, 2016 in the wake of co-ordinated attacks claimed by Islamic State group (IS) millitants at the city's airport and in a Metro train. Belgium will hold three days of national mourning in the wake of the deadly attacks in the capital Brussels that killed around 35 people. "All national flags on public buildings will be at half-mast," Frederic Cauderlier, spokesman for Belgian premier Charles Michel, told AFP. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA AND Belga / NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belgium OUTNICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A message is written on the ground as people leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: An Amtrak police K-9 unit checks the baggage of passengers at Union Station March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Security has been increased around the city after bombings in Brussels have left at least 34 people dead and scores more injured in the bombings. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: An Amtrak police K-9 unit patrols Union Station March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Security has been increased around the city after bombings in Brussels have left at least 34 people dead and scores more injured in the bombings. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: A K-9 unit patrols Union Station March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Security has been increased around the city after bombings in Brussels have left at least 34 people dead and scores more injured in the bombings. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Belgian special police forces take position in Zaventem following blasts at Brussels airport and a metro station on March 22, 2016. The European Union vowed to defend democracy and tolerance and to combat terrorism "with all necessary means" after triple blasts struck Brussels, the 28-nation bloc's capital. Around 35 people were killed and more than 200 injured. The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility. AFP PHOTO / JOHN THYSJOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Servicemen of Azov, Ukrainian volonteers battalion, hold torches in front of floral tributes during a ceremony in front of the Belgian embassy in Kiev on March 22, 2016, in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / ANATOLII STEPANOVANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP/Getty Images People holds a banner as they gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. THIERRY MONASSE AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A woman writes a message on the ground as people leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) People look at informations inside the North station (Gare du Nord - Noordstation) on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, as stations are opened again with high security measures after a series of apparently coordinated explosions that ripped through Brussels airport and the metro train, killing at least 14 people in the airport and 20 people in the metro in the latest attacks to target Europe. Belgian police issued a wanted notice for a suspect in the bomb attack on Brussels airport on March 22 in which at least 14 people were killed. The Islamic State group officially claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels that left some 35 people dead and threatened further violence. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belgium OUTNICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A Metro station is closed off at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) People take part in a rally on March 22, 2016 on the Palazzo di Citta square in Turin in memory of the victims of the attacks in Brussels. Around 35 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in a series of attacks in Brussels today claimed by the Islamic State group and described as a strike at the very heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / MARCO BERTORELLOMARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A message is written on a wall following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Police officers stand guard at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem following twin blasts on March 22, 2016. Around 35 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in a series of attacks in Brussels today claimed by the Islamic State group and described as a strike at the very heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZPATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images A man holds a sign as people take part in a rally on March 22, 2016 on the Palazzo di Citta square in Turin in memory of the victims of the attacks in Brussels. Around 35 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in a series of attacks in Brussels today claimed by the Islamic State group and described as a strike at the very heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / MARCO BERTORELLOMARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images People stand hand in hand in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images A woman lights a candle in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows a frame with an inscription which translates as "For our Belgian friends" among floral tributes, candles and notes at the Place de la Republique in Paris in tribute to the victims following a series of apparently coordinated explosions that ripped through Brussels airport and the metro train, killing at least 14 people in the airport and 20 people in the metro in the latest attacks to target Europe. Belgian police found a bomb and an Islamic State flag during a search of a Brussels apartment carried out hours after deadly attacks in the Belgian capital that killed around 35 people, prosecutors said. The Islamic State group officially claimed responsibility for the attacks. / AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGETJOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images People stand hand in hand in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe.KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A miniature sculpture of Brussels' landmark Manneken Pis (Little man Pee) is seen in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A couple watches as the colors of the Belgian flag are projected on to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin as the German capital shows its solidarity following the Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016. Security was tightened across Europe and transport links paralysed after a series of apparently coordinated explosions ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing at least 34 people. / AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images Police officers patrol outside the Maelbeek - Maalbeek subway station in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following a series of attacks in Brussels today claimed by the Islamic State group killing at least 35 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images A woman holds a drawing by French cartoonist Plantu picturing a character made of a French flag consoling another made of the Belgian flag, in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris as people gather for a tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAUMARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A man waves a Belgian and Palestinian flag as a mark of solidarity at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) A member of the public holds a Belgium and Palestine flag at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels following the terrorist bomb attacks. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout CCTV image issued by Belgian Federal Police of three men they believed are connected with the explosions at Brussels airport. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Belgian Federal Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. A Federal police helicopter shines light on roofs during searchings at the Place Princesse Elisabeth in Schaarbeek in the region of Brussels on March 22, 2016, during ongoing security operations in the wake of triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / James Arthur Gekiere / Belgium OUTJAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE/AFP/Getty Images A Belgian flag is display on the Trevi Fountain in Rome on March 22, 2016 in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYSGABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images Messages and tributes left by members of the public at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels following the terrorist bomb attacks. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 22, 2016. The attacks, condemned as "blind, violent and cowardly" by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, came after the arrest in the city last week of terror mastermind Salah Abdeslam, who plotted November's Paris atrocity from the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Young women hold each other at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A woman reacts at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: An Amtrak police K-9 unit patrols Union Station March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Security has been increased around the city after bombings in Brussels have left at least 34 people dead and scores more injured in the bombings. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: Passengers are evacuated from Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after a terrorist attack on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 13 people are though to have been killed after Brussels airport was hit by two explosions whilst a Metro station was also targeted. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A young girl lights a candle at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: People gather to leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** A candle is lit at a makeshift memorial in front of the stock exchange at the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 22, 2016, following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A photo taken on March 22, 2016 shows the Belgian flag projected on Rome's Campidoglio in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTEFILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam displaying the colors of the Belgian flag in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / ANP / Evert Elzinga / Netherlands OUTEVERT ELZINGA/AFP/Getty Images Women lay flowers in front of the Belgium Embassy in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, March 22, 2016, after Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) People bring flowers and candles to mourn at the Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Bombs exploded at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) People light candles in the shape of a heart outside the stock exchange in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) People gather at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. AFP/Getty Images People light candles at a makeshift memorial at Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) following attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / THIERRY MONASSETHIERRY MONASSE/AFP/Getty Images Two Belgian flags are projected on Rome's Campidoglio Capitol Hill to honor the victims of the deadly attacks at Brussels airport and subway, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Explosions, at least one likely caused by a suicide bomber, rocked the Brussels airport and its subway system prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and heightened security across Europe. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) A writing on the asphalt reads "Brussels forever" at the place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels, where people write hundreds of messages on the ground to remember the victims of todays attack, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Bombs exploded at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: A Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputy patrols Union Station train hub as security is heightened in reaction to bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium this morning on March 22, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. At least 36 lives and injured at least 200 people in the morning rush hour bomb attacks at the international airport and a subway station. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) The Belgian flag is projected on Rome's historical Trevi Fountain to honor the victims of the deadly attacks at Brussels airport and subway, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The Eiffel Tower is illuminated with the Belgium national colors black, yellow and red in honor of the victims of the today's attacks at the airport and the metro station in Brussels, in Paris, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 22: A person writes a message as people leave tributes at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. At least 31 people are thought to have been killed after Brussels airport and a Metro station were targeted by explosions. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies patrol Union Station train hub as security is heightened in reaction to bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium this morning on March 22, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. At least 36 lives and injured at least 200 people in the morning rush hour bomb attacks at the international airport and a subway station. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) People light candles at the Place de la Bourse following today's attacks on March 22, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) People hold a banner reading in French and Flamish "I AM BRUSSELS" as they gather around floral tributes, candles, belgian flags and notes in front of the Bourse of Brussels on March 22, 2016 in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA AND Belga / Aurore Belot / Belgium OUTAURORE BELOT/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows the Belgian flag projected on the European Union Commisson building in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images People hold a banner reading in French and Flamish "I AM BRUSSELS" as they gather around floral tributes, candles, belgian and peace flags and notes in front of the Bourse of Brussels on March 22, 2016. AFP/Getty Images A woman lights a candle among floral tributes and notes in front of the Bourse of Brussels on March 22, 2016 in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. AFP/Getty Images A woman lights a candle among floral tributes, a cross and notes in front of the Bourse of Brussels on March 22, 2016 in tribute to the victims of Brussels following triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital that killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. Belgium launched a huge manhunt on March 22 after a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people in the latest attack to bring carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA AND Belga / Aurore Belot / Belgium OUTAURORE BELOT/AFP/Getty Images A picture taken on March 22, 2016 shows Red Cross tents and police vehicles at the Wetstraat - Rue de la Loi, which was evacuated after an explosion at the Maelbeek - Maalbeek subway station in Brussels. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train Tuesday, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ / Belgium OUTLAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/AFP/Getty Images Two women wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium. Pic Ketevan Kardava/ Georgian Public Broadcaster via AP Belgian federal police released this image of Brussels bomb suspects. The two men on the left, each wearing a single black glove, are thought to be suicide bombers, while the third is thought to be on the run. Photos issued by the Belgian Federal Police of Najim Laachraoui, who according to local media is thought to be connected with the Brussels attacks, and who is believed to be on the run. Belgian Federal Police/PA Wire BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: A sad face is drawn on a Belgian flag near Maelbeek metro station following yesterday's attack, on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) TOPSHOT - Belgian police officers stand guard near Maelbeek - Maalbeek subway station in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks in the Belgian capital killed about 35 people and left more than 200 people wounded. A series of explosions claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on March 22, killing around 35 people in the latest attacks to bring bloody carnage to the heart of Europe. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Photos shows colours of the Belgian flag being projected on to (from top L) the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the town council building in Belgrade, the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam and Rome's Campidoglio in tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks. AFP/Getty Images People gather to pay tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks on the Place de la Bourse in central Brussels, on March 23, 2016, a day after the triple blasts killed some 30 people and left around 250 injured. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / Belga / AURORE BELOT / Belgium OUTAURORE BELOT/AFP/Getty Images A man pays tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks next to a Tunisian flag at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse - Beursplein square in Brussels, on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / AURORE BELOT / Belgium OUTAURORE BELOT/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: A soldier checks the identification of a person entering Brussels Midi train station on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: People chant and sing songs at the Place De La Bourse in honour of the victims of yesterdays' terror attacks on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Candles and a printed message are pictured at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after blasts hit the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A Belgian flag is pictured onto one of the two lion sculptures at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after blasts hit the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Queen Mathilde of Belgium (C) meets soldiers during a visit to Brussels Airport, in Zaventem, on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / FREDERIC SIERAKOWSKIFREDERIC SIERAKOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - A boy lights a candle at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after blasts hit the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A heavily armed police officer stands watch in front of Union Station in Washington, DC, March 23, 2016. A dozen Americans were wounded in the Brussels attacks and a number unaccounted for, but no US nationals were known to have been among the 31 dead, the State Department said Wednesday. / AFP PHOTO / Jim WatsonJIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images King Philippe - Filip of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium mourn after laying down flowers in the area of the explosion at the Maelbeek - Maalbeek subway station in Brussels, on March 23, 2016, a day after the triple blasts killed some 30 people and left around 250 injured. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA / THIERRY ROGE / Belgium OUTTHIERRY ROGE/AFP/Getty Images People gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images People gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Flowers and candles are pictured as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Flowers and candles are pictured as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Flowers and candles are pictured as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A woman hold a placard reading "Against terrorism and hatred, Solidarity" as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images People gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images A woman holds a placard with a heart-shaped Belgian flag reading "We want peace on Earth" as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images Belgian flags reading "Pray for Belgium" are pictured as people gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse (Beursplein) in Brussels on March 23, 2016, a day after a triple bomb attack, which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State group, left 31 dead and hundreds injured in the Belgian capital. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers killed 31 people in a strike at the symbolic heart of the EU. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: Flowers, candles and tributes, to the victims and injured, continue to adorn the Place de la Bourse following yesterday's terrorists attacks on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: Paper butterflies and messages of support adorn the walls of the Bourse De Brussels building in the Place de la Bourse following yesterday's terrorists attacks on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Composite image showing Tower Bridge in central London lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PA Manchester Town Hall displays the colours of the Belgium Flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PA Brussels airport workers and their relatives hold candles as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Brussels airport workers and their relatives react as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Brussels airport workers and their relatives hold candles as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Brussels airport workers and their relatives place candles as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Brussels airport workers and their relatives place candles at a makeshift memorial as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Brussels airport workers and their relatives hold candles as they pay tribute to the victims of Brussels triple attacks near the airport in Zaventem on March 23, 2016, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Two children write on a wall at a memorial for victims of attacks in Brussels on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Belgian authorities were searching Wednesday for a top suspect in the country's deadliest attacks in decades, as the European Union's capital awoke under guard and with limited public transport after scores were killed and injured in bombings on the Brussels airport and a subway station. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi) People light candles which create an heart shape at at a wake of Brussels Airport employees on Martch 23, 2016 in Zaventem, a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / BELGA AND Belga / YORICK JANSENS / Belgium OUTYORICK JANSENS/AFP/Getty Images A couple stand on March 23, 2016 in front of a makeshift memorial with floral tributes and candles in Brussels a day after triple bomb attacks at the Brussels airport and at a subway train station killed 31 people and wounded more than 200. World leaders united in condemning the carnage in Brussels and vowed to combat terrorism, after Islamic State bombers attacked the symbolic heart of the EU. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 23: The arches of Wembley Stadium are illuminated with the colours of the flag of Belgium on March 23, 2016 in London, England. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 31 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: A man wears the Belgian flag as people observe a one minute silence at the Place De La Bourse in honour of the victims of yesterdays' terror attacks on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** St George's Hall in Liverpool displays the colours of the Belgium Flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. Photo credit should read: PA Wire St George's Hall in Liverpool displays the colours of the Belgium Flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. Photo credit should read: PA Wire A Belgian national flag is projected onto the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London, in solidarity with Belgium after the attacks that occurred yesterday in Brussels, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Belgians began three days of mourning Wednesday for the victims of the Brussels airport and subway bombings, and the country remained on high alert as authorities hunted for one of the suspected attackers seen on surveillance video with two others who blew themselves up. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 23: A woman covers her face near Maelbeek metro station as she reacts following yesterday's attack, on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning after 34 people were killed in a twin suicide blast at Zaventem Airport and a further bomb attack at Maelbeek Metro Station. Two brothers are thought to have carried out the airport attack and an international manhunt is underway for a third suspect. The attacks come just days after a key suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was captured in Brussels. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire The teams stand as a minute silence is observed for the victims of the Brussels attacks prior to the friendly football match between Romania and Lithuania in Bucharest March 23, 2016. Romania won 1-0. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL MIHAILESCUDANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images The National Gallery and fountains in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire London County Hall by the River Thames displays the colours of the Belgium Flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Messages written in chalk infront of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London which is lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Messages written in chalk are seen in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London which is lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London are lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Candles and messages in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London which is lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Messages written in chalk infront of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London which is lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire Candles and messages in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London which is lit in the colours of the Belgium flag as a tribute following yesterday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2016. See PA story POLICE Brussels. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire People bring flowers and candles at Place de la Bourse, Brussels, to mourn for the victims on Wednesday evening, March 23, 2016. Bombs exploded Tuesday at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) People gather at a memorial site located at the old stock exchange in Brussels on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Belgian authorities were searching Wednesday for a top suspect in the country's deadliest attacks in decades, as the European Union's capital awoke under guard and with limited public transport after scores were killed or wounded in bombings on the Brussels airport and a subway station. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi) Hundreds of people come together at Place de la Bourse to mourn on Wednesday evening, March 23, 2016. Bombs exploded yesterday at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) A small girl sits among candles set up at a memorial site located at the old stock exchange in Brussels on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Belgian authorities were searching Wednesday for a top suspect in the country's deadliest attacks in decades, as the European Union's capital awoke under guard and with limited public transport after scores were killed or wounded in bombings on the Brussels airport and a subway station. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi) People bring flowers and candles to Place de la Bourse, Brussels, to mourn for the victims on Wednesday evening, March 23, 2016. Bombs exploded Tuesday at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Sonia (surname witheld) embraces her children Mateo and Alessia at The Place de la Bourse as she pays her respects to victims following yesterday's terrorists attacks on March 23, 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) People hold a banner showing the Brussels mascot defusing a bomb at Place de la Bourse on Wednesday evening, March 23, 2016. Bombs exploded yesterday at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Hundreds of people come together at Place de la Bourse to mourn on Wednesday evening, March 23, 2016 (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) A security guard at a Belgian nuclear site has been killed just days after the terror attacks in Brussels, it has been reported. A security officer at a nuclear site was killed in the Belgian city of Charleroi, according to reports from local newspaper Derniere Heure The guard, who was walking his dog, was shot dead in the early evening on Thursday, according to the paper, Meanwhile, a British man has been confirmed dead following the terror attacks in Brussels. The family of David Dixon (50), who was originally from Hartlepool but was living in the Belgian capital, said they had received "the most terrible and devastating news". At least 32 people were killed and 270 injured when suicide bombs ripped through an airport and a Metro station on Tuesday morning. A statement issued by the Foreign Office on behalf of Mr Dixon's family said: "This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David. At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. Please respect our wishes." The Foreign Office said officials knew of seven British nationals who were injured in the attacks, with three still being treated in hospital. Mr Dixon, an IT programmer, had been missing since the Metro blast, and his family previously said that they were "anxiously waiting" and hoping for some "good news" about him. Meanwhile, police in Brussels raided neighbourhoods in an operation the mayor said was linked to both the airport and subway bombings and to the arrest in the Paris suburbs of a man who may have been plotting a new attack in France. Three people were detained, with two of them shot in the leg, the federal prosecutor's office said. The operation was conducted in the Schaerbeek district, which was raided on Thursday night, as well as the neighbourhoods of Forest and Saint-Gilles. Belgium's state broadcaster said one person was carrying a bag of explosive material. The area remained cordoned off even after heavily-armed officers had left, a resident said. Three of six people detained on Thursday in the investigation have been released, prosecutors said. On the third and final day of national mourning for Tuesday's attacks, Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel missed a wreath-laying ceremony at the airport with US Secretary of State John Kerry because of the police raids. Mr Kerry, in a hastily-arranged visit, defended Belgium's counter-terrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failings in the run-up to the bombings on Tuesday. Confirming that Mark Rylance, Jude Law and Paloma Faith are among more than 90 stars urging David Cameron to step up the Government's commitment to reunite refugees stranded across Europe with their families in the UK. The plea, in an open letter signed by leading figures from the worlds of arts and business, wants Britain to "step up and do more" to help "vulnerable refugees". It comes ahead of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees meeting on Syrian refugees, which will be held in Geneva on Wednesday. Campaigners hope the Government will seize the "unique opportunity to do more by expanding the rules around family reunion". The letter, backed by charities Refugee Action and Citizens UK, recognises the "substantial aid" being used to help Syrian refugees, but says "as the crisis grows, so too must our response". It says: "Many organisations and public figures have stepped up to help protect children in Calais, but across Europe thousands of refugee children are still stranded without hope or support. "We are seeing the reality of this human crisis play out on our TV screens week after week. Families are desperate to reach their loved ones. Traumatised children have no one to protect them." Leaving the European Union would leave the NHS facing a "real challenge", Jeremy Hunt has said. In a warning that prompted claims of government scaremongering, the Health Secretary said the economic shock caused by Brexit could starve the cash-strapped health service of investment. Some of the 100,000 foreign EU citizens on the workforce could also quit the country amid "uncertainties" over the status of visas and work permits, he said in the Observer. Mr Hunt said he believed Britain would survive economically outside the bloc and would strike trade deals, but not without "years of economic uncertainty". It would "inevitably mean less money for public services like the NHS", he wrote, in the latest intervention by a senior minister. "Those who want to leave need to explain how they could protect the NHS from this economic shock," he said. "No savings can compensate for the economic volatility that would follow a vote to leave. "Another issue is the damage caused by losing some of the 100,000 skilled EU workers who work in our health and social care system. Uncertainties around visas and residency permits could cause some to return home, with an unpredictable impact on hard-pressed front-line services. "Our doctors and nurses have never worked harder. Their passion and determination is to do the right thing for patients. Against that backdrop, Brexiteers need to be honest that a period of economic uncertainty and volatility poses a real challenge to the NHS." Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, argued that Brexit would release funds to improve the NHS. "Does this government's scaremongering know no bounds?" he asked. "Under Jeremy Hunt's stewardship, the NHS has plummeted into a financial crisis. "If we vote to leave we can stop wasting money on EU bureaucrats and instead spend our money on our priorities like the NHS." Mr Hunt said those savings had been spent several times over in anti-EU campaigners' manifestos. Stephen Dorrell, a Tory former health secretary and ex-chairman of the Commons health select committee, told the newspaper: "EU research programmes and single market legislation have greatly strengthened European co-operation in this area with substantial benefits for both healthcare and employment in the UK. It is a simple fact that Brexit would put all this at risk." But Tory MP Stewart Jackson said: "Jeremy Hunt has to explain how uncontrolled EU migration and Turkish EU accession will help an overstretched NHS on his watch and afterwards." Former cabinet minister Liam Fox said: " How many more colleagues will be forced into absurd and demeaning scare stories? Very sad." Police have cordoned off an area around a shop where the owner was attacked Hundreds of people have gathered for a silent vigil to honour a respected shopkeeper killed in what police are treating as a "religiously prejudiced" attack. Asad Shah, 40, was found seriously injured outside his shop in Minard Road in the Shawlands area of Glasgow on Thursday night. He was taken to the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with his death. Police Scotland said: "A full investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced." Both Mr Shah and the arrested man were Muslims, officers have confirmed. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined an estimated crowd of 400-500 people on Friday evening for the vigil to show solidarity and remember Mr Shah. Ms Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area, tweeted afterwards: "Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family." Those attending were encouraged to bring a daffodil. Many laid flowers and lit candles during the gathering. One of the vigil organisers, Eildon Dyer, said: "It was very respectful. There were a lot of people clearly very upset. There were a lot of tears and lots and lots of flowers. "Everybody has said he was the nicest man. He was clearly much-loved. Everybody had nice stories to tell about him and warm stories. It's just very, very sad." Ms Dyer, 58, who helped to organise the event on social media with Nisreen Sharif, 56, said: "Both of us have lived in this area for a long time and immediately this became known it was obvious the effect it was having on people. "We felt the potential for something like this could be to divide a community and really what we wanted to show was a community standing together, which is in fact what happened because there were people from all different backgrounds who were there. "As well as being a good tribute to Mr Shah I would say it was a good symbol of the community coming together." Also at the gathering were Scottish Government minister Humza Yousaf and Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety. Mr McAveety tweeted: "Emotional vigil outside Mr Shah's shop as the community pay their respect #thisisnotwhoweare" Mr Yousaf said on Twitter: "When our city is hurting the people of Glasgow wrap their arms round each other. Proud of Glasgow tonight x" Residents in the area have described Mr Shah as a "pillar of the community". An online posting on Thursday, apparently from Mr Shah's Facebook account, stated: "Good Friday and very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation x!" Earlier on Friday, people arrived at the police cordon surrounding the shop - Shah's Newsagent and Convenience Store - to lay tributes. Isabella Graham, 64, said Mr Shah employed her daughter at the shop when she was younger and she cried when she called her to tell her the news. She said: "He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldn't do enough for you. "He wouldn't hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. I can't believe he's gone." Mrs Graham, who placed flowers at the scene with her granddaughter, said Mr Shah's family had run the shop for as long as she had lived there, for more than 16 years. One card left at the cordon read: "Thank you for being the nicest guy on the planet." Another read: "A good man, much loved and a pillar of the community. You'll be sorely missed." The Rev Val Duff, minister of Shawlands linked with South Shawlands Parish Church, said: "Like many people I am deeply saddened to hear of Asad Shah's death. He was obviously a deeply loved man in our community." Police found Mr Shah seriously injured after they were called to Minard Road at 9.05pm on Thursday. Meanwhile, a fund-raising page set up on the GoFundMe website in support of Mr Shah's family raised more than 13,000 by the end of Friday. Three men have been charged with terrorist offences linked to attacks on the Brussels airport and subway. Federal prosecutors have charged a man identified as Faycal C for "involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder" following the attacks in the Belgian capital, which killed 31 people and injured another 270. Officials say he was arrested on Thursday, but a police raid on his home found no weapons or explosives. Meanwhile, organisers have postponed Sunday's march for solidarity in Belgium after a police appeal. Belgian media are reporting that a man named Faycal Cheffou has been identified has the suspected fugitive pictured in a light-coloured jacket who fled Brussels Airport after two alleged accomplices blew themselves up there on Tuesday. Prosecutors refused to comment on those reports, but did say that t wo other suspects arrested on Thursday and identified as Rabah N and Aboubakar A have been charged with "involvement in the activities of a terrorist group." A fourth man, taken into custody on Friday after he was shot by police at a Brussels tram stop, is being held for at least 24 hours longer. The developments come as Brussels airport officials moved to assess the damage caused by twin explosions at the terminal on Tuesday. Authorities have wrapped up their investigation of the crime scene at the airport, and will allow engineers into the building to check its structural safety and information technology systems - and whether any damage can be repaired quickly. Brussels Airport, which handles 23.5 million passengers annually, said it would be Tuesday at the earliest before flights resume. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the November 13 bombings in Paris that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Heavily armed police swept into Brussels neighbourhoods on Friday in operations linked to the attacks. Signs of a large police operation remained visible on Saturday at the tram station in Schaerbeek district in Brussels, where a man was shot. The man, who was sitting with a young girl and holding a bag, was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him". After he did so, police shot him twice. Earlier, Belgium's interior minister appealed to residents not to rally in solidarity for the victims of Tuesday's attacks, saying police are too stretched with their investigations. Jan Jambon stopped short of calling for the Sunday's rally to be cancelled, although he "invited citizens not to have this demonstration". He added: "We understand fully the emotions. We understand that everyone wants to express these feelings." The cancelled march was set to take place from the Place de la Bourse in Brussels to the city's Gare du Nord. Event organiser Emmanuel Foulon said the event would be held later. Meanwhile, Belgium's Foreign Ministry said one of the victims of Tuesday's attacks was the former Belgian ambassador to United States, Andre Adam. Didier Vanderhasselt, of the Foreign Ministry, confirmed that Mr Adam died in the attack. Mr Adam, 79, served as Belgium's ambassador during part of the Clinton administration. He also served at the United Nations during a long career that began in 1962. A Swedish woman was among the victims of the attacks, her country's government has confirmed. Prime minister Stefan Lofven said: "I mourn with the victim's family and relatives in this difficult time." It was not immediately clear whether the woman was killed in the attacks on the airport or in the subway. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Veronica Nordlund said the victim was a woman in her sixties from central Sweden. She did not give the name or other details. Another Swedish woman is still missing following the attacks. A team of engineers and technicians say the Brussels airport building is stable despite the bomb attack and the airport operator is ready to begin setting up temporary check-in desks. Brussels airport said a "provisional investigation into the Brussels airport's terminal did not indicate any stability issues related to the terminal building". A connector building where security and hand luggage checks are made was also deemed to be safe. People gather on Place de la Bourse square in Brussels to pay tribute to the victims of the terror attacks A British man has been confirmed dead following the terror attacks in Brussels. The family of David Dixon (50), who was originally from Hartlepool but was living in the Belgian capital, said they had received "the most terrible and devastating news". At least 32 people were killed and 270 injured when suicide bombs ripped through an airport and a Metro station on Tuesday morning. A statement issued by the Foreign Office on behalf of Mr Dixon's family said: "This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David. At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. Please respect our wishes." The Foreign Office said officials knew of seven British nationals who were injured in the attacks, with three still being treated in hospital. Mr Dixon, an IT programmer, had been missing since the Metro blast, and his family previously said that they were "anxiously waiting" and hoping for some "good news" about him. Meanwhile, police in Brussels raided neighbourhoods in an operation the mayor said was linked to both the airport and subway bombings and to the arrest in the Paris suburbs of a man who may have been plotting a new attack in France. Three people were detained, with two of them shot in the leg, the federal prosecutor's office said. The operation was conducted in the Schaerbeek district, which was raided on Thursday night, as well as the neighbourhoods of Forest and Saint-Gilles. Belgium's state broadcaster said one person was carrying a bag of explosive material. The area remained cordoned off even after heavily-armed officers had left, a resident said. Three of six people detained on Thursday in the investigation have been released, prosecutors said. On the third and final day of national mourning for Tuesday's attacks, Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel missed a wreath-laying ceremony at the airport with US Secretary of State John Kerry because of the police raids. Mr Kerry, in a hastily-arranged visit, defended Belgium's counter-terrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failings in the run-up to the bombings on Tuesday. Confirming that several FBI agents were involved in the investigation, Mr Kerry said the "carping" about Belgium's shortcomings "is a little bit frantic and inappropriate". Members of Belgium's embattled government are facing criticism over its counter-terrorism efforts since and before the November 13 Paris attacks, which authorities believe were plotted from Belgium. Mr Kerry also said the US and other countries had already scheduled meetings with Belgium prior to the attacks about improvements they could make to their laws, intelligence collection and attempts to blunt the radicalisation of youth. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris and Brussels, and Mr Kerry lashed out at the extremist group. "We will not be deterred," the US Secretary of State said. "We will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth." Authorities also announced that American, British, Chinese, French and Dutch citizens were among the dead. Abdul-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, IS's financial minister, was killed along with two associates in a US raid in Syria (US State Department/Rewards for Justice/AP) The Pentagon is moving to increase the number of American troops in Iraq in the wake of new strikes that killed the Islamic State's finance minister and other top leaders of the terror group. But senior US defence officials say the deaths will not "break the back" of the extremist group, which is in a fierce fight for an ancient city in Syria and has said it carried out the bombing at a football stadium in Iraq on Friday. Defence secretary Ash Carter said the US progress in eliminating members of IS' "cabinet" was hampering its ability to conduct and inspire attacks against the West. The announcement came as the battle to retake the Syrian city of Palmyra entered its third day and Iraqi forces continued their march to recapture Mosul. And the suicide bombing at the stadium south of Baghdad, which killed nearly 30 people, underscored the difficult fight ahead. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said recommendations on ways to increase US support for Iraq's ground fight against IS would be discussed with US president Barack Obama soon. "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase in US forces in Iraq in coming weeks, but that decision hasn't been made," he said. He did not say how big that increase might be. Gen Dunford and Mr Carter said accelerating the campaign against IS would include more assistance like the artillery fire and targeting help that the US Marines provided earlier this week to Iraqi forces advancing on Mosul. But they said American forces remained well behind the front lines. Using an acronym for the militant group, Mr Carter said the US was "systematically eliminating Isil's cabinet", killing several key members in strikes this week. He would not provide details about the strikes, but a senior US official said the group's financial minister was killed along with two associates in a US raid in Syria. Mr Carter said the finance minister, known by several names including Abdul-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and Haji Imam, was a "well-known terrorist" who had a hand in plots outside Iraq and Syria. He said al-Qaduli had been associated with IS dating back to its earliest iteration as al Qaida in Iraq. He said he had worked under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a liaison for operations in Pakistan and was "responsible for some external affairs and plots". Mr Carter said he was not aware of any link between al-Qaduli and this week's terrorist attacks in Brussels. In a separate operation, a US air strike in Mosul killed another top IS leader, identified by Mr Carter as Abu Sarah. He said he was one of the leaders tasked with paying militant fighters in northern Iraq. The successful attacks are part of a string of recent strikes targeting the leadership of the group, which has lost territory in both Iraq and Syria. Earlier this month the Pentagon said it killed Omar al-Shishani, described as IS's "minister of war", in an air strike in Syria. In November, the Pentagon said an air strike in Libya killed Abu Nabil, another top IS leader. Earlier this week military officials confirmed the creation of a US Marine outpost, dubbed Fire Base Bell, in Iraq. Marines operating from the small base provided targeting assistance and artillery fire to support Iraqi troops retaking several villages in the initial stages of their march to Mosul. It's the first such base established by the US since it returned forces to Iraq in 2014. Mr Carter has also said the US is looking at a number of options to "accelerate" the fight against IS. Those options have not yet officially been submitted to the White House for approval. They could include sending additional US forces to Iraq, using Apache helicopters for combat missions, deploying more special operations forces or using American military advisers in Iraqi units closer to the front lines. One of the lesser-publicised aspects of the Easter Rising was the crucial role played by doctors and nurses who attended to the wounded and the dying. During the six days of hostilities between the rebels and the security forces in Dublin, more than 130 soldiers and policemen were killed and 397 were wounded. There were much greater casualties among civilians, including 318 dead and 2,217 wounded. Only 64 rebels died, as well as the 15 executed ringleaders. One graphic account of the part played by the medical services was written by Professor TG Moorhead, a distinguished consultant who was born in Benburb, and later made his career in Physicians Dublin. He was president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland from 1930-33. In his history of St Patrick Dun's Hospital in Dublin, close to one of the main areas of the fighting, Professor Moorhead relates how, on the Monday and Tuesday of Easter Week, several dead and wounded were taken in. After that, the situation grew worse. He wrote that: "It was on Wednesday, April 25, that the real time of strain and anxiety began, during the Battle of Mount Street Bridge. Sisters, nurses, and resident students went to the bridge to carry in the wounded and were for four-and-a-half hours under heavy and continuous fire." The immense strain continued throughout the week. On Sunday, April 29: "One of the Irish leaders came to the hospital and said that he wished to be taken to British headquarters, as he wished to surrender. From that time onwards the conditions slowly and gradually returned to normal." The late Professor JB Lyons, an eminent medical historian, also related how other leading doctors were caught up in the Rising: "Dr Kathleen Lynn, later a co-founder of St Ultan's Hospital for Infants, organised a casualty station in the City Hall ... Dr AD Courtney, a house surgeon in St Vincent's, recalled how, soon after noon on Easter Monday, a number of casualties were brought into the emergency room. Two were already dead, killed by stray bullets; another was shot in the shoulder." Meanwhile, major developments had been taking place elsewhere in Dublin, at the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons in St Stephen's Green. It had been taken over by the republican insurgents under the command of Michael Mallin and Countess Markievicz. More than 100 people were holed up in the college, including nurses. A makeshift mortuary was created in a space beneath the chemistry lecture theatre. After nearly a week, the insurgents gave themselves up, following Pearse's unconditional surrender. From April 30 to May 27, the college was occupied by 400 soldiers of the 5th Lincolnshire Regiment and each officer was presented with a silver cigarette case by the grateful college. One important footnote was the destruction of a valuable college portrait of Queen Victoria. This was blamed, initially, on Countess Markievicz, but in fact the portrait had been stolen by a teenage rebel, who cut it up to make leggings. This incurred the wrath of his commanding officer, who "reprimanded him severely and boxed his ears". Such is the stuff of history. Alf McCreary is the author of Healing Touch, the official illustrated history of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Two sides to the medical drama The career of Professor Thomas Gillman ('TG') Moorhead, an Ulsterman who was born in Benburb, illustrates the huge contrasts in the Dublin of 1916. He wrote a history of a Dublin hospital, in which he outlined the role played by some of the doctors and nurses in the Rising. However, he was also a distinguished Army officer, who had served in the First World War and had worked in a field hospital in Alexandria, where thousands of wounded Irish servicemen were treated during the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign. On November 3, 1916, he gave a lecture on his Gallipoli experience to a college audience, which included the-then Lord-Lieutenant and the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin. At the end of his lecture, God Save The King was played - an interesting comment on the contrasts within Dublin society, only a few months after the Rising. Dr Kathleen Lynn, the daughter of a Church of Ireland minister, was a well-known suffragette and also one of the women who played an important role in the Easter Rising. She was the chief medical officer with the Irish Citizen Army, during the Rising, and she looked after the wounded from her base in Dublin City Hall. She allowed her car to be used for republican gun-running and the vehicle was also utilised as a sleeping shelter for Countess Markievicz. When the Rising failed, Dr Lynn was incarcerated in Kilmainham Gaol, but she was later released on the intervention of Dublin's Lord Mayor, because her medical help was needed to tend to the general population during the disastrous Spanish flu pandemic (1918-20). On this Easter Saturday, there are even more reasons than usual to reflect upon the reality of life and death and of the comfort and reassurance of the seasonal message. The past week has been one of the worst in a long time for bad news. The horrific deaths of five people in the Buncrana tragedy are still beyond words, and everyone still thinks deeply and prayerfully about the members of that entire family, and the local community. Just as we were reeling from that shock, the news came through of Isis terrorist attacks in Brussels, in which 31 innocent people died and many others were badly injured. There was also the funeral in Belfast of prison officer Adrian Ismay, murdered by republican dissidents, and further pictures of his family and friends in utter despair. What can we make of all this? Many people cannot accept the Christian Easter message, and they have a right to their views. They may look on the events of the past week as further proof of meaningless suffering, and they may also ask why this is so prevalent in a world where so many innocent men, women and children die in an instant. What is just or fair about that? The question hangs heavily on all our hearts, and there is no simple or clear answer. This week, there has been the usual outpouring of comments from leading Church and community figures, and I sympathise with them in trying to say something meaningful, when a busy journalist - merely doing his or her job - asks for a comment. The late Senator Gordon Wilson, a treasured friend of mine, knew all about trauma when he lost his daughter Marie in the Enniskillen bomb blast. He once said to me: "There are no words you can offer at such a time, but a handshake says it all." Some months later, he attended the funeral of my late brother-in-law who had died tragically young. After the service, he said to me: "You spoke well", and firmly shook my hand, before disappearing into the crowd. There was nothing more to be done or said. This week, one of the clergy who was asked to comment in the wake of the Buncrana tragedy said: "This is not a time for pious platitudes. It is a time to stand with those who are suffering and to listen to what they are trying to say." Symbolically and in reality, that is what we must try to do, and to keep these suffering people in our thoughts. This is a time when it would not be too difficult to give in to the bad news and the despair that can so easily sweep into our minds. However, it is also time to give thanks for miracles such as the survival of the little baby who was taken literally from the jaws of death as the family car slid into the waters at Buncrana and disappeared. It is the time also to give thanks for the heroism of the young man who saved the baby, and also the rescue services both at Buncrana and in Brussels. In the midst of darkness, there is much human courage and kindness, and we must try to hang on to that. The message of Holy Week is one of triumph, quickly changing into betrayal, injustice, torture and despair, but Easter also denotes new hope and new life. We must cling to that, most of all. As I heard the devastating news of two little boys killed in a house fire, I was struck by how quickly the lives of that family changed. One moment a mom and dad were playing with their children, the next moment their house was on fire and their children were unable to escape. Loved ones lost, a home reduced to ashes. Devastation was everywhere you looked. In a strange way, the devastation focused my thoughts on this Holy Week. From palm branches waiving, people shouting, Hosanna during the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, to the night Jesus was betrayed and later hung on the cross, much changed for His followers. Elation gave way to despair. The Christ suffered and was put to death. What must the witnesses thought? Did they give in to momentary despair like those who witnessed the fire must have done? Or did they try to remain optimistic, recalling the prophetic words of Christ and the Scriptures? In the natural, all appeared to be lost. The cup of suffering was not removed. Philip Yancey, in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, points out that when Christ gave breath to his last words, My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me? He used the word, God instead of Abba or Father. Christ felt abandoned by the Father during His darkest hour. When tragedy strikes a family, that same sense of momentary abandonment is felt. But in the spiritual realm, the darkness of Good Friday eventually gives way to the light of Easter morning. Yancey says, Easter holds out the promise of reversibility. Destruction and even death can be reversed because of what Christ accomplished on the Cross. Easter is the starting point. It is a preview of an ultimate reality. Our present lives are the contradiction of what is to come. So as a family grieves, and the rest of us struggle through our emotional rubble, Easter brings hope. If God could do what He did on Easter, then what more does He have for us eternally? Easter is a glimpse of eternity. Yancey points out that the physical scars Christ suffered remained on His transformed body as a reminder that painful memories may never completely go away, but the hurt of those scars eventually will. As we rebuild our lives from devastating times, remember that Holy Week reminds us that someday, we all get a new start. Tears will be gone. Suffering will be no more. After Good Friday, comes Easter-the hope of new life! ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. NORTH OF AUSTIN A massive search for Chase Martens, the toddler last seen on Tuesday evening, has evolved from frantic to sustained as it entered into its fourth night on Friday. More than 400 people on foot, horseback and ATVs spent Good Friday scouring terrain that includes creeks, fields, thick brush and farmland in the area north of Austin, a small community between Brandon and Portage la Prairie on the Trans-Canada Highway. Above, unmanned RCMP drones brought in from Saskatchewan were deployed to help photograph and map the search area, now spanning a four-kilometre radius around Martens house. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun The search continued for two-year-old Chase Martens on Thursday as volunteers looked through farm land, dense brush, hay bales, farm equipment and along creeks for signs of the young boy. The toddler went missing on Tuesday evening. As of late Friday, police said they have not recovered any physical evidence to determine Chases whereabouts. A fresh layer of snow awaited the searchers Friday, adding to the ice in low-lying areas. By afternoon, the sun had melted topsoil into soft mud and the temperature peaked at just below freezing. On Thursday evening, Chases parents addressed media with an emotional plea for any information that could lead to the boys safe return. Chase has vanished without a trace, Tom Martens told a crowd of media gathered at the rural road that runs by their home. We are looking for answers, for any information that can help bring our son home. Martens said the family is overwhelmed by how the community has rallied together to help them. About 300 people turned up nothing on Thursday, the second full day of the manhunt. Many searchers, RCMP Sgt. Bert Paquet said, worked late into the night, until strong wind and snow forced organizers to end the search for the day. Anyone with information, please find it in your hearts to do the right thing and come forward, Martens said as his wife, Destiny Turner, stood at his side and wiped tears from her eyes. Members of several volunteer fire and search and rescue crews in rural Manitoba, members of Winnipegs Bear Clan Patrol, military personnel from CFB Shilo, people from local Hutterite colonies and Winnipeg police officers, including some from the dog unit, cadets and the Winnipeg Police Services Air-1 helicopter, all offered their assistance. While police and searchers have been working on the assumption that Chase had wandered off, Martens voice broke as he addressed the other possibility that has weighed on their minds. If someone has our son, please bring him home, Martens said. We wont be angry, we will be forgiving We are just devastated to have our son taken from us. RCMP say that at this point, theres nothing to indicate an abduction. Paquet said foul play has not been ruled out, but is not the focus of the investigation. Brandon Sun 24032016 Destiny Turner weeps as her husband Tom Martens delivers a statement to the media about their missing son, two-year-old Chase Martens, near their home north of Austin, Manitoba on Thursday afternoon. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sun) Earlier on Thursday, the search for Martens expanded to include bodies of water. An RCMP underwater recovery team was dispatched Thursday as the search shifted focus from farmland and wooded areas near the familys home to rivers, creeks and other bodies of water. In particular, Pine Creek runs just south of the Martens residence received attention on Thursday. On Friday, the URT team left the search. They remain available to deploy should a specific area inside the expanding perimeter is identified as requiring their expertise and technology, Paquet said. Leading up to his disappearance on Tuesday, Chase was in the yard with his dad, who had been loading his truck. Both came inside and then Tom Martens dressed the toddler in his boots, splash pants, hat and mitts, and the boy went outside as his dad went inside. Chases mother last saw her son, two-foot-six, 30 pounds with blue eyes and light brown hair, through the window as she got ready to cook supper. The boy was heading around the side of the house. Several dozen family, friends and the RCMP searched all night Tuesday and into Wednesday morning with no success. He was wearing a blue jacket, black splash pants, a red hat and boots. During the Thursday morning press conference, police responded to criticism from the public that the RCMP should have issued an Amber Alert. Paquet was quick to point out that the alert requires a confirmed abduction, which is not currently the case with the missing two-year-old boy. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun The search continued for two-year-old Chase Martens north of Austin, Manitoba, on Thursday as volunteers looked through farm land, dense brush, hay bales, farm equipment and along creeks for signs of the young boy. The toddler went missing on Tuesday evening. Paquet said searchers are showing tremendous resolve. The entire country right now is thinking of this little boy. We are doing the same. If anyone has any kind of information that they question whether or not it should be shared with us, give us a call. On Friday, Paquet said officials havent determined when the search for Chase may end. We revisit the current status of the search regularly and at this time, we are continuing our efforts, he said. ihitchen@brandonsun.com, with files from Tom Bateman, Winnipeg Free Press and The Canadian Press Twitter: @IanHitchen Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WINNIPEG A famous Winnipeg bird is on the mend in Texas. Beatrix, a rare peregrine falcon from Winnipeg, was injured in a hailstorm last Friday in Dallas. A passerby found the bird on U.S. Highway 75 and brought her to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Hutchins, where they noticed a band on its leg. It said, Winnipeg. Shes doing fine, said Kathy Rogers, the director at the centre. Beatrix had no physical injuries, common tell-tale signs of being hit by a car or having flown into a building, but is experiencing vision problems after being hit in the head with hail. She can see, but its not 100 per cent just yet, Rogers said. Were handing her pieces of quail and shes readily taking food. Tracy Maconachie, the co-ordinator for the Manitoba Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project, said she found out the news about Beatrix on the Internet. Her picture was found on Facebook, she said. Someone spotted it and made a note of it and I made the call to Rogers and told them they had my bird, she said. Its not the first accident Beatrix has endured. Just days after fledging, she was found at the bottom of the Eatons smokestack in downtown Winnipeg. Rogers said Beatrix has an appointment on Monday to see an veterinarian ophthalmologist. Were trying to get her back up there before the third week of April so she can resume nesting, Rogers said. Ideally, wed like to release her so she can fly back up naturally. Thats the goal. Flying her back to Winnipeg is also on the table if Beatrix isnt game for the 1,300-mile flight. Maconachie said Beatrix will likely have some tests flights in a flight cage this week. She said she has seen some peregrine falcons flying 500 to 700 miles a day, but thinks if Beatrix is able to fly back under her own power, she will take her time. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe gofundme.com/wuvb3ctm has been set up for Beatrix to cover the costs of a flight back to the city, if needed. Peregrine falcons are on the endangered species list in Canada. Winnipeg Free Press Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. To learn from history, not be trapped by it. U.S. President Barack Obama uses this expression often, from early in his term when he spoke at the Summit of the Americas back in 2009, to Tuesdays major speech in Cuba. The point is a simple one while he understands the history that has led to the situation in which his nation finds itself today, he refuses to be trapped by this history. He will not be so hidebound by history that he cannot move forward with new policies and initiatives. Today, in the midst of our own provincial election, it is fair to ask if we are trapped by history, or if we are simply acknowledging it as we move forward. In an analytical sense, the NDP has been running against former premier Gary Filmon for two decades. How often have voters heard about the firing of thousands of nurses or the horrific sale of MTS? These two matters have been central to the NDPs election platform for 20 years, and almost without refute. In both cases, the truth is very different from the talking points. The sale of MTS was a privatization a sale of the governments ownership position to the public. Was this a bad thing? How do we define it as such? Were jobs lost? Did telecommunications become less available to the public, or prohibitively more expensive? The answer, of course, is no. The reality of the telecommunications industry is that new technologies have essentially rendered landlines a thing of the past. New competition has taken away the monopoly MTS enjoyed. Thanks to the advent of Skype, FaceTime, VOIP and other technologies, it is very possible to have a completely interconnected life without MTS. That was not possible 20 years ago. Personally speaking, I use Rogers for my cellphone, Westman Communications for my home phone and Internet, and Bell for my television. I do so based on quality and pricing. To participate in this technological wave would have required massive spending and a nimbleness that simply is beyond government. Free enterprise is a great tool when it comes to innovation and change. Government, sadly, is not. There is only one provincially owned telecommunications company in Canada, Sasktel. How much is that company being subsidized by the Saskatchewan government? Blaming Gary Filmon for selling MTS is a misnomer we should have thanked him. Did the Filmon government fire thousands of nurses? This is traditional NDP orthodoxy, but is it accurate? Should one base ones vote on it? The answer, again, is no. As has been shown in a number of media sources, Manitoba at that time was facing two major dilemmas declining transfer payments from the Chretien/Martin Liberals and poaching of our health-care professionals by other provinces, including Alberta and B.C. Nurses were, and remain, in demand. In fact, in 1999 Filmon established a $7-million fund to hire more nurses. When the Regional Health Authority system was created, health-care professionals were essentially fired by the province only to get rehired the same day by the new employer their respective RHAs. In other words, this was a bookkeeping issue. There were cuts by attrition, but that is a reality of any situation in which governments are facing reduced revenues. If you are really concerned about the Tories privatizing, will you give credit to Filmon for buying Centra Gas? When I vote in April, I intend to do so as an informed voter who will be basing my preference on the NDPs performance while in office, as well as the Tories policies and the ideology of its leader. I do not intend to let someone else determine how I should note based on their self-serving agenda. You might want to consider the same approach. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Where would Trump be in Canada? If Donald Trump were in Canada, which political party do you think he would be affiliated with? Would it be Conservative or one of the others? Too late for Americans to beware Their wolf-in-sheeps-clothing has already been in office for nearly eight years. Transforming a peace-loving progressive society to a slothful socialist country without borders! Only time will tell whether leaders like Trump, supported by the American taxpayer can still turn that fiasco around! Blue Cross deal not so bad The deal about free or cheaper ambulance fees I believe Blue Cross has very reasonable rates for that kind of service regardless of how old or sick you are. This city needs more personal care homes Why havent there been any new personal care homes built here in Brandon? All the retirement homes here are overflowing with people who should be in personal care homes. Giesbrecht would be a good choice Whomever is presenting names for the new Senate program has to present Brian Giesbrecht for a senator. I am sure he would be great at helping reform it. Whats going on here, judges? What are these judges thinking of with giving these youths probation and house arrest when they are reoffending time after time? Is all that noise necessary? Is there not some kind of noise bylaw for these noisy trucks? They let them run for 20 or more minutes before driving off and it isnt even cold out. Not too nice for shift workers or anybody else to have their sleep interrupted and for some of us, ear plugs are a bit uncomfortable. I realize you may want to warm your vehicle up but not for the length of time some do and regardless of that the noise is unreal. Where has consideration for other people gone, down the drain, I guess! All it seems to be is ME, ME, ME. Here is an idea back your vehicle in so you get the noise. Noisy toys It amazes me that so many people in Brandon have to have their little toys like those hand-held gas powered snow blowers that make the most terrible high pitched noise. The people using them have ear protectors on while the rest of us have to listen to their noise. Some of your driveways arent even big enough to warrant some of them and if they are then you need a bigger toy. Dont say it is easy on the back because I suffer from back pain and trust me, you wouldnt be having that contraption attached to your back. Who is paying for this trip to Spain? I understand that Grade 10 to 12 students from Vincent Massey High School are vacationing in Spain this coming week. My question is: exactly how much of this vacation is being picked up by the taxpayers of Brandon; as it is a sanctioned trip by the Brandon School Division? If your answer is not one penny, why is BSD involved? Could this be just one more reason why our local school taxes are so out of control? A former Fine Gael TD says that if other parties do not step up to the mark, where forming a Government is concerned, Ireland should go to the polls again. Jerry Buttimer's call comes as Read More: Senior sources say Fianna Fail is set to dig its heels in and demand the suspension of water bills when Enda Kenny contacts the party to seek Micheal Martin's consent for a minority government. The Seanad candidate, Jerry Buttimer, says that Fine Gael has done their part and shown leadership. He said: "It is important that people realise that this is about forming a government now and you can't say one thing out of one side of your mouth and act irresponsibly. "Fine Gael have shown leadership in trying to put together a government and in leading the negotiations around government formation. "There is an obligation now on others to step up to the mark or else allow the people to vote for a government again." The former Fine Gael TD also said that the party needs to hold firm on their principles where Irish Water is concerned. Mr Buttimer said: "I think it's very important that Fine Gael holds firm on the principle that we must pay for water and that the establishment of Irish Water was the correct thing to do. "The Fine Gael party for the past five years has held firm to that viewpoint and any derogation from that would not go down well, not only with the party membership but also with those people who have paid and the vast majority have paid." Siptu will host a programme of cultural events to commemorate the 1916 Rising and the role that its headquarters Liberty Hall played in it. The events will include a gala concert there tonight featuring Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey and talks on Easter Monday. Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle has confirmed he suffered no lasting damage after undergoing surgery to repair an horrific gash to his leg. The 32-year-old Colorado Rapids striker was carried from the pitch on a stretcher during last night's 1-0 friendly victory over Switzerland after going down in agony following a challenge by Norwich defender Timm Klose. Bernie Sanders is pushing for a hat-trick of wins in today's Democratic presidential caucuses in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington state, hoping to stoke a spring comeback against commanding front-runner Hillary Clinton. The left-wing Vermont senator spent much of the week on the West Coast, trying to build his enduring support among liberal activists into a Saturday sweep that could help him narrow a gap of 300 delegates won in primaries behind Mrs Clinton - about double the margin that then-Illinois senator Barack Obama held over her in the 2008 primaries. While Mr Sanders faces a steep climb to the nomination, a string of losses for former US secretary of state Mrs Clinton would highlight persistent vulnerabilities within her own party. Mr Sanders continues to attract tens of thousands to his rallies, drawing more than 17,000 in Seattle this week, and has collected more than $140m from two million donors. But turning that passionate support into the party nomination is growing increasingly difficult. Mrs Clinton has a delegate lead of 1,223 to 920 over Mr Sanders, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expands to 1,691-949 once the superdelegates, or party officials who can back either candidate, are included. Based on that count, Mr Sanders still needs to win 58% of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by the end of June. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67% of the remaining delegates overall - from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates - to prevail. "I have gotten 2.6 million more votes than Bernie Sanders," Mrs Clinton told supporters crowded into a union hall in Everett, Washington, this week. "We are on the path to the nomination, and I want Washington to be part of how we get there." On the Republican side, Donald Trump's latest rude comments about competitor Ted Cruz's wife raised new alarms among Republicans about the party front-runner's ability to win over women, especially in a potential autumn presidential match-up with Mrs Clinton. Mr Trump came under fire for jabs at Heidi Cruz as the rivals engage in an increasingly bitter, personal battle for the party's nomination. Hostilities reached a new high on Friday when Mr Cruz accused Mr Trump and "his henchmen" of stoking false rumours that he had cheated on his wife. Meanwhile, Mr Sanders implored thousands of supporters in Spokane to come and see him speak again on Saturday - at a caucus. "Get there early," he said. "Let's have a record-breaking turnout." On Tuesday, Mr Sanders won caucuses in Utah and Idaho but lost Arizona - the largest delegate prize - to Mrs Clinton. Because Democrats allocate their delegates on a proportional basis, meaning that the popular vote loser can still pick up a share, those victories netted Mr Sanders a gain of about 20 delegates. He hopes to avoid a repeat of that performance by pulling out a win in Washington, which awards more than double the number of delegates than Hawaii and Alaska combined. He is also looking to contests that follow in Wisconsin on April 5 and Wyoming on April 9 as a way to build momentum. Most of his dozen primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. He is heavily favoured by younger voters, who were a key part of the coalition that boosted Mr Obama to victory twice. Mr Sanders dispatched his wife Jane to Alaska and Hawaii. Mrs Clinton, who held a conference call with supporters in Hawaii, did not send any high-profile supporters to campaign on her behalf. Both candidates held several events in Washington state earlier this week. Mrs Clinton has been looking past the primary contests and aiming at potential Republican challengers. In interviews, rallies and speeches this week, she largely focused on Tuesday's deadly attacks in Brussels, casting Mr Trump and Mr Cruz as unqualified to deal with complicated international threats. Her campaign sees the April 19 contest in New York as an important one, not just because of the rich delegate prize but because losing to Mr Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate would be a psychological blow. She hopes to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern contests a week later. Don't Miss the Latest News Subscribing is the best way to get our best stories immediately. LAHORE: The activists of PTI took to the streets on Friday in protest after the Election Commission of Pakistan... TEHRAN: Iran has once again rejected allegations that it has supplied Russia with weapons "to be used in the war in... The vast majority of products in the Australian market have not been tested to any safety standard, causing countless preventable injuries, a leading paediatrician says. Ruth Barker, a Brisbane-based emergency paediatrician, is leading calls for businesses to be forced to make and sell only safe products. At present, consumer protection laws do not explicitly stop companies from selling unsafe products, unless they are subject to a mandatory standard, such as cots and nursery toys. Cot mattresses, for example, have only a voluntary "firmness test". Most household products, including children's goods such as high chairs, baby slings and hammocks, do not have to be declared safe before hitting retail shelves. Contrary to Henk Verhoeven's contention that it "is a gross insult to everyone who lived through the Nazi-German occupation" (Letters, March 19) to have Australia's immigration detention centres described as a "classic example of concentration camp" (as John Passant does in his letter on March 13), such Nazi-era survivors and their folks would, in my view, have a deeper appreciation of the dehumanisation that occurs at the detention centres. Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, Sydney Henk Verhoeven criticises me for calling Australia's immigration detention centres what they are: concentration camps (Letters, Sunday CT, March 20). In doing this he refers to the extermination camps of the Nazis. There is a long tradition in Western societies of setting up concentration camps to imprison innocent people to further war aims (e.g. the British in the Boer War) or political aims (e.g. the Nazis in 1933 in their jailing of the leadership of the communists, and then the socialists and trade union leaders). In a 1950 article in Jewish Social Studies, Hannah Arendt says the British set up the first concentration camps during the Boer War. Later research suggests there are earlier examples from colonial history in Australia and the US, and that in the late 1890s and early 1900s the Americans in the Philippines and the Spanish in Cuba also used concentration camps. The imprisonment of US citizens of Japanese descent during World War II is another example. In the same article, Arendt says the Nazi's extermination camps were the most extreme form of concentration camps. It is therefore perfectly legitimate, indeed it is a necessary part of the duty we owe to history, to call Australia's immigration detention centres what they are: concentration camps. John Passant, Kambah Changes do take timeI often read that Turnbull hasn't done anything significant yet. Tariff reductions are significant policy changes. A sustained campaign to reduce tariffs commenced in the 1960s. Reductions announced in 1973, 1988 and 1991 reduced tariff rates to negligible levels by 2000. The Asprey Taxation Review recommended broadening the indirect tax base in 1975 and following failed attempts by Howard in 1978 and 1980, Keating in 1995 and Hewson in 1993, Howard finally got the job done with the GST in 2000. Turnbull evidently wants to improve the liveability and efficiency of our major cities with investment in transport infrastructure. That sounds like a sensible and potentially significant change. If significant tariff and tax changes took 25 to 35 years, how long might it take to improve the liveability of Sydney? Alan Henderson, Bruce Development concerns I'm concerned about the proposed development around Manuka Pool. As the land in question is owned by the ACT government, why is the consultation process being conducted by the developer? Shouldn't it be conducted by ACT Planning, as happening with other major developments such as the proposed Curtin and Calwell Centres Master Plans? It's interesting that information on this development has been released at the same time the draft ACT Heritage Strategy is out for comment. This listing of the pool on the ACT Heritage Register recognises its significance as an important social place for all Canberrans. The social value of the pool to the Canberra community must be considered by the developers and government. The ACT government must ensure that detailed environmental, economic and social impact studies about this proposal are done not just by the developer but by ACT Planning to ensure ACT taxpayers' concerns are properly considered. Turnbull is cut from a different cloth, but has sought appease his party by placing his progressive views on the backburner, disappointing the bleeding hearts who expected more. Not surprisingly, Andrews has taken great delight in calling him out. "You know, if you are for things, be for them be consistent and do some things That is what national leadership is about," Andrews said during his first appearance on Q&A last Monday. "I like a lot of the things he says, but he hasn't been doing very much." It was a pointed comment by a premier who knows only too well that the art of compromise is always difficult for centrist leaders who must balance the expectations of their party with that of the public. After all, Andrews spent two years in opposition battling Ted Baillieu, a "small L" Liberal whose term was often undermined by the right-wing forces within his ranks. Now he's going head-to-head with Matthew Guy, a 42-year-old Liberal who has repeatedly said his party should modernise and be more inclusive if it wants to capture the political middle ground. Labor strategists want you to see Turnbull and Guy as the kind of politicians for whom there is a wide chasm between rhetoric and reality. In contrast, they want you to view the premier as a conviction MP, hoping you'll gloss over the fact that some of his comments stray into areas for which the states have little control: asylum seeker policy is a case in point. The danger though, is that Labor ends up underestimating Turnbull, who might not have the authority to change his party's position on a marriage plebiscite or climate change, but has proven this week that when comes to other matters, such as workplace reform, he certainly has the decisiveness to recall the parliament, bring forward the budget, and pull a double dissolution trigger if the government doesn't get its way. What else might the Prime Minister have in store? Nonetheless, Andrews' leadership on nationally contentious social issues is politically smart on several fronts. First, it helps his government to claw back some ground from the Greens, which made history at the last state election by winning its first two lower house seats (Melbourne and Prahran) and has its sights on another two it wants to snatch from Labor at the next poll (Brunswick and Richmond). Second, it creates a broader narrative to push at a time when Andrews faces other problems closer to home: rising crime rates; ongoing debacles on the transport network; claims that the ALP rorted taxpayer-funded entitlements. When Harry Potter first failed to weave his magic over publishers, it was a crushing blow for the book's unknown author. But at least the next time J.K. Rowling had a novel rejected, the world's most successful writer was able to shrug it off. J.K. Rowling Credit:AP Rowling shared the painful rejection letter she received for her adult crime novel under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith - which said the book could never be commercially successful. The author was turned down by several publishers when she submitted her manuscripts anonymously. A British Beatles fan has taken fandom to the limit by purchasing the rundown childhood home of Ringo Starr - and now says she plans to rent it out to a fellow Fab Four fanatic. The narrow two-storey terrace in which Starr spent his formative years learning the drums was sold for a bargain 70,000 or just under $A131,000. Childhood home of Beatle drummer Ringo Starr sells for $131,000. Credit:Countrywide Property Auctions Number 10 Admiral Grove, in Liverpool, went to auction at the Cavern Club where Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison played in the 1960s on their way to becoming one of the world's most influential bands of the 20th century. Rain will threaten Easter Sunday lunches around Sydney as the long-weekend's run of perfect weather looks set to come to an end. According to the Bureau of Meteorology up to 5 millimetres of rain could hit Sydney from 1pm before clearing in the evening as the temperature hovers around the mid-20s. The rains are coming to put an end to the fine Easter weather. Credit:Nick Moir The first two days of Easter brought about a welcome relief from Sydney's drenching last week, with the delayed shift in seasons bringing in 86 millimetres in two days and a sharp drop in temperatures. The wet looks set to return overnight, with the Bureau predicting a high chance of showers on Monday morning and afternoon. It's the 600-metre jurisdictional quirk that could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars within months. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's threat to senators to call an election on July 2 means Labor MP Andrew Leigh looks to be in his final months in his electorate office in Braddon's Torrens Street. Andrew Leigh, pictured in his Parliament House office, is yet to decide where his new electorate office would be if he was re-elected in his safe seat this year. Credit:ABC iView Electoral redistributions finalised in January added an extra 10,200 northside residents to the otherwise southside seat of Canberra, moving the boundary for the newly named seat of Fenner two blocks north of the Leigh office of six years. Dr Leigh was still perturbed this week at the Electoral Commission's rejection of his call for a different redrawing that left Braddon and Civic in the northern electorate, a move that could have saved taxpayers potentially as much as $500,000 in office relocation costs. Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos was copied into a series of emails in which party officials boasted about a large property developer donation being paid into the secretive slush fund at the centre of a political storm. While the emails do not demonstrate any wrongdoing because they relate to donations for the 2010 federal campaign rather than a NSW campaign, they show that Senator Sinodinos was exposed to the party's practice of channelling property developer donations through the Free Enterprise Foundation. Senator Sinodinos, who is cabinet secretary and a close confidante of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, is under a cloud after a damning NSW Electoral Commission report in response to the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Spicer investigation into prohibited donations. Bronwyn Bishop's political career may be in its death throes but her steely gaze will live on forever in the halls of Parliament House. Taxpayers will be charged at least $30,000 to commission an artist to immortalise Mrs Bishop in an official portrait. Taxpayers will pay $30,000 for Bronwyn Bishop's official portrait. Credit:Andrew Meares Despite resigning from the Speaker's chair in disgrace for using $5227 of taxpayers' cash to charter a chopper to attend a party fundraiser, Mrs Bishop is still entitled to the senior office holder painting. She has now begun "preliminary conversations" with the Department of Parliamentary Services to decide on an artist. Exiled Rebels Motorcycle Club boss Alex Vella is leasing out the national clubhouse for more than $100,000 a year after police put an end to the bikie haunt of almost 30 years. It follows years of members pouring in their fees and contributions, supposedly to pay off the land. Members of several of the bikers clubs in NSW gather at the Rebels' national headquarters for the United Motorcycle Council meeting, Leppington, in 2009. Credit:Kate Geraghty The closure of the iconic Leppington clubhouse and the income generated from its lease comes as members dismayed at the gang's hierarchy continue to "patch out", or leave, the club. The sprawling clubhouse, which has served as a Rebels OMCG institution since the 1990s, has seen little activity since NSW Police sought to declare it a restricted premises in 2014. Queensland wines are lagging behind the rest of the country, or so it seems. Of the more than 2500 vineyards in Australia, there are only 100 in the state. But while Queensland may have the least vineyards out of all the states, the ones we do have are real performers. Italian and other Mediterranean vineyards may hold the secret to bringing Queensland wines to the world stage. Uncorked and Cultivated Master of wine, Peter Scudamore-Smith, said you have to look outside of the traditional varieties to see the real performers in Queensland. "If you look at the champion wine of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in Mildura last year, it was a Queensland producer," Scudamore-Smith said. And while it wasn't an entirely Queensland grown grape, the Queenslander behind the wine is working wonders. Sundown National Park What you will see? Sundown is a rugged scrubby, bushland area where almost 150 species of birds can be found along the Severn River, with plenty of wallabies and kangaroos. Where to stay You can get to camping areas at The Broadwater and Nundubbermere Falls using a sedan, station wagons, or all-wheel-drive. However you will need a 4WD to get camping areas at Red Rock Gorge, Reedy Waterhole and Burrows Waterhole. 2 Queen Mary Falls. Near Boonah. This quiet national park 64 kilometres south of Boonah has wonderful looping walks which allow you to see the top and bottom of Queen Mary Falls in Queensland's Main Range National Park, which runs down towards Killarney. It is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, meaning it shows the type of vegetation in Australia when it was linked to Antarctica as part of a "great southern land" around 200 million years ago. Queen Mary Falls, Killarney How to get there The best drive is south from Boonah using a winding, scenic road called The Head Road, or you can drive in from Killarney using Spring Creek Road. There is a privately-run camping ground opposite the entrance to the park's picnic grounds which are at the top of the water falls. Information from (07) 4664 7151. Queen Mary Falls is actually a well-maintained day-use picnic area. Unless you can find a space at the private camping ground, you cannot stay overnight at Queen Mary Falls itself. You can stay nearby. What you will see? Spectacular views up towards Cunningham Gap and out over Mount Barney. There is rainforest in the moist lowlands along the creek and mountain heath and eucalypt along the ridgelines. Many bird species, including Albert's lyrebird and the endangered eastern bristlebird can be seen. The drive alone is worth the time from Brisbane. 3. Mt Barney National Park. Near Rathdowney. This national park gives you the chance to see the remnants of a large volcano on the fertile plans south of Beaudesert, including the second-highest mountain in Southeast Queensland, Mt Barney. Mount Barney is composed of granophyre, a granite-like rock which formed below the Earth's surface as a dome-shaped intrusive mass. It is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, meaning it shows the type of vegetation in Australia when it was linked to Antarctica as part of a "great southern land" around 200 million years ago. It was declared a World Heritage Area in 1994. Mt Barney peak How to get there Follow the Mount Lindesay Highway through Beaudesert to Rathdowney. Turn right on to the BoonahRathdowney Road one kilometre after Rathdowney and travel eight kilometres to the Barney ViewUpper Logan Road turn-off. Follow the signs to either Lower Portals or Yellow Pinch. What you will see The park has open forests around the foothills of the peaks, subtropical rainforest above 600 m and then heath scrublands towards the summits. If you are quiet you can see kingfishers and honeyeaters and platypus in the creeks, lined with river she-oaks, red-flowering bottle brushes and golden silky oaks, with some patches of rainforest. 4. Fort Lytton 18 kilometres downstream from Brisbane. Fort Lytton National Park protects remnants of a colonial coastal fortress and quarantine station. Fort Lytton played a strategic military role as a hidden fortress guarding the developing Brisbane colony against attacks from enemy ships. Fort Lytton at Brisbane. Credit:Tourism and Events Queensland How to get there From central Brisbane, travel east along the Port of Brisbane Motorway and take the Lytton Rd/Pritchard Street exit. Go through the lights onto Lytton Road then veer left to the park entrance. Information from (07) 3393 4647. What you will see? It is the only fortress in Australia surrounded by a water-filled moat. Fort Lytton was designed to support underwater river mines and to prevent attacks on Brisbane's port facilities by enemy ships. By the turn of the 20th century, Fort Lytton's main guns were two, six-inch, five-ton, breech-loading Armstrong guns. These so-called "disappearing" guns could be raised rapidly to fire over the fort's ramparts and quickly lowered below the parapet just 20 seconds later. 5 - Dularcha National Park, Inland Sunshine Coast Dularcha National Park is about 90 kilometres north of Brisbane, between Mooloola and Mooloola, south of Gympie. How to get there Take the Glass House Mountains tourist drive (Exit 24) turn-off onto Steve Irwin Way to Landsborough. Dularcha National Park A Canberra teenager could be off to Russia later this year to represent Australia in a global competition testing complex programming skills. Telopea Park School year 10 student Sam Parkinson is one of 17 students nationally to reach the final selection phase for the Australian team for this year's International Olympiad in Informatics. Telopea Park School year 10 student Sam Parkinson is working hard to represent Australia at the International Olympiad of Informatics in Russia. Credit:Belle Thompson, ACT Education He will spend the coming school holidays at the Australian Informatics Olympiad Committee Selection School at Macquarie University, where the 17 candidates will be whittled down to four final representatives. Competitors are required to adopt highly advanced algorithmic thinking and programming skills, both of which are an essential component of many science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses. Exotic dancer and former circus trapeze artist Shari Davison had vanished after leaving Crown casino in the breakfast hours of a Saturday morning, February 18, 1995. The vanishing of this young woman from such a place a woman who happened to be the mother of a baby still in nappies put an almost mystical shiver through the public imagination. Slain gangster Alphonse Gangitano was a former boyfriend of Lindholm. Credit:Joe Armao We started tracking down people who knew her. What followed was an endless plunge into rabbit holes and a story we never wrote. There were so many rumours, ratbags and depraved offshoots in our digging around, that Shari seemed to shrink further away, become less a person than a smudged icon something like Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks. In the end, the story led us to someone else who was much like Shari Davison: small, blonde, pretty and off the rails. Robyn Lindholm. We'll get back to that. Lindholm with former lover George Teazis. An inquest in 2001 found that Shari Davison had a taste for drugs, booze and bad men and was pronounced mysteriously dead. She had, in the weeks before her disappearance, confided that she was in serious trouble. A gang of young Greeks dealing in speed and guns around Richmond featured prominently in the inquest. Her housemate in Footscray, at the time of her disappearance, was gang member and prime suspect Nick Kitsoukilias. I managed to speak with a soft-spoken Kitsoukilias via his mobile phone. I asked that we meet, he said he'd think about it. We never spoke again. (A murder blog lists him as a homicide but we understand he actually died in a bike accident in 2014.) We talked to gang member Louis Roumeliotis, whose former girlfriend did ''double acts" with Shari. At the time, he was back home living with his mother in Abbotsford, a woman worried and confused when she opened the door. ''Yes, mama, a cup of tea would be good," he told her, before losing the sweet demeanour, turning on me and demanding: ''I have to frisk you." Roumeliotis told a complicated tale about a handgun, 2000 rounds of ammunition, and six ounces of speed that a paranoid Kitsoukilias, under police investigation, had planted in Shari's underwear drawer. ''He told [the police] she got it from me. They think I've gone and whacked her for six ounces," said Roumeliotis. What especially annoyed Roumeliotis was the poor quality of the speed. If the police had paid attention to how ''crap" it was, they'd have concluded ''it wasn't worth killing for," he said. Then something weird happened. By May 2005, we were keen to talk with George Teazis, the gang's standover man who had done five months prison on drugs and weapons charges. Teazis was named at the Davison inquest in an odd story where he put a gun to a woman's head and ordered her to move home with her father. We were also keen to speak with Robyn Lindholm. She and Davison had worked for the same agency Simply Irresistible website and were said to have been close friends. It turned out that Teazis was living with Lindholm. However, by the time we spoke with Robyn, Teazis had gone missing, presumed murdered. And that's when people close to Shari Davison stopped talking to us. But other people, notably stripping industry insiders, started talking ... about Robyn and George. They claimed Robyn hoped George might rise up in the criminal world and become another Alphonse Gangitano. Roumeliotis said Teazis had a reputation for doing "run-throughs" storming drug dens and making off with the cash and product. When we reported that Teazis and Lindholm had suffered money troubles with bikers being forced to kneel with guns to their heads in a car park outside a cinema Lindholm called and left a threatening message. ''You better watch what you say." By that point, any chance of a friendly reunion was gone. We also learnt that Robyn had another boyfriend at the time, a Hawthorn gym owner/trainer named Wayne Amey. He was working as a personal trainer for a strip club owner who I'd known since the Truth days. She told me that before Teazis had gone missing, Amey had been routinely in tears. ''He said George was knocking Robyn around. He kept saying he was going to kill George. It went on and on. It got scary and I stopped training with him." I spoke once with Amey by phone. He simply said ''talk to Robyn." Ross Teazis, George's son, was 16 years old and living with his father and Robyn in a Reservoir house when George went missing. He said that George didn't want to go back to jail, that being a gangster was no longer fun. He changed his name to Templeton, and was trying to go straight, having returned to the family trade as a carpet layer. He took Ross on as an apprentice. The hours were long, the work hard on the knees and the back. "I don't know where he would have found the time to do anything else. By the end of the day we were both worn out," said Ross of the rumours that George was still hectic in the gun and drugs trade. As far as the boy could see, his father was building a new life. They were making plans. "We were talking about buying a house and starting up a new business and he was trying to get to know the younger kids," he says. He said it was very late, the night of May 2, 2005 when George Teazis disappeared. He'd drunk an entire bottle of brandy in memory of his father, Spiros, who'd taught him the carpet trade. As he celebrated the old man's birthday, George was also numbing himself against the guilt he felt for not being around when Spiros had died from cancer in 2000. Ross Teazis doesn't believe as was widely reported that George drove away from Tambo Avenue that night in his 1999 silver Holden Rodeo utility with a silver tray, registration PKS 803, and the words "Carpet layer" written on the side of the tray."He was stumbling when he came to say goodnight," says Ross. "There's no way he could have got the car into first gear. He was just too drunk." Ross was housed in a granny flat at the back of the house. He usually had his music turned up loud. He rarely heard whatever was going on inside the bungalow that George shared Lindholm . Sometimes the three of them ate together but otherwise Ross says he didn't have much to do with Robyn. Two weeks before disappearing, George called one of his brothers in tears. He'd just caught Robyn in bed with another man (presumably Wayne Amey), and they'd had a violent fight. The only Teazis who agreed to be named in this story is Ross. But the family insist George had planned to leave Robyn. At around midnight on that last evening, with George full of brandy, Robyn Lindholm left with a friend named Linda. She says she came home to find the front door open and George gone. The next morning she told police she'd received a text from George at about 2.30am saying he might be in some trouble and needed to be picked up, but didn't say where he was calling from. Ross Teazis noticed the next morning that the furniture had been moved around, and that a three-metre long rug black with a brown circular pattern was missing. Over the next couple of days, Ross, then 16, says he was given a number of marijuana buds by Robyn to keep himself calm. About a week after the vanishing, he came home to find the house had been emptied, and there was a moving van outside. Ross noticed that his father's F100 campervan was missing, along with his motorbike, a boat, a rear-projection television, jewellery, and other assorted goods worth an uncounted tens of thousands of dollars. Ross says he was so stunned at the time, he immediately went to a friend's home to settle himself. Later he tried calling Robyn, to claim his father's belongings. "She eventually sent me a text ... that there was some stuff at the [Tambo Avenue] house ... it was a couple of boxes on the doorstep. Some clothes and his remote-controlled cars," he says. When he asked about the vehicles, Robyn told him he'd be "getting nothing ... and she forwarded her solicitor's details." By then, Robyn Lindholm had tearfully fronted a police press conference, calling for information about George's disappearance. Ross and other Teazis family members attended. They say that prior to fronting the cameras, Lindholm was seen laughing with her friend Linda. Robyn shed some tears as the conference played out, and was seen laughing again when it was over. Afterward, Ross and family went to the Reservoir house to retrieve some of his clothes. One family member remembers standing in the kitchen, looking at the doorway, expecting George to walk in. Robyn allegedly said: ''I wouldn't worry about that. He's not coming back." A 30-year-old man has been arrested following a spate of shootings in Geelong in March. Victoria Police spokeswoman Julie-Anne Newman said Armed Crime Squad detectives arrested and charged a man on Friday. "The 30-year-old was arrested by investigators in Bell Park about 5.30pm," Acting Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said. "The arrest follows an investigation into shooting incidents in Norlane on March 6 where a man was allegedly shot at following an altercation while driving his vehicle about 3.20pm." Acting Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said the other incidents were: March 7, where a woman presented to a hospital with a gunshot wound just after 5am. Lara on March 7, where a man was allegedly shot after approaching a vehicle outside his property on Alison Drive about 9pm. Breakwater on March 20, where a man was allegedly threatened with a firearm for not moving his car and a shot was fired into the air in St Albans Road. "The man received 19 charges, including intentionally and recklessly cause serious injury, conduct endangering life and numerous firearms offences," Acting Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said. "He was remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday." A man has been charged after a tourist fought off an alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne shopping centre. The 33-year-old woman, who had been visiting from China, was walking through the Melbourne Central shopping centre on Elizabeth Street when a man stopped her. Police have released images of a man who they believe could assist in the investigation. She was grabbed and sexually assaulted before she managed to break free and escape, a police spokeswoman said. The woman was not injured during the alleged attack, which occurred at 6.30am on Saturday. A sixth person has been charged over the murder of Patrick Slater near the Esplanade Train Station in January. Major Crime Squad detectives say a 17-year-old boy will appear before the Perth Children's Court today. Murder victim Patrick Slater. Among the five others charged is an 11-year-old boy. Police say the victim was stabbed after a brawl involving two large groups totalling about 20 people in the early hours of January 27. The man who runs the state's prisons has defended a staffer who wrote a leaked memo outlining how the department had wasted millions of tax-payers dollars. While Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis raised questions about the man's competency, the Prisons Commissioner took a different view. Former Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis and ex-Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon have been linked to seat of Cottesloe. Credit:Liam Ducey "That was a memo written by a man who cares about his job," James McMahon said. The content of the memo was revealed on Saturday by The Weekend West, which reported that the chief financial officer had written about senior members of staff getting allowances they were not entitled to and contractors getting paid for work which had not been done. Belgium confronts alarming danger Two days after bomb attacks at Brussels airport and on a packed metro killed 31 people and injured hundreds, a security guard who worked at a Belgian nuclear site was killed but the local prosecutor on Saturday ruled out any militant link. The Charleroi prosecutor's office also denied media reports that his security pass had been stolen and been de-activated as soon as investigators raised the alarm, public broadcaster VTM said. A guard who worked at a Belgian nuclear plant has been murdered and his pass stolen. Pictured is Tihange nuclear power station in Huy. Credit:Hullie/Commons The office declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Le Soir newspaper said the man was a guard at Belgium's national radioactive elements institute at Fleurus, to the south of Brussels. A police spokeswoman said she could not comment because an investigation was ongoing. In a nation on high alert following this week's attacks, the media reports tap into fears about the possibility militants are seeking to get hold of nuclear material or planning to attack a nuclear site. On Thursday, DH had reported the suicide bombers who blew themselves up on Tuesday originally considered targeting a nuclear site, but a series of arrests of suspect militants forced them to speed up their plans and instead switch focus to the Belgian capital. Late last year, investigators found a video tracking the movements of a man linked to the country's nuclear industry during a search of a flat as part of investigations into the Islamist militant attack on Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people. Asked on Thursday at a London think tank whether there was a danger of Islamic State obtaining a nuclear weapon, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said that "was a new and emerging threat". A guard who worked at a Belgian nuclear plant has been murdered and his pass stolen. Pictured is Tihange nuclear power station in Huy. Credit:Hullie/Commons The investigation into this week's deadly terror attacks in Brussels has raised fresh alarm that Islamic State was seeking to attack, infiltrate, sabotage or obtain nuclear or radioactive material in a country with a troubled history of security lapses at its nuclear sites, a weak intelligence apparatus and a deeply rooted terrorist network. Brussels: As a dragnet aimed at Islamic State operatives spiralled across Brussels and into at least five European countries on Friday, the authorities were also focusing on a narrower but increasingly alarming threat: the vulnerability of Belgium's nuclear power plants. The question came as Brussels tabloid La Derniere Heure published claims the terror cell of Khalid and Ibrahim Bakraoui had "probably rushed their operations because they felt under pressure", and had switched to "easier targets" than its original targets, Belgian nuclear power plants. It reported the brothers had been linked to a hidden camera placed in front of the home of Belgium's director of nuclear research. Police officers in front of a house in Duesseldorf, where a German magazine says two people with possible links to the Brussels attacks were arrested on Friday. Credit:DPA While the prospect of terrorists being able to obtain enough highly enriched uranium and then turn it into a nuclear fission bomb seems far-fetched to many experts, they say the fabrication of some kind of dirty bomb from radioactive waste is more conceivable. There are a variety of other risks involving Belgium's facilities, including terrorists somehow shutting down the privately operated plants that provide nearly half of Belgium's power. The fears at the nuclear power plant are of "an accident in which someone explodes a bomb inside the plant", said Sebastien Berg, spokesman for Belgians nuclear energy agency. "The other danger is that they fly something into the plant from outside." That "could stop the cooling process of the used fuel," Berg explained, and in turn shut down the plant. Belgium has both low enriched uranium, which fuels its two power plants, and highly enriched uranium, which is used in its research reactor primarily to make medical isotopes, plus the byproducts of that process. The US provides Belgium with highly enriched uranium - making it particularly concerned about radioactive materials landing in terrorist hands - and then buys isotopes. Washington: They came from Mali, Eritrea, Syria and Pakistan. They were Muslim, Hindu, Catholic and Coptic Christians. And one by one, Pope Francis knelt down before these migrants on Holy Thursday and washed their feet. The ritual, performed in a centre for asylum seekers outside Rome, comes amid anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe and in the wake of a terrorist attack in Brussels, for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility. Pope Francis kisses the foot of a man during the foot-washing ritual at the Castelnuovo di Porto refugee centre near Rome on Thursday. Credit:l'Osservatore Romano "All of us together, Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Copts, Evangelical [Protestants] brothers and sisters children of the same God we want to live in peace, integrated," Francis said during his homily. The foot-washing ritual became a part of Holy Thursday Mass in the 1950s. Jesus washed the feet of his 12 apostles at the Last Supper. The symbolic act also imitates Jesus's gesture of servitude. Beijing: A Chinese freedom of speech activist in New York said on Friday that Chinese authorities have "abducted" his family on the mainland, highlighting Beijing's growing determination to silence critical voices overseas. Wen Yunchao, an influential Communist Party critic with more than 220,000 followers on Twitter, said on Friday that authorities on Tuesday detained his parents and younger brother in their hometown in Jiexi County in southern China's Guangdong province. He said that he has been unable to reach them, and that "the situation is unclear". Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) accompanies German President Joachim Gauck to view an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Credit:Getty Images Although Chinese authorities have placed increasing pressure on critics living abroad in recent years, the detention of an activist's full family is extremely rare. More than any of medium, TV has sold the idea that opposites attract. The more mismatched the couple the better, as far as TV is concerned. While it can lead to some interesting conflict, heavy chemistry and passionate pairings doesnt always work. Sometimes couples are so mismatched and ill-suited for one another that is stops being romantic and starts being strange. Here are 9 of the most confusing TV hook-ups ranked from best to worst. 9. Oliver and Laurel, Arrow In the comics on which Arrow is based, the couple of Oliver Queen and Dinah Laurel Lance is one of the most dynamic and powerful superhero romances. The Green Arrow and the Black Canary are partners in fighting crime and in life. So it makes sense why Arrow hooked up their live-action counterparts in the early seasons of the show. It was just a disaster. They were terribly dysfunctional, lacked a lot of chemistry and overall felt forced. 8. Ruby and Sam, Supernatural Its not as if there was sexual tension between Sam and Ruby 1.0 (played by Katie Cassidy). Still in season 4 of Supernatural when Ruby came back as Jared Padaleckis future wife Genevieve Cortese, Sam sleeping with the demon was beyond weird. Rarely has an actual couple had less on-screen chemistry and the whole affair was an obvious attempt by Ruby to manipulate the younger Winchester. 17 Times Good TV Characters Did Very Bad Things>>> 7. Rumple and Belle, Once Upon a Time Theres a lot of problems with Rumplestilskin and Belle Frenchs on-again and off-again relationship on Once Upon a Time. The first is that no matter how much magic is going on it always looks like Belle is making out with her young grandfather or significantly older uncle. Age might just be a number, but it doesnt make Belle and Rumple look like any more of a mismatch. This isnt even touching on their history of lies, abuse and how the whole relationship feels very Stockholm Syndrome-y. She did meet him by (essentially) being his slave after all. 6. Sansa and Littlefinger, Game of Thrones When Sansa and Littlefinger first kissed it wasnt that surprising, especially because it was clear from the start that Littlefinger was a complete freak. The weirdness is that Sansa didnt seemed completely repulsed by Littlefingers advances. This could just be Sansa manipulating Littlefinger or she could be resigning herself to it. It is sad that Littlefinger is at least terrifying of Sansas suitors over Game of Thrones run, excluding Tyrion. Hopefully this wont go any farther than that one awkward kiss. 5. Kendra and Ray, Legends of Tomorrow Ray is a super-genius who made a suit that shrinks him into microscopic size. Kendra is a reincarnated Hawk goddess who no matter where she is in time is perpetually just a barista a few months ago. They dont fit together on paper and they dont fit together in action. The only (current) romance on the Legends of Tomorrow, Ray and Kendra are more likely to make you roll your eyes than have your heart melt. 4. Allison and Isaac, Teen Wolf Though Crystal Reeds decision to leave Teen Wolf happened after Scott and Allison broke up, in retrospect the break-up was preparing audiences for Crystals leave. Allison flirting and hooking up with Isaac after her break up with Scott was weird for a number of reasons. Mostly because the two characters didnt fit nearly as well together on-screen as Allison and Scott. There was some extra awkwardness involved given the fact that the storyline started when the actors (Reed and Daniel Sharman) were dating in real life and extended on-screen after their break-up. It sadly showed on screen. 3. Erin and Andy, The Office Once Steve Carrell left The Office, the comedy series desperately tried to capture some of the magic of the early seasons. Since Ed Helms was the biggest star at the time, the show promoted his character Andy to the forefront and tried a number of storylines to make Andy more interesting. Andys attraction and relationship with the cute new receptionist, Erin, was one of the biggest and most uncomfortable. The actors had no chemistry together, Erin was written to have a child-like intelligence and Andy wasnt much smarter. The whole thing was disaster from start to finish. 2. Willow and Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer When Buffys best friend came out as lesbian on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, young confused teenage girls everywhere in the early 2000s had a role model. Willow and her first girlfriend Tara were adorable together and they taught everyone watching that love is love. When Tara was tragically killed in season 6, Willow found a newer, younger model to date. Kennedy was the anti-Tara in every respect. She was brash, unlikable and bossy. There was nothing remotely interesting about watching her and there was even less of a reason given for why Willow would be attracted to her. 5 TV Couples with Absolutely No Chemistry>>> 1. Rachel and Joey, Friends If Ross and Rachel are the couple that jumps to mind when thinking about on-again/off-again relationships, Rachel and Joey comes to mind when thinking of confusing couples. Rachel and Joey might actually be better suited for one another than Ross and Rachel but Friends had no real investment in having the two stay together. It was a transparent attempt to make Ross and Rachel stay apart even longer and the two never got farther than a few make-out sessions. But what do you think of our list? Are there any awkward couples that we missed? (Images courtesy of ABC, The CW, NBC. MTV and HBO) On this episode of Sleepy Hollow, Dawns Early Light, Pandora switches sides, Abbie and Crane formulate a plan to defeat the Hidden One whose powers continue to grow and Reynolds learns the truth. The Hidden One is punishing Pandora for her deception. He fears hes been too indulgent, after all, shes just a human. A human with a life span of 4,000 years. Pandora insists that she didnt betray him, but she did forget to mention the Witnesses had the Emblem of Thura, and it nearly resulted in his downfall. Pandora insists shes seen the error of her ways and reminds her beloved that she did free him once again. Good thing she did so because thats the only reason hes keeping her alive. A Family Affair Abbie and Jennys father pay them a visit. He brings with him a photo album full of pictures from their childhood. Abbies warming up, but Jenny isnt ready to forgive and forget just yet. Crane arrives and meets Ezra, but theres tension in the air, and Ezra leaves. Cranes a bit thrown off by the dysfunctional family dynamic, but Abbie and Jenny dont bother to fill him in on all the details. Sleepy Hollow Recap: Abbie and Pandora Work Together, Crane Gets Stuck With The Hidden One >>> A Friendly Warning Crane heads to the chamber and finds Pandora poking around. She needs the rest of her box. It was forged by the gods themselves to contain their power, and its the only thing that can stop the Hidden One. Crane questions why he should believer her and Pandora says because if he doesnt, theyll all be extinguished. Crane believes there has to be another way to stop the Hidden One, to restore the box. Pandora says the box cant be repaired, but it can be regenerated, but only in the place where it was forged, the Catacombs. Theres no way to travel back since Abbie and Crane killed the Tree of Fear. If they can find another path, theres still hope. Crane tells Abbie about Pandoras visit. The Hidden One is approaching full power, and they have 48 hours before he destroys humanity. Abbie isnt thrilled to hear they need to find a way back to the Catacombs. Crane says it appears to be their only option, but Abbie wants him to consider the source. Abbie may have put aside her trust issues regarding Pandora for Cranes sake, but she isnt anxious to team up with the woman again. Crane knows Abbie is still recovering from her ordeal, so he wont proceed unless shes on board, but he does make it clear the future of humanity rests on her decision. The Map to an Alternate Dimension Abbie doesnt see a way for them to get back, but Cranes formulating a plan. Paul Revere recovered the Eye of Providence for Washington, and according to Pandora, the Eye was previously in the Catacombs. They know Betsy was there because Abbie used Ross knife as an escape route to get out herself. Crane says the last time Ross and Revere were together was Christmas Day 1776, just before Washington crossed the Delaware. Washington told Crane to stay behind, and he lost sight of them in the fog as they crossed the river. Crane and Abbie suspect Washington wasnt heading to Jersey after all, they were going to the Catacombs. The painting of Washington crossing the Delaware was created by a man named Emanuel Leutze 80 years after the actual event. He based it on an eyewitness account General John Sullivan in his journal who also happened to be a Mason. Theres a replica of the painting on one of the walls of the Archives, and Crane studies it diligently. He notices one of the men in the picture is wearing what was Betsy Ross hat. Leutze assumed from Sullivans description that everyone on the boat was male, but Betsy was there after all. That girl got around. Crane recalls the day of the mission. He was peeved to be left behind. He questioned if Betsy was going, and she said she was not. Instead, Washington asked her to complete a new flag. Betsy believed that if the mission went as planned, the flag might be the only thing shed be remembered for in spite of all those other numerous missions that have factored into Cranes recollections. Crane and Abbie figure out Betsy thought the flag would be her greatest achievement because the gold thread she used allowed them into the Catacombs. This means Crane and company need the flag. The last time Crane saw it, Paul Revere had it. Revere would never let anything so vital out of his possession. Joe figures out it could be at the Paul Revere House in Boston. Abbie and Crane head to Boston while Jenny and Joe stay behind to figure out how to use it. The Eternal Soldier At the House, Crane brings up Abbie and Jennys father. Hes pleased they seem to have reconciled. Abbie says they arent all the way there, but they are making progress. Abbies closer than Jenny, but Abbie says shes come to a point in her life where shes open to change. Because of this new attitude, Abbie is contemplating telling Danny Reynolds the whole truth about her secret monster-fighting life. If she wants a relationship with him, shes got to be honest. They put the personal chit chat aside and locate the flag. Crane realizes the flag theyre looking at wasnt sewn by Betsy. She used a very specific stitch. Someone took the original flag and left a counterfeit in its place. Just as they make this discovery, they are attacked by a creature burnt beyond recognition. Its strong and isnt slowed down by bullets, so Abbie and Crane take off. Once in the car, Abbie wonders what the hell it was. Crane recognized the garments it was wearing. It was the uniform of the 8th Virginia Regiment. Most were killed during the Battle of Monmouth, but some defied orders and escaped. Crane recalls an entry in Franklins notebook discussing how after Washington captured one of the deserters, the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart tarred and bandaged the man, using infernal materials. They transformed him into a creature known as the Eternal Soldier. Crane believes Revere assigned this soldier the task of protecting the flag, and when they attempted to remove it, the Soldier was awakened. Abbie is confused since that wasnt the actual flag. Somebody replaced it and knew how to get around the Soldier. Fake flag or not, they roused the beast, and it will not rest until it hunts them down. Now they have to find the real flag and avoid be roasted by an overheated guard. And the clock is still ticking where the Hidden One is concerned. A Star-Spangled Message Abbie sends photos of the flag to Joe and Jenny, hoping whoever took the original left a clue behind. They notice a pattern of symmetrical holes that turn out to be musical notes. The notes comprise the Star Spangled Banner. Francis Scott Key wrote the anthem during the War of 1812, long after Washington crossed the Delaware. There was no way he could have been involved in the crossing. But Key was a Mason. During the war, the British were attacking the country and ransacking artifacts from everywhere, including the Capitol and the White House. Key secured the flag elsewhere. Being a Mason, Key would have known about the Eternal Soldier and how to avoid triggering it, but he left behind a clue as to where he stashed the real one. Key wrote the anthem at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, so off they go, leaving Jenny behind to figure out how to deal with the Soldier. On their way out, Abbie and Crane are intercepted by Reynolds. They are being blamed for the destruction at the Paul Revere House, a national monument. He wants to know what Abbie was doing in Boston and why Crane is always with her. His patience is up, but before Abbie can offer an explanation, the Eternal Soldier attacks. Reynolds actually says FBI. Freeze. Of course, the creature fails to listen and Danny shoots. That fails, and the creature produces a ball of fire in his hand and hurls it at the agent. And the hits keep coming. Crane manages to get the car, and the threesome make a daring escape. No time better than the present for Abbie to tell Reynolds what is up. He takes the news pretty well, and it explains all of Abbies odd behavior. But Reynolds doesnt get to go along for this ride. The Soldier is only after Crane and Abbie, so they drop him off. The Break-Up The Hidden One isnt cutting Pandora any slack. He wants to know why she hasnt brought him any more sacrifices to replenish the Hourglass. She breaks the news that she will no longer be providing for him. Shes tired of being treated like the hired help. Pandoras learned a thing or two from the Witnesses. They are stronger because they love each other, and they have each other. The Hidden One loves only power. He tries to strike her down, but its Pandoras astral form. Shes taken refuge somewhere else. The Hidden One tells his ex if she loves humans so much, she can die among them. Sleepy Hollow Recap: Pandoras Box Spells Trouble for Joe >>> Welcome to the Club Back at FBI headquarters, Reynolds has a chat with Sophie. Hes figured out that shes been in on this whole supernatural secret for some time. She tells him she got clued in when they were hunting for Abbie. He wants to know why Sophie didnt say anything, but how likely was he to believe that Abbie was trapped in an alternate dimension, and theyd have to fight demons to get her back? She warns him that once hes pulled into this world, there are consequences and theres no going back. The Fire Man Gets Extinguished At Fort McHenry, Abbie and Crane spot a statue of Orpheus. He used a lyre to enter the underworld, and theres one located on the monument. Abbie plays the first few keys of the Star Spangled Banner and opens a secret entrance. Once inside, they find the flag. But they arent alone, The Eternal Soldier is there with balls of fire in hand. This guy is like the Terminator. Jenny and Joe arrive with some liquid nitrogen and turn Mr. Hot into Mr. Freeze. Crane figures out that if he holds the flag up in the dawns early light a map appears-the path Washington took to the Catacombs. I still cant help but think we havent seen the last of Betsy given the huge role shes been playing, but big stuff is brewing for next weeks finale. Well just have to wait to find out. Sleepy Hollow airs Fridays at 8pm on FOX. (Image courtesy of FOX) UB Poetics Program celebrates its silver anniversary with lecture and conference Nathaniel Mackey, Reynolds Price Professor of Creative Writing at Duke University, will deliver the UB Poetics Program's inaugural Robert Creeley Lecture in Poetry and Poetics on April 8. There are now about 250 poets and critics of contemporary poetry who will be coming to UB to engage in a conversation about the history of this program, why it has mattered and where they see the future of poetry and poetics going. BUFFALO, N.Y. Nathaniel Mackey, the Reynolds Price Professor of Creative Writing at Duke University and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, will deliver the University at Buffalo Poetics Programs inaugural Robert Creeley Lecture in Poetry and Poetics as part of the English Departments Celebration of Poetry on April 8 at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The Celebration, which marks the Poetics Programs 25th anniversary begins at 2 p.m. Mackeys lecture, Breath and Precarity, is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Mackey, a poet, novelist, literary critic and editor, is a National Book Award winner and a recipient of the Yale Bollingen Prize for American Poetry and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. The lecture and a reception are free and open to the public. Creeley (1926-2005), a former SUNY Distinguished Professor and author of more than 60 books of poetry and criticism, served as Samuel P. Capen Professor of Poetics at UB and was a faculty member at the university from 1966 to 2003, when he left to become a Distinguished Professor at Brown University in Providence, R.I. This is an opportunity to acknowledge and embrace the legacy of Robert Creeley, who will be remembered as one of the most preeminent American poets, says Myung Mi Kim, a professor in the Department of English and the director of Poetics Program. In addition to the lecture, Bruce Jackson, SUNY Distinguished Professor, and Diane Christian, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, present their collaborative film of Creeley, Willys Reading, followed by a reading by the winner of the UB English Department/Poetics and riverrun Poetry Contest. The Creeley Lecture is part of four days of programming beginning with Robert Creeley and France at 3:30 p.m. on April 7 at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara, 1340 Millersport Hwy. in Amherst, N.Y. Hosted by Jean-Jacques Thomas, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, the event includes a translation dialogue between Belgian poet Jean Daive, who has translated many of Creeleys poems into French, and Norma Cole, an American poet who has translated many of Daives poems into English. The events conclude with a two-day academic conference Poetics: (The Next) 25 Years on April 9-10. This has generated interest beyond what we had imagined, says Cristanne Miller, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Edward H. Butler Professor of English. There are now about 250 poets and critics of contemporary poetry who will be coming to UB to engage in a conversation about the history of this program, why it has mattered and where they see the future of poetry and poetics going. Founded in 1991, by Creeley, Susan Howe, Dennis Tedlock, Charles Bernstein and Raymond Federman, the English Departments Poetics Program draws upon critics and scholars from comparative literature, romance languages, art history, American studies, philosophy, music and media study. The Poetics Program was a way of formalizing what was already an extremely active and innovative writing scene at UB, says Miller. This group wanted an interdisciplinary approach to literary, cultural and textural studies that enabled them to to focus collectively on creative and critical activity within the process of learning, thinking and writing. Miller says the Poetics Program continues to be one of the most celebrated aspects of the Department of English, each year attracting some of the most talented applicants to the universitys PhD program. From its inception, the Poetics Program has sought to problematize ideologies embedded in language and to invite second reflection on the materiality of language as a counter to capitalist, hegemonic cultural practices. says Kim. As the program came together, Kim says it also brought together kindred spirits who were thinking about these issues on a large-scale political level, but also on the level of making literature. The Poetics Program mobilizes the adjacency of the practice of language and the making of poetry in the service of social and artistic othering, says Kim. Marking the Poetics Programs anniversary allows for an intersection of creativity from spaces that dont always intersect, those who make poetry, those who study poetry and those who represent poetrys audience. This allows us to think about the work of poetry as broadly as possible, says Kim. Nissan unveiled the new 2017 GT-R at the New York International Auto Show, highlighting both inside and out, as well as major driving-performance enhancements and key new features. The Japanese company, which plans to launch the car in India in September, had unveiled it at the Auto Expo. And last month, Karun Chandhok got behind the wheels of the legendary car at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. The GT-R is expected to cost about Rs2 crore when it is launched in India. The new model unveiled at the New York show represents the most significant changes made to the model since it was introduced in 2007. The new GT-Rs exterior gets a complete makeover across the front end. The new chrome matte finish V-motion grille represents one of Nissans latest design signatures. It has been enlarged to provide better engine cooling and features an updated mesh pattern. A new hood, which flows flawlessly from the grille, has been significantly reinforced, contributing to stability during high-speed driving. A freshly-designed front spoiler lip and front bumpers with finishers situated immediately below the headlamps give the new GT-R the look of a pure-bred racecar, while generating high levels of front down force. Source : BS Motoring Aerospace and defence manufacturing company will showcase a range of advanced products and services at the ninth edition of Defexpo India 2016, held March 28 to 31 in Goa. The company has decided to showcase advanced capabilities in multirole fighter aircraft, attack and heavy lift helicopters, transport aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, weapons and unmanned systems that are best suited to boost the mission-readiness and modernisation of the Indian armed forces. " is accelerating its manufacturing and engineering footprint in India and concurrently encouraging the development of an indigenous aerospace and defense ecosystem by working closely with partners," said Pratyush Kumar, president India. As the country vies for self reliance in electronic goods production, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has so far approved proposals amounting to around Rs 6,155 crore under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS). The scheme looks at providing financial incentives to private for setting up units. The government has given final as well as in-principle approval to 28 clusters (EMCs) and common facility centres (CFCs) across the country. EXPECTATIONS GALORE Rs 6,155 cr approved by DeitY under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) 28 EMCs & CFCs approved by govt $400 billion is the expected demand growth of electronics hardware in India by 2020 $104 billion is the estimated rise in domestic production by 2020 According to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu released last year, the demand for electronics hardware in India is projected to grow $400 billion by 2020. However, by that time the estimated domestic production could rise to only $104 billion, while the rest has to be met through imports. The government in India, through various initiatives, is looking at reducing the dependence on electronic imports by promoting domestic manufacturing. "Here the idea is to push more setup base in India to manufacture LED televisions, set-top boxes, automotive electronics, telecom equipment, RFID tags and labels among other things. Most of the equipment till now are not made in India but merely assembled. We hope that this would give a much needed push to the sector," said a senior official in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. "The ministry is attaching high priority to electronics and IT hardware manufacturing. It has the potential to generate domestic wealth and employment, apart from enabling cyber-secure ecosystem," added the official. While the government has taken a number of steps to increase electronics hardware manufacturing in India including 100 per cent FDI under automatic route, no requirement for industrial licence, payment of technical know-how fee and royalty for technology transfer under automatic route, the impact of such measures has not been substantial. "It is partly because is India is a signatory to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA-1) that has resulted in zero duty regime on import of the goods covered under the agreement. India also has free trade agreements (FTAs) with several countries and trading blocks, which has enabled zero import duty of imports not covered FTA," said the official. Besides, lack of reliable power, high cost of finance, poor logistics and infrastructure, weak components manufacturing base are other factors hampering growth of electronics in the country. According to government officials, DeitY under the M-SIPS programme received proposals from 14 states including Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh among others. The proposals received include manufacturing of RFID inlays and tags, automotive electronics, telecom equipment, instrument clusters, optical fibre cable, LED televisions, wifi dongles among other things. "Till date under the EMC scheme, DeitY has received 44 applications for setting up 40 greenfield EMCs and four CFCs in brownfield clusters over an area of 6,922 acres spanning across 18 states with a project outlay of Rs 8,313 crore, seeking grant assistance of Rs 3,508 crore," said the official. DeitY has accorded final approval to seven greenfield EMCs, one CFC in brownfield cluster. Also, it has given in-principle approval to 17 greenfield EMCs and three CFCs in brownfield clusters. The states which have been given final approval are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Less than 1 per cent of the drugs manufactured in Gujarat, a state that accounts for 35-40 per cent of India's pharmaceutical production, have been affected by the latest ban on 344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs. FDCs are a combination of two or more drugs in a single pill. Around 400 and 2,000 drugs have been affected by the Centre's latest ban on 344 FDCs, according to HG Koshia, commissioner of the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration. "There are 225,000 product manufacturing licences in Gujarat obtained by 2,250 pharmaceutical . Going by this, less than 1 per cent of the drugs manufactured in the state of Gujarat have been affected," Koshia said. representatives, however, said the calculation must be based on how much of these drugs were in some stage of distribution. "Nearly four to five months of goods are in company warehouses, with wholesalers or with retailers," said Viranchi Shah, vice-chairman of the Gujarat State Board of the Indian Drug Manufacturers' Association. Shah said the impact at the national level would be Rs 6,000-7,000 crore, going by the four-month rule, and the money immediately lost would be Rs 2,000-2,500 crore. "Since Gujarat accounts for 35-40 per cent of the nation's drug production, Rs 900-1,000 crore worth of products have been impacted in the state," he added. The state FDCA is drawing up a list of drugs and their manufacturers that face the ban. Koshia added the agency was not in a hurry to take action as many manufacturers had moved court. In one of the largest exists by private equity (PE) in India KKR & Co sold its 90 per cent stake in Group to the Japanese strategic buyer Yokohama Rubberthe Co for $1.2 billion, making over two fold return for its April 2013 investment. This is the largest PE exit from an India related business in the last decade, according to VCCEdge, the data research platform of VCCircle. Prior to that Warburg Pincus had sold stake in Bharti Airtel for over $1.6 billion in tranches. The fact that a strategic buyer has come in after two private equity investors made significant return, boosts confidence for limited partners in the Indian entrepreneurs, says Sanjeev Krishan, leader private equity practice, PwC India. It also tells us how global PE firms can make a difference in value creation journey for the Indian companies, he says. KKR had acquired a controlling stake in Alliance from global PE firm Warburg Pincus in April 2013 which had exited making multi fold return. This was the biggest transaction by the US based KKR since it set up its India office in 2009. The deal value was not disclosed but as per the estimates of VCC Edge it involved an equity valuation of $522 million. KKR had picked around 90 per cent stake in Alliance Tire, which meant a payout of $470 million back then. KKR helped Alliance make deeper penetration in key markets such as the US and Europe. This helped it to drive the valuation and make such a successfull exit, said a person familiar with the transaction. KKR has strong operation team in the US that helped Alliance achieve rapid growth in the local markets. Alliance reported operating profit of $95 million against revenue of $529 million for the financial year 2015. Founded by Ashok Mahansaria and his son Yogesh ten years ago with the support from Warburg Pincus, Alliance is the worlds fifth-largest maker of off-highway tyers used in agriculture, forestry and construction sectors. The company sells radial and bias tyres in 120 countries around the world, with a focus on the North American and European markets. At present Yokohama Rubber does not manufacture or sell tyres for agricultural or forestry machinery. The acquisition that will be completed by 1 July will strengthen Yokohama Rubbers product line-up in commercial tyres market. Agricultural equipment tyre demand is expected to increase as a result of the growing use of agricultural machinery, which is crucial to improve agricultural efficiency to meet the increasing food needs for the worlds growing population, said the Japanese company. It has chalked out its medium-term management plan to push commercial tyres as the new core area for its business. Limited partners have turned cautious on India with the lack of big profitable exits. This is the second exit for the US based PE giant that set up its shop in India seven years ago. Last year it had exited telecom tower firm Bharti Infratel with modest returns as sharp depreciation in rupee affected its performance. Rostec State Corporations will be part of the four-day DefExpo to be held in Goa from March 28. We intend to strengthen our market position in South Asia, increasing sales of serial production and offering comprehensive after-sales service of helicopters. India currently operates more than 400 Russian-made helicopters and plans to expand its fleet, said Alexander Mikheyev, General Director of . The product line of the holding on DefExpo India 2016 will present multipurpose helicopters medium transport Mi-38 and the light utility Ka-226T, he added. Fitted with trademark Kamov coaxial rotors, the manoeuvrable, compact Ka-226T is designed to perform transport and special missions in any weather, at any time of the day, Mikheyev said. Due to the absence of a tail rotor, the helicopter is safe for use on small pads and in complex terrain. Ka-226T can be used as health, police, search and rescue, passenger and transport helicopter, he added. Russia and India have already begun the implementation of the helicopter project cooperation agreement signed in December 2015, which provides for the joint production of at least 200 units of the Ka-226T. He said Ka-226T will be showcased in a medical version to the visitors at the DefExpo. In this version, the chopper is equipped with a stretcher to transport the injured, oxygen cylinders and the necessary medical equipment for providing first aid to the victims. For medical personnel, there are folding seats in the cabin of Ka-226T. assembled from Russian components. Compared to other similar helicopters in its class, Mi-38 is faster, with a weight-lift and passenger capacity. The machine can be operated in any time of day, in difficult climatic and weather conditions," Mikheyev said. "Mi-38 helicopter can be used for cargo or passenger transportation (also in a VIP version), as well as a flying hospital and helicopter for offshore operations. In December 2015 the Mi-38 received complete certification and is ready to enter the market," Mikheyev said. The official said India is known as a major buyer and operator of military helicopters produced in Russia, but the country is also interested in the acquisition of civilian-use machines. "At DefExpo India 2016 'Russian Helicopters' will hold talks with the leading aircraft company in India - Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Pawan Hans Limited - a state transport companies, which operates helicopters Mi-172 and other organisations. For Pawan Hans Limited, Russian Helicopters planned to hold the presentation of the Mi-38 and Mi-171A2," he said. In a major relief, Group has got time till June to avoid any foreclosure auction of its two marquee hotel properties here by mortgage holders Reuben Brothers, who had extended a $900 million loan refinance facility to the embattled Indian group. The billionaire investors David and Simon Reuben were reportedly earlier looking at a foreclosure auction in April to recover their facility which they had provided to Group to refinance an earlier loan from Bank of China that had overseas hotels of the Indian group as collaterals and cross collaterals. Sources said has now been given time till June by Reuben Brothers. When contacted, a Sahara spokesperson confirmed the development but did not elaborate. Query sent to Reuben Brothers did not elicit any immediate response. Reportedly, the foreclosure auction of iconic Plaza and trendy Dream Downtown properties was to take place in April. Sahara Group has been making efforts to raise funds including through refinancing of loans on these two hotels as also on the historic Grosvenor House property in London, to ensure release of its chief Subrata Roy from jail. He has been lodged in New Delhis Tihar Jail for over two years. In March 2015, Bank of China had put Grosvenor House under administration for recovery of its loans after the lender declared an event of default on the US loans due to some technical breaches in the financial covenants. The loan on Saharas three hotels Grosvenor House in the UK and the two prime hotels in New York from Bank of China was cross collateralised and cross guaranteed. Subsequently, Sahara reached a $900 million (over Rs 5,500 crore) refinancing deal with Reuben brothers and averted the default-triggered sale of Grosvenor House hotel property. Grosvenor House, a landmark property on Park Lane in London that was designed by acclaimed architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, was purchased by Saharas in 2010. The two hotels in the US were purchased later. The three hotels were acquired between 2010-2012 at an estimated valuation of $1.55 billion. Market experts peg their current valuation at upwards of $2.2 billion. Sahara group has been engaged in a legal battle with markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India for a long time over a case involving raising of funds from investors to the tune of over Rs 24,000 crore. Sahara, however, claims it has already repaid 95 per cent of the investors money directly. Last month, a Sahara spokesperson had said that Sebi so far has been able to refund around Rs 50 crore to the investors. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi had told him about the Ishrat Jehan operation and wondered why NIA chose not to mention it in its statement. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley claimed he had told NIA that a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson. The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. The cross-examination via video link of the 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35-year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of Indias Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to Defence College, New Delhi. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. The judge then directed the jail authorities to allow the lawyer to meet the accused for two hours in prison or communicate with him through video link in the court but as the lawyer did not accept this, the court rejected the plea. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. During re-examination by Nikam, Headley said he had referred to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai while deposing earlier about his visit to a nuclear power plant to conduct surveillance for potential targets. I visited BARC on the recommendation of Major Iqbal (of Pakistan), said Headley to Nikam. Earlier, Headley told the defence lawyer that it was not correct to say that LeT wanted to assassinate former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. To a question, Headley denied that he had disclosed to NIA that he had hatched a plan to kill Musharaff along with his friends in LeT. However, Headley claimed this had been incorrectly recorded in his statement given to NIA in July 2010. Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a womens wing of LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that defence is pre-supposing this. Explaining this, Headley said, I had no knowledge of womens wing that was for combat but there is a womens wing that takes care of womens issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the social issues taken up by the womens wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. Before the conclusion of deposition, Headley told the defence lawyer Kaha suna maaf (please excuse me for being upright). Earlier, Headley went back on a part of his statement to NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that Ishrat Jahan module was a botched-up operation and added that these were my thoughts. He also admitted that he had no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan. When Lakhvi introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan et cetera... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure, Headley said. No, I did not say this to NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded, he told Judge G A Sanap here. Headley, who has turned approver in the 26/11 case, was answering questions put to him by the defence lawyer via the video-link. On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, No and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Nearly 653 doctors and office bearers of medical societies across the country have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the new set of pictorial warning on product packages from April 1, to save millions of lives. Doctors, cutting across specialities, in a letter, requested the Prime Minister to step in to prevent "powerful lobby" from subverting the anti- measures of the government. "The country is 136th in the qualitative ranking of the pictorial warning on tobacco products. Large pictorial warning on tobacco packets is the most cost effective strategy to prevent youngsters from initiating use and provokes current users to quit the habit," the letter said. "We the doctors of India urge you to reject the recommendations of Committee on Subordinate Legislation (CoSL) that aims to promote tobacco industry rather than save innocent Indians from falling prey to this fatal addiction. Effective pictorial warnings is all about awareness and it is being wrongfully equated with ban on tobacco," the letter said. They quoted the Prime Minister's Facebook post on May 31, 2014, "Let's pledge to spread awareness on the risks of tobacco consumption & work to reduce tobacco consumption in India. Tobacco not only affects those consuming it but also people around. By saying no to tobacco, let us lay the foundation of a healthier India. Union Minister Shripad Naik today said a research has proved that yoga can cure diseases like cancer and propagated the use of as alternative medical practices. A Bengaluru-based institute has proved with research that diseases like cancer can be cured by yoga. They have proved it, Naik said during the inauguration of Arogya fair in Goa today. The minister, however, did not mention the name of the institute and appealed the people to practice Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) as alternative medicines. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar also made a similar claim during his speech while launching Common Yoga Protocol, a guide to the upcoming World Yoga Day on June 21. It is said that diseases like AIDS and cancer can be cured by Ayurveda. We should conduct necessary research on this aspect so that India can revolutionise the health sector of the world, Parsekar said. Earlier in his speech, the Union minister said the proponents of are not against allopathy. "All the forms of medicines should have health of patient at its focus point," Naik said. He said there should be integration of medicines so that ailments like cancer, high sugar, obesity and others are uprooted. The minister also announced the proposed tie up with the US in the field of to treat cancer. "During the last one and half year, (the knowledge of) AYUSH has travelled places including the US. We will soon be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with America in the field of research on curing cancer by AYUSH medicinal practice," Naik said. He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) also wants to join hands with India to spread awareness about AYUSH. Naik said alike All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, the ministry is working towards setting up AYUSH AIIMS in each state of the country. Naik said the government plans to open one AYUSH hospital in every district of the country. It also plans to establish an All India Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy and one of its unit in Goa. The four-day fair aims to create awareness among the public about the efficiency of the AYUSH systems, their cost-effectiveness and the availability of herbs and plants used for prevention and treatment of common ailments. Out on bail after spending more than three weeks in Delhi's Tihar Jail for sedition over alleged anti- slogans, JNU student-activist has said he and his other university colleagues were wary of a pre-planned attack by right-wing Hindu groups. In an interview with IANS, Khalid, 28, said that he was under a constant "threat" even after being conditionally set free by the Delhi High Court. "The threat remains. I still feel I am deprived of my freedom. We are not free. Threat stays even now," Khalid said, seated in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) lawns where he had allegedly shouted anti-India slogans in a controversial event on Kashmir in February. "We fear that we might be attacked. And we know that it will be a highly planned attack," the PhD scholar said. And who does he think could attack him and five other JNU students, including their union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, branded anti-nationals? "The tragedy of our country at this time is that to speak of freedom is a crime. Those who are ruling us want to push us into slavery. They want to ban thought, ideas. But they can't be banned." He said it has become clear after the controversy around JNU's Kashmir event that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is employing a new tactic, which actually is "old wine in a new bottle". "They had earlier divided (the nation) on religious lines and it was a Hindu-Muslim binary. What has changed of late is that, the binary has been replaced with nationalist (versus) 'anti-nationals'," said Khalid, a born Muslim but who believes in Marxism. "Those who do not subscribe to their (RSS') ideology are 'anti-nationals'." He said he himself doesn't believe in "nationalism - an ideology always used by fascists". "World wars have been fought and genocides have happened in the name of nationalism," he said. Asked if he thought the Congress would have dealt with JNU students differently, Khalid said the previous government "did not go after educational institutes, the way the BJP is doing". "It is inherent to RSS' and BJP's functioning. They want to saffronise institutes and re-write the (country's) history," he said, adding it was the only subtle difference between the Congress and the BJP governments. In terms of economic and foreign policies, he said, both largely shared the vision. About the Kashmir issue that raised the political brouhaha leading to his arrest, Khalid said he didn't "think it is seditious to say Kashmir is an important issue to resolve". He didn't believe that either Pakistan or the Indian government was dealing with the issue from a humanitarian point of view. "Both, except for political, economic and strategic interests, have not seen Kashmir from any other prism," Khalid said, adding "people of Kashmir are missing" in their approach towards Kashmir. Frozen might slow down this financial (FY16) year on lower international demand and production setbacks due to floods and disease. According to industry estimates, marine product exports at 421,385 tonnes declined 14 per cent in value and 4.5 per cent in volume in the first half of 2015-16 from the same period a year ago. The Marine Products Export Development Authority had in July projected exports in 2015-16 would reach $6.6 billion. India exported $5.5 billion worth of marine products in 2014-15, a growth of 10.05 per cent over the previous year. Frozen shrimp accounted for 67 per cent of the total export value. The contribution of cultured shrimp to total was 76.45 per cent. This year, the growth of might be in the low single digits, the industry reckons. Several states have curtailed the fishing season keeping in mind marine conservation requirements. This will have an impact on shrimp exports from India, said Rustom Irani, president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India. He added aquaculture shrimp growth had also slowed because of floods and viral diseases. Kamlesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, WestCoast Group, a Mumbai-based integrated seafood company, said, We are eyeing 30 per cent year-on-year growth as a company for the next three years. He added there had been an immense improvement in processing capacity. India has an estimated 1.1 million hectares available for brackish water shrimp cultivation and only 100,000 hectares are being farmed. Na rahega baans, na bajegi bansuri," declared the triumphant Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as he moved a resolution in the Punjab assembly on the disputed issue of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. The resolution stated that the canal would not be allowed to be built at any cost. If there's no bamboo, the flute won't play, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch said. What he meant was: if there's no canal, there won't be any water sharing. Thumbing a nose at the Supreme Court, which had just a day earlier directed the Punjab government to maintain status quo on the SYL canal land, the Punjab assembly then unanimously passed the resolution. Three days later, the Punjab Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Property Rights) Bill - to de-notify the 3,928 acres of land acquired for the canal and return it to its original owners - was tabled in the assembly. By evening, there was a free-for-all on large stretches of the 122-km canal in Punjab. Jubilant farmers rushed to reclaim the land and fill the canal to ready it for the crops they intended to grow there. With this, the fate of the SYL canal, which is meant for allocating surplus Ravi- Beas waters to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi, is now more uncertain than ever before. With assembly elections barely a year away, Badal is desperate. And a desperate man will resort to desperate measures. Having been in power for two terms in a row, he knows he has to find a way to counter anti-incumbency, which has historically been a very real threat for any ruling party in Punjab. This tenure of his too has been far from smooth. Last year, the state witnessed a series of incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, which led to massive public outrage, violent protests and saw the resignations of a large number of Akali Dal politicians and members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Demands for the resignation of the state government and the imposition of President's Rule reached a crescendo. Playing to the gallery Now, as the election nears, Badal has pulled out all the stops to win people over. To counter the perception that the government failed to protect the holy book of the Sikhs, his son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, recently moved a Bill providing for life imprisonment as maximum punishment for those convicted of desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib. The Bill, passed by the Punjab Assembly, also aims to increase the punishment for desecrating other religious texts from two years to 10 years. The measure is being called "populist", "politically-motivated" and "draconian", but analysts say Badal is confident of reaping political dividends from it. Earlier this week, in a move to appease farmers, the state government passed the "Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Bill, 2016", which aims to rescue farmers from the clutches of the arhtiya (commission agent or private money lender) and provide for "fair and expeditious settlement of agriculturists' debt-related disputes". And a little over a year ago, Badal announced a slew of measures for cow protection in the state: such as, not charging value-added tax on building material used by registered gaushalas (cowsheds) and providing free electricity to them. But his most powerful salvo so far has been his brazen defiance on the SYL canal issue. Every political party that wants a share of Punjab, be it SAD, the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party, realises that river water is an emotional issue in the state where the water table is plunging. So, each party has been shouting itself hoarse to be seen as favouring Punjab's whole and sole claim over the Ravi-Beas waters that the SYL canal is meant to carry. That explains Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal's statement during a visit to Punjab's Kapurthala district that he was against the construction of the SYL canal because Punjab did not have enough water to share with other states. "What Kejriwal forgets is that Delhi is also meant to get a share of the river waters," says Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress leader and member of the Haryana legislative assembly, terming Punjab's move as an affront to the Constitution. Of the available supplies of 17.17 million acre feet (MAF) of the Beas and Ravi waters, Punjab and Haryana are meant to get 5 MAF and 3.83 MAF, respectively. There is also a share for Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi. While Haryana completed its part of the canal by the end of 1981, Punjab completely stopped the construction of the canal, which was 90 per cent complete, in July 1990. It was Haryana that paid Punjab for acquiring land for the canal and for its construction. In a gesture that could go down well with voters, the Punjab government earlier this month sent a cheque of Rs 191.75 crore to Haryana, returning all the money it had received for the SYL canal from the state. But the Haryana government promptly returned the cheque to Punjab. Speaking to The Indian Express, Haryana Irrigation Minister O P Dhankar claimed that had Punjab completed the SYL canal, then 800,000 tonne of additional grain would have been produced and Haryana farmers would have received Rs 1,000 crore per year. Haryana, he said, had suffered a loss of Rs 35,000 crore because the canal wasn't built. The tug of war isn't over yet, though Punjab insists it is. "This canal has been the cause of farmers' misery," says SAD General Secretary Daljit Singh Cheema. "It attracts wild animals, rats and snakes that destroy the crops growing in fields alongside the canal. The land belongs to the farmers and they have taken it over." He, like the other leader of the state, insists that according to the riparian principle, Punjab has the rightful claim on the river waters. The riparian doctrine gives the owner of the land bordering a stream or a river the legal right over that water. This right cannot be bought or sold. "The state is running dry," says Cheema. "We are compensating for water with tubewells. There are 1.2 million tubewells across the state. Imagine what that is doing to the ground water level." Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, does not buy the riparian argument. "The state from where the water is originating cannot say I should get it all," he says, giving the example of the Narmada. "The dams on Narmada were built in Madhya Pradesh, so more people were displaced in Madhya Pradesh, but Gujarat has got a greater share of its waters." Badal scores a point By bringing in the Bill to de-notify the canal land, Badal has scored a political point over his arch rival, Amarinder Singh of the Congress. In 2004, as the state's chief minister, Singh had cornered Badal by bringing in the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act. The Act had terminated all agreements relating to the Ravi-Beas waters. The Supreme Court had earlier this month started hearings into a presidential reference to decide on the legality of the 2004 Act, when Badal declared that the canal cannot be built and decided to de-notify the land acquired for it. "The whole politics of river water sharing in Punjab and Haryana has been guided by apportionment rather than harnessing of the water resources," says Pramod Kumar, director of the Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh. "The politicians of Punjab realise that political advantage lies in conflict enhancement rather than its resolution," he says. In the last 40 years, since the dispute started, people had found comfort in status quo, says Kumar. They were no longer interested in wasting time holding protests and fighting over the canal or the water. "The political dividend from the SYL issue had weakened," he says. "But now, by de-notifying the land, Badal has earned more political capital than he would have by saying that we are going to fight it out. People were fed up, they wanted this to end." Scrambling to claim credit, which seems to have fallen into Badal's pocket, political leaders from other parties are now rushing in to help farmers level the land and demolish the canal. While maintaining that the waters rightfully belong to Punjab, Badal's estranged nephew, Manpreet Singh Badal, who recently joined the Congress, says his uncle was sleeping over the issue for the last nine years and appears to have woken up just before the elections. "He has been a past master at these things. But this is his last tamasha," says the nephew. "Sometimes he says the panth is in danger; at other times he says the river waters are in danger. But he never addresses the real issues -drugs, poverty and unemployment." Constitutional expert Madhav Khosla calls Badal's resolution on the SYL canal "totally illegal". "The court will have to take the government to task, initiate contempt proceedings," he says. "Under Article 262 of the Constitution, the authority to deal with the distribution of and control over any interstate river water issue lies with Parliament. Resolutions, like the one Punjab has passed, have no bearing on anything." The apex court, in its interim order, has, meanwhile, appointed Union home secretary, Punjab's chief secretary and director-general of police as the joint receiver of land and other property meant for the canal till the next date of hearing on March 31. Badal, however, is not worried. Difficulties in getting adequate financial help in the form of loans from banks and lack of skilled workforce continue to be major stumbling blocks faced by the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, a report by industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Avian Media has shown. The report is based on an extensive survey of MSMEs in the Okhla and Faridabad industrial belts within NCR, which are strong manufacturing hubs of auto components, light engineering and plastics among others. The report highlighted the fact that MSMEs still have to rely on other sources of finance other than banks such as money lenders. Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revised rules pertaining to revival of advances to small businesses and asked lenders to form district-level committees to resolve stressed loans to MSMEs. The report, however, said unsustainable collateral conditions and time-consuming bank procedures act as major hurdles, which stop many such enterprises from even seeking loans. It says that while respondents unanimously accepted heavy reliance on the banks for credit, a large proportion of them pointed out that it took them almost 45-60 days in securing finance. Also, banks do not seem to grant loan requests to enterprises, which have been in operation for less than three years, respondents complained. While the government has announced a slew of policies for start-ups in the technological space, the same apparently does not hold true for their manufacturing industry counterparts. Another major challenge area has been the lack of skills among employees, with almost 40 per cent currently categorised as unskilled at such enterprises. The report said that only 42 per cent of enterprises conducted skill training exercises, of which 69 per cent believed these actually benefited the organisations in the long term. The cost of such training, along with the difficulties in retaining and managing skilled manpower, who often change jobs with higher pay scale are reasons behind this. Apart from pointing to corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a potential mass tool to benefit such enterprises, the report brings up the long standing demands of implementing the Goods and Service Tax (GST) amendment and instituting single window clearance procedures across industries. Also, it stresses on reducing the rate of interest on loans provided to MSMEs, apart from easing of conditions for securing finance from banks, effective policy push to help small entrepreneurs faster adopt new technology and better implementation of current policies. The RBI has said that restructuring of loan accounts, with exposure of above Rs 25 crore, will continue to be governed by the extant guidelines on corporate debt restructuring (CDR). Under the corrective action plan, banks can grant borrowers additional funding for six months to revive the account, but the promoter has to give personal guarantees. It also said in case of a banking with multiple lenders, the lead bank's panels should deal with the issue. However, some experts have expressed fears that the move might result in ever-greening of substandard loans to the sector. Currently, loans to MSMEs form about 12 per cent of all bank loans. Such a huge volume of loans will be large as compared to the corporate debt restructuring (CDR), making it difficult to monitor them. A board-approved policy to operationalise the revised framework will have to be put in place by banks before June 30. is turning to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to develop roads. The state is yet to complete various state highways and major portions of national highways. "The public private partnership model is not working and the state government will award road construction contracts through the EPC route," an official said. has 4,771 km of national highways and 10,934 km of state highways, 19,429 km of major district roads and 26,482 km of rural and other district roads. The government plans to complete all state highways by the end of 2017 through EPC contracts. "Rising cost, underestimation of investment and competition have exerted pressure on public-private partnerships. And contractors in the build-own-transfer (BOT) model do not maintain roads," the official added. The state has 20 national highway projects, including important routes like NH3 (Agra-Mumbai), NH7 (Varanasi-Kanyakumari) and NH12 (Jabalpur-Jaipur), NH39 (Ahmedabad-Indore) and NH78 (Katni-Sagar). "These highways have not yet been completed. The investment will come from the Centre and the state needs approximately Rs 30,000 crore to complete these stretches," the official said. Madhya Pradesh has completed 9,000 km of state highways, 4,000 km of major district roads and another 4,000 km is under construction. Tenders are to be floated for 3,500 km with financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and BRICS countries. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had last year described Madhya Pradesh's highways as the worst in the country. He had added the Centre would ensure road projects were completed shortly. Pakistan and Iran have decided to boost bilateral economic ties, including exploring possibility of enhancing sea trade through better connectivity between the strategic Gwadar port and the Iranian port of Chabahar which is being developed with India's financial assistance. The possibility of better connectivity between Gwadar and Chabahar was explored during talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who arrived in Islamabad Saturday on his maiden two-day Pakistan visit. Significantly, last month the Indian government cleared proposals for development of the strategic Chabahar port. The Chabahar port would give India a sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The agreement on India's assistance for the port's development was signed last year. Iran and Pakistan also vowed to enhance bilateral ties, including in the energy sector and open two more border crossings to boost trade. Iranian President Rouhani said, during the talks, the two leaders took stock of the existing state of relations and how to enhance economic interaction. He said they talked about issues relating to energy, gas and export of electricity. Rouhani said they also discussed ways and means to increase bilateral trade. He said there were vast opportunities to increase economic cooperation. Rouhani said, during talks with Sharif, they explored the possibility of having closer relationship and better connectivity between Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province and the Iranian port of Chabahar. Pakistan and Iran reaffirmed their resolve to enhance the level of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including trade, economy and energy, Sharif and Rouhani told reporters after their wide-ranging talks yesterday. Sharif said the two countries have decided to open two new border crossing points to encourage trade and economic activities and facilitate people to people contacts, Radio Pakistan reported. He hoped that the new crossing points would greatly reduce the travel time and contribute towards economic integration. Rohani's visit assumes significance after sanctions over Iran's controversial nuclear programme were lifted earlier this year. The withdrawal of sanctions has opened new avenues for Iran to enhance its economic interaction with the rest of the world. Sharif noted that it was his third meeting with Rouhani, which reflected the warmth and depth of bilateral ties. Wooing voters in Assam with a promise of fast, all-round development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his fight was not against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, but against poverty, corruption and destruction of the state under Congress rule. I have three agendas. Development, fast development and all round development, he said at an election rally in Tinsukia as he hit the campaign trail and claimed his government had allocated many times more funds for states infrastructure than the previous governments. Please mark my words. Children will be taught A for Assam after this election.... Assam is going to get a young chief minister after the polls, he said, while urging people to vote for BJP. The prime minister also took a swipe at 79-year-old Gogoi who had called the assembly election as a direct fight between him and Modi, saying he can only pay his respects to the elderly leader. He heaped praise on BJPs chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, describing him as one of his best ministers. The leader of Congress, who will turn 90 in a few years, says his fight is with Modi. Respected chief minister, you are an elder and I am young. I pay my respect to you. In our culture, the young do not fight their elders and the elders give their blessings to them. My fight is not against Gogoi but against poverty, corruption and destruction of Assam. I am not fighting against any individual, he said. Modi said if Sonowal becomes the chief minister, it will be his governments and his personal loss because Sonowal is one of his best ministers and a bright, capable and simple person. There is only one anand (joy) in Assam, it is Sarbananda, he said. He said the state was among the five most prosperous states after Independence, but is among the five least developed states now and blamed successive Congress governments for this. You give me five years, you give Sarbananda five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty, he said. Trying to connect with the crowd, the prime minister touched on his early days as a tea-seller, saying he sold their tea to energise others and due to this, he shares a special bond with the people of Assam, a large tea-producing state. Modi appealed to Assam voters to give BJP and its allies five years to correct 60 years of Congress misrule in the state. Today, after 60 years under Congress rule, Assam has become the fifth poorest state in the country. No development, youth are unemployed, no electricity and drinking water. Who brought about this condition of Assam? Every village should get electricity for bringing in development, good education, to run mills and see TV. But, even after 60 years of Independence, even electricity poles have not reached 1,000 villages in Assam, Modi said. Noting that Assam has immense water resources, the mighty Brahmaputra and heavy rainfall, he said, yet what can be more painful than seeing people here do not have drinking water. The Congress government is responsible. Money was given from Delhi for building houses for the poor here. But, that money has not been spent and is lying unused in the bank. If this continues, there will be no development in Assam. Gas is produced in Assam. Do the poor get gas in their homes here? We have decided to provide 50 million poor of the state gas to replace their smoky cooking stoves, he said. Highlighting a number of developmental schemes of the Centre, Modi projected his government as one for the poor as he spoke about the decision to allow small shops to remain open seven days a week. Modi said his government had electrified over 1,000 of the 2,000 Assam villages, where power had not reached yet. Citing a CAG report, he said the Gogoi government did not provide answers to its queries on whereabouts of money and asked people to give their answer on April 4 through EVM machines. Even a prime minister can inaugurate one, two or three project by pressing a button. You can start a new era of development by pressing the EVM button. Your power is more than that of a prime minister, he told the rally. The state is going to the polls on April 4 and 11. Vote for BJP and our alliance partners to usher in a new era of development for Assam, the prime minister appealed. With you, I want to bring development to Assam, provide job opportunities to the youth, electricity to villages. We have given funds for development of Assams infrastructure, railway. To fulfill the dreams of the youth, I ask for your blessings, he said. He claimed the state government had been able to spend only one-fourth of the funds provided to it by the Centre. "Please mark my words. Children will be taught 'A for Assam' after this election.... Assam is going to get a young chief minister after the polls," he said, while urging people to vote for BJP. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh held a meeting with the Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Manik Sarkar in Agartala today. . . The two leaders discussed wide range of issues including the under-construction rail link to Bangladesh. . . Dr. Jitendra Singh, on a daylong visit to Tripura, assured the Chief Minister of the Union Governments full assistance to expedite the pace of development in Northeast and said that the upcoming rail link to Bangladesh will be a game-changer for the entire country and particularly for the State of Tripura because the train to Bangladesh will go through Agartala. This will make Tripura not only an important destination for entire India but also give Agartala the distinction by becoming an important corridor for trade and transport to Bangladesh and other countries across the eastern border. . . Later, addressing media persons, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, because of its strategic geographical location and high level of development, Tripura has emerged as an important player in the Union Governments Act East Policy". He said, the road works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana" (PMGSY) have also begun at a fast page and an exclusive North-East Road Development Corporation (NRDC), set up recently, is meant to devote primarily to the construction of neglected roads in the region. . . A National level AROGYA Fair organized by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India in association with Goa State Government and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) began in Goa today at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Goa University Campus at Bambolim near Panaji. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri ShripadNaik inaugurated the four day conference in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Shri LaxmikantParsekar, Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly Shri AnantShet, Deputy Chief Minister Sh. Francis DSouza, Forest Minister ShRajendraArlekar, Science and Technology Minister Ms. Alina Saldanha and leader of opposition Shri Pratap Singh Rane. . . On the occasion, the Union Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shri ShripadNaik also released the Yoga Protocol for the second International Day of Yoga falling on 21st June, 2016. . . In his inaugural address, the Minister said Ayurveda is Indias gift to the globe. Taking into consideration this fact, India has entered into an agreement with World Health Organization to popularize this traditional system of medicine across the world. Mr Naik Said, India has also signed anMoU with Amercia for a Joint Research under AYUSH in the field of Cancer. . . The Union Minister informed that the Union Government contemplates to open one AYUSH Hospital in every district of the country. He said, the AYUSH Ministry has also plans to establish an All India Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy and a unit of each Pathy in Goa in the near future. . . The four day fair aims to create awareness among the members of the public about the efficiency of the AYUSH systems, their cost-effectiveness and the availability of herbs and plants used for prevention and treatment of common ailments at their doorstep through various mass media channels to achieve the objective of Health for all. . . Negative rates in Japan have caused such market turmoil and questions from lawmakers and the general public that the Bank of Japan has put out an explainer in Q&A style that includes "Are you really doing negative rates?" and "What is deflation?" The document is called "Understand Negative Rates in 5 Minutes" and was released on Friday. It appears to be aimed at people who are not finance professionals and includes questions about whether the policy will cause personal savings to shrink, if a negative rate was really necessary, and what is so bad about falling ... As a dragnet aimed at Islamic State operatives spiralled across Brussels and into at least five European countries on Friday, the authorities were also focusing on a narrower but increasingly alarming threat: the vulnerability of Belgium's nuclear installations. The investigation into this week's deadly attacks in Brussels has prompted worries that the Islamic State is seeking to attack, infiltrate or sabotage nuclear installations or obtain nuclear or radioactive material. This is especially worrying in a country with a history of security lapses at its nuclear facilities, a weak intelligence apparatus and a deeply rooted terrorist network. On Friday, the authorities stripped security badges from several workers at one of two plants where all nonessential employees had been sent home hours after the attacks at the Brussels airport and one of the city's busiest subway stations three days earlier. Video footage of a top official at another Belgian nuclear facility was discovered last year in the apartment of a suspected militant linked to the extremists who unleashed the horror in Paris in November. Asked on Thursday at a London think tank whether there was a danger of the Islamic State's obtaining a nuclear weapon, the British defense secretary, Michael Fallon, said that "was a new and emerging threat." While the prospect that terrorists can obtain enough highly enriched uranium and then turn it into a nuclear fission bomb seems far-fetched to many experts, they say the fabrication of some kind of dirty bomb from radioactive waste or byproducts is more conceivable. There are a variety of other risks involving Belgium's facilities, including that terrorists somehow shut down the privately operated plants, which provide nearly half of Belgium's power. The fears at the nuclear power plants are of "an accident in which someone explodes a bomb inside the plant," said Sebastien Berg, the spokesman for Belgium's federal agency for nuclear control. "The other danger is that they fly something into the plant from outside." That could stop the cooling process of the used fuel, Berg explained, and in turn shut down the plant. The revelation of the video surveillance footage was the first evidence that the Islamic State has a focused interest in nuclear material. But Belgium's nuclear facilities have long had a worrying track record of breaches, prompting warnings from Washington and other foreign capitals. Some of these are relatively minor: The Belgian nuclear agency's computer system was hacked this year and shut down briefly. are far more disconcerting. In 2012, two employees at the nuclear plant in Doel quit to join jihadists in Syria, and eventually transferred their allegiances to the Islamic State. Both men fought in a brigade that included dozens of Belgians, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, considered the on-the-ground leader of the Paris attacks. One of these men is believed to have died fighting in Syria, but the other was convicted of terror-related offenses in in 2014. At the same plant where these jihadists once worked, an individual who has yet to be identified walked into the reactor No 4 in 2014, turned a valve and drained 65,000 liters of oil used to lubricate the turbines. The ensuing friction nearly overheated the machinery, forcing it to be shut down. The damage was so severe that the reactor was out of commission for five months. Investigators are now looking into possible links between that case and terrorist groups, although they caution that it could also have been the work of an insider with a workplace grudge. What is clear is that the act was meant to sow dangerous havoc - and that the plant's security systems can be breached. These incidents are now all being seen in a new light, as information is mounting from investigators that the terrorist network that hit Paris and Brussels may have been in the planning stages of some kind of operation at a Belgian nuclear facility. Three men linked to the surveillance video were involved in either the Paris or the Brussels attacks. Ibrahim and Khalid el-Bakraoui, the brothers who the authorities say were suicide bombers at the Brussels airport and subway station, are believed to have driven to the surveilled scientist's home and removed a camera that was hidden in nearby bushes. The authorities believe they then took it to a house connected to Mohammed Bakkali, who was arrested by the Belgian police after the Paris attacks and is accused of helping with logistics and planning. The police found the videocamera during a raid on the house. 2016 The New York Times News Service More than 30 countries are waiting to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), adding to its 57 founding members, its president said on Friday. The AIIB, first proposed by President Xi Jinping less than two years ago, has become one of China's biggest foreign policy successes. Despite the opposition of Washington, many major US allies - Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Philippines and South Korea - have joined. China says it will be an institution and will not be used to boost its influence. Speaking on the sidelines of the Boao Forum on southern China's Hainan island, president Jin Liqun said the bank was working on accepting the new members. "Over the past two years, we have achieved the purpose of convincing all the members - now we have 57, with more than 30 countries on the waiting list eager to join," Jin said, responding to a question about whether member countries were convinced the bank was not being used by China to draw countries into its orbit. Jin did not identify the prospective members. The Chinese territory of Hong Kong may also be allowed to become a member, he said. "Hong Kong is an financial centre," Jin said. "We believe Hong Kong has a role to play in facilitating the financing of the . For instance, the can issue bonds in Hong Kong and can also have currency swaps with Hong Kong." Beijing has been looking for ways to support Hong Kong, which has been convulsed by political turmoil. The government's refusal to grant the former British colony full democracy has embittered a younger generation of activists, culminating in big protests in 2014. The European Union may push back the date of its next regular summit so as not to coincide with Britain's referendum on whether to quit the bloc, an EU official said. The Brussels summit had been due to start on June 23, the date of the British vote. EU President Donald Tusk is now looking to hold the summit a few days later, the official said. Microsoft Corp executives are in early talks with potential Yahoo! investors about contributing to financing to buy the troubled internet company, a person familiar with the situation said. The talks are preliminary, the person added, and Microsoft is focused on preserving the relationship between the two . Microsoft and Yahoo! have longstanding search and advertising agreements. Private equity firms interested in Yahoo! approached Microsoft, the person added. Microsoft, however, declined to comment. Yahoo! is auctioning its core internet business, which includes search, mail and news sites. The faded internet pioneer has been struggling to keep up with Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc in the battle for online advertisers. Verizon's Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said in December that the United States wireless carrier could look at buying Yahoo!'s core business if it was a good fit. Activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP moved on Thursday to overthrow the entire board of Yahoo!, including Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who has struggled to turn the company around in her nearly four years at the helm. Microsoft's interest in Yahoo! comes nearly a decade after another approach. In 2008, then-CEO Steve Ballmer tried unsuccessfully to buy Yahoo! for about $45 billion. After a delay of more than 20 years, Myanmar's stock exchange opened for its first day of business, with the trading of a single company. First Myanmar Investment, a conglomerate controlled by businessman Serge Pun, made its stock debut in Yangon on Friday, ending a long wait caused by the Asian financial crisis, a wary military government and an underdeveloped financial system. The move comes as the country's development accelerates with a democratic government being formed after an election victory in November, part of a political and economic transformation that's bringing ... South Korean activists launched tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea on today, amid heightened tensions on the divided peninsula, using a propaganda tool that usually sparks threats of reprisals. Conservative activists, including many North Korean defectors, have been carrying out leafleting exercises using giant gas-filled balloons for years. Defector-turned-activist Park Sang-Hak and his colleagues released 50,000 leaflets tied to three large balloons from an empty field near Paju City close to the border with North Korea, marking the sixth anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean warship with the loss of 46 sailors. Seoul pinned the blame for the sinking on the North and froze trade and investment ties. One of the three balloons was strung with a large banner printed with a Pyongyang-published picture of leader Kim Jong-Un smiling against the backdrop of a missile being assembled. "Bring down a firestorm on nuclear maniac Kim Jong-Un", read the slogan. "We plan to launch a total of 10 million leaflets into the North over the next three months condemning North Korea's nuclear tests", Park told journalists. In October 2014, North Korean frontier guards attempted to shoot down a set of such balloons, triggering a brief exchange of fire across the border. Park and other activists face protests by residents and merchants living near the border, who are concerned that their livelihood might be affected. Since North Korea's fourth nuclear test on January 6, has resumed blasting a mix of K-pop and propaganda messages into the North, using giant banks of speakers on the heavily militarised border. North Korea has responded by dropping its own leaflets over the border, attacking South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and returning to psychological warfare methods used in the 1950s and 1960s. Gold and establishments in many parts of the country remained closed for the 25th day today as traders protest against the budgetary proposal to impose 1 per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery, even as the government set up a panel to look into their demand. Traders in several parts of the country, including in Delhi and Kolkata, kept their shops shut today. Most of the showrooms in Tamil Nadu however were open for regular trading. All India Bullion, Jewellers, Swarankar Federation (AIBJSF), which had organised a rally at Ramlila Maidan here on March 17, is continuing the strike, though three major associations - GJF, ABJA and GJEPC - had called off the strike last Saturday after government's assurance that there would be no 'Inspector Raj'. Meanwhile, the government has constituted a panel under former Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahri to look into the demands of jewellers. The panel, which has been asked to submit its report in 60 days, will look into issues related to compliance procedure for the excise duty, including records to be maintained, forms to be filled, operating procedures and other relevant issues. The government in the Budget for 2016-17 had proposed 1 per cent excise duty on without input credit or 12.5 per cent with input tax credit on jewellery excluding silver other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones. are likely to remain volatile in the next week ahead of the expiry of March derivative contracts as traders roll-over positions to the April 2016 series. In the week to March 23, benchmark share indices gained for the fourth straight week to end 1.5 per cent higher with rate-sensitive shares leading the gains on hopes of a greater-than-expected rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India, supported by robust foreign inflows during the holiday-truncated week. Read more from our special coverage on "MARKETS" The S&P BSE Sensex ended up 1.5 per cent, or 385 points, at 25,338 and the Nifty50 gained 1.5 per cent, or 112 points, to close at 7,717.The broader outperformed the benchmark indices with the BSE Midcap index rising 2.2 per cent and Smallcap index ending 1.9 per cent higher.We will get into the derivative expiry week as well as the financial year-end. Short-covering and NAV (net asset values) propping up has the potential to boost frontline as well as second-rung names next week. We hope to come back refreshed from a long-weekend to take up fresh positions to gain from further upsides.Nifty could face headwinds at 7,800 and the 200-dma (day moving average) at 7,900. Even these levels present a 1-2.5 per cent gain from the current level for the next week, said Ravi Shenoy, assistant vice-president (midcaps research) at Motilal Oswal Securities. Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in equities to the tune of Rs 3,468 crore during the truncated week, according to provisional stock exchange data.will remain closed on Thursday on account of Holi and on Friday on account of Good Friday.The countrys current account deficit (CAD) narrowed to $7.1 billion (1.3 per cent of gross domestic product) in the quarter ended December 2015, from $7.7 billion (1.5 per cent of GDP) in the year-ago period.The CAD was also lower than $8.7 billion (1.7 per cent of GDP) recorded in the second quarter ended September 2015.Shares from rate-sensitive sectors such as banks, realty and auto were among the top gainers during the week under review.State-owned banking major State Bank of India ended up three per cent after the bank raised Rs 500 crore through issue of bonds on a private placement basis. Private banking majors ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank ended nearly two per cent higher. Auto shares were also in top gear with Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp rising two to three per cent each.Mahindra & Mahindra gained two per cent after the group announced its entry into the branded dairy products business on Tuesday.Capital goods shares also witnessed renewed buying interest on the back of order inflows.Larsen & Toubro ended up 3.5 per cent after its construction division won orders worth Rs 3,205 crore, while state-owned engineering major BHEL ended up 2.8 per cent after it commissioned another 270-Mw unit at Goindwal Sahib coal-fired power project in Punjab.Further, the company has recorded order wins of 7,661 Mw, mainly from power-deficient states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.Bharti Airtel ended up four per cent after the firm entered into an agreement with American Tower Corporation through its subsidiary Airtel Tanzania to sell 1,350 towers in the African country. Analysts estimate the deal size to be in the region of $180 million.Sun Pharma surged nearly four per cent after the company said it had entered into a partnership with AstraZeneca India in Type 2 diabetes.Markets are likely to remain volatile ahead of the expiry of March derivative contracts on Thursday, March 31.Index heavyweights and fundamentally sound midcap and smallcap shares will be in focus as fund managers try to boost the NAVs to their respective schemes with the next week being the last for 2015-16.Aurobindo Pharma, Bharti Infratel, Eicher Motors and Tata Motors (DVR) will be in focus as they will be included in the Nifty50 from April 1, while Cairn India, Vedanta and Punjab National Bank will be excluded.Auto shares will be in focus as they will start releasing their sales numbers for March from Friday onwards. Ajay Devgn gets full marks on updating his fans about the shoot locations of his much anticipated flick 'Shivaay.' The 46-year-old actor's directional venture is being extensively shot at the beautiful sites of Bulgaria. Recently, Ajay took to his twitter handle and posted a snowy snap in which he can be spotted standing on an ice blanket. "Shooting on top of Balkan Mountains," reads the caption of the picture. The Balkan mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula and is the highest peaks in the central region of Bulgaria. The film is on its final schedule and is slated for a release this year. 'Shivaay' will mark the second outing of Ajay as a director after 2008 release 'U Me Aur Hum. Biologists from the University of California have detected sophisticated alarm signals in honey bees, which they use to warn their nestmates about the level of danger from predators attacking foragers or the nest. They found that an Asian species of honey bee can produce different types of vibrational stop signals when attacked by giant Asian hornets. These signals have different effects depending upon the type of danger and the context. A bee delivers a stop signal by giving another bee a brief, vibrational pulse, usually through a head-butt. James Nieh, a professor of biology at UC San Diego, said surprisingly this signal encodes the level of danger in its vibrational frequency, its pitch, and the danger context through the duration of each pulse. He explained that stop signals are usually delivered by a sender butting her head into a recipient. Understanding that these signals can be triggered by danger and reduce recruitment for dangerous food therefore made sense. The study showed that these different types of stop signals elicited different and appropriate responses. Bees attacked at food sources by bigger hornets produced a kind of stop signal that more effectively inhibited recruitment. Nieh also pointed out that bees attacked at the nest entrance produced another kind of stop signal that inhibited foragers from exiting the nest and being exposed to the danger outside." The study is published in the journal of PLOS Biology. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address an election rally in poll-bound Assam on March 30. Party-vice president Rahul Gandhi will earlier hold election rallies in Karbi Anglong and other Upper Assam districts on March 29. He would also be addressing the rallies on April 4 and 8. In Assam, polling for the first phase of elections will be held on April 4 for 65 seats. The scrutiny of nomination papers was held on March 19 and March 21 was the last date of withdrawal of nominations. Assam has a total of one crore 98 lakh voters. The Election Commission has announced two-phase voting for the 14th Assam assembly elections on April 4 and 11, while the votes will be counted on May19. The tenure of the Tarun Gogoi led-government comes to an end in June. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address an election rally in poll-bound Assam on March 30. Party-vice president Rahul Gandhi will earlier hold election rallies in Karbi Anglong and other Upper Assam districts on March 29. He would also be addressing the rallies on April 4 and 8. In Assam, polling for the first phase of polls will be held on April 4 for 65 seats. The scrutiny of nomination papers was held on March 19 and March 21 was the last date of withdrawal of nominations. Assam has a total of one crore 98 lakh voters. The Election Commission has announced two-phase voting for the 14th Assam assembly elections on April 4 and 11, while the votes will be counted on May19. The tenure of the Tarun Gogoi led-government comes to an end in June. Rubbishing Pakistan's claim of arresting a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent in Balochistan province, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday alleged that Islamabad is a 'habitual liar'. "Pakistan is habituated to telling lies. They can tell lies that Kasab is not a Pakistani, they can say somebody is a RAW person. All these years they have not been able to find a single person. We don't know how this retired person was seduced to go to Baluchistan.. . Let them hold him and allow relation to deteriorate between India and Pakistan," Swamy told ANI here. He also said that talks with Pakistan is useless as the elected government is a dummy government. "It has no say; it is the militancy, the ISIS who runs Pakistan. And this is one more example of how it will be very frustrating for us to try for peaceful relations with Pakistan," he added. The Pakistan security forces earlier this week arrested a man during a raid in Balochistan province who, according to them, is 'a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to RAW. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said that Indian Government has no link with the arrested individual, adding that New Delhi has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the matter was raised today by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. "The said individual has no link with Government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," Swarup said. A Pakistan security official earlier told Dawn that the arrested individual had been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, as he was suspected of involvement in various acts of terrorism and other dissident activities in Balochistan. Bangladesh celebrates the 45th Independence today to pay tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country. Today is a public holiday in Bangladesh. It was on this day when Bangladesh broke the shackles of suppression of Pakistan. On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh's independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalis by the Pakistan occupation forces. The leader also called upon the people to build a united resistance against the occupation forces. The national flag was hoisted atop government and private buildings while the government and semi-government buildings and other public places were illuminated on the auspicious occasion, reports The Daily Star. Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place wreaths at National Memorial in Savar as a mark of respect to the martyrs. The President underscored the need for maintaining patience, self-restraint and forbearance along with showing respect to others' opinion in a democratic pluralism. He also urged all to take united efforts to accelerate overall development and democratic advancement of the country. In her message, Prime Minister Hasina expressed hope that all would engage themselves with their utmost sincerity, honesty and dedication to build Bangladesh as a peaceful, non-communal, developed and prosperous country and help place it on a prestigious position in the comity of nations. Different political parties, including the BNP and main Opposition Jatiya Party, will observe the day with different programmes. The Awami League has arranged a discussion at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in the city's Framgate at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Throwing some light behind his nefarious intentions towards India, 26/11 operative David Coleman Headley, whose cross examination is currently underway in a Mumbai sessions court said today that he believed at one point that the Unites States, Israel and India were the 'enemies of Islam'. Headley had earlier expressed his vehement hatred for India, saying that ever since Indian planes bombed his school and people working there died during the India Pakistan war in 1971, he was looking for revenge which led to him joining the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, who is cross-examining Headley has requested the session to be extended to another day but the court did not seem likely to agree to his terms. Here are the top developments in Headley's cross- examination today: 1. I had a belief that US, Israel and India are enemies of Islam: Headley 2. It is not true that I wanted to establish Islamic rule in India: Headley 3. It's also not true that my mission and ideology in India was extended beyond Kashmir. 4. On a lighter note, Headley remarked during proceedings that if Mr. Wahab was his defence lawyer, then he would have insisted to be extradited to India. "It's not a joke, I mean it." Headley said. 5. Advocate Wahab Khan said that he has crossed the witness as per his preparation but he also requested to extend cross examination of Headley for one more day, so that he can take instructions of his client Abu Jundal if Headley is needed to be cross examined on any other issue. 6. But the court did not seem to be is not satisfied. The court asked him to take instructions of his client today itself as he is available in court through video conferencing. 7. But Abu Jundal insisted on a personal meeting in jail with his lawyer instead of instructions on video conferencing. 8. Cross examination was adjourned till 1.00 pm so that Advocate Wahab could take instructions of his client. 9. The court ordered that no one other than Advocate Wahab and one court official for technical support will be in court during his conversation with his client. 10. Special Prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam raised objections on the Court giving time to Wahab Khan after completion of the agreed upon four days of cross examination. 11. I visited Sena Bhavan and residence of Bal Thackeray to do a surveillance where I met some of the guards at the gates of the perimeter of his residence: Headley 12. I also did surveillance on the CBI HQ Tanna House and Maharashtra Assembly but not on the Israel Embassy: Headley 13. During my interrogation, NIA was showing me photographs with names on them. They showed me around 6-7 photographs, but after US prosecutor's objection, they started showing me photographs without names: Headley 14. Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil Bhatt in 2006 as a top commander of LeT and told me that he has done Akshardham and Ishrat Jahan cases: Headley 15. Lakhvi told me about Ishrat Jahan case but I was having prior knowledge about Ishrat Jahan case through newspapers: Headley 16. Hafiz Saeed, chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) wanted to teach Shiv Sena supremo a 'lesson' for which Headley asked for 'six months' to complete the task. 17. NIA has recorded my statement in different words what I told them. I never told NIA that Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil as a top commander whose every big operation was a fail: Headley 18. Yes, I told NIA that there was a women wing in LeT and Mother of Abu Aiman was the head of that: Headley This is a developing story. More details to follow. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing and Moscow should strengthen communication and coordination between both sides on international and regional affairs to promote settlement of major issues. "China-Russia strategic cooperation plays a key role in safeguarding peace and stability in the region and the at large," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying while meeting Russian Presidential Administration chief Sergei Ivanov. Xi stressed that both sides were developing a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and called on both countries to take the 15th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward friendly bilateral cooperation. China and Russia had in July 2001 signed the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, laying a strong legal foundation to develop a strategic partnership. Xi also stressed he and Russian President Vladimir Putin's support the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Russian Presidential Administration in holding exchanges, cooperation and learning from each other. Asserting that close high-level exchanges guide the development of bilateral relations, Ivanov said the two countries have maintained rapid development in cooperation in various fields and close communication and coordination in international affairs. Ivanov said the Russian Presidential Administration is willing to work with the General Office of the CPC Central Committee to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state. Wang Qishan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also met with Ivanov yesterday. Ivanov said Russia attaches great importance to anti-corruption exchanges and cooperation with China. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who was shooting for her Hollywood debut in LA and Montreal, recently took out time to attend her pal's wedding in Sri Lanka and glammed up the wedding with her chic avatar. The 30-year-old actress was snapped in an off-white saree paired with a golden blouse. She completed her look with pearl drop earrings and tied her hair in a neat bun. Last December, Deepika had headed to Udaipur for the bachelorette party of her school friend Srila Rao. Accompanying her rumoured love interest was Ranveer Singh, who also dropped down to Sri Lanka to attend the wedding. He was seen at the wedding reception that took place at Vivanta by Taj at Bentota Beach. Popular DJ Jasmeet posted a picture with the 'Bajirao Mastani' star on his Twitter handle and captioned it, "Got to spin for the finest in the industry last night. Human first, superstar next. Helluva entertainer ! Thanks @ranveersingh. Joint Commissioner of Police (South Western) Deependra Pathak today rubbished rumours that Bangladeshi immigrants were involved in the brutal attack on a 42-year-old dentist in Vikaspuri and said that the people should refrain from mischief mongering. "Rumour is bereft of truth; the people should refrain from mischief mongering. It is definitely a very unfortunate incident. All four juvenile have been apprehended and the five accused have been arrested," Pathak told the media here. "We have arrested five adults namely Gopal Singh, Naseer Khan, Amir, Aameer and a woman named Mayassar... We are conducting further investigation," he added. Responding to a poser on whether the accused are Bangladeshis, he said that all of them are from Uttar Pradesh. In a case of rage, the dentist was beaten to death in front of his family by about a dozen people in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area on Wednesday night. The victim, Pankaj Narang, lived with his wife and two children at New Krishna Park in Vikaspuri. Former porn star Bree Olson recently opened up about the difficulties she comes across while trying to establish her career after leaving the adult industry. In a interview for the 'Real Women, Real Stories', the 29-year-old actress, who quit the porn industry in 2011, said it has been five years since she left the industry. However, she still feels the negative impact of it every day, adding there was a time when she did not feel like facing the world, News.com.au reports. "When I go out, I feel as if I'm wearing 'slut' across my forehead. All the mean things people say to me on the internet, that's how I feel when I walk out the door," she rued. Olson further expressed her misery stating that people treat her as if she is a "paedophile". "They don't treat me like I'm an ex-sex worker, they treat me like I would be damaging to children," she said. The former porn star expressed her desire of being treated like "a married registered nurse with 2.5 kids in Indiana. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is presently on a two-day visit to Islamabad, paid rich tributes to the achievements of the Pakistan Army in Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Rouhani, who is on his first visit to Pakistan as the President, met Army chief General Raheel Sharif yesterday and discussed matters of importance, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said. "Matters of regional security, Pakistan-Iran relations, border security and connectivity were discussed during the meeting," the Express Tribune quoted Director General ISPR Asim Bajwa as saying. As the Iranian President paid rich tributes to professionalism of Pakistan Army and its phenomenal achievements in Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the Army Chief highlighted the challenges being faced by Pakistan. Bajwa later tweeted, "COAS highlighted challenges being faced by Pak and discussed involvement of RAW in Pak's internal affairs specially in Balochistan." Yesterday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Iranian President held delegation-level talks in Islamabad, with special emphasis on the regional situation. It has been more than 12 years since Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck split, the 'American Idol' judge recently reflected on her past relationship with Affleck, saying there was a genuine love between them. In a recent interview, the 46-year-old actress said, "I think different time different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there," E! Online reports. Adding on to this, the 'Boy Next Door' actress said they both didn't try to have a public relationship, they just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids. "And it was like, 'Oh my God.' It was just a lot of pressure, she said. Lopez and the 43-year-old actor, who started dating in 2002, when they filmed famous 2002 'Gigli,' was the most celebrated couple in the world in 2003. The two broke up in 2004 two years after they got engaged. Minister of Higher Education and Highways and Speaker of the House, Lakshman Kiriell, has said the Sri Lankan Parliament will for the first time convene a Constitutional Assembly on April 5. The Constitutional Assembly was appointed for the purpose of deliberating and seeking the views and advice of the people on a new Constitution for Sri Lanka and preparing a draft of a Constitution Bill for the consideration of Parliament. The Constitutional Assembly, which will consist of all the Members of Parliament, at its first sitting will determine the Sub-Committees that will work on the Constitution-making process and elect members to those Sub-Committees. It will meet in the Chamber of Parliament with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding over the same. The Constitutional Assembly will also appoint a Steering Committee, consisting of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the House, the Minister of Justice and not more than eleven other members. The Prime Minister is at the first meeting expected to present a resolution for adoption by the Constitutional Assembly, calling upon the Steering Committee to present a resolution proposing a Draft Constitution Bill for the consideration of the Constitutional Assembly. Kiriella said the proceedings of the Constitutional Assembly will be opened to the media to ensure transparency. The Indian government on Saturday confirmed the capture of Uzhunnalil, the Indian priest from Bangalore, who was kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Yemen and said that efforts were underway to ensure that he is released. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Her reaction comes after a growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify him around Easter. However, the Salesians' of Don Bosco, whose order the captured priest is a part of, dismissed the reports saying that these reports were being spread for quite some time. "These rumours are spread from quite some time. We have request government of India to trace him out and take action. There was no threat to his in his work but he knew that his life was in risk. We hope that he is traced out soon," Fr Mathew Valarkot told ANI. Fr Uzhunnalil was kidnapped on March 4 after four gunmen attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity killing sixteen people, including four nuns. Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched indigenous rotavirus vaccine on Saturday in Odisha. The rotavirus vaccine will now be available free of cost at all public facilities under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). In a historic moment in the country's public programme, the vaccine was launched in the presence of several union and state ministers at an event in Bhubaneswar. Nadda said the introduction of the vaccine will enable the government to directly address the problem of diarrheal deaths. "This is not a routine programme. It is a historical occasion. It is a programme which sets a goal in the field of public health and India goes forward as far as public health programme is concerned. By launching this rotavirus (vaccine), taking a pledge that giving this rotavirus (vaccine) in coming time should immunise 27 million children," said Nadda. He said the government is committed to reducing morbidity and mortality rate and this vaccine will help in reducing it. "It's a very cost-effective intervention which has taken place. It's very effective, it's cost-effective and it's also going to bring a change in the health scenario of the children and see to it that we are able to address the issue of IMR (Infant Mortality Rate),"added Nadda. The health minister also launched advertisements for the vaccine at the ceremony. The vaccine will be rolled out in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in the first phase. The rotavirus vaccine has been developed indigenously, under a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Rota is a highly contagious virus that infects majority of children before their first birthday. It is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among children, leading to hospitalisation and death. Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrhoea-related infections and deaths among children under the age of five years. According to Nadda, about 80,000 - 1,00,000 children die in India due to rotavirus diarrhoea every year. Bidding farewell to the life of a living goddess, Kumari of Bhaktapur, Junisha Shakya, looks forward to leading a normal life and devoting more time to her studies and school activities. Shakya, who turns 10 in two weeks, was relieved of her duty after her Bel Bibaha, a Newari tradition where a young girl is married to bel (wood apple) which represents god Vishnu, on Friday. She was picked the Kumari of Bhaktapur, also known as Ekantakumari, at the age of seven. "I enjoyed my time as a goddess and will forever cherish those three and half years. I will now spend more time on my studies and school activities," the Kathmandu post quoted her as saying. Junisha is currently a fourth grader at the Bhaktapur-based school. Though Junisha would automatically be relieved of her duty after turning 10, her parents decided an early exit by performing their daughter's Bel Bibaha citing the time to be auspicious. Her family is working on making her transition to leading a normal life as easy as possible. "Life as a normal girl after enjoying the status of a goddess will need some adjustment and we want to make that transition smooth," said Junisha's father Juju Ratna Shaky said. Meanwhile, the search for Junisha's successor has begun and only be selected after a girl matches all the qualities with the goddess Taleju. During the search, these young girls are to be devoid of any marks in their body and never been hurt or seriously ill. Kumari, incarnation of Taleju, is selected from Shakya and Bajracharya clans of the Newar community. New Delhi, Mar.26 (ANI): The legacy of the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947 has turned the region into a chaotic zone. Strategic thinkers from different parts of the world, including India, have been focusing their attention on developments in the region ever since. For the last many years the Pentagon Press has been publishing those assessments in the form of a year book. This year's publication is a useful addition. Violence has not been confined to only to the South Asia region recently. As pointed out by Ajay Singh, a defence analyst, as many as 42 nations in the world witnessed some form of internal or external conflicts in 2015 which claimed l, 80, 000 lives and displaced another 4.2 million persons. It is feared that 2016 will be even hotter with the continual rise of the Islamic State (IS) also known as Daesh. The tangled web of Syria has contributed to the torrent of 2.2 million refugees fleeing the country, creating a humanitarian disaster unparalleled since the days of World War II. Ajay Singh fears that the presence of Daesh so close to the subcontinent will complicate the security of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mondira Dutta (JNU) and Shaida Mohammad Abdali (Afghanistan's Ambassador to India ) in their contributions, give an assessment of India' role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and point out that India is the fifth largest donor in the country's reconstruction efforts. The situation is complicated because of Pakistan's efforts of claiming to be at par with India, as pointed by Shalini Chawla, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Air Power in Delhi.. Pakistan, though being close to Western nations, has an all weather friendship with China. The West did not object to Pakistan's efforts to have an all weather friendship with China. In recent years, China has adopted an extremely supportive posture in the development of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and supplied it with a variety of nuclear products. Shalini Chawla points out that China has also been providing arms aid to Pakistan. Pakistan's defence build-up has been supported by China and the United States. Islamabad has also received aid from Saudi Arabia. Nuclear capability, in the minds of the Pakistani leadership, has been the ultimate weapon for the survival of Pakistan. The year book contains a detailed assessment of China' attempts at encircling India. A comprehensive assessment is provided by Rajesh Kharat a professor in JNU. By exerting pressure on Bhutan, Shekar Adhikari of the University of Allahabad points out that China has been trying to reduce Nepal's dependence on India. Ever since the Communists have gained strength in Nepal, efforts have also been mounted to support a "Red Corridor" from the borders of Nepal to Kerala. However, Nepal geographically is a part of the Indian subcontinent. There have been problems in drawing up a new constitution. and the suggestion is that India , at this juncture , should cooperate with Nepal to the fullest extent, so that peace and stability prevails in the subcontinent Sreeradha Datta, Director of the Maulana Azad Abdul Kalam Institute in Kolkata, in her assessment of the situation in Bangladesh, says religious radicalisation in that nation has been mounting in recent years and serious reservations about the state of democracy have emerged. At present, the country is poised at a critical juncture. Given its other strengths, Bangladesh can overcome political turbulence to achieve full potential through some right political choices. However, India -Bangladesh relations have been at an all time high Sumathy Permal of the University of Malaysia, in her detailed assessment of the situation around the Straits of Malacca, a critical sea lane in the Indian Ocean, gives an assessment of the geo-strategic interests in the Straits. Besides Malaysia and Singapore, the Straits are of vital importance to India and Thailand. The overlapping claims on the South China Sea affect the Straits, and the maintenance of peace is vital for the big powers. The book provides an assessment of the situation in Maldives. The detailed assessment of the situation by T. C. Kartikheyan points out that India's concrete engagement with Maldives helps in improving its capacity to defend its vital interests in the Indian Ocean region. He says India has to devise appropriate policies to keep the influence of other states in the region at a distance She has to take into account that the pro-China lobby in that country is a reality to contend with. The chapter on Sri Lanka concentrates on elections held in that country in 2015 when Maitripala Srisena was elected President and Ranil Wickramasinghe the Prime Minister. The defeat of Mahinda Rajapakshe was a surprise and 2015 has been a benchmark or a landmark for a change, according to Ashik Bonofer of the Madras Christian College, Chennai. He points out that Rajapakshe had taken the country closer to China. His image as a tall leader who defeated the LTTE garnered enough support till 2014 among the southern Sinhalese, but the urban and moderate Sinhalese and the minority votes worked their magic. In conclusion the volume gives an assessment of climate change In the region and the need for harnessing the blue economy. An objective study of developments in the region by eminent scholars , the year book needs to be studied in all academic institutions in South Asia , as also by think tanks in major western countries. South Asia Defence and Strategic Perspective; Pentagon's Yearbook; Pentagon Press; pages 227. price Rs 995/ Mr. I. Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer to the Government of India. He can be reached at raoramamohan@hotmail.com. The Chhattisgarh Police on Saturday arrested a person named Dipak Jaiswal in connection with the arrest of Dantewada-based journalist Prabhat Singh, who was nabbed for allegedly posting an objectionable message on Whatsapp about the men in uniform. According to reports, Singh, who works for a Hindi daily, was apprehended by the Bastar Police on March 21 from Dantewada district and arrested on Friday. He was later remanded to judicial custody by a Jagdalpur court yesterday. The Congress in the state has opposed Singh's arrest while accusing the police of attempting to silence the voices of the journalists in Bastar. The scribe also reportedly has three cases filed against him last year at different police stations of Dantewada. Pakistan and Iran have planned to undertake additional steps under the five-year Strategic Trade Cooperation Plan in order to enhance annual trade to five billion dollars. The five-year plan will be signed by Iranian Minister for Industry, Mines and Trade. and Pakistan's Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir during the current visit of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani in the wake of lifting of international sanctions from Tehran, reports Dawn. The document of strategic cooperation states in view of decline in bilateral trade over the past several years, it needs to be raised to five billion dollars annually in five years and to further higher levels subsequently. A large number of challenges have been identified that should be addressed to achieve this trade objective. The two countries will establish a mechanism to cope with issues hampering bilateral trade such as non-tariff barriers, absence of a mutual recognition agreement, lack of banking facilities, infrastructure bottlenecks and trade through informal channels. The framework agreement will deal with trade in goods, trade facilitation, rules of origin and dispute settlement. Negotiations will conclude in one-and-a-half years from June 2016 to December 2017 unless both sides agree on an extension. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the Iranian Trade Promotion Organisation will jointly draw up a comprehensive programme of promotional activities, including single-country exhibitions, sharing of commercial intelligence and exchange of business delegations. The two sides underlined that they need to offer market access under formal agreements for giving a fresh boost to bilateral trade and opening up commerce and investment. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Saturday confirmed a Malayali and her infant son have been killed in a shelling attack in Libya and asserted state government is trying to bring their bodies back. The incident reportedly occurred on Friday night when the shell landed in their apartment complex. Sunu and her 18 month son were there, while her husband Vipin was outside. "One Malayali mother and her kid have died in Libya. I have contacted the people from Kerala who are still there and they want immediate help from the Indian embassy. I have also requested that their bodies be brought back to Kerala. We will do our best to bring the others stuck in Libya, they want to come back. They are afraid but safe at the moment. I am trying to contact the Indian embassy in Libya," Chandy said in Trivandrum. Talking about the capture of Malayali priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who has been captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Yemen, he added that he has already requested the government to interfere in the matter by saying Indian embassy in Yemen was not functioning properly at the moment. "Sushma Swaraj has promised that she will do whatever she can to save him. So today, we again request and appeal to the government to interfere," the Chief Minister added. Earlier Saturday, government confirmed capture of Father Tom Uzhunnalil and said efforts were underway to ensure he is released. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Her reaction comes after a growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify him around Easter. Father Uzhunnalil was kidnapped on March 4 after four gunmen attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity killing sixteen people, including four nuns. At least one State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) jawan was killed and another injured after a car carrying five jawans fell into Ganga River in Uttarakhand's Devprayag District in the early hours on Saturday. According to reports, three jawans, who fell into the river, are still missing. Further details are awaited. Kim Kardashian's two-year-old daughter North West is already turning into a diva, thanks to Khloe Kardashian who turns her niece into a sassy meme. The 31-year-old reality star recently shared a hilarious video of North wherein she is seen wearing an oversized pair of black sunglasses and says, "My name is North West and I'm about to run this sh-t for the rest of my life! Ok? Ok? Ok?" E! Online reports. The 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star wrote on her website, "OMG, I'm obsessed with making these videos of my nieces and nephews saying the most INSANE sh*t!!! I send them to Kim and Kourt in our family's group texts and we can't get enough, LOL. Damn, Nori, you savage!" Notably, though West is just a kid, she is grabbing all the attention and recently at the fashion week the toddler famously cried out "No pictures please!." Needless to say she is one of the most stylist kids of tinseltown. At least 10 militants were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an army spokesman said on Saturday. "Based on a confirmed tip-off, the air raid was conducted on a compound in Marja district Friday evening," Xinhua quoted an official as saying. The militants were building explosive devices in the targeted hideout and a Taliban IED expert named Mullah Khadim was among those killed, the official said, adding that no civilian was hurt in the bombing. Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold. The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently as spring and summer known as fighting season is drawing near in the country. The Taliban has yet to make comments. Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas on Saturday asked Mehbooba Mufti, set to head the new PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir, to clear her stand on Afzal Guru whose hanging for his alleged role in the 2001 parliament attack she has said was wrong. Vishwas in a letter to Mehbooba also asked the would-be Kashmir chief minister to facilitate the arrest of Kashmiri youth, who had allegedly raised anti-India slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on February 9. "We have come to know that you are going to form a coalition government with the BJP. But your stands on certain issues like holding parliament attack accused Afzal Guru a martyr cannot be agreed with. Now, we have come to know that you have changed your old stand on Afzal," Vishwas wrote. "Congratulations in anticipation for your government formation. You should voluntarily give a statement in the media that you hold Afzal Guru as a traitor and not as a martyr," Vishwas said. The letter begins with "Vande mataram" and ends with "Jai Hind" and "Bharat Mata ki Jay" -- slogans that have rekindled the nationalism and patriotism debate in India. "Now that you believe Kashmir to be an integral part of India, you would facilitate the arrest of the Kashmiri youth who raised slogans against mother India in JNU," the AAP leader wrote. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), being led by Mehbooba, is set to form a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vishwas's letter was retweeted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The actions of the AAP government in Delhi suggest it is anti-democratic and there is a great opportunity for the BJP to regain its political space, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday. "The acts of the Arvind Kejriwal government suggest it's an anti-democratic party. We may have lost the election in Delhi due to a vote shift of a few percent but now we are gaining this back," Jaitley said addressing the inaugural session of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party executive meeting. Jaitley questioned the claims of work done by the Aam Aadmi Party government and said people were disappointed with the dispensation. "Delhi gave a huge mandate but today, people are asking questions about development. Kejriwal's non-performance is being noted by the people," he said. "The Congress is out of reckoning. There is a great opportunity for the BJP to gain back its political space. People are disappointed with the Delhi government. It's the right time to go to the people," the finance minister said. Jaitley also asked party workers to take the Narendra Modi government's achievements to the people and expose the Delhi government. "Delhi BJP needs to form a big group of good speakers and develop good faces for future elections. The Delhi organisation should expose the anarchist (Kejriwal) government and gain back its space," he said. "The party has faith in the Delhi workers. Let us all come together," he added. Jaitley said the people's mandate in the May 2014 Lok Sabha elections has given the party two responsibilities. "First is to free India of hunger and lead to cohesive development, and second to inculcate nationalism in the country and provide honest governance," he said. Taking a dig at the Congress, Jaitley said: "The Congress is fast eroding which has led to frustration in its leadership. We have to constantly strive to increase our political presence in all corners of the nation." Jaitley condemned the political parties for trying to challenge Veer Savarkar's spirit of nationalism. "The anti-India slogans need to be condemned vocally by one and all. The support of the Kejriwal government to anti-national elements is condemnable," he said. "Some people, who are raising questions over the nationalism of Savarkar, are attending programmes of those who talk of breaking up India. It's a big ideological challenge. We should consider taking it as an ideological battle and I feel we have won its first round. "Now people who were raising slogans against the country have started saying they will chant 'Jai Hind', if not 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'." He said the Congress was frustrated and would become the tailender in all future coalitions. "We too were in opposition but today's conditions in parliament are unprecedented. The opposition, especially the Congress, is totally negative," Jaitley said. He asked party workers to reach out to SCs, STs and women, and said the government will soon launch the 'Stand Up India' scheme to provide loans of up to Rs.1 crore to help members of these communities become big entrepreneurs. "In the coming days, every bank branch will provide loans of up to Rs.1 crore to one SC/ST and one woman under Stand Up India scheme to enable them to set up big industries and turn into big entrepreneurs," he said. Veteran actor Anupam Kher is "happy" to start shooting for the second season of the American science fiction drama web television series "Sense8". The popular series is created, written and executive-produced by Lilly and Lana Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski. The 61-year-old says it's a joy to be a part of the series. "Happy to start shooting for Wachowski's 'Sense8' Season 2. It is a joy to be a part of this amazing series," an elated Anupam tweeted. The plot of the series revolves around eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly become mentally and emotionally linked. The actor was also a part of the first season of the show, which consisted of 12 episodes. Anupam was seen essaying the character of Sanyam Dandekar, a chef who owns a restaurant. On the Bollywood front, Anupam was last seen in "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", starring superstar Salman Khan and actress Sonam Kapoor. The film released in November last year and was directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Bangladesh will celebrate its 45th Independence Day on Saturday, the day it emerged as a sovereign nation, breaking the shackles of suppression of Pakistan. Bengalis will pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War, bdnews24.com reported. Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place wreaths at National Memorial in Savar as a mark of respect to the martyrs. Hamid, greeting Bengalis living in the country and abroad, said: "Nevertheless, we have to go a long way for achieving the desired goals of independence. "Communal harmony is our tradition. The people of our country do not support any form of violence including militancy and terrorism." "Therefore, we have to maintain patience and self-restraint and show respect to others' opinion in a democratic pluralism," Hamid said. Hasina, in her message, paid homage to the three million martyrs and 200,000 women who were violated during the war. "The independence earned through supreme sacrifices of millions of people is the greatest achievement of Bangali nation," said Hasina. "To ensure that this achievement remains meaningful, all should know the history of our great Liberation War and retain the spirit of independence. The history should be passed down from generation to generation," she said. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has also extended greetings and felicitations to the government and people of Bangladesh on its National Day. In a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Hamid, Mukherjee on Friday said: "On behalf of the government, the people of India and on my own behalf, it gives me immense pleasure to extend warm felicitations and best wishes to you and to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of your National Day." "The bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh have grown tremendously over the past few years. I am confident that this relationship between our two countries will continue to expand and that our interaction and cooperation will scale new heights," Mukherjee said. The Pakistan Army swooped down on Bengalis on the night of March 25, 1971 to subjugate their struggle for freedom. They carried out genocide in the first hours of that night in Dhaka, describing the attack as 'Operation Searchlight'. Bengalis put up a valiant resistance and got freedom on December 16 after nine months of Liberation War. Delhi Chief Minister on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) of stoking communal passions over the murder of doctor Pankaj Narang. Calling it "shameful and disgusting", the Delhi chief minister said that people want peace, not hatred. "Utterly shameful n disgusting dat BJP/RSS tryng 2 communlise unfortunat murder of Dr Narang. Ppl want peace, not hatrd," Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday. Narang was fatally assaulted by a group of men, allegedly from the Muslim community, outside his residence in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area on Wednesday night following a spat with two motorbike-borne men over rash driving in the colony's lanes. A senior police officer clarified in her tweet that of the nine people apprehended for the murder, five were Hindus. Also, one of the two motorbike-borne persons, with whom Narang had an argument initially, was a Hindu. "Out of 9 accused person 5 r Hindu. At the moment of first scuffle, out of 2, 1 was Hindu. The Muslim accused r residents of UP, not Bangladesh," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Monika Bhardwaj had earlier tweeted. Utterly shameful n disgusting dat BJP/RSS tryng 2 communlise unfortunat murder of Dr Narang. Ppl want peace,not hatrd https://t.co/Dybqj56UXG (@ArvindKejriwal) March 26, 2016 Brussels international airport will not reopen before March 29, authorities said on Saturday, following terror attacks in the Belgian capital that killed 31 people. According to a statement issued by the airport authorities, the Zaventem airport is now "studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, and considering new security measures at Belgian airports, decided by the federal government." Zaventem airport was the first target on Tuesday, with two suicide bomb explosions in the departures hall killing 11 people. An hour later, 20 people died in the suicide bombing of a metro station, BBC reported. A team of airport engineers and technicians is being given access to the terminal building for the first time since the attack. They will assess the damage and stability of the building. The airport authorities will also install new security measures. The airport check-in area suffered severe damage when two blasts seconds apart hit opposite ends of the departures hall. Police in Belgium on Saturday continued operations to search for members of the terror cell, in particular the missing man from the airport image and a man suspected of aiding the metro attack. The two suicide bombers were identified by DNA as Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui. They were pictured in an airport CCTV image. Twelve people were arrested on Thursday and Friday in Belgium, France and Germany. Belgian officials have named the second suicide bomber in attack at airport as Najim Laachraoui, and said that his DNA was found at sites of Paris attacks. The news came as three people were arrested in in connection with Tuesday's attacks that left more than 30 people killed, BBC reported. Prosecutors said that the arrests were linked to a raid in Paris on Thursday, where an attack was apparently foiled. Other suspects have been arrested in Belgium, Germany and France. Read more from our special coverage on "BRUSSELS" The attacks came days after the arrest of November 13 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam in . Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said on Friday that Abdeslam, who had initially agreed to co-operate with investigators, had ceased to do so. "The federal prosecutor has just informed me that Salah Abdeslam no longer wants to talk since the attacks on Zaventem (airport) and the Brussels metro," he said. Also it emerged that police in Mechelen had failed to pass on vital information in December 2015 to colleagues in Brussels that could have led them to Abdeslam. Local police chief Yves Bogaerts said that the information was not deliberately withheld. The Islamic State has said that it carried out both the Brussels and Paris attacks. Brussels attack left more than 30 people killed while at least 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks. As clear connections emerged between the militants involved in the two sets of attacks, French President Francois Hollande warned of a threat from other similar networks. "We have had success in finding the terrorists both in Brussels and in Paris," he said. "There have been some arrests, and we know there are other networks, because even though the one that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out with a number of its members arrested, there's still a threat looming." Brahim el-Bakraoui has already been named as one of the perpetrators of the airport attack. A third person remains unidentified. In the same statement, the prosecutor's office said that three more arrests were made in Brussels on Friday. Turkey has said it arrested and deported Brahim el-Bakraoui, last June, warning Belgium he was a "foreign fighter" but the message was "ignored". Bakraoui's brother, Khalid, attacked Maelbeek metro station, where at least 20 people were killed. Some unidentified people set afire a Gujarat state transport bus in the state' Vijapur town. Police sources said a person came from the direction of the local railway station late Friday night and torched a Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus parked near the workshop of the local state transport depot. While trying to douse the fire, some employees claimed to have noticed a 25-year old youth fleeing towards the railway station. Six seats of the bus no.(GJ18Y7560) were destroyed in this incident. Police have filed a complaint against an unidentified person in this connection and started investigation. The incident comes days after a similar incident in Visnagar town, which is also in north Gujarat. Earlier too, incidents of torching of ST buses were reported mainly in north Gujarat region, involving Patel reservation quota agitators in the State. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Hamid, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the founding of Bangladesh. In the message, Xi said that over the years, the China-Bangladesh traditional friendship has been continuously deepened, and bilateral communication and cooperation in all fields have been fruitful, Xinhua reported. China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to strengthen the synergy of bilateral development strategies within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative so as to push forward the ever-closer China-Bangladesh comprehensive partnership of cooperation, Xi added. Despite their ideological differences, the BJP-PDP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir would solely work for the development of the state, union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday. "There are ideological differences between the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and PDP (Peoples Democratic Party). Despite these differences, the BJP-PDP alliance government would work for the development of J&K," Singh told reporters. Singh, a BJP Lok Sabha member from Udhampur-Doda parliamentary seat of Jammu and Kashmir, and a minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, said: "The state leadership of BJP and PDP would finalise the nitty-gritty of the government formation in that state." Singh along with BJP's national general secretary Ram Madhav on Friday met party legislators of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar and discussed the government formation. The minister said the BJP-PDP coalition government, headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, worked smoothly for the welfare of the common people and development of the bordering state. Singh arrived here on Saturday and met Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. He also addressed a BJP's booth level workers' meet and Journalists' conference. Jammu and Kashmir was placed under the Governor's Rule on January 8 after Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's death on January 7 following multi organ failure at a hospital in New Delhi. Sayeed's daughter and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, 56, is set to succeed him. The PDP presently has 27 legislators in the 87-member legislative assembly. An independent legislator from the Ladakh region also supports the PDP. BJP, which has 25 legislators, is supported by two legislators of Peoples Conference headed by Sajad Lone and an independent member. The similarities between the views of Donald Trump, the Republican Party hopeful in the US presidential campaign, and the BJP hawks in India are too obvious to be ignored. Like all those belonging to the ultra-right, their primary animus is against the "outsider" in terms of ethnicity or religion. In venting their anger against the menacing "alien", they arouse the primordial fears which guided primitive communities living in isolated ghettos. These herd instincts have survived centuries of social and scientific progress. The followers of Trump and the BJP hardliners share a deep dislike for Muslims, bordering on paranoia. If, for the Republican (who, ironically, is an outsider in his own party), the antipathy for the Muslims is a fallout of 9/11, for the BJP extremists, it is a built-in feature of their worldview, dating to the formation of the RSS nine decades ago. The aversion for outsiders is also reflected in tirades against immigrants, especially non-whites, which is a feature of other right-wing parties in Europe like Marine Le Pen's National Front in France and Alternative for Germany (Alternative fur Deutschland). In Trump's case, Mexicans are the primary villains; for BJP it is the intruders from Bangladesh. Related to this influx is the fear that in course of time, the demographic composition of the two countries will change with the present majority communities - the WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) in the US and the Hindus in India being supplanted by the Browns (Mexicans, Puerto Ricans) in America and the Muslims in India. Supporters of Trump point out that he reflects the anger at the grassroots against an insensitive establishment, whose striving for political correctness leads to handling the newcomers with kid gloves in keeping with America's 19th century pledge - "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" - although the invitation was for White refugees from Europe. Similarly, both the hardliners and the moderates in the BJP accuse the Congress governments of the past with following a policy of minority "appeasement" to coddle the Muslims to use them as a vote bank. According to them, it is this favouritism which has made the long-suffering Hindus turn in increasing numbers to the BJP. Critics of Trump and the BJP hardliners see in these attitudes disturbing signs of fascistic tendencies which seek to reduce the minorities to the status of second class citizens. What is noteworthy, however, is that while the BJP as a party and Narendra Modi as the prime minister have recognized the need to tone down an anti-minority outlook, Trump shows no such inclination. Indeed, it is very likely that in the aftermath of the Brussels outrage, he will harden his stance against the Muslims. The reason why the Muslims - and sometimes also the Sikhs because of their beards - are targeted in the US is that they have never constituted an integral part of American society unlike in India where the Hindus have lived together with various minorities - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and others - for centuries. In contrast, America's WASP mindset is different. Having very nearly exterminated the Native Americans or Red Indians, they fought a long battle with the African Americans or the Blacks in order to keep them in virtual bondage. To this day, when the US has a Black President, the community's legitimacy as true Americans is questioned by the red necks. Trump's emergence represents the rise of these boorish elements who feel that the dominance of the Whites is under threat. Before him, there were White supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and others who regarded the Washington insiders of the so-called beltway as usurpers. It is this aspect of Trump's policies which can prove to be his Achilles heel, for extremism is rarely successful as a political ploy. In India, mercifully, the BJP developed its own antidote to majoritarian bigotry in the person of Modi, who realized some time after the 2002 Gujarat riots that a country cannot be governed by alienating a sizable section of the population. From the provocative anti-minority politics of the 1990s, therefore, when a 16th century mosque was demolished by the BJP's supporters, leading to countrywide riots, Modi today is following the policy of development for all - sabka saath, sabka vikas - and trying to restrain the hotheads. That he is not always successful is understandable. After all, he is up against in-built anti-minority prejudices in the saffron brotherhood. The violent biases not only come to the fore in the event of rumours of beef being consumed but also when the party is engaged in battling the "anti-nationals" as among the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students. On such an occasion, a saffron activist can say: "humney Graham Staines ko jinda jalaya, iss bar Kanhaiya ki bari hai (we burnt alive Graham Staines, now it is Kanhaiya's turn). Staines was a Christian missionary who was burnt alive in Odisha in 1996 and Kanhaiya Kumar is a JNU student leader. The activist can be said to have trumped even Trump with his virulence. But he is unlikely to be allowed to run for an official position in a saffron outfit, let alone be a presidential candidate. That is India's saving grace, thanks to the nation's long history of tolerance dating to Emperor Asoka (273-232 BC). (Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com ) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday his fight is not with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, but against poverty, corruption and the devastation of Assam. "Gogoji says that his fight is against me. But I do not have any fight against Gogoiji... We have a tradition here not to fight with the elders but to respect them," said Modi, addressing a massive public rally at Borguri in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district, ahead of assembly polls in the state. He said he has respect for Gogoi, "but I have fight against poverty, corruption and against the destruction of Assam." Gogoi had said earlier this month that the Congress party's fight in the forthcoming polls will be against Modi for his wrong policies and injustice towards Assam and other parts of the northeastern region. The prime minister said Assam used to be known as one of India's richest states after Independence, but has since been reduced to poverty. "Now Assam is recognized as one of the poorest states in the country. Who is responsible for this transformation from one of the richest states to a poor state? We were never in power in Assam," he said while highlighting the development agenda of the BJP-led central government. "The people of Assam are still craving for electricity even after 60 years of Independence. Who is responsible for this?" Modi said all the problems of 60 years under Congress rule will be solved in five years of BJP rule headed by Sarbananda Sonowal, the party's chief ministerial candidate. "I can only see that Assam is going to have a young chief minister after the election," the prime minister said, appreciating the mammoth gathering of people in Borguri. He promised the gathering that once a government is formed by the BJP and its alliance partners in Assam, development and progress will follow in the state. "I want to assure you that if BJP is voted to power and a government is formed by the party and its allies, kids in the schools will not be taught 'A' for apple but 'A' for Assam," he said. "When I became the prime minister I asked the government officials to tell me how many villages are there without electricity. They told me that there are 18,000 villages where even the electric posts have not gone. Out of this 18,000 villages about 2,000 are in Assam. We have taken it up immediately and process is on to electrify 1,000 such villages in Assam while the rest will follow," he said. Modi is set on Saturday to also address public rallies at Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and Jorhat in the state, the BJP said earlier in a statement. A local CBI court on Saturday extended by three days the judicial custody of former Noida Chief Engineer Yadav Singh who was arrested last month by the agency on corruption charges. Yadav Singh was produced before the court of special CBI judge (Anti-Corruption) G. Sridevi by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as his judicial remand was to expire on Saturday. The special judge extended the remand and adjourned the court till March 29, 2016. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on March 15 filed the charge sheet against the ex-Noida chief engineer and 13 others, including his wife, under section 120B of the IPC (criminal conspiracy) and Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (criminal misconduct). Yadav Singh is alleged to have given contracts worth over Rs.10,000 crore to his cronies and facilitated allotment of group housing, and of commercial, industrial and institutional plots to many top ranking builders in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway. Yadav Singh had earlier held the post of chief engineer with the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities. The CBI investigation revealed that allotment of works was pre-decided, tender formalities were wilfully violated, and the estimates were highly inflated to cause undue gain to the contractors. Following an order by the Allahabad High Court, the CBI had registered a case on July 30 last year against Yadav Singh and other unknown persons for alleged corrupt practices in the laying of underground cables worth Rs.92.02 crore. The Uttar Pradesh police had in June 2012 registered an FIR against Yadav Singh on the charge that he entered into criminal conspiracy with others and awarded various contracts without following the laid down procedures and thereby caused undue gains to the tune of crores of rupees to private firms and himself. In August last year, the CBI raided 14 places linked to Yadav Singh, including one each at Agra and Ferozabad and 12 places at Noida and Greater Noida. The searches led to the recovery of documents of 38 immovable properties/houses at Noida and Agra and other incriminating documents. The CBI arrested Yadav Singh on February 3, 2016, for "abusing his official position in awarding contracts and causing wrongful loss to the government exchequer". Dalbir Kaur, sister of alleged spy Sarabjit Singh who died while in custody in Pakistan, on Saturday urged the government to take concrete and urgent steps to ensure the release of Kulbushan Yadav, the Indian national arrested in Pakistan earlier this week on charges of being a RAW agent. "Maybe there is again a bad intent to create another Sarabjit Singh, this story should not be repeated," Kaur told reporters ahead of a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "The government has denied that he (Kulbhushan) is a RAW (Reasearch and Analaysis Wing) agent. His parents have also denied this. What more do you want? People should come out and ensure that another Sarabjit Singh is not created," she said, adding the latest controversy around Kulbhusan was only part of a "conspiracy". "Bilkul saazish hai (It's a complete conspiracy)," she said. Dalbir Kaur's brother Sarabjit Singh had claimed himself to be a farmer who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border, but was held in Pakistan and sentenced to death in 1991. His execution was, however, deferred and he later died in 2013 in a Lahore hospital after he was injured following attacks by fellow inmates. Kaur, who has been taking up the cause of release of "innocent" Indians and Pakistanis held in both sides on charges of spying since 2005, said, "If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to meet Nawaz Sharif, he should first ensure the release of this man (Kulbhushan) as after Pakistan President Asif Zardari's Ajmer visit in 2012, Khaleel Chishty was released. "It will be very nice if Modi proves that before friendship with Pakistan, he also cares for every Indian before it is too late because to trust Pakistan can be like betraying yourself," she said. She said she would also submit a list of 87 Indians held in Pakistan and 44 Pakistanis held in Indian prisons to Sushma Swaraj. Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Saturday alleged that the India's Investigation Agency (NIA) did not record his statements on various aspects of the 26/11 investigations in his "exact" words. He said that on the fourth day of his ongoing cross-examination before a Mumbai special court that he had given details on various aspects to the NIA officials. However, his statements were not read out to him, he did not seek a copy of his statement nor was it provided to him by the NIA, Headley said, raising serious doubts on the NIA statement. Headley referred to certain statements he made to the NIA on the former terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Muzammil Bhatt and Thane collegian Ishrat Jahan who was killed in an encounter by Gujarat Police along with three other male friends near Ahmedabad in 2004. Headley made the startling revelation during his cross-examination before Special Judge G A Sanap by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, who is defending Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. Speaking via video-conferencing from an unknown place in the US, Headley said that in 2003, LeT cheif Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi had introduced him to Muzammil Bhatt as a top LeT commander who had carried out the Akshardham Temple strike and Ishrat Jahan matter, of which he had prior knowledge through the newspapers. Headley said that the NIA recorded his statements in words different from what he had told them... for instance, he (Headley) never said that when Lakhvi introduced him to Bhatt, he (Lakhvi) referred to him (Bhatt) sarcarstically that he was top commander whose every major operation had failed. "I cannot explain why NIA did not did not record my statement in my exact words... They never read out the statement to me after recording... I did not ask for the copy and they never gave me a copy," Headley said. When he was shown a copy of his statement to NIA, Headley said that he was seeing it first time, but admitted that he had told NIA about an LeT women's wing which was headed by the mother of Abu Aiman. Actor Hugh Jackman rescued his children and other swimmers from a rip tide, a stretch of turbulent water in the sea, at Bondi Beach here on Saturday. In a video obtained by a news channel, "The Wolverine" actor could be seen grabbing the arm of a man and pulling him around, as the man held onto his daughter, reports aceshowbiz.com. Jackman then helped his son Oscar, 15, from the same rip. The "X-Men: Days of Future Past" actor, who donned a black swimsuit, was also seen waving at other swimmers in a bid to attract their attention and get them to come ashore. Lifesavers also launched into action, using boards and jetskis to make several other rescues. Peter Adam, the man who was grabbed by the actor, told the news channel that he was helping the actor's daughter at the time. "He wasn't rescuing me, I was assisting him to get his daughter up to the sandbar. He then grabbed my hand to get us up. He then went to get his son," Adam said. The North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club took to Instagram to thank Jackman and the surf lifesavers on duty for their actions. Jackman arrived in Sydney on Friday, after a month-long stint promoting his latest film "Eddie the Eagle". The incidents at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and Osmania University rocked the Telangana assembly on Saturday with the opposition stalling the proceedings to demand full-fledged debate. The house was adjourned thrice since morning as the opposition Congress and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) insisted on a debate on the police brutalities on students at HCU. As soon as the house met for the day, the two parties demanded their adjournment motions on the issue be taken up but Deputy Speaker Padmadevender Reddy rejected this. Members of Congress and MIM rushed to the well of the house, seeking an immediate debate. They wanted the government to respond to their demands for withdrawal of cases against students. The Congress party also raised the issue relating to the attack on its legislator Sampath Kumar's car in Osmania University and demanded action against those involved. The MLA's vehicle was damaged when he visited OU campus on March 23 when students were staging a protest after recovery of a body of a man from a sump. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government, however, suggested that the debate on the university incidents be taken as part of the demand for grants for home department. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao termed as 'unfortunate' the incidents that occurred at the two universities. "The death of a student at HCU is unfortunate," he said referring to the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. He said that the attack on MLA's car in Osmania University is condemnable. The chief minister, however, wondered as to why the Congress MLA did not lodge a complaint with police. KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, told the house that the government is ready to discuss all the issues. He took objection to the manner in which the opposition was raising the issue and alleged that they are only interested in taking political mileage. MIM leader in the house, Akbaruddin Owaisi said the chief minister's suggestion that the issue be discussed as part of the demand for grants is an insult to Dalits. He condemned the arrests of students on HCU campus and the police atrocities on them. Owaisi demanded that the house pass a resolution to urge the central government to recall HCU Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao. He also sought an inquiry into the beating up of students by police and university security. Police arrested 24 students and two faculty members of HCU on March 22 when they were staging a protest over P. Appa Rao resuming charge as the vice chancellor. The protestors alleged that Appa Rao is responsible for Rohith's suicide in January. Student groups alleged that police beat up students after arresting them and also assaulted them in police stations. Meanwhile, Congress party's Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that police attacked the vehicle of MLA. He said student and youth leaders of the Congress party were being harassed by police by summoning them to police stations. Iran's Foreign Ministry denounced the extension of the UN special rapporteur mission on human rights situation in the country, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. In a statement, the Iranian spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari censured the recent re-appointment of Ahmed Shaheed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, saying that the decision is politically-motivated, biased and has no legal basis. Tehran is committed to its obligations regarding the promotion of human rights in compliance with its constitution and religious values, Jaber Ansari said. On March 24, Shaheed was appointed for the fifth year running as the UN special rapporteur mission on human rights situation in Iran. In his latest report on human rights condition in Iran, Shaheed said earlier this month that the Islamic republic was engaged in several human rights abuses in 2015, including the rise in the number of executions, as well as crackdowns on journalists and activists. Iran has dismissed several times the reports by the UN human rights institutions, saying that they did not reflect the realities in the country. The Islamic State has issued two videos warning that the "nightmare" of the Brussels terror attacks "had only just begun", Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported on Saturday. The videos were sent to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, showing two radical militants ordering western governments to withdraw their troops from Syria and Iraq, RTBF reported. "Tell them to withdraw their planes and soldiers and you will live in peace," a speaker says in one of the videos. "The nightmare has only just begun. What will come later will be even more appalling," the video continued. "Remember my message a year ago when it was announced that we would attack Paris and Brussels. We have achieved that and we have other targets," the video added. Jewellery traders numbering over a thousand on Saturday stopped a train at Ghaziabad Junction protesting against the excise duty imposed on gold and diamond jewellery in union budget 2016. The Jewellery Traders Association general secretary Ravi Verma said that the traders lay down before the Aligarh bound EMU train as it stopped at the station. They lifted the siege only when senior police and railway officials assured them that they would convey their protest to the government. Ravi Verma said that the government in its budget has imposed excise duty at one percent which will adversely affect the market. When the market suffers from recession, any imposition would slow down the prospects of the market. This is the 26th day of the traders strike across the country. The government has not only imposed unwanted excise duty but also made PAN card mandatory for buying jewellery worth over Rs.2 lakh. This will further affect the growth of the jewellery market, added Verma. Mohit Yadav, a relative of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and also connected with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was on Saturday arrested with eight other people in a land grabbing case, police said. Mohit Yadav is the cousin of Jitendra Yadav, whose son is married to Lalu Prasad's daughter. He is also a close relative of the family of Akhilesh Yadav. Police said the nine accused equipped with two bulldozers attempted to grab a plot of land in Budh Vihar in Ghaziabad. On Saturday, they razed five houses constructed there, following which residents informed police. "To show physical possession in the court, they razed five fully constructed houses. First, they showed the plot as disputed by filing a case, and then tried to grab the land," said Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil. Two cases have been registered against them -- one by an independent complainant, Meera, a resident of the area and the other by police themselves for obstructing police officers from performing their duty. Police from Vijay Nagar arrested nine people from the spot and seized two bulldozers. The other eight were identified as Prathvi Singh, Jitendra, Gopal, Gajendra, Vikas, Rajiv, Sandeep and Vicky. They have been booked on charges of rioting, being armed with deadly weapon, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, dacoity, and criminal trespass under the Indian Penal Code. Police said they would also be booked under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. A police officer of that area, Ravinder Yadav, has been suspended, said Patil. Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek on Saturday cautioned the opposition CPI-M, asking them to be prepared for receiving a "befitting reply". A day after the chief minister lashed out the Communist Party of India-Marxist for killing eight Trinamool activists, Abhishek, addressing party rallies in Purulia district, said the Trinamool will not be anymore courteous to the opponents. "After May 19 when the ballot boxes will be opened, the people of Bengal will witness a new Trinamool. We have been very courteous, we have given you many opportunities...but not anymore "In the days to come, inch by inch you will be given befitting reply... be prepared for that," said Abhishek. The opposition was quick to condemn Abhishek's remarks. "His comments are indicative of the Trinamool's nervousness. Apprehensive of being defeated in the polls, the Trinamool leaders led by their party supremo are threatening and intimidating the opposition," said Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Samik Lahiri. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party too have condemned the Trinamool leader's remarks. An MBA dropout has been arrested for cheating many people across India, including in Delhi and Hyderabad, on the pretext of providing them bonus against their existing insurance policies, police said on Saturday. Gyaneshwar Sharma was arrested from his house in Khajuri Khas area of east Delhi when he was on a visit there on Friday. "Gyaneshwar is wanted in 10 cases of cheating in Delhi and Hyderabad and is accused of duping several people of lakhs of rupees across India on the pretext of providing them bonus against their existing insurance policies," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav. Gyaneshwar started a company named Unique Ambition Pvt. Ltd. in Uttam Nagar area in 2012. "He induced several people to invest money in two insurance companies -- Exide Life Insurance and Future General Life Insurance. Later, in connivance with an associate Alok, he divested himself from Unique Ambition Pvt. Ltd and formed two more companies namely Indian Value Card and Indian Solution Cards. "With the help of his associates, he started making calls to potential clients to whom they had already given insurance policies. They used to lure these clients saying a bonus has been declared by the RBI on their policy and that only a small amount has to be paid as fee to process that fund. "Once the client paid the initial amount, usually Rs.25,000, they would call repeatedly and demand more money as processing fee. They would keep pestering the client for more processing fees till the client became suspicious and stopped paying money," the officer said. The police officer said Gyaneshwar had cheated Anand Kumar Gyanchandani, a resident of Paschim Vihar, to the tune of Rs.23 lakh by using the same modus operandi. Gyaneshwar, the son of a retired government servant, is an MBA dropout. After completing his graduation from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, he worked in 3-4 companies for over three years and then opened his own company, Unique Ambition Pvt. Ltd. "To earn quick bucks, he hit upon this idea of cheating people of their hard earned money with the help of Alok and others," the police officer said. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday arrived at the Raj Bhawan here to stake claim to power in Jammu and Kashmir. The PDP President is accompanied by senior party leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. BJP leader of the state legislature party and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh also arrived at the Raj Bhawan. The PDP president was elected as leader of the legislature party by the party MLAs on Thursday to pave way for her to stake claim to power. The PDP and BJP had sought a joint appointment with Governor N N Vohra on Saturday so that Mehbooba Mufti hands over her claim letter to Vohra and the same is supported by the BJP in another letter which is with Nirmal Singh, sources said. The PDP has 27 MLAs (it had 28 before Mufti Muhammad Sayeed's death) and the party has support of one independent MLA from the Ladakh region. The BJP has 25 MLAs and support of three others, two from the Peoples Conference and one independent. The total strength of state legislative assembly is 87. Jammu and Kashmir was placed under governor's rule on January 8, a day after then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi. Launching a scathing attack on Assam's ruling Congress for its "60 years of misrule", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised to stop infiltration from Bangladesh and even force those living illegally in the state for years to go back. Addressing a series of rallies in the poll-bound northeastern state, Modi spoke on issues like development and corruption, and even accused the Congress of providing political patronage to those killing Assam's state animal -- the one-horned rhino. The prime minister, who spoke at four largely attended rallies and a citizens' meeting in four districts, said only a BJP government -- led by its "young" chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal could fulfil the dreams of the people of Assam. Modi said if the BJP was voted to power, the central and state governments would work hand in hand to take Assam's development to a different level, ushering in a change a change in the people's living standards. At Narayanpur near Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district, Modi raised the infiltration issue. "The Assam government always wants the Bangladeshis. They offer golden plates to Bangladeshis but take away whatever the indigenous people have," said Modi, terming it "criminal negligence". "We, in Delhi, are taking such steps which will not only stop fresh infiltration into Assam but will ensure that those infiltrators, who have been living in Assam, have to go back," he said. Earlier, Modi addressed two rallies -- first at Borguri in Tinsukia district and the second at Majuli in Jorhat district. Modi said the state registered the highest incidents of crime against women, but the Congress was "not bothered". "And their attitude towards these problems and issues have always remained indifferent." Flaying the Congress for its "60 years of misrule in the country", Modi said over 60 percent of the Assamese still did not have access to electricity. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre was bringing a bill in parliament on development of inland waterways, and its passage would benefit the people of Assam, particularly those living on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. Modi, who began the day with a rally at Borguri in Tinsukia district, said his fight was not with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, but against poverty, corruption and the devastation of the state. "Gogoi ji says his fight is against me. But I do not have any fight against Gogoi ji. We have a tradition here not to fight with the elders but to respect them. I have respect for Gogoi ji." "But I have a fight against poverty, corruption and against the destruction of Assam." Gogoi, earlier this month, had said that the Congress's fight in the forthcoming polls will be against Modi for his wrong policies and injustice towards Assam and other parts of the northeastern region. The prime minister said Assam used to be known as one of India's richest states after independence, but has since been reduced to poverty. Modi wrapped up his day with a public rally at Bokakhat in Golaghat district, where he took potshots at the Congress government for the unabated killing of rhinos. "I have heard that in Assam the Congress ate up development funds. But I was not aware that even the rhinos are not safe in the hands of the Congress. Eyes were kept closed and rhinos were allowed to get killed and political patronage was given to those, who killed rhinos," said Modi. "Now time has come to hunt the hunters of rhinosand one does not need guns and bombs to hunt these rhino hunters. One just needs to press a button in the forthcoming assembly polls in Assam to kill the rhino hunters," he said. "Just vote for the BJP candidates and those put up by the partners of the BJP-led alliance and I guarantee that not a single rhino will be allowed to be killed in Assam," Modi said. The prime minister also addressed a citizens' meeting in Jorhat town. On Sunday, he would speak at two more rallies -- at Rangapara in Sonitpur district and Karimganj in Barak Valley. A total of 1.98 crore voters will elect legislators for the 126 seats in the Assam assembly. Polls will be held in two phases -- April 4 and 11. Russia has seen positive progress in its relations with the US and a desire to communicate from both sides, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "I think it is possible to say that there have been positive advances ... If we compare the atmosphere with what it was a year ago, then of course there is an evident desire to communicate," Peskov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying. However, Peskov noted that there are "no illusions" that Washington would change its attitude toward Moscow in the short term. US Secretary of State John Kerry paid a two-day visit to Moscow this week. During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the two sides reached some consensus on the Syria crisis, but bilateral relations are far from thawing so long as sanctions against Russia are not lifted. Kerry reiterated that anti-Russia sanctions will only be lifted when the Minsk agreement is fully implemented. The agreement, signed in the Belarusian capital city in February 2015 with the mediation of France and Germany, calls for a cease-fire along with a range of political, economic and social measures aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Lavrov said Russia stands ready to cooperate with the United States on an equal basis, warning of "counter-productivity of the trend to destabilize the foundation of Russian-American relations. " Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Saturday denied receiving any specific inputs about the state being on the Islamic State (IS) terror group's radar, as reported in a section of the national media. Speaking to reporters at the legislative assembly complex, Parsekar said there were certain "hints" which his government received from the union home ministry, but that there were no specific inputs about an IS terror threat to Goa. "My department did not have any inputs... there were some hints from the home department, but we did not get such information," Parsekar said. The media reports said the input about Goa being a priority target of the IS was based on information gleaned from IS suspects and other terror accused during interrogation by intelligence and security agencies. Parsekar, however, said the state government repeatedly took "precautionary measures", especially when it comes to creating awareness among owners of guest houses who let rooms to tourists. "On many occasions, details (of new tenants) are not reported to the (local) police station in the required format and this creates a problem," he said. Pakistan and Iran have reiterated their resolve to enhance bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including trade, economy and energy. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks while talking to media after their wide ranging talks in Islamabad on Friday evening, Radio Pakistan reported. Sharif said that the two countries have decided to open two new border crossing points to encourage trade and economic activities and facilitate people to people contacts. He hoped that the additional crossing points would greatly reduce the travel time and contribute towards economic integration of the region. Sharif also said that the two countries signed several memorandum of understanding in diverse fields which would further enhance our bilateral cooperation including economic and social sectors. Rouhani, on his part, said that both the sides explored the possibility of having closer relationship and better connectivity between Gwadar and Iranian port of Chahbahar. He said that Pakistan's security is our security and Iran's security is Pakistan's security. The two countries have to join hands for more secure and peaceful borders. Reaffirming the inalienable right of people and groups to peaceful protests, India told the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council that such protests shouldn't paralyse society or infringe fundamental rights of others. "The ability to protest peacefully is an essential enabler for other rights and freedoms," India's Permanent Representative to the UN at Geneva Ajit Kumar said. "Peaceful assembly is a crucial tool of public participation." But, he added: "The people or the organisations should always be cognisant that in the name of demonstration or protest, the life of a civilised society cannot be allowed to be paralysed. "In the name of legitimate exercise of one's right to protest, the fundamental right of others cannot be scuttled." He was speaking in Geneva on Thursday before voting for the Council's resolution on "Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests". While putting on record the "reservations", he said: "Our support to the resolution is within the framework of our national laws as well as India's respective obligations under international human rights law." India's statement of reservation, while supporting the resolution, comes amid the debate inside the nation over holding demonstrations and the limits on them. The Council resolution called upon all nations to promote "a safe environment" for individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and to engage with assembly organisers, human rights defenders, civil society actors, national and regional human rights institutions, and businesses on "the management of assemblies". India also supported another resolution that called for protecting all human rights defenders, organisations or groups, working for economic, social and cultural rights. Laying out the principle behind India's approach, Kumar said: "In a democratic polity, the fundamental right of each citizen is sacrosanct. However, the collective cannot undermine the same." Kumar said that as the largest democracy in the world, India is committed to rule of law and its Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech, expression and peaceful protests. "No person can be divested of these rights," he said. "They are incapable of being taken away or abridged." "However," he added, "every right has a corresponding duty. Enjoyment of rights always entails a degree of responsibility. Our Constitution clearly recognises these inherent, reasonable restrictions, clearly related to the purpose enshrined under the right." Referring to the recommendations of Maina Kiai, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Kumar said they "are highly imbalanced, and, do not recognize, in ample measure, the degree of responsibility of the participants in the assemblies". The Council also approved on Thursday four resolutions on Palestine, and India voted for three of them, and abstained on one in a continuing sign of a more nuanced approach to the Israel-Palestine issues. India supported the resolutions on the rights of Palestinians to self-determination; on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem under Israeli occupation, and on stopping building settlement in those areas and in the Golan Heights and dismantling those there. But New Delhi abstained on a resolutions calling for independent inquiry into the 2014 Gaza conflict and for cooperation with any preliminary International Criminal Court inquiry. This was also a reflection of India's reservations about the jurisdiction of the court. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government is taking measures which will not only stop fresh infiltration from Bangladesh but also ensure that the infiltrators in Assam return to their native place. Modi's statement came during a rally at Narayanpur near Bihpuria in Assam's Lakhimpur district, as he slammed the ruling Congress party in the state for its love for Bangladeshi infiltrators. Earlier, the prime minister addressed two rallies first at Borguri in Tinsukia district and the second at Majuli in Jorhat district. "The development in Assam has not been equal all these years. While some areas have developed, the state government neglected certain areas. The Assam government always wants the Bangladeshis. They offer golden plates to Bangladeshis but take away whatever the indigenous people have," said Modi, terming it "criminal negligence". "We, in Delhi, are taking such steps which will not only stop fresh infiltration into Assam but will ensure that those infiltrators, who have been living in Assam, have to go back," he said. Modi said the people of Assam have already taken a decision to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the forthcoming polls. "Congress has been the main reason for all diseases in the country. We must defeat the Congress this time," he said. "Assam has registered the highest incidents of crime against women. However, the Congress is not bothered and their attitude towards these problems and issues have always remained indifferent." Attacking the Congress for its 60 years of misrule in the country, Modi said the Congress has already ruled the country for over 60 years but for over 60 percent of the Assamese electricity remains inaccessible, forcing them to live in darkness. Saying that only a BJP government could fulfil all the unfulfilled dreams of the people in Assam, Modi said if the BJP is voted to power in Assam, the Centre and state governments will work hand in hand to take Assam's development to a different level, leading to a change in the living standards of the people. Stating that the BJP-led government at the Centre is bringing a Bill in Parliament on development of inland waterways, Modi said the passage of the Bill will benefit the people of Assam, particularly those living on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. He also assured to provide houses to each of the poor families in Assam and said that the money, which the central government had given to Assam for the housing needs of the people, is yet to be spent by the Congress government in Assam. Policemen, who cracked down on students protesting at University of Hyderabad, threatened to rape the women students, revealed an independent fact finding team. The team, which went into March 22 incidents on the campus, found that there was widespread assault of women students. "Abusive language and threats to rape the women students were heard from police," said the interim report by the panel comprising senior human rights activists, academicians and lawyers. The team, which met students, faculty members, police and Telangana home minister, also claimed that targeted statements towards minority students and describing them as "terrorists" were also heard. The team members told reporters on Saturday that students and faculty members arrested were not presented before a magistrate within 24 hours as required by law. "Police could have given bail but the students and faculty were remanded in judicial custody," said the report. Police had arrested 25 students and two faculty members when they were staging a protest against P. Appa Rao resuming his duties as the vice chancellor. Appa Rao, his representatives and other university officials refused to meet the panel. The committee said that the registrar banned the entry of media, and political, social, students groups on March 23 so that nobody could meet the faculty or students on campus and see for themselves the place of occurrence of the violence let loose a day earlier. The panel said the return of Appa Rao triggered the disruption of peace on campus and the police inaction in the case registered against him, central minister Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Sushil Kumar under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) for research scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide in January also contributed to the situation. It recommended that vice chancellor must be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation in the best academic and interest and in restoring a peaceful environment in the university, while police need to step up their response in dealing with the cases filed. The panel recommended that criminal investigation should be immediately conducted and action should be taken against the police who have wilfully neglected their duty under section 4 of the SC/ST amendment act, 2016. It called for immediately restoring normalcy of the university. "Free mobility in and out of the university and this must be brought back to regular functioning. This is essential for the academic health of the university, which has suffered significantly." The members of the panel are Henri Tiphagne (Human Rights Defenders Alert), Tara Rao (Amnesty International), Burnard Fatima (International Movement against all forms of Discrimination and Racism), Kuffir Nalgundwar (Round Table India), Kiruba Munusamy (Supreme Court lawyer), Beena Pallical (National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights), Ramesh Nathan (National Dalit Movement for Justice), Asha Kowtal (All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch) and Paul Divakar (Asia Dalit Rights Forum). Incessant rains in the plains and fresh snowfall in the mountains on Saturday affected life in Jammu and Kashmir. "Moderate rainfall continued in the plains and there has been fresh snowfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir during the last 12 hours," an official of the meteorological department told IANS in summer capital Srinagar on Saturday morning. "The weather is expected to remain inclement during the next 24 hours after which it will start improving." The official said reports of heavy snowfall during the night have come in from Drass town in Kargil district. "Fresh snowfall has also occurred in mountain peaks overlooking Srinagar city during the night," the official said. Meanwhile, many roads in Srinagar city remained water-logged in the morning. Authorities deployed fire service vehicles to drain water from choked roads in Civil Lines in Srinagar in the morning. Inter-district connectivity in the Valley was affected by continuous rainfall as large stretches of roads in south and north Kashmir areas were water-logged on Saturday. Although Srinagar-Jammu highway is open for one-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu, travellers should still check with the traffic control room in Srinagar, said traffic department officials. It has been raining all along the highway in Ramban district of Jammu region during the night. Some of the worst landslide prone stretches of the highway fall in the Ramban district. Rebel Congress MLAs of Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat here and alleged that he was indulging in horse-trading to save his government. Releasing the video, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat said that the chief minister was trying to bribe the nine rebel Congress MLAs and few other BJP MLAs. He also alleged that the rebel MLAs have been receiving life threats. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had served notice to nine rebel Congress legislators, seeking their responses by March 26 on why they should not be disqualified from membership of the house for violating the party discipline and aligning with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "There is an attempt by the CM to bribe the nine rebel MLAs and few other BJP MLAs. The Uttarakhand government is indulging in horse-trading of the MLAs," said one of the rebel MLAs Harak Singh Rawat. "We have expressed concern over our security to the government of India as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make arrangements for us. We have also requested the governor to immediately dismiss such a corrupt government of the mafias," he added. Rawat further said: "We have also written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee to take objection to the whole situatiom. There is a constitutional crisis in the state." Nine Congress legislators led by Harak Singh had rebelled against the chief minister couple of weeks back when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker rejected the demand. Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the opposition BJP has 28 legislators. Visiting Iranian President Hasan Rouhani on Saturday offered cooperation to the energy-starved Pakistan in oil and gas sector. Speaking at a gathering of Pakistani and Iranian businessmen in Islamabad, Rouhani said that enhanced bilateral economic relations would be helpful for regional stability and security. Pakistan Prime Nawaz Sharif said bilateral trade will be increased up to $5 billion in five years from the current around $1 billion. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the "Five Year Strategic Trade Cooperation Plan" that seeks establishment of a mechanism to cope with issues hampering bilateral trade such as non-tariff barriers, lack of banking facilities, infrastructure bottlenecks and trade through informal channels. Pakistan and Iran also signed an agreement to increase cooperation between central banks of the two countries. In the area of energy, gas, oil, Iran can help Pakistan in realizing its economic development and prosperity. In the area of technical engineering services, Iran has the capability to help Pakistan with infrastructure construction, including roads, railways and dams, Rouhani said. He pointed out that the economic relations between the two countries can be a major element for regional stability and security. Rouhani said that Iran would be responsible for the provision of Pakistan's energy security and has fulfilled its responsibility in the area of electricity and gas. The Iranian president also praised the sacrifices of the Pakistani forces and the people in the war against terrorism. In his speech, Sharif said the two countries have decided to open two new border crossing points between them to boost trade and economic activities and facilitate people-to-people contacts. He hoped that the additional crossing points would greatly reduce the travel time and contribute to economic integration of the region. Speaking during a press conference in Islamabad, the Iranian president said Iran has completed work on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline on its side, calling for connectivity of the Pakistani Gwadar port with the Iranian ports, adding the Gwadar port would benefit the whole region. He supported the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying that connecting the Gwadar port to China through rail link would also be an important project for regional development. On Afghanistan, Rouhani said that trilateral mechanism of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran could play a key role in peace and stability in Afghanistan. Actress and model Sana Saeed is taking a sabbatical from her career and has decided to focus on her further studies. "Well, I am taking a sabbatical to concentrate on my studies. Next month I am going to Los Angeles for further studies. I will focus on my career when I am back," Sana said. Currently Sana is one of the finalists in stunt-based reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi: Kabhi Peeda, Kabhi Keeda" (KKK) which is hosted by actor Arjun Kapoor. The 27-year-old actress, who first appeared as a child artist in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", made her screen debut as an adult in a supporting role in Karan Johar's "Student of the Year". She also did television serials and a couple of reality based shows like "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa", and "Nach Baliye." The makers of Santhanam-starrer Tamil comedy "Server Sundaram" have hired an exotic island here to shoot important portions of the film, which goes on the floors on Monday. "An island has been hired to shoot some crucial scenes in the Goa schedule. Apart from Goa, the film will also be shot in Chennai, Dubai and Thanjore. On Monday, the film's regular shooting starts at Accord Metropolitan hotel for about 12 days," read a statement. In the film, Santhanam will be seen as a chef, and the team has roped in 15 chefs as consultants to be available on the sets during the shoot. Santhosh Narayanan has been roped in to compose the tunes and he has already completed two songs. To be directed by Anand Balki, the film is produced by J. Selvakumar of Kenanya Films. Shops and commercial establishments were shut in nearly all towns of Himachal on Saturday, as traders protested against the union budgetary proposal to impose one percent excise duty on non-silver jewellery. There was, however, no report of violence anywhere, a police official said. The city's business hub The Mall wore a deserted look with shopkeepers joining the All-India strike by the trading community to protest against the excise duty. However, eateries and shops selling essential items were exempted from the shut down. Likewise, shops in prominent towns like Solan, Dharamsala, Kangra, Palampur, Mandi, Kullu, Manali, Una and Hamirpur remained partially closed for the day. A Son et Lumiere, or a sound and light show, will soon begin at Odisha's famous 13th century Sun Temple at Konark in a bid to ramp up tourist footfalls to the state, a minister has said. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has already identified the site for the show at Konark, which is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. "There was delay in the execution of the sound and light show at the Sun Temple. However, they (ASI) have already selected the site and work for the show would start soon at Konark," Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda told IANS. He said the operationalisation of the show would increase tourist inflow to the Black Pagoda, as the main Temple was called ages back by European sailors, for whom it formed an important landmark on their coastal voyage. The project would be implemented by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) and the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), he said. Notably, the state tourism department has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ITDC for executing sound and light shows at Khandagiri-Udayagiri twin hills, Peace Pagoda at Dhauli and the Konark Sun Temple with an investment of nearly Rs 19 crore (nearly $3 million). While the project has already been implemented at Dhauli, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, the one at Khandagiri-Udayagiri will be taken up at a cost of Rs 6.15 crore and the one at Konark at a cost of Rs 6.06 crore. The contract to execute the project has been awarded to TricolorIndia Schauspiel Private Limited, the India branch of the UK-based Projection Studio, which executed a similar project at Dhauli, said sources. The sound and light show, to be designed with 3D projection mapping technology, will be presented in three languages - English, Hindi and Odia. Noted artists from Odia cinema industry and Bollywood will render their voices for the show, an ASI official said. "The ASI will only give permission for the show in the temple premises. The state government has submitted a proposal and the Director General of ASI would take the final call," ASI superintendent A.K. Patel told IANS. Last month, the officials of ASI, ITDC and Odisha tourism department had visited the Sun Temple to identify the place for implementing the project. The Konark Sun Temple, constructed by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty, is regarded as one of the most stunning monuments of religious architecture in the world, and presents the high-water mark of Kalinga architecture. The temple was designed in the shape of a colossal chariot with seven horses and 24 wheels, carrying the Sun God across the heavens. Under the crackling wheels of past events, the Sun Temple has lost its sanctum sanctorum, but the remaining structure and the ruins around it still stand majestically on the sandy coast of the Bay of Bengal. The tourism minister informed that while thousands of domestic tourists visit every day, a total of 493 foreigners had come to the site in 2015. The foreign tourists are mainly from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the UAE and the US. (Chinmaya Dehury can be contacted at chinmaya.d@ians.in) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday confirmed the death of an Indian nurse and her infant son in a rocket attack in Libya on Friday. "I have received report regarding the death of an Indian nurse and her infant son in Libya," Sushma Swaraj tweeted. "This happened in Zawiya, 45 km from Tripoli," she said. Giving details, she said that around 4 p.m. on Friday, Sunu Sathyan, the nurse who hailed from the south Indian state of Kerala, and her son, Pranav, were killed when a rocket hit their apartment. She said that Indian authorities have got in touch with the nurse's husband Vipin and added that there were 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital. The minister also renewed her call to Indians abroad to move out of conflict zones. "We have issued advisories many times. I request you once again - please move out of the conflict zones," Sushma Swaraj said in another tweet. According to a report from Kottayam, Kerala, Pranav was 18 months old. Sunu and Vipin had left for Libya after their marriage in 2012. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told IANS that they were making efforts to reach out to people in Libya to find out the latest situation. The CBI on Saturday filed a case against a former IFFCO official and two others for causing a loss of Rs.2.41 crore to the government exchequer by misusing a central government subsidy scheme for urea fertiliser. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team also carried out searches at the residences of the accused in six places in Thrissur in Kerala and seized several incriminating documents. Gopala Krishnan, a former official of Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative (IFFCO); Akhil T. Gopi, a former field officer in-charge (Trainee) of Kerala State Cooperative Marketing Federation; and C.G. Pauly, a transport contractor in Thrissur, were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Prevention of Corruption Act. "During April 2015 to January 2016, around 1,096 tonnes of urea was misused by the former field officer (Gopi)," the CBI's press information officer R.K. Gaur told IANS. "He (Gopi), in connivance with the former IFFCO officer (Krishnan) and the transport contractor raised bogus bills showing the supply of urea to 31 cooperative societies in Thrissur and other places in Kerala. "However, the urea was actually supplied to some industries for illegal monetary benefits as the price of industrial urea was around Rs.27,000 per tonne. "By using this modus operandi, the accused caused a loss of Rs.2.41 crore to the government exchequer," the CBI official said. Gaur said the chemicals and fertilisers ministry was giving subsidy of around Rs.22,000 on one tonne of urea. "After subsidy, the farmers would get one tonne of urea for Rs.5,250. The objective of the central government giving subsidy is to help the farmers with an affordable price and to boost agricultural production." Uncertainty continues to baffle tour operators on the hiking of entrance ticket rates for various Mughal monuments in Agra. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has so far not clarified whether the rates would be revised upwards from April 1, as announced earlier. The new rates were announced last November but due to protests by travel and tour operators, including the Indian Association of Tour Operators, as also the local tourism industry, a decision was postponed till April 1 this year. The present rate for domestic tourists at the Taj Mahal is Rs. 20 and this is proposed to be raised to Rs.50. Foreign tourists have to currently shell out Rs.750 and this will be raised to Rs.1.250. Rates for other monuments have also been upped. However, the ASI has not yet announced when the new rates will come into force. According to the local ASI officials, the decision has to be announced by the culture ministry in New Delhi. Sunil Gupta of Travel Bureau said the ASI should immediately clarify the issue and clear the mist. "They do not have any clear policy. The rates have to be rationalised, but the hike should be reasonable. We are already concerned at the falling number of foreign tourists. The ASI obviously wants to reduce the number of tourists from the conservation angle, while the tourism bodies want the number of tourists to go up," Rajiv Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Agents Association of India and senior industry leader, told IANS. "The minister concerned (Mahesh Sharma) heads both the tourism and culture departments. To increase the revenue we have given several suggestions. If the ASI hikes the ticket rates, the Agra Development Authority (ADA) too will increase its share and raise its ticket rates. Presently the ADA collects Rs.500 and Rs.250 goes to the ASI from the Rs.750 ticket for foreign tourists," he added. ASI officials said there was no directive from the ministry so far, which means the present rate structure may continue. The ASI has been chiefly concerned with somehow reducing the crowds at the Taj Mahal. "The human pollution is creating problems and the increasing number has to be somehow rationalised in line with the NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) recommendations," Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, told IANS. "One suggestion is to limit the visiting time to two hours per ticket. The other is a staggered system which means you pay more if you want to go close to the main structure of the monument. Those who see the Taj from a distance pay less, those who go closer pay more," he added. One thing is for sure: All stakeholders will be waiting with bated breath till at least March 31. If there is no announcement by then it will mean the status quo will continue. (Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in ) The Vatican and the FBI are among those working hard to rescue Catholic priest Tom Uzhunnallil from Kerala who is currently in the custody of the Islamic State terrorist group in Yemen, an official said on Saturday. A massive joint operation has been launched, with officials coordinating from various places, to see that the priest is rescued, an official who did not wish to be named told IANS. "The Vatican, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Catholic church's working groups in Jordan and Abu Dhabi, besides Indian Embassy officials in Djibouti along with Indians based in Yemen are all working hard to see that the priest is rescued," the official said. On Saturday morning, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that they were trying to rescue Uzhunnallil. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," she wrote. Earlier this month, militants barged into a care home for the elderly set up by Mother Teresa in Yemen's Aden in 1992, and shot dead many people, including four nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, among whom one was from India. The militants abducted the Kerala priest and there has been no information about him ever since. Uzhunnalil's ancestral home in Ramapuram in Kottayam district is presently closed as two of his brothers live abroad, while another lives in Gujarat. The brother from Gujarat has reached Ramapuram after hearing news of the abduction. His relatives said they were in contact with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who regularly keeps in touch with Sushma Swaraj. A cancer treatment through Yoga that does away with the need for chemotherapy to arrest and cure the disease is just a year away, union Minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Naik said on Saturday. Speaking on the sidelines of the AYUSH expo organised by the central ministry near Panaji, the minister said his ministry is in the process of vetting documentation submitted by a Bengaluru-based deemed yoga university, which is said to have cured patients suffering from cancer using yoga. "There is an institute in Bengaluru. They have found a yoga technique for prevention and cure of cancer. We have collected all documentation and the process is going on," Naik told reporters. Naik said that prima facie he was confident about the "cancer cure" claimed by the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, a deemed university headed by H. R. Narendra, a mechanical engineer who has worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1970 and subsequently had a stint at Harvard University. Asked how long it would take for the AYUSH ministry to vet the documentation submitted by the Samsthana related to cancer cure, Naik said: "I think it will take about a year. The documentation should be perfect." Of late, the Communist Party of India-backed All India Students' Federation (AISF) seems to be looking to Congress Vice-President for ideas. After Jawaharlal Nehru (JNU) University Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, who is a member of the AISF, met Gandhi at the latter's residence to "thank" him for his support for the students' agitation at the university, AISF chief Syed Wali Ullah Qadri said they would continue engaging with Gandhi. In fact, the AISF is now working towards implementing one of Gandhi's suggestions: to organise a national programme that will bring together students of all those institutions in the country who had been victimised by the authorities. The programme will bring students from Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle at IIT Madras; Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Hyderabad Central University; University of Allahabad and JNU among others on to a common platform to highlight how the government was infringing upon the autonomy of institutions. Student union leaders are also slated to be present at the event. All eyes will be on Lucknow as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief is slated to visit the city on March 28 for two days. Bhagwat will inaugurate a press for printing RSS-associated publications and take stock of the organisation in the state. The buzz surrounding his visit is enormous especially because the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit is yet to be named. The state is due for Assembly elections in less than a year from now. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. Sir, merely because an unlegislated executive action of the government has been challenged before a court, Parliament does not lose its right to legislate. It is absolutely clear. It is as clear as daylight. Ahead of the crucial March 28 floor test, the rebel Congress MLAs on Saturday released a sting video which shows Uttarakhand Chief Minister purportedly indulging in horse trading to save his government. Within an hour of the video's release in New Delhi, the chief minister hurriedly held a press conference in Dehradun to deny the allegations made against him. The video of him denying allegations also went viral on social media. "This video is false. The reputation of the person who made the video is not hidden from everyone. Everybody knows how this so called journalist made huge money in a short span of time through such blackmailing tactics," Rawat told reporters. Rawat, however, did not answer any questions from the media. In a separate statement, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Congress would not be cowed down by such sting operations. "We will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by the constitution and prove our majority on the floor of the House," he said. On the other hand, former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the revolt against the ruling Congress, asked Rawat to immediately resign on moral grounds. Bahuguna was also critical of the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for not giving him time in the last two years. "I tried to meet Rahul Gandhi to air my grievances against Rawat. But I did not get any time," said Bahuguna. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on its part, sought the immediate dismissal of the government. "This government should be immediately dismissed in the wake of wide-spread corruption in Uttarakhand," said BJP leader B C Khanduri. Meanwhile, a section of the party leaders in the state wants a change of guard in the wake of the new video. "Let there be a change of guard and we can hold snap polls within six months," said a senior Congress leader. Recent events, including when parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi received flak for his refusal to chant the 'Bharat Mata ki jai' slogan, have made the issue of nationalism and patriotism a political bone of contention. Observing the Bharatiya Janata Party's success in strengthening its stronghold over national politics, opposition parties, such as the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, are realising the political dividend of playing up the nationalism debate. In an email interview, Anand Kumar, president of Swaraj Abhiyan and retired sociology professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, tells Manavi Kapur that BJP is not alone in favouring the country-as-motherland trope Historically, how have political parties in India used the evocation of 'Bharat Mata' to gain politically? The Indian freedom movement and 'Bharat mata ki jai' have been inseparable since the beginning of the Non-cooperation Movement under the banner of the Indian National Congress. The first and only Bharat Mata Mandir was constructed by militant-patriot Shivprasad Gupta at Varanasi in the 1930s, which was only a geographical representation. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi himself. Conceptually, it has a strong association with the Bengal trajectory of the national freedom struggle, because the mother image was given content by influential authors such as Bankim Chatterjee and creative artists such as Abanindranath Tagore. Congress has always used it and except the Left parties, all shades of national political spectrum found it useful. At the same time, it is also true that it has been vulnerable to communal interpretation because of the Hindu custom of worshipping goddesses, which was strongly contradicted by Jawaharlal Nehru in his famous article Bharatmata Ki Jai, which provided a secular and social context to it. The trope of the motherland elicits deeply emotional reactions from those who believe in it against those who do not. While it has polarised social perspectives, has this also consolidated public discourse in BJP's favour? There cannot be any national polarisation about this slogan because it can only be contested by those who do not value its link with the national freedom struggle - whether its Gandhi-Nehru-Subhash Chandra Bose- Vallabhbhai Patel lineage or the Bhagat Singh-Chandra Shekhar Azad- Ashfaqulla Khan-Ram Prasad Bismil tradition. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is a competition between all parties to remain linked with it. What is your assessment of BJP's deployment of patriotism and nationalism as a political strategy? Does it stand to gain from this in the upcoming Assembly elections? Use of nationalism and patriotism as a political shield to divert the attention of common people from main issues is an old tactic of all failing governments. But it soon becomes counter-productive in the absence of genuine threat to national security or advancement of anti-patriotic forces in power conflicts. It will have very limited use in the Assembly elections of Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu due to declining significance of the national issues in provincial contests. Congress's Digvijaya Singh and AAP's Ashutosh have come forward with statements in favour of the 'Bharat Mata ki jai' chant. Is this an attempt to jump on the bandwagon and dilute BJP's stronghold among voters who identify with a hyper-patriotic agenda? It is strange that BJP is trying to monopolise 'Bharat mata ki jai' in its contest with the Congress, which has more authentic claims to it. Of course, there is organic connection between this slogan-Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement and AAP. The BJP will find the need to go for course correction as the slogan of 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' will be more effective in promoting its agenda rather than stigmatising non-BJP students and opposition parties. Telangana Chief Minister K. on Saturday said he would take up the issue of removing University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Responding to a prolonged debate in the Telangana Assembly on the alleged police excesses in the university when the students protested over rejoining of the Vice Chancellor after long leave, the Chief Minister assured the House that an inquiry into the alleged police excesses would be ordered. "The government will inquire the alleged excess use of force. If at all any police/officer involved, action will be taken up. I will take up the issue (removal of VC Appa Rao) to the Prime Minister as soon as possible," he said. The return of Appa Rao sparked fresh trouble in the varsity on March 22 as a group of agitating students barged in and ransacked his official residence in protest, alleging that he was responsible for Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide and should step down from his post. The police arrested as many as 25 students and two faculty members in this connection for their alleged vandalism. Rao had gone on long leave after Vemula committed suicide following his suspension from the hostel along with some other students of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) as part of disciplinary action in January. Sixteen minor girls from Jharkhand and Bihar, were rescued from a house in Lahdoli village here and a woman arrested in this regard, police said today. Acting on a tip-off, Babita was arrested for keeping the girls in illegal detention in the house without even informing the head of the village, ASI Ram Babu said. The girls have been sent to childcare homes, he said, adding that the woman is being questioned behind her intention to keep the girls in confinement. Two engineers were killed and three others injured when their over speeding car collided with a metro pillar on MG road here, police said today. The victims, in the age group of 24-27 were on their way to Radisson Hotel in Mahipalpur after attending a party, when their over speeding car collided with metro pillar number 166 in wee hours yesterday, ACP Hawa Singh, PRO, Gurgaon police said. While two persons, Pradeep and Amit, sitting in the front seat of the car died on the spot, three others, including two girls sustained serious injuries, he said, adding, their condition is now stable. The injured included Deepika, a native of Lucknow, Sayeed and Kiran, both residents of Mumbai, received fractures in leg and arms. The high-speeding car overturned on a stone which led to the crash, Singh said, adding, postmortem has been conducted and investigations are on to ascertain whether the driver had consumed alcohol. Two police officers and a prisoner they were transporting were killed early today in a fiery crash on an interstate highway in Iowa that investigators say was caused by a wrong-way driver, who also died. Des Moines officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales, who had been on the job less than six months, were killed in the crash that occurred around 12.40 am today on Interstate 80 west of Des Moines, police spokesman Sgt Paul Parizek said. The officers had been returning the prisoner from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when their sport utility vehicle was struck by a vehicle driving the wrong way on the freeway, police said. Both officers and the driver of the other vehicle were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, Parizek said. Investigators had not yet determined by today morning whether the prisoner being transported was wearing a seat belt, he said. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating. Parizek and Police Chief Dana Wingert were visibly upset at a conference held later today morning to give initial details of the crash. Farrell, 30, and Puente-Morales, 34, had graduated from the police academy in October, Parizek said. "We face a nightmare that no one ever wants to experience," Wingert said during the conference. "Words cannot express what this loss means." Gov Terry Branstad issued a statement today extending sympathy to the families of those killed and saying he would issue an order next week for flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the officers. Thirty-five Pakistani nationals were today detained by police for allegedly violating visa rules in the district. A group of 35 Hindu pilgrims from the neighboring country, including men, women and children were issued pilgrim visa for Mathura and Haridwar only. Without any specific visa for visiting Jaisalmer, they arrived here last night and were detained from Ramdevra temple, SP Rajiv Pachar said. India and Pakistan follow a city-specific visa regime, which in this case seems to have been violated by these pilgrims. Pachar said the pilgrims are being interrogated and would be released if nothing suspicious is found. 58-year-old Korutla Sattamma, a Beedi worker, might be among the lakhs who have enrolled for the government's digital literacy programme, but her entry has been appreciated by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, urging her to bring more women into the mission. In a social media post, Telecom Minister Prasad said he spoke to Sattamma, a 58-year-old beedi worker from Karimnagar, Telangana, who has inspired many by joining the Digital Literacy Mission through Common Services Centers. He congratulated her efforts and requested her to inspire other ladies around her to learn computer. "She told me that her desire to talk to her Dubai-based son over video call made her learn computer at this age. I congratulated her and asked her to inspire other ladies around her to learn computer and be a part of #TransformingIndia under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the minister said. Sattamma joined a common service center to get trained under Digital Saksharta Abhiyan. The government has set a target to train 52.5 lakh people under Digital Literacy program by end of this year. As per official data, 59 lakh people have enrolled under Digital Saksharta Mission and 42 lakh people have already got training. When contacted, CSC owner, Amballa Manohar said Sattamma wants to learn operating smartphone and Skype for connecting with her son. "She depended on others for making video calls. Now she wants to do that on her own. We are not charging any fee for the course. 131 people have enrolled at our Bharathi Online Services centre. 18 have already completed their course. Youngest student is a 14-year-old and Sattamma is the eldest," Manohar said. The government has decided to scale this scheme for rural India to cover around six crore additional households in the next three years. Seven persons, including women, sustained serious injuries after some miscreants threw acid on them for protesting against eve-teasing of a girl on the night of Holi festival, in a Jharkhand village, police said today. Deputy superintendent of police Birendra Kumar Chaudhary, who is the officiating Superintendent of police said the incident took place at Rajwar Tola village under Gola police station on Thursday night when the Holi revelers protested against the eve-teasing of a girl by the miscreants. A scuffle ensued between the two sides and the culprits threw acid on the revelers, injuring seven of them seriously. One of the injured persons was the principal of a local college Lalmohan Rajwar, police said. All seven of them were referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi for treatment. No complaint was lodged in the incident but a probe has been launched into the incident and a police team was sent to the hospital. An FIR would be lodged after the team would return from Ranchi, Chaudhary said. One of the accused, Jeetu Sao (30), was arrested today and forwarded to jail custody by a local court, Officer-in-charge of Gola police station, Radhey Shyam Ram said. Representatives of various Sikh organisations here today sought action against activists of for allegedly creating ruckus on Nawanshahr-Chandigarh Road following the death of national president of Hindu Abhishek Batta in a car accident here. They met SSP Snehdeep Sharma here and submitted a memorandum seeking strict action against activists. The delegation comprised Mohinder Singh Hussainpur, Jaswinder Singh, Hari Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Bahadur Singh, Harjit Singh, Jarnail Singh among others. Activists of the Hindu Shiv Sena yesterday blocked the Nawanshahr-Chandigarh road here after the death of Batta in a mishap. Abhishek Batta (35), a resident of Phagwara, was reportedly coming from Haridwar in his car, when his vehicle collided with a cement-laden truck coming from the opposite direction near Malpur Arkan. Shivi Batta, younger brother of the deceased, alleged that it was a preplanned murder as his brother, who was on the hit list of some pro-khalistani forces, had received a number of death threats. A 22-member Afghan delegation comprising senior policy makers today discussed watershed management and seed certification with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) experts here. Hamid Halmandi, advisor to the President of Afghanistan, and Mehboobullah Nag, Director Seed Certification, the Government of Afghanistan, were part of the delegation, said an official release issued by PAU. Halmandi said with only four per cent of land under productive agriculture in Afghanistan, and nearly 90 per cent water getting wasted, there was an urgent need for capacity building in the landlocked country. With years of war having devastated the nation, 40 per cent of wheat was being imported, and it was a challenge to feed the nation, he said. Assuring full support for agricultural development in Afghanistan, PAU Vice Chancellor B S Dhillon said Punjab shared greater socio-cultural similarity with Afghanistan and Central Asia in terms of food, language, dress etc as compared to south India. During the two hour-long deliberations presided over by Balwinder Singh, Director Research, there were extensive discussions on techniques for constructing water harvesting structures, water conservation strategies, seed certification process and authenticity. Department Heads and experts from PAU interacted with the delegates and gave tips for capacity building, it said. The delegates also expressed their desire for greater number of fellowships in the field of agricultural education for the benefit of Afghan students, the release added. : The Calicut-Mumbai Air India flight will depart from here at 8.55 AM with effect from tomorrow, as per the revised scheduled announced by the airline Currently the flight departs here at 7.45 AM. The airline in a release said that the Calicut-Dubai flight will leave at 11.20 AM instead of the current timing of 10.00 AM, The departure of Calicut-Sharjah (AI-997) flight has been advanced to 9.30 PM from the current timing of 12.10 AM, it said. An organisation of Muslims today demanded that the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan increase budgetary allocation for minority community in accordance with their population, saying "insufficient" funds was the main "hurdle" for them to come into mainstream. All India Milli Council (AIMC) said that the government policies were not proving beneficial and also not providing any support to the community. "The government has not made budgetary allocations in accordance with our population which is a main hurdle before the community to come into mainstream. The government's policies are not proving beneficial and not giving any support to the community," state General Secretary of the council Abdul Kayyum told reporters. Terming as "insufficient" the amount allocated for minority community in this year's budget, he said Rs 155 crore earmarked for the minority sections is just 0.09 per cent of the total budget. "ST and SC sections are getting substantial budget but the government is ignoring the minority community. The number of scholarships should be increased for the students of the minority community as they are vulnerable section," he said at a press conference here. He also alleged that the government has failed to keep its promises made to the community in its election manifesto. "Our main demand from the government is to increase budgetary allocation so that our members can come into mainstream," he said. : CITU today alleged that the country is moving towards dictatorship and asked all sections of society, including the working class and students, to unite to counter the 'evil designs' of the present rulers. "Those in the Government are trying to impose their ideology on the people and giving new definition to patriotism and nationalism and want others to follow them," CITU President, A K Padnabhan said here. Addressing the 11th state conference of Bank Employees Federation of India, he said all governments at the centre since 1991 when implementation of the liberalisation policy took effect were implementing policies which had seriously affected the working class and the public sector. The main agenda was withrawal of the government from all PSUs and Banks by disinvestment of strategic sales, resulting in maximisation of profit to private entrepreneurs and deindustrialisation, he alleged. The present dispensation was also following the same policies, but going one step ahead and trying to impose their ideology on others, he said, adding that those opposed to them were attacked and dubbed as anti-nationals. Admitting that major trade unions, including CITU, had failed to counter the 'onslaught' on rights of workers like trying to amend labour laws and right to form unions, he said it was high time all sections of society- students, working class and those impacted by the present dispensation unite and fight to save the country from moving towards dictatorship. The government's action of reducing interest on small savings, PPF has affected the common man, he said. To decide the future course of action to 'save' democracy and soverignty of the country, all Central trade union would meet in Delhi on March 30, he said. Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney, who recently resigned after inviting backlash for backing statehood for Marathwada, today said there should be a referendum on demand of separate state of Vidarbha. Aney, a known votary of separate Vidarbha, said if less then 51 per cent of people supported the separate Vidarbha state, "we will drop the issue for ever". "I am of the opinion that (the power to take) decision of creation of Vidarbha lies in Delhi and even if the entire Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passes a resolution against the formation of new state, the Parliament can create Vidarbha," Aney said at a meet-the-press program here. The Parliament was supreme in this matter, he said. Vidarbha supporters would be calling on BSP supremo Mayawati, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to muster support, he said, adding that support of these parties too should be obtained, apart from Congress and BJP. Pro-Vidarbha organizations will hold a sit-in in Delhi on March 31 and he would attend it, he said. Earlier today, Aney, who visited Nagpur for the first time after resigning as AG, was accorded a grand welcome by supporters of Vidarbha. Defending his decision to resign, he said he feared that Budget session of Legislature would be disrupted over the issue, so he decided to put in the papers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is known to have close relations with Aney, is yet to accept his resignation. Belgium today charged a man believed to be the fugitive third Brussels airport bomber with terrorism murder, in a breakthrough for security forces facing criticism for letting suspects slip through the net. A huge manhunt netted the suspect officially identified as Faycal C -- and identified by local media as Faycal Cheffou -- and investigators are now working on the theory that he could be the man in a hat and white jacket pictured with two other airport bombers, but whose device failed to go off. Brussels airport said it will not reopen before Tuesday at the earliest as it implements new security measures and repairs the departure hall wrecked by the bombers, believed to be from the Islamic State group. Belgians in mourning will gather tomorrow for a rally in a central Brussels square now carpeted with flowers and tributes to the 31 killed and 300 injured in the March 22 metro and airport bombs, with a national solidarity march also planned. Prosecutors meanwhile also charged a man arrested in Belgium over a new plot to hit Paris, deepening the connections in what French President Francois Hollande has described as a single terror cell straddling both France and Belgium. The Belgian government faces a torrent of criticism at home and abroad, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's attacks and track a network also linked to November's Paris attacks. Many believe it failed to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) -- which claimed the attacks -- and then returning home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," said Le Soir daily in a front-page editorial. Heavily armed soldiers and police remained on patrol in the capital and Zaventem airport. In an indication the city is still on edge, a bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled detonation on a southern Brussels street to destroy a suspect backpack. Pop diva Mariah Carey yesterday cancelled a show in Brussels, saying she was advised to do so "for the safety of my fans, my band, crew and everyone involved with the tour." In contrast, veteran French rock star Johnny Hallyday was going ahead with two planned concerts in Brussels over the weekend. Prosecutors said Faycal C was one of three people arrested outside the Belgian federal prosecutor's office in Brussels on Thursday night as part of a huge sweep of detentions across Belgium and Europe. "He has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder," the prosecutor said. Asked by AFP if Faycal C was the suspected third bomber dubbed the "man in the hat", a source close to the inquiry told AFP: "That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on. Police pressed ahead on Saturday with the search for suspects in Belgium's worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's airport and metro attacks which left 31 dead and some 300 wounded. Many believe it has not done enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State - which claimed the attacks - and from where they return home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. Read more from our special coverage on "BRUSSELS ATTACKS" "Attacks, tens of dead, hundreds hurt, tears, raids, a political crisis, the capital under siege and fugitives still on the run while (key Paris suspect) Salah Abdeslam says nothing in prison," wrote Christophe Berti in a front page editorial for Le Soir daily. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," Berti said. On Friday, a series of raids produced three arrests in connection with what French authorities said was an imminent new attack. President Francois Hollande said a jihadist network which hit both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed" but also warned that the threat remained and everyone must be on guard. The Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter," it said. Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Ibrahim was on the list even before the November Paris attacks while Khalid was added soon after. Prosecutors have also confirmed Khalid was the subject of an warrant over the Paris attacks. European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium. A Belgian parliamentary commission on Friday questioned the ministers for justice, foreign affairs, and the interior on how Ibrahim El Bakraoui had managed to slip past the authorities. The ministers said the information from Ankara was vague while a Belgian police officer at the embassy in Turkey had "blundered". French police said on Friday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket - a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud - after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home. The Brussels raids on Friday saw one suspect shot in the leg at a tram stop in broad daylight in the capital's Schaerbeek district, where police earlier this week found a bomb factory linked to the airport and metro attacks. Belgian prosecutors meanwhile said that the DNA of second airport bomber Najim Laachraoui was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed during November's Paris attacks, and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium. A huge manhunt is still under way for at least two suspects one of the airport attackers whose bomb failed to go off and another man seen in the metro with Khalid El Bakraoui just before he detonated his bomb. Investigators also say Khalid rented an apartment in Brussels used by Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in the Belgian capital on March 18. The federal prosecutor said on Friday that Abdeslam had "invoked his right to silence" and has not spoken to investigators since a few brief interviews the day after his arrest. Speaking in Brussels on Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he stood by the Belgian people, echoing their backing for the United States after the 9/11 attacks. "Then, voices across Europe declared, 'Je suis Americain'. Now, we declare, 'Je suis Bruxellois' and 'Ik ben Brussel,' Kerry said in French and Flemish, the country's two main languages, after meeting Belgian premier Charles Michel. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system when Khalid blew himself up, British media said. Grieving Belgians continued to gather in a central Brussels square carpeted with flowers and tributes to the dead and wounded as the country tries to come to terms with the tragedy. BJP national secretary H Raja and two state vice-presidents are among the 54 persons in the party's first list of candidates released for the May 16 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. According to the list of candidates put up on the BJP's national website, Raja, a former Karaikudi MLA, will contest from T Nagar in Chennai which has traditionally favoured DMK or AIADMK. BJP's state vice-president and prominent woman leader Vanathi Sreenivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore (South) while another vice president M Chakravarthy will fight from Tiruthani, as per the details on the website. Known for making controversial remarks, Raja had earlier unsuccessfully contested from Alandur during the 2006 Assembly polls. Sreenivasan, a familiar face in TV debates, was the party's choice for Mylapore constituency in the city for the 2011 Assembly elections which was won by AIADMK. The party named its candidates for 54 constituencies including six reserved seats. Karuppu Muruganantham, who unsuccessfully contested from Thanjavur for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is fighting from Pattukottai constituency this time. In Vedaranyam constituency in Nagapattinam district, BJP has fielded former DMK strongman and three-time MLA S K Vedaratnam, who contested as an independent in the 2011 assembly polls. The Central Election Committee of BJP had announced the list of 54 candidates for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls at Delhi yesterday and said that a second list would be issued after talks with IJK and NJP fructify in the coming days. BJP today sought to downplay the "bickering" within its North Delhi Municipal Corporation(NDMC) unit days after House Leader Yogesh Chandolia accused Mayor Ravinder Gupta of "collecting" money in the name of party fund, saying "nothing of this sort" has happened. "All have right to express their views in democracy. Within our party too, all have their right to express themselves. There may be differences of opinions, but there is no difference of heart. "Media reports that there are differences within the unit, that allegations-counter allegations are being made against each other, nothing of that sort has happened," Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana told reporters on the sidelines of the executive meeting held here. Earlier this month, Chandolia had written a letter to Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay complaining Gupta was "collecting" money for the party fund and that he "lacked knowledge" of the rules of NDMC House. Model Blac Chyna has said she would like to have a baby with boyfriend Rob Kardashian. The 27-year-old may have only been dating the once-reclusive reality TV star a few months but it seems their relationship is going from strength-to-strength as she's already thinking ahead to the future, reported Female First. In a series of videos posted on her Snapchat account, she said, "Rob! I am not playing with you, I wanna have a BABY! I need my name DROPPED! I want to be married. I am not fooling around with you." The "Keeping Up with The Kardashians" star is reportedly keen on the idea of becoming a father as he thinks he's ready to take on the responsibility, after spending lots of time with Blac's three-year-old son King Cairo, whom she has with ex-fiance Tyga. A brick kiln owner was shot dead by unidentified persons near his kiln in Surubeda village in Chakradharpur sub-division of West Singhbhum district, a police officer said today. The 48-year-old kiln owner, Gopal Chandra Pradhan was at the site when unidentified persons arrived and fired at him last evening, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Chakradharpur), Ajay Kerketta said. Pradhan, who sustained gun shot injuries near his temple, was rushed to a nearby hospital from where he was referred to Tata Main Hospital (TMH) here, the officer said. However, doctors at TMH declared him brought dead, Kerketta said. Police investigation had begun and an empty cartridge of 9mm bore was recovered from the spot, he said. The exact cause of the murder as well as the identity of the killer was yet to be established, he said. Asked whether the possibility of involvement of ultra oufit in the incident, Kerketta said the police were investigating the case from all possible aspects and would be in position to comment only after completion of the investigation. Earlier, Kerketta said, a munshi of another brick kiln in the same village had been shot dead allegedly by ultra outfit PLFI activists couple of months ago. Police today detained 17 college students for allegedly storming into a police station after they were denied the permission to stage a protest against the Hyderabad Central University. They wanted to protest at suburban Matunga railway station, a senior police official said. After the police denied them permission, they stormed into the Matunga police station and created a ruckus. Some of them got into a scuffle with policemen, he said. Students at HCU are currently agitating against resumption of duty by its Vice Chancellor who had gone on a long leave following the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. Several Congress leaders were today detained when they sat on a dharna along with local jewellers on G T Road near Ladhowal here, police said. They were supporting the demand of the jewellers protesting the imposition of one per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery, police said. Later, those detained, including MLAs Bharat Bhushan Aashu and Surinder Dawar and DCC president Gurpit Gogi, were released, police added. Aam Adami Party MP Bhagwant Mann, who also made an attempt to address the demonstrators, was also detained by the police. The protestors blocked traffic on the national highway for more than one hour. Many ambulances with patients were also not allowed to move, police said. Police used force to clear the blockade. DCC president Gurprit Gogi said some Congress workers were said to have received injuries in the police action. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Narinder Bhargva said no one was arrested. (REOPENS NRG-10) Meanwhile, Punjab Congress strongly condemned the "unprovoked" police lathicharge on the PYC workers who were staging a "peaceful march" here on Wednesday against the government's "failure" to punish those involved in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Behbal Kalan. The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), in a statement issued here, lashed out at the "police high-handedness" in resorting to lathi-charge and water cannons to prevent the workers, led by PYC president Amarpreet Singh Lally, from moving towards Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's residence. Lally was taken into custody by the police, along with party workers and volunteers, before they could reach Badal's residence. The PPCC leaders demanded immediate and stringent action against the "errant" police officers responsible for the "uncalled for attack" on the PYC protestors. PPCC leaders Hardyal Kamboj, Kuljit Nagra and Randeep Nabha termed the incident as an attempt by the police to "stifle" the voice of democracy. Of the 1,500 PYC volunteers, around 400 were women, who were also not spared from the indiscriminate lathi-charge, they alleged. For the May 16 Assembly polls, the Congress, heading the ruling UDF in Kerala, has included names of all its sitting MLAs in the probable list of the party for 82 constituencies. Four constituencies, including those held by Chief Minister Ommen Chandy (Puthupally) and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala (Haripad), have a single name while all others have more than one name, KPCC President V M Sudheeran told reporters here. Names of all sitting MLAs, including T N Prathapan, who had stated that he was not keen on contesting this time to make way for fresh faces, have been included in the list. "This is a probables' list. All candidates in the list need not contest. It is up to to the Congress high command to decide," he said. The talks with UDF partners on seat sharing were at the 'final stage', he said, adding there was need to arrive at a consensus with each of the partners. Discussions with JDU, which wanted exchange of some seats and RSP, which is seeking six seats, were inconclusive. The Congress state leadership will be leaving for Delhi on March 28 to get clearance for the candidates list. A keen contest is expected for the 140 assembly seats in the state with the Congress-led UDF and CPI(M) headed LDF looking to win the polls. BJP along with its alliance partners is all set to launch a do-or-die battle to open account in the state assembly this time. Delhi government is now contemplating handing over the management of Nari Niketan to the Delhi Commission for Women to improve its condition, after giving the charge of a women helpline to DCW last month. According to a senior govermment official, talks are going between the Social Welfare Department and DCW officials over the matter. "Talks are going on about DCW being given the charge of Nari Niketan but nothing has been finalised yet," a senior DCW official said. DCW chief Swati Maliwal, in August, last year had inspected the facilities at the shelter home and also spent a night along with other members and described her experience as a "living hell". She had also submitted a report along with a set of recommendations to the Delhi government. Some of the problems highlighted by Maliwal during her previous visits were that mentally-challenged were living with ordinary inmates and even sharing beds with them. There was lack of cleanliness and also number of toilets were less. There was also a short-stay home inside the Nirmal Chhaya complex, condition of which was "equally bad". She also said that many women who have court orders and want to come out of the shelter home were being forced to stay there due to lack of coordination between police and home authorities. Maliwal had also written to Delhi Police seeking the release of 15 inmates. She also had taken up the matter with the Delhi government. Nari Niketan is a home for women rescued under Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act or those who are in need of protection and have been ordered to live there by the court. Short-stay homes are for women in need of urgent support who are generally brought there by the police. A senior Delhi Police official today faced abusive posts on Twitter after she ruled out communal angle in the alleged murder of 40-year-old dentist in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area. Since yesterday, social media was abuzz with rumours that people from a certain community, who were alleged to be migrants from Bangladesh, were involved in beating dentist Pankaj Narang to death late Wednesday. Ruling out any communal angle in the matter, Additional DCP (West) Monika Bhardwaj yesterday tweeted, "4 juveniles among 9 arrested for murder of Vikaspuri doctor. No religious angle at all, as rumoured by some. We appeal u to maintain peace." "Out of 9 accused person 5 r Hindu. At the moment of first scuffle, out of 2, 1 was Hindu.The Muslim accused r residents of UP ,not Bangladesh (sic)." she tweeted. Reacting to the tweets by the 2009-batch IPS officer, some Twitter users posted abusive remarks on her account on the micro-blogging site today. Senior Delhi Police officials said they have taken note of the matter but did not disclose about the further course of action. A section of twitterati also questioned the necessity of the tweet disclosing details about the religion of the accused persons. They also alleged the police has not done proper background check of the accused and acused it of going slow in attending to the distress call in connection with the case. After the incident which was reported on Thursday, hashtags like #DrPankajLynched and #JusticeForDrNarang started trending on Twitter. Over 600 doctors today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement '85 per cent pictorial warnings' on all tobacco product packages with effect from April 1, 2016. As many as 653 doctors wrote individual letters to the Prime Minister requesting him to implement the larger pictorial warning on packages of tobacco products, Sanjay Seth, Chief of Operations of 'Voice of Tobacco Victims' campaign said. They also requested him to reject the recommendation of Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation for 50 per cent coverage on both sides of cigarette packs and up to 50 per cent on one side of beedi and chewing tobacco product packs. Copies of the letters written by doctors, who are from various states of the country, have also been sent to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Seth said. Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai, claimed that plethora of medical research have proven that tobacco is the only consumer product that has no good use except causing disease, disability and death. Pawan Singhal, VOTV state patron and Associate Professor at SMS Hospital, saidlarge pictorial warning on tobacco packets is the most cost effective way to prevent youngsters from initiating the use and encourage consumers to quit the habit. A 63-year-old Dutch woman was safely evacuated today from a deep gulley in Dhauladhar range mountains into which she had fallen during a trek here, police said. Vanees, a Dutch national had fallen down a gulley yesterday while on a trekking expedition. Kangra police chief Sanjeev Gandhi said Vanees had been brought to safety from the trekking area near Triund where she had fallen yesterday. "Josef, a friend of Vanees, had lodged a police report about Vanees missing after a fall," said Gandhi. "A team led by police officer Pankaj headed out to the trekking accident site and after an overnight search found her safe today morning", he said. She is recovering at the Dharamsala hospital, he added. Vanees came to India in the month of January. Triund, at an altitude of about 9,300 feet, is above McLeod Ganj, the seat of The Dalai Lama and the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile. Andhra Pradesh has launched an e-governance programme to empower citizens to be active participants in the governance process, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said today. Making a suo moto statement in the State Legislative Assembly on e-Pragati and the ambitious AP Fiber Grid Project, Naidu said the hierarchial systems in government would be replaced by an "integrated and collaborative operating model" using e-Pragati. "The single-channel, one-size-fits-all models of service delivery will give way to personalised services delivered through multiple channels. The output-driven processes will be replaced by transparent, outcome-driven procedures," he said. Citizens would no longer be "passive spectators" but would be empowered to be active participants in governance, he said. Through e-Pragati, AP would rank among the global leaders in e-governance like Singapore, Australia, Korea, France, USA, UK, Finland and the Netherlands that adopted Enterprise Architecture, the chief minister said. E-Pragati would also usher in a "certificate-less" system that would eliminate the need for citizens to produce various certificates like nativity, caste etc. "Now that the Centre has enacted a legislation giving a legal framework for Aadhar, we will use the data and integrate it to various government services. This will ensure transparency and eliminate corruption as various government services will be made available to citizens online," Naidu elaborated. AP has become the first state in the country to implement a comprehensive Enterprise Architecture treating the government as "one entity" and "not 33 departments and 315 agencies". "The power and visionary nature of e-Pragati framework has been appreciated by global leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Cisco executive chairman John Chambers," he claimed. On the AP Fiber Grid Project, the chief minister said three digital corporations would be set up for developing suitable customised local content in the areas of primary sector (agriculture), education and health. A tower corporation would also be set up to provide seamless wireless connectivity to all citizens of the state. Smart metering services would also be enabled for utilities like electricity, gas and water. "AP will become the first Digital State in the country by providing 'Fiber to the Home' (FTTH) connectivity. The AP State Fiber Net Ltd has obtained required licenses for internet service provider, national long distance and unified service access from the Department of Telecommunications," Naidu told the Assembly. Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, however, alleged that the FTTH service was only to enable the government gain control over certain television channels. The Rs 333 crore optic fiber cable-laying contract was awarded to people close to the chief minister, Jagan alleged. Naidu, however, refuted the allegations and said the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, who quoted four per cent less than the price fixed by the government. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said all efforts were being made to bring back those stranded in violence-hit Libya. "I am trying to contact Indian embassy in Libya also. We will do our best," he told reporters here. A Keralite nurse and her one-and-half-year-old son were killed yesterday in a rocket attack in Zawiya city of Libya. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital where the victim rendered her service. CPI(M) state Secretary Kodieryi Balakrishnan also asked the state and central governments to do everything possible to bring the stranded Indians safely to the country. Egyptian prosecutors ordered today the four-day detention of two women arrested in an apartment where police found the belongings of murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni, a prosecution official said. The women are the wife and a sister of one of four slain gang members whom police have linked to the brutal murder of Regeni, whose mutilated body was found more than week after his disappearance in Cairo on January 25. They are accused of concealing a crime and being in the possession of stolen material, the official said. Egyptian police announced on Thursday that they killed four gang members in a shootout, and then discovered Regeni's passport and wallet in the home of a suspect's sister. Italy has cast doubt on the suggestion that the gang members -- who allegedly posed as police to extort foreigners and Egyptians -- were behind Regeni's murder. "Italy insists: we want the truth," wrote Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on his Twitter, while prosecutors in Rome rejected the latest conclusions of the Egyptian probe. Italian media and western diplomatic sources in Cairo have voiced suspicions that Egyptian security services kidnapped and tortured to death the 28-year-old Cambridge University graduate student. Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone said in a statement that "details communicated so far are not satisfactory to shed light on the death of Giulio Regeni. Investigations must therefore continue." According to Italian government sources, premier Matteo Renzi has promised the parents of the young student that Rome will continue to put pressure on Egypt to establish the full truth behind his death. Quoted by Italian press, Regeni's parents said they were "injured and bitter" at Egyptian authorities' latest attempt to explain their son's death. Regeni had been researching labour movements in Egypt, a sensitive topic, and had written articles critical of the government under a pen name. In a statement late yesterday, the Egyptian interior ministry said it was investigating the gang's links to Regeni's murder. "The investigation apparatus is continuing, in coordination with the Italian security team, in its efforts to examine the gang's links, and the circumstances of the crimes and the areas in which they occurred," the ministry said. The Centre should not step back on 85 per cent pictorial warnings (PWs) on tobacco products, experts said here today, while stressing that the move was required to save millions of lives in the country. Addressing reporters here, a team of health experts said though the government had issued a notification on October 15, 2014, making it mandatory for tobacco firms to display graphic health warning occupying 85 per cent of the principal display area of all tobacco packs, it was yet to come into force. Recently, the Committee on Subordinate Legislation (COSL) presented a conflicting report recommending 50 per cent PWs on both sides of cigarettes packets. Experts said they were of the feeling that 50 per cent warnings was not enough as various studies have proved that larger warning on tobacco products does curb people from getting addicted to such products. Noted oncologist and member of Karnataka government high power committee on tobacco control, Vishal Rao said he had attended the COSL meeting to convey his point of view about the need for consumer awareness as a right to health. He emphasised that the government should be committed to reducing the advertisments by tobacco companies which lure consumers to addiction and pave way for consumer awareness of harms through increased pictorial warning. On the COSL report, neuro surgeon and member of Lok Satta party Banu Prakash said it was "a compromised" report and the Union government need not consider it at all. Health expert Dr Upendra Bhojani from the Institute of Public Health said this simple step by the government, sticking to 85 per cent health warning on tobacco products, if taken before this April, can save millions of lives in the country. He said beedi baron and MP Shyam Charan Gupta being a member of the CoSL itself was a conflict of interest and rendered this report biased. Advocate Jayna Kothari detailed on the legal aspects of the tobacco control and said various orders of the supreme court and high courts of Karnataka, Rajasthan have highlighted the need for larger warnings on tobacco product to keep away users, especially youngsters. The experts said various organisations across the country, including the Association of Physicians of India, have sent letters to Union health ministry in this regard. Meanwhile, Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader in a letter to the Union Health Minister appreciated the Centre for the steps taken to battle tobacco menace but urged it not to step back on its decision on the PWs, according to the Institute of Public Health statement. Following are the acceptances of the 45th day races to be held here on Monday, March 28th, 2016. 1st race: The Madras Race Club Gold Cup, 1000 M. 1400 hrs. Smart Strider 60, Victorious March 59.5, Simply Clever 58.5.(Total 4).(Weight raised by 4.5 kgs. At the acceptances stage). 2nd race: The Bengal Plate, 1000 M.(For maiden Indian horses 3 years ld only(terms) 1430 hrs: Blaze the Turf 55, Power of Liberty 55, Priceless Heart 53.5, Dashing Conqueror 55, Regimental Hero 55, Phantom of Stars 55, Heart of Eternity 53.5. (Total 7) 3rd race: The Champion Trainer Cup, 1200 M, 1500 hrs. Magnanimous 61.5, Wild Nexus 58, Photo Opps 54, Right Option 60.5, Cecil 57.5, Two Oceans 54, Julius 60, Classy Dancer 56, Tbilisi 53, Indispensable 59, Serena 55.5, Autumn Love 52.5, Sunshine Heart 59, Theology 54.5. (Total 14) 4th race: The Leading Owner Cup, 1200 M. 1530 hrs: Baratheon 62, Sweet Candy 55, Heatwave 59, Own Asset 53. (Total 4). 5th race: The Champion Jockey Cup, 1200 M. Ariana 62.5, Paris lane 61, Always Loyal 55.5, Chalaque 62.5, Phy'eau Liang 60.5, Supersticous 53.5, New Wings 62, Alpharetta 60, Magical Star 50.5, Girlish Charmo 61.5, Chamak Challo 60, General Command 50, Favourite Warrior 61, Smart Raider 59.5. (Total 14). 6th race: The Young Rajput Plate, 1000 M, 1630 hrs: Dreamland 60, Extreme Love 58, Alerio 53.5, Ice Skates 60, Amigos 56, City of Song 53.5, Priceless Precious 59.5, Affirmation 55.5, Romeo 59, Fantastic Strike 55. (Total 10). 7th race: The Cairo Plate, 1400 M. 1700 hrs: Star Craft 60, Golden Lilly 57.5, World of Magic 57, Hail the King 59.5, Top Commander 57.5. (Total 5). JACKPOT RACE NOS : 3,4,5,6 & 7 MINI JACKPOT RACE NOS: 4,5,6 & 7 TREBLE RACE NOS : 5,6 & 7. Former Andhra Pradesh minister Ananda Gajapathi Raju today died at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam after suffering a heart attack. He was 66. He had been not keeping well for the last couple of months and suffered a cardiac arrest this morning after which he was taken to Manipal Hospital in Visakhapatnam, nearly 66 kms from here, family members said. Raju, who hailed from the titular family of Vizianagaram, started his political career with TDP in 1983 and won state assembly elections the same year. He first became Member of Parliament on a TDP ticket in 1984 from Bobbili constituency in Vizianagaram district and won the same seat as a Congress candidate in 1991. Raju also held Health and Education portfolios in the NT Rama Rao government. His brother, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, is currently the Civil Aviation Minister. The last rites will be performed later in the day here. (Reopens BES15) Condoling the death of Ananda Gajapathi Raju, Telangana BJP President and MLA G Kishan Reddy recalled his services to the people through a charitable trust. "His death is a loss to the Telugu people," Reddy Ssaid. Funds for acquisition of land for the Agartala-Akhaura rail project to link Indian Railways with Bangladesh Railways, will soon be released by the DoNER ministry, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said today. "The PMO has recently made an assessment of the project and directed the DoNER ministry to release funds for land acquisition and construction of roads along the tracks up to the Indo-Bangla border and laying of tracks on the Indian side. We are now waiting for the detailed project report," Singh told reporters after meeting Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. DoNER has already sanctioned Rs 580 crore for the project, he said adding the Ministry has asked Railway Board to fulfill the formalities for it. The process of laying 15.054-km long railway tracks to connect Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh will be completed by 2017. Of the total track, 5 km would be on Indian side and the rest in Bangladesh. A flyover of 3.7 km would be constructed on the Indian side to save cultivable lands and the entire project cost would be borne by the government, he said. New Delhi is keen to establish the rail link as it would connect West Bengal and Tripura through Bangladesh. During Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010, the two neighbours had agreed to lay the tracks between Akhaura and Agartala. The Agartala-Akhaura railway route would connect Indian Railways with Bangladesh Railways which would improve connectivity and boost trade between the two countries. Also the 1,700 km distance between Agartala and Kolkata through the 'chicken's neck' in Siliguri would be reduced to 350 km if passengers could move through Bangladesh, officials said. The eight north-eastern states would be the destination of startup ventures in the country after the announcement of the 'Startup India' initiative in January, he said inaugurating the annual conference of Tripura Journalist Union (TJU) at Agartala Press Club. Singh said the Prime Minister was keen on developing northeast and the direct flight from Delhi to Dimapur in Nagaland was a major step to connect the region with the rest of the country. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron is fascinated with the culture of China and wishes to make a movie in Chinese. The 54-year-old "Gravity" helmer was among the headline speakers at the inaugural China-US Motion Picture Summit, held here on Friday, said The Hollywood Reporter. "For me, the content always goes before the deals, so I don't feel much of the effect in terms of where the money comes from. "But in my specific case, I'm very intrigued about China. I'm intrigued about the possibility, sometime in the future, to do a film here - but a film in Chinese. I'm fascinated by this culture," Cuaron said. The Mexican filmmaker said the creative challenge of working in the Chinese language and storytelling tradition excites him. Greece said today it has begun emptying the main migrant camp on its border with Macedonia, as the huge tide of refugees flooding into the country slows to a trickle following the EU-Turkey deal. Eight buses transported around 400 refugees from the Idomeni camp yesterday, while another three buses left on today, taking them to other camps set up in northern Greece, local police said. Those persuaded to board the first buses were mainly parents with children who can no longer tolerate the difficult conditions in the squalid camp. Janger Hassan, 29, from Iraqi Kurdistan, who has been at the Idomeni camp for a month with his wife and two young children, said he will probably leave too. "There's nothing to do here. The children are getting sick. It's a bad situation, the last two days it's windy, sometimes it's raining here," he told AFP. "We don't have a choice. We have to move." But some are still holding out at Idomeni. "People who have no hope or have no money, maybe they will go," said 40-year-old Fatema Ahmed from Iraq, who has a 13-year-old son in Germany and three daughters with her in the camp. "But I have hope, maybe something better will happen tomorrow, maybe today," she added. Today, inside one of the soaking tents of the camp, a 24-year-old woman travelling from Kobani with her two little girls, gave birth to another baby girl. According to Athens Agency, the woman was helped by the charity Doctors of the World during her labour that lasted just half-an-hour and was then taken to a hospital with her baby. A total of around 11,600 people remained at the sprawling border camp today, according to the latest official count. Giorgos Kyritsis, spokesman of the SOMP agency which is coordinating Athens' response to the refugee crisis, said the operation to evacuate Idomeni will intensify from Monday. "More than 2,000 places can be found immediately for the refugees that are at the Idomeni camp and from Monday on this number can double," Kyritsis said, pledging to create 30,000 more places in the next three weeks in new shelters. Meanwhile, the flow of refugees arriving in Greece has been slowing dramatically. Greece on Thursday said no migrants had arrived on its Aegean islands in the previous 24 hours, for the first time since the controversial EU-Turkey deal, under which all migrants landing on the Greek islands face being sent back to Turkey, went into effect on Sunday. A farmer was burnt alive in Gujarat allegedly by associates of a moneylender for refusing to pay pending dues to them, police said today. Dayabhai Raval, a resident of Dhanpura village in adjoining Mehsana district, was set ablaze on March 21 and he succumbed to burn injuries at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital today, they said. The 55-year-old had borrowed Rs 1 lakh from Bharatsinh Rathod, whose occupation was to lend money to villagers, and had returned Rs 50,000 to him. When he failed to return the remaining Rs 50,000 plus the interest on time, Rathod sent one Harjitsinh Rathod and six others to his house to collect the dues, police said, quoting from an FIR registered in the case. "According to the FIR, when Raval insisted that he will pay the dues only to the moneylender (Bharatsinh Rathod), Harjitsinh and others set him afire after dousing him with kerosene," Sub-Inspector S J Desai said. Raval was taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where he battled for life for five days before succumbing, Desai said. The accused, who were earlier booked under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder), were now charged with murder (Section 302). "We are yet to trace Harjitsinh and his accomplices who have not been identified. Our investigation in the case is on," Desai said. In this April 3, 2012, file photo, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawwa and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba talks with the Associated Press in Islamabad, Pakistan. Photo: PTI Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley today disclosed before an anti-terror court here that LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". After hearing this (that Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson), Headley had told Saeed that this would be done, he said. To a question, he said he had not requested for any time "to accomplish this task", but said "it would take six months". Yesterday, Headley had revealed that he had "arranged" a fund-raising programme for the Shiv Sena in the US and had planned to invite Thackeray to the event. The 55-year-old LeT operative, who has turned approver in the case, said that Sena man Rajaram Rege had told him that "Thackeray was sick and so may be his son and other officials may attend the programme." Earlier this week, Headley had told the court that terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to eliminate Thackeray but the person who was assigned the job to kill the Sena chief was arrested and he managed to give police the slip. "We wanted to target the chief of Shiv Sena... His name was Bal Thackeray. LeT wanted to kill him wherever a chance arose. I knew that Bal Thackeray was the head of Shiv Sena. I have no firsthand knowledge but I think an attempt was made by LeT to kill Bal Thackeray," he had said. "I don't know how this attempt was made. I think the person (who was sent to kill Thackeray) was arrested but he managed to escape from police custody. I don't have firsthand knowledge about this though," Headley had told Judge G A Sanap, who is hearing the 26/11 terror case against Abu Jundal in the sessions court here. Haryana Cabinet is likely to discuss the draft Bill to provide reservation to Jats and four other castes in government jobs and educational institutions tomorrow. The Draft Bill on reservation to Jats is likely to come up for discussion in a cabinet meeting tomorrow, an official spokesman said here today. The BJP-led state government has said it will bring the Bill to give reservation to Jats and four other castes-Jat Sikhs, Bishnois, Tyagis and Rors in the ongoing Budget session which is scheduled to end on March 31. "We are demanding quota in existing Backward Classes (BC) category for Jats. What we have come to know is that the government is planning to give 10 per cent reservation in the Bill by creating a third category in BC quota. "If reservation exceeds 50 per cent ceiling, the government should include the proposed legislation in the ninth Schedule of the Constitution so that it can be protected against judicial review," said All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti President, Yashpal Malik. "Whatever Bill is tabled in the session should be legally tenable," he said. Jat leaders, who had earlier threatened to resume their protest, announced that no protest would be held till April 3 if the state government gets the reservation bill passed in the Assembly during the ongoing session. The community has been demanding reservation in the existing backward classes (BC) category. The Backward Classes quota is bifurcated in two categories--BC-A and BC-B having 16 and 11 per cent reservation respectively. A committee headed by Chief Secretary D S Dhesi to review Jat reservation has already submitted its report to the state government. JNU students today held a protest outside Telangana Bhawan here demanding the release of 25 students and two faculty members of Hyderabad Central University who were arrested for allegedly vandalising the official residence of the varsity's Vice-Chancellor. The protest was led by Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association (BAPSA) and joined by representatives of JNU student bodies related to AISF, AISA and DSF among others. Students and teachers from Delhi University also participated in the protest. "The government systematically planned this whole thing to arrest students and divert the public attention from Rohith Vemula's case," DU professor Keshav Kumar said. Rahul, a BAPSA member questioned Telangana Chief Minister K C Rao's "silence" on Rohith's case. "We want to tell the state government that they are oppressing those Dalits on whose sacrifice their government came to power. We want them to take accountability for the incident and release the students," he said. DU Professor Sukumar condemned the police action on the students terming it as "unprecedented". The protesters also demanded the enactment of "Rohith Act" to end caste-based discrimination in educational institutions and the release of Hyderabad University professors Tathagata Sengupta, Konda Yesu Ratnam among others. Another Delhi University professor echoed the same sentiments stating "Brahiminical forces are frustrated" since students from vulnerable communities are questioning the system and its atrocities. "It is a warning sign for these forces to make them realise that their dominance is not active anymore, their hegemony has been challenged. People now have understood Ambedkar philosophy, they are participating in the movement," Professor Rajkumar said. 25 students and two faculty members of Hyderabad Central University were arrested in connection with incidents of vandalism at the VC's lodge and stone pelting on police personnel on March 22. File Photo of Ishrat Jahan. Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley had claimed that Ishrat Jahan was an operative of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Photo: PTI Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zaki-ur- Rehman Lakhvi had told him about the Ishrat Jehan 'operation' and wondered why NIA chose not to mention it in its statement. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley claimed he had told NIA that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. The cross-examination via video link of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to Defence College, New Delhi. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. The judge then directed the jail authorities to allow the lawyer to meet the accused for two hours in prison or communcate with him through video link in the court but as the lawyer did not accept this, the court rejected the plea. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. During re-examination by Nikam, Headley said he had referred to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai while deposing earlier about his visit to a nuclear power plant to conduct surveillance for potential targets. "I visited BARC on the recommendation of Major Iqbal (of Pakistan)", said Headley to Nikam. Earlier, Headley told the defence lawyer that it was not correct to say that LeT wanted to assassinate former Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff. Headley said he told NIA that before Sajid Mir, Muzammil Bhat was the head of the group (LeT). The Lashkar terrorist was then confronted with his own statement asking him why information about Bhat has not been recorded. To this, Headley said he cannot explain this. He also claimed he had told NIA about an "unsuccessful operation near police post in India" but could not explain as to why it has not been recorded in his statement. To a volley of questions, Headley clarified that he had informed NIA that "this woman (Jahan) was an Indian and a LeT operative" but could not explain why this was not recorded in his statement. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he added. Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. Headley also said that he had told the agency that Muzammil's operations were all over in India but concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra. "It is true that Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil to me in 2005," Headley said replying to a question. However, he denied that Lakhvi had told him that Muzammil was a top LeT commander whose every project fails. "Lakhvi did not tell me this and I also did not tell NIA about this," he said but failed to explain why this was reflected in his statement. Headley told defence lawyer "it is baseless to say that I am trying to supress the role of my wife Shazia, brother Daniel and friend Saulat (Rana) in the 26/11 attacks in order to shield them". He also denied that he had pleaded guilty in this case in US court to prevent arrest of his family members for their alleged role in the 26/11 attacks, forfeiture of property and imposition of fines. To a question, Headley said he believed that India,Israel and US are enemies of Islam. Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported today. Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants, Russia's defense ministry said. Syrian troops and allied militiamen have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Palmyra, affectionately known as the "bride of the desert," used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. IS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments in the UNESCO world heritage site. The extremists believe ancient ruins promote idolatry. The militants also demolished the town's infamous Tadmur prison, where thousands of Syrian government opponents were reported to have been tortured. Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Bashar Assad's government, which has made steady gains in recent months against IS and other insurgents. The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week according to the Observatory, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers yesterday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and IS-affiliated media sites reported. The Observatory's figures indicate at least 56 soldiers have died in fighting this week. Footage broadcast on Lebanese stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyra's skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. IS began evacuating civilians this week to other parts of its territories in Syria. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. Activists citing sources among advancing government forces said the two sides were fighting over the area, while the Observatory said government forces had retaken the site. Syrian state media made no mention of the area. The head of Syria's antiquities and museums authority described the condition of the remaining monuments including the grand amphitheater, the market place, public baths, and a long colonnade as "excellent," with only minor damage, based on footage captured by a drone and broadcast on Russian television yesterday. The Alabama Emergency Management Agency says four people were killed in a helicopter crash in southeast Alabama. Alabama EMA spokesman Greg Robinson says three crew members and a patient were aboard the ambulance helicopter when the crash occurred around 12.17 am today. Robinson says the downed helicopter was found after 7 am. Coffee County EMA Deputy Director James Brown tells WSFA-TV that the aircraft crashed after responding to a wreck in which the patient had a broken leg and was unconscious. Troy Regional Medical Center CEO Teresa Grimes said in a Facebook post that the medical center "is saddened" by the loss of the crew and patient during the transport. Robinson says the National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter that it was investigating a helicopter crash in Goodman, Alabama. The Hyderabad Central University today told the Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission that human rights of the students were not violated during the developments at the varsity this week. P L Vishweshwar Rao, spokesperson of Aam Aadmi Party's Telangana unit, had filed a petition before the APSHRC, alleging that HCU authorities closed the hostels and denied food, water, electricity and internet to the students following protests over resumption of duty by the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile on March 22. On Thursday, the Commission had sought a report from the VC. HCU registrar M Sudhakar in his report before the APSHRC today termed the complaint against the VC as "false, motivated" and not reflecting the facts. None of the hostels were closed and not a single student was evicted from hostel, he said. "While the VC is sparing no effort to restore normalcy on the campus, rumours, as mentioned in the complaint, are being spread to cause unrest in the University," the report said. Demonstration by non-teaching staff led to the closure of messes on March 22, which were reopened by March 24. Water supply and internet facility were never disconnected but there was "temporary" disruption, the HCU report said. As to the incidents of March 22, (the day the VC resumed his duty) a note submitted before the APSHRC said that after conclusion of recording of depositions of various stakeholders by the Commission of Inquriy appointed by the HRD Ministry on March 21, the VC rejoined on March 22. "When the VC was holding a meeting with the local members of the Executive Council at the VC's Lodge (his official residence), a mob vandalised the personal property of the VC and that of the University besides manhandling and roughing up the security staff," it said. "But for the timely intervention of the students of the Life Sciences department and some non-teaching staff, who formed a protective security cordon, the Vice Chancellor and other faculty members would have been brutally assaulted," the note said, adding "from the brutality of actions of mob and slogans raised by them to extent of killing the VC, it can be gauged that their intention was to cause physical harm to the VC." The note further said that even the members of electronic media, who had come to the VC's Lodge to attend a press conference, were assaulted by the mob. The protesting students who continued the agitation near the VC's Lodge failed to respond to the appeals by the police to leave the premises and hence the police took them out of the compound, it said. Enraged by this, the students started pelting stones at the police, injuring some of them, after which the police resorted to mild use of force to disperse them so as to avoid further damage to the varsity's property, it claimed. Subsequently, 27 students and two associate professors were arrested for vandalising the government property and pelting stones at the police personnel, the note added. The protesting students are opposed to resumption of duty by Podile, whom they hold "responsible" for suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. The bail applications of arrested students and professors would be heard on March 28. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that he has "no personal knowledge" about Ishrat Jehan and he had learnt about the case from the media. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he said during cross- examination via video link before judge G A Sanap. While deposing last month, Headley had told the court that Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl, was working for LeT. Ishrat was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "When Lakhvi (LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi) introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... The rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said. The cross-examination of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a women's wing LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that "defence is pre-supposing this." Explaining this, Headley said, "I had no knowledge of women's wing that was for combat but there is a women's wing that takes care of women's issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the "social issues" taken up by the women's wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley also claimed he had told NIA that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to National Defence College, New Delhi. Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. India is making all efforts to secure the release of a priest from Kerala who was abducted by a terror group in Yemen last month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today. The minister's remarks came in the backdrop of reports claiming that the terror group planned to execute the priest on Good Friday yesterday. However, there is no report of any harm having come to him so far. "Father Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We are making all efforts to secure his release," Swaraj said. Uzhunnalil had gone missing in Yemen after the Islamic State militant group attacked a care home run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. "Yemen is a conflict zone. We do not have Embassy there. But we will spare no efforts to rescue Father Tom Uzhunnalil," Swaraj had tweeted earlier. Gunmen had stormed the refuge for the elderly earlier this month and killed a Yemeni guard before tying up and shooting 15 other employees. Four foreign nuns, including an Indian, working as nurses were among those killed. An India-born academician has been named by the UN Human Rights Council as an adviser to one of its working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. Surya Deva has been appointed by the Geneva-based UNHRC as the Asia-Pacific representative of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. Deva is an associate professor at the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong and his research interests lie in Business and Human Rights, Corporate Social Responsibility, India-China Constitutional Law, and Sustainable Development. Deva recently wrote a background paper for India's National Framework on Business and Human Rights and in 2014. He was elected a Member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Constitutional Law. President of the Human Rights Council Choi Kyong-lim informed in a letter to all permanent representatives to the United Nations Office at Geneva last week about Deva's appointment. Five inmates have died in a prison fire in Indonesia, police said today, after an operation to flush out a drug kingpin sparked a violent riot. The blaze was started by angry inmates yesterday evening as police entered the prison in Bengkulu, on Sumatra island, in search of a wanted inmate, local police spokesman Sudarno told AFP. More than 250 prisoners were rescued as the fire tore through the facility, but there were five who did not make it out alive. "It's true that five prisoners died. They were trapped inside," said Sudarno, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "Several of the prison buildings have been damaged, but the investigation is still underway." The five deceased have been identified, Sudarno said, while no other prisoners suffered injuries. Footage on local television showed flames licking the walls of the prison as inmates were frogmarched from the blaze. Officials were later seen carrying plastic body bags from the charred building to waiting ambulances. Indonesia has some of the toughest anti-narcotics laws in the world, including death by firing squad for traffickers, and has launched a full-scale "war on drugs" to erase what authorities claim is a nationwide scourge. Iran today denied supporting cyber attacks against the United States after a New York court indicted seven Iranians over hacking dozens of American banks and a major dam. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had dangerous cyber actions on its agenda and does not support such measures," Hossein Jaber Ansari, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The United States on Thursday announced computer hacking charges against seven Iranians who it said worked for firms linked to the Iranian government, accusing them of infiltrating nearly 50 banks and financial institutions, as well as a major New York dam. The announcement comes after a nuclear agreement last year between Iran, the United States and five other major powers raised hopes for better relations between Tehran and Washington. In a standoff that lasted more than a decade, the US and the European Union imposed sanctions in a bid to stymie Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and ensure a bomb was out of reach. Iran persistently denied seeking atomic weapons. The United States and Israel allegedly attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in 2010 with a computer virus called Stuxnet, although neither government has acknowledged it. The virus, which temporarily hobbled Iran's nuclear refining facilities, was believed to be the first programme designed not just to steal information or hijack computers, but to damage equipment. "The United States, which with its cyber attacks against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities put millions of innocent Iranians at the risk of a environmental disaster is in no position to accuse citizens of other countries, including those of Iran," Ansari said. Italy has cast doubt on Egypt's explanation for the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, after Egyptian police said they had killed four gang members and found the victim's passport at one of their apartments. "Italy insists: we want the truth," said Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on his Twitter feed late yesterday, while prosecutors in Rome rejected the latest conclusions of the Egyptian probe. Italian media and Western diplomatic sources in Cairo have voiced suspicions that Egyptian security services kidnapped and tortured to death the Cambridge University graduate whose mutilated body was found in Cairo in January. On Thursday Egyptian police said they had identified people linked to Regeni's murder, after killing four members of a criminal gang and finding the victim's passport. Egyptian prosecutors today ordered the detention of four people over Regeni's murder, all of them closely related to the leader of the gang who was killed in the shootout with police. The four suspects are accused of concealing a crime and being in the possession of stolen material, a prosecution official said, adding they were taken into custody for four days. Regeni disappeared on January 25 in central Cairo. His body was found nine days later on the side of a motorway, badly mutilated and showing signs of torture. Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone said in a statement that "details communicated so far are not satisfactory to shed light on the death of Giulio Regeni. Investigations must therefore continue." According to Italian government sources, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised the parents of the young student that Rome will continue to put pressure on Egypt to establish the full truth behind his death. "Italy will never content itself with anything less than the truth, the whole truth, without shadows or mystery," a source within the premier's office said. Quoted by Italian press, Regeni's parents said they were "injured and bitter" at Egyptian authorities' latest attempt to explain their son's death. Two of Regeni's friends quoted by the Corriere della Sera newspaper said that glasses and a quantity of cannabis apparently found by police in the student's room definitely did not belong to him. Regeni, 28, had been researching labour movements in Egypt, a sensitive topic, and had written articles critical of the government under a pen name. The incident has threatened relations between Egypt and Italy, a strong supporter of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi whose security services have been accused of abusing dissidents. Kulbushan Jadhav, who has been arrested by Pakistani agencies claiming he was a RAW spy, was a businessman who owns a small ship, government sources claimed here today. Jhadav often carries cargo to and from Iranian ports bordering Pakistan and has nothing to do with India's external Intelligence agency, government sources said today. They said there is no proof that the retired navy officer, who owns a cargo business in Iran, was arrested in Balochistan as claimed by Pakistan. Jadav could have been arrested after he strayed into Pakistani waters and was being wrongly charged, they said. He owns a small ship and used to carry cargo from Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran and other adjoining areas to various destinations, sources said. It is a matter of investigation whether he accidentally strayed into Pakistani waters or was lured into Pakistan. All these needs to checked and hence India has sought consular access to Jadav but Pakistan so far has not agreed to it, the sources said. Yesterday, India had acknowledged that the arrested man had served with the navy but denied that Jadav has any connection with the government. "The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Jadav was arrested on Thursday in a raid in Balochistan, the Pakistani media said claiming that the "Indian spy was sponsoring terrorist and subversive activities in Balochistan." In Islamabad, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale was summoned by the Pakistani government which alleged that Jadav had instigated terror attacks in Karachi and unrest in Balochistan. Warning the people of tribal Jangalmahal against voting for CPI (M), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the region would witness Maoist violence again if the party returns to power. "Now peace has returned. If you allow CPI(M) to return to power, violence will again hit Jangalmahal (former Maoist stronghold in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts). "The area had hit the headlines for bloodshed during Left Front rule," Banerjee said at an election meeting here on the second day of her campaign in West Midnapore. She claimed that since Trinamool Congress government has come to the power, there had been an all round development of Junglemahal region and Left Wing Extremism had also been contained. Listing the development work undertaken by her government in the area, the Trinamool Congress supremo said "I am not like a cuckoo which is seen only during spring. I always come here and you always get me". Reacting to her statement, Surjya Kanta Mishra, CPI(M) state secretary, said, "She is saying don't vote for the Opposition. She is afraid. "She said that anarchy will return. But anarchy prevailed during the rule of Trinamool Congress. Democracy is trampled and corruption is rampant," he said at Ranibandh in Bankura district while speaking at an election meeting. He alleged that under TMC rule no industry was set up and chit fund businesses flourished, while farmers did not get return for their crop and committed suicide. At Shilda, Banerjee while referring to the Congress-Left electoral pact said, "Congress and CPI(M) have become bhai bhai (brothers). Congress has now become CPI(M)'s A team. You (the people) have to defeat Congress, CPI(M) and BJP". Inviting CPI(M)and Congress to fight her "politically", Banerjee said the parties are jealous of the development work done by her government and have resorted to a smear campaign against TMC. (REOPENS CAL 8) She further said, "Fight me politically. I will be happy. I am nobody's enemy. There are medicines for many diseases but none for jealousy." Targeting the BJP also, she said that the party was always looking for an opportunity to foment a riot. Playing the development card, she said, "Now peace has been restored in the area and people are living in harmony. They are getting rice at Rs two per kg and also the benefits of various welfare schemes initiated by the state government". Reaching out to the voters in 'alchiki' (the language of the tribals), Banerjee said her party had also brought out the election manifesto in that language. A Chinese journalist, who went missing after an anonymous letter calling for President Xi Jinping's resignation, has been released, his lawyer said today. Jia Jia has been freed here and had met his wife, his lawyer Chen Jiangang told media. "It was really a big misunderstanding to hold Jia Jia for 10 days thinking he was somehow involved in some letter," Radio Free Asia (RFA) has quoted lawyer Chen Jiangang as saying. The columnist in Wujie News, which is a website funded by e-commerce giant Alibaba and the provincial government of Xinjiang, went missing from Beijing airport on March 15 while boarding a flight to Hong Kong. The fate of 19 others who were reportedly detained in connection with the recent publication of the letter was, however, not known. Yesterday, the BBC reported quoting an unidentified staff member at Wujie that those "taken away" include colleagues who work directly for the website and another 10 people who work for a related technology company. Police suspect that he drafted the letter, Chen said. "But in the case of China, a misunderstanding can embroil a whole clan," he said. Jia's social media account, which had been silent since he went missing, carried a brief note saying "thank you, everyone" for showing concern over his case, according to the RFA report. Earlier the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said, Jia told friends that he believed the police were looking for him in relation to a March 4 open letter by purported "loyal party members" published on the Watching (in Chinese, Wujie) website calling on Xi "to resign from all Party and state leadership positions". The anonymous letter while appreciating Xi's sweeping anti-corruption drive has accused him of promoting "personality cult, not allowing 'rash opinions of central leadership', creating a 'one voice party' method" disregarding the collective leadership principle. Although quickly deleted by the authorities, a cached version can still be found online. Xi besides being the President also heads the Communist Party and military. Thousands of officials were punished in the anti-graft drive in the last three years. Skin care firm Ltd said Saturday it along with a local partner has increased stake in Abu Dhabi-based Iris Medical Centre LLC to 85% by acquiring 10% additional stake for an undisclosed sum. " Middle East DMCC, a foreign subsidiary of Ltd along with its local partner, has additionally acquired 10% of beneficial interest in Iris Medical Centre LLC at Abu Dhabi (IRIS) through MoA and Assignment of shares of IRIS on March 24, 2016," Kaya informed the BSE. It further said: "Thus, Kaya Middle East DMCC now holds 85% beneficial interest in IRIS". Last year, Kaya had announced that it would acquire 75% stake in Iris Medical Centre LLC, which carries out business of skincare services and operates one clinic in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with a local firm for an undisclosed sum. Kaya, which has entered into Middle East in 2004 with its first clinic in Dubai, is now operating over 21 skin clinics across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. In India, it operates more than 100 skin clinics and over 100 Kaya Skin Bars across 27 cities. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP's National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will address natural calamity-hit farmers in Outer Delhi where he is expected to announce a major relief. On March 14, the Delhi CM had ordered Divisional Commissioner A Anbarasu to assess the damage to crops due to unseasonal hailstorm and rains in the national capital. "The Chief Minister will be addressing a rally of farmers. However, we have not decided on any date or venue," said AAP's Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey. Sources said the rally in expected to be held on April 3. Last year, AAP government had announced a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers who faced losses due to crop damage. It had then claimed it was the highest compensation announced by any government in the country so far. A Keralite nurse working in and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a bomb blast in the ongoing civil strife in that country, her family said today. Sunu Sathyan and the toddler were sleeping in their house when it was rocked by an explosion, killing them yesterday, her father Sathyan Nair, hailing from Kondadu in Kottayam district, said. The victim was working as a nurse in Zawia Medical centre AZ Zawiya, . Her husband Vipin Kumar, who is a male nurse in Libya, was away on duty. Nair has sought government help to bring back the bodies. "Yesterday I got information through phone that my daughter and her one-and-a-half-year-old baby died in a bomb blast at her residence while they were sleeping," he said in his letter to the government. He said he got only this much information from her fellow employees and relatives. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she has sought details from Indian embassy in the violence-hit country. "I have asked for a report reg (regarding) the death of an Indian nurse and her child from our Ambassador in Libya," Swaraj tweeted. Nair, in his letter through Kaduthuruthy MLA Mons Joseph, sought help to bring back the bodies of his daughter and grandson. "I came to know that the blast occurred due to regular fights between the rival groups in . So I humbly request your good self to make available the detailed information about the incident and help us bring back the dead body of my beloved daughter and her son, whom we have never seen." "I also request you to extend all help and protection to her husband, who is in a state of shock after the blast," Nair said. When contacted, Kerala Information and Public Relations Minister K C Joseph said that the state government has informed the External Affairs Ministry about the matter. Meanwhile, state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said eight to nine people are stranded in Libya and efforts are on to bring them back. "Kerala government is alert on this issue. We are in touch with the External Affairs Ministry and the Embassy in Libya. We are trying to evacuate all the people who are stranded there," Chennithala said. The alleged RAW spy Kulbhushan Jadhav's father had worked in the Mumbai Police and had retired as an assistant commissioner of police, sources close to his family said today. Sudhir Jadhav, Kulbhushan's father, retired as an ACP about eight years ago, while his uncle, Subhash, was in charge of Bandra police station here when the hit-and-run case was registered against Bollywood actor Salman Khan in 2002 at that police station. Jadhav's relatives came to know about his arrest in Pakistan late yesterday when the was out in the media, sources said. Kulbhushan had sought voluntary retirement from Navy to set up his own business and used to travel around the world in connection with his business, sources added. Maoists torched 14 vehicles and equipment of a construction company engaged in track doubling project near Turki railway station in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, a police official said today. A group of around 50 Maoists stormed into the project office of M/S Hari Construction Company near Turki railway station located 10 kms from Muzaffarpur junction at around 02.00 AM today and torched 14 vehicles and equipment, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ranjeet Kumar Mishra said. The ultras also assaulted three security guards of the company, he said. The arson at the railway project has been carried out allegedly due to non-payment of levy by the company, Mishra said. The SSP said that a case has been lodged in this connection and raids were being carried out to nab the culprits. A police contingent has rushed to the spot to provide security to the company and its employees engaged in track doubling project, he said. PDP chief and Chief Ministerial candidate Mehbooba Mufti, today met Governor NN Vohra and staked claim for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir with BJP backing the first Muslim woman CM of the state. BJP and PDP however said that the two coalition partners will discuss the dates of swearing-in ceremony. BJP said the two partners have to discuss certain issues and modalities. "I am thankful to the BJP party for extending unconditional support to us in the formation of the government", Mehbooba Mufti told reporters after meeting the Governor along with two MPs Tariq Hamid Karra and Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. The leader of the BJP Legislative Party Nirmal Singh met the Governor and handed over the letter of the support to Mehbooba for formation of the new government. "We have handed over the letter of support to Government as per the decision of our Legislative party," he said. BJP, however, said it will sit with PDP to work out various modalities. "In time to come there are certain modalities and issues, which needs to be discussed and process of government formation will move ahead", Singh said. 56-year-old Mehbooba said that focus of her government would be peace, reconciliation and development of Jammu and Kashmir. "It (focus of the government) is peace, reconciliation and development", Mehbooba said in reply to a question about the priorities of her government. "Once again I would like to repeat that the coalition government which was formed after getting mandate of the people by our party in Kashmir and while respecting the mandate of the people, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had formed this alliance and the government", she said. Mehbooba said, "Jammu and Kashmir is a secular state and we have believe in brotherhood and co-existence because we have a composite type of population- Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs and Christians and keeping that in view that co-existence in Jammu and Kashmir, this alliance has taken place". "Mufti Sahib used to say repeatedly that he did not shake the hands with the Prime Minister of India but with over hundred crore people of India and the people who have choosen this government", M said. "I am very happy that reiteration of Agenda of Alliance has taken place between this and that side during past two and a half months. I am very happy about it because Mufti Sahib had forged this alliance for a larger purpose than just for the formation of the government", she said. "While the good governance is very much needed for the state. In the state of Jammu and Kashmir where there is such a situation and you need to address things politically and economically as well and socially", she said. She said that the Agenda of Alliance that was formulated during Mufit's time on the development, I am happy that we will continue to further carry forward peace and reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir. "The Agenda of Alliance formulated during Mufti's time has been supported at the highest level by the BJP whether it is Arun Jaitley ji or Ram Madhav Ji and above all the Prime Minister and the PM reassurance to us. I am very happy for that. I am satisfied will that also", she said. With five more new cases detected today, the number of jaundice-affected persons in Jobra locality here mounted to 30, officials said. Identifying broken pipelines as the cause of jaundice outbreak in the city last year, the state government claimed that damaged pipelines in the town, including at Jobra were replaced at a cost of over Rs 5 crore. But after a high-level meeting here on the day, the State Urban Development minister Pushpendra Singhdeo said pipelines in Jobra would be replaced again this year as the health department maintains that contaminated water was the cause of jaundice this year as well. The meeting, held at the collectorate here, was also attended among others by the State health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and local BJD legislator Debashis Samantray. Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to open round-the-clock health camps at Jobra to monitor the situation while, the three government hospitals in the city have been instructed to treat the jaundice patients free of cost. Like last year, the city has been divided into 20 zones and nearly 200 squads are keeping tab on the situation. Around same time last year, the city recorded over 150 jaundice cases and 3 persons had died from the water-borne disease. In a veiled attack on Republican White House hopefuls Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, President today described Muslim-Americans as the "most important partners" in the fight against IS and asserted that attempts to stigmatise the community should be rejected. "Our determination to win the battle against ISIL's hateful and violent propaganda -- a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalise young Muslims to their cause," Obama said in his weekly web and radio address to the nation. "In that effort, our most important partners are American Muslims. That's why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatise Muslim-Americans and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life," said the US President in an apparent reference to the recent anti-Muslim rhetoric of top Republican presidential candidates -- Trump and Cruz. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Brussels, Cruz called for increased surveillance of Muslim neighbourhoods while Trump reiterated that Muslims be temporarily be prevented from entering the country. "Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. It's also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause," Obama said. "I am a father. And just like any other parent, the awful images from Brussels draw my thoughts to my own children's safety. That's also why you should be confident that defeating ISIL remains our top military, intelligence, and national security priority," he said. "We will succeed. The terrorists will fail. They want us to abandon our values and our way of life. We will not. They want us to give in to their vision of the future. We will defeat them with ours. Because we know that the future belongs not to those who seek only to destroy -- but to those who have the courage to build," Obama said. Referring to the Brussels terrorist attack that claimed 31 lives and injured 300 others, Obama said Belgium is a close friend and ally of the United States. "And when it comes to our friends, America has their backing. Especially as we fight the scourge of terrorism. More broadly, we're going to continue to root out and defeat ISIL," he said. "We've been taking out ISIL leadership, and this week, we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield -- permanently. A relentless air campaign -- and support for forces in Iraq and Syria who are fighting ISIL on the ground -- has allowed us to take approximately forty per cent of the populated territory that ISIL once held in Iraq," he added. (Reopens FGN 6) Obama stated that the US is supporting the Iraqi Security Forces who are beginning to put pressure on the ISIS' stronghold of Mosul. "We will not stop until ISIL's safe-havens are destroyed," he said, adding that the US is also working to disrupt plots against the United States and against its friends and allies. "A team of FBI agents is on the ground in Belgium supporting the investigation. We've ramped up our intelligence cooperation so that we can root out ISIL's operations. And we constantly review our homeland security posture to remain vigilant against any efforts to target the United States," he said. The Islamic State, Obama said, poses a threat to the entire civilised world. "That's why we've been leading a truly global coalition that will be vital to our success. Secretary Kerry is leading an effort to bring the Syrian civil war to an end, a critical piece of restoring stability to that war-torn part of the world," he said. The Centre today launched the rotavirus vaccine as part of its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) to prevent diarrhoeal death among children due to the virus which claims lives of nearly one lakh children every year. Terming it as "historic" moment and "exemplary" step in India's immunisation programme, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said strengthening routine immunisation is an essential investment in India's children and will ensure a healthy future of the country. Four new vaccines--Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Measles Rubella (MR) vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine and Adult Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine are being introduced as part of UIP, which will provide immunisation against 12 life threatening diseases to 27 million children annually, the largest birth cohort in the world. "We have achieved a new milestone towards expanding the coverage of full immunisation in the country aimed at reducing child mortality. Government is committed to reducing morbidity and mortality in children. Strengthening routine immunisation is an essential investment in India's children and will ensure a healthy future of the country," Nadda said at the launch at Bhubaneswar today. Noting that the introduction of rotavirus vaccine will enable the government to directly address the problem of diarrhoeal deaths, Nadda said the vaccine will be introduced initially in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and expanded to the entire country in a phased manner. "Adding this life-saving vaccine to our immunisation programme will not only improve the health of our children but also reduce hospitalisation and other conditions associated with diarrhoea due to rotavirus such as malnutrition, delayed physical and mental development among children. "Reduced hospitalisation reduces the economic burden on the family and the health cost burden on the country," Nadda said adding that the vaccine has been developed under a public-private partnership by the ministries of Health and Science and is a "landmark" achievement under 'Make in India'. The Health Ministry said rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years of age and every year nearly 80,000-1 lakh children die in India due to it. The Ministry said around nine lakh children are admitted to hospital due to episodes of severe diarrhoea with 32.7 lakh cases of OPD and introduction of the vaccine will enable the government to directly address the problem of diarrhoeal deaths. Nadda said launched in 1985, India's UIP is one of the largest immunisation programmes in the world and a major public health intervention in the country and the government aims to give maximum protection to the children against Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs). Referring to 'Mission Indradhanush', he said, it was launched in December 2014 to fully immunise more than 89 lakh children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. "In two phases of Mission Indradhanush spread over April- July 2015 and October 2015 to January 2016, a total of 1.42 crore children and 36.7 lakh women have been immunised in 20 lakh immunisation sessions. "The gains made in Mission Indradhanush have led to health systems strengthening, which provides us a good opportunity for the introduction of a new vaccine and ensuring the reach of immunisation programme to each and every child," he said. Terming it as an important initiative, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this will help alleviate the health problems caused by rotavirus in Odisha in monsoon months. Union Health secretary B P Sharma said the vaccine was cost effective method to reduce out of pocket expenditure in addition to saving hundreds of lives. "This is a very cost effective measure. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) is also on the anvil. We also have to improve health facilities in the states to prevent neonatal deaths by 2030 to achieve Sustainable Development Goals," he said. US President will meet NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg next month to discuss a range of issues, including the progress made to "destroy" Islamic State (ISIS) terror outfit. Obama will host Stoltenberg at the White House on April 4 and will reaffirm that the US stands together with NATO in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks that struck Brussels, Belgium, the site of NATO Headquarters on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. "The President looks forward to discussing with Secretary General Stoltenberg the progress allies are making in the effort to degrade and destroy ISIL (ISIS), as well as the important role NATO is playing in alleviating the refugee and migrant crisis spurred in part by the terrorist group," Earnest said. The meeting gains significance as it also comes days after Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump calling for review of America's association with NATO. Obama and Stoltenberg will also discuss preparations for the July 8-9 NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, including allied efforts to reinforce deterrence in Europe, address instability on Europe's periphery, and strengthen NATO's base of capabilities and partnerships, he said. "The secretary general's visit underscores the importance the US places on the transatlantic bond that NATO embodies, and on a North Atlantic Alliance whose full adaptation to a changing strategic environment will ensure that the alliance continues to uphold order and advance the interests of the US and all of NATO's members and partners," Earnest said. Six people were being held after raids across the Belgian capital yesterday, days after airport and metro suicide blasts took place that left 31 people dead and 300 injured. Upping its rhetoric a notch, North Korea has warned that it will attack Seoul's presidential palace unless it receives an apology from South Korean President Park Geun-hye for "treason." The warning is the latest threat against Washington and Seoul over joint US-South Korean military drills now underway that the North sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion. The ultimatum, issued by a unit of the Korean People's Army and carried by the North's state media Saturday, also demanded that Park publicly execute officials responsible for what it says are plans to attack its leadership. Separately today, a North Korean propaganda outlet posted a video depicting a nuclear attack on Washington, DC. The heightened tensions come as the US and South Korean militaries conduct their biggest joint drills ever. A North Korean defector made a rare public appearance in China today, criticising Beijing's repatriation of asylum seekers despite alleged warnings from South Korea not to speak out. Hyeonseo Lee, who escaped from North Korea to China in 1997, called on Beijing to let refugees from her original homeland -- who it routinely sends back -- pass "safely without being caught by the Chinese authorities". Human rights groups have for decades condemned Beijing for deporting North Korean asylum seekers, who they say face torture and imprisonment when repatriated. China is North Korea's sole major ally and chief trading partner. It has recently supported UN sanctions on Pyongyang after its fourth nuclear test, but restricts criticism of its neighbour in the media and in public venues. It generally says those deported are illegal economic migrants. Lee said she was detained and interrogated by police after arriving in China in the 1990s. Though later released, she said she subsequently had to hide from authorities during her near 11-year stay in the country, fearing repatriation. Speaking at a book festival to promote her recently published title "The Girl With Seven Names" -- which describes living in constant fear of Chinese authorities -- Lee told an audience that China "has no obligation to listen (to) the North Korean regime". "China is a heaven compared to North Korea", she said, but also described harassment by Chinese police. "I want to tell the very basic things about what is happening to North Koreans here," she said, speaking in English to an audience of several dozen mostly non-Chinese listeners. "China is the place we have to cross, but here many people are caught, less than 50 percent will succeed". Lee said intelligence officials from South Korea, where she now lives, tried to dissuade her from visiting China, warning of possible damage to diplomatic relations. "They are telling me I had to be careful in China, saying only talk about North Korea, don't ever touch China, especially don't touch the Chinese government," she said. China's attitude towards North Korea has hardened as Pyongyang continues with an internationally-condemned nuclear program, but it defends the isolated communist state against criticism of its human rights record and routinely censors media which take too critical a stance. North Korea released a video today showing a nuclear strike on Washington and threatened South Korea with a "merciless military strike" for slandering leader Kim Jong-Un. Unaccomplished goals of national action plan for children, framed in 2005, including abolishing child labour and child marriage by 2010, are the priority areas of the government's new action plan. The National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC)-2016, drafted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, will carry forward the goals of the last action plan, framed in 2005 for a period of five years, a senior ministry official said. The plan seeks to address important issues pertaining to children's rights to survival, health, nutrition, education, dignity, protection and participation and invited suggestions from various stakeholders and the civil society. "It (NPAC-2016) will carry forward the goals of the last action plan that was framed in 2005 for a period of five years," the official said. "While no formal evaluation of the plan (2005) has been undertaken, many of the goals remain unfulfilled, like reducing infant mortality rate to 30 per 1000 live births and maternal mortality rate to 100 per 100,000 live births; 100 per cent coverage for rural sanitation, universalisation of early childhood care and education services, elementary education, complete abolition of child labour and child marriage by 2010," he said. Some of the key priority areas of the NPAC-2016 includes ensuring registration of birth of all children, reducing early marriage among girls and use of social media platforms to generate awareness on internet safety. Aimed at addressing the issues identified on the basis of existing data on child survival, health, nutrition and protection, the action plan provides a roadmap that links the policy objectives to actionable strategies under four key priority areas namely Survival, Health and Nutrition; Education and Development; Protection and Participation, he said. "Currently, 30.3 per cent women in the age 20-24 years are married before 18 years. Approximately 40 per cent of the reported offences against children are sexual and 33 million children in the age group of 5-18 years engaged in the labour force," he said. Stunting is a consequence of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception until age two. It is largely irreversible after the age of two, making those first 1,000 days critical to a child's development. The report said that some 140,000 children under five in India die each year of diarrhoeal diseases related to the lack of these basic services. Around 50 per cent of malnutrition cases are linked to infections, including chronic diarrhoea, caused by lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) including handwashing with soap, the report said. It said that in the developing world, a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a major contributor to malnutrition and one impact of this is stunting, where severe and prolonged under-nutrition makes children shorter than normal for their age and affects their emotional, social and cognitive development. "India has made progress on reducing child stunting, from 48 per cent of all children in 2006 to 39 per cent in 2014. However, alongside the high numbers of people without access to adequate toilets, India also has the highest concentration in the world of people practising open defecation. "Research shows that high rates of open defecation have a strong correlation with increased rates of stunting as faeces in the environment contaminate hands and surroundings, and spread disease and infection," the report said. WaterAid India's Policy Manager Arundati Muralidharan, said that water, sanitation and hygiene are important determinants of nutrition. "With open defecation rampant in India, frequent diarrhoea hinders the ability of children to absorb nutrients. India has made significant efforts to improve the nutritional status of children and women, but the beneficial impact of these efforts are threatened by poor WASH. "For our children to be healthy and well-nourished, we need both nutrition specific interventions that get essential nutrients to children, as well as nutrition sensitive interventions on WASH," she said. Last September world leaders made commitments in the UN Global Goals to end hunger and malnutrition and to reach everyone everywhere with clean water and sanitation, all by 2030. WaterAid also urged governments to make ambitious investments in water, sanitation and hygiene for all. New Zealand continued their invincible run by notching up a comfortable seven-wicket win over South Africa to seal their semifinal spot at the ICC Women's World Twenty20 here today. Sophie Devine starred with both bat and ball as she took three for 16 and then blasted 27 off 17 balls to guide New Zealand to their fourth win in as many matches. Electing to bowl after winning the toss, New Zealand produced a superlative bowling performance to dismiss South Africa for 99 in 19.3 overs. The Kiwis then returned to overhaul the target with 33 balls to spare and top the Group A points table with 8 points. The victory also shut the semifinal doors for South Africa, who suffered their second loss in three matches. They had lost to Australia and beat Ireland. The Proteas will next take on Sri Lanka in an inconsequential match. Chasing 100 to win, skipper Suzie Bates (29) and Rachel Priest (29) shared a 57-run opening partnership to lay the foundation for the chase. After their dismissal, Devine hit three fours and a six in his 17-ball innings to take New Zealand home. It was Bates who was first dismissed when she was caught by Mignon du Preez off Masabata Klass in the 9th over. The other opener Priest also was sent packing in the 11th over by Dane van Niekerk, who trapped her in front of wicket. Sara McGlashan (5) was next trapped lbw by Kapp in the 12th over but Devine stood tall and saw the team through alongwith Katey Martin (8). Earlier, pace-spin duo of Sophie Devine (3/16) and Leigh Kasperek (3/19) returned with three wicket hauls, while spinner Erin Bermingham (2/14) scalped two. Morna Nielsen (1/16) and Suzie Bates (1/12) also contributed with one wicket each. For South Africa, Marizanne Kapp (22) was the top scorer as only five batsmen could reach doubles figure at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here. Brief Score: South Africa: 99 all out in 19.3 overs (M Kapp 22; Sophie Devine 3/16). New Zealand: 100 for 3 in 14.3 overs (S Bates 29; M Klass 1/11). With only two days left for the opening of Defence Expo in Goa, participation of 1,054 companies from 47 countries have been confirmed, according to the official website of the exhibition. The exhibition would be held at Naqueri-Betul in South Goa, close to the coast. Union Defence Minister and former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar would inaugurate the DefExpo, being held in the coastal state for the first time. The land was acquired for an industrial estate; it has been temporarily allotted to the Defence Ministry for the expo. The locals are opposed to the event claiming that they were not taken into confidence. Petitions have also been filed before the Goa bench of Bombay High Court, opposing it. The HC, which would be hearing the matter on Monday, refused to stay the event. India plans to provide the probe team from Pakistan access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from National Security Guard or the BSF. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. The sources said the five-member delegation led by Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai will not be provided complete access to the Pathankot air force base but to limited areas where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with security forces. The Pakistani team which also comprises Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer will be brought to the airbase in a special plane on March 29. The airbase will be visually barricaded by NIA to prevent any view of its critical areas. The team will be briefed thoroughly on March 28 at the NIA headquarters here which will include a 90-minute presentation on the investigations carried in the case so far, the sources said. This will be the first time that Pakistani intelligence and police officials are travelling to India to investigate a terror attack. Witnesses, excepting personnel of NSG, BSF and Garud commandos of IAF, have been lined up for the Pakistan probe team. The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured people. The right to peaceful protests cannot be taken away from people but any protest or demonstration should also not be allowed to paralyse the life ofcivilised society, India has told the UN human rights body. "The ability to protest peacefully is an essential enabler for other rights and freedoms. Peaceful assembly is a crucial tool of public participation," India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ajit Kumar said in India's Explanation of Vote at the adoption of draft resolution on 'Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests' on Thursday. He said as the largest democracy in the world, India is committed to rule of law and the Indian Constitution guarantees all fundamental rights, the freedom of speech and expression as well as freedom to peaceful assembly including peaceful protests. Asserting that no person can be divested of these rights, which cannot be taken away or abridged, Kumar however stressed that every right has a corresponding duty and in the name of legitimate exercise of one's right to protest, the fundamental right of others cannot be "scuttled." "Enjoyment of rights always entails a degree of responsibility. Our Constitution clearly recognises these inherent, reasonable restrictions, clearly related to the purpose enshrined under the right. "In a democratic polity the fundamental right of each citizen is sacrosanct. However, the collective cannot undermine the same. The persons or the organisations should always be cognisant that in the name of demonstration or protest, the life of a civilised society cannot be allowed to be paralysed," he said. He added that the joint compilation of the Special Rapporteur's recommendations could certainly generate interest in acknowledging the core objective of upholding freedom of peaceful assembly and association. "However, these recommendations are highly imbalanced, and, do not recognise, in ample measure, the degree of responsibility of the participants in the assemblies," he said. He pointed out that India believes that the draft resolution is "short" on giving due recognition to relevant provisions of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and also on the responsibility of protesters to operate peacefully within the national legal framework. A pilgrim was killed and around three dozen others were injured, eight of them seriously, in two separate accidents here, police said today. Bachan Singh (50), a resident of village Nangli in Amritsar district was returning from Anandpur Sahib after attending Holla Mohalla festival on the night of March 25 when his bike was hit by an unknown vehicle near village Khurampur here and he died on the spot, they said. In the second accident, a tractor-trolley loaded with pilgrims overturned after hitting a divider at Phagwara-Mehli-Mehtan bypass near Guru Nanak Nagar here, police said. About three dozen pilgrims, coming from Anandpur Sahib, sustained injuries, they said. While eight pilgrims, including two women, were seriously injured, others escaped with minor injuries, they said. The pilgrims were returning to Amritsar, police said. British police have dropped charges against a man accused of inciting racial hatred on Twitter after the extremist attacks in Brussels. Matthew Doyle of south London had been scheduled for a court hearing Saturday because of anti-Muslim tweets. The 46-year-old had been charged on Friday, but a later police statement said Doyle "is no longer charged with the offense and will not be appearing in court." The statement hinted that police may have overstepped their authority: "Police may not make charging decisions on offenses under Section 19 of the Public Order Act," it said. Under British law, cases involving "incitement of racial hatred" have to be reviewed by a team of specialist government lawyers and approved by the attorney general. The issue is sensitive because British law protects free speech but does not allow incitement of racial hatred. The dividing line can be difficult to draw as stirring up racial "tensions" is permissible but provoking racial "hatred" is not. Doyle's tweets the day after the Brussels attacks claimed 31 lives described how he confronted a Muslim woman in south London about the carnage. When she told him the attacks had nothing to do with her, he criticized her response as "mealy mouthed." He later used an anti-Muslim slur to describe her. His tweets drew wide attention and were mocked by many. The police statement said police will consult the Crown Prosecution Service about the case. It is possible Doyle will be charged at a later date. British authorities have warned of a potential surge of anti-Muslim crimes as a result of the attacks in Brussels. The so-called Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the airport and subway bombings and threatened more attacks against European targets. decried what he called Europe's "indifferent and anaesthetised conscience" over migrants, during Good Friday prayers in Rome during which he also slammed paedophile priests, arms dealers, fundamentalists and religious persecutors. Tens of thousands gathered for the service, many clutching candles in the imposing surrounds of the city's famous Colosseum, where thousands of Christians are believed to have been killed in Roman times. "O Cross of Christ, today we see you in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas which have become insatiable cemeteries, reflections of our indifferent and anaesthetised conscience," the 79-year old pontiff said, referring to the thousands who set off in unseaworthy boats to reach Greece and the rest of Europe. Francis has long called for the global community to open its doors to refugees and fight xenophobia appeals which have intensified since a controversial deal between Europe and Turkey to expel migrants arriving in Greece. The Argentine pontiff did not spare the ills within the Church, fiercely denouncing paedophile priests, describing them as those "unfaithful ministers who, instead of stripping themselves of their own vain ambitions, divest even the innocent of their dignity". The Church continues to be dogged by cases of predator priests and past cover-ups. Just this month a French cardinal faced calls to resign over allegations he promoted a cleric who had a previous conviction for sexual abuse. In the wake of this week's deadly attacks in Brussels, Francis slammed "terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence". The Pope added that "arms dealers who feed the cauldron of war with the innocent blood of our brothers and sisters" and he raged against "traitors who, for thirty pieces of silver, would consign anyone to death". Francis also evoked the expressions on the faces of children fleeing war "who often only find death and many Pilates who wash their hands" a reference to Pontius Pilate, who, according to Christian tradition, said he was bowing to public demand in ordering Jesus's crucifixion, in a bid to shrug off personal responsibility. Beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today met the Assembly Speaker and backed the demand for disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the difficult trial of strength on Monday as rivals traded charges on alleged bribes to win legislators. After meeting Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, Rawat, who was issued a notice regarding the demand for disqualification, said he provided documents supporting the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs. The Congress party has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law. The Congress, which has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week. Meanwhile, the rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by the Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake". Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged 'sting video' in Delhi, Bahuguna said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds." "The sting CD being shown on channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Reacting to the 'sting video', BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. "We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said. Bahuguna said the chief minister should order an inquiry into the sting operation, carried out by a private channel. The Rawat government does not have majority in assembly, he said, demanding that President's rule be imposed in the state. At the AICC briefing, Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government which, he claimed, "enjoys majority". "It is all the job of the externed Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department," he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre. He claimed that the Congress rebels and BJP were behind the "conspiracy of the fake CD" after they failed to get any relief from either the court or the Governor ahead of the crucial trust vote on Monday. Upadhyay claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names. Asked whether the Congress is ready to "forgive and forget" if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, "In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit." Targeting Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, Upadhyay said that they have "back-stabbed the party which had given them everything". He said the two leaders instead of defending the Congress and its government with all their might, are seeking to create trouble. Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. The Madras High Court was informed by the Union Government that reimbursement of tuition fees from out of the Central funds for children admitted in top private schools, under 25 per cent Right To Eduction quota, would be available to students admitted in pre-KG as well. The clarification was submitted by the Union Government to an anomaly cited due to which Tamil Nadu Government was unable to first pay tuition fee arrears running to several crore to private schools and then demand reimbursement of the sum from the Centre. Right to Education Act(RTE) provides admission of children from downtrodden sections of society in class one of private schools. In Tamil Nadu majority of such free admissions had taken place in LKG and UKG classes and the state was not able to access the Central funds under the Act. When the PIL filed by 'Change India', an NGO, came up for hearing before the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh the Union Government submitted that it had allocated Rs 250.65 crore for seven states for reimbursements in the academic year 2015-16. But the PIL said that the Tamil Nadu had not received any amount for reimbursement. The bench said "we are informed that so far not a penny had been released to Tamil Nadu." Tamil Nadu government submitted that admissions made to such private unaided schools are in LKG and UKG categories and that was stated to be creating a problem. The Centre said that it had on January 11, 2016 written to the Tamil Nadu Government stating that the reimburse clause would apply to admissions in pre-school education as well. Taking note of the clarification, the judges said they were "surprised that an issue that could have been sorted out between the Central and state governments had been brought to the High Court." "Now that the letter makes the issue abundantly clear. We see no reason why the state government should not meet the requirement, where after the Central government should release the funds", the judges said. Goa Prison authorities probing an attack on tribal anti-mining activist Ravindra Velip, will submit their report to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday, a senior official said today. "The inquiry begun yesterday (Friday) and we will be able to complete it on Monday," Inspector General of Prison Elvis Gomes who is monitoring the probe told PTI today. He said the report would be submitted to the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio. Velip, who was among the tribals arrested for protesting against the transportation of ore in Cauvrem village, was assaulted on Wednesday inside Judicial lock-up at Sada near Vasco town. In his complaint, the activist has said that those from outside the jail were involved in the attack against him. Velip has filed a police complaint against jail authorities, a mining firm, a contractor and BJP MLA Subhash Faldessai. He has alleged that unidentified people blindfolded, gagged and assaulted him, following which his hand was fractured. However, Faldessai has refused his involvement in the attack. Meanwhile, Parsekar told reporters that he is waiting for the inquiry report from the jail authorities to decide future course of action. "We are conducting impartial inquiry into the incident. I will be able to comment, only after I go through the findings of the report," he said. The Director of School Education in Kashmir has declared all schools in the Valley 'polythene- free' zones and directed officials to ensure a ban on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of schools. "All schools (government and private) in Kashmir Division are hereby declared as polythene-free zones. "It shall be the duty of supervisory teachers to ensure that polythene bags are not allowed into school premises henceforth," Director, School Education, Kashmir, Shah Faesal said in an order issued yesterday. In another order, the Director asked all CEOs to ensure a ban on sale of tobacco products to minors near every educational institution. "All CEOs are directed to ensure the ban on sale of tobacco products to minors in all the educational institutions within 100 yards of their schools," the order said. Faesal also directed the CEOs to furnish monthly reports as a part of a regular monitoring and reporting mechanism. "The CEOs will furnish monthly report to Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, for follow-up with a copy to the respective Deputy Commissioners as well," the Director said. A top US diplomat will visit next week to hold talks with officials and civil society members on issues of governance and ways to combat violent extremism in the country. US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Sarah Sewall, will visit and Thailand during her six-day trip beginning on March 25. She will meet top government officials and interact with several civil society members, the State Department said yesterday. In Bangladesh, Sewall will meet with the government officials and civil society representatives to discuss governance issues and cooperation in countering violent extremism. She will also deliver a public lecture, "Our Shared Struggle against Violent Extremism," at Dhaka University. Her visit assumes special significance as Dhaka has been grappling with violence over the past six months against minorities, secular bloggers and foreigners. The dreaded Islamic State outfit has claimed responsibility for all the recent terror incidents. A top Shia preacher and homoeopathic doctor was stabbed to death in southwestern on March 14 in an attack claimed by the dreaded Islamic State group. Earlier, a Hindu head priest was hacked to death on February 21 by gun-and-cleaver wielding Islamists at a temple in northern Panchagarh district's Debiganj Upazila. In September last year, an Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was murdered by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, followed by the killing of a Japanese farmer Kunio Hoshi. Both attacks were claimed by IS-affiliated militants. Days after an alleged henchman of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was nabbed, one more sharp shooter have been arrested for allegedly attacking one of the witnesses in rape cases filed against the religious leader, from Rajkot by the Ahmedabad crime branch sleuths. "Chandrashekhar Talloi, who hails from Bijapur in Karnataka, was arrested today by police probing attacks on witnesses who testified against Asaram Bapu and his son, Narayan Sai in rape cases against them," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deepan Bhadran said. Talloi, a devotee of self-styled godman, had shot at one Lala Thakor, a resident of Chandkheda. Thakor narrowly escaped attempt on his life, Bhadran said. "Talloi was earlier arrested in March 2014 along with four others for throwing acid on one of the witnesses in Asaram case in Surat. His name was revealed by another accused, Kartik Haldar, who was arrested in connection with killing witnesses in Asaram's case by Ahmedabad Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS)," Bhadran said. Talloi and others were involved in throwing acid on one Dinesh Bhavchandani, a witness who had testified against Asaram, when he was returning home on his two-wheeler. Haldar, suspected to have shot dead three key witnesses in rape cases filed against the religious leader, was arrested from Raipur in Chhattisgarh on March 13. Besides murdering the three witnesses, Haldar had also attempted to kill four other persons who were directly or indirectly associated with the rape cases filed against the jailed religious leader in Jodhpur and Ahmedabad. "Talloi and Haldar, both devotees of the self-styled godman, had worked together," police said, adding more details about their involvement would come out after interrogation. Haldar was involved in killing Asaram's personal doctor Amrut Prajapati in June 2014, Asaram's assistant cum cook Akhil Gupta on January 2015 and one witness Kripal Singh in July 2015 in different parts of the country. All of them were shot from close range as part of a conspiracy to eliminate those who had given their testimonies against Asaram, ATS had said in a statement. Fashion retailer Shoppers Stop has said it is reviewing the joint venture with Nuance Group, under which it had forayed into duty-free airport retailing, as there is not much scope for "cash flow and profitability". "We are always reviewing all formats, all businessesbased on their profitability on long-term basis. Hence, we arealso reviewing our airport business," Shoppers Stop Managing Director Govind Shrikhande said here today. Shoppers Stop's Zurich-based JV partner Nuance Group was awarded the duty-free contract for Bengaluru International Airport and Mumbai International Airport (fashion, luxury and lifestyle). "We believe it is a tough business... We are not completely equipped to handle in full sense because we have been a domestic player, and our domestic operations we understand well... There is not much scope for cash flow and profitability," he said. To a query on the losses faced by the company induty-free airport retail venture so far, Shrikhande said:"Can't really quantify, but not that large that youhave to look at only as an exit path. If you look at our domestic airport operations, they are doing pretty well." When asked whether exiting duty-free airport retail business forms the part of review deliberations, Shrikhande said, "Currently and frankly speaking, there is nocomment on whether we are exiting or not, but we have been suffering to handle the business. Giving reasons for the losses in the business model he said, airport retailing is different from general retailing as travellers are visiting airports not to shop. On proposed increase in excise duty on branded readymade garments worth over Rs 1,000 announced in the Budget, he said the retailers had made a representation to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley immediately, but there has been no response. "We had made a representation, the next day, and there has been no response," he said. He further said the additional excise duty and increase in service tax to 15 per cent is likely to impact consumer spending in the respective categories. Samajwadi Party today came out in full support of beleaguered Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan whose competence was questioned by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, alleging communal forces were behind his character assassination. "Communal forces wanting to gain political mileage are behind the character assassination of Khan," SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in a release, apparently peeved over Naik's remark. His statement, in which he did not name Naik, came a day after the Governor questioned Khan's abilities as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister while taking strong exception to his comments against him in the Assembly. "Azam Khan is a competent player of parliamentary politics, impressive orator who effectively answers to the criticism of opposition parties," Chaudhary said, adding he is committed to secularism and has complete faith in SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's leadership. "Even opposition leaders praise his parliamentary skills in the House...He has rare oratory skills and it is not right to question his competence and abilities," Chaudhary said. Public life is transparent and Azam Khan's life is an open book, he said, adding Khan has been in politics since the past several decades and his life has been that of struggles since the days of student politics. "He has acquired the present position in politics through hard work and has earned fame at the national level," Chaudhary said. The SP spokesman also said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has complete faith in Khan, who has successfully managed the "Mahakumbh" in Allahabad which was acknowleged all over the world. Chaudhary said politics is based on some ideology and values in which criticisms take place over policies but in the recent times, ideology has taken a back seat and attempts are made at character assassination. "Some people are out to spoil the image of Samajwadi Party fearing its growing popularity and they have been targetting one minister after the other depicting their cheap mentality", he added. Taking strong exception to Khan's comments against him in the Assembly, Ram Naik had questioned his competence as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and said he would take up the matter with the chief minister. The Governor, who went through the CD and script of the remarks made by Khan on the floor of the House during discussions on March 8, wrote to Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey. "After going through the edited and unedited copies it is clear that of the 60-line typed comments of Azam Khan against the Governor, 20 lines have been removed. Removal of 33 per cent lines of Parliamentary Affairs Minister's statement shows that his language is not in keeping with the dignity, decorum and traditions of the House," Naik said in the letter. Naik had taken serious note of Khan's hard-hitting remarks against him in the House and had written to the Speaker the next day asking him to provide the unedited printed copies and audio/video CD. Khan has been engaged in a no-holds-barred war of words with Naik for quite some time, with the Samajwadi Party leader accusing him of being a kar sevak and "communally vitiating" the atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh at the "behest" of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. In a stinging remark in the Assembly, Khan had accused the Governor of "stalling" several bills by not giving his assent and alleged it was giving an impression that he was working under the "influence of a party". A group of suicide bombers from the Islamic State group killed three Iraqi soldiers today in an attack on a military base hosting hundreds of coalition advisers, officers said. "Four suicide bombers this morning infiltrated the military base of Al-Asad on its northern edge," said Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command. "The bombers were of various nationalities, they were killed by Iraqi security forces," he told AFP, without specifying any casualties among army ranks. Al-Asad air base, located about 180 kilometres (110 miles) northwest of Baghdad in Anbar province, is one of the largest military installations in the country. It is home to Iraqi federal forces and tribal fighters currently engaged in operations to retake the nearby town of Hit from IS, as well as to a large contingent of foreign military advisers. Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, said no foreigners were involved in the incident. Another Iraqi security source said the number of bombers was higher than four and said one of them managed to detonate his suicide vest, killing three Iraqi soldiers and wounding four. "One of the killed soldiers had the rank of major," the officer said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press. The Baghdad-based "war media cell" that issues statements for Iraq's myriad pro-government forces also said three soldiers had been killed in the attack. It said the site of the IS attack was an outpost on the northern edge of Al-Asad base and warned that the casualty figures were provisional. Jihadist fighters are holed up in Hit, a Euphrates Valley town about 145 kilometres west of Baghdad, with Iraqi forces closing in on them from several sides. The government has had to pull several units out of the Anbar offensive however to beef up security in Baghdad, where protesters have been camping outside the fortified Green Zone to demand reforms. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal was not merely a political issue but an emotive one and demanded that it be tackled as top priority with utmost sensitivity as river water was the lifeline of every Punjabi. Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the first convocation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University held here at its campus, Badal said Punjab had been discriminated against on every issue be it political, social, economic or religious by the successive Congress governments at Centre. Punjab was denied its rightful share in river water during the water distribution done thrice in over five decades in brazen defiance of an internationally and nationally accepted riparian principle, he said. Rebuking the Congress leadership for accusing SAD-BJP government of deliberately raking up the SYL issue ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, the Chief Minister said the people of the state were custodians of the river water and would not allow sharing of a single drop with any other state as Punjab didn't have spare water to share. Badal asked Congress to stop doing politics on the issue and criticizing the alliance which had already made clear its stand that their leadership was prepared to make any sacrifice to save the river water. Badal castigated the Congress for dubbing former Chief Minister and President PPCC Amarinder Singh as the 'savior of waters' for passage of Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, claiming that in reality this legislation was an unintentional admission of guilt by Congress government for betraying the people of the state. Earlier in his convocation address, the Chief Minister said the state government would soon come out with a policy within the legal framework to regularise the services of its adhoc/contract employees for ensuring job security to them. He said he had already deputed Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary and Advocate General to find ways to regularize the services of these employees. The Chief Minister also expressed concern on the "exploitation" of qualified youth by hiring them for paltry amounts, especially in the private sector. 478 students from different streams in graduate and post-graduate courses were awarded degrees and 10 students were honoured with medals for outstanding academic record. On the occasion, former Army Chief and Chairman Chiefs-of-Staff General (Retd) Bikram Singh and former IFS Bhagwant Singh Dalawari were conferred honorary degrees of Doctor of Science and Doctor of Literature, both (Honouris Causa) respectively for outstanding services rendered in their fields. Syrian troops backed by Russian ground and air forces today pushed deeper into the Islamic State group stronghold of Palmyra, as Washington considered boosting its anti-jihadist fight in neighbouring Iraq. IS, behind a string of attacks in the West including this week's Brussels bombings, is under growing pressure from Syrian and Iraqi military offensives to retake two key bastions in its self-proclaimed "caliphate". Pro-government Syrian forces battled IS fighters today in northern and western neighbourhoods of Palmyra, a strategically located ancient desert city, under the cover of Russian and Syrian artillery fire. In a boost to their campaign, regime forces captured the town of Al-Amiriyah on the northern outskirts of Palmyra. A Syrian military source told AFP that Al-Amiriyah was "Daesh's gateway into the city," using an Arabic acronym for IS. An AFP journalist on a western hilltop overlooking Palmyra saw nearby artillery operated by Russian and Syrian troops firing on IS positions in the city. The military source said Russia was "widely involved in the battle for Palmyra, whether in fighting directly on the ground, with their planes, or by intercepting communication" among IS fighters. Despite a major drawdown last week, Russian warplanes have continued their bombing campaign around Palmyra, conducting more than 150 air strikes in recent days. But with pro-government forces now engaged in street battles with the jihadists, raids have markedly decreased. "This is because the fighting before was in the hilltops, whereas city fighting doesn't need heavy air power," the source said. "Instead, it needs heavy artillery power -- and that's what we are noticing now whether it's from the Russians or from the Syrian army." IS overran the Palmyra ruins and adjacent modern city in May 2015, sparking a global outcry and fears for the fate of the UNESCO world heritage site known as the "Pearl of the Desert". The group has since blown up UNESCO-listed temples and looted relics that dated back thousands of years. Government forces began their large-scale offensive to retake Palmyra earlier this month, but Saturday marked the most significant advance yet. "This is the fiercest offensive in the last three weeks," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the war. "Regime forces have seized two neighbourhoods in the city's west and northwest in a simultaneous push," he told AFP. IS was putting up a fight, however, with 10 government forces killed overnight in a car bomb west of the city, Abdel Rahman said. The military source on the outskirts of Palmyra told AFP that he expected "the old city and the edges of Palmyra to be mined with explosives. A Sri Lankan refugee today tried to commit suicide by slitting his throat at a bus stand here but was overpowered by some people and rushed to a hospital, police said. 31-year-old Sasikumar from the refugee camp at Tiruvanamalai, about 165 km from here, reportedly had a misunderstanding with his family following which he decided to take the extreme step, police said. He came to the central bus stand this morning and tried to slash his throat with a knife, but was overpowered by the public and taken to the government hospital, where the doctors said he was out of danger, they said. Sasikumar, a married man with two sons, told police he had a misunderstanding with his family and decided to end his life. He did not elaborate further, they said. Police have contacted their counterparts at Tiruvanamalai to inform them about the incident. Accusing the Modi government of "washing its hands off" on the issue of arrest of a former Indian Navy officer in Pakistan, senior Congress MP and former Union minister K V Thomas today demanded that the Centre provide immediate consular access to him. Thomas, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, alleged that the speed at which MEA statement acknowledging identity of the arrested man, Kul Yadav Bhushan, was issued, indicated India had been given prior information about the detention. "Government of India has the obligation to protect our citizens, be they are part of government, military or civilian. Modi government is washing its hands off the issue by stating that Kul Yadav Bhushan is an Ex-Navy not a RAW member," he said in a Facebook post. He said, "Yadav should be immediately given consular access. "Even if Yadav is a RAW member, it should be read with the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, including the attacks on Pathankot, border skirmishes and many terrorist plots which originates from the other side of the border, all of which clearly has Pakistan Army or ISI support," he said. "We should be taking all measures to protect our national interest as well as our citizens," the former Union minister said. Citing instances like Union minister Prakash Javadekar representing the government at the Pakistan Day function at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi notwithstanding the invitation to hardline separatist Hurriyat leaders, Thomas said, "despite a clear intent to destabilize India, Modi government is seen to be bending down to Pakistan". "Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif are traveling to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit on March 31st with a possible unannounced meeting or even dropping by in Pakistan. "All this at a time when BJP and Modi government is shedding crocodile tears in the name (of) nationalism and taking on students accusing them on abusing the nation and disrespecting the Armed Forces," he said. He asked where is the Modi government "who stated we will not tolerate any strikes on India or Indians. We'll always wield the initiative on either being friendly or engaging in aggressive action. We will strike at a place and at a time of our choosing. Thousands of Yemenis rallied in the rebel-held capital today to denounce the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign against the country's insurgents a year ago. The intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi that began on March 26 last year has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Huthi rebels and their allies, who still control Sanaa and key parts of the country. "Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression," said a large banner in Sanaa's Sabaeen Square where protesters gathered, as coalition warplanes flew overhead breaking the sound barrier in an apparent show of force, an AFP photographer said. Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Iran-backed rebels and whose party had called for the protest, appeared briefly at the rally where he reiterated his call for direct talks with Riyadh. "From here, we extend a hand for peace, the peace of the brave, for direct talks with the Saudi regime without going back to the (UN) Security Council," he said. Saleh however called on the Security Council to "issue a resolution imposing arms embargo on the Saudi regime," according to the rebel-run Saba agency. The veteran leader had in December called for direct talks with Riyadh instead of the government of Hadi. The Huthis also organised a protest in north Sanaa, where thousands of demonstrators chanted anti-Saudi and anti-US slogans, Saba said. Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi addressed his supporters in a defiant televised speech on Friday. "One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression... It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. (But) this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide," he said. "The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region," he added, in an apparent reference to increased tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Huthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 then advanced south, raising fears in Riyadh that the Shiite rebels from Yemen's highlands would extend Iran's influence in its southern neighbour. Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies in the coalition vowed to restore Hadi's government to power after he was forced to flee into exile in March last year. Loyalists backed by the coalition have since managed to drive the rebels out of five southern provinces including second city Aden, where Hadi has established a temporary capital. But the rebels have stubbornly held on to eight of Yemen's 22 provinces and heavy fighting has been raging for months in five others. Trinamool Congress today distanced itself from its MP Dinesh Trivedi's statement on Narada sting operation and said he has not been entrusted to speak about the matter. Sudip Bandopadhyay, TMC leader in Lok Sabha, said he has already spoken to Trivedi on the matter and he had said that media had reported only a part of his comment. "I had spoken to him (Trivedi) last night and he said that media had reported only a portion of his speech. He had praised the honesty of our party supremo Mamata Banerjee and the grassroot level leaders," Bandopadhya said in a press conference here. Trivedi, a former railway minister, had yesterday suggested that his party MPs purportedly seen accepting money from a fictitious company in a sting operation should "sit at home till the time they come out clean" from charges levelled against them. The comment had spurred a debate as his comments were seen as a contradiction to Banerjee's comment that the sting video as concocted. Trivedi had been asked whether the TMC MPs accused of accepting money, should be be thrown out of the party during a panel discussion in Delhi yesterday. He had said TMC's 'top and bottom' - Banerjee and grass-root workers respectively are "Absolutely okay". Bandopadhya said only the views of the party spokesperson and those leaders who are entrusted by the leadership to speak should be counted. "Comment of each and everybody should not be treated as the view of the party. We are not giving any importance to his (Trivedi's) comments. He had sought dates to campiagn for the party in Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency and we will give him dates." Asked whether the party will seek an explanation from Trivedi, he said "If needed we will sit for a discussion with him." Reacting to Trivedi's comments, Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra said the chief minister should give a reply regarding it. Scientists have found that tooth loss increases the risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, suggesting oral health strategies to preserve teeth may help fight such disorders. Researchers, including those from McGill University and Queen's University in Canada, systematically assessed the association between oral health and cognitive functions in adult populations. The objective of the study was to systematically examine if tooth loss leads to cognitive impairment and its most prevalent pathologic correlate - dementia. Eligible study reports were identified by searching various databases. From 1,251 identified articles, 10 were included in the systematic review and eight in the meta- analysis. Researchers found that individuals with less than 20 teeth were at a 20 per cent higher risk for developing cognitive decline and dementia than those with greater than or equal to 20 teeth. This information suggests that oral health strategies aimed to preserve teeth may be important in reducing risk of systemic disease, researchers said. The increase in cases of cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease in ageing populations is progressing worldwide and creating a significant burden on health systems, researchers said. Better insight into the nature and extent of the association between oral health and cognitive function is of great importance since it could lead to preventive interventions for cognitive performance, they said. The study was published in the JDR Clinical and Translational Research. Police in Turkey have warned of possible Islamic State attacks against Christians and Jews over the Easter weekend, the state-run Anatolia agency reported today. The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, according to the agency. The security alert came after the latest attack last Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian in a busy Istanbul shopping hub, blamed by the Turkish authorities on a jihadist with links to the IS group. IS has been blamed for four of the six bombings that have rocked Turkey in the past eight months, including a double suicide attack at a peace rally in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. A radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the other two attacks. The police have warned that IS group members may have scouted out places of worship as well as consulates and embassies, saying that churches and synagogues especially in Ankara, as well as foundations belonging to non-Muslims should be on their guard. Hip hop star Twista has been arrested for possession of marijuana in Valparaiso, Indiana. The rapper was allegedly pulled over by police officers while travelling in a Rolls Royce motor car before his concert at the city's Big Shots nightclub on Thursday, reported TMZ. The officers found marijuana while searching the vehicle and arrested the driver, Twista and two other passengers. His show at the nightspot was cancelled, as editors at the gossip website report he was held by police officers until 4am on Friday morning when he was released after posting USD 500 bail. US laws on the possession and consumption of the marijuana vary from state to state. It is legal in some states, such as Colorado and Oregon, decriminalised in others including California, but is still a misdemeanour offence in Indiana. Possession of the drug in the state carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, while the largest an individual can be fined is USD 1000. German authorities have been unable to link two men arrested by police there to the attackers who carried out the airport and metro bombings in Brussels, the country's federal prosecutor said today. A 28-year-old Moroccan man was arrested on Wednesday evening after being stopped during a routine identity check at Giessen railway station, north of Frankfurt. His mobile phone was initially thought to contain the name of Khalid el Bakraoui, who Belgian officials say blew himself up on Tuesday at the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, Berlin public broadcaster RBB reported, citing intelligence sources. It has been reported that the arrested man was in fact exchanging messages with someone with a name spelt almost the same as Bakraoui's. He remains in custody for other offences, according to the office of the German federal prosecutor responsible for terrorism cases, but is no longer suspected of links to the attacks. Another man, a follower of the ultra-conservative Salafi strain of Islam, was arrested Thursday in the Duesseldorf region in western Germany on suspicion of links to one of the Bakraoui brothers. A search of his house and workplace along with scrutiny of his mobile phone failed to produce any evidence tying him to the attacks in Belgium that killed 31 and injured 340, police told the DPA agency. The man remains in detention pending further inquiries, police added. "We so far have no tangible indication to suggest the two men have something to do with the Brussels attacks," said a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office. A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by the landlord of her house in southwest Delhi's Sagarpur area, police said today. The incident came to light yesterday, following which the girl's parents approached the police and the 35-year-old accused was arrested, a senior police official said. The girl's father works with an airline company and mother at a hospital. The victim complained of severe stomach ache yesterday following which she was taken to a doctor and sexual assault was confirmed. She later told her mother that the accused lured her to his residence and allegedly forced himself upon her. He also threatened her with dire consequences if she spoke about the incident to anyone, police said. In a separate incident, a three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her 35-year-old neighbour at a slum cluster in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area, police said today. The incident took place on the day of Holi when the accused lured the girl to his shanty and allegedly forced himself upon her. The people living in the cluster were alerted after they heard the girl's scream and overpowered the accused, who was later handed over to the police, a senior official said. In both cases, the accused persons were arrested under the relevant sections of IPC and POCSO Act, and the victims were counselled in the presence of their mothers. A special CBI court has sentenced two officials of State Bank of Hyderabad and Managing Director of a private firm to varied imprisonment for causing loss of Rs 9.50 crore to the bank. CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said here today Special Judge for CBI cases in Hyderabad has convicted Paresh Dhanji Chheda, then Managing Director of Unique Plastics Limited, G Rama Rao, then Branch Manager and Sudhir Rao, then Accountant, both officials of the State Bank of Hyderabad, Ramkote Branch for causing loss of Rs 9.50 crore to the bank. The court has sentenced Chedda seven years rigorous imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs 10.70 lakh while the two bank officials will have to undergo five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 40,000 each, he said. "CBI had registered a case in November 1999 on a complaint from State Bank of Hyderabad alleging that during January-May, 1999, a fraud of Rs 9.50 crore was committed by Chheda through 20 clearing cheques. The accused used to deposit high-value cheques with the issuing account having insufficient balance," he said. The official said the bundle of returned cheques were intercepted and not delivered to the branch in connivance with the bank officials. The amount used to be credited to the account of Unique Plastics limited on basis of credit vouchers, he said, adding that the charge sheet was filed against the accused in December 2001. The Obama administration has maintained that President Bashar Assad shouldn't lead any longer, rejecting a Russian claim that the US has changed its position. Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying Washington now accepts Moscow's argument that Assad's future shouldn't be open for negotiation right now. Assad's Russian-backed government and Western-supported rebels recently concluded a round of peace talks and will meet again next month. Read more from our special coverage on "SYRIA" Secretary of State John Kerry visited President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials in the Kremlin this week to plot the next steps. State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Friday: "Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad's future is false. Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We haven't changed our view on that." The US softened demands last year for Assad's immediate departure, but still insists he should resign at some point in a political transition process. Russia says outside powers shouldn't try to determine Syria's leadership. Assad has offered no indication he is willing to leave power. At least 250,000 people, and perhaps as many as a half million, have been killed in the five-year civil war. The fighting also has spawned Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and has led to the emergence of the Islamic State group. A veterinary doctor was shot at and seriously injured by three motorcycle-borne assailants near Ludana bus stand in the district, police said today. Rohtash, a private vet practitioner, was shot at yesterday. The assailants fled the spot immediately. Rohtash was rushed to a nearby hospital by the locals and police was informed. He was referred to PGI, Rohtak but his family took him to a private hospital in Hisar where he is recovering. The victim was said to have received a call to see an ailing buffalo in Ludana village. The motive behind the attack is not yet known. Police officials are off to Hisar to record the injured doctor's statement, said Rammehar Singh, in-charge, Ludana police station. A case has been lodged at Pillu Khera police station and further investigation is underway. An EasyJet flight from Vienna to London was halted just before takeoff today because a passenger believed the man sitting next to her might be an Islamic extremist, authorities said. "The woman believed that she saw messages related to IS (Islamic State) on the man's mobile phone," Austrian interior ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck told AFP. The woman alerted cabin crew, security staff were called, the takeoff was cancelled and all passengers and all their luggage were taken off the plane for checks. "Nothing was found however, and the aircraft has since taken off, but without either the man or the woman. They are now being questioned," Grundboeck said. The man is an Iraqi citizen, he added. It was unclear what the woman's nationality is. The incident comes amid heightened security in Europe following Tuesday's bombings in Brussels, which were claimed by IS. In this file photo, provided by Georgian Public Broadcaster and photographed by Ketevan Kardava shows Nidhi Chaphekar, right, a 40-year-old Jet Airways flight attendant from Mumbai being wounded in Brussels Airport, Brussels, Belgium on Saturday said the airline would provide the best medical attention to its two staff members, who sustained injuries during the bomb attacks at the Brussels airport on March 22. Airlines Chairman Naresh Goyal thanked the authorities for extending their support to help passengers and staff in the wake of the attacks at Brussels airport. To our two colleagues injured in the blasts and their families, we send loving prayers of support and assure that no effort will be spared to provide the best medical attention available, Goyal said. Two crew members Nidhi Chaphekar and Amit Motwani were injured in the deadly bomb blasts at the Brussels airport on March 22. In a message posted on his Twitter account, Goyal thanked the authorities for extending support. He also thanked every member of the family across centres in Brussels, India, Amsterdam, Newark and Canada for working 24x7 to handle the crisis with their incomparable spirit of service excellence. Brussels was the European hub of Jet Airways. Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen today said "some bad incidents" did not amount to India being called "intolerant" and those indulging in them should be "educated" to be more inclusive. The author condemned the recent mob lynching in Jharkhand where two cattle traders were killed and hanged, the Dadri lynching incident last year and the killing of rationalists Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar and M M Kalburgi. "It is not intolerance but a heinous crime to kill people for eating beef or for having different ideas. But, because of some bad incidents, I don't want to call 1.24 billion people of India intolerant. Some people are intolerant everywhere," she said. Nasreen was speaking at an event organised by CII Young India here where former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi were among the other speakers on the panel. The 53-year-old Bangladeshi writer, who has been living in self-exile in India after incurring wrath of fundamentalists back home over a novel written by her in 1994, said that she did not want to call India intolerant because "Indian laws and constitution are tolerant." "Many people in Indian society like any other society are intolerant. It is a misogynistic patriarchal society where most men are intolerant towards women, upper caste people are intolerant against lower caste people, rich people are intolerant against poor people, heterosexual people are intolerant against homosexual and transgender people," she said. According to her, it was "not unusual" to have some intolerant people in a country. "It is not very unusual that some people are intolerant but those people should be educated. We should teach them not be intolerant. And there are good laws and they can be punished," she said. The writer said while media is critical of the Hindu fundamentalists, oppression by their Muslim counterparts often goes unreported. "Intellectuals, journalists and writers always criticise Hindu fundamentalists but they do not criticise Muslim fundamentalists. We talk about Dadri but we don't talk about Malda," she said. Narrating her ordeal with Muslim fanatics which compelled her to relocate to Delhi from West Bengal, she said, "Some Muslim fundamentalists set a price on my head and no one was arrested for this crime. I was thrown out of West Bengal in 2007 because the politicians there wanted to appease Muslim fanatics for votes." The author said that Muslim minorities in India have much more freedom to live their lives compared to their Hindu and Christian counterparts in Bangladesh and Pakistan. "Pakistan has the blasphemy law which is often used against Christians, and Hindus in my country are tortured for being Hindus and many of them are leaving Bangladesh for India but how many Muslims here leave for other Muslim countries?" she asked. "I decided to live here because I love India. I don't feel like an outsider. I speak one of the Indian languages and also I know the name of the flowers in India," she said. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said he would take up the Hyderabad Central University issue, including the demand to recall its Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister's comments came during a debate in the Legislative Assembly. MIM MLAs and some other parties demanded that Appa Rao be recalled, as sought by the students agitating against Rohith Vemula's suicide. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the Assembly should pass a resolution seeking the VC's recall. The Chief Minister also assured that he would take action after an investigation if the police were found to have committed any excesses while dealing with the students who protested resumption of duty by the VC. Several students have been arrested for vandalising the VC's residence. Pointing out that HCU does not come under the state government's jurisdiction, the Chief Minister said a resolution (by Assembly) for recall of Appa Rao may not be appropriate. Rao, who expressed anguish over the death of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at HCU, said Vemula hailed from Andhra Pradesh and details of the matter will have to come from there. During the debate, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said it had been established that Vemula was not a Dalit, but belonged to the Vaddera community. Referring to his comments, Congress MLA Sampath Kumar asked whether any action was taken against the officials who gave the Scheduled Caste certificate to Rohith Vemula if he was not a Dalit. On an alleged attack on the Congress MLA at Osmania University here in the aftermath of a dead body being found, the Chief minister said Kumar had not made any complaint. By Carolyn Cohn and Richa Naidu LONDON (Reuters) - Rising risks in developed countries after a string of deadly attacks are driving up demand for specialist insurance to cover losses stemming from such events, putting upward pressure on premiums, underwriters and brokers say. Insurers have generally excluded the risks of such attacks from standard property, event cancellation or travel insurance policies since the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001, though customers can ask for the addition of specialist cover known in the industry as "terrorism insurance". Attacks in Paris, Istanbul and San Bernardino in California in the past year had made company boards increasingly concerned about safety even before this week's attacks in Brussels, said Tarique Nageer, of broker Marsh. "We have seen a change in demand as more of these events have occurred in more developed countries," said Nageer, who heads Marsh's New York department specialising in cover against such events. The number of attacks and fatalities has risen sharply since 2011, insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson said in a report published on Thursday, adding that the likelihood of further major attacks is expected to remain high. The economic costs of the Paris attacks in November, which killed 130 people, were between $9 billion and $12 billion, the report said, though it added that insurance payouts on property losses are "likely to be minimal". Cover for such events allows the largest companies to recoup losses ranging from about $250 million to $1 billion, according to Russell Kennedy, a divisional director at insurer Brit. Other specialists in the sector have noticed a significant increase in demand for cover. "The take-up of terrorism insurance has increased since Paris, that is definitely the case," said Julian Enoizi, chief executive of British specialist reinsurance fund Pool Re. Rising demand has come from event organisers, as well as hotels, catering companies and breweries that supply the events, said Rob Montgomery, senior underwriter for contingency at insurance firm Ark. "The higher demand, combined with the greatly increased exposure, is causing rates to rise," he said. ($1 = 0.8961 euros) (Additional reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain) We ask Karthik Reddy, Managing Partner at early stage venture fund company Blume Venture Advisors, what he likes about Zopper - a hyper local electronics marketplace that connects buyers with neighbourhood sellers. "Difficult question," he sighs, before explaining his investment thesis. "A good set of founders is never fixated with their idea. Those who fall in love with their solution typically fail faster." Zopper's founders, Neeraj Jain and Surjendu Kuila, fell in the first bracket. And when Blume bet his money on them in 2012, Zopper was not even born. Much like Snapdeal founders, Jain and Kuila were testing ideas, morphing, reincarnating, and in corporate lingo, pivoting. The duo launched their first business in 2011. It was called Brandandme and showcased a brand's unique selling proposition to its customer base through quizzing and social conversations. "It was doing decently well but we realised we were too early in the market," says Jain. Their next start-up was Reviews42, a community-based product reviews platform. The idea was to syndicate reviews to other e-commerce companies since they were a cost-effective way of customer acquisition. Next, this morphed into a price comparison platform. "We did reviews and then crawled websites to showcase the price points for various e-commerce platforms. We realised it was a small market. Reviews were a good-to-have, not a must-to-have thing for e-commerce players," Jain says. Reviews42 gave way to Zopper in June 2014. An electronics marketplace wouldn't have the limitations of a small pie. It is a $100-billion opportunity, 60 per cent of which is in services. But only about 15 per cent of mobile sales and 1-2 per cent of large appliances are currently sold through the online channel. Indeed, there is a huge market that e-commerce companies can hope to capture. Zopper is in 26 cities now and will launch in another 30 this year. Selling everything from mobiles to kitchen to home appliances, it hit $100 million of gross merchandise value (GMV) in December 2015, a holiday month. It is currently working with 22,000 retailers, processing 100,000 orders a month, and charges between 2-4 per cent commission. In 2015/16, its revenue run rate is around $2.5 million. Apart from Blume, the company has attracted overall investments of $22 million from Tiger Global and Nirvana Venture Advisors. Reddy of Blume says that the company has been able to solve an offline problem, the problem of small merchants. They can of course list on the bigger marketplaces such as Snapdeal, Flipkart and Amazon, but these companies are not engineered to service the small supplier. "They are milked more. The big platforms are also playing a discount game. With Zopper, the offline guy can compete with the online guy and can be discovered within a five-kilometre radius," he says. For a consumer, it could mean faster delivery and more reliability. "We work as a conduit," says Kuila, a rare Bengali founder in India's bania-dominated e-commerce industry. "For a lot of categories with hyper local attachments, our platform works best as we enable discovery and pricing from a local neighbourhood store. The closest stores are shown first in the app," he adds. For onboarding retailers, Zopper follows the FMCG model. In every city, important pockets are identified and relationship managers target retailers, inform them about the company, and train them on using its app. The company currently employs 80 relationship managers. Television commercials have helped as well - campaigns in November-December last year led to "inordinate requests". "With Zopper, the offline guy can compete with the online guy and he can be discovered within a five-kilometre radius" Interestingly, Zopper has positioned itself in the services market, which the founders tout as one of their differentiators. It offers an extended warranty for products bought; customers can also save the purchase invoice on its app. "Other e-commerce players are focusing on the discovery part and the fulfilment part. But we are focusing on ownership," explains Kuila. "If you look at the lifecycle of an electronics product, it could range from five-six months for a mobile phone to seven years for a durable. There are problems you face during this period. So we offer convenience, selection, instant gratification, and after-sales support." The strategy appears to be working. Business Today spoke to Uday Anand, who owns five stores called Razzle Dazzle Electronics in East Delhi. He has partnered with Zopper for more than a year now and makes `10 lakh every month, on an average, through the hyperlocal platform. "Recently, Zopper provided an additional one-year warranty for any product that is paid through the credit card," Anand says. "They would just charge 2 per cent of the total amount. No one provides one year extra warranty for just 2 per cent more. It helps us attract more buyers," he explains. Typically, Zopper charges 8 per cent of the product value for a year's extended warranty. It has partnered with various service providers for after-sales support. Revenues from warranties cobble up to 35-40 per cent of the company's top line, the rest coming from marketplace commissions. Kuila's profile on LinkedIn reveals an eye-catching, possibly daunting target: "As we have a very lean business model we would be India's first profitable e-commerce platform (in scale) in 2016". What does that mean? The company is lean because of many things, including how it manages logistics. Kuila explains that in 70-75 per cent of the cases, the delivery is executed by the retailer himself - that's the advantage of being hyperlocal. Local retailers don't have to wait for the money to be remitted if they do it themselves. The company, unlike other online marketplaces, also has alternative revenue streams. Besides warranty income, it expects revenues from sale of technology platforms such as point of sale solutions. In March, it announced the acquisition of EasyPOS, a cloud-based point of sale software firm. Zopper today claims gross margin profitability. "We have to cover marketing and manpower costs. Most of our fixed costs are talent (60-65 per cent)," Kuila says. The company employs 300 right now. Its big goal next year is to align the cost per order to the commissions it makes from the marketplace. If that is achieved, Zopper could set an example in the Indian e-commerce industry. At a time of falling valuations, it would also send the right signal to investors. 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Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Nueces County SHARE Kenneth L. Baker Renewing Cuban relations a bad move There are a lot of headlines in regards to President Obama's visit to Cuba. A wrong move in my opinion since we have nothing to gain from it but provide hard-earned tax dollars to a communist regime. They created their own nest, let them sit in it and reap its benefits of a failed government. A history lesson of the failed Kennedy era in terms of not providing a democracy to that island nation. We lost 50,000 young men to defend democracy in Vietnam to a split nation that had nothing in common with us. Yet just 90 miles from our shores we stood by and let the communists destroy a nation/people that was our neighbor. Wonder if the Obama administration will let various U.S. companies sue for their stolen property taken by that government with diplomatic relations being renewed? The same rats are still in charge over there and we have nothing to gain but spending tax money for more deficit spending. Obama would like to give them Guantanamo as a gift, I'm sure. I'm sure he will get a nice summer home out of all this and a vacation spot for life. Just another place for U.S. jobs to vanish because of cheap labor and us loaning them money we don't have. Friday, March 25, 2016 at 10:16PM Its finally happening. The headset thats seen to have kicked off the resurgence of virtual reality is finally going to make it into the hands of the public. Oculus VR Chief Executive Brendan Iribe confirmed on Twitter that their company has started shipping the consumer version of the Rift to those who preordered the headset. It should arrive at customerss doors by the March 28th official launch date. It isnt just a big moment for the company but for the industry as well as they are the first big VR company to release to the public. The HTC Vive is still up for preorder and coming out in May, while the PlayStation VR is coming out at the end of the year. Of course, you can argue for Google Cardboard and the Samsung Gear VR but these still lack the feature set the Rift has. Source: The Independent "Everybody is scared of this disease, wherever they are, whatever their culture, and the same way you build understanding is the same as anybody. The problem was that there was not enough people to do that, when there could have been." Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea Mazdas European boss, Jeff Guyton, says that the CX-9 might, for the first time, make it to the Old Continent. If it gets the green light, it will land with a diesel engine instead of the 250 HP 2.5-liter petrol unit thats available in the used on the US version. The world would like more CX models than we are able to produce. When CX-9 really starts to sell in the US, it will be constrained as well sure wed like to have more, but well take small actions to increase capacity Jeff Guyton, Mazdas European chief, told AutoExpress at the New York Auto Show. The brands European SUV lineup currently comprises the subcompact CX-3 and the compact CX-5. Both of them turned out to be popular and will be joined eventually by a third addition, the sportier CX-4, which will be presented in Beijing, next month. Adding the CX-9 would give Mazda something to rival the likes of the VW Touareg and the Kia Sorento. Presently, the new CX-9 is available to order in the USA from $31,520 (excluding destination and handling fee) for the base Sport trim. Deliveries will commence in late-spring. PHOTO GALLERY A Jeep Pick-up truck might not be the only thing FCA is preparing, as a smaller RAM pick-up could also make an appearance in the future. Albeit not confirmed by an official source, The Detroit News reports that Mike Manley, global head of both brands (Fiat and Chrysler), thinks theres opportunity for such a vehicle in the United States and around the world: I think theres opportunity there in the U.S. if you look at whats happened in the mid-size segment here significant growth last year. I think that space is big enough, certainly, to have two offerings there. While there are already big plans with Jeeps upcoming pick-up truck, and with the recently-launched Fiat Toro, development for a RAM variant wouldnt come at much additional cost. Still, for now, such a plan seems like a longshot, as Manley explained when asked if the company will have a small pick-up ready by 2020: I wouldnt even confirm if well have two offerings, let alone confirm a time frame, he said. Nevertheless, Dodge wants to expand to other markets, while the rising demand in the mid-size truck segment makes the idea that much more appealing. Theres potential for RAM to use a Fiat platform for a RAM pickup, Manley said, mentioning that Bob Hegbloom head of RAM International will be traveling to Brazil discuss opportunities with Fiat. Fiat Toro Pictured PHOTO GALLERY While preparing for deliveries of its first ever SUV, Seat is already taking it to the streets. We dont have any background details on the scooped example, but its numerous drives might suggest that it is either filming a video or a lucky team of automotive journalists are allowed a test drive. Whatever the case may be, the compact SUV that was launched in Geneva will shortly be battling the Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai ix35, Mazda CX-5 and Renault Kadjar, to name but a few of its competitors. Underpinned by the MQB platform and with a similar footprint as the Leon, the Ateca starts from 20,000 in Germany and 17,990 in the UK. The entry level model ispowered by a three-cylinder 1.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine rated at 115 PS (113 HP) and comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. The engine lineup includes a 150 PS (148 HP) 1.4-liter petrol unit and three diesels, ranging between 115 HP (113 HP) and 190 PS (187 HP). If the reports turn out to be true, Seat may at a later date add a hot Cupra version with the 2.0-liter TFSI from the Leon. VIDEO Cartoon Brew spoke to Dubois at the Animateka festival last December in Ljubljana, Slovenia, about his signature hand-drawn CG style, his unconventional creative process on Madagascar, and the anxieties of directing a large crew for the first time. Cartoon Brew: Madagascar: A Journey Diary wonderfully captures the organic and spontaneous feeling of traveling. Was the creation of the film anything like that? Bastien Dubois: In 2006, I moved to Madagascar for ten months, equipped with some basic technical materials, the visual idea of an animated journey diary, and six lines of script. Instead of writing a script or drawing a storyboard, I started out animating three shots and spreading those across a timeline with some music under it. That became the foundation of the film. Every time after some traveling through Madagascar, Id come back home [in Madagascar] to animate a few shots, based on my new experiences and update the edit of the film. Slowly the film was built around those three initial shots. I probably had fully animated about forty per cent of the film already before the story structure was, more or less, established. I dont know if I did it this way because I was too lazy to think before animating, or if it was a conscious decision to keep the story as spontaneous as possible. Whatever the reason, if I had developed Madagascar in the traditional way, the film would have never come out the same. It sounds like a dream production, traveling and animating in an exotic place like Madagascar. Bastien Dubois: Combining my two passions, I thought I would be in for a holiday but I was wrong. Out of those ten months, really just three months were spent traveling. The remaining time was spent in my room with terribly hot weather, electricity that shut down every two hours, and fleas munching my legs. Have you ever considered making another film in the way that you made Madagascar? Bastien Dubois: Madagascar was a great bunch of accidents, a film made with my gut instinct. Now that Im more aware of filmmaking techniques, things like point-of-view and such, I dont think I could go back to something as spontaneous. Im just not the same person as I was back then. At the Animateka festival you were part of a thematic focus on animated documentaries. Would you consider your work as such? Bastien Dubois: My work is generally based on real events and a lot of research, so I guess it does have those documentary aspects to it. But in the end, its fantasy. In a way Id consider animated documentaries to be educational, aiming to make the audience understand things as clearly as possible. Madagascar is not meant to do that. On the contrary I wanted the audience to feel lost. Im much more interested in that kind of experience for the audience, in emotion more than education, truth, or even the ethicality of my choices. In your films you use CG to create a style thats very much hand drawn. Why wouldnt you just produce it in 2D? Bastien Dubois: Many people have asked me this. Yes, of course I could tell the same story through 2D hand-drawn animation, but then I wouldnt be able to attain the comprehensive cinematography that CG offers. Its like asking, Can you eat your food without a fork and a knife? Sure I can, but it wouldnt look so nice. Following the success of Madagascar you created a French television series with the same look but a different set-up, Faces from Places. How did that show happen? Bastien Dubois: After Madagascar it was kind of obvious to make a series with the same concept and different countries. But that short had taken me two years it would be impossible to do for a full series. By changing the concept into a short-form interview series with talking heads, played by Paris-based actors instead of natives all over the world, it became something doable. Also, we turned the style experiments of Madagascar into a basic recipe of five basic technical procedures and used the motion capture technique I developed for Cargo Cult, mapping textures onto CG sets and characters. This way we managed to create 60 minutes of Faces from Places in a year. For the first time ever you were part of a big crew, directing about 20 people Bastien Dubois: It was huge and I was very scared. My Madagascar team existed out of just four trainees, who were helping me out for two months near the end of the process. Due to the personal nature of the film, the story was still evolving all the time. Everything was in my head, and I couldnt communicate it, so I didnt get the desired results from my team. It got me really exhausted and frustrated, and it didnt go faster than working alone. Just imagine how scared I was for a huge project like Faces from Places. You made it, though what got you through? Bastien Dubois: After assembling a very nice and talented crew of people around me, managed by my assistant director Antoine [Delacharlery], I just decided to let things go. Creating the animatics was my main job as the series director. Through rhythm, framing, movement, and music, it was possible for me to capture the full atmosphere I was looking for as a director its all in the animatic. My creative part then was done and the animatic got handed over to Antoine, who would arrange the rest. Thanks to him and the crew I ended up being the happiest director in the world. Art Brutal, a non-profit youre a part of, hands out a small grant (1000 euros and a TVPaint license) to a young animation director every year. Why do you think this is important? [The deadline to apply for this year is April 1, 2016.] Bastien Dubois: Searching for the money to do Madagascar was a difficult and lengthy process. If it wasnt for the support of Rotary Club, a grant of 2000 euros for the film that they gave me just a few weeks after I sent them a first e-mail, I would have probably given up. A small grant thats easy to apply for can make a big difference for a young creator. What Rotary Club did for me, we want to do for others. Personally I think its also just very exciting to be part of someones potential piece of art. Photo: Brian McEntire What better guest writer to launch Spirited Endeavours than our own Kristin Peturson-Laprise, author of Castanets Happy Gourmand column? And what better topic than a bit of history on what we all hold so dear (especially if someone is trying to take the glass before were finished that last sip). A tipsy romp through the history of spirited endeavours By Kristin Peturson-Laprise For thousands of years mankind has gathered to toast the past, present, or future with a glass in hand. That raised glass has been seen around the world, and has had many different libations over time. The sentiment has always been a strong one - at times jubilation, at times frustration, at times sorrow. Tom Standage captured our attraction to drink in his book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses ~ Some have served to highlight the power and status of the elite, and others to subjugate or appease the downtrodden. Drinks have been used to celebrate births, commemorate deaths, and forge and strengthen social bonds; to seal business transactions and treaties; to sharpen the senses or dull the mind; to convey lifesaving medicines and deadly poisons. Dont drink the water Many of the most popular beverages through history have been types of alcohol, often because the water wasn't fit to drink. Becoming tipsy as a result of drinking such beverages was generally considered an added bonus. Nowadays we imbibe not out of necessity, but for pleasure of the drink and the company. We can enjoy knowing we are part of a long history. Alcohol has been a significant part of the evolution of civilization A symposium was originally defined as a private wine drinking party, as Greek philosophers believed it to be the perfect occasion to discover the truth on any topic as the participants debated. Granted, there was also a fair bit of debauchery that ensued as consumption increased. The ideal drinker was said to be Socrates, as he could party hard with the rest, but did not show any ill-effects the next day. The ancient Romans took the idea of a social gathering one step further by creating the convivium, a banquet at which guests were served different wines, as befit their social status. Alcoholic drinks have been the passion of people throughout history - beer, wine and spirits. Their rise in popularity was due, in part, to the supply of ingredients and the advances of culture. Were not just supporting local businesses when we raise a glass, were contributing to the general economy and our culture. He was a wise man who invented beer ~ Plato Photo: Jo Slade He was a wise man who invented beer ~ Plato Beer fans will be happy to know that it was the first popular drink. As far back as 2700 BC, Sumerian King Gilgamesh is said to have turned into a human, abandoning his wild ways in the wilderness, after an evening of good food and beer enjoyed in a shepherds' village. In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, beer was considered a valuable commodity, even used as a sort of currency. Archeological sites have included vessels that apparently were used for measuring out beer rations for payments for goods. Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. ~ Plautus Photo: Fuse Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. ~ Plautus Beer was later overshadowed by wine, with the rise of the Greek and Roman empires, but it remains, to this day, a more popular drink where these civilizations did not reach, like Northern Europe. This helps to explain why Oktoberfest, not a wine festival, is the social event of choice in Germany. Wine has been around an even longer time - archeological evidence seems to date it back much farther than beer, around 9000 B.C. in what is now Iran. It was a beverage reserved for the elite class, however. It didn't become popular with the general population until about 870 B.C. Who knew wine snobs were around that early? Wine, too, became a currency, and traded over long distances, resulting in different styles. The shape of the amphorae in which the wine was transported became part of a region's signature, and helped buyers and sellers guarantee the style being sold. The first wine buffs were the ancient Greeks; many writers noted their preferences. Yes, it's true, they had wine tasting notes even then. Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy. ~ Frank Sinatra Photo: Jacob Ammentorp Lund Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy. ~ Frank Sinatra Spirits were a much later innovation, not developed until well into the modern age. The Arabs were the ones who carried on the work of the ancient philosophers, most notably in Cordoba, Spain. Ancient Greeks and Romans had distilled liquids to make perfumes and essential oils, but it was the Arabs who applied the technique to wine, about 1000 A.D. These fortified beverages (port, sherry, madeira) became popular in trade, as they survived the changing temperatures of seafaring voyages even better than beer or wine. If you've ever tasted beer or wine left in a hot car, you know the value of this. It was not long before the technique spread, and Northern Europeans were applying it to beer, creating whisky. I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum? ~ William Cowper The next wave of exploration to the New World brought the invention of rum, a spirit that could be made locally in the Caribbean from sugarcane, as opposed to imported from across the ocean. From that point on, there was a drink for anyone who wanted it, in any country of the western world. Here in the Okanagan, our cup runneth over with local libations. Not only do we have fruit orchards from which we can produce a number of spirits, we have the vineyards which have become world-famous with our local wine industry. And with the sense of entrepreneurship that blossoms in our region, the evolution of craft breweries was only a matter of time. Enjoying a drink is a pastime that will never go away, because it speaks to our very essence. All of these beverages are an evolution of art and science, and they are intrinsic to our social structure. The drinks evolve, as we evolve. Isn't it nice to know you could be contributing to the advancement of humankind? That deserves a toast! ___________ Interested in writing for Spirited Endeavours? That is an amazing coincidence, because were interested in hearing from you. Drop me a line [email protected] This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: RCMP The Salmon Arm RCMP is requesting the publics help in finding a missing 75-year-old man. Calvin Ericksons family members reported him missing from his home on Thursday at 6 p.m. He was last seen in the Salmon Arm Hillcrest area at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Police have conducted an extensive ground and air search for Erickson to no avail. He is described by police as a 215-pound, 6-foot-3 Caucasian male with grey hair, and possibly wearing glasses. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and black shoes and he walks with a distinctive shuffle. Ericksons family is concerned about his well-being and believe he is in need of his medications. Police are asking anyone with information on Ericksons whereabouts to call the Salmon Arm RCMP at 250-832-6044. Photo: Vernon RCMP Police in the North Okanagan are looking for a missing teen. Suzie Clark was reported missing Thursday to the Vernon RCMP. She is described as a 17-year-old First Nations young woman, about 4-10 in height with a slight build, brown eyes and shoulder length blonde hair in braids. Anyone with information about Clark or her current whereabouts is asked to call the nearest RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Photo: Darren Handschuh Vernon fire crews responded to a fire at the Green Valley Motel in the early hours of Saturday morning. Ten firefighters arrived at the now-closed motel, on the corner of Highway 97 and 25th Avenue, just after midnight. They found a fire in the bathroom of a unit on the third floor of the motel. The building manager, the lone occupant of the motel these days, had slowed the fire with a fire extinguisher. It was mostly knocked down by the fire extinguisher, so kudos to the guy for having one, said Keith Green, Vernon Fire Department fire chief. Fire crews stayed at the motel until 3 a.m., mopping up the remains of the fire to ensure it didnt restart. Green says the fire certainly looked suspicious so it was turned over to the RCMP. As the investigation is ongoing, Green couldnt elaborate on why the fire seemed suspicious. The motel has was a well-known area for crime and drug use for many years before being closed in September of 2015. In 2014 alone, police were called to the motel 200 times. The motel now presumably sits empty, save for the building manager. Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Updates on CDC recommendations related to Zika virus Press Briefing Transcript Friday, March 25, 2016, 2:00pm EST Audio recording media icon [MP3, 4.67 MB] Please Note:This transcript is not edited and may contain errors. OPERATOR: Welcome, and thank you for standing by. All participants will be able to listen only until the question and answer portion of todays conference. Todays conference is being recorded. If you have any objections, please disconnect at this time. i would now like to turn the conference over to Mrs. Kathy Harben. KATHY HARBEN: Thank you, Julie. And thank you all for joining us for these updates on CDC recommendations related to Zika virus. With us today to provide an overview of the updates is Dr. Denise Jamieson. Shes a clinical OBGYN with CDCs division of reproductive health. For the question and answer period, we also have Dr. Sonja Rasmussen and thats r-a-s-m-u-s-s-e-n. Shes a clinical geneticist and director of the Division of Public Health Information and Dissemination and editor and chief of CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, thats the MMWR. We also have Dr. Alexandra Oster. Shes a medical epidemiologist in the division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC. And we also have today with us Dr. Catherine Spong, and she is acting director of NIHs National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Now, Id like to turn the call over to Dr. Jamieson. DR. DENISE JAMIESON: Good afternoon. CDC continues to learn more about Zika literally every day, and as we learn more, were eager to share that information with you. Today, were here to talk about three articles published in the MMWR with new recommendations and information to prevent Zika virus transmission and its health effects. First, updated interim guidance for healthcare professionals for counseling patients about pregnancy planning and the timing of pregnancy after possible exposure to the Zika virus. Second, updated interim guidance for preventing sexual transmission with information about how long men and women should consider using condoms or not having sex. And third, considerations and challenges, based on Puerto Ricos experience, for reducing unintended pregnancy in areas of Zika transmission. Before we go into the new guidance, I first wanted briefly to update you on the latest numbers reported to CDC and the latest numbers in Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory that, to date, has been most affected by the virus. As of today, we know of 273 Zika virus cases from 35 states and the District of Columbia that has diseases such as Zika. These have been reported to CDC through the arbonet which is the U.S. surveillance system for arboviral diseases. All are travel-related or sexually transmitted cases. In addition, there have been 261 cases reported from Puerto Rico, 14 cases from American Samoa, and 11 cases from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of these, 99 percent are presumed to be locally transmitted by mosquitos within the territories. Puerto Rico is by far the most affected area. Ill now turn to the update on the updated guidance related to pregnancy planning. Today, we have issued updated guidance for health professionals who counsel patients about pregnancy planning and the timing of pregnancy after possible exposure to the Zika virus. Mounting evidence supports a link between Zika and Microcephaly, a birth defect that is a sign of incomplete brain development and possibly other problems such as miscarriage. The rate of these complications is not known yet, but were studying this. We know theres a risk, but its important to remember that even in places with active Zika transmission women are delivering apparently healthy infants. Our goal here is to ensure that doctors and other health care professionals have clear guidance to inform discussions with their patients about possible exposure to Zika virus, pregnancy planning, and timing of pregnancy. The updated CDC recommendations are these. First, for women and men who have been diagnosed with Zika virus or who have symptoms of Zika, including fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes after possible exposure to Zika Virus, CDC recommends health care providers advise that women wait at least eight weeks after their symptoms first appear before trying to get pregnant. Men wait six months after their symptoms first appear to have unprotected sex. In making these recommendations, we consider the longest known risk period for these categories. We then allowed for three times the known period of time that the virus persisted. For men and women without symptoms of Zika virus, but who had possible exposure to Zika from recent travel or sexual contact, CDC recommends that health care providers advise their patients to wait at least eight weeks after their possible exposure before trying to get pregnant in order to minimize risks. For men and women without symptoms of Zika virus who live in an area with active Zika transmission, CDC recommends health care providers talk with their patients about their pregnancy plans during a Zika virus outbreak, the potential risks of Zika, and how they can prevent Zika virus infection. These are very complex, deeply personal decisions, and we are communicating the potential risks of pregnancy for people who have had Zika and for those who live in areas with active transmission. We are encouraging health care providers to have conversations with couples about pregnancy planning and their individual circumstances and to discuss strategies to prevent unintended pregnancies. Men and women who reside in areas with active Zika virus transmission who are considering pregnancy need clear guidance to help them inform the deeply personal and very complex decision about timing of pregnancy. Conversations about health risks of pregnancy can be very difficult, but are important to have. Health care providers should discuss the risks of Zika, emphasize ways to prevent Zika Virus infection, and provide information about safe and effective contraceptive methods. As part of their pregnancy planning and counseling with their healthcare providers, some women and their partners residing in areas with active Zika virus transmission might decide to delay pregnancy. Next, Id like to discuss the updated interim guidance for preventing sexual transmission of Zika. The recommendations for men who live in or traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission who have a pregnant partner remain the same. CDC recommends that a man with a pregnant partner should use condoms every time they have sex or do not have sex throughout the duration of the pregnancy. To be effective, condoms must be used correctly from the start to the finish every time during sex; this includes vaginal, anal, or oral sex. The updated guidance includes new time frames for men and their non-pregnant sex partners based on the couples situation, including whether the man lives in or has traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission and whether he has symptoms of possible Zika infection. The guidance are based on available information about how long the virus remains in the semen and based on whether or not men have symptoms of infection. Couples should consider condoms or not having sex for at least six months after the symptoms begin. This includes men who live in and men who traveled to areas with Zika. Couples with men who travelled to areas with Zika but who did not develop symptoms of Zika should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least eight weeks after their return in order to minimize risk. Couples with men who live in an area of Zika but have not developed symptoms should consider using condoms or not having sex while there is active Zika Transmission in the area. Couples who do not want to get pregnant should use the most effective contraceptive method that they can use correctly and consistently. Couples who are trying to get pregnant should consult with their health care provider. Finally, Id like to briefly talk about what we have learned, based on Puerto Ricos experience, about the importance of increasing access to contraception in areas of active Zika transmission. Because of the potential of Zika Virus to affect pregnant women and their fetuses, strategies to prevent unintended pregnancies are a critical part of current efforts to prevent Zika-related health effects. Based on Puerto Ricos experience, the CDC has identified considerations and challenges in reducing unintended pregnancies in areas with active Zika transmission. Approximately 2/3 of pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unintended, indicating a potential unmet need for access to birth control. In this report, researchers estimated about 138,000 women in Puerto Rico may be at risk for unintended pregnancy and are not using one of the most effective or moderately effective forms of birth control. In areas with active Zika transmission Women and their partners who do not want to get pregnant now should be advised about the range of effective birth control methods and counseled that correct and consistent use of these methods is important if they do not want to become pregnant. Well take questions in just a minute, but Id first like to share information from the Department Of Health And Human Services about their efforts to ensure access to contraception during this outbreak. The Department Of Health And Human Services is working to leverage existing programs that currently provide resources for or access to contraception in Puerto Rico, including programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Population Affairs within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. HHS is also coordinating with federal, local, and private partners to identify additional resources to support increased access to the most effective forms of contraception. HRSA has 20 health centers grantees that operate 84 centers in Puerto Rico which serve over 330,000 people, including nearly 80,000 women ages 15 to 45. HHS is exploring expansion of services at these centers which currently include prenatal care and other volunteer family-planning services. OPA is working to provide additional funds for contraceptive services as well as facilitate the training of providers in long-acting reversible contraceptive methods. OPA supports two Title X grantees that operate 15 clinics in Puerto Rico which serve over 19,000 people. Family-planning services are a mandatory benefit under Medicaid for men and women and are exempt from cost sharing requirements. CMS is working to provide additional guidance to states and territories on how their Medicaid program can support the Zika response, including coverage for contraception. Well now take questions. OPERATOR: thank you. If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1, and youll be prompted to record your first and last name. To withdraw your question, press star 2. One moment, please. OPERATOR: One moment while we gather questions. First question comes from Helen Branswell with STAT News. Your line is open. HELEN BRANSWELL Thanks very much for taking my question. I have a couple, if i could, please. You said women and their partners who live in areas where Zika is spreading locally and their partners may decide to delay pregnancy. Has CDC explored the opportunity not the opportunity, but option of recommending flat out that women in areas where Zika is spreading should not should try not to get pregnant? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: I think decisions regarding when and how to have children are personal and complex. Even in the best of circumstances, having a baby is still a risky undertaking. Unfortunately, Zika adds one more potential risk. So I think our obligation is to provide the best available evidence about what those risks are and what we dont know and know about those risks so women and their partners can make informed decisions. HELEN BRANSWELL another question, if i could. In the interim guidance of the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus in the United States, in the beginning of it you say for men who have traveled or resided in areas of active Zika transmission and their female or male sexual partners. Although most of the guidance appears to be about preventing transmission to women who might become pregnant, why you have included you raise there the issue of men who have sex with men. why? DR. ALEXANDRA OSTER: We know Zika is of particular concern in pregnancy because of the adverse fetal outcomes, but we know some couples who will be concerned about sexual transmission of Zika through sexual routes and that theyll want to know how they can potentially act to prevent transmission. Zika virus has been detected in semen when it is no longer detectable in blood, so our guidelines address sexual contact that involves semen, which includes vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral mouth-to-penis sex or fellatio. KATHY HARBEN: I just want to clarify that was Dr. Alexandra Oster who was speaking. KATHY HARBEN: Next question, please. OPERATOR: Our next question is from Mike Stobbe with the Associated Press. Your line is open. MIKE STOBBE: Thank you for taking my call. I had two quick clarifying questions and one additional question. Doctor, did you say the current case count in Puerto Rico is 261? I thought it was 317. Also, among the six sexually transmitted cases that have been described, is one of them the Dallas case, the one that the Dallas health department drew attention to? The last question is regarding the Puerto Rican report. It describes what proportion of women of childbearing age are not using effective birth control. Do you know for the continental United States what the same proportion is? DR. JENNIFER MCQUISTON: this is Dr. Jennifer McQuiston. Ive not been previously introduced. Im going to answer your first question about numbers. We are revising the numbers posted on our website today based on communications with Puerto Rico, so the numbers reported on this call today are correct. DR. ALEXANDRA OSTER: And this is Dr. Oster. To answer your question about the six confirmed cases involving sexual transmission that are currently reported on the CDC website that does include the case that was reported by Dallas. DR. DENISE JAMIESON: And this is Dr. Jamieson. I apologize. I still dont know the answer to the question of in the United States what proportion of women are at risk for unintended pregnancy. MIKE STOBBE: Thank you. Dr. McQuiston So the number is 261 then in Puerto Rico right now? DR. JENNIFER MCQUISTON: Yes. There are 258 cases that are thought to be locally transmitted by mosquitos and the other two are travel-related. Our website will soon reflect those updates. OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Sabrina Tavernise The New York Times. Your line is open. SABRINA TAVERNISE: Thanks for taking my question. I may have missed this, but of the recommendations of eight weeks for women and six months for men in preventing sexual transmission guidelines thing, is that different from before? Is it new that youre giving any type of time limit? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: This is Dr. Jamieson. Yes, those are new recommendations. Previously, we were really focused on protecting pregnant women, and our recommendations were around women who are already pregnant. Whats new in these updated guidance is were now concerned about the time the periconceptional period, the period around the time when the woman conceives, so these are new guidelines. SABRINA TAVERNISE: got it. There were no guidelines about peri before conception before at all, right? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: thats correct. So these are new. Before it was just women who were currently pregnant. SABRINA TAVERNISE: Got it, got it. DR. DENISE JAMIESON: Next question, please. OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Lena Sun with The Washington Post. Your line is open. LENA SUN: Hi, thank you very much. i just wanted to clarify something on the numbers. The Puerto Rico health department, i believe, is off for the rest of the week because of well, at least until Monday because of the holiday. And so the 261. Of those 261 cases, do you know how many include pregnant women? Their previous case count said it was 24, but that was based on a lower number. And i have another question. DR. JENNIFER MCQUISTON: Yes, Im sorry. i dont have the updated pregnancy numbers at this time. LENA SUN: okay. And my other question is more general. Could you maybe pull back or explain for the average reader how solid is the science on which folks are basing these recommendations? I took a quick look at the MMWRs, and theres an explanation about how long its in the semen and adding extra time on that, but how solid do you think the science is? And if its not, then is this your best attempt to give some guidance to women because we really dont have anything out there? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: I think youre exactly right. Unfortunately, theres still a lot we dont know, and theres still a lot we need to know. these recommendations are exactly as you say, our best attempt to try and provide reasonable time frames based on what we know about how long the virus persists in blood and how long the virus persists in semen. But we are not these recommendations will continue to change and evolve as we learn more, but we are this is our best attempt at this time knowing what we know. KATHY HARBEN: next question, please. OPERATOR: our next question is from Robert King the Washington Examiner. Your line is open. ROBERT KING Hi, thank you for taking my question. Can you go through again the recommendations that were updated? I know the recommendations on having sex for six months are new, but can you please again tell me what did you update and why did you try and do that, i guess? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: So previously, our recommendations were based on protecting women who are already pregnant. as we look at other viral diseases, such as rubella, and as we learn more about Zika in pregnancy and we learn more supporting a link between Zika and poor pregnancy outcome, we become more concerned about the peri-conceptional period, the period of time around when conception occurs. And so these recommendations are new in that were recommending that for people who either have Zika disease or who travel to an area with active Zika transmission, were now recommending that they wait a period of time before attempting to get pregnant. DR. DENISE JAMIESON Next question. ROBERT KING: So theres no change to the prior recommendations that you put out for anything? I know that you have the new recommendations, but you didnt do any other updates to any other prior recommendations? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: So these replace the recommendations that we previously issued. ROBERT KING: Okay. Thank you. OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Heather Tesoriero CBS evening news. Your line is open. HEATHER TESORIERO: Hi, thank you. Thank you for taking my question. Im just wondering and Im sorry if someone has addressed this previously on the call, but most of us in the media have been characterizing an association or a link between Zika and pregnancy and fetal abnormalities, the microcephaly. Im just wondering if we are at a point now Is the agency willing or able to say that it is a causal relationship? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: I think were learning more every day, and I think the evidence of a link between Zika and a spectrum of birth outcomes is becoming stronger and stronger. At this point, were not using causal language, but the evidence is mounting. HEATHER TESORIERO: Okay, thank you. KATHY HARBEN: Next question, please. OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Joette Giovinco with WVTV. Your line is open. JOETTE GIOVINCO: Thank you so much for taking my question. I was reading the MMWR and the unintended pregnancy rate in Puerto Rico was higher. 65 percent, I believe, compared to the U.S. and I was just wondering how much of that do you think really relates back to the access to effective contraception, the cost, various other things, versus maybe cultural issues that may be going on there in Puerto Rico? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: It seems there are considerable barriers to accessing the most effective method of contraception. For example, long-acting reversible methods are not readily available in Puerto Rico. From our health care provider colleagues in Puerto Rico, there is a desire to provide a more broad range of contraceptive options for women in Puerto Rico. The CDC has contraceptive guidance that recommends that all methods of contraception, including long-acting reversible methods, be offered to women who desire to prevent unintended pregnancy, and long-acting reversible methods should be an important component of that. JOETTE GIOVINCO: So will those be provided then at no cost for those individuals? DR. DENISE JAMIESON: Were exploring and developing a plan in order to make those methods more available in Puerto Rico along with our Puerto Rican Department of Health colleagues and OBGYN leadership in Puerto Rico. JOETTE GIOVINCO: Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. KATHY HARBEN: Thank you. We have time for two more questions. OPERATOR: Okay. OPERATOR: We have one more question. We have Michael Crupain with the Dr. Oz show. Your line is open. MICHAEL CRUPAIN: Thank you. I was wondering if you could help clarify how you chose these time periods a little more. I understand most people who get Zika dont have clinical symptoms, so why is there such a big difference in the time frame? I guess people who are traveling to the area could still have an infection and not know. DR. DENISE JAMIESON: So the big difference in the time frame is for men who have Zika and men who are asymptomatic. Thats based on the persistence of the virus in the semen. Semen has been PCR positive for up to two months after infection, so thats why that is a longer time period than the eight weeks. But I think you bring up a good point and that is, as I said earlier, theres a lot we still need to know to make better evidence-based recommendations. Were using what we know about the persistence of virus in the blood and the semen, but again we would like to know more and we would like to have recommendations that are based on more evidence. KATHY HARBEN: Thank you. Dr. Jamieson will now have a few closing remarks. DR. DENISE JAMIESON: In closing, Id like to say that CDCs commitment to protecting Americans from health risks is absolute. Its why we are here. Its what makes the thousands of doctors, lab experts, disease control experts, and other scientists come to work in the morning every day. In Atlanta, throughout the U.S., including Puerto Rico and other affected U.S. territories, more than 600 CDC staff are working around the clock to continue to learn more and to do more to protect people. As always, as we learn more, we will share it so Americans can decide how best to protect their own health. Thank you very much. KATHY HARBEN: thank you, everyone. This concludes our telebriefing. A transcript of this call will be posted to the CDC newsroom as soon as possible. If you need additional information or have other questions, you can call the CDC press office at 404-639-3286 or e-mail media@CDC.gov. Thank you. OPERATOR: thank you for your participation. You may disconnect at this time. ### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon Chino, CA (91710) Today Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed he could serve on the court for at least a decade and tip the balance in favor of the liberal block of justices who routinely side with government over employers. The consequences for the economy, and especially for small businesses, could be harsh and long lasting. Thats why the National Federation of Independent Business, the countrys leading advocate for small-business owners, has been vetting Garlands record for weeks. Our legal experts have been pouring over his decisions, rulings, and public statements related to hundreds of cases. After studying his record, NFIB found that Garland has sided overwhelmingly with regulators, labor unions, trial lawyers, and environmental activists. Small employers have been almost always on the losing end of his decisions. Favoring regulation For example, in NAHB v. EPA, Garland in 2011 rejected a Regulatory Flexibility Act claim by the National Association of Home Builders against the Environmental Protection Agency. He did so despite the fact that the RFA is unambiguous. It requires certain agencies to analyze the effect of their actions on small employers. Thats an important protection for small businesses, who struggle with the costs of regulations. In fact, according to the SBA, the typical small business must spend $12,000 per worker annually to comply with federal regulations. Theres little doubt that Garland would defer to regulators as a Supreme Court justice. In another case, Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Norton, in 2003, Garland argued that the federal government can regulate private property in California under the Commerce Clause because of the presence of a unique species of toad. The Commerce Clause applies to interstate commerce. The toad wasnt part of any interstate commercial activity. Nevertheless, Garland twisted the Commerce Clause into a pretzel in order to rationalize federal regulation. Would he be just as creative as a Supreme Court justice in giving regulators more power over private property? NFIB believes thats very likely. On the Circuit Court, Judge Garland ruled in many cases involving the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB is supposed to be a neutral arbiter of labor disputes. Often, however, it acts more as an agent of the labor unions. Thats been especially true under President Obama. Garland ruled in two cases that when employers are found guilty of violations, not only should their business assets be penalized but their personal assets as well. In other words, according to Garland, a business owners personal assets, like homes and retirement savings, are fair game for regulators. Sympathy for labor In fact, in 16 major labor decisions, Garland ruled in favor of the NLRB in all but one case. In that case he voted with the union. Thats the pattern throughout his long tenure on the bench. He strongly favors government power over private enterprise. He has deep sympathies for labor unions over employers. And he is certain to bring those views to the Supreme Court, where big decisions affecting the economy are likely to be made in the future. NFIB is a plaintiff in two very important cases that could land at the Supreme Court soon. It is challenging the EPA Waters of the United States rule, which would require local business owners to seek federal approval for even the smallest property improvements as long as there is water nearby. The applications will cost thousands; the delays will be endless; the threat of litigation will hang over every project. The EPA Power Plan rule is just as potentially damaging. It forces states to switch from coal as a source of electricity to more expensive alternatives. Even the EPA predicts it will significantly increase the cost of electricity. That means higher fixed costs and lower profits for small businesses that are already struggling. After examining his record, its a fair assumption that Garland would readily side with the government in both of these major cases. Small business knows where he stands. NFIB is firmly opposed to this nominee. Larry Armstrong was in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1974 and served with the national guard and reserves. This is part of his Vietnam story. For the full interview, please go to billingsgazette.com/Vietnam. He graduated from Billings West High School in 1969. Armstrong: "I left home right away after I graduated and some friends of mine and I went over around Circle to some farms and ranches and did some farming. I stayed on with a family there for about three months. "I came back to Billings and I got into a little bit of trouble with the law, which is typical of teenagers. I remember being up before a judge and saying, 'Well, Larry you can either spend 45 days in jail or you can go into the military. You got your choice.' "I said, 'Well, I'll just go ahead and go into the military.' I did not tell him that I had already signed up." Gazette: But that was a choice that was given. We've heard people who heard of stories like that, but you're the first veteran that actually had it happened in this series. Armstrong: "In my case, I had already enlisted. I knew that the draft was out there. I already had to sign up for the draft, so I just thought, 'Well, I don't want to be drafted. I don't want to go into the Army or the Marine Corps.' I had heard horror stories about that already. "My dad was in the Army when World War II in Germany on a quad-mount. He and his younger brother both spent time over there. My older brother was already in the Navy. He joined in 1968. He'd been in and he was in an air squadron." Armstrong went into boot camp in San Diego. Armstrong: "Boot camp for me was something that I would have just rather stayed in." Gazette: Wow. Why? We haven't heard anyone say that. Armstrong: "For me, I was scared. I had a bit longer hair, not real long. I just remember going there and we were in a big long line and going into the barber shop and the guys coming out of the shop, some of them had long hair and they're proud of their hair. They are shaved. There's guys crying. That's something that has stuck in my memory ... "When reveille happened, we had the corrugated garbage cans, and they'd take the baton and swirl it around inside there, and it was so loud and everybody would bail out and hit the floor. "About the beginning of the second week, the recruiters came around and the commanding officer came around and said, 'Anyone who wants to be in color guard can sign up, but the prerequisite is you have to know how to march and be able to keep time to the drums.' I figured I was always able to march good, and so I raised my hand and a few others raised their hand. They did this from each of the rifle companies. "I had no idea what the color guard was. ... I was chosen as the recruit chief petty officer. I was in charge of the 56 guys that were in the boot camp company. ... Everybody wanted to get on our good side so they could get perks. They would shine our shoes, make up our racks, press our clothes. That's why I wanted to stay in boot camp." Gazette: Was the prospect of going to Vietnam scary to you? Armstrong: "It was not. I really did not think about that. When I talked with the recruiter about going in, my father was a Teamster, and he did a lot of equipment operating. There was a couple summers where I got to go out on construction and watch him drive truck or operate equipment. I kind of liked that. "I asked the recruiter if I could go into the Seabees. I talked to my older brother and he said I should talk to the recruiter about that. They had a different idea for me. It never occurred to me that I might be in any danger." Armstrong went to signalman school. Armstrong: "I said, 'What is a signalman?' He said, 'A signalman is the guy who does all the flashing light and hand waving. I said, 'My recruiter' and as soon as I said that, he said, 'I don't care what your recruiter told you, this is what you're going to do.' There was no arguing with him. Now, I've read and heard of guys who signed a contract. I never signed a contract, not that I recall." Gazette: That had to be disappointing. Armstrong: "In all actuality, the Good Lord was shining his countenance on me. Had I gone into the Seabees, I would have gone right over into Vietnam. I have talked to a number of people over the years who said the people down there probably did you a favor by putting you aboard a ship, even though the ship that I was on was a horrible riding ship. It was flat-bottomed and terrible. I was very disappointed. I was looking forward to being a Seabee and running equipment, over there in the States, playing around on equipment." Armstrong went to signalman school for three months, still in San Diego. Armstrong: "I had to learn all the flags and pennants. I had to hoist them on the yard arms. ... It was a pretty difficult rate to learn because we had to learn Morse code and learn what each one of these flags meant, and the phonetic alphabet and what the flags meant. "To learn Morse code at the same time using flashing lights rather than sound ... I thought, 'If I am going to be on a ship, I want to be on a gun where I can shoot something.' We would be on the signal bridge, up above, all the time. That was our duty station." He went aboard the U.S.S. Tuscaloosa, a brand new land tank ship. Armstrong: "I thought, 'Oh boy, a new ship. A lot like getting a new car.' Well, not so much." The ship was designed to carry Marines and could hold around 450 people. Armstrong: "Our first deployment was in the latter part of 1970, we spent one winter over there. ... When we would go to Hawaii or even to the Philippines, we didn't have to stand watches because there was no threat. But, we spent some time touring up and down the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea. We did our fair share of going up and down there more for, well, I thought it was a waste of fuel. If they would have needed the Marines or the equipment we had on board, we could have just gone right in and within 12 or 14 hours, we could have off loaded the equipment. We saw other ships a lot of time, going up and down. ... "There was only one time when we were off the coast of Vietnam and I was on watch that particular night and I saw a tracer round come over the top of our ship. We must have been pretty close. I just remember seeing this tracer round come right across the top of the ship and land on the water." Gazette: What do you hope people remember about Vietnam and that era and that part of the world? Armstrong: "I was never in country. We had a change of command ceremony in Vung Tau, and that was the only time I set foot in Vietnam. But for people aboard ships, and it might be different for folks who were on aircraft carriers who sent planes over to do bombing, as a general rule, we weren't the horrible people they had us pegged for. If you saw me everyday in civilian clothes out on the street, you'd never know me from anyone else. You'd never know I was in Vietnam or anywhere close for a good portion of my military time." Chicago-based Guaranteed Rate was ordered to pay more than $25 million in damages for an alleged corporate espionage scheme that seems straight out of the play "Glengarry Glen Ross," with an employee diverting hundreds of loan applications from a rival mortgage company. A California jury this week found that Guaranteed Rate and loan officer Benjamin Anderson defrauded his former employer, Mount Olympus Mortgage, by downloading and transferring more than 200 active loan files and personal financial data on 900 borrowers before switching firms nearly two years ago. Advertisement "It was quite an elaborate scheme," said Chad Hummel, a Los Angeles-based partner with Sidley Austin who represented Mount Olympus Mortgage. "He transferred all of the data without our consent or any of the customers' consent." Guaranteed Rate denied the allegations in an emailed statement Friday afternoon. Advertisement Anderson signed an employment agreement with Guaranteed Rate in April 2014 while still working for Irvine, Calif.-based Mount Olympus. He began downloading loan files and sending them through his personal email account to his new employer soon after signing the new employment agreement, Hummel said. Mount Olympus discovered the data theft about five weeks later, at which point many of the loans were already in process at Guaranteed Rate. Hummel said Anderson's "front-loaded" contract with Guaranteed Rate encouraged the fraud. "It incentivized him to send hundreds of active loan files from our computer systems to Guaranteed Rate, which they immediately put into processing and started closing mortgage loans all while he was still employed with us," Hummel said. Darren Beck, a Guaranteed Rate spokesman, said the company was not involved in any scheme to get Anderson to divert loan applications. "Guaranteed Rate would never encourage Ben Anderson, or any loan officer, to bring over loans in process or download any data," Beck said. "Ben Anderson has repeatedly maintained that Guaranteed Rate did not ask or encourage him to do any such thing." Anderson was fired by Mount Olympus in June 2014 and immediately went to work for Guaranteed Rate. Mount Olympus sent cease and desist letters and then filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California against Guaranteed Rate, Anderson and several other people who allegedly participated in the scheme. Founded in 2000 by Victor Ciardelli, Guaranteed Rate is one of the 10 largest home lenders in the U.S., funding $18 billion in loans last year, according to the company. Beck dismissed the idea that the company would have anything to gain from Mount Olympus, "a small regional operation that funded approximately $300 million in its best year." Beck said the list that Anderson cultivated included his friends, neighbors and family members. Advertisement Anderson was ranked as one of the top mortgage producers in the country last year, closing 377 loans valued at nearly $182 million, according to National Mortgage News. He remains employed by Guaranteed Rate. The judgment includes $13 million in punitive damages, $5.6 million in lost profits and $4.6 million in lost business value. "Unfortunately, due to the exaggerations and distortions of the facts by Mount Olympus, the jury was not able to fully comprehend the issues in question," Beck said. "Needless to say, Guaranteed Rate strongly disagrees with the jury's conclusion, and we are reviewing all available options for an appeal in the case." rchannick@tribpub.com Twitter @RobertChannick Group walking is good for the body and the brain. (Hero Images / Getty Images) The American Heart Association's National Walking Day is April 6 an ideal time to take that first step toward joining a walking group. A study published last year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found outdoor-walking-group participants saw significant improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat, lung function and mood. Advertisement Members of U.S.-based walking groups speak of these benefits and more. "The quality of our lives is improved, and we have more energy to enjoy life," Margie Buchner said about her walking group of employees at Advocate Dreyer Medical Clinic in Aurora, Ill. The health facility has designated paths to support employee group walking. Advertisement Added Buchner's co-worker and co-walker Aurea Martinez: "Walking in a group ... gives off positive energy and helps you feel good all over." While gains in physical health are substantial, so are the psychological benefits, said Dr. Ashwini Nadkarni, a psychiatrist at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. The conversation and social bonds that result from group walking are especially important in this day and age of overdependence on mobile devices for communication, Nadkarni said. "Group walking has the honor of being one of the few activities left that can get people's heads out of their devices and enjoying fresh air and time-honored ways of interacting with others," she said. "For many people, the most difficult part of healthy living is consistency," added Dr. Paul Ravenna, a family physician with Northwestern Medical Group in Chicago. "One of the main benefits of group walking is having other people around to hold you accountable, while at the same time making the experience more enjoyable." Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y., is a big proponent of walking in general, and group walking specifically. "Walking is one of the best exercises people can do," he said. "It's free, you don't need much equipment and you can do it anywhere." To engage students outside the classroom, the college launched a program called "Running with the VP, Walking with the Dean." Gilliar heads the walking portion, striding alongside clusters of 15 to 20 students at a time. Advertisement "It's become a way of opening communication," he said. "Students have access to the dean and can ask questions on a beautiful walk across a beautiful campus." "It liberates the thought process," he added. "(Students) seem to be able to feel comfortable asking questions they might not ask in a formalized academic setting." Having learned firsthand the benefits of walking with friends is Dr. Charlotte Yeh, AARP Services' chief medical officer. Yeh said a brisk walk for as little as 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, delay the onset of dementia and decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Incorporating the group dynamic is "really more than additive," she said. "Part of being human is social connectivity. Lonely people have a greater tendency toward depression, which can shave up to eight years off your life." In his book "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest," author Dan Buettner found the world's happiest people are those who socialize with others up to seven hours daily, Yeh said. "So if you're with groups, that benefits your health by decreasing loneliness, reducing depression and reducing your risk of dying earlier," she said. Advertisement Deteriorating cognitive function is a top health concern for many, Yeh said. She pointed to five pillars that support a healthy brain: exercise, social connectivity, learning, reducing stress and eating well. "Walking in groups provides exercise, socially connects you with others and allows you to learn from others as you converse with them about, for instance, their latest book read," Yeh said. "We know walking also reduces stress. So if you have a nice healthy lunch and then go out walking with friends, you've not only improved your physical health but improved your brain health." A key component of group walking, of course, is finding a group. Meetup.com is among the best places to find nearby walking groups, according to the American Heart Association. The AHA also gives tips for starting your own walking club at www.heart.org. Search for "Start or Join a Walking Club." If launching a group, "Start small," Gilliar advised. "Find one person who wants to walk with you, and advertise it to anyone who wants to join you. Find one and walk with many." Jeffrey Steele is a freelance writer. A Kurdish immigrant from Turkey who has run a cafe in southwest Michigan for more than two decades and who has been fighting to stay in the United States was granted a one-year reprieve Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, officials said. Ibrahim Parlak, who owns Cafe Gulistan in Harbert, has garnered local support from officials and patrons as he has battled Turkish officials who alleged that while in Turkey he was involved in a terrorist organization that killed two Turkish soldiers. U.S. immigration officials have attempted to have him deported. Advertisement Friday morning's call from U.S. immigration officials in Detroit was welcomed by Parlak and his supporters. "We are grateful and thankful that they gave us time to work on a solution," Parlak said. "And most importantly, that the court can pursue it, but in the meantime, you cannot help but think, 'But why?' " Advertisement Parlak's story has garnered the support of members of Congress including Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, who have been campaigning to keep Parlak in the United States. Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, who has a home in the area, hosted a sold-out benefit concert on his behalf in February. "Ibrahim Parlak has been a contributing and beloved member of his community for over two decades," Schakowsky said. "I am pleased the immediate threat of his deportation has been removed. I am proud to have worked with Congressman Fred Upton to prevent the most recent threat, but will continue to work with him until Ibrahim can finally live without worry in the United States." Parlak has been fighting deportation for more than a decade after fleeing from Turkey in 1991 to escape an armed conflict between the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and the Turkish government over borders. Parlak maintains his innocence and said he ran away from the shooting that left the Turkish soldiers dead. He applied to become a naturalized citizen in 1999 but the application was flagged. Turkey had resentenced Parlak and the U.S. government classified the PKK as a terrorist organization in 1997. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > U.S. Homeland Security charged Parlak with lying about his imprisonment and terrorist ties on his green card application. His supporters claim he would face torture if he were to return to Turkey. "We can all breathe a small sigh of relief now that we have a one-year reprieve for our friend and neighbor Ibrahim," said Upton, who has worked on Ibrahim's behalf since 2004. After many deferrals, Parlak thought his time was about to run out when Turkey's consulate general in Chicago issued a letter earlier this month that accused Parlak of leading the unit that left the Turkish soldiers dead. He escaped to the United States as a fugitive, according to the Turkish government. Parlak said Turkey has since backed off from requesting his extradition. Advertisement Parlak said he is ready for a permanent resolution that would allow him to remain in the United States. "It's still just living on that edge," Parlak said. "Feeling like you're always on the edge of the cliff and all it takes is a strong wind or a push for you to roll down. It's not a way to live in America and that's not the reasons I chose to live in America." gwong@tribpub.com BRUSSELS Belgian prosecutors announced they have charged three men with terror offenses over the suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and subway, as organizers canceled a solidarity rally at the government's request because police are too strapped to cope. At a news conference in Brussels Saturday, officials confirmed that 24 of the 31 people killed in the attacks Tuesday had been identified, and a doctor who had served in Afghanistan said he and his colleagues have been shocked by the extreme burns suffered by some of the 270 people wounded. Advertisement Federal prosecutors said a man identified as Faycal C., who was arrested Thursday, has been charged with "involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder." Belgian media say he is Faycal Cheffou, the man in the light vest and hat pictured on security video with two men who blew themselves up at the airport. Cheffou is described as a local activist known to police for trying to rally asylum-seekers and homeless people to radical Islam. Advertisement The man pictured at right in the light-colored jacket is suspected of fleeing the Brussels airport after two accomplices, Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, detonated their suicide explosives on March 22, 2016. (Interpol) Prosecutors would not confirm the Belgian media reports. A police raid was conducted at his home but no arms or explosives were found, they said. Two other suspects detained on Thursday and identified as Raba N. and Aboubakar A. were charged with "involvement in the activities of a terrorist group." In addition, a man named as Abderamane A. who was taken into custody on Friday after he was shot by police at a Brussels tram stop is being held for at least 24 more hours. In Italy on Sunday, police said they arrested an Algerian wanted by Belgium for facilitating travel of illegal migrants in connection with the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Paris bombings that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. The suicide bombings during Tuesday's peak morning travel time at the Brussels Airport and a city subway station killed 31 people, officials confirmed Saturday. That toll is likely to rise as some body parts have still not been identified, they said. Brussels prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch told The Associated Press that 24 of the victims have now been identified and 11 of them were foreigners. One was a former Belgian ambassador to the United States, Andre Adam. Of the 270 wounded, 93 are being treated at a Brussels military hospital. A doctor there said Saturday that 15 people are in a serious burns unit, five of them in intensive care. Dr. Serge Jennes said he had treated similar injuries during his service in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, but said he and his colleagues were shocked to see such injuries on women and children. "I've never seen this before in my 20 years at the center for burns," Jennes said. "Injuries linked to the blowback from the blast, which can mutilate." Advertisement He said almost all the wounded had burst eardrums and added that his colleagues are likely to need psychological counselling to help cope with what they had witnessed. In a sign of the tensions in the Belgian capital and the way security services are stretched across the country, Belgium's interior minister appealed to residents not to march Sunday in Brussels in solidarity with the victims. "We understand fully the emotions," Interior Minister Jan Jambon told reporters. "We understand that everyone wants to express these feelings." But, he said, "we invite the citizens not to have this demonstration." Organizers quickly granted his request, postponing the march. Brussels airport officials, meanwhile, began to assess the damage caused by twin explosions at the Zaventem airport departure terminal. Advertisement Authorities have wrapped up their investigation of the crime scene at the airport, and engineers were let in to check the building's structural safety and information technology systems and to see whether any damage can be repaired quickly. Brussels Airport, which handles 23.5 million passengers annually, said it would be Tuesday at the earliest before flights resume. About 600 flights a day are being cancelled or diverted. The transport disruptions will do little to ease the worries of jittery Europeans, who are wondering how many violent extremists remain at large, and where and when they might strike again. Heavily armed police swept into several Brussels neighborhoods on Friday in operations linked to the attacks. Signs of a large police operation remained visible Saturday at the tram station in the city's Schaerbeek district where a man was shot in the leg by police on Friday. In this frame made from video, a bomb disposal robot approaches a man who was shot at a tram stop in Brussels on March 25, 2016. (Sudpresse via AP) The man, who was sitting with a young girl and holding a bag, was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him." After he did so, police shot him twice. Local residents have mixed feelings about the police intervention. Advertisement "The security services are doing their work," said Timotheee Bunkyezi, a 54-year-old student who believes that for such a large-scale operation, the intelligence the Belgian police had must have been solid. But Marie-Madeleine Yamotia, a 40-year-old nurse who lives opposite the bus stop, expressed concern for the young girl who had been with the suspect. "It's traumatizing for the little one," she said. "We don't know. Is he really a suspect? Here, we doubt it a little." Associated Press Reporting from SOMERVILLE, Mass. While Bernie Sanders expresses disdain for big banks and other corporate lenders, some of the most valuable field lieutenants in the Vermonter's political "revolution" are a band of techies here who have proven masterful at persuading Americans to make credit-card payments. In a barely marked storefront location down the street from Tufts University, this team heavy with millennials operating under the name ActBlue mills around an office space with the usual tech firm quirks -- beanbag chairs, a pingpong table, a massive net for dropping party balloons doing work that is not particularly sexy. But it is turning big-money politics upside down. Advertisement ActBlue is a decade-old nonprofit that creates fundraising software to help Democrats build networks of donors, instead of leaving them isolated on the various databases controlled by individual campaigns. The system enables donors who might tap into it to give to one particular candidate or cause broaden their participation, and send money to any other ActBlue client by simply punching a button on their phone. Marketing manager Hannah Brown hits the foosballl table in the game room at ActBlue's Somerville, Mass., headquarters. Behind her is acardboard cutout of Bill Clinton. (Evan Halper / Los Angeles Times) The partnership the Sanders campaign has forged with ActBlue could prove one of the more enduring legacies of this unique election cycle, positioning liberals to raise unprecedented amounts for their candidates and causes long after election day has come and gone. Advertisement Before the ride-sharing app Uber even existed, ActBlue was working to endow Democrats with a kind of Uber of politics. Its aim has been to transform a sector of the economy that is notoriously balky, unpleasant to take part in and burdened with layers of bureaucracy into a simple, fun even addictive transaction. "Fundraising was the least democratic part of the democratic process," said ActBlue Executive Director Erin Hill, who joined the outfit after it was founded in 2004 by two local coders with no connections to the Democratic Party apparatus or its financiers just an idea for making activism easier. "It was not friendly to a lot of small-dollar donors." The donations-on-demand technology won plaudits from activists as it scaled up over the years. But the Sanders campaign has touched off an explosion in ActBlue's growth by routing much of its fundraising through the nonprofit. ActBlue has expanded to the point where it resembles a Silicon Valley firm that has just been through a wildly successful IPO. So many people have enlisted as ActBlue "Express" users on the way to giving a few bucks to Sanders that the organization now boasts it has the credit-card information of some 2.7 million liberal sympathizers. Nate Thames, executive director of ActBlue Technical Services, keeps close watch of traffic through the fundraising platform at its Somerville, Mass., headquarters. (Evan Halper / Los Angeles Times) "Many of these people are making a contribution to a campaign for the first time in their lives," said Michael Whitney, digital fundraising manager for Sanders. "ActBlue makes it very easy for them to give their second, third and fourth contributions. ... They are going to want to see how else they can participate, what else they can support." The next time one of the thousands of Democratic campaigns using ActBlue asks them for $5 or $10, all they need to do is hit a button on their phone and the deed is done. Republican donors, by contrast, are more likely to have to start all over once the campaign ends and they want to enlist with another cause. It's like an Uber addict visiting in a city where the only option for a short ride is competitor Lyft: They might download the app, register, and punch in all the digits of their credit card, or they might just walk. "This is something that the Democrats have that the Republicans somehow still don't," said David Karpf, a professor at George Washington University and author of "The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy." "It is critical infrastructure." Republicans have tried to replicate the technology, but conservative candidates and organizations have yet to rally around a single platform the way many Democrats have with ActBlue, leaving the efforts balkanized and fairly ineffective by comparison. The technology gap has helped create a big shift to the left in the small-donor revolution, which in the 1990s and later during the tea party insurgence was often associated with Republicans responding to direct-mail appeals. Those donors are still active, and neurosurgeon Ben Carson's candidacy proved they can still be mobilized. But Carson spent so much money reaching them that little of the money they sent in was left for his campaign. Advertisement By contrast, the cost of using ActBlue is less than 4% of each donation made through the app, which covers the charge the credit card company slaps onto each donor transaction. Most of ActBlue's operations are instead covered by "tips" its users leave. Those tips come from people like Ella Tabasky, a 35-year-old from Venice, Calif., whose modest salary from working at a nonprofit limits how much she can give. But she has already used her phone to chip in a few dollars to Bernie Sanders 17 times. She's addicted to the app. "It makes it so much easier for me to get connected with different causes I support," she said. "It really is pretty much one click." Tabasky is so enamored by what ActBlue has done to empower small donors like her that she has donated to its "tip jar" 20 times. This is something that the Democrats have that the Republicans somehow still don't. David Karpf, George Washington University professor ActBlue was better prepared than possibly anyone in the fundraising business for the big shift toward making donations via iPhones and other mobile devices. It invested heavily in technology that cuts down the amount of time it takes to make a contribution to the fewest possible milliseconds. As it did, traffic spiked. This month, ActBlue announced it had raised more than $1 billion for Democrats since its launch in 2004. More than half of it came since 2014. Activists cheered the milestone. Among them were the editor-in-chief of the liberal powerhouse blog DailyKos, which early on saw the potential of ActBlue to rally small donors fast. In October 2008, it mobilized against Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, whose comment during an evening interview on MSNBC that the media should root out her "anti-American" colleagues smacked of McCarthyism to liberals. The avalanche of donations to Bachmann's opponent immediately crashed his website. DailyKos bloggers turned to ActBlue, using the nonprofit's prefabricated widgets to funnel $810,000 to the candidate in 48 hours almost as much as he had raised in the entire previous year. Advertisement "What the left lacks in billionaires, it makes up in its vast grass-roots army," said a statement from DailyKos editor Markos Moulitsas. "ActBlue helps make it all possible." ActBlue went on to play a pivotal role in helping Democrats raise money to fund pro-labor candidates in Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker was locked in a battle with unions being watched nationwide. The app made it exceedingly easy for activists watching from afar to engage in local Wisconsin politics. The massive number of transactions that run through ActBlue every day provide a treasure trove of data that the nonprofit and its clients use to constantly readjust their methods to draw in more money. "All that data itself gives them a huge edge," said Karpf, who compared it to that held by firms like Amazon and Google, where the enormous number of customers enables a constant refinement of service that competitors struggle to match. But another factor driving ActBlue's growth might be less expected: the conservative Koch brothers network, which serves as a motivating symbol for ActBlue's users. "Our donors are very much paying attention to the fact that the Koch brothers are there," said Hill. "And they are enjoying their role in countering them." Twitter: @evanhalper This is a roundup of recent Naperville crimes and criminal dispositions in the DuPage County and Will County court systems. Ex-con gets prison for weapons possession Advertisement Adam O. Henry, convicted on a felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday by a Will County judge. Henry, 26, a convicted drug dealer and drunken driver, was arrested Dec. 23 after Naperville police searched his home in the 4700 block of Thatcher Drive and found a handgun he was prohibited from having. Advertisement Henry still faces trial in DuPage County Circuit Court, for allegedly creating a disturbance July 4 at a Naperville apartment complex. Police said he "reached into his black duffel bag while screaming, 'I have a 40,' (and) 'I'm blasting every one of you,' and 'You guys better be ready for war.'" Man accused of grabbing cop by throat A 27-year-old Naperville man faces trial on a felony charge of aggravated battery of a police officer after allegedly grabbing an officer by the throat inside the police station. Mark W. Limp, of the 1100 block of Kings Point Court, also is charged with misdemeanor resisting a peace officer in connection with his March 14 arrest. Limp, while being processed at the police station, grabbed an officer by the throat and then kept one of his arms under his body in an attempt to keep from being handcuffed, a police report said. The officer was not seriously injured. Woman gets jail for 2 DUIs in 6 weeks Christine R. Pour, 31, of the 1300 block of Modaff Road, Naperville, was sentenced Tuesday to six months in DuPage County jail and placed on two years of probation after being convicted of driving under the influence on Nov. 5 and Dec. 15 in Naperville. Firefighters in the Nov. 5 case "had to break the windows to remove (Pour,)" after finding her unresponsive in her vehicle, according to police records. Advertisement Pour last summer was found guilty of driving drunk in Addison in November 2014. Police said her blood-alcohol content in that incident was .301, or nearly four times the level that defines intoxication under Illinois law. Man guilty of fondling self at Whole Foods Derwin P. Richardson, 53, of the 1800 block of Michigan Avenue on Naperville's far northeast side, was placed on two years of court supervision Tuesday in DuPage County Circuit Court for fondling himself on June 20, 2015, outside the Whole Foods Market at 2607 W. 75th St. Richardson was arrested on June 20, 2015, after a woman reported he exposed himself while parked in the store's main lot. Richardson was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of public indecency/lewd exposure, according to court records. Probation for 3rd man in heroin case The last of three area men arrested June 19, 2015, and charged with possessing less than 15 grams of heroin was ordered to perform 30 hours of community service work as part of his penalty in that case. Advertisement A DuPage County Circuit Court judge also placed Samuel J. Svoboda on 410 First Offender Controlled Substance Probation. The criminal case will be dismissed if Svoboda is not arrested or found to be using narcotics over the next two years. Svoboda, 24, of Lisle, was arrested while driving with two friends near Warrenville Road and Naper Boulevard. His friends, Julian P. Pecoraro, 21, who listed addresses in Naperville and Lisle, and Christopher W. Mohr, 21, of Lisle, have already been sentenced for their parts in the case. wbird@tribpub.com By Aaron Cooper As Oregon's wine industry continues to expand, each harvest seems to outperform the prior year in terms of quality and volume. Oregon's reputation as a producer of world-class wines has spread to all corners of the globe, and now many businesspeople aspiring to own wineries are looking to the state as a means to achieve their dreams. One local real estate firm is growing as quickly as the state's wine industry by establishing itself as a local expert on buying and selling winery properties. Luxe Platinum Properties of Lake Oswego, an exclusive affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate, was founded by local real estate veteran Terry Sprague in 2012. At the time, Sprague's vision and goal for the company was to carve out a piece of the lucrative luxury residential markets of Lake Oswego, Portland and surrounding communities. That vision was quickly realized through hard work during a time when the real estate market was just beginning to experience the first signs that a rebound was going to occur after the 2008 - '11 downturn. While the real estate business was mostly dormant and other brokers kept a low profile, Sprague had the forethought that the market would eventually rebound, so he doubled-up on marketing his company and the Christie's International name so that he would be top-of-mind when the luxury home market came back. Terry Sprague, owner and founder of Luxe Platinum Properties/Christie's International Real Estate. The strategy has worked. In 2015 the brokerage was the #1 real estate office in Oregon for selling properties worth $2 million and higher, sold the most expensive residential property in the Portland area for $4 million, and represented five of the top 15 most expensive listings. Sprague's team has grown from four brokers in 2012 to eight currently. With 2015 listings numbering 73, sales volume reached $118 million, which was a 100% increase over the $60 million in business in 2014. That kind of growth, combined with Sprague's consistent marketing efforts, has bolstered Luxe Platinum Properties' reputation. But another kind of marketing promises to push LPP to even greater heights in the future. In 2013, Luxe received a referral from Christies' Maui affiliate and soon thereafter signed on to represent its first Oregon winery listing, in southern Oregon. With strategic marketing, that listing closed quickly, and soon after, other winery owners looking to sell signed on. Luxe's winery/vineyard real estate division was born. Growing Interest From Asian Investors An emerging real estate trend is for U.S.-based brokerages to establish relationships with their international affiliates, to gain access to buyers looking to relocate or invest in property here. Working with Christie's International Real Estate offices in Hong Kong, Sprague has networked extensively with prospective buyers looking to invest in the Oregon wine business. Last November, Sprague and Principal Broker/Vineyard Director Kendra Ratcliff were the only U.S. brokers invited to attend an exclusive Christie's auction in Hong Kong. At the conference, Ratcliff participated in an international vineyard panel and presented strategies for purchasing Northwest winery properties. Using that experience as a starting point, Sprague and Ratcliff decided to extend their prospecting tour, meeting prospects from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Macau, Germany, France and Switzerland. Regardless of nationality, one thing nearly all of the prospective investors whom Sprague and Ratcliff met had in common is an appreciation for fine wines. "Chinese wine drinkers [are] getting more and more sophisticated and adventurous, and they are exploring more and more interesting quality wine regions around the world," says Austin Zhang, Associate Vice President at Christie's in Beijing. "Oregon is on the rise. Vineyard investment in Oregon is highly attractive for Chinese buyers" Sprague and Ratcliff are seeing strong interest in vineyards that offer access to education, an organic lifestyle, the arts and world-class dining, all within a few hours of an international airport with easy access to Asian hubs. And most importantly, water; Ratcliff says that most real estate investors from Asia prefer living on or near water. Oregon fits those preferences perfectly. And while California has enjoyed its sterling winemaking reputation for generations, Oregon's comparatively affordable prices make buying a winery here a worthy investment. "Many of our buyers are entrepreneurs who can work from anywhere, so they choose to be here," said Sprague in an article published recently in Christie's Real Estate magazine. He notes that his company also receives strong interest from prospects in California's Silicon Valley who are considering relocating. Ratliff adds, "The Pacific Northwest is the place to build. It's affordable, it's gorgeous and it has heart and soul." Wineries Listed One of several wine related properties listed with Luxe is Red Lily Vineyards in Jacksonville. Red Lily is a terroir-driven, small cuvee winery that sits in Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, the only sub-AVA of the Rogue Valley AVA. The estate's two vineyards feature Spanish grape varieties that are well-suited to the local soil, climate and elevation. The property includes a 5,200 square foot state-of-the-art winemaking facility, and an 1,800 square foot tasting room, both built in 2011; and a 4,470 square foot American cedar shingle-style home with four bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and 600 square feet of outdoor living space. Today, Ratcliff announced the availability of a new listing in Dundee. The property offers more than 300 acres where hazelnuts and grass meadows intersperse with established vines. Priced upon request, the property detail can be found soon at www.LuxeCIR.com. ABOVE: This custom Lake Oswego home, located at 3142 Lakeview Blvd., was represented by Luxe Platinum Properties and recently sold for $4.35 million. Luxury Homes Closer to Portland, Luxe represented sellers of a custom Lake Oswego waterfront home at 3142 Lakeview Blvd., recently purchased by a couple from China for $4,350,000. The gated, English-style home on .27 of an acre was custom-built in 2006 by John Tercek of Stoneridge Custom Development. Included in the property's 5,554 square feet of three-level luxury living space are a professional grade kitchen and a two-story grand living room entry that opens to a veranda with exceptional lake views. A lower-level media room with multiple built-ins and a wet bar is ideal for entertaining. A patio with heaters a spa tub, a pool with terraced, manicured landscaping and a boathouse complete the home's lakeside living appeal. Details on all properties represented by Luxe Platinum Properties can be found at www.LuxeCIR.com. LUXE PLATINUM PROPERTIES/CHRISTIE'S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE AT A GLANCE OWNER: Terry Sprague YEAR FOUNDED: 2012 LOCATION: 696 McVey Avenue, Suite 101, Lake Oswego PHONE: 503-459-3987 WEBSITE: www.LuxeCIR.com SERVICES: A boutique full service Real Estate company serving clients around the world, specializing in delivering a concierge based experience complimented by the highest definition of Real Estate advice, local knowledge and unsurpassed regional and global marketing. You are here: Home A Taiwan tycoon was jailed for four years yesterday over a tainted cooking oil scandal that sparked outrage across the island. Wei Ying-chung was found guilty of fraud by a panel of judges, months after hundreds of angry consumers took to the streets in protest when he escaped conviction on related charges. In a statement, Taipei district court said Wei had falsely labeled the products and sold adulterated food to defraud and obtain profits. Wei is the former chairman of Wei Chuan Foods Corp a unit of food giant Ting Hsin International Group, which owns the popular Master Kong instant noodle brand. He came under investigation after a supplier that makes Wei Chuan-brand cooking oil was accused of using banned coloring agent copper chlorophyllin and cheap cottonseed oil. In a statement read by his lawyer, Wei said there had been misunderstandings over the facts. I will humbly reflect on myself and continue to work hard. We didnt sell tainted food and I have a clear conscience, Wei added. His lawyer said he intends to appeal. Among 12 other Wei Chuan and Ting Hsin employees indicted in the case, 11 received jail terms of up to three years and 10 months, while one was acquitted. The Wei Chuan company was also fined NT$15.5 million (US$476,000). Wei has insisted his company was unaware the oil it purchased from the supplier, Changchi Foodstuff Co, contained the banned ingredients. The company was ordered to recall tens of thousands of bottles of the tainted oil. Wei was acquitted last November, along with five others, on charges that his company made and sold cooking oil adulterated with imported fat extracted from unhealthy animals. The court said prosecutors failed to prove Ting Hsin imported raw materials from Vietnam that were not suitable for human consumption, or that the companys products were manufactured under unsanitary conditions. That triggered a public outcry, with consumers boycotting the companys products and hundreds of people turning out in protest at Weis acquittal. You are here: Home Chinese enterprises are encountering more severe sanctions since the revised environmental protection law took effect over a year ago. Polluters were fined nearly 116 million yuan (17.8 million U.S. dollars) in December and January, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Saturday. Environmental supervision chief Tian Weiyong said polluters in 56 cases were fined in January compared to 10 cases in the same period last year. Under the new system, if an enterprise is fined for illegal discharge of pollutants and told to stop, it may face fines which accumulate daily until they remedy its practices. In the past, enterprises received a one-off fine. The legislation tackles a longstanding problem in China whereby the cost of observing environmental legislation was higher than breaking the law. Flash Zhu Ling, publisher of China Daily, and Pavel Negoitsa, publisher of leading Russian newspaper Rossiystaya Gazeta, signed a framework agreement regarding long-term cooperation between the newspapers on Friday in Beijing. [Photo by Xu Jingxing/China Daily] Strategic trust and coordination between Russia and China will be enhanced by the media in both countries, a senior Chinese official said at the opening ceremony of the second China-Russia Media Forum in Beijing on Friday. The forum will help media outlets in the countries become "close partners" and boost friendship among their peoples, said Liu Qibao, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Publicity Department. Leading members of the media from the two countries signed 10 cooperative agreements at a ceremony overseen by Liu and Russian presidential administration chief Sergei Ivanov. Zhu Ling, publisher of China Daily, and Pavel Negoitsa, publisher of leading Russian newspaper Rossiystaya Gazeta, signed a framework agreement on long-term cooperation between the newspapers, including China Daily issuing a Russian language edition of "China Watch" in Russia. "This is not the first time that we have cooperated with China Daily," Negoitsa said. "We all know China Daily is deeply experienced in telling the Chinese story, which Russian readers are particularly interested in recently. "We believe China Watch will gain lots of loyal readers in Russia," he added. At a panel session of the forum, Zhu said that for the Chinese media, "the international communication strategies and measures taken by their Russian counterparts deserve to be learned from", and pragmatic cooperation should be expanded. He also proposed strengthening exchanges of media content, co-hosting events, expanding exchanges of visits and cooperating on new media services. Year of media exchanges This year marks the start of the China-Russia Year of Media Exchanges, which was jointly announced by President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in May last year during Xi's visit to Russia. Liu said the Year of Media Exchanges is of "a program of major exchanges and an important measure to strengthen people-to-people friendship". Media from both countries will help translate the high-level two-way political ties into "more results that reflect the pragmatic cooperation", Liu said. MOSCOW - China will be able to maintain stable and sustainable economic growth with economic structural and growth model reforms in place, Russian experts said in recent interviews with Xinhua. "I think the Chinese economy will be able to maintain a medium-to-high growth rate of 6.5-6.7 percent," said Andrei Ostrovsky, deputy director of the Far East Research Institute of Russia's Science Academy. He said that given the current huge size of the Chinese economy, each percentage of the GDP increase may be achieved by much greater efforts. Ostrovsky said that China's foreign trade has slumped in a recent period of time, "but I do not think that this was a major blow to China," noting that it occurred within the context of a worsening global economic situation. He said that in a bid to promote trade development, China will continue to push forward the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, which will help boost its economic exchange with countries in Central Asia and East Europe. In light of stability of the Chinese currency, Ostrovsky said that he doesn't see any reason for China to devalue the yuan. This was echoed by Yakov Berger, senior researcher with the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who said that during the financial crisis in 1998, there were fears that China would devalue the yuan, which would be the prelude to a collapse of Asian currencies in a cascade. "But nothing like that happened, and China has fulfilled its responsibility to the world, especially to the Asian countries, by preventing the yuan from depreciation," he said. Berger said that trust can be given to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who stated at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference on Thursday that there's no foundation for a long-term decline in the value of the yuan. "China will be able to do it," he added. Berger said that despite the difficulty, it is possible for China to maintain a growth rate of 6.5 percent. "China should carry out reforms and ensure sustainable growth not only in the short term, but also in the long term," he noted. Investors check stock prices at a securities brokerage in Haikou, Hainan province. [Photo/China Daily] The securities regulator on Friday dismissed reports that it had created a blacklist of 30 to 40 problematic listed companies, which it planned to delist, as it seeks to restore investor confidence through an intensified elimination of law-breaking firms. Deng Ge, a spokesman for the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said: "Stock exchanges are responsible for the delisting of listed companies. Listed companies should operate according to the rules and regulations." He also said that plans for the introduction of a new strategic emerging industries board in Shanghai were excluded from the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) earlier this month because they are still at the discussion stage. The spokesman said the government's blueprint for the next five years focuses on general trends and directions, and confirmed events, but that various details regarding the board still need to be finalized. The securities regulator originally planned to establish the board on the Shanghai Stock Exchange to give newer companies easier access to funding. After it emerged that any mention of its possible launch had been removed from the five-year plan, there was strong speculation its creation had been scrapped. Analysts had also speculated there could have been a holdup in the implementation of a registration-based initial public offering system, which was planned as the basis of the new board. Deng, however, appeared to quash those suggestions on Friday, after adding that accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries remained "a national strategy, and the CSRC pays close attention to supporting their development in the capital market". The Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday delisted Zhuhai Boyuan Investment Co Ltd, the first company to be ousted by the CSRC for violation of disclosure rules and fraudulent practices, including forging commercial bills and inflating assets and profit. On Friday, mainland stocks capped a second week of gains, as consumer-staples producers rallied on improving earnings prospects, while property developers halted a three-day slide. Kweichow Moutai Co rose to a nine-month high after China International Capital Corp said the liquor maker's earnings may beat consensus estimates this year. Shanghai's move to tighten criteria for non-local homebuyers to help stem surging property prices was also seen as a "temporary end of negative news", according to KGI Securities Co. The Shanghai Composite Index added 0.8 percent this week. The benchmark index rose 0.6 percent to 2,979.43 points at the close on Friday, with trading volumes slumping 19 percent below the 30-day average. President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, March 25, 2016.[Photo/China Daily] BOAO, Hainan - There are more than 30 countries waiting to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in addition to its 57 founding members, the bank's president said on Friday. The AIIB is now working on accepting new members, Jin Liqun said at the Boao Forum for Asia on the Chinese island province of Hainan. "I think the new member issue will be solved before the end of this year," he said. A not-for-profit multilateral development bank initiated by China, the AIIB was officially established in December and it started operating in January. It is due to unveil its first projects in the first half of this year. Existing financial institutions can not fully meet every nation's infrastructure and other demands, so new ones like the AIIB will be a great help, Jin said. The bank chief also said it is possible for China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to become a member as a sub-sovereign government, based on the bank's articles of agreement. Hong Kong representatives have been involved in the AIIB negotiations as part of the Chinese delegation. As a major international banking center, Hong Kong will have a significant role to play, Jin said. BEIJING - China's State-owned enterprises (SOEs) saw profit declines accelerate in the first two months of 2016 as they are hit by a slowing economy, official data showed Friday. SOEs saw combined profits slump 14.2 percent year on year in the Jan-Feb period to 222.6 billion yuan ($34.2 billion), according to data from the Ministry of Finance, a much sharper drop than the 6.7-percent fall recorded for 2015. The state sector continued to face great downward pressure, the ministry said in a statement. SOEs administered by local governments were the worst hit, with their profits plunging 40.9 percent from a year earlier. Centrally-administered SOEs saw profits slip 8.2 percent year on year. Total business revenue of Chinese SOEs dipped 5.8 percent year on year to 6.2 trillion yuan in the first two months, the ministry said. As of the end of February, combined debts of the state firms swelled by 17.9 percent to 79.7 trillion yuan, while their total assets expanded 15.6 percent to 120.3 trillion yuan. State firms in medical and machinery sectors posted relatively high profit growth, while oil, coal, steel and non-ferrous metals continued to suffer losses. The figures, which exclude financial firms, were collected from SOEs in 36 provincial-level regions and those administered by the central government. China has about 150,000 SOEs, and some have become ossified by declining profitability due to a lack of competition and an industrial glut. The government is trying to improve their fortunes through reform, moving toward mixed ownership and market-oriented management in the hope that this will improve their efficiency. BEIJING - China's social security fund manager on Friday said its investment return for 2015 was 15.1 percent, up from 11.4 percent in 2014 despite downward pressure on the economy. The National Council for the Social Security Fund earned 228.7 billion yuan ($35.1 billion) from all investment last year, according to a statement on its website. The rate of return outperformed the average return of 8.4 percent, for the period from the fund's establishment in 2000 to 2014. The fund is designed to serve as a solution to the country's aging problem, as well as a strategic reserve to support future social security expenditure. The fund is invested in a variety of financial products both at home and abroad including fixed-income assets and stocks. By the end of 2015, it had managed assets totaling 1.9 trillion yuan, up from 1.5 trillion yuan a year earlier. The fund manager vowed to improve the management on investments and raise more money this year to ensure the fund continues to appreciate. Canadian Pavilion at the 2016 China Food and Drinks Fair in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. 14 exhibitors representing 21 Canadian wineries participate at the fair. [Photo provided to China Daily] Canadian wineries at the 2016 China Food and Drinks Fair in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, are optimistic about the western China market. Held from March 24 to 26, the fair this year attracted 14 exhibitors representing 21 Canadian wineries, the largest scale since the Canadian Pavilion was set up at the fair in 2014, according to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadian ambassador to China, who came to the fair to promote Canadian food and wine. China has become the second largest market for Canadian table wine, and the largest market for Canadian icewine, with exports totaling $6.26 million in 2015, according to Global Trade Atlas and Statistics Canada. "Canada is a small but excellent wine-producing region. The market share of Canadian table wine and icewine is growing in the world, especially in China," said the ambassador. The ambassador said Chengdu is a perfect market for wine and icewine. "The wine consumption in Chengdu kept rising in the past decade, and I'm glad to see more and more people interested in Canadian food and wine," he said. Everett de Jong, export director for Pelee Island winery, which is well-known for its icewine products, has participated in the China Food and Drinks Fair in Chengdu for 9 consecutive years. He said the sales volume of his winery at the fair kept rising in the past years, at a growing speed of 10 to 15 percent every year. Liu Zhiqing, China Region agent for Pelee Island winery, said his business used to be in the eastern coastal provinces such as Beijing, Jiangsu and Shandong, but the market in western China is growing as more and more people get to know about Canadian wine. The price of ice wine is a little high compared with many other wines, but Liu said he prefers to win the favor of customers with quality rather than price. "I'm optimistic about the western China market," he said. Canada Berries winery, which offers a wide range of fruit wines, has participated in the fair in Chengdu for the second year. Polly Saw, general manager of the winery, said her products sold well last year and she is expecting to find a dealer in Chengdu this year. An ARJ21 model on display at the 2015 China Aviation Expo, which opened on Wednesday in Beijing. Zhang Wei / China Daily LOS ANGELES - With a global focus on how to reduce safety risks caused by anomalous human behavior and how to fully recover data crucial for analyzing an air crash, a Chinese aircraft manufacturer is using big data and cloud technology to build safer airplanes. "The time for revolution in aviation safety has come," Wei Ye, executive director and president of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) America Corporation told Xinhua on Friday. The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of France (BEA) recently confirmed that the crash of a plane of German budget airline Germanwings a year ago was caused deliberately by its co-pilot, who had been suffering from depression. The Airbus 320 crashed in southern France on March 24, 2015, while en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, killing 150 people on board. To minimize such risks caused by human factors, COMAC America Corporation is studying the concept of "unmanned flight with human supervision" using a big data-based computer, which operates in an entirely closed environment without influence from outside. "Without the influence of pilots' 'emotions' and mishandling, a computer-piloted plane is safer than a manned one," Ye said. In a computer-piloted plane, a hard-drive with big data, which include flight routes, weather information, emergency processing programs, and flight data of 200 pilots accumulated in 20 years, might become the "pilot" in the future; human pilots will only need to insert the hard-drive into the cockpit and monitor the flight in a separate compartment. This concept could become a future trend in civil aviation and might be tested on unmanned cargo flights first, according to the company. Meanwhile, the company is conducting research and development on improving the ability to trace a flying plane. QINGDAO -- A Chinese navy flotilla, comprising missile frigate Weifang and rescue vessel Changxingdao, left port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province on Saturday for blue water training and a multilateral disaster relief exercise in Indonesia. The drill is sponsored by the Indonesian Navy with 48 vessels, eight helicopters and four fixed-wing aircraft from 16 countries, including China, the United States, Russia and France participating. The exercise, which will be held from April 12 to 15, is divided into three stages: port-and-shore activities, maritime drills, and engineering and rescue ashore, said Wang Xianfeng, commander of the Chinese force. KUNMING -- A border railway station which has been in existence for more than 100 years in southwest China's Yunnan province got a new lease on life last year after having been left desolate for a decade. The cargo train via Shanyao Station on the China-Vietnam border hit the buffers in 2013 and was suspended for a while. The service has since resumed and is now busier than ever. A railway linking Kunming in Yunnan province and the border with Vietnam opened in December 2014 and the following year 366,400 tonnes of cargo -- iron ore, sulfur, fertilizer and so on -- flowed from China into Vietnam via Shanyao, over 100 times more than the year before. Already this year, 89,700 tonnes of goods have gone the same way. Rising on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Lancang -- known as the Mekong when it flows out of China -- meanders almost 5,000 kilometers through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea. Under the theme "Shared River, Shared Future," the first Lancang-Mekong Cooperation leaders' meeting was held in Sanya, Hainan Province, this week. The meeting brought forth a number of new cooperative ventures. During the meeting, China offered concessionary loans of 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) and up to $10 billion in credit lines to fund improvements to infrastructure and connectivity in all six countries. Most of these countries are in the early stages of industrialization and in dire need of better infrastructure. China can provide more than mere money. It can bring a wealth of experience and technology to the table. Agriculture is a major industry for all countries involved. China has expertise that it is ready to share in terms of rice growing, up-to-date agricultural systems and the trade of produce. A new strain of hybrid rice developed in China was presented to the leaders, on the sidelines of the meeting. Lancang-Mekong cooperation has already generated some tangible results. A road linking China and Thailand via Laos was completed in 2013; construction of a China-Thailand railway and a China-Laos railway got underway last year; and Yunnan Province, which shares borders with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, is now linked with over 20 southeast and south Asian cities by air. China has a hand in industrial parks and economic zones in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Earlier this month China started releasing emergency water supplies from Jinghong Dam to help alleviate a drought downstream. Efficient Lancang-Mekong cooperation will improve logistics and economies along the river, benefitting all of Southeast Asia and cementing ties between China and ASEAN. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with tourists at Sanya Resident & Visitor Information Center in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, March 22, 2016. Li had an inspection tour in Sanya and Qionghai of Hainan Province from March 22 to 25, during which Li presided over the 1st Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting and attended the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference 2016.[Photo/Xinhua] HAIKOU -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged efforts to cultivate new growth dynamics and promote the development of new economy. During an inspection tour in south China's Hainan province from Tuesday to Friday, Li said tourism industry is a comprehensive industry, which helps boost the sales of farm produce and also promote the development of consumer-friendly industrial products. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff condemned the "fascist methods" of opponents seeking to oust her on Thursday and said the country's current political crisis would leave a "scar" if not resolved democratically. In an interview with several foreign media groups, Rousseff said she was being pressured to resign because her rivals wanted "to avoid the difficulty of removing - unduly, illegally and criminally - a legitimately elected president from power". She earlier ruled out stepping down despite mass protests and impeachment proceedings in Congress. In the interview with The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, El Pais and Argentina's Pagina 12, Rousseff said any attempt to remove her without legal basis would represent a "coup". "I am not comparing the coup here to the military coups of the past, but it would be a breaking of the democratic order of Brazil," she said, in comments reported by the Guardian. She said any such move would "leave a deep scar on Brazilians' political life". Rousseff, an ex-guerrilla tortured under Brazil's military dictatorship, said she was in favor of protests because she was from "a generation in which if you opened your mouth you could go to jail". She said the estimated three million people who protested against her in the largest rally so far represented less than two percent of Brazil's population. She painted her opponents as powerful elites opposed to the social changes that have swept Brazil in the past 13 years of left-wing government. "Who stands to benefit from this?" she asked, according to The New York Times. "I can assure you that they're in the backstage of power." The impeachment case is based on accusations that Rousseff doctored the government's accounts to boost public spending during her 2014 re-election campaign and hide the depth of a recession last year. She denies her actions were illegal. Her opponents are also seeking to link her to a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras, but investigators have not accused her and she vehemently denies involvement. (China Daily 03/26/2016 page9) Despite being one of Hawaii's most iconic beaches, many visitors don't know Waikiki Beach is actually an engineered beach that has been filled with imported sand for decades. Waikiki has been facing erosion problems for years, so Hawaii lawmakers are pushing a bill to restore it. The bill originally asked for $1.5 million to make a plan to fill a portion of the beach where erosion has left it almost entirely gone. It would also give money to design a path along the shoreline for pedestrians and bicyclists. It's unclear how much legislators might plan to spend now; the latest version of the bill did not include a dollar amounts. The latest effort comes four years after the state spent over $2.4 million to pump sand from offshore to replenish the beach. People have been bringing in sand to make the beach wider for about 75 years. "I never understood the value of our beach as someone growing up here until I started hearing the stories from my grandfather of the 1940s," said Rep. Chris Lee, who grew up on Oahu and introduced the bill. "It's a totally different beach than it was back then, and I think we have a chance to restore some of that magic." Photographs from the 1930s and 1940s show a continuous stretch of white sand from one end of the beach to the other. Now, it's separated by seawalls and sections where there's barely any beach left. Lee said an uninterrupted stretch of beach is important to maintaining the allure of the state's most popular tourist destination. State data shows Waikiki accounts for nearly 42 percent of visitor spending statewide. Over 8 million visitors went to Waikiki Beach in 2014. State agencies and business organizations supported the proposal, saying Waikiki Beach is critical to the state's economy. "Beaches are the alluring factor to our islands and a staple reason why visitors travel here," said Mufi Hannemann, CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association. "It is crucial that we not only maintain our beaches but improve them." A 2013 state report said it would take about $14 million to maintain and improve Waikiki Beach over the next 10 years. The earliest beach replenishment projects date back to the 1920s, but the first major recorded project was in 1939. The state estimates that approximately 300,000 cubic yards of sand have been imported to Waikiki beaches over the past 75 years, often mined from other beaches in the state. An Italian masked police officer patrols in St. Mark's square in the Venice lagoon, Italy, March 24, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] ROME -- Italy has deported nine possible terror extremists since the start of the year and raised its security level to the second degree, the highest possible in the absence of a direct attack following the Brussels tragedy. All the measures taken in Italy indicated that the country had escalated alert on possible assault after the Paris terror shootings last November. According to Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, a total of 75 were expelled from Italy in 2015. He said a Moroccan man, the former president of an Islamic center in Chieti, a central Italian city, was deported on Thursday because the man was "known for his fundamentalist stance" and expressed a desire "to go and fight in Syria" on several occasions. An Iraqi man, identified by France and Belgium as having links to terrorist groups, was arrested near Naples on Tuesday, just hours after attacks in Brussels which killed 31 people and injured some 300. In the hours following the three blasts of March 22 in the Belgian capital, European countries reinforced their own security measures with checks and inspections at national borders and airports. Italy incremented such screenings in its whole territory, extending the guard to all the main sensitive points mapped across the country. Right after the Brussels blasts, Italy held an emergency meeting of the national public order and security committee. Alfano said at a press conference that besides the strict coordination between the police forces and the Italian intelligence services, the priority for intervention would be given to three directions: upgrading of controls and scans at airports and maritime ports; boosting of the surveillance on the Internet about the level of probable consensus expressed on the web (among targeted extremist environments), raised by the recent attacks; intensification of the expulsions of radicalized persons, whose actions in Italy had been in any case monitored. In Tuesday afternoon, Rome airports of Fiumicino and Ciampino, Milan Linate and Malpensa, the main railway stations as well as the other basic infrastructures were protected by an increased presence of police personnel. The greatest worry of the Italian authorities consists in the safeguard of the Easter rites, which, in 2016, coincide with the Jubilee Year. (Photo : Sina Weibo) Crime of passion? Tao poured kerosene on Zhou's face and set it on fire, damaging 30 percent of her body. She suffered from second and third degree burns, and her face was deformed. Advertisement Zhou Yan, the girl whose face was set on fire by an admirer she turned down, fainted in front of a courthouse after learning that the monetary penalty to her attacker Tao Rukun was only increased marginally. The young Tao was convicted in 2012 and was given 12 years of jailtime. In 2015, the court granted Zhou's family 1.72 million ($264,000), a very small amount compared to their original request of 4.67 million ($716,000). Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The 2015 ruling received the public's ire as the compensation did not add up to Zhou's lifetime of suffering. Both families appealed the verdict, with the Taos saying that the fine was too high. Finally, on Tuesday, the court increased the compensation to 1.8 million, a measly 80,000 ($12,300) hike. Young Love Five years ago, 17-year-old Tao Rukun went to Zhou's house in Hefei, Anhui province, to seek revenge. Zhou turned his advanced down multiple times. Tao poured kerosene on Zhou's face and set it on fire, damaging 30 percent of her body. She suffered from second and third degree burns, and her face was deformed. Tao's father, Tao Wen, is a government official at Hefei. He posted a letter of apology on Sina Weibo where he said he was sorry for the "irreparable hurt" they caused to Zhou and her family. The older Tao added that he will help Zhou's family with the medical fees. At the time of posting, his son was already in jail and awaiting the court's judgment. However, Zhou's mother, Li Cong, said in an online letter that Tao's parents were pressuring them to sign the papers to secure the suspect's bail. The older Tao also did not keep his promise to pay for Zhou's medical bills. Tao's father claimed that he already paid 338,600 ($52,000) for Zhou's hospital bills and a 10,000 ($1,500) advance for the family as Li has quit her job at Unilever to take care of her daughter and is only surviving on her husband's 1,500 ($230) monthly salary. Li has denied these claims. Li also refuted Tao's statements saying that she asked for 10 million ($1.5 million) and a 2.8 million ($430,000) apartment. Court rulings Advertisement TagsZhou Yan, Tao Rukun, acid throwing in China, crime of passion in China, kerosene, boy throws kerosene at teenager after rejection, rejection revenge, burned body and face (Photo : Getty Images) A worker works at an antique clock store. Advertisement An elaborate antique scam was busted by police last week in Shanghai, authorities said on Thursday. In a citywide arrest last Thursday, police apprehended 450 people who were members of 26 criminal gangs involved in the scam, but only 370 people were detained. The scam has gathered more than 50 million ($7.6 million) during its illegal operations. Police started receiving complaints from victimized clients at the end of last year and investigations commenced in January this year. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Scammers register their "businesses" as art galleries or auction houses and establish headquarters in Shanghai's high-end commercial buildings. Clients are immediately approached by a person who claims to be an appraiser and tells them that their items are genuine antiques. The clients are then charged 600 ($92) for the initial appraisal. "The victims, who think they have precious antiques, are usually attracted by the companies' fake auction or exhibition online," police officer Wei Tao told Shanghai Daily. They will then tell their victims to send the "antiques" in another appraiser for a "professional appraisal" that costs 10,000 ($1,500). In the end, the nonexistent buyer cancels the transaction, saying that the antiques did not pass the standards. "Any completely worthless artifact will be appraised as worth millions of yuan," he said. Currently, there are 99 companies in Shanghai that fit the scams. "There's a lack of regulation in the industry, which make supervision difficult." Advertisement Tagsantiques, crackdown in Shanghai, Shanghai, scams in Shanghai, police arrests (Photo : Getty Images) Authorities said that Cao met a man in a beauty and cosmetics conference in Hong Kong. The man introduced himself as a medical specialist in administering Gardasil, a type of human papillomavirus vaccine. Advertisement Police arrested two people in Shanghai's Minhang district after finding illegal vaccines that were not properly stored. According to Minhang District prosecutors, a man identified only by his surname "Cao," sold cervical cancer vaccines to his customers. Cao owns a beauty shop in Hong Kong. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Authorities said that Cao met a man in a beauty and cosmetics conference in Hong Kong. The man introduced himself as a medical specialist in administering Gardasil, a type of human papillomavirus vaccine. The two agreed that Cao will refer mainland customers to the specialist, with Cao getting a commission of 840 ($129) for every vaccine injected. Soon, the specialist started to send the vaccines to Cao, who sold it for 6,500 ($997). Cao sent the vaccines to his customers' home without cooling it first for safety purposes. Police raided Cao's home in April last year and nabbed 21 vaccines. A judge recently fined him one year of jailtime. Meanwhile, another man in the same district was found with Gardasil vaccines in his home. The suspect heads the Shanghai branch of a Taiwanese company. He also got the vaccines in an overseas convention and sold them for 6,000 ($920) for each injection from June 2014 to April 2015. Reports said that these two arrests were not related to the recent scandal on underground vaccine rings that shook the Chinese public. Shanghai's local government insists that they have not found any trace of the said poorly-stored vaccines in the local market. The local health and family planning commission assured that the city's suppliers are all legal and control the storage, use, and transport of their vaccines. Advertisement Tagsvaccines, China vaccines, illegal vaccines in China, vaccine crackdown in China, china (Photo : Getty Image) China and UK collaborate to build smart cities. Advertisement China and the United Kingdom's partnership in establishing smart cities is anticipated to start working much more effectively following the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between China and Future Cities Catapult (FCC), one of the leading urban innovation platforms in the UK. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement With the hope of a successful collaboration, Ivory Wells, FCC's global partnerships manager, said that the tandem will "make it easier for both British and Chinese enterprises to invest in and get involved in the smart city market in their respective country." The MOU was signed with China Center for Urban Development at China Smart City Innovation Conference on Thursday. "The UK was the first country in the world to industrialize and de-industrialize, and then move on to the knowledge economy," said Sir Michael Bear, UK's Special Envoy for Sustainable Urbanization to China, citing that UK has gone through a lot of experiences from different sectors and is willing to share it with the People's Republic. The Sino-UK collaboration began in 2014 when Bristol teamed up with Guangzhou. In 2015, Manchester also cooperated with Wuhan to build a smart city. The cooperation between these two nations aims to impart the expertise and experiences of UK to China in establishing smart cities, John K Davies of the UK Trade and Investment said. Meanwhile, China gladly welcomed the new tied relationship. "One of the significant changes in building new smart city is that the old government-driven development model should be changed into user-oriented and market-driven one," Li Tie, director of China Center for Urban Development, said. Advertisement Tagschina, UK, Future Cities Catapult, Smart Cities, memorandum of understanding, Sino-UK partnership (Photo : Getty Image) Hyundai recalls nearly 600 imported units because of faulty wipers Advertisement Hyundai Motor Group Ltd. China will recall 600 vehicles beginning May 1, according to a quality watchdog in China on Friday. In an online statement posted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the recall will allegedly include imported Equus models manufactured from July 10, 2011 to June 12, 2012 and imported Rohens sedans made from August 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The recall will fix defective wipers that could block drivers' view and cause other safety issues. Vehicles for recall will be given free inspections and faulty parts' replacement. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the South Korea's leading carmaker, saw a decline in sales for two straight months in February in China. It sold more than 53,300 units last month, down 28.1 percent compared to 2015, according to Yonhap News Agency. The plummeting sales is Hyundai's second sharp decline after a 27.2 percent year-on-year drop in January, with a cumulative sales falling down 27.6 percent to nearly 128,500 cars in the first two months of 2016. "Growing worries over the Chinese economy and the recent rout in its stock markets all served as downside factors last month," a market expert who asked not to be named said. "Also behind the lackluster performance was the fact that there were no major new cars launched." In 2015, Hyundai's international business was severely affected by its slow sales in China. The company as well as its subsidiary Kia Motors failed to meet its 8.2 million annual quota in 2015, with sales standing just around 8 million. Kia Motors, however, played better in China last month, thanks to the increased demand of its latest Sportage SUV and other similar models. Advertisement TagsHyundai, faulty wiper, car recall, Hyundai Recall Fishermen slaughter a Baird's Beaked whale at Wada Port on July 29, 2009 in Minamiboso, Chiba, Japan. Only five ports are allowed whaling under the coastal whaling program which tries to keep whaling tradition that dates back to the seventeenth century. Japan is only allowed to hunt a limited number of whales every year. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images) Advertisement About 333 minke whales, including pregnant females, were killed by Japan's whaling fleet that sailed off in the Antartic Southern Ocean after a yearlong suspension. Japan's Fisheries Agency has confirmed that the whaling fleet of four vessels returned home after achieving its mission of hauling 333 minke whales. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Of the total haul, 103 were males and 230 were females, with about 90 percent of the females pregnant. The whaling fleet returned to Shimonoseki in southwestern Japan on Thursday, according to a Reuters report. "The number of pregnant females is consistent with previous hunts, indicating that the breeding situation of minke whales in the Antarctic is healthy," the agency said in a statement. Anti-whaling groups lambasted Japan for the death of 333 whales, saying the whaling was an apparent violation of a ruling by the International Court of Justice. It was in 2014 when the International Court of Justice ordered Japan to stop its whaling in the Southern Ocean. Japan called off the hunt that season but resumed later. Despite international criticism, Japan resumed its whaling and set out its fleet in December. According to the Reuters report, Japan's whaling operations will continue despite criticism from the international community, including the United States. Over the next 12 years, Japan aims to haul nearly 4,000 whales as part of its research program. It said it conducts this "scientific whaling" strictly for research; however, the meat is sold commercially and government agencies say the ultimate goal is the resumption of commercial whaling. The Japanese government has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale meat is already a part of the Japanese culture. Advertisement TagsWhale, japan whaling (Photo : Getty Images) A security guard (R) swipes a woman to check for explosives, at an entrance to the airport in Beijing on March 25, 2016. Advertisement Security has been stepped up at major airports across China in response to the recent Brussels attacks that resulted in the death of about 31 people including a Chinese national. The Chinese Embassy in Belgium confirmed that a Chinese man surnamed Deng was among the 31 people killed in the series of attacks that rocked Brussels this past week. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Deng, who went missing on Tuesday, was confirmed dead by the Belgian authorities on Thursday. "We express deep condolences over the death of our Chinese compatriot and strong condemnation on the criminal act of the terrorists," the Chinese embassy said on its website. Meanwhile, Beijing has beefed up security at major airports such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu following the terror attack in Brussels. Surveillance is reportedly heavy and widespread in Beijing, which has long implemented mandatory bag screenings and ID checks of passengers in train stations. Strict surveillance The same strict surveillance is being applied to airport terminals - aside from the usual security measures airport officials undertake in the course of their inspection. On Friday, security personnel at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu are reported to have swabbed some passengers' bags outside terminals. Beijing's new security measures at the airport were intended "to inspect every passenger entering the airport," according to China's Civil Aviation Administration. The aviation agency said it adopted the new measures because of the terrorist incidents in Brussels. At Beijing Capital Airport, three officers were on standby at the terminal entrance testing bags under signs that said 'security inspection for anti-explosive.' The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Brussels attacks, raising security concerns among European countries and other nations worldwide. China has been battling its local terrorists in recent years among minority Muslim extremists mainly in Xinjiang. Advertisement TagsBrussels terror attacks, Beijing Capital Airport, airport terminal, Chinese national, surveillance, airport terminals, Belgian Ministry, Hongqiao airport, Chengdu airport (Photo : Getty Images) Despite US opposition, many of Washington's major allies have joined the AIIB bandwagon such as Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and the Philippines, among others. Advertisement More than 30 countries are awaiting membership to the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in addition to the existing 57 founding members. Experts say the AIIB appears to have become one of Beijing's biggest policy successes as Chinese President Xi Jinping had envisioned two years ago. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Despite US opposition, many of its major allies have joined the AIIB bandwagon such as Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and the Philippines, among others. 30 Countries China has repeatedly emphasized that the creation of the AIIB is meant to service international institutions and not just to boost its influence overseas. AIIB President Jin Liqun said that the bank is currently accepting new members with more than 30 countries waiting for approval of their membership. "Over the past two years, we have achieved the purpose of convincing all the members - now we have 57, with more than 30 countries on the waiting list eager to join," Jin said during a recently concluded Boao forum. Hong Kong Jin refused to divulge the identities of the prospective members of the bank, but he was quick to point out that Hong Kong may be allowed to become a member. "Hong Kong is an international financial center. We believe Hong Kong has a role to play in facilitating the financing of the AIIB. For instance, the AIIB can issue bonds in Hong Kong and can also have currency swaps with Hong Kong," he added. Beijing has been taking important measures to help Hong Kong's economy which has been beset with problems after the massive pro-independence protests which ran for a month one year ago. Advertisement TagsAIIB, President Xi Jinping, international institutions, AIIB President Jin Liqun, Boao forum, Hong Kong, 30 countries (Photo : Getty Images.) Malaysian authorities claim to have spotted 100 Chinese boats encroaching their country's maritime territory in the disputed South China Sea region. Advertisement Around 100 Chinese vessels have been spotted encroaching into Malaysia's maritime territory in the disputed South China Sea, Malaysia's news agency Bernama reported. Malaysia's National Security Minister Shahidan Kassim told reporters that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the navy have dispatched necessary military assets near Luconia Shoals to monitor the latest situation. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Shahida warned that Malaysia will take legal against if Chinese vessels are found guilty of trespassing into its economic zone. The Luconia Shoals, where the Chinese boats were reportedly spotted, are being claimed by both China and Malaysia. The area is currently administrated by Malaysia. In response to the accusations from Malaysia, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has explained that the Chinese trawlers were only carrying out normal fishing activities. "What I want to point out is that now is the fishing season in the South China Sea ... At this time of year, every year, Chinese trawlers are in the relevant waters carrying out normal fishing activities," Hong said. China is currently embroiled in a row with Indonesia, after Indonesian authorities arrested eight Chinese fishermen aboard a trawler. Indonesia claims that the Chinese trawler trespassed into its economic zone in Natuna Islands, which is being claimed by both countries. Indonesia has vowed to prosecute all the eight Chinese fishermen. Tensions have been escalating over the disputed South China Sea region since last year. Earlier this year, China deployed missiles and fighter jets to Woody Island, prompting criticism from the U.S. China is claiming a large part of the energy rich South China Sea. However, five neighboring countries - Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam - have competing claims over the area. Advertisement TagsMalaysia, china, South China Sea, Luconia Shoals (Photo : Getty Images.) China's leaders have vowed to deepen bilateral relations with Bangladesh as the latter celebrates National Day. Advertisement On the eve of Bangladesh's 45th National Day, China's top leadership sent congratulatory messages to Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and also vowed to further deepen the relationship between Beijing and Dhaka. In his message, China's President Xi Jinping urged Dhaka to be part of China's ambitious Silk Road initiative. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to strengthen the synergy of bilateral development strategies within the framework of the Belt and Road (Silk Road) Initiative so as to push forward the ever-closer China-Bangladesh comprehensive partnership of cooperation," Xi said in his message. China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang also sent congratulatory messages to his counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Bangladesh's National Day. Li expressed hope that cooperation between Beijing and Dhaka will reach a new level in the coming years. "China stands ready to work with Bangladesh to further expand friendly exchanges and cooperation of mutual benefit so as to raise the ever-closer China-Bangladesh comprehensive partnership of cooperation to a new level," Li was quoted saying by Xinhua news agency. China Trying To Improve Relation With India's Neighbors In the past decade, China has been trying hard to forage close ties with not only Bangladesh, but also with most countries in South Asia. China's overtures towards smaller South Asian countries is widely seen as an effort to militarily and economically surround its rival India, which is the largest country in South Asian region. Experts claim that Beijing plans to fulfill this ambition by its 'string of pearls' strategy, which seeks to surround India in Indian Ocean region through maritime projects in neighboring countries. In last two years, China has signed many maritime projects with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Although Beijing has always maintained that projects are purely meant to enhance economic cooperation, some experts feel otherwise. In response, the Indian government under new Prime Minister Narendar Modi has been warming up relationship to its neighbor by proving economic and military aid. New Delhi's efforts yielded results in no time, with Bangladesh canceling two port projects with Chinese companies earlier this year, while Sri Lanka's new government has ordered a review of all infrastructure projects offered to Chinese companies under the previous regime. However, foreign experts claim that these setbacks have not dented Beijing's pursuit to improve relationship with India's neighboring countries. Advertisement Tagschina, Bangladesh, China and Bangladesh, China and India (Photo : Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) A foiled bus hijacking sends the vehicle crashing into a ditch, killing six and injuring dozens more. Advertisement A bus that was hijacked in eastern China lost control and fell into a ditch, killing six passengers and injuring others. The hijacker, an unnamed man in his 50s, reportedly tried to snatch the steering wheel from the bus driver as the bus was making its way to Xiangcheng city in Henan province, reports Thepaper.cn. Because of this, the bus driver then lost control of the bus, crashing into barriers by the roadside, then ultimately plunging into a deep ditch. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The bus, which originally came from Qingdao in eastern Shandong province, was carrying 37 passengers when the hijacking attempt occurred in Xiao county in Anhui province. Because of the crash, six of the passengers died, five were severely wounded, and many more were suffering from injuries as well. Prior to the attempted hijacking, reports say that the man had been moving back and forth inside the bus, harrassing a female passenger and fighting with her family. He only went back to his seat after another passenger joined in to mediate and settle the matter. Police are currently investigating the incident. Bus Attacks Earlier on Wednesday, another incident involving a bus and Chinese nationals also happened, but in Laos. Six Chinese men were reportedly injured in an assault on a cross-border passenger bus traveling from Kunming in southwest China to Vientiane, the Laos capital, reports the South China Morning Post. The bus was carrying 25 passengers when the shooting occurred at around 9pm in Kasi, Vientiane province. Although the driver was injured from the attack, he was able to maneuver the bus and drive away to safety. A Chinese embassy official in Laos said that they could not yet confirm if the Chinese passengers were only tourists or not. He added that they had no clue as to who is behind the assault. Advertisement Tagsbus, hijack, Qingdao, Anhui Province, Laos, Vientiane (Photo : Lintao Zhang/Pool/Getty Images) Posters of President Xi Jinping momentarily spared a building from being demolished in China. Advertisement In what may appear to be an effective delaying tactic, an allegedly illegal building located in central Shanghai was found covered with posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping, so that it could escape being demolished by bulldozers. Photos of the large property that featured Xi's posters went viral on the internet, according to Thepaper.cn. The tactic was quite effective in delaying its demolition, but apparently not for long. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Later on the same day, police were seen stripping the alleged illegal property of Xi's posters. The Xi posters were first attached to the building's walls on Friday, said a worker from a hotel situated just opposite the alleged illegal property. This approach of using the president's photos, according to a Chinese academic, is believed to rooted in the same ideology as using other items, such as images, to drive away evil spirits. Deep down the psychological dynamics are the same here, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law professor Chen Daoyin explained, [the posters were attached there] for the purpose of self-protection. Chen also said that the owner, or whoever put the posters in there, was trying to 'play with others fears' by using a symbol of ruling power. He added that the owner could have just followed civil laws or due process of law, but instead it appears that the owner has resorted to using the nation's leader to settle matters. Right now, it is still unclear if the building will be demolished. However, if the property is found to be illegal, authorities will be taking necessary action against it. Advertisement TagsXi Jinping, Shanghai, china, Posters, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Chen Daoyin Leaders of Korean churches visited the peace monument in Glendale that was established in honor of the 'comfort women' victims from World War II. What would a Christian's perspective look like regarding the issue of the Japanese Army's 'comfort women'? How could the long-lasting and historical pain that resulted from their abuse be resolved? The Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America hosted a forum regarding the issue called, "Christian Social Justice and the Japanese Army's Comfort Women Issue" on March 17. Reverend Jeong Kii Min, the senior pastor of Choong Hyun Mission Church who also has a PhD in Christian Ethics, was the presenter on this topic. He started by defining this issue as a "collective sin," and approached the issue from a social justice standpoint, as well as a spiritual standpoint. First, Min asserted that as much as the sin was a 'collective' one committed by a people group, repentance must happen collectively as well. "Christianity emphasizes personal repentance and individual spiritual maturity, but there is a lack of awareness in collective sins embedded in societal structures," Min said. "Liberation theologians brought attention to the idea that personal repentance does not resolve a collective evil. Personal repentance must be the launching pad by which the fruit of collective repentance is brought about." From this standpoint, the comfort women issue began with individuals, but progressed into a systemic sexual crime and collective evil led by the government. Hence, for this issue to be resolved and for justice to be realized, a collective and official apology and compensation is necessary. According to Min, compensation must take place in multiple forms and embedded in multiple layers. The individual who suffered mental and physical damages must receive compensation from the perpetrators of the crime. And the entire process of discussing matters of compensation, or carrying out justice, must be done with the intention of comforting and healing the victims. On the governmental level, the two governments must continue their efforts to maintain peace and restoration. "Today's Japanese government has deleted, distorted, deceived others of, and shifted its responsibility of the war crimes it has committed," Min said critically. "It no longer wants this issue to be a subject of discussion and is working to forget it happened." However, such an approach is bringing about a "negative influence to the peace and reconciliation with [Japan's] surrounding nations," Min said, and "teaches us that bearing the responsibility for the past includes admitting the wrong and having a change of heart and actions, as well as reconciling with surrounding nations and restoring amicable relations with them." Min also discussed the spiritual aspects of this issue, apart from the social justice aspects. He argued that the government's continued efforts to gloss over and conceal this issue is a tactic being employed by spiritual forces. "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14), Min quoted, and said that Japan's attempt to gloss over the issue, such as by calling the victimized women 'comfort women,' is a symptom or evidence of its captivity to evil spiritual forces. "Currently, the political right-wing of Japan is not sincerely reflecting on the wrongs that the country has committed, nor is it encouraging its younger generation to reflect objectively on its past failures. Rather, it shows symptoms of a collective captivity. When an entire society is held captive by a certain ideology, they themselves are unaware of that fact," Min explained. "Even the death of Jesus was an act of evil that was carried out by a people who were held captive under a supernatural power." Min also suggested practical ways that churches could help to resolve the comfort women issue by sharing experiences from his own church. Choong Hyun Mission Church held a musical concert in 2014 in commemoration of the first anniversary since the Glendale peace monument was established in honor of the victims of sex slavery. Around that time, Min also preached for three weeks regarding social justice to create a mutual understanding with the congregation. Among the younger ministries, resources about social justice were disseminated and families were encouraged to visit the monument together. "Revealing, exposing, and examining history, rather than hiding it, is a part of humanity's effort to avoid repeating the same mistakes," Min said. press@cdaily.co.kr - Copyright , #ComfortWomen Hobby Lobby boldly declares REAL Easter story coast-to-coast in full-page ads Guest Reviewer | 25 March, 2016 by Michael Foust OKLAHOMA CITY (Christian Examiner) The founder of Hobby Lobby has never kept his Christian faith a secret, and this weekend newspapers all across the nation will feature full-page Hobby Lobby ads celebrating the true meaning of Easter complete with information on how people can learn more about how "to know Jesus as Lord and Savior." It is the 20th straight year Hobby Lobby has run full-page ads declaring the Gospel message for Easter. The company also places similar ads in newspapers for Christmas and Independence Day. This year's ad shows a crown, nails and an old-style hammer, with the words: "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)." The ad like all other Hobby Lobby holiday ads contains very little information about the company, other than its address and website in small print at the bottom. It also includes this message: "If you would like to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, visit Need Him Ministry at www.ChatAboutJesus.com. To download a free Bible for your phone, got to www.mardel.com/bible." As the Hobby Lobby website tells the story, founder David Green got the idea for the ads during Christmas 1995, when he "was reading the Christmas advertisements, including those for his own store, and he felt commissioned by God to do something different." "Hobby Lobby was selling all kinds of crafts that customers used to celebrate Christmas, yet David Green was struck by the lack of any testimony in newspapers regarding the meaning of the holiday," the company website says. In 1996 Green commissioned a Gospel-centric Christmas ad that read: "As you celebrate this Christmas season in the warmth of family and home, may you be drawn to the Savior; He who left the beauty of Heaven on our behalf and became like us, that we might become like Him. If you know Jesus as your Savior, then this season already has a special meaning. If you do not, we encourage you find a Bible-believing church in your community, and to discover a relationship this Christmas with the God who loves you more than you can begin to imagine." The next year, it ran its first Easter ad with this Gospel message: "For God so loved the world He gave acceptance, peace, mercy, confidence, purpose, forgiveness, simplicity, hope and relief." Youngnak Presbyterian Church will once again be offering scholarships to Korean American Christian students this spring, this year up to $150,000 total. "In 1982, Youngnak Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles established the Scholarship Program to recognize and promote Christian leadership and academic achievements among Korean-American Christian students," Youngnak stated. "The main purpose of this scholarship program is to provide support by recognizing those students who exemplify the servitude-leadership qualities of our Lord Jesus Christ and those who are committed to spreading HIS word in a meaningful and relevant way to society as a whole." Youngnak's scholarship program offers scholarships in six different categories: the Rev. Ke Young Kim Memorial Scholarship ($5,000 each); the Anna Mission Group Scholarship ($3,000 each); seminary scholarship ($2,000 each); CYL scholarship for students with single parents; general academic scholarship; and pastor's kid scholarship. Two applicants will receive the Ke Young Kim Memorial Scholarship, which is for students at accredited theological seminaries who have served as a pastor (part-time or full-time) for a minimum of two years. Two applicants will receive the Anna Mission Scholarship, which is for female students at accredited theological seminaries. Most of the scholarship categories require the applicant to be a baptized member of a church recognized by the Korean Presbyterian Churches in America (KPCA), or of a church "considered to believe in the doctrines similar to those of Youngnak Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles." Many also have age requirements, such as the CYL Single Parent Scholarship and the PK Scholarship, which both require the applicant to be less than 25 years of age by the application deadline. The online application and all documents must be submitted by April 22, 2016. For more information, visit scholarship.youngnak.com. An American detained in North Korea has confessed to conducting espionage against the North Korean government on Friday. Kim Dong Chul, who was born in South Korea and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, admitted to collaborating with South Korean conservative elements for which was arrested in October 2015. Mr. Kim said he lived in Fairfax, VA, according to an interview with CNN in January, and moved to Yanji, a city near the Chinese-North Korean border in 2011. From Yanji, he commuted to Rason, an economic zone in North Korea, where he was the president of a international trade and hotel services company. He described his acts as shameful and ineffaceable and appealed to the North Korean government for forgiveness, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The extraordinary crime I committed was defaming and insulting the republic's highest dignity and its system and spreading false propaganda aimed at breaking down its solidarity," Kim was quoted as saying according to KCNA reports. North Korean authorities have held news conferences in the past during which prisoners read statements that confess their wrongdoing. Past prisoners have said that they were coerced and pressured into reading their public statements. Christians from Palestine and different countries marked the day of Good Friday in Jerusalem by holding a procession carrying wooden crosses along the Via Dolorosa (or Way of Sorrows) road in the old part of the city. The road from Ecce Homo Convent to Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the route which Jesus took on the way to crucifixion. Many Christians believe that he was buried at the Holy Sepulchre before rising again three days later. Many of the believers carried crosses, while others sang hymns. Security measures were increased in the wake of recent Brussels attacks and the stabbing incidents in the capital city, and a large number of personnel were deployed on the scene. Jerusalem has been the focal point of a wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks on Israelis, and Israeli police and soldiers were out in force. A large proportion of the crowd was affiliated with Greek-Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches who will celebrate the Easter Sunday on May 1. The pilgrims walked 14 stations on the Via Dolorosa road, and each station is called the "Station of the Cross," where different events happened on the way to Jesus' crucifixion. On the first station, Jesus was given the death sentence, and on the last stop, Jesus was buried. On the other part of the old city, many Christian worshipers walked outside the West Bank in Bethlehem, which is known as the birth place of Jesus Christ, to lead a protest march from Har Gilo to Gilo against Israel's resettlement policies. A Nigerian citizen, Jacob Adeyemi, who participated in the Good Friday procession, said that the day makes the Bible come alive. "We are all happy to be here. It's a privilege. It's a feeling you cannot describe," he told the VOA News. "Coming to see and feel the place where it really happened, it's a great feeling." A Christian lawyer who was detained in China for seven months was released. Lawyer Zhang Kai posted a message in Chinese social networking site WeChat on Wednesday, saying that he has been released from prison. He was put behind bars last year for assisting in the litigation of religion-based cases. New York Times quotes his post: "I have returned to my home in Inner Mongolia safely. Thank you to my friends for your concern, caring and giving consolation to my family during this time. And thanks to the Wenzhou police, who have taken care of me during this time." In a report published in ChinaChange.org on Aug. 31, Zhang's employer Beijing Xinqiao Law Firm explained in detail what the 37-year-old lawyer had been doing to defend the churches, particularly against the government's campaign to have crosses removed -- around 1,200 of which were taken down as of September last year, said The Guardian. Yang Xinquan, the firm's director, said that Zhang "has been the most active and become the most deeply involved." On Aug. 8, two weeks prior to his arrest, Zhang posted a message in the same social media site that reads, "I've made up my mind: the most they can do is jail me. But if I stay silent, I'll regret it my whole life." The lawyer, along with his assistant Liu Peng, disappeared on Aug. 25, 2015 from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province where he had been working with Christians for a year. The Telegraph reports that Zhang was charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order" and "endangering state secrets," and was detained in what is called as "black jail." Last month, in a televised "confession," he admitted to endangering national security, among other things. U.S.-based Christian rights group China Aid said Zhang's relatives have confirmed his release, and the group's director Bob Fu said, "Zhang Kai is a bold human rights lawyer and a defender of the rule of law and religious freedom, and is completely innocent." The conditions of Zhang's release are uncertain, however, and it is unclear if he is on bail pending trial. home Faith High Court in Malaysia allows Muslim man to drop Islam and embrace Christianity The Malaysian High Court has ruled after 33 years that a Muslim man has the right to drop Islam and embrace Christianity. Rooney Rebit, 44, formerly called Azmi Mohamad Azam Shah, applied to be released from Islam and be allowed to convert to Christianity. After 33 years, Justice Datuk Yew Jen Kie finally decided that he has the right to renounce the religion, in accordance with Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, The Borneo Post reports. Rebit's parents had converted him to Islam when he was 10 years old, so he had no choice at the time. Article 11 guarantees freedom of religion, so Yew said Rebit does not freely profess the religion of Islam because he was just following his parents, Today Online explains. In 1999, he sought to revert back to the religion he was born into, and he was baptized into Christianity. On Mar. 24, the judge ruled in Rebit's favor and said has the right to embrace his new religion since he is now an adult, the report details. "It is within his constitutional rights to exercise freedom of religion," said Judge Yew on Thursday. Yew ordered the Sarawak Islamic Religious Department, Sarawak Islamic Council, and the state government to issue a letter officially releasing Rebit from the religion of Islam. In addition, the judge said all records with the National Registry should reflect that his religion is now Christianity, the report relays. The first two respondents had previously agreed to release a Letter of No Objection to Come Out From Islam, but the state government had required an order from the Syariah Court to do so. In 2007, a similar case came up in which the apex court required the Shariah court's approval in dropping the word "Islam" from Azlina Jailani's identity card. The ruling of the Malaysian High court was released without Rebit's presence. home Faith Pope Francis tells priests to incarnate mercy Pope Francis, during the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, exhorted priests to incarnate mercy. "As priests, we are witnesses to and ministers of the ever-increasing abundance of the Father's mercy; we have the rewarding and consoling task of incarnating mercy, as Jesus did," said the Pope, as quoted by the Catholic News Agency. Jesus preached the Father's mercy to those who were poor, the oppressed and those who were cast out, and he reminded those present during the event that there are "countless masses of people who are poor, uneducated, prisoners, who find themselves in such situations because others oppress them." During the homily, the Holy See said that God shows an excess of mercy during "encounter," like in the story of the prodigal son wherein the father welcomes back with great joy his wayward child; and in "forgiveness," wherein God forgives as well as lets people "move directly from the most shameful disgrace to the highest dignity without any intermediary stages." To forgiveness, the response should always be "to preserve that healthy tension between a dignified shame and a shamed dignity." "Mercy restores everything; it restores dignity to each person," the Pope said. Priests, the Pope acknowledged, face many trials although they are quite different from poor people. They are oppressed by "the allure of a thousand commercial advertisements" and may feel trapped by "a digital, virtual worldliness that is opened and closed by a simple click." Nonetheless, he said that Jesus comes to redeem them "to become ministers of mercy and consolation." The Chrism Mass was held at the St. Peter's Basilica on March 24, where cardinals, bishops and priests renewed the vows they made at the time they were ordained. The annual event is also when the oils used for different sacraments are blessed. The Vatican supports the empowering of women, as expressed by the representative of Pope Francis to the United Nations. Reposting for @Disneychannel -Love being part of this show & would love to see it continue! #savegmw #girlmeetsworldseason4 pic.twitter.com/lznQy8h0ZA Cheryl Texiera (@CherylTexiera) November 29, 2016 Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, spoke on March 18 during the deliberations at the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. "Empowering women means creating the conditions necessary for them to flourish, in full acceptance of and in accordance with their natural genius as women, and in harmonious complementarity with the gifts of men," Archbishop Auza said, as quoted by the Catholic News Agency. Auza put emphasis on the important role of women in peacekeeping, mediation and preventive diplomacy. He also mentioned that there is a growing presence of women in advocacy organizations and policy-making bodies. However, he also noted that mothers and elderly women tend to be overlooked. The former's efforts and contribtion to the society's development, he said, are not "adequately acknowledged, appreciated, advanced and defended"; while the latter must be allowed to feel productive by making use of their wisdom. Moreover, he said that even unborn girls are discriminated as processes like in-vitro fertilization and abortion allow parents to "selectively eliminate girls." "Empowering women and girls will greatly help the world community not to leave anyone behind, and their empowerment will empower us all," he said. The Commission on the Status of Women is focused on "the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. ... Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women's enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields." The 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations was held at the New York headquarters of the U.N. from March 14 to 24. The session's priority theme was "Women's empowerment and its link to sustainable development." Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, spoke on March 18 during the deliberations at the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. "Empowering women means creating the conditions necessary for them to flourish, in full acceptance of and in accordance with their natural genius as women, and in harmonious complementarity with the gifts of men," Archbishop Auza said, as quoted by the Catholic News Agency. Auza put emphasis on the important role of women in peacekeeping, mediation and preventive diplomacy. He also mentioned that there is a growing presence of women in advocacy organizations and policy-making bodies. However, he also noted that mothers and elderly women tend to be overlooked. The former's efforts and contribtion to the society's development, he said, are not "adequately acknowledged, appreciated, advanced and defended"; while the latter must be allowed to feel productive by making use of their wisdom. Moreover, he said that even unborn girls are discriminated as processes like in-vitro fertilization and abortion allow parents to "selectively eliminate girls." "Empowering women and girls will greatly help the world community not to leave anyone behind, and their empowerment will empower us all," he said. The Commission on the Status of Women is focused on "the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. ... Member States agree on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women's enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and social fields." The 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations was held at the New York headquarters of the U.N. from March 14 to 24. The session's priority theme was "Women's empowerment and its link to sustainable development." Cuban police beat, arrest pro-democracy protesters in Havana 2 days after historic Obama state visit Two days after U.S. President Barack Obama addressed Cubans about the importance of human rights and peaceful dialogue, pro-democracy demonstrators in Havana were beaten and arrested by Cuban police just steps away from where Obama had spoken on Tuesday, according to Yahoo News. The protest was held on Thursday just three blocks from the Grand Theater of Havana, where Obama spoke live to the Cuban nation. It was quickly broken up by plainclothes officers, who attacked demonstrators violently, hauling those they had captured into police cars. During his historic visit to Cuba on Sunday, March 19, Obama dared the Cuban government to relax its grip on politics and society to enable its citizens to realise their full potential. Obama said the purpose of his visit to Cuba was to "extend a hand of friendship" and "bury the last remnant" of Cold War in the Americas. Cuban President Raul Castro was in attendance during the speech. Obama was the first American president to visit Cuba in nearly a century and the first since a revolution led by Fidel Castro toppled a U.S.-backed strongman in 1959. "I believe citizens should be free to speak their minds without fear. Voters should be able to choose their governments in free and democratic elections," Obama told the audience on the final day of his visit, according to Reuters. "Not everybody agrees with me on this, not everybody agrees with the American people on this but I believe those human rights are universal. I believe they're the rights of the American people, the Cuban people and people around the world," Obama said. The U.S. president also officially announced the lifting of the longstanding U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and praised the Cuban talents and the country's achievements in healthcare and education. The speech was broadcast live into homes across the island, reports said. The two countries started their rapprochement 15 months ago and since then, Obama has used his executive powers to relax trade and travel restrictions on Cuba and accelerate cautious market-style reforms introduced by Castro to allow greater political and economic freedom. Castro welcomed Obama's moves while insisting that a new relationship with the old enemy does not mean Cuba plans to change its political system, reports said. Earlier, some groups lobbying against Christian persecution in the communist nation held a prayer vigil in front of the White House calling for religious freedom. Christian activists led by Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition and lead pastor of the Church on the Hill, said more than 100 churches in Cuba have been demolished and 2,000-plus churches closed in recent acts of persecution against Cuban Christians. "We stand in solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters, and call upon the President to publicly speak out against this crushing of religious freedom and human rights. We cannot be silent," he said. "The Obama government cannot move forward to normalise relations with Cuba while these gross violations of human rights and religious freedoms are still in place." Ireland 1916: 100 years since the Easter Rising The Easter Rising of 1916 was one of the pivotal moments in modern Irish history. It's celebrated as a foundational event in Ireland's struggle for independence and its hundredth anniversary this weekend will be marked with parades and speeches. It was a bloody and chaotic affair which saw terrible things done by both sides. Beginning on Easter Monday, April 24, it lasted for six days and was a haphazard and piecemeal rebellion easily quashed by the vastly superior British forces. Fifteen of those deemed to be ringleaders were executed over the next few days and their deaths galvanised nationalist feelings. Nearly 1,500 were interned, many of whom had nothing to do with the Rising. The causes of the Rising, and the events of its aftermath, are immensely complicated and have their origins in the long and generally unhappy story of British involvement in Ireland. But here are 10 things it's interesting to know. 1. It had been brewing a long time Nationalist sentiment had been growing in Ireland ever since the Famine of 1845-47. Repeated attempts during the second half of the 19th century to bring in Home Rule, led by Prime Minister WE Gladstone, had failed partly because some nationalists wanted full independence and partly because of the opposition of die-hard Unionists in the North. 2. The rebels didn't have much support Most Home-Rulers or supporters of independence were opposed to the violent tactics of men like Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, who led the Rising. But organisations like the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Volunteers were prepared to use violence to get independence, while the Ulster Volunteers in the North were prepared to used violence to remain part of Britain. 3. The Republican movement was split When the First World War broke out in 1914, the leader of the Irish Nationalist Party, John Redmond, accepted that Home Rule would have to wait until the end of the war. Many Irishmen fought in the British Army. Some saw the war as an opportunity, though, and 1916 was a crucial point. It was obvious the war would last a lot longer than anyone had thought and the British army was focused on preparations for the Battle of the Somme. There were few troops in Ireland. 4. The rebels were poorly armed Sir Roger Casement notorious for his 'Black Diaries' said to record lurid sexual adventures, honoured for his exposure of the appalling human rights abuses perpetrated by rubber barons in Peru attempted to land weapons for the Republican forces but his ship was intercepted by the Royal Navy. Casement was hanged as a traitor. 5. They weren't very good at rebellion In Dublin the rebels set out to capture the most prominent buildings in Dublin, including the General Post Office, which became their headquarters. They failed to capture Dublin Castle and were not well organised. The rebels appear to have thought they had far more support than they did. Pearse told his mother he was certain to be shot. Outside the capital there were sporadic and badly coordinated risings that were easily put down. 6. The British were prepared to be brutal General Sir John French, in London, ordered four divisions to be sent to Dublin. They attacked the rebels on Wednesday, using a gunboat, the Helga, to bombard their positions. Civilian casualties were high, partly because the rebels wore no uniforms and it was difficult to distinguish them. Little attempt was made to try, however. Cases of British soldiers executing non-combatants roused much resentment. 7. The rebels didn't attract much sympathy from Dubliners The rebels surrendered on Saturday April 29 and were marched across Dublin to prison the following day. They were jeered by townspeople who had seen their city wrecked. The rebels had also shot and clubbed civilians who opposed them. 8. The British revenge was a PR disaster The execution of so many ringleaders including Connolly, who was tied to a chair and shot as he was so badly wounded caused a revulsion of feeling among Irish people. Asquith, the British Prime Minister, sacked General Maxwell, who was responsible, but the damage had been done. Ireland had its martyrs. 9. Most of those who died were civilians In total at least 485 people died, 260 of them civilians. Most of these were killed by British forces using bartillery and heavy machine guns. The British forces took the heavier casualties; 126 died, plus 17 police. 10. Ireland has had mixed memories of the Rising Hard-line Republicans always venerated the rebels. However, with the advent of the Troubles in the 1970s they were seen by many as just another group of terrorists. In 1976 it took the unprecedented step of proscribing a 1916 commemoration ceremony at the GPO organised by Sinn Fein and the Republican commemoration Committee. Opinion shifted again with the Peace Process that brought the violence to an end. The Easter Rising's place in Irish history will continue to be contested. From this distance in time there is perhaps not to be said for it; Ireland would have gained its independence anyway, and perhaps without the bloodshed that accompanied it. But history is what happened; we can try to understand it, but we cannot change it. ISIS razes 2,000-year-old Arch of Triumph in continuing 'crime against civilisation' Islamic State militants have just demolished the 2,000-year-old Arch of Triumph in the captured Syrian city Palmyra as the jihadist group continues its campaign to destroy heritage sites across Syria and Iraq, according to Syria's head of antiquities. Maamoun Abdulkarim said his sources in Palmyra confirmed that the arch, a jewel in the exquisite collection of ruins in the oasis city, had been blown up on Sunday evening by the extremist group, Reuters reported. "It's as though there is a curse that has befallen this city and I expect only news that will shock us. If the city remains in their hands the city is doomed," Abdulkarim told Reuters. "It is now wanton destruction ... their acts of vengeance are no longer ideologically driven because they are now blowing up buildings with no religious meaning," he added. The Arch of Triumph, situated at the entrance of the ancient ruins' historic colonnaded street, was one of the most recognisable sites in Palmyra that was known to Syrians as the "Bride of the Desert.'' It is the third major Roman-era architecture destroyed by the terrorist group since it took control of the city in May. In August, the Sunni extremist group destroyed the first-century shrine of Baalshamin and another 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, regarded as Palmyra's masterpiece, as part of its campaign to obliterate pre-Islamic monuments, tombs and statues it considers idolatrous. It has also destroyed temples at the UNESCO World Heritage sites and buldozed other monuments and history building which it considers sacrilegious. It also plundered some of Palmyra's preserved funeral towers, sandstone constructions built to hold the remains of the ancient city's richest families, according to Reuters. UNESCO has reportedly condemned the acts of the militant group, calling the destruction an "intolerable crime against civilisation.'' Abdulkarim, meanwhile, appealed to the international community to "find a way to save Palmyra" after the latest destruction. He warned of an impending catastrophe in the UNESCO-listed world heritage site, which the jihadists have been dismantling since capturing the ruins in May, according to the Daily Mail. "This is a systematic destruction of the city. They want to raze it completely,'' he told the Daily Mail. "They want to destroy the amphitheatre, the colonnade. We now fear for the entire city." Since the Syrian civil war began four years ago, more than 900 monuments and archaeological sites have been looted, damaged or destroyed, according to Syria's archaeology association, the APSA. Syrian government officials also said they have transferred some 300,000 artefacts to safe places in recent years, including from ISIS-controlled areas. Syrian army battles to take back Palmyra from Islamic State Syrian government forces advanced into Palmyra on several fronts on Saturday, backed by waves of air strikes and artillery barrages, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting was the heaviest yet in the army's three-week campaign to recapture the desert city from Islamic State fighters. It said Syrian soldiers and allied militias had taken control of neighbourhoods in the western and northern parts of the city. Live television footage showed repeated explosions and smoke rising from many buildings. Syrian state television earlier said the army, which drove Islamic State fighters out of the symbolic and strategic old citadel overlooking the west of the city on Friday, took full control of the northern district of Al-Amiriya. But the Observatory said fighting continued in that area, adding that Islamic State militants had launched counter-attacks - including car bombings - against government forces advancing in the city. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia's intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar al-Assad's favour. Syrian army and allied militia fighters, backed by heavy Russian and Syrian air strikes, have been fighting on the edges of the city for several days. The Britain-based Observatory, which monitors the fighting through a network of sources within Syria, reported overnight fighting inside Palmyra in the neighborhoods of Mutaqa'ideen and Al-Jami'iya. Television footage from the citadel on Saturday showed a soldier waving a Syrian national flag by the medieval castle walls, while smoke rose from a central city district. Palmyra had a population of 50,000 according to a census more than 10 years ago. Those numbers were swelled hugely by an influx of people displaced by Syria's conflict, which has raged since 2011, but most fled when Islamic State took over. Recapturing the city would open up eastern Syria, where Islamic State controls most of the Euphrates Valley provinces of Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, to the army. "Our heroic forces are continuing to advance until we liberate every inch of this pure land," a soldier told state-run television in a broadcast from slopes of the citadel, which overlooks the city's monumental Roman-era ruins. In August, Islamic State fighters dynamited two ancient buildings, the temples of Bel and Baal Shamin, which had stood as cultural landmarks in Palmyra for nearly two millennia. The United Nations described their destruction as a war crime. Television footage broadcast in the last 24 hours from the edge of Palmyra has shown some of the city's structures and famed colonnades still standing, although the extent of any damage was impossible to assess. Syrian officials said last year they had moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations before the city was overrun by Islamic State. West Virginia's Senate, House override Governor Tomblin's veto of bill banning dismemberment abortion West Virginia's Senate and House successfully overrode on Thursday the veto of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin of a bill that would ban dismemberment abortions in the state. The two chambers voted a day after Tomblin vetoed S.B. 10 or the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act. The state Senate voted 25-9 followed by the House with an 85-15 vote to thwart the governor's attempt to stop the bill from becoming a law. In his letter explaining his veto to West Virginia Senate President William Cole III, Tomblin said, "I am advised this bill is overbroad and unduly burdens a woman's fundamental constitutional right to privacy. Among the bill's prohibitions is a leading pre-viability medical procedure [D and E] that, for reasons of patient safety, is preferred by physicians." Pro-life advocates praised the legislators for the act. "As I meet with West Virginia legislators, I am encouraged by their overwhelming opposition to dismemberment abortions which are performed on fully formed, living unborn children. West Virginians are pro-life and it is reflected in their representatives," said West Virginians for Life Legislative Coordinator Karen Cross, LifeSite News reported. The bill defines dismemberment abortion as "with the purpose of causing the death of an unborn child, purposely to dismember a living unborn child and extract him or her one piece at a time from the uterus through use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors or similar instruments that, through the convergence of two rigid levers, slice, crush or grasp a portion of the unborn child's body to cut or rip it off." It bans the use of dilation and extraction (D & E) abortions in most cases, unless the doctor performing the procedure had first ended the unborn child's life by another method. Physicians or other licensed medical practitioners who are found guilty of dismemberment abortion may lose their licence to practice. Dear Abby: I find myself sometimes wanting to commit the most heinous of crimes. The desire to do this has been with me my entire life. I was sexually abused by my mother and oldest brother. While thats no excuse, I understand why I may be the way I am. At 51, I have never committed any act against a young girl, but the desire is clearly there for me. The issue before me is that if I seek help for this problem, those who can provide it are required by law in this state to report me. How am I to overcome these urges when no matter what I do I am considered guilty? Anonymous in America Dear Anonymous: You should be discussing these feelings with a licensed mental health professional. If fear that you will be arrested is what is holding you back, please be aware that if the urge or feeling is not directed at anyone in particular, a therapist is not required to report what you are confiding. However, if there is a direct threat toward a specific individual, it must be reported, even if nothing has occurred. Dear Abby: I have attended many events where the national anthem has been sung by an invited guest and many where it has been recorded. When the national anthem is being sung live, is it disrespectful to the performer to sing along? Some people who sing along are off-key or sing so loud they drown out the performance for the unfortunate attendees seated near them. Audrey in Arizona Dear Audrey: Our national anthem is notoriously difficult to sing, as many professionals have discovered to their embarrassment when they tried to perform it publicly. At large events during which the anthem is played, it is not uncommon for many of the audience members to be so filled with patriotic fervor that they join in. If memory serves me, the volume is usually so loud that no one can hear whats coming out of their mouths. To the best of my knowledge, no rule of etiquette forbids anyone from singing along with Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks or Renee Fleming if they have the nerve to try. Dear Abby: I am an old lady, happy I can still get around using a cane. I would like to thank the many people who take the extra time to open a door for me or hold it open longer so I can get through. I am grateful for their help, and being offered a place ahead of them in the checkout line is beyond appreciated. Thank you, thank you. However, may I offer a suggestion to those helpful folks, often robust men, who want to do more? If I look unsteady, please do not grab me by the arm and try to steer me like an empty bicycle! Instead, hold your arm out for me to lean on and allow me to do the navigating. It may be slow, but with your help, it will be safe. Caryl in New Mexico Dear Caryl: Thats an excellent suggestion, and one I hope helpful readers of both sexes will pay attention to. After a 25-hour search, the Coast Guard decided to suspend the effort to find a fisherman who went missing Friday night in the Houston Ship Channel near Eagle Point. Ba Van Nguyen, 59, reportedly left on his 54-foot shrimp boat, the Regina Pacis, early Friday and was supposed to return by 2 p.m., authorities said. The Houston-Galveston sector of the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted Friday evening by a good Samaritan that Nguyen's boat was spinning in circles near marker 53 with no one aboard. When your nickname is "The Mountain" on a hit TV series, you have to keep your physique in peak form. Off the set of HBO's "Game of Thrones," Hafthor "Thor" Bjornsson can usually usually be found working out. He competes in numerous international strongman contests. 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. SEVEN)SUNS Play Classical Metal and Hardcore Music SEVEN)SUNS are a Brooklyn-based string quartet who play heavy metal and hardcore punk interpretations with classical instruments. Featuring instrumentalists Earl Maneein on viola, cellist Jennifer DeVore and violinists Amanda Lo and Fung Chern-Hwei, the ensemble play a brand of contemporary classical music not for the faint of heart. SEVEN)SUNS perform chamber music versions of popular hard rock and metal songs, while also writing their own material. Having played at numerous venues throughout the New York area, the quartet have also collaborated with classical artists like Daniel Bernard Roumain. The band will be performing as part of the 2016 Tribeca New Music Festival in New York City next month. In their announcement for the show, TNM described the group as a fusion of disparate musical genera, producing bombastic yet tranquil results: "They bring together two related music subcultures, Metal and Hardcore, into the classically oriented performing arts. The sound of SEVEN)SUNS is, by turns, driven, aggressive, dissonant, and hard-edged as well as contemplative, meditative, still, and serene." SEVEN)SUNS have been gaining fans on the Internet with their ferocious covers of heavy music acts like Pantera and the Dillinger Escape Plan. Metal Injection praised the latter as a "heart-pounding, incredibly intense" take on "43% Burnt," saying, "Who knew how close Dillinger was to being modern composers?" According to the band's website, the group's name derives from an apocalyptic prophecy in Buddhism, the "Sermon of the Seven Suns," a major point of Buddhist eschatology. A text from the Pali Canon, the manuscripts pertinent to the Theravadan Buddhist practice, it was the Buddha's exhortation on armageddon. The members of SEVEN)SUNS are also outreach-minded volunteers. The quartet regularly visit inmates at New York's Rikers Island Correctional Facility, even playing music for the prisoners. They accomplish this community service in partnership with the Rangjung Dharma Prison Project. The Tribeca New Music performance of SEVEN)SUNS will take place at The Cell Theatre in Chelsea on Saturday, April 17 at 4:00 p.m. Check out the below video of SEVEN)SUNS in action, and let us know what you think in the comments section. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsSEVEN)SUNS, Tribeca New Music Festival Zoolander 2 Nathan Lee Graham Goes Coast-to-Coast in New Hollywood & Gershwin Concerts Nathan Lee Graham (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Wild Party) is getting ready to go coast-to-coast. The Broadway star will be performing on both the east and west coast later this Spring in two all new concert events. Graham will start out west with You Oughta Be In Pictures, before heading east to perform Gaga for Gershwin. Graham is known to many as Todd in Zoolander. Graham will also be appearing in Zoolander 2. Recently, Graham opened up about how he was pulled from Broadway to be part of the film. Recently, Graham spoke with Gotham Magazine about how he landed his now iconic role in Zoolander: Well, it was really quite amazing how I became a part of the original Zoolander! Ben Stiller happened to be in the audience of my first Broadway show, The Wild Party, that I did with Mandy Patinkin, Toni Collette, and my idol and mentor, the late, great Eartha Kitt. This was the final performance on a Sunday matinee in June 2000. The very next day, Monday, my agent was called, I was told to wear something fashionable, I show up in Tribeca, I meet Ben, and he says, 'Paramount is making a movie of a sketch I did on VH1 called Zoolander. I have this character of Todd, we haven't written anything yet, I don't know what you'll be doing, do you want to do it? I'm like, Yeah, my show just closed yesterday! Grammy winner Nathan Lee Graham performs You Oughta Be In Pictures on April 21 at Catalina Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, produced by Chris Isaacson Presents. Tickets range from $25 to $40, and can be purchased at TicketWeb.com. Graham can later be seen in Going Gaga For Gershwin! at New Yorks Feinsteins/54 Below on Friday, May 6 at 9:30 PM. The cover charge ranges between $30 to $40 with an additional $25 food and beverage minimum. For tickets please visit 54Below.com. For more information please visit nathanleegraham.com. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsZoolander 2, Nathan Lee Graham, Coast-to-Coast, New, hollywood, Gershwin, Concert Richfield dead body scene Ohio BCI and Richfield police are investigating after a woman was found dead in a home on Friday afternoon. (Jane Morice, cleveland.com) RICHFIELD, Ohio -- A woman was found dead inside a Richfield home Friday afternoon, but Richfield police were not immediately able to provide additional information about their investigation. Police and fire officials were called to the home on Harold Drive, just off of Interstate 77, about 2 p.m., Richfield Lt. Joe Davis said. Authorities found an "unresponsive female" inside the house. Davis would not provide additional details about the incident Friday evening, saying the investigation was ongoing and any further information would be "premature and speculative only." The home sits in a quiet, residential neighborhood, and police receive "very few" calls from this part of the city, Davis said. Law enforcement agencies, including the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, remained at the scene as of 6 p.m. Friday. The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office had not yet removed the woman's body from the home. More information about the incident will be quickly released once it is confirmed, Davis said. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase (No.2),'' one of the biggest artistic bombshells of the 20th century, is coming to the Cleveland Museum of Art as a loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art in honor of the CMA centennial. The painting will go on view Tuesday April 5, the museum reported quietly on its website Thursday. The museum also announced several other new loans that will arrive soon. They include a 17th-century genre painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo of Spain, from the Kimbell Art Museum in Forth Worth; and a 1949 abstraction by American painter Barnett Newman from the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin. Also coming for a visit is a rare 17th-century Tibetan statuette of a Buddhist goddess, from the Asia Society of New York; and a 19th-century screen painting of a Korean royal banquet, from the Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea. Previously announced loans include a Titian portrait from the J. Paul Getty Museum, a Congolese Kifwebe mask from the Seattle Art Museum, and a contemporary Kerry James Marshall painting from the Progressive Corp. collection. A big deal Duchamp's painting is the showstopper, however. It's famous for having shocked audiences at the 1913 Armory Show in New York, which introduced European modernism in the U.S. The painting was considered radical not only because it depicted a nude woman as a mechanistic assembly of geometric planes and shapes in drab shades of brown and beige, but also because it showed the female body in dynamic motion, rather than in the traditional manner as a beautiful object in repose. Critics ridiculed the work as "an explosion in a shingle factory," or "Rude Descending a Staircase." Then-former president Theodore Roosevelt compared the painting to the pattern on his bathroom rug, the museum says on its website. Preview What's coming: Newly announced centennial loans. Venue: Cleveland Museum of Art. Where: 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. Admission: Free. Call 216-421-7340 or go to clevelandart.org. Marcel Duchamp: "Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2)," April 5- July 3, Gallery 226. Tibet: "White Tara," April 6 - November 6, Gallery 239. Barnett Newman: "Onement IV," May 3 - August 14, Gallery 227. Bartolome Esteban Murillo: "Four Figures on a Step," May 10- July 24, Gallery 212. Korea, Joseon dynasty: "Royal Banquet for Celebration of the Fortieth Birthday and Thirty-Year Rule of King Sunjo," June 6- October 9, Gallery 236 But the painting synthesized avant-garde artistic movements including Cubism and Futurism and paralleled the rise of motion pictures and Einstein's discovery of relativity. It also vaulted Duchamp's career as an artist who focused as much on ideas as objects. New directions in artistic thinking Duchamp soon began exhibiting "ready-mades," such as a urinal, labeled "Fountain," a bicycle wheel mounted on a stool, and a snow shovel whimsically titled "In Advance of the Broken Arm." Historians of modern art trace two main streams of artistic thinking in the 20th century, one following Pablo Picasso's restless and virtuosic inventiveness and fascination with the human body, and Duchamp's conceptualism, which raised fundamental philosophical issues about the difference between art and non-art, and the impact of context on how objects can be perceived as art. "Nude Descending" is therefore an artistic fork in the road - a summation in advance of a completely new direction in thinking. It's also a cornerstone of the Philadelphia Museum's extensive holdings of Duchamp's work, which the museum gathered thanks in large part to a spectacular collection of modern art donated in 1950 by Walter and Louise Arensberg. Parsing a loan The loan of the Duchamp could be viewed as a friendly gesture from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, whose director, Timothy Rub, surprised and saddened Clevelanders when he left the top job at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2009 to move east after three years here. The visit by "Nude Descending" will add heft to the Cleveland museum's otherwise thin collection of early 20th century painting, which includes a fine collection of Picassos, including "La Vie." The arrival of the Duchamp is also a return engagement. As Curatorial Research Assistant Indra Lacis reports in a post on the museum's website, "Nude Descending" was exhibited here in 1936, on the occasion of the Cleveland museum's 20th anniversary. Not dead yet Duchamp, traveling east after visiting his friends, the Arensbergs, in Los Angeles, was amused to find that the catalogue of the 20th anniversary Cleveland exhibition mistakenly declared that he had died in 1933. Duchamp was "immensely entertained" by the misprint, The Plain Dealer reported, according to Lacis. The Cleveland museum, after decades in which it showed scant enthusiasm for modern art while it was unfolding, is still playing catch-up. In 2007, the museum bought a boxed set of mixed media images by Duchamp depicting his life's work that was entitled Marcel Duchamp's "From or By Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Selavy, 1935-1940, 1963-1966 (Series F)" acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2007. (c) Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York The museum said it would display "Nude Descending" alongside its own Duchamp, and near other works by Surrealist and Dadaist artists in its collection. The Philadelphia painting, one of the most recognizable images of the modern age, will be here through July 3. And because it's in the Cleveland museum's permanent collection galleries, it can be seen absolutely free of charge. CH police car.jpg Cleveland Heights police dealt with a man who urinated in public on Coventry Road. (file photo) Disorderly conduct, Coventry Road: At 9:25 p.m. March 17, a couple were eating dinner at the Winking Lizard, 1852 Coventry Road. Looking outside, the couple noticed a man urinating on the sidewalk. Police were called and the couple were able to point out the man, who was standing nearby. Police questioned a 49-year-old man with a thick accent. The man was intoxicated and did not recall urinating on the sidewalk. He did say that he sometimes urinates in his pants. The front of his pants were wet. On the man's person was a citation police issued to him earlier in the evening for walking on the street with an open container of alcohol. The man was taken into custody due to his public intoxication and was cited for public urination. Breaking and entering, Elbon Road: Someone broke a window to gain entry into a vacant home and stole copper pipes from the home's basement. The theft occurred sometime between March 11-17. Shortly after, police were looking into a similar theft of copper from another vacant home on the street and found in the second home's back yard a bundle of copper that may have been stolen from the other home. Officers detained possible suspects in the thefts when those suspects went to the back yard to retrieve the bundle of copper. Breaking and entering, Whitby Road: Someone entered a vacant home and tampered with a meter in the basement. The break-in was discovered March 17 when a Realtor arrived to show the home. Burglary, Caledonia Avenue: A man arrived home at 2:50 p.m. March 17 and discovered that someone had broken into his house. Stolen were three television sets, a video gaming system, luggage, a Time-Warner cable box, shoes, jewelry and other items. Disorderly conduct, Roxboro Road: Police were called at 1:40 p.m. March 18 to Roxboro Middle School, 2400 Roxboro Road. There, two boys, both age 11, fought inside a classroom. Both boys were charged with disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct, East Overlook Road: At 12:29 a.m. March 18, police responded to a call of a disturbance at a home. Officers learned that the three people at the home, a woman, 39, her adult son, and her son's father, had been downtown celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The woman, a South Euclid resident, was intoxicated. She told officers that the three had argued while downtown and that the argument had continued as they reached the Cleveland Heights home. As officers attempted to speak with the woman as she sat at a table, she yelled, screamed and swore at them. As she did so, she continued to try to make a cell phone call. The woman was arrested for disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct, Meadowbrook Boulevard: A woman called police at 8:15 p.m. March 19 stating that there was a woman she did not know passed out in her back yard. Police woke the woman in the yard and asked if she knew where she was. The woman, 47, did not know. She said she was going to Richmond Heights. The woman, who was intoxicated, said she had been in a local bar, drinking. As officers helped the woman to her feet, she said she wanted to die. The woman was taken to the MetroHealth medical center for treatment. Disturbance, Hampstead Road: A boy called police at 7:50 p.m. March 19. He said he and his sister got into an argument and struggled over a video game controller. When police arrived, the brother and sister were calm and the argument over. Disorderly conduct, Noble Road: At about 5 p.m. March 19, two girls, both 15, argued with two other girls, 15 and 12, inside the Noble Road branch library. All four left and, soon after, began to physically fight on a nearby street. Officers spoke to the four girls, who continued to scream at each other. As police spoke to one of the girls, 15, she told the officer to stop speaking because she was leaving. She then walked away and did not listen as officers told her to stop. The girl was apprehended and handcuffed. All four girls were charged with disorderly conduct and had their cases turned over to juvenile court. Disturbance, Hillcrest Road: A woman, 39, informed police at 8 p.m. March 19, that her fiance would not allow her back into their shared residence to retrieve her belongings so she could move. The woman also alleged that the man had assaulted her that morning and sexually assaulted her as she slept. The man spoke with police and allowed the woman to get her belongings. He denied assaulting the woman. Police helped the woman carry her belongings to her father's house. When asked if she wanted to speak with police about pressing charges for the alleged assaults, the woman said she wanted to think it over. The next day, the woman said she didn't want to pursue charges. She told officers that her fiance is bi-polar and needs medical treatment. WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A 24-year-old Garfield Heights man and suspected member of the Heartless Felons was indicted Friday on a murder in a shooting that investigators have said was motivated by revenge for a triple killing. Marcus Ladson is charged with 26 felony counts including murder, felonious assault, discharging a weapon into a habitation, felon in possession of a firearm, participating in gang activity and other charges. He's accused of killing Curtis Avent III who was shot to death March 15 at an apartment on Northfield Road. Avent was not the target of the shooting, police said. Ladson was trying to avenge the death of his brother Brandon White who was one of three men killed Feb. 5, 2015 when gunmen opened fire in Chalk Linez Barbershop on Harvard Road. Other charges in the indictment are for a long string of unrelated criminal activity, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty's spokesman. FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio - Sidewalk repairs in a designated area of Fairview Park are in the preliminary planning stages as the result of funding recently awarded by the Cuyahoga County Department of Development. Mayor Eileen Patton is seeking authorization from city council to have the city engineer solicit bids as part of a $136,400 grant awarded "for the purpose of rehabilitating and replacing unsafe and deteriorating sidewalks and curb ramps located in targeted areas throughout the city," according to legislation currently under review by the finance committee. The ordinance had its first public reading March 21 at the city council meeting. "We have not selected the specific streets where we're going to be fixing the sidewalks," Patton said in an interview. "That money is only available in this targeted area, per the rules of the county. We have to figure out how we select these sidewalks. We will work with our city engineer." According to the Fairview Park Improvement Target Area Study prepared by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the boundaries lie north of Lorain Road and stretch from West 224th Street to as far east as a portion of West 204th Street. Some of the named streets in the designated area include Clifford Drive and Eastwood, Northwood, Woodstock, Stanford and Belvidere avenues. It is estimated 3,100 linear feet of 5-ft. wide concrete sidewalk will be repaired. "It is the city's intent to ensure that all residents, especially those unable to own a personal automobile, have the ability to safely and conveniently reach basic amenities in Fairview Park, like grocery stores, pharmacies, recreational assets and RTA bus routes," the funding application indicated. "All curb ramp repairs will be done in full accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act." The application also noted repairs will improve "the walkability and bikeability of Fairview Park and its neighborhoods." The initiative will help to continue the mayor's efforts in revitalizing the Lorain Road corridor. After city council approval of the ordinance, city engineer Mike Mackay will be soliciting bids for the sidewalk work. It is anticipated repairs could be made later this spring or sometime during the summer. City council's next committee meeting will occur April 4, just prior to the regular council meeting. Medina Township Police.jpeg A 17-year-old girl went missing from a Medina Township roller rink Thursday. (Evan MacDonald, cleveland.com) MEDINA TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A North Royalton teen is missing after she called a friend to pick her up from a Medina Township roller rink Thursday night. The 17-year-old girl was at the Medina Skateland on the 3700 block of Pearl Road when she called a friend to pick her up, WEWS reports. When the friend arrived, the girl was nowhere to be found. Police were called to the Medina Skateland about 8 p.m., WKYC reports. Officers determined that a friend was telling the truth, according to the report, and that the girl did not have permission to leave the rink. She was last seen on surveillance video at a nearby Circle K gas station, her mother wrote in a Facebook post shared by North Royalton police. The teen was wearing gray sweatpants and a black hooded sweatshirt with gold lettering, according to the Facebook post. Medina Township police were not able to provide further information Friday night. Anyone with information about the girl's whereabouts is asked to call either Medina Township police at 330-723-5191 or North Royalton police at 440-237-8686. police tape.jpg One man was killed and five people were injured in a three-car crash on Cleveland's East Side early Saturday morning, according to WEWS News Channel 5. (File photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One man was killed and five people were injured in a three-car crash on Cleveland's East Side early Saturday morning, according to WEWS News Channel 5. A Cleveland Emergency Medical Services captain confirmed EMS responded to the crash near the intersection of East 105th Street and St. Clair Avenue around 3 a.m. Multiple people in critical condition were taken to area hospitals, the captain said. Cleveland city officials could not be reached for comment. A Cleveland police lieutenant told WEWS News that speed was a factor in the crash. One of the cars caught fire. Seven people were involved in the crash. Four people were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center and one was taken to University Hospitals, according to WEWS. Two people taken to MetroHealth were in critical condition. The person taken to UH was in serious condition, the TV news station reported. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: North Olmsted police car North Olmsted police look into thefts of bicycle, catalytic converter. (File photo) Bicycle theft, Dover Center Road: A woman reported at 3:55 p.m. March 14 that her grandson's bicycle was stolen between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. that day from the bicycle rack in front of Pine Elementary School. It is a Roadmaster teal, white and purple bicycle. Catalytic converter theft, Country Club Boulevard: A woman reported the theft of the catalytic converter from her mother's car while it was parked at Chili's restaurant between noon and 10:30 a.m. March 13. The woman had borrowed the car to work at the restaurant. Driving under suspension, I-480: Police stopped a driver at 3:40 p.m. March 14 on I-480 for driving 81 mph in a 60 mph zone. Officers discovered the driver has not had a valid license since 2004. He was convicted five times of driving under suspension in 2015. The most recent incident resulted in charges of driving under suspension and speeding. Driving under suspension, I-480: Officers stopped a car March 16 for driving 77 mph in a 60 mph zone. The woman driver said she did not have a license or insurance. Police charged her with driving under suspension and speeding. Possession of marijuana, Clague Road: Police stopped a car for a minor traffic violation about 2 a.m. March 18, and an officer noticed the smell of marijuana from inside the car. When asked, the driver, a Cleveland man, handed over a small bag of marijuana. The man was charged with possession of marijuana and traffic offenses. Disorderly conduct, Lorain Road: Police were called to a Subway restaurant March 17 about a man passed out on a table for about an hour. When an officer arrived, the man was awake but disoriented. A six-pack of apple-flavored ale was next to him. The intoxicated man was charged with disorderly conduct. Police drove the man to his mother's house in Olmsted Falls and released him to her. OLMSTED TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Authorities are warning residents to be on the lookout after two men tried to lure a boy into a car. The boy told police he was walking along Skyline Drive around 1 p.m. Tuesday when a light-colored sedan pulled beside him. Two men inside the car asked the boy if he needed a ride, Olmsted Township Patrolman Joe English said in a news release issued Saturday morning. The boy turned around and ran to his grandmother's house. The vehicle sped away, English said. Police will not release the boy's age. The boy described the men as older, possibly in their 60s, one white and one black. The black man driving the car had a white beard, according to police. The light-colored sedan may have been two-toned. The boy did not know the make or model. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Olmsted Township Police Department at 440-235-3335. Authorities are asking residents to report any suspicious activity to police. Authorities warn residents to be on the lookout after two men tried to lure a boy into a vehicle in Olmsted Township. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: Fake Parma Facebook Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Parma Police Department's official Facebook page, and a parody site that led to a man facing a possible felony. (Facebook) PARMA, OHIO -- A 27-year-old Parma man faces possible criminal charges that accuse him of creating a parody Facebook account that mimicked the Parma Police Department's official page. Anthony Novak, 27, of Pinegrove Avenue faces a possible felony count of disrupting public services for the page that investigators said he created March 2. The page contained what Parma police considered "derogatory" and "inflammatory" information that appeared as though it was coming directly from department officials, Lt. Kevin Riley said. The page featured a number of fake news items, made up crimes and other jokes that took a swipe at the department. One post was a phony explanation for how the department goes about selecting its new recruits: "The test will consist of a 15 question multiple choice definition test followed by a hearing test. Should you pass you will be accepted as an officer of the Parma Police Department." The page has since been deactivated. Attorney David Brown, who was retained by Novak Friday, said that the case might have the potential to raise some First Amendment issues, but he stressed that it was too early in the case to decide how he will approach his defense. "It's an unusual case," Brown said. Riley said that while the department recognizes Parma citizens' rights to exercise their freedom of speech, department officials believe the parody page went too far. "In this particular case, we believe the material that Novak posted on the fake account crossed the line from satire to an actual risk to public safety," he said. "We presented the facts of this case and the investigation to our law department and they agreed that Novak's actions were criminal in nature." The case will go before a grand jury that will decide what, if any, charges Novak could face. Novak is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday in Parma Municipal Court. 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. watch now With spring comes Easter, and for a majority of Americans that means packing Easter baskets, going on an Easter egg hunt and, of course, eating lots of candy. For the chocolate makers, the holiday means big business, but it may mean rising prices for consumers. The world's appetite for chocolate is surging. According to the National Retail Federation, America alone will spend over $17 billion for Easter, with $2.4 billion alone devoted just to candy. This is the highest level of spending on the holiday in the 13 years the survey has been conducted. Chocolatier and business owner Jacques Torres told CNBC that Easter is his second-biggest selling season after Christmas, coming ahead of Valentine's Day. "At Christmas you buy for way more people than maybe at Valentine's Day; usually you buy one gift for [your] Valentine," Torres told CNBC's "On the Money" in an interview. This year, his New York-based company produced over 80,000 Easter holiday pieces, using four tons of chocolate. Torres says his Easter sales are up a little bit over last year. One reason is that the holiday came earlier this year, and with it came cooler weather. According to the chocolatier, people tend to buy less chocolate in warmer weather. Still, an earlier Easter also presents a time crunch: Torres said his Brooklyn chocolate factory had to start prepping for Easter even before Valentine's Day. Everyone loves chocolate But it's not just Americans and Europeans who love chocolate, emerging markets such as China and India are whetting their appetite for the treat. Market research firm Euromonitor International expects chocolate sales volumes to skyrocket by over 500 percent in India between 2005 and 2017, and over 140 percent in China. At the same time, cocoa prices have more than doubled in the last 10 years. In an effort to produce more cocoa faster, Torres said a new problem is on the horizon. "By planting more, we find new hybrid of cocoa, and by doing that we lose some quality. So the price of the very high-end chocolates rises even more," said Torres. Even though cocoa prices keep rising, Torres is reluctant to raise his chocolate prices at the same rate. "We want to be the less expensive of the best makers," says Torres. His profit margins have taken a hit, but he's still looking into ways to help costs, such as investing in more efficient equipment. As for the health of the consumer Torres says "what we see is that we have more sales, in number of sales but the average price of sales is down a little bit." In the future, Torres hopes to expand his company outside of New York, where he currently has nine retail stores and his 40,000-square-foot factory. Torres says he hopes to be in Boston later this year and is considering further expansion on the East Coast in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. A screen shows the market movements as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on January 7, 2016. Getty Images Has the investment industry's marketing push outsmarted itself? For several years, huge effort has gone in to selling "smart beta" funds. It has worked, creating great excitement. Now, not at all surprisingly, the backlash has begun. Investment theory may be a tad crunchy for Easter weekend, so let us keep this simple. Beta is the academic term for the return you get from passively investing in an index. Smart beta comes up with a strategy to beat the index, which can itself be made into an index with simple rules. The advantage of doing this is that funds that track an index can be run far more cheaply than active funds, which face a far higher bill for research and managers' salaries. So if a winning strategy can be reduced to an index, it should be possible to cut costs, and offer a superior return to investors. Passive investing is popular at present because investors have worked out that low fees matter. So smart beta offers a future for active managers. Smart beta strategies are now proliferating but most commonly stem from anomalies identified in the academic literature. Perhaps most importantly, there are Value (cheap stocks do better than expensive), Momentum (winners keep winning, and losers keep losing), and Low volatility (relatively stable stocks perform better). All will have periods when they do badly. All perform well in the long run. Other popular strategies involve weighting portfolios by companies' sales, or revenues, or dividends. From these building blocks, investment managers have now built multifactor funds in different proportions, and come up with a dizzying array of new factors. And they have sold a lot of funds on the back of it. More from the Financial Times: Emerging market funds show signs of recovery Active fund managers find their voice Fund managers lose out from benchmarking But there is a problem. In theory, and in practice, once a market anomaly has been observed, it cannot continue. There are two reasons why future performance may be worse than the historical backtest suggests, outlined by Pete Hecht, chief market strategist for Evanston Capital Management, in a recent paper. First, the back-test may have been "data-mined." In other words, the researchers fiddled to find a formula that delivered the very best result for the period they were looking at. This may be due to dishonesty, or may happen unconsciously. A second problem is arbitrage, and the very existence of smart beta funds feeds this problem. Once you know that cheap stocks outperform, the logical response is to buy cheap stocks. If many do this, cheap stocks' price will rise until they no longer outperform. Mr. Hecht tested this theory using the formulas used in 1991 in a seminal paper by Gene Fama, the University of Chicago economist who won a Nobel Prize for his work on markets. This identified the value effect using three different measures of valuation. Mr. Hecht took Mr. Fama's formulas for determining which stocks were cheap, and saw how the strategy would have performed starting in 1992 and carrying on to the present. In all cases, whether measured by straight performance or adjusted for risk, they did much worse after the paper's publication than they had before it. The reduction in performance ranged from 30 to 71 percent. The value effect had diminished. That leads to another problem, identified by Rob Arnott in a paper for Research Affiliates, a pioneer of smart beta. A strong backtest at any point in time, he reasons, may be because the factor tested has become expensive. Three takeways from Missouri's game against Vanderbilt Missouri football took on Vanderbilt for its homecoming game on Saturday. Here's what to know from the game. On The Docket Whether it's a verdict or a hearing, it's On The Docket SHARE By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal Two men pleaded guilty in a heroin case involving the trafficking of drugs from Texas to Memphis, the office of Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, said Friday. The Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit began its investigation in November 2013 of an organization that was selling heroin in the area of Memphis and Shelby County. Abel Gamez, Jr. was identified as one of the heroin sources of supply in Texas for transport to Memphis by Greyhound, Stantons spokesman Louis Goggans said in a news release. Police set up searches in January 2015 at a bus station in Memphis and discovered 350 grams of heroin. Gamez, Jr., conspired to possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, Goggans wrote. He pleaded guilty Wednesday. Tremayne Jackson, also known as Bookie, conspired to possess with the intent to distribute less than 100 grams of heroin and pleaded guilty Thursday, Goggans wrote. Nine others in the case entered guilty pleas previously. March 23, 2016 Ghost River Brewing bottler Tyler Nelson works on the bottling line as they package the brewery's Honey Wheat beer. The company will be rebranding their line. The Honey Wheat will become Lost Hive. In addition to rebranding their beer line Ghost River plans to open a taproom at their brewery on South Main in late summer or early fall. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE March 23, 2016 The first beer to roll out with the rebranded Ghost River Brewing labels will be their 1887 IPA, which will be hitting the market in bottles for the first time. The other beers in their line will slowly roll out new packaging as the current packaging supply gets used up.(Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) March 23, 2016 Brewer Jeff Opiel stirs the grain of a mash for Ghost River Brewing's Golden Ale. When the breweries rebranding in complete the name of the Golden Ale will change to Ghost River Gold. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) Related Coverage Memphis Made expands tap room hours, year-round offerings By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal With apologies to Samuel Taylor ("Rime of the Ancient Mariner") Coleridge: Beer, beer, everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Ghost River Brewing Co., the pioneer of Memphis' craft beer brewing scene, is the only local brewery where people can't quaff a cold beer on a regular basis. But not for long. Ghost River is marking its 10th year with the opening of a tap room and new branding to reacquaint area beer drinkers with signature products including Ghost River Gold and Riverbank Red. The changes follow three expansions totaling about $2 million and a quadrupling of brewing capacity in the years since former stockbroker Jerry Feinstone founded Ghost River as a family business in late 2006. Ghost River expects to open a $250,000 tap room at 827 S. Main St. in time for Oktoberfest. Six-packs of 1887 India Pale Ale will hit store shelves this week in new packaging, and other products will take on the new look as stockpiles of old packaging are depleted. Ghost River didn't rush to open a tap room after city and county regulations were amended in 2013 to make it possible for breweries to sell their beers for on-premise consumption. Tap rooms popped up at other local craft breweries that came on the scene about three years ago: Wiseacre, 2783 Broad Ave.; High Cotton, 598 Monroe Ave.; and Memphis Made, 768 S. Cooper St. The tap rooms quickly became magnets for crowds of people, weighted toward millennials, to drink beer, do yoga, dine on food truck fare and listen to live music, while snatching after-hours glimpses of stainless steel tanks where the magic of fermentation happens. Feinstone and his daughter, marketing vice president Suzanne Williamson, said Ghost River focused instead on maintaining quality and meeting demand for bottled beer at stores and kegs at restaurants and growler stations. Ghost River concentrates on Greater Memphis but can be found in stores as far away as Nashville, Hattiesburg and Little Rock. "We feel like maybe we should be a little bit more vocal in the marketplace," Feinstone said. "We've just sat back and made beer and hoped for the best," he added, drawing a swift correction from Williamson, that the company has worked hard to be successful. Feinstone added, "When it's the first time through, the first ones to the marketplace, things sort of happen that you don't expect, and we're trying to take more control over what happens with this brand and how we approach the future and the way it's presented to the public." The Brewers Association said last week that small and independent craft brewers had sales of $22.3 billion last year, up 16 percent from 2014. The association, based in Boulder, Colorado, said craft beer volume rose 13 percent last year and represented a 12 percent market share of the beer industry. Feinstone said Ghost River growth rates of 20 percent a year are "not uncommon." Ryan Guess, founder of memphiscraftbeer.com and host of The Beer Show at noon Saturdays on WREC-FM 600, believes the tap room and rebranding may help Ghost River regain market share from the upstart breweries. "I just think Ghost River needs this to revalidate who they are in the Memphis craft beer market," Guess said. "Ghost River was the king of the block for so long, then Wiseacre, High Cotton and Memphis Made came along, and all of a sudden they started eating up their market share," Guess said. Guess said tap rooms help craft breweries cultivate customers while providing a higher profit margin by selling directly to customers, without distributors and retailers taking a cut. The tap room was a key element to Wiseacre's rapid ascent to the biggest Memphis craft brewery, Guess said. Wiseacre also has the largest distribution footprint, including the Chicago area. Guess said within the past year all three Memphis tap rooms have expanded operating hours. Most have live music. High Cotton has beer and yoga. Wiseacre has happy hour tours and beer trivia. Memphis Made has helped raise money for Overton Park greensward proponents. Andy Ashby, who co-owns Memphis Made with Drew Barton, said tap room hours will expand again April 15. The tap room has been a major part of the Cooper-Young neighborhood brewery's success. "It's a great way to introduce people to our brand and our beer," Ashby said. "They get a chance to meet some of the people who brew our beer. You can come in and tell us what you like and don't like." Ghost River's tap room addition comes at a time when the south end of Downtown is welcoming hundreds of new apartment residents. By this fall, about 680 rental units will have come on line since 2013. Ghost River is in a former meat-packing plant at Crump Boulevard and Main Street, just south of south end's densest area. Company officials are confident people will walk, bicycle and drive to get there. Both Wiseacre and High Cotton cater to customers who don't live within walking distance. Ghost River head brewer Jimmy Randall said he relishes the customer contact that he has missed for the most part since coming from Boscos, a brew pub that Feinstone helped open in 1992. "We have so many degrees of separation between us the brewer and our end consumer. So having a tap room is going to be invaluable to be able to have a direct line of communication once again on a more regular basis," Randall said. There's some nostalgia about the upcoming retirement of a cypress tree logo, a reference to an ongoing charitable commitment to the Wolf River Conservancy. The conservancy protects the recharge area of vast underground water supplies, notably including the Wolf's Ghost River section in the eastern reaches of Greater Memphis. "Our message about water conservation was lost in some of that old packaging," Randall said. "We want people to know that every barrel of beer we sell, we're donating $1 back to the Wolf River Conservancy to protect that water. The beer's great, but people want to hear the story, the message. They want to feel connected to the folks that make that beer," he said. Ghost River tapped architect Peter Warren of Warren Architecture and interior designer Natalie Lieberman of collect + curate studio to guide the project to convert office and storage space into a large open space with a bar and a drink rail lining a curved wall overlooking the intersection of Crump and Main. An expanded deck and space for two food trucks will co-exist with Ghost River's loading docks. Josh Horton, creative director of Hieroglyph, led design work on new packaging that replaces the cypress tree with a lantern and evokes natural science themes: a topographic map on Ghost River Gold; a honeycomb pattern on Lost Hive Honey Wheat Ale; an astronomical chart on Midnight Magic German-style Black Ale. Prominently featured on each six-pack is the Wolf River Conservancy tie-in. Feinstone said the company recently made a multiyear commitment of $20,000. Conservancy executive director Keith Cole said, "We have enjoyed their support the last several years, and I believe that support will grow as they recast their branding and packaging." A Tennessee House subcommittee has killed a bill that would have required background checks on the private sale of firearms. Well of course it did. And in other news, today is Sunday. But despite the obvious outcome, this subcommittee hearing was anything but ho-hum. It included the kind of show-and-tell theatrics from the bill's sponsor that guaranteed statewide news coverage and a newspaper column or two even if the bill itself never had a chance of surviving. That's because state Rep. Mike Stewart, a Nashville Democrat, brought with him to Wednesday's hearing an ominous-looking AR-15 style assault rifle. He used it to help press his case that weapons such as that are too easy to get, and should not change hands in Tennessee in person or online without the buyer undergoing a background check. Stewart bought the gun and two 30-round magazines Tuesday off the Internet, and picked the items up the same day from the seller at a restaurant parking lot in Nashville. But unless he intends to keep the rifle and ammo as souvenirs to tell his grandkids about the day his effort to keep them and the rest of us safer was shot down by three unimpressed Republican colleagues, this was a total waste of legislative time and the $750 he spent on the items. There is also a greater lesson here for all Tennesseans especially police chiefs, university presidents, public school leaders and local elected officials who still foolishly think they should control what happens in their public spaces, parks and playgrounds. The state legislature is now the supreme arbiter on all things related to firearms. And the Republican supermajority has decreed, once and for all, that there will be no restrictions on purchasing guns and virtually no limits on where those guns can be carried. Above all, the supermajority has proclaimed, we don't need a stinking background check if someone sane or not wants to buy a gun from a private seller. This is the way it's going be in Tennessee. So get over it. And I have. I no longer expect our state lawmakers to take even modest steps to try to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of those whose backgrounds say they should not have them. I no longer look to Nashville for any degree of reasonableness when it comes to keeping guns off college campuses or away from my grandchildren's playgrounds. No doubt Rep. Stewart has reached these same conclusions. Which is why he chose silly theatrics, knowing his bill was going nowhere. So my fellow Tennesseans, the best we can do is remain vigilant. And get used to the fact that we cannot expect the people running things in the legislature to have our backs. February 3 , 2016 - Dr. Eleanor Mason Ramsey with Mason Tillman Associates LTD delivers a report to the County Commission on on the disparity study, which was conducted to see who the county spends its money with. The conditions of a 1993 lawsuit require the county to conduct a disparity study before it can make changes to purchasing policies. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal The Shelby County Commission on Monday will receive the final report of a study that found widespread discrepancies among the private contractors that do business with the county. A study presentation delivered in February noted that businesses owned by white men received 88.32 percent of the county's contract dollars between 2012 and 2014, or $168.2 million of the total $190.5 million spent during that period. Conversely, businesses owned by African-Americans received 5.8 percent of the county's contracts or $11 million. Businesses owned by white women were awarded 5.15 percent or $9.8 million. The study was conducted by Oakland, California-based Mason Tillman Associates, which looked at purchasing data from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2014 and interviewed business owners about their experiences. The methodology of the report did not look at hypothetical situations, but actual companies that would have been capable of delivering on county contracts had they gotten the work. Mason Tillman hasn't leaked any information from the upcoming document, said commission Chairman Terry Roland. Since February, commissioners also asked for similar numbers from the private sector, Roland said. In 1993, Shelby County lost a lawsuit that forced it to rewrite purchasing rules and mandated a disparity study before the policy could be changed. The county's current purchasing policy is race- and gender-neutral, as is its certified small business program. "We're diligently going to work to put a MWBE (minority- and women-owned business enterprises) program in place, but until we sit down and get the numbers and know what we're dealing with we can't do that," Roland said. Roland has put together an ad hoc committee of commissioners and public and private sector participants who will use the study results to refashion the county's purchasing policy. The committee has not met and has no deadline for completing its task. "It will be sooner rather than later. I'd like to get this thing settled before I go out as chairman," said Roland, who gives up the chairman's chair in September. Tareq Elkhayyat stands in the middle holding an assault rifle with a sound suppressor. Elkhayyat said the required government tax was paid to have the suppressor. By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal A former Memphis police recruit who is Muslim has filed a federal lawsuit alleging discrimination and asking for his job back. According to the lawsuit, Tareq Elkhayyat of Cordova is an Arab-American of Palestinian descent. He was born in Houston, studied criminal justice at Southwest Tennessee Community College and graduated with an associate's degree in December 2014. Before graduation, he applied to join the Memphis police training academy. During the process of checking his background, Elkhayyat was told to meet with the police department's Security Squad and Homeland Security Division. An officer intensely questioned Elkhayyat about terrorist groups and whether Elkhayyat attended a mosque, according to Elkhayyat's federal complaint. "Despite this questioning, Mr. Elkhayyat passed his background check and was admitted to the (training academy)," his attorneys Bryce Ashby, Donald Donati, William Ryan and Janelle Osowski wrote. Elkhayyat started his training, which was a paid employment position, around August 24, 2015. He progressed well until the officer who questioned him saw him at the academy in a hallway, and Elkhayyat noticed a surprised look on his face, according to the complaint. "Thereafter, Mr. Elkhayyat was pulled out of training repeatedly and questioned about his religion, terrorist groups, his association with his cousin," and his cousin's Facebook postings, his attorneys wrote. He was also questioned about photos of guns, his family's connection to Palestine and a two-week trip to Palestine that Elkhayyat had taken years before, Elkhayyat alleged. He was soon terminated, his attorneys wrote. One of the photos Elkhayyat's cousin shared on Facebook was taken by photojournalist Ali Ali in 2010 for the European Pressphoto Agency and published on a Wall Street Journal blog. According to the photo's caption on The Wall Street Journal website, the photo depicts young supporters of the Islamic Jihad movement at a rally in Gaza City. A copy of the cousin's photo shows he shared it with no text or comment. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is an "Islamic, Palestinian nationalist organization that violently opposes the existence of Israel," and the U.S. State Department designated the PIJ a terrorist organization in 1997. The police department's file on Elkhayyat refers to the cousin's photo as depicting "ISIS/Jihad" children. The child at the front of the photo wears a black bandana with script showing the Muslim profession of faith: "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is God's messenger." "This statement is frequently heard and seen among Muslims since it is part of the call to prayer that is announced five times daily, and it is often found adorning buildings and objects, as in these images," said Dr. John Kaltner, an expert on Islam and professor of Muslim-Christian relations at Rhodes College. "Because it's so ubiquitous in Islam, it would be a mistake to assume that it's presence here is somehow related to ISIS." ISIS uses the Muslim profession of faith on its flag, but it is "always found in a distinctive type of Arabic script in black and white with the second part about Muhammad in an unusual word order," he said. "That's not the way it's seen here, and it's logical to assume that it would be in its usual ISIS-style format if these images were related to ISIS," Kaltner said in reviewing the photos at the request of The Commercial Appeal. The Islamic State, which is also called Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, is known for global terrorist attacks, its enslavement of women and girls, persecution of Christians, Yezidis and Shia Muslims, videos of beheadings of journalists and its use of social media to spread its message and recruit. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings on Tuesday at an airport and subway in Brussels. The attack killed 31 people and injured 270, The Associated Press reported In Elkhayyat's internal affairs file, the Memphis Police Department included other photos that Elkhayyat's cousin shared on Facebook. One photo shows two Islamic buildings in Jerusalem the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque. The flag of Palestine flies over the Dome of the Rock and the words "Al Aqsa is ours," "Jerusalem is ours" and "Palestine is ours" is printed across the top of the photo. "Similar images are found throughout Palestine, everywhere from people's homes to stores, and, as the caption suggests, they are associated with Palestinian claims to the land," Kaltner said. The police department's file on Elkhayyat refers to his cousin's photo as "ISIS propaganda," but Kaltner said the photo is not related to ISIS. "Other than the identity of the two buildings, there is nothing overtly religious about the image or its caption, and there's certainly no way it can be linked to ISIS," Kaltner said. "In fact, the organization has directed most of its attention and activities elsewhere and has not shown a great deal of interest in Palestine." In an interview with the police department, Elkhayyat said he hardly sees the cousin who shared the images. Right now I barely see him, he said. Im in the academy. Hes working. The police department included reports on the cousin in Elkhayyat's file. The cousin was cited in 2015 for having 3.6 grams of marijuana, and he was listed in 2003 as a suspect when a victim said her neighbor pointed a pocket knife. There were no injuries and no arrest. In 2009, the cousin was listed in a report about gunshots at a barn in the 1200 block of Pisgah. The cousin said he and others were shooting in a field, but not at the barn. They were advised not to come back. The file also cites a complaint in which Elkhayyat and the cousin were shooting. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office responded because neighbors complained. Elkhayyat said the property is at a Muslim cemetery, that his friend cuts grass there and that he got permission to shoot. He said they were doing target practice. They were advised not to return to the property and left. The police department was also interested in Elkhayyat's travel in 2012. He went to Amman, Jordan and boarded a bus into the West Bank, visited family and stayed at his grandmother's, according to the police file. He also visited Ramallah, which is also in the West Bank. On Sept. 24, 2015, an officer wrote a letter about concerns that Elkhayyat showed little emotion at the training academy. His demeanor did not change when others showed physical exertion, fear and anger, the officer reported. The officer "felt perhaps it was a cultural issue," according to the letter, and "contacted a colleague familiar with Middle Eastern culture to gain insight and see if this was normal." An internal investigation began about photos Elkhayyat posted on Instagram and Facebook. Elkhayyat was seen in photos holding and displaying firearms, while police are not supposed to "unnecessarily draw, use or display any firearms," according to his file. An Instagram photo was cited of Elkhayyat and two other males holding assault rifles. The weapon Elkhayyat is holding has a sound suppressor, according to the file. Elkhayyat said the required government tax was paid to have the suppressor. In an interview, he is asked Do you have a federal handgun permit? Whats a federal, I dont know what a federal handgun permit is, he responded, according to a transcript in the file. He said the gun belonged to his friend. In another photo, Elkhayyat wears a red bandana holding an AR-15 assault rifle. Elkhayyat said he was in a field near Kroger in Arlington. He said the bandana was used because of the cold weather. Another photo shows several assault rifles and handguns on a field jacket with a red and white scarf. Elkhayyat said that photo was a display of his firearms, according to his file. He said the scarf was from his grandmother and the field jacket was for holding ammunition. "Scarves and coverings like this are commonly worn by Arabs throughout the Middle East, including Palestine, and it sounds to me like they're trying to make a link with Islamic terrorism that's a real stretch," Kaltner said. Elkhayyat was also cited for failing to update and notify his supervisor of a change of his address in Cordova. He said he goes back and forth between his uncles house and his parents house. Ultimately on Oct. 8, 2015, Elkhayyat's effective separation from employment as a recruit was official. He was cited for social media, consorting with persons of bad or criminal reputation, display of firearms and failure to report the change of address. Elkhayyat has filed his lawsuit against the City of Memphis (Memphis Police Department Training Academy) and Mayor Jim Strickland in his official capacity, claiming interference with Elkhayyat's rights to free practice of his religion, to free association and to equal protection. He alleges racial and religious discrimination. The city runs the training academy, which trains cadets to become Memphis police officers, and Strickland is the final policymaker, Elkhayyats attorneys wrote. City spokeswoman Ursula Madden said the administration declined to comment while the case is in litigation. Ashby, one of his attorneys, said Elkhayyat did not wish to comment. Elkhayyat is asking for reinstatement to employment in his position as a recruit and an injunction against Strickland that prohibits discriminatory employment practices, as well as back pay and lost benefits. Elkhayyat alleged that he was terminated for alleged violations of MPD policies, including its social media policy, which other cadets and officers violated without repercussion. "The only difference was Mr. Elkhayyats race, religion and association with family members, his attorneys wrote. March 26, 2016 - Memphis Police try to work with demonstrators on the Greensward Saturday afternoon to try to keep from having to make any arrests while a large crowd gathers to protest parking in Overton Park. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE March 26, 2016 - Bill Stegall offers himself up to be arrested Saturday afternoon as Memphis Police try to work with demonstrators on the Greensward to try to keep from having to make any arrests while a large crowd gathers to protest parking in Overton Park. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) By Thomas Bailey Jr. of The Commercial Appeal Overton Park's turf battle ratcheted up Saturday when protesters engaged in civil disobedience to block zoo visitors from parking on the greensward, then compromised. No arrests or injuries occurred by midday after Memphis police and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, whose home borders the park, negotiated a middle-ground solution -- just for Saturday -- that allowed vehicles to park on about a third of the large lawn bordered by the Memphis Zoo, Memphis College of Art and Rainbow Lake. Since receiving the backing earlier this month from the Memphis City Council, zoo officials had expanded zoo parking to cover most of the greensward on high-visitation days. Several witnesses said the civil disobedience started midmorning when a woman in her 20s lay down in the dirt drive to block cars from entering the greensward. Others quickly joined her, including musicians playing a mandolin, guitar, accordion and conga drum. Police swooped in, but instead of making arrests and clearing a path, Memphis Police Maj. Dana Sampietro talked with Cohen and some protest leaders, including insurance agent Bill Stegall who lives in the adjoining Evergreen Historic Disitrict. Facing a crowd of perhaps 200 protesters, Stegall used a squad car's microphone to announce the compromise and encourage the protesters to accept it. "First I want to say something about the Memphis police force,'' Stegall told the protesters. "They have just been as nice...'' The crowd roared its approval. "These folks in blue have done a heck of a job,'' Stegall said. "What they have proposed -- and this is not from the zoo, this is from the smart people, you know, the police -- they have proposed to move this line back to where it was originally,'' Stegall said, referring to shrinking the parking to one-third of the lawn. Earlier in the morning, the red cones had been extended to the far end of Rainbow Lake to allow parking to occupy most of the lawn. "This is not a proposal from the zoo. This is not permanent. This is just a proposal for today,'' Stegall announced. "Now, if we don't do this, then some of us are going to have to accept a misdemeanor arrest. Now that's a serious thing.'' "Now look, no matter what happens, there's not going to be any name-calling,'' Stegall said. "... What are we going to do here? Are we going to step back and allow one third for today and fight this fight again?" Sampietro, the police officer in charge at the scene, also addressed the protesters. "We appreciate and we understand where you are coming from,'' she said. "We absolutely do.'' The crowd yelled its approval when the officer added, "If I was off today I would want to enjoy the park with my family.'' But Sampietro also said, "I might also like to enjoy the zoo... We've got a great zoo, we've got a great greensward here. What we need are great people to come together... Right now we need you guys to help us.'' Despite some in the crowd yelling to hold their ground, the compromise took. But some zoo-goers -- many from out of town -- were booed as their cars slowly proceeded onto the greensward. One passenger opened her window and used her smartphone to video the chanting crowd. Stegall encouraged the protesters to return next weekend. At one point the zoo steered cars to a section of Overton Park lawn that has not been used for parking before, along Morrie Moss Lane on the west side of Overton Park. That angered Cohen, who lives across the street from the site. "They were never supposed to park there, and they broke their word,'' said Cohen, a former zoo board member. "They crossed the Rubicon.'' Sailors bow their head during the benediction at a memorial service Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The service is for four Marines and a sailor killed as a result of attacks on a military recruiting station and a Naval operations center July 16 in Chattanooga. (AP Photo/Mark Gilliland) SHARE By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTON It took just five months for the Navy to award the Purple Heart to the five servicemen slain in a terrorist attack in Chattanooga last summer. Getting a Navy ship named in their honor is a bit more complicated and could take a lot longer, possibly years. Congress members from Tennessee and Georgia formally asked Navy Secretary Ray Mabus last week to name an "appropriate naval vessel" the USS Chattanooga in honor of the five shooting victims. "In the wake of this tragedy, we believe it is appropriate for the U.S. Navy to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives," the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent to Mabus on March 18. Both of Tennessee's U.S. senators Republicans Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor signed the letter. So did U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, an Ooltewah Republican whose congressional district includes Chattanooga, and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, a Georgia Republican whose district is just across the state line. "This would not be the first vessel to bear the name of our great city," Fleischmann said. "There is no doubt, however, that following last year's tragic attack on Department of Navy personnel, the name will transcend current naming conventions by becoming a symbol of bravery and sacrifice." The Navy said late last week it had not seen the letter from the lawmakers, but that the request would be added to the list Mabus reviews each time he has a ship to name. "We get a great many requests, and there are only a certain number of ships that are named after cities," said Capt. Patrick McNally, a Navy spokesman. Mabus "is always grateful that communities advocate for their city to have a ship named in honor," McNally said. "The Navy enjoys great support from namesake cities and states, and it helps connect the Navy to the American public." The naming of a ship rests with the Navy secretary in this case, Mabus. But secretaries also can solicit ideas and recommendations from other parties, such as the Chief of Naval Operations or the Commandant of the Marine Corps. It's not uncommon for Congress members to suggest ship names or for communities to ask that a vessel be named in their honor. In fact, the Chattanooga City Council and the Tennessee General Assembly have both passed separate resolutions supporting the naming of the next eligible ship the USS Chattanooga. The request followed last summer's attacks, when a gunman Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on a U.S. Military Recruiting Station and a Navy and Marine Corps Operational Support Center in the East Tennessee city. Killed were Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Lance Cpl. Squire "Skip" Wells and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of ships have evolved over time, according to a report the Congressional Research Service prepared for Congress in 2012 and updated last January. Attack submarines, for example, were once named for fish, then later for cities, and most recently for states, the report said. Littoral combat ships a class of relatively small surface vessels intended for operations close to shore were at first named for mid-tier cities, small towns and other communities. The rules have since been adjusted to allow the vessels to bear the name of regionally important U.S. cities and communities. Chattanooga would certainly fit into that category. But, as the congressional report noted, there have been numerous exceptions to the ship-naming rules dating all the way back to the earliest days of the republic. So it's possible a different kind of ship could be designated the USS Chattanooga. The Navy has a number of ships coming online in the next few years that will be needing a name. While there is no time set for assigning a name, the process is customarily done before a ship is christened, the congressional report said. Regardless of the timing, the lawmakers who wrote to Mabus think naming a ship the USS Chattanooga is appropriate. "The men we lost in the deadly terror attack in Chattanooga exemplify the very best that America has to offer, and we should find appropriate ways to honor their legacy," Corker said. The Tennessee General Assembly pledged allegiance to the National Rifle Association this week, exhibiting a disregard for the safety of Tennesseans and a fear of reprisals of it doesn't follow orders from the powerful gun lobby. Those are the only plausible explanations for the House Civil Justice Committee's decision to kill MaKayla's Law, a bill that would hold gun owners accountable when they give children easy access to deadly weapons. MaKayla is 8-year-old MaKayla Dyer of White Pine in East Tennessee, who died last October when she was shot by her 11-year-old neighbor after he removed his father's shotgun from a closet. She is one of 12 Tennessee children killed with firearms since January 2015. The proposal to inject some accountability into this situation made too much sense for the NRA and the organization's allies in the legislature. Sponsored by state Rep. Sherry Jones, D-Nashville, and state Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, the bill would have authorized criminal prosecution for adult gun owners who leave loaded guns unlocked and accessible when children under age 13 get hold of them. It was killed in committee on a 2-7 vote, with Democrats Bill Beck and Jones of Nashville voting yes and Republican Reps. Mike Carter of Ooltewah, Jim Coley of Bartlett, Martin Daniel of Knoxville, John Forgety of Athens, Jamie Jenkins of Somerville, Jon Lundberg of Bristol and Courtney Rogers of Hendersonville in opposition. In similar fashion, a House subcommittee deep-sixed a bill that would have required background checks for all gun purchases in Tennessee. The abrupt decision came after a dramatic presentation by Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, who showed up at a committee meeting with a military-style carbine that he had bought with no background check. "Luckily, I am not a member of a drug cartel, I am not on a terrorist watch list, I am not a longtime criminal with a big record of felony convictions and violence," Stewart said. The bill had the support of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, whose president, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch, called the current laws "baffling" for not requiring background checks in individual sales. Either unimpressed or too afraid to do something that would upset the gun lobby, the GOP majority defeated the measure on a voice vote. Unfortunately, prospects should not be underestimated for another gun measure on the legislature's agenda for next week. House Bill 1736, with passage of its companion bill in the Senate, SB2376, would allow employees with permits to carry guns on college campuses across the state. Southwest Tennessee Community College President Tracy Hall argued in a Commercial Appeal guest column published Tuesday that she and the campus police force fear the potential consequences should the measure be approved. "I understand the arguments that an active shooter on campus could be stopped more quickly by an employee before the police arrive," Hall argued. "That line of reasoning, however, assumes that faculty and staff are as trained in high-pressured, high-stress situations as certified police officers or that they should be responsible for engaging an assailant. Consequently, the impact of an untrained employee could result in even more casualties." A sensible approach based on the concerns of professional law enforcement officers and administrators responsible for the safety of students, employees and anyone else on the campus. Unless Tennesseans can persuade lawmakers that it's safe to agree with that line of thinking, it doesn't stand a chance. SHARE Anne Truett Memphis It seems the Republican establishment is vehemently opposed to primary candidate front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. These men have vowed to try to fulfill the very promises the insiders themselves made in order to remain in power in 2010 and 2014. Unfulfilled promises such as repealing Obama Care, securing the borders, balancing the budget, reforming the tax code and especially defending the constitution. Obviously the Republican establishment has joined the media in scheming to undermine the will of the citizens. Since their choice Republican candidates (Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio) have been eliminated, the powers that be are endeavoring to force a brokered convention. They can (using confusing and conflicting rules) render our votes for Trump and Cruz null and void and choose an insider candidate. This will split the GOP, giving Hillary Clinton (assuming shes not indicted) the presidency and signaling an end of conservatism for years to come. All this leads one to believe the Republican establishment doesnt care a whit who citizens worked for, voted for and donated money to. SHARE By Emily Ekins Millennials are the only age group in America in which a majority views socialism favorably. A national Reason-Rupe survey found that 53 percent of Americans under 30 have a favorable view of socialism compared with less than a third of those over 30. Moreover, Gallup has found that an astounding 69 percent of millennials say they'd be willing to vote for a "socialist" candidate for president among their parents' generation, only a third would do so. Indeed, national polls and exit polls reveal about 70 to 80 percent of young Democrats are casting their ballots for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who calls himself a "democratic socialist." Yet millennials tend to reject the actual definition of socialism government ownership of the means of production, or government running businesses. Only 32 percent of millennials favor "an economy managed by the government," while, similar to older generations, 64 percent prefer a free-market economy. And as millennials age and begin to earn more, their socialistic ideals seem to slip away. So what does socialism actually mean to millennials? Scandinavia. Even though countries such as Denmark aren't socialist states (as the Danish prime minster has taken great pains to emphasize) and Denmark itself outranks the United States on a number of economic freedom measures such as less business regulation and lower corporate tax rates, young people like that country's expanded social welfare programs. Coming of age during the Great Recession, millennials aren't sure if free markets are sufficient to drive income mobility and thus many are comfortable with government helping to provide for people's needs. Indeed, a Reason-Rupe study found that 69 percent of millennials favor a government guarantee for health insurance and 54 percent support a guarantee for a college education. Perhaps most striking is that millennials favor a bigger government that provides more services 52 percent of them do, compared with 38 percent of the nation overall. So, will it last? Are millennials ushering in a sea change of public opinion? Do they signal the transformation of the United States into a Scandinavian social democracy? It depends. There is some evidence that this generation's views on activist government will stick. However, there is more reason to expect that support for their Scandinavian version of socialism may wither as they age, make more money and pay more in taxes. The expanded social welfare state Sanders thinks the United States should adopt requires everyday people to pay considerably more in taxes. Yet millennials become averse to social welfare spending if they foot the bill. As they reach the threshold of earning $40,000 to $60,000 a year, the majority of millennials come to oppose income redistribution, including raising taxes to increase financial assistance to the poor. Similarly, a Reason-Rupe poll found that while millennials still on their parents' health-insurance policies supported the idea of paying higher premiums to help cover the uninsured (57 percent), support flipped among millennials paying for their own health insurance with 59 percent opposed to higher premiums. When tax rates are not explicit, millennials say they'd prefer larger government offering more services (54 percent) to smaller government offering fewer services (43 percent). However when larger government offering more services is described as requiring high taxes, support flips and 57 percent of millennials opt for smaller government with fewer services and low taxes, while 41 percent prefer large government. Millennials wouldn't be the first generation to flip-flop. In the 1980s, the same share (52 percent) of baby boomers also supported bigger government, and so did Generation Xers (53 percent) in the 1990s. Yet, both baby boomers and Gen Xers grew more skeptical of government over time and by about the same magnitude. Today, only 25 percent of boomers and 37 percent of Gen Xers continue to favor larger government. Many conservatives bemoan millennials' increased comfort with the idea of "socialism." But conservatives aren't recognizing that in the 20th-century battle between free enterprise and socialism, free enterprise already won. In contrast with the 1960s and '70s, college students today are not debating whether we should adopt the Soviet or Maoist command-and-control regimes that devastated economies and killed millions. Instead, the debate today is about whether the social welfare model in Scandinavia (which is essentially a "beta-test," because it hasn't been around long) is sustainable and transferable. Millennials like free markets, and most already accept that free markets have done more to lift the world out of poverty than any other system. Instead, what this generation has to decide is whether higher education and health care innovation, access, and high quality can be best achieved through opening these sectors to more free-market reforms or though increased government control. This is a debate we should be glad to have. Emily Ekins is a research fellow and director of polling at the Cato Institute. She wrote this for The Washington Post. SHARE By Ruth Marcus WASHINGTON "I think the retweet speaks for itself," said Donald Trump's senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, about the candidate's posting of an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz, juxtaposed against his own supermodel spouse. "No need to 'spill the beans,'" the caption read. "The images are worth a thousand words." Speaks for itself? What does it say? My wife's hotter than yours? This, folks, is where campaign 2016 has descended. As Fox News' increasingly invaluable Megyn Kelly tersely tweeted: "Seriously?" It's going to take me a little longer than that to unpack the latest in Trump's menacing brand of misogyny. Two points to begin. First, the flat assertion that candidates' spouses are off-limits goes too far. If they say or do things that are questionable, those activities are reasonable for an opponent to raise. A historical example: former California Gov. Jerry Brown, running against Bill Clinton in 1992, raising questions about Arkansas state business flowing to the Rose law firm, where Hillary Clinton was a partner. "Let me tell you something, Jerry," Bill Clinton exploded. "I don't care what you say about me, but you ought to be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife." And a more recent, roles-flipped matter: Trump raising Bill Clinton's conduct toward women after Hillary Clinton accused Trump of a "penchant for sexism." Bill Clinton is his wife's surrogate in chief. When she simultaneously deploys him and calls out Trump for sexism, the topic of Bill Clinton's behavior is fair game. Second brace yourself for another point in Trump's favor here he had grounds for being angry about the way his own wife was used against him. The Facebook ad produced by an anti-Trump super PAC, "Make America Awesome," was outrageous and, though it seems like an odd word to use in this context, fundamentally sexist. "Meet Melania Trump. Your next first lady," the ad said, above a revealing photo of her. "Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday." Easy to see how this might resonate with Utah Mormons at whom it was targeted, but it crossed the line. At the time the photo was taken, Melania Trump was merely dating the candidate; she was a supermodel whose commodity was her looks, and whose job was selling them, which is what she was doing in the pages of GQ. There is no reason to think that Melania Trump would be anything other than a proper, and properly dressed, first lady. There are ample other reasons to vote against her husband. But if that ad went too far, so then, characteristically, did Trump. The ad wasn't Cruz's doing, but Trump lashed out at him anyway. "Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad," Trump tweeted on Tuesday night. "Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!" Must it really be said that threatening your opponent's spouse is out of bounds? Yes, apparently it must. That the alleged beans may have involved Heidi Cruz's struggle with depression made Trump's move all the more despicable. And, in the "but wait, there's more" infomercial that is the 2016 campaign, it didn't stop there. When Cruz called Trump a "coward," Trump, naturally, counterpunched, retweeting the unflattering spousal photo spread. And revealing, once again, his fundamental sexism. In Trump world, women are valued, or not, primarily for their attractiveness. "You know, it doesn't really matter what they write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass," Trump told Esquire in 1991. Women's looks are the focus of his interests, personal and professional (see Trump's investment in beauty pageants), and tend to be the focus of his female put-downs. If anything, Trump has been by Trump standards restrained on this front during the 2016 campaign. He may not know better than to remark favorably on a professional woman's appearance hello, it's 2016! but he has managed, mostly, to refrain from looks-based bashing. Less "face of a dog," more "total fool." Still, there are moments, when challenged, that he can no longer contain his instinct to demean based on attractiveness. Thus, Trump's reference to Carly Fiorina and "that face. Would anyone vote for that?" And thus, I think, Trump's outsized fury at Kelly: The very fact of her attractiveness heightens Trump's anger at her impudence. And so it should surprise no one that we have descended to the Melania-Heidi faceoff, courtesy of Trump's retweet. Which does, indeed, speak for itself. Ruth Marcus is a columnist for The Washington Post Writers Group. Contact her at ruthmarcus@washpost.com. Select Commodity All Ajwan Alasande Gram Almond(Badam) Alsandikai Amaranthus Ambada Seed Amla(Nelli Kai) Amphophalus Antawala Anthorium Apple Apricot(Jardalu/Khumani) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar Dal(Tur Dal) Ashgourd Astera Avare Dal Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Balekai Bamboo Banana Banana - Green Barley (Jau) Bay leaf (Tejpatta) Beans Beaten Rice Beetroot Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal) Bengal Gram(Gram)(Whole) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Betal Leaves Bhindi(Ladies Finger) Bitter gourd Black Gram (Urd Beans)(Whole) Black Gram Dal (Urd Dal) Black pepper BOP Bottle gourd Bran Brinjal Broken Rice Broomstick(Flower Broom) Bull Bunch Beans Cabbage Calf Capsicum Cardamoms Carnation Carrot Cashewnuts Castor Seed Cauliflower Chapparad Avare Chennangi Dal Cherry Chikoos(Sapota) Chili Red Chilly Capsicum Chow Chow Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum(Loose) Cinamon(Dalchini) Cloves Cluster beans Cock Cocoa Coconut Coconut Oil Coconut Seed Coffee Colacasia Copra Coriander(Leaves) Corriander seed Cotton Cotton Seed Cow Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea(Veg) Cucumbar(Kheera) Cummin Seed(Jeera) Custard Apple (Sharifa) Dalda Dhaincha Drumstick Dry Chillies Dry Fodder Dry Grapes Duck Duster Beans Egg Elephant Yam (Suran) Field Pea Firewood Fish Foxtail Millet(Navane) French Beans (Frasbean) Galgal(Lemon) Garlic Ghee Gingelly Oil Ginger(Dry) Ginger(Green) Gladiolus Cut Flower Goat Gram Raw(Chholia) Gramflour Grapes Green Avare (W) Green Chilli Green Fodder Green Gram (Moong)(Whole) Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) Green Peas Ground Nut Oil Ground Nut Seed Groundnut Groundnut (Split) Groundnut pods (raw) Guar Guar Seed(Cluster Beans Seed) Guava Gur(Jaggery) He Buffalo Hen Hippe Seed Honge seed Hybrid Cumbu Indian Beans (Seam) Indian Colza(Sarson) Isabgul (Psyllium) Jack Fruit Jaffri Jamun(Narale Hannu) Jarbara Jasmine Jowar(Sorghum) Jute Kabuli Chana(Chickpeas-White) Kacholam Kakada Kankambra Karamani Karbuja(Musk Melon) Kartali (Kantola) Khoya Kinnow Knool Khol Kodo Millet(Varagu) Kulthi(Horse Gram) Lak(Teora) Leafy Vegetable Lemon Lentil (Masur)(Whole) Lilly Lime Linseed Lint Litchi Little gourd (Kundru) Long Melon(Kakri) Lotus Lotus Sticks Lukad Mahedi Mahua Mahua Seed(Hippe seed) Maida Atta Maize Mango Mango (Raw-Ripe) Marasebu Marget Marigold(Calcutta) Marigold(loose) Mashrooms Masur Dal Mataki Methi Seeds Methi(Leaves) Millets Mint(Pudina) Moath Dal Mousambi(Sweet Lime) Mustard Mustard Oil Myrobolan(Harad) Neem Seed Niger Seed (Ramtil) Nutmeg Onion Onion Green Orange Orchid Ox Paddy(Dhan)(Basmati) Paddy(Dhan)(Common) Papaya Papaya (Raw) Patti Calcutta Peach Pear(Marasebu) Peas cod Peas Wet Peas(Dry) Pegeon Pea (Arhar Fali) Pepper garbled Pepper ungarbled Persimon(Japani Fal) Pigs Pineapple Plum Pointed gourd (Parval) Pomegranate Potato Pumpkin Raddish Ragi (Finger Millet) Raibel Rajgir Ram Rat Tail Radish (Mogari) Raya Resinwood Rice Ridge gourd(Tori) Ridgeguard(Tori) Rose(Local) Rose(Loose) Rose(Loose)) Round gourd Rubber Sabu Dan Sabu Dana Safflower Sajje Same/Savi Season Leaves Seemebadnekai Seetafal Seetapal Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) She Buffalo She Goat Sheep Snake gourd Snakeguard Soanf Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soji Soyabean Spinach Sponge gourd Squash(Chappal Kadoo) Sugar Sugarcane Sunflower Sunhemp Suram Surat Beans (Papadi) Suva (Dill Seed) Suvarna Gadde Sweet Potato Sweet Pumpkin T.V. Cumbu T.V. Cumbu Tamarind Fruit Tamarind Seed Tapioca Taramira Tender Coconut Thinai (Italian Millet) Thogrikai Thondekai Tinda Tobacco Tomato Toria Tube Rose(Double) Tube Rose(Loose) Tube Rose(Single) Turmeric Turmeric (raw) Turnip Walnut Water Melon Wheat Wheat Atta White Peas White Pumpkin Wood Yam Yam (Ratalu) Select State Select Market Wanting to get in on the positive buzz surrounding the Amazon Echo, Google is reportedly building its own smart home device. Google is quietly working on a competitor to the Amazon Echo, a wireless speaker controlled by voice command, according to a report in The Information. Google has not replied to a request for comment. The Echo, which has proven to be a popular and well-reviewed product for Amazon, plays music and podcasts, sets alarms and to-do lists, and offers weather and traffic reports on demand. Google, which dominates the online search market and owns the popular Android platform, has the pieces necessary to put together its own version of Echo, according to industry analysts. And, they say, it would be a smart move for the company. "Google has all the capabilities that Amazon Echo has," said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. However, Google's been focused on smartphones and tablets right now. "I believe Google will build a plugged-in device that does what Echo can do -- and more," Moorhead added. Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, noted that while it makes sense for mobile device users to be able to control their systems by voice, it also makes sense to do the same with home devices. "Why not be able to do that when your hands are full of food or baby or puppy?" he asked. "Whatever Google builds will have to be better than Echo, but I don't think that will be hard. Google's current voice-based product, Google Voice Search, is available in a bunch of languages, while Echo is English-only. Echo does interface with Gmail but I would be surprised if Google can't come up with deeper integration." While Gottheil said it wouldn't actually hurt Google to not have an Echo-like product for a while, launching one would contribute to the company's core business. "With Echo you can search using [Microsoft's] Bing," he noted. "Presumably, the Google device would have an interface to Google search, and perhaps Google can drive better integration, making voice search with voice output more powerful." The device, working inside people's homes, also would give Google a lot more information about their users. "Google's business driver, advertising, requires them to be everywhere the consumer is and intercept every piece of data from them," said Moorhead. "With an "always-on" device in the home, Google could know how many people are in the house, their age, gender and what they watch on TV, and the music they listen to." Moorhead said he owns an Echo but right now it's not even plugged in and running. He would, though, consider buying a Google device if it offered more than Echo does. "It would need to support all of the home automation equipment I have from different vendors," he said. "They would also need to demonstrate to me how they will keep my data and what it knows about me secure. Finally, they would need to improve their natural language approach to be more like Google Now or Apple's Siri." 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. This week, the Daily Mail reported that Alan Johnson, the widely-respected MP fronting Labours campaign to stay in the EU, had claimed that Welsh independence is a real threat in the event of Brexit. This is not a new tactic. The prospect of Scotland quitting the Union in favour of Brussels has been touted for some time. I expressed scepticism about this on this site back in January, which earned me a Jocksplaining from Alex Massie in the Spectator. Now Im far from convinced by Massies thesis, for several reasons. First, all the commentators who make his case seem to support EU membership anyway. Second, it specifically claims that rational explanation is impossible and that we should take their word for it on account of their being Scottish. This might be easier if it were not for point number three: that some of Scottish nationalisms most thoughtful and respected advocates who are also Scottish take the opposite view. These include: Alex Bell, the SNPs former head of policy; Andrew Tickell, who under the pseudonym Lallands Peat Worrier is one of nationalisms pre-eminent bloggers; and Gordon Wilson, a former SNP leader. But whilst there may thus remain some leeway for we London-based writers to doubt the entrail-readings of pro-Remain Scottish haruspexes, it is nonetheless true that their case is eminently plausible. Scotland does have an record-sized separatist movement, nationalist fervour is greatly distorting her politics, and it is not impossible that she might yet take the ultimate step. None of these things are true of Wales. As the Mail points out, not even the Welsh nationalists are calling for an independence referendum in the event that Wales votes Remain but the UK England! votes Leave overall. It isnt difficult to see why: in the aftermath of Scotlands 2014 No vote the share of the Welsh population supporting independence fell to just three per cent. And the rational case that its harder for Wales to quit the UK outside the EU than in still holds. Johnson is presumably a sincere believer in British membership of the EU, and hes no fool. Therefore we must assume he has a range of reality-rooted arguments for Remain in which he sincerely believes. Why would he instead choose to take up so absurd an argument? My guess would be Carwyn Jones, who claimed in The Independent earlier this week that Brexit could lead to the Welsh people are asking which union the UK or the EU we should be a member of. Jones is the First Minister of Wales. He is also, whilst his party is out of power in Holyrood and Westminster and unless and until Khan wins the London mayoralty, the most senior elected Labour politician in the country. This is unfortunate on several levels. For one thing, Welsh Labour have been in office in 1999 and have used devolution to shield public services from even the softest reforms. This has resulted in a self-inflicted Welsh education debacle and an NHS record so weak the Tories could attack on it. Not a great model for a Labour Party whose primary challenge is making its beliefs and remedies relevant to the challenges of the modern world. Yet Jones (relative) success also makes it much harder for his critics to cut through with their message that, under his stewardship, things are going very deeply wrong for Welsh Labour. By fixating on the ailing Welsh nationalists and constantly striking poses against London, the First Minister has given the Tories the space they needed to rebuild and blind-side him in places like Gower. Jones is repeating Scottish Labours ignoble tradition and historic mistake of pandering to anti-UK nationalism for short-term gain, rallying to his standard ministers who dismissed the race to replace Ed Miliband as the English Labour leadership contest (despite Welsh members being able to vote). He does all this seemingly incognisant of the fact that if you turn politics into a who is most Scottish/Welsh competition, nationalists will always win in the end. Labours recent mauling at the hands of the SNP has not dissuaded him. Nor has the fact that nationalism in Wales is simply not the force it is in Scotland. Indeed it sometimes seems as if Jones regrets nothing so much as the fact that Wales has no powerful separatist movement, containable only by endless concessions of more power, prestige and cash to Cardiff Bay. So he tries to pretend it does. His attempt to conjure the absent spectre of Welsh secession should allow national Labour figures such as Johnson to get a clear-eyed view of their man in Cardiff, who is either a soft nationalist himself or is unabashedly invoking nationalist tropes to undermine British governance and accrue more power to his own administration. If pro-Brexit unionists have a duty to consider Scotlands response when making their calculation as I believe they do then pro-Remain unionists have a reciprocal obligation not to pick at the ties that bind Britain together in a bid to drum up votes. There is no moral obligation to devolve foreign policy and no practical risk of Welsh secession. As leader of Labours Leave campaign Johnson must find the courage to break with his Welsh colleague and stop peddling this nonsense. And if he wont, then another prominent Welsh Remain supporter should tackle Jones head-on. Step forward, Stephen Crabb. Initial Report Gathered At Cherlapally Jail From Arrested HoU Students By Prasheel Anand Banpur 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org Report on Meeting with 4 arrested students at Cherlapally Jail Location: Cherlapally Mulaqat Enclosure Date and Time: 4.15 pm to 4.40 pm (appr.) on 24th March 2016 People: Prasheel Anand Banpur, Vinesh Kondra, Moses John Paul Met With: Dontha Prashanth, Manne Krishank, Goutham Uyyala, Mudavath Venkatesh Apart from requesting us to call their parents or to safeguard their vehicles which were parked in campus, the following are the statements from the 4 arrested students. Journey Since Arrest The protesting students were Lathi Charged and at 5pm were taken in two groups to Gachibowli PS remanded for some time and biodata was taken, then transported to Kukkatpally PS and held for a while, then taken to Miyapur PS, then taken to Narsingi PS where the night was spent, transported then to Moinabad PS, then transported through inroads of villages, then waited for a long time near Nacharam, apparently near magistrates house, and then to Cherlapally Jail at 12.30 am on 24th March 2016. Treatment during Arrest : The arrested students were beaten continuously by the police while being transported from one police station to another, their phones were snatched, not given any information regarding their arrest or where they were being taken. The FIR and cases filed without intimation and knowledge of the arrested students; All the time during the arrest the arrested students were abused constantly, humiliated, and were called insulting names and labelled as naxalites and vandals. When asked why they are being treated as if they were hardcore criminals, the police replied that they were anti-nationals and that they had no Human Rights. They reiterated that all their Human Rights had collapsed and no negotiation was possible. The Police did not even allow phone calls to be made and created a complete isolation for the arrested students. The Police also took videos and photos of the students when they were eating and talking amongst themselves. The Muslim students who were arrested were beaten and accused of being Pakistanis and labelled them as anti national wanting to destroy India. The arrested students were also repeatedly accused of possessing drugs and indulging in drug related activities despite the students denying it outright. The arrested students were then asked to sign on the cases that they were accused of, post which all the students had to sign on this document but mentioned it clearly that they were doing it under force and not voluntarily. The two professors were slapped repeatedly, their shirts torn and were humiliated in the worst of ways regarding their profession and duties. Arrival at Jail and stay : Around 12.30 am on 24th March 2016 they were brought in 2 police trucks amidst high security and put up in the barracks as ISI terrorists, hawala mafia, murderers, mafia, and others serving rigorous imprisonment were put up. When Dontha Prashanth and Krishank Manne wanted to fast in the jail to protest the inhuman, unjust, and undemocratic treatment of the arrested students, the authorities blackmailed them saying they would publicize the videos taken by them of students when they were eating the night before. Message from Jail: It should be known to people outside regarding the inhuman and sadistic treatment of the arrested students by the police authorities till they reached the Cherlapally Jail. They also said it is important to keep the struggle on for ensuring democratic rights of the students and the people of India. Bangladesh Peoples Liberation: Rising Up With Arms In 1971 By Farooque Chowdhury 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org Hostilities of opposing forces the Pakistan state widened the path to rebellion in the Bangladesh peoples march to liberation. Part of a rationale for the rebellion found its base in the hostilities. The hostile acts were the only option available to the state machine of Pakistan at that juncture; otherwise, the machine would have opted for alternatives. Obviously there were conditions, which narrowed down to the option of hostile acts by the political leadership of the state; and a situation to rise up in arms by the Bangladesh people got germinated. A simple and brief comparison of the hostile acts can be made from the history of the United States although the parties related to the comparison are different in many ways beginning from respective contexts to classes. However, a few similarities are there. The comparison helps study the rebellion the taking up arms by the Bangladesh people for liberation with its far-reaching implication. Take up arms: Declaration from North America In a meeting in Congress at Philadelphia, the representatives of the united colonies of North America spelled out the causes and necessity of their taking up arms. (Declaration of The Causes And Necessity of Taking up Arms, July 6, 1775; Journal of Congress, edited 1800, I, pp 134-139; prepared by Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net - aa300); and distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN)). Their arguments and the context explained in the declaration included: [1] [P]rinciples of humanity, and the dictates of common sense. [2] [G]overnment was instituted to promote the welfare of mankind. [3] The legislature of Great-Britain [] stimulated by an inordinate passion for a power [] attempted to effect their cruel and impolitic purpose of enslaving these colonies by violence. [4] [R]endered it necessary for us to close with their last appeal from reason to arms. [5] Our forefathers [sought] civil and religious freedom. [6] [T]he amazing increase of the wealth, strength, and navigation of the realm, arose from this source. [7] They have undertaken to give and grant our money without our consent. [8] [S]tatutes have been passed for extending the jurisdiction of courts []. [9] [F]or suspending the legislature of one of the colonies. [10] [F]or exempting the murderers of colonists from legal trial, and in effect, from punishment. [11] [F]or quartering soldiers upon the colonists in time of profound peace. [12] We saw the misery to which such despotism would reduce us. [13] We for ten years incessantly and ineffectually [] reasoned, we remonstrated with parliament, in the most mild and decent language. [14] The Administration sensible that we should regard these oppressive measures as freemen ought to do, sent over fleets and armies to enforce them. The indignation of the Americans was roused. [15] Several threatening expressions against the colonies were inserted in his majestys speech. [16] [O]ur petition, tho we were told it was a decent one, and that his majesty had been pleased to receive it graciously, and to promise laying it before his parliament, was huddled into both houses among a bundle of American papers, and there neglected. [17] [L]arge reinforcements of ships and troops were immediately sent. [18] [G]eneral Gage [] had taken possession of the town of Boston, [] and still occupied it a garrison, [] sent out from that place a large detachment of his army, who made an unprovoked assault on the inhabitants of the said province, at the town of Lexington, [] murdered eight of the inhabitants, and wounded many others. From thence the troops proceeded in warlike array to the town of Concord, [] killing several and wounding more, until compelled to retreat by the country people suddenly assembled to repel this cruel aggression. [19] The inhabitants of Boston being confined within that town by the general []. [20] [T]he said inhabitants having [.] delivered up their arms, but in open violation of honor, in defiance of the obligation of treaties, [] the governor [] detained the greatest part of the inhabitants in the town, and compelled the few who were permitted to retire, to leave their most valuable effects behind. [21] By this perfidy wives are separated from their husbands, children from their parents, the aged and the sick from their relations and friends [] and those who have been used to live in plenty and even elegance, are reduced to deplorable distress. [22] The general [] after venting the grossest falsehoods and calumnies against the good people of these colonies, proceeds to declare them all, either by name or description, to be rebels and traitors, to supercede the course of the common law, and instead thereof to publish and order the use and exercise of the law martial. His troops have butchered our countrymen, have wantonly burnt Charlestown, besides a considerable number of houses in other places; our ships and vessels are seized; the necessary supplies of provisions are intercepted, and he is exerting his utmost power to spread destruction and devastation around him. [23] [G]eneral Carleton, the governor of Canada, is instigating the people of that province and the Indians to fall upon us; and we have but too much reason to apprehend, that schemes have been formed to excite domestic enemies against us. [24] [A] part of these colonies now feel [] the complicated calamities of fire, sword and famine. [25] We are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated ministers, or resistance by force. -- The latter is our choice. Hence, the declaration from the Congress was made: [1] We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. -- Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them, if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them. [2] Our cause is just. [3] [T]he arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume. [4] We fight not for glory or for conquest. We exhibit to mankind the remarkable spectacle of a people attacked by unprovoked enemies, without any imputation or even suspicion of offence. [5] In our own native land, in defence of the freedom that is our birthright, [] for the protection of our property, [] against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. So, there are context, arguments and the declaration. Bangladesh peoples right to rebellion The Bangladesh people were forced into a situation, as found in official documents, statistics, legislative assembly proceedings and enquiry reports of the Pakistan state, official correspondences, deliberations in international fora and prestigious studies, far worse than the situation described in the declaration from North America. The acts of denial, non-response and suppression by the Pakistan state for more than two decades, the states acts of killings, arson, internment at mass level, and its massive, systematic, explicit and extraordinary human rights violations of violent nature aggregated into quantitative and qualitative terms, and made these into an organized forceful act to subjugate and exterminate a people seeking liberation from bondages of exploitation, inequality, hunger, oppression, injustice, indignity, seeking lights and shelter of knowledge, justice and dignity, seeking fair access to advances achieved by the world humanity with the aid of sciences that includes equality. The brutal, forceful, heinous and violent method of denial prepared part of the base of and conditions for the right to rebellion by the Bangladesh people. These played role in the dynamics of the rebellion. The people attained the right to rebellion, which is an extreme form of the right to resist. The right to rebellion can be realized, writes T Honore, in the event of the violation on a large scale of primary rights like the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest. The sustained denial of those rights may amount to such oppression or exploitation as justifies rebellion. (The Right to Rebel, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 1988, 8(1): 38) The Bangladesh people were arbitrarily pushed into a situation with much brutal and barbaric violation of all basic and primary rights on a country-wide scale for a longer period than T Honore mentions and the July 6, 1775-declaration described. The Bangladesh peoples rebellion included deny the states authority and rise up with arms in 1971; and it cemented base of the peoples march to liberation, an eternal yearning of all the exploited and deprived, of all the victims of inequality and injustice, of all bombarded with lies, deceptions and hypocrisy in all ages, epochs and periods. In the peoples march to liberation, the rising and rebellion in 1971 embolden the rationale to the right to fight against all forms of bondage, deprivation, dishonor, exploitation, hypocrisy, ignorance, indignity, inequality, injustice, lies, oppression, suppression and tyranny. [This article, part of an essay on rebellion, is published in New Age, Dhaka, in its Independence Day special issue on March 26, 2016 on the occasion of Bangladesh Independence Day. Farooque Chowdhury is Dhaka-based freelancer.] Americas Election And Its Inability To Alter The Nations Deadly Course By John Chuckman 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org America is engaged in another of its sprawling and costly national election campaigns. A few of the events, such as the New Hampshire primary or the Iowa Caucus, Im sure have participants seeing themselves as Thomas Jeffersons sturdy yeomen doing their civic duty. But such humble and misty-eyed tableaux can be deceiving for the big picture is quite disturbing, including, as it does, billions of dollars spent and a lot of noise generated about things which will not change in any outcome. America is, despite all the noise and expense of its election campaigns, not a democracy, and, as the worlds greatest imperial power, it is not a place which genuinely honors human rights, either at home or abroad although its politicians never stop talking about them. It is a country controlled by wealth whose purpose is the acquisition of still more wealth, equipped with a military that in scores of wars and interventions has fought precisely once for the countrys defense. It marked a fateful time in the modern era when America, under Harry Truman, decided to partner with the emerging state of Israel, a very fateful time indeed. Today much of the Middle East is in ruins, whole states and societies have been destroyed, at least a million have died, and some of the worlds great archeological and historical treasures have been destroyed as though by a gang of gleeful wanton young men. Accompanying Americas long march of destruction through the Middle East the work both of its own armed forces and of various proxies - has been the rise of a phenomenon called international terrorism. Our newspapers and broadcasters all focus on this last, leaving the preceding great acts of destruction unquestioned. After all, Americas much-consolidated press is an industry like any other and is owned by a relatively small number of wealthy people, and it depends upon good relations with other great industries for its revenue and with the government for its operating environment. It never questions policies, no matter how brutal, and it never scrutinizes what those policies are doing to people. Americas major allies all carry on in exactly the same fashion for they have become highly dependent on Americas goodwill. Day after day, our press gives horrifying accounts of events such as the bombing in Brussels or the attacks in Paris, and it has been doing so since 9/11, providing a relentless war chant of See what these bastards do! These horrors are always treated as though they had no context, having sprung full-blown from the minds of bizarre people who think nothing, for example, of blowing themselves up. But Im pretty sure that virtually every person who does such things sees himself or herself in the same light as the Japanese Kamikazes everyone once fearfully admired. When was the last time your newspaper or broadcaster featured life in Gaza or in Syria or in Iraq or in Libya or in Yemen? It simply does not happen, and except for the rare independent article or book, our information about these places and the terrible assaults they are under is deliberately constrained. I am convinced that the natural human sympathy of most people, including many residents of imperial America, would respond to such sights and reports, but you are simply not given the opportunity to do so. For me, this subject is the pivotal matter in the upcoming American election. Donald Trump, despite many unpleasant views and much careless rhetoric, seemed to have a spark of something new, an independent mind not shaped by Americas political establishment, and he an extremely successful and self-confident man in business not beholden to the special interests which shape the insincere news and own the loyalty of a great many politicians. He has made a number of encouraging statements, saying America should get along with Russia and China, leave Syria for Russia to clean-up, and talked about making deals instead of conflicts, but, most remarkably, he said that Israel should pay for its own defense. That last, something most timorous American politicians wouldnt dream of uttering, is an example of bravery under the threat of fire, a quality I admire and one sorely needed to ever have a hope of having America extricated from the its Middle Easts Gordian Knot. But two things just recently have given me pause: Trumps words about using torture and the recent appointment to his foreign relations team of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Torture is unacceptable, ever. Legally innocent people are kidnapped and hurt in the mere hope they know something of interest, and in the process many die, convicted of nothing. The CIA has killed a number of prisoners in its Rendition Gulag since 9/11, whether accidentally or deliberately almost doesnt matter, but their filthy work violates every principle we hold dear. Calls for more torture are not new thinking, and they are repulsive. They ignore the actual cause of terror, which is Americas treatment of countless people in societies swept aside and rudely rearranged as though their homes and places were toy living room furniture being tossed by an angry child giant. As for Senator Sessions, there is a man who gets along just fine with the bloodiest people in Washington doing the rearranging. Perhaps I should not have allowed a glimmer of hope that at least in one part of Americas domain a few things might change for the better. After all, seven years ago, I had hopes for a young black man with a charming smile and a tendency to talk and act with more independence than we usually see in Washington, not afraid sometimes to wear sandals and do without the primordial totem of an American flag pin always fixed to his lapel, but look what happened to him. He joined the great game and became nothing less than a mass murderer. Oh, he had one or two modest successes, as in stopping Israels raging demands to attack Iran, a country which has attacked no one in its entire modern history, but otherwise his is a long and dreary tale. He has America still killing in Iraq, still killing in Afghanistan, destroying a decent civilization in Libya, supporting destruction in beautiful Syria, re-inserting an absolute dictator into Egypt to keep its prickly neighbor Israel happy, and creating an armada of drones to assassinate people in far off places guilty of no crime, killing in the process many others besides the innocent targets. Oh, and there are many other Neanderthal stupidities, from creating a coup and ensuing civil war in Ukraine to demanding Europe join in destructive economic sanctions and a huge military build-ups tight on Russias borders. And then there are all the efforts to intimidate China in its own sphere of influence. You see, these are all the brutal stupidities of Americas establishment which our press would have you ignore while it goes on and on with its war chant about mindless international terror, virtually all of which is simply a pathetic human response to the stupidities, a response likely as unavoidable as having accidents if you go around driving drunk. I say unavoidable, but that is not absolutely true. If a society goes far enough into the suppression of rights, terrorism can be almost eliminated. Stalins Russia did not experience much in the way of terrorism. Neither does Netanyahus Israel. And there is no doubt that Americas huge effort to suppress traditional rights and freedoms since 9/11 reflects that understanding, and the effort at suppression is not over. New surprises await Americans and their allies without question. It is an interesting sidelight to this ongoing process of building a super-security state that it just happens also to leave the ruling establishment increasingly unchallenged and unchallengeable. It is, indeed, a very dark path America has taken. Is it any wonder I would grab at straws to see some change, even a modest re-think about what is being done? But I do fear thats just what it is, grabbing at straws. The only realistic alternative is Hillary Clinton, a proven killer and serial liar and someone who much resembles Tony Blair for repulsive insincerity and selling herself to wealthy interests. Indeed just at this writing, Radovan Karadzic has been convicted of war crimes during the Serbian war. I think it would be impossible to convincingly distinguish a great deal of what he did to Muslims in Bosnia and what Hillary Clinton did in Libya, which included running a program to gather small armies of thugs and arm them for insertion into Syria where they helped kill more than a quarter of a million people and create devastation. Her satanic laughter over her own bizarre joke about the leader of Libya, We came, we saw, he died, speaks volumes about her. This was a leader who had for decades given his people enlightened state policies and who ended being murdered in an American-created chaos. It has been interesting to see the reactions to organized opposition against Trump, opposition taking a form sadly resembling 1930s German Brownshirts shoving, threatening, and shouting at political rallies. Trumps base, which is not only part of the Right but includes people who decades ago would have been Democrat-voting union people before their jobs disappeared, has very confusingly attributed all the organized opposition to liberals. Well, George Soros and Hillary Clinton are not, by any stretch of the imagination, liberals. Soros is in the CIAs pocket, as Russia well knew when it recently banned his NGOs from operating there, and Hillary is just a plain killer. Im pretty sure America has no liberals anymore, at least as an organized body. George Soros and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are perhaps best described as neocon fellow travellers. Now, in case you dont know who the neocons are, they are a group of influential people in the Washington establishment and in Right-wing publishing who forcefully advocate that America use its full might to re-order the planet to its liking. Many of the best known of them are Jewish Americans who never have Israel far from their concerns. There was a natural meshing of interests in supposedly re-making and stabilizing the Middle East with support for Israel. All the countries flattened or decimated in recent years effectively represent a collective effort to make the Middle East safe for Israel, to surround it with a vast cordon sanitaire, eliminating virtually all independent-minded leaders in an almost continent-sized region, and assuring Israels hegemony as a kind of regional miniature replica of what the United States has become in the world. The chief problem here has been the murder of huge numbers of people and the perfectly natural reactions of many to revenge what has happened to their families, friends, and lands. If that is to be called terror, so be it, but in other times we have called the same reaction everything from the resistance or national liberation to war by other means or simple vengeance. The most important thing to understand about it is that it is not some unnatural eruption of insane extremists as our press constantly makes every effort to impress upon us. The only way to control terror is to stop your part in it. The biggest part of all modern terror is the work of the United States, unless you somehow regard a family blown up in Damascus or Tripoli or Fallujah or Gaza City or Sana'a as being somehow different in kind to the victims in Brussels or Paris. America also pressures all its traditional allies to support the work with efforts of one kind or another, anything from arms to training, always maintaining the stance that it opposes terror and insisting they do the same. Well, it does oppose terror, but only the wrong kind of terror, the terror which does not support or advance Americas efforts. Americas destruction and mass killing in recent years are the great bulk of what any reasonable person, one not dedicated to the silly idea that America is a benign force, would call terror. Events in Brussels or Paris or even New York have been only the results of what America and its allies have been doing, the blowback as they quaintly put it in intelligence circles. Well, it has been my faint hope that Trump might represent at least some progress in this horrible business, but I am growing to doubt that possibility. I do think for many reasons things are rather out of control, hence my reference to a runaway train. The American establishment of wealth along with its Praetorian Guard of military and security services is firmly in control and the ability of any elected individual to redirect things seems remote, as does the initial likelihood of such a person even being elected to office. In my heart of hearts I do still believe that Obama was the kind of man who wanted things otherwise, but the realities of those meetings at huge conference tables surrounded by square-jawed generals in uniforms stiff and glittering with brass and medals and the sneering, elusive country-club types of the security services, impenetrably self-confident in all their secret operations and resources, many of which will never even be known to a president, made him what he has become. That and the pressing demands of hugely wealthy individuals and corporations, powerful lobby groups, and the virtually daily calls from people like Netanyahu (we do know that daily calls is no exaggeration from a slip of Obamas tongue several years back) have given us this failed man who may well have had good intentions at the start. The cause of so much of the war and terror in the world, the artificial re-creation of Israel and its endless demands for the re-ordering of its region, will likely just have to run its course. It is a state which, rather surprisingly, shares a great many features with the former Soviet Union. It is monstrously over-militarized, occupied by vast and invasive security services, with no guarantees of any rights, holding millions down who dont want to be held, and boasts an inefficient economy only kept afloat by huge subsidies from outside. I do think, just like the Soviet Union, it eventually will collapse on its own weak foundations. As for the United States, I have long believed that the era of its unquestioned authority in the world, which it has always greatly abused, is drawing to a close. The world is not only becoming multi-polar, the United States simply cannot govern itself in many of its activities, almost like a great spoiled child who cannot stop gobbling ice cream cones. It is always pushing to excesses. Its finances are in appalling shape and it can only be a matter of time before huge corrections occur with all the terrible consequences they entail for many. It is spending unconscionable amounts it doesnt even have on its military and security, and the exaggerated, paranoid perceptions of need motivating these expenditures reflect all that weve discussed above. But perhaps most important of all, it has no effective leadership, and its absolutely corrupt political system is unable to provide any, allowing the inside ruling coterie to just keep stumbling along towards we dont know quite what. John Chuckman is former chief economist for a large Canadian oil company. He has many interests and is a lifelong student of history. He writes with a passionate desire for honesty, the rule of reason, and concern for human decency. John regards it as a badge of honor to have left the United States as a poor young man from the South Side of Chicago when the country embarked on the pointless murder of something like 3 million Vietnamese in their own land because they happened to embrace the wrong economic loyalties. He lives in Canada, which he is fond of calling the peaceable kingdom. He has been translated into at least ten languages and is regularly translated into Italian and Spanish. Several of his essays have been published in book collections, including two college texts. His first book was published, The Decline of the American Empire and the Rise of China as a Global Power, by Constable and Robinson, Lo JatiIndia: A Flag Of Atrocities Caste, Present And Future By Priti Gulati Cox 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org The title for this series of painted flags, Jatiindia,is my name for the country of India, a nation of jatis(castes). India still practices this worst form of social exclusion in the world, now more violently than ever in this neoliberal age. The flag design: The saffron color of the top barsymbolizeslong-existing casteism, now made more open and feverish by resurgent hindutvapolitics. Bluea color historically adopted by the Dalit movementhere honors all of India's oppressed people. The bottom green bar symbolizes India's ecological foundations, which are endangered by the ideology of neoliberalism and defended by our Adivasis and other oppressed people. The circular image in the center of each flag signifies a target viewed through a weapon's saffron (indicating right-wing nationalism) crosshairs. The series moves between the past and present, bringing forward some of the targeted faces of resistance who have challenged the stagnant ideology of exclusion in The Worlds Largest Hypocrisy: Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, Christians, occupied Kashmiris, Indias northeasterners,and others who have been caught for the longest time between the old and the ever-mutating newbetween the dogmas of religious scripture and state-sponsored terrorism. The first flag of this series depicted Rohith Vemula, the 26-year-old son of a landless Dalit mother, who hanged himself in a student hostel room on January 17th, 2016. Many in India have referred to his death as murder, because it encapsulates the continuing struggle confronting a cross-section of the countrys oppressed. Jatiindia: Vinay Sirohi, Shaista Hameed and Danish Farooq, Lingaram Kodopi Vinay Sirohi with his wife, Acrylic on paper On November 11, 2015, the day of Diwali (a major Indian festival), 22-year-old Vinay Sirohi, a contract worker at the Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant in New Delhi suffocated to death, stuck in a narrow pipe. Officials said that he was not wearing a safety helmet, face mask or even gumboots. No foul play behind death, said one cop. The question to ask here is whether a face mask, helmet and gumboots would have been enough to insulate Vinay from death by suffocation, much less from the ravages of Jatiindia and human sewage intervention. There was no foul play involved? Really? Cant we see that the foul play is systemic and was already in place in a country where the occupation of manual sewage scavenging is still the order of the day, despite it having been outlawed by Jatiindias Parliament? With close to 700,000 security forces stationed within its bordersone Indian soldier for every 17 to 18residentsKashmir is home to the most densely militarized and the most under-reported occupation on the planet todayfar from our collective well-intentioned consciousness. Since the tension in the region returned to armed struggle in the early 90s, and with boots on the ground controlling almost every aspect of the daily lives of the Kashmiri people, the Indian state has extended its tentacles into institutions like the judiciary, media and bureaucracy, completing its grip on the country. This has directly resulted in more than 70,000 deaths, enforced and involuntary disappearance of more than 8,000 people, reports of more than 6,000 unmarked mass graves, and continuous extra-judicial killings, torture and rapes. Shaista Hameed and Danish Farooq, Acrylic on paper Around the same time as the JNU movement took center stage in the countrys right-to-dissent arena, on February 14th, 2014, the 22-year-old recent graduate Shaista Hameed and the 19-year-old engineering student Danish Farooq were killed by security forces. Shaista and Danish were among a crowd protesting the killing of a local youth who died resisting occupation. Lingaram Kodopi, Acrylic on paper While we seldom see or hear news of murders like those of Danish Farooq and Shaista Hameed, some of us are now being forced to witness other, more visible atrocities like that inflicted on our Adivasi mother and school teacher Soni Soriperhaps because there is only so much that can be hidden. But it puts her no less in the target sights of Jatiindia than Vinay, Farooq and Shaista, or for that matter, her journalist nephewLingaram Kodopi, who along with Sori has spend most of his adult life exposing the scandal of resource exploitation in the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. The price of such exploitation has included deforestation, the uprooting of indigenous populations from their land, the burning and razing of their homes to the ground by police and paramilitary forces, the torture and rape of people both outside and inside jails, and a long, long list of other dehumanizing tactics by the state and its corporate allies. Occupation and exploitation are the names of the corporate-hegemonic power game. Silencing dissent and resistance at all costs keeps Jatiindia shining with targets old and new. Priti Gulati Cox is an interdisciplinary artist. She lives in Salina, Kansas, and can be reached at: p.g@cox.net. Vast Majority Of Yemen Population Without Reliable Food, Water And Sanitation By Thomas Gaist 26 March, 2016 WSWS.org More than 80 percent of the Yemeni population is confronting a desperate humanitarian catastrophe as the US-backed Saudi war against Yemen, launched in March 2015 as Operation Decisive Storm, enters its second year. Half of Yemens 22 provincial divisions face famine conditions. Some 20 million Yemenis are without reliable access to the most basic goods and services, including food, water and sanitation. More than 2.5 million have been displaced, 6,400 killed, and 30,000 wounded during the Saudi-led campaign, according to the latest UN statistics. Humanitarian groups reduced food rations by 75 percent as a result of a massive shortfall in funds. The international community has provided only 12 percent of the $1.8 billion in aid requested by the UN. The year-long Saudi war has targeted Yemens population and social infrastructure as a whole, producing a sociocide easily comparable to those perpetrated against Iraq and Libya by the US and European powers. The US-backed Saudi forces routinely have targeted civilian areas throughout the war. A January UN report found that bombing of civilian targets has been widespread and systematic. Saudi planes have carried out at least 119 bombing missions against civilian targets that constituted violations of international law, according to the UN panel. Saudi strikes killed more than 150 civilians in the past few weeks alone, according to UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Human Rights Watch and the UN have separately documented multiple cases of illegal cluster bombs usage by Saudi forces against civilian areas. As a result of this bloody onslaught nearly 2 million Yemeni children have lost access to education and more than 600 medical facilities have ceased operations. For all the bloodshed and destruction, the US-backed Saudi coalition has failed to achieve its utterly reactionary objective of restoring the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Hadi, a US-Saudi puppet imposed through a stage-managed democratic transition, was himself brought to power in an effort to stabilize the country amid the mass struggles that rocked the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The ferocity of the violence against Yemen is an expression of the countrys immense geopolitical significance. Hadis overthrow by the sectarian Houthi militia movement threatened to break the US-Saudi grip over a country which, despite its poverty, is essential to the world strategy of US imperialism. Yemens coastline overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb straits, which enable passage of 3.2 million barrels of oil per day between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The straits are among the most crucial commercial chokepoints globally, and are central to Washingtons plans for war against China, which include plans to blockade and strangle the Chinese economy. Chinas Maritime Silk Road commercial corridor relies on the straits as its only seaborne access to European markets, a fact which explains the positioning of Beijings first naval base in Djibouti, directly across the critical waterway. The Chinese leadership signed a deal with Djibouti in January aimed at making the country a hub for Chinese companies. In early April 2015, just days after the start of the Saudi war, China deployed its first naval patrol to Yemen. In May 2015, a Chinese squadron including 800 soldiers deployed to the neighboring Gulf of Aden. The Saudi-led war has pushed the entire region closer to the brink of a general war. Riyadh used the war to rally the core of its new anti-Iranian military alliance, and to prepare expanded operations in Syria, Iraq, and ultimately against Iran itself. Last month, the regime launched its largest ever war drills, codenamed Operation Northern Thunder, which included hundreds of thousands of troops from the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania and Mauritius, and a panoply of advanced weapons systems purchased from US arms suppliers. US imperialism bears ultimate responsibility for the destruction of Yemen. From the first days of the war US aircraft have been providing mid-air refueling in support of the Saudi coalition bombing runs, and US military and intelligence officers advised Saudi counterparts on target selection and strategy from a joint planning center in the Saudi capital. The ongoing slaughter in Yemen illustrates quite starkly that there are no limits to the barbarism which the US ruling class is prepared to employ in its efforts to control the entire planet. Scandal Mounts Over Failure By Belgian Police To Halt Brussels Attacks By Alex Lantier 26 March, 2016 WSWS.org Friday saw a series of stunning new revelations of inexplicable lapses of Belgian and allied security forces that helped terrorists evade detection prior to the March 22 Brussels attacks. After the constitution of an all-party parliamentary commission of inquiry Thursday night, a government crisis is emerging in Belgium, which hosts the headquarters of both the European Union and the NATO military alliance. The new revelations involved both the individuals who carried out the Brussels bombings, which cost 31 lives and wounded 270, and Salah Abdeslam, who participated in the November 13 attacks in Paris and was captured by police only on March 18, four months after fleeing to Brussels. According to a report by Gilbert Dupont in Derniere Heure-Les Sports, widely taken up in other francophone newspapers, Belgian police were aware of Abdeslams location throughout. During four months when he was on the run, described by officials and the media internationally as Europes most wanted man due to his role in the November 13 attacks, elements in the police forces knew precisely where he was hiding in the Brussels area. Dupont writes, Our sources indicate a policeman in Malines had already given, in a December 7 report for the anti-terror section of the federal judicial police in Brussels, the address of 79, rue des Quatre Vents in Molenbeek where Salah Abdeslam was found last Friday. The confidential report (called a RIR, Rapport Informatief Rapport, in official jargon) was not transmitted. It was blocked and stayed stuck for three months at the Malines police. Belgiums police oversight committee (Comite P) is launching an investigation into the matter. It is unclear where exactly the report was blocked and how far up the chain of command it went, however, since Malines police are denying that they blocked, or even saw, the report. In another remarkable lapse, Le Monde revealed that Belgian police only interrogated Abdeslam for a total of two hours between his capture on March 18 and the March 22 attacks. Having reviewed the investigative transcripts, it wrote that he was interrogated twice, for one hour each time, on March 19, once by police and then once by an investigating magistrate. The paper observed, This seems quite short, given the value of the detainee. The interrogations, rather perfunctory and filled with inconsistencies, show that investigators may have missed an opportunity to obtain information which could have prevented the March 22 attacks. Abdeslams short interrogation was not the only missed opportunity to prevent the March 22 attacks. The El Bakraoui brothers, the suicide bombers on that day, were known to US intelligence and were on US no-fly lists. Turkish officials had identified Ibrahim El Bakraoui as an Islamist fighter to their Belgian counterparts, and Russian and Israeli intelligence told the Belgian government that attacks on Zaventem airport and the Brussels subway were imminent. Initial accounts are emerging on the string of extraordinary lapses through which the Turkish warnings were allegedly overlooked in Brussels. Belgian liaison officers in Turkey did not check their email in a timely way to discover that Turkey had deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui to Europe on suspicion of terrorism in July 2015. Astonishingly, once they notified their superiors at the federal judicial police in Brussels, the superiors did not respond or attempt to track El Bakraoui. Moreover, when a Belgian court cancelled Bakraouis parole in Augustthe two brothers had been convicted of armed robberythere was no attempt to find him, even though he had been missing meetings with parole officers ever since May and had been deported by Turkey as a terrorist in July. Such accounts underscore that official explanations for the Brussels bombings circulating in the European press are rubbish. The extent of official foreknowledge of the attacks and the key role of police and judicial misconduct in shielding the attackers makes clear that the failure to prevent the attacks cannot be attributed to a lack of intelligence sharing between different agencies and states. The key element is that the El Bakraoui brothers, Abdeslam, and their accomplices were all part of a broad network working to recruit and send Islamist fighters from Europe to the Middle East, to fight in the imperialist proxy war for regime change in Syria. These networks were tolerated by police and security officials of the NATO countries, which saw them as an important policy tool. Significantly, Turkish officials who spoke to the Guardian charged that European governments also used these networks to export European Islamists to the battlefields of Syria. We were suspicious that the reason they want these people to come is because they dont want them in their own countries. I think they were so lazy and so unprepared and they kept postponing looking into this until it became chronic, said a source described by the Guardian as a senior Turkish security official. The close integration of these Islamist networks with security agencies of the NATO powers, including Belgium, underlies a whole spate of Islamist terror bombings. This ranges from last years terror shootings in Paris to the September 11, 2001 attacks, that flowed from the long collaboration between the CIA and the precursors of Al Qaeda to topple the Soviet-backed Afghan government in the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s. While the public was kept in the dark about the ties between security agencies and the Islamist forces, governments exploited such attacks to press for unpopular, antidemocratic policies, from the bloody Middle East wars of the US war on terror to the current state of emergency in France. Precisely because such operations play a central role in US and European politics, the emerging political crisis in Belgium over police responsibility for the attacks is provoking deep concern in imperialist circles internationally. Yesterday, US Secretary of State John Kerry made a hastily scheduled stop in Brussels, on his return trip from talks on Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, to cynically dismiss the investigations and criticisms of the Belgian state as carping. People are jumping to conclusions, Kerry stated at the residence of the US ambassador in Belgium. I dont know what all the circumstances were, I dont know if some events or evidence or opportunities were missed specifically. That will come over a period of time. But I think all this carping four days later is a little bit frantic and inappropriate. Why UoH Escaped The Delhi Media? By Mithilesh Kumar 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org There has been considerable dismay among activists, intellectuals and students on the near silence on the part of Delhi media regarding the police crackdown on students and teachers at Univeristy of Hyderbad (UoH). This media which calls itself and is known as the mainstream would not stop hyperventilating on the JNU movement. It split down the middle and took pole positions on the extremes of for and against. There were channels who were crying hoarse to display their nationalist credentials while others would not stop sentimentalizing their liberal colours. There was also the gimmick of Dark Times and screen which catapulted an articulate anchor to stratospheric levels of popularity. All is silent now. How do we explain this silence? Why are they not vociferously taking the cause of UOH? In one sentence, to take position on UOH, either way, is to be condemned. There are several reasons for this attitude we will discuss only couple of them. Let us first get our way out of externalities. We will not get into the nature of institutions as elite and no that privileged. We will also not take into account that JNU is in Delhi and being in the national capital it will always grab the eyeballs. We havent yet seen all those leaders who descended on JNU to support the movement make any righteous noise on UOH. We will not bring the charge, here, that the political mileage gained at JNU was much more than UOH. This is not to say that these are not valid reasons that there is an all round silence but simply that they are not at the core of the problem. These are merely symptoms. Let us say then loud and clear. It is, in the first and last analysis, a question of caste. Rohith Vemula and his institutional murder will not be sanitized by liberal slogans and posturing. JNU brought forth the question of nation and nationalism. There were political brownie points to be scored on each extreme. You could scream anti-national and come out a saffron hero. You could sUoHt nation is dissent and become a tragic liberal. Could you do same with caste? One of the refrains in the nation debate was that no one can ask or provide certificates of nationalist and anti-national. I am a nationalist in my own way. Read this by substituting nation with caste. No one can ask or provide certificates about the status of my caste. I have a caste in my own way!! This is an absurd statement. Caste is seared into the being of an individual and polity. There is no escaping it. Here is the aporia of Indian polity and nationhood. While it is enough to take a stand on nation it is simply not enough to say that you are against caste. You first have to acknowledge it and then fight to annihilate it. Caste will never lend itself to liberal politics. They are simply incompatible and any attempt will only fall between two stools. The question now to be asking is: Is Delhi media radical enough? Can they be radical enough? If not, what are the reasons? The answers are self-evident. The extremes are quite clear. Either you are a casteist or you are for annihilation of caste. There is no middle ground. You cannot make a statement that yes caste is bad but. Delhi media failed the test. It didnt want to be seen as casteist but a discussion on caste would be odious to them and more importantly for their audience. I would like to know how many prime times have been on caste and politics since the opening of media. The answer is already there. UOH saw an unprecedented police crackdown on students and teachers. The university has been turned into a war zone. The strategy followed by the police and the university authority was one of siege. Media is not allowed to enter the campus. Well, to my knowledge no one stopped the OB van to position themselves at the gates or even nearby. At least the media could have come out strongly against the police atrocities. How do we account for this when in the case of Delhi the police was pilloried? The answer, to my mind, is that the media does not have a binary to work with. This is precisely how the Delhi media works and this is one of its biggest problems. Yes, the crackdown is bad but where exactly is the good. In JNU the binaries were clear, national and anti-national, majoritarian and secular, Hindu and Muslim. The binary facing them now, after Rohith Vemula, is Brahmanical system and Dalits. It is for a reason why I have used Brahmanical system instead of upper-caste. If it was an overtly caste attack by say Brahmins it would have been perhaps easier for the media. One could have been played against the other in a binary. It is not possible when the Dalits are challenging the whole Brahmanical system. There is no binary here but a full frontal war. There might be a clear villain here but the hero which is present cannot be acknowledged. Also, the hero, in this case, might not be a single individual but a whole group something that is inconceivable for a hero-hungry media. This particular reason is also the cause for the emaciated discourse on secularism in our polity in general and media in particular. While being secular you can simply distance yourself from religion and not distance from caste. It is quite easy to be a casteist secular or secular casteist whichever term you prefer. In the case of nationalism it is even better. You can be liberal, casteist, nationalist all at the same time. At the other extreme, you can be conservative, casteist and nationalist and both types can fight till cows come home (pun intended). This is one of the major problems in our thinking about nation and secularism and this is precisely because of thinking in terms of binaries. The complexity is lost. No one questions a secularist. The debate becomes who is secular and who is sickular a binary the media plays up admirably. Also, in the case of Delhi there was bad police and good army for the media in Hyderabad again the binary is lost. Let us now look at what Delhi media actually is. They are corporates every single one of them. They are profit making and profit maximizing units. It is the news which is the commodity. All of these are not novel arguments. Let us see how slowly and stealthily the terms of debate are set by the channels. In the case of JNU, the debate which started with an all round critique and debate around nation was reduced to some fundamental assumptions around the army whose role cannot be critiqued, the outsiders who raised anti-India slogans should be brought to book etc. The limits and agenda were being set by the media and in the heat of the battle these machinations were lost sight of. This was the price the movement had to pay to get the undivided attention of the media. The pro-government media played its own assumptions. One also needs to take into account that these who took different ideological positions are also business rivals. UOH for reasons stated above might not have been an attractive proposition and one can only speculate if one of the corporate UoHses takes this up wouldnt other come running. But then they will again try to set the agenda. This sUoHld also be the occasion to examine the use and nature of social media, facebook, twitter et al. JNU was trending but UOH to my knowledge is not. Is it because UOH does not have sympathy of the people who supported JNU? It might be so but I think we also need to keep in mind that these are corporate entities too. If one takes into account how facebook and twitter use their users data things look a little bit more sinister than just loss of interest. Could we not think that these media with manipulating and mining data decide what trends? There has been a lot of work in digital humanities to think along those lines. It might sound like conspiracy theory but we have seen worse from them. They have entered into agreements with governments to provide data. The point here is that the analysis of the silence of media should be holistic and every corporate entity should be put under critical scrutiny. In Abhijit Das Footprints of Foot Soldiers he describes how during the Naxalbari struggle students of Jadavpur University tried to start their own radio station. This is not to suggest that we do the same but we have to strengthen our own efforts. Looking for support from corporate media is akin to looking for support by Maruti management when the workers are struggling against them. And if the above arguments are true there should be some sense of being on a radical path of struggle since the corporate media have shunned them. This is also evident in the support which has poured in the form of meetings, demonstrations and cultural programmes all around the country. To the corporate media the only message is that last time you blacked out the screen this time also black out your voice which mostly sings in His Masters Voice. Mithilesh Kumar is a PhD Candidate at Western Sydney University, Australia. His interest is in the issues of logistics, migration and labour, political philosophy and theory. He wants to work on the nature, evolution and innovation of the Indian state with respect to social and political movements in India. Email: kmithilesh@hotmail.com Rare or Routine? Video Captures 'Cold-Blooded Execution' By Israeli Soldier By Jon Queally 26 March, 2016 CommonDreams.org The release of video footage showing the extrajudicial killing of a wounded Palestinian man on Thursday has led to the arrest of the Israeli Defense Force soldier who pulled the trigger, but rights groups say the documented incident only confirms their warnings regarding how the Israeli military routinely behaves in the Occupied Palestinian Territories when cameras are not rolling. The Palestinian man who was shot and killed, identified as Abed al-Fatah al-Sharif, was one of two Palestinians reported as being involved in the stabbing of an Israeli soldier, who was slightly wounded in an attack. In the video, released by the Israeli human rights groups B'Tselem, al-Sharif is seen wounded and unconscious in the middle of the street in the city of Hebron. While al-Sharif lies nearly motionlessthough clearly still alivenumerous soldiers, police officers and medical personnel make no effort to administer aid, and largely ignore he's there at all. At 1.51 minutes of the video a soldier is seen stepping forward, aiming his weapon at a-Sharif and shooting Al-Sharif in the head from close range, killing him. "Although this occurs in the plain view of other soldiers and officers," B'Tselem noted, "they do not seem to take any notice." As the footage continues, blood can be seen pouring from al-Sharif's head and flowing in streams down the street. The footage released by B'Tselem follows [Warning: very graphic]: As journalist Robert Mackey of The Intercept reports, "Several Palestinian and Israeli observers were struck by the fact that no one around the soldier who fired the shot seemed to treat the incident as unusual suggesting that such extrajudicial killings of suspected attackers have now become 'routine,' as critics have charged." Speaking with the Guardian, BTselem spokesperson Sarit Michaeli said, "In this case it seems crystal clear a soldier executed a wounded Palestinian assailant while he was on the ground. You can see he is alive [but] injured. It is also clear from the video that an Israeli soldier has been injured. But this kind of conduct is shocking, especially considering the blase response of the other soldiers and security forces who are also seen. It raises quite serious questions about why these appear so unsurprising to these other soldiers and that needs to be seriously investigated." UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov condemned the apparent "extrajudicial execution" of al-Sharif. "This was a gruesome, immoral, and unjust act that can only fuel more violence and escalate an already volatile situation," Mladenov said, according to the Ma-an News Agency. B'Tselem called the incident beyond troubling. "The law is clear," the group said in a statement: "Shooting to kill is only permitted when the person is endangering the lives of others. Once the danger is over, he or she must not be harmed." Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, agreed. "The shooting of a wounded and incapacitated person, even if they have been involved in an attack, has absolutely no justification and must be prosecuted as a potential war crime," Luther said. According to Haaretz, a lawyer representing the soldier says he readily admits to killing the already wounded and motionless man, but defended his actions "because he felt that his life was in danger." But Amos Harel, who covers the media and military matters for Haaretz, described the killing as nothing less than a 'cold-blooded execution'one, however, that will surprise very few people who understand how the Occupation works. "The public atmosphere in Israel being what it is, a cold-blooded execution should come as no surprise," Harel wrote on Friday. "Politicians and rabbis are repeatedly calling on soldiers to kill terrorists without thinking too much about it." Though the IDF soldier was detained and faces possible criminal charges, Luther said the implications of this case go far beyond the fate of one individual, citing how groups including Amnesty and B'Tselem have documented similar incidents since the uptick of Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent months. Earlier this month, though the video evidence was less clear, groups charged that another Palestinian man accused of being involved in a knife attack was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli police officer as he lay on the ground wounded. "Israeli forces have a long history of carrying out unlawful killings including extrajudicial executions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with impunity," Luther said. "While it is encouraging that the soldier in the video has reportedly been suspended and placed under investigation, previous Israeli investigations have failed to hold members of the Israeli forces accountable even when there has been clear evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The Israeli authorities must use this opportunity to end the culture of impunity that has made such killings increasingly commonplace." This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License The Occupation Of The American Mind By Dr. Ludwig Watzal 26 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org An excellent film has just been released from the public relations war in the United States and the manipulation of the American mind by the Israeli Hasbara Ministry (Propaganda Ministry) with the massive help of the media. But anyone who waits for a media conspiracy will be thoroughly disappointed. The film explains why the conflict could drag on for almost seven decades, not to speak of the Zionist incursion into Palestine since the end of the 19th Century. The film makes also crystal-clear that without the massive help and support of the different U. S. governments Israel couldn't have sustained its brutal subjugation of the Palestinian people. It's shown how sophisticated the Israeli propaganda machinery works and how the media people broadcast these half-truths or outright lies. The Israelis understand it perfectly well how to use the newest techniques and tools to get their version of the story out to the U. S. public. Their propaganda apparatus relies on a simple dichotomy: Israel is the "good guy", cherishing Western values and democracy, has the right to defend itself and has an obligation to fight the "bad guy", i. e. the dark forces of evil that are out there to destroy the only Jewish state by terrorist means and try, at the end, to kill all Jews. This Israel's propaganda garbage is eagerly absorbed by the Western opinion-makers. The film also makes clear that the Israeli victories in the war of 1948, which they call the war of independence, and the war of aggression of 1967 were due to its predominant military power. Israeli propaganda presents the country as the underdog (little David), who had to defend himself against an Goliath (aggressive Arabs). The movie disenchants this Israeli fairytale thoroughly. The U. S. media support the efforts of the Zionist Lobby in its relentless endeavor to convince the American law-makers and the public that the U. S. and Israel are sharing a common strategic interest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Israel is the biggest liability for the U. S. and has largely contributed to the bad image the U. S. has in the world. Hopefully, the film helps that truth will prevail over falsehood. The DVD can be purchased here: http://www.occupationmovie.com/#sthash.3HQ4MQpP.dpuf Dr. Ludwig Watzal works as a journalist and editor in Bonn, Germany. He runs the bilingual blog http://between-the-lines-ludwig-watzal.blogspot.de/ SHARE The Lent/Easter traditions of Christianity derive in part from astronomical observations. Lent comes from an English word that designates Spring, when our northern hemisphere is tilting back in the direction of the sun, lengthening our daylight hours. Easter likely derives from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Oestre, denoting Spring. The Proto-Germanic equivalent suggested a connection with the dawn (of the sun), and the direction (East) from which it came. Both terms evolved from pre-Christian, European springtime festivities, celebrating the return of the life-giving sun. It was logical, as Christianity spread through Europe, for believers to adapt such celebrations to stories about Jesus. The narrative of Jesus' resurrection would have aligned itself readily with the dawn of the sun, both seasonally (Spring) and daily (sunrise in the East). The sun/son indeed had risen from the realm of darkness and death. This astronomical connection offers Christians an opportunity to overcome the divisiveness of religions by returning to a theme that is more inclusively human and relevant. I'm tired of debating whether the resurrection was a "photographable event" or not I myself think not. As a humanist, I've come in my own spiritual life to prize, above all other religious traditions, those stories that make a connection to common human experiences, and thus ones that are shared and appreciated across all faith traditions. The sun is relevant to us all. With the possible exception of the organisms gathered around the deep ocean vents, where light does not penetrate, all life on earth depends on the sun. The sun is a life-giving orb in space, roughly 93 million miles away and comprising an area into which we could fit nearly 1,300,000 earths. It's a nuclear fusion factory, as hydrogen atoms, cooked to a toasty 14,000 degrees Kelvin, fuse to create helium. The light and heat we experience on earth is the happy consequence of such violent chemical reactions. Scientists predict the nuclear fuel of our sun is half spent, meaning that in another five billion years the sun will no longer sustain life on earth. For now, however, we have the sun to enjoy, as its tantalizing warmth and light awaken the life ready to be born from the good earth. The sounds of newborn fauna are music to our ears, and the budding flora reveal glorious colors to our hungry eyes, especially after the gray of winter. The sun blesses the earth with livable weather and climate and daily reminds us we are blessed by the Great One Divine. Should we not feel gratitude for the life we have from the sun? And should we not, moreover, make the most of every moment that we are granted under that same sun? The Preacher of Ecclesiastes advises: "see good in life (enjoy life) ... all the days of your fleeting life that you are given under the sun." (9:9, translation/paraphrase mine) Celebrate the rising of the sun. Savor the warmth. Happy Spring Equinox to all. Lynn Martin is pastor of St. Lucas United Church of Christ. SHARE JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS Theresa Berendes, principal at Resurrection School, speaks with students during a tutoring session at the school in Evansville recently. Berendes was selected as a finalist for Vanderburgh County Oustanding Educator of the Year. JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS Theresa Berendes, principal at Resurrection School, jokes with Elise Collins an eighth grade student during a tutoring session at the school in Evansville recently. Berendes was selected as a finalist for Vanderburgh County Oustanding Educator of the Year. JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS Theresa Berendes, principal at Resurrection School, accepts a paper from Kenton Kissel a seventh grade student in her office at the school in Evansville recently. Berendes was selected as a finalist for Vanderburgh County Oustanding Educator of the Year. JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS Theresa Berendes, principal at Resurrection School, gives a high-five to Ephram Rice a sixth grade student during a tutoring session at the school in Evansville recently. Berendes was selected as a finalist for Vanderburgh County Oustanding Educator of the Year. By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press With a knack for math, Theresa Berendes was certain she wanted to be an accountant when she grew up. But after a guest speaker on career day mentioned how many hours were spent on the job, she quickly reconsidered. "So I thought the best way to put my math skills to work was to be a teacher," said Berendes, Resurrection Catholic School principal. "And now, I think I probably would be spending less hours if I was an accountant." But she regrets nothing. Berendes is one of three principals nominated for Vanderburgh County Outstanding Educator of the Year. She started her career as a junior high math teacher at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Newburgh, where she taught for 15 years. She then spent three years as principal of St. Theresa Catholic School, which closed at the end of the 2014-15 school year, before taking over as principal at Resurrection six years ago. Resurrection, a preschool through 8th grade facility, currently has an enrollment of 345 students. Berendes' many duties include leading curriculum development, handling discipline issues, marketing coordinator, school nurse, occasional substitute teacher and counselor. She is also active in various committees, including the core diocesan team for Advanced accreditation, as well as aiding in math textbook adoption. The success of students is Berendes' ultimate goal. And she works closely with teachers to ensure pupils are reaching their highest potential. "I love to work with students one-on-one and to see the growth in them," she said. "Still, as a principal, I do that. Most afternoons after school I have students in my office that I'm tutoring one-on-one. I know they're struggling, and I know they can succeed and want to be a part of that. ... It is so rewarding to see them achieve success." With 19 years as Resurrection's secretary, Vicki Austin has worked with Berendes during the principal's entire tenure at the school Austin described her as an outgoing, approachable person. "I think she does a great job," Austin said. "She's great with the kids. Parents come in because she has an open door. You can tell that she always makes time for everyone's needs." Berendes grew up in St. Wendel and moved to the Evansville area with her husband. She knows God placed her at Resurrection for a reason and feels blessed to be there. She is honored to be a finalist for the recognition. "I know I wouldn't be in this spot without my teachers, students and parents," she said. "That's what I love about Resurrection, we work as a family, and it's a joy to be here every day." SHARE By Zach Osowski, zach.osowski@courierpress.com INDIANAPOLIS Despite dumping more than $500 million into local roads, lawmakers might not have done enough to this session to ensure counties, cities and towns have adequate funds for infrastructure. On the very last day of the session, the Indiana General Assembly approved a massive roads bill that set up a matching account for local road and bridge projects with $186 million in funding and sent another $420 million in excess local income tax to municipalities. At least 75 percent of the income tax money must be spent on roads but local leaders in Southwest Indiana say they plan to use most of the money on roads, and that still might not be enough. Vanderburgh County Commissioner Joe Kiefer said the $3.1 million his county is expected to receive must go strictly to repair work. "We're so far behind as far as maintenance, there's not much new work we can do with this money," Kiefer said. Kiefer said the county is constantly sealing old roads, playing catch up on potholes and degradation, which leaves it with no time or money to do new paving on roads. Rural options The same is true in neighboring Posey County, which is set to get about $1.7 million from the income tax distribution. Posey County Commissioner Carl Schmitz said he welcomes the money but it's still not enough to catch up. For a rural county with 720 miles of road, some of them gravel, funding can be hard to come by. "We do need the money," Schmitz said. "And we're grateful. We just don't have the money to do it all." Fellow Posey Commissioner Jim Alsop said the county spent $2.4 million on roads just last year. Even with that money, three rural bridges were closed after the gravel roads they were on became impassible and the county didn't have the funds to fix them. That $2.4 million for 2015 allowed them to chip and seal 43 miles of road, Alsop said. In order to try and help rural counties like Posey, lawmakers stipulated 50 percent of the money in the new road and bridge matching account must go to counties with a population of less than 50,000 residents. The rationale behind the move was bigger, more populated counties have an easier time raising money through various means such as property taxes, income taxes or wheel taxes. House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said the measure was put in after hearing concerns from several rural lawmakers. Wheel tax dilemma County officials were also given the option of raising their wheel tax in order to bring in more money to use toward the matching account. This puts officials in the tricky position of raising taxes on residents in order to access more money or possibly miss out on extra funding. Alsop said Posey County's wheel tax is already at the max. He said he personally would be against raising the wheel tax under the new law. He acknowledged smaller counties tend to be at a disadvantage when it comes to raising money for roads. Counties aren't the only entity given the ability to up the wheel tax. Under House Bill 1001, cities with a population of more than 10,000 can now enact their own wheel tax. Up until now, wheel taxes were strictly a county option. "At this time I would not support creating a city wheel tax," Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said. "However, we appreciate knowing that option is available." Evansville currently gets $1 million a year from Vanderburgh County's wheel tax, Winnecke said. Gibson and Warrick counties also have some form of wheel tax, although the amounts vary. Unless lawmakers come back next year with a different, sustainable revenue stream for local roads, all counties could be looking at needing to up the wheel tax. Although all local government units, from towns to townships, will get some money, the bigger units, like the counties and Evansville, get more of the money. Evansville is set to bring in $3.7 million, which Winnecke said will go toward his new "Municipal Moves" project. "We have every intention of using the income tax money for streets, roads and bridges," Winnecke said. "It's a nice infusion into our budget." The question now is, how will local roads be funded next year? The income tax money is a one-time shot and a move to capture an extra 1.5 cents on gasoline sales tax will only generate about $100 million a year for the whole state. The bill attempts to solve that question with a task force designed to look at sustainable revenue streams going forward. Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said after the session that the task force would look at a lot of different options, from truck-only lanes on highways to tolling. "We felt we needed more time to look at everything," Long said. "This task force will do that." The hope is the task force comes back with some options next year when lawmakers will be putting together the state's 2017-18 budget. MIKE LAWRENCE / COURIER & PRESS Spring blossoms and farm land border a stretch of University Parkway near Hogue Road. Since its completion several years ago the highway has seen little or no commercial development. By Susan Orr of the Courier and Press A "FOR SALE: 80 ACRES" real estate sign along University Parkway is in both a literal and a symbolic sense a sign of things to come in this part of town. For years David Nurrenburn's family farmed this land, which sits west of University Parkway between Hogue and Upper Mount Vernon roads. The railroad tracks crossing the area form the parcel's southern edge. After Nurrenburn's mother died, the family decided to sell the land last fall. The "for sale" sign generated a lot of phone calls, Nurrenburn said, but none that have sparked his interest. Potential buyers want to continue farming the land, but Nurrenburn has different plans. He wants to sell to someone who will develop the land for light industrial or commercial use. "I don't want to sell it for farmland," he said. Nurrenburn acknowledges he faces some obstacles to selling the land. For one thing, the property does not have direct access to University Parkway. For another, that area lacks sewer service a necessity for any significant development. Nurrenburn says he's not in a particular rush, and he's willing to wait until utilities come to the area before he sells. But the same issues he's facing help explain why, several years after its completion, University Parkway is still largely undeveloped. Built as a divided highway, University Parkway runs from the University of Southern Indiana's main entrance north to Diamond Avenue. It is the major north/south connector in western Vanderburgh County. Some homes and subdivisions are visible from the parkway, but large tracts of land along the road are farmland or totally undeveloped. Area landowners and community leaders have differing opinions on what type of development would be best for that area. But all agree: Nothing much will happen until utility service sewer, electric, water are extended to the area. "The opportunity is there. What's missing is the utilities," said Bruce Ungethiem, Vanderburgh County Commission president. "Until you get all of those, you don't get any kind of development." Local officials are working to extend sewer service to the area, Ungethiem said. If all goes according to plan, the southern portion of University Parkway could see sewer service within two years. Plans call for a new lift station along Creamery Road, along with pressurized pipes that would provide sewer access along the parkway between Indiana 62 and Middle Mount Vernon Road. "By the end of next year it'd be functional," Ungethiem said. He said officials also plan to extend sewer service north of Middle Mount Vernon Road, but that is a longer-range plan that will require construction of another lift station. One major development is already planned for University Parkway once the sewer service is in place. That development, Lakewood Hills, is planned as a mixed-use development on roughly 200 acres of property owned by Gene and Jeanne Pfeiffer. The land sits west of University Parkway and south of Hogue Road. In 2013, it was rezoned from agricultural. The property is now zoned for a mix of commercial and residential uses. Plans call for commercial development toward the University Parkway and central portions of the property, with a mix of single-family and multifamily housing toward the western edge of the site. "Everything is moving forward exactly as we laid it out in the zoning application a few years ago," said attorney Krista Lockyear, who represented the Pfeiffers in their rezoning request. Lockyear said development at the site could begin toward the end of next year. But it's impossible to predict when the development will be complete. "There are too many variables to be able to predict how much time it may take." Outside of the Lakewood Hills development, though, it may take a long time for that area to fully develop. "People aren't going to build out there just because you have a road and a sewer," said County Commissioner Joe Kiefer. "You have to have demand for that type of growth." Kiefer is also president of Hahn Kiefer Real Estate Services, a commercial real estate firm. The county's long-term plans call for extending University Parkway as far north as I-64. Once that happens, Kiefer said, the parkway will become a more attractive area for development. But development takes time, even when all the other elements are in place. Development of that area could take as long as 30 to 40 years, he said. "These things just don't burst out overnight." One of the few businesses in the area is Little Creek Winery, which is on Koressel Road just east of the parkway. The winery, which opened last fall, is owned by Alan and Sharon Ripplemeier. Alan Ripplemeier said he thinks "high-end" housing or condominiums would be ideal for that area. But, like Kiefer, Ripplemeier also sees some obstacles to development. The area doesn't have Internet service, and its secondary roads are narrow and in need of improvement, he said. The interchange with the Lloyd Expressway also needs reworking to handle a higher volume of traffic. Would-be developers will also have to deal with land purchase and rezoning issues they'll have to find landowners willing to sell. "Purchase of land will be an obstacle," Ripplemeier predicted. This month, the county's Area Plan Commission unveiled its draft of a city/county land use plan that would guide local planning efforts through 2035. The Commission still must vote to accept the plan. Evansville City Council, Vanderburgh County Commissioners and Darmstadt Town Board must also approve it. University Parkway is specifically mentioned as an area specially in need of planning perhaps in the form of an overlay zone that would offer specific land-use guidance. Concerned citizen Michael Lockard said he strongly favors this plan-ahead approach. Lockard, a West Side resident, is the chairman of land use and planning for the West Side Improvement Association, a neighborhood association whose territory includes University Parkway. Lockard is also the chairman of Growing Responsibly on University Parkway, an organization commonly known by its acronym of GROUP. Area residents, Lockard said, want an overlay zone and advance planning. Without proper planning, he said, high-density housing developments, big-box retailers or noisy industry could bring unwanted traffic and noise to the area. "We don't want a repeat of Lloyd (Expressway) and Burkhardt (Road) all over again." Personally, Lockard said he favors something like a technology park or a light-industrial use. Those types of uses wouldn't be noisy or generate a large volume of all-day traffic, he said. Whatever happens in that area, Lockard said, the important thing is to plan for it. "Right now, it's really some prime untouched development potential out there right now." "It's a rare opportunity that you don't usually get." Photos by DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Belinda Jackson and Jeff Catt spend as much time together as they can. Catt asked Jackson to marry him while at the Four Freedoms monument along the Ohio River. The two met at Riverwalk Communities. SHARE Belinda Jackson makes red hearts on a green construction paper butterfly to help with the Easter decorations at the Arc of Evansville Friday morning. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Unable to hold her phone to her ear because of arthrogryposis, a condition which affects the mobility of a person's joints, Belinda Jackson chats with her fiance, Jeff Catt, while helping out at the ARC of Evansville Friday morning. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Born with arthrogryposis, Belinda Jackson (right) still enjoys working and even volunteers at the Evansville Rescue Mission with Darlene Pries (left) each week. Arthrogryposis has locked up some of her joints making ordinary tasks more challenging. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Jeff Catt (left) and Belinda Jackson share their social media finds at Riverwalk Communities Wednesday afternoon. The two met at the assisted living and adult day care facility about two years ago and are now engaged to be married. By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press Belinda Jackson is just like everyone else. And the 23-year-old Evansville resident is on a mission to let the community and world know that. Despite being born with arthrogryposis, she finds a way to be as independent as possible. Arthrogryposis is when a person's joints and/or limbs are stuck a certain way. This happens before birth, Jackson said, and completely or partially restricts movement. "I'm not the biggest fan of help," she said. "I like being independent." Daily activities with which she needs assistance include getting dressed, styling her hair, eating and brushing her teeth. She said she only applies makeup a few times a year. She lives in supported housing with a roommate, and said most of the time when she's at home she is out of her motorized wheelchair, moving around on the floor. During March, Disabilities Awareness Month, Jackson wants to share her story with others to help them understand her plight and generate more awareness. "We are great people, as much as anyone else," she said. "I feel like there are people that are curious, but don't know how to approach people with disabilities. ... I just want to spread awareness and to make them understand we are not different from anyone else. We just do things a little differently, or we are a little slower at it." Jackson, a native of Serbia, was adopted when she was 13 years old. Her family, with 36 other children, moved to Evansville in 2011, where she graduated from Harrison High School. Jackson said her parents have seven biological children, and have adopted 30 kids. Some are biological siblings, and many are from Russia. In March 2015, she started services with The Arc of Evansville, a nonprofit that aims to empower individuals with disabilities to build relationships, gain independence and achieve full potential. Disabilities Awareness Month is a time to create awareness and advocacy, something Arc does year-round, said Denise Seibert, Arc's director of development. From July 2014 to June 2015, Arc served 139 individuals in the Day Services For Adults program. During that time frame, Arc reported 80 percent of individual client goals were met. And the clients spent 2,513 hours volunteering at 22 local nonprofits. Seibert said Jackson is already making an impact through public speeches and helping her peers. "She's been a great advocate for us already," Seibert said. "I learn something from her every time I sit down and talk with her. Belinda is such an engaging person. You don't see the disability. You start talking to Belinda and just want to get to know Belinda. And that's what we want everyone to see, to know the person. Everyone we work with has so much to contribute and Belinda is a perfect example of that." Jackson is a member of Arc's self advocates group, the Southwestern Advocacy Group, or SWAG. Members speak out for equal rights, respect and inclusion. "It's one thing when you have somebody who is a paid employee," Seibert said. "But when you have somebody who has lived it first hand, who can speak her goals, her wishes, her dreams, that is so impactful." Jackson has struggled with receiving government assistance, so she wants to help others understand the process and encourage people to start early because sometimes waiting lists last "many years." Her other goals include teaching people what to expect, how to approach situations and educating others on volunteer opportunities. "I have developed my own vision on how to design my own projects and can independently follow through," she said. At Arc, Jackson participates in crafts and board games, reads to her peers and leads group discussions. She said Arc has helped her learn more life skills, while also learning more about others with different disabilities. And she volunteers at the Evansville Rescue Mission, The St. Vincent Center for Children and Families and Parkview Nursing Facility. Anyone can support individuals with disabilities, according to Seibert. It can include supporting businesses that employ people with disabilities; inviting an Arc representative to speak; or use People First Language putting the person before the disability. While Jackson believes Evansville has come "a long way," there are still concerns for people with disabilities, including transportation. She is also in search of a job to help with her budget. But that hasn't been easy. "I understand people worry about disabilities and others' safety," she said. "Sometimes I look at it this way: you have to take a risk. Cause you aren't going to get anywhere. ... (And) you don't know what you're missing out with that person." Their date isn't set, but Jackson is engaged to Jeff Catt, who proposed to her at the Four Freedoms Monument. "I'm blessed," she said. Gillian Flaccus / Associated Press A woman wearing a traditional Muslim head covering exits a Lebanese eatery in Orange County, California's "Little Arabia" neighborhood just miles from Disneyland. In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and Belgium, some have questioned whether the United States should revamp its immigration programs. SHARE By Joel Mathis And Ben Boychuk, Tribune News Service (TNS) The terrorist bombings in Belgium on Tuesday that left at least 30 people dead and more than 200 injured have U.S. officials and presidential hopefuls once again arguing over how to avert similar attacks here. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump predicted similar attacks would occur in the United States and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called on law enforcement agencies "to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized." Meantime, Democrat Hillary Clinton wrote on Twitter: "We can be strong and smart without advocating torture or bigotry." Should the United States revamp its immigration programs in light of the attacks in Europe? Or are there better ways to counter terrorism without restricting travel and civil liberties? Ben Boychuk and Joel Mathis, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, weigh in. BEN BOYCHUK Well, it finally happened. A catastrophe has made Donald Trump sound reasonable. Trump is not an especially coherent candidate. He often contradicts himself. He exaggerates and lies. But on immigration and the threat from foreign terrorists, he has been remarkably consistent. And after Tuesday's deadly attacks in Brussels, he looks prescient. "Go to Brussels. Go to Paris. Go to different places," Trump told Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo in January. "There is something going on and it's not good, where they want Shariah law, where they want this, where they want things that you know, there has to be some assimilation. There is no assimilation. There is something bad going on." Trump went on to describe Brussels as a "hellhole," which, as one would imagine, caused the Belgians much distress. But he wasn't wrong. Multicultural Europe has given rise to no-go zones like Brussels' Molenbeek district, where one of Tuesday's bombings occurred. Molenbeek is home to a large number of unassimilated immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East. The Islamic State cell that plotted the attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris in November was based in Molenbeek. Police stay clear of neighborhoods like Molenbeek because they're often outnumbered and outgunned. There is "something bad going on" in Molenbeek and plenty of other neighborhoods just like it in Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. Whatever else may be said about Trump, he isn't wrong to be concerned about foreigners traveling from places like Brussels or Paris to do Americans harm. And he isn't wrong to worry about unassimilated immigrants carving out their own Molenbeeks here. The same multicultural ethos that is killing Europe is alive and well here. We don't need to "ban all Muslims," as Trump suggested a few months ago before backpedaling and then denying he said any such thing. But Congress can toughen up the rules of entry, starting with a visa waiver program that lets potential security risks enter the country with a minimum of scrutiny because they happen to come from a friendly partner nation. Under the circumstances, maintaining such a policy isn't just misguided. It's insane. It isn't bigotry for a nation to put the security of its citizens first and foremost. Trump is wrong about plenty but not about that. JOEL MATHIS There is no perfect way to combat terrorism. Like war, crime and disease, it will always be part of the human landscape something that can sometimes be managed effectively, perhaps, but never ended. Luckily we already know the secret to combating radicalization. The secret? America can keep on being America. Among the widely reported differences between Muslims in America and Muslims in Europe: Muslims here are more diverse they come from as many as 77 countries, with the result that co-religionists of many nationalities end up intermingling with each other. European Muslims come from fewer, more homogeneous ethnic groups, and have tended as a result not to integrate with each other, much less with the broader society. American Muslims tend to be more prosperous about as likely as the general population to report incomes of $100,000 or more. They're relatively likely to intermarry with other religious groups. They're about as likely as the general public to have graduated college. "Our data found that Muslims in the U.S. are employed and educated at very similar levels to the general population," Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at Pew Research Center, told International Business Times in November. "In Western Europe, Muslims tend to lag the overall population in socioeconomic status." That's not to say radicalization is impossible in America. We've had enough incidents in recent years to know differently. But that doesn't change the fact that America seems to be less susceptible to that radicalization. Why? Because we've opened our doors welcoming folks into our country and granting them opportunities. America's openness is not a weakness: It's a strength that has protected us against a worse problem. That's why the Donald Trumps and Ted Cruzes of the world are so frightening. It's not just that they'd stomp on American values of openness and toleration to try to make us safer; it's because that stomping would actually, perversely, probably make us less safe. We should take reasonable security precautions, of course. But the best one? Keep being a beacon for freedom and prosperity. America's best defense is America's ideals. 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 Continue Reading Below Advertisement But at the time, he did have a reputation for getting things done. When he wanted something passed, he'd badger the shit out of everybody to get it, so much so that people came to call his relentless lobbying "the Johnson Treatment." We bring that up because after reading this, you're going to picture something else entirely anytime someone threatens you with "the Johnson Treatment." Something much worse. But you didn't know ... Johnson was a sexual beast, and also fond of (literally) waving his dick around. "Ford's economics are the worst thing that's happened to this country since pantyhose ruined finger-fucking." Continue Reading Below Advertisement While other unfaithful presidents were satisfied with little affairs here and there, Johnson's bevy of babes was referred to by his male aides as a harem (he was said to be jealous of Kennedy's womanizing ways and wanted to top him). Johnson would make passes at secretaries, and it was known that any who accepted would be promoted to private secretary, two words that in this context should probably have air quotes around them anytime they are uttered. By the time he was done, virtually all of his secretaries, plus his two mistresses, got the Johnson Treatment. Sussex News Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. BRIDGEPORT For six years James Costanzo led the good life, according to federal prosecutors. He bought two homes on Ansonias Dwight Street, two more in Florida, and a fifth in Waterbury. He owned a Mercedes Benz SUV, a Ford 150 pickup and a motorcycle. For recreation he had two jet skis, a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle and three other guns. All this was bought allegedly on his 2009 paychecks totaling $4,113, rental income and, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, the sale of prescription narcotics like Oxycodone, Oxymorphone and Opana. Under a physicians care and supervision, the use of prescription medications can bring relief and comfort to those afflicted with illnesses and maladies, Sullivan wrote in the prosecutors sentencing memorandum. However, in the irresponsible, greedy hands of an individual like James Costanzo, the free-flowing sale and distribution of these same substances creates havoc on our communities, destroys families and even results in the tragic loss of lives. Peddling pills for profit can not be tolerated or go unpunished. At least some of Costanzos customers included area athletes. And some of the painkillers he pushed came from Brian Earl, then a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services counselor in Bridgeport. In December, 2013, Earl filled prescriptions for 2,370 narcotic pain-killers at pharmacies, federal court documents show. He used a Fairfield youth to deliver some of the drugs to Costanzo, according to the documents. Earl, who was fired from his job, is serving a 37-month federal prison sentence in Lewisburg, Pa., for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute the painkillers. His scheduled release date is July 31, 2018. Now Sullivan wants U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden to send Costanzo away for anywhere from 57 to 71 months when he is sentenced May 11. Costanzo pleaded guilty in February 2015 to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute Oxycodone and Oxymorphine. He also admitted using proceeds from these illegal sales to purchase property like the $75,000 cash he paid for one of the Dwight Street houses. Costanzos initial claims that he had received income as an NRA certified firearms instructor along with some recent rental income from 85 Dwight Street, which began on or about October, 2013, just months before his arrest, fall far short of demonstrating that he purchased numerous real and personal properties, as well as funded bank accounts, with anything other than the proceeds from his sale and distribution of prescription drugs, the prosecutor said. Sullivan said that Costanzo was divorced in 2008 and has two minor children that he was financially supporting from that marriage. It is not known if he was obligated to make alimony payments to his former wife. And the prosecutor added not only was the defendant a pill pusher, he was a local bully who was lawfully permitted to own firearms. When Dwight Street residents began complaining to local police in 2010 about traffic clogging up their dead end street, some found slashed tires and broken windows on their cars. But their complaints also led to Ansonia Police to team up with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Task Force, which eventually turned a former associate into an informant. A pole camera trained on his Dwight Street house captured as many as 24 vehicles a day stopping there. Most parked for no more than 10 minutes in front of his house. The informant made five drug buys between July 22 and Oct. 18, 2013, and recorded several conversations. In one Costanzo said he made $1,400 off a deal and in another he claimed he could trust no one else handling his then $10,000 supply of pills. During a Jan. 23, 2014, search of one of Costanzos Dwight Street homes, law enforcement seized 600 oxycodone pills, $5,167 in cash and four guns, including the Bushmaster. Attempts to reach Donald Cretella, Costanzos lawyer, by email and telephone for comment were unsuccessful. You're likely already familiar with optimizing your site for specific keywords. You may have a list of specific keywords and phrases you're targeting, or you may be more in the "add amazing content and see what happens," camp. However, the idea of optimizing for branded keywords may not have crossed your radar. Branded terms are words or phrases that are specific to your company. They often include your business name, but also may include certain trademarked product names or your website name. For Apple, some examples of branded terms might be: Apple Apple Computers Applecom Apple dot com Aple (a misspelled version) Apple Phone We want to rank for these branded terms because there are three main types of search queries: informational (e.g., looking for answers to a question), transactional (e.g., looking to make a purchase), and navigational (e.g., looking for a specific company). People who fall into the third category are specifically looking for your business or website. If your site doesn't show up in the first few spots in the SERPs, your competitors will be benefiting from these branded searches. Fortunately, ranking for branded keywords isn't fundamentally different than ranking for more generic keywords. Here are four tips for ranking for your own branded terms. 1. Build up citations. While it's obviously important to build up high-quality links to your site, non-linked mentions ("citations") can be just as important, particularly for locally-based businesses. When Google sees a website with many citations, it recognizes your website is an ongoing concern, active and current, and therefore worth being in the search results. One of the best ways to build up these citations is to register your business with big data aggregators like Factual and Acxiom. Local search engines (including Google) license data from these aggregators to populate their own index with business-related data. So, if the data they have is inaccurate, your local search listings will also be inaccurate. Other ways to gather citations include: Getting your business listed in local directories Getting mentions in local blogs Getting listed in Yelp, Yellow Pages and Yahoo Local If you're currently being outranked for your own branded keywords by other local businesses, try a tool like the Local Citation Finder. After plugging in your keywords, the tool will return a list of all the citation site listings for the top-ranking pages. Related: Position Yourself as an Authority, and Watch Business Boom 2. Keep your Google My Business listing up to date. Considering the entire right-hand site of the SERPs is often dominated by Google maps and business listings, you'll definitely want to make sure your business name is listed here. You can enter or update your Google My Business listing here. When adding or reviewing your listing, make the sure following elements are in place: Make sure your business is properly categorized. Ensure your NAP (name, address, phone number) are consistent with your other listings and citations. Add relevant photos to jazz up your listing. Include business hours and methods of payment. Encourage customers or clients to leave reviews on your listing. Related: 14 Amazingly Free Stock Photo Websites 3. Optimize your social profiles for your brand name. To dominate the first page of the SERPs for your brand name requires a number of different properties ranking for those phrases. Rather than focusing all your efforts on optimizing your consulting business, share the love with your social media pages and profiles as well. Make sure you've built up some solid citations in Yelp and other local directories. However, you'll also want your social media properties to rank (preferably below your main company website). The most important thing you can do to get your social media profiles and pages ranking for your branded keywords is to make sure your usernames and page names explicitly state the name of your business (no abbreviations or clever word plays). You can also include your branded keywords within your social media bios and page descriptions. Google+ was the social networking site of choice for SEO but I find Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Pinterest are far more valuable these days. While links from these sites may not carry value in terms of "link juice," getting these profiles and pages to rank on the first page of the SERPs means more valuable search real estate for your brand. Related: 5 Tips for Staying Out of the Spam Folder 4. Do on-site optimization of your branded keywords. There's no substitute for using your branded keywords in strategic locations around your site. This will mean using your business name, website name and trademarked product names in: Your title tags. Use the first few words of your tags to describe your business (using your generic keywords), and include your brand name at the end of the tag. Where relevant, use your brand name in your header tags, meta descriptions, alt image tags and URLs Reference your business name in your website and blog content, where it fits naturally Your blog is key to improving your organic branded keyword rankings. For example, our company is known online as the "Payments Blog," which we optimize for. We are consistently adding useful, topical content that's of interest to our audience. Create blog posts and other types of content dedicated to discussing what it is your company does and who you are. We are constantly putting up information relating to the keywords we're going after. Within this content, include mentions of your brand name or other branded keywords. Due to semantic search, Google will begin to associate those branded keywords with the services and products you provide -- even if you don't explicitly make that connection within your content. If you're not ranking for your branded keywords, you could be losing all that valuable traffic to your competitors. Using the four strategies above, you stand the best chance of ranking for your business or website name, and other branded keywords. What strategies would you add to this list? Share below! Related: Rebranding Your Startup: The Right Conceptual Development Makes All The Difference 4 Ways to Boost Ranking For Your Own Branded Terms How to Market Your Company Mascot on a Budget Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved STAMFORD Police are investigating a West Side shooting that apparently left a 19-year-old man with a bullet wound to his back. At 5:16 p.m., a 911 call was made from the Connecticut Film Center by a man who said another man had been shot in the back. A few minutes later, the wounded man turned up in a car in the parking lot of Stamford Hospital. Police Lt. Diedrich Hohn said that the man had been shot at five times, and that a good Samaritan had driven him to the hospital. He is in stable condition and has become uncooperative, said Hohn. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. Police were searching for the crime scene near the Westover Elementary School Friday afternoon. Hohn said later Friday that there were two different crime scenes. Police are also searching for a suspect in the shooting. 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. Leesburg Electric: With prices soaring, late fees are being waived Prices are up, so Leesburg Electric has decided that, as of Oct. 1, late fees will be waived. Lifestyle | Daily Life | News | The Sydney Morning Herald Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss When Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader, almost alone in the media, I strongly welcomed his appointment. Although I did not share his views on many issues, I respected him as a man of courage and principle. I hoped that he would emerge as a strong Opposition leader with policies that would strike a chord with voters who have become fed up with a lack of proper choice between the two major parties and who are faced with politicians brainwashed by their party machines. Six months on, though, my optimism is beginning to wane. When Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader, I hoped that he would emerge as a strong Opposition leader. Six months on, though, my optimism is waning The problem is not that he is too Left-wing and radical (as some critics argue). No, I believe he has been too timid and cautious. With the exception of his demand that Britains nuclear deterrent, Trident, is scrapped, he has failed to assert himself on the great issues about which he was so very vocal as a backbencher for more than 30 years. Corbyn was elected Labour leader with such a big majority that it gave him a powerful mandate to take on the Tory government and the increasingly morally corrupt and intellectually bankrupt British establishment. Unfortunately, he has failed to live up to that challenge. The most serious failure concerns his attitude towards the EU. Junes referendum on British membership is by far the biggest issue facing the country for a generation. But Corbyns position has been pathetic particularly since he voted against Britain remaining in was then known as the Common Market in 1975. At the time, he was a political protege of Tony Benn, one of the leaders of the No campaign. Back then, he regarded the EU as a malign attempt to build an anti-democratic empire that damaged workers rights. So why is Corbyn now pro-EU? His U-turn is partly due to the fact that he no longer sees it as a capitalist club. Also, he has been forced to accept that the vast majority of Labour MPs support EU membership and he would therefore be badly isolated if he opposed them. Hes fearful, especially, of alienating the Blairite faction in his Shadow Cabinet. With the exception of his demand that Britains nuclear deterrent, Trident, is scrapped, Corbyn has failed to assert himself on the great issues about which he was so very vocal as a backbencher for more than 30 years The Blairites de facto leader is, by a strange irony, Tony Benns son Hilary Benn, who has already clashed bitterly with Corbyn when he publicly defied the Labour leader by making an impassioned Commons speech in favour of Britains intervention in the war in Syria. Others who Corbyn is terrified of offending are shadow justice Lord Falconer (Tony Blairs one-time flatmate) and potential leadership rival Chuka Umunna, who are both fiercely pro-EU. Corbyn must not be so cowed. He, of all people, should realise that Blairites dont represent traditional Labour voters. Indeed, the Blairite strategy was to form an alliance with big business and to win power by wooing sufficient middle-class voters. (This policy always makes me think of my friend Richard Hellers witty comparison of Blairs leadership of the Labour Party to Basil Fawlty putting on a special Gourmet Night at Fawlty Towers: shunning all the hotels regulars in the hope of attracting a better class of clientele.) This brings me to my most serious charge against Corbyn: he has betrayed traditional working- class Labour voters. The truth is that these people are far more likely to be anti-EU than middle-class voters. This is in part because they are more naturally patriotic possessing strong local links, they also come from families who, in the past, have taken up arms to fight for King and Country. Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech during the National Union of Teachers Conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton on Friday As George Orwell observed, this marks them out from those middle-class Labour intellectuals, many of whom despise patriotism, are embarrassed by this countrys proud history and dont espouse its traditional values. But there is much more to Corbyns betrayal. It is unarguable that the working class have suffered most from the UKs membership of the EU. Mass immigration the result of the EUs open borders policy has been particularly ruinous. The import of cheap foreign labour has driven down wages, and in many cases has cost British working people their jobs. It has also put massive extra pressure on public services, such as education and the NHS. It makes it far more difficult, too, for young people to get council housing. Most disgraceful, many communities across the country feel they were never consulted about the policies which have led to their areas character and economy having changed beyond recognition as a result of mass immigration over the past 20 or 30 years. Indeed, as the author Tom Bower recently revealed, Blair presided over a silent conspiracy to change the face of Britain for ever with mass immigration. By comparison, middle-class Labour voters have been more able to deal with the challenge. They enjoy cheap cleaners and are better able to get their children into the best schools. Its not surprising, therefore, that opinion polls show that 80 per cent of middle-class Labour voters want us to remain in the EU, while about 50 per cent of working-class Labour voters want us to leave. To be fair to Corbyn, it is not just Labour that has turned its back on the British working class. The same is true for the trade unions, many of which are fanatically pro-EU. Also, the Daily Mirror, the tabloid which for years was a defiant mouthpiece for the traditions of the Labour movement, seems now to share this Blairite disdain. For example, it has become a cheerleader for the EU shamefully downplaying the admission by businessman Stuart Rose, a key spokesman for the Remain campaign, that wages would rise in Britain if we quit the EU. The Blairites de facto leader is Tony Benns son Hilary Benn, right, who has already clashed bitterly with Corbyn when he publicly defied the Labour leader by making an impassioned Commons speech over Syria For his part, I fear that Corbyns cowardice combined with the blackmailing tactics of rebellious Blairites means Labour risks losing touch with its core support. This is not just a problem for the Labour Party. It is a reflection of a wider malaise and a dishonesty in politics marked by scaremongering from the Remain camp. But Labour is especially vulner-able. If Corbyn wont speak up for working-class voters, others will. It is worth remembering that Ukip came second to Labour in more than 100 seats in the Midlands and North of England in last years General Election. In the future, Labours weakness could be exploited by populist politicians much further to the Right than Ukip. It is not too late for Corbyn to change strategy. If he swung Labour behind the Leave campaign, he could electrify the debate. Also, crucially, it would give a voice to the working-class voters treated with contempt by the Labour establishment over the past decade. Such a move would be a great day for British democracy. How Ukip suffers from Farage's folly Former Scottish Nationalist leader Alex Salmond and Ukips Nigel Farage deserve huge credit for building up their parties to become a menace to the Tories and Labour thus forcing the elitist mainstream parties at last to confront some of the major issues of our time. But their similarities end there. Salmond is a wise man and Farage is not. The Scot had the wisdom to hand on the baton to a brilliant younger woman politician, Nicola Sturgeon, who has been a popular Scottish First Minister. Salmond is a wise man and Farage is not. The Scot had the wisdom to hand on the baton to Nicola Sturgeon. Compare this with Farages contemptible treatment of the woman who ought to be his successor, Suzanne Evans Compare this with Farages contemptible treatment of the woman who ought to be his successor, Suzanne Evans, a gifted television performer who had the potential to greatly enlarge the national appeal of Ukip, has been suspended for publicly criticising a fellow candidate and behaving as a party spokeswoman without authority. As the Brussels atrocities have brought home so tragically, every governments first duty is to keep its citizens safe. This is why national security will loom large in responsible voters minds when they come to decide whether Britain should stay in the EU or break away. It is also why in campaigners have made the need for cooperation with our partners in the fight against terrorism a central plank of their argument. This week, that key element of their case has been demolished by the worlds leading experts on intelligence. First to give evidence was Sir Richard Dearlove former head of MI6 and the real-life M who wrote that far from hindering counter-terrorist work, Brexit would bring significant security gains First to give evidence was Sir Richard Dearlove former head of MI6 and the real-life M who wrote that far from hindering counter-terrorist work, Brexit would bring significant security gains. Not only would it give us greater control of our borders, he said, but it would allow us to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, which has posed huge obstacles to extraditing dangerous foreign extremists. From experience and nobody knows better than he Sir Richard pointed out that Britain, as Europes leader in security and intelligence, gives far more help to our partners than we receive in return. It is therefore inconceivable that they would wish to break off the relationship if we withdrew. As for EU-wide intelligence bodies, he said these are mere talking-shops, as leaky as colanders, trusted by nobody to handle sensitive information. Next to argue for withdrawal was defence minister and Royal Navy reservist Penny Mordaunt, who said the EU undermined not only our freedom but our ability to defend it Next to argue for withdrawal was defence minister and Royal Navy reservist Penny Mordaunt, who said the EU undermined not only our freedom but our ability to defend it. And now, in a devastating indictment of EU intelligence services, American General Michael Heydon, former head of the mighty CIA, tells the BBC that Sir Richard is absolutely right. In some ways the EU gets in the way of the state providing security for its own citizens, he says. Like Sir Richard, he insists Brexit would have no effect on Britains intelligence-sharing with the US, while making clear his deep concerns over the incompetence of most of Europes security agencies. If confirmation were needed, consider the authorities catastrophic blunders surrounding the Paris and Brussels attacks. As we catalogue on Page Eight, vital intelligence was never passed on, leads went unfollowed and terrorists were left to come and go at will. Can anyone seriously believe well be safer, while unvetted citizens of the EU retain the right to settle in Britain? No, with three months until the vote, there remain many arguments to be settled over trade, the economy and cooperation in other fields. But on migration, sovereignty and now, national security it is surely not too soon to declare Brexit holds the stronger hand. Well done, Auntie! Once notorious for news stories skewed towards pro-European viewpoints, the BBC continues to impress with the impartiality of its referendum coverage. Though we realise our praise will probably get its producer sacked, the Radio 4 Today programme has stood out as a model of even-handed and thoroughly researched journalism, contributing invaluably to the national EU debate. Though we realise our praise will probably get its producer sacked, the Radio 4 Today programme has stood out as a model of even-handed and thoroughly researched journalism, contributing invaluably to the national EU debate. Pictured: Nick Robinson, Radio 4 Today Programme presenter Well done, Auntie! Keep it up until June 23 and you will do Britain a great service. You may even make up for the years you portrayed Eurosceptics as, to borrow a phrase, swivel-eyed loons, while censoring any discussion of mass immigration. THOUGHT OF THE DAY What is the real purpose behind the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus? They seem like greater steps toward faith and imagination, each with a payoff. Like cognitive training exercises. Chuck Palahniuk (American writer, born 1962) Advertisement DEAR BEL I left college at 18, went straight into a job, worked hard for nearly a decade, built a successful career, had friends, boyfriends and a normal life. Then, through overwork, I had a breakdown. I assumed my employer would be supportive, but my manager used it as an excuse to push me out of the company. I instigated legal proceedings and a very long battle followed. Despite huge amounts of money and time, I lost. My health suffered further as I was forced to represent myself, which was extremely stressful. I was unable to work at all for a couple of years. Although the tribunal is now behind me it has left a mark on my life that Im unable to shift. I have a constant feeling of injustice. I still suffer the effects of my illness and have had trouble holding down work every since. I have lost my career and my friends and, approaching 40, feel my life is already over. My work was fairly niche, so my skills are not required in most positions. I now work in a fast-food restaurant with a manager ten years younger than me. 'I have lost my career and my friends and, approaching 40, feel my life is already over.' I have asked at the job centre about retraining, but hit a brick wall. I lost my nice flat, live in a small bed-sit and struggle financially especially as during my worst periods I took solace in gambling and drink (problems I feel are largely under control now). I look at others and cannot help but feel jealous. My older siblings are both married with children and although I love my nephews, I feel deeply resentful that the same joy of a happy, secure family will now be denied me. I see an NHS counsellor regularly and although she has helped a lot I still feel I have been subjected to an injustice and that those who should have helped me (my former employer, colleagues and the Employment Tribunals Service) have destroyed my life through malice and negligence. These people are able to move on and live their lives while I am forced to suffer. My future now seems so bleak. I used to be a smart, fairly attractive, successful and well-balanced person. I am now overweight and look like I have aged by decades. My life has been stolen through the actions of others. What employer would want to take this person on? Who would want to settle down and start a family with this person? How do I move on and find a reason to live again? STEPHEN Nobody can deny that what happened to you was terrible. After working hard to build your life, you saw your carefully constructed house of cards collapse. I have real sympathy for your feelings of loss and abandonment, and understand your wish to fight what you saw as colossal injustice, at whatever cost. But how long ago did all this happen? I am guessing ten years at the very least. Ten years of being consumed with resentment. Of stuffing yourself with self-pity with every bite of fattening junk food. Ten years of getting into debt because of drink and gambling. Ten years of jealousy and negativity and hopelessness. I have to tell you that when I read that a person not yet 40 feels their life is already over, I want to suggest one of those ice-bucket challenges, once such a craze. Believe me, I am not trying to belittle your sadness. You do sound depressed, which is why I am so glad you are being helped by an NHS counsellor. (We need much more provision like this.) But since that fact pre-empts a staple in the advice columnists armoury, what is there left to say? To start with, I would like you to go through this letter and take out each blanket, negative assertion. For example: The tribunal . . . has left a mark on my life that Im unable to shift. And the same joy of a happy, secure family will now be denied me. And my life has been stolen from me by the actions of others. Now comes the exercise. Write each of those statements on a separate piece of paper. Then pick them up, one by one, and examine them carefully, each time asking yourself: Do I know this to be true? The only possible answer is that you may think and feel, but you cannot possibly know. So, each time, take the piece of paper and scrunch it up into a ball in your first and hold it tight. Then ask yourself: Is it possible for me to let this go? while unclenching your fist. It will be clear that no power is preventing you from dropping the piece of paper; therefore you say, Yes, it is possible and let the thing fall to the ground. You state: I am forced to suffer. Stephen, that is not true. While your suffering may not have been your fault back then, right now you are the one nurturing pain. This is a tough truth your counsellor will not tell you, because it is not within his or her professional remit. But this is the only way I can make you stop and think. You have to believe that you can change your life wait, you can save your own life. Who else is going to do it for you? So what if your manager is younger? Just work hard to the best of your ability and maybe youll get their job next year. Stop those bad habits because looking and acting like a weak-willed slob wont help you. Make your bed-sit as attractive as it can possibly be. Place daffodils in a jam jar. Act! A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the concept of the hidden benefit. In your case, the hidden benefit (of the bad things that happened so long ago) is that you can still hug your bitterness like a dead weight, then blame it for taking you down. You describe your future as bleak but who knows what good things are waiting for you? A new job, a new love, a new self? Time to write a fresh script, my friend. I'm pregnant but my man's run off DEAR BEL I have been with my boyfriend for a over a year-and-a-half and we have been living together for over a year. We are both divorced with two kids each from prior marriages. I am 26 and he is 38. I am now three months pregnant and my boyfriend is extremely upset. Until I found out I was pregnant our relationship was going extremely well and we were both so happy. Now he is saying I got pregnant on purpose and was trying to trap him. He says: We were supposed to grow with our kids now, not make new ones. We discussed having children before this pregnancy and agreed to have more one day. Just because this was not planned he is so angry. He is now moving out of my home and leaving me alone to provide for my two kids and expected baby. Im extremely hurt and pretty confused by all of this. He says he needs to provide a home for the kids he has and their mother. Keep in mind that we planned to get a big enough house for all of us that was until my pregnancy test! I didnt think someone his age would start acting so childishly. He says he still loves me and wants to be with me but just wants to live separately. Im so confused and dont understand why hes going to leave me to handle three kids (one of them his) alone when Im not even financially stable. Will he come around? Am I crazy for feeling furious about this? Or does he have reasonable points? TRACY Poor Marie Stopes and Margaret Sanger. Even before World War I those pioneers took on the Establishment to proclaim the importance of birth control. My own generation felt liberated by the Pill. Now Marie and Margaret must be spinning in their graves. Can you understand why I feel despair that a 26-year-old mother of two and a 38-year-old father of two can appear to be so ignorant about how babies are made or how (whisper it) they might be prevented? I know accidents happen, but if they do, sensible people should sit down and talk things through. You ask whether you are crazy for feeling furious that your boyfriend has legged it with as much maturity as a spotty, feckless 18-year-old because he doesnt want to become a daddy again. Well, you are quite right to feel upset; the crazy bit comes with getting yourself into this situation in the first place. You may think these words harsh and unhelpful. Let me make it clear that my intention is to make you think. Because it doesnt sound as if much of that essential activity has been going on, does it? The word reasonable (implying rational thought processes) has much to do with this sorry story. Yet a baby is on the way. A small, vulnerable human being (not a baby goat) who will require responsible love and care, and has the right to two parents who will give it. Nothing matters more than this. Therefore you have to take some deep breaths (I always say that, because stopping to close your eyes and breathe properly helps cut through confusion) and make a plan. If you want your boyfriend to return, you need to be calm. You need help; both of you owe it to your unplanned child to have at least one session with a relationships counsellor to discuss the way forward. If he is adamant that he does not wish to live in your home any longer, then he must provide proper financial support for the baby. He may just be panicking because he has two other children to support; if thats the case, you need to assure him that youll do all you can to help with the finances. Do you have a part-time job, for example? Or family or friends to help with childcare? He should know that youll do all you can to provide for yourself, while expecting him to do his bit. If you were happy together before the result of the pregnancy test, then surely it is not too much to hope that you can be happy again. For the sake of this baby, I beg you both to try. And finally: The Easter I witnessed real love A few days before Easter, 26 years ago, I was in Timisoara in Romania. It was March 1990 only three months earlier the city saw the first protests that would lead to the end of the Communist regime. In Timisoara and Bucharest I saw bullet holes in buildings and little shrines on the pavements, where yellow candles still flickered for those injured or killed in the uprising against tyranny. My translator/new friend and I were heading for the citys magnificent Orthodox Cathedral. We bowed our heads against flurries of snow on an icy wind. Then I saw the long queue snaking across the main square. You became used to them: people had so little and always carried a bag in case they found provisions. We followed this queue to the top. And there, in a modest shop window, was a pile of nasty looking brown objects, like dusty rocks. What was it? TROUBLED? WRITE TO BEL Bel answers readers questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to: Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or e-mail bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters, but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Advertisement My friend asked, then explained. People were queuing to buy broken chunks of chocolate for their children, as an Easter treat. They hunched their shoulders and waited to pay precious money for sweet stuff no British person would accept. Deeply moved, I visualised the two expensive boxed eggs I had hidden in a cupboard at home, ready for my return on Easter Saturday. So lucky, my children Yet then I reflected that the children of Timisoara were lucky, too, as their parents cared enough to stand in the cold, hoping the chocolate wouldnt run out. We went into the cathedral, where I lit candles for the dead and said a prayer for a beautiful country which had suffered such hardship. That research trip, and another one later that year, resulted in two novels, a short story and a screenplay and I will always be grateful to Romania (multumesc!) for testing experiences and for inspiration. One of the first rules of investing is: spread your money. It means dont put all your cash in the same place; dont just pick one fund, or one country, or one type of asset. In short, dont put all your eggs in one basket. Spreading your savings around lowers the risk youre taking. It means its unlikely to all take a tumble at once. A global fund seems an obvious solution they invest your cash around the world. But just because a fund says its global doesnt mean that it is spreading your money as widely as you might expect. Caution: Just because a fund says its global doesnt mean that it is spreading your money as widely as you might expect It is not uncommon, for example, for them to have more than half of their assets in the US. Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says: Global funds are one of the most popular type of funds with savers, but the sector comprises a variety of funds doing very different things. Its vital that savers make sure they understand what the fund they have picked is aiming to do before they take the plunge and put their money in it. There are three main approaches global funds take. 'The overall aim of any global fund is to beat the MSCI World Index. This is a bit like the FTSE in that it is a basket of big firms, but it tracks the shares of the biggest 1,649 companies from 23 countries. 'Because companies are included based on their size it is not an even mix.' Some 59 per cent of the index is in US firms, 8 per cent in Japan and 7 per cent in the UK. The rest comprises a mix of companies from places including Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong and Sweden. OSCAR-WINNING INVESTING Oscar-winning visual effects company Framestore is on the hunt for investors and could even be sold off. The firm, which produced effects on Batman film The Dark Knight as well as Harry Potter, has appointed corporate finance firm Clarity as advisers. Recruitment of a new investor could see Framestore valued at between 120million and 150million. Framestore, which won an Oscar for space film Gravity, is a partnership majority-owned by its staff. It sold a 30 per cent stake to Malaysias sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional in 2014. The first type of global fund aims to match this index. This means it will have the majority of its investments in the US. Because the US has been the strongest economy in the world since the financial crisis, many of these funds will have been strong performers in recent years. The L&G Global Equity Index Fund, for example, has returned 22 per cent over the past three years. Tracker funds are appealing because they are cheap, but there is no manager making actual decisions about the best place to invest so they wont generally outperform their rivals. If the US stops doing so well your money is very exposed. Other global funds focus on the countries they like best. Again, because the US has been so strong recently, many have been focusing their attentions there, making them quite similar to the index. For example, the Newton Global Opportunities and Schroder Global Equity funds each have 55 per cent of their money in the US. Some do buck the trend, though. Because the US has been the strongest economy in the world since the financial crisis, many of these funds will have been strong performers in recent years The Jupiter Merlin Worldwide fund has 13 per cent of its money in Japanese companies, Rathbone Global Opportunities has a quarter of its cash in the UK, and the JOHCM Global Opportunities Fund has 10 per cent of its money in Dutch firms and 16 per cent in cash. Finally, some global funds ignore countries and make their decisions based on which companies they like best. Khalaf says: The Lindsell Train Global Equity fund invests in companies with global brands, strong balance sheets and reliable earnings, wherever they may be. This has led the manager to invest around a quarter of the funds cash in Japan. We tend to like this approach to fund management because we think picking good companies is a more reliable skill than forecasting which regions of the world are going to perform best. Crucially, none of these funds are right or wrong in their approaches. But savers need to make sure that they know what they are investing in. Being overly exposed to one country leaves you vulnerable to the fortunes of that region. For those seeking to spread their money more widely, Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Bestinvest, likes Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. It has 19 per cent of its assets in Europe including French luxury retailer Kering, and 16 per cent in Chinese firms such as Tencent and Alibaba. The fund has returned 62 per cent over the past three years. He also likes Artemis Global Income Fund, which invests in companies across Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark. It has 35 per cent of its money in the US. Small businesses are paying needlessly to set up work-based pensions and will fork out 317million in fees over the next three years. Under new Government rules all employers have to start paying in to pensions for their staff by October 2018. Businesses with four staff or fewer can get free advice on how to comply with the law, and can even use an automated system to set up the contributions process. New reports have revealed astonishing lapses in security and intelligence after it emerged all three Brussels bombers had visited Turkey in the past two years, raising suspicion with local authorities looking to deport them. Brussels airport suicide bomber Ibrahim El-Bakraoui, 29, was deported from Turkey not once, but twice, in the past year, and sent back to Europe. However, because Belgian authorities told Turkey Najim Laachraoui's record was "clean", he wasn't deported. Scroll down for videos Listed: Both Khalid (L) and Ibrahim (R) El Bakraoui and had visited Turkey in the past two years, but despite suspicions from Turkish authorities, only Ibrahim was deported back to Europe The Turkish government issued multiple warnings to Belgian and Dutch counterparts regarding the three Brussels bombers, according to a report citing two unnamed Turkish officials. Ibrahim El-Bakraoui went to Turkey first in June of 2015. CNNTurk reports: 'Ibrahim el Bakraoui came to Gaziantep in late June 2015 to join ISIS. 'Gaziantep Anti-Terror Intelligence District Authority teams monitored Ibrahim el Bakraoui who was trying to contact some people to pass the border [into Syria].' The province of Gaziantep, is on the Syrian-Turkish border, across from the 62 miles controlled by ISIS. Suspicious: Turkish authorities contacted Belgium to look into Najim Laachraoui, but as they responded his record was 'clean', he was not deported According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim El Bakraoui was detained on July 14, 2015. He said that Turkish officials informed the Belgian Embassy about the his deportation with a note, but that Belgian officials could not find any link between El Bakroui and terrorist networks, so he was released. President Erdogan said that Netherlands officials were also notified. A determined Ibrahim El Bakraoui returned a second time to Turkey, less than a month after his first deportation. He landed in the southern airport in Antalya on August 11, 2015, another unnamed Turkish official told Reuters. By this point, his name was already on Turkey's blacklist, so Turkish officials deported him, yet again, on August 25. Unbelievably, Ibrahim El Bakraoui was still not apprehended by EU officials. These claims have since been slammed by both Belgian and Dutch authorities, who say that he was only deported once, and was never flagged as a possible terrorist by Turkey. The 30-year-old ISIS militant was not on any Dutch or international wanted lists, Dutch justice minister Ard van der Steur said on Thursday. 'We checked with our Belgian, German and Turkish colleagues and in all cases he was not registered in our systems,' Van der Steur told a news conference. According to the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, the other two known Brussels attackers had also come to Turkey before Ibrahim. His younger brother Khalid, 27, apparently landed in Istanbul's Ataturk airport on November 4, 2015 and Turkish officials monitored him before he left the country ten days later - one day after the Paris attacks Ibrahim el-Bakraoui (centre) can be seen walking through the airport terminal on the morning of the attack, just moments before he and fellow bomber Najim Laachraoui (left) detonated their explosives Terrorist: Ibrahim El Bakraoui, 30, was deported to the Netherlands in July 2015 as a 'foreign terrorist fighter, after being detained just a few miles from the border with ISIS's heartland in Syria, Turkey has said Belgian authorities apparently didn't issue a warrant for his arrest until December 12, 2015, and then filed an Interpol red notice for suspected 'terrorism' ties on March 2, 2016. Najim Laachraoui, 24, the fellow Brussels airport suicide bomber and alleged master bomb maker who is believed to have been instrumental in the November 2015 Paris attacks which killed 130, also made his way to Turkey. Laachraoui landed in Turkey on February 17, 2013, but when authorities contacted their Belgian counterparts to inquire into his background, they responded his record was 'clean', so he was not deported. It's not known when he returned to Europe, but on April 9, 2014, the newspaper reports Belgian police issued a warrant for his arrest for being 'a member of a terrorist organization', and his name was added to the long blacklist of suspected foreign jihadis banned from entering Turkey on June 16, 2014. Belgium apparently issued an Interpol red notice for Laachraoui on March 2, 2016, and French officials followed suit on March 18, 2016 - only four days before the deadly attack. All three Brussels bombers had visited Turkey in the years before they carried out Tuesday's terrorist attacks at Zaventem airport (pictured) and a Metro station in central Brussels The Brussels attackers are not the first who went to Turkey, and about whom Turkey warned EU officials. One of the Paris suicide bombers who attacked the Bataclan Theatre killing 89, Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, was said to have went into Turkey in 2013, and thought to have gone on to Syria at some point. Turkish authorities say they warned France about possible terrorist links twice in December 2014 and June of 2015, but that French authorities did not respond until after the attack on November 13, 2015. Since the start of the Syrian Civil war in March of 2011, and ISIS's declaration of its caliphate in June of 2014, there's much proof that the vast majority of ISIS's foreign jihadi fighters, estimated at 20,000, have transited through Turkey. The aftermath of the explosions in Brussels airport, which killed 14 people. The Turkish government issued multiple warnings to Belgian and Dutch counterparts regarding the three Brussels bombers, according to a report citing two unnamed Turkish officials Multiple reports have detailed the existence of safehouses for incoming would-be jihadis to stay and networks for transport to Syria. Turkish officials also continue to criticize Western powers for allowing Syria's President Assad to stay in power, and say that ISIS formed because of discontent with dictators like Assad. Paradoxically, they have also repeatedly stated that ISIS and Assad work together. Throughout 2015, EU leaders repeatedly pleaded with Turkey to do more to stop foreign fighters transiting to Syria. In 2015, the Turkish government asked EU leaders to provide more extensive lists of suspects to be deported, and officials stepped up their efforts. In January of 2016, Turkey's Interior Minister defended the country's record. He said officials had formed a blacklist of 35,000 suspects from more than 120 countries as well as captured and deported 2,896 people from 92 countries. ISIS has established its territories in Syria and Iraq, but many, both native and foreign, live and operate in Turkey. A Turkish police intelligence report leaked in January of 2015 by local media estimated that up to 3,000 ISIS members could reside in Turkey in sleeper cells. will operate as normal on Saturday The Easter long weekend has arrived and the food, drink and chocolate has started flowing. But Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are all public holidays in most states, which means some shops may not be open regular hours on some of those days. Here's a list of where you can stock up, or drink up, in your state on Saturday. Good Friday and Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all public holidays in most states and territories in Australia, which means restrictions on retail trading may apply New South Wales/ ACT After many retailers and eateries were closed on Good Friday, most stores, restaurants and bars will operate as they normally would on a Saturday. You can get your last minute Easter eggs at Coles and Woolworths on Saturday. Their stores will be open across the country. All major shopping centres including Westfield will open their doors again on Saturday after being closed on Good Friday. Myer and David Jones will be open in central Sydney until 7pm on Saturday. Petrol stations and chemists are allowed to open and trade as per usual on Saturday. Bottle shops in New South Wales will trade as normal, shutting at 10pm on Easter Saturday. You can drink at pubs, hotels and bars. They will operate as normal on Saturday, with the usual lock out laws applying in central Sydney. Restaurants will operate as normal on Saturday in New South Wales and ACT. In New South Wales Newtown, Surry Hills, Bondi and central Sydney are expected to be popular night spots on Easter Saturday. Most cinemas will remain open as usual over the long weekend. Coles and Woolworths will open again on Monday, but opening times may vary on Easter Sunday depending on the area. Good Friday is a restricted trading day across the country, which means most shops including supermarkets and major shopping centres are closed- however they will re-open and trade as normal on Saturday Bottle shops will also open on Saturday- You can also drink alcohol at licensed restaurants in most states, with regular lockout laws applying in central Sydney Victoria Despite Saturday being a public holiday in Victoria, supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths will be open, just in time to grab all your chocolate. Major IGA's across Melbourne will also trade as normal on Easter Saturday. Bottle shops, pubs, bars and licensed venues will operate in Victoria as they normally would on a Saturday. Some of the main bars and pubs open in Melbourne's CBD on Easter Saturday include The Imperial Rooftop, Heartbraker and Madame Brussels. All of the main markets in Melbourne, including the Queen Victoria Markets and South Melbourne Market reopen again on Saturday. Queensland Like NSW and Victoria, most businesses will be open on Saturday in Queensland. Supermarkets and bottle shops will reopen again on Saturday after being shut on Good Friday. Only some Coles and Woolworths stores will be open on Sunday, even though it is not considered a public holiday in Queensland. Bars, pubs and restaurants will be open as they would on a regular Saturday. There is a long list of stores that are exempt from Easter trading restrictions in Queensland. The full list can be found here. Northern Territory Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday are all public holidays in the Northern Territory. Retail trading hours are unrestricted in Northern Territory, and most stores will be open on Easter Saturday. Supermarkets and bottle shops generally trade as normal on Easter Saturday even though it is a public in all states and territories apart from Western Australia and Tasmania Easter Sunday is only a public holiday in NSW, Victoria and the ACT- It is a restricted trading day in NSW so major shopping centres and supermarkets, including Coles and Woolworths, are closed South Australia South Australia has some of the most complex restricted trading rules that come down to how big a business is and where it is located. However business are allowed to operate until 5pm on Easter Saturday. Depending on where supermarkets are located, many be closed on Sunday and Monday. More information on what's open in South Australia can be found here. Western Australia Easter Saturday is not a public holiday in Western Australia. Retail shops and bottle shops will trade as normal on Easter Saturday. Supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths will be open on Saturday. Bars, pubs and restaurants will operate as usual on Saturday. Northbridge, Mt Lawley, and Perth CBD are expected to be hotpots for partygoers on Saturday. Tasmania Easter Saturday is not considered a public holiday in Tasmania. Most Coles and Woolworths stores will reopen again on Saturday, Sunday and Monday as trading rules are generally unrestricted in the state. Cold front will bring wet conditions and rain to the the south and east The post summer heatwave has finally come to a close - just in time for Easter. More of Australia is experiencing showers and seasonably cooler temperatures for the long weekend. A cold front hitting Tasmania on Good Friday has brought bring cool to mild conditions for the eastern and southern states. Western Australia has severe storm warnings and heavy rains are also expected in the Northern Territory. 'We're expecting cooler conditions over the south of the country and storms for the west and the north coasts,' senior Bureau of Meteorology duty meteorologist Ronik Kumar told Daily Mail Australia. Most of Australia will experiencing showers and seasonably cooler temperatures over the long weekend A trough across the central coast of New South Wales is expected bring showers on Saturday evening, with light rains expected to increase over the weekend and bring clouds to the ACT. Temperatures are excepted to sit between 22-25C - a slight drop from earlier in the week - but the cooler conditions will provide some relief for New South Wales and Victoria following an uncharacteristic warm spell earlier in March. 'Victoria will be cool to mild, with clouds and showers along the coast and the southern and mountain districts. Some sun is expected to break through on Sunday.' Queensland will see a tough moving inland from the coast bringing shower and storms are expected along the southeast coast Temperatures in the southeast will be about two degrees above average, but wet weather on Sunday is likely to rain on holidays makers parade. The mercury will soar past 30C in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast on Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Rain and cool to mild conditions are forecast for parts of Australia over the Easter long weekend, with showers and isolated thunderstorms forecast for Sydney (pictured on Saturday) Clouds are gather in Sydney on Saturday(pictured) as southern parts New South Wales, northern Victoria and South Australia expect rain from Saturday 'Victoria will be cool to mild, with clouds and showers along the coast and the southern and mountain districts' (pictured: Melbourne's Yarra river) Rain will continue along the New South Wales (pictured) coast on Sunday, and increase on Monday as a trough deepens offshore FACT BOX TITLE Sydney -Saturday: Mostly sunny, 25 Sunday: Shower or two, 25 Monday: Shower or two, 24 Brisbane -Saturday: Partly cloudy, 31 Sunday: Showers, possible storm, 28 Monday: Possible shower, 29 Melbourne -Saturday: Shower or two, 19 Sunday: Morning shower or two, 18 MondaY: Possible morning shower, 18 Perth -Saturday: Rain, storm possible, 25 Sunday: Possible shower or storm, 26 Monday: Partly cloudy 27 Adelaide -Saturday: Possible shower, 23, Sunday: Partly cloudy, 23 Monday: Partly cloudy, 23 Darwin -Saturday: Shower or two, possible storm, 33, Sunday:Shower or two, possible storm, 33, Monday: Shower or two, possible storm, Hobart -Saturday: Shower or two,19 Sunday: Partly cloudy, 18 Monday: Partly cloudy, 18 Advertisement Then on Sunday an upper trough will move eastward over Brisbane, triggering a medium to high chance of showers or storms. In Australia's west, showers and storms are expected to hit the coast between Perth and Geraldton, with the wet weather moving inland on Saturday and Sunday before it clears up on Monday. There is a severe thunderstorm warning in place for the Gascoyne region in Western Australia this weekend, as well as flood warnings for Queensland's Diamantina, Georgina and Gulf rivers. 'Cloud, rain and thunderstorms are affecting the southwest parts of WA with some heavy falls today. Rain will ease from the northwest this evening, and during Sunday the surface trough will linger near the west coast. In the Northern Territory, the monsoon trough responsible for the region's wet weather has retreated to Papua New Guinea, bringing wet weather and storms. 'Showers and storms will become widespread in the next couple of days as more humid air moves over the north of NT from the Gulf of Carpentaria.' Stroms clouds roll in over Perth where showers and storms are expected to strike on Saturday and Sunday There is a severe thunderstorm warning in place for the Gascoyne region in Western Australia this weekend, as well as flood warnings for Queensland's Diamantina, Georgina and Gulf rivers A colourful sunrise over Darwin (pictured) on Friday morning, before rain and possible thunderstorms scheduled for the afternoon To his neighbours on the quiet close in the cathedral city of Winchester, Dr Rupert Pemsel had always seemed to be the epitome of respectability. Apparently happily married to a fellow doctor a well-regarded local GP and father to a three-year-old boy and baby daughter, the trainee anaesthetist seemed very much the hands-on family man. We always used to chat about the children when we bumped into each other, one former neighbour recalled this week. Theyre a lovely family. Dr Rupert Pemsel (left) seemed very much the hands-on family man. Yet he booked the services of prostitute Leanne Davies (right) in December 2013, in circumstances that have left many aghast To add to this glowing testimony, 32-year-old Pemsel was known for his community efforts. In recent years he has raised money for the local air ambulance service and flown to Gambia and Uganda to do voluntary work in local hospitals and clinics. Quite a contrast on the surface at least to the world of 29-year-old Leanne Davies. Her neighbours at the former housing association flat on the edge of an estate in Southampton where she lived until recently have little good to say about her. Most describe her as the neighbour from hell. A prostitute and single mother of two children by different fathers, Leannes residency coincided with endless unpleasant altercations inside and outside her first-floor flat. There were smashed-in windows and violent shouting matches. Ms Davies charges 150 an hour for her services and, until recently, styled herself Leanne Pikey Princess Davies on her Facebook page Ms Davies, who charges 150 an hour for her services and, until recently, styled herself Leanne Pikey Princess Davies on her Facebook page, also liked to make her presence known in other ways. In particular, she was fond of sunbathing topless on the grass in front of the flats, then shouting abuse at anyone who cared to glance her way. So, on paper there is little to link these two very different individuals. Yet their worlds collided in extraordinary fashion when it emerged that Dr Pemsel had booked Ms Daviess services in December 2013 in circumstances that have left many aghast. For Dr Pemsel chose to conduct his liaison while he was on duty as an anaesthetist at a maternity hospital. Between assisting with Caesarean operations at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and still sporting his hospital gown or scrubs he escorted raven-haired Ms Davies through a security door into a side room reserved for on-call doctors. There she waited until he was able to duck in between procedures for a 40-minute sexual encounter. It is difficult to think of a more sordid breach of trust to his patients and to his wife. It is hard, too, to think of a more remarkable display of leniency from the General Medical Council (GMC), who ruled at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester this week that the doctor should not be struck off, but merely suspended for ten months. More staggering still is that it was reportedly not an isolated incident. For, according to Leanne Davies sister, Dr Pemsel had paid her for sex many times before. Leanne told me she had seen this doctor half-a-dozen times, always at the hospital, the sister, who asked not to be named, revealed to the Mail this week. She was gobsmacked and complained about it happening in a maternity ward, but didnt want to turn down custom. And she said that was his thing, what he liked the sneaking around the hospital. I was pretty surprised when I found out. Though I thought his behaviour was worse than hers. For her, he was just a punter. Mr Pemsel married unusually young: he was just 20 when he met Sheyi (pictured), his wife, now 40, in 2004 the same year that his father, David, passed away. By 2006, the couple had wed It was at Pemsels tribunal hearing that this already disreputable tale took on an even more troubling hue. He confided he had become addicted to internet porn and it also emerged he had a picture of an intimate X-ray of one of his patients on his phone that he kept for his own amusement. Given such a backdrop, it is extraordinary to think he will be free to work again early next year. But what turned Rupert Pemsel, a man with an honourable profession, into such a tawdry and reckless thrill-seeker? Certainly there are few clues in his childhood and early years. The son of a toymaker called David and his wife Phillipa, Rupert was an only child and enjoyed a happy upbringing in the Kent countryside. He did, however, marry unusually young: he was just 20 when he met Sheyi, his wife, now 40, in 2004 the same year that his father, David, passed away. By 2006, the couple had wed. Eight years his senior, Sheyi is understood to have been born in Nigeria and arrived in the UK as a medical student. I was pretty surprised when I found out. Though I thought his behaviour was worse than hers. For her, he was just a punter Leanne's sister, who did not want to be named Following their marriage, the couple moved to Liverpool for her to continue her studies before settling in the Winchester area in 2006, where Pemsel pursued his medical studies at the University of Southampton. They were accompanied by Sheyis mother, Roseline, who arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2000 seeking asylum as a result of what she claimed was persecution in her native country. By 2007, however, she was battling deportation, with her loyal son-in-law, still only 23 at the time, taking up her defence by seeking a judicial review into her circumstances. His case was robust enough to have been taken up by the then MP for Winchester, Mark Oaten. Though the Home Office cannot comment on individual cases, seven years later, Roseline, now 71, remains in the UK, living with the couple and their two children at the family home. The son of a toymaker called David and his wife Phillipa, Mr Pemsel was an only child and enjoyed a happy upbringing in the Kent countryside By all accounts, the couple seemed happy. Sheyi Pemsel worked as a GP at a local medical centre, while by 2010 her husband had graduated from the University of Southamptons medical faculty. Their first child, a son, was born in 2012 and the growing family moved into a rented four-bedroom home on the outskirts of Winchester. He was very hands-on with his son and they were a very happy family, said a neighbour this week. He offered to help when I was pregnant and gave me advice. Pemsel certainly gave the impression of being a model citizen. In February 2012, he was part of a medical team that travelled to Gambia to train anaesthesia providers and hold clinics in deprived areas, a visit that, according to colleagues who accompanied him, left him genuinely moved. I probably have more money in my bank account than some of these people will earn in a lifetime, he told one. He was sufficiently motivated to undertake a two-week trip to Uganda in 2013 to perform more voluntary work, creating a Just Giving charity page to raise money for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance the same year. But behind closed doors, he had become hooked on online porn. So addicted, he revealed to the tribunal, that it was taking over his life. I started to view in increasing amounts internet porn. Its not something Im proud of, but I did it nonetheless, he told them. It got to a stage where I was watching more than I should have. It was impacting on me doing house duties and washing and things like that. Whether or not his wife knew about his obsession is not known, but it was against this backdrop and within days of enjoying a family Christmas that Pemsel decided to move his online sexual obsessions into the real world. The move, he declared, was a natural progression. It was something I didnt commit a lot of thought to, he told the tribunal. It was something that just happened. I woke up that evening to go to night shift and while looking at pornography I decided to do it then. It was in no way planned. Astonishingly, the fact that he was at work and that place of work was a maternity hospital did not come into it. It was not a factor I considered important. It was merely that I was there and it was a place to meet. There is nothing more to it than that, he said. Behind closed doors, Mr Pemsel had become hooked on online porn. So addicted, he revealed to the tribunal, that it was taking over his life. He then decided to move his online sexual obsessions into the real world - and texted Ms Davies asking her to meet him at the hospital So it was that prostitute Leanne Davies became the recipient of a text message in which Pemsel asked her to meet him at the hospital on a chilly December night between Christmas and New Year 2013, adding: This is naughty on my part, so discretion would really be appreciated. If there was a medical emergency, he added, he would pay her anyway even if he could not uphold their appointment. In fact, he was able to: between assisting on Caesareans, the doctor ducked into a side room at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton for a 40-minute liaison. One tryst would be a lapse of judgment too far, but, if Leannes sisters claim that more than one illicit encounter took place at the hospital, this would make the decision to allow him to practise again all the more extraordinary. Describing her relationship with Leanne as erratic, the sister, a mother-of-two with a respectable job, said they had a loving upbringing, but chose different paths, and that her sister had worked as a prostitute on and off for five years. She went into it for the money and whenever shes broke she will go back to it. Its sheer greed, really. Shes a bad egg and Im not making excuses for her Leanne's sister She went into it for the money and whenever shes broke she will go back to it. Its sheer greed, really, she says. Shes a bad egg and Im not making excuses for her. Shes an intelligent girl, she has A-levels and GCSEs, but she just likes doing things her own way. For her part, Leanne who also goes by the name Ruby and Scarlet on escort websites unapologetically told neighbours she was a pole dancer who put on webcam shows from her home as well as offering a visiting escort service. She didnt like the word prostitute, one former neighbour told the Mail. However you want to label it, Leanne was selling sex for money and Dr Pemsel was only too willing to buy it. Meanwhile, he has been lucky to escape with his job and, seemingly, his marriage intact. His wife Sheyi, who has just returned to work at a local medical centre following her second maternity leave, is understood to be standing by her husband. She was extremely supportive throughout the investigation, Pemsel told the GMC. In turn, the GMC this week told him he was a clinically good doctor who could return to the profession early next year. The million-dollar question, perhaps, is exactly where? Until recently, pending his hearing, Pemsel was a locum senior house officer at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, where he had sufficiently impressed colleagues for one known only as Dr E to give phone evidence in his favour, attesting to his clinical competence and the high regard in which he was held by his team. This week, a spokesman for the hospital told the Mail that following the hearing, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust will no longer be using Pemsels services. The Mississippi House wants to allow the state to execute prisoners using a firing squad instead of the lethal injection. The House amended a Senate Bill on Friday, which made the execution process secret, making it possible to use a firing squad if officials decide lethal injection is too expensive or unavailable. It passed the amendment 70-39 and the bill 80-39. The Senate will now review it again. Representative Robert Foster, who proposed the amendment according to the Daily Journal, said afterward that the firing squad is a more humane, effective and less costly option than lethal injection. Scroll down for video Representative Robert Foster (file picture) proposed an amendment to a Senate bill making it possible to use the firing squad if lethal injection is not available or if officials deem it too costly Foster believes the vast majority of Mississippi residents would support an optional firing squad. 'It's been one of the more common practices through history,' he said. 'It's very instant and about as humane as you can get while performing an execution in my personal opinion.' Attorney General Jim Hood asked lawmakers earlier this year to approve alternate execution methods in Mississippi, including the firing squad, electrocution and the use of nitrogen gas. Those measures had not, until Friday, passed either chamber. Death penalty opponents called the move 'barbaric.' Jim Craig, a lawyer who has sued Mississippi over its current method of execution by lethal injection, noted lawmakers voted on the afternoon of Good Friday, the time when Christians believe Christ was crucified. 'I find it frankly disgusting that in the week we're commemorating the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the Mississippi Legislature is so devoted to vengeance that they want to bring Mississippi back to the 19th century,' Craig said. Utah has killed three men by firing squad, the most recent in 2010. It is the only American state that has executed someone by firing squad since the resumption of the death penalty, said Robert Dunham, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization that opposes executions. Attorney General Jim Hood (file picture) asked lawmakers earlier this year to approve alternate execution methods in Mississippi, including the firing squad, electrocution and the use of nitrogen gas Other states have begun adopting alternate methods of execution to be used if lethal injection is ruled unconstitutional or a state can't obtain drugs. Oklahoma would use either electrocution or firing squad. Wyoming would use the gas chamber. Tennessee would use electrocution. Other parts of the bill make secret the names of prison employees at an execution and the pharmacy providing lethal drugs. The measure also bars anyone, including news reporters, from discussing names of relatives of the prisoner or crime victim who attend an execution without their permission. First Amendment advocates say that measure unconstitutionally restrains free speech. 'There are severe implications for First Amendment rights attached that legislators either did not understand or disregarded outright,' said Layne Bruce, executive director of the Mississippi Press Association. The Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments in November, but hasn't ruled, on Craig's lawsuit that seeks to compel the Mississippi Department of Corrections to disclose information about its execution procedure and the supplier of execution drugs. A lower court judge ruled for disclosure in March, but the information has remained secret during appeals. Hood has said prison employees have refused to work on the execution team because of fears about retaliation. He's also said pharmacies should be free from 'strong-arm tactics' by death penalty opponents. Craig disputes claims that any person or business has been threatened. The state has introduced no specific evidence of threats in court. A driver was left in shock after a wheelie bin was thrown at their car from an overpass in an alarming and random early morning attack. The bin was thrown from the Pakenham overpass in south Melbourne at 4.10am on Easter Saturday smashing the windscreen and causing extensive damage to the driver's side of the car. The driver was shocked but otherwise uninjured during the random attack. Their vehicle bore the brunt of the senseless assault. This car was hit by a wheelie bin thrown from an overpass in Pakenham, Melbourne on Saturday morning The bin was thrown at two vehicles on Saturday morning, the first which it missed was a truck carrying LPG gas Just 20 minutes before the car was struck the bin had been thrown at a truck carrying a full load of LPG gas. But the truck driver saw the massive projectile coming and was able to avoid being hit. Police have called the the incident an 'act of stupidity' and released photos of the damage to the car as well as a photo of the bin which caused it. They are looking for the person or persons responsible for the attack and hope the photos help The police hope witnesses who may have seen something which could help them with their investigation will come forward after seeing the pictures. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. The bin was thrown from this overpass in Pakenham, once at around 3.50am and again at 4.10am which is when it hit the passing car In the fight against the fanatics of Islamic State, lipstick might seem an unlikely weapon. But for the woman warriors of Iraqi Kurdistan makeup is essential if they die they want to look beautiful. Currently in training with British soldiers, the peshmerga fighters are defending the crucial Mosul Dam from the IS hordes. One of them, Ahd Mohemed, starts her morning by drawing on her eyebrows, putting on mascara, applying lipstick and painting her nails before grabbing her combat fatigues and AK-47. I always put on lipstick before I go on the frontline, said the 36-year-old. When we fight we want to look pretty. If I die, I want to die looking pretty. Peshmerga fighter Ahd Mohemed (pictured), starts her morning by drawing on her eyebrows, putting on mascara, applying lipstick and painting her nails before grabbing her combat fatigues and AK-47 Currently in training with British soldiers, the peshmerga fighters are defending the crucial Mosul Dam from the IS hordes. Pictured is 28-year-old fighter Alham Miss Mohemed, who suspended her law degree a year ago to fight the terrorists, added: I have not killed anyone yet. God willing, the next time sure. It is scary fighting Daesh (IS) of course. They are very dangerous. We want to kill them because they want to kill us but we would rather not have to fight with anyone. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Rifles, are giving three-week basic infantry courses to the womens battalion near the frontline in Erbil, northern Iraq. So far more than 100 have graduated. Lieutenant Colonel Oz Lane, the commander of the 80-strong UK training unit, said: What the female peshmerga are really proud of is their war fighting skills. Now it is about showing them what they can bring in terms of operational capability on the battlefield, in addition to just being really good at fighting Daesh. Having identified three companies, we started training one on basic infantry skills and within that package, the law of armed conflict, the protection of civilians and preventing sexual violence. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: These brave female peshmerga fighters will help ensure that Daesh are kicked out of Iraq for good and we must keep supporting them. The female peshmerga are noted for their bravery and teenagers are desperate to join the fight. Susan Mohammed Rashid, 16, who lives in a refugee camp for Syrian Kurds just outside Erbil, said: When I am 18 I want to join the peshmerga. I am very strong and I do weights in my spare time to get ready. The female peshmerga are noted for their bravery and teenagers are desperate to join the fight. Pictured is 21-year-old warrior Berevan Soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Rifles, are giving three-week basic infantry courses to the womens battalion near the frontline in Erbil, northern Iraq. So far more than 100 have graduated. Pictured, a graduation Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: These brave female peshmerga fighters will help ensure that Daesh are kicked out of Iraq for good and we must keep supporting them' Her uncle was killed in April last year by Islamic State amid fighting near Mosul. At the base in Mosul Dam there are 20 women, between the ages of 18 and 40. Lieutenant Colonel Jamil Zerv, who is one of two just men in the unit, said: Daesh is a strong enemy so everyone has to fight them. Women, men and all ages. When Daesh hear the peshmerga name, they are afraid. According to a local guide, Omar Hussein, the women have a major advantage on the battlefield: Daesh are frightened of the female peshmerga fighters because they believe if they are killed by them they will not go to paradise. Lt Col Lane said his men were conducting training near the frontline because the Kurdish militias could not afford to stray too far from the combat zone. Insisting his team was out of the range of IS weapons, he added: The reality is that this is important for the UK, not just because Daesh have an intent to commit something like Paris, now Brussels, in the UK but also because in this country there are 1.2million internally displaced people. Theres a link between these people and mass migration and the more secure we make this country then the more we alleviate displaced people. Susan Mohammed Rashid, 16, who lives in a refugee camp for Syrian Kurds just outside Erbil, dreams of becoming a peshmerga when she turns 18 Suzan's 32-year-old uncle was killed in April last year by Islamic State when he was shot through the heart amid fighting near Mosul According to a local guide, Omar Hussein, the women have a major advantage on the battlefield as ISIS fighters are scared of them 'because they believe if they are killed by them they will not go to paradise' Peshmerga fighters are being taught sniper skills by 1 Rifles as well as to how to use machine guns and how to defend themselves from attack. Another unit, 33 Engineer Regiment, is using skills acquired in Afghanistan to teach the fighters how to counter roadside bombs just with drinks bottles. And members of the Royal Army Medical Corps are demonstrating techniques that can save lives on the battlefield. Lt Col Lane said many of the peshmerga fighters could not leave the frontline and, even when on leave, had to work as taxi drivers to earn money. He said: The existential threat here is the economy. The Ministry of Peshmerga doesnt have a budget. If money is an issue and also your numbers are an issue then they dont want to bring the guys in off leave to do training because they are earning money. What we do is we go to them. We take the training not on the forward line but just behind it. We call it mission rehearsal training. Im proud to say we, the UK, pioneered this and now weve got the Dutch following and working with us and other nations looking to do the same. Peshmerga fighters are being taught sniper skills by 1 Rifles as well as to how to use machine guns and how to defend themselves from attack Members of the Royal Army Medical Corps are demonstrating techniques that can save lives on the battlefield. Pictured are 19-year-old Shereh Muhamad (left) and 20-year-old Sherin (right) Previously the peshmerga had been suffering up to 80 per cent of their casualties as a result of improvised explosive devices but after training this has been cut to zero Over the past few months there have been chemical weapons attacks on villages across northern Iraq and British troops have been equipped with protective suits as a result. Lt Col Lane said the roadside bomb training his men had overseen was having a dramatic impact on Kurdish forces. Previously the peshmerga had been suffering up to 80 per cent of their casualties as a result of improvised explosive devices but after training this has been cut to zero. In Sinjar, west of Mosul, trained fighters decommissioned 5,000 IEDs with no casualties. Coalition airstrikes, including British attacks, have also played an instrumental role in driving back the jihadists, according to a local commander. Over the past few months there have been chemical weapons attacks on villages across northern Iraq and British troops have been equipped with protective suits as a result British Army soldiers, pictured in Iraqi Kurdistan, where they are training the local Peshmerga, including female fighters, in their fight against ISIS Major General Sardar Karem said: At any time we have a risk and great threat we let the coalition know and they will bring planes to bomb Daesh. Outlining the need for British help, he said: We consider our people as a force acting on behalf of the British and the rest of the world. We shed our blood instead of them but we need their equipment and we need their weapons. It is important people understand what is happening here and how dangerous the situation is because if we do not stop them here there could be more attacks in Europe. We would die defending our country but if Europe does not help it could become like Iraq. Stuart Robertson, 69, owed 130 for a minor traffic but assumed he had been let off when he didn't hear from the council in 11 months A pensioner who owed 130 for a minor traffic offence was tracked down a year later to his remote farmhouse more than 200 miles away. Stuart Robertson, 69, was caught on CCTV straying into a lane reserved for emergency vehicles in Islington, north London, last March. The retired gas engineer appealed to the local council, explaining that his driving had been safe. Having not heard from them after 11 months, he assumed they had let him off. So he was astonished when he came home to find two bailiffs trying to remove his car, pick-up truck and trailer. After he demanded to know what they were doing, three police officers turned up with flashing blue lights and threatened to arrest him if he did not pay a 500 fine or let the bailiffs take his vehicles. They said the fine had gone up almost four-fold because of the cost of sending bailiffs round. They also confiscated his two shotguns, claiming he was drunk and breaching the peace. Mr Robertson, who lives by Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, mid-Wales, 21 miles from the nearest town, paid the fine, but said it was ridiculous that the officers had been sent to his home over such a petty offence. He added: I said to the police, What are you doing here?, and they said the bailiffs had called them. Because I didnt tell the bailiffs who I was this was a breach of the peace. God help us if you have a murder they never show up for that. The episode began last year when Mr Robertson went to Islington for work. Driving down a road that had a width restriction, he used a central lane provided for fire engines. A year after the offence he was tracked down to his remote farmhouse more than 200 miles away by Lake Vyrnwy in Wales Although he says there was no other traffic and he was driving at the 20mph speed limit, he was snapped by a camera. Mr Robertson appealed against the fine, explaining that he had been driving safely. Almost a year on, he claims he heard nothing more from Islington council, although officials insist they wrote to him three times to say his appeal had been rejected. Islington Council said that after Mr Robertson was fined in March, his appeal was rejected in May and a letter was sent telling him to pay 130. Mr Robertson paid the fine, but said it was ridiculous that the officers had been sent to his home over such a petty offence A spokesman said the council wrote again on July 1, 2015, and on January 19, 2016, adding: No payment was made, and ultimately this was referred to a debt collection agency. Chief Inspector Matt Scrase said police were forced to take part in the operation because the enforcement officer, or bailiff, was concerned that the situation could get out of hand. He said that when they turned up, they found Mr Robertson drunk, hiding in a bush, adding: An officer was assigned for this purpose and others working nearby went to assist. Mr Robertson was very intoxicated. A heroic 30-year-old man drowned while trying to rescue a seven-year-old girl and her family from rough surf - as his distraught girlfriend watched on. Ryan Martin was one of four people who swam out to help the family-of-three after they were swept off some rocks and caught in a rip tide at Fingal Head, south of Coolangatta in NSW, on Friday. He battled to keep the young girl afloat, but began to struggle and was found by rescuers floating just beneath the surface with no signs of life at around 3.30pm. The 30-year-old from Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast was given CPR for 30 minutes, but was pronounced dead while his girlfriend, Zoe Bell, watched on from the headland. Ryan Martin (pictured) drowned while trying to rescue a seven-year-old girl and her family from rough surf - as his distraught girlfriend watched on The 30-year-old from Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast was given CPR for 30 minutes, but was pronounced dead while his girlfriend, Zoe Bell (right), watched on from the headland Emergency services were called to Fingal Head Beach, near Tweed Heads, after reports a man had drowned She has since taken to Facebook to pay tribute to her partner, saying: 'I love you, always. Rest in Peace honey. 'I'm broken. I wish you all were here.' Tweed Inspector Gary Cowan said Mr Martin had showed 'bravery' by putting his life on the line for the young girl. 'The bravery he's shown, he's just ... put his own life at risk just to save a young child,' Inspector Cowan said. 'What else could you say.' The family were washed off the lava rocks at the notorious Fingal headland and pulled out to sea by a rip on Good Friday. Around four good samaritans raced into the water to help and other onlookers called Triple 0. After the young girl was carried safely to shore, two men began to struggle in the water. She has since taken to Facebook to pay tribute to her partner, saying: 'I love you, always. Rest in Peace honey Surf lifesavers pulled both men from the water and they were treated by paramedics, however one died at the scene Surf life savers on an inflatable rescue boat found Mr Martin face down in the water and another man, 21, was carried to the beach unconscious but breathing. Club president Steven Kudzius, 31, heard the beachgoers' screams for help and raced out with four rescuers in a boat. They were able to get the unconscious girl onto a surfboard, but were faced with a heartbreaking decision of who to save next. Mr Kudzius said he was shattered by having to leave Mr Martin behind. Surf life savers on an inflatable rescue boat found Mr Martin (pictured) face down in the water and another man, 21, was carried to the beach unconscious but breathing The scene on the beach when a young girl was rescued, after being swept out to sea from shallow water by a dangerous rip The second man, 21, was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital, along with the seven-year-old girl and her mother 'It is a huge call. You have to rescue who you can you just have to go,'he told the Gold Coast Bulletin. 'The little girl and the woman were falling in and out of consciousness as we took them to the beach.' Friends and well-wishers have remembered Mr Martin as a 'hero' on social media. Tanya Westthorp said: I'm so sorry for your loss Zoe Renee Bell. He sacrificed himself to save the life of a young girl. The act of a true hero sending you strength and love xx'' Mikaele Lapana said: Sending you all my love nd support. Rest easy to ur man, please let us know if there's anything we can do xx' The second man, 21, was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital, along with the seven-year-old girl and her mother. All have since been released. Lifesavers said the incident was a tragedy on a dangerous stretch of beach. 'It's an unpatrolled stretch of beach, the south side of Fingal headland, and it is quite a notorious area there are a lot of currents around there,' lifesaver Chris Samuels said. Investigations into the death are continuing and a report will be prepared for the coroner. An image from 9 news showing the powerful surf conditions at Fingal Head on the northern NSW coast Lifesavers said the incident was a tragedy on a dangerous stretch of unpatrolled beach Gooden suffered severe burns on his face and had to be placed in a medically-induced coma for two weeks Tolbert had third and second-degree burns on the back, neck and arms Prosecutors say he attacked Anthony Gooden, 23, and Marquez Tolbert, 21, during their sleep Martin Blackwell, 48, faces eight counts of aggravated battery and two of aggravated assault A man has been indicted for pouring boiling water on his girlfriend's son and his boyfriend because he was 'disgusted' by their relationship, authorities say. Martin Blackwell, 48, faces eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault. He was arrested after attacking Anthony Gooden, 23, and Marquez Tolbert, 21, last month in College Park, Georgia, prosecutors say. Gooden's mother, Kim Foster, had been dating Blackwell for three years at the time, WSBTV reported. Scroll down for video Martin Blackwell (left), 48, faces eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault. Prosecutors say he attacked Anthony Gooden (far right), 23, and Marquez Tolbert (second right), 21 Tolbert and Gooden say Blackwell attacked them while they slept in Foster's apartment after a 12-hour shift at work, boiling a pan of water and pouring it on them. Blackwell told them: 'Get out of my house with all that gay' and dragged them out of the front door, according to the two men's account. They were left to go door-to-door in the neighborhood desperately looking for help, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Tolbert's family. A neighbor eventually let them in and the pair were taken to hospital. Tolbert, who suffered third and second-degree burns on the back, neck and arms, stayed in treatment for ten days and needed surgery. Doctors took skin from his thigh to replace some tissues on his back, WBSTV reported. Gooden's burns were so severe he had to be placed in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. He was released from the hospital two weeks ago and has scars from the severe burns on his face. Gooden (pictured left before the attack and right after) suffered burns so severe he had to be placed in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. 'I hate looking in the mirror but it's healing,' he said 'I hate looking in the mirror but it's healing,' Gooden told WSBTV. 'It's healing every day. 'I just want Martin to be gone. I want him to be prosecuted. I want a full recovery. I want to get the feeling back in my arms. I want my skin to come back. I want to move and walk real good and feel like I'm back to normal.' Blackwell, who told investigators he was 'disgusted' by their relationship, remains booked into Fulton County Jail. According to a police arrest report seen by WSBTV, Blackwell was unrepentant after his arrest, telling officers: 'They'll be all right. It was just a little hot water on them.' Gooden had come out to his family last year and had just begun to feel comfortable enough to bring his boyfriend to his mother's house, the channel reported. Tolbert (pictured left before the attack and right with severe burns to his neck) stayed in treatment for ten days. Doctors took skin from his thigh to replace some tissues on his back Tolbert, pictured with second and third-degree burns and his back and arms, said he remembers screaming in pain as Blackwell lifted him out of bed and threw him out the front door Foster says Blackwell questioned Gooden and Tolbert's relationship on the night before the attack, but she told him to mind his own business. 'When I got there and saw my child, I wanted to die,' she told WSBTV. 'He's not human. He's got hatred in his heart and God's going to deal with him.' Tolbert previously described the attack to Rollingout.com, saying: 'We woke up to boiling hot water. I started screaming uncontrollably and I was pulled out of the house. 'We ran to the neighbors and called the police. We were just burning. My body was just stinging. It was like a really, really severe kind of stinging. I could hardly think straight.' Speaking to WBSTV, he tearfully added: 'The pain doesn't let you sleep. It's just excruciating, 24 hours a day, and it doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't dial down. It's just there.' Asked whether he believes the attack constitutes a hate crime, Tolbert said: 'Why else would you pour boiling hot water on somebody? Where was your head at? Why would you do this?' An Atlanta Police Department LGBT liaison assisted in the case to make sure Blackwell did not make bond, police said. No arrests have been made in Tam's death The suspect in the stabbing is believed to be black, in his 30s or 40s and around 5-foot 10-inches The stabbing was caught on security footage and is now being investigated as a homicide Tam, an IT specialist from Manchester, England, was in the process of moving to the U.S. after ten years working for Manchester University Paul Tam (pictured), 44, died on Thursday one month after being stabbed in the head during a mugging A British tourist has died in a San Francisco, California, hospital one month after being stabbed in the head while trying to escape a mugging. The brutal attack was all captured in a horrifying surveillance video. Paul Tam, 48, died at San Francisco General Hospital on on Thursday after being take there on February 18 following the attack. Tam, an IT specialist from Manchester, England, was walking in the city centers Japantown district before being assaulted. The area is close to St Marys Cathedral, a San Francisco landmark, Tam was walking with his niece through the area around 8.30pm when he was attacked.. The tourist was ambushed by an unidentified man and woman. The pair were after Tam's messenger bag, which had his contained his passport, a mobile phone, money and bank cards, according to the Telegraph. He held on to the bag as the man chased him into the street. Tam ran into into the street and into the way of oncoming traffic, in an attempt to escape the mugger. Scroll down for video Tam (right) was visiting his niece in San Francisco when the attack occurred. His niece was uninjured In security footage, the man wielding a knife is seen chasing Tam, stabbing him while he was on the ground and taking his messenger bag before running off. It is not known what was used to stab Tam, but his attack appears to strike him twice before grabbing the bag and running off. The wounded 44-year-old tries to stand, but is unable and lies in agony on the street Both suspects are still at large. The male attacker is described as being black, in his 30s or 40s, and around 5-foot 10-inches. The female accomplice is allegedly also black, in her 20s, and approximately 5-foot 4-inches. She is believed to have braided or dreadlocked hair. Tam's niece, who he was with at the time, was unharmed. It is believed Tam was in the process of moving to the U.S. after working for as a web content and digital marketing manager at Manchester University for ten years, the Manchester Evening News reported. The stabbing is now being investigated as a homicide. Tam worked as a web content and digital marketing manager at Manchester University for 10 years and was in the process of moving to the U.S. when he was killed British tourist Paul Tam, 48, (left) was stabbed by an unidentified suspect (right) in San Francisco on February 18 Brutal attack: The man chased Tam into the street to steal his messenger bag before stabbing him in the head Says fellow MP Boris Johnson is a 'bear' - but that she 'adores him' The delivery of George Osbornes disastrous Budget was somewhat brightened by a few jauntily dressed Tory ladies. Sitting alongside him was Nicky Morgan, Education Secretary, in a lovely geometric patterned dress. Cabinet colleague Liz Truss was a vision in red and beige on his other side. Then, of course, there was Home Secretary Theresa May and her surprisingly impressive bosom on full display in an extraordinarily low-cut dress. And sitting behind, adding a bit of punkish glamour with purple and blue-streaked hair and looking suspiciously as if shed been on the razzle for a week, was Tory backbencher Karen Lumley. Larger-than-life MP Karen Lumley, 51, is the Barnsley-born MP David Cameron refers to as 'the purple plotter' Since the Home Secretary was unlikely to want to talk about her risque decolletage, I thought Id ask this forthright Brexiter about her views on her fellow Tory women. Karen looks fresher and younger than her 51 years if very blue and purple and keeps collapsing in loud guffaws about Mrs Mays embonpoint. Bloody hell! she squawks. I thought it was a very brave outfit to wear. I was sitting right behind her and I was just: Whaaaat!! My husband calls them bingo dresses Eyes down, look in. Ha ha ha! Commenting on how photos showed George Osborne staring down at Mrs Mays chest like a rabbit in headlights Karen says: I liked that. He was probably grateful for the diversion! She says the episode reminded her of Labours Jacqui Smith, who was her predecessor as MP for the West Midlands town of Redditch. She laughs. Jacqui did it once, you know. She wore a low-cut dress in the Commons when she first became Home Secretary, and it was like: Wow. Karen defeated Smith in the 2010 General Election after her rival came a cropper in the MPs expenses scandal nominating a room in her sisters house as her principal home and claiming for a handsome grate, bath plug and, unwittingly, two porn films watched by her husband. Despite her wonderfully daring hair, Smiths successor doesnt share her taste for plunging necklines. Ive got a few dresses that are quite, well . . . But I wouldnt dream of wearing them in the Commons. Another huge bellow of laughter follows and Karens assistant, whose desk is in the adjoining room, quietly closes the door. Later, the aide confides: Karens laugh is so loud that if Im on the phone, I have to ask the person on the other end to wait until shes finished. Clearly, Karen is not your average Tory MP. Shes big, bold, bright, has a huge jutting chest and is brilliantly gossipy. We chat about everything and everyone, from Amal Clooney (who was in her office recently to discuss the beleaguered president of the Maldives and who is really, really thin) to the joys of knitting. Karen also has much to say about the Tories terrible week. Critical of Osborne, she says she wrote to the Chancellor before the Budget asking him to rethink his disability allowance cuts. Her opinion on Osbornes nemesis, Iain Duncan Smith? She says she wishes he hadnt resigned. Id have stuck at it and got the best deal for people. Next topic? David Cameron, whom she calls The Boss. Hes obviously not of my social class, says the Barnsley-born daughter of a nurse. But she says she likes the Prime Minister and often shares a joke with him. He loves it! He always jokes about my hair and calls me a bit of a purple plotter. I reply: Listen, boss, if I had anything to say, Id say it to your face and not behind your back! Which is what she did when it came to the Tory divisions over the EU. She said she went to No 10 and told Cameron that shed wait to make up her mind until after he finished his renegotiations with fellow EU leaders. In the end, Camerons deal wasnt enough for her, so she agonised and joined the Brexiters. Drinking tea out of a Union Jack mug, she says her decision was partly about the big issues: money, immigration and sovereignty. The tampon tax is a prime example, she says, referring to the farce of Brussels forcing British women to pay 5 pc VAT on sanitary products. Then there are a host of other questions about the EU: such as What do they actually do in Europe?, Why havent the auditors signed off their accounts for years? and most pressing of all How does it affect the people of Redditch? If I went into Redditch town centre, Id expect at least some people to know who I was, she says. George Osborne was caught having a sneaky look down Theresa May's revealing top in the Commons last week But any MEP could walk around for days without anyone knowing who they are. To be fair, Karen has an advantage. Not many MEPs look like a badger whos had a fight with a pot of purple paint. Or, come to that, have eight blue fingernails and two pink ones, and a gorgeous, whopping great lapis lazuli necklace a present from her geologist husband. As for her hair, shes been dyeing it since she was a teenage hair model (I was a lot thinner then!). The purple first appeared in 2009 when she and her husband Richard were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and her hairdresser, Lee, suggested he pop on some colour to match her purple silk dress. Why not? she thought. Lifes too short. Richard loved it and so, every month or so, she nipped back to the hair salon for a top-up. The following year, as the Tory parliamentary candidate for Redditch, her campaign manager said she should revert to being a normal person. I dont do what Im told very often, she says. But having fought three elections, I wanted to win. And, of course, she did win, beating Jacqui Smith by 5,821 votes. Two weeks later, a parliamentary pass in her pocket, Karen had the purple put back in. And that was it, until a few weeks ago when she was mistaken for a Ukipper by a constituent (because of the partys purple and yellow colours) and went back to Rio Hair for some bright blue. Its quite arresting. When she went to watch Aston Villa play recently, fans loved it because the colour matched their claret and blue strip. Her hairdresser, too, is thrilled. Theres a picture of me in the salon and people go in and say: Can we have hair like Karen? I should be on commission! Westminster can be quite a grey place, so its nice to be a bit different because Ive always been ordinary. Born in Yorkshire, her dad was a deputy headmaster in Wakefield. Karen went to Rugby High School for girls, hated it, left at 16 and got an A-level in accountancy and a B-Tech in business studies at the local college. She married when she was 19. Karen has always worked as an accountant, a manager of an engineering company and as a trainer for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (a Foreign Office-sponsored body that helps parliaments abroad). Somehow, she has always successfully juggled work, politics and family they have two children (now adults). She has a long track record in Welsh local politics and her first attempt to be an MP was in the Principality in 1997. First, I was a Hague Babe, then a Cameron Cutie. Next, I ask, a Boris bear? No, hes the bear! I adore Boris [Johnson] we go a long way back. Hes a great bloke. As a new MP, she says she was a bit naive and found Parliament male-dominated. For example, she remembers the Health Secretary making a speech in the Commons about breast implants, when another MP stood up and shouted at her: You dont need breast implants, do you love? When I ask if she was upset, she looks at me as if Im mad. You just take it. You dont come into this business as a little princess. Im hard enough. I can shout back. The biggest shock wasnt the sexism, but the hatred so many people feel for politicians. People can be vile and vicious, she says. A few say Im destroying peoples lives, just because Im a Tory MP. At the height of the Syria crisis, she got death threats. I hope you die a very slow death like a baby in Syria that sort of thing. Special Branch got involved. But I love this job and Im not the sort to sit in the corner crying. Shes certainly not afraid to rock the boat, which is why she warned George Osborne the night before the Budget about the dangers of cutting welfare payments. Mrs Lumley said of Boris Johnson: 'I adore him we go a long way back. Hes a great bloke' I had hundreds of people writing to me worried about benefits and I wanted him to know what ordinary people out there were saying. So I wrote and told him: Maybe you just need to think a bit more about this and reflect a bit. He didnt reply to her letter. I didnt expect him to I just thought he should know. As she listened to the Budget, her head bowed, a few feet behind Theresa Mays bingo bosom, she could foresee the political pitfalls of removing mobility cars and other facilities from the disabled. However, she regrets Iain Duncan Smiths resignation. They worked together closely and she was part of his campaign team when he was elected Tory leader. She says his departure as Work and Pensions Secretary is a great loss. The referendum debates hard its like playing in a sandpit. We all throw the sand around, but at the end of the day, weve got to put it back and get on with what weve got to do. Though shes firmly in the Leave camp, like many women MPs, she doesnt want to get involved in the campaign Im not sure that most women are pushy. But she massively admires Priti Patel, one of the most vocal Brexit advocates. And with that, we move on to her recent charity bungee jump over a pub car park in Redditch (Id always wanted to do one) and a funny encounter with the Duke of Edinburgh at an event at Buckingham Palace. Id had an accident at home and had a swollen ankle with a brace on it at the time. I told him Id fallen down the stairs. She says that he replied clearly joking that she had been drunk More water next time, dear! More water! Karen is refreshingly open and human. She jokes about having to use a cement mixer to mix her make-up (I wear loads and loads), adores TV dinners in front of Coronation Street, listens to Abba, David Essex and the Bay City Rollers and devours chick-lit books, particularly Jackie Collins. Does she ever read anything a bit, well, harder? Ive got Call Me Dave [the hard-hitting biography of Cameron by Lord Ashcroft and the Mails Isabel Oakeshott]. Lord Ashcroft gave me a copy and I keep intending to read it As for her own career, shes got no ambition to become a minister and alarmingly honest doesnt seem to have heard of spin. He wants classrooms to revert to old-school teacher-student relations One of Australia's most prestigious private schools has taken a step back from technology and banned laptops in class because they are 'distracting' students. Sydney Grammar School headmaster John Vallance described the billions of dollars being spent on equipping high school students with laptops as a 'scandalous waste of money'. He argued that grades are gradually dropping across the country despite the investment, according to The Australian. The headmaster has banned all students at the Darlinghurst boys school from bringing laptops to school and said all pupils must submit handwritten assignments until year 10. Sydney Grammar School headmaster John Vallance has said grades are gradually dropping across the country as billions of dollars are spent on equipping Australian schools technologically and the widespread use of laptops is a 'scanalous waste of money' Students at the prestigious Darlinghurst boys school must submit handwritten assignments until year 10 and laptops are banned for all year levels The headmaster said the return to old-school teaching was to increase teacher-student relationships as laptops are a distraction in the classroom. '(Teaching is) about interaction between people, about discussion, about conversation,' Dr Vallance said in the report. 'We find that having laptops or iPads in the classroom inhibit conversation it's distracting. 'If you're lucky enough to have a good teacher and a motivating group of classmates, it would seem a waste to introduce anything that's going to be a distraction from the benefits that kind of social context will give you.' Dr Vallance said multi-billion dollar investment by the federal government to provide laptops to high school students had done nothing but to benefit tech-giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Apple. 'I think when people come to write the history of this period in education this investment in classroom technology is going to be seen as a huge fraud.' Dr Vallance said the school studied classes for students in years three and five and found creative writing tasks were more successful with handwritten submissions, rather than using a keyboard. Dr Vallance said multi-billion dollar investment by the federal government to provide laptops to high school students had done nothing but to benefit tech-giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Apple Sydney Grammar offers access to computers through a lab and students are expected to use laptops at home. Families are charged $32,644 in annual tuition fees for each student to attend the prestigious Darlinghurst boys school. Sydney Grammar has an extensive list of famous and powerful alumni including current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, businessmen David Gonski and Westfield CEO Steve Lowy, late actor Bud Tingwell and poet Banjo Patterson. Advertisement An eerie ghost town; a crumbling relic; a warning for all of humanity if we allow exploitation of the environment to run unchecked: the decaying former mining city of Picher, Oklahoma, is all of the above, according to photographer and activist Seph Lawless, who shot it for his book The Prelude: The Deadliest City in America. Picher sprang up almost overnight in 1913 after a farmer found zinc and lead on his land, and it went on to produce $20billion of ore between the years of 1917 and 1947 alone. But that mining left buildings on the verge of collapse and groundwater contaminated. In 1996, a study revealed that 34% of the children there had lead poisoning. Ten years later the residents were told they must leave the town, and all but a handful did. One of those who remained was pharmacist Gary Linderman, who stayed to help people in the surrounding area and to keep the community's spirit alive. It was Linderman who invited Lawless to photograph the area. But the two would never meet. Scroll down for video Ghost town: Picher used to be a bustling lead-zinc mining city, but tunnels dug too close to the surface left the ground in danger of crumbling, and flooded tunnels lead to the groundwater being contaminated Remnants: The down was mostly evacuated in 2006, leaving just a few straggling groups who refused to move. In the years since, many of the remaining buildings have collapsed due to the elements Desolate: One of the few who did not leave the city was pharmacist Gary Linderman, who asked photographer and activist Seph Lawless to document what remained of his home. Linderman died before he arrived, though whether that was caused by contaminants is unknown Before Lawless could make it to what remained of the once thriving mining town, Linderman passed away. No autopsy was carried out and it's not known whether remaining in the area contributed to his death, but according to co.design, he was otherwise healthy. 'Gary knew the struggle for his town to recover was a daunting task, but he had no misconceptions about that either. He wanted to prove that if he stayed in that city that it meant the city still had a chance of survival,' Lawless told the website. Most of the city's buildings were destroyed in 2011, but Lawless nevertheless found former homes still littered with forgotten items: discarded clothing, unwanted televisions and decaying furniture. In many of the images, the ceilings of the rooms appear to have fallen in. But the buildings weren't the only things in danger of collapsing: the very ground underneath Lawless's feet was treacherous and potentially deadly. Riddled with century-old tunnels dug dangerously close to the surface, the photographer was always just one wrong step away from injury - or worse. 'At one point my foot went through the ground and I fell to the ground thinking I was going to cave in and die,' he told co.design. 'In complete astonishment of the situation, I found myself photographing the hole where my foot went in, realizing later just how chilling that moment really was for me.' Collection: Photographs of Picher are collected in Lawless's book, The Prelude: The Deadliest City in America (cover pictured). Lawless says the collection is intended to show how rampant exploitation of the environment endangers humanity's future Home no more: What once were the homes of the city's townsfolk are now just crumbling skeletons and decaying shells Demolished: Much of the city was demolished in 2011, although a few homes and old storefronts remain standing for the curious traveler While the photographs are beautiful in a bleak way, Lawless sees the photographs as more than just a travelogue of a nearly forgotten place. The description of The Prelude on his website calls Picher 'a constant reminder of what happens when mankind doesnt respect nature and the environment' - a cautionary tale that Lawless wants to retell for a wider audience than the few who would drive across Oklahoma to see its dilapidated buildings, and the tall piles of chat, the discarded fragments of unwanted rock left by the lead-zinc mining process. 'This is America,' he said on his site. 'Geographically and in spirit this is the heart of America. The same thing that built this city in 1947 would ultimately destroy it years later and its imperative people, not only know that, but see it. 'I knew if I portrayed the images creatively enough they could have a very deep impact on the viewer.' Dangerous ground: Exploring the abandoned city is dangerous, as the ground could collapse at any moment - the result of miners tunneling too close to the surface Decay: Discarded clothes and other items are seen piled up in decaying old buildings and outhouses Road to nowhere: Once, roads like these would have carried trucks that transported billions of dollars of lead and zinc to the rest of the US. Now they lie dormant Lawless calls himself an 'artivist' - a combination of artist and activist - and says this is the latest part of an ongoing project, which began in 2005, called 'Autopsy of America.' Speaking to ABC News about an earlier collection focusing on abandoned shopping malls, he said: 'I wanted Americans to see what was happening to their country from the comfort of their suburban homes and smart phones. 'Most Americans never read a book after they graduate high school, so I came out with a photo book.' Lawless is active on social media, which he uses to keep his followers up to date with new images. At present, he offers his work up on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Remains: A few small households stayed put, despite the government's order to evacuate, and its offers to pay for the land they owned Left behind: The pieces of lives long gone remain strewn around the few standing uninhabited homes A former US spy chief weighed into the Brexit debate last night with a damning assessment of the damage done to security by EU privacy rules. Michael Hayden, a retired four star US Air Force general and former director of both the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, said privacy law made in Brussels gets in the way of national spy agencies across the continent. He said EU decisions were made at the expense of security in member states. General Hayden endorsed the view of ex-MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, who this week said Britain could be safer out because it would be easier to deport terrorists and control our borders. Michael Hayden, a retired four star US Air Force general and former director of both the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, said privacy law made in Brussels gets in the way of national spy agencies across the continent He told the Today programme on Radio 4: Sir Richard is right. He added: The union is not a natural contributor to national security of each of the entity states and in some ways gets in the way of the state providing security for its own citizens. He also said a vote for Brexit would have little impact on Americas willingness to work with the UK or other European intelligence agencies. I dont know if the European Union contributes a great deal to espionage, he told Sky News. At the union level, they talk about commerce and privacy. But to keep citizens safe, that remains a responsibility back in national capitals. And right now, because of some of the positions the Euro institutions have taken on surveillance and privacy, the capitals are finding it more difficult to provide for their own citizens safety. So, to a degree, Brussels keeps pushing these activities at the expense of security to that degree I can understand why Sir Richard is saying what hes saying. Sir Richard Dearlove had said Brexit would make it easier to deport terrorists and control our borders. He added that Europe could not turn its back on Britain if it left the EU because our intelligence services, such as GCHQ, MI5 and MI6, give much more than they get in return. Washington was a more important counter-terror ally, he said. Sir Richard Dearlove had said Brexit would make it easier to deport terrorists and control our borders US Secretary of State John Kerry also expressed frustration over the lack of intelligence-sharing in Europe Sir Richard, who was chief of the Secret Intelligence Service from 1999 to 2004, wrote in the magazine Prospect: Whether one is an enthusiastic European or not, the truth about Brexit from a national security perspective is that the cost to Britain would be low. Brexit would bring two potentially important security gains: the ability to dump the European Convention on Human Rights remember the difficulty of extraditing the extremist Abu Hamza of the Finsbury Park Mosque and, more importantly, greater control over immigration from the EU. He added: Britain is Europes leader in intelligence and security matters and gives much more than it gets in return. He concludes: Would Brexit damage our defence and intelligence relationship with the United States, which outweighs anything European by many factors of 10? I conclude confidently that no, it would not. Sir Richard likened the EUs various intelligence bodies to the leakiest ships of state and colanders riddled with holes. General Hayden also said the capabilities of the EU states intelligence agencies were very uneven and described the Belgian security services small, under-resourced and legally limited. He said France and Britain have very good services, aggressive services. The European agencies co-operated more with the US than their counterparts on the continent, he said. US Secretary of State John Kerry also expressed frustration over the lack of intelligence-sharing in Europe. Visiting Brussels he said: As a whole, Europe needs to move information more effectively. However, a former head of Britains Joint Intelligence Committee, Sir Jon Day said in comments released by the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign group: The argument being made that the national security cost of leaving the EU would be low, both to our interests in Europe and our relationship with the US, is muddled and wrong. Teenagers are using cannabis to come down from the legal high of drinking up to ten energy drinks a day Teenagers are using cannabis to come down from the legal high of drinking up to ten energy drinks a day, a charity has warned. Pupils as young as 14 are caught in a cycle of taking drugs or alcohol after school to counter-balance feeling hyper and being unable to sleep. According to substance abuse charity Swanswell, this is because they knock back high-caffeine drinks throughout the day bought from corner shops and supermarkets on the way to and from school. As well as causing health risks, pupils growing reliance on caffeine is fuelling bad behaviour in the classroom. A poll carried out by the UKs largest teaching union NASUWT found that more than one in ten teachers 13 per cent cited energy drinks as the main contributor to poor behaviour they had witnessed at school. Yesterday a spokesman for Swanswell said the Government should commission independent research into the long-term health effects of energy drinks amid teachers fears about their hidden harm. Along with the NASUWT union, the charity has called for national guidelines on recommended caffeine consumption levels for children. The UK Food Standards Agency has not issued a recommended daily allowance of how much caffeine adults can safely consume. A 500ml bottle of cola has almost 40mg of caffeine whereas an energy drink has about 160mg, four times as much. According to legislation applied from December 2014, drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre must have a label stating high caffeine content and not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women. However, children are still able to buy these high-caffeine drinks, as there is currently no UK law to stop them. A headteacher said he was shocked by how many energy drink cans turn up in playground bins A headteacher told Swanswell he was shocked by how many of these cans turn up in the bins in the playground, while another school leader warned that pupils are crashing in the afternoon. The charity has reported helping 14-year-old drug users who are drinking up to five cans of energy drinks a day, with older teenage cannabis users drinking as many as ten. Debbie Bannigan, chief executive of Swanswell, said official guidance on caffeine consumption for children is vitally needed. She added: Affordable and available to most children, energy drinks can affect performance at school and lead to risky behaviour. Weve even seen examples in our service of children taking cannabis to offset caffeine. Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, claimed that children are becoming hyperactive in lessons from these readily available legal highs, adding: Teachers have registered concerns about the contribution of these high-energy drinks to poor pupil behaviour. Young people and parents are often not aware of the very high levels of stimulants that these drinks contain. n Around one in five teachers is increasingly turning to alcohol in order to cope with the stress of their job, according to research. The money should be passed on to the customer, in HMRC's own rules Major retailers are still operating a VAT rip-off in airports and demanding customers show their boarding passes at the checkout despite being ordered to stop. Some of Britains best-known stores including WHSmith and Dixons are milking their margins by continuing to ask to see passengers travel documents when they purchase something in the airport terminal. This allows them to claim millions in tax refunds which should be passed on to the customer. Rules set by HM Revenue & Customs state that stores need not charge VAT on passengers who are flying to destinations outside the EU. So they are allowed to scan a customers boarding card to prove where they are flying and claim back the cash. Some of Britains best-known stores including WHSmith and Dixons are milking their margins by continuing to ask to see passengers travel documents when they purchase something in the airport terminal But instead of passing on this discount, they charge the same prices as on the high street and bump up their profits by pocketing the 20 per cent tax savings. Although the scam is not illegal, the Treasury ordered companies to stop it after it was exposed last August. But a survey of airports by the Daily Mail found that it is still widespread. Many shops have stopped asking to see boarding passes, but continue to charge customers the same price even though they could qualify for a VAT-free purchase. And others are passing on the generous 20 per cent discount, causing huge confusion for travellers. The Mails probe found that WHSmith and Dixons Travel continued to ask for travel documents and charge the same prices. Both say they use the VAT savings to lower prices across their range. Boots has stopped asking to see boarding passes following last years backlash but has not lowered prices and is not passing on discounts. The disclosures have been met with anger by passengers and consumer groups. Deirdre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound, the British tour operators association, said: I would be really concerned if that still is the case. The perception is that the UK is an expensive destination and this doesnt help. The Mail visited five airports across the country and found a confusing and contradictory picture. While Boots had stopped asking to see boarding passes, some branches of Dixons Travel and WHSmith self-service tills still requested the documents, allowing the companies to claim back 20 per cent on every item sold to someone leaving the EU. But they are charging the same price as on the high street, meaning shoppers are missing out on lower prices. For example, at WHSmith at Birmingham airport a 45g Cadbury Dairy Milk bar was 92p. With the VAT discount, it would have been 77p. At Dixons, passengers are missing out on even greater savings. A US travel adaptor is 4.92. Dixons can use the information on boarding passes to claim back more than 80p on each item sold to non-EU passengers. A bottle of Nivea 200ml Protect and Moisture sun cream was 8.50 at Boots at Birmingham airport and Heathrow the same price as on the high street. Under Government rules, Boots is entitled to claim back 20 per cent VAT 1.42 on every bottle they sell to passengers leaving the EU. HOW PASSENGERS ACROSS BRITAIN ARE GETTING FLEECED Daily Mail reporter Katie Strick at London's Heathrow airport after purchasing goods in the terminal MANCHESTER: Customers at the airport were told they could claim VAT back themselves but an information counter had run out of forms needed to do it. Edward Reid, 32, from Huddersfield, who was travelling to Turkey with his girlfriend Ella, 24, said: They seem to be putting the onus on the customer to make the refund claim which is not on really. If they benefit they should be the ones who pass it on to their customers. In my book it amounts to theft. I think the legislation should be tougher. GATWICK: Staff at WHSmith admitted they were confused and did not really understand the VAT system. At one branch of Dixons, the Daily Mails reporter was asked to show her boarding pass. But she was not asked at another branch in the airport less than 100ft away. The price was the same at both. A Dixons sales assistant said: You are paying tax, but we claim that back and then distribute it back. Its a weird way of doing it but thats the way it works. HEATHROW: At Londons main airport, the sales assistant at WHSmith asked to see a boarding pass and then claimed it was needed for marketing. Simon Lloyd, 41, a wine merchant from Edinburgh flying to Botswana, said: If they really are pocketing the difference then thats not good. EDINBURGH: A shop assistant at Dixons said it was company policy to scan boarding passes or enter the customers destination. One passenger travelling to Paris, who did not want to be named, said: If the shops are getting to save on tax then we should too. Advertisement However, a ladies wash bag at Cath Kidston was 10 at Heathrow on production of a boarding pass, compared to 12 on the high street. At Kurt Geiger at Edinburgh airport, a pair of Carvela heels were priced at 83.33, with a tag saying the price including tax would be 100. The Government has promised an extensive review which would look at both VAT relief along with other airport shopping taxes. One option for a fairer deal would be to give anyone who is flying to a destination outside Europe an added discount at the checkout. But WHSmith has said it would be too difficult to deduct VAT from items bought by these passengers. A spokesman for Dixons said: At Dixons Travel we do ask customers to show their boarding pass when making a purchase, but this is only on request and is not mandatory. We have re-issued existing guidance to all our colleagues confirming this as our clear process. A WHSmith spokesman said: Over half our sales at airports are zero rated for VAT so attract no VAT. The limited benefit that we obtain in our other product categories, where customers travel outside of the EU only, is reflected in our single pricing policy for all customers, which overall provides better value. Boots said: We always listen to our customers and rather than offering different price points to some customers travelling outside the EU, we want all customers to benefit from consistently low prices. The three-year-old daughter of a teenage Bulgarian pickpocket should have a new life in Britain rather than be sent back to her mothers country, a High Court judge has ruled. She will be adopted by a Christian couple in London who have looked after her since she was eight months old. The decision by Mr Justice Peter Jackson overruled the wishes of Bulgarian officials, who said the girl should be returned to her birth familys country. But the judge said it would be unthinkable to take her from her new parents and send her somewhere she does not understand the language. The three-year-old daughter of a teenage Bulgarian pickpocket should have a new life in Britain rather than be sent back to her mothers country, a High Court (pictured) judge has ruled He said the girl had been abandoned by her mother a few months after birth, and that her wider family were a criminal gang who could not look after her. What the girl needs is a family that works, Mr Justice Jackson said. Happily, she found that and it would be unthinkable to remove her. The girls adoption is the latest High Court case in which a judge has ordered that the child of an Eastern European mother should be looked after by a family in Britain. Earlier this month the phenomenon was disclosed by Mr Justice Baker, who ruled on the requests of two mothers who wanted their children brought up in the UK in the hope of giving them a better life. Details of the Bulgarian case were revealed in High Court papers published this week. The girl, members of her birth family, and her adoptive parents may not be named, the judge ruled. Mr Justice Jackson said the baby was born in November 2012 to a mother who was 16. She was born into a family that engages in criminal activity and she, herself, cannot have had much of an upbringing, he said. The teenager had been in police protection in Bulgaria, but absconded while pregnant to come to England with other family members. The suspicion is that she was sent as part of a pickpocketing gang, the judge said. It is unthinkable for her to be separated from the couple she knows as her parents and their older children, who she knows as her brothers Mr Justice Peter Jackson The mother proved incapable of looking after her daughter, leaving her here when she departed the UK in June 2013. A few weeks later, the girl went to live with the family who are to adopt her. British social workers last succeeded in speaking to the mother on the phone two years ago. However she was rediscovered by Bulgarian local authorities in November after returning home via the Netherlands. Child protection workers in the country said she had no feelings of affection for her daughter and considered the conversation about her an inconvenience. The Social Security Agency in Sofia said that if returned to her mothers country the girl would go to foster parents or a childrens home. Yet an official told the court: The priority is to return her to her country of origin. Mr Justice Jackson said: I say return but in reality it would be sent. Adding that it was overwhelmingly unlikely that she could be raised by anyone from her family in Bulgaria, the judge said: She has been brought up in London. She has no experience of life in Bulgaria. She could not understand what reason there would be for removing her from her home. She could not understand what people said to her there would be no explanation and no way of conveying any explanation. The judge said the girls new parents have had anything but a one-country existence, having originally come from a place which has been through widely publicised difficulties. Candidates applying for jobs can suffer ageism simply by promoting characteristics associated with older people, according to new research. Psychologists from the University of Kent have found that people are more likely to select candidates who are described with characteristics stereotypical of younger people. The participants in the study, led by Professor Dominic Abrams of the university's school of psychology, were more likely to choose those with 'young' personality descriptions such as creative and IT literate rather than those with 'older' descriptions such as careful and considerate. Candidates applying for jobs can suffer ageism simply by promoting characteristics associated with older people, according to new research They were asked to select the candidate they felt would help maximise profits. A university spokesman said: 'Participants were told about two equally qualified job candidates, whose strengths had been rated as equal by an independent set of judges, but whose age was not given. 'One candidate was described as having strengths that matched the 'younger' stereotype -- being good at using IT, creative, good at learning new skills. 'The other candidate was described as having strengths that matched the 'old' stereotype - being good at understanding others' views, settling arguments, and being careful. Psychologists from the University of Kent have found that people are more likely to select candidates who are described with characteristics stereotypical of younger people 'The researchers found that participants consistently favoured the young profile. In fact, regardless of whether the job was for a long or short term, and whether it was for a supervisor or supervisee role, over 70 per cent of participants preferred the young profile. 'Things only evened when participants were told that both candidates would be working for them but that they had to choose which should be the subordinate. In that case, 50 per cent chose the '"old" profile to be subordinate. 'The findings show that people's unacknowledged assumptions about age and age-related capability can affect the way they view someone's employability. brand range between $3 - $6 cheaper than the NZ counterpart Major Australian supermarkets are selling cut-price cigarettes imported from Ukraine in a move which has been slammed by anti-smoking advocates. Packaging from Imperial Tobacco cigarettes - sold in Australian supermarkets Coles, IGA and Foodworks reveals brands shipped from the Ukraine are significantly cheaper than competitive products. Anti-smoking group Quit have deemed the price difference 'reprehensible' and said it's an effort to get people living in socioeconomic areas hooked on tobacco, reports Sydney Morning Herald. The Ukrainian brand of 'Peter Stuyvesant Originals Blue' range between $3 and $6 cheaper than their counterparts, made in New Zealand (pictured) 'The cigarette companies are not doing this make money, they're doing this to keep people hooked on their toxic product,' said Quit Victoria director Dr Sarah White. The Ukrainian brand of 'Peter Stuyvesant Originals Blue' range between $3 and $6 cheaper than their counterparts, made in New Zealand, 'Any measure that is trying to make cigarettes cheaper for people to keep them hooked on an addictive product that kills two out three long-term smokers is reprehensible.' The federal department of health said they enforce one of the highest rates of tax on cigarettes in the world, but this does not apply to companies who legitimately imported tobacco products. Anti-smoking group said the price difference is an effort to get more of the public hooked on tobacco The federal department of health is unable to enforce Australia's high cigarette tax on legitimately imported tobacco products 'We strongly suspect that there is manipulation of prices particularly in areas where people cannot afford premium price packs and there are studies that show there are prices lower around schools.' An Imperial spokesperson said the Ukrainian product was an extension of its New Zealand equivalent, denying they had changed the country of import to provide cut-rate cigarettes. James Austin Hancock, 15, who allegedly shot his two classmates in February of this year, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder A 15-year-old boy accused of shooting and wounding two students in an Ohio school cafeteria has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted murder. James Austin Hancock's attorney entered the not-guilty plea Friday in Butler County Juvenile Court. The teen is charged in the February 29 shooting at a Madison Local Schools campus near Middletown, Ohio. He was indicted Wednesday as a juvenile under a serious youthful offender classification on counts of attempted murder, felonious assault and inducing panic. Cameron Smith, 15 at the time, and Cooper Caffrey, 14 at the time, were taken to Miami Valley Hospital after they were shot. Dr Peter Ekeh, the hospital's trauma director, said one was shot just one time and the other was shot multiple times. Neither needed surgery, according to WCPO 9. Brant Murray and Katherine Doucette, two other students, both 14 at the time, were injured by flying shrapnel while trying dodge the attack, authorities said. Cameron Smith, 15 at the time, and Cooper Caffrey, 14 at the time were shot in the Madison Junior/Senior High School cafeteria Hancock's attorney declined to comment Friday. Hancock was 14 at the time of the shooting. Hancock will remain in juvenile detention awaiting an April 5 pretrial hearing. Authorities have said that they have an idea of what Hancock's motive was but wouldn't announce it publicly. A former Afghan military interpreter has been granted asylum in a major victory for a Daily Mail campaign. The 31-year-old, who worked with UK and other coalition forces on the front line against the Taliban for seven years, was this week told he could stay. Only last April, immigration officials attempted to put him on a plane to Afghanistan. Last night Lewis Kett, a lawyer from Duncan Lewis Solicitors, said the Home Office is reviewing its controversial policy of returning Afghan military interpreters to their home country. A former Afghan military interpreter (not pictured) who worked with UK and other coalition forces on the front line against the Taliban has been granted asylum in a major victory for a Daily Mail campaign The successful case will raise hopes that others in the UK will be granted sanctuary. Currently officials say interpreters can be sent back to 'safe' areas such as Kabul despite attempts by the Taliban to assassinate those who worked for the coalition. Last summer a ban was placed on all forced returns to Afghanistan but the Court of Appeal overturned it. Nearly 180,000 people have backed the Mail's campaign Betrayal of the Brave to grant Afghan interpreters asylum in Britain. The man involved in the case is not being named. He said he and his family received numerous written and telephone threats from the Taliban. When allied forces began to leave Afghanistan in 2014 he fled to the UK to claim asylum, arriving in December that year. He was detained and his claim was refused, before officials tried to put him on a chartered return flight in April last year. 'I was given a ticket for that flight by the Home Office and was absolutely terrified,' he told the Guardian. He was saved by a last-minute court hearing. 'I am so happy about this decision,' he added. 'The work I did for the allied forces was very dangerous. I saw so many dead bodies and what I saw has deeply affected me. 'My life was at risk the Taliban would target me if the UK had sent me back to Afghanistan. I hope that my case will help other interpreters who are in the same situation I was in.' When allied forces began to leave Afghanistan in 2014, the interpreter fled to claim asylum (file picture) Fresh evidence presented in the man's case set out the dangers to interpreters even in the Afghan capital. Mr Kett told the Guardian: 'These interpreters put their lives on the line to assist British, American and other Western forces in their efforts to stabilise the country and our evidence clearly suggests they are now being tracked down, and tortured or killed. 'Their role has a particularly symbolic value to the Taliban, given they acted essentially as the face and voice for Western forces, and marked them out in the eyes of the Taliban as traitors to their country and as a priority target.' He added: 'At the court hearing in January, a Home Office official explained that the policy team had been considering their position in general on Afghan interpreters... they wanted to review their policy... in light of the substantial body of new evidence we had provided to them.' Senior military figures and politicians have backed the Mail's campaign. Ten interpreters facing death threats from the Taliban are on their way to Britain after desperately fleeing Afghanistan and paying people smugglers, At least another five are believed to be stuck at Calais trying to get to the UK. Pierre Haobsh, 27, has been arrested in the horrific triple murders of a Santa Barbara couple and their five-year-old daughter A San Diego man has been arrested in the horrific triple murders of a couple and their five-year-old daughter that sent shock waves through their Santa Barbara community. Pierre Haobsh, 27, was charged for the deaths of Dr Weidong 'Henry' Han, 57, his wife Huijie 'Jennie' Yu, 29, and their daughter Emily Han. Police said Haobsh was recently involved in a business deal with Han and it is believed financial gain may have been a motive for the murders. Haobsh was taken into custody at gunpoint in his Oceanside home on Friday. He was found with a loaded 9mm handgun and property belonging to one of the victims was found inside his car, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. A welfare check was called on the family after two of Han's business associates went to his home after he failed to show up to a meeting, which they said was highly uncharacteristic of him. The associates called police after they found that the front door ajar and the family's cars still parked outside their multi-million dollar seven acre home in the outskirts of Santa Barbara. Police found that the family had been shot to death on Thursday. 'The bodies were all wrapped in plastic,' Brown told KEYT. 'They had been duct-taped over the plastic wrap and they were all in the garage of the residence.' 'This was a diabolical, premeditated crime. One of the most odious that I have ever been involved with, or that this agency has ever investigated.' Haobsh, 27, was charged for the deaths of Dr Weidong 'Henry' Han (right), 57, his wife Huijie 'Jennie' Yu, 29 and their daughter Emily Han (pictured together left) Emily was a kindergartner at Foothill Elementary School. Her sixth birthday party was supposed to be Saturday A welfare check was called on the family after two of Han's business associates went to his home (pictured) after he failed to show up to a meeting, which they said was highly uncharacteristic of him Authorities did not elaborate on what led them to Haobsh - who lives more than 170 miles away from the family's home. Brown said the 'complex' investigation is far from over. The killings have shocked the community where Han, who had owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991, was a popular figure. Emily was a kindergartner at Foothill Elementary School. Her sixth birthday party was supposed to be Saturday, one of Han's patients told the Los Angeles Times. The clinic's website says he practiced traditional Chinese medicine, including herbal treatments and acupuncture, as he was born into a family of doctors. According to a biography on his website, Han founded the clinic in 1991 and creates individualized herbal formulas for each of his patients that are prepared at the on-site pharmacy. Han graduated in 1982 from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine and completed his residency program in internal medicine at Beijing Dong Zhi Men's Hospital. The killings have shocked the community where Han, who had owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991, was a popular figure Police said all three members of the family had been shot to death, their bodies then wrapped in plastic He co-authored the book Ancient Herbs, Modern Medicine and was working on a volume about how to integrate Chinese and Western medicine. 'Not only is he going to be missed by me personally and professionally but this community is going to miss him incredibly. He was the man,' said Dr. Glenn Miller, a co-author of the book and a close friend. 'Patients we share would talk about how in the true sense of the word he was a healer, in that he would listen to the wholeness of his patients.' A somber recording on the clinic's voicemail said the facility was closed Friday, but people would be there to greet those who wanted to express their condolences. 'Our doors will be open for you to honor, pay respects and celebrate the lives of Dr. Henry Han, his wife Jenni and daughter Emily. They truly were special,' the recording said. Patients were seen at the clinic on Friday carrying bouquets of flowers and handwritten notes, a makeshift memorial for the family that touched - and healed - so many lives. Guilty: Kearney Day, now 22, pleaded guilty to a charge of having an improper relationship with a student, having engaged in a relationship with a 16-year-old girl while working at her school in 2014 A 22-year-old former teacher's aide in Allen, a suburb of Dallas, pleaded guilty this week to a second-degree felony charge of having an improper relationship with a 16-year-old female student in 2014. Kearney Day was 20 and working at Allen High School when she began a relationship with the unnamed student there. Ultimately, the student told police, they ended up having sex 'multiple times' while her parents were out on Valentine's Day. She also told authorities she considered Day to be her girlfriend, The Dallas Morning News reported. The allegations came to light in April 2014, when the girl told her principal about the relationship. Day was fired soon after, on April 4. The girl said that the relationship began in January that year, and that the two would communicate using the chat app Kik. One Kik message from Day later retrieved by police read 'Mm I want you,' the paper reported in 2014. Another read 'Im about to lose my goddamn job over this... Keep your mouth shut about me. So much for being able to trust you to in the beginning idek [sic] if ill [sic] be able to talk to you in the hallway now cause someones spying on my [expletive].' The student also showed school officials an image of Day in her bed that she said was taken on a Valentine's Day sleepover. However, according to the 2014 affidavit, when initially questioned by police, 'She stated that if something sexual had taken place that she would not tell police about it because she would not "ruin Days life."' Day told police that she sent the Kik messages, but denied having sex with the student, saying she had only hugged the girl and given her a 'back rub.' But on May 8, 2014, the girl spoke to police again and said that she hadn't told all the details before because she thought she loved Day, but now wanted to put it all behind her. She then said they had sex 'multiple times' during their Valentine's Day sleep-over. Day was arrested on May 9, 2014 and released on $10,000 bond after after agreeing not to have any contact whatsoever with either the student or anyone else under the age of 17. She was scheduled to start trial on Monday, but took the prosecutors' plea agreement. She was given four years' probation, a $500 fine and 120 hours of community service. She is also forbidden from having unsupervised contact with children, according to the court docket. In exchange for her guilty plea, prosecutors dropped eight other counts, including charges of sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child with sexual contact. New York City is looking to up its number of vapor dogs in order to prevent an attack from ISIS on its subway system - the largest in the country - like the one that killed at least 34 people in Brussels. Authorities have used sniffer dogs to pick up the scent of explosives and drugs in crowded areas for years. But because ISIS extremists use small devices in crowded areas, as seen in the Brussels attack, New York City is looking to use the dogs to defend its 400 subway stations used by millions of riders. And a dog's nose is better equipped for detecting illegal devices and substances than any man-made tool so far. Vapor dogs, who can sniff out explosive devices as the are carried on a human, are being deployed in the U.S. Only one of these dogs is being used in Europe. The vapor dogs are considered the latest tool to combat terrorism 'They outperform both men and machines,' James Waters, chief of the New York City Police Department's counterterrorism unit, told CBS News. This week, Waters' counterterroism unit graduated its latest squad of dogs capable of following the vapor from explosives such as the terrorist bomb-making material of the moment, TATP, according to CBS. Vapor dogs on their way to being one of the strongest tools in an arsenal to defend against terrorism, the issue is there aren't enough dogs to deploy everywhere they're needed. About 130 dogs have received the patented training nationwide since it was developed nearly ten years ago. And with Europe on high alert since Brussels the EU needs more than the lone dog it currently has trained. It costs $49,000 and 15 months to train a vapor dog. After one year the dogs must be retrained to keep up with the changing tactics of terrorists It's unclear how many of these dogs are patrolling New York City's subway system - the largest in the country - due to security reasons. There are already 100 traditional bomb detecting dogs used in the city as a part of New York's counterterrorism efforts. The dogs who graduated this week underwent 15 months of rigorous training to sniff out explosive particles in the body heat left by humans as they walk through a crowd. They then were taught how to follow the scent to the source. Traditional bomb-sniffing dogs are only trained to smell a stationary object. It isn't cheap to train the dogs - $49,000 per canine. And after a year the dogs are retrained to account possible new tactics. "The threat is changing and these animals are really at the forefront of detection," Paul Hammond of AMK9, the security firm that works with Auburn to train the animals, told CBS News. She now plans to pursue legal action against the organization Caride said the controversy had left her unable to eat or sleep for days after revealing during an interview that she did not like having her picture taken Puerto Rico's former 2016 Miss Universe contestant has revealed she was briefly admitted to a psychiatric hospital after she was stripped of her crown. Kristhielee Caride, 24, shocked competition officials when she told a Puerto Rican newspaper: 'I just do not like cameras Caride, who was publicly slammed by pageant officials and quickly replaced, has revealed that the situation left her unable to eat or sleep for days. Puerto Rico's former 2016 Miss Universe Kristhielee Caride, 24, has revealed she was briefly admitted to a psychiatric hospital after she was stripped of her crown Caride, 24, shocked competition officials and was quickly replaced when she told a Puerto Rican newspaper: 'I just do not like cameras' 'This situation hit me very hard', Caride told Univision. 'I can tell you I got some help because a dark depression came over me.' Desiree Lowry, the national director of Miss Universe Puerto Rico, said Caride told pageant officials that she was having a personal problem and that the incident would not happen again, but said the beauty queen never apologized for the interview. 'Miss Puerto Rico is a public figure and part of your job is to be in front of the camera', Lowry said during a press conference to announce that Caride would lose her title. 'You always have to put your best face forward. It's a given that we are going to be in front of cameras and that we have to answer all types of questions.' Lowry also claimed Caride, who won the crown four months ago, canceled public appearances because of a doctor's appointment she said she could not reschedule. 'I saw the damage that she was doing and the damage that she was doing to the organization,' Lowry said before presenting first runner-up Brenda Jimenez as Puerto Rico's new Miss Universe contestant. Caride, who was publicly slammed by pageant officials, has revealed that the situation left her unable to eat or sleep for days - and that she now plans to pursue legal action against the organization Caride, who was representing the municipality of Isabel, said she has gotten her depression 'under control' and now plans to sue the organization that turned on her. '(I feel) betrayed by the organization because there was never a moment that I disrespected them,' she told Univision. 'There wasn't a reason for them to do what they did to me.' First runner-up Brenda Jimenez was named Puerto Rico's new Miss Universe contestant Brenda Santiago, Caride's mother, said they will bring their 'truth' to Puerto Rico. Earlier this week Santiago shared on Facebook that her daughter's emotional health was her priority. 'If my children fall, the world crumbles for me,' she wrote. Caride apologized to her fans in a Facebook note earlier this month and revealed she had been having personal problems in the day leading up to the interview. 'Beauty queens are not exempt from having a bad day,' she wrote in Spanish. 'I allowed my feelings to get in the way of my work.' 'It is human to err, it is also courageous to recognize our errors and I want to continue being an example of a real woman with purpose that maintains their head held high before all adversity that happens in life.' Caride wrote that she did not agree with the organization's decision but said she accepted it 'with dignity'. 'I will always remember that night of November 12,' she wrote. 'When I won the title, and all the experiences and lovely memories of having been Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2016.' Caride was crowned in her second attempt, after finishing in the top 16 while representing Dorado in the Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2014 pageant. He visited her home a dozen times and 'spoke kindly,' her grandma said Her uncle said he was a 'family Shaylyn Ammerman (pictured), 14 months old, was found dead near a river in Indiana after vanishing from her father's home. Police are talking to family friend Kyle Parker, 22, in connection with her death Kyle Parker, the Indiana man being held in connection with the death of 14-month-old Shaylyn Ammerman, was a 'family acquaintance' who visited her home a dozen times and used to play with the child, Fox 59 reported Friday. Shaylyn's uncle, Adam, said: 'He knew Shaylyn, he's played with her, he's taken care of her. He rocked her to sleep.' He added: 'I knew Kyle through a friend of a friend and he was supposed to be one good friend, and then he turned around and does this to our family, and all I can say right now is I hope he burns in Hell.' Parker, 22, described by Adam Ammerman as a 'family acquaintance,' was arrested on Thursday evening after Shaylyn's body the White River, around nine miles from her home. She had previously been seen alive at midnight on Tuesday evening, when her grandmother checked on her as she slept in her cot. The child, who had earlier been put to bed by her father, Justin Ammerman, had disappeared by the following morning. Parker, who is refusing to speak with police but has not been formally charged, was said to have visited the family home around a dozen times by Shaylyn's grandmother, Tamera Morgan. 'He talked so kindly,' Morgan told USA Today. 'He played with Shaylyn.' Owen County Sheriff Leonard Sam Hobbs said Friday that there are still many unanswered questions in the case. Scroll down for video Angry: Shaylyn's uncle, Adam Ammerman (pictured), was friends with Parker. He told reporters that he hoped the man would 'burn in Hell.' Parker has not been formally charged, and police say the investigation is ongoing Kyle Parker, (pictured) 22, was arrested on Thursday evening after Shaylyn's body was found near the White River, around nine miles from her home. He is reportedly refusing to talk to police Shaylyn's grandmother, Tamera Morgan (pictured, with Shaylyn), says that Parker had visited the home around a dozen times, and that he 'talked kindly' and played with the toddler Parker was faces possible charges of obstruction of justice, failure to report a dead body and unlawful disposition of a dead body. Parker was at the girl's father's home on Tuesday evening, Mr Ammerman told ABC 6. Parker, who 'likes' an array of marijuana smoking groups on Facebook and is friends with Shaylyn's uncle, Adam Ammerman. Police say Justin Ammerman is still a person of interest and have not ruled further arrests as the investigation continues. The girl's father, who was subject to a police polygraph test earlier on Thursday, has denied claims he was having a party on the night of his daughter's apparent abduction. But family members told the Herald-Times that Shaylyn's father, uncle, grandfather and a family friend - believed to be Parker - were up late drinking whiskey and watching television. The gathering wound down at about 2am when the friend is said to have left the family home. Justin Ammerman said the family went into 'panic mode' when they realized Shaylyn was missing the next morning. The father was subjected to a lie detector test by police earlier on Thursday as cops interviewed up to 10 people of interest. It is not know whether he passed or failed the test and no accusations have been made against him. Shaylyn Ammerman (pictured left with father Justin) was last seen just before midnight on Tuesday evening. Her mom, Jessica Stewart (right, with Shaylyn) said her former partner knew more than he was letting on Ms Stewart confirmed her daughter had been found dead in a heartbreaking Facebook post Thursday evening Mr Ammerson put his daughter to bed last night, with his mother - with whom he lives - the last person known to have seen the 14-month-old alive Shaylyn's mother, Jessica Stewart, confirmed her daughter had been found dead in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Thursday evening. 'My babygirl Shaylyn is gone. They found her body tonight,' she wrote. Ms Stewart and Mr Ammerson shared custody of Shaylyn, who was spending the week with her father when she disappeared. Mr Ammerson put his daughter to bed last night, with his mother - with whom he lives - the last person known to have seen the girl alive. Ms Stewart earlier said her former partner knew more than he was letting on, saying she believed her daughter had been abducted. 'I don't know if he had anything to do with it but I think he knows something at the very least that he is afraid to say,' she told WTHR. However Tamera Morgan, Shaylyn's grandmother, defended her son. 'He has nothing to do with her disappearance other than he is the father. He put her to sleep like anyone else would,' she said. Anyone with information is urged to call Indiana State Police on (812) 332-4411. The American wife of an Air Force colonel has been confirmed among the 34 people killed during the terror attack in Belgium this week. The woman, whose name was not revealed, died during a triple suicide bombing in Brussels at Zaventem Airport and a train station in the neighborhood of Molenbeek, sources told Fox News. It was not immediately clear whether the woman was at the airport or the train station. She is one of two Americans believed to have been killed in the attacks. The news comes after the family of Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski, siblings who were from Holland but had been living in New York, confirmed they were also killed during the bombing. Scroll down for video The American wife of an Air Force colonel has been confirmed as one of at least two Americans killed during the Brussels terror attack this week (file image, a body is carried from Molenbeek metro station) The woman has not been identified, and it is not known whether she died during a double suicide bombing at Zaventem Airport (pictured) or during a later attack at a station in Molenbeek The siblings were on the phone to their mother in Holland from Zaventem Airport when the first explosions were heard and the line went dead. Relatives had been preparing for the worst after a list of survivors' names was released, and neither of their names appeared. On Friday the family released a statement saying: 'We received confirmation this morning from Belgian authorities and the Dutch Embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha. 'We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the loving support, thoughts and prayers from all.' Earlier Friday, U.S. officials said that two Americans had been confirmed dead, but did not reveal their identities. An official told ABC News that the victims were the spouses of 'official' U.S. personnel. Among the other Americans that remain missing after the attacks are married couple Justin and Stephanie Shults from Kentucky, who were working as accountants in Belgium. James Cain, the former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark whose daughter Cameron was engaged to Alexander Pinczowski, released a statement on behalf of the family on Friday. 'We received confirmation this morning from Belgian Authorities and the Dutch Embassy of the positive identification of the remains of Alexander and Sascha. 'We are grateful to have closure on this tragic situation, and are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from all. The family is in the process of making arrangements,' the statement read. The news comes after siblings Alexander (left) and Sascha Pinczowski (right), who were born Dutch but grew up in New York, were confirmed dead in the Brussels airport attack The siblings were catching a flight back to the U.S. on Tuesday and were on the phone with their mother when the first explosions happened, causing the line to go dead Cain, who now lives in Raleigh, Virginia, remembered Alexander as a 'brilliant young man' who was clever and 'intimidatingly smart'. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the blasts at Brussels Airport and a metro station, which have killed 34 in total and injured more than 270 people. Alexander Pinczowski was living in New York with his girlfriend, and his sister Sascha was splitting her time between America and Europe after graduating from Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in business last May. She reportedly had plans to settle permanently in Manhattan at the time of her death. According to her Facebook page, Sascha was originally from the seaside town of Vouliagmeni in Greece. Their father lives in the Netherlands and traveled to Brussels to aid in the search when his children were first reported missing. In the wake of their deaths, tributes to the Pinczowski siblings have been flooding social media sites. Arielle Parker, who works at a New York law firm and attended high school with Sascha in Germany, told Daily Mail Online that she was 'a bright light and a joy of a person'. 'She was always herself and lived life to the fullest. We lost a beautiful person inside and out,' Parker said. While the total death count remains unconfirmed, many are still recorded as missing, and up to a dozen Americans are said to be injured, according to U.S officials. At least two Americans remain missing. Stephanie and Justin Shults (pictured) had just dropped Mrs Shults' mother off at the airport when the first attack happened and they haven't been seen since Location: The attacks at the city's airport and a metro station near the EU headquarters killed 34 people Among the missing are Stephanie and Justin Shults from Lexington Kentucky, who are currently living in Brussels and working as accountants. The couple had just dropped Stephanie's mother Carolyn Moore at the airport when the first blasts went off. While Moore survived the attack and has been in contact with family back home, her daughter and son-in-law have not been seen or heard from since and their phones keep going to voicemail. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Brussels on Friday to meet with the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. 'The United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks,' Kerry said. He also renewed vows to continue the fight against ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the attack. 'We - all of us representing countless nationalities - have a message for those who inspired or carried out the attacks here or in Paris, or Ankara, or Tunis, or San Bernardino, or elsewhere: We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred. But she has agreed to let her family contact her She told police she 'felt too young to be a mother' in 1974 But in just two years he'd managed to track down Gillespie-Miller to Texas In 2014 an Indiana police officer was given the cold case She left behind her parents and three kids who all hoped she was still alive In 1974 Lula Gillespie-Miller, then 28, walked away from her parents and three children - one newly born - and disappeared. Aside from a single letter the following year, the Laurel, Indiana family didn't hear from her for another 42 years. But thanks to the hard work of one dogged police detective, the missing mom was discovered living in Texas this week - and may speak to her daughter, Tammy Miller, for the first time since she was two, WCPO reported Thursday. 'We sat for five minutes with our jaw dropped,' Miller told WTHR about finding out the news. 'It's like something out of a movie.' Scroll down for video Found: Lula Gillespie-Miller (left) was 28 when she disappeared in 1974, leaving behind three children. She told police this week she 'felt too young to be a mother.' But her family never gave up hope she might be alive Daughter: Tammy Miller (pictured) had been hoping for closure on her mother's disappearance, but says she and her family 'sat for five minutes with our jaw dropped' when they heard the news Gillespie-Miller had just given birth to her third child and signed responsibility over to her parents when she disappeared. She told police this week that she 'felt she was too young to be a mother at the time,'NBC News reported. And so she stepped through a door and out of the family's life. Other than a letter from 1975 with a Richmond, Indiana, postmark, they had no idea where she was or whether she was safe. But they never stopped hoping; Emma Gillespie, Lula's mother, believed she might see her daughter again right up until her death at 91. 'She always left her porch light on every night because she always thought that Lula was going to come home. She never stopped doing it,' Tammy told Inquisitr. For Tammy, who was two when her mom ran out, it led to many painful years of wondering. 'You think 40 years, you havent heard anything by now, the chances are slim,' she told Eyewitness News in 2014, according to WTHR. 'You sit and you analyze the picture. Do I have her eyes? Do I have her cheekbones? Do I look like her at all?' Gillespie-Miller's name was registered with The Doe Network, an international center for missing and unidentified people, and it was that organization that got the investigation going again, four decades on. Former home: Gillespie-Miller left Laurel, Indiana (pictured) 42 years ago, leaving residents mystified Dogged detective: Indiana State Police Detective Sergeant Scott Jarvis (pictured) picked up the cold case in January 2014, and managed to track down Gillespie-Miller 42 years on. She was found in Texas this week, and has agreed to talk to her daughter In January 2014, Indiana State Police Detective Sergeant Scott Jarvis picked up the cold case, and The Doe Network reached out to him. Following the trail set by the 1975 letter, he contacted the Richmond police, who said they had a case of an unidentified woman found dead in 1975. Jarvis had the body exhumed for DNA testing in December that year. He told the Pal-Item at the time, 'The daughters I'm in touch with are excited. They were two or three years old when their mom left. 'They're excited about the possibility of finding her for closure, but they don't have their hopes up. It's still just a possibility right now.' Of course, that body turned out not to be Gillespie-Miller, but Jarvis picked up another thread: a woman fitting her description who lived in Tennessee in the 1980s, then moved to Texas. On Thursday he called the Texas Rangers and asked them to go to the woman's home. When asked by officers, the 69-year-old woman admitted that she was Lula Gillespie-Miller As she never actually committed a crime, police say, she has the right to anonymity - although she has given permission for them to give her address to Tammy Miller, so that the two can be reunited. Todd Matthews, Media Representative for The Doe Network, told NBC4i that they were 'delighted' to hear of the happy ending to Gillespie-Miller's tale. The death of a California woman whose curled up corpse was found last month in a Las Vegas hotel-casino laundry chute has been ruled accidental. The Clark County Coroners office said 26-year-old Kalli Medina-Brown of Citrus Heights died of blunt force injuries in an accident after plunging 15 flights below on February 20 at D Las Vegas. The report also revealed that she spent 15 minutes alone in the small room adjacent to the chute prior to her death. Scroll down for video Accident? The Clark County Coroners office said 26-year-old Kalli Medina-Brown of Citrus Heights died of blunt force injuries in an accident after plunging 15 flights below on February 20 Location: The report also revealed that she spent 15 minutes alone in the small room adjacent to the chute prior to her death at the D Las Vegas hotel The coroner's office cannot rule the death a suicide unless police learn of a history of depression or suicide attempts, according to Coroner John Fudenberg . 'Theres no reason for us to believe that she intended to commit suicide,' he said. Detectives said that Medina-Brown was found at the bottom of the large laundry bin on her left side, almost in the fetal position and her long dark hair covering her face, according to Review Journal. She was wearing gray tights and a black dress. The autopsy and the toxicology report will not be released at the request of the woman's family. Authorities said they believe she tumbled on her own from the 18th floor to the laundry collection area on the third floor at the D Hotel and Casino. Medina-Brown and her husband Weslee Brown reportedly had a fight before she entered the chute room, family members told police after the incident CCTV: Police said surveillance video showed Medina-Brown walking away from her husband, Weslee Brown,(pictured at their wedding) and toward a housekeeping closet Las Vegas police initially investigated the early morning incident on Feb. 21 as a 'suspicious death' but soon closed the case. Medina-Brown and her husband Weslee Brown reportedly had a fight before she entered the chute room, family members told police after the incident. The cause of the fight is not known but a hotel security guard told police that he went to the familys room at 2 a.m. because of a noise disturbance. Police said surveillance video showed Medina-Brown walking away from her husband, Weslee Brown, and toward a housekeeping closet according to KTNV, where it is believed she fell from the 18th floor to the laundry room on the third floor. Her grandfather Tony Fratis said the detectives told Medina-Brown's mother that the surveillance video showed the couple walking in opposite directions. Medina-Brown can be seen entering the maid's closet, but the video goes dark shortly after. s the photfit image to come forward They are urging anyone who recognise Police have issued a photofit image of a man whose body was found in a river near a university before making an appeal for two women to help establish his identity. A South Australian police statement describes the man found in River Torrens - near Adelaide University - as Caucasian, aged between 40 and 50, with a solid build and a dark greying beard. Investigators are also urging two women seen on Tuesday night speaking to a man at the scene to come forward. After the conversation, the man was seen plunging into the water adjacent to the Festival Theatre. Scroll down for video Police have issued this photofit image of a man whose body was found floating in River Torrens Police cordoned off an area near the River Torrens close to Adelaide University on Thursday afternoon Investigators are urging two women seen on Tuesday night speaking to a man at the scene to come forward After the conversation, the man was seen plunging into the water adjacent to the Festival Theatre A passerby alerted police after spotting the body floating on the river on Thursday afternoon. After retrieving the body they declared it a crime scene. Because the body had been in the water it has been difficult to determine the man's age and identity. A post-mortem is also underway in hopes of identifying the man and his cause of his death. Police had previously searched the surrounding areas for anything related to the incident. They urged anyone who visited the area along the River Torrens between King William Road and Frome Road in the past week and took any photographs to come forward. Anyone who recognises the image or has any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 Because the body had been in the water it has been difficult to determine the man's age and identity Police hold a shroud at the scene where a man's body was pulled from the River Torrens The body of missing health worker Gayle Woodford is believed to have been found buried in a shallow grave outside a remote South Australian town, according to police. The nurse was reported missing on Thursday morning, sparking a wide-scale air and land search in the tight-knit Aboriginal community of Fregon in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. The 56-year-old mother-of-two was reportedly abducted outside her family home and driven away in her own stolen bush ambulance, according to The Advertiser. Scroll down for video The body of missing health worker Gayle Woodford (pictured) is believed to have been found buried in a shallow grave 1.5 kilometres from her home in Fregon, about 12000 kilometres north of Adelaide The four-wheel-drive ambulance Ms Woodford used for work, which was found being driven by a 36-year-old man, who has been arrested and charged with stealing the vehicle. Police say he is their only suspect Police said they used GPS data from the four-wheel-drive to trace the car's movements, tracking it as it traveled south before eventually intercepting it at Coober Pedy at 10.30am on Thursday morning. A 36-year-old Fregon man driving the car was arrested and charged with theft of a motor vehicle and driving while unlicensed, while the other two passengers inside were released after questioning. On Saturday - using the GPS co-ordinates of the stolen ambulance - a ground-search revealed a shallow grave roughly 1.5 kilometres from Ms Woodford's home containing her dumped body. Forensic investigators will leave Adelaide on Sunday morning to examine the body at the scene, which is under police guard, on APY lands. Superintendent Des Bray said the man in custody for stealing the ambulance is their only suspect. 'We are fortunate because he has been arrested for stealing the ambulance and he has been remanded in custody, so there is no risk to the public,' he told The Advertiser. 'That gives our investigation the opportunity to get a lot of work done so when we go back to talk to him we are armed with all the information we need. There is no rush for us to charge him but we will interview him and make a decision whether to charge him before Tuesday.' Supt Bray broke the gruesome discovery to reporters on Saturday, adding that Ms Woodford's family and the wider community would be 'completely devastated' by the news. 'Gayle, I'm told, was a much loved person here, so this is devastating news not just for Fregon but for the whole APY community,' he said. The 56-year-old went missing in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the vicinity of Fregon and Marla in the South Australia's Far North Ms Woodford was working as a nurse in a remote area of South Australia near Coober Pedy, about 1200km north-west of Adelaide A witness said about 6.30am on Thursday morning they saw the ambulance with a 'distressed woman', thought to be Ms Woodford, in the passenger seat, the ABC reported. Supt Bray said the most likely scenario was that, for some reason, Ms Woodford left the safety of her own house and something happened to her outside. The ABC reported Supt Bray as saying it was not uncommon for Ms Woodford to be called out during the night, so her husband found nothing suspicious when he awoke on Thursday morning and she had gone. Marla Travellers' Rest manager Janice English told The Advertiser Ms Woodford works for the Nganampa Health Council, but said she had not seen her recently. The council is an Aboriginal community health organisation with clinics, an aged care home and a range of health services across the APY Lands. 'I've met her a couple of times and she's a beautiful lady,' Ms English told The Advertiser. 'She's been out here for a while and has great community spirit.' Ms Woodford is originally from Cleve and resides at Stansbury on the Yorke Peninsula, according to her Facebook page. Ms Woodford was last seen at about 9.40pm on Wednesday, March 23 in the Fregon, APY lands area, where she 'normally resides' Brett Heinzinger's 2012 mugshot was used in a meme posted to the website 1000UglyPeople.com Police in Florida are investigating the death of a 34-year-old homeless man whose mugshot had appeared across the web. Brett Heinzinger, nicknamed 'Red,' was the victim of a hit-and-run. Struck in January not far from the Miami-Dade criminal courthouse, Heinzinger was known for an Internet meme published on a website called 1000UglyPeople.com, which used a mugshot of him from 2012, the Miami Herald reported. Indeed, a page on 1000UglyPeople.com features the words 'I See You! And You, Too.' above and below Heinzinger's photo. The website says: 'Some people collect stamps. 'We collect photos of the ugliest people in the world. 'We probably hold the Internets largest collection of ugly people. 'If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so is ugliness.' The image was also used by a company called The Blood Pressure Solution for a digital advertisement, according to the Miami Herald. Defense investigator Nick Spill spoke to the news outlet, and recalled seeing the ad using Heinzinger's mugshot on a website. He said: 'I was like, "How did this guy appear on here?" 'It was clearly a jail mugshot. How are they using his photo? It was shocking.' Heinzinger was the victim of a hit-and-run and was struck in January on Northwest 12th Avenue (pictured), the Miami Herald reported. A memorial sign urging people to 'Drive Safely' was set up close to the death site The image was also used by a company called The Blood Pressure Solution for a digital advertisement Heinzinger told the newspaper ahead of his death he was unaware of both the ad and the meme. His death came after a lifetime full of difficulties. Heizinger's parents were addicted to heroin, and in 1992 he heard his grandfather killed and his aunt Margaret Neforos attacked by Neforos' ex-boyfriend, the Miami Herald reported. Diagnosed with ADD, Heizinger went on to experience bullying for his physical appearance and later became homeless, the newspaper said. Heizinger 'got addicted to drugs as a young man and wound up in South Florida chasing his next cocaine score and living under an overpass,' the Miami Herald wrote. He'd been arrested on numerous occasions for aggressive panhandling, the newspaper reported. He'd been arrested on numerous occasions for aggressive panhandling. He is seen in these file mugshots Heinzinger was hit in January and was discovered by police with seven pennies in his begging cup Prosecutor Adam Korn told the news outlet: 'Anybody who works in the area, we saw him every morning when we got there, every evening when we left. 'He was a guy we got to know from a distance. 'And unfortunately, for those of us who worked in the criminal justice system, we often saw him when he got arrested.' Heinzinger was hit in January and was discovered by police with seven pennies in his begging cup, the Miami Herald reported. A memorial sign urging people to 'Drive Safely' was set up close to the death site, the newspaper said. Det. Joseph Kennedy is investigating Heinzinger's death and recalled to the Miami Herald: 'We used to ask him to get out of the road so he wouldnt get hit, and he would nod his head, give a little salute and get off the street. 'We never had a problem. 'He was a down-to-earth guy. He'd sit there and talk to you. Patrick Fowler, 31, has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend and her daughter to death and set their house on fire A Milwaukee man has confessed to stabbing his girlfriend 26 times, killing her daughter and then lighting their house on fire with coloring books because he 'felt disrespected', police said. Patrick Fowler, 31, has been charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Jessica Ellenberger, 28, and her four-year-old daughter Madyson Marshel. Fowler told police he and Ellenberger got into an argument and that he 'felt as if he were being disrespected', according to the complaint. When Ellenberger told him to 'back off' Fowler allegedly began to stab her, telling police he was unsure of how many times but that he 'kept on and kept on'. Fowler then realized his girlfriend was still alive and grabbed more knives, continuing to stab her before he slit her throat. As Madyson, a recent cancer survivor, screamed out 'Mommy!', Fowler then began to stab the little girl too. After he knew both women were death, Fowler contemplated killing himself but then decided to set the house on fire instead, he told police. Since there was no lighter fluid in the house, he used Madyson's coloring books to ignite the blaze. He noted to police that he took the Easter candy inside the residence before he walked out as the house went up in flames. Scroll down for video Fowler has been charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Jessica Ellenberger, 28, and her four-year-old daughter Madyson Marshel An autopsy found 26 wounds on Ellenberger's upper body. Madyson was stabbed twice and was burned over 100 percent of her body (the pair are pictured with Madyson's father Christopher Clark) An autopsy found 26 wounds on Ellenberger's upper body, plus burns on 40 percent of her body. Madyson was stabbed twice and was burned over 100 percent of her body. Fowler told police he 'did not feel bad for any of the decisions that he made'. US marshals arrested Fowler during a bus layover in Texarkana, Arkanas earlier this week. His extradition to Wisconsin remained pending on Friday. Fowler was on probation for threatening to kill his fiancee and her son with knives after she broke off their engagement six months ago, according to WISN. Christina Thomas told the news station that Fowler told her: 'We're all going to die tonight. First your son, then me. Nobody lives, nobody.' Thomas now said she feels guilty for Ellenberger's death. 'Jessie should be alive,' she said. 'That if I just wouldn't have moved, and let him slit my throat, that I would be dead and she would be alive because he would have went to prison for good.' Fowler's mother was arrested after it was discovered she had bought her son a ticket to the bus station and knew he had killed Ellenberger and her daughter. She has not been charged. Ellenberger was a protection officer at a security company. Ellenberger was a protection officer at a security company. Maydson (pictured with her father) had just survived a recent brush with cancer The family of a woman found dead at her home late last year plan to honour her memory and dreams and build a school in Cambodia. Queensland woman Melinda Horner, 36, and her partner David Lee, 46, were found at their Burleigh Waters home and at the time police called the deaths a 'suspected murder-suicide'. In the weeks leading up to their deaths, friends said the pair allegedly had a volatile fight in which the stone mason choked her and threatened to kill himself, and they feared for her life, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin. Mel Horner dreamed of setting up a school in Cambodia after she visited the country in 2013. Friends said they were concerned about Ms Horner's safety in the weeks leading up to her death Mel Horner's family are carrying on her dream to set up a school in Cambodia after her death Now, her family are determined to not let her memory not be dulled by the actions of her partner. Melinda - or Mel - , a youth worker, had visited Cambodia in 2013 and returned home vowing to build a school there some day, her sister Chanelle Horner wrote on a Go Fund Me campaign. Although she could not carry her dream herself, her sister and others are attempting to make it happen. 'Mel wouldnt want this to destroy us she would be devastated and heartbroken if it did,' She told the Bulletin. Dave Lee, 46, and Melinda Horner, 36, were found dead in a Gold Coast home in November 'Mel was a beautiful person... She has a loving, supportive family who were worried about her,' a friend said 'She isnt with us any more and it is tragic but we want to keep living our lives and try to bring something positive from all of this.' Her mother, Carol, said the past four months had been hard, but said: 'We are focused on fulfilling her dream and reminding the world what a special person Mel was'. They are helping Feeding Dreams Cambodia with plans to build a kindergarten classroom in Siem Reap starting in July. It will be named it Mel's honour and have a plaque placed outside. They hope to open the classroom on the first anniversary of Mel's death. So far, they've raised more than $5000 of the estimated $20,000 required via a Go Fund Me campaign. They plan to hold fundraisers this year with domestic violence awareness themes. Dave Lee and Melinda Horner were found in their Gold Coast home by a family friend in November Forensic crews at the property where Ms Horner and Mr Lee's bodies were found last year A fisherman has spoken about the terrifying moment he was swept off a notorious rock platform and flung into shark-infested waters on Good Friday. Nino Agay, 34, was fishing with two friends at Honeycomb Rocks, on NSW's east coast near Wollongong, when a rogue wave sucked the trio into the water. 'A series of waves came; small ones, then a bigger one and three of us fell,' Mr Agaya told the Mercury, soaking wet. 'The second wave just got us. It was a good thing we were all [good] swimmers.' Nino Agay, 34, was swept off the rocks at Port Kembla (pictured far right) when he was hit by a rogue wave The fisherman and his two friends were all flung into the water by the powerful wave. As a nearby boat came to his rescue, he noticed a deadly tiger shark lurking nearby (stock image) Nearby fishing boats were quick to come to the aid of the men, but as Mr Agaya was being helped into a vessel he noticed a deadly tiger shark lurking in the water. It's believed that the men - none of whom were wearing life-jackets - fell down a two-metre cliff into the water after being hit by the wave. One of the men struck his leg on a rock during the plunge, and was taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment to a fracture. Inspector Brian Pedersen, from Lake Illawarra police, told the Mercury that the conditions were alot more dangerous than they looked. 'It's very deceptive at the moment, it looks relatively flat. However, there are sets of very large waves coming through,' Inspector Pedersen said at the scene. At least seven people have died at the Port Kembla rockpool across the last decade, landing it the grim title of the fifth most deadly fishing location in Australia back in 2009. Mr Agaya was shaken by the ordeal, but said it would not stop him from fishing. The tiger shark can grow up to five metres long and is often found close to the coastline. It is responsible for a large proportion of fatal shark attacks worldwide, and has thus earned itself a reputation as one of the most dangerous species of animal. Tiger sharks are found all along the Australian coastline and are responsible for a majority of fatal attacks Fans have branded Hugh Jackman a real life hero after he helped to save his son Oscar and other swimmers from a rip at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday. But a spokesperson for the Hollywood hunk has played down his role in the rescue saying it wasn't as 'dramatic' as it appears. A publicist for Jackman told Daily Mail Australia: 'Hugh and his family are 100 per cent OK. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as it looks.' While Hugh's camp appear to be downplaying the incident fans of the star have heaped high praise on the star - branding him a 'real life super hero' and congratulating him on his efforts. The Nine Network aired a video of the Hollywood star helping to bring another swimmer to shore on Saturday before he had to help 15-year-old Oscar from the waves. He was also seen waving at others in the water in a bid to attract their attention and get them to come ashore, 9 News reported. Praise: Fans took to social media to congratulate the star on his efforts with many branding the actor a real life hero Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman was involved in a rescue effort at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday afternoon when he, his son Oscar, 15, and other swimmers became stuck in a rip. Jackman helped pull others to safety as surf life savers arrived to assist One witness described Jackman's actions as he aided with the rescue as 'calm', but the actor was still too shaken to talk to media afterwards. Jackman was also seen waving at other swimmers further out in the ocean, trying to get them to come to shore The North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club took to Instagram to thank the surf live savers on duty for their actions - and made a special mention of Jackman for his efforts Social media users took to the internet to express their feelings about Jackman's actions at Bondi Beach Lifesavers at the popular beach also launched into action, using boards and jetskis to make rescues. Nine said Jackman, 47, was too shaken to speak to TV crews after the incident, which caused the beach to be closed for a short while. A witness, who did not want to be named, told The Sunday Telegraph the actor was calm during the ordeal. 'He stopped and helped this bloke stand up and he also helped his son,' the witness said. 'The swell was pretty nasty. It was a beautiful day but the swell was up.' The North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club even took to social media to thank the actor for his actions, as well as the surf live savers who were on duty at the beach on Saturday. They weren't the only people commending the star, with fans taking to social media soon after to praise him. Jackman has only recently arrived home after a world tour promoting his new film, Eddie the Eagle. Twitter user Aine Ryan proclaimed Jackman to be the 'hero we all need' after his actions on Saturday afternoon Hugh Jackman pictured earlier in March 2016. He has just been touring the world promoting a new movie (stock image) Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton at a 'Eddie The Eagle' film premiere in Munich, Germany earlier in March (stock image) Pets and cattle dogs have been dressed up as pink bunny rabbits Aussies are sharing their Easter preparations and celebrations online Australians are gearing up for the Easter holiday - baking their hot cross buns, hiding their chocolate eggs and even dressing up their post office boxes and pets for the occasion. As families gathered for the long weekend around the country, people took to social media to post pictures of their celebrations and their Easter baking fails. A little boy could hardly contain his excitement as he cuddled four small bunnies on Saturday. Someone with a good sense of humour decided to decorate an Australian Post Office box with a pair of large white bunny ears, googly eyes and a nose with whiskers to amuse drivers passing by. A handful of pets were included in the fun, donning pink and white bunny ears - a brown and white kelpie sheep dog even kept them on as he worked. Good Friday turned into bad Friday for one person's baking experiment as the traditional Easter treat hot cross buns turned into charcoal cross buns. An baking experiment for hot cross buns turned into charcoal cross buns (pictured) Even working dogs ISIS failed to demolish the Roman ruins in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra which was recaptured by pro-Government troops following a major offensive, although blood marked the scenes where the terror group murdered its victims. ISIS captured the city in May 2015 and began blowing up some of the major landmarks at the UNESCO-listed world heritage site. However, it used the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre to conduct public executions, with the blood of the victims staining the sand. A Russian drone flying over the 2,000-year-old amphethetre in Palmyra has filmed images believed to be large blood stains, circled, left behind from the many executions held inside the Roman-era structure by ISIS A drone flying over Palmyra following the expulsion of ISIS showed the extent of the damage However, some of the ancient ruins survived 10 months under ISIS control The terrorist organisation had threatened to dynamite the entire site in what the UN said was a war crime Syrian forces recaptured the ancient Roman ruins on Friday from ISIS after 10 months in control In August 2015 ISIS beheaded the city's 81-year-old chief archaeologist Khaled Asaad. The terror group has suffered some major strategic losses in the past week, including the death of their chief finance officer Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli. Syrian government forces advanced on Palmyra over the past week after ISIS positions around the city were pounded by Russian jets. The ancient citadel was recaptured by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad on Friday. The citadel overlooks some of the most extensive ruins of the Roman empire. Some of the drone footage appeared to show blood stains from the battle. Drone footage of the scene filmed following the expulsion of ISIS have shown some areas of the site have escaped destruction. The drone flew over the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre in the heart of Palmyra, where ISIS murdered the city's chief archaeologist Khaled Asaad. The 81-year-old archaeologist had spent 50 years working in the ancient city before it was seized by the terrorists. It is understood ISIS tortured and then decapitated Asaad after he refused to reveal where many of the city's priceless artifacts had been hidden. The terrorists released a photograph of Assad's body tied to a lamp post with his severed head dumped by his feet. Many of Palmyra's temples and tombs have been dynamited by ISIS in what the United Nations described as a war crime, although drone footage on Friday showed at least some colonnades and structures still standing. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for ISIS in Syria since Russia's intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar al-Assad's favour. The city controls routes east into the heartland of territory held by the militants, including the province of Deir al-Zor and the ISIS de facto capital, Raqqa. The loss of Palmyra is a major setback for ISIS as it opens up the way to their headquarters in Raqqa The Syrian Army recaptured the city after ISIS was put under intensive bombardment by the Russian air force ISIS have been forced into a retreat across Iraq and Syria having lost some major sections of territory US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, will confirm the death of Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, left The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Friday an ISIS leader was killed when his car was targeted in a strike on Raqqa on Thursday night. ISIS has launched a number of counter-strikes against Assad's forces using a number of car bombs. Palmyra had a population of 50,000 according to a census more than 10 years ago. Those numbers were swelled hugely by an influx of people displaced by Syria's conflict, which has raged since 2011, but most fled when ISIS took over. A soldier told Syrian state media: 'Our heroic forces are continuing to advance until we liberate every inch of this pure land.' In August, ISIS dynamited two ancient buildings, the temples of Bel and Baal Shamin, which had stood as cultural landmarks in Palmyra for nearly two millennia. The United Nations described their destruction as a war crime. The Syrian Army has been concentrating on fighting ISIS since a US-brokered cease fire was agreed ISIS decapitated Palmyra's 81-year-old chief archaeologist Khaled Asaad, pictured, in August 2015 It did not identify the dead militant, but U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States believed it killed Haji Iman - an alias for al-Qaduli, the terrorist organisation's number two, who was in charge of the group's finances, and Abu Sarah, who Carter said was charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq. U.S. special forces carried out the strike against Haji Iman, officials told Reuters. One of the officials said the plan was to capture, not kill, him. But after the commandos' helicopter was fired on, the decision was made to fire from the air. 'We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet,' Carter told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon, using an acronym to refer to the group. U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the briefing the deaths reflected "indisputable" new momentum in the fight against ISIS. The total extent of the damage to the 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra, pictured is not yet known Palmyra was captured by ISIS in May 2015 after making significant gains across northern Syria and Iraq However, Syrian troops are now back in control of the ancient city having driven out ISIS Iraq's military said on Friday that Iraqi Yazidi and tribal fighters had taken a border area in the Sinjar region next to Syria from ISIS, cutting an important supply line for the militants. U.S. officials said they were helping Iraqis prepare for a major operation in Mosul to take back more territory from the militant group. The scale of Friday's fighting for Palmyra reflected how much of a strategic prize the city represents, with jets launching dozens of air strikes and soldiers firing mortar barrages, while ISIS fighters hit back with two car bombings. Russian warplanes have continued to back up the Syrian army and its allies, despite Moscow's recent announcement it was withdrawing the bulk of its military forces. Syrian soldiers celebrated on the outskirts of Palmyra after marching into the city yesterday Its planes carried out 41 sorties from Tuesday to Thursday in support of the Palmyra offensive and destroyed 146 targets, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry. Beirut-based television channel Al-Mayadeen, broadcasting from the edge of Palmyra, showed a low-flying jet carry out three air strikes against what it said were ISIS fighters withdrawing from the old citadel back into Palmyra. 'Army units took control over Palmyra's ancient citadel ... after dealing with the last Daesh terrorist groups,' state news agency SANA said. A ceasefire backed by the United States and Russia covers most of Syria but not areas held by ISIS. The first truce of its kind since the war began five years ago has been accompanied this month by the first peace talks attended by Assad's government and most of the groups opposed to him. Damascus in the meantime has turned its fire on ISIS. The defeat in Palmyra has left the route open for the Syrian army to the ISIS capital in Raqqa Syrian forces captured large amounts of ISIS weapons and ammunition after the terrorists fled Palmyra So far the Syrian civil war has claimed the lives of 250,000 people and created millions of refugees Moscow is the main ally of Assad's government, while Washington and other Western countries have backed foes trying to overthrow him during the civil war that has killed 250,000 people and led to the world's worst refugee crisis. Both powers are committed to fighting ISIS and have backed a new diplomatic push to end fighting on other fronts. A Russian special forces officer was killed in combat near Palmyra in the last week, Interfax said, suggesting the Kremlin had been more engaged in the Syrian conflict than it had acknowledged. Syria's antiquities chief, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said driving ISIS out of Palmyra would be a victory for the whole world. 'After all the tragedy we have suffered in Syria for five years, and the 10 months in Palmyra after it fell ... it's the first time we feel joy,' Abdulkarim told Reuters. 'We pray for victory soon, so that the damage is limited. Palmyra, under their control, was the loss of a civilisation.' Syrian troops today recaptured a mansion belonging to a member of the Qatari royal family in Palmyra Iraqi forces have spent the last 12 months training and rearming before beginning the major offensive Iraqi forces have won back much of the territory seized by the terror group during their 2014 blitzkrieg U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura has set out a blueprint for a political process aimed at ending the civil war, and said on Thursday that talks would tackle the divisive issue of a postwar transition when the warring sides gather again next month. Progress has been slow, with the government delegation and its opponents disagreeing fundamentally on the terms of such a transition, including whether Assad must leave power. After talks in Moscow on Thursday, Russia and the United State said they agreed to use their influence over both sides in the conflict to speed things up. Interfax quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday as saying Washington now understood Moscow's position that Assad's future should not be discussed at the moment. But U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement: 'Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad's future is false. Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We haven't changed our view on that.' US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a press briefing in the Pentagon today that ISIS were on the retreat ISIS terrorists in the town have been under artillery bombardment from Iraqi troops supported by the Air Force Asad Shah, the much-loved Muslim shopkeeper stabbed to death in a religious attack, has been described as a 'true Muslim' by 'a Christian brother' in a note placed outside his shop. The 40-year-old was stabbed up to 30 times at his Glasgow store and left lying in a pool of blood, before dying in hospital on Thursday. Friends and locals in the Shawlands area of the city have gathered outside Mr Shah's store to pay their respects to the man 'at the heart' of the community and condemn the brutal attack. Scroll down for video Shopkeeper Asad Shah, pictured left, was stabbed to death in a brutal attack outside his store in Glasgow. Tributes have been left outside his shop, including this note which calls Mr Shah as a 'true Muslim' Another person's note says that Mr Shah was 'the heart of our community'. A tribute service to Mr Shah was held on Thursday night, with around 500 people, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, laying flowers and messages Mr Shah was stabbed just after he posted an Easter message on social media, praising both the life of Jesus and 'his beloved Christian nation'. A 32-year-old man has been arrested and he will appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court in relation to the murder of Mr Shah, on Tuesday. Police Scotland said they could not disclose the name or address of the man but they are treating the stabbing as 'religiously prejudiced'. A tribute service to Mr Shah was held on Thursday night, with around 500 people, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, laying flowers and messages. On Twitter, customers and strangers united in their grief and praise of the shopkeeper by writing #thisisnotwhoweare at the end of their posts, which was also written out at Mr Shah's second vigil (pictured above) A message from Asad Shah's daughter outside his shop says: 'Hope you're having fun up there, God only takes the best' Ms Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area, tweeted afterwards: 'Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family.' On Twitter, customers and strangers united in their praise and grief of the shopkeeper by writing #thisisnotwhoweare at the end of their posts. The phrase is often used by tweeters when posting about issues such as racism, homophobia, terrorism and politics. One post read: 'A man with ever a smile was loved and praised by everyone #thisisnotwhoweare ' While another said: He was a gentle and generous man who did not deserve this #thisisnotwhoweare #AsadShah'. As well as writing kind messages, people have also raised money for Mr Shah's family with more than 31,000 being donated to a Go Fund Me page since Thursday Deeply religious, Mr Shah worked to foster cross-community relations in Glasgow and had been planning to host an online debate on Thursday with Christian friends about the importance of Easter. Above, a group of men pay tribute to the well-respected man Fizza and Malaik Ali pay their respects to Mr Shah by the flowers left in tribute outside his Shawlands shop Alan Gardner posted: ''My deepest respects to Asad Shah's family. A brutal end to a precious life of a caring community family man. #thisisnotwhoweare.' A poster by the name of DrJ, simpy wrote: 'Will be at the Asad Shah vigil tonight with my son because #thisisnotwhoweare' On Facebook people who knew the shopkeeper posted further heartfelt messages, some recalling the kindness he showed during their brief conversations over the counter and others just writing a short line complimenting his warm character. Martin Malone wrote: 'Rip Shah, you were a true gentleman. You were a King amongst men.' While customer Pat Gallagher wrote a longer message, praising Mr Shah's personality and manners. He said: 'I've had the pleasure of knowing this man for 8/10 month as his shop delivers my papers. Among the people paying tribute were customers who praised Mr Shah's warm personality and kindness 'He honestly had that ability to put a smile on your face just with his honest handshake and warm welcome. 'I was in on Tuesday to pay my bill and not for the first time I left the shop muttering to myself ''he is the ultimate gentleman, WOW! What a guy ''. 'Mr Shah, my friend, my heart goes out to your family. You were a truly genuine man. RIP' Colin Finnie posted: I was in Shads (sic) shop now and then, always asked me how my training and things were going, no one deserves this treatment and family distraught, a quiet guy trying to better his life for him and his family. 'Religion is disgusting at times and im ashamed of humanity at times. R.i.P Shad.' Heartfelt tributes were posted on Facebook with people expressing their sadness at the loss of a much-loved member of the Shawlands community As well as writing kind messages, people have also raised money for Mr Shah's family with more than 31,000 being donated to a Go Fund Me page since the incident happened. A small summary, written by four friends and former customers of the shopkeeper, reads: 'Mr Shah was a popular, well respected and much loved member of our community and his death has devastated many. 'He was a warm and friendly man and he always went out of his way to make time to talk to you - he was more than just our local shopkeeper. He was a friend to many. 'It quickly became clear to us in the aftermath of this tragedy that the people of Shawlands (and wider) were looking for a way to show their support to Asad's family and we thought this would be a fitting way to do so.' A young man cannot contain his emotion as he visits the scene of where My Shah was murdered on Thursday Before his death, Mr Shah had wished his friends a 'Good Friday and a very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation'. In his final post, he wrote: 'Let's follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds.' Mr Shah also appeared to use his Facebook page to speak out over the attacks in Brussels. In a video posted online he said: 'We are not here to fight with other mankind or cause bloodshed.' It is believed that these posts may have led to the shopkeeper being targeted, angering possible extremist Muslims in the area. Mohammad Faisal, a family friend, said a bearded Muslim wearing a long religious robe entered Mr Shah's shop and spoke to him in his native language before stabbing him in the head with a kitchen knife. Mr Shah's brother, who was working next door, rushed out to find the killer laughing while sitting on the Glasgow newsagent's bleeding chest. The attack on the shopkeeper came shortly after he had posted this message on Facebook celebrating Easter Hundreds of people gathered for a silent vigil late on Friday night to honour the respected shopkeeper near the site where he died 'The brother dragged Mr Shah away but the guy continued attacking with the blade,' said Mr Faisal. 'They struggled up to the bus stop where Asad collapsed. 'It was just a clear-cut revenge attack. For posting messages about peace, messages about greeting fellow Christians and Jews. 'That man must not have been too happy about what he was doing, what he was preaching. It was a well-planned attack. He must have been an extremist. 'He went straight for the head. He got stomped on the head as well. His brother suffered a slash down his shoulder area because he attacked him with a knife as well.' There is no suggestion that the man in police custody was the same man spotted by Mr Faisal. Deeply religious, Mr Shah worked to foster cross-community relations in Glasgow and had been planning to host an online debate on Thursday with Christian friends about the importance of Easter. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined an estimated crowd of 400 to 500 people for the vigil to show solidarity and remember Mr Shah Those attending were encouraged to bring a daffodil while many laid flowers and lit candles during the gathering Friends said he observed both Christian and Muslim holidays, and never failed to send out Easter and Christmas cards. And he used his social media accounts to promote harmony on religious holidays. At his vigil, a neighbour said: 'This is disgusting Mr Shah was the most peace-loving man you could meet. 'He was proud of his Pakistani heritage but he loved Britain. He loved Scotland too and really wanted to reach out to Christians. This is such a terrible thing to happen.' Julie MacRae, a friend of the shopkeeper, said: 'I'm shocked because he was so lovely. He's been great to my family. Every year he would send out lovely Christmas cards with messages of peace.' Speaking at the service, Nicola Sturgeon said: 'This community is in shock and devastated. Mr Shah was a popular local businessman. I've used his shop and known him in the years past. I just think everyone is struggling to come to terms with it. Flowers were placed at the scene. A neighbour said: 'He was the most peace-loving man you could meet' 'But this vigil has been an important way for the community to come together and show support to his family and more than anything to show that the community is strongly united.' A further 150 people gathered at another commemoration service today as floral tributes continued to be laid close to where Mr Shah was found. The event was organised by a group of local teenagers on social media, who had been touched by the kindness of the shopkeeper. Aleesa Malik, 17, said: 'He would take the effort to care for every customer. 'He would want to know how are you, what are you doing. He took an interest in everyone's lives - old, young, anyone. 'You could be any colour, that would not be an issue for him, he just cared too much.' Nabah Younis, 16, said she had been visiting the shop since she was a young girl. She described Mr Shah as a 'lovely guy'. Commenting on organising the vigil, she said: 'I just felt for the amount of support Mr Shah gave us - us as in Glasgow, Glasgow had to give something in return, and that is exactly what we are doing.' She said messages of support had been sent on social media from all over the UK, and further afield. As news of his death began to spread hundreds of people who knew Mr Shah arrived at his shop to pay their respects She added: 'It feels warmer knowing that there is so much support, from young people to old people, people not even from this area, and people who had not even met Mr Shah. 'The community have reacted - he has brought everybody together. 'Hopefully this is a lesson that we need to stick together.' It is believed Mr Shah belonged to the Ahmadi movement, a Muslim sect which promotes non-violence and tolerance of other faiths. Ahmadis identify themselves as Muslims and a determined missionary network has helped spread their teachings around the world. But their sect has won only disdain from mainstream Islamic leaders and it has been heavily persecuted in Pakistan. As a result the Ahmadi community's headquarters are now located in Morden, South London. The site, which covers five acres, has space for more than 10,000 worshippers and has been hit by arson. The spiritual inspiration of the movement was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who was born in the Punjab in British-ruled India in 1835. He declared Muslim religion and society were in decline and claimed to have been chosen by Allah to reform Islam. The claim clashes with the Islamic belief that Mohammed was the last prophet and the Koran is the final word of God. Charges against Matthew Doyle, 46, (pictured) accused of inciting racial hatred on Twitter have been dropped, in a humiliating episode for the Met Charges against a talent agency boss accused of inciting racial hatred on Twitter have been dropped, in a U-turn by the authorities. Police charged private schoolboy Matthew Doyle, 46, with a public order offence on Friday after he tweeted about confronting a Muslim woman and asking her to 'explain Brussels'. But the Metropolitan Police faced humiliation later the same day when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said they did not agree with their decision, adding that they did not even have the legal power to bring the charges. Mr Doyle, an LSE alumnus, from South Croydon, was due to appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates' today. But in a statement last night the Met revealed the charge had been dropped. It said: 'Following discussion with the Crown Prosecution Service, Mr Doyle is no longer charged with the offence and will not be appearing at court. 'Police may not make charging decisions on offences under Section 19 of the Public Order Act. There will be further consultation with CPS.' The CPS guidance says people 'can only be prosecuted [under that section of the act] with consent of attorney general.' It adds that the case must be 'referred to CPS's counter-terrorism division to be dealt with by specialist prosecutor'. The offence carries a maximum jail term of seven years. Mr Doyle, who was educated at Wellington College, had been charged early on Friday for posting tweets likely to stir up racial hatred. The Met would not reveal which particular tweets led to the charge but revealed it was for 'more than one message'. It also added that he had been charged under Section 19 of the Public Order Act 'following an investigation by officers at Croydon police community safety unit.' The tweet, posted from the Twitter account @matthewdoyle31, sparked social media outrage and countless parodies Mr Doyle had been arrested in Croydon on Wednesday night after posting a tweet where he described confronting a Muslim woman and asked her to explain the terror attacks in Brussels. He posted a tweet about the incident in which he called the woman's refusal to be associated with the bombings as a 'mealy-mouthed reply'. Despite deleting the message when it was met with furious responses, he said his comments were only 'a bit of fun' before posting several other highly-contentious statements. In one message, the self-styled feminist and European said 'Who cares if I insulted some towelhead', then telling his Twitter followers to vote for controversial US politician Donald Trump 'if you hate Islam'. Another post read: 'I will NEVER apologize for what I think or a statement that I have made referring to this incident.' Before being taken to custody, Doyle told MailOnline that those aiming criticism at him were 'out of sync' and said that he had a right to 'speak my own mind'. Mr Doyle, who set up a London-based talent agency earlier this year, said the 7/7 attacks in London and murder of Lee Rigby were justification for making the comments to the Muslim woman. Belgian security services are fearful that ISIS operatives may have been looking to target a nuclear plant as it emerged two workers from a plant in Doel fled to Syria to join ISIS. One of the men, reportedly known as Ilyass Boughalab, is believed to have been killed in Syria, while the second served a short prison sentence in Belgium for terror-related offences in 2014. With an extensive understanding of nuclear facilities, the convict's short jail sentence has raised further questioned of the Belgian security services as well as fears he may have passed on important knowledge about the sites to the terrorist group. Didier Prospero, pictured, who was a security guard at the Tihange Nuclear power plant, was found shot dead in his bathroom beside his beloved pet sheepdog Beauce. No gun was found at the scene of the crime The Tihange nuclear power plant in Belgium, where the guard worked. Nuclear power plants are known to be targets for the terror network behind the Brussels bombings and the Paris attacks in November The shocking revelations come after the police claimed that the death of a security guard at a nuclear facility is being treated as a criminal act rather than a terror act. Didier Prospero, who worked for G4S security at a Belgian nuclear research centre, was shot several times in the bathroom of his home in Froidchapelle, in the Charleroi region of Belgium. His three children found his body after they returned from school on Thursday. Mr Prospero's sheepdog Beauce was reportedly lying dead next to him. It had been feared the murder may be part of an ISIS plot to attack the facility and release radioactive waste into the atmosphere. Or, the terrorists could have been planning to steal radioactive material to create a so-called dirty bomb. Also, it is possible the terrorists wanted to sabotage a critical piece of machinery and cause the plant to meltdown, leading to a critical release of radioactive material. Sebastien Berg, spokesman for the federal agency responsible for Belgium's nuclear industry said they were fearful of a bomb exploding inside a plant or terrorists conducting a 9/11-style attack using a hijacked aircraft. Nuclear power plants are known to be targets for the terror network behind the Brussels bombings and the Paris attacks in November. According to the New York Times, several employees working in the Belgian nuclear industry have had their security clearances revoked over potential ISIS plots. Following last November's terror attack in Paris, Belgian police recovered surveillance footage of a senior nuclear official in the home of ISIS ringleader Mohamed Bakkali, who was arrested and is currently facing terrorism charges. In a nation on high alert following this week's attacks, the report stokes fears about the possibility militants are seeking to get hold of nuclear material or planning to attack a nuclear site. Such is the level of fear within the Belgian nuclear power industry, all non-essential staff at the Doel and Tihange power plants have been sent home. A spokeswoman said: 'Only those who are really needed are staying, the other people were sent home.' She said that for the foreseeable future Belgium's nuclear plants will continue operating with staffing levels similar to weekend service to ensure that no unauthorised personnel could gain access to the plants. UN WARNS TERRORIST COULD CREATE A NUCLEAR BOMB Terrorists have the 'means, knowledge and information' to create a nuclear bomb, the head of the UN atomic watchdog has warned in the wake of the Brussels attacks. The warnings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano come just days before world leaders meet for an important summit against 'nuclear terrorism'. 'Terrorism is spreading and the possibility of using nuclear material cannot be excluded,' Mr Amano told AFP. 'Member states need to have sustained interest in strengthening nuclear security. 'The countries which do not recognise the danger of nuclear terrorism are the biggest problem.' According to the International Panel on Fissile Materials, enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium still exists to make 20,000 weapons of the magnitude that levelled Hiroshima in 1945. A grapefruit-sized amount of plutonium can be fashioned into a nuclear weapon, and according to Mr Amano it is 'not impossible' that extremists could manage to make a 'primitive' device - if they got hold of the material. 'It is now an old technology and nowadays terrorists have the means, the knowledge and the information,' he said. Advertisement 'Some 1,000 people work on sites like these. Their backgrounds are all checked thoroughly, but better safe than sorry.' On Thursday, Derniere Heure newspaper had reported the suicide bombers who blew themselves up on Tuesday originally considered targeting a nuclear site, but a series of arrests of suspect militants forced them to speed up their plans and instead switch focus to the Belgian capital. However, Charleroi prosecutors has reportedly played down reports of a connection between the murder and a planned terror attack, according to the Belga news agency. Belga also said that the prosecutor had also denied media reports that the guard's access badge had gone missing. There was no immediate independent confirmation from the prosecutor's office in Charleroi, about an hour's drive south of Brussels. Late last year, investigators found a video tracking the movements of a man linked to the country's nuclear industry during a search of a flat as part of investigations into the Islamist militant attack on Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people. The video, lasting several hours, showed footage of the entrance to a home in northern Belgium and the arrival and departure of the director of Belgium's nuclear research programme. Interior minister Jan Jambon previously told Belgium's Parliament there was not a threat to the country's nuclear facilities last month At the time, the interior minister said that while there was a threat 'to the person in question,' there was not one to the country's nuclear facilities. He added: 'To date, we have no indication that there is a specific threat to the Belgian nuclear sites. The nuclear industry is one of the best protected areas.' However, the European Union's counter-terrorism chief warned today that Belgium's network of nuclear power plants and other major infrastructure face the threat of a cyber-attack over the next five years. 'I would not be surprised if there was an attempt in the next five years to use the Internet to commit an attack,' Gilles de Kerchove told daily La Libre Belgique. 'It would take the form of entering the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), which is the nerve centre of a nuclear power plant, a dam, air traffic control centre or railroad switching station,' he added. It comes as the head of the UN atomic watchdog also warned that terrorists have the 'means, knowledge and information' to create a nuclear bomb. The warnings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano come just days before world leaders meet for an important summit against 'nuclear terrorism'. Suicide bombers Khalid El Bakraoui, Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui who blew themselves up in the Brussels attacks 'Terrorism is spreading and the possibility of using nuclear material cannot be excluded,' Mr Amano told AFP. 'Member states need to have sustained interest in strengthening nuclear security. 'The countries which do not recognise the danger of nuclear terrorism are the biggest problem.' Belgium's neighbours have raised concerns over the country's creaking nuclear plants for some time, after a series of problems ranging from leaks to cracks and an unsolved sabotage incident. Doel 1, the country's oldest reactor, was originally shuttered in February 2015 under a law calling for the country's gradual phasing out of nuclear power, but the government then restarted it under an extension deal. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano confirmed that terrorists now hae the 'means, knowledge and information to create a nuclear bomb. Amano said: 'Terrorism is spreading and the possibility of using nuclear material cannot be excluded. Member states need to have sustained interest in strengthening nuclear security. The countries which do not recognise the danger of nuclear terrorism are the biggest problem.' Belgian authorities have arrested Faycal Cheffou, pictured, and charged him with terrorist offences Around 50 leaders will meet in Washington on March 31 for a summit on ensuring that nuclear material in the world's roughly 1,000 atomic facilities is secure. Major progress has already been made, with countries reducing stockpiles of nuclear material, experts say. Japan, for example, is this month returning enough plutonium to make 50 nuclear bombs to the U.S. But according to the International Panel on Fissile Materials, enough plutonium and highly enriched uranium still exists to make 20,000 weapons of the magnitude that levelled Hiroshima in 1945. A grapefruit-sized amount of plutonium can be fashioned into a nuclear weapon, and according to Mr Amano it is 'not impossible' that extremists could manage to make a 'primitive' device - if they got hold of the material. 'It is now an old technology and nowadays terrorists have the means, the knowledge and the information,' he said. But he said that a far likelier risk was a 'dirty bomb'. Belgium media reports suggest Cheffou, a freelance journalist, is the third bomber pictured far right, walking through Brussels Airport before the attacks wearing a white coat and hat This is a device using conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material other than uranium or plutonium. Such material can be found in small quantities in universities, hospitals and other facilities the world over, often with little security. 'Dirty bombs will be enough to [drive[ any big city in the world into panic,' Mr Amano said. 'And the psychological, economic and political implications would be enormous.' This is thought to be well within the capabilities of extremists, and ISIS has already used chemical weapons, according to CIA director John Brennan. Probes into the Brussels attacks this week claimed that jihadis may have been plotting to steal nuclear material to create a radioactive bomb. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Brussels have confirmed they have arrested and charged Faycal Cheffou, a freelance journalist, in connection with the Brussels attacks. Cheffou was among six men arrested during a police raid on Thursday. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, left, and Najim Laachraoui, right, who carried out the attack at Brussels Airport on Tuesday He has been arrested for 'involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings'. Belgian prosecutors have arrested and charged a new suspect in the Brussels terror attacks. The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement today that a man identified as Faycal Cheffou, was one of six men detained in a police raid on Thursday. The statement added that he has been charged with for 'involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings'. Belgium media reports suggest Cheffou, a freelance journalist, is the third bomber pictured walking through Brussels Airport before the attacks. However that has not been confirmed by Belgian prosecutors. But one source close to the investigation, said: 'That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on.' Following his arrest, police raided his home although they failed to find any traces of explosives or weapons. Reports in the Belgian media also say that the taxi driver who took the suicide bombers to the airport on Tuesday morning has said he believes the man wearing the white jacket and hat is Cheffou. The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport in terror attacks on Tuesday. Today Belgian prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a new suspect in the terror attacks Prosecutors also said a second man Aboubakar A. had also been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group. Another suspect named as Rabah N. linked to a foiled plot in France was charged with taking part in terrorist activities. Cheffou lived in a small studio in an apartment building just 500 metres from Maelbeek metro station, De Morgen reported. Police cleared the building of all residents and spent five hours searching his small home, the paper said. A resident heard investigators say they had not found weapons or explosives but had 'found enough'. Cheffou, thought to be a freelance journalist, is known to the authorities for drugs and violence, the paper claimed. Advertisement A dilapidated cottage left abandoned in the heart of Sydney's inner west and last occupied by squatters has flown off the market for a staggering $1.4 million. Over 100 onlookers gathered at 42 Merton Street in Rozelle for a heated Easter Saturday auction, with 20 parties fiercely battling it out for ownership of the run-down property. The bidding opened at $800,000 - but the reserve price of $1.15 million was quickly exceeded as potential buyers rapidly upped their offers in $50,000 increments, Domain reported. Scroll down for video A dilapidated cottage with an atlas painted on the roof of its run-down kitchen sold for a staggering $1.4million It's not hard to see how the house in Sydney's inner-west was declared 'uninhabitable' by the selling agent 'Definitely in need of a creative upgrade or renovation': The selling description didn't stop house-hunters from engaging in a fierce bidding battle on Easter Saturday Real estate agent James Price of Hudson McHugh Leichhardt said the prospect of the considerable 278-square-metre block was enticing for buyers looking to renovate the decaying two-story home. 'Whenever you get a property like this, that is essentially uninhabitable, it is really popular in Rozelle for the choices you have in creating a home,' he said. The cottage, which was initially described as 'definitely in need of a creative upgrade or renovation,' is certainly in need of some upgrades. Some of its quirkier features include crumbling wallpaper, a giant atlas painted in blue and green on the roof of the kitchen, a wildly overgrown backyard and graffiti scribbled throughout the building. Real estate agent James Price said the prospect of creating a brand new home was exciting for buyers In need of a bit more than a paint job: The new owners of 42 Merton Street certainly have their work cut out Some of its quirkier features include crumbling wallpaper and graffiti scribbled throughout the home But faults aside, the pricey property's number one draw-card is it's prime location. Just a ten minute drive from Sydney's central business district and within walking distance of all of Rozelle's cafe's and shops - Mr Price said it represented good value. The selling agent added that the holiday timing might have helped bump the huge selling price up a bit. 'We get our best numbers over Easter because no other agency is doing them. If people are interested they won't go camping; they will turn up,' he said. The median price in Rozelle is $1.385 million - just $15,000 less than the sold price of 42 Merton Street. The new owners will also have to contend with a wildly overgrown backyard Disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson is facing a consumer investigation but reportedly believes that she won't be subject to any action after it wraps up. Ms Gibson told the Herald Sun on Saturday that she hadn't already faced charges and said 'No, I don't think I will' to a question over whether she believed she would ever face charges. Consumer Affairs Victoria took her to court in July last year in relation to charity donations. Scroll down for video Belle Gibson being interviewed on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes by reporter Tara Brown in 2015 The wellness blogger was a prominent Australian social media personality with her Instagram fan base ballooning after she revealed that she had prolonged her life by embracing an alternative lifestyle. However in 2015, in an interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, she revealed that her incredible story of healing her terminal brain cancer with wholefoods and alternative therapies had been made up. Her book, The Whole Pantry, was pulled from the shelves by Penguin after it was revealed she had fabricated her illness and subsequent holistic lifestyle. In an interview with reporter Tara Brown on 60 Minutes in 2015, Ms Gibson was unable to explain her web of lies and would not even confirm whether her age was 23 or 26. Her app remains for sale on GooglePlay for $2.99 and has been downloaded between 10,000 and 50,000 times, according to the HeraldSun. Ms Gibson built her career around her book The Whole Pantry and also developed a phone app to go with it Ms Gibson, pictured with her son Oliver at the beach, claims a mystery immunologist told her she had brain cancer Ms Gibson has admitted she 'might have caused' people to stray away from conventional medicine but refused to give a straightforward apology to her loyal followers When asked by 60 Minutes if she had planned to come forward with the truth, she said that she was prepared to tell her story 'ten days before the media broke it' Ms Gibson accepting an award in the social media category at Cosmopolitan magazine's Fun Fearless Female Awards in 2014 Ms Gibson with her award at Cosmopolitan magazine's Fun Fearless Female Awards (left) and promoting her healthy alternative lifestyle (right) Mr Nicol said his daughter was 'no angel' but did not take Ecstasy Found unconscious: Sky Nicol, 16, died from a suspected cardiac arrest hours after allegedly taking ecstasy The heartbroken father of a teenager who died after taking Ecstasy has lashed out at the friends who gave her the drug. Sky Nicol, 16, from Darwen in Lancashire, was found unconscious at a friend's house before dying of a suspected cardiac arrest at Royal Blackburn Hospital. Devastated David Nicol, 38, told those who supplied her: 'I hope you can sleep at night'. Doctors spent two hours trying to revive the youngster, described as a well-liked girl with a big personality', but sadly she never came around. A 16-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in ecstasy supply, while a 46-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of obstructing the course of justice. Both were in custody yesterday, but have not been charged. Pub landlord Mr Nicol has taken to Facebook to grieve his daughter's tragic death, as well as condemning those responsible, in a number of angry posts. On a status written in the early hours of Friday morning, he said: 'Yes she was a friend but now she's gone so hope you can't sleep at night knowing you gave her it, that's the sort of friend you are. 'Police are being contacted tomorrow.' Friends honoured the teen yesterday by holding a balloon release at her school and over 3,000 people have 'liked' a tribute page set up to commemorate her short life. Hannah Speakman, Sky's headmistress at The Heights Free School in Blackburn, said the teenager would be remembered for her 'infectious smile. She told the Lancashire Telegraph: Sky started at The Heights in Year Nine back in 2013 following an alternative provision curriculum and left in summer 2015. Her specialist areas were sport and leisure and performing arts. Sky was a well-liked girl with a big personality and will be sadly missed by pupils and staff alike. Scroll down for video However, Mr Nicol, who is separated from Sky's mum, said that while he loved his daughter she lived by her own rules. He has urged other young people to avoid taking Ecstasy so that parents can avoid similar heartache. He posted: 'Not really in the mood for this angel sh** on Fb she was no angel, she was a dafty who thought she was invincible n could do what she wanted when she wanted. 'Well just goes to show a bit of something too much and your a gonner, so please make all children aware this could happen to anyone and make it aware that your friends aren't your friends if they are giving it to you. Devastated: David Nicol, pictured, spilled out his heart in a number of emotional Facebook posts while he grieved his daughter's tragic death Rant: In this Facebook post Mr Nicol condemned those responsible for supplying his daughter with Ecstasy He added: 'Once again, let's raise awareness because they had been trying to bring my little girl back to life before they told us "we are sorry we can't do anything else". In another angry post, a clearly upset Mr Nicol, who said he was living with a 'life of hurt', ranted: Do you know you dirty b******s that I got to the hospital n they'd been trying for well over an hour to bring her back you dirty dirty b******s. 'I hope no one ever has to see what I had to see n go through what we are right now. Truth sky shouldn't have took what she did but it shouldn't have been offered to her. 'What are you f*****s thinking hope a lesson is learnt before another life is taken too soon n believe me 16 is way too soon.' Teenager: Friends of Sky have set up the #saynotodrugsforsky hashtag to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and are raising funds towards her funeral Mr Nicol said that he had been forced to live a' life of hurt' after losing his beloved 16-year-old daughter Sky texted pals saying she was 'wired' on 'MD', which is slang for MDMA, just hours before she collapsed, reports the Sun. MDMA is the chemical name for Ecstasy and is favoured by clubbers for its euphoric and energy giving qualities. Mr Nicol said he was still struggling to come to terms with losing his daughter and told the Lancashire Telegraph that it was out of character for her to have taken Ecstasy. He wrote on Facebook: 'Well let's hope she's gone straight upstairs to the big man n isn't trapped in some sort of lost soul world. 'I'd love for her to just sit on the bed n chat with me n probably say summat like I'm sorry dad I didn't know it was Gna end up like this xxx.' Tragedy: Sky was described as a well-liked girl with a big personality by teachers at her school in Blackburn Other members of family and friends also paid tribute on social media on her tribute page called In loving memory of Sky Nicol. Sophie Atkinson posted on the page: 'Remember you bouncing round school singing your head off to Skinny Love. It's so sad, was way too young... Will be missed by many.' And Samantha Jones said: 'R.I.P. So sad to know I only saw you Tuesday and never even got to say goodbye. Love and miss you, beautiful. You never deserved this. Fly high.' Sky's father said it was out of character for his daughter to have used ecstasy, but hoped that her death would make others think twice before taking it Friends have also set up the hashtag #saynotodrugsforsky to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and are donating money towards her funeral. They have organised for the hashtag to be printed on polo shirts with a picture of Sky that are being sold for 10 each. A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: We have launched an investigation after the death of a 16-year-old girl in Darwen. Police were contacted by the Ambulance Service around 6.45pm on Wednesday, March 23, after teenager Sky Nicol was found unconscious at an address. The ex of a wealthy 86-year-old New York art collector is suing her former sugar daddy for financial support 'for the rest of her life'. Daniela Zahradnikova, 42, said in court papers that she and her ex-boyfriend Henry Buhl had a 'partnership agreement' after she moved into his Manhattan loft in 2006. She said she would fulfill 'all wifely duties and obligations of a domestic nature', including cooking, cleaning and plenty of sex, while Buhl would 'support, maintain and provide for (her) in accordance with his earning capacity for the rest of her life', according to the lawsuit. Though Buhl, who is divorced with adult children, has moved on to another girlfriend, Zahradnikova claims she's still owed $1.5million in unpaid wages. Daniela Zahradnikova, 42, said in court papers that she and her ex-boyfriend Henry Buhl, 86, had a partnership agreement after she moved into his Manhattan loft in 2006 and he owes her $1.5million The former couple are living on opposite ends of Buhl's 8,000 square-foot Manhattan loft that Zahradnikova moved into in 2006 Zahradnikova's attorney Michael Barrows said that his client has honored the verbal partnership agreement by cleaning, keeping his books and managing his two boutiques called Space Sixteen, before the retail shops closed last year. But Barrows said Buhl did not keep up his end of the agreement and in February he told Zahradnikova that she had to move out of his 8,000 square-foot SoHo bachelor pad by the end of the month. Barrows said that Zahradnikova maintained an 'intimate relationship' with her sugar daddy until at least a few months ago, when he started dating another woman. 'I don't want to have an old girlfriend living here while a new one moves in,' Buhl told the New York Post. 'She's waiting until we eject this Daniela.' He said he's been 'asking her to leave for the last two or three years'. 'She wanted to get a full time job because she wasn't making enough to rent an apartment,' he added. 'Now we have asked her to leave by the end of the month. So she filed a lawsuit. I'm disappointed.' The pair are still sharing the unit, but living on opposite ends of the loft. 'I've given her free rent for a long time, for about ten years,' the former executive director of Investors Overseas Service told The Post. 'It never worked.' Zahradnikova said she would fulfill 'all wifely duties' if he provided for her 'for the rest of her life'. But Buhl has moved on to another girlfriend, Zahradnikova claims she's still owed $1.5million in unpaid wages Buhl wants Zahradnikova to move out of his SoHo loft so that his new girlfriend can move in. He said he's been 'asking her to leave for the last two or three years' Zahradnikova claims she honored the verbal partnership agreement by cooking, cleaning, keeping his books and managing his two boutiques called Space Sixteen (pictured), before the retail shops closed last year Barrows told the New York Daily News that Zahradnikova is terrified, adding that 'she doesn't know why he did this'. He said that when Buhl heard that Zahradnikova was going to file a lawsuit, he locked her own of her closets and his office within the loft. Buhl said he laughed when he realized she couldn't get her clothes. 'I didn't realize that. I will get her clothes and put them on her bed,' aid the octogenarian. Zahradnikova, a native of Czechoslovakia, started dating Buhl about ten years ago when he picked her up at the Mercer Hotel, where she was a waitress. She said she was initially attracted to Buhl's soft side and 'looked up to him for his philanthropic deeds', referring to his founding of the Association of Community Employment, which supports the homeless. But Barrows said that Zahradnikova thinks Buhl - who has denied making a partnership agreement with his ex - hasn't been the same since a hospitalization in April 2015. Buhl is a former banker and now runs a foundation and a non-profit for the homeless, but he is best known for his art collections, including a collection of photos of hands that sold for $12.5million at a 2012 auction. At his home in South Hampton, Buhl has a high-profile collection of sunflowers. Zahradnikova, a native of Czechoslovakia, started dating Buhl about ten years ago when he picked her up at the Mercer Hotel, where she was a waitress A gay actor who has played Jesus in traditional Spanish Easter parades for 30 years has been banned for being 'too ostentatious' when he performed the role last year. Ramon Fossati, from Valencia, says he has been told that he cannot perform in the parade until 2019 and claims it may be because of his sexuality. Authorities told him it was because he exposed a naked shoulder and gave 'false blessings' to the crowd during his performance last year. Ramon Fossati, who has played Jesus in traditional Spanish Easter parades for 30 years, has been banned for being 'too ostentatious' when he performed the role last year (file photo) The Junta Mayor de Semana Santa Marinera, which governs the Easter celebrations in the city, accused the actor of 'ostentation and parody'. But Mr Fossati said he was just waving to spectators and explained that his costume had been based on traditional religious paintings of Christ. 'I was not given any reason for the ban. It could be jealousy. Or maybe it was punishment for being gay,' he told the Times. 'But everyone where I live knows my sexual orientation and it is not an issue. I am deeply religious and this is the worst thing that could happen.' He said he even had the garment altered so that only one of his shoulders was exposed, in case authorities thought baring both shoulders was too risque. Those taking part in the Easter parade have to adhere to strict rules to prevent too much flesh being exposed and inappropriate religious gestures. Mr Fossati was fined 300 (237) following the parade last year but it was reduced to 60 (47) after he appealed the decision. Women can also be fined for showing too much cleavage or wearing dresses above the knee. The custom is to wear black dresses and a traditional headdress to the parade. The Junta has not commented on the ban. Organisers at a private sex club are throwing a Sunday-night orgy to raise money for Macmillan cancer support charity. The popular Eureka Naturist Spa Club in Kent has invited 'couples, single men and single women' to the bash on the May bank holiday weekend to 'come along and raise money for a good cause'. Potential party-goers will have to buy a ticket for 25 - 5 of which will go to Macmillan, the Sun reported. Eureka Naturist Spa Club is throwing a 25-a-ticket sex party in aid of Macmillan cancer support Money raised from charity raffles on the night will also go towards the cancer support charity and as the venue is unlicensed, attendees may bring their own drinks. The 400-a-year members club which was founded in 1967 wrote that it's jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and showers will be open during the party, which starts at 8pm and runs until 2am. Eureka, which is tucked away in Pennis Woods, near the village of Fawkham, is also a naturist venue which has a 'clothing totally optional'. There is a large dancefloor and Saturday night parties can attract around 180 guests. On its website it says the clubhouse is on 23 acres of land opens 364 days of the year. It boasts a 60ft heated outdoor pool and onsite accommodation for revellers who don't fancy journeying home. Dress code for the bank holiday party is 'no street wear or scruffy work wear, also ladies no jeans please' according to the site. There is a strict over-18s policy as well as a no photography or filming policy in all parts of Eureka. The club, which is a 30-minute drive from London regularly hosts bondage nights and on Easter Saturday is throwing a Easter Fetish Fancy Dress. The club was founded in 1967 and puts on a range of different parties from bondage to this weekend's 'Easter fetish fancy dress' event There are regular 'naked Friday' events as well as those geared towards gay, bisexual and cross-dressing club members. An overnight stay in one of their cabins costs between 45 and 60, and due to their popularity booking ahead is advised. The club found itself in trouble early last year after noise complaints from sex parties. The owners were forced to remove eight of its static caravans for which it did not have planning permission. The parish council complained that the accommodation was 'out of character' for the area, and last week Sevenoaks District Council ruled that they should be removed. Chief planning officer Richard Morris said the caravans constituted an 'inappropriate development in the Green Belt', adding that they 'detracted from the rural setting and natural character of the ancient woodland'. Last year the club was ordered to remove a number of its static caravans which did not have planning permission The club's boss at the time Michael Davies said last February that though he did not have planning permission for the caravans, they had been in place for more than 20 years without any problems. He added: 'We just want to keep the static caravans for our members to stay in rather than having to drive home. The SAS has been fighting ISIS on the ground in Libya since the beginning of the year according to King Abdullah of Jordan. Senior ISIS commanders have been fleeing into Libya as their control of large areas of Iraq and Syria is being weakened. Details of a secret briefing between King Abdullah and US congressional leaders which was leaked to a specialist Middle East security website confirm the elite warriors presence in the failed north African state. King Abdullah of Jordan confirmed the SAS are operating in Libya with his Special Forces, (file photograph) King Abdullah, left, pictured with US President Barack Obama in the White House in February, briefed congressional leaders about the deployment in January, details of which were later l According to Middle East Eye, King Abdullah told the US politicians that his own special forces were operational in Libya alongside the SAS. The leaked document states: 'His Majesty [King Abdullah] said he expects a spike in a couple of weeks and Jordanians will be imbedded [sic] with British SAS, as Jordanian slang is similar to Libyan slang.' The King continued: 'The problem is bigger than ISIL, this is a third world war, this is Christians, Jews working with Muslims against Khawarej, outlaws.' He added: 'The problem is many countries are still living the cold war, but they have to get beyond that and focus on the third world war.' King Abdullah met President Obama briefly at Andrews Air Force base for five minutes in January before addressing the congressional leaders. He also had meetings with Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry. Speaking at the time, Carter expressed his 'deep appreciation... for Jordan's continued contributions to regional counter-ISIL efforts.' It is understood that up to 6,000, mostly American troops will be sent to Libya to help stop ISIS establishing a stronghold in the country. Britain is expected to send approximately 1,000 soldiers as part of the deployment. However, officially, no British conventional troops have been sent to the country. The Ministry of Defence said they do not comment on UK Special Forces' operations. Prime Minister David Cameron was questioned in the Commons last week about UK troop deployment in Libya. SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson wanted to know why the PM had not informed parliament about the deployment. Mr Cameron replied: 'f we had any plans to send conventional forces for training in Libya we would of course come to this House and discuss them. What we want to see in Libya is the formation of a unity Government. 'There is progress with Prime Minister Siraj, who can now lead a Government of national accord. We will want to hear from him what assistance and help should be given in Libya. Countries such as Britain, France, America and Italy will definitely try to help that new Government, because right now Libya is a people smuggling route, which is bad for Europe and bad for us, and we also have the growth of Daesh in Libya, which is bad for us and bad for the rest of Europe. Around 1,000 British girls face harm from the 'abhorrent' practice of breast ironing, ministers have warned. In the brutal procedure, hot objects [stones, a hammer or a spatula] are used to pound and beat girls' breasts to stop them growing in the belief it makes them less desirable and discourages premarital pregnancy. Breast ironing originated in Cameroon, where it affects as many as one in four. It also takes place in Nigeria, Benin and Chad. This week Jake Berry, the Conservative MP for Rossendale & Darwen, said he was shocked to learn girls in west African communities in Birmingham and London were victims too. It is very difficult to spot as most of the perpetrators were the victims' own mothers. The process uses stones, a hammer or a spatula heated over hot coals to mutilate the breast tissue and make the girls look less 'womanly' - around 1,000 British girls face harm from the practice, it has been revealed In the brutal procedure, hot objects [stones, a hammer or a spatula] are used to pound and beat girls' breasts to stop them growing in the belief it makes them less desirable Mr Berry used freedom of information requests to show how little is known about the practice among child protection professions and the police. A quarter of children's services department had not been trained to look for signs, while one in seven police forces had never heard of it. He told The Times: 'There is a dangerous lack of knowledge out there. The government should act and issue guidance to all local authorities and other public sector bodies about the warning signs that could uncover this practice.' He said breast ironing should be given the same statutory recognition as female genital mutilation (FGM), so health professionals were trained to try and spot signs. Breast ironing originated in Cameroon, where it affects as many as one in four - it is often carried out by the victims' mothers and so is very difficult to spot He spoke about the issue for the first time in the House of Commons this week. The Tory MP said girls as young as 10 were subjected to 'unimaginable pain and suffering' and exposed to potential health problems including cancer, infection and cysts. He said: 'Hot stones, hammers and spatulas are used twice a day for several weeks or months to stop or delay and in some cases permanently destroy the natural development of the breast.' Culture, tradition and religion were often used to justify the practice, Mr Berry said, adding: 'But just as in the case of FGM these words are a thinly veiled excuse for a ritualised form of child abuse.' Margaret Nyuydzewira, founder of the Women and Girls Development Organisation, told The New Day: 'Yes, it is happening in the UK. We know it is happening through members of our community. 'It is brutal. There is a lot of trauma. Mothers are doing it with good intentions, to protect their daughters from sexual harassment, but it does not fit with British values.' This week Jake Berry (pictured), the Conservative MP for Rossendale & Darwen, said he was shocked to learn girls in west African communities in Birmingham and London were victims too The government said police could charge culprits with a range of offences. Home Office minister Karen Bradley said the government was 'absolutely committed' to putting a stop to the practice. But she admitted 'certain professionals' still felt reticent about tackling breast ironing because of 'cultural sensitivities' - and said they needed to be given the confidence to take action. A former stripper who contracted her lover to kill her ex-fiance is suspected by police of being a serial killer who allegedly masterminded three murders. Robyn Jane Lindholm, 42, who pleaded guilty to arranging the murder of her ex-fiance Wayne Amey, 54, in a Victorian Supreme Court last year, allegedly also organized the murders of a former lover in 2005 and a fellow exotic dancer in 1995, according to The Age. The Age claims Lindholm could soon be charged with the murder of George Teazis, 38, who was in a six-year relationship with Lindholm when he went missing more than 10 years ago. Robyn Jane Lindholm, 42, (pictured) who contracted her lover to kill her ex-fiance, is suspected by police of being a serial killer who allegedly masterminded three murders The battered and bruised body of Wayne Amey (right) was found in December 2013 after his former partner Lindholm (left) had arranged for him to be killed At the time of Mr Teazis' disappearance, Mr Amey was allegedly considered a prime suspect. Mr Amey allegedly confronted Mr Teazis after Lindholm claimed her lover had tied her up and pointed a gun at her head. Lindholm was believed to be having an affair with Mr Amey during her relationship with Mr Teazis. Police are also investigating Lindholm for the disappearance and murder of stripper Shari Davison, 26, in 1995, according to The Age. The women worked at the same stripper agency, Simply Irresistible, and were friends. Lindholm was sentenced 25 years in December for Mr Amey's murder and is currently serving her time at the maximum security Dame Phyllis Frost Centre women's prison, 30km west of Melbourne. Lindholm (pictured left) pleaded guilty to arranging the murder of Mr Amey in Victorian Supreme Court last year and was sentenced to 25 years in prison Lindholm recruited her new lover Torsten Trabert (left) and John Anthony Ryan (right) to kill Mr Amey and they were sentenced to 23 years and 26 years in prison for murder, respectively Mr Amey's beaten and stabbed body was found in central Victoria in December 2013. Lindholm's arranged for her new lover Torsten Trabert to kill Mr Amey after their engagement ended in 2012 and he took an intervention order out against Lindholm. Trabert and a third man, John Anthony Ryan, were found guilty of murdering Mr Amey by a jury and sentenced to 23 years and 26 years in prison, respectively. Lindholm allegedly also organized the murders of a former lover in 2005 and a fellow exotic dancer in 1995 The Herald Sun reported that Prosecutor Gavin Silbert SC had earlier labelled Lindholm a 'femme fatale' who controlled men and had been involved in an intense sexual relationship with Trabert that involved large amounts of drug use. 'Mr Trabert was infatuated with her. He left his wife and children,' Mr Silbert said. 'He was involved in an intense sexual relationship with her.' Elaborate and careful concealing of the crime and attempts to withdraw money from Mr Amey's bank account showed the intention had always been for Mr Amey to be killed, Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry said. 'His family and friends now must carry this burden for the rest of their lives.' A 20-year-old sorority member at Ohio State University sustained life-threatening injuries after falling out of a third floor window. Kalynn Smith, a member of Alpha Phi, was critically hurt when she landed on concrete early Thursday morning after falling out of a window at the organization's house in Columbus. The marketing major was rushed to Wexner Medical Center after being found around 3.20am. According to OSU's The Lantern, police said that alcohol did play a factor in Smith's fall, but would not elaborate. The incident does appear to be an accident, police said. Scroll down for video Kalynn Smith, 20, fell from a third floor window at her sorority's house at Ohio State University around 3.20am Thursday. She landed on concrete and sustained life-threatening injuries Smith (left), who is a marketing major, was rushed to Wexner Medical Center after being found. Police said that alcohol did play a factor in Smith's fall Police said Smith's fall from Alpha Phi's house (above) in Columbus appears to be an accident On Friday morning, a woman who appeared to be her mother shared on Facebook that she had a successful surgery to repair several broken bones and is expected to survive, the New York Daily News reported. In addition, Smith has been taken off a ventilator and will require additional surgery, but 'will eventually be back to her normal activity level,' the post said. Madison Nye, president of OSU's Alpha Phi chapter, said in a statement to the Lantern: 'Alpha Phi was deeply saddened to learn that Kalynn was hurt, and we are grateful for the wonderful support shown by the Ohio State community for her and our chapter in this time of deep concern for our loved sister. 'As devastating as this accident was, we will continue to support Kalynn and her family on her road to recovery.' A statement from the Alpha Phi international fraternity's executive director said Smith is a respected member at the Ohio State Alpha Phi chapter, as she is the vice president of membership recruitment. Smith is expected to survive the accident. She has reportedly undergone surgery to repair broken bones and will require additional surgery A spokesman from the university's Office of Student Life issued a brief statement to The Lantern that read: 'Our thoughts are with Kalynn and her family and friends as she recovers from her injuries' 'Alpha Phi was devastated to learn that Kalynn has been hurt, and we are grateful for the wonderful support shown by the Ohio State community for our chapter in this time of deep concern for their cherished sister,' Executive Director Linda Kahangi said in the statement according to The Columbus Dispatch. A spokesman from the university's Office of Student Life issued a brief statement to The Lantern that read: 'Our thoughts are with Kalynn and her family and friends as she recovers from her injuries.' Alcohol can be consumed in a fraternity or sorority house by individuals who are 21 or older in a room where at least one resident is 21, according to the Greek housing standards document on Ohio State's fraternity and sorority life website. However, alcohol cannot be consumed or present in rooms or common areas as acadmeic space on chapter property. Politicians Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn did little for their public image while taking part in a mayoral candidate doorstep campaigning session. Khan's press officer had to tell him to 'smile and walk' while Corbyn very nearly lost his temper during their outing in Arsenal. The Labour leader had welcomed the party's would-be London mayor to his Islington North constituency, days after a leaked list of MPs placed Khan among those considered 'hostile' to the leadership. 'Just smile and walk,' encourages the blonde press officer to his right - an instruction the candidate obeys to the letter But no matter what the trio remain resolutely silent, while Khan plasters a forced smile on his face. Behind them, supporters brandish yellow and red, 'Vote Labour' placards. Corbyn insisted Labour was 'campaigning absolutely flat out to win in London' in the mayoral contest and elections to the Greater London Assembly on May 5. 'Sadiq is our candidate,' he told activists, saying the former minister was 'leading the campaign'. Khan has said he will be the capital's champion 'often against my own party, rather than the patsy of the leadership of my party' as he battles Tory claims he would be 'Corbyn's man' in City Hall. He told activists: 'We are going to go door to door, street to street, community to community to persuade Londoners to lend us their votes so I can be a mayor for all Londoners.' But the canvassing session will have done little to calm reported tensions after the pair chose not to knock on any doors together. Simon Elmer, a member of the group 'Architects for Social Housing' was filmed pressing Khan on Zac Goldsmith's pledge to build 360,000 homes. What he didn't mention, Elmer says, is that 'he'd have to demolish 400,000 homes to do so,' and he asks Khan's position on the destruction of these housing states... only to be ignored. 'Just smile and walk,' encourages the blonde press officer to his right - an instruction the candidate obeys to the letter. He and the two female aides try and talk to each other as the camera follows them closely but a man with a bicycle tries to question them from the side. But the questions then turned to Corbyn, who continued his doorstep campaign. 'We moving on?' Corbyn says after shaking hands with a man in a shop, 'Round two' However, Corbyn is unable to focus and becomes angrily distracted by a woman walking closely behind him holding a Labour sign But no matter what the trio remain resolutely silent, while Khan plasters a forced smile on his face. Behind them, supporters brandish yellow and red, 'Vote Labour' placards. Fortunately for Khan, a car was waiting for him down the road and he and his team jumped in and drove off, successfully avoiding Elmer's incessant hounding. But the questions then turned to Corbyn, who continued his doorstep campaign. 'We moving on?' Corbyn says after shaking hands with a man in a shop, 'Round two.' Elmer instantly launches into his interview: 'The whole of London is being evicted from homes through demolition policies implemented by Labour councils,' he says. However, Corbyn is unable to focus and becomes angrily distracted by a woman walking closely behind him holding a Labour sign. He stops suddenly, jerking towards the lady and glaring in annoyance as though to tell her to back off - although he remains silent throughout. He stops suddenly, jerking towards the lady and glaring in annoyance as though to tell her to back off - although he remains silent throughout The woman, who had been close to Khan when he was interrogated doesn't seem to get the hint however and continues walking behind the scowling Labour leader Despite Elmer's insistence, Corbyn declines to comment and is then ushered into a car to take him to another part of the constituency to canvass voters The woman, who had been close to Khan when he was interrogated doesn't seem to get the hint however and continues walking behind the scowling Labour leader - perhaps it was he who needed to be told to smile and walk rather than Khan. Meanwhile Elmer presses on: 'You say you're opposed to the housing bill, yet Labour councils are implementing the aims of the housing bill. 'Labour are evicting hundreds of thousands of Londoners from their homes.' Despite Elmer's insistence, Corbyn declines to comment and is then ushered into a car to take him to another part of the constituency to canvass voters. The leader's office has denied responsibility for the leaked MP list, obtained by the Times and reported to be the work of Corbyn allies, that ranked Labour MPs on their loyalty to the leader. Khan was among those rated 'hostile', the most extreme of five categories. When it emerged, a spokesman for the mayoral hopeful said: 'No. Sadiq Khan is his own person and is fighting his own campaign to be mayor of London. 'Jeremy Corbyn's name is not on the ballot paper.' Alexei Sultanov, who won at 19 in 1989 died at 35 from a number of strokes 1985 winner Jose Feghali shot himself in the head in 2014 Steven De Groote, who won in 1977, died of complications from AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion after serious plane crash Of the 14 gold medalists in the quadrennial competition held since 1962, three others have faced particularly tragic ends Rumors of a Cliburn curse have resurfaced after the tragedy After tragedy befell pianist Vadym Kholodenko, who found his two daughters dead in their beds last week, rumors of the 'Cliburn curse' resurfaced. Kholodenko, who secured a $50,000 cash prize at the Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013, is just the latest winner who has faced a grim misfortune, raising questions about a recurring curse. Kholodenko, 29, appeared at his estranged wife Sofia Tsygankova's home in Benbrook, Texas on March 17, to find his daughters Nika and Michela, aged five and one, dead. Tsygankova, 31, who was found with self-inflicted knife injuries, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree capital murder. Scroll down for video Sofia Tsygankova (left), has been charged with two counts of first-degree capital murder after her award-winning musician husband, Vadym Kholodenko (right), discovered the bodies of Nika, five (center), and Michela, one (left), in their Benbrook, Texas, home Tsygankova, 31, pleaded not guilty to the murder of her children when she appeared at a Fort Worth court with bandages on her chest and injuries to her arms on March 23. CLIBURN AWARD GOLD MEDALIST WINNERS 1962 Ralph Votapek 1966 Radu Lupu 1969 Cristina Ortiz 1973 Vladimir Viardo 1977 Steven De Groote 1981 Andre-Michel Schub 1985 Jose Feghali 1989 Alexei Sultanov 1993 Simone Pedroni 1997 Jon Nakamatsu 2001 Stanislav Ioudenitch and Olga Kern (tie) 2005 Alexander Kobrin 2009 Nobuyuki Tsujii and Haochen Zhang (tie) 2013 Vadym Kholodenko Advertisement The competition is named after Harvey Lavan 'Van' Cliburn, Jr., an American pianist who won the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow during the Cold War in 1958. Music Critic Scott Cantrell pointed out in the Dallas Morning News that the curse usually refers to a flagging music career after a pianist takes the top prize. With the competition held once every four years, only 14 winners have won the gold medal prize since it began in 1962. Of those 14, three prior to Kholodenko have met particularly unlucky ends. South African pianist Steven De Groote won the award in 1977. Eight years later, his lung and aorta were punctured when the amateur pilot crashed his plane outside Phoenix, Arizona. He also suffered multiple fractures, and received a blood transfusion that later gave him AIDS. He died just four years later at the age of 36 from inflammation of the liver as a result of the immunodeficiency virus. Jose Feghali, another Cliburn winner who clinched the award in 1985, fatally shot himself in the head in 2014. According to the Dallas Morning News, those close to the Brazilian pianist said he suffered from depression. Cantrell noted after Feghali's death that the Cliburn win launched his career, but the demand for his performances began to flag by the end of his life. Alexei Sultanov won the Cliburn competition the same year De Groote died, becoming the youngest ever contestant at the age of 19. Sultanov died at the young age of 35, and his obituary in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram read: 'Alexei Sultanov soared to musical heights that other musicians only dream of, and crashed to earth with personal tragedy that few have to bear.' He suffered several strokes until a severe one in 2001 caused internal bleeding in his brain. He fell into a coma before he was revived and left partially paralyzed on the left side. He later died in his sleep. It is unclear how Vadym Kholodenko's two young daughters died last week, but Benbrook police Commander David Babcock told a news conference: 'We have probable cause, reason to believe, that [Tsygankova] committed the homicides.' Kholodenko issued a statement through the Cliburn Foundation saying: 'The loss of my children will be with me forever. 'But I would like to say that I feel the support of the Fort Worth community and all people who are sending me messages all over the world. 'Wherever I go after this tragedy my heart will stay with the people here of Fort Worth and my daughters will rest in this soil.' South African pianist Steven De Groote won the award in 1977 and died from liver inflammation from AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion after a serious plane crash Alexei Sultanov (left) won the gold in 1989 at 19. He died at 35, after suffering a number of strokes. Jose Feghali, (right) another Cliburn winner who clinched the award in 1985, fatally shot himself with a gun in 2014 Kholodenko issued a statement through the Ciburn Foundation saying: 'The loss of my children will be with me forever' He was educated in Russia. The couple had been living in Moscow while they also travelled the world as his fame grew. Khodolenko, a Ukranian citizen was harassed by Russian authorities when war broke out in his homeland between Russian-separatist forces and the Ukranian government. He came to the US in 2014 with his family and settled in the Fort Worth area due to close ties with the city's symphony orchestra. But the relationship between the pianist and his wife appears to have soured and Khodolenko filed for divorce just five months ago, citing discord or conflict of personalities after five years of marriage. The pair had been living separately since August 2015. He arrived at her home to pick up their daughters on March 17 and found them dead. They did not have any visible signs of trauma, but Tsygankova had suffered a number of self-inflicted knife wounds. The medical examiner's office had originally ruled the children's deaths as 'homicidal violence pending investigation', but new evidence disclosed in arrest warrant affidavits released Tuesday indicates that the children may have been smothered with pillows, reported the Telegram When Tsygankova (pictured L and R) was arrested she told officers she recalled 'cutting herself with a knife and taking pills' but had no memory of harming her children The two had been living separately since August 2015, and Khodolenko (left with Tsygankova) filed for divorce five months ago, citing discord or conflict of personalities after five years of marriage Tsygankova appeared at a court in Fort Worth on March 23 and pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of her children. When Tsygankova was arrested she told officers she recalled 'cutting herself with a knife and taking pills' but had no memory of harming her children. When she appeared at court, cut marks were clearly visible on her arms and bandages could be seen on her chest. Hours after the bodies of her children were found she asked investigators: 'Did I do anything bad to my kids?'. Usry did not fit the age range of the suspect, so his son, Michael Usry Jr. became a suspect until he was cleared a month later The search only matches certain parts of genetic code, leading to 'high rate of false positives' Christopher Tapp was already convicted but his DNA did not match the sample left on Dodge's body in 1996 Police were investigating the murder and rape of teenager Angie Dodge The database, backed by Mormon church to find a 'genetic blueprint' for humans was later acquired by Ancestry.com A filmmaker in New Orleans became a suspect in the 1996 murder of an Idaho Falls teenager after his father donated his own DNA to a nonprofit organization conducting a hereditary study backed by the Mormon church. Idaho Falls Police Department had a warrant to seize the genetic information later sold to Ancestry.com in an attempt to find a DNA match to the sample found on Angie Dodge, a teenager who was raped and murdered. Michael Usry Jr., a contractor living near Jackson, Mississippi, had donated his DNA 10 years earlier thinking he was helping further the Mormon Church's goal to find a 'genetic blueprint' for humans. Usry Sr. showed up as a familial DNA match, but police turned to his son because he fit the 20-something age range investigators were seeking. Michael Usry Sr. holds a portrait of his then 19-year-old son, Michael Jr., at his Clinton, Mississippi, garage. Usry Sr. donated his DNA to a foundation thinking he was helping further the Mormon Church's goal to find a 'genetic blueprint' for humans Usry Sr. donated his genetic information to the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, which was launched by billionaire Utah businessman James LeVoy Sorenson with the backing of the Church of Latter Day Saints. The foundation's goal was finding a 'genetic blueprint' for humans, and it amassed more than 100,000 samples until Ancestry acquired the database in 2007. Although Christopher Tapp had already been sentenced to life in prison for Dodge's murder and rape in 1998, Dodge's mother insisted police continue working on the case because the only DNA found on her body was not Tapp's. Tapp is appealing his conviction saying his confession was coerced and investigators believe another suspect was also involved. Idaho Falls police sent the DNA sample found on Dodge to Ancestry.com in 2014 to process and the private database emailed the results back to the police without naming anyone. The results established a close, though not exact, match. Believing the killer could be a relative of the DNA donor, police obtained a warrant to compel the company to turn over the donor's name. Police showed up at Michael Usry Jr.'s doorstep in New Orleans in December 2014, armed with a warrant for his DNA. The younger Usry, a filmmaker, was interrogated for six hours and finally gave blood for a DNA sample. For the next month, he remained under suspicion until his DNA was determined not to match the samples taken from the crime scene. Now Usry Jr. says he is making a documentary about his experience. 'It was disconcerting,' he said. 'It was a very weird situation.' His genetic information was sold to Ancestry.com, and police seized the data after Usry Sr. was found to loosely match the DNA found on Angie Dodge's body. She was murdered and raped in 1996 Because Usry Sr. did not fit the age range of the 20-something suspect, his son, Michael Usry Jr. became implicated in the case until he was cleared more than a month later Investigators compare DNA found at crime scenes against the genetic samples in the government database, looking at 13 distinct locations in a DNA sample and seeking matches at each location to pair a suspect with genetic material at the crime scene. According to Erin Murphy, a law professor at New York University, there's a 'high rate of false positives'. A 2014 study in the United Kingdom found that familial DNA searches had a success rate of just 17per cent, Wired reported. Ancestry.com and 23andme officials say their databases aren't useful to most criminal investigations because they analyze regions of DNA different from the locations forensic experts explore. However, that hasn't stopped investigators stumped on cold cases from contacting the companies for help. Media reports about the Usrys' experience has sparked a debate around privacy and both Ancestry and 23andme each said they turn over customer genetic data only under court order. Both companies announced publication of 'transparency' reports that disclose the number of warrants and subpoenas from law agencies Usry's data was the only instance where Ancestry.com turned over information. 23andme received four other court orders but persuaded investigators to withdraw the requests. Angie Dodge (pictured left and right) was raped and murdered in 1996. Investigators implicated Usry Jr., even though a study in the United Kingdom found that familial DNA searches had a success rate of just 17per cent 'Privacy is our primary concern,' said 23andme privacy officer Kate Black, who said the company has never turned over genetic information. But Black said 23andme has so far convinced investigators that the company's data won't help with their cases and the agencies have withdrawn their demands. 'It does bother me that Sorenson sold that information after they told me it wouldn't be shared,' the elder Usry said. 'It does bother me that my DNA was used in this.' The companies say law enforcement demands for genetic information are rare. But privacy advocates and experts are concerned that genetic information turned over for medical, family history research or other highly personal reasons could be misused by investigators and that the few known cases could be the start of a trend. 'There will be more requests as time goes on and the technology evolves,' said New York University law professor Erin Murphy. Thousands of dead fish have washed ashore in Florida causing what some have called 'the worst fish kill in decades'. Florida's Indian River Lagoon is cluttered with scores of dead, rotting fish and thousands of them are floating belly up in polluted water. Captain Alex Gorichky, a conservationist who runs a small fishing tour company told the New Times that he's seen 'every species of fish in the lagoon', including redfish that have been breeding for 35 years. 'The stretch is 30 miles long, and we're looking at devastating amounts of fish floating throughout that whole 30-mile stretch.' Scroll down for video Captain Alex Gorichky, a conservationist who runs a small fishing tour company said there are devastating amounts of dead fish floating throughout 30 miles in the Indian River Lagoon Gorichky said he's seen almost every species in the lagoon washed ashore including redfish (pictured) that have been breeding for 35 years Although no one has a definite answer as to what caused the fish kill, there is speculation that El Nino could have played a serious role Gorichky added: 'It's not an isolated incident; we're talking about wide-open expanses of rivers, canals, pockets of water with no tidal flow.' 'We're going to have a serious problem once they start decaying.' Although no one has a definite answer as to what caused the fish kill, there is speculation that El Nino could have played a serious role. El Nino has soaked Florida recently, even during its usual dry season. In January, parts of central Florida received triple the amount of rain they normally do for the month. The rainwater may have sent a wave of polluted runoff into the waters, which weakened the health of the ecosystem. Last week there was a sudden spike in temperatures, which caused a 'super bloom' of green and brown algae that killed acres of underwater sea grass and depleted oxygen levels for fish and other marine wildlife. Ed Garland, a spokesman for the St John River Water Management District, said officials can't determine the effect from the brown tide on the sea grass yet since the water is too cloudy, according to CNN. Staff at the FWC Melbourne Fisheries Field Lab have also been collecting water samples and fish samples but it's too early to determine to what extent fish populations have been compromised by the kill. In 2011, more than half of the sea grass reportedly died off, and there are still damaged areas from that die-off. State environmental officials said they have happened before. Kelly Richmond of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute told CNN that 'fish kills happen all the time' but this is quite unusual as it's 'a massive kill'. El Nino has soaked Florida recently, even during its usual dry season. The rainwater may have sent a wave of polluted runoff into the waters, which weakened the health of the ecosystem. Pictured (right) is a local resident picking up a fish from the water But last week's sudden spike in temperatures, caused a 'super bloom' of green and brown algae that killed acres of underwater sea grass and depleted oxygen levels for fish and other marine wildlife The Indian River Lagoon (pictured) is comprised of the Mosquito and Banana River lagoons Richmond added that they haven't seen anything to this extent. The Indian River Lagoon is comprised of the Mosquito and Banana River lagoons. The effort to clean up the fish kill in the Brevard County portion of the Indian River Lagoon kicked into high gear Thursday. About 80 volunteers across the county started to pick up fish in the waters and on the shoreline and filled buckets with 22,000 pounds of fish. 'When you get an event that's really visible like this, you can see the magnitude of the problems that the lagoon is really facing,' Allison Artega, Brevard Zoo Lagoon Restoration Outreach Coordinator told News 13. Volunteers ended up with wheelbarrows full of dead fish that were taken to a landfill. The massive fish kill is also a financial hit for the area. Robert Weaver, the director of the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute said businesses who rely on the lagoon are being affected. 'That lagoon of ours is a $3.7 billion a year economic engine, and we all really care about that,' Weaver told News 13. Staff at the FWC Melbourne Fisheries Field Lab have been collecting water samples and fish samples but it's too early to determine to what extent fish populations have been compromised by the kill About 80 volunteers across the Brevard County portion of the lagoon started to pick up fish in the waters and on the shoreline and filled buckets with 22,000 pounds of dead fish Executive NUT member Ian Murch said union will 'fight for what is right' Nicky Morgan was heckled when she accused teachers of being too negative at the conference Nicky Morgan was jeered and heckled at a conference of teachers today - while another union voted for strike action over plans to turn state-run schools into academies. The Education Secretary was greeted with laughter and shouts of 'rubbish' as she praised the government's recent education reforms at the NASUWT annual conference. Ms Morgan received an even more hostile reception when she claimed staff were failing to do enough to promote teaching. She was the first Conservative Education Secretary to address the event since 1997. But as Ms Morgan was greeted with a frosty reception at Birmingham's ICC arena, members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), meeting at their annual conference in Brighton, where plotting action that could chaos in schools across the country. NUT members voted overwhelmingly against what they consider to be the privatisation of the education system, by converting them into academies. Executive member Ian Murch said the measures would see 'schools stolen from their local communities'. He said: 'We will stand up for pupils, for patients and for teachers, and we will lead the campaign for sanity. We will fight the forced academisation of our schools. 'We will fight for what is right and we will fight until we win.' It is likely proposals will be made for a one-day strike in the summer, as well as potential for further strikes, should members agree. In Birmingham, Ms Morgan had challenged teachers over a repeatedly critical portrayal of life in the classroom, warning it risked putting off new entrants from joining. To loud laughter, the Education Secretary said: 'But despite the job that NASUWT and other unions do in representing teachers' interests, I worry that sometimes the rhetoric risks straying into territory where it actually damages the reputation of the profession. 'Let me take a case in point. I visited the NASUWT website recently and found that of the last 20 press releases the NASUWT had issued, only three said something positive. 'Wouldn't it be more helpful if your press releases were actually positive about the teaching profession? Ms Morgan said the 'language' coming out of the NASUWT was damaging to the future of the profession, as it would not encourage young people to join (file photo) 'Because if I were a young person making a decision about my future career and I saw some of the language coming out of the NASUWT as well as some of the other unions, would l want to become a teacher?' Delegates jeered and shouted 'no' and 'definitely not'. Ms Morgan continued above the laughter, saying: 'You are the best people to sell this as a profession. 'If I read about a profession standing on the precipice of a crisis, would I consider a life in teaching? No I would not.' Teachers applauded and one shouted 'has the penny dropped?' The Education Secretary challenged delegates, saying: 'Well, you're applauding against your own profession and it's no surprise that Times Educational Supplement research this week found that a third of teachers think that talk of a recruitment crisis is more likely to make them leave the profession. 'Ultimately, talk of a crisis is misleading. It doesn't tell the whole story, like the fact that 70 per cent of vacancies advertised via the TES are filled within four weeks of being advertised. 'Yes, recruitment is a challenge and we in government are stepping up, listening to school leaders, putting in place bursaries and schemes to encourage applicants for the subjects they tell us they find it difficult to recruit for.' Ms Morgan called on teachers to work with government, stressing 'ultimately, it's the young people up and down this country who will suffer if we don't' (file photo) She was applauded loudly when she admitted the 'government hasn't always got it right', adding: 'I want the teaching unions to accept they haven't always got it right either'. She said: 'Teaching unions have a choice, spend the next four years doing battle with us and doing down the profession that you represent in the process, or stepping up, seizing the opportunities and promise offered by the White Paper and helping us to shape the future of the education system.' Ms Morgan called on teachers to work with government, stressing 'ultimately, it's the young people up and down this country who will suffer if we don't'. A teacher shouted: 'They're suffering at the moment.' Ms Morgan had begun her speech to derisive laughter, claiming: 'None of us can or should want to deny that the education system is in much better shape than it was five years ago.' Ms Morgan had also defended the government's controversial White Paper reforms, which will see all schools turned into academies. A delegate shouted 'rubbish' as she said that 'every single one of those reforms is about what we can do to create better environments for teaching and for teachers'. NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates (right) urged Morgan to abandon imposing the academies system on the remaining local authority-controlled schools in England Others laughed as she added: 'Yes, I'm talking about every school becoming an academy and I know the NASUWT has voiced concerns about the academies programme right from the outset. 'But let me be clear, that this is about creating a system that is school led - one that puts trust in you, the professionals inside the system, giving you the freedom from government to do your jobs as you see fit, based on the evidence that works.' Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, was applauded loudly when she thanked Ms Morgan for attending, saying: 'I'm pleased you're here and I am delighted you're not Michael Gove.' She urged the Education Secretary to abandon imposing the academies system on the remaining local authority-controlled schools in England. She said: 'Once again Nicky, the Chancellor's announcements are unravelling. 'Don't allow yourself to become the next IDS (Iain Duncan Smith), listen to the concerns being raised. 'If you want education excellence everywhere, than recognise there are outstanding academies, outstanding community schools, outstanding foundation schools, outstanding voluntary-aided schools which prove academies do not have the monopoly on excellence.' She added: 'I heard what you said about not turning back, but I ask you to think again and ditch that proposal to force every school to become an academy.' Members heard the academisation plans represented a 'top-down dismantling of the English education system', and were distracting from the real issues facing schools - such as workload and funding. Fellow executive member Hazel Danson described the plans as 'a wilful act of recklessness'. Moving the amendment to ballot for strike action, to start this term, NUT executive member Alex Kenny said: 'The white paper is a threat to all teachers, no matter what school they work in. 'But there are signs the Government is over-reaching. When you look at the scale of opposition, from Mumsnet to the Financial Times, you can see that the tide might be turning against them, and we might be able to force Nicky Morgan back. I believe we can build on what we've done, to reach out and mobilise members, and explain to them that we will strike, we can strike on specific issues NUT executive member Alex Kenny 'I believe we can build on what we've done, to reach out and mobilise members, and explain to them that we will strike, we can strike on specific issues.' Mr Kenny said the union could work with the British Medical Association to learn lessons on how it combined its political campaign with an industrial campaign for the junior doctors' strikes earlier this year. Despite the vitriol, the NUT's collective defiance may yet fall on deaf ears in Whitehall, after Ms Morgan ruled out the prospect of a Government U-turn over academisation. She told the NASUWT conference there would be 'no pulling back' and 'no reverse gear' on the Government's education reforms, including the controversial roll-out of academy schools in England. Support for academisation - which will force 17,000 state schools in England to become privately run academies within six years - has been hard to find from teaching staff, who staged marches around the country on Wednesday in defiance over the plans, announced in the previous week's Budget. Members are now expected to be balloted on the prospect of strike action, likely to be before the end of the summer term. Further strikes could then follow in the autumn term. JEREMY CORBYN HAS HIS SAY Labour's Jeremy Corbyn took to the stage as guest speaker on Friday afternoon - the first political party leader to do so in living memory - to condemn the 'costly and unwanted' academisation at a time of 'grotesque poverty'. Labour's Jeremy Corbyn took to the stage as guest speaker on Friday afternoon - the first political party leader to do so in living memory Responding to the Department for Education's white paper on the school reforms, the NUT's members were told: 'Government decisions and mismanagement is creating a crisis in education, involving the worst teacher shortages in living memory, insufficient school places, severe funding shortfalls and curriculum and assessment reforms that threaten to turn schools into exam factories. 'Conference wants the public to question why - instead of addressing these real and urgent emergencies - the Government plans to embark on a hugely expensive and unnecessary top-down reorganisation of state education in England.' Advertisement A terror suspect who was arrested by police in Brussels after a dramatic stand-off at a tram stop is believed to have previously been jailed for helping to assassinate an Afghan leader just days before 9/11. Belgian prosecutors said that Abderaman A. was shot in the leg at the tram stop in Schaerbeek because he was carrying a rucksack police believed contained a bomb. It came as the investigation continued into Tuesday terror attacks in Belgium at Brussels Airport and a metro station in the city, which left 31 people dead. Scroll down for videos Belgian prosecutors said that Abderaman A. was shot in the leg at the tram stop in Schaerbeek because he was carrying a rucksack police believed contained a bomb Today prosecutors announced that he was being held for another 24 hours as investigations continued. However, it has also been revealed in Belgian media that the suspect, they have named as Abderaman Ameroud, was jailed for seven years in France in 2005 for providing logistical support for the killing of Afghan resistance leader Ahmed Shah Masood. Ameroud, who is of French Algerian descent, lived in Afghanistan and was convicted of helping the Taliban to assassinate the commander. Mr Masood, who was a prominent Afghan leader in the north of the country, was blown up two days before the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., by two men posing as journalists. Former Afghan Commander Ahmed Shah Masood, who was killed by the Taliban two days before 9/11. Abderaman Ameroud who was arrested in a shoot-out at a tram stop in Brussels, spent seven years in jail for helping to organise the assassination His death stunned the country and his rebel forces soon joined up with US troops in their fight against the Taliban following the 9/11 terror attacks. Osama bin Laden is widely believed to have ordered Massoud's killing as a favour to the Taliban, whose protection would be critical after the 9/11 attacks. Passports found on Mr Masood's killers were linked to a Brussels-based militant cell run by Tarek Maaroufi. Ameroud was handed a sentence of seven years when he went on trial for his part in the assassination at a court in Paris in 2005. As the camera moves to include the tram stop, it shows a child crouching by the side of the shot suspect, named Abderaman A as and the man in orange calls for the boy or girl to leave the man The man in orange manages to convince the child to leave the suspect on the ground, and police - including one carrying a shield - back away Ameroud was arrested yesterday in Brussels after a stand-off with police where he took a woman hostage. Witnesses told how heavily armed anti-terror police shot him in the leg because he was carrying a rucksack they believed contained a bomb. As police moved in the suspect then grabbed a woman and pulled her to the ground. In heart-stopping footage captured from a balcony above where the drama unfolded, the man can be seen letting a little girl no older than five go as officers get closer. Belgian police drag Abderaman A. along a tramway platform after he was shot following a raid in the Brussels borough of Schaerbeek The clip then shows specially trained anti-terror police in bullet proof vests gently coaxing the frightened girl to safety as the target grabbed the woman. The shooting took place in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek the scene of a number of anti-terror raids in the last few days. Najim Laachraoui, the master bomber who blew himself up at Zaventem airport on Tuesday, killing 14, and whose DNA was found on the suicide vests in Paris, lived in Schaerbeek. DNA traces of Balal Hadfi, one of the Paris bombers, were also found in a flat in Schaerbeek along with a cache of explosives in December. Police arrested and charged a man identified as Faycal Cheffou, pictured, with terrorist murder over the Brussels terror attacks on Tuesday. Belgium media reports suggest Cheffou, a freelance journalist, is the third bomber pictured walking through Brussels Airport before the attacks with Ibrahim El Bakraoui, centre, and Najim Laachraoui, left The news comes as police arrested and charged a man identified as Faycal Cheffou with terrorist murder over the Brussels terror attacks on Tuesday. Belgium media reports suggest Cheffou, a freelance journalist, is the third bomber pictured walking through Brussels Airport before the attacks with Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui. However that has not been confirmed by Belgian prosecutors. But one source close to the investigation, said: 'That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on.' Chocolate manufacturers have been accused of dropping the word 'Easter' from their celebratory eggs Chocolate manufacturers have been accused of dropping the word 'Easter' from their celebratory eggs. Christian groups have claimed that major brands are 'uncomfortable' with the Christian faith. But manufacturers Cadbury and Nestle denied that they were getting rid of the word 'Easter' from their products. The word 'Easter' is not included on the front of the packaging for their Mini Eggs Giant Egg or their Dairy Milk Buttons Egg, but 'Happy Easter' is branded on a special edition of the Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Nestle's Kit Kat Chunky Egg and Smarties Egg Hunt Pack also do not include the word Easter on the front. David Marshall, who is the founder of the Meaningful Chocolate Company, accused brands of 'censoring' the Easter tradition. 'It's deeply disappointing and shameful that some of the biggest companies are censoring the centuries' old tradition,' he said. 'It shows they're insensitive and uncomfortable with the Christian faith.' The company, which aims to reintroduce traditional Easter eggs back into the mainstream market, recently commissioned a poll that showed four in five people want to keep the word 'Easter' on their eggs. Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, said: 'It is interesting that there seems to be a real resistance to removing the word 'Easter' from these gifts. 'Perhaps people understand that the festival is religious and do not want to see it turned completely secular. 'Whatever the reasons, it is important to remember that at Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.' A spokeswoman for Cadbury said: 'We do not have a policy to drop Easter from our eggs.' She added that the word Easter was included on the side and back of their packaging. A Nestle spokesperson added: 'There has been no deliberate decision to drop the word Easter from our products and the name is still widely used at Nestle.' A man who bypassed Heathrow Airport security and barricaded himself inside a British Airways plane cockpit escaped with a fine of 220. Luis Costa caused a major security alert when he ran through a barrier and rushed through an engineering block at Terminal 3, before locking himself inside cockpit of an empty BA jet. Costa, 38, from west London, was due to appear before magistrates on Tuesday after refusing to come out of his cell on his first court date. Luis Costa appeared in front of magistrates on Saturday and was fined 220 for breaking into Heathrow terminal and barricading himself in an empty plane However, he appeared in front of magistrates on Saturday on an arson charge unconnected to the Heathrow incident. When in the courtroom, they also handled his airport security breach. He initially denied all charged but this week changed his mind, admitting to all the offences put to him. Costa was accused of entering a security restricted area of an aerodrome at Heathrow Airport without permission and a second count of boarding a British Airways Boeing 747 aircraft without permission. Both offences were charges under the Aviation Security Act 1982. However, Costa was let off with a 100 fine for each offence by magistrates in Uxbridge, west London after the security alert at the airport on 5 March. A Heathrow source said at the time: 'It was a very difficult and complex situation and in the end the fire brigade had to be called to the plane and carried out a long and very protracted operation to get into the cockpit from outside. 'Eventually they managed to gain access to the cockpit and police were able to storm in and arrested the intruder. Costa, 38, of Houslow, west London, sparked major Heathrow security breach during his break in on March 5 'It is a terrifying situation when you think about it. Here is a man who not only has managed to go air-side at one of the world's busiest airports but he has successfully got to a Boeing 747 jet liner and found it open and was able to climb aboard. 'Then he has got onto the flight deck and barricaded himself in using the plane's own anti-terrorist equipment. 'As far as I know there is no suggestion he is in anyway linked to terrorism but imagine if he had been a terrorist with the ability to handle the controls of a 747. 'Although it was away from the main runway, the plane could have caused a major incident and even worse, if it had taxied and taken off. 'The fire brigade from the airport took a long time to extricate him because the plane's cockpit is designed to be impenetrable in case of acts of terrorism.' Costa, of Hounslow, west London, was also ordered to pay a 20 victim surcharge, meaning he must pay a total of 220. Costa also pleaded guilty to the arson charge, for a fire at an address in Chiswick in March. He was released on bail for that offence and must return to face magistrates for sentencing in April. A full-time college student from Texas has fulfilled a promise he made in the second grade by presenting his grandparents with a check for $15,000 to pay off the mortgage on their home. The touching moment was captured on camera this week as Stefun Darts wrote his very first check to his grandparents, Cecil and Marilyn Roberts, who were left in tears during the emotional surprise. Darts, who holds down a full time-job while also running two small non-profits, said he has been eating microwave pizza and has not gone out just to save money to pay off their mortgage, according to KHOU. Stefun Darts, a full-time college student from Texas, has fulfilled a promise he made in the second grade by presenting his grandparents (pictured with him) with a check for $15,000 to pay off the mortgage on their home The Houston college student said he had made a promise in the second grade to pay off his grandparents' house and to also help them retire - a promise he was determined to never break. In the video shared posted to Facebook on Monday, the couple appear overwhelmed with emotion after learning of the incredibly kind gesture made by their giving grandson. The grandparents are seen hugging Darts before he reads a letter that he wrote to them, thanking them for everything they have done for him. After reading the letter, he then tells his grandparents he has one more surprise: a trip to the Bahamas. 'I couldn't believe it,' his grandmother Marilyn Roberts told KHOU. 'To have a grandson like that is a blessing.' His grandfather, Cecil Roberts, added: 'He's a very special kid and I just love having him in my life.' His grandparents have been paying their mortgage without fail every month and on time for more than two decades, and to pay it off would have taken another four years, according to KHOU. The touching moment was captured on camera by family this week as Darts wrote his very first check addressed to grandparents Cecil and Marilyn Roberts, who were left in tears during the emotional surprise In the video, the grandparents are seen hugging Darts before he reads a letter that he wrote to them, thanking them for everything they have done for him After reading the letter, he then tells them he has one more surprise: a trip to the Bahamas In a Facebook post shared last Sunday, Darts wrote that he would sacrifice everything for his family. 'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched... but are felt by the heart,' Darts wrote in a Facebook post last Sunday. 'Even with this, I could never repay you for what you've done for me. 'I sacrificed my teenage and early adulthood of not having fun for this moment. 'I couldn't stand you going to work at night, some nights I didn't even sleep knowing it shouldn't be like this. 'Never have I wrote a check wanting this to be the first one. To all my friends that stood by me over these last six years I appreciate you. 'Somethings was never said and I'm glad you guys had enough sense to understand I had something greater to complete. 'GP| GG Take this check and pay your house off, and retire from work. Y'all owe no man but God. Even copped y'all some tickets to The Bahamas 'I'll sacrifice everything for my la familia. P.S - Avaricious. The secret is within. Love, Stefun.' In a Facebook post shared last Sunday, Darts (pictured left, his grandparents, right) wrote that he would sacrifice everything for his family In a Facebook post on Sunday, Darts wrote that that now his grandparents can pay off their house and retire, fulfilling a promise he said he made to God in the second grade Darts' mother, Stephanie Wyatt, said her son has always been a giving person, even from a small child. But Darts, who serves as president of the Caring Heart Youth Foundation which runs a mentor program for youth and young adults, said he has not done this for acknowledgement. Two days after Garry Shandling's unexpected death, his doctor has reportedly refused to sign the beloved comic's death certificate and has prompted the coroner's office to investigate. The physician has 'repeatedly refused' to sign the document because he believed that Shandling, who hadn't been examined by the doctor for more than a year, was in fine health. Though it has been reported that Shandling died from a massive heart attack, his doctor, who has not been named, claims he has no idea why or how the patient died. His refusal to sign the the 66-year-old's death certificate has triggered an official investigation by the Los Angeles County Coroner who will determine the cause of death, according to TMZ. Scroll down for video Comedian Garry Shandling's doctor refuses to sign his death certificate two days after his death because he believed that Shandling was in fine health. Though it has been reported that Shandling died from a massive heart attack, his doctor, who has not been named, claims he has no idea why or how the patient died Shandling, 66, died on Thursday in St John's Hospital complex in Santa Monica, California, pictured above. Investigators have taken blood work from the Emergency Room in hopes that it will help determine cause of death Investigators have taken blood work from the Emergency Room at St John's Health Center in Santa Monica where Shandling was pronounced dead and have subpoenaed records from the doctor. It was revealed on Thursday that Shandling, the creator of the Larry Sanders Show, had been planning to make a trip to the emergency room shortly before his death on Thursday. TMZ reported that the comedian had been experiencing shortness of breath and aches on Wednesday afternoon so he called over a doctor friend who gave him a check up and told him that if he was still in pain on Thursday he should get to a hospital. The comedian did not make it in time however, calling 911 Thursday morning and falling unconscious before he could even finish his call with the dispatcher, dying just hours later of a massive heart attack. Shandling, who also created and starred in It's Garry Shandling's Show, died at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica after being rushed in earlier in the day. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at his just a little after 10.30am following the 911 call and had to kick down the door when no one was able to answer. Late night host Conan O'Brien described how Garry Shandling had once brought him back from the brink in a touching tribute to the legendary comedian (pair above in 2009) Jeffery Tambor, Rip Torn, and Garry Shandling are pictured on The Larry Sanders show which aired from 1992-1998. Many are struggling to come to grips with Shandling's sudden death Peter Tolan, left, and Gary Shandling pose with their Emmy awards for outstanding writing for a comedy series award for The Larry Sanders Show in 1998 Shandling, pictured in a vintage snap doing stand-up on TV, has been doing stand-up comedy for over a decade and will be sorely missed Shandling had been posting on social media earlier in the week, and on Monday retweeted a photo of himself with Kathy Griffin and Bob Odenkirk - who was on The Larry Sanders Show. Griffin, who tweeted the photo, included the caption; So @GarryShandling & I had to call Saul @mrBobOdenkirk.' Shandling began his career doing stand-up, which led to writing jobs on shows including Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. Soon after he began to guest host for Johnny Carson, and was considered as a possible replacement after Carson left his job on The Tonight Show. He did not get the job, but in 1986 created It's Garry Shandling's Show, which would run until 1990 and get nominated for four Emmy Awards. Two years after that he found success again on television with The Larry Sanders Show, one of the first original programs to ever run on HBO. It was about the cast and crew of a late-night talk show, and Shandling said he based large parts of the show on his time filling in for Carson on The Tonight Show. Shandling had been posting on social media earlier in the week, and on Monday retweeted a photo of himself with Kathy Griffin and Bob Odenkirk (above) More recently Shandling found a new audience of younger fans thanks to his role in two big Marvel films - Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 2 (above with Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle) That show was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards, and in its final season in 1998 Shandling won for the first time in the Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series category. He was also twice nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for his work on Larry Sanders. More recently he found a new audience of younger fans thanks to his role in two big Marvel films - Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 2. It is not known if he was set to appear or had filmed any other Marvel films at the time of his death. Shandling also recently appeared in an episode of Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee that aired on New Year's Day. The episode was called It's Great that Gary Shandling is Still Alive. Shandling was a frequent host at awards shows, having done the Emmy Awards five times from 2000 to 2004 and prior to that the Grammy Awards six times from 1990 to 1995. Flight 746 to Philadelphia at 6.59am on Saturday was cancelled He was arrested and failed another test at the Romulus Police Department TSA reported his behavior, and he failed a breathalyzer test, officials said An American Airlines co-pilot was arrested for allegedly turning up at Detroit Metropolitan Airport drunk, authorities said. The pilot, whose name has not been released, failed two breathalyzer tests and was detained by the police department in Romulus, Michigan, airport spokesman Michael Conway told WXYZ. The 6.59am flight to Philadelphia on Saturday was cancelled, leaving several college students on spring break stranded. A woman posted this photo on Twitter on Saturday, with the caption: '@AmericanAir pilot arrested, spring break busted' The Federal Aviation Administration said a pilot was 'detained this morning under suspicion of having a breath alcohol content over the legal limit when he arrived for his flight in Detroit', WXYZ reported. TSA officers reported the pilot's behavior, and his BAC registered over the limit of 0.04per cent, a rule established by the FAA. He failed another breathalyzer test after he was taken to the Romulus Police Department, Conway said. American Airlines released a statement announcing that flight 736 was cancelled. The company said it would book customers on other flights, adding: 'Safety is our highest priority and we apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans. The co-pilot showed up at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and failed two breathalyzer tests. He was arrested by the Romulus police and the flight to Philadelphia was canceled (file pic) 'We are assisting local law enforcement. Further questions should be referred to them.' Several college students who were on spring break tweeted about the incident, which left them stranded at the airport. WXYZ reported the pilot, born in 1965, is from Pennsylvania. disappearance went unnoticed because he took frequent trips to Europe without prior warning Christopher Cooley (pictured), 78, was found strangled to death in his apartment's living room A wealthy widower has been found strangled to death in his Upper East Side apartment with the door locked from the inside and days worth of deliveries at the door. Christopher Cooley, 78, was seated on the couch in his living room with a necktie wrapped twice around his neck when the building's super came in through a back door. Cooley had congealed blood in his hair and a pillow over his head, the New York Times reported There was a shattered lamp at his feet. Coroners said on Friday that Cooley had been strangled to death. 'The cause of death is ligature strangulation, and the manner of death, homicide,' Dr Barbara Sampson, the city's chief medical examiner, said. Cooley, who lived on East 64th Street in New York, had $192 worth of cash in his pockets according to the New York Post. Police found no sign of a break-in or robbery and the deadbolt was locked. When Cooley was found on March 16, newspapers dating back to March 5 had piled up at the door. His disappearance went unnoticed for a while because he took frequent trips to Europe without telling anyone in the building beforehand, a doorman told the New York Times. Cooley's sister, who lives out of state, got worried when she wasn't able to reach him and asked the super, Ray Kasaj, to go in. That was when they found Cooley's body in the living room. 'That is something that stays with you. I still have the smell in the pit of my stomach,' Kasaj told the New York Post at the time. Investigators are looking into two potential suspects in the death of Cooley, a Yale graduate who came from Hartford, the New York Post wrote. One of his close friends described him to the newspaper as a 'trust fund kid' who was 'tall and handsome' and 'an absolutely grand man'. Cooley, who loved opera and the Renaissance, had taken care of his wife for 26 years after she developed multiple sclerosis. He had lived in Venice in the past and according to the New York Times met poet Ezra Pound, who was charged with treason for supporting fascist forces in Italy. Defense Secretary Ash Carter used his personal email account for government business for nearly a year, from the time he took office in February 2015 to December. Carter used his account despite the Pentagon's longtime ban on the use of personal email for official business. None of the emails contained classified information, and most pertained to routine business such as scheduling and logistics, according to hundreds of Carter's emails released by the Defense Department. The 1,336 pages of emails and attachments from Carter's personal account were released late Friday in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. Defense Secretary Ash Carter (pictured) used his personal email account for government business for nearly a year from the time he took office in February 2015 until December. Carter used his account despite the Pentagon's longtime ban on the use of personal email for official business Carter's use of his personal email account was surprising given the burst of public criticism that followed disclosures that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (pictured) had used a private email account exclusively to conduct government business while she was secretary of state Carter's use of his personal email account was especially surprising given the public criticism that followed disclosures that Hillary Clinton had used a private email account exclusively to conduct government business while she was secretary of state. When the New York Times reported Carter's use of a personal email account on December 17, Carter's aides said his actions were a mistake and that he had quit the practice. The emails released Friday show that while he used the personal account less frequently starting in September, he did not halt the practice entirely until December. In a November 21 email using his personal account he wrote: 'My work email isn't working on my iPhone. If you need me this weekend please email me here and cc my work address too.' In what appears to be an auto-response message sent from his personal account on December 18, Carter wrote: 'I am no longer utilizing personal e-mail for the remainder of my time as the Secretary of Defense. 'If you need to get in touch with me regarding a personal matter please contact me on my cell phone. 'If you are contacting me pertaining to business please contact my Assistant, (redacted by Defense Department).' He ended the note by writing, 'You will not receive ANY additional response to this e-mail'. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement that none of the released emails contained classified information. Cook said all of Carter's work-related emails are preserved within the federal records system. A Mail on Sunday petition calling for a Commons debate on Britains commitment to spend 0.7 per of national income on foreign aid has got a staggering 150,000 plus signatures, only a week after its launch. To add your voice, click HERE. And dont forget to share with your family and friends. The astonishing figure is half as much again as needed to ensure that the Government must consider granting a fresh debate among MPs about the highly contentious issue. It comes after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed the shocking ways in which the money was spent, including on this 8million palace built by Palestine, which has received 72million of foreign aid Amjad Awad (pictured) and his cousin Hakim Awad killed Ehud and Ruth Fogel and their three children in their West Bank home in 2011. They have been getting foreign aid since they were convicted for life Cash for jobs that don't exist: Civil servants in Gaza are funded by western aid, who queue at cashpoints on payday (pictured), even though they haven't had jobs since 2007 As well as the huge volume of support for the campaign, backing has come from across the political spectrum. Labour peer Lord Lipsey and Tory peer Lord Lawson were both quick to give their backing. Lord Lipsey said: I support well spent aid; and I believe that most of the 100,000 people who have signed the Mails petition do too. Poor people in poor countries need and deserve our help. What I and I hope they are against is this wholly artificial target. Desperate government attempts to spend more to meet their target each year inevitably means that all that matters is how much is spent on aid not how it is spent. It makes waste inevitable. The Commons debate which should follow the Mail on Sunday campaign wlll give the government a chance to embrace a more sensible way of spending aid. That would be better for the worlds poor, and better for the hard-pressed British taxpayer. The Mail on Sunday has been investigating where the annual 12billion is spent and has revealed how cash provided by the Department for International Development finds it way to convicted terrorists via the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Other handouts have been used to teach British folk songs around the world and to fund a BBC Somali radio drama which provided practical tip for illegal migrants journeying to Europe, while millions of pounds of British taxpayer money are given to aid organisations in the US the wealthiest country on earth. The Mail on Sunday launched the petition on the official Parliamentary website on last Sunday in a bid to get the Government to reconsider the law requiring us to spend a fixed 0.7 per cent of national wealth on foreign aid, with the current figure of 12billion set to rise to 16billion by 2020. Special relationship: The Global Center For Development was given 5.9million. The US-based think-tank has a 12million HQ (pictured) Rather than helping people who desperately need it, much of this money is wasted and the Great British Giveaway fuels corruption, funds despots and corrodes democracy in developing nations. If you want to stop this madness and see that our money is better spent, click here: Yes, I want to make a difference and sign the petition The link will take you to the Parliamentary petitions website where our petition is displayed. Once you have signed it, please share it with your family and friends using social media. You must be a UK resident or citizen to sign. Expressing his concern, Lord Lawson said: 'Part of the problem is that so much of the aid goes through multi-lateral agencies such as the EU and the UN. 'We have no control at all.' STOP THE FOREIGN AID MADNESS NOW: AS ANOTHER 12BN OF YOUR TAXES ARE SPLURGED ON HAND-OUTS FOR TERRORISTS AND KILLERS, IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPENDING ON FOREIGN AID BUDGET, SIGN OUR PETITION NOW The Mail on Sunday has launched a petition on the official Parliamentary website calling on the Government to scrap the law requiring us to spend a fixed 0.7 per cent of national wealth on foreign aid. The figure is currently 12 billion and will rise to 16 billion by 2020. Rather than helping people who desperately need it, much of this money is wasted and the Great British Giveaway fuels corruption, funds despots and corrodes democracy in developing nations. If you want to stop this madness and see that our money is better spent, click here: Yes, I want to make a difference and sign the petition The link will take you to the Parliamentary petitions web site where our petition is displayed. Once you have signed it, please share it with your family and friends using social media. You must be a UK resident or citizen to sign. Please note that signing the petition will entail you clicking on a link sent to your email inbox. 100,000 people have signed the petition, which will force politicians to at least consider a parliamentary debate on the issue. But more signatures will give the argument to reconsider that aid budget even more weight. If you want to end the madness, sign our petition here Advertisement UKIP MP Douglas Carswell said: 'The sort of people who have dinner parties in Notting Hill think there's something unseemly about wanting to cut the foreign aid budget. 'The Mail On Sunday's petition has already shown this issue really matters to ordinary taxpayers. 'In order to try to appear virtuous David Cameron massively increased overseas aid. But he increased it so quickly that no one really stopped to consider what it was being spent on.' Former trade minister and businessman Lord Digby Jones told BBC Radio 4 that giving '5.9 million to the Americans' or '13,000 quid for a rich Texan businessman to fly to London for a summit' was unacceptable. A map of where the signatories come from shows that the petition has got support from all over the UK He said: 'Surely, when you're having the argument about disability benefit, health care, education, defence, and employment, surely we should be saying; 'We will give to overseas aid but we're not going to suffer at home with key needs at the same time.' He warned that the problem with ring-fencing 0.7% of the nation's wealth for foreign aid meant that 'when the country gets wealthier, up goes the amount we're giving people.' Event columnist Piers Morgan tweeted his response to our investigation to his 4.9 million followers: 'Disturbing investigation into UK Foreign Aid by Mail On Sunday.' DFID insists that the government is 'cutting wasteful programmes and making sure spending is in the national interest.' The 'man in white' seen moments before the Brussels airport bombings has reportedly been captured alive and charged with terrorism offences. Belgian media named Faycal Cheffou as the suspect pictured alongside Ibrahim El-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui shortly before they detonated suicide bombs in the departure hall, killing 14 people. Along with two other men, he was charged yesterday with 'involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings' following a series of arrests last week. At the time, police feared another attack was imminent. Scroll down for video: The mysterious 'man in white', pictured on CCTV at the airport terminal shortly before the deadly attack Belgian media named Faycal Cheffou as the 'man in white' suspect (pictured right) alongside Ibrahim El-Bakraoui (centre) and Najim Laachraoui (left) shortly before they detonated suicide bombs in the departure hall, killing 14 people. The revelations came as: A security guard at a nuclear facility in Belgium was murdered in his home, prompting renewed fears that terrorists are plotting to make a radioactive 'dirty' bomb; The three men charged yesterday over the Brussels attacks were linked to the network of IS jihadis behind November's Paris attacks; Cheffou's sister said she warned police two years ago about her brother's desire to travel to Syria the latest in a series of blunders and apparent missed opportunities to avert the attacks; Two unnamed British businessmen caught in the blasts remain in hospital undergoing extensive surgery on 'life-changing' injuries; A 'solidarity' march planned for today was cancelled because Belgian police are too 'stretched' dealing with the terror investigation, while US singer Mariah Carey has cancelled a Brussels concert; Brussels airport will remain closed until Tuesday at the earliest. Prosecutors have not officially confirmed that freelance journalist Cheffou is indeed the man wearing a hat and a light-coloured summer jacket in the footage, and seen running away after his device, hidden in baggage, failed to go off at the airport terminal on Tuesday. But a source close to the investigation said 'that is a hypothesis investigators are working on'. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, left, and Najim Laachraoui, right, who carried out the attack at Brussels Airport on Tuesday The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement today that an arrest warrant has been issued for a man identified as Faycal Cheffou The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the taxi driver who drove the three bombers to the airport told police that Cheffou arrested on Thursday night 'looks a lot like one of them'. The driver also revealed that the men were 'ranting' about Britain and the United States during the journey to the airport. A close friend of the driver said: 'He told me they were going on about how Britain and the US were bombing Syria and how they would have to pay. He thought nothing of this at the time a lot of young men express these sentiments here but he later recognised the men from the CCTV. 'The police spoke to him for hours and said he was lucky he wasn't blown to bits himself as the bombs could have gone off accidentally.' It was claimed yesterday that Cheffou's sister reported him to police in 2014, saying she was worried he was planning to go to Syria but was 'waiting [for] the right moment'. TURKEY WARNED BELGIUM ABOUT THREE JIHADIS ON THE MOVE Turkey gave Belgium multiple warnings about the Brussels suicide bombers. Khalid El-Bakraoui, his brother Ibrahim, and Najim Laachraoui had all visited Turkey in the past year, apparently intending to travel on to Syria. Airport bomber Ibrahim, 29, was even deported to Europe on two occasions yet the Belgian authorities took no action. Officials in the country could not find any link between El-Bakraoui and terrorist networks, so he was released. Advertisement And Cheffou was also accused of attempting to recruit migrants in Brussels to radical groups. The Brussels mayor, Yvan Mayeur, had told police several times that he was dangerous and should be detained. Prosecutors apparently refused. Then, in September last year, the mayor obtained a restraining order banning Cheffou from approaching migrants in a park where they frequently gathered. Cheffou also appeared in a video in which he complained that Muslims at a migrants' centre in Brussels were served meals before the end of the Ramadan fast. It is understood Cheffou lived in a small studio in an apartment building just 500 yards from Maelbeek metro station, where suicide bomber Khalid El-Bakraoui brother of Ibrahim killed 20 people last week. Police cleared the building of all residents and spent five hours searching his small home. A resident told a Belgian newspaper that she heard investigators say they had not found weapons or explosives but had 'found enough'. The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport in terror attacks on Tuesday. Today Belgian prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a new suspect in the terror attacks The Brussels terror attacks on Tuesday saw 31 people killed at both Brussels Airport and on the city's Metro at Maalbeck station POLICE MISSED LINK TO PARIS ATACKS Police missed a golden opportunity to obtain information ahead of the Brussels attacks by failing to question a notorious jihadi properly. Salah Abdeslam, who spent four months in hiding after his abortive role in the Paris atrocity last November, was also suspected of being part of the Belgian cell, thought to have been planning attacks timed for Easter. He was shown pictures of the El-Bakraoui brothers following his arrest, but simply said I dont know them and he was not pushed to say any more. However, police announced he was being interrogated and it is feared that the bombers brought forward their attacks before their cover was blown. Abdeslam is also linked to properties used by the Brussels bombers, but since the atrocities he has refused to answer further questions, with prosecutors saying he had exercised his right to silence. Advertisement Last night, police said that Faycal Cheffou had been arrested on Thursday night in Brussels as he was standing outside one of the federal prosecutor's offices in the city. A search was then carried out at his home but no weapons or explosives were found. Two other suspects, identified as Aboubakar A. and Rabah N., were charged with 'terrorist activities and membership of a terrorist group'. Rabah N. was wanted in connection with a related raid in France on Thursday that the government said foiled a 'major terrorist attack'. French president Francois Hollande said the network behind the Paris attacks that killed 130 people in November and the Brussels bombings on Tuesday was being 'wiped out'. He admitted, though, that the threat remained high and other terror rings were still at large. Belgian prosecutors said they were holding another suspect, Abderamane Ameroud, for an extra 24 hours. He was shot in the leg by police in Brussels on Friday in the Schaerbeek district where the Brussels bombings were prepared. Mohamed Abrini is believed to have played a major role in organising this week's terror attacks in Brussels, which killed 31 people and injured hundreds more Emergency services gather at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels to remember those killed in the Belgium terror attacks Belgium's interior minister has appealed to residents not to rally in solidarity for the victims of Tuesday's attacks tomorrow saying police are too overstretched However, his arrest was also linked to Thursday's raid in Paris. WARNING BY BOMBERS' FATHER IGNORED The father of jihadis Khalid and Ibrahim El-Bakraoui is said to have warned police two years ago that they had been radicalised and might have gone to Syria. Jamal El-Bakraoui, a retired butcher, is now devastated that his warning apparently went unheeded. Following the Brussels attacks, he spoke about his distress to the imam at a mosque in the Laeken district of the city, where he lives with his wife. The imam said: He lost contact with his sons a few years ago when they became increasingly involved in crime. Now Jamal is devastated at what his sons have done and wishes they had been stopped. Neighbours said Mr El-Bakraoui had become withdrawn from the community after the attacks, only leaving his house to go to prayers. Advertisement Ameroud was reportedly convicted in 2003 as an accomplice in the assassination of the Afghan political and military leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, two years earlier. One of those arrested on Friday, Tawfik A., was released 'after extensive questioning', the prosecutor's office said. The arrest comes after it was suggested another man, Mohammed Abrini, was the mysterious 'man in white' at the airport. Abrini is believed to have played a major role in organising the attacks in Brussels, in which 31 people were killed and hundreds were injured. In a separate development yesterday, it emerged a security officer at a Belgian nuclear facility was shot dead two days after the Brussels bombings. It prompted new fears that terrorists are plotting to make a radioactive dirty bomb, although officials later stressed the murder was not terror-related. Didier Prospero, 45 hit by four bullets at close range was found in the bathroom of his remote farmhouse by his three children when they returned from school on Thursday. Next to him lay his Beauceron guard dog, also shot dead. Despite prosecutors' insistence that there was no terrorism motive, it is known that atomic facilities in Belgium are being targeted by an Islamic State network operating across Europe. Before they blew themselves up in the capital, Khalid and Ibrahim El-Bakraoui had been spying on a senior nuclear power official, prompting fears that they were planning a cataclysmic atrocity. One Belgian installation is only 90 miles from Kent. It later emerged that 11 workers from a nuclear plant east of Brussels had their site access revoked amid fears that the brothers had received 'insider help'. Prospero lived with his wife Sarah and their children a mile from the town of Froidchapelle, close to the French border. The view swung it. We had not been sure about choosing Crete, and my Scottish, sun-averse husband had made gloomy forebodings about how it was going to be unbearably hot. But when our 13-year-old daughter Jess ran into our room on our first morning and asked excitedly if we had looked out of the window, our spirits soared. We could see the sea, a cloudless sky and, in the middle of it all, the small island of Spinalonga shimmering off the north-eastern tip of our own beautiful island. Life imitates art: Spinalonga featured in Victoria Hislops best-seller The Island. It was once a leper colony Of course, it helped that the hotel appeared to have been set up to appeal to each member of our family. Domes of Elounda made up of suites, villas and private residences is not just for those who want to lie in the sun. Theres a childrens club, delicious food and drink, and a range of activities from spa treatments to tennis. It even suited Jess, whose favourite holiday destination would be Laptopland if only it existed. Robert, ten, was enraptured by the spot. Hes the one who loves the heat and was happy to explore the private sandy beach beyond an olive grove and to paddle in the sea. Yet he also wanted to do stuff, and after trying out waterskiing, he decided that canoeing was next on his list after persuading my husband Brian to join him. It sounded safe enough, except that the two of them had never been in a canoe before. Back in time: Knossos was the capital of Minoan Crete, and the ruins of its palace still sing of the era They were given strict instructions not to venture beyond a line of red buoys and to stay near the shore to avoid getting caught in rip tides. We watched them paddle off, my husband at the back working hard, my son at the front, enjoying the scenery and smiling. They returned half an hour later. Robert was full of enthusiasm, but Brian seemed flustered and had worked up quite a sweat. Thinking he knew best, he had decided to ignore the instructors wise advice and, when the canoe was carried further and further away from shore, had to paddle ferociously to make it back again. Our hotel, set on the side of a hill, is named after the nearby former fishing village of Elounda. Guests are given a number of choices of accommodation (suites or luxury villas, near the beach or the pool) and four restaurants, including Anthos, which is run by Philippe Geneletti, a Michelin-starred chef. Happy days: Sarahs son Robert tries waterskiing, before moving on to a spot of canoeing It was tempting not to venture far from the hotel, but we didnt want to pass up the chance to visit Spinalonga, which featured in Victoria Hislops best-seller, The Island. This former leper colony is a tourist attraction thats easily reached by boat. The graveyard was moving, with not one plot marked by a name. Another must-see is Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete. Overall, this was a terrific family holiday. Not cheap, but it was a joy to see such natural beauty and know the children were happy. When we got back to rainy Britain, even my husband missed the sun. Two male passengers got so drunk before a flight from Manchester Airport yesterday morning that they were deemed unfit to fly and had to be kicked off a plane. Germanwings crew became concerned as passengers boarded shortly before take-off and requested help from Greater Manchester Police to escort the intoxicated men off the plane at just 8:40am. The men, believed to be aged 24 or 25 years old, were barred from the one-hour flight to Germany and asked to leave the airport due to their drunken state. Two drunk men were escorted off a Germanwings plane after they were deemed unfit to fly (file photo) A police spokesman told the Manchester Evening News that officers escorted the men off a plane at Gate 23, but no criminal incidents were recorded. On its Facebook page, the Greater Manchester Police Airport Division said: Two males off-loaded from a flight this morning as they were not fit to fly due to drink. Its a condition of carriage to be fit to travel. In a second post, police added: We want everyone to enjoy their holiday but will not allow the disruptive few to spoil the experience for the majority of passenger. It is believed the Good Friday travellers were flying to Dusseldorf on Germanwings flight 4U9341. The Airbus A320 was scheduled to depart Manchester Airport shortly after 9am but took off about an hour late, according to flight-tracking websites. Greater Manchester Police said the passengers were escorted out of Manchester Airport (file photo) A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport said: 'We supported Greater Manchester Police in the removal of two passengers who appeared to be intoxicated and were behaving in an unacceptable manner. 'The comfort and safety of our passengers is of paramount importance and we were pleased this incident was swiftly resolved.' MailOnline Travel has contacted Germanwings for comment. Intoxicated passengers have caused problems for a number of low-cost airlines in recent months. Flights have been forced to divert or delay their take-off due to fights, threats, indecent exposure or other disruptive behaviour. In February, a group of men who were allegedly drunk were kicked off a flight at Manchester Airport for bad behaviour. Police were called in to assist airport staff and flight crew on a plane that was about to take-off. It is believed the group had been drinking excessively prior to joining the flight out of Terminal 3. Due to a growing number of incidents, airlines are taking a tougher stance on unruly behaviour and have asked the government for help in dealing with, and punishing, disruptive passengers. Last year, budget airline Jet2 handed lifetime bans to about 50 travellers who were abusive or disruptive towards staff and fellow passengers, and stopped nearly 500 people from travelling. This is the dramatic moment a JetBlue plane made a hard landing sending sparks flying on the runway and was sprayed down by firefighters at an airport in the Bahamas. Passengers experienced a few tense moments when the Embraer 190, carrying dozens of US tourists, tilted downward and its nose scraped along the runway. The plane had suffered a nose landing gear failure on approach to the Bahamian capital of Nassau and was quickly surrounded by emergency responders in case it caught fire. JetBlue flight 29 landed with its main gear deployed (left) but it tilted downward as it slowed down (right) Sparks flew as the plane's nose scraped along the runway (left) and it was soon sprayed by firefighters (right) There were no reports of fire or injuries on board flight 29, which was carrying 93 passengers and four crew members from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington County, Virginia, to Lynden Pindling International Airport. In a statement, JetBlue said the planes flight crew reported a landing gear malfunction while en route to the Bahamas. The plane circled over the island of New Providence for some time as the pilots unsuccessfully tried to resolve the problem. New York-based JetBlue said the Embraer 190 landed on its main gear with its nose gear partially extended. Emergency responders were notified of the nose gear malfunction as the plane approached the Bahamas and were on standby when it landed shortly after 4:30pm local time yesterday. As a precaution, firefighters sprayed the twin-engine aircraft with foam. A second video showed the plane approaching the airport in Nassau without its nose gear fully extended Moments after the Embraer 190 touched down on its main landing gear it was followed by a fire engine Nassau-based pilot Shakeno Munnings, who recorded cellphone video of the landing, said the incident was unbelievable. He told 7News that a large crowd gathered to watch the plane land, adding: It was just vehicles coming out of nowhere ambulances, fire engines, airport vehicles, people rushing, police cars. He added: It could have been worse. Ive seen worse, so Im very thankful everyone was all right. A second video shows the plane being tailed by a fire engine after it landed and passengers walking off and boarding buses to transport them to the terminal. Firefighters sprayed the passenger jet with foam as a precaution, but no fire was reported Passengers disembarked the plane on a ramp and were transported to the terminal in tour buses The Bahamian Civil Aviation Department said the crew declared an emergency to Nassau air traffic controllers at about 3:25pm. The department said in a statement: It was initially determined by CAD and [airport] officials that only the right main gear was extended, and that both the left main gear and the nose gear were not. The pilot in command made a decision to attempt a landing at LPIA, and after burning some fuel, executed a safe landing at 4:36pm, with the use of both the left and right main gear only. The nose gear was not extended. All passengers and crew were determined to be uninjured. It commended everyone involved for a job well done. The incident resulted in minor delays at the airport until the plane was moved and the runway reopened. Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez might be getting divorced, but it is clear there is still a lot of love there. The exes looked very friendly as they basked on a beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during a family vacation with their two-year-old son Maceo and her daughter Nahla, eight. Although the two announced their split in October, a source revealed to People that Olivier 'never wanted the divorce and still doesn't.' Scroll down for video Is the divorce still on? Halle Berry laid a hand on Olivier Martinez's bare chest over his heart on Tuesday as they lounged on the beach during a getaway to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with their kids What he wants: A source tells People that Olivier 'never wanted the divorce and still doesn't'; the couple was caught in another loving moment on the beach Halle was seen lounging next to the French actor with her hand on his bare chest and right over his heart, a soft smile forming on her face while he gazed back at her adoringly. The breeze rustled through her hair which she wore pulled back in a loose ponytail. She sat upright, hugging their little boy close to her chest and staring off to sea through tinted shades. The actress had wrapped Maceo in her soft beige robe and only his bare feet stuck out from the folds. Always in style: Halle looked amazing as ever as she covered up her bikini with a sheer beach wrap Mom's the word: Halle kept a watchful eye on daughter Nahla, eight, as she played in the surf Berry nice: The Monster's Ball star was enjoying a family vacation with her ex and children Later she sat in her black swimsuit, smiling as she watched over her daughter playing in the surf. Olivier wore camouflage swim trunks and shades as he lay back against the lounge chair in total relaxation. The look he gave Halle might have given the impression that these two aren't quite finished. And from a new report in People magazine, that might be the case. 'If Halle wants to call it [divorce] off, Olivier would be fine with it because he never wanted the divorce in the first place,' a source told the magazine. The actor still loves his wife, and son Maceo. He also has a soft spot for Halle's daughter with ex Gabriel Aubry; Nahla. 'To get a divorce and share custody of Maceo is not a situation that Olivier wants to be in, adding that 'he also wants to be around Nahla like before. He cares about Nahla like if she were his own.' Low key: The famous family fitted in with the other beachgoers at the exclusive resort On good terms: The pair showed their easy relationship as they relaxed together Taking in the view: Halle enjoyed the gorgeous ocean view while Olivier enjoyed a snack At another point during the sun-basking afternoon, Olivier walked up to Halle and leaned over so as to listen intently to what she was saying. They seemed to be in the best of moods. Although they are getting along, that doesn't mean their breakup is entirely off the table. 'The divorce is still being finalized, and there is no change for now. But there seems there might be a slim chance that they decide to stay married. There is still a lot of love between them,' the source said. The pair filed to end their marriage in October 2015 after two years together, citing 'irreconcilable differences.' Beach life: Olivier takes his turn keeping watch as Nahla plays Action man: The French actor enjoyed a dip in the ocean with his bodyboard In a joint statement they announced their split via People, saying: 'It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to divorce.' Halle and Olivier are both seeking joint custody of their son Maceo, and no doubt want to avoid the drama that ensued between the actress and her older daughter Nahla's father, Gabriel Aubry. 'I'm doing okay, I really am,' Halle told Extra in November at an event to benefit a domestic abuse facility in Los Angeles. 'I keep pushing and I'm really happy to be here because whenever you're going through anything in life, when you step outside yourself and focus on others, that's always the best remedy for any situation that you'd rather not be dealing with.' He's the U.S. actor with many well-known film credits to his name - including the appropriately titled Daddy's Home. And Rose Byrne's partner Bobby Cannavale certainly seems to live up to the title, enjoying his new role as father to their baby son Rocco, recently sharing several Instagram snaps of them enjoying quality father-son time. While on a family holiday in Florida this week, the Boardwalk Empire star, 45, posted an adorable photo of the seven-week-old as the baby rested poolside while Bobby seemed to catch up on the news with a newspaper in the frame. Proud father: Rose Byrne's partner Bobby Cannavale recently shared this cute photo of their baby son Rocco with his 39,500 followers on Instagram, showing the seven-week-old child resting poolside during a family holiday in Miami Beach, Florida - while Bobby appears to read a copy of The New York Times Doting dad Bobby - who also has a 20-year-old son, actor Jake Cannavale, from a previous relationship - proudly captioned the image: 'The best'. And on Friday afternoon, the New Jersey native shared yet another photo memory from their sunny Miami Beach getaway. The follow-up snap shows Bobby bottle feeding baby Rocco, as the Emmy Award-winner joked that his child's pastel-coloured outfit is reminiscent of the costumes on 1980s cop drama Miami Vice. He captioned the image, 'TONIGHT on Miami Vice. (I didn't dress him)'. 'I didn't dress him': Bobby later shared this adorable snap of him bottle feeding Rocco, as he gently pokes fun at the baby's pastel-coloured outfit in the image caption Clearly sharing the baby duties Bobby shared an adorable video on Instagram earlier in the week as he held Rocco close to his chest while seemingly rocking him to sleep in a rocking chair. The 15-second long clip shows Bobby - clad in a grey jumper - cradling the tiny tot, who is wrapped up warm in a white blanket. Speaking from what's believed to be the family home in New York, he praises the new rocking chair, courtesy of Melbourne bespoke furniture makers Bern Chandley. It would seem there was something of a family reunion taking place, as Bobby revealed in the caption that Rose's brother, Los Angeles-based artist George Byrne, was in the background. Family moment: Earlier in the week, Bobby shared an adorable video on Instagram where he protectively holds Rocco close to his chest while the father-and-son sit on a rocking chair Doting dad: The 15-second long clip shows Bobby - clad in a grey jumper - cradling Rocco, who is wrapped up warm in a white blanket He wrote: 'My bro @bernchandleyfurniture handmade us the greatest rocking chair EVER. Rocco loves it Bern! All the way from Melbourne! @george_byrne in the bg xxx' Rose, from Balmain in New South Wales, reportedly began dating Bobby after the Killing Them Softly after party in November 2012, the New York Daily News reported. The following year, Bobby confirmed his relationship with the Damages star during his Best Supporting Actor speech at the Emmy Awards, calling Rose the 'love of (his) life'. Growing family: Sydney-born actress Rose Byrne (left) welcomed her first child Rocco with long-term partner Bobby (right) last month - pictured here out and about in New York City recently The couple welcomed their first child together on February 1 this year, baby son Rocco Robin Cannavale. Rose was previously in a long-term relationship with Australian actor-director Brendan Cowell for over six years before their split in January 2010. Meanwhile, Bobby was married to actress and screenwriter Jenny Lumet from 1994 to 2003, which produced one child. She's been romantically linked to some of the most admired boys in pop. But Selena Gomez has somewhat set her sights on finding herself a British boyfriend after she was won over by a handful of corny chat-up lines in a funny skit with BBC Radio 1's Cel Spellman on Thursday. Listeners were hand-picked to try out their dodgiest pick-up gimmicks on the world's number on Instagram star but it was a 12-year-old boy named Max who had the best luck. Scroll down for video 'Is your name Google? Because you've got everything I'm searching for': Selena Gomez was beside herself as Cel Spellman made her react to cheesy British chat-up lines during a recent skit on his BBC Radio 1 show 'Is your name Google? Because you've got everything I'm searching for,' the youngster told the 23-year-old superstar. Selena erupted into a fit of giggles and clapped her hand on the table in approval of the fan's cheesy line. She said: 'Oh my god. Oh my goodnes. Wow, impressive. That got my attention. The turning-18 part may need to be a crucial part of me pursuing... but I'm very impressed. Wow, Max. I think I got flustered.' That does impress me much: Selena, 23, erupted into a fit of giggles and clapped her hand on the table in approval of a 12-year-old fan's cheesy line 'Oh my god': The Hands to Myself songstress admitted she was impressed at and flustered over the boy's way with words The brains behind it: Cel, 20, initiated the sketch which made for some thoroughly entertaining viewing In bits: Selena cracked up as another listener asked her, 'I heard your're good at algebra - could you replace my ex without asking why?' Claps for you: Meanwhile, the final caller won the award for the cheesiest line as he used the classic, 'Do you know what my shirt's mad of? Boyfriend material', on her with mixed success Young Max set the bar high for the other contributors with one telling Selena: 'I heard your're good at algebra - could you replace my ex without asking why?' which did impress her. She told the host: 'Wow, that's actually clever. I had to think about that. Here's the problem, I'm bad with math.' The final contender won the award for the cheesiest line as he used the classic, 'Do you know what my shirt's mad of? Boyfriend material', on her. On hearing the cringe-worthy attempt to secure a date with her, Selena explained how she would politely send the single man on his way. A lesson in rejection etiquette: On hearing the cringe-worthy attempt to secure a date with her, Selena explained how she would politely send the single man on his way Get out of jail card: 'I would say, "my best friend is waiting for me. That was so sweet, I'll be right back". Is that gentle? Maybe that was harsh' She said: 'I would say, "my best friend is waiting for me. That was so sweet, I'll be right back". Is that gentle? Maybe that was harsh.' Despite being hailed one of the hottest women on the planet, the Hands to Myself songstress revealed being chatted up is not something which happens regularly in her life. And although she found herself cringing at certain points throughout the just-for-fun game, Selena confessed she would 'absolutely' date a British guy because she is obsessed with the accent. Her most talked-about relationship is that with Justin Bieber which lasted two years from December 2010 to January 2013 with the couple enjoying many reunions since then. The pop power pair have remained good friends and she was spotted at his Staples Center concert in Los Angeles earlier in the week. More recently. the former Disney starlet was romantically linked to One Direction's Niall Horan in December but she fiercely denied they were anything more than friends. Despite the duo's lack of intimate connection, she spoke fondly of him, saying: 'I love him, I always have. He's amazing.' Geri Horner, nee Halliwell, may have shed her feisty girlband image, but it seems that the 43-year-old will always be reminded of what came before it. Because Ginger Spice Geri's old glamour shots have resurfaced online this week, just as the band appeared to have confirmed a reunion. A confident pre-fame Geri appears completely naked in the sultry shots, looking curvier than the fitness fanatic that she has grown into in the public eye. Scroll down for video Spice up your life: Geri Horner, nee Halliwell, posed completely naked for a string of glamour shots before she joined the Spice Girls Geri is also not the red-head we will recognise, in the throwback shots, since she appeared to favour a dyed-black 'do in her younger years. But with a slick of red lipstick, the star's cheeky smile is distinctly familiar as she pulls a string of seductive poses for the camera. She's dressed in little more than a leotard in two of the shots, while in a third, the body-confident brunette exposes all in a completely sheer shirt. Confident: The sultry star is almost unrecognisable in the racy, body-confident shots Brunette: Ginger Spice may not have had her red locks but she had the distinctive cheeky grin Geri was known as one of the most vivacious characters in the five-piece Nineties girl group - which also featured Mel B, Mel C, Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton - from its inception in 1994. But her feisty nature led her to quit the world's most successful girl group in 1998, going on to forge an extremely successful solo career the following year. She certainly wasn't shy about showing off her shape even then, gracing the stage by herself for once with a newly-slimmed down yoga bunny physique. World's away: Newly-married and looking wholesome Geri, here in September, is a far cry from her pre-fame self Throwback: Geri (second right) joined The Spice Girls with (from left) Mel C, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham and Mel B in 1994 Just two weeks ago, Geri was getting nostalgic about her old stage costumes when she shared a clip of her dancing around in a costume just like the ones she'd worn in the Noughties. Fans would no doubt instantly think of Geri's leotard-clad origins as a solo artist, when she made skimpy on-stage gear her trademark while promoting her 2001 cover of It's Raining Men. While throwing herself into her sexy dance, she then purrs at the end of the clip: 'Still got it!' Geri, who has struggled with body image in the past, oozed body confidence in the video, in which she looked toned, slender and at ease. Incredible form! Geri , once famed for her scanty on-stage ensembles (pictured right, 2001), appeared to come over nostalgic as she larked around in a tiny leotard in an Instagram video posted earlier this month (left) Dancing around: The 43-year-old looked simply sensational in the clip she shared with her 173,000 followers, looking uncannily like her pop star self nearly two decades ago Uncanny: Yet fans would no doubt instantly think of Geri's leotard-clad origins as a solo artist, when she made skimpy on-stage gear her trademark while promoting her 2001 cover of It's Raining Men But the red head appeared to take on a more wholesome image of late, since finally finding happiness with Formula 1 boss Christian Horner. She wed the star last year, nine years after welcoming daughter Bluebell with screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, show she dated in 2005. The Bag It Up hitmaker admitted in the past that she wants to set a good example for her daughter. She said: 'God, Ive been there and done it all not been body-confident, thought "My boobs are too big, too small, Im too small, too tall, too skinny, too wide, too slim, too fat". But when I had Bluebell, I knew I had to set a healthy example.' Working it: Geri, who has struggled with body image in the past, oozed body confidence in the video, in which she looked toned, slender and at ease Barely there! Geri became known for her toned figure and minuscule stage and video looks during her solo career following her wildly successful run in Spice Girls The newly resurfaced throwback shots of a pre-fame Geri coincide with news that the five piece are shortly due to reform. Fashion designer Victoria originally ruled out plans of a reunion when her representative told TMZ she has been very respectful about the fabulous time they had together in the past, however her focus is now very much her family and fashion business.' But this week, an insider told Us Weekly: '[Victoria] won't sing or dance. There's a small chance she'll film something with them or make an appearance at a show here and there.' The group last performed as a five-piece during the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, where they sang a high-energy medley of their greatest hits. They also performed together during their 2007/2008 reunion tour. During their nineties heyday, the group managed to sell more than 80 million records, making them the best-selling female group of all time. She's famed and loved for her down-to-earth nature and her no nonsense attitude. And Adele made her views on the pressure on new mothers to breastfeed crystal clear during a live question and answer session at her concert at London's O2 on Tuesday night. The mother-of-one - who struggled to feed son Angelo milk from her breasts - launched a thinly-veiled verbal attack on television chef Jamie Oliver who recently claimed the nation's new mums need to get their act together as Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates and that bottle-feeding babies can lead to a whole host of health problems. Scroll down for video 'You can go f**k yourselves': Adele launched a foul-mouthed tirade over the pressure on new mothers to breastfeed at her London gig on Tuesday night, in response to Jamie Oliver's controversial comments Adele, 27, had some choice words for the father-of-four and others who pressurise the female population to feed their newborns, telling them to, 'go f**k yourselves' as she addressed her hometown crowd. One fan asked her about 'breastfeeding mummies', prompting the tirade which started: 'You know what, the pressure on us is f**king ridiculous.' The Hello hit-maker continued: 'No worse people who put pressure on. You can go f**k yourselves, alright? Because it's hard. Some of us can't do it! 'Some of my mates got post-natal depression from the way those midwives were talking. Idiots.' See Adele updates as she launches tirade over Jamie Oliver's breastfeeding comments As eloquent as ever: Adele, 27, had some choice for the TV chef and others who pressure the female population to feed their newborns naturally, telling them, 'it's f**king ridiculous because some of us can't do it' Adele went on to reveal she struggled to feed Angelo naturally after he was nine months old and claimed bottled brands do just the trick. 'Breastfeed if you can but dont worry, [formula milk] Aptamils just as good. I mean, I loved it, all I wanted to do was breastfeed and then I couldnt and then I felt like, "if I was in the jungle now back in the day, my kid would be dead because my milks gone",' which caused the 20,000-strong audience to chuckle. But it's no laughing matter for the multi-award winning superstar who told the sell-out crowd: 'Its not funny thats how some of us think.' She continued: 'Breastfeed if you can but dont worry, [formula milk] Aptamils just as good. I mean, I loved it, all I wanted to do was breastfeed and then I couldnt and then I felt like, "if I was in the jungle now back in the day, my kid would be dead because my milks gone",' which caused the 20,000-strong audience to chuckle' Keen campaigner: The debate was prompted after 40-year-old Jamie launched a campaign to make it easier for women to breastfeed last week The debate was prompted after 40-year-old Jamie launched a campaign to make it easier for women to breastfeed last week. The celebrity chef, who is expecting his fifth child, declared that those who care about child health must support his drive to make it easier for mothers to breastfeed anywhere they want to. He told LBC Radio that Britain had a problem with breastfeeding, with one of the lowest rates in the world and made a series of startling claims, such as feeding babies with bottle milk can lead to obesity and stunt their growth. Making himself heard: He told LBC Radio that Britain had a problem with breastfeeding, with one of the lowest rates in the world and made a series of startling claims, such as feeding babies with bottle milk can lead to obesity and stunt their growth 'I would get a kicking when I got home!' He tweeted as he clarified his controversial comments and offered those offended by them an apology. He is pictured here with his pregnant wife Jools at the Eddie The Eagle premiere in London last month Explaining his motivation, the professed campaigner said: 'We need to support the women of Britain to breastfeed more, anywhere they want to. We have got a problem with breastfeeding. And if you think about it, breastfeeding is the beginning of the story before school dinners, before sugar. It's something that's very natural to us it's easy, it's more convenient, it's more nutritious, it's better, it's free. However, since his controversial comments sparked a backlash among women he has clarified them and offered an apology to those he caused offence. He tweeted: 'I understand that breastfeeding is often not easy and in some cases not even possible but just wanted to support women who DO breastfeed and make it easier for them to do so.' 'Childhood nutrition starts with supporting pregnant women properly and I expect Mr Cameron to also be including this in his childhood obesity strategy. As a father - and father to be - I would never wish to offend women or mums as I know how incredible they are and I would get a kicking when I got home!' He's been busy touring the world to promote his newest film Eddie The Eagle. But Hugh Jackman looked happy to be home as he touched down in Sydney with his wife and children on Friday. The 47-year-old cut a casual figure as he made his way through the airport, dressed comfortably in some jeans and a grey jumper. Scroll down for video Happy to be home: Hugh Jackman cut a casual figure as he arrived in Sydney on Friday after weeks touring the world Keeping his face hidden beneath a hat and wearing a pair of black sunglasses, the father-of-two led his brood through the arrivals hall after nearly a month on the road. He opted for comfort in some sneakers and carried a rucksack of his belongings on his back. Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee Furness was equally laid back in an all black outfit. The 60-year-old boasted a flawless complexion as she walked, make-up free, through the terminal. Brood: The 47-year-old led his brood through the airport as they arrived back in Australia for Easter Taking charge: Hugh stormed ahead of his family, clearly eager to retrieve their luggage and head home Style: Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee led their ten-year-old daughter Ava through the airport Laid-back: The 60-year-old was stylish in some black leggings, a matching sweater and some sneakers Her lithe figure was put on display in some leggings which she paired with an over-sized hoodie, slip-on sneakers and a cross body bag. Deborra-Lee finished her outfit with some elegant black sunglasses. The couple were joined by their two children, Ava, 10, and Oscar, 15, who towered over his younger sister as they made their way to a waiting car. Homeward bound: The family looked in high spirits as they arrived back in Sydney after their travels Relaxed: Hugh kept a pair of sunglasses on as he made his way through the arrivals hall Each carrying rucksacks and wearing headphones around their necks, the siblings were no doubt pleased to have returned to Australia with their parents. For weeks Hugh and Deborra-Lee have been keeping fans updated as they travelled the world to promote Eddie The Eagle at its international premieres. They visited Paris, sharing multiple snaps from the city, while Hugh was also seen in Norway, China and Korea. Most recently he celebrated the film's launch in London, putting on a dapper display on the red carpet in a sharp blue suit. Comfort: Hugh added some sneakers to his off-duty look which also consisted of ripped jeans and a sweater She sported sexy kitten ears while DJing just days earlier. But Paris Hilton opted for a chic snakeskin bag as she landed at LAX airport on Friday afternoon. The 35-year-old socialite showed off her impeccable figure in a striped maxi dress as she returned to Los Angeles from her Miami DJ gig. Scroll down for video Traveling in style! Paris Hilton, 35, landed at LAX airport on Friday afternoon The hotel heiress donned the form-fitting chevron-printed number which included shades of olive green, white, black and red. Her signature blonde locks were covered beneath a black leather cap and she kept concealed behind dark movie star shades. She accessorized her ensemble with a gold cuff bracelet, black ballet flats and carried a satin Reiss jacket. Flawless! The socialite showed off her impeccable figure in a striped maxi dress Anaconda! The hotel heiress carried a snakeskin handbag Undercover! Her signature blonde locks were covered beneath a black leather cap and she kept concealed behind dark movie star shades Paris had arrived back in Los Angeles from Miami where she showed off her spinning skills at Wall Lounge in Miami Beach on Saturday. The author paired the sparkly cat headband with matching oversize kitten sunglasses as she took to the deck. Although the blonde beauty was busy with a packed audience to entertain, she paused for a few snaps with sister duo Nervo Music. Details! Paris accessorized her ensemble with black ballet flats and a matching satin jacket Warm welcome! Once Hilton returned home from her cross-country journey, she was greeted by her adorable tiny pups in their own personal tiny mansion Pup paradise! Hilton showed off her mini dog mansion in the series of Snapchat Also known as The Nervo Twins, the Australian duo made up of Miriam and Olivia Nervo posed with Hilton as she wrote on Instagram: '#Blondetourage #Killingit at @WallMiami! #GirlsRule.' 'So much fun playing with my girls @NervoMusic at @WallMiami last night! Such cool chicks! So full of love & positive energy!' Paris added. Once Hilton returned home from her cross-country journey, she was greeted by her houseful of adorable tiny pups. She posted the warm welcome to her Snapchat and showed off her mini dog mansion in the series of videos. Multi-talented! Paris showed off her spinning skills at Wall Lounge in Miami Beach on Saturday Credit: Rob FennBlack Stone Cherry has shared a new song from their forthcoming album, Kentucky. The latest offering is called "Soul Machine," and you can listen to it, and watch the accompanying lyric video, now on YouTube. Kentucky, Black Stone Cherry's fifth album, will be released April 1. The album features the lead single "In Our Dreams." This summer, Black Stone Cherry will hit the road in support of Kentucky on the Carnival of Madness tour, which also features Shinedown and Halestorm. The outing kicks off July 20 in Southaven, Mississippi. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Denise Richards had a coffee date with her girls in Malibu on Friday. The 45-year-old had a cup of Joe in hand as she carried her youngest Eloise Joni against her hip and followed daughters Sam, 12, and Lola, 10, towards the car. Sam led the way for her family as she carried a to-go tray that was laden with pastries and an iced tea. Scroll down for video Coffee date! Denise Richards had a cup of Joe in hand as she carried her youngest Eloise Joni against her hip and followed daughters Sam, 12, and Lola, 10, towards the car in Malibu on Friday The girls were all dressed in their springtime best, with Denise sporting a bohemian floral print dress that was cinched at the waist with a slouchy cream sweater. She also wore a pair of flip flops and had a hot pink tote slung across her shoulder. Eloise, meanwhile, donned a pink pair of shorts with a lace trim and a matching tank. Her big sister Lola carried her dessert in a cup as she sported a lightweight white sweater and jumper. Follow the leader! Denise's 12-year-old carried a to-go tray from the coffee shop with pastries and an iced tea as she led the way through the parking lot Sam, meanwhile, made a statement with her black hat that read 'Sorry', which she teamed with a blue tank top and jean shorts. The outing comes not long after Denise's ex-husband Charlie Sheen, who is the father of Lola and Sam, landed in the headlines when he filed documents asking a court to pare back his monthly $55k bill to ex Denise. Two weeks prior he made almost the exact same plea regarding his standing arrangement with his other baby momma, Brooke Mueller. Hello petal: Richards was kitted out in a bohemian floral print dress that was cinched at the waist with a slouchy cream sweater According to TMZ, the 50-year-old is claiming he can no longer make the payments because his 'income has drastically declined'. The former Two and a Half Men star currently pays $55,000 a month to Denise to support their daughters Lola and Sam. Denise is also currently suing Charlie for $1.2 million after he had her and their shared kids evicted from their Los Angeles home and then sent them abusive texts, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The troubled star allegedly asked Denise and the girls to move into a nearby home he purchased in trust for the daughters. However, after they moved, Sheen became erratic and abusive and had the family evicted from the property, court documents allege. Charlie revealed in November that he is HIV positive, having been diagnosed four years earlier. He treated his toddler Nicholas to his very first ice cream on Friday. And doting father Mark Philippoussis, 39, decided to usher in the Easter weekend by treating his little man to a sweet drink from Starbucks. Taking to Instagram to document the cute family outing, the tennis champion shared a photo of little Nicholas gulping down his warm beverage while sitting on Mark's knee. 'Good Friday Vibes': Silvana and Mark Philippoussis took to their Instagram accounts to share sweet family portraits 'Visit to Starbucks for a little hot chocolate for my man. Thanks mummy @sphilippoussis for capturing this moment', cooed Mark in the caption. He also made sure to add the hashtags: '#family #beautiful #love #thankful #blessed #happy #life #fatherandson'. Meanwhile, Silvana, 29, took to her Instagram account with a sweet family portrait taken in front of a Starbucks restaurant. He's in chocolate bliss! The doting father, 39, decided to usher in the Easter weekend by treating his little man to a sweet drink from Starbucks 'HAPPY FRIDAY | Good Friday Vibes', the model wrote, before adding the hashtags: '#family #love #health #happiness #happyheart #babychino #palmtrees #Cali #Easter #gratefulforlife'. In the photo, Silvana can be seen beaming broadly while looking at Nicholas, whose hands were wrapped around his Starbucks-branded cup. Meanwhile, Nicholas is seen pulling a quizzical expression at the camera, while Mark is pictured with a serene expression on his face. He's got a sweet tooth! Later that day, she and Mark both uploaded a cute photo of Nicholas tucking into his first ice cream cone A day earlier, Silvana and Mark both uploaded a cute photo of Nicholas tucking into his first ice cream cone. Nicholas looks strikingly similar to his famous father in the photo, which pictures the toddler with ice cream smudged around his chin while posing in a sunny playground. 'Nicholas's first ice cream, he definitely has mommies and daddies sweet tooth,' quipped Mark in the caption. Happy family: Mark and Silvana met through mutual friends in March of 2012 and married after an 18-month courtship, before welcoming their first child, Nicholas, in 2014 Silvana captioned her snap with: 'How cheeky does Nicholas look enjoying his first ice-cream? Mark and Silvana met through mutual friends in March of 2012 and married after an 18-month courtship, before welcoming their first child, Nicholas, in 2014. Before tying the knot with Silvana, Mark was engaged to US actress Jennifer Esposito in October 2009 and to Miami heiress Alexis Barbara in 2006. Though the couple often visit their homeland of Australia, they live in San Diego where they were also married. They are no stranger to putting on a glamorous red-carpet ready display. But Bachelor couple Tim Robards, 30, and Anna Heinrich, 29, appeared anything but glitzy as they waded through a muddy lake during an Easter getaway in Keelendi, New South Wales. Taking to Instagram to document the pair's adventurous day in nature, blonde beauty Anna uploaded a photo of herself cuddling up to Tim as the pair swam chest-deep in the murky liquid. Scroll down for video Bachelor couple Tim Robards, 30, and Anna Heinrich, 29, appeared anything but glitzy as they waded through a muddy lake during an Easter getaway in Keelendi, New South Wales '#FARMLYF = #MUDDYLIFE @mrtimrobards', wrote Anna beside the picture, posted on Saturday. Appearing radiant with minimal makeup and her hair tied into a tight top-knot, Anna revealed a peek at her bandeau bikini top, which was emblazoned with a black and pink print. Tim's typically muscular chest and arms were on full display as he flashed his picture perfect smile to the camera. It's a party! Meanwhile, Anna's sister Andrea shared a picture taken from further away, which revealed a group of friends and family also enjoying a muddy paddle Meanwhile, Anna's sister Andrea shared a picture taken from further away, which revealed a group of friends and family also enjoying a muddy paddle. Tim and Anna departed for their relaxing getaway on Thursday, prompting Anna to share the first of a string of holiday-going Instagram snaps. Clad in a white bikini set while posing in front of Lake Macquarie's vast expanse of water, Anna wrote: 'Our EASTER road trip begins. First stop #Toronto #LakeMacquarie @mrtimrobards.' Sizzling! Anna posted a sexy Instagram snap of herself in a skimpy white bikini to document the beginning of her Easter trip on Thursday On Friday, Anna shared several photos from her trip- this time depicting herself posing with her sister and a friend among a field of cotton. Frolicking in the cotton fields with these babes, she captioned the first shot, before adding another with the hashtag, #FARMLYF. Tim and Anna, who found love on the first season of The Bachelor Australia, have been dodging rumours that there relationship is on the rocks since it was reported that they were 'living apart' back earlier this year. They quashed recent split reports when they joined forces on the red carpet at the Melbourne Fashion Festival this month. Looking very much together, Anna cuddled up closely to her handsome beau as they happily stopped and posed for the cameras at the star-studded event. 'Frolicking in the cotton fields': Anna Heinrich shared a series of snaps from her travels on Friday depicting herself posing with her sister (left) and a friend (right) among a field of cotton. Chic! Despite being in full holiday mode, Anna remained chic by stepping out in a pair of trendy shorts and an unusual wrap-around shirt matched with a red baseball cap Her boyfriend Simon Cowell's British TV career means she's regularly back and forth to the UK. And while they will return to his native country when the new season of Britain's Got Talent commences later this spring, Lauren Silverman and her son Eric Cowell, two, appeared to be making the most of the sunshine during their temporary return to Los Angeles. Enjoying some quality mother and son time, the 38-year-old beauty carried her little one in her arms as she sauntered through a sun-soaked park on Friday, clad in a typically chic ensemble. Scroll down for video Bonding: Lauren Silverman and her son Eric Cowell, two, appear to be making the most of the sunshine during their temporary return to Los Angeles as they enjoyed a sweet stroll through the park on Friday Opting for a style that was both easy. yet stylish, the girlfriend of music mogul Simon channelled the monochrome trend in a white and black striped T-shirt. She continued the muted look with white skinny jeans, with their tight fit perfectly highlighting Lauren's enviably slim pins during her brisk stroll. The American stunner instilled a touch of glamour into the look with T-bar sandals that were emblazoned with a gold embellishment across the foot. He needs his shades! The sunny rays looked to be a little too much for the adorable tot to handle as he squinted his eyes when he occasionally lifted his head from his mother's shoulder The socialite tied her brunette locks into a sleek ponytail, framing her pretty face which modelled a neutral make-up palette beneath the over-size shades she sported. But while Lauren appeared in sprightly spirits during the walk, little Eric appeared seemed less amused as he pulled a grimaced facial expression. The sunny rays looked to be a little too much for the adorable tot to handle as he squinted his eyes when he occasionally lifted his head from his mother's shoulder. Chic: Opting for a style that was both easy. yet stylish, the girlfriend of music mogul Simon Cowell channelled the monochrome trend in a white and black striped T-shirt The youngster was dressed in typically cherubic fashion for his precious park outing in a navy polo top and grey combat shorts. Lauren and Eric will return to British shores in the not too distant future as Simon prepares to take part in the live episodes of Britain's Got Talent. This year's series - which will see Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon once again join Simon on the judging panel - will mark the hit variety competition's tenth anniversary, with the judges promising the show will be 'better than ever'. He is known as a superhero in the X-Men and Wolverine franchise. And on Saturday, Hugh Jackman put his superhero powers to work after he took to the cool waters at Bondi Beach to save his 15-year-old son, Oscar, from the crashing waves. But before the personal drama, Hugh and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness were spotted enjoying the views from their $6 million Bondi penthouse with friends on Friday. Scroll down for video Chic pad: Hugh Jackman was the picture of calm as he enjoyed the views from his $6 million penthouse on Friday The couple and their son were seen looking out over their glass lined balcony towards the water when they returned home to Sydney after a jammed pack press tour for Hugh's latest flick, Eddie the Eagle. The Hollywood actor appeared to be in good spirits as he sipped on a warm beverage from a brown thermal cup. The 47-year-old Wolverine star dressed down in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting long sleeve shirt, which revealed his famous muscular physique. He completed his off-duty look with a baseball cap, a watch and a pair of sleek sunglasses. Casual Saturday: Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee Furness looked relaxed in an oversized black cardigan teamed with a pair of matching yoga pants and daring patterned sneakers Tour time: The 60-year-old mother-of-two beamed as she took her friends on a tour of her new home Makup free: The actress and producer appeared to have shunned makeup for a more natural look, while tying her pink locks into a messy updo Phone catch-up: The beauty also made sure to check her phone for any missed calls or messages Meanwhile, Deborra-Lee looked relaxed in an oversized black cardigan teamed with a pair of matching yoga pants and daring sneakers. The 60-year-old actress and producer appeared to have shunned makeup for a more natural look, while tying her pink locks into a messy updo. Deborra-Lee finished her outfit with some elegant black sunglasses. Over there: The actress seemed to be in great and content spirits Check out the views: The new home boasts waterfront and park views Taking it in: After a flight back home on the Friday, the beauty decided to relax back and take in the scenery DRink time: The teen and his female friend were also seen enjoying a warm beverage as they took in their new surroundings Their son cut a casual figure in brown trousers and a blue button-up shirt as he leaned against the glass fence panelling and chatted to an unidentified female friend. The teen and the woman were also seen enjoying a warm beverage as they took in their new surroundings. Meanwhile, Hugh made sure to take snaps of the waterfront views - perhaps to keep his 5.5 million social media followers up-to-date on his movements. Unseasonable weather: Hugh's son Oscar removed his button-up shirt due to the unseasonable weather Multi homeowner: The Hollywood A-lister also owns a triplex apartment in New York overlooking the Hudson River Snapping away: The actor made sure to take pictures of the view from his new home - perhaps to keep his 5.5 million social media followers up-to-date on his movements Relaxed attire: The 47-year-old dressed down in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting long sleeve shirt, which revealed his famous muscular physique After taking an extensive tour of the new apartment, Hugh then proceeded to the beach. Before making it to the sand, the hunky star stopped to read a sign which informed him of the native species that can be found in and around the area. The actor also made sure to practice safe sun protection, placing his jacket underneath his cap to use it as a sun shield. Over here: The Pan star showed his male friend around the new luxury pad Back home: On Friday, Hugh and his family flew into Sydney after touring the world to promote his newest film Eddie The Eagle before returning to their new home On Friday, Hugh and his family flew into Sydney after touring the world to promote his newest film Eddie The Eagle. The movie follows Michael Edwards (a.k.a Eddie) childhood dream, and his unflinching determination to become Great Britains first Olympic ski-jumper. The movie's official trailer sees Eddie and Bronson bond over their love for sport, with Tarons character confessing: I was kicked off every team I was on before I even got the chance to prove myself. I swear I need my own moment. Beach time: After taking an extensive tour of the new apartment, Hugh then headed down to the beach Safe sun protection: The Wolverine actor placed his jacket underneath his cap to use it as a sun shield Empathising his sentiment, the coach tells him: I know what its like to be written off, youll get your moment and its going to hurt like hell. The film is directed by Sunshine on Leiths Dexter Fletcher and produced by Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service) alongside Adam Bohling, David Reid, Valerie Van Galder and Rupert Maconick. The movie will be out in cinemas on April 21. They've publicly declared both their love and loathing for each other over the course of their short-lived but tumultuous relationship. And as Stephanie Davis and Jeremy McConnell split again, the pair have now begun arguing over the reason behind their break-up. The former Hollyoaks actress, 23, took to Twitter on Saturday to publicly dumped her beau for allegedly cheating on her with five other women. Over: Stephanie Davis put an end to her romance with Jeremy McConnell for good as she took to Twitter on Saturday to slam her beau for allegedly cheating on her with FIVE women However, Jeremy, 26, has since announced that their split occurred last week over a completely different issue. Posting to social media, Stephanie shared screenshots of a conversation between her tattooed Irish beau and another woman, as the incensed star wrote: 'I believed him ... And they were all true! Absolute joke! Liar.' Responding to a fan who claimed the tweets were 'old' and that Jeremy was 'single' at the time, the former Hollyoaks star fired back: 'he was not single we were 2gether. He lied swore on his mums life and said they were edited & made up..there 100% proof. [sic]' She added: 'think that's... 5 girls now lols. What don't kill you makes you stronger I'm actually laughing [sic].' She finished off her tirade by claiming she was going to move on and enjoy a girls day out as she posted: Right. Now that's in the bin onwards and upwards nice little week with my fave @gemmamc girly time &lots of fun Xxx.' I believed him ... And they were all true! Absolute joke! Liar pic.twitter.com/J4OVW3D9i3 Stephanie Davis (@Stephdavis77) March 26, 2016 But Jeremy has now hit back, claiming her claims are false, and that her statements left him feeling 'sick'. Speaking to Mirror Online, he said: 'I'm saddened and feel sick the lies and slander she's caused.' Revealing that the pair aired and discussed all of their issues during their trip to Majorca, he added: 'We broke up last week down to other issues which I won't go into. 'But bringing all this up again which is months old, and bring my dead mam into it like she did was low, but it probably is her way to deflect on what really broke us up.' The star added that he would no longer be discussing their relationship, suggesting that this could mark the conclusion to their infamous romance. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Jeremy and Stephanie and is awaiting comment. Baring all: Stephanie didn't hold back as she took to Twitter about the incident Unimpressed: Jeremy has claimed the couple did not split because he cheated, insisting their relationship actually ended last week after a mutual discussion The on/off couple's relationship was steeped in controversy from the start as they began their romance in the Celebrity Big Brother house whilst Stephanie was in a long-term relationship with model Sam Reece. After leaving the Borehamwood pad, the pair continued with their tryst - splitting briefly before appearing on Loose Women to explain that they wanted to get married and have children. Their break-up comes after Jeremy was accused of sleeping with another woman last week, when The Mirror reported that Stephanie had shared private messages on Twitter from a woman claiming to have bedded Irish hunk, 26. Over: Their break-up comes after Jeremy was accused of sleeping with another woman last week The first post reportedly read: 'I slept with Jeremy sorry I had to tell you.' It was then followed by Stephanie's response: 'When? Thank you for telling me x' The woman continued: 'It was one night when he came out of the [CBB] house. It was the 3rd feb when I was up at Essex x (sic)' Appearing to take the news calmly, she said: 'Thank you for telling me. What club?' Unlucky-in-love: Stephanie began her romance with Jeremy back in January whilst they were staying in the Celebrity Big Brother house, despite entering involved in a long-term relationship with model Sam Reece Accused: Jeremy was accused of cheating on Stephanie with five different women, and has so far admitted to sleeping with two other girls whilst seeing his girlfriend The claims came hot on the heels of another revelation made by Danielle Lippe, 21, who slept with Jeremy following a meet-and-greet at Club Vision in Weston-Super-Mare last month. Speaking to The Sun, the pretty brunette claimed that Jeremy had also wanted to involve Geordie Shore star Scotty T in their night of passion - something representatives for Jeremy strongly denied. Candidly discussing their tryst, she revealed the Irish hunk was brazen about his intentions after meeting her at the club night on February 27. And rather than being shy about his desire to bed her, she claims that Jeremy 'wanted' them to get caught that night - which was during the period the hunky tattooed model and on-off girlfriend Stephanie were on a break. On/off: The couple have publicly split and made-up three times The couple had taken some time apart after Stephanie discovered that Jeremy had slept with Newcastle dancer, Caroline Pope when he was evicted from the Big Brother house. Despite initially denying the claims, the former Mr Ireland contestant went on to admit that he had spent the night with her, prompting Stephanie to jet to Majorca in an attempt to mend her broken heart. But the couple didn't remain apart for long, as Jeremy soon jetted to Spain to be at her side as they worked through their problems. Revelations: Danielle Lippe, 21, confessed that she slept with Jeremy following a meet-and-greet at Club Vision in Weston-Super-Mare last month and claimed he wanted to involve Scotty T in their tryst Taking a break: The couple had taken some time apart after Stephanie discovered that Jeremy had slept with Newcastle dancer, Caroline Pope when he was evicted from the Big Brother house Cracks in their relationship first began to show when they split two weeks after they left the Big Brother house, when Jeremy cryptically tweeted: 'I have been the biggest mug . I'm sorry for the people who tried to warn me. But you live and learn . Onwards and upwards.' The couple then cancelled - but later rescheduled - their joint television appearance on Loose Women as they released a statement announcing their separation. Stephanie later revealed that their break-up had been caused by a drunken misunderstanding, in which Jeremy had believed a text she sent saying she 'couldn't do this anymore' was about their romance, when in reality it was about being apart. After hitting the social scene earlier this week, it was all about low-key family time for Erin Holland on Saturday afternoon. The 27-year-old beauty decided to kick back by cooking up some sweet treats - a whole tray of hot cross buns - for her nearest and dearest this Easter weekend. Taking to her social media sites, the former Miss World Australia proudly showed off her exquisite culinary work. Scroll down for video Culinary goddess! Erin Holland cooked up some sweet treats - a whole tray of hot cross buns - for her nearest and dearest for Easter on Saturday Opting for a healthier version of my fave #Easter treat - whipped up a batch of these badboys based on a @popsugarau recipe! #hotcrossbuns, she said in the caption. Dressed casually in a plunging black vest top and tiny short, Erin showcased her lean and slender frame in all its glory. Her blonde tresses were swept into a carefree topknot, while chic reading glasses and subtly tones of makeup rounded off the low-key proceedings. Suited and booted: On Monday, the model cut a rather stylish figure in a chic two-piece at the Australian premiere of The Boss in Sydney Meanwhile, on Monday, the model cut a rather stylish figure at the Australian premiere of The Boss in Sydney. The striking star - who was also celebrating her 27th birthday on the night rocked a black trouser and jacket combination, while showing off a hint of her toned midriff by pairing the look with a sexy Jean Paul Gaultier bralette. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on the night, Erin shared her tips for maintaining here enviable body and admitted that staying in shape did not come without hard work and dedication. Special day: The blonde stunner celebrated her 27th birthday on Monday with close family and friends 'Routine is very important - I'm very much a morning workout person because by the time the afternoon comes I'm usually too tired,' she admitted. Adding: 'I put it in my calendar every morning and go to the gym and get it done first!' 'I just have the mindset that it's something that I need to do - it's part of my work day - and that really helps,' she went on. Her fashion sense is always on point. And it was no exception when Olympia Valance attended a birthday party in Indonesia on Saturday evening. The 23-year-old Neighbours actress oozed confidence in a floral crop top with a plunging neckline, treating admirers to a glimpse of her busty assets. 'Arrived in paradise': Olympia Valance flaunts her ample cleavage in a skintight floral crop top in Indonesia She teamed the figure-hugging crop top with a baby pink bohemian skirt which featured a daring thigh-high split up one side. Olympia kept her makeup neat and tidy, and applied a bright pink gloss onto her plump lips. The beauty styled her luscious brunette locks into a neat top knot bun, without a strand of hair out of place. In a group snap shared to Instagram, the model posed seductively as she cuddled up to her friends on the tropical vacation. 'Lady in lace': Olympia proudly showcased her knock-out figure as she took to Instagram during a sultry lingerie photo shoot in London on Friday She captioned the snap: 'Arrived in paradise!' A day earlier, the Melbourne native proudly showcased her knock-out figure during a sultry lingerie photo shoot in London. Sporting an intricately braided hairstyle and a deep tan, the Neighbours actress sizzled in a string of behind-the-scenes snaps uploaded as the photo shoot wore on, the most recent featuring the brunette clad in a black lace leotard. 'Lady in lace', wrote Olympia in the caption as she showcased her ample cleavage in the low-cut garment. 'Lazing about': A day earlier, the little sister of Holly Valance shared another photo from her time on set shooting with Gossard this week, this time featuring the stunning model stretched out on a plush boudoir chair Her make-up appeared dramatic thanks to a heavy application of smoky eye shadow, winged eyeliner, faux lashes, a generous application of blush and a bold red lip colour. A day earlier, the little sister of Holly Valance shared another photo from her time on set shooting with Gossard this week, this time featuring the stunning model stretched out on a plush boudoir chair. Clad in a fuchsia lingerie set that perfectly complemented her olive complexion, Olympia sizzled as she posed with one hand running through her silky hair. 'Lazing about', she wrote simply in the caption before making sure to tag Gossard in her post. Pretty in pink! Earlier that day, Olympia showcased her toned figure in yet another scant outfit- this time a watermelon-coloured bustier Earlier that day, Olympia showcased her toned figure in yet another scant outfit- this time a watermelon-coloured bustier. In the selfie, the brunette bombshell is pictured posing for a selfie while having her hair braided by a hairdresser. Since taking up the role of Gossard girl in December 2014, Olympia has been working extra hard to maintain her incredible figure. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia recently, Olympia said: 'Fitness is a huge part of my life but it never used to be! I do F45 which is huge craze in Australia right now, I go with friends and can book it on my phone.' Nicki Minaj proved she's definitely not a force to be reckoned with when performing in Dubai on Friday night. Taking to the stage for the final time during The Pinkprint Tour, the 33-year-old star ensured it was a night to remember as she stormed over to her security guard and angrily hurled his phone across the stage. The rapper was caught on camera pausing her hit single Feeling Myself mid-song after appearing to spot the staff member focusing on his mobile as opposed to the screaming crowds. Scroll down for video Fuming: Nicki Minaj proved she's definitely not a force to be reckoned with after launching a member of her security's phonw across the stage when performing in Dubai on Friday night Bearing a stony-faced expression, Minaj pounded across the stage and held out her hand, ready for the security to guard to hand over the device. Obeying her demand, the bodyguard handed over his phone, seemingly oblivious to what was coming next. Snatching the phone from his palm, the rapper then tossed the phone across the stage, before returning back to her centre spot to continue the show. See Nicki Minaj updates as she pauses Dubai gig to snatch guard's phone and hurl it away Raging: Despite being in the middle of rapping hit single Feeling Myself, the Anaconda hit-maker halted the song after seemingly spotting the minder focused on his mobile as oppose to the screaming crowds MailOnline has contacted Nicki's representative for comment. Shocked by the incident, fans quickly took to social media to share their views. 'The way nicki minaj took the phone out her security guards hand. AHHH IM WEAK (sic),' quipped one, before another adorer joked: 'Lmfaooooo @ The Way @NICKIMINAJ Took Securities Phone & Threw It Welp He Shoulda Been Doing His Job. (sic)' Hand it over! Bearing a stony-faced expression, Minaj then pounded across the stage and held out her hand, ready for the security to guard to hand her the device Woah! Obeying her demand, the bodyguard than hands over his phone, though it's unlikely he saw what was coming next Reactions: Fans quickly took to social media to comment on the incident Others commended Nicki on her actions, enthusing: '@NICKIMINAJ got her security guards phone and threw it away cause he wasn't doing his job love her (sic),' and, 'I been laughing at onika throwing that damn phone for the longest I can't with her crazy ass @NICKIMINAJ I love you (sic)'. However, some didn't seem quite so impressed, remarking: ' You're such a savage @NICKIMINAJ lmao i can't believe you snatched the securitys phone and threw it across the stage (sic).' Friday night's show marked the last stop on Nicki's world tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden, last March. Say goodbye! Snatching the phone from his palm, the rapper then tossed the phone across the stage, before returning back to her centre spot to continue the show Pause: The singing sensation didn't mind halting the show to do what she had to do Lindsay Lohan has claimed she's 'not cool enough for LA' as it has emerged she is 'embarrassed' by her wild child past. The 29-year-old, who just moved in to a new London home withboyfriend-of-three months Egor Tarabasov this week, is trying to live 'normally' and put her troubled reputation behind her after years of legal and substance abuse issues,People magazine reports. On Friday, Lindsay posted an Instagram photo of herself with a paper bag over her head reading 'I Am not Famous Anymore,' in a nod to actor Shia LaBeouf's infamous red carpet appearance. Pulling a Shia: Actress Lindsay Lohan posted an image of a bag reading 'I am not famous anymore' to Instagram this week as she struggles to rebuild her career 'I am not cool enough for LA,' she captioned the snap. 'Looking back, she realizes it was a messy period,' a source told People of Lindsay's past brushes with the law, which included multiple stints in jail, under house arrest and trips to rehab. 'She didn't know how else to live and didn't know she had a choice sometimes.' 'I think she's embarrassed by a lot of her past but I think her goal is to live normally and silently,' the pal revealed. The actress has been living in London since appearing in 2014 play Speed The Plow, and is attempting to rebuild her career and move on from her child-star-gone-bad image. New love: Lindsay with Russian boyfriend Egor Tarabasov in London on March 16. The recently moved in together after three months of dating Helping hand: The actress shared a photo of Egor untangling hangers as they unpacked in their new London home This week, she revealed she has moved in with her Russian heir boyfriend, whom she has been dating since October. Alongside an Instagram snap of her 22-year-old beau inside their London apartment, Lohan wrote: 'Moving in and "How To Get Your Man To Help" #HTGYMTH 1. Organising Hangers : A happy closet is a happy mind' On Friday, she also shared a beaming photo as she urged her 4.3 million followers to stay positive. Staying positive: Lindsay shared a smiling snap from London on Friday, telling fans to 'Share your light' 'Taking a stroll on #GoodFriday and being grateful for the sun we've been given today,' she wrote, adding: 'Share your light.' The former Parent Trap star spent multiple stints in jail, under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet, as well as seven years on probation. Her many legal dramas included two 2007 DUI incidents, an arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman at a NY nightclub, a guilty plea for cocaine use, a conviction for shoplifting a $2500 necklace, and probation violations including failing drug tests, failing to complete her community service, missing court dates, and skipping court-ordered rehab and therapy. Breakdown: The actress sobs to lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley after her probation related to two 2007 DUI charges was revoked for missing counselling sessions, and she was sentenced to 90 days in jail and rehab Party girl: Lindsay danced in the VIP room of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival The actress finally completed her seven years of probation in May last year, and has been staying out of the limelight as she tries to rebuild her career and reputation. And while she appears to have settled down into a new low-key life with a new boyfriend in London, there appears to be tension between her and her mother Dina Lohan. In January, Lindsay took a shot at her mom on Instagram, claiming she was 'done' with their relationship. '@dinalohan...Sometimes it sucks when your mom isn't there for you,' she wrote, before later deleting the post. Miyajima's LED numbers tell tale of life in Hong Kong Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima's new work "Time Waterfall" has been shrouded in dense fog for most of the week, his trademark numbers partly hidden as they cascade down Hong Kong's tallest building. But despite the heavy weather, Miyajima is still hopeful that his creation will deliver a message to the bustling city's residents: to be in the moment. The 59-year-old's newest work is designed to convey the flow of human life through large luminous numbers which work their way down the 490-metre tall International Commerce Centre (ICC), a beacon by night in the centre of the southern Chinese city. Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima's light installation for Art Basel Hong Kong entitled 'Time waterfall' is projected onto the facade of the International Commerce Centre as clouds cover the upper half of the 108-storey high building Anthony Wallace (AFP/File) Each separate digit, in various sizes and falling at different speeds, represents the trajectory of different individual lives, and Miyajima felt Hong Kong was the best place for the exhibit. "I found this city full of energy, vitality. It was the ideal place to reflect on the questions of life and death," Miyajima said. "The numbers from nine to one scroll gradually, then comes the darkness, then the countdown starts over. The countdown represents life. Darkness symbolises death. It's the cycle of life that repeats itself." The artist is in town for Art Basel, which has been exhibiting more than 4,000 artists from over 200 galleries around the world all week. "I'm basically telling the story that life is going on and life and death is happening at this very moment... this very moment is very precious," he told AFP. - 'Continue forever' - Among Miyajima's best-known works is "Counter Void", a digital wall five metres high by 54 metres long, which displayed numbers in the centre of Tokyo in 2003. In 2012, he lit up a traditional Korean house in Seoul with LED numbers for his work entitled "Wild Time Flower in the Courtyard." Miyajima says combining technology and numbers is a way to express "continuous change". It also ties in with what he sees as Buddhism's main message -- to keep changing. "There are three messages in my artwork: to keep changing, connect with everything and continue forever, and it's hand-in-hand with Buddhist philosophy," Miyajima said. "Many people will see these numbers scrolling without even understanding, but they can question what they have in front of their eyes," he adds. "It's precisely why my work is important: to make people reflect." The Hong Kong edition of Art Basel, which also takes place in Basel and Miami, has helped feed the city's reputation as an art hub for Asia, with a surge in new galleries opening their doors in recent years and major arts complex M+ under construction. "Time Waterfall" comes as there is increasing awareness in Hong Kong of public art. British artist Antony Gormley's "Event Horizon" has placed shadowy human figures on the city's towering skyscrapers, causing both curiosity and consternation from people on the streets. During Art Basel a host of installations popped up in Hong Kong's malls and public spaces. Miyajima's work was co-commissioned by Art Basel and will be displayed intermittently over two hours every evening until the end of April. Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima is in Hong Kong for Art Basel, which has been exhibiting more than 4,000 artists from over 200 galleries around the world all week Anthony Wallace (AFP) UN chief urges Iraq politicians to back PM's reforms UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday urged Iraq's politicians to support embattled Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's reform drive. Speaking in Baghdad on his eighth visit to Iraq as secretary general of the United Nations, Ban emphasised the need for national reconciliation. "I call on all political leaders here today to continue your efforts towards a single, unified vision to advance national reconciliation in Iraq," Ban said in an address to parliament. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meets with Iraqi officials upon his arrival at Baghdad International Airport, on March 26, 2016 Sabah Arar (AFP) He said such a vision should include the justice and accountability law, a controversial amnesty law and the establishment of a national guard. Abadi is facing tough resistance from his own political camp over several of these issues. "This spirit of compromise must extend to making sure that the executive and legislative branches, including the parliamentary blocs, work closely together to support the prime minister, as he implements the needed reforms to address the multiple crises you face," Ban told lawmakers. Ban, who had last visited the Iraqi capital in March 2015, was travelling with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank head Ahmad al-Madani. "This is a joint and combined demonstration of our support for the noble efforts, sometimes very difficult efforts of the Iraqi government in first of all securing peace and stability through national reconciliation and socio-economic reforms, through inclusive dialogue," Ban said. A drop in oil prices has had a devastating effect on the economy of Iraq, already strained by the cost of the fight against the Islamic State group. As areas are gradually retaken from the jihadists in intense battles, Baghdad is left with little to spare on the reconstruction of ravaged cities. The head of the World Bank pledged his institution's support to Iraq as it begins rebuilding reconquered areas. The World Bank recently granted Iraq a $1.2 billion loan to help it weather its financial crisis -- the institution's largest ever direct budget support in the region. "A clear commitment to reforms would build confidence, which he hoped would lead to greater international support for coping with the impact of low oil prices," a statement from Kim's office said. Supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr have been camping outside entrances to the fortified Green Zone -- which houses the country's main institutions -- for more than a week. Sadr says the goal of the protest is to support Abadi's reform drive and demand more measures in the fight against corruption. He has given Abadi until Tuesday to present names of technocrats for a reshuffled cabinet. Suicide bombers kill three soldiers in attack on Iraq base A group of suicide bombers from the Islamic State group killed three Iraqi soldiers Saturday in an attack on a military base hosting hundreds of coalition advisers, officers said. "Four suicide bombers this morning infiltrated the military base of Al-Asad on its northern edge," said Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command. "The bombers were of various nationalities, they were killed by Iraqi security forces," he told AFP, without specifying any casualties among army ranks. A member of Iraqi security forces stands guard on March 26, 2016 at the site where a suicide bomber blew himself up the day before in a village near Iskandariyah, a town about 40 kilometres south of the capital Baghdad Haodar Hamdani (AFP) Al-Asad air base, located about 180 kilometres (110 miles) northwest of Baghdad in Anbar province, is one of the largest military installations in the country. It is home to Iraqi federal forces and tribal fighters currently engaged in operations to retake the nearby town of Hit from IS, as well as to a large contingent of foreign military advisers. Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, said no foreigners were involved in the incident. Another Iraqi security source said the number of bombers was higher than four and said one of them managed to detonate his suicide vest, killing three Iraqi soldiers and wounding four. "One of the killed soldiers had the rank of major," the officer said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press. The Baghdad-based "war media cell" that issues statements for Iraq's myriad pro-government forces also said three soldiers had been killed in the attack. It said the site of the IS attack was an outpost on the northern edge of Al-Asad base and warned that the casualty figures were provisional. Jihadist fighters are holed up in Hit, a Euphrates Valley town about 145 kilometres west of Baghdad, with Iraqi forces closing in on them from several sides. Sierra Leone begins destroying stockpile of 'unuseable' arms Police and military arms experts in Sierra Leone began destroying nearly 5,000 "unserviceable weapons" on Saturday in an operation set to last two weeks. Among the weapons were AK-47 and M16 assault rifles as well as light machine guns manufactured in Canada, technical field manager Ernest Woest told AFP. There were also home-made shotguns seized from rebels after Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war which ended in 2002, as well as arms surrendered under a government amnesty programme. The operation began in two military depots in the capital Freetown on Saturday and will continue in four other towns over the coming fortnight. AK-47 assault rifles as well as M16 rifles and light machine guns are some of the 5,000 firearms to be destroyed in Sierra Leone Pascal Guyot (AFP/File) Crowds stood watching at a distance as the weapons were put into specially-designed machines operated by a 10-man team, which literally shredded the guns into hundreds of pieces which will be buried in unmarked spots around the country. "It's a relief to get rid of these weapons of death," said Lansana Turay, a local taxi driver who was looking on. Launching the operation, Colonel Sahr Sineh, deputy head of the national commission on small arms (SLeNCSA) said "vast quantities" of arms had been assembled from around the country. He said British charity Mines Advisory Group (MAG) had provided two South African arms experts to train the 10-man team of local personnel and would "leave behind all the equipment to enable them to carry out the work in the future". But the operation drew criticism from some local hunters who said they were not informed their locally-produced weapons would be destroyed. "We have not been treated fairly," said 56-year-old Moiwo Kallon from the southern town of Pujehun, who said the community had handed over their weapons three years ago and the authorities had pledged to return them. "We have been asking the authorities to return them to us but they told us to wait... Even up to the point of the shredding exercise, they never informed us." Turkish soldier killed in Iraq by IS missiles: army One Turkish soldier was killed and another injured on Saturday when missiles fired by Islamic State (IS) fighters hit their base during clashes between the jihadists and local Kurdish forces, the Turkish army said. The army said that missiles launched by "Daesh terrorist group", intended for Kurdish forces, had landed in Gedu military base, where Turkish troops are deployed. Daesh is another name for IS. The casualties were transferred to Turkey by helicopter, it said, with the wounded soldier taken to a hospital in the city of Sirnak bordering Iraq. Turkish soldiers take cover in front of a barricade during clashes in Silvan on November 13, 2015 Murat Bay (AFP/File) Following the incident, Turkish forces returned fire on IS targets, the statement said. It was not clear from the statement where exactly the Turkish base is located. Turkey's military presence in the Bashiqa area of northern Iraq has become a bone of contention with the central government in Iraq. Iran wants connectivity, cooperation in region: president Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday called for regional connectivity and cooperation to boost economic growth and stability in the south Asian region. On a two-day state visit to Pakistan which culminated on Saturday, Rouhani met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and held talks on matters of mutual interest including more connectivity between the two countries and a shared role to bring stability in the region. "One of our main goals has been to have better economic interaction with the rest of the world specially with our friendly countries in the region," he told reporters in Islamabad at the end of his visit. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on March 26, 2016 Aamir Qureshi (AFP) "We want to have a corridor between Gwadar and Chahbahar, so that these ports will be connected to each other via railway and also roads and shipping lines," Rouhani said, adding that the projects would help integrate China into the region. Pakistan is rapidly working to develop its deep sea port Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, close to Iran, with the help of China which has launched an ambitious $46 billion infrastructure plan to link it with its western city of Kashgar. Pakistan and Iran also agreed to open two additional border crossings to enhance trade, Rouhani said, adding that they need to improve security on the frontier. "Our borders have always been secure to Pakistan and Pakistan's borders should be secure to us too. This is what was agreed by Pakistani officials." Sharif and Rouhani also witnessed the signing of six agreements related to trade and economy including a "Five Year Strategic Trade Cooperation Plan". At a Pakistan-Iran business forum on Saturday where both leaders spoke, Sharif said the two countries were targeting US$5 billion worth of mutual trade by 2021. Cargo ship reaches space station on resupply run An unmanned cargo ship packed with science experiment materials plus food, water and clothes successfully docked at the International Space Station on Saturday, NASA partner Orbital ATK said. The cargo ship, Cygnus, which blasted off Tuesday on the resupply run, was carrying 7,900 pounds (3.6 metric tons) of supplies to the station for the ISS crew of six astronauts, as well as components to support dozens of science and research probes. Cygnus was captured by the space station's robotic arm, operated by crew members, and guided into its berthing port. The operation was over by 1452 GMT. This NASA photo shows a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station lifting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22, 2016 United Launch Alliance (NASA / HO/AFP/File) "Our flexible Cygnus spacecraft has a lot of work left to do. Following its stay at the ISS, and for the first time, we will undertake three experiments onboard the unmanned spacecraft," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group. The pressurized vessel will stay at the ISS until May. After loading it with trash and once it is at a safe distance from the station, NASA engineers will then set off a blaze inside the capsule to see how large flames behave in space. NASA has set off tiny controlled fires in space in the past, but never tested how large flames react inside an orbiting space capsule. Cygnus' cargo also includes an instrument that, for the first time, will allow experts to evaluate, from space, the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere. It was also carrying a new 3D printer and another scientific highlight includes a so-called Gecko Gripper, a mechanism similar to the tiny hairs on the feet of geckos that makes it possible for them to stick to surfaces. This technology could one day be used on the hands and feet of robots that would move along the exterior of spacecraft to carry out inspections and repairs. Warrant: Chef at Ohio facility admitted killing housekeepers CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (AP) A chef suspected of fatally shooting two housekeepers at an Ohio assisted living facility admitted that he killed them, according to an arrest warrant. Chagrin Falls police obtained a murder warrant Friday for 56-year-old Frank Staton, of Chardon. He's accused of killing Chardon resident Terri Treadway and Burton resident Catherine Sutter on Thursday morning at Hamlet Village before turning a gun on himself. Staton was hospitalized in critical condition under police guard, officials said. Two people hug as they walk to the Atrium at the Hamlet Hills Village, Thursday, March 24, 2016, in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Police say a shooting occurred early Thursday morning in the upscale community 20 miles from Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Police Sgt. Kimberly Libens said Staton lived at the same address as Treadway, cleveland.com reported. Treadway's ex-husband, Ken Treadway, told the news site that she had told him she was afraid her boyfriend would harm her. Chagrin Falls Mayor Bill Tomko said Sutter was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both women were 58. Investigators haven't publicly discussed a possible motive for the shooting. Staton told police he had a concealed carry permit, according to an affidavit. A loaded handgun and shell casings were recovered at the scene. Hamlet Village is a retirement complex with independent living apartments, an assisted living facility and a nursing home. None of its 300 residents was injured in the shooting. Chagrin Falls mayor Bill Tomko, left, and Chagrin Falls Sgt. Kimberely Libens answers questions at a news conference at the Hamlet Hills Village, Thursday, March 24, 2016, in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Police say a shooting happened early Thursday morning in the upscale community 20 miles from Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) A look at the impact, implications of hoax federal lawsuits CHICAGO (AP) Legal experts say bogus lawsuits like two recently filed under the names of suspects in high-profile criminal cases are rare and that prosecutors have options for pursuing charges. Federal investigators are looking into two hoax lawsuits that were mailed from Pennsylvania in the last month. One lists the plaintiff as the former Uber driver suspected in several fatal shootings last month in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the other was filed in the name of the man convicted in the fatal 2011 shooting rampage in Arizona that injured then-U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords. Here are details about prosecutors' options and the ongoing investigations: FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016, file photo, people applaud former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords as she arrives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, to hear President Obama speak about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. An official says a lawsuit filed in the name of the man who shot former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is bogus. Cosme Lopez with the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Arizona says attorneys for convicted killer Jared Lee Loughner notified the court that Loughner didn't file or authorize the lawsuit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) POTENTIAL CHARGES Federal law doesn't list a specific charge for a person who impersonates someone else when filing a lawsuit. But if the impersonator is identified, prosecutors could pursue charges such as mail fraud or identify theft, according to Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago. Turner said mail fraud is often prosecutors' go-to charge if any aspect of a crime involved using the U.S. mail service. Mail fraud carries a maximum 20-year prison term. Turner said a lengthy term was unlikely in such cases because federal sentencing guidelines often factor in the monetary or emotional impact of a crime, and a defense attorney would likely argue that minimal harm is caused by a phony lawsuit. Turner also noted that such lawsuits are especially rare. THE BOGUS LAWSUITS Investigators haven't said whether they have identified the person or people who filed the hoax lawsuits in Arizona and Michigan, or whether they plan to pursue criminal charges. Both lawsuits were postmarked in Philadelphia and were filed within days of each other, but not by the listed plaintiffs. The handwritten lawsuit mailed to U.S. District Court in Detroit listed the plaintiff as Jason Dalton, who is accused of fatally shooting six people last month in between picking up passenger for Uber in Kalamazoo. The hoax $10 million suit, filed March 15, named Uber as a defendant. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix listed Jared Lee Loughner who is imprisoned in Minnesota as the plaintiff. Loughner fatally shot six people and wounded 13 others, including Giffords, in Tucson. The lawsuit alleged Loughner had been framed and listed Giffords among the defendants. HOW LAWSUITS ARE FILED Around 300,000 federal civil lawsuits are filed annually. Most are filed electronically by lawyers for clients, though anyone can mail or deliver a lawsuit to a court clerk's office. Federal law requires that clerks register every lawsuit that comes in, no matter its form even if written on a napkin or even if the $400 filing fee is not included. A lawsuit is typically dismissed if the filer doesn't eventually respond to a formal request for money, said Rod Hansen, a federal court spokesman in Detroit. "That's usually when we'll catch" a hoax or bogus case, he said. District courts have lists of people who have submitted multiple frivolous lawsuits. The restricted-filing list in U.S. District Court in Chicago, for example, has more than 100 names. But someone using a false name, or someone else's name, may not be detected. THE HARM A lawsuit filing triggers procedures that can be time-consuming for courts and defendants. Named defendants may have to seek costly legal advice if a lawsuit isn't discovered to be fraudulent within days. Turner noted that fraudulent lawsuits can sometimes be flagged by credit agencies, damaging a defendant's credit rating. Only a judge can formally dismiss a case, meaning a hoax takes up a judge's time. In Arizona, U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa issued a two-page ruling on Thursday dismissing the lawsuit, noting Loughner was in a prison in Minnesota and the lawsuit was mailed from Pennsylvania. She cited "the ongoing abuse of the judicial system" by fabricated lawsuits. Such judicial action normally leads prosecutors to reach out to the FBI or other investigative agencies for help. A spokesman for federal prosecutors in Arizona, Cosme Lopez, declined to comment on the case Friday. Protests against Trump risk backlash in Republican primary FOUNTAIN HILLS, Arizona (AP) David Rau wasn't sure about Donald Trump. So the landscape contractor strolled over to the main park in this Phoenix suburb to watch one of the businessman's recent rallies and decide for himself. Demonstrators pulled their cars across an access road to block people driving to the event. Dozens marched to the park and stood by Rau, chanting "Stop the hate!" as he tried to listen. He left a Trump convert. "I've got the right to listen to somebody speak, don't I?" Rau asked. Trump's rise in the Republican presidential contest has sparked increasingly confrontational protests, mobilized his opponents and drawn scrutiny of the Republican front-runner's rhetoric and the sometimes rough way his campaign handles dissent. But as demonstrators escalate their tactics, they also risk helping Trump, especially among Republican voters his rivals are furiously trying to persuade to reject the billionaire businessman. FILE - In this March 19, 2016, file photo, protesters shout as they are removed from the venue as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tucson, Ariz. As confrontational and occasionally violent protests become commonplace at Trump's campaign events, opponents of the brash billionaire worry they'll start to overshadow his fiery rhetoric and the sometimes rough way his campaign handles dissent, and become a rallying cry among his supporters and those on the fence about whether to back his candidacy. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) "I encourage people to speak out against Trump in a forceful but respectful manner because some of these protests are only serving to help him," said Tim Miller, a spokesman for a Republican group trying to stop Trump. "He continues to dominate the news, he can play the 'us vs. them' card when liberals disrupt his events and that serves as a rallying point for his candidacy." Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has been troubled by protesters' tactics, as well as by Trump's response. "In America, people have a right to hold rallies," Sanders told MSNBC. "It is absolutely appropriate for thousands of people to protest at a Trump rally, but I am not a great fan of disrupting rallies." Trump engages the demonstrators vigorously, mocking them, calling them bad people and sometimes feeding the anger of his supporters in the crowd. The Phoenix demonstration followed one in Chicago the prior weekend, when hundreds of Trump foes flooded into the Chicago location of one of his rallies and Trump canceled the event and one in Ohio the following day, citing security concerns. That infuriated Trump backers, who blamed the demonstrators. "To me, it's disgusting and insulting," said Claudia Young, an Argentinian-born U.S. citizen in Muncie, Indiana, who said she and her husband had arrived at the Dayton, Ohio, rally site at 6:30 a.m. after a 90-minute drive. "We're supposed to have freedom of speech in this country, but the people who came to see Trump couldn't listen to what they wanted to hear." In Arizona, activists gathered about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the site of the Trump rally, along one of two roads that wind through the mountains north of Phoenix into central Fountain Hills. The protesters mainly a coalition of local immigrant rights groups who have a long history of demonstrations against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was speaking at the rally then maneuvered their cars across the intersection. Three were arrested, and many Trump supporters had to walk to the rally or missed it. Carlos Garcia of Puente, one of the immigrant rights groups, said demonstrators handed out water bottles to Trump supporters and did not want to antagonize them. "I hope people see beyond their two-hour inconvenience," he said, adding that activists were motivated by the support Trump has drawn from Arpaio and former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. "Their rhetoric," he said of that duo, "turned into policies that destroyed thousands of families, and we see Trump trying to go national with it. People are willing to put their bodies on the line to keep their families together." When Garcia and other demonstrators made it to the park where Trump was holding his rally they were met with jeers and cries from Trump supporters gathered on the hillside, outside the fenced-off perimeter where the event was occurring. "Learn to speak English!" one person yelled at the protesters. "Gotta get off the welfare check," called another. The demonstrators chanted back: "Stop the hate!" Despite some heated scrums, no fights broke out and eventually the candidate finished and protesters and supporters alike trickled away. ___ Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud in Fountain Hills and Daniel Sewell in Dayton, Ohio, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Nicholas Riccardi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NickRiccardi. Sanders wins Alaska, Washington; Clinton holds delegate lead WASHINGTON (AP) Bernie Sanders scored a duo of wins in Western state caucus contests Saturday, giving a powerful psychological boost to his supporters but doing little to move him closer to securing the Democratic presidential nomination. While results in Washington state and Alaska barely dented Hillary Clinton's several hundred delegate lead, Sanders' wins underscored her persistent vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival's unapologetically left-of-center message. The two Democrats were also competing in Hawaii's caucuses. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sanders cast his performance as part of a Western comeback, saying he expects to close the delegate gap with Clinton as the contest moves to the more liberal northeastern states, including her home state of New York. He also said his campaign is increasing its outreach to superdelegates, the party insiders who can pick either candidate, and are overwhelmingly with Clinton. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) "The Deep South is a very conservative part of the country," he said. "Now that we're heading into a progressive part of the country, we expect to do much better." He added: "There is a path to victory." With Clinton far in front, however, it is a difficult path. Clinton anticipated the losses: She barely campaigned in the three Western states, making just one day of stops in Washington state, and was spending the Easter weekend with her family. She is turning her focus to the April 19 contest in New York, seeking to win a large share of the delegates at stake and to avoid the blow of losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate. She is trying to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern state contests a week later, hoping to deliver a big enough haul to unify the Democratic Party and relegate Sanders to little more than a protest candidate. Sanders, who has found some success in the industrial Midwest, wants to leverage his fiery arguments against free-trade and his working-class support into an April 5 victory in delegate-rich Wisconsin. He also plans to compete fiercely in New York and is pushing for the party to schedule a debate in the state, saying in the interview that it would be "really absurd" if one did not take place. On Saturday, he told more than 8,000 cheering supporters at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, that his campaign now has momentum, citing Saturday's wins that followed recent victories in Utah and Idaho. "Don't let anybody tell you we can't win the nomination or we can't win the general election. We're going to do both of those things." After Sanders' two wins on Saturday, Clinton held a delegate lead of 1,234 to 956 over Sanders, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expands to 1,703-985 once the superdelegates are included. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination at the party's national convention in July in Philadelphia. Based on the AP count, Sanders still needs to win more than 57 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by June's end. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates to prevail. He was unlikely to emerge from his Saturday sweep with significantly more delegates, winning at least 36 delegates to Clinton's 11 for the day after his victories in Alaska and Washington. More are likely to be allocated to Sanders in several weeks, when Washington state Democratic party releases vote shares by district. Sixty-seven delegates are awarded based on results in the state's congressional districts. But there's little question that Sanders has tapped into a powerful frustration within the party. He continues to attract tens of thousands to his rallies and has collected more than $140 million in 4.7 million individual contributions. Most of his 14 primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. He's heavily favored by younger voters, who were a key part of the coalition that boosted Barack Obama to victory twice. Clinton's ability to win the White House, should she capture the nomination, will hinge on how well she can motivate Sanders' passionate - and politically active - supporters. It was strong support for Sanders that brought Kirsa Hughes-Skandijs out to her first caucus in Juneau, Alaska. "This is the first time I've ever felt that kind of belief in a candidate, that they mean what they say and that they are not saying what they think people want to hear," she said. ____ Associated Press writers Nicholas K. Geranios, Walker Orenstein and Rachel La Corte in Washington state, Bryna Godar in Madison, Wisconsin, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, and Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) Attendees in a precinct group listen as a speaker voices support for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Saturday, March 26, 2016, during a Democratic caucus at Garfield High School in Seattle. Democrats caucused statewide in support of either Sanders or Hillary Clinton. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Voters line up outside a polling station set up at Kailua Intermediate School to register to vote in Hawaii's Democratic primary, Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Kailua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) From left, Tom Chard, Karen Crane, and other volunteers count votes for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in House District 33 at the Juneau Democratic Caucus in Juneau, Alaska, Saturday, March 26, 2016. Sanders won Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska on Saturday, a victory he hopes will stoke a spring comeback against the commanding front-runner, Hillary Clinton. (James Brooks/The Juneau Empire via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Protests against Trump risk backlash in GOP primary FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. (AP) David Rau wasn't sure about Donald Trump. So the landscape contractor strolled over to the main park in this Phoenix suburb to watch one of the businessman's recent rallies and decide for himself. Demonstrators pulled their cars across an access road to block people driving to the event. Dozens marched to the park and stood by Rau, chanting "Stop the hate!" as he tried to listen. He left a Trump convert. "I've got the right to listen to somebody speak, don't I?" Rau asked. Trump's rise in the Republican presidential contest has sparked increasingly confrontational protests, mobilized his opponents and drawn scrutiny of the GOP front-runner's rhetoric and the sometimes rough way his campaign handles dissent. But as demonstrators escalate their tactics, they also risk helping Trump, especially among Republican voters his rivals are furiously trying to persuade to reject the billionaire businessman. FILE - In this March 19, 2016, file photo, protesters shout as they are removed from the venue as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tucson, Ariz. As confrontational and occasionally violent protests become commonplace at Trump's campaign events, opponents of the brash billionaire worry they'll start to overshadow his fiery rhetoric and the sometimes rough way his campaign handles dissent, and become a rallying cry among his supporters and those on the fence about whether to back his candidacy. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) "I encourage people to speak out against Trump in a forceful but respectful manner because some of these protests are only serving to help him," said Tim Miller, a spokesman for a Republican group trying to stop Trump. "He continues to dominate the news, he can play the 'us vs. them' card when liberals disrupt his events and that serves as a rallying point for his candidacy." Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has been troubled by protesters' tactics, as well as by Trump's response. "In America, people have a right to hold rallies," Sanders told MSNBC. "It is absolutely appropriate for thousands of people to protest at a Trump rally, but I am not a great fan of disrupting rallies." Trump engages the demonstrators vigorously, mocking them, calling them bad people and sometimes feeding the anger of his supporters in the crowd. The Phoenix demonstration followed one in Chicago, where hundreds of Trump foes flooded into a rally and Trump canceled the event, citing security concerns. That infuriated Trump backers, who blamed the demonstrators. In Arizona, activists gathered about 3 miles from the site of the Trump rally, along one of two roads that wind through the mountains north of Phoenix into central Fountain Hills. The protesters mainly a coalition of local immigrant rights groups who have a long history of demonstrations against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was speaking at the rally then maneuvered their cars across the intersection. Three were arrested, and many Trump supporters had to walk to the rally or missed it. Carlos Garcia of Puente, one of the immigrant right groups, said demonstrators handed out water bottles to Trump supporters and did not want to antagonize them. "I hope people see beyond their two-hour inconvenience," he said, adding that activists were motivated by the support Trump has drawn from Arpaio and former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. "Their rhetoric," he said of that duo, "turned into policies that destroyed thousands of families, and we see Trump trying to go national with it. People are willing to put their bodies on the line to keep their families together." When Garcia and other demonstrators made it to the park where Trump was holding his rally they were met with jeers and cries from Trump supporters gathered on the hillside, outside the fenced-off perimeter where the event was occurring. "Learn to speak English!" one person yelled at the protesters. "Gotta get off the welfare check," called another. The demonstrators chanted back: "Stop the hate!" Despite some heated scrums, no fights broke out and eventually the candidate finished and protesters and supporters alike trickled away. Sharon Groves, a 69-year-old retired social worker, came to the rally with a group of Fountain Hills' few other liberals. The crowd spilled out from the controlled area onto a hillside where Groves stood silently wearing a shirt that read "Prays well with others" and included symbols of world religions. Some other demonstrators silently held up homemade signs that read: "Love Trumps Hate." Afterward, Groves was horrified at the demonstrators who blocked traffic and then marched in. "It was uncalled for," Groves said. "People have the right to come and see him if they want to." ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that an Ohio event was not canceled. ___ Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud in Fountain Hills and Daniel Sewell in Dayton, Ohio, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Nicholas Riccardi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NickRiccardi. Attacking Cruz's wife could hurt Trump with female voters OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) Donald Trump's latest rude comments about Ted Cruz's wife are raising new alarms among Republicans about the party front-runner's ability to win over women, especially in a potential fall presidential match-up with Hillary Clinton. Trump is under fire for jabs at Heidi Cruz, as the rivals engage in an increasingly bitter, personal battle for the GOP presidential nomination. Hostilities reached a new high Friday when Cruz accused Trump and "his henchmen" of stoking false rumors that he'd cheated on his wife. "We don't want a president who traffics in sleaze and slime," the Texas senator told reporters in Wisconsin. "We don't want a president who seems to have a real issue with strong women." FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania Trump, speaks during a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ted Cruz accused Trump of stoking false rumors about his personal life on Friday, March 25, 2016, charging that the billionaire businessman and GOP front-runner is trafficking in sleaze and slime. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Trump's history of sexist comments, from his "Apprentice" television program to racy interviews with radio host Howard Stern, have long been seen by Republicans as a potential vulnerability, especially in a general election match-up with Clinton, who would be the country's first female president. The issue took off in the first GOP debate when Fox News' Megyn Kelly asked Trump about calling women "fat pig," ''dog" and other names. Her question sparked a continuing quarrel between Trump and the network. Trump also faced a backlash after he was quoted in a "Rolling Stone" profile insulting businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who endorsed Cruz after she dropped out of the 2016 Republican race. "Look at that face!" Trump was quoted saying. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!" The issue reignited Wednesday after an anti-Trump super PAC released an ad featuring a risque photo of his wife, Melania, a former model, taken in a GQ photo shoot. "Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday," it read. Trump responded by falsely accusing Cruz of running the ad and warning, "Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!" Cruz's wife is a former Goldman Sachs investment manager and White House aide, who served as economic policy adviser to President George W. Bush. On Wednesday night, Trump escalated things when he re-tweeted side-by-side images of Cruz's wife, with an unflattering grimace, and Melania in a gauzy, glamorous pose. "No need to 'spill the beans'" read the caption. "The images are worth a thousand words." At an event Thursday in Wisconsin, Cruz responded by calling Trump "a sniveling coward" who has a problem with women particularly "strong women." Cruz continued to dig in Friday, painting Trump's comments as part of a larger pattern of misogyny. "He's directed these attacks at Megyn Kelly. He's directed these attacks at Carly Fiorina. He's directed these attacks at Columba Bush, Jeb Bush's wife," he said. Though Trump continues to outdistance Cruz in the delegates that will decide the GOP nomination, recent polls have shown the billionaire's favorability on the decline, particularly among women. In a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 70 percent of women had a negative opinion of Trump. Nearly three quarters of women overall, and 39 percent of Republican women, had an unfavorable view of him in a recent CNN poll. "He already had a gender gap prior to all this," said Republican pollster David Winston. "The potential for that to be bigger now looms on the horizon." Katie Packer, a former top aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, and the founder of the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, said all this spells trouble for the general election. Packer, whose group was behind a recent ad that features women of various ages reading comments Trump has made about women, said Clinton remains vulnerable among many women. However, she said, "If he loses women by 10 points more than Mitt Romney, it's not a question of whether or not he loses, it's a matter of who does he sweep out with him." Indeed, Trump's latest tweeting struck a sour chord with some female suburban voters considered the key to victory in battleground states such as Colorado "He makes all kinds of derogatory statements against women, and I just don't like to hear that," said Ilse Lucas, 70, a retired teacher's aide who doesn't consider herself a Democrat or Republican. Shopping in a suburb west of Denver, Lucas said Trump's comments could drive independent voters like her to Clinton. Cruz, meanwhile, worked to send a distinctly different signal Friday on a campaign trip ahead of Wisconsin's April 5 primary. At an Oshkosh manufacturing plant, Cruz was introduced by his wife, who praised him as her "best friend and partner." After the introduction, he gave her a long hug as the audience cheered. "In the last few days, Donald Trump has taken to attacking Heidi," Cruz told the group, sparking boos that echoed through the warehouse. "I'll tell you something," Cruz said. "I think Heidi is the most beautiful, brilliant, amazing, fantastic, loving mom, an incredible wife and she's my best friend in the whole world and I love you with all of my heart." It was a message that, for some voters, couldn't cover up the nasty fight between the two candidates. "I don't know what to say except that I'm disappointed in both of them," said Jennifer Churchfield, a 52-year-old Republican from a suburb south of Denver. "The conversation needs to be about the economy, jobs, education, foreign policy. You know, things that matter. "This is a non-debate," she added. "What are they doing?" ___ Colvin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kristen Wyatt in Lakewood, Colorado, and Emily Swanson and Julie Pace in Washington, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Thomas Beaumont and Jill Colvin on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/tombeaumont and https://twitter.com/colvinj Chinese herbalist's family of 3 killed, man arrested LOS ANGELES (AP) A popular practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine was found shot to death and wrapped in plastic along with his wife and 5-year-old daughter in their palatial two-story home in upscale Santa Barbara County. More than 170 miles to the south, a 27-year-old suspect was arrested in the San Diego area. Investigators were exploring the links between the two men on Saturday, which would have been the little girl's sixth birthday, authorities said. The two men were recently involved in a business deal, and financial gain could have been a motive in the slayings, authorities said. Pierre Haobsh, 27, of Oceanside was taken into custody at gunpoint at a gas station in San Diego County, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bob Brown said Friday. A loaded handgun and property belonging to one of the victims was found inside the car, the sheriff said. This Friday, March 25, 2016 police mug photo released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office shows 27-year-old Pierre Haobsh. Haobsh, a business associate of a popular practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine was arrested Friday in connection with what California authorities say was the "horrific" slaying of the herbalist, his wife and the couple's 5-year-old daughter. (Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office via AP) Deputies who went to check on the welfare of 57-year-old Dr. Weidong "Henry" Han on Wednesday found the bodies of the physician, his 29-year-old wife, Huijie "Jenni" Yu, and the couple's 5-year-old daughter, Emily Han, in the family's multimillion-dollar home on the outskirts of Santa Barbara. They had last been seen the night before, and two associates had been alarmed when Han failed to show up for a meeting. Haobsh is a U.S. citizen, authorities said, but few other details about him were released. Nadine Jolie Courtney, a beauty blogger and author, told The Associated Press in an email message Saturday that Haobsh was her brother. She condemned the killings and extended her prayers to the Han family. "We cannot wrap our minds around this tragedy and are in a state of shock," she wrote on behalf of herself and her husband. The killings shook Santa Barbara, where Han, who owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic, was a popular figure. Han had owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991, according to the clinic's website. Public records show he is a licensed acupuncturist. A biography on his website says he earned degrees in Oriental and Western medicine from a Beijing university in 1982, graduating at the top of his class. He moved to the U.S. a few years later to study psychology. Han came from a family of Chinese doctors and provided traditional treatments including acupuncture, acupressure and herbal formulas from an on-site Chinese pharmacy. He is co-author of the book "Ancient Herbs, Modern Medicine," and he was working on a volume about how to integrate Chinese and Western medicine. At the clinic, he created individualized herbal formulas for each patient that were filled at an on-site pharmacy. ___ Associated Press writer Amy Taxin contributed to this report from Tustin, California. A Goleta Police officer stands guard near a home on Greenhill Way in unincorporated county territory between Santa Barbara and Goleta, Calif., on Thursday, March 24, 2016, as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office opened a homicide investigation after deputies discovered the remains of three people in the house. Post-mortem examinations will be conducted to determine how the three died. (Rafael Maldonado/Santa Barbara News-Press via AP) SANTA MARIA TIMES OUT; SANTA BARBARA OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT A sheriff's deputy lifts crime scene tape to allow a Coroner's Bureau van to proceed up Greenhill Way as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office opened a homicide investigation after deputies discovered the remains of three people in a home on the street in unincorporated county territory between Santa Barbara and Goleta, Calif., on Thursday, March 24, 2016. Post-mortem examinations will be conducted to determine how the three died. (Scott Steepleton/Santa Barbara News-Press via AP) SANTA MARIA TIMES OUT; SANTA BARBARA OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Sanders wins 3 states; Clinton retains big delegate lead WASHINGTON (AP) Bernie Sanders scored three wins in Western caucus contests Saturday, giving a powerful psychological boost to his supporters but doing little to move him closer to securing the Democratic nomination. While results in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii barely dented Hillary Clinton's significant delegate lead, Sanders' wins underscored her persistent vulnerabilities within her own party, particularly with young voters and liberal activists who have been inspired by her rival's unapologetically liberal message. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sanders cast his performance as part of a Western comeback, saying he expects to close the delegate gap with Clinton as the contest moves to the more liberal northeastern states, including her home state of New York. He also said his campaign is increasing its outreach to superdelegates, the party insiders who can pick either candidate, and are overwhelmingly with Clinton. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) "The Deep South is a very conservative part of the country," he said. "Now that we're heading into a progressive part of the country, we expect to do much better." He added: "There is a path to victory." With Clinton far in front, however, it is a difficult path. Clinton anticipated the losses: She barely campaigned in the three states, making just one day of stops in Washington state, and was spending the Easter weekend with her family. She is turning her focus to the April 19 contest in New York, seeking to win a large share of the delegates at stake and to avoid the blow of losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate. She is trying to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern contests a week later, hoping to deliver a big enough haul to unify the Democratic Party and relegate Sanders to little more than a protest candidate. Sanders, who's found some success in the industrial Midwest, wants to leverage his working-class support and fiery arguments against free trade into an April 5 victory in delegate-rich Wisconsin. He also plans to compete fiercely in New York and is pushing for the party to schedule a debate in the state, saying in the interview that it would be "really absurd" if one did not take place. After Sanders' two early wins in Washington and Alaska on Saturday, Clinton held a delegate lead of 1,234 to 956 over Sanders, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expands to 1,703-985 once the superdelegates are included. It takes 2,383 delegates to win. Based on the AP count, Sanders needs to win more than 57 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by June's end. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates to prevail. He was unlikely to emerge from his Saturday sweep with significantly more delegates, winning at least 36 delegates to Clinton's 11 for the day after his victories in Alaska and Washington. More are likely to be allocated to Sanders in several weeks, when Washington state Democratic party releases vote shares by district. Sixty-seven delegates are awarded based on results in the state's congressional districts. But there's little question that Sanders has tapped into a powerful frustration within the party. He continues to attract tens of thousands to his rallies and has collected more than $140 million from 4.7 million donations. Most of his 14 primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. He's heavily favored by younger voters, who were a key part of the coalition that boosted Barack Obama to victory twice. Clinton's ability to win the White House, should she capture the nomination, will hinge on how well she can motivate his passionate - and politically active - supporters. In Spokane, Washington, a huge line of caucus attendees largely Sanders backers snaked around a high school parking lot Saturday morning. "I think one of the biggest things is free tuition for students," said Savannah Dills, 24, a college student who supports Sanders. "And getting big money out of politics. He's not paid for by billionaires." Retiree Dan McLay, 64, attended the caucus in a hard-hat, which he joked he needed because he was one of the relatively few Clinton supporters in the big crowd. "Look at this thing in Brussels," McLay said, referring to the deadly attack in Belgium this week. "We need a real experienced leader." It was strong support for Sanders that brought Kirsa Hughes-Skandijs out to her first caucus in Juneau, Alaska. "This is the first time I've ever felt that kind of belief in a candidate, that they mean what they say and that they are not saying what they think people want to hear," she said. ____ Associated Press writers Nicholas K. Geranios, Walker Orenstein and Rachel La Corte in Washington state, Bryna Godar in Madison, Wisconsin, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, and Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign stop Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) A caucus volunteer counts hands of Bernie Sanders supporters during a tally at a caucus for Washington Democrats in Olympia, Wash., Saturday, March 26, 2016. Democrats caucused statewide in support of either Sanders or Hillary Clinton. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte) Laura Schleyer, a supporter of Bernie Sanders, mingles with other voters at a caucus site in Olympia, Wash., Saturday, March 26, 2016. Democrats caucused statewide in support of either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte) Voters line up outside a polling station set up at Kailua Intermediate School to register to vote in Hawaii's Democratic primary, Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Kailua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) From left, Tom Chard, Karen Crane, and other volunteers count votes for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in House District 33 at the Juneau Democratic Caucus in Juneau, Alaska, Saturday, March 26, 2016. Sanders won Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska on Saturday, a victory he hopes will stoke a spring comeback against the commanding front-runner, Hillary Clinton. (James Brooks/The Juneau Empire via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Five-year-old Courtney Skinner holds up a "Bernie Sanders for President" sign while sitting on Tom Skinner's shoulders at the Juneau Democratic Caucus on Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Centennial Hall's Sheffield Ballroom in Juneau, Alaska. Sanders won Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska on Saturday, a victory he hopes will stoke a spring comeback against the commanding front-runner, Hillary Clinton. (James Brooks/The Juneau Empire via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Attendees in a precinct group listen as a speaker voices support for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Saturday, March 26, 2016, during a Democratic caucus at Garfield High School in Seattle. Democrats caucused statewide in support of either Sanders or Hillary Clinton. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., addresses the crowd during a rally at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Friday, March 25 , 2016. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes) Bernie Sanders supporter Maryellen Lambert reacts at the Democratic party caucus in Anchorage, Alaska, Saturday, March 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen) Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., greets attendees after a rally at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Friday, March 25 , 2016. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes) In this Thursday, March 24, 2016 photo, Michael Golojuch Jr., right, who leads the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and his sister, Michele Golojuch, a teacher, left, show their support for presidential candidate Hilary Clinton in Honolulu. Hawaii Democrats will head to the polls Saturday to cast votes for the party's presidential nominee, choosing between Bernie Sanders and Clinton at caucus locations across the state. (AP Photo/Cathy Bussewitz) Obama tells Belgians 'America has their back' WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama is offering his prayers for the families of the two Americans killed in the bombings in Brussels and telling Belgians that "America has their back" in the fight against terrorism. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama is renewing his vow to continue the campaign against the Islamic State, which took credit for the attacks. He says U.S. officials are working with allies to root out the group's operations in Europe. Obama says U.S. officials have ramped up intelligence cooperation and that FBI agents are in Belgium assisting with the investigation into the bombings. President Barack Obama waves as he exits Air Force One with his family, including mother-in-law Marian Robinson, center, Friday, March 25, 2016, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Computer specialist becomes face of Polish protest movement WARSAW, Poland (AP) Only months ago Mateusz Kijowski was a computer specialist unknown to the Polish public. Today the 47-year-old is leading the largest civic protest movement that Poland has seen since Lech Walesa's Solidarity defied the communist regime. His Committee for the Defense of Democracy took form in November, soon after the right-wing party Law and Justice took office and started consolidating its grip, weakening the power of the constitutional court and other institutions that should be checks on government power. That has prompted the European Union and international human rights groups to express alarm about the state of democracy and the rule of law in the EU's largest eastern member. Kijowski's group, which is supported by many former Solidarity activists and embraces the same values of nonviolent resistance, has organized a string of protests over the past months that have brought many thousands of people into the streets. But he has come under withering verbal attack from the Law and Justice leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who has denounced the movement as anti-patriotic and even guided by foreign interests. FILE - A Dec. 19, 2015, file photo showingMateusz Kijowski, leader of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy, speaking at a demonstration in Warsaw, Poland. Kijowskis group, which is supported by many former Solidarity activists and embraces the same values of nonviolent resistance, has organized a string of protests over the past month that have brought many thousands of people to the streets. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File) In early April Kijowski will travel to Washington for meetings on Capitol Hill and at the State Department, a trip organized by Freedom House, the U.S.-based group that advocates human rights worldwide. His said his message to U.S. officials will be that democracy is under attack but that much of Polish society remains committed to democratic values and that the country should therefore not be sidelined internationally. "We want to put strong pressure on the government but we do not want to build barriers between Poland and other countries," Kijowski told The Associated Press in an interview. As the movement, generally known by its Polish acronym, KOD, has brought people to the streets over the past four months, Kaczynski has lashed out. First he called the protesters "Poles of the worst sort" a slogan they adopted and now use sarcastically on buttons and banners. Recently, with the country under greater international censure, Kaczynski's accusations have become stronger. He said the supporters of KOD "despise" Poland and have taken their complaints to the Russian embassy. An adviser to the president also accused the protests of being an element in Russian "hybrid warfare" aimed against Poland. "I have never been in the Russian embassy," retorted Kijowski. "They are trying to discredit us, and are lying about us to show that we are not true Poles, that people shouldn't trust us." "If we treat the language seriously it is horrible because it's going in the direction of fascism," Kijowski said. "But it's probably more funny because he wants to be a dictator but doesn't have the power for that." Kaczynski is on a mission to create a stronger nation state that is built on traditional, small-town Catholic values, pushing back against pressure to accept gay rights and other values that have arrived with EU membership. A key mainstay of his worldview is that the country is radically flawed by the 1989 deal that ended communism because it left a large degree of influence and wealth in the hands of former communists, the price paid at the time for a peaceful transition. Law and Justice defends its various political moves as necessary to root out liberal and post-communist influences that it sees as harmful. Kijowski criticizes the ruling party's values, saying they exclude many Poles who don't share its conservative view. "We are trying to be a civic society that connects every citizen, which is open to every citizen, open to all political sympathies, all religions," he said. He accuses the ruling party of dismantling the legal order. Like the EU and human rights groups, he points to new laws that have paralyzed the Constitutional Tribunal, tightened government control over the state media, given police greater power to spy on citizens and broadened its scope for investigating citizens. "But the most dangerous thing is the whole affair around the constitutional court because all the other things could be stopped by the Constitutional Tribunal if it could proceed normally," he said. Kijowski was too young to be a part of Solidarity but says that a lot of his movement's support comes from people active in that anti-communist resistance. He said he has sought the advice of Walesa, who has given the movement his support. "The people who knew communism have deja vu now," Kijowski said. Mateusz Kijowski, the leader of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy, the largest civic protest movement that Poland has seen since Lech Walesas Solidarity, speaks to The Associated Press in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday March 24, 2016. Kijowskis group has organized a string of protests over the past month that have brought many thousands of people to the streets. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Mateusz Kijowski, the leader of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy, the largest civic protest movement that Poland has seen since Lech Walesas Solidarity, speaks to The Associated Press in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday March 24, 2016. Kijowskis group has organized a string of protests over the past month that have brought many thousands of people to the streets. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Heavy Russian airstrikes as Syrian army fights IS in Palmyra BEIRUT (AP) Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported Saturday. Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants, Russia's defense ministry said. Syrian troops and allied militiamen have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. In this photo released on Thursday March 24, 2016, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, a Syrian government soldier takes his position inside a damaged palace, at the entrance of Palmyra, central Syria. Syrian government forces recaptured a Mamluk-era citadel in Palmyra from the extremist Islamic State group on Friday, Syrian state media and monitoring groups said, as the fierce battle for control of the historic town entered its third day. (SANA via AP) Palmyra, affectionately known as the "bride of the desert," used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. IS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments in the UNESCO world heritage site. The extremists believe ancient ruins promote idolatry. The militants also demolished the town's infamous Tadmur prison, where thousands of Syrian government opponents were reported to have been tortured. Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Bashar Assad's government, which has made steady gains in recent months against IS and other insurgents. Syria's government has been assisted in large part by Russia's air campaign. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the surprise pullout of some Russian warplanes from Syria, but said that strikes against the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida linked Nusra Front will continue. Those groups have been excluded from a Russian- and U.S.-brokered cease-fire that began on Feb. 27 and has largely held. The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week according to the Observatory, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and IS-affiliated media sites reported. The Observatory's figures indicate at least 56 soldiers have died in fighting this week. Footage broadcast on Lebanese stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyra's skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. IS began evacuating civilians this week to other parts of its territories in Syria. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. Activists citing sources among advancing government forces said the two sides were fighting over the area, while the Observatory said government forces had retaken the site. Syrian state media made no mention of the area. The head of Syria's antiquities and museums authority described the condition of the remaining monuments including the grand amphitheater, the market place, public baths, and a long colonnade as "excellent," with only minor damage, based on footage captured by a drone and broadcast on Russian television Friday. Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the government's antiquities and museums department, said civil servants are prepared to assess the monuments and plan for their restoration "as soon as we are given the green light from the Syrian army." "We will present our studies to UNESCO so that Palmyra can once again be a world heritage site," said Abdulkarim. "Palmyra is not just for Syrians, it is for the world." If Syrian government forces retake Palmyra, they will be positioned to advance on the two largest Syrian cities held by IS, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa. The IS group is on the back foot in Iraq and Syria, where forces on the ground have been backed by US-led airstrikes against the extremists. The U.S.-led international coalition estimates that the group has lost 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and around 20 percent of its territory in Syria. On Saturday, Turkish Air Force jets joined coalition forces in attacking IS in northern Iraq, hours after a Turkish soldier was killed at a military base in the region from rockets fired by the extremist militants. Although Turkish jets have struck IS positions in Syria in the past, the attack marks Turkey's first aerial assault on the group in northern Iraq. Ground forces in Iraq have been working to build on recent gains in Anbar province and preparing for an offensive on the northern city of Mosul, the largest city held by IS militants. The Islamic State group has responded to territorial losses by launching a series of large attacks targeting civilians. IS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Friday at a small soccer stadium in the Iraqi city of Iskanderiyah, 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the capital, Baghdad. The attack killed 41 people and wounded 105, security and health officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. Speaking at a press conference during an official visit to Iraq, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon offered his condolences to the friends and families of those killed, adding that the "the international community stands with Iraqis in horror and outrage." ___ Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. In this photo released on Thursday, March 24, 2016, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, a Syrian government soldier takes his position on hill at the entrance of Palmyra, central Syria. Syrian government forces recaptured a Mamluk-era citadel in Palmyra from the extremist Islamic State group on Friday, Syrian state media and monitoring groups said, as the fierce battle for control of the historic town entered its third day. (SANA via AP) Erdogan slams diplomats for attending journalists' trial ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey's president has criticized foreign diplomats who attended the trial of two prominent journalists in a show of support for media freedoms in Turkey. Can Dundar and Erdem Gul went on trial on Friday accused of espionage and terror charges for their reports on alleged government arms shipments to Syrian rebels. The government says their reports are part of a conspiracy to bring it down. In a speech in Istanbul Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the diplomats present at the opening hearing of "violating" boundaries and siding with those want to carry out "a coup" against the government. Can Dundar, the editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, right, and Erdem Gul, left, the paper's Ankara representative, speak to the media after their trial in Istanbul, Friday, March 25, 2016. The trial of two Turkish journalists accused of revealing state secrets and helping a terrorism organization over their reports on alleged government-arms smuggling to Syrian rebels was adjourned on Friday after opposition lawmakers refused to leave the courthouse in defiance of a controversial ruling to proceed behind closed doors.(AP Photo/Omer Kuscu) "Who do you think you are? ... This is not your country, this is Turkey." Erdogan said. Black women who boosted Obama are sticking with Clinton DETROIT (AP) From the pulpit of an African-American church in Detroit not long ago, Bishop Corletta Vaughn offered a rousing endorsement of Hillary Clinton that went far beyond politics. With a smiling Clinton sitting a few feet away in the purple-walled Holy Ghost Cathedral, Vaughn said she had seen Clinton "take a licking and keep on ticking." Alluding to Bill Clinton's past infidelity, she added: "I'm not talking about politically. I'm talking about as a wife and a mother. That's when I said: I love that woman. She taught so many of us as women how to stand in the face of adversity." During a primary season in which she has faced surprisingly strong competition and been bombarded with criticism of her trustworthiness, Clinton has maintained a strong bond with one significant bloc of Democratic Party voters. Black women, part of President Barack Obama's winning coalition in 2008 and 2012, have locked arms behind Clinton, hailing her as a Democratic standard-bearer, survivor and friend. FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes pictures with supporters after a campaign event at the Central Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C. During a primary season that has proved surprisingly competitive, bombarded with persistent critiques about her likeability and trustworthiness, Clinton has maintained a strong bond with one significant block of Democratic Party voters. Black women. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) "That determination and strength, particularly has meaning to African-American women," said Sharon Reed, 60, a community college teacher from North Charleston, South Carolina. "Who has overcome more obstacles and darts and arrows than she has? And she's still standing and she's still strong." Though the primary contest is not over, Clinton, the former secretary of state, holds a big delegate lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and is considered likely to win the Democratic nomination. African-American women have played a big part: About 8 in 10 across all the states where exit polling has been conducted have voted for her, and in some cases support has been above 90 percent. Clinton has fared less well with other groups, in particular with younger voters and white men, many of whom have preferred Sanders. But, as in past years, black women are demonstrating that they are motivated. So far, they have made up at least a slightly larger share of the electorate than black men in almost all states with significant black populations, and a significantly larger share in seven of those states. She'll need those women in November. When Democrat Obama won the past two elections, he counted on black women's votes, and he got them. In 2008, some 68 percent voted in the general election, and 70 percent came out in 2012. According to exit polling, the vast majority voted for Obama. Clinton's campaign has sought to reinforce these bonds. At black churches and businesses, she has stressed her ties to the popular president and touted endorsements from leaders such as Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights icon. She has emphasized issues like criminal justice reform and gun control and is campaigning alongside black women who have lost children to gun violence. "I really got the sense that she could really relate to us, as being mothers and women and daughters," said Lucy McBath, whose teenage son Jordan Davis was shot and killed at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station in 2012. Lucy McBath was part of a group of mothers who met with Clinton privately in the fall and has been out campaigning for her. These efforts have been headed by LaDavia Drane, who joined the campaign last year as director of African-American outreach. She has sought out female pastors like Vaughn for Clinton's church visits. She organized the meeting between Clinton and the mothers impacted by gun violence. And she has worked to establish grass-roots networks for black women such "Heels for Hillary" in cities around the country. Drane described Clinton's connection to mothers, particularly black mothers, as "a secret sauce, it's a match made in heaven." Before black audiences, Clinton appears at ease. At the Detroit church, she opened up about her personal struggles. "What has always guided me and supported me has been my faith," she said. She recalled the parable of the prodigal son and seemed to reference her husband, now diligently campaigning for her. "When someone who has disappointed you, who has often disappointed themselves, decides to come home, it is human nature to say you're not wanted ... but that's not what the father in this parable did." Evelyn Simien, a professor at the University of Connecticut who studies black voting patterns, said Clinton's outreach has been savvy. But she also stressed that black women have long been active Democratic voters and they know Clinton far better than Sanders. She said this year's support is not just about personal connection, but that "it comes down to politics and the issues." Clinton's close relationships with black women date back to one of her first political mentors, Marian Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children's Defense Fund. Black women have held top positions with Clinton over the years, including Maggie Williams, who was chief of staff when Clinton was first lady, and Cheryl Mills, chief of staff when she was secretary of state. In the current campaign, black women are in key roles, including senior spokeswoman Karen Finney and senior policy adviser Maya Harris. Strategist Minyon Moore has long served as an outside consultant. "I feel a kinship to who she is. She knows and understands the battle that we fight every day," said Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, a past chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "She has a special place for us because she really gets it." ___ Emily Swanson contributed to this report. Free of court oversight, Ohio youth prisons look to future CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (AP) Guards at Ohio's juvenile detention centers are now called youth specialists, and school uniforms are replacing prison garb during classes. Free from court oversight for the first time in nearly a decade, Ohio's youth prison system is adjusting to a long-term mission of housing and rehabilitating the state's most troubled juvenile offenders. "What we've done in the past is treat the children who are incarcerated like mini adults," said Linda Janes, deputy director for the Department of Youth Services. "We know better now through research and through all kinds of evidence that that's a mistake. Children have to be treated like children." Two boys incarcerated at Ohios Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility show off tomatoes they helped grow in an on-site greenhouse on Friday, March 18, 2016, in Circleville, Ohio. The Department of Youth Services holds record-low numbers of youth but they typically are the most needy of juveniles in the state criminal justice system and struggle more with mental health and addiction issues. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins) States have been rethinking juvenile justice for several years as alternatives to a tough-on-crime approach that did little to rehabilitate children. Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia are among several states that adopted changes to juvenile justice approaches in the past five years, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. At Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility, about 30 miles south of Columbus, gone are the days when youths walked a literal line down a hall with hands behind their backs, meant to instill discipline and discourage flashing of gang signals. Today, they take classes in a high school that on the inside looks like most other schools in Ohio, with walls sporting colorful stripes and inspirational signs, such as "Hope is the new dope!" The boys help raise vegetables, including broccoli and tomatoes, in a greenhouse, as well as tilapia in a large plastic tank. The vegetables are donated to food banks while the popular table fish is used to help them develop their cooking skills. They use a machine to turn food waste into compost for the grounds. "When you take the time out to actually find out who you are, it's a whole new ball game," said Tyrone, an 18-year-old inmate from Cincinnati who recently graduated from the high school at the Circleville facility. He hopes to study business and law at Central State University once released. Because he originally was charged as a juvenile, The Associated Press agreed to identify him by his first name only. Tyrone, serving a four-year sentence for armed robbery, said the most important thing he has learned behind bars was also the hardest the need for self-control and understanding that hitting first is not always the way to solve arguments. He credits a drum beat of encouragement from staff for his turnaround. A 2004 lawsuit accused the Ohio youth agency of excessive use of force against children, providing inadequate education, medical and mental health care and failing to adequately train and supervise staff. That year, Ohio had seven juvenile detention centers that housed around 1,800 children. Last December, federal Judge Algenon Marbley ended the court-ordered oversight established in 2008 to settle the lawsuit. Today, the department has three facilities and four alternate placement sites and houses fewer than 500 children. It has no girls' detention center and instead houses them in three of the alternate sites. In Ohio and other states that have taken a new look at rehabilitating juveniles, many youths going through the criminal justice system now serve their time in local centers close to family and community support networks. The rates of children returning to prison either the youth or adult systems are slowly trending downward, according to state data. Of youth released in 2005, 52 percent were back behind bars after three years. Of those released in 2011, 47 percent returned over three years. More recent single-year rates show a similar trend. One outcome of these changes is youths under state control tend to be older and have the most needs. Many grew up in poverty and have serious mental health and addiction problems. Ohio's bipartisan Correctional Institution Inspection Committee said in a report last fall that use-of-force incidents at Circleville were still too high. The agency also cited problems with youths not attending class or being removed for bad behavior. The union representing guards-turned-youth-specialists says it has lost some discipline tools used to respond to dangerous situations, such as solitary confinement. Janes, the agency deputy director, said the children Ohio now houses were once dubbed "the worst of the worst" and beyond rehabilitation. "We really have the attitude that they're kids with the most issues and the most trauma in their background, and the kids in the most need," she said. ___ Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/andrew-welsh-huggins Cyrus, Keys to join 'The Voice' as judges NEW YORK (AP) Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys will get red chairs as new judges on NBC's "The Voice" next September. The network said it will be the first time the four-person judging panel will have two women in previous seasons there were three male judges. Cyrus and Keys will join mainstays Blake Shelton and Adam Levine on one of television's most popular reality shows. Both women have experience with the show. Cyrus is an adviser this season and Keys was a mentor during a previous season. FILE - In this May 4, 2015 file photo, Miley Cyrus arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "China: Through the Looking Glass" in New York. Cyrus and Alicia Keys will get red chairs as new judges on NBC's "The Voice" next September. The network said it will be the first time the four-person judging panel will have two women _ in previous seasons there were three male judges. Cyrus and Keys will join mainstays Blake Shelton and Adam Levine on television's most popular reality show.(Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) While Shelton and Levine have been regulars, NBC tends to rotate other judges dependent upon their schedules so other judges like Christina Aguilera, Pharrell and Gwen Stefani remain in the bullpen. Stefani has been serving as a mentor this season. News Guide: Real-life 'Bernie' murder case back in court DALLAS (AP) A funeral director in small-town East Texas befriends a widow 40 years his senior at her husband's funeral, spends her money freely, then shoots her and hides her body in a freezer for nine months. Bernie Tiede's case could have been written for Hollywood and when it was, the resulting attention got him out of a life sentence. The real-life case featured in the 2011 dark comedy "Bernie" heads back to a courtroom April 6 for a new sentencing trial, two decades after Marjorie Nugent was killed. FILE- In this May 6, 2014, file photo, Bernie Tiede smiles after a court hearing granting his release at the Panola County court house in Carthage, Texas. Tiede had been sentenced to life for killing 81-year-old widow Marjorie Nugent for her fortune. Tiede now faces a new sentencing in the case that inspired the dark comedy "Bernie." (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) Here's the quick rundown of the case and the movie: ___ THE MURDER Tiede was a mortician at the Hawthorn Funeral Home in Carthage, Texas, a town of about 7,000 about 150 miles east of Dallas. Nugent was more than 40 years his senior. The two met at her husband's funeral in 1990, and became close friends. They took lavish vacations abroad, and Tiede became known around town for the gifts he gave himself and local residents using Nugent's money. In 1996, Tiede shot Nugent four times in the back with a .22-caliber rifle, then hid her body in a freezer next to packages of frozen meat, pecans and corn. He carried on for nine months as if Nugent was still alive before authorities searched her home and found her body. In his confession, Tiede described her as "evil" and asserted that he snapped under the pressure of her mistreatment. After an initial mistrial, jurors in 1999 took less than an hour to convict him of murder. He received a life sentence, but was released in May 2014 after his original prosecutor said he overlooked evidence Tiede was abused as a child and may have deserved a lighter sentence. ___ THE MOVIE Adapted from a Texas Monthly story about the case, "Bernie" stars Jack Black portraying Tiede as a quirky, friendly man who sings in the church choir, helps local residents start businesses and is beloved by a small, insular community. Tiede gets a more sympathetic portrayal than Nugent, played by Shirley MacLaine as a crotchety, withdrawn scold disliked by most of the town who insults Tiede constantly. Nugent's family has long protested how the widow is presented in the movie. "My grandmother was a real person," said her granddaughter, Shanna Nugent, in a 2014 interview. "She can't defend herself, and the reason she can't is Bernie Tiede killed her." Several Carthage residents appear in the movie, speaking direct-to-camera about the case and their town. ___ HIS RELEASE Austin attorney Jodi Cole saw the movie, which prompted her to begin investigating Tiede's case. She argued Tiede had been sexually abused as a child and felt trapped in a mentally abusive relationship with Nugent. A psychiatrist testified at a 2014 court hearing that Tiede likely had a "brief dissociative episode" when he killed her. Those arguments persuaded Danny Buck Davidson, the district attorney who originally won Tiede's murder conviction and life sentence, to support Tiede's release on the grounds that he should have been sentenced instead for murder as a second-degree felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, not life in prison. After his release, Tiede went to live at filmmaker Richard Linklater's Austin home. A judge has forbidden Tiede from speaking to the media. ___ THE TRIAL A jury will ultimately decide whether Tiede, now 57, should go back to prison or go free. The trial will take place in Henderson, Texas, about 30 miles west of Carthage. Davidson, who agreed to support Tiede's release, has been replaced by two lawyers from the Texas attorney general's office. Attorneys for both sides are under a gag order, but Cole has suggested in recent court hearings that she will argue Tiede was also being used by Nugent to launder money. The trial could take several weeks. Jury selection is scheduled to begin April 1. ___ Black Hawk helicopters deployed for Kansas wildfire MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) Firefighters trying to snuff out the biggest wildfire in Kansas history are getting help from military helicopters and a potential assist from looming rain or snow. Four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Kansas National Guard were deployed Saturday in the effort to contain the persistent prairie blazes that since Tuesday have charred at least 620 square miles in Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Six homes have been destroyed and some livestock has been lost, the office of the Adjutant General said. Three bridges and one railroad trestle have also been damaged or destroyed. No serious human injuries have been reported. A firefighter crew douses a line of grass fire about 15 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge, Kansas Thursday, March 24, 2016. More than 200 firefighters are battling an active fire line stretching 30 to 40 miles long in Barber County on Thursday. (Mike Hutmacher/The Wichita Eagle via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; MAGS OUT; LOCAL RADIO OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT At least two of the helicopters have 660-gallon buckets that can dump water from local sources onto the flames, said Ben Bauman, a spokesman for the office of the Adjutant General in Kansas. The National Guard also was contributing a fuel tanker truck and another ground support vehicle. Firefighters focused again Saturday southwest of Wichita in Butler County, where only 15 percent of the blaze that has scorched 427 square miles of the county was contained, said Darcy Golliher, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Incident Management Team. The National Weather Service said the area where the fire has raged, which borders Oklahoma, may get one-tenth to a quarter inch of rain or snow Saturday night or Sunday morning. "There's still a bit of uncertainty about how much they could get," said Andy Kleinsasser, a meteorologist with the weather service's Wichita office. "Hopefully they can get a decent dousing. Anything is better than nothing." Shawna Hartman, a Kansas Forest Service spokeswoman, said slightly windier conditions prevailed Saturday compared with the previous day. And while she expects the forecast precipitation to add welcome moisture, "it really won't do anything to the fire that's actively burning." Still, she said, "we don't anticipate the perimeter (of the fire) increasing at all." The prospect of relief from rain may offer little solace to 87-year-old Don Gerstner, a Korean War veteran who along with his wife, Carol, lost their 19th-century home near Medicine Lodge to the fire after the two narrowly escaped it. Gerstner said he looked out his kitchen window Wednesday and saw what he described as fast-approaching "wall of fire." He yelled for his wife to get her pocketbook, and the couple fled with their dogs, at times driving through flames to make their getaway. The couple watched from afar as the fire consumed their home of 54 years, much of the structure built with bricks from the county's old courthouse. Now facing the task of starting over, Carol Gerstner lamented: "At our age, it's just hard to get used to something different." But her husband said he's seen worse. "It's not as bad as Korea," he laughed. Fire damage to a home Thursday, March 24, 2016 near Medicine Lodge, Kan. A fire that started Tuesday in Oklahoma has now burnt near 400, 000 acres in Kansas and Oklahoma. (Andrew Whitaker/ The Hutchinson News via AP) Charred prairies are seen Thursday, March 24, 2016 near Medicine Lodge, Kan. as smoke rises in the distance from the continuing burning fire. The fire that started Tuesday in Oklahoma has now burnt near 400, 000 acres in Kansas and Oklahoma. (Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchinson News via AP) New utility poles are installed in rural rural Barber County near Medicine Lodge, Kan., on Thursday, March, 25, 2016. A fire that started Tuesday in Oklahoma has now burnt near 400, 000 acres in Kansas and Oklahoma. (Amy Bickel/The Hutchinson News via AP) Smoke is seen near Medicine Lodge, Kan., as grass fire continues to burn Thursday, March 24, 2016 . A fire that started Tuesday in Oklahoma has now burnt near 400, 000 acres in Kansas and Oklahoma. (Andrew Whitaker/ The Hutchinson News via AP) Police drop Brussels tweet race-hate charge A social media race-hate charge against a man over a tweet about a confrontation with a Muslim woman over the Brussels terror attacks have been dropped, in a U-turn by authorities. Matthew Doyle, 46, from South Croydon, was arrested on Wednesday after a message was posted on his Twitter profile about confronting a woman in south London. The Metropolitan Police announced on Friday morning that he had been charged with publishing or distributing written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, likely or intended to stir up racial hatred. Matthew Doyle had been charged over a tweet about the Brussels attacks But hours later Scotland Yard said he was "no longer charged". He will not have to attend a planned first appearance at Camberwell Magistrates Court on Saturday morning, the force said. A police spokesman said: "Matthew Doyle, 46 of South Croydon was charged by police on Friday, March 25, with an offence under Section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986. "Following discussion with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Mr Doyle is no longer charged with the offence and will not be appearing at court. "Police may not make charging decisions on offences under Section 19 of the Public Order Act. There will be further consultation with CPS." EU referendum: 250 business leaders back Brexit campaign A group of 250 business leaders and entrepreneurs have signed up as backers of a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the European Union referendum. The business figures, including former HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan, JD Wetherspoon pub boss Tim Martin, hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and Luke Johnson - chairman of continental-style cafe chain Patisserie Valerie - have given their support to Vote Leave in a personal capacity. The campaign group also announced that former British Chambers of Commerce director general John Longworth, who quit after indicating his support for Brexit at the business organisation's annual conference earlier this month, will take up a new role with Vote Leave. John Longworth has been appointed chairman of Vote Leave's business council Mr Longworth, who has been appointed chairman of Vote Leave's business council, said: "This is the most important political debate of a generation. Business is divided on the issue and it is vital the full breadth of business opinion is heard. Many firms struggle with relentless interference from the EU and rules that are stacked in the favour of a select number of businesses. "If we Vote Leave, liberated from the shackles of EU membership, jobs will be safer, Britain will be able to spend our money on our priorities and we can look forward to faster growth and greater prosperity in the future." Vote Leave's chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'We're delighted that John Longworth has agreed to chair Vote Leave's Business Council. His strong business track record and his courageous decision to share his true beliefs with voters makes him an extremely powerful voice in the EU debate." A survey of small and medium-sized firms commissioned by the group found that 32% said the EU hinders businesses like theirs, while 25% said it helped them, 40% said it made no difference. The YouGov study indicated that 14% of the firms believed that the EU makes it easier for their business to employ people while 31% said Brussels' rules made it harder for them to employ people, 48% said EU rules made no difference. Mr Elliott said: "With our growing list of business supporters, Vote Leave will make that case that whilst the EU might be good for big multinationals, for smaller businesses it acts as a job destruction regulatory machine. Brussels hinders smaller businesses, particularly those firms who can't afford to lobby Brussels to curry favour. Jobs, wages and our economy will thrive when we take back control and vote Leave." Remain campaigners insisted that British business supported a vote to stay in the EU in the June 23 referendum. Britain Stronger in Europe's deputy director Lucy Thomas said: "Survey after survey have shown that businesses of all sizes and from all sectors overwhelmingly back Britain remaining in the EU. "It is telling that Vote Leave's poll doesn't even ask the most important question about whether Britain should remain in the EU because they know most businesses - large and small - disagree with them. Instead they resort to leading questions about regulation. "It's also telling that all those listed as backing Vote Leave are doing so in a 'personal capacity'. They clearly couldn't find a single business that officially backs their position. "British businesses are better off in Europe as part of the world's largest free trade single market of 500 million consumers. "It helps create jobs, brings investments and keeps prices lower. Leaving would be a leap into the unknown - risking jobs, higher prices and a weaker economy." Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The evidence is absolutely clear. Every major survey of businesses, large and small, shows a clear majority of firms want to remain in the European Union - on average, eight out of 10 firms want to stay in the EU and keep Britain's full access to a single market of 500 million consumers. "They can see we are stronger, safer and better-off in a reformed EU. Survey after survey shows that small businesses - the backbone of our economy - want to stay inside the EU rather than take a leap in the dark. "Recent surveys show that eight out of 10 small businesses say Britain should remain in a reformed Europe." BT chairman Sir Mike Rake said: "Virtually every poll in recent months has found between 60% and 90% of businesses small, medium and large want to remain in the EU, with only a small minority who want to leave. "Whilst over regulation is acknowledged to be an issue, several studies have shown that this is in no small part due to gold-plating by UK regulators. "Our best course is to remain in the EU, constructively engaging to improve its competitiveness." :: YouGov surveyed 1,002 SME decision-makers online between March 14 and 21. Mr Martin said the erosion of democracy was "very bad news for the future of humanity" and risked the UK's economic prosperity. "You can make clever debating points but democracy equals prosperity," he told BBC Radio 4's Today. "If they take it away you'll get Greece and you'll get Spain and you'll get the massive economic problems you are now having when democracy is removed from people. That is the key issue. "West Germany was much more successful economically than East Germany. South Korea is more successful than North Korea. North America is the best example with its democratic constitution - and look at South America with its poor people who live in so many of the countries there." He went on: "If the world is going to survive in the long term you have to entrench democracy. If you don't, and you get autocracy is its various forms, it is very bad news for the future of humanity. "Free press, free democratic elections and accountability - not transferring power to apparatchiks in Brussels." He defended the fact that the list was made up of non-FTSE 100 firms and the opinions were given on a personal - not corporate - basis. "To have a board meeting and say 'do we support Brexit?' is a practical impossibility in my experience," he said, pointing to divisions on the issue between executives. NUT members refuse to rule out strike prospect over 'intolerable' workload Teachers have refused to rule out the prospect of going on strike over serious concerns about "intolerable" classroom workload. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), meeting at the annual conference in Brighton, agreed to consider industrial action over pressures driven by increasing student numbers, a growing teacher shortage, and reduced funding for schools. They said greater support is needed from Government for beleaguered schools and teaching staff. Members of the NUT have discussed how workload, staff shortages and funding pressures are putting teachers under strain In an impassioned speech, Laura Fisher, a teacher from Wakefield, said the situation was so bad that pupils have asked her if she sleeps in work due to the amount of time she spends in the classroom. She said: "I know striking is a difficult subject, it is still the biggest debate within ourselves. "People say, 'I didn't become a teacher to strike'. "But every day I strike, I am teaching children the biggest lesson of all - that their education is worth fighting for." Members voted in favour of a motion "building a campaign to persuade members that national strike action will be necessary to bring about changes in the intolerable working conditions, and lack of work-life balance, created by current Government policies". It contained the pledge that the union "should continue to give full support, up to and including sustained strike action, to school groups which seek to win local improvements on workload". Strike action can only begin after a ballot of members. An amendment proposing to begin preparations for an immediate ballot if negations with the Government are not fruitful was not heard. Presenting the motion, Ms Fisher told the conference: "If a child knows I'm spending too much time at school, and I know I'm spending too much time at school, how on earth doesn't the Government know? "I know the books will still be marked. What won't be done is all the little things that make the school unique." She added: "I want to do my duty, but I don't have time. Nicky Morgan - I'll do my job, but let me get on with it. "Nicky, my duty is not to you, it's not to my head teacher, it's to the children I serve." Ken Rustidge, from Lincolnshire, added: "We should be building a national campaign, lobbying, persuading the public and getting the message across in any way possible. "Crushing workload is a contributing factor in the recruitment and teacher retention problem." Last month the Government's official spending watchdog found key teacher recruitment targets had been missed. The National Audit Office found teacher shortages were growing, particularly in poorer areas. Its report, as an example, found just over one-in-four physics lessons at secondary school level were being taught by staff with only as much as an A-level in the subject. The Government, in response, said 1.4 million more pupils were being taught in schools rated good and outstanding compared with five years earlier. Commenting after the debate, Christine Blower, NUT general secretary, said: "Government policies have created the perfect storm for a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. "Teachers speak of having no life outside of school, nor time for family and friends. We are not talking about having to stay a little bit later of an evening, but of workloads that keep teachers working into the night and at weekends. "The NUT believes teaching is one of the best professions anyone could hope to do. It is, however, being made a very difficult job under this Government. "Teachers need to be trusted. They need to have time to have a life outside of work and they need to see an end to the continual blaming and hectoring they get from ministers. "It is for real reasons that graduates are choosing other professions, and many qualified teachers are leaving or considering leaving. This situation will continue unless these issues are addressed." Concerns about teacher workload are not new. A report by the NUT in October 2015 found more than half of its members were considering leaving the profession in the next two years - with workload and the desire for a better work-life balance the two main triggers for quitting. The survey found that two-fifths (39%) said they suffered low morale, while 53% were considering leaving in the next two years. A majority (73%) also said they believed current policies for the school curriculum and pupil assessment were "narrow and uncreative". The union said teachers were working anything up to 60 hours a week. The Government launched its workload challenge survey in October 2014 to gauge staff satisfaction with the amount of time they were able to spend in the classroom. Launching the survey, Nick Clegg, the then-deputy prime minister, said teachers ought to be freed from "burdensome workloads". A Department for Education spokesman said: "It's disappointing to see the NUT taking this approach instead of working constructively with us to ensure their members and teachers across the country deliver our vision for educational excellence everywhere. Fans Havana ball as Rolling Stones rock Cuba The Rolling Stones and their fans in Cuba finally spent the night together as the band performed a historic free concert in Havana. The band opened the show with Jumpin' Jack Flash and lead singer Sir Mick Jagger addressed the crowd in Spanish saying: "Hola Habana, buenas noches mi gente de Cuba" - which translates as "Hello Havana, goodnight my people of Cuba", state media reported. He continued: "We're finally here. I'm sure this will be an unforgettable night." Sir Mick Jagger entertains the Havana crowd during the concert (AP) The show went ahead despite reports that the Pope had tried to halt the Good Friday concert. A tour insider told the Mirror: "The band's team were flabbergasted when the Vatican got in touch by letter - couldn't believe their eyes. "Much as they didn't want to upset the Pope, they had a contract to play and were going to honour it. "They have made a promise to the Cuban people and won't let them down." Another source told the newspaper the Stones replied to the Vatican, saying other global music events were being held on Good Friday. Sir Mick appeared on stage in a maroon silk shirt and a maroon and black sequinned jacket with black lapels. Richards sported a black and white bomber jacket with a multi-coloured headband while Wood opted for a bright blue jacket and green T-shirt. Watts chose a rather more demure white T-shirt and pale blue trousers for the high-profile show. After the concert, the band posted the set list on their official Twitter page, revealing the hits they performed for the crowd. It included Out of Control, Angie, Honky Tonk Women, You Got The Silver, Before They Make Me Run, Midnight Rambler, Miss You, Gimme Shelter, Start Me Up, Sympathy For The Devil and Brown Sugar, as well as All Down The Line, which was chosen by fans on social media, and an encore. The band's music was banned in Cuba for many years because it was considered subversive and blocked from the radio. Cubans listened to their music in secret, passing records from hand to hand and the band built up a huge fan base on the isolated island. Hundreds of thousands of those fans poured into the Ciudad Deportiva stadium to watch the veteran rockers. Sir Richard Branson told his Twitter followers he would be supporting the band at their landmark show, writing: "Excited to be heading to Cuba to see my friends the RollingStones rock Havana! StonesCuba." Sir Mick, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood flew into Jose Marti international airport on Thursday with family members and crew aboard their private plane. Their concert is the second landmark event in the country this week, after the visit by American president Barack Obama - the first US leader to visit the country since the 1959 revolution. Sir Mick greeted fans in Spanish on their arrival at the airport, saying he was happy to be there. Before their landing the band released a video in Spanish with English subtitles, saying: "We have performed in many special places during our long career but this concert in Havana is going to be an historic event for us. We hope it will be for you too." The Rolling Stones have been touring Latin America with concerts in Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Brazil. The band performed their hit You Can't Always Get What You Want with a choir and then Satisfaction as their encore. In a post on their website they said the audience in Cidudad Deportiva was "probably their biggest ever crowd". Sir Mick told the ensembled fans: "We know that years ago it was difficult to listen to our music here in Cuba, but here we are, playing for you in your beautiful land. I think that finally things have changed, haven't they?" Police operations continue as Briton confirmed dead in Brussels blasts A British man has been confirmed dead following the terror attacks in Brussels. The family of David Dixon, 50, who was originally from Hartlepool but was living in the Belgian capital, said they had received "the most terrible and devastating news". At least 32 people were killed and 270 injured when suicide bombs ripped through the airport and a Metro station on Tuesday morning. David Dixon had been missing since the deadly terror attacks in Brussels A statement issued on Friday by the Foreign Office on behalf of Mr Dixon's family said: "This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David. At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. Please respect our wishes." The Foreign Office said officials know of seven British nationals who were injured in the attacks, with three still being treated in hospital. Mr Dixon, an IT programmer, had been missing since the Metro blast, and his family previously said they were "anxiously waiting" and hoping for "good news" about him. It was reported that Mr Dixon's aunt had texted him following the airport explosions and had received a message back from him saying he was safe. But it is thought he then got on the Metro to go to work and got caught up in the attack. The news comes as US defence secretary Ash Carter said US forces had killed a senior Islamic State leader, among several key members of the militant group eliminated this week. He identified the senior IS leader as Haji Imam and described him as the group's finance minister. He said he was a "well-known terrorist" who had a hand in terror plots outside of Iraq and Syria. Police have also raided Brussels neighbourhoods in an operation the mayor said was linked to Tuesday's attacks and to the arrest in the Paris suburbs of a man who may have been plotting a new attack in France. Three people were detained, with two of them shot in the leg, the federal prosecutor's office said. The operation was conducted in the Schaerbeek district, which was raided on Thursday night, as well as the neighbourhoods of Forest and Saint-Gilles. Belgium's state broadcaster said one person was carrying a bag of explosive material. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him". A local electrician Norman Kabir said that after the man did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. Prime minister Charles Michel skipped a wreath-laying ceremony at the Brussels airport with US secretary of state John Kerry because of the police operation. Prosecutors said three of six people detained on Thursday in the investigation have been released. Three terrorists died in Tuesday's explosions and a massive manhunt was launched to track down other suspects believed to be behind the blasts. Belgian security services were hunting two men pictured with the suicide bombers shortly before the attacks and believed to be on the run. One of the men was caught on CCTV carrying a large bag and walking with jihadist Khalid El Bakraoui moments before the bomb detonated, according to state broadcaster RTBF and France's Le Monde newspaper. Another of the suspected killers, dubbed "the man in white", was pictured pushing a trolley through Zaventem Airport with Najim Laachraoui - who Belgian federal prosecutors have confirmed with DNA analysis was one of the airport suicide bombers - and Khalid's brother Ibrahim before they blew themselves up. Laachraoui, 24, is also the suspected bombmaker whose DNA was found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks. A Moroccan man was detained in central Germany on Thursday because he did not have valid ID. Prosecutors in Giessen said they found documents indicating the 28-year-old had been in the Brussels area recently and seized a mobile phone that they are now evaluating. They said officials established that he had previously entered Germany under various aliases and sought asylum, and that he is known to police in Italy. Der Spiegel magazine and two public broadcasters are saying the man received two suspicious text messages on the day of the Brussels attacks. A Belgian official has said the top suspect in the November attacks in Paris, Salah Abdeslam, has stopped co-operating with police since Tuesday's Brussels bombings. Justice minister Koen Geens said Abdeslam "no longer wants to talk". Federal prosecutors also said the suspect "refused to make the slightest comment" when questioned just after the Brussels attacks. Abdeslam was arrested in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek on March 18, just four days before the bombings at the airport and Metro. France is seeking his extradition, which his lawyer initially challenged, saying his client could have valuable information for investigators, but Abdeslam has changed his mind since the Brussels attacks and is prepared to go. Meanwhile, a US official said at least two American citizens were killed in the attacks and authorities announced that Chinese, French, and Dutch citizens were also among the dead. In light of security fears in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Mariah Carey has cancelled her concert in Brussels on Sunday. Second vigil held for Muslim shopkeeper killed in attack A second vigil has been held for a well-respected Muslim shopkeeper who was killed in what police are treating as a "religiously prejudiced" attack. Asad Shah was found seriously injured outside his shop in Minard Road in the Shawlands area of Glasgow on Thursday night and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Hours earlier he had wished Christians a happy Easter in a social media post, and he had previously appeared to speak out against violence. Hundreds of people have joined a second vigil for a shopkeeper killed outside his store in Glasgow's southside A Muslim man has been arrested. Around 150 people gathered on Saturday in the rain to pay their respects to Mr Shah, 40, as floral tributes continued to be laid close to where he was found. The event, organised by local teenagers on social media, followed a vigil on Friday night attended by a crowd of around 400-500 people, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Aleesa Malik, 17, said: "He (Mr Shah) would take the effort to care for every customer. "He would want to know how are you, what are you doing. He took an interest in everyone's lives - old, young, anyone. "You could be any colour, that would not be an issue for him, he just cared too much." Nabah Younis, 16, said she had been visiting the shop since she was a young girl. She described Mr Shah as a "lovely guy". Commenting on organising the vigil, she said: "I just felt for the amount of support Mr Shah gave us - us as in Glasgow, Glasgow had to give something in return, and that is exactly what we are doing." She said messages of support had been sent on social media from all over the UK, and further afield. "It feels warmer knowing that there is so much support, from young people to old people, people not even from this area, and people who had not even met Mr Shah," she added. "The community have reacted - he has brought everybody together. "Hopefully this is a lesson that we need to stick together." The teenager called for unity as she addressed those who had gathered for the vigil, before a minute's silence took place. An Easter greeting from an online account apparently belonging to Mr Shah had been posted on the day he was killed. The Facebook message read: ''Good Friday and very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation x!''. Included in a series of posts and videos on the page in recent days were calls for peace and ''love to all beloved mankind''. Earlier this month in a video he called for a stop to ''disorder'' and ''bloodshed'' and urged people to live together in peace. He also said: ''All the religions failed to create peace and heaven on this earth, Now the situation is very critical. My dear beloved all mankind we were not created to see this kind of situation on this earth.'' He went on: ''All religions, including Islam, has failed to create peace and heaven on this earth.'' A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with Mr Shah's death. Police Scotland said: ''A full investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced.'' Officers confirmed that both Mr Shah and the arrested man were Muslims. A steady stream of people arrived at the area throughout Saturday, leaving flowers and cards in front of a sign which said: 'This is not who we are'. Robert Maitland, who runs a social club close to Mr Shah's shop, saw him the morning of the day he was killed. "He was a lovely lad," he said. "I was his first customer every single morning. It is a very sad loss to the community." Calum McLachlan, 31, who used to live in the area, came to lay flowers. "I used to live just round the corner so I quite often saw him in the shop. "He was such a friendly man, he would always shake your hand and ask you how your day was going. "We just wanted to come and pay our respects because he went above and beyond as a shopkeeper." Ms Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area, tweeted on Friday night: ''Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family.'' A fund-raising page set up on the GoFundMe website in support of Mr Shah's family has raised more than 27,000. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: " In the hours since his death, it's already become clear just how loved and respected Mr Shah was. "Shawlands and the whole of Glasgow has shown that it pulls together in the face of terrible events such as this. I would expect no less of a city which has always shown strength in the face of tragedy." Flowers, candles and other tributes to Asad Shah have been left outside his shop in Minard Road, Shawlands, following his death on Thursday night Fizza and Malaik Ali were among those paying their respects to Mr Shah The vigil followed a similar event on Friday night attended by a crowd of around 500 people, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon The vigil was organised by local teenagers on social media, including Aleesa Malik, left, and Nabah Younis Mr Shah's customers told how he took interest in them, with one saying: 'You could be any colour, that would not be an issue for him, he just cared too much.' One of the teenagers who organised the vigil said: 'I just felt for the amount of support Mr Shah gave us - us as in Glasgow - Glasgow had to give something in return, and that is exactly what we are doing.' No stopping New Zealand as they beat Bangladesh to maintain winning record New Zealand maintained their 100 per cent record at the World Twenty20 with a dominant 75-run victory in Kolkata that sent Bangladesh home winless. Already assured of a semi-final spot, the Black Caps' bowlers produced another excellent display to defend 146 with ease and secure a fourth Group 2 triumph. Bangladesh soon slipped to 43 for six in reply and, after an 11-minute delay for floodlight failure, were dismissed for 70 inside 16 overs as Grant Elliott took three wickets for 12 runs from four overs and Ish Sodhi claimed 3-21. Kane Williamson top-scored with 42 for New Zealand The Tigers' 20-year-old left-armer Mustafizur Rahman also excelled with the ball, outfoxing the New Zealand batsmen with his slower-ball cutters to return career-best Twenty20 international figures of five for 22. The Black Caps struggled to build on some early eye-catching strokeplay from Kane Williamson on a slow pitch showing signs of uneven bounce, but managed to post 145 for eight. Opening alongside Henry Nicholls after Martin Guptill was rested, Williamson took advantage of the new ball by striking four fours and a six during a 39-run powerplay. Nicholls became the first victim for Mustafizur, missing a cutter, before a frustrated Williamson was bowled round his legs for 42 attempting a swipe off the left-armer. The Tigers then kept a lid on New Zealand's scoring with Colin Munro and Ross Taylor struggling to get bat on ball until the former freed his arms in the 14th over. Having failed to hit a boundary in his first 25 balls, Munro blasted a four and two big sixes but was bowled attempting another off Al-Amin Hossain, while Corey Anderson and Taylor (28) also went. Mustafizur, having had Grant Elliott caught off a leading edge, bowled Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum in consecutive deliveries. His hat-trick ball, the final delivery of the innings, was despatched for six by Mitchell McClenghan, who was among the wickets early. McClenaghan bowled an advancing Mohammad Mithun, after Tamim Iqbal was run out by a brilliant Munro direct-hit from short third man, before Santner, McCullum, Sodhi and Elliott all struck to leave the Tigers reeling when the lights went out. Ten thousand rabbits shot in New Zealand Easter hunt By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY, March 26 (Reuters) - Hunting for chocolate eggs is popular Easter event, but in New Zealand it was bunnies in the firing line at an annual rabbit-shooting event in one district where they are regarded as pests. Ten thousand rabbits were shot by more than 300 hunters in 27 teams during the 24-hour "bunny hunt", which began on Good Friday. Among the hunters were a few ferrets, according to organiser Eugene Ferreira. Ferriera, 49, president of the Alexandra Lions Club, said the event had been running annually for 25 years in the Central Otago district, and was organised after rabbits - an introduced species - developed immunity to poison. "It's a big fun event - hunters are out and awake all night," he said. Ferreira said the rabbits were a "very, very big problem" for farmers because they cause erosion and eat crops, particularly carrots and cauliflower. In previous years animal rights activists have protested against the hunt, but Ferriera said none came this year. However, Hans Kriek, executive director of animal rights organisation SAFE, told Reuters his group was "dead opposed" to the hunt. "It's inhumane," he said. "It's a bunch of amateurs just going out for a bit of a thrill kill." Culls, when necessary, ought to be done by professional marksmen, he said. Ferriera said animal activists did not understand the scale of the rabbit problem in the area. "People see them as a pet to keep at home until they come here and realise for themselves what we're dealing with," he said. Ferriera said the weather was "perfect," this Easter: temperate at night, when most of the shooting happens by torchlight, and sunny during the days. This year, the winning team, "Down South", shot 889 rabbits, beating "Hopper Stoppers" with 755. The largest ever Easter total was 30,000. Egypt orders detention of four related to murdered Italian student - sources CAIRO, March 26 (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors ordered the detention of four relatives of the head of an alleged criminal gang which police said was found with belongings of murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni, judicial sources said on Saturday. The gang leader's wife, brother, sister, and brother-in-law were held, accused of concealing a criminal and hiding stolen goods, the sources said. Police have said they found Regeni's possessions at a house belonging to the sister. A judicial source told Reuters that local prosecutors dealing with the gang case requested that senior prosecutors handling Regeni's death add the questioning of the four relatives to their case file. On Thursday, Egypt's interior ministry said the gang, whose four members were all killed in a police shootout, had Regeni's bag and passport in their possession. The group specialised in impersonating police and kidnapping foreigners, it said. But the statements of the police and the ministry have failed to satisfy Italian investigators, politicians and Regeni's family. Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, said on Friday that the investigation into Regeni's murder would continue. The broken body of the 28-year-old Cambridge University student, who was researching independent labour unions, was found at the side of a motorway on the outskirts of Cairo in February. Human rights groups have said torture marks on Regeni's body indicated he died at the hands of Egyptian security services, an allegation the government has strongly denied. U.S. court will hear Argentine debt injunction appeal in April - media BUENOS AIRES, March 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court will hold a hearing on April 13 to analyze the possible lifting of injunctions that have restricted Argentina from paying off some of its debts, Argentine media reported late on Friday. On Thursday, the U.S. government asked a federal appeals court to uphold the lifting of the injunctions, given the country's efforts to settle litigation over bonds in default since 2002. The brief was filed following a visit to Argentina by U.S. President Barack Obama, who praised the pace of reforms taken by President Mauricio Macri, the country's new center-right leader. Bruising Bulls prove too strong for Sunwolves in Singapore By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE, March 26 (Reuters) - The Bulls' bulk and grunt proved too much for the craft and guile of the Sunwolves as the South Africans claimed a 30-27 in Singapore on Saturday to leave the new Japanese franchise still searching for a first win. Bulls skipper Adriaan Strauss, flanker Roelof Smith and winger Jamba Ulengo barged over for the tries at the National Stadium as the three-times champions picked up their second win from four matches this term. The three-point victory was the least the South Africans could have managed such was their domination of possession and territory against a side clearly lacking the physicality of their opponents. What the Sunwolves do have, though, is pace and ingenuity. A kick over the top of a slow-turning Bulls defence resulted in a try within 90 seconds for the Japanese when flanker Andrew Durutalo profited from Burger Odendaal's fumble to touch down. Tusi Pisi converted and added another penalty but the Bulls only trailed 10-9 with flyhalf Tiaan Schoeman knocking over three three-pointers. Sunwolves Argentine number eight Tomas Leonardi was sent to the sin bin in the 21st minute for hands in the ruck on his own line and the Pretoria-based side took advantage of the extra man with hooker Strauss scoring from a catch and drive maul. Bulls blindside Smit grabbed a second try from a similar move at the start of the second period, with Schoeman converting to stretch the lead to 23-10 as the visitors seemed set to run away with the contest. The plucky Sunwolves refused to buckle, though. Pisi slotted another penalty and the Samoan was instrumental in a brilliant move starting deep in their own half which went through several hands before Akihito Yamada crossed in the corner. Pisi converted and fullback Riaan Viljoen came within inches of drawing the hosts level, only to see his 60th-minute penalty from his own half hit the right-hand upright. The warning fired the Bulls back into gear and Ulengo was adjudged by the television official to have touched down against the post six minutes later for a third try after several phases of pressure deep in the Sunwolves 22. Islamic State dealt hefty body blow with death of top aide -officials By Maher Chmaytelli, Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters) - Islamic State will struggle to recover from the death of a top aide, reported this week in a U.S. air strike, whose overview of the group's finances, politics and administration was unmatched, Iraqi and U.S. sources said. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Iman and Abu Alaa al-Afri, was a veteran jihadist with a bounty of $7 million on his head. That was second only to the $10 million offered for Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and accurately reflected his importance to the group. "This is the heaviest blow to Islamic State in terms of assassinations because Qaduli was at the heart of (its) ...administrative structure," said Hisham al-Hashimi, an analyst who advises the Iraqi government on the militants. "Baghdadi can't replace Haji Iman with a person of equivalent value. He will have to appoint three people to fill the vacuum... That reduces (Baghdadi's)... efficiency and leaves him more exposed to danger than before." As well as heading the Shura council that advises Baghdadi, Qaduli was governor of the Syrian provinces and the group's financial comptroller, Hashimi said. His death, and just before him that of war minister Abu Omar al-Shishani and the capture of an unidentified chemical weapons operative, "show that the United States has sources of information close to their top command level," the analyst added. U.S. officials say Islamic State is losing a battle to forces arrayed against it from many sides in the vast region it controls. The jihadist fighters were on the retreat this week in the strategic Syrian city of Palmyra. In Iraq, the group has been pulling back since December when it lost Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar. The Baghdad government is hoping this year to recapture Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq, seized by the militants nearly two years ago. "The loss of Haji Iman will be massive. Although (Islamic State) ... has a strong system in place to replace key leaders it still takes time to readjust," said Ranj Talabany, an official from the Kurdish Zanyari intelligence agency. "He was fully aware of their finances, and key leadership decisions were made with Haji Iman being consulted." AL QAEDA VETERAN Unlike many Islamic State commanders, Qaduli came from Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda rather than the dissolved Baath party of Saddam Hussein, who was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He was arrested several times under Saddam because of his extremist religions opinions and went to Afghanistan in 1998, where he met bin Laden, Hashimi said. Bin Laden wanted him to take over command of the group's Iraq franchise in 2010. But Baghdadi, already settled in as the local commander, turned against al Qaeda in 2013 and declared himself caliph a year later, winning the backing of Qaduli, Hashimi said. "He is considered the group's top civilian administrator," he added, with duties under Baghdadi including the deportation of religious and ethnic minorities and the organised rape of Yazidi women. The commander expected to replace Qaduli as Syria governor is the group's spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, who has a $5 million bounty on his head, Hashimi said. Its likely new financial comptroller is Iyad al-Obaidi, also known as Fadel Haifa, a security officer under Saddam who took over the role of war minister after Shishani was killed, according to Hashimi. Abdallah al-Khatouni, the group's head of justice, may become chairman of the Shura council, he added. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Friday said Qaduli was likely killed this week in an offensive targeting Islamic State's financial operations. Carter said Qaduli had played a role in recruiting foreign fighters, but could not confirm he had anything to do with Tuesday's bombings in Brussels. U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, Baghdad-based spokesman for an international coalition battling Islamic State, said Qaduli was also providing finances and counsel on launching attacks in the West, adding: "He had been an international terrorist for more than a decade. His experience and knowledge will be missed by (IS)." Taiwan's Hung makes Nationalist Party comeback with leadership win By Faith Hung TAIPEI, March 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party picked as its new leader a woman it had ditched as its presidential candidate weeks before January's election after a wave of criticism of her campaign. Pro-China Hung Hsiu-chu, a one-time schoolteacher known by the nickname "Little Hot Chili Pepper", won 56 percent of the vote, a Nationalist Party spokeswoman said, beating three other candidates. She becomes the first female leader of the Nationalist Party, which in January lost not only the presidency but also control of Taiwan's parliament to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hung's victory marks a comeback for a woman who in October was removed as her party's candidate for the presidential election after a campaign riddled with gaffes and political attacks. The change made no difference, however, as her replacement, Eric Chu, still ended up being trounced in by Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP. Tsai will take over as president in May from China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou who had held the position for the Nationalists since 2008. Chu resigned as party chief after the defeat, forcing a leadership vote. "Thanks to so many comrades' support ... giving me a chance to bend down and pick up the first brick to lead the Nationalist Party to rebuild our home from the debris," Hung told a news conference. "In the face of such a difficult and hard future situation, as long as we have courage there is no difficulty we cannot overcome. Please join me and work with me," she added. Hung, who is widely seen as supporting unification with China, faces a tough job rebuilding support for the party. The popularity of the DPP has surged since 2014 when hundreds of students occupied parliament for weeks to protest trade pacts negotiated with China. It was the largest display of anti-China sentiment the island had seen in years. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his capacity as head of China's Communist Party, sent a congratulatory message to Hung, according to a note released by the Nationalist Party. "We hope both parties can cement a foundation of mutual trust, increase exchanges and interaction, and ensure peaceful development and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Xi wrote in the message. Tens of thousands of Yemenis mark a year of war, denounce Saudi-led offensive SANAA, March 26 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the capital Sanaa on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the war between a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Iran-allied fighters who had overthrown the government. More than 6,200 people have been killed since the coalition joined the war to try to stop the Houthis from taking control of Yemen the country and to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. Hadi had been ousted after Houthi forces took over the capital Sanaa in Septemer 2014. Saudi-led foreign forces intervened on the side of fighters loyal to Hadi six months later. The demonstration, one of the biggest in Yemen since mass protests in 2011 forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, took place ahead of a ceasefire and U.N.-sponsored peace talks next month. Saleh, an ally of the Houthis, made a rare appearance at the demonstration, his first since the war began, offering an olive branch to the Saudi-led coalition. "We extend a hand of peace, the peace of the brave, for the direct talks with the Saudi regime without a return to the (U.N.) Security Council, which is incapable of resolving anything," Saleh told flag-waving supporters who also held up large posters of the former president. The United Nations says the war has displaced some 2.3 million people and precipitated a humanitarian disaster across large parts of the Arab world's poorest country. "We came out today to tell the world, that the Yemeni people remain steadfast, that we have endured a whole year despite the siege and the hunger and the airstrikes and the planes," said one participant, named Kamel al-Khodani. The United Nations envoy announced this week that the warring parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 followed by peace talks in Kuwait from April 18 as part of a fresh push to end the crisis following two rounds of failed talks last year. Later on Saturday, Houthi supporters also held a separate protest to mark the anniversary. "Today, all Yemenis, from all different sects, and regardless of their political affiliations, came out today in the masses to show the world that the Yemeni people can never be shaken nor defeated," said Houthi leader Ibrahim al Ubaidi. The leader of Yemen's Houthi rebel movement said on Friday he wanted efforts to end a year-long war to succeed but his group was ready to confront its enemies if violence persisted. "We hope that efforts to end the aggression will be successful, it is in the interest, and a demand, of our people" Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a televised speech. "If those efforts do not succeed, we are ready to make sacrifices...it is important to confront aggression if it continues." Nigeria sends Chibok parents to see if suicide bomber is missing schoolgirl By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani ABUJA, Nigeria, March 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Nigerian government is sending parents from the Chibok community of northeast Nigeria to neighbouring Cameroon to verify whether a suspected female suicide bomber is one of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram nearly two years ago. Garba Shehu, spokesperson for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, said the Nigerian High Commissioner in Cameroon, Hadiza Mustapha, has been in contact with Cameroonian authorities who have shown a willingness to assist the Nigerian government. The abduction of about 270 school girls by Islamic militants from a school in Chibok on April 14, 2014, sparked international outrage and a campaign #bringbackourgirls. While about 50 of the girls managed to escape, 219 of these girls remain missing. Military and local government sources on Friday reported that one of two girls arrested in northern Cameroon carrying explosives claimed to be one of the missing Chibok schoolgirls. The girls were arrested after being stopped by local self-defence forces in Limani near the border with Nigeria that has been the target of frequent suicide bombings in recent months. "We hope that the Chibok parents will be able to identify the girl and determine whether she is indeed one of their missing students," Shehu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview in Abuja on Saturday. Shehu said the government was keen to ascertain the girl's identity so she can be brought back to Nigeria and possibly assist the government in investigations regarding the fate and whereabouts of the other missing Chibok girls. He said the two parents from Chibok selected to embark on the trip to Cameroon are Yakubu Nkeki, chairman of the Chibok Abducted Girls Movement, and Yana Galang, the group's women leader, whose 16-year-old daughter Rifkatu is among the missing. The trip is being arranged by the government in partnership with the Murtala Muhammed Foundation in Nigeria, a non-government organisation which has been supporting the parents association and has offered to partly sponsor the trip to avoid any delays. "If it is true, we are very happy about it. If we see her with our eyes, we will know where our girls are," Galang told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Shehu said the two girls will be brought by the Cameroonian government to Douala, the country's largest city, on Monday for further checks into their identities. Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan was criticized for his slow reaction to the Chibok abductions, seen by many as indicative of his response to Boko Haram, which at its strongest held large swathes of northeastern Nigeria. Muhammadu Buhari, who defeated Jonathan in a 2015 election, ordered a new investigation into the kidnappings in January. This weekend, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, who was embedded with Iraqi forces engaged in the battle against the Islamic State, died from rocket fire targeted at the outpost at which he was stationed. We mourn this loss of this serviceman, and we are reminded of the tremendous peril our servicemen and women subject themselves to each day for the sake of our safety and freedom at home. It is with these heroes in mind that we must sharpen our resolve against ISIS and the evil it perpetrates. For months, we have watched as ISIS has spread violence and hate across its territories in Iraq and Syria. They have focused with a unique level of brutality on thousands of Christians, Yezidis, Kurds and other ethnic and religious minorities simply because these groups do not subscribe to the same distorted form of radical Islam as does ISIS. We have seen far too many deplorable accounts of the murder, rape, kidnapping, enslavement and displacement of these minorities. These are war crimes of the most severe order, and we must condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms and motivate the international coalition to eliminate the scourge of ISIS. In December, Congress passed and the President signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision that gave the Barack Obama administration 90 days to formally declare that ISIS is committing genocide as outlined by the United Nations, which defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Such a declaration is significant, as U.N. member countries are obligated to work together to rid the world of such vile activity. On Monday, three days before the statutory deadline, the House voted unanimously to express the sense of Congress that the atrocities perpetrated by the Islamic State against religious and ethnic minorities constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Press reports indicated that the administration would not make a decision in time to meet the deadline, but we felt as though we could not wait to act. Thankfully, the pressure applied by this overwhelmingly bipartisan call for action spurred Secretary of State John Kerry to issue the declaration on Thursday and officially condemn ISIS on the world stage. Now that the Obama administration has formally acknowledged that this intolerable regime is engaged in genocide, it must do more to stop it. Recognizing these atrocities is only the first step in stopping this force of evil, but now, we must eliminate it. We have been engaged in our limited campaign against ISIS for months with mixed results, yet the presidents failure to articulate a broad-based strategy for achieving our stated goal of defeating this regime continues. In that time, the Islamic State has only continued its campaign of terror both at home and abroad in the months that have passed. As the Islamic State strengthens both in numbers and influence, our national defense is left without a compass and lives of Christians and other ethnic minorities are at risk. We live in a dangerous world, and the threats to the United States only continue to grow when we fail to lead on the worlds stage. Now that we are all formally in agreement that the Islamic State is committing crimes against humanity, we must do more to stop it. Under Article One of the Constitution, Congress has no greater responsibility than to provide for the defense of our great country, and we will continue to do everything within our power to protect our national security. In the House, national security remains a top priority, and I urge the president to join us in this essential effort. The deal will help the Luxembourg-based steel maker to reduce its debt that stood at $15.7 billion for the quarter ended December 2015. London: The worlds largest steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal is selling its LaPlace and Vinton Long Carbon facilities in the US to an affiliate of the asset management firm Black Diamond Capital Management. Financial details of the deal were however not disclosed. The deal will help the Luxembourg-based steel maker to reduce its debt that stood at $15.7 billion for the quarter ended December 2015. The company, led by Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, said it has entered a definitive transaction agreement to sell its LaPlace and Vinton Long Carbon facilities in the US to an affiliate of Black Diamond Capital Management. Terms of the transaction are confidential and not being disclosed, said the filing issued on Thursday. The LaPlace facility in Louisiana along with a rolling mill in Harriman (Tennessee) manufactures steel billets, flats, channels, angles and beams. The Vinton facility, located in El Paso in Texas produces rebar and grinding media. Black Diamond manages over $8 billion in assets, across its three lines of business: control distressed/ private equity, hedge fund and CLOs and other structured vehicles. The steel giant, which continued to suffer from Chinese industrys overcapacity, reported a decline in net sales at $63.58 billion in 2015. Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist leaders on Thursday claimed that they have been assured by Pakistans envoy to India that the country would not budge an inch from its long stated policy on Kashmir and that Islamabads moral, political and diplomatic support to freedom struggle of the people of the State would continue. After a two-hour long meeting with Abdul Basit, Pakistans High Commissioner, in New Delhi, separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that the former gave him assurance that his country will not show any flexibility in its principled stand with regard to the Kashmir dispute. Kashmirs chief Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also met Mr. Basit at the head of a delegation of his faction of Hurriyat Conference separately. Mr. Basit assured the APHC leadership that there is no change in Pakistans national policy on Kashmir. He also said that Pakistans leadership firmly believes that the resolution of Kashmir issue is imperative towards creating a peaceful, tension free and prosperous subcontinent and hence it is united on the issue and wants Kashmir should be resolved as per the wishes and aspirations of its people, a spokesman of the amalgam said. Geelani, Mirwaiz and a battery of other Kashmiri separatist leaders and other politicians, lawyers, journalists, social activists and members of civil society flew to Delhi earlier this week to attend the Pakistan Day celebrations at the neighbouring countrys high commission at the invitation of Basit. A Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference spokesman here said on Thursday that the octogenarian separatist leader told Basit that India by creating a false impression of terrorism actually wants to build pressure on Pakistan so that it surrenders its principled stand on Kashmir and agrees to put the issue on the backburner. He advised the Nawaz Sharif government not to beg for talks with India but instead send it a clear message that the real and core issue between the two nations is the Kashmir dispute and, until and unless this issue is solved according to the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, peace, development and the prosperity in this region is a distant dream. Geelanis meeting with Basit was attended also by Pakistans deputy high commissioner Abdullah Nizamani and about eight second-rung leaders of the Hurriyat Conference (G) who were accompanying the separatist leader. We want to tell the world that the freedom struggle of Kashmir has nothing to do with terrorism and we strongly condemn terrorism in any form, Geelani was quoted as saying at the meet. He alleged that it was India which is holding Jammu and Kashmir just with the help of its military might and this country is persecuting and oppressing its citizens for the last 69 years. He further said, Not only Pakistan but it is the moral responsibility of the whole world to help the Kashmiris in their struggle against the tyranny and make room for a free and fair referendum process in the State on the pattern of Scotland. India has made numerous promises with the people of Jammu and Kashmir which include providing them a free chance to decide their future and that their decision will be respected, he said adding that the prevailing political uncertainty and disturbance in the State is due to Delhis rigid and stubborn approach. Accusing India of backtracking from its promises and not cooperating in the implementation of the relevant UN resolutions, he said, Were not against the dialogue process but India does not maintain a good track record in this regardthis country uses the talks as a time killing process and to hoodwink the world community. While greeting the government, army and the people of Pakistan on their countrys national day, Geelani said, Pakistan is the only visible supporter of the Kashmiri nation and the way this nation is supporting our right to self determination, we are extremely thankful to them for that. The Mriwaiz said that he and others who met Basit separately discussed with him various issues related to Kashmir and also the recent meeting of the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan and the efforts underway for the restoration of dialogue process between the two South Asian neighbours. Extending gratitude to Pakistan for supporting the just struggle of Kashmiri people and their principled stand on Kashmir, the Hurriyat leadership said the resumption of parleys between the two countries would pave the way for the resolution of all pending issues including Kashmir between the two neighbours, a statement issued here said. The Mirwaiz-led delegation stressing that the need of the hour was to make the dialogue process a continuous and sustained affair rather making it a stopgap arrangement. It reiterated that Kashmir was the core issue between the two countries due to which 1.25 crore people of the State are living a painful life and which had robbed the entire South Asia of real peace, stability and prosperity for the past seven decades. Laying emphasis that for a durable solution on Kashmir, in any type of dialogue between the two countries, there is a need of involving Kashmiri leadership, the Pakistani envoy was told. The Mirwaiz and others assured him that the conglomerate has always stood for cordial ties between the two countries. However, the delegation also said that putting Kashmir issue on the backburner had never yielded any positive results in the past and would prove to be disastrous in future too. Chennai: Even seven years after the end of civil war in Sri Lanka, refugees continue to remain camps in the State, as conditions have not changed much in their homeland. Though Tamil Nadu is considered a State that had worked for the welfare of Tamil refugees, little had been done to provide a dignified life to the refugees, it is alleged. Representatives from various camps presented a memorandum to Tarun Vijay, BJP MP, who paid a visit to the city. Living in congested places and having trouble with even basic necessities, the refugees have been struggling for over 30 years, even failing to get a SIM card for themselves, as they have no ID cards recognised by the Centre. According to a refugee, the islanders also suffer from ill treatment meted out to them by authorities at the camp. They were allegedly treated like lesser human beings as they are seen as a burden. While there are refugees who long to go back to their homeland but cannot go as they have lost their lands or because their towns are still under army control, there are those refugees who do not want to go back. K. Kamala Logi, a 21-year old student, is one such person, having been born and brought up in the State. She says she could be granted Indian citizenship. Im still studying here and for what I have studied I might not be eligible for a job in Sri Lanka. All my friends are here and everything I have known is here, so I dont want to get uprooted suddenly and be sent to a land Ive never been to, she said. Besides a plea to improve the conditions of the camps, the refugees also requested the government to take into consideration their need for citizenship in the country. Thiruvananthapuram: A Keralite nurse working in Libya and her one-and-half year old son have been killed in a bomb blast in the ongoing civil strife in that country, her family said on Saturday. Sunu Sathyan and the toddler were sleeping in their house yesterday when it was rocked by an explosion, killing them, her father Sathyan Nair from Kottayam district, said. The victim was a nurse in Zawia Medical centre AZ Zawiya, Libya. Her husband Vipin Kumar, who is a male nurse in Libya, was away on duty. Nair has sought government help to bring back the bodies. "I got information yesterday that my daughter and grandson died in a bomb blast at her residence while they were sleeping," he said in his letter to the government. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she has sought details from the Indian embassy in the violence-hit country. "I have asked for a report reg (regarding) the death of an Indian nurse and her child from our Ambassador in Libya," Swaraj tweeted. I have asked for a report reg the death of an Indian nurse and her child from our Ambassador in Libya. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Nair, in his letter through Kaduthuruthy MLA Mons Joseph, sought help to bring back the bodies of his daughter and grandson. "I came to know that the blast occurred due to regular fights between rival groups in Libya. So I humbly request your good self to make available the detailed information about the incident and help us bring back the dead body of my beloved daughter and her son, whom we have never seen." I also request you to extend all help and protection to her husband, who is in a state of shock after the blast," Nair said. When contacted, Kerala Information and Public Relations Minister K C Joseph told PTI the state government had informed the External Affairs Ministry about the matter. Meanwhile, state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said eight to nine people are still stranded in Libya and efforts are on to bring them back. "The Kerala government is alert on this issue. We are in touch with the External Affairs Ministry and the Embassy in Libya. We are trying to evacuate all people who are stranded there," Chennithala said. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy asserted the state government was trying to bring back the bodies. "One Keralite nurse and her son have died in Libya. I have contacted the people from Kerala who are still there and they want immediate help from the Indian embassy. I have also requested that their bodies be brought back to Kerala. We will do our best to bring the others who are stranded in Libya. They wish to come back. They are safe at the moment. I am trying to contact the Indian embassy in Libya," Chandy told the media here. Talking about the abduction of Keralite priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who has been captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Yemen, he said a request has been made to the government to interfere in the matter as "the Indian embassy in Yemen was not functioning properly at the moment". "MEA Sushma Swaraj has promised she will do whatever she can to save him. Once again, we request and appeal to the government to interfere," the chief minister added. Earlier today, the Indian government confirmed the capture of Father Tom Uzhunnalil and said efforts were underway to ensure he was released. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil -- an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Her reaction comes after growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify him around Easter. Father Uzhunnalil was kidnapped on March 4 after four gunmen attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity, killing sixteen people, including four nuns. Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti, met Jammu and Kashmir Governor, NN Voha, at Raj Bhavan in winter capital Jammu on Saturday afternoon to stake claim to form government with alliance partner BJP. She was accompanied by BJPs legislature party leader Dr. Nirmal Singh who was nominated by the saffron party as deputy chief minister, the post he held also in previous PDP-BJP government headed by Mufti Muhammad Sayeed who died in a Delhi hospital on January 7. Singh handed over letter of support from BJP to Mufti for formation of the next government to the Governor. Muftis two senior party colleagues Muzaffar Hussian Baig and Tariq Hameed Karra were with her. After her meeting with the Governor, Mufti said the focus of her new government would be on peace, reconciliation and development in Jammu and Kashmir. Im quite satisfied with the assurances made by Prime Minister, Narendra Modiji. We would jointly put into practice Mufti Sahibs agenda of peace, reconciliation and development, she said. She said the date for oath taking is yet to be finalised. She thanked BJP for extending its unconditional support to her for government formation. Endorsing her, Singh said, We will sit together to work out future strategy. The 56-year-old PDP chief is likely to be sworn-in as Jammu and Kashmirs first woman chief minister early next week as the Governor is expected to invite her to form the new PDP-BJP coalition government as soon as possible. Raj Bhavan sources said a formal communique on the government formation will be issued later on Saturday. Mufti was scheduled to meet the Governor on Friday afternoon to stake claim to form the government with BJP. But the meeting was deferred at last moment as discussions between the alliance partners over allotment of portfolios remained inconclusive. PDP termed as baseless the reports that there were differences between the alliance partners over the issue of distribution of portfolios in the new government. There were no differences (between PDP and BJP). At a time when the government formation is in the process, rumours (on differences on distribution of portfolios) are baseless, PDP chief spokesman Naeem Akhter said on Saturday. Late Friday evening, the PDP and BJP leaders requested Vohra that they may be allowed to meet him together at 3.30 pm on Saturday which he agreed to. Earlier during the day on Friday, the BJP formally announced to form government with PDP and elected its former State unit chief Nirmal Singh as its leader in the State Assembly. He was also nominated for the deputy chief ministers post which he held in the previous PDP-BJP government in the State. This was preceded by a meeting of the PDPs legislature party held in Srinagar on Thursday at which Mufti was unanimously elected as its leader to pave the way for government formation. Following Sayeeds death, his daughter and natural successor Mufti was reluctant to form the new government with the BJP and had publicly asked for J&K-specific Confidence-Building-Measures (CBMs) towards creating congenial atmosphere for stepping into her fathers shows. In view of delay in government formation, Jammu and Kashmir was placed under Governors rule from the night of January 8. PDP had won 28 seats in the November-December 2014 Assembly elections but after the death of its patron and former Chief Minister Sayeed its tally came down to 27. However, it also has a nominated woman member in the 87-member House who has right to vote in government formation. The BJP has 25 members but with pledging of support by two MLAs from Sajad Gani Lones Peoples Conference and an Independent, the saffron party is almost at par with the alliance partner in the number game. The NC and Congress have 15 and 12 members, respectively whereas the remaining seats are being held by smaller parties and independents. The PDP-BJP combine will have to take a trust vote in the State Assembly but having a total strength of 57 in the 87-member House its victory is certain. New Delhi: The government on Saturday confirmed that a nurse from Kerala and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a rocket attack in violence-hit Zawiya city of Libya. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed, in a series of tweets, on Saturday that Sunu Sathyan and her son Pranav were killed in the rocket attack on their apartment block on Friday at around 4 p.m. in Zawiya city, 45 km from Libyan capital Tripoli. On 25 March 2016, around 4 pm Mrs Sunu Sathyan an Indian nurse from Kerala and her son Pranav were killed when a rocket (hit) their apartment, she said. We have got in touch with her husband Vipin Kumar. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital, Swaraj said in another tweet. The victim was working as a nurse in Zawiya Medical centre AZ Zawiya, Libya. Her husband Vipin, who is a male nurse in Libya, was away on duty. Sunu and the toddler were sleeping in their house when it was rocked by the explosion, her father Sathyan Nair told agencies from Kondadu in Kottayam district. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Minister made a fresh appeal, urging people in conflict zones to move out. Nair has sought Kerala governments help to bring back the mortal remains of his daughter and grandson. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bilateral talks between Congress and Muslim League on sharing of seats remained inconclusive on Thursday. KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran informed the League leadership that they would not part with Karunagapally or Ambalapuzha in exchange of Eravipuram. Minister V. K. Ebrahimkunju, who represented his party, said then they too would be forced to take hard decisions. Next round of talks is on Saturday. Also on Saturday, KPCC leaders will sit together and shortlist Congress candidates in the morning ahead of the election committee meet in the evening. During the 2011 Assembly elections, League had contested from Eravipuram, which is now being given to RSP. Koduvally, which is now with Congress, is also likely to be swapped with Kunnamangalam where a decision is still pending. Mr Sudheeran also talked with other League leaders on the telephone. Decision seat sharing would be completed on Saturday. We are planning to leave for New Delhi with the Congress list on Sunday afternoon, he said. He will also be huddled with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and home minister Ramesh Chennithala Saturday morning to shortlist Congress candidates. Currently, there are more than three aspirants in some constituencies. The screening panel, chaired by Mallikarjun Kharge, will meet on March 28 and 29 in Delhi. The central election committee headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi will meet on March 30 and 31. Meanwhile, all is not well between Mr Chandy and Mr Sudheeran. Of late, Mr Sudheeran has been coming down heavily on the revenue department giving the nod to reclaim several paddy fields just before the Assembly elections were announced. However, a senior Congress leader told DC that discussions would take place as expected without fail and the grudge towards Sudheeran would be taken care of after the elections. South Korean activists prepare to release balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets at a park near the inter-Korea border in Paju, north of Seoul. (Photo: AFP) Paju, South Korea: South Korean activists launched tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea on Saturday, amid heightened tensions on the divided peninsula, using a propaganda tool that usually sparks threats of reprisals. Conservative activists, including many North Korean defectors, have been carrying out leafleting exercises using giant gas-filled balloons for years. Defector-turned-activist Park Sang-Hak and his colleagues released 50,000 leaflets tied to three large balloons from an empty field near Paju City close to the border with North Korea, marking the sixth anniversary of the sinking of a South Korean warship with the loss of 46 sailors. Seoul pinned the blame for the sinking on the North and froze trade and investment ties. One of the three balloons was strung with a large banner printed with a Pyongyang-published picture of leader Kim Jong-Un smiling against the backdrop of a missile being assembled. "Bring down a firestorm on nuclear maniac Kim Jong-Un", read the slogan. "We plan to launch a total of 10 million leaflets into the North over the next three months condemning North Korea's nuclear tests", Park told journalists. In October 2014, North Korean frontier guards attempted to shoot down a set of such balloons, triggering a brief exchange of fire across the border. Park and other activists face protests by residents and merchants living near the border, who are concerned that their livelihood might be affected. Since North Korea's fourth nuclear test on January 6, South Korea has resumed blasting a mix of K-pop and propaganda messages into the North, using giant banks of speakers on the heavily militarised border. North Korea has responded by dropping its own leaflets over the border, attacking South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and returning to psychological warfare methods used in the 1950s and 1960s. In all 27 teams, each consisting of 12 hunters, took part in the fest this year. The participating teams were given unique names such as 'anti-pestos' and 'Happy Hoppers'. (Representational Image, Photo: Pixabay) Wellington: As a part of the Easter Shooting Bonanza tradition, hunters in the South Island of New Zealand have slaughtered thousands of rabbits and ferrets, according to a report. While Easter festivities are largely celebrated with sweets, chocolates and bunnies, the hunters in the region have their own special way of celebrating the festival - hunting down rabbits which are considered as pests. The bunny hunting festival, which has been prevalent in the region since the past 25 years, witnesses a huge number of hunters from across the island. These hunters shoot bunnies throughout the night, while taking turns in between to eat, rest and sleep. 27 teams participated in the event with each team consisting of 12 hunters. The participating teams were given unique names such as 'anti-pestos' and 'Happy Hoppers'. Around 10,000 rabbits are killed in one night. Along with bunnies, ferrets were also hunted during the exercise. Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Ecuador's embassy in London for nearly four years in a bid to avoid extradition. (Photo: AFP) London: The British government on Thursday issued a vehement rebuttal of a UN panel's findings that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had been arbitrarily detained. Published last month, the United Nations working group's non-binding legal opinion was instantly dismissed as "ridiculous" by London, which has now submitted its formal response, inviting the panel to reconsider its conclusions. Assange faces a rape allegation in Sweden but has been inside Ecuador's embassy in London for nearly four years in a bid to avoid extradition. The 44-year-old Australian fears that from Sweden he could be deported to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files. The UN panel said the detention it concluded Assange was living under had violated his human, civil and political rights. "The working group's opinion is deeply flawed and Mr Assange has never been the subject of arbitrary detention," the Foreign Office said. "His human rights have been protected throughout." Anti-secrecy campaigner Assange initially spent 10 days in a London prison having been refused bail, but his detention was "absolutely in line with the relevant legislation and regulations", the statement said. The former computer hacker's series of failed court appeals against extradition to Sweden took 18 months and "cannot be considered excessive or unfair", the rebuttal said. "During this period he was granted bail and so cannot be considered to have been detained." The UN panel said Assange should be able to claim compensation from Britain and Sweden. Assange hailed the findings as a "victory", but has continued to remain in the Ecuadoran embassy. The working group will consider Britain's response on April 18 in Geneva. Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said: "The original conclusions of the UN working group are inaccurate and should be reviewed. "We want to ensure the working group is in possession of the full facts. Our request for a review of the opinion sets those facts out clearly. "Julian Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the UK, and is in fact voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadoran embassy. "The UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden." A hero to supporters and a dangerous egocentric to detractors, Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 and has been portrayed in two movies in recent years. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. (Photo: AP) Cairo: As many as 60 terrorists were on Friday killed and 40 others injured in army raids in Egypt's two restive North Sinai cities, army said. The raids in Rafah and Shiekh Zwayed were launched in cooperation with air forces, spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said in a statement. Twenty-nine unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed during the raids, the statement said, adding that 32 shelters used by terrorists were also destroyed. 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 ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. More than half of Russians believe the Soviet dictator Stalin was a wise leader, a new poll by Levada independent polling centre showed today. Levada found 57 per cent of Russians said they entirely or generally agreed that Stalin was a "wise leader who made the USSR powerful and prosperous." Levada said the figure was at a "maximum level" for its polls, up 10 per cent on four years ago. The pollsters also found that 71 per cent of Russians agreed that "whatever mistakes or sins are attributed to Stalin, the most important thing is that he led our people to victory in World War II." That figure was up 11 per cent on 2012, with Levada linking increased levels of positive feeling about Stalin's role in World War II to Russia's current involvement in armed conflict. "In our view, negativity towards (Stalin) falls in periods of armed conflicts with Russia's involvement when historical memory about 'enemies', victory and defence becomes more vivid," Levada researchers said in the analysis of the poll. It cited 2008-2009 when Russia was in conflict with Georgia and "the events in eastern Ukraine," despite Russia's official denial that it is fighting with separatists in Ukraine. Asked whether they agreed with the view that Stalin was a "brutal tyrant" who killed millions, 62 per cent said yes, while 23 per cent disagreed. The figures had changed slightly since 2008, from 68 and 19 per cent, respectively. The seeming contradiction reflects the contradictory government policy on Stalin and his legacy, said Yan Rachinsky, one of the founders of Memorial rights group which has chronicled the purges and works to commemorate their victims. "On the one hand, the authorities are memorialising the victims of repressions, on the other hand they erect Stalin monuments," Rachinsky told AFP. The poll questioned 1,600 people and was carried out between March 11 and 14 in 48 different regions in Russia. US forces killed the Islamic State group's second-in-command this week, dealing a blow to the extremists' ability to conduct operations in Iraq, Syria and abroad, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said today. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter told reporters, referring also to the killing early in the month of Omar al-Shishani, the man known as "Omar the Chechen," who was effectively IS's defense minister. The latest killing "will hamper the ability for them to conduct operations inside and outside of Iraq and Syria," Carter said of Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, referring to him as Haji Imam. He said al-Qaduli served as the group's finance minister and had been behind some foreign plots. "The momentum of this campaign is now clearly on our side," the defense secretary said, adding that "we're broadening both the weight and the nature of our attacks on ISIL." Carter declined to say whether al-Qaduli had been killed by a drone strike or in a bombing raid involving manned aircraft; nor would he specify whether the attack occurred in Syria or Iraq, though he said that any action in Iraq would only have been taken with Iraqi government approval. The US Justice Department had offered a bounty of up to $7 million for information leading to al-Qaduli. "A few months ago when I said we were going to go after ISIL's financial infrastructure, we started with storage sites, and now we've taken out the leader who oversees their finances, hurting their ability to pay and hire recruits," Carter said. Carter was asked whether al-Qaduli could have had a link to the November terror attacks in Paris or to this week's bombings in Belgium and said he could not confirm a specific link to the Brussels attacks. But whether Islamic State group militants in Iraq and Syria like al-Qaduli had specifically directed or simply inspired such attacks, the US-led forces would do their best to eliminate them, Carter said. "Our campaign plan is first and foremost to collapse ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria, focusing on the power centers in Raqqa and Mosul," he said. Carter said local forces supported by the US-led coalition had "severed the main artery between Syria and northern Iraq," making it "much harder for ISIL's leaders and forces to travel between Raqa and Mosul." But to a reporter's question of whether the US-led forces had turned a corner in their fight against IS, Carter and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, struck a measured tone. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today claimed that LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi had told him about Ishrat Jahan 'operation' though he had also learnt about the case through the media . Headley, who testified before an anti-terror court here in the 26/11 case during his cross-examination on the fourth day, claimed that he had told NIA that "a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" and other things but could not say why they were not recorded by the agency. However, he went back on a part of his statement to the NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that "Ishrat Jahan module" was a "botched-up operation" and added that "these were my thoughts". He also admitted that he had "no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan." "When Lakhvi introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said "No, I did not say this to NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded," he told Judge G A Sanap here. The 55-year-old, who has turned approver in the 26/11 case, is being cross-examined by Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Jundal who is an alleged key plotter of the 2008 Mumbai siege, via a video-link from the US. NIA had recorded Headley's statement in the US in July, 2010. On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, "No" and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He also said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Headley said he told NIA that before Sajid Mir, Muzammil was the head of the group (LeT). Headley was then confronted with his own statement asking him why information about Bhat has not been recorded. To this, Headley said he cannot explain this. He also told Khan that he had told NIA about an "unsuccesful operation near police naka in India" but could not explain as to why it has not been recorded in his statement. Headley also said that he told NIA that there was a woman wing in LeT and the mother of one Abu Aiman was heading it. He further said he had told NIA that "a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why this too was not recorded by the agency. To a question, Headley further clarified that he had informed NIA that "this woman (Jahan) was an Indian and a LeT operative" but could not explain why this was not recorded in his statement. Relplying to another question, he said, "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan." Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. While testifying in February, Headley had said that Jahan, a 19-year-old student from Mumbai, was affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Headley also said that he had told the agency that Muzammil's operations were all over in India and concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra but can't tell why this was not recorded in his statement. "It is true that Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil to me in 2005," Headley said replying to a question. However, he denied that Lakhvi had told him that Muzammil was a top LeT commander whose every project fails. "Lakhvi did not tell me this and I also did not tell NIA about this," he said but failed to explain why this was reflected in his statement. The terrorist, who is serving a 35-year-jail term in the US, was flanked by lawyers and US attorney while deposing from an undisclosed location. Jundal is appearing via video-link from the high-security Arthur Road jail here. Yesterday, giving a new twist to his testimony, Headley had revealed that Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was Pakistan's Prime Minister in 2008, had visited his home within weeks after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to condole his father's demise. Headley had also said that his father, who was a Director General with Pakistan Radio, knew about his links with with LeT and was not happy about it. Also, he told the court that he had nurtured a "hatred feeling" towards India since childhood after his school was bombed in 1971 during the Indo-Pak war. The terrorist also said that he had told his friend Tahawwur Hussain Rana that all the nine 26/11 terrorists should be awarded Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest gallantry awards. He also denied that NIA suggested to him to name Ishrat Jahan or that he met special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and Joint Commissioner of Police Atul Kulkarni in the US before his current deposition in the case. Pakistani American terrorist David Coleman Headley today disclosed before an anti-terror court here that LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". After hearing this (that Thackeray needed to be taught a lesson), Headley had told Saeed that this would be done, he said. To a question, he said he had not requested for any time "to accomplish this task", but said "it would take six months". Yesterday, Headley had revealed that he had "arranged" a fund-raising programme for the Shiv Sena in the US and had planned to invite Thackeray to the event. The 55-year-old LeT operative, who has turned approver in the case, said that Sena man Rajaram Rege had told him that "Thackeray was sick and so may be his son and other officials may attend the programme." Earlier this week, Headley had told the court that terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to eliminate Thackeray but the person who was assigned the job to kill the Sena chief was arrested and he managed to give police the slip. "We wanted to target the chief of Shiv Sena... His name was Bal Thackeray. LeT wanted to kill him wherever a chance arose. I knew that Bal Thackeray was the head of Shiv Sena. I have no firsthand knowledge but I think an attempt was made by LeT to kill Bal Thackeray," he had said. "I don't know how this attempt was made. I think the person (who was sent to kill Thackeray) was arrested but he managed to escape from police custody. I don't have firsthand knowledge about this though," Headley had told Judge G A Sanap, who is hearing the 26/11 terror case against Abu Jundal in the sessions court here. Wooing voters in Assam with a promise of "fast, all-round development", Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his fight was not against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi but against "poverty, corruption and destruction" of the state under Congress rule. "I have three agendas. Development, fast development and all round development," he said at an election rally here as he hit the campaign trail and claimed his government had allocated many times more funds for state's infrastructure than the previous governments. The PM also took a swipe at 79-year-old Gogoi who had called the Assembly election as a direct fight between him and Modi, saying he can only pay his respects to the elderly leader. He heaped praise on BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, describing him as one of his best ministers. "The leader of Congress who will turn 90 in a few years says his fight is with Modi. Respected Chief Minister, you are an elder and I am young. I pay my respects to you. In our culture, the young do not fight their elders and the elders give their blessings to them. "My fight is not against Gogoi but against poverty, corruption and destruction of Assam. I am not fighting against any individual," he said. The PM said if Sonowal becomes the Chief Minister, it will be his government's and his personal loss because Sonowal is one of his best ministers and "a bright, capable and simple person". "There is only one 'anand' (joy) in Assam, it is Sarbananda," he said. Modi, however, made no mention of the contentious issue of infiltration, a major poll plank of the BJP-led NDA, and chose to stick to his development theme and lack of progress in Assam. He said the state was among the five most prosperous states after Independence but is among the five least developed states now and blamed successive Congress governments for this. "You give me five years, you give Sarbananda five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty," he said. Trying to connect with the crowd, he touched on his early days as a tea-seller, saying he sold their tea to energise others and due to his he shares a special bond with the people of Assam, a large tea-producing state. Modi appealed to Assam voters to give BJP and its allies five years to correct 60 years of Congress "misrule" in the state. "Today after 60 years under Congress rule, Assam has become the fifth poorest state in the country. No development, youth are unemployed today, no electricity and drinking water. Who brought about this condition of Assam?" "Every village should get electricity for bringing in development, good education, to run mills and see TV. But even after 60 years of Independence even electricity poles have not reached 1000 villages in Assam," Modi said. Noting that Assam has immense water resources, the mighty Brahmaputra and heavy rainfall, he said, "yet what can be more painful than seeing people here do not have drinking water. The Congress government is responsible." "Money was given from Delhi for building houses for the poor here. But that money has not been spent and is lying unused in the bank. If this continues there will be no development in Assam. Gas is produced in Assam. Do the poor get gas in their homes here? We have decided to provide 5 crore poor gas to replace their smoky cooking stoves", he said. Highlighting a number of developmental schemes of the Centre, Modi projected his government as one "for the poor" as he spoke about the decision to allow small shops to remain open seven days a week. Modi said his government had electrified over 1000 of the 2000 Assam villages, where power had not reached yet. Citing a CAG report, he said the Gogoi government did not provide answers to its queries on whereabouts of money and asked people to give their answer on April 4 through EVM machines. "Even a Prime Minister can inaugurate one, two or three project by pressing a button. You can start a new era of development by pressing the EVM button. Your power is more than that of a Prime Minister," he told the rally. The state is going to the polls on April 4 and 11. "I ask you to give (chief ministerial candidate) only five years to correct the misrule of Congress for 60 years. Vote for BJP and our alliance partners to usher in a new era of development for Assam", the Prime Minister appealed. "With you I want to bring development to Assam, provide job opportunities to the youth, electricity to villages. We have given funds for development of Assam's infrastructure, railway. To fulfill the dreams of the youth I ask for your blessings", he said. He claimed the state government had been able to spend only one-fourth of the funds provided to it by the Centre. "Please mark my words. Children will be taught 'A for Assam' after this election.... Assam is going to get a young chief minister after the polls," he said, while urging people to vote for BJP. Bangladesh today celebrated its 46th Independence Day as the nation paid tributes to the millions killed during its 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan with the Dhaka skyline lit up overnight. The occasion was marked with a ceremonial pre-dawn 21-gun salute as thousands of people thronged the National Memorial in suburban Savar to pay homage to the martyrs. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were the first to place wreaths at the monument while army bugles played the 'Last Post' at the ceremony. Invading Pakistani troops launched a brutal crackdown in erstwhile East Pakistan with tanks and artillery on the night of March 25, 1971, after Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won an overwhelming victory in the 1970 general election, triggering the war. The war saw the breakup of Pakistan as Bangladesh won its independence with Indian military support ending the nine-month conflict which is said to have claimed three million lives. 1971 war veterans rallied in the capital last night and urged the international community to declare March 25 as the 'International Genocide Day' in recognition of the mass killings of innocent and unarmed people on the fateful night 45 years ago. Recalling the tragedy of the war, scores of people walked over 50 kms from the central Shaheed Minar in the capital to the National Memorial in Savar wearing black robes and carrying the national flag. Police pressed ahead today with the search for suspects in Belgium's worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's airport and metro attacks which left 31 dead and some 300 wounded. Many believe it has not done enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State - which claimed the attacks - and from where they return home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. "Attacks, tens of dead, hundreds hurt, tears, raids, a political crisis, the capital under siege and fugitives still on the run while (key Paris suspect) Salah Abdeslam says nothing in prison," wrote Christophe Berti in a front page editorial for Le Soir daily. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," Berti said. Yesterday, a series of raids produced three arrests in connection with what French authorities said was an imminent new attack. President Francois Hollande said a jihadist network which hit both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed" but also warned that the threat remained and everyone must be on guard. The Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter," it said.Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Ibrahim was on the list even before the November Paris attacks while Khalid was added soon after. Prosecutors have also confirmed Khalid was the subject of an international warrant over the Paris attacks. European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium. A Belgian parliamentary commission yesterday questioned the ministers for justice, foreign affairs, and the interior on how Ibrahim El Bakraoui had managed to slip past the authorities. The ministers said the information from Ankara was vague while a Belgian police officer at the embassy in Turkey had "blundered". French police said yesterday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket - a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud - after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home. The Brussels raids yesterday saw one suspect shot in the leg at a tram stop in broad daylight in the capital's Schaerbeek district, where police earlier this week found a bomb factory linked to the airport and metro attacks. Belgian prosecutors meanwhile said that the DNA of second airport bomber Najim Laachraoui was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed during November's Paris attacks, and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium. A huge manhunt is still under way for at least two suspects - one of the airport attackers whose bomb failed to go off and another man seen in the metro with Khalid El Bakraoui just before he detonated his bomb. Investigators also say Khalid rented an apartment in Brussels used by Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in the Belgian capital on March 18. The federal prosecutor said yesterday that Abdeslam had "invoked his right to silence" and has not spoken to investigators since a few brief interviews the day after his arrest. Speaking in Brussels yesterday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he stood by the Belgian people, echoing their backing for the United States after the 9/11 attacks. "Then, voices across Europe declared, 'Je suis Americain'. Now, we declare, 'Je suis Bruxellois' and 'Ik ben Brussel,' Kerry said in French and Flemish, the country's two main languages, after meeting Belgian premier Charles Michel. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system when Khalid blew himself up, British media said. Grieving Belgians continued to gather in a central Brussels square carpeted with flowers and tributes to the dead and wounded as the country tries to come to terms with the tragedy. In a veiled attack on Republican White House hopefuls Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, President Barack Obama today described Muslim-Americans as the "most important partners" in the fight against ISIS and asserted that attempts to stigmatise the community should be rejected. "Our determination to win the battle against ISIL's hateful and violent propaganda -- a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalise young Muslims to their cause," Obama said in his weekly web and radio address to the nation. "In that effort, our most important partners are American Muslims. That's why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatise Muslim-Americans and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life," said the US President in an apparent reference to the recent anti-Muslim rhetoric of top Republican presidential candidates -- Trump and Cruz. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Brussels, Cruz called for increased surveillance of Muslim neighbourhoods while Trump reiterated that Muslims be temporarily be prevented from entering the country. "Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. It's also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause," Obama said. "I am a father. And just like any other parent, the awful images from Brussels draw my thoughts to my own children's safety. That's also why you should be confident that defeating ISIL remains our top military, intelligence, and national security priority," he said. "We will succeed. The terrorists will fail. They want us to abandon our values and our way of life. We will not. They want us to give in to their vision of the future. We will defeat them with ours. Because we know that the future belongs not to those who seek only to destroy -- but to those who have the courage to build," Obama said. Referring to the Brussels terrorist attack that claimed 31 lives and injured 300 others, Obama said Belgium is a close friend and ally of the United States. "And when it comes to our friends, America has their backing. Especially as we fight the scourge of terrorism. More broadly, we're going to continue to root out and defeat ISIL," he said. "We've been taking out ISIL leadership, and this week, we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield - permanently. A relentless air campaign -- and support for forces in Iraq and Syria who are fighting ISIL on the ground -- has allowed us to take approximately forty per cent of the populated territory that ISIL once held in Iraq," he added. Obama stated that the US is supporting the Iraqi Security Forces who are beginning to put pressure on the ISIS' stronghold of Mosul. "We will not stop until ISIL's safe-havens are destroyed," he said, adding that the US is also working to disrupt plots against the United States and against its friends and allies. "A team of FBI agents is on the ground in Belgium supporting the investigation. We've ramped up our intelligence cooperation so that we can root out ISIL's operations. And we constantly review our homeland security posture to remain vigilant against any efforts to target the United States," he said. The Islamic State, Obama said, poses a threat to the entire civilised world. "That's why we've been leading a truly global coalition that will be vital to our success. Secretary Kerry is leading an international effort to bring the Syrian civil war to an end, a critical piece of restoring stability to that war-torn part of the world," he said. Union Minister Shripad Naik today said a research has proved that yoga can cure diseases like cancer and propagated the use of AYUSH as alternative medical practices. "A Bengaluru-based institute has proved with research that diseases like cancer can be cured by yoga. They have proved it," Naik said during the inauguration of National Arogya fair in Goa today. The minister, however, did not mention the name of the institute and appealed the people to practice Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) as alternative medicines. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar also made a similar claim during his speech while launching 'Common Yoga Protocol', a guide to the upcoming World Yoga Day on June 21. "It is said that diseases like AIDS and cancer can be cured by Ayurveda. We should conduct necessary research on this aspect so that India can revolutionise the health sector of the world," Parsekar said. Earlier in his speech, the Union minister said the proponents of AYUSH are not against allopathy. "All the forms of medicines should have health of patient at its focus point," Naik said. He said there should be integration of medicines so that ailments like cancer, high sugar, obesity and others are uprooted. The minister also announced the proposed tie up with the US in the field of AYUSH to treat cancer. "During the last one and half year, (the knowledge of) AYUSH has travelled places including the US. We will soon be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with America in the field of research on curing cancer by AYUSH medicinal practice," Naik said. He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) also wants to join hands with India to spread awareness about AYUSH. Naik said alike All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, the ministry is working towards setting up AYUSH AIIMS in each state of the country. Uttarakhand's rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28 and released a video of a 'sting' operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it 'fake'. Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged 'sting video' in Delhi, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the rebel MLAs, said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds." "The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Reacting to the 'sting video', BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. "We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said. Bahuguna said the chief minister should order an inquiry into the sting operation, carried out by a private news channel. The Rawat government does not have majority in assembly, he said, demanding that President's rule be imposed in the state. At the AICC briefing, Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government which, he claimed, "enjoys majority". "It is all the job of the externed Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department," he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre. He claimed that the Congress rebels and BJP were behind the "conspiracy of the fake CD" after they failed to get any relief from either the court or the Governor ahead of the crucial trust vote on Monday. Upadhyay claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names. Asked whether the Congress is ready to "forgive and forget" if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, "In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit." Singling out former Chief Minister Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, he said that they have "back-stabbed the party which had given them everything". He said the two leaders instead of defending the Congress and its government with all their might, are seeking to create trouble. Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that he has "no personal knowledge" about Ishrat Jehan and he had learnt about the case from the media. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he said during cross- examination via video link before judge G A Sanap. While deposing last month, Headley had told the court that Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl, was working for LeT. Ishrat was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "When Lakhvi (LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi) introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said. The cross-examination of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a women's wing LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that "defence is pre-supposing this." Explaining this, Headley said, "I had no knowledge of women's wing that was for combat but there is a women's wing that takes care of women's issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the "social issues" taken up by the women's wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley also claimed he had told NIA that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to National Defence College, New Delhi. Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. Earlier, Headley went back on a part of his statement to NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that "Ishrat Jahan module" was a "botched-up operation" and added that "these were my thoughts". "No, I did not say this to NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded," he told the judge. During re-examination by Nikam, Headley said he had referred to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai while deposing earlier about his visit to a nuclear power plant to conduct surveillance for potential targets. "I visited BARC on the recommendation of Major Iqbal (of Pakistan)", Headley told Nikam. Before the conclusion of deposition, Headley told the defence lawyer "Kaha Suna Maaf" (please excuse me for my utterances). On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, "No" and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Headley told defence lawyer "it is baseless to say that I am trying to supress the role of my wife Shazia, brother Daniel and friend Saulat (Rana) in the 26/11 attacks in order to shield them". He also denied that he had pleaded guilty in this case in US court to prevent arrest of his family members for their alleged role in the 26/11 attacks, forfeiture of property and imposition of fines. Headley said he believed that India, Israel and the US are enemies of Islam. Beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today met the Assembly Speaker and backed the demand for disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the difficult trial of strength on Monday as rivals traded charges on alleged bribes to win legislators. After meeting Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, Rawat, who was issued a notice regarding the demand for disqualification, said he provided documents supporting the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs. The Congress party has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law. The Congress, which has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week. Meanwhile, the rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by the Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake". Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged 'sting video' in Delhi, Bahuguna said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds." "The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Reacting to the 'sting video', BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. "We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said. Bahuguna said the chief minister should order an inquiry into the sting operation, carried out by a private news channel. The Rawat government does not have majority in assembly, he said, demanding that President's rule be imposed in the state. At the AICC briefing, Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government which, he claimed, "enjoys majority". "It is all the job of the externed Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department," he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre. He claimed that the Congress rebels and BJP were behind the "conspiracy of the fake CD" after they failed to get any relief from either the court or the Governor ahead of the crucial trust vote on Monday. Upadhyay claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names. Asked whether the Congress is ready to "forgive and forget" if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, "In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit." Targeting Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, Upadhyay said that they have "back-stabbed the party which had given them everything". He said the two leaders instead of defending the Congress and its government with all their might, are seeking to create trouble. Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. India plans to provide the probe team from Pakistan access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from National Security Guard or the BSF. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. The sources said the five-member delegation led by Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai will not be provided complete access to the Pathankot air force base but to limited areas where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with security forces. The Pakistani team which also comprises Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer will be brought to the airbase in a special plane on March 29. The airbase will be visually barricaded by NIA to prevent any view of its critical areas. The team will be briefed thoroughly on March 28 at the NIA headquarters here which will include a 90-minute presentation on the investigations carried in the case so far, the sources said. This will be the first time that Pakistani intelligence and police officials are travelling to India to investigate a terror attack. Witnesses, excepting personnel of NSG, BSF and Garud commandos of IAF, have been lined up for the Pakistan probe team. The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured people. Kulbushan Jadhav, who has been arrested by Pakistani agencies claiming he was a RAW spy, was a businessman who owns a small ship, government sources claimed here today. Jhadav often carries cargo to and from Iranian ports bordering Pakistan and has nothing to do with India's external Intelligence agency, government sources said today. They said there is no proof that the retired navy officer, who owns a cargo business in Iran, was arrested in Balochistan as claimed by Pakistan. Jadav could have been arrested after he strayed into Pakistani waters and was being wrongly charged, they said. He owns a small ship and used to carry cargo from Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran and other adjoining areas to various destinations, sources said. It is a matter of investigation whether he accidentally strayed into Pakistani waters or was lured into Pakistan. All these needs to checked and hence India has sought consular access to Jadav but Pakistan so far has not agreed to it, the sources said. Yesterday, India had acknowledged that the arrested man had served with the navy but denied that Jadav has any connection with the government. "The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Jadav was arrested on Thursday in a raid in Balochistan, the Pakistani media said claiming that the "Indian spy was sponsoring terrorist and subversive activities in Balochistan." In Islamabad, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale was summoned by the Pakistani government which alleged that Jadav had instigated terror attacks in Karachi and unrest in Balochistan. The employees and officers of IDBI (Industrial Bank of India) will go on a four-day strike from Monday against the move of privatisation. In a statement issued on Saturday, the United Platforms of IDBI Unions has said that the Budget speech of the Finance Minster indicates privatisation of the bank. According to United Platforms of IDBI unions, the Finance Minister stated that the Government of India has no obligation to hold a minimum of 51% stake in IDBI Bank, which will effectually lead to its privatisation. The United Platform has said that privatisation of the bank is against the interest of the nation and the society. It has said that the IDBI was targeted for privatisation when economic reforms were started in 1991. The entire staff and officers fought it and stopped the government to privatise it. The Platform has lamented that every time the government targets IDBI only. This is a very serious issue before IDBI employees, it said. It has said that the private sector focuses more on profit maximisation and less on social objectives, whereas, the public sector initiates socially viable adjustments in case of emergencies and criticalities. The Reserve Bank of Indias (RBIs) decision to allow banks to appoint their own Chartered Accountants has resulted in an increase in the number of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), M Devaraja Reddy, All India President of ICAI told Deccan Herald. The Chairman of the banks appoint only those CAs, who they are comfortable with. This is one of the reasons for surging NPAs in Indian banks, said Reddy. Earlier, the apex bank used to select central statutory and joint auditors based on the advances of banks. Colluding with banks Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) will take a strong action against the Chartered Accountants, if found colluding with the banks to hide non-performing assets, he said. We have sent a questionnaire to all our fellow chartered accountants. We are awaiting their responses. If found colluding with banks, we will take action against them, he added. According to reports, the gross NPAs ratio steadily declined from 15.7% in 1996-97 to 2.36% in 2010-11. However, the amount of non-performing assets witnessed spurt subsequently and as on March 2015, it was at 4.62% of the gross advances of the banks in comparison with 2.36% of the gross advances as at March 2011. The growth in NPAs was much higher than the growth in advances during the last four years. The total NPAs of the PSBs stood at Rs. 3.42 crore as of September 2015, which is almost 5.08 of their total loans. Reddy was in Bengaluru to inaugurate a seminar on Bank Branch Auditing, organised by Bangalore Branch-Southern India Regional Council (SIRC) of ICAI. He was accompanied by Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey, Vice-President, ICAI and E Phalguna Kumar, Chairman, Bangalore Branch-SIRC. A painting worker killed his five-year-old daughter on her birthday suspecting his wifes fidelity, in a forest area near BGS Hospital close to Kengeri Road on Thursday noon. The police have identified the deceased as Lakshmi, the daughter of Lokesh (30) and his wife Mahadevi. Lokesh, who was arrested on the same evening, has confessed to the crime. Mahadevi works as a domestic help and on Thursday she did not go to work since it was Lakshmis birthday. Lokesh, who came home from work by around 1 pm wanted to take Lakshmi out for buying her gifts. However, Mahadevi forbid him from doing so and went for a shower. By the time she returned, Lokesh had disappeared with the girl. Police said that Lokesh choked Lakshmi to death with his hands in the dense forest area near BGS Hospital and fled the spot. Mahadevi searched for Lokesh and the girl in the vicinity of her house, but in vain and approached the police finally. She told the police that her husband might have taken the girl with him. The police managed to trace Lokesh to a bar where he was consuming liquor and took him to police station for interrogation. A senior police officer said that during questioning, Lokesh confessed to the crime and showed the spot where he had left the body. Lokesh claimed that Mahadevi was having an extra-marital affair for the past one year. He suspected that Lakshmi was not his daughter, the officer said. Mahadevi said that Lokesh was addicted to liquor.DH News Service Two groups of students clashed on the premises of the Maharani Womens Arts, Commerce and Management College on Saturday over the issue of transfer of two professors. Students from both sides sustained minor injuries. The police were deployed to control the situation. Two professors - Narayanaswamy and Madhumati - were served transfer orders a few days ago, for reportedly misbehaving with students. A section of students supporting these two professors launched a protest demanding that they be reinstated. The protests hampered regular classes and even hindered the internal examinations, said Pavithra, president of the Maharani College Students Union. On Saturday, another group of students organised a counter protest against Prof Prakash, HoD of the commerce department. Students accused him of instigating the protest for selfish reasons. Students also brought along an effigy of the professor to burn during the protest. Among this group were also those who supported Dr Komala, the principal. She herself was transferred, with the protests going out of hand. Came to blowsThe simultaneous protests led to fisticuffs and the students came to blows on Saturday. Students against Komala also tried to burn her effigy. But this was opposed by the other camp. Further, they were enraged over Dr Komala trying to get her transfer order stayed. The professors were transferred on the whims of the principal. We do not want a principal who has her own agenda, said a commerce student. A student in the rival camp said: The principal is a good person, it is condemnable to transfer her. We will continue this protest till the transfer order is reversed. Personal enmityIt is said that there was personal enmity between Prof Narayanaswamy and Dr Komala. A professor who did not wished to be named said: The personal enmity between the professor and the principal has spilled on to the campus and students are being used to further their agenda. ABVP and NSUI cadre are adding fuel to the fire. A senior police officer said, As soon as we received the information that things were taking a serious turn at the college, 15 women police constables and Home Guards were rushed there. As students indulged in a fist fight, the women personnel tried to contain them. The police warned them not to indulge in such behaviour and finally, they stopped. It is an internal matter and no complaint is registered against anyone. If someone from the college approaches us, we will see what can be done, the officer said.DH News Service Attractive hairstyle might sound like a harmless way to garner attention, but a man needs to check how his wife feels about it, or he could lose it all. A Uttar Pradesh woman who hated her husbands hairstyle, more for the way it attracted others, cut through his curls while he was asleep and later tried to end her life when the enraged man thrashed her for the misdeed. Police sources said Roshni Devi was married to Hori Lal a few months back and the couple lived in Lals village of Ramdaspur, about 30 kilometres from Lucknow. Lal had a special fondness for his hair and continued to maintain it despite his wifes objections that it covered his face completely and requests to cut it short. When the couple visited Roshnis house for Holi, one of her cousins praised Hori Lals hair and likened it to the style Salman Khan sported in the movie Tere Naam, sending Roshni into fits of rage and jealousy. Returning home, Roshni cut Hori Lals hair as he fell asleep Thursday night. A horrified Hori beat her up Friday along with his family members, police said. Hurt by the punishment, Roshni tried to end her life by jumping before the train, but was saved by local villagers. This is a family dispute. We are speaking to both the families to ensure the matter is resolved by mutual understanding, a local police official said. Seventy-two-year-old Laxminarayan Pegus dreams of seeing the countrys prime minister in the Majuli River Island came true on Saturday when Narendra Modi visited the island. Modi has fulfilled the dreams of the people of Majuli. He has also promised a bridge connected the island to the mainland within seen years. We are looking for a change for good days to come, Pegu said. Modi had an emotive connect the people of Majuli. It was absolute festive atmosphere in the island. BJP sources claimed that around one lakh people had gathered for the prime ministers rally at Jengraimukh in the upper part of the island. With BJPs chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal filling his nomination papers from the Scheduled Tribe reserved Majuli constituency in Jorhat district, the saffron party is all set to launch an emotive political campaign following the Varanasi model when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to contest from the holy city by the banks of Ganga, said on senior BJP leader from Assam on condition of anonymity. Majuli, till few years back was Asias largest human habituated fresh water island. It lies in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra, with Lakhimpur district at one end and Jorhat on the other. Sustained river bank erosion has reduced Majuli almost to half of what was its size during independence. The island has been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture, which was initiated around 15th century by the revered Assamese saint Srimanta Sankardeva and his disciple Madhavdeva. Many Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) dots Majuli and is considered as the cradle of famous Sattriya culture, art and dance forms. By fielding Sonowal for Majuli, the BJP said that if voted to power it will ensure a government by the indigenous for the indigenous an emotive calls that BJP is also equating the days of the Assam agitations. While Majuli is seen with high esteem in the Assamese society, particularly in Upper Assam, the stronghold of the Congress, the isolated island has a very slow pace of development. The health ministry on Saturday launched oral vaccine for rotavirus, the dreaded diarrhoea which claims millions of infants across the globe every year. It kills thousands of small children in India annually. The vaccine was launched under the universal immunization programme in four states - Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, which will be extended to other states subsequently. Inaugurating the nationwide launch of the vaccine at a special function here, Union Health Minister J P Nadda described it as a milestone in the countrys public healthcare sector. It is a historic occasion. It will greatly help in reducing infant mortality rate in the country, he said. According to official sources, the killer diarrhoea claims lives of nearly 80,000 children in the country every year. Nearly ten lakh children get affected by it annually. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed as many as five rallies to woo voters ahead of the first phase of Assam polls on Saturday. He said people should vote for the BJP and its allies so that he can fulfil his promise of fast, all-round development of the state. Modi also said his fight in Assam is against poverty, corruption and destruction and not against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Gogoi has earlier claimed that this election is a fight between him and Modi. Modi also slammed the ruling Congress for patronising illegal migrants and rhino poachers. The prime minister also said that if the BJP-led alliance is voted to power, kids in the schools across the country will not be taught A for apple but A for Assam. I have three-point agenda. Development, fast development and all-round development. The leader of Congress who will turn 90 in a few years says his fight is with Modi. Respected chief minister, you are an elder and I am young. I pay my respects to you. In our culture, the young do not fight their elders and the elders give their blessings to them, Modi said while addressing his first election rally of the day at Borguri in Tinsukia district. Modi arrived at Mohanbari Airport in Dibrugarh in a special flight from New Delhi. He also lauded BJPs chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal.You give me five years, you give Sarbananda five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty, Modi said in his second meeting of the day in Majuli Island where Sonowal is contesting. Today, after 60 years under the Congress rule, Assam has become the fifth poorest state in the country. No development, youth are unemployed today, no electricity and drinking water. Who brought about this condition? Every village should get electricity for bringing in development, good education, to run mills and see TV. But even after 60 years of Independence even electricity poles have not reached 1,000 villages in Assam, Modi said while addressing the rally in Majuli, an area dominated by the Mishing tribals who have been a Congress vote bank. Addressing his third rally at Narayanpur near Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district, the prime minister slammed the Congress for its love for Bangladeshi infiltrators. In his fourth rally, Modi promised to stop the unabated killing of one-horned rhinos. The event was held at Bokakhat, about 50 km from the famous Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district. He ended the day with a citizen meet in Jorhat, before leaving for New Delhi. Modi will again visit Assam on Sunday for a couple of public rallies, including one in Barak Valley.DH News Service Kaha suna maaf, said David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American as the Mumbai special court wrapped up his deposition on Saturday, amid intense argument in the courtroom. From February 8-13 for five days, his examination-in-chief was conducted by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, while his cross examination was conducted from March 23-26, four days by advocate Abdul Wahab Khan, the Defence Counsel for Sayed Zaibuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, the Indian accused facing trial. Incidentally, not even on a single occasion, there was any question on Abu Jundal. The 56-year-old Headley alias Daood Gilani had deposed through video-conference from an undisclosed location in the United States, before Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, who presides over anti-terror cases in Mumbai. During the nine days of his appearance, Headley faced close to 1,400 questions around 750 by Nikam and some 650 by Khan. Around 50-odd journalists covered the proceedings which used to generally commence at 7 am and end around 1: 30 pm. Top officials of the Mumbai police including Additional Director General of Police (Crime) Atul Kulkarni and on some occasions officials of the National Investigation Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation were also present. The judge specifically thanked the US authorities and attorneys for the deposition and the cooperation extended. Khan pleaded that he be allowed for one more day to ask questions so that he takes a brief from Ansari, Nikam objected and said how can he carry out the cross-examination without the brief from his client. The judge, however, asked him to take a brief on video-conferencing and would ensure that there would not be anyone in court. I do not feel it is reliable, Ansari said and Khan immediately added that he has to ensure privacy. It would also be wrong to say that I had not consulted him... during his appearance in Aurangabad arms haul case, we spoke, he said, and added that neither he or anyone from his chamber had gone and met him in jail. Because of successive holidays I could not do so, he said, however, the judge said that this argument is ridiculous as he has always obliged with special permissions. Sense of humourTo a question on plea bargain and a condition put by him in US that he would not be extradited, Headley said in lighter vein: If I knew Wahab Khan would be my defence attorney, I would have insisted to be extradited... its not a joke. On one occasion when Khan asked him when the audio of the instructions from control room to Mumbai attackers were played was it audible, he said it was not of good quality. When asked whether he could hear blasts and gun fire, he said: main logo ke aawaz sun raha tha...goli ki nahi. Headley admits knowledge of IshratAs the deposition of David Coleman Headley drew to a close on Saturday, the Pakistani-American admitted to having knowledge about Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Ishrat Jehan, but said he came to know more about the Gujarats botched-up operations from the media, DHNS reports from Mumbai. However, the 56-year-old terrorist-turned-approver who did reconnaissance ahead of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, raised doubts about the statement of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) when advocate Abdul Wahab Khan referred to it and posed a barrage of questions. My statement was recorded (by NIA in the US)... but not a single line was read out, he said. Asked whether he requested a copy from the NIA, he said: No, I did not and when asked another question whether NIA on its own gave a copy to him, he said, negative. He admitted that Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the chief-of-operations of LeT has told him about the operation and he had mentioned this to the NIA when he was interrogated by the agency in the US. Asked why it was not there in the statement of NIA, he said: I dont know. He also said he told that female member of LeT who died was Ishrat Jahan but said he does not know why that was ignored by the NIA and not recorded in its statement.When asked whether Lakhvi told him that Ishrat Jehan was part of a botched-up operation and Muzammil Bhat was head of the module for Gujarat and Maharashtra, he said: Not in these words... when he introduced Muzammil to me, he told me that he is one of the top LeT operatives. In yet another startling disclosure, Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani on Saturday said that he had surveyed and videographed the entire road from the Indian Army headquarters to vice-president's house to the National Defence College in New Delhi -- a suggestion about possible high-value targets in the national capital. Besides, Maharashtra legislature building at Nariman Point in Mumbai, the Tanna House, which is CBI's Western Region headquarters and the Blue Synagogue in Mumbai, too were under his surveillance. The revelation came before Additional Sessions Judge G A Sanap, who presides over anti-terror cases in Mumbai, during the last day of cross-examination of 56-year-old Headley by advocate Abdul Wahab Khan, the defence counsel for Sayed Zaibuddin Ansari, the Indian accused facing trial. When asked whether in March 2009 - post the 26/11 attack, he surveyed the Vice-President's house, he said: I had surveyed the route, not specifically the vice-president's house. When again put a specific question whether he videographed the Army headquarters to vice-president's house, the terrorist-turned-approver said: I answered that...entire route, many many houses, the route from Sena Bhawan to NDC, the vice-president's house is in the route.....from Sena Bhawan, I mean the Army headquarters and not Shiv Sena Bhavan of Mumbai (sic). It is to be mentioned here that in his examination-in-chief by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam in February, he had admitted that the March 2009 reconnaissance was undertaken on behalf of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda. The pre-26/11 missions were undertaken on behalf of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the ISI, the Pakistani spy agency. Backed with another question whether he also took extensive footage of the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, he said: No. He also replied in negative whether he surveyed the Israeli consulate in Mumbai and so as the Delhi Durbar hotel. DH News Service Sayeed wanted to teach Thackeray lessonLeT founder Hafeez Saeed wanted Shiv Sena supremo and founder Bal Thackeray to be taught a lesson. When asked by Khan whether the LeT boss told that the Sena chief needed to be taught a lesson, he replied: Yes. I said I can do it and asked for six months for my work in this regard, he said, adding that besides videographing Shiv Sena Bhavan, he also visited Matoshree, the bungalow of the Thackeray family and spoke to guards engaged in perimeter security. No plans to kill Gen MusharrafWhen asked whether he and his associates in LeT wanted to kill the then president Gen Parvez Musharraf, he said: No. However, Judge Sanap reprimanded Khan and said what relevance the 26/11 case has. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have never seen eye-to-eye. The Kharge camp has always felt that it was Siddaramaiah who came in the way of their leader from becoming the chief minister of the state in 2013. There has been a buzz in the State Congress that Kharge will replace Siddaramaiah before the 2018 Assembly polls. So on Saturday when Kharge called on Siddaramaiah at the latters home office it raised eyebrows in the Congress camp and also speculation in the opposition BJP. The two were closeted together for an hour. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kharge said he had discussed pending projects in Hyderabad-Karnataka region including the Wadi-Gadag railway line, Narayanapur Right Bank Canal, industrial zones, among others, with the chief minister. To a query on the setting up of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), for which Siddaramaiah had come at the receiving end from various quarters, Kharge was all support to the chief minister. He said, The concept is not confined to Karnataka but exists in 15 states including several BJP ruled states.... The government has clarified that the powers of the Lokayukta have not being curtailed. There is no need for any controversy or confusion. He also said the Congress high command had not taken exception to the decision to constitute the ACB. On Congress leaders including S M Krishna, Janardhana Poojary opposing the setting up of the ACB, Kharge said, I have placed my views from what knowledge I have.... We have to trust the chief minister.... If somebody does not want to trust, it is up to them. He said if some Congress legislators have concerns regarding the move to set up the ACB, they can raise it in the legislature party meeting. The BJP had its own interpretation regarding the new found bonhomie between the two leaders. BJP MLC G Madhusudhan said Kharge had met Siddaramaiah to impress upon him not to table the Karnataka Minority Commission report on encroachment of wakf property in the Legislative Council. Kharges name is there in the list and he wants Siddaramaiah to save him. We want to save wakf property, he said. Kharge flatly denied the BJPs charge. The sudden meeting came after fresh allegations against Chief Minister Harish Rawat for indulging in horse-trading to get support of 9 rebel party MLAs ahead of Mondays trust vote. Sources also said the Speaker has disqualified all the nine rebel MLAs by invoking the anti-defection law. The rebel faction is led by former chief minister Vijay Bahugana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his Assam trip on Saturday and held a late night Cabinet meeting here to discuss issues related to political developments in Uttarakhand. Sources, however, said no decision was taken on suggesting Presidents Rule as of now, though it was on the cards, and a call can be taken soon depending on the developments in the next two days. A BJP delegation, led by party general-secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya did meet President Pranab Mukherjee in the evening demanding Presidents rule in the state. At the Cabinet meeting, the government deliberated on Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals controversial decision to pass the Finance Bill through a voice vote on March 18, ignoring the BJP which sought division of votes. Sting operation A sting video released by rebel Congress MLAs showing Rawat offering huge sums and ministerial berths to get support to pass the floor test on March 28 was also considered by the Cabinet. These circumstances, believe government sources, point to a fit case of breakdown of official machinery in the state a constitutional requirement for suggesting Presidents rule. The Centre, however, finds itself in a bind as it was trying to assess legal import of the outcome of such a decision ahead of trust vote which is the only way to prove majority. Governor K K Paul, against whom the BJP lodged a complaint to the President on Saturday for giving a long time which gave an opportunity to the chief minister to indulge in illegal, unconstitutional practices, including horse trading, to convert a minority into majority. Sources also said the Speaker has disqualified all the nine rebel MLAs by invoking the anti-defection law. The rebel MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, appeared before the Speaker to reply to his notices on why they should not be disqualified for indulging in anti-party activities. Bahuguna, however, charged that individual MLAs who had gone with their lawyers to present their side of the story were not heard properly since the Speaker was in hurry to cancel their membership. Late night deliberations Late into the night, the Congress and the BJP were holding meetings to ascertain the next course of action. At a hurriedly called press conference, AICC general-secretary Ambika Soni said: They (BJP and the Centre) tried to pressurise governor. They tried to pressurise the Speaker. When nothing worked, they are resorting to Presidents Rule. With rebel MLAs getting disqualified, the effective strength of the Assembly came down from 70 to 61, offering hope to Rawat to scrape through the floor test with 27 Congress MLAs and six of ruling ally Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP had 28 MLAs, but one legislator sided with the Congress, dragging the number short of the magic figure for forming a government. DH News Service The Centre on Saturday said it was trying to secure the release of Father Tom Uzhunnallil, who was kidnapped by militants from a Missionaries of Charity home in Yemen. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release (sic), External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter. Uzhunnallil hails from Kerala and worked in Bengaluru before leaving for Yemen. He was kidnapped on March 4 when Islamic State militants stormed the home for the elderly and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity at Aden in war-torn Yemen. The terrorists killed 12 people, including four nuns. One of the nuns, Cecilia Minz, was from India. The terrorists tied the nuns and others to trees and shot them in their heads. Sister Sally, the sole survivor of the attack, later reported that the terrorists had taken 56-year-old Uzhunnallil with them. Franciscan Sisters of Siessen, which is based in South Africa, earlier this week posted on Facebook that the kidnapped priest might be crucified by the IS on the occasion of Good Friday. This triggered concerns about his fate. New Delhi, however, received no information indicating any imminent threat to Uzhunnallils life, sources said on Saturday. What has made efforts to rescue Uzhunnallil all the more difficult is that India no longer has a diplomatic mission in Yemen, which has been ravaged by a conflict since early 2015 when Saudi Arabia started air strikes to support forces and militias loyal to deposed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in their fight against rebel Houthis. India, in April 2015, shifted its embassy in Sanaa to neighbouring Djibouti. The Centre deployed warships, merchant vessels and planes to evacuate altogether 4,741 Indians from Yemen. DH News Service by Greg Lincoln The American flag that once graced the Kilbuck School and an Eskimo drum cauyaq that once kept the beat to songs danced by the students at Ayaprun Elitnaurvik before a fire destroyed their school are now proudly displayed at the Kipusvik building the new location for the Yupik Immersion School. Ayaprun staff, Lower Kuskokwim School District officials and administration, members of the local advisory school boards, members of the Academic Policy Committee (APC), parents of students, elders, and community members all came together to celebrate their togetherness at the grand opening, having all Ayaprun students housed under one roof. The celebration took place last Tuesday, March 15th, four months after the fire. On November 3, 2015 a fire devastated the Kilbuck School located in the heart of Bethel obliterating the home of the Ayaprun Immersion School and the Kuskokwim Learning Academy (KLA). The community came together rallying support for the displaced students. KLA was transferred to the Yuut Elitnaurviat campus. The older Ayaprun students were welcomed into the Gladys Jung Elementary and the little ones were quickly taken in at the LKSD District Office building. Ive been waiting for this day for a long time, said Ayaprun principal Sam Sakaq Crow who said that his knees were shaking. The children sat on the floor with their teachers as longtime educator Loddie Jones, whom the school is named after Ayaprun spoke to the assembly. These children are our future. They hold our language in them, she said speaking in Yugtun. Mikelnguuq ciuliarkaqaput. Qaneryaraput tegumiaqait. She beseeched those who still speak Yupik to speak it to their children. She touched on several Yupik worldview themes: speak Yupik, respect your surroundings, love each other, if someone hurts you or is mean to you, get up and leave no retaliation or getting even with them. Other values she spoke of were sharing, helping those in need, and more love, always love. Love your mom and your dad, love your teacher. And then there was the spiritual thanksgiving with the puyuq and the Blessing Song Taarvagnaumken which originates from Nelson Island. Drumming and singing were Paista Maurice Nanalook and Ben Agimuk while Ayaprun staff stood and danced. They were joined by a dozen students. Clarence Daniel, an Ayaprun parent and the chairman of the APC introduced the members of the committee who were present. Tragic losses require healing. Part of healing shows emotions, he said as he spoke about that day, November 3rd. Dont be afraid to show your emotion. Little did we know that our lives would change. Yuuyaraq the rules of living. We use those to get through this. Ukvertarluta, and faith, and hope. He invited the APC members who were present to say a few words, which they all did. APC member Alvin Jimmie said he couldnt sleep the night before, he was so happy for the kids. A lot of mixed emotions were back together again. We are all one, he said. It is so nice to see the support and I looked forward to seeing everyone gather together again. 69 days, thats how long we were apart, said Ayaprun teacher Anman Gill. Anman speaks fluent Yupik and that is what she spoke as she gave her speech. She recognized everyone who worked so hard to keep Ayaprun together. Quyumta piarkaugukut, she said. After the presentations, the students ate lunch for the first time in their new location before getting back to their classrooms. The public was invited to visit their childrens rooms and to have lunch and enjoy each others company. The younger childrens classrooms are located on the lower level and the older children have their classrooms upstairs. The Kipusvik Suurvik Cinema is still open. The move to the spacious Kipusvik building is temporary for Ayaprun Immersion until a new school will be built for them. Quyanaq! Share this: Tweet Email House Republicans reacted with dismay today (Jan. 26th, 2021) to the news that the Biden Administrations Department of the Interior has suspended land transfers to Alaska including land transfers long promised to Alaska Native veterans of the Vietnam War. Interior Department Order No. 3395 suspends authorizations for the departments bureaus and offices to grant rights of way, easements, or any conveyances of property or interests in property, including land sales or exchanges. This may include federal allotments to Alaska under the Alaska Statehood Act and the Alaska Native Allotment Act of 1906. I am very concerned that our new federal administration is delaying keeping its promises to some who served honorably, said Rep. David Nelson (R Anchorage, and currently serving as an officer in the Alaska Army National Guard). If the new administration can drag its feet on its promises to veterans, it can do the same to our current servicemen and servicewomen. I have heard of servicemembers who served at the time some who received their allotment and some who have not and I know how important land is to our cultural identity as Alaska Natives, said Rep. Josiah Patkotak (N Utqiagvik). In their service they have missed their rightful claim to land and that isnt right. The time for resolving this is overdue and shouldnt be delayed for any reason. No one who serves in our armed forces honorably should be penalized for serving but to our dismay, thats exactly what we did to my Alaska Native comrades-in-arms in Vietnam, said Rep. Laddie Shaw (R Anchorage), a retired US Navy SEAL and Vietnam War veteran. Whether for the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II or Alaska Native servicemembers in the Vietnam War, the federal government has a pattern of giving short-shrift to the contributions of my Alaska Native brother and sister veterans. Its time to break that pattern and acknowledge them for the heroes they all are. For my entire career, I have fought for our veterans to get all of the benefits they so richly deserve continued Rep. Shaw, who also previously served as Director of Veterans Affairs under Gov. Tony Knowles. Im glad to stand with my caucus as we continue to do so. Share this: Tweet Email Bus 142 is shown with a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that supported the Alaska Army National Guard operation that transported the bus from the Stampede Trail on June 18th, 2020. Photo by Alaska DNR The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) intends to negotiate with the University of Alaskas Museum of the North as the likely repository of the well-known historic Bus 142, removed from the Stampede Trail last month. Of the many expressions of interest in the bus, the proposal from the UA Museum of the North best met the conditions we at DNR had established to ensure this historical and cultural object will be preserved in a safe location where the public could experience it fully, yet safely and respectfully, and without the specter of profiteering, DNR Commissioner Corri Feige said today (July 30, 2020). The bus became well-known after Jon Krakauers 1996 book Into the Wild and a 2007 movie with the same name popularized the story of 24-year-old wanderer Chris McCandless, who sadly died there alone in 1992 after a 114-day stay at the site, about 25 miles west of Healy. Over the years unprepared travelers to the bus sometimes became lost or injured, requiring the assistance of local search and rescue teams; two travelers died in their attempts to reach the bus, in separate incidents in 2010 and 2019. Seeking to reduce the risk of future tragedies, DNR asked the Alaska Army National Guard for help, and on June 18 the Guard helicoptered the bus away from the site. DNR has since kept the bus in a secure but undisclosed location while considering options for its long-term disposition. As the bus was abandoned on general state land, DNR is responsible for its disposal, and has received dozens of suggestions and offers from museums, institutions and individuals across the state and nation who had a variety of plans to preserve, exhibit, monetize, or memorialize it, Feige said. After careful consideration, DNR decided to entertain the UA Museums proposal, which fully met the departments requirements that any long-term disposition must enhance public safety, minimize financial impact to the state, be legally defensible, and be respectful to the families that lost loved ones in connection with the bus. The UA Museum of the North proposal has several advantages, Feige said: It is one of just three official state repositories, and the only one in the Interior able to accept and curate state-owned historical items (and the only one in the Interior); it has experts on staff who can help restore, curate and display the bus; it can legally accept non-profit donations to pay for the costs of the bus; and it would allow DNR to retain legal ownership of the bus and play an active role in its use, including whether and to whom to lend it out for display elsewhere. Feige said her department understands the bus has played an important role in many Interior lives over the decades: moving Fairbanks residents around their city in the Fifties; housing mining road construction crews in the early Sixties; sheltering hunters and adventurers in the Seventies and Eighties; then becoming a destination for adventure seekers and fans of the Into the Wild book and movie since 1992. I believe that giving Bus 142 a long-term home in Fairbanks at the UA Museum of the North can help preserve and tell the stories of all these people, Feige said. It can honor all of the lives and dreams, as well as the deaths and sorrows associated with the bus, and do so with respect and dignity. I appreciate the Museum coming forward with its proposal, and look forward to working with them on a final agreement. DNR and the museum will develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) laying out the points of agreement, and anticipate the final MOU will be signed sometime in the next few months. For additional information on the bus disposition process, including DNR analysis, the Museums proposal, the final MOU and other related documents, go to: www.dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/news/bus-142/ Share this: Tweet Email by CVRF Staff Residents of Chevak went to the polls for the second time this summer to elect Alfred Ulroan to the Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) Board of Directors in a runoff election held on August 15th. Mr. Ulroan is a lifelong resident of Chevak and an active member of the community, with experience serving on the Chevak City Council and working for the Kashunamiut School District. CVRF community residents ages 18 or older are eligible to vote for the representative for their community. Each communitys Board member is elected from a slate of candidates and must receive the majority (more than 50 percent) of the votes cast. In Chevaks recent election and many other cases, the Election Committee called for a run-off election between the two candidates who received the most votes, since none of the candidates received more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the initial election. The election and the run-off election went really well this year, said CVRF Community Service Representative Dayna Nash from Chevak. We had a variety of candidates interested in serving on the CVRF Board of Directors, which was nice to see. We reached out to residents throughout the day to come and vote and we had a pretty good turnout for both elections. Quyana to all the residents who came out to vote, and quyana to everyone that ran for the seat! CVRFs Board of Directors, made up of one resident from each of CVRFs 20 member communities, is a democratically elected body. The Boards primary duty is to set the overall strategy for CVRFs operations, which the staff carries out. Directors are also responsible for communications between their community and the Board of Directors. They work hard to balance the needs and wants of 20 communities and over 9,300 residents with the demands of operating the largest Alaskan-owned seafood company in history. Serving on the CVRF Board of Directors is not easy, said CVRF Chairman Richard Jung from Napaskiak. Every Board member must work hard to understand the complexities of our business and make tough decisions based on what is best for all 20 of our communities. We are excited to welcome Alfred to the Board of Directors and glad that he is willing to step up to the challenge for not only the residents of Chevak, but all 9,300 residents in our member communities. Alfred Ulroan will be officially sworn in during CVRFs August board meeting in Anchorage on August 21st. Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) is a 501(c)(4) Alaska non-profit corporation with 20 member communities located along the west coast of Alaska, from Scammon Bay to Platinum. It is one of six Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups granted fishing rights in the Bering Sea to foster sustainable and diversified local economies in western Alaska. CVRF is dedicated to creating sensible, tangible, and long-term economic development opportunities that generate hope for the more than 9,300 residents of its communities. CVRF is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of one member elected from each community. It is the largest Alaskan-owned seafood company in history and the first CDQ group to own and control the vessels that harvest the vast majority of its CDQ allocations. For more information, visit www.CoastalVillages.org and www.facebook.com/CoastalVillagesRegionFund. Share this: Tweet Email Two big-dollar Democratic fundraisers will draw Vice President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to Colorado in early April, once again showcasing the states importance in the 2016 election. Gov. John Hickenlooper and First Lady Robin Hickenlooper will host a fundraiser for Clinton at their Park Hill home April 7. Clinton is scheduled to attend, along with an unnamed special guest, according to an invitation obtained by The Denver Post. The trip is Clintons first visit to the state since she overwhelmingly lost the Democratic presidential preference poll to rival Sen. Bernie Sanders at the March 1 caucus. A day later, Biden will attend an evening fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennets campaign in Denver, according to an invitation. The White Houses interest in the Colorado race the most vulnerable Senate seat held by Democrats this year is only invigorating Bennets Republican opponents. Former state Rep. Jon Keysers campaign blasted the invite to its e-mail list and used the fundraiser to tie Bennet to the Obama administrations Iran deal and decision to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, both of which the GOP challenger opposes. The Clinton event with Hickenlooper also carries political implications, as it amplifies discussion about whether the governor is looking for an administration post if Democrats win in November. Earlier this week, Hickenlooper declined to commit to serving his entire four-year term through 2018 and added: If I was offered something in Washington, I would certainly look at it. The top donor level for the Clinton fundraiser is $27,000 in bundled contributions, which includes a special reception and photo with the Democratic candidate, as well as an invitation to the campaigns finance summit April 20 in New York. The event co-hosts are expected to raise $10,000 in bundled contributions for the opportunity to attend the reception. The maximum individual donation is $2,700. A $1,000 contribution gets a donor preferred viewing at the event, while the minimum price to attend is $500 a person. The campaigns Colorado allies said the event will raise money for the former secretary of states primary campaign against Sanders. Even though she lost Colorados preference poll, Clinton still has a chance to win the state or break near-even with Sanders given her advantage in super-delegates from Colorado. On Thursday, Robin Hickenlooper hosted her own event for the Clinton campaign, part of her quick entry to politics since marrying the governor in January. Hickenlooper held the Women for Hillary reception at her home to benefit the Hillary Victory Fund and featured Ann OLeary, a Clinton campaign senior policy adviser. The hosts included the newly named lieutenant governor, Donna Lynne, along with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver, Senate Democratic leader Lucia Guzman, former State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, former Lt. Gov. Gail Schoettler and former Sen. Mark Udalls wife, Maggie Fox, according to an invite posted online. The top ticket cost $2,700, or the option of raising $5,000, and included a perk: an invitation to a future event with the candidate or her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The minimum donation to attend: $250. John Frank: 303-954-2409, jfrank@denverpost.com or @ByJohnFrank It aint easy being green, critically endangered and hunted as a form of South American Viagra, but for 20 Lake Titicaca frogs, life should be less dangerous now that theyve found refuge at the Denver Zoo. The new aquatic amphibians are the only ones in captivity in North America, and zoo staffers believe theyre the only Lake Titicaca frogs in the northern hemisphere. The wrinkled frogs, which are found in the deep waters of their South American namesake, are the focus of a mass conservation effort the Denver Zoo is helping carry out on their home turf and across borders. Not only will the frogs be bred in Denver, zoo staffers are also on the ground in Peru working to educate residents about the economic and cultural importance of the disappearing amphibians. Were not necessarily just a zoo, said Thomas Weaver, assistant curator of reptiles and fishes at the zoo, as he pointed to animals in the tropical discovery exhibit. This is our showcase, but we do a lot of work across the world. The zoos staff heard about the rapidly declining population of the Lake Titicaca frogs about five years ago and has since been waiting for the right moment to house some for a breeding program. We didnt just want to go down there, take the frogs and leave, Weaver said. Were developing relationships and conservation efforts around the lake, too. Peruvian people have long used the frogs in a shake they believe to improve mental clarity, boost fertility and mimic the drug Viagra, among other remedies. Its their culture, said zoo outreach specialist James Garcia. Were trying to reach out to the people there and show them how important these animals are, not go in and tell them theyre wrong. Mark Stetter, Colorado State Universitys dean of College and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said this cross-cultural approach is something zoos everywhere are embracing. Zoos are not just collections of animals anymore, Stetter said. They really understand that conservation is more than that. While Weaver said pinpointing a number of frogs left in the world was difficult, he estimated the population has decreased by 80 percent in the past 50 years. To help the frogs while also helping the South American residents survive economically, Garcia reached out to a Peruvian artisan who is teaching locals to make Lake Titicaca frog-themed knitwear and crafts to sell instead of harvesting and selling the frogs. How can you help people save a species if they need help feeding their family? Garcia said. Were creating alternative sources of income. In addition to education and outreach about the frogs, the zoo is developing a breeding program and intends to give the frogs to other zoos across the country. In November, 20 froglets that recently developed from tadpoles traveled from the Huachipa Zoo in Lima, Peru, to their new home in Denver. Two frogs are on display in the tropical discovery exhibit, and more will be added as staffers perfect the tanks cold water temperature and water quality. The frogs are famous for doing a kind of underwater push-up that sends oxygen through folds in their skin, meaning they dont have to travel to the surface for air. Folks eager for a peek at the rare amphibians will likely catch them resting in some rocks, floating through their 50-degree water or feasting on worms. Its easy to get people excited about elephants and tigers, Garcia said. But dont forget about these little guys. Theyre crucial. Garcia hoped to convey to Peruvians how connected humans and amphibians are. Its all about the water, he said. These frogs are the canary in a coal mine. Mine pollution runoff into Lake Titicaca, which can be hard for humans to detect, is another factor in the frogs declining numbers. Theyre letting us know if they die off, that should be alarming to us, Garcia said. Thats our water, too. To help study Lake Titicaca and its frogs, the zoo has enlisted the help of students from Longmonts Skyline High School. Four boys interested in science and engineering are building a submarine-like robot with a camera inside designed to dive down into the lake and provide HD video of the areas humans cant reach. Its very exciting to work firsthand with scientists and the zoo and collaborating with other people, said junior Marco Guerrero. The students estimate the device will be completed by May and are in talks with the zoo about arranging a trip to Peru to see their work in action. Its been a lot of fun, Guerrero said. I think this can develop my future career. Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez @denverpost.com or @ehernandez By Brian Mastroianni 23 March 2016 (CBS News) A sobering new report on the impact of climate change finds that extreme weather like killer storms and high-rising seas could be mere decades, not centuries, away. The report, Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise, and Superstorms [pdf] published Tuesday in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, says that the 2-degree Celsius (or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) global warming threshold previously agreed upon by global leaders and scientists is too high. The research in the 52-page report is derived from observations of ancient climate change paleo-climatology as well as observations of current climate shifts, and data from computer modeling to forecast where the planet is headed. So, the question arises again: Have we passed the point of no return? asked lead author James Hansen, a former NASA climate scientist, in a video message that accompanied the study release. Hansen said that preventing such dire outcomes is all dependent on how quickly we act to slow down man-made climate change. I think the conclusion is clear, we are in a position of potentially causing irreparable harm to our children, grandchildren, and future generations, he said in the video. So, what does the papers doomsday scenario look like? The research points to the significant melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets happening so quickly that they lead to as much as several meters of sea level rise within the next 50 to 150 years. What will happen during this time is a stratification of the polar oceans, with a pool of cooler meltwater trapped at the oceans surface while warmer water rests just underneath. This is dangerous, the paper argues, because the warmer water layer would hit the base of the polar ice sheets, melting them from below. This would result in accelerated ice melting and continued stratification, along with more rapid sea level increases. Unfortunately, as you go through the paper, the news gets worse and worse. The North Atlantic area would actually cool, creating a bigger disparity between the ever-warming equatorial region, which in turn whips up huge storms and giant ocean waves. Many of the most significant and devastating storms in eastern North America and western Europe, popularly known as superstorms, have been winter cyclonic storms, though sometimes occurring in late fall or early spring, that generate near-hurricane-force winds and often large amounts of snowfall, the report states. Continued warming of low-latitude oceans in coming decades will provide a larger water vapor repository that can strengthen such storms. None of this is unprecedented. Hansens team looked at events traced by paleoclimate scientists and geologists who determined that similar climate events took place 80,000 to 130,000 years ago, when temperatures warmed before the last ice age. During that period, storms were so powerful they generated waves 40 meters (130 feet) high that could pick up and hurl huge boulders inland. On rocky, steep coasts, giant limestone boulders were detached and catapulted onto and over the coastal ridge by ocean waves, the report says. [more] Climate report warns of killer storms, rising seas in near future By Justin Gillis 22 March 2016 (New York Times) The nations of the world agreed years ago to try to limit global warming to a level they hoped would prove somewhat tolerable. But leading climate scientists warned on Tuesday that permitting a warming of that magnitude would actually be quite dangerous. The likely consequences would include killer storms stronger than any in modern times, the disintegration of large parts of the polar ice sheets and a rise of the sea sufficient to begin drowning the worlds coastal cities before the end of this century, the scientists declared. Were in danger of handing young people a situation thats out of their control, said James E. Hansen, the retired NASA climate scientist who led the new research. The findings were released Tuesday morning by a European science journal, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. A draft version of the paper was released last year, and it provoked a roiling debate among climate scientists. The main conclusions have not changed, and that debate seems likely to be replayed in the coming weeks. The basic claim of the paper is that by burning fossil fuels at a prodigious pace and pouring heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, humanity is about to provoke an abrupt climate shift. Specifically, the authors believe that fresh water pouring into the oceans from melting land ice will set off a feedback loop that will cause parts of the great ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to disintegrate rapidly. [] The paper, written by Dr. Hansen and 18 other authors, dwells on the last time Earth warmed naturally, about 120,000 years ago, when the temperature reached a level estimated to have been only slightly higher than today. Large chunks of the polar ice disintegrated then, and scientists have established that the sea level rose 20 to 30 feet. Climate scientists agree that humanity is about to cause an equal or greater rise in sea level, but they have tended to assume that such a large increase would take centuries, at least. The new paper argues that it could happen far more rapidly, with the worst case being several feet of sea-level rise over the next 50 years, followed by increases so precipitous that they would force humanity to beat a hasty retreat from the coasts. That would mean loss of all coastal cities, most of the worlds large cities and all their history, Dr. Hansen said in a video statement that accompanied the new paper. [more] Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift Within Decades, Not Centuries ABSTRACT: We use numerical climate simulations, paleoclimate data, and modern observations to study the effect of growing ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland. Meltwater tends to stabilize the ocean column, inducing amplifying feedbacks that increase subsurface ocean warming and ice shelf melting. Cold meltwater and induced dynamical effects cause ocean surface cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic, thus increasing Earths energy imbalance and heat flux into most of the global oceans surface. Southern Ocean surface cooling, while lower latitudes are warming, increases precipitation on the Southern Ocean, increasing ocean stratification, slowing deepwater formation, and increasing ice sheet mass loss. These feedbacks make ice sheets in contact with the ocean vulnerable to accelerating disintegration. We hypothesize that ice mass loss from the most vulnerable ice, sufficient to raise sea level several meters, is better approximated as exponential than by a more linear response. Doubling times of 10, 20 or 40 years yield multi-meter sea level rise in about 50, 100 or 200 years. Recent ice melt doubling times are near the lower end of the 1040-year range, but the record is too short to confirm the nature of the response. The feedbacks, including subsurface ocean warming, help explain paleoclimate data and point to a dominant Southern Ocean role in controlling atmospheric CO2, which in turn exercised tight control on global temperature and sea level. The millennial (5002000-year) timescale of deep-ocean ventilation affects the timescale for natural CO2 change and thus the timescale for paleo-global climate, ice sheet, and sea level changes, but this paleo-millennial timescale should not be misinterpreted as the timescale for ice sheet response to a rapid, large, human-made climate forcing. These climate feedbacks aid interpretation of events late in the prior interglacial, when sea level rose to +69 m with evidence of extreme storms while Earth was less than 1 C warmer than today. Ice melt cooling of the North Atlantic and Southern oceans increases atmospheric temperature gradients, eddy kinetic energy and baroclinicity, thus driving more powerful storms. The modeling, paleoclimate evidence, and ongoing observations together imply that 2 C global warming above the preindustrial level could be dangerous. Continued high fossil fuel emissions this century are predicted to yield (1) cooling of the Southern Ocean, especially in the Western Hemisphere; (2) slowing of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation, warming of the ice shelves, and growing ice sheet mass loss; (3) slowdown and eventual shutdown of the Atlantic overturning circulation with cooling of the North Atlantic region; (4) increasingly powerful storms; and (5) nonlinearly growing sea level rise, reaching several meters over a timescale of 50150 years. These predictions, especially the cooling in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic with markedly reduced warming or even cooling in Europe, differ fundamentally from existing climate change assessments. We discuss observations and modeling studies needed to refute or clarify these assertions. Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 C global warming could be dangerous GENEVA, 24 March 2016 (UNHCR) The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein on Thursday expressed serious concerns about the recent agreement between the European Union and Turkey, pointing to what he termed a contradiction at the heart of the agreement, as well as raising concerns regarding arbitrary detention of refugees and migrants. The declared aim to return all refugees and migrants contrasts with the assurances about individual assessments, the High Commissioner said. If the safeguards are to be considered real, then the individual assessments must allow for the possibility that the persons in question will not in fact be returned. Otherwise it could still qualify as a collective expulsion. The EU-Turkey agreement calls for cases to be processed under the EUs Asylum Procedures Directive, and goes on to state that Migrants not applying for asylum or whose application has been found unfounded or inadmissible in accordance with the said directive will be returned to Turkey. Zeid expressed concern that this language presents a real risk of overlooking human rights law obligations, which require States to examine arguments against return beyond those found in refugee law. Such needs could arise, for example, in the case of children; victims of violence, rape, trauma and torture; individuals with specific sexual orientation; persons with disabilities; and a range of others with legitimate individual protection needs. The UN Human Rights Chief urged Greece to handle all individual cases with genuine attention to all protection grounds required under international human rights law, including at the appeals stage. Zeid said he has particular concerns about returns being carried out on the basis of asylum claims in Greece being found inadmissible because Turkey is a safe third country or a first country of asylum. Even if Turkey does expand its refugee definition to include non-Europeans, or passes laws qualifying certain nationalities for temporary protection, it may not be considered fully safe for all returns in the near future. Refugee and migrant protection systems are not simply words on paper, but require trained personnel, tailored policies, infrastructure and other concrete practical measures that take time to establish, the High Commissioner said. Disturbingly, there have also been recent reports of forcible returns amounting to refoulement from Turkey. The UN human rights chief backed the strong concerns expressed on Tuesday by other UN agencies, UNHCR and UNICEF, at the use of detention for all new arrivals in the Greek islands, including children and other vulnerable persons, adding that this appears to contravene a range of international and EU human rights laws and standards, including that immigration detention should be a measure of last resort, and the principle of best interests of the child. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has emphasized that children should never be detained on the basis of their migration status or that of their parents. The High Commissioner expressed his concern that all returns must be carried out in full respect of the human rights and dignity of each individual being returned, including through ensuring that any consent for voluntary return is given free of any coercion and that those who are forcibly returned are protected against disproportionate use of force and other abuse of their rights and dignity. Finally, the High Commissioner regretted that the envisaged so-called one-for-one scheme for resettlement is to take place within the framework of the existing commitments to resettlement or relocation without creating new commitments to legal pathways. He urged the EU to implement practical recommendations made by UN and other international organizations and experts concerning the creation of other regular channels for entry, including family reunification, other humanitarian pathways, and regulated labour migration in response to real labour market needs. This crisis is manageable if the EU acts on the basis of its own well-established and greatly respected laws and principles, and invests seriously in addressing root causes and supporting comprehensive solutions on the basis of international human rights treaties they have ratified, Zeid said. However, if the EU starts to circumvent international law, there could be a deeply problematic knock-on effect in other parts of the world. ENDS For more information and media requests, please contact: Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 97 67 / rcolville@ohchr.org) OSU defense dominates, offense revs up late in 54-10 rout of Iowa Overcoming a sluggish start by its offense, Ohio State pulled away for a 54-10 victory over Iowa. Pakistan made an official protest to India on Friday after detaining a man it says is an Indian spy who illegally entered the country and was captured on Thursday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan. India's foreign ministry confirmed that Pakistan's foreign secretary had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad but denied the man was a spy. "The said individual has no link with the government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "We have sought consular access to him." Tensions are already high between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a January attack on the Indian air base in Pathankot in which seven military personnel were killed. "(Pakistan) conveyed our protest and deep concern on the illegal entry into Pakistan by a RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Baluchistan and Karachi," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, referring to a message conveyed to India's ambassador. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is India's main external intelligence agency. Pakistan believes that India is supporting separatists in the resource-rich Baluchistan province, as well as militants fighting the state from the lawless tribal areas. It also sees India as fuelling strife in the volatile city of Karachi. India denies any such interference and has itself accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants to launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan says it only offers diplomatic support to the Muslim people of Kashmir living under what it says heavy-handed Indian rule. It denies backing militant attacks in India. A Pakistani military official in Baluchistan told Reuters the alleged RAW spy was an Indian navy officer. Another Pakistani official gave the same information. Both declined to be identified because they were not authorised to give details of the incident to the media. One of the officials said the man had been moved to Islamabad for interrogation. The neighbouring countries have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. Baluchistan's provincial interior minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, told reporters that the arrest "proved Indian involvement" in his province. Last year Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif said that the RAW was determined on annihilating Pakistan. "RAW has been formed to undo Pakistan and to wipe Pakistan off the map," Asif said in a television interview. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sought to improve ties with India since his election in 2013, but his efforts are widely considered to have caused friction with the army, which sees relations with India as its domain. Last December Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet Sharif, the first visit by an Indian premier in more than a decade, raising hopes that stop-start negotiations might finally make progress after decades of hostility. Bang & Olufsen in talks to be acquired by its Chinese distributor Sparkle Roll Denmark's luxury consumer electronics maker Bang & Olufsen yesterday said that it is in talks to be acquired by its Chinese distributor Sparkle Roll. The news sent the company's stock surging by as much as 8 per cent in Copenhagen, giving it a market value of about 3.1 billion kroner ($460 million). The move comes a year after the struggling company sold its automotive sound-system business to Harman International Industries for around $157.3 million. (See: Bang & Olufsen to sell automotive car audio business to Harman International) "A condition for making an offer is that we are comfortable it will be possible for us to acquire all shares in Bang & Olufsen at a price we find reasonable, reflecting the potential of the company but also the significant uncertainty and the investments needed to ensure further development and growth" Sparkle Roll chairman, Qi Jianhong, said in a statement that was published by Bang & Olufsen. Hong Kong-listed Sparkle Roll is a dealer of ultra-luxury goods like cars, watches, jewellery, wines, clothing and cigars in China, and has been a distributor of Bang & Olufsen since 2013. B&O had early last year announced that it would be open to merge with rivals after it issued a profit warning at the end of 2014 and reported a loss before tax of 803 million crowns for the fiscal year 2014-15. B&O was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, two engineers devoted to high quality audio reproduction. Since then, the brand has become an icon of performance and design excellence. Today, B&O is world renowned for its distinctive range of quality televisions, music systems and high-performance loudspeakers and its products are sold mainly by an extensive, independent retail network across more than 100 countries. Its largest shareholders are Delta Lloyd Asset Management NV with a 13.4 per cent stake, Danish asset manager ATP Fondsmaeglerselskab A/S with 12.4 per cent, and Qi Jianhong with 5.6 per cent. dpa ElectionsData With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc. The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Unique summer tours to Alaska the last frontier Whether admiring magnificent grizzlies roaming around untamed landscapes, observing great herds of caribou migrating across the tundra or spotting puffins, sea lions and otters from the deck of an expedition cruise ship, Alaska during the summer months is like nowhere else. With an increasing range of tours available from the UK, there are now more and more options for Brits to explore this superlative state. Enjoy An Alaska Bear Odyssey With Wildlife Worldwide Wildlife Worldwide's Alaska Bear Odyssey itinerary combines two prime locations for seeing grizzly bears: Katmai National Park and Kodiak Island. From Anchorage, visitors will take a flight and a floatplane to Katmai National Park to spend two days bear watching witnessing grizzly bears fishing for salmon in their natural habitat from elevated viewing platforms. Guests will then spend a day on a guided tour of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, known for its tempestuous volcanoes and dramatic landscapes. After a stopover in Anchorage, the journey continues to Kodiak Island for more bear watching from different viewpoints including a floatplane and cruise. Kodiak's brown bears are among the largest carnivores on earth, but there also a wealth of other wildlife to observe. The tour is priced from 6,295 per person, including international and domestic flights, 10 nights' accommodation (4 on B&B, 4 full board, 2 room only), selected activities and guiding with Wildlife Worldwide (wildlifeworldwide.com). Experience Alaska's National Parks With North America Travel Service North America Travel Service offers a change to explore the true beauty of Alaska as well as observe its remarkable wildlife on a 14 night fly-drive itinerary including Anchorage, Seward, Talkeetna, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Copper River, Kennicott, Valdez and Sheep Mountain. Highlights of the tour named Alaska's National Parks Explorer include a flightseeing excursion in a small bush plane, a fully narrated wildlife watching tour in Denali National Park and an optional cruise into Prince William Sound to view sea lions, otters, porpoise and humpback whales in their natural habitat. The tour is priced from 3,799 per person including flights, accommodations and 4-wheel drive car rental booked through North American Travel Service (northamericantravelservice.co.uk). Travel In Style With Abercrombie & Kent's Alaskan Ultimate Experience Travellers can now enjoy Alaska in style with Abercrombie and Kent's 13 day Alaskan Ultimate Experience. Designed for outdoor and scenery lovers offering a combination of Alaska's leading hotels and lodges with private flying excursions and glacier landings, hiking, fishing, kayaking, glacier-climbing and wildlife viewing, this tour is perfect for those looking for a real once-in-a-lifetime experience. The tour is priced from 11,580 per person including international and domestic flights, accommodation and activities. (abercrombieandkent.co.uk) Explore Denali And The Kenai Fjords With Discover The World The Best of Denali and the Kenai Fjords tour is a leisurely paced self-drive holiday which offers plenty of time to explore scenic attractions and small authentic towns. Travellers will enjoy a memorable cruise deep into the Kenai Fjords, with the chance to see whales, porpoise and sea otters as well as countless glaciers. In Denali National Park, guests will take a tour into the heart of the park itself, taking in soaring peaks, sparkling lakes and the chance to see grizzly bears, caribou, wolves and bald eagles. One of the highlights is an unforgettable dog-sledding and helicopter flight excursion on a remote glacier the perfect way to experience the Alaskan wilderness. The tour is priced from 2,925 per person, including 12 night's accommodation, car hire and most excursions (but excluding international flights). Bookable via Discover the World (discover-the-world.co.uk) Ride The Alaskan Railroad With Artisan Travel The new Alaskan Wilderness Trail by Road & Rail tour combines the scenic Alaskan Railroad with some of the most stunning drives in the world. This unique itinerary take visitors on a loop starting and ending in Anchorage: taking in three national parks and one national forest. Guests will travel through vast wilderness, past towering peaks, glacial lakes and stunning fjords on this is a spectacular 13 day journey of exploration and adventure. Highlights include a round-trip bush plane flight from Chitina to McCarthy and observing diverse marine wildlife whilst travelling on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Valdez to Whittier. The tour is priced from 2,665 per person with Artisan Travel including 12 night's accommodation, car hire, most meals, tickets on the Alaska Railroad, transfers and guided activities (but excluding international flights). Bookable via Artisan Travel (artisantravel.co.uk) Drive Through Magnificent Landscapes And National Wexas Travel has launched a new 14-day self-drive taking in the highlights of Denali & Kenai Fjords. Travellers will explore the magnificent landscapes and national parks, featuring North America's highest peak Mount McKinley. Starting in Anchorage, travellers will head south to Seward to enjoy a full-day, north western fjord cruise in Kenai National Park before continuing south through the volcanic landscapes known as the 'Ring of Fire'. Travellers will spend two-nights in Homer and have the option to enjoy an additional bear viewing tour into the Hallo Bay Wilderness. From there, the tour heads northwards to Girdwood to enjoy a helicopter ride to the base camp in the Chugach Mountains which is also the training ground for the Iditarod sled dogs. The tour is priced from 3,765 per person including return international flights, 12 -nights' accommodation, 10 day car hire, meals and touring. Bookable via Wexas Travel (wexas.com) Join Two New Cruises With Royal Caribbean The Kantishna Select Wilderness & Wildlife cruise-tour is one of two new 12-night Alaska cruises for 2017 which offers activities such as hiking Alaska's most accessible glacier, Exit Glacier, kayaking and biking at Eklutna Lake, travelling on the Alaska railroad to Denali National Park and two nights at the exclusive Kantishna Backcountry lodge. The second new cruise is the Katmai Bear Trek & Kantishna Fly Over cruise-tour which offers the chance for American Brown Bear viewing at Katmai Park and Preserve as well as two nights in Denali or Anchorage. For up to date prices, please visit royalcaribbean.co.uk. Princess Cruises Launches Cook My Catch Princess Cruises has launched Cook My Catch, an exclusive culinary experience offering guests the ability to enjoy their very own catch of the day while on their cruise holiday. The unique cruise dining experience is available on Princess Cruise Vacations during port calls in Juneau and Ketchikan, as well as Princess Land & Sea Vacations featuring stays at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge and Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. The new offering is available on select Princess shore excursions including Salmon Sport Fishing Adventure in Juneau; Salmon Sport Fishing Expedition, Hunting for Halibut and the Discovery Exclusive Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining excursion in Ketchikan. As guests return from their excursion, they select their preferred preparation and accompaniments to be prepared by the culinary team a unique way to enjoy their very own, wild Alaska seafood. For more information on Princess Cruises, visit princess.com. Seabourn to offer Alaska sailings in 2017 for the first time in 15 years Luxury cruise line Seabourn will offer Alaska sailing in 2017 for the first time in 15 years. The itineraries, on 450-passenger Seabourn Sojourn, will depart from Vancouver and Anchorage for 11, 12 and 14 nights. While the sailings will stop in popular Alaska ports, such as Juneau and Ketchikan, the ship will also dock in smaller Sitka; Klemtu, a small island in Alaska's Inside Passage; and Alert Bay, a tiny Namgis First Nation community in British Columbia. For more information on Seabourn, visit seabourn.com. Explore The Most Remote Alaskan Destinations With Ponant Cruises Ponant Yacht Cruises & Expeditions offers the unique chance to explore some of the most remote locations in Alaska featuring remote territory still unknown and wild, landscapes from wide spaces to gigantic glaciers, steep mountains, infinite tundra and glittering lakes. Starting in Seward, the cruises transport visitors along the dramatic Aleutian Islands and up the north coast stopping in various locations including the Katmai Peninsula, St Paul's island, Barrow and Providenya (Russia) finishing in the gold heritage town of Nome. Throughout the cruise, passengers can observe colonies of sea birds, whales, walruses, grizzly bears as well as polar bears. Prices for this 15-days expedition cruises start from 5,190 and can be booked via the UK call centre (ponant.com) Holland America Line Adds Further Land Exploration Opportunities In Alaska Holland America offers a variety of cruise and land packages in Alaska, allowing visitors to enjoy seven or 14 night sailings combined with excursions to some of Alaska's most popular destinations. The carefully crafted Journeys Ashore options allow cruisers to connect more deeply with the people and places they'll visit with an excellent level of comfort, care and convenience. As well as various options to visit Denali National Park, Holland America Line now offers the chance to visit the Kroschel Centre for Orphaned Animals in Haines to learn about how the animals orphaned in the centre such as wolves, Kodiak bears, wolverines, porcupines or reindeers thrive in this protected habitat. For more information on Holland America, visit hollandamerica.com. The U.S.Department of Transportation last week announced a partnership with Alphabet subsidiarySidewalk Labs to help cities ease gridlock using Googles vast array of technology and traffic data. Sidewalk Labs will work with the seven finalists in the DoTs Smart City Challenge on a plan to help ease congestion and improve mobility to disadvantaged communities under a program called Flow, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. Flow offers unprecedented city-wide transportation analytics to help cities understand congestion and identify areas underserved by transit, using aggregated, anonymized data from billions of miles of trips, Foxx said. The program will use anonymized smartphone data from billions of miles of trips, starting with Googles Mobility Program, and sensor data from Link WiFi kiosks to create a real-time view of road and curb usage, according to Sidewalk Labs. Peak Predicament The company will analyze specific road segments to get information on congestion patterns, simulate the impact of new roads and transit routes, test new technologies using sensors, assess the impact of autonomous vehicles, adjust transit routes based on real-time ridership demand, route drivers to available parking and enable limited curb space for freight, car and bike sharing. Cities around the world have used a variety of approaches to ease traffic congestion, noted Praveen Chandrasekar, mobility research manager at Frost & Sullivan. London used congestion pricing to reduce traffic flow during peak hours, and Michael Bloomberg proposed a similar plan for New York when he was mayor. This has worked big time in congested cities like London, but there is the aspect of having a backbone public transit infrastructure as an alternative to residents, Chandrasekar told TechNewsWorld. Sao Paolo, Brazil, uses navigation apps like Waze, which is owned by Google, at a central traffic command center to crowdsource traffic flow data, he noted. Oregon is testing a system that would charge drivers based on the number of miles they drive, and some European cities are testing the concept of pay-how-you-drive insurance to create incentives to drive during off-peak times. A Leap Forward The program could be a huge leap forward for cities across the country, because traffic analysis historically has been ad hoc and provided limited amounts of data to accurately predict congestion patterns, said Paul Steely White, executive director atTransportation Alternatives. Were really flying blind in terms of analyzing the congestion problem, he told TechNewsWorld. Alphabet is using the partnership as a way to leverage all the traffic data it has accumulated through Waze and other applications it owns. It also is building a high-speed Google Fiber network in Austin, Texas, which is one of the finalist cities, said Paul Teich, principal analyst atTirias Research. Sidewalk Labs will install 100 WiFi kiosks in the winning city of the Smart City Challenge. The kiosks will help residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods get information about mobility. It will be nice to have access to traffic and transit information, but using the wireless Internet access as a byproduct of Sidewalk Labs will be a boon for low-income communities, technology analystCraig Settles told TechNewsWorld. For the Smart City Challenge, 78 midsize cities submitted ideas for creating a transportation network using data, technology and creativity. The finalists, announced earlier this month, are Austin; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Kansas City, Missouri; Pittsburgh; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco. Show Me the Money The finalists each have received $100,000 from DoT and have three months to come up with a proposal for easing congestion. DoT announced that Amazon Web Services would partner with those cities as well. It will award $1 million in credits for AWS Cloud Services and AWS Professional Services to the winner. At least four other technology companies are partners in the competition.Mobileye will provide Mobileye Shield collision-avoidance sensors on buses in the winning city,Autodesk will provide the InfraWorks 360 modeling platform for engineering,NXP Semiconductors will provide wireless communication models for cars, and Paul AllensVulcan will provide $10 million to the winning city, said DoT spokesperson Jon Romano. The winning city will receive $40 million from DoT, he told TechNewsWorld. The winner will be announced in June. 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The recently discovered debris that was found in Mozambique, Africa is now believed to have come from the missing Malaysian plane Flight MH370, according to the latest statement that the Australian government released last Thursday, The Guardian reports. According to the analysis, there is some consistency that the debris found could very well turn out to be the panels of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft, the report notes this has fueled up the confidence for the search mission of the Flight MH370. "That such debris has been found on the east coast of Africa is consistent with drift modelling performed by CSIRO and further affirms our search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean," the minister for infrastructure and transport, Darren Chester, said on the statement. "The search for MH370 continues. There are 25,000 sq km of the underwater search area still to be searched. We are focused on completing this task and remain hopeful the aircraft will be found." The first piece of evidence was uncovered by an American lawyer named Blaine Alan Gibson on Feb. 27, while the second piece was handed over by a South African teenager named Liam Lotter, after hearing the coverage the piece was found during the teen's beach vacation in Southern Mozambique late December, said The Guardian. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Government has issued a statement, saying and confirming that the "paint and stenciling" on the found debris are identical to the ones used by the Malaysian Airlines, as can be seen on the scanned document that Channel NewsAsia correspondent Melissa Goh posted on her Twitter account last Wednesday. MOT says The paint and stencilling on both parts found in Mozambique match those used by Malaysia Airlines pic.twitter.com/wNrRkePS2B Melissa Goh (@MelGohCNA) March 24, 2016 The documentation that Goh posted on her Twitter contains the complete examination report that the experts had conducted for the Mozambique debris. It has been more than two years now since the disappearance of the Malaysian MH370. As detailed on the report from BBC, the aircraft was scheduled to depart last March 8, 2014, for a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are facing off in three contests today as residents of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington head to the polls. The race for the Democratic nomination continues today in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. Sanders is expected to perform very well in all three states, with the high potential of a sweep. All three states are holding caucuses, which tend to favor Sanders overall. Combine that with Alaska and Washington being predominantly white and rural and it could provide a blowout defeat over Clinton. However, as of Saturday morning, Clinton still holds a 277 delegate lead over Sanders, and that's just in pledged delegates. Add in the 428 superdelegates supporting Clinton and it's looking like an uphill battle for Sanders. But if he performs really well today in all three states, he could begin to sway the momentum in his direction heading into April. At the very least he will need to put a dent in Clinton's sizable lead today. As for when to expect live results coming in, caucuses in Alaska and Washington begin at 10 a.m. local time (which is 1 p.m. ET for Washington and 2 p.m. ET for Alaska). Hawaii conducts their caucuses by secret ballot, which begins at 1 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET). Watch Democratic Caucus Results Live Online Or Via Mobile Devices As always, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will be devoting most of their coverage to the Saturday caucuses. To watch CNN live, go to their site here. To watch Fox News live, go to their site here. To watch MSNBC live, go to their site here. All three are also able to stream on mobile devices. And if you don't care about pundits discussing the race, all three sites will be giving live updates of the results, which you can find at CNN.com, FoxNews.com and MSNBC.com. Keep Up With Democratic Caucus Results Via Social Media If you wish to live tweet results and follow along with others, simply use hashtag #HawaiiCaucus, #AlaskaCaucus and #WACaucus on Twitter. Not enough is being done to address the stigma associated with AIDS and HIV. For the second time in a lifespan of 20 years, Akshara R, a college student in Kannur, Kerala has had to fight to remain in an educational institution, with the attendant media and public focus on her HIV-positive condition. She joins the long list of children and youth in India who have been socially ostracised and thrown out of educational institutions for no fault of theirs. On top of the trauma of having witnessed an AIDS-affected parent dying and a HIV-positive parent struggling to withstand all kinds of hardship or even both parents dying, these children and young adults are also forced to battle to study and live with dignity. In all these decades since Indias first AIDS case was diagnosed in 1986, has nothing changed in terms of public perception of AIDS and of HIV? The moot point is, how much have the knowledge and information spread by the awareness campaigns by non-governmental organisations and the government dented prejudice and the stigma for people living with HIV (PLHIV)? There are around 2.1 million PLHIV in India. By recognising rape as a war crime, the International Criminal Court has taken an important step. On 21 March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) located in The Hague held the former vice president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Jean-Pierre Bemba, guilty of using rape as a weapon of war. It is the first time the ICC has convicted someone for sexual crimes. Bemba commanded the 1,000 troops who were sent into neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) in 200203 in an attempt to prevent a coup. In the process, the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), the name by which his militia is known, pillaged, raped and murdered thousands of people over a period of five months. The court held Bemba guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity because he did not prevent or punish his men for committing these atrocities. Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the ICC said, What this decision affirms is that commanders are responsible for the acts of the forces under their control. This judgment is seen as setting a precedent for a number of reasons. It recognises rape as a war crime and fixes responsibility on the commanders of the perpetrators of these crimes. DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University researchers have taken a major step towards realizing a new form of MRI that could record biochemical reactions in the body as they happen. In the March 25 issue of Science Advances, they report the discovery of a new class of molecular tags that enhance MRI signals by 10,000-fold and generate detectable signals that last over an hour. The tags are biocompatible and inexpensive to produce, paving the way for widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor metabolic processes of conditions like cancer and heart disease in real time. "This represents a completely new class of molecules that doesn't look anything at all like what people thought could be made into MRI tags," said Warren S. Warren, James B. Duke Professor and Chair of Physics at Duke, and senior author on the study. "We envision it could provide a whole new way to use MRI to learn about the biochemistry of disease." MRI takes advantage of a property called spin, which makes the nuclei in hydrogen atoms act like tiny magnets. Applying a strong magnetic field, followed by a series of radio waves, induces these hydrogen magnets to broadcast their locations. Since most of the hydrogen atoms in the body are bound up in water, the technique is used in clinical settings to create detailed images of soft tissues like organs, blood vessels and tumors inside the body. But the technique also has the potential to show body chemistry in action, said Thomas Theis, assistant research professor of chemistry at Duke and co-lead author on the paper. "With magnetic resonance in general, you have this unique sensitivity to chemical transformations. You can see them and track them in real time," Theis said. MRI's ability to track chemical transformations in the body has been limited by the low sensitivity of the technique, which makes small numbers of molecules impossible to detect without using unattainably massive magnetic fields. For the past decade, researchers have been developing methods to "hyperpolarize" biologically important molecules, converting them into what Warren calls magnetic resonance "lightbulbs." With this boosted signal, these "lightbulbs" can be detected even in low numbers. "Hyperpolarization gives them 10,000 times more signal than they would normally have if they had just been magnetized in an ordinary magnetic field," Warren said. While promising, Warren says these hyperpolarization techniques face two fundamental problems: incredibly expensive equipment -- around 3 million dollars for one machine -- and most of these molecular lightbulbs burn out in a matter of seconds. "It's hard to take an image with an agent that is only visible for seconds, and there are a lot of biological processes you could never hope to see," said Warren. "We wanted to try to figure out what molecules could give extremely long-lived signals so that you could look at slower processes." Jerry Ortiz Jr., a graduate student at Duke and co-lead author on the paper, synthesized a series of molecules containing diazarines, a chemical structure which is composed of two nitrogen atoms bound together in a ring. Diazirines were a promising target for screening because their geometry traps hyperpolarization in a "hidden state" where it cannot relax quickly. Using a simple and inexpensive approach to hyperpolarization called SABRE-SHEATH, in which the molecular tags are mixed with a spin-polarized form of hydrogen and a catalyst, the researchers were able to rapidly hyperpolarize one of the diazirine-containing molecules, greatly enhancing its magnetic resonance signals for over an hour. Qiu Wang, assistant professor of chemistry at Duke and co-author on the paper, said this structure is a particularly exciting target for hyperpolarization because it has already been demonstrated as a tag for other types of biomedical imaging. "It can be tagged on small molecules, macro molecules, amino acids, without changing the intrinsic properties of the original compound," said Wang. "We are really interested to see if it would be possible to use it as a general imaging tag." The scientists believe their SABRE-SHEATH catalyst could be used to hyperpolarize a wide variety of chemical structures at a fraction of the cost of other methods. "You could envision, in five or ten years, you've got the container with the catalyst, you've got the bulb with the hydrogen gas. In a minute, you've made the hyperpolarized agent, and on the fly you could actually take an image," Warren said. "That is something that is simply inconceivable by any other method." ### Other authors include Angus W. J. Logan, Kevin E. Claytor, Yesu Fang, William P. Huhn, Volker Blum and Steven J. Malcolmson of Duke University and Eduard Y. Chekmenev of Vanderbilt University. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE-1058727, CHE-1363008, CHE-1416268), the National Institutes of Health (1R21EB018014), the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Breast Cancer grant (W81XWH-12-1-0159/BC112431), the Pratt School of Engineering Research Innovation Seed Fund, the Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship and the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund. CITATION: "Direct and cost-efficient hyperpolarization of long-lived nuclear spin states on universal 15N2-diazirine molecular tags," Thomas Theis, Gerardo X. Ortiz Jr., Angus W. J. Logan, Kevin E. Claytor, Yesu Feng, William P. Huhn, Volker Blum, Steven J. Malcolmson, Eduard Y. Chekmenev, Qiu Wang and Warren S. Warren. Science Advances, March 25, 2016. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501438 "In September we learned that as of 2016, the five Schools of the Air would swap to the student-centred funding model, which has seen a flat rate paid per student with some extra allocations thrown in for additional needs such as disability, English as a second language, Aboriginality, social disadvantage and locality. Fayetteville-area high school football top performers for Week 10 Here are the Fayetteville area's top performers from Week 10 of the 2022 high school football season. Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger Disorder Director: Alice Winocour Rating: 4/5 Matthias Schoenaerts is one of the most in-demand actors around and he is back with Disorder, the third feature film that we have seen him star in so far this year. Schoenaerts has starred in The Danish Girl and A Bigger Splash but now the actor is set to take on the lead role in this great new drama. Following a tour of duty, Special Services soldier Vincent (Schoenaerts) takes a job in security for a wealthy Lebanese businessman and his family. During a lavish party at the family's luxurious 'Maryland' villa in the South of France, Vincent senses that something is amiss. When his employer is urgently called away on business Vincent is left to ensure the safety of his wife Jessie (Kruger) and their child. Suffering from post-traumatic stress, Vincent battles his own paranoia whilst clinging to the certainty that Jessie and her family are in real and immediate danger, unleashing a hell-bent determination to protect them at all costs. I have been a fan of Schoenaerts ever since I saw him give that terrific turn in Rust and Bone, he delivers another great performance as Vincent, a former soldier who is suffering from PTSD. The actor gives another nuanced and haunting performance as he strikes the perfect balance between troubled and vulnerable with a menace when he is called into action. For me, he is the best thing about the film. We have seen Schoenaerts' star really rocket in the last couple of years and Disorder is the latest film that cements him as a terrific actor and leading man. Disorder is only the second feature film of director Alice Winocour's career and comes four years after she made her directorial debut with Augustine. As well as being in the director's chair, Winocour has also penned the film's screenplay and she has crafted a tense and exciting movie. Winocour really is a filmmaker to watch out for going forward as she has created a wonderful tension and uncertainty that hangs over the whole film. She seems to build and create tension and suspense with ease and I hope everyone sits up and takes note of her skill when they see this film. Disorder is a movie that wonderfully explores paranoia and it delivered so much more than I was expecting. This is a tense, dark, and truly suspenseful movie that is a terrific watch. Disorder is out now. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on She's really into shopping- If you go to the local shopping centre with someone else- she will class it as cheating. Relationships on Female First She can never make up her mind- You're constantly on a break from each other because you can't live with or without one another. She can't go anywhere without her straighteners- They once burned her apartment down and she still uses them. What does that tell you? She was really popular in high school- You worry about the former fat kids that might one day come knocking on your door in a set of overalls for an apology after years of her teasing. She got a tattoo- Even though she knew you were totally against them- but you have to admit- it looks pretty good on her. She had no idea how much you liked her and how long for- It was sods law she only realised when you got with someone else- even worse- you had a cat with her. She likes to walk around naked at home when you're away on business- You come home early and see it as an invite- her- not so much. She hated her first job- For years she was in a job that she despised, but now she's landed in a role that's perfect for her and she couldn't be happier. You worry they think so much of her that they'll transfer her far away at some point- to somewhere like- Paris. She ran out on her last wedding- But you know she would never ditch you at the aisle. If you were to ever get married and it didn't work out you would just get it annulled. She has two sisters- Neither of whom you can stand- you're just glad she's not like them anymore. by Lucy Moore for relationships.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Germany based speciality chemicals producer Wacker has inaugurated its expanded technical centre in Singapore, by adding a new laboratory for developing and testing silicone elastomers.At the same time, the labs for silicones and polymeric binders, dedicated to construction applications have been expanded and refurbished, a Wacker press release said. Germany based speciality chemicals producer Wacker has inaugurated its expanded technical centre in Singapore, by adding a new laboratory for # The regional competence centre will now provide technical support for customers in the electronics, personal and health care, textile , automotive, coatings and construction industry, among others.With the expansion, Wacker has increased its expertise in applications technology, know-how transfer and service, thereby meeting its customers' needs for high-quality silicone and polymer products in Southeast Asia.Spanning an area of more than 1,500 square metres, Wacker's regional competence centre now houses both customer development, applications technology, and a training facility for silicones and polymers applications.Our sales in the region have grown significantly over the recent years, and we see further potential for strong future growth in the region, Wacker executive board member Christian Hartel said.Consequently, the Group is investing continuously in its Singapore technical center and customer services, he added.The expanded facility will strengthen our position as one of the leading silicones and polymers manufacturers in Southeast Asia and provide a basis for future growth, Hartel explained.The technical center Singapore has been supporting customers in the development of new products and applications since 2007, taking local raw materials and environmental conditions into consideration.Our aim is to support our local customers by realising their individual requirements and to develop and test innovative applications together with them, said Patrick Wolf, MD of Wacker Southeast Asia.With the new labs and our expanded portfolio, we are setting new standards in service, advice and transfer of expertise, offering our customers and business partners' considerable added value, Wolf stated.Wacker has been supplying chemical products to Southeast Asia for a number of years and Wacker Chemicals (South Asia) Pte. Ltd., which was established in 1984, coordinates regional sales.Since 2007, the company also operates a technical centre in Singapore and by having the sales office and technical centre under the same roof; Wacker has created ideal working conditions.This enables sales-office and technical-centre staff to collaborate closely to provide optimum customer support, the German company informed in the press release.Wacker also has technical centres in countries like Australia, China, India and South Korea and the company currently operates 22 such facilities around the world. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Deepika Padukone who has taken a break from her Hollywood schedule to attend her best friend, Srila Raos wedding in Sri Lanka looked gorgeous in a white saree at the marriage. And guess who else was spotted at the wedding? None other than her beau Ranveer Singh. Ranveer posed with the famous DJ Jasmeet at the reception and the DJ shared his picture saying, Got to spin for the finest in the industry last night. Human first, superstar next. Helluva entertainer ! Thanks @ranveersingh, Looks like the lovebirds made most of the time at this wedding since the two actors will soon be busy again with their professional commitments. While Deepika will be back shooting for xXx, Ranveer too will be flying to Paris for almost two months for Aditya Chopras Befikre. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's latest photo shoot for a real estate brand's new advertisement is just stunning. The actress looks gorgeous in designer gowns and a single look at this picture will leave you gasping for breath. See pics of Aishwarya Rai's new photoshoot! The actress has lost a lot of weight and we can see the result in these pics, her thigh-high slit exposing her super toned legs. This photo shoot was for Lodha Group who have been long associated with the actress. An official spokesperson of the Lodha group confirmed to International Business Times India, "Lodha Group enjoys a healthy, longstanding relationship with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and she continues to be the esteemed brand ambassador for our premium South Mumbai development - The Park at Worli." Shahrukh's Daughter Suhana Khan's Unseen Party Pics From Instagram! The actress is busy juggling a lot of brand endorsements shoots and movie shooting. She just wrapped up Sarbjit in which she is acting along with Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha and Darshan Kumar. She is still shooting for Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in which she is sharing screen space with Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Fawad Khan, Imran Abbas and so on. Both these films will be releasing later this year but till then we can admire Aishwarya in her endorsements. Sadly, she was replaced by Kalyan Jewellers with Sonam Kapoor and there was news that Deepika is replacing her in a cosmetic brand as well, but the rumours have been squashed and Aishwarya continues to rule the roost. "News of Deepika replacing Aishwarya in a watch brand, cosmetic brand has been coming in since the last 4-5 yrs. This is just a strategy they are using to get those brands as they are prestigious. Aishwarya has been with L'oreal for over 14 yrs so this is totally untrue," a source revealed to Pinkvilla. 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. ERIE, PA--(Marketwired - March 26, 2016) -Free To Choose Mediareleased today a new, two-part documentary, The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg, to public television stations across the U.S. (check local listings). The noted author, economic analyst and Cato Institute Senior Fellow examines Smith's rise to prominence with his 18 th century ideas found in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Those ideas changed the world. "People think of Adam Smith as one of the first economists and the author of The Wealth of Nations. Some might have heard of his concept of 'The Invisible Hand,'" said Jim Taylor, the film's director. "But I think that most people will be surprised to learn that he began his career as a moral philosopher and that his 'moral sentiments' form the base for his work on economics." The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg reveals, to an astounding degree, how the world now runs according to Smith's rules. Free market democracies, low tariffs and division of labor have helped to bring millions out of poverty. As Smith predicted, those places that are most free are also the most prosperous. In part one, Morality and Markets, Norberg examines Smith's background and the evolution of his ideas, both economic and ethical. He travels to European locales where Smith was born, educated and spent his life teaching, writing and advocating his revolutionary ideas on markets and human morality. "Many consider Adam Smith responsible for today's prosperity," said Norberg. "He introduced concepts such as gross national product, supply and demand, productivity, labor, capital and other ideas that are household words today." In part two, Ideas That Changed The World, Norberg traces Smith's insights regarding the benefits of free trade and the nature of wealth to the present, where they are currently in operation. He talks with some of the most distinguished Adam Smith scholars, as well as leaders of some of the world's most admired companies -- Whole Foods, eBay, and others -- to discover how Smith's ideas continue to be relevant and drive the global economy today. Executive Producers for The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg are Thomas Skinner and Bob Chitester at Free To Choose Media. Press kit, trailer and photography available at: http://therealadamsmithfilm.com/. Join the conversation at TheRealAdamSmith. MEDIA CONTACT: Marjory Hawkins Hawkins Public Relations mhawkins@hawkinspr.com 512-940-2828 ISLAMABAD Pakistan made an official protest to India on Friday after detaining a man it says is an Indian spy who illegally entered the country and was captured on Thursday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan. India's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Pakistan's foreign secretary had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad but denied the man is a spy. "The said individual has no link with the Government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy," the spokesman said in a statement. "We have sought consular access to him." Tensions are already high between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a January attack on an Indian air base, in which seven military personnel were killed. "(Pakistan) conveyed our protest and deep concern on the illegal entry into Pakistan by an RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Baluchistan and Karachi," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, referring to a message conveyed to India's ambassador. RAW is Research and Analysis Wing, the country's main external intelligence agency. Pakistan believes that India is supporting separatists in the resource-rich Baluchistan province, as well as militants fighting the state from the lawless tribal areas. It also sees India as fuelling strife in the volatile city of Karachi. India denies any such interference and has itself accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants to launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan say it only offers diplomatic support to the Muslim people of Kashmir living under what it says is heavy-handed Indian rule. It denies backing militant attacks in India. A Pakistani military official in Baluchistan told Reuters the alleged RAW spy was an Indian navy officer. Another Pakistani official gave the same information. Both declined to be identified because they were not authorised to give details of the incident to the media. One of the officials said the man had been moved to Islamabad for interrogation. The neighbouring countries have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. Baluchistan's provincial interior minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, told reporters that the arrest "proved Indian involvement" in his province. Last year Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the RAW was determined on annihilating Pakistan. "RAW has been formed to undo Pakistan and to wipe Pakistan off the map," Asif said in a television interview. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sought to improve ties with India since his election in 2013, but his efforts are widely considered to have caused friction with the army, which sees relations with India as its domain. Last December Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet Sharif, the first visit by an Indian premier in more than a decade, raising hopes that stop-start negotiations might finally make progress after decades of hostility. (Reporting and writing by Mehreen Zahra-Malik; Editing by Robert Birsel and David Goodman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BRUSSELS Belgian police arrested three more people on Friday as investigations into Tuesday's suicide bombings by Islamist militants in Brussels threw up more links to killings in Paris last year. The federal prosecutor's office said the operation was connected to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on Islamic State militants they link both to the Brussels bombings that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Ahead of one of the arrests, heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Clerfayt as saying the suspect had been detained after being wounded and that he was linked to Tuesday's suicide bombings in Brussels. It initially said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives but later news reports did not confirm that explosives were found. Witnesses said police appeared to shoot the man in the leg at a tram stop and that he appeared to have his daughter with him. "We heard 'Don't move'. The man was sitting at the bus stop, a bus stop with a glass wall, and we heard a small detonation and a big detonation," said Norman Kabir, 38, an electrician who lives and works nearby. "Then the police came, took the little girl who was shouting 'Dad', she seemed terrified and the man got shot in the leg anyway because he was still moving," Kabir told reporters. "Then the police asked him to move his bag. He was lying on the ground, but he did it and pushed the bag and a robot from the mine-sweeping brigade arrived. It came, grabbed the bag and took it away, then they took the guy, put him in a car and left. It took 20 seconds." Video showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. Islamic State suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such assaults in Belgian history. Investigators believe they were carried out by the same cell behind November's gun and bomb attacks in Paris. MORE ARRESTS The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said six people were held in Brussels on Thursday, of whom three were released and three were remanded in custody facing possible charges. Three others were detained on Friday following the arrest overnight in France of Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old Frenchman sentenced to 10 years in absentia in Brussels last July as part of an Islamist recruiting network dubbed the Syrian Connection. In the same case, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks later killed by French police, got 20 years, also in absentia, while Khalid Zerkani, a Moroccan recruiter of jihadis in Europe, was jailed for 12 years. According to a report in Le Point magazine, Zerkani was a mentor to the two other men and to Najim Laachraoui, one of the Brussels airport bombers who is also suspected of having made explosive belts for the Paris attacks. In Germany, Der Spiegel magazine said German police had arrested two people, one of whom had received phone messages with the name of the metro station bomber and the word "fin" - French for "end" - three minutes before the metro blast. The German interior ministry declined comment. A person familiar with the investigation in Belgium said one of the people arrested there was believed to be a suspected accomplice caught on security camera footage with the metro station bomber. "We have strong indications that this is the suspect who was hunted for the last couple of days. The identification is still ongoing," the source said. However he said those arrested before midday on Friday did not include a third suspect seen on video alongside the two who blew themselves up at the airport. The attacks in Brussels, home to the European Union and NATO, have heightened security concerns around the world and raised questions about EU states' ability to respond in an effective, coordinated way to the Islamist militant threat. Belgium's interior minister Jan Jambon on Friday blamed police negligence. "Someone in our police apparatus blundered," he told a special session of parliament. Jambon offered to resign on Thursday over a failure to track one of the airport bombers, Brahim El Bakraoui, 29, who had been expelled last year by Turkey as a suspected fighter. Bakraoui's brother Khalid, 26, was the bomber who struck the metro train. "JE SUIS BRUXELLOIS, IK BEN BRUSSEL" U.S Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Brussels on Friday to offer U.S. assistance in security. Two of the Brussels victims were Americans. "Je suis bruxellois. Ik ben Brussel," Kerry said in French and Dutch, expressing solidarity with the people of Brussels in the two languages of the Belgian capital. In Paris on Thursday, authorities arrested Kriket, a French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France. French officials did not directly tie that plot to the Brussels attacks, but Clerfayt, the Schaerbeek mayor, said the man wounded on Friday was linked to both investigations. French President Francois Hollande said the hunt for Islamist militant cells would continue. "We know there are other networks. Even if the one behind the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out, a threat is still there," he said. The Brussels attacks came a week after Belgian police killed a militant during a house raid that led them to Salah Abdeslam, the only suspected participant in the Paris attacks to have been captured alive. His lawyer says he has been cooperating with the investigation but did not know of the plan to attack Brussels. However, on Friday prosecutors said Abdeslam had declined to talk about Tuesday's attacks, having declared soon after his capture that he would exercise his right to be silent. Belgian daily De Morgen said investigators had identified a new suspect they believe played a role in the Brussels bombings, 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. The paper said he was on a list circulated to the security services of other European countries after Tuesday's attacks, and was also suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks. Islamic State posted a video on social media calling the Brussels blasts a victory and featuring the training of Belgian militants suspected in the Paris attacks. (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, John Irish, Philip Blenkinsop, Julia Fioretti, Barbara Lewis, Bate Felix, Jan Strupczewski, Robin Emmott, Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Paul Taylor, Peter Graff and Andrew Callus; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. When documentary filmmaker and veteran journalist Minnie Vaid reached Idinthakarai, the site of the protest against the Kudankulam power plant in Tamil Nadu, the movement was on its 677th day. Minnie was drawn to the story of this protest by the local residents against the nuclear plant, mainly because there had been very little coverage of it in the mainstream press. There is generally very little coverage of dissenting voices against big projects. You cant even call them the voiceless because these are voices that have actually been stifled, says Minnie, explaining why she decided to look more closely at the story. I thought it was worth investigating what these women had been protesting for so long. So six months after the pant went critical in mid-2013, Minnie sat down with the protesters the Project Affected People (or PAP as they are called) and tried to gauge what their concerns were. Their stories are now part of Minnies book, The Ant in the Ear of the Elephant, which was released by actress Nandita Das in Mumbai on 23 March. Minnie tell us that while she had researched the subject before heading to the site, it didnt prepare her for the ground reality: The enormity of the struggle, what the women were facing, how the protest had become part of their routine they would sit at the Samara pandal in Idinthakarai, from 10 am to 4 pm with only some drinking water, arranging all their household chores around it. Today, the protest is on its 1686th day. The Kudankulam protest has been dogged by criticism, including the charge that the protesters themselves do not understand the intricacies regarding the operation of a nuclear power plant, and that vested interested have fuelled the agitation over time. Minnie says that she was aware of the reports that called the protest a sponsored agitation and was clear that she did not want to get into an argument about the merits/demerits of nuclear energy. Instead, she was interested in recording the testimonies of these people who were living with a nuclear plant in their figurative backyard. What did she find? That they feel they havent been given enough reasons to believe that the plant is safe, Minnie says. People always think that a nuclear plant is safe as long as its not near their house. The government had ample time to allay their (the protestors) fears. But their fears have not been allayed. The authorities have shared no information with them on their disaster management plan, compensation etc. As one of the women who is protesting said, If the government cant help us during a flood, how will they help us if a nuclear accident was to occur? As she gathered testimonies, Minnie was struck by the stories of several of these women. There was Sundari a homemaker who saw photos of the Fukushima nuclear accident and was inspired to join the protest against the Kudankulam plant. Milret joined the protests when she was just 15, and travels by train to wherever the protests are happening. Tamilarasi who Minnie describes as a slight mother-of-nine (the youngest is two, the eldest, 17) who always has the hugest smile feels people like her have suffered twice: First, due to the tsunami, after which they were relocated, and now, with the power plant. Minnie says all of the women she met are characterised by their indomitable will, by their tenacity. Indeed, the immediate feature that seems to set the Kudankulam protest apart from other movements by Project Affected People is that this is an all-women one. Women have been at the forefront of the Kudankulam protest. As SP Udayakumar of Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy pointed out, They (the women) are more dedicated, less susceptible to corruption and they dont drink (as compared to men), says Minnie. They havent got as much exposure as a Narmada Bachao Andolan, but they have still continued. It has been among the most democratic, non-violent protests (in Tamil Nadu). On the third day of his deposition before a Mumbai court, David Coleman Headley threw light on a number of aspects related to his alleged terror links from hatred to India going back to his childhood and allegations of being financed by United States agencies. Last month, Headley had been examined by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam with reference to his role in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and the role of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in launching terror strikes in India. He is serving a 35-year sentence in the US for his role in the 26 November, 2008 attacks and has turned an approver for the case in India. Headley also told the court that he had developed hatred towards India and Indians since childhood and wanted to "cause maximum damage since then". Asked about the reasons of his hatred, Headley said, "My school was bombed in 1971 by Indian planes and that time, I developed this feeling." People were killed in the attack, he said, adding it was one of the reasons that why he joined the LeT. Headley also alleged that Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was Pakistan's Prime Minister in 2008, had visited David Coleman Headley's home within weeks after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. "It is not correct to say that the then Prime Minister of Pakistan--Yousuf Raza Gilani had attended the funeral of my father who passed away a month after the Mumbai terror attacks on 26 December, 2008. In fact, he (Gilani) visited our house (in Pakistan) a few weeks thereafter," the Pakistani-American terrorist said. However, Headley refuted allegations that US agencies were financing him. "It is baseless to say that my movement to Pakistan was known to US agencies." On Thursday, Headley told the court that terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to eliminate Bal Thackeray but the person who was assigned the job to kill the late Shiv Sena chief was arrested. Headley also told the court that he had visited the Sena Bhavan twice. He, however, did not specify the year for the same. On Tahawwur Rana, his associate from Chicago, Headley revealed that Rana knew he was an operative of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). "I informed him about the training imparted by me to LeT operatives. I disclosed to Rana that I was spying for LeT. This was four to five months before the 26/11 attacks." In February, in possible his most controversial revelation, Headley had claimed that Ishrat Jahan was an operative of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. However, he mentioned her name in response to Ujjwal Nikam suggesting several specific names, leading to questions over whether the statement would count as evidence. In his earlier deposition, Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US, also revealed that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI provides "financial, military and moral support" to terror outfits LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, and how LeT planned and executed the 26/11 Mumbai attack. He had also said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed had 'full knowledge' of the attacks, and that they took place with his approval, as per a report in Hindustan Times. Headley admitted to have surveyed the National Defence College in New Delhi, Chabad Houses in tourist destinations like Goa, Pune and Pushkar on instructions of Al-Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri. He also said that an attack was planned on the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. However, it remains to be seen as to what extent Headley's revelations lead to criminal action against terror groups which India accuses the Pakistan establishment of supporting. With inputs from PTI Taking notice of media reports that there is an emergency like situation in Hyderabad University, the National Human Rights Commission on Friday issued notices to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Telangana government and the Hyderabad Police Commissioner seeking reports from them within a week. NHRC acted on news reports that there is no water, electricity, food, internet services and working ATMs within the campus. "The Commission has observed that the arbitrary act and high handedness of senior University officials as well as Police and Administrative officers, as reported in media, raise serious concerns towards safety and security of the students," a NHRC release said. "A team of Human Rights defenders comprising of senior activists, academicians and lawyers have met students and teachers at the university to ascertain the real facts of the incidents that took place at the campus. The team is also trying to identify the human rights violations and resolve the situation by making key recommendations to the concerned parties, " was identified as one of the key mandate in the report of the independent national fact finding team by NCDHR. One of the key findings in the report was, "The return of the Vice Chancellor, Appa Rao, who had proceeded on indefinite leave triggered the disruption of peace on campus. According to the Home Minister, VC Appa Rao had expressed desire to the Minister to return to the campus and was strongly advised against it by the Police Commissioner and the home Minister, saying that it would cause disruption of University. In spite of the Home Ministry's advice he chose to return to the university." Another key finding was, "Widespread assault of women students and abusive language and threats to rape the women students were heard from the police. Also targeted statements towards minority students and describing them as 'terrorists'was also heard." One of the recommendation made by the team was, "The Central Government must swiftly and efficiently ensure a smooth transition of the leadership of the University in the best interest if the primary objective of the University of Academic Excellence by replacing the Vice Chancellor in close consultation with the University students and Faculty. Also criminal investigation should be immediately conducted and action should be taken against the police who have willfully neglected their duty under Section 4 of the SC ST PoA Amendment Act 2016." A member of the team, Tara Rao, Amnesty International India, said "Students have a right to peacefully protest. Arrests of peaceful protesters violate India's obligations under international law. the arrest of the students and holding them for almost 24 hours without giving any information about their status is in breach of numerous international human rights standards including the UN Body if Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment." On 23 March, the office of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile was vandalised by group of students after which the above-mentioned arrests were made. The university authorities also prevented JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar from entering the campus to address the students agitating over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula's mother had demanded immediate unconditional release of the 25 students and two faculty members of Hyderabad Central University, on Friday. "We demand immediate and unconditional release of all those who were arrested and sent to jail, and withdrawal of cases against them. They (students) were asking for justice for Rohith (during the protest near VC's lodge)...but were beaten up brutally by police," Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raja, along with HCU teachers and parents of some of the arrested students, told reporters. According to an earlier Firstpost report, a five-member delegation led by JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid met with the Ministry of Human Resources Department secretary VS Oberoi and submitted their demands for the removal of police presence from the campus, the dropping of false charges against students and the removal of Appa Rao from the post of vice-chancellor of the university. "The top official told us that ministry cannot do anything about removal of the V-C as it comes under the purview of the Visitor. He also said that they can't intervene on the issue of police presence as interventions are not being taken in a good manner," she said. Tensions have been mounting in the campus ever since the death of Rohith Vemula, 26, who hanged himself in Hyderabad Central University campus after he was suspended from his hostel in August last year for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader. Madurai: On Friday MDMK leader V Gopalsamy, also known as Vaiko, alleged that the DMK and BJP had made offers, including money, to DMDK leader Vijayakanth, who had rejected them to join the People's Welfare Front (PWF) to fight the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Talking to reporters in Madurai, he claimed the DMK had "offered" 80 (assembly) seats and Rs 500 crore to Vijayakanth for joining its alliance while BJP had offered him a Rajya Sabha MP post and a ministerial berth in the union cabinet." "Vijayakanth has joined us to form a corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu by rejecting the offers. Vijayakanth has created the confidence that he will provide a corruption-free government. Vijayakanth has rejected the offer of money by DMK to form a corruption-free government," Vaiko said. Reacting to the charge, DMK Treasurer MK Stalin said the party would take appropriate legal action in the matter. "In the first place no talks were held (between DMK and DMDK). How come such a thing could have happened when parleys did not take place," he said. "Premalatha has replied to this allegation. Still, since Vaiko has levelled a blatantly denigrative charge against the DMK. Our party chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) would, for sure, take appropriate legal action. Wait and see," Stalin told reporters in reply to questions on the issue. DMDK leader and Vijayakanth's wife Premalatha refused to be drawn into the controversy. "It is his (Vaiko) opinion. Anything (questions) related to this should be posed to him, we are committed to unseating the AIADMK regime," she told reporters in Tuticorin. Stating that one crore youth population who had joined the voters list, wanted a liquor and corruption-free state, Vaiko said, "We are getting more support on the social media." The first election meeting of the PWF will be held in Chennai on 20 April. Vaiko said quality education would be provided free of cost, and liquor would be abolished. Besides, the party would write off farm loan and put an end to unemployment problem, he said. PTI Shilda/Ranibandh (West Bengal): Warning the people of tribal Jangalmahal against voting for CPM, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the region would witness Maoist violence again if the party returns to power. "Now peace has returned. If you allow CPM to return to power, violence will again hit Jangalmahal (former Maoist stronghold in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts). "The area had hit the headlines for bloodshed during Left Front rule," Banerjee said at an election meeting here on the second day of her campaign in West Midnapore. She claimed that since Trinamool Congress government has come to the power, there had been an all round development of Junglemahal region and Left Wing Extremism had also been contained. Listing the development work undertaken by her government in the area, the Trinamool Congress supremo said "I am not like a cuckoo which is seen only during spring. I always come here and you always get me". Reacting to her statement, Surjya Kanta Mishra, CPM state secretary, said, "She is saying don't vote for the Opposition. She is afraid. "She said that anarchy will return. But anarchy prevailed during the rule of Trinamool Congress. Democracy is trampled and corruption is rampant," he said at Ranibandh in Bankura district while speaking at an election meeting. He alleged that under TMC rule no industry was set up and chit fund businesses flourished, while farmers did not get return for their crop and committed suicide. At Shilda, Banerjee while referring to the Congress-Left electoral pact said, "Congress and CPM have become bhai bhai (brothers). Congress has now become CPM's A team. You (the people) have to defeat Congress, CPM and BJP". Inviting CPI(M)and Congress to fight her "politically", Banerjee said the parties are jealous of the development work done by her government and have resorted to a smear campaign against TMC. She further said, "Fight me politically. I will be happy. I am nobody's enemy. There are medicines for many diseases but none for jealousy." Targeting the BJP also, she said that the party was always looking for an opportunity to foment a riot. Playing the development card, she said, "Now peace has been restored in the area and people are living in harmony. They are getting rice at Rs two per kg and also the benefits of various welfare schemes initiated by the state government". Reaching out to the voters in 'alchiki' (the language of the tribals), Banerjee said her party had also brought out the election manifesto in that language. The conflict raging in Yemen has found an echo in India, with fears growing over the alleged abduction of an Indian priest by the Islamic State. Reports are now suggesting that he may be crucified on Good Friday on 25 March. The incident has put the spotlight back on the country, which has been seeing large-scale violence and civilian strife for a year and a half. Here are the key facts relating to the case: -The priest, Father Tom Uzhunnalil was said to have been abducted after militants stormed an old age home on 4 March. The old age home is in Aden in Yemen. The gunmen killed 16 people, including four nuns, in the shootout, UK-based newspaper Daily Mirror reported -Earlier, this month, Missionaries of Charity spokeswoman Sunita Kumar said in Kolkata that Father Tom Uzhunnalil was handcuffed and taken away by the attackers when they stormed the retirement home in Aden. -In a Sunday message at Vatican City, Pope Francis called the nuns who were killed as "today's martyrs" and rued that there appeared to be global indifference towards the incident. "They do not make the front pages of the newspapers, they do not make the news. They have given their blood for the Church," he said. -Church officials from Bengaluru, however, have dismissed reports of his torture as rumours and said that they have "absolutely no information on the priest", as per the report on the website UCA News. The officials have said that the church is in constant touch with the government and that the foreign ministry is said to have stepped up efforts to locate Father Uzhunnalil. -On 6 March, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted- Yemen is a conflict zone.We do not have Embassy there.But we will spare no efforts to rescue Father Tom Uzhunnalil. https://t.co/9fsteD712b Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 6, 2016 Yemen has been gripped by violence since September 2014, when Iran-backed Huthi rebels stormed the capital Sana'a and forced the internationally recognised government to flee south to the city of Aden. More than 6,300 people have been killed in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition began an air war in March last year to push back an offensive by the Huthi rebels, who control Sana'a. Previous UN-sponsored negotiations between the Shiite rebels and government officials failed to reach a breakthrough, while a ceasefire went into force on 15 December, but it was repeatedly violated and the Saudi-led coalition announced an end to the truce on 2 January. With inputs from agencies KERBEN, Kyrgyzstan Uzbek and Kyrgyz border guards held their first face-to-face talks on Friday since both sides deployed troops and armoured vehicles in a disputed area, Kyrgyzstan said. The confrontation between the two ex-Soviet Central Asian republics has triggered public protests on the Kyrgyz side and President Almazbek Atambayev has accused his opponents of using the border standoff to try to destabilise the country. Kyrgyz and Uzbek servicemen have set up two checkpoints each along a road which connects the Kyrgyz town of Kerben with Ala-Buka, a Kyrgyz village, but crosses an area which Uzbekistan has claimed as its own territory since last Friday. "The meeting has been initiated by the Uzbek side," the Kyrgyz border service said. It gave no details on how the talks went. The border zone is not clearly demarcated. Uzbekistan stationed two armoured personnel carriers and about 40 soldiers in the area last week, prompting smaller Kyrgyzstan to send two of its own APCs and a similar number of troops. The sides had reduced the number of deployed servicement to about 10 on each side by Friday but the APCs remained there. Both governments say the confrontation is taking place on their side of the frontier. But locals on the Kyrgyz side say they used to travel along the road in question until last week without having to pass any checkpoints. Nurlan Aitmurzayev, a deputy of the local council in Kerben, said the Bishkek government had informed the council on March 18 that Ungar Too, a nearby mountain, belonged to Uzbekistan. The council has asked the government to provide legal proof. "Ungar Too is ours, we have used this mountain for ages and we will not cede it to anyone," Aitmurzayev said. "If the government cannot protect our lands, we will do it ourselves," said Janarbek Nadyrbekov, a businessman from Kerben. Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry said this week Bishkek had demanded a complete withdrawal of Uzbek troops from the area and had discussed the matter with a Russia-led security bloc. Uzbekistan has not commented on the matter since a statement run by Uzbek media a week ago. This said it had reinforced its side of the border because the frontier had been temporarily closed due to road repairs and a public holiday. (Reporting by Hulkar Isamova; additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek; writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by Gareth Jones) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. With an important nuclear conference the last Nuclear Security Summit about to start in a week, this is usually the time when articles criticising aspects of non-Western nuclear programmes coincidentally begin to appear. India has been a favoured subject recently, inspiring thoughtful prose before the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, biennial meetings of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, and annual Nuclear Suppliers Group plenaries. It is a lot of ink that only serves to reiterate what VC Trivedi, India's ambassador to the Eighteen Nation Disarmament Committee in the mid-1960s, called nuclear apartheid. The NSS has addressed issues that have not received sufficient attention in existing fora. Juicier topics such as the proliferation of nuclear weapons and sensitive related technology have their own fora in the NPT and NSG communities as well as the United Nations and other regional and bilateral frameworks. By contrast, the safety of nuclear materials seems like plain police work and has largely been left to individual states and industry to handle. Agreements such as the Convention for the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material are rare and safety regime so far inadequate. Nonetheless, participants at the NSS have taken a creative approach to nuclear safety and security, raising the possibility of even stepping away entirely from the use of plutonium and highly enriched uranium. It is in this expanded and comprehensive view of safety and security that we should also consider policy and not just the technicalities of nuclear weapons, energy, and commerce. First, it is clear that the United States needs reminding that it presently possesses a stockpile of around 7,000 nuclear weapons. This, if you can believe it, is actually the result of years of disarmament from an all-time high level of almost 30,000 nuclear weapons. Since the nuclear ayatollahs have always told us that more weapons mean more danger, it seems obvious that significantly reducing that stockpile is the place to start. Russia and the United States each have about the same number of nuclear weapons, estimated to be some 25 times (!) that of the next nuclear power, France. By contrast, India is estimated to have 120 nuclear weapons. Even granting Russia and the United States a temporary 10:1 advantage, they would still need to reduce their nuclear weapons stockpile by half before they enter the realm of reason. Second, the nuclear modernisation drive that all the treaty nuclear powers are on does not augur well for the reputation of the non-proliferation regime. Were a cynical attitude to develop among member states, international cooperation would be made even more difficult; the difficulty in having a commonsense amendment to the Convention for the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material is clear indication that faith in the global nuclear framework is eroding. During the long negotiations with Iran that recently culminated in a favourable agreement, a fear that repeatedly arose was the lack of faith in international institutions as neutral arbiters of law. India's objection to intrusive inspections that allow fuel tracking through its nuclear complex is also along similar lines of security and questionable impartiality. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed upon with Iran was a truly commendable diplomatic effort. The Islamic republic had taken creative license with its Article IV right under the NPT to enrich uranium and the international community persuaded Tehran of its obligations to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities for verification. It would be even more commendable were a similar effort put behind reminding the N5 - the five nuclear powers recognised by the NPT - of their long-pending Article VI obligation towards nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control. Until now, there seems to be no sign that the N5 have even recognised this promise. Such double standards weaken the nuclear regime that will find a challenger in every Iran and North Korea when their geopolitical situation demands it. Such hypocrisy is not new even before NPT opened for signing, the United States kept it quiet that its interpretation of Articles I and II of the treaty allowed for nuclear sharing between NATO countries; US nuclear weapons could thus be deployed to non-nuclear states such as Italy, Turkey, and West Germany. The US role in the Israeli and Pakistani acquisition of nuclear weapons, of omission or commission, certainly marks it as one of the most irresponsible nuclear powers in the world. China's overt assistance to the Pakistani nuclear programme puts it in the same company. If the world community is to accept that nuclear weapons present an unbearable risk and their proliferation must be prevented, Washington's reckless behaviour from the 1960s to the 1980s does little to convince the sceptics. A different kind of recklessness is revealed in Eric Schlosser's Command and Control, a terrifying book about the several close calls the United States had in handling nuclear weapons. To be sure, it is praiseworthy that the United States is an open society where such research was possible - other nuclear weapons states are far more hesitant to allow such information to be made public. Nonetheless, when Washington finds research in Trombay or Kalpakkam risky, it has little ground to stand on. The recent scandals involving the United States' missile men shows that this plague of poor maintenance and readiness is not yet over. Even if the attendees at the NSS were willing to let history remain in the past, there remain some serious questions regarding present US nuclear policy. Washington believes, for example, that reprocessing, even under safeguards, is an unacceptable proliferation risk and the nuclear fuel cycle must remain open. In effect, the United States believes that it is safer to bury radioactive nuclear waste for some 29,000 years than to recycle it until the most dangerous radioactive elements are burned up and store a fraction of the waste for 300 years or less. Such faith in our engineering capabilities will require some proselytism, especially when the other option promises energy security and expands fuel availability by several thousand years. Perhaps a genuine drive for nuclear safety would include the mainstreaming of thorium reactors for energy. There is plenty of intelligent speculation among nuclear energy enthusiasts that the Molten Salt Reactor programme was abandoned in the 1960s because it was not fissile material-friendly. MSRs do not remove all risk - nothing does - but they substantially reduce the security and safety implications present in light water reactors. Admittedly, nuclear research in the United States is more and more in private hands but a CCC-like (Conference on Climate Change) effort to mobilise international will and resources would address multiple concerns simultaneously. The NSS would not be the appropriate forum for such a venture but issues as grave as nuclear safety and security can know no boundaries. There is plenty to be said about the United States and N5 behaviour regarding nuclear weapons and energy, a lot of it not laudatory. This would be nice to remember the next time a column raises alarm about some allegedly new development in India. It would put the alarm in context, and chances are, the world will still be here tomorrow. WASHINGTON - Republican Ted Cruz on Friday denounced an article in the National Enquirer tabloid claiming he had extramarital affairs as "complete and utter lies" and accused rival Donald Trump of being the source of the story. The story took the Republican presidential race to a new level of personal rancor and Trump issued a statement saying he was not responsible for it. "I have nothing to do with the National Enquirer and unlike Lyin' Ted Cruz I do not surround myself with political hacks and henchman and then pretend total innocence," Trump said. Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, addressed the Enquirer story at a news conference in Wisconsin, saying, "Let me be clear. This National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies. It's tabloid smear and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen." Trump's statement pointed to other articles the Enquirer, a tabloid known for its gossip and unflattering celebrity photos, had been correct about in the past. "Ted Cruzs problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin Ted Cruz," the billionaire New York developer said. Trump and Cruz have sparred in recent days about their wives as they battle to be the Republican nominee in the November 8 election. Earlier this week Trump accused Cruz of posting a nude photo of Trump's wife, Melania, on Twitter. Cruz denied having any role in the photo being circulated on the Internet and Trump responded by threatening to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife. Cruz said the Enquirer story was evidence that Trump is unfit to be president. "This man would be an embarrassment," he said. The Enquirer published blurred images of five women with whom it said Cruz has had affairs but did not name them. Two women who appeared to be pictured in the Enquirer stepped forward on Friday and called the article false. The National Enquirer could not immediately be reached for comment on the story. Cruz' wife, Heidi Cruz, was campaigning with him on Friday and he gave her a hug and kiss before he began a town hall event. She sat off stage smiling while he spoke. This is not the first time a presidential candidate has been accused of extramarital sex. During the 1992 campaign, Gennifer Flowers came forward to detail an affair she had with Bill Clinton. Subsequently, more women admitted to having affairs with him, including then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, a Democrat, had his 1988 presidential campaign derailed when reports surfaced that he was having an affair. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards admitted to having an affair with a campaign photographer during his 2004 campaign, although the public did not learn about the romance until after he was defeated. The Enquirer's Cruz story exploded on the social media site Twitter overnight on Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, #CruzSexScandal was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson, Susan Heavey, Patrick Rucker and Alana Wise; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Bill Trott) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Prakash Nanda Terrorist attacks on Europe are becoming increasingly frequent over the past few years. Targets have been Madrid, London, Paris (twice) and now Brussels. Every time it occurs, we read and hear the standard explanations, mostly conflicting, of inadequate security measures on one hand and the lack of social cohesion on the other. However, these explanations are not sufficient to understand the menacing phenomenon. For attacks on Brussels last week, we are told that policing is pathetic in the Belgian capital that houses about 2,500 international agencies and organisations, including the headquarters of Nato, World Custom Union, Benelux (the regional organisation of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), European Commission and the Council of European Union. Brussels is a city of 11.2 million people. It has sent more foreign fighters (thanks to its large Muslim population mostly immigrants from North Africa and lately West Asia) per capita to the Islamic State than any other country in Europe. But surprisingly Belgium has small security apparatus; its federal police have a total force of about 12,000. In fact, the Belgian Secret Service (the Staatsveiligheid) has been unable even to fill its desired quota of intelligence officersa mere 750! And then, there is the countrys penal code that prohibits raids between 9 pm and 5 am unless a crime is in progress. We are also told how these security bottlenecks have something to do with the fragile political nature of Belgium as a country. Such is the fragility that that in 2010-2011 Belgium set a world record for a democracy not having an elected government for 589 days just because opposing factions were unable to form a governing coalition. This multilingual nation in which citizens speak French, Dutch and German is plagued by societal rifts and rivalry between jurisdictions. Belgium is a federation of three disparate regions having secessionist sentiments Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. The country has three separate parliaments and two distinct intelligence servicesthe civilian State Security Service and the military General Intelligence and Security Servicewhich meddle in each others affairs as little as possible. The federal police force is virtually toothless. Until recently Brussels, for instance, had 19 communes (boroughs), each of which, had its own police force. The number of communes has now come down to six, but the chaos prevails. Brussels has now six police forces, each answering to a different mayor. Such decentralisation does not help policing that needs the sharing, pooling and collating of information. On the other hand, we are told how Belgiums terrorism problem goes beyond security issues and includes social divides related not only to linguistic barriers but also to incorporating waves of Muslim immigrants in recent decades. Immigrants and their children maintain that they are ostracized and find it more difficult to get jobs. Then there is the Saudi factor Saudi money to promote radicalism among the Muslim youth in Belgium; many of them become foot soldiers of Islamic State or the Taliban. And it so happened that two Muslim brothers turned out to be the suicide bombers last week. I term this sociological argument to be secular argument in global media, an argument that is very much sympathetic (or should I say empathetic?) to the terrorists if they happen to be Muslims (and unfortunately most of the major incidents of terrorism all over the world have been triggered by the Muslims). I do not know whether one could describe these secularists to be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome vis-a-vis the Islamic terrorists, but I can summarise that their sympathy or empathy is based mainly on three points: One, there must be a distinction between the terrorists as individuals and their religion, Islam, which, all told, is a great religion of peace. Two, these terrorists are only reacting to the grave injustice to the Muslims perpetrated by the Western countries and their allies (and friends like India) in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Kashmir. Three, these terrorists also happen to be the victims of so-called democracy and capitalism in non-Muslim-majority countries in the sense that they are badly nurtured and remain deprived and depraved. Naturally they have a grudge against this society for having rejected them. This, in turn, leads them to the religion as depicted by the Islamic fundamentalists, which they think to provide an emphatic rejoinder to the identity offered by Western society. The fundamentalists allure the likes of them by employing starkly religious language and invoking religious texts that promise other-worldly rewards as compensation for this-worldly sacrifice, including the guarantee of eternal Paradise, and most famously, the lascivious offering of seventy-two heavenly virgins. Well, these are the standard sympathetic and empathetic arguments that one comes across whenever any terrorist attack takes place in the West, particularly in Europe. The main point here is to make a clear distinction between Islam as a religion and the Muslim attackers, who are mostly immigrants from the former colonies (in fact, some of them are also new converts from other religions, Christianity in particular) leading a life that is a heady mix of unemployment, crime, drugs, institutional racism and endemic cycles of poverty and disenfranchisement. To buttress these arguments, it is also stressed that the attackers are in a minority and that the majority of the Muslims in Western cities is law-abiding. I have a problem with this school of thought. I am of the considered opinion that despite what they preach, each religion in the world has been associated with violence in some form or the other. Therefore, a religion committed to peace should be seen in terms of how it has handled violence and co-existed with others over the years. And here, the record of Islam is abysmal, indeed. Forget about the derelict Muslim youth; apostasy and blasphemy are the serious offences, leading eventually to death sentences in a brutal manner, are the official policies in countries in North Africa, West Asia and Pakistan. And all of them are Islamic countries. Therefore, to say that Islam does not have an issue with violent actions and that many of the fundamental tenets of Islamic faith do not authorise and even encourage violence is evading the truth. No religion, other than Islam in todays world, uses the sword to kill and convert its enemies. Though it is true that not all Muslims share this zeal, the fact remains that Islam does have an issue with violence. Any lingering doubt on this score can be further dispelled from the Muslims attitude towards secularism. Let it be admitted that secularism as an idea took birth in the Christian West. It made a clear distinction between public and private life, in which religion was relegated to the private sphere with no hold over public life. In fact, it is the secular politics that explains why the immigrant communities, including Muslims, do receive in Western Europe some of the most generous benefits such as free education, free health, subsidised housing, and multiple other handouts from the State. There are many charms in secularism, in particular the freedom to believe what you will do in private. But this is something many Muslims, including those even in India, will not agree with. For them, the very distinction between private and public is either meaningless or unacceptable. It is highly unlikely that the Islamic world will embrace secularism even if peace comes to Iraq and Afghanistan, Muslims occupy Kashmir or Israel is destroyed. What then is the way out? I have not come across any strategic thinker of repute finding an answer to this question. Those empathetic or sympathetic to the cause of Islamic terror have opted for the easier course of what I think simply surrendering to the Islamists cause. The Indian secularists fall in this category, though strictly speaking, Indian secularism is different from Western secularism. In the absence of any official definition, Indian secularism, the way it has been practiced, does not even imply equal treatments of all, let alone making a distinction between public and private life. Indian secularism has one set of rules for majority Hindus and another set of rules for minoritiesone can lambast Hindu beliefs, but he or she has to be very sensitive when matters pertain to minorities; the government can make and regulate laws for Hindus and their places of worship, but it cannot dare to touch the minorities, particularly the Muslims. Under Indian secularism, we do not have even uniform civil laws. Ultimately, Islamic terrorism is an ideological wara war between those who believe in peaceful co-existence and pluralities of beliefs and those who say that theirs is the only way that must prevail. And it is going to be a protracted war. This does not mean that we have to get rid of Islam, or treat Muslims with hostility, but it means that we can no longer indulge in the false equivalencies peddled by our coward secularists. We have to be proud of and preserve our principles of equality, justice, co-existence and peace by ensuring that the numbers are in our favour. India will remain secular as long as the Hindus constitute the overwhelming majority, because a true Hindu always respects differences. Halliburton (HAL 7.01%) has encountered new opposition in its bid to close its long delayed merger with rival Baker Hughes (BHI). Along with facing stiff regulatory hurdles in an effort to address competitive concerns, now the company is facing a vocal backlash from big oil companies. Both French oil giant Total (TTE 0.64%) and U.S. supermajor Chevron (CVX 2.50%) are now voicing their concerns. This adds even more uncertainty to an already uncertain situation. "Not good news" Halliburton initially reached an agreement to buy Baker Hughes in late 2014, but the deal has been the subject an intense global regulatory review because it proposes to combine the second and third largest oil-field service companies, which would reduce competition. That's not something that sits well with Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne, who at an industry conference this week said that, "Obviously when you have less competition in service providers, I'm not in favor." He also said that the merger was "not good news" for exploration and production companies because the reduced competition would likely result in higher prices for services. Total's CEO is not alone in his disdain for the proposed tie-up. Chevron's Brazilian subsidiary has complained to that country's regulator about the proposed merger. According to regulatory filings, Chevron said that the acquisition would reduce the number of large service providers for certain products from three to just two. That could result in higher prices for key products and services in Brazil such as completion tools and cementing services. A widening gap At issue, when it comes down to it, is exactly the concern voiced by Chevron. There is no viable No. 4 player on a global scale to fill the role Baker Hughes had served in scores of markets. That equates to less competition for contracts. That's because the fourth largest oil-field service company at the moment, Weatherford (NYSE: WFT), lags behind the group in terms of size while also being weighed down by a weaker balance sheet: As one can plainly see, Weatherford has generated just $9.4 billion in revenue over the past year compared to a combined $39.4 billion for Halliburton and Baker Hughes. Further, it has $7.4 billion in debt, which is actually just as much as Halliburton had prior to borrowing $7.5 billion to facilitate its merger with Baker Hughes. Even with that debt the combined company would have four times the revenue but only slightly more than double the debt sported by Weatherford. Though it is worth noting that Halliburton and Baker Hughes have proposed to sell a number of assets, such concessions are unlikely to change industry dynamics meaningfully. It's those proposed asset sales that are seen as the key to this merger being approved. Halliburton has proposed an ever growing list of divestitures that it hopes will appease the concerns of regulators that the deal would stifle competition. However, the problem with these proposals is that Weatherford isn't seen as a likely buyer for these assets, with private equity funds or industrial buyers rumored to be the most likely bidders. As such, the merger has the potential to fragment competition at the bottom so that there would still be no viable third bidder in key markets, which is what has Chevron worried in Brazil. Investor takeaway Not only is Halliburton trying to convince regulators that it can combine with Baker Hughes and not stifle competition, but it has to convince its customers that the deal won't increase their costs. Given the comments from Total's CEO and the regulatory filing of Chevron's subsidiary in Brazil, that's going to be a tough sell. Needless to say, with a growing list of customers actively fighting the deal, it will make it much harder for global competition regulators to approve this deal unless a viable third competitor can emerge in these key markets. Health plan satisfaction. Almost sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? The process -- from searching for and purchasing a health plan, to setting up appointments with physicians and being referred to specialists as needed -- can seem like a hassle more times than not. However, according to a recently released report from J.D. Power last week, health plan satisfaction rose among the 31,867 commercial health plan members surveyed in 2016 for a second consecutive year, and it now sits at its highest level since the Affordable Care Act (which you likely know better as Obamacare) went into effect at the beginning of 2014. Health plan satisfaction rises again J.D. Power, which uses a 1,000-point scale where a higher score equates to higher member satisfaction, notes that health plan satisfaction edged higher by nine points in 2016 to 688. It also jumped in 2015 to 679 after hitting a low-water mark of 669 in 2014. What's influencing this steady rise in customers' satisfaction with their health plans? J.D. Power observed a distinct difference, in many instances, between regions that had a competitive landscape among insurers versus regions where one health-benefit provider controlled in excess of 50% of market share. This would certainly make a lot of sense logically since a competitive environment would encourage insurers to compete with each other on price and benefits offered in order to lure in new members and retain existing ones. Conversely, minimally contested regions offer few incentives for major players to lower their premiums to competitive levels. Specifically, the report cites a four-point advantage in member satisfaction in competitive markets in plan cost (610 versus 606), a three-point gap in customer service satisfaction (743 versus 740), and a five-point difference in information and communication (646 versus 641). The one anomaly observed between competitive regions and single-plan regions was "provider choice with their plan." There, there was an 11-point satisfaction advantage (759 versus 748) for the non-competitive regions, which likely ties into the fact that less competitive regions are likely to have simpler, and fewer, plans to choose from. Sometimes too many choices can overwhelm consumers, and this is likely the source of this satisfaction disparity. Including all 18 regions, plan satisfaction was most positively influenced by coverage and benefits (+12 points), information and communication (+11), and customer service (+10) in this year's survey. Here's the big surprise But there's an even bigger surprise than just the fact that health plan satisfaction rose once again. Among the key findings of J.D. Power's report was that there was a slight decrease in monthly premiums for family plans and individual plans. Family plan monthly premiums dipped to an average of $355 in 2016 from $374 in 2015, while individual plan premiums dropped $9 to $207. What makes this so surprising is that we're seeing the exact opposite effect play out in Obamacare's marketplace exchanges. An analysis conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation of 50 major cities across 49 states estimated that average premium price increases were set to hit 10.1% in 2016. A separate analysis from Freedom Partners, which looked at all states individually, noted similar large price jumps, including four states with premium price hikes expected to reach at least 30% on average. The primary concern appears to be that a number of insurers failed to effectively and realistically price their plans over the first two years of Obamacare's official implementation. That's a problem, because healthfully profitable insurers were expected to contribute to the risk corridor, a fund that was designed to provide financial assistance to money-losing insurers on the Obamacare exchanges. With the risk corridor only paying out about an eighth of what was requested by a number of insurers, quite a handful simply closed their doors, including more than half of Obamacare's healthcare cooperatives. The fact that surveyed consumers' premium prices fell is an important reminder that Obamacare's influence remains comparably small compared to the employer-sponsored health insurance market. Private insurance exchanges and direct purchases also comprise market share of their own. In other words, the larger chunk of the health-benefits market appears to be working efficiently, even if Obamacare is having "hiccups." The formula to keeping members happy On top of declining premiums, J.D. Power listed the evolution of health plans into "wellness partners," and the utilization of integrated delivery systems (i.e., a network of healthcare and health insurance organizations that work cohesively as one organization) as the three "findings" that were pushing member satisfaction higher. Or, in simpler terms, the consumer wants to feel as if their insurer and physician network are operating seamlessly, that they're getting good value for their plan, and that their insurer genuinely cares about their well-being. Which insurers scored highest? The truth is that it depends on the region. Some health insurers that outpaced the competition in one state or region brought up the caboose in others. There were, however, some consistent performers that stood out. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan ranked as the highest-scoring plan in five of the 18 regions/states surveyed, which is pretty impressive. The reason for high levels of customer satisfaction likely stems from Kaiser Foundation Health Plan being a non-profit organization. Customers probably feel pretty good knowing that their premiums are going to fund patient care and not being pocketed by bigwig executives. Who didn't do well? I'd suggest Anthem (ELV 1.76%) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH 2.47%) offered some disappointing results. Anthem, which runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans for profit in 14 states and operates as a private entity in the remaining states finished in the middle of the pack or toward the bottom in many instances. The same can be said of UnitedHealth Group's UnitedHealthcare, which took last place in more than one instance. It's probably not surprising that UnitedHealthcare finds itself struggling to keep its members happy given its troubles on Obamacare's marketplace exchanges. The company warned its investors that it could lose nearly $1 billion, cumulatively, between 2015 and 2016 on its Obamacare plans. UnitedHealth Group blamed higher medical use rates and the ease of consumers switching plans as the reason for its steep losses, and cautioned that it could exit Obamacare's exchanges by as soon as 2017. Being openly disgruntled with Obamacare may not be helping its image. Anthem is a bit tougher to figure out. It's been having solid success in states like California and New York, and it's been a big benefactor of Medicaid expansion, which has occurred in 31 total states. It's possible that Anthem's size is its biggest downfall. As a for-profit organization (in 14 states), consumers may simply feel that they aren't getting a good value or smooth integration of healthcare services. If this report shows us anything, it's that we may want to keep a close eye on UnitedHealth and Anthem, which could both potentially lose market share to private and non-profit plans if consumers remain consistently less satisfied. While Ford Motor Co. and General Motors are generating record profits right now, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) still has an immense amount of work to do on its turnaround story. Its biggest success thus far has easily been Jeep, which is very effectively growing sales in the U.S. and gaining ground globally. However, if FCA is gong to make itself more enticing to investors, the automaker desperately needs to expand its Alfa Romeo and Maserati lineups the same way it did for Jeep. That will be a process that takes years, but Maserati's Levante will be one of the first big tests on that path for the brand. Levante needs to deliver Maserati is aiming to deliver a winner in the hot luxury-crossover segment with the Levante. The vehicle will have to pull its weight if the brand is to reach its goal of selling 50,000 units globally next year -- compared to roughly 32,000 in 2015 -- and then another step up to 75,000 in 2018. FCA notes that the worldwide market targeted by the Levante has surged 40% over the past five years to about 500,000 vehicles sold in 2015. The thing is, this is Maserati's first SUV, so a successful debut is far from guaranteed, especially in a segment that boasts competition like the Porsche Cayenne. Add to that the challenge that this luxury SUV will have to fit all molds as it tries to rope in consumers in the U.S., Europe, and China markets. As it stands currently, deliveries in Europe will start as soon as May, while customers in Asia and North America will have to wait until July and September, respectively. While investors and consumers will have to wait to see if Maserati's first SUV is a success, it at least looks the part. The Levante will be sold with a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbocharged engine with either 350 hp or 430 hp (depending on the trim), all-wheel drive, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Maserati described the Levante as having sporty handling and performance, with the lowest center of gravity in its class and a 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear. And it can all be yours for the low price of 70,000 euros. So, besides the fact that sales of crossovers are surging globally, why is producing the brand's first crossover a no-brainer? It's a simple answer: The margins are ridiculous. A crossover is simply an SUV built on a car's platform, hence the name. The automaker is essentially taking a vehicle platform that would sell starting around $16,000 as a car, and turning it into a crossover that can start around $27,000. The cost to make such a switch is roughly $543, as Ford Europe President Jim Farley noted in a recent article in Automotive News. What's the key? In my opinion, the Levante has everything it needs to be a winner, but the key will be its distribution and marketing in North America. Maserati plans to grow its dealership network in North America from 116 outlets to 130 by the end of 2016, up from about 50 dealerships as recently as 2012. If it can succeed here right off the bat, don't be surprised when Maserati is able to surpass its goal of 50,000 units sold next year. However, if the design is a flop in the U.S. market, it'll be a couple of bumpy years for FCA's efforts to expand the luxury marque. Many seniors struggle financially when they go from earning a salary to living off a more limited fixed income. That's why it's important for retirees to take advantage of whatever tax breaks come their way. Here are three in particular you should know about. 1. Roth IRA distributions When you save for retirement with a traditional IRA, the withdrawals you take as a senior are subject to ordinary income taxes, which means you'll automatically lose a portion of each distribution to the IRS. Roth IRA distributions, however, are taken tax-free, which means once you start removing money from your account in retirement, you get to pocket those withdrawals in full. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. While Roth IRAs don't offer the same up-front tax benefits as traditional IRAs, opening a Roth can help minimize some of the tax-related risks many seniors face in retirement. For example, traditional IRAs impose required minimum distributions (RMDs) once you turn 70-1/2, which come with their own tax consequences. Roth IRAs don't impose RMDs, thereby removing this concern. Furthermore, while you know what your tax rate looks like today, we can't know how tax brackets will shake out in the future. Eliminating taxes on withdrawals can help you protect yourself from unfavorable changes over time. 2. Medical expense deductions Healthcare is a huge burden for many retirees. The good news is that if you spend a large enough chunk of your income on healthcare costs, you'll be eligible for a tax break. The medical expense deduction allows taxpayers to deduct healthcare expenses that exceed 10% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). So if your AGI for the year is $50,000 and you spend $6,000 on medical expenses, you'd be eligible to deduct $1,000 on your taxes. As long as you retain detailed records, you can include things like in-office and drug copays, Medicare premiums, and travel to and from appointments (including parking fees). 3. Credit for the elderly or disabled The credit for the elderly or disabled offers a much-needed dose of tax relief to low-income seniors and disabled Americans. Though most seniors don't qualify because of the income limits involved, if you are eligible for the credit, it could reduce your taxes significantly. Here's a quick refresher on how tax credits works. Unlike deductions, which reduce the amount of your income subject to taxes, a tax credit is a dollar for dollar reduction of your tax liability. If your effective tax rate is 25% and you score a $1,000 tax deduction, you'll get a tax savings of $250. But with a tax credit, you'll directly shave $1,000 off your tax bill. In order to qualify for the tax credit for the elderly or disabled, you must be 65 or older by the end of the tax year you're claiming the credit for, or retired on permanent and total disability with taxable disability income. Here's what the current income limits look like for this credit: Tax Filing Status Adjusted Gross Income Limit Nontaxable Social Security, Pension, Annuity, or Disability Income Limit Single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child $17,500 $5,000 Married filing jointly with one qualifying spouse $20,000 $5,000 Married filing jointly with two qualifying spouses $25,000 $7,500 Married filing separately, and both spouses lived apart during the year $12,500 $3,750 DATA SOURCE: IRS. As you can see, qualifying for this credit gets tricky, especially since you won't be eligible if your income exceeds the limit in either of the above categories. But if you are eligible, you could reduce your taxes by up to $7,500. One final thing to keep in mind about the credit for the elderly or disabled is that it isn't refundable. This means that if it knocks your taxes down below $0, you won't get a check for the difference. That said, wiping out your tax liability can still work wonders for your finances, so if you're a lower earner, it pays to run the numbers and see if you're eligible. Many seniors are caught off-guard by the taxes they need to pay in retirement. The more tax breaks you're able to capitalize on, the more income you'll get to retain at a time in your life when you need that money the most. The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. SOURCE: FLICKR USER BILL BROOKS. A jury in Northern California has weighed in and decided that Gilead Sciences' mega-blockbuster drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni violate two patents co-owned by Merck & Co and Ionis Pharmaceuticals . However, the $200 million check Gilead Sciences may have to write to compensate Merck and Ionis Pharmaceutical for infringing on those patents is far shy of the multibillion dollar super-sized payday these companies were hoping for. Gilead Sciences is likely to appeal the case, so let's learn more about it. First, some backgroundPatent 7,105,499 was filed by Merck and Ionis Pharmaceuticals back in 2001, and patent 8,481,712 was filed by Merck and Ionis Pharmaceuticals in 2007. Both patents stem from work the two companies did together in the late 1990s on the use of nucleotides to inhibit hepatitis C viral replication. SOURCE: MERCK & CO. Gilead Sciences' Sovaldi is an inhibitor of nucleotide NS5B, a key enzyme responsible for hepatitis C replication. Gilead Sciences acquired Sovaldi when it purchased Pharmasset, Sovaldi's inventor, for $11.2 billion in 2012. After large (and costly) late-stage trials proved that Sovaldi can deliver a functional cure for hepatitis C patients, the FDA approved Sovaldi in December 2013. Since then, Sovaldi has become the backbone of Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C franchise, which also includes Harvoni, a mash-up that combines Sovaldi with ledipasvir, an inhibitor of NS5A, another key cog in HCV replication. Harvoni won FDA approval in October 2014. Both Sovaldi and Harvoni were instant successes, and today, they remain doctors' go-to treatment of choice. As a result, Sovaldi and Harvoni's combined sales were $12.4 billion in 2014, and $19.1 billion in 2015, including $23 billion in the U.S. sales subject to the patent case. Billions at stakeAfter determining that Gilead Sciences' HCV drugs infringed upon its patents, Merck approached Gilead Sciences seeking royalties tied to Sovaldi's and Harvoni's sales. Gilead Sciences refused, leading Merck to file its patent lawsuit in hopes of being awarded 10% of Gilead Sciences' past hepatitis C revenue, and a similar royalty rate on Gilead Sciences' future hepatitis C drug sales. If that 10% had been awarded, Gilead Sciences would have had to hand over $2.3 billion to Merck for its historical hepatitis C sales. It could have also led to Gilead Sciences paying Merck an additional $1.2 billion annually in royalties on future sales, based on last year's U.S. sales pace. That would've been a lot of money, especially for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, which is entitled to 20% of any money paid to Merck by Gilead Sciences, after legal expenses. A 10% royalty to Merck could have meant a $460 million payday to Ionis Pharmaceuticals for past Sovaldi and Harvoni sales, and another $240 million per year in revenue going forward on future sales (again, based on 2015's U.S. sales pace). Because Ionis Pharmaceuticals lost $88.3 million last year, the money would've been a huge windfall that would've turned it into a profitable biotech seemingly overnight. SOURCE: FLICKR USER PICTURES OF MONEY. Paying the piperInstead of applying Merck's and Ionis Pharmaceuticals' 10% figure to Sovaldi's and Harvoni's total sales, the jury decided on another method to calculate Gilead Sciences' payment. The jury reduced historical sales by the amount of money that Gilead Sciences had invested in the development of Sovaldi and Harvoni, which left them with a figure of just $5 billion to calculate what was due Merck and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Also, they opted on a 4% royalty rate, rather than a 10% rate. As a result, they determined that a $200 million payment from Gilead Sciences to Merck for past sales was fair compensation. Legal expenses can be high in these cases, so that determination would translate into a payment to Ionis Pharmaceuticals of less than $40 million. Looking aheadThe jury hasn't said what the royalty rate should be on future sales, but applying a 4% rate to last year's $12.4 billion in U.S. sales gets us to a figure of $500 million, of which about $100 million could end up in Ionis Pharmaceuticals' coffers. That would still be a handsome check for Ionis Pharmaceuticals investors. Investors, however, shouldn't base their decisions to buy or sell any of these companies based on this news. Gilead Sciences has said that they will appeal this decision. If an appeals court backs up this court's decision, any checks to Merck and Ionis Pharmaceuticals could still be years away from being written or cashed. The article Patent Payoff? Merck's and Ionis Pharmaceuticals' Take Could Be Tiny originally appeared on Fool.com. Todd Campbell owns shares of Gilead Sciences. Todd owns E.B. Capital Markets, LLC. E.B. Capital's clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Gilead Sciences and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. 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. Doctors at a San Francisco hospital on Friday completed kidney transplant surgeries in a rare organ-transplant chain from living donors that resulted in healthy kidneys going to six sick people. The group of 12 donors and recipients, ranging in age from 24 to 70-years-old, were recovering after their operations at California Pacific Medical Center, said hospital spokesman Dean Fryer. "All the surgeries went smoothly. Everybody is now in their recovery rooms and getting some well-deserved rest," Fryer said, adding that donors typically can be released in two to three days and recipients in three to five days. The first round of operations began on Thursday and all the surgeries were completed by late Friday afternoon, Fryer said. Five surgeons and dozens of hospital staff were on hand for the two days of procedures, he said. Among those recovering from Thursdays surgery was Zully Broussard, 55, of Sacramento, California, a so-called altruistic donor who had triggered the domino effect. Broussard, whose son and husband both died of cancer, offered to donate a kidney to a friend, but the friend ultimately had to use another donor, according to hospital officials. Broussard was still willing to donate, so she was matched with a man she did not know from Benicia, California. That man's sister-in-law, who was not a match for him, agreed to donate her kidney to a Fresno woman, while her son, in turn, would be a donor for another woman, and so on. This was the largest kidney swap in the 44-year history of California Pacific's transplant center. In 2011, the hospital became the state's first to do a five-way swap, Fryer said. An internal 2011 State Department cable, obtained by Fox News, shows that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's office told employees not to use personal email for security reasons -- while at the same time, Clinton conducted all government business on a private account. Sent to diplomatic and consular staff in June 2011, the unclassified cable, bearing Clinton's electronic signature, made clear to employees they were expected to "avoid conducting official Department business from your personal e-mail accounts." The message also said employees should not "auto-forward Department email to personal email accounts which is prohibited by Department policy. The cable underscores that government policy strongly discouraged officials from using personal email and violators faced disciplinary action, even though Clinton for years relied exclusively on hers and her own server -- to conduct official business. The White House, without condemning Clintons activities, has made clear that employees were urged to use government accounts. The 2011 cable, bearing the subject line Securing Personal E-mail Accounts, told employees to secure personal/home email addresses, given increased targeting of government employees by online adversaries. It also emphasized that these personal accounts should never be used for government business and cited department procedures which prohibit the practices. The cited section from the Foreign Affairs Manual states: It is the Departments general policy that normal day-to-day operations be conducted on an authorized AIS [the authorized department information system] which has the proper level of security control to provide nonrepudiation, authentication and encryption, to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the resident information. Employees should be aware that transmissions from the Departments OpenNet to and from non-U.S. Government Internet addresses, and other .gov or .mil addresses, unless specifically directed through an approved secure means, traverse the Internet unencrypted. In addition to the 2011 cable, a 2012 inspector general report chastised a former ambassador to Kenya for among other issues using commercial email to do official business. That ambassador, Scott Gration, resigned shortly before the scathing IG report was released. In 2013, the FBI raided the home of former CIA Director David Petraeus. Petraeus pleaded guilty this week to the improper storage of classified material, in this case keeping several black notebooks documenting his wartime career in an unlocked drawer. Fox News asked the bureaus senior spokesman if they were concerned the servers at Clintons home might also contain classified information, and, therefore, were also improperly stored. Asked if they were officially looking into the matter, FBI spokesman Michael Kortan said: Were not. You may want to check with State. Fox News asked the State Department how the 2011 cable, sent under Clintons signature, was consistent with her own use of a personal email account, and there was no immediate response. EXCLUSIVE: An email from a top Clinton adviser containing classified military intelligence information, and one from a top aide containing classified information about the Benghazi terror attack, were the documents that kick-started the FBI investigation into the mishandling of classified information, Fox News has learned. The emails, among thousands on Hillary Clinton's personal server, were released to the Benghazi select committee in May and have been widely discussed but Fox News for the first time has identified which Clinton aides sent them and the subject matter. The revelation came as the Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state tried to brush aside the burgeoning scandal, joking at a campaign event when asked by Fox News whether she had wiped her private server clean, "What, like with a cloth or something? I don't know how it works digitally at all." Clinton last week handed the FBI her private server, which she used to send, receive and store emails during her four years as secretary of state. Fox News has identified two of the Benghazi-related emails on the server that were deemed to contain classified information at the time they were sent. More On This... The first was forwarded by Clinton adviser Huma Abedin and contained classified material from military intelligence sources. The 2011 email forwards a warning about how then-Ambassador Chris Stevens was "considering departure from Benghazi" amid deteriorating conditions in a nearby city. The email was mistakenly released by the State Department in full, and is now considered declassified. The second was sent by Clinton aide Jake Sullivan and contained classified information as well as sensitive law enforcement information on Benghazi. The partly redacted November 2012 email detailed how Libyan police had arrested "several people" with potential connections to the terror attack. Abedin and Sullivan now work for the Clinton presidential campaign. A spokeswoman for the intelligence community inspector general confirmed to Fox News that the information was classified at the time it was sent. But Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon says the information was not classified at the time the emails were sent. In maintaining this position, the campaign pointed to the fact that the State Department shared this judgment, as the Abedin email was released in full by the State Department on its FOIA website. The campaign spokesman acknowledged there is disagreement with the intelligence community inspector general. A State Department spokesman said they shared Fallon's stance. The emails are now just a fraction of those under review by the intelligence community. On Tuesday, while Clinton joked about her server's apparently missing contents, Fox News has learned the FBI is aggressively trying to recover the data. An intelligence source familiar with the review told Fox News that FBI investigators are confident they may be able to recover some of the deleted files, a detail first reported by NBC News. Yet at the contentious press conference on Tuesday, Clinton insisted anything she did with her email server was "legally permitted." In the press conference following a Las Vegas town hall meeting Tuesday, Fox News' Ed Henry pressed the Democratic presidential candidate by pointing out that leadership is about taking responsibility. "Look, Ed, I take responsibility," Clinton replied. "In retrospect, this didn't turn out to be convenient at all and I regret that this has become such a cause celebre. But that does not change the facts. The facts are stubborn -- what I did was legally permitted." The FBI is holding Clinton's server in protective custody after the intelligence community's inspector general raised concerns recently that classified information had traversed the system. Clinton told reporters she was "very comfortable that this will eventually get resolved and the American people will have plenty of time to figure it out." When asked whether she oversaw the process to wipe the server clean, Clinton said, "my personal emails are my personal business. Right? We went through a painstaking process and through 55,000 pages we thought could be worth relating," she continued. "Under the law, that decision is made by the official. I was the official. I made those decisions." As she departed the room, a reporter asked whether the email scandal will ever end, Clinton turned to reporters shrugged and said, "Nobody talks to me about it other than you guys." Fox News' Ed Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report. When a U.S. special operations team suddenly surrounded the car carrying the Islamic State's second in command, he was given the split-second option of surrendering. Instead, he began firing. "He made a bad choice," a senior military source told Fox News. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Abu Ala al-Afri and Haji Imam, died in a hail of bullets early Thursday morning on an isolated road in eastern Syria, a location described by U.S. military officials as being "in the middle of nowhere." Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a press conference Friday he was ISIS' finance minister. But the terror leader also was considered the man most likely to take over for ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, if he were captured or killed. Details of the takedown emerged Friday, including descriptions of the elite U.S. assault force arriving in helicopters as drones flew overhead, tracking him. When al-Afri refused to surrender, he and all those with him were killed. If he had been captured, he would have been interrogated and then handed over to Iraqi authorities. The U.S. team had been practicing the mission for weeks. "It was a really good mission," one source familiar with the developments told Fox News. "It was precision and went as planned." "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said at the news conference. The removal of this ISIL leader will hamper the organizations ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of Iraq and Syria." Carter described the target as responsible for funding ISIS operations and involved in some external affairs and plots. He said this was the second senior leader successfully targeted this month, in addition to the groups minister of war Omar al-Shishani, or Omar the Chechen, killed in a recent U.S. airstrike. A U.S. official told Fox News that the Brussels terror attack earlier this week prompted the raid in Syria. Al-Afri is a former physics professor from Iraq who originally joined Al Qaeda in 2004. After spending time in an Iraqi prison, he was released in 2012 and traveled to Syria to join up with what is now ISIS. On May 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his role with ISIS. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, also said at the press conference that more U.S. troops might be headed to Iraq soon. "The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks, Dunford said. But that decision hasn't been made." He added that despite a number of high profile strikes against the terrorists, by no means would I say that we're about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over." Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. !--StartFragment--> State Department officials were never sure what to make of a special tech assistant who former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton brought in as a political appointee, according to email exchanges that took place at the time. Those exchanges were included in a newly unveiled letter that Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent last week to Patrick Kennedy, the department's under secretary for management. Lawmakers are trying to find who in the department, if anyone, participated in the oversight of a private server that Clinton used to process her email. The exchange reveals the confusion officials expressed over Clinton's naming of Bryan Pagliano, who set up Clinton's basement server, as a political appointee, elevating him beyond the status of typical IT workers in the department. The secretary's appointees are typically intended to report to appointees of the president, but because no one in the tech department fit that description, Pagliano's supervision fell to Kennedy. However, Kennedy has disavowed knowledge of Pagliano's activities in Clinton's basement. "Pagliano and Kennedy had little contact," the department reportedly told Reuters. Other employees in the IT department similarly denied knowing anything. Susan Swart, who served as Clinton's chief adviser on the departmental IT systems, and her deputy, Charlie Wisecarver, both denied having knowledge, in spite of supervising Pagliano within the IT department. Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com Sometimes what Congress doesnt do is more significant than what it does do. At first blush, the virtual absence of discussion regarding Congress approving a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to combat ISIL in the wake of the Brussels terrorism attacks might be breathtaking. But lets make something clear: Congress was never going to approve a constitutionally-mandated authorization to take on the Islamic State, regardless of whether terrorists rocked Brussels -- or hit Paris or the offices of Charlie Hebdo. This is a debate about a debate that hasnt happened for close to three years now. Many lawmakers from both major political parties think Congress and the administration may potentially run afoul of the Constitution and the law when sending U.S. forces to strike and combat ISIL or ISIS, a the terror group is otherwise known, without a specific blessing from Capitol Hill. But it might not matter as to the success or failure of defeating ISIL. Thats because many are completely disheartened about the strategy -- or the paucity of any strategy -- whether it arises from the White House or the halls of Congress. The administration is not going to change its strategy, said one senior Republican lawmaker. And neither the House nor Senate plans to vote on any authorization anytime soon. For years, the administration and some lawmakers of both parties asserted that Congress didnt need to adopt a new authorization for ISIL. Congress approved a broad, open-ended war authority just days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The next fall, Congress sanctioned another resolution to pre-emptively invade Iraq. There is a dispute as to whether those authorizations maintain standing in the current conflict with ISIL. As for a new AUMF? Its goose may have been cooked as far back as August, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron lost a symbolic vote in the House of Commons that August that would have granted the United Kingdom authority to join the U.S. in airstrikes against the Syrian regime after the use of chemical weapons. The British people do not want to see British military action and I get that and the government will act accordingly, said Cameron following the vote. In Washington, lawmakers streamed back to the Capitol over the summer recess for intelligence briefings and to hear about the U.S. plan to get involved. The vote in London was reasonably close. But there were never more than a few handfuls of votes on Capitol Hill to back President Obamas effort in Syria. So Congress sat that one out -- and hasnt truly revisited the issue since. Thats not to say there hasnt been talk. More than a year ago, Obama crafted an ISIL authorization that he sent to Capitol Hill. Then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, sat on it for months. Come spring of 2015, Boehner declared the authorization dead and asked for another one. The administration didnt bother. The issue lay dormant until November. Terrorism attacks in Paris and San Bernardino bolstered interest in an AUMF. There was discussion over the winter at the House and Senate Republican retreat in Baltimore about designing an authorization. House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., commissioned listening sessions to consider whether and how Congress could or should forge an AUMF. Coalitions of bipartisan lawmakers indicated it was critical that Congress weigh in on the fight. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a plan designed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and set it up for possible floor debate, bypassing any committee preparation. But so far, the Senate hasnt touched that initiative, either. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was one of the few who directly commented about an AUMF after Belgium on the day of the attack. Massie struggles with the mission creep of the 2001 and 2002 authorizations. He says any new authorization should supersede the old ones and be limited in scope, enemy and geography. Writing an AUMF is challenging because nobody wants to handcuff a president. But they also dont want to green-light open-ended war. Why no authorization after all of these years? There are a couple of reasons. First, lawmakers are loathe to commit to war -- especially considering the Iraq and Afghanistan experiences. Those still resonate. Secondly, members of Congress dont think the public can stomach ground troops. Air strikes may not be enough. But is the U.S. public really ready for ISIL to release videos of them incinerating U.S. service personnel locked in cages? Is it any wonder Congress simply lacks the votes or wherewithal to touch any AUMF? That said, the recent U.S. strike on an al Shabaab training camp that killed 150 fighters in Somalia prompted questions as to whether the military stretched existing war-making authority. American forces have the right to defend themselves in peace and war, regardless of a congressional resolution. But its unclear if the self-defense doctrine applies in this case. Still, if the U.S. doesnt engage, theres a possibility Europe might. Terrorists have struck Europe three times in a little more than a year. Our European partners are going to leave us behind, predicted one lawmaker who asked not to be identified. Belgium was on the highest alert since November. The attack in Brussels was more compelling that what the intelligence showed (ISIL) was capable of. European action could compel Congress to act on an AUMF since terrorists have attacked two major European capitals. One wonders how that fated August, 2013, vote in the British House of Commons might go now. But whats strange. Congressional approval of an AUMF to counter ISIL doesnt necessarily improve the strategy. To be clear, lawmakers on all sides believe its important that Congress align with the Constitution on war powers. However, the discussion about completing an AUMF as an end to defeating ISIL may be an academic debate -- not a practical one. An authorization does not necessarily translate to a strategy -- let alone a successful strategy. The irony is the debate over an AUMF lingered for years and the ISIL threat only matured. Of course, Congress was resolute in its decision to pursue al Qaeda and the Taliban after 9/11. It took an event on the scale of Paris, Paris and Brussels combined to stoke those fires on Capitol Hill. With two existing AUMFs from 2001 and 2002, would an attack on U.S. soil start the AUMF debate anew in Washington? Unclear. But the real question is whether a new AUMF would make any difference. Bernie Sanders is looking ever-westward for a shot at significantly closing Hillary Clintons delegate lead or even taking his against-the-odds bid to the Democratic convention and is aiming to stage a comeback starting this weekend in Washington state. The state, anchored by the very liberal city of Seattle, is seen as friendly territory for the democratic socialist senator from Vermont, and is one of the most valuable delegate prizes left on the presidential primary map. It offers 101 delegates in Saturdays caucuses but Sanders will not only need to win, but win big to make any measurable difference in the race against Clinton. The senator was buoyed, though, after walking away from the three contests earlier this week with more delegates than Clinton and chipping away, slightly, at Clintons enormous lead. While the front-running former secretary of state won the marquee Arizona primary, Sanders gained a net of nearly 20 delegates by pocketing wins in the Idaho and Utah caucuses. Sanders has tended to do better in caucus contests, and will compete in three more of them this weekend. Hawaii and Alaska, while less valuable in terms of delegates, also are holding caucuses on Saturday, alongside Washington. Sanders, who has been barnstorming Western states, told a Spokane, Wash., crowd on Thursday that a win in Washington would mark a major step toward the White House for his campaign, as he maintained hes the best candidate to go up against the Republican nominee in November. We are the strongest candidate. Were going to work together to get the nomination, Sanders told the crowd. We are gaining a lot of momentum. Just in the last week, we have closed the gap with Secretary Clinton. Counting the Democrats Abroad global primary earlier this week, Sanders said hes actually gained a net of roughly 25 delegates in recent days. Sanders returned to Washington Friday night for a Seattle rally, after a stop in Oregon earlier in the day. The reality, though, is that Sanders would need a dramatic surge to catch up to Clinton or even hold her under the number needed to clinch the nomination. Right now, Clinton has a gaping, 1,690-946 delegate lead over Sanders, when superdelegates party insiders able to support whomever they want are included. Even among the so-called pledged delegates, bound to candidates by their states' elections, Clinton has 1,223 to Sanders 920. It takes 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination. "The real problem is the math," said Geoffrey Skelley, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, while noting Sanders does better in caucuses and is helped by the fact that his supporters are more energized. During a Tuesday campaign stop in Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Clinton noted she has gotten 2.6 million more votes than Sanders and more votes than anyone else, including Republican front-runner Donald Trump. Most of the state's Democratic leadership has endorsed Clinton, including Gov. Jay Inslee and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. But Sanders has raised more in individual contributions from this state than any other presidential candidate. Seattle leads the way among large cities in per-capita individual contributions to Sanders, with about $145 for every 100 people, according to an analysis of federal campaign data. In terms of dollars, Seattle trails only New York and San Francisco in total individual contributions from cities, with $884,000 given through the end of February. That does not include individual contributions under $200, which makes up the majority of Sanders' support. "The senator has made clear that we're taking this all the way to the convention in July," said Sanders' Washington state director Dulce Saenz. "We have an uphill battle, absolutely. There's no denying the math, but the second half of the primary calendar is much more favorable to Bernie." Time will tell. After this weekends contests, there is mostly a lull in the primary calendar until a round of delegate-heavy Eastern states vote in late April including New York, which Clinton represented in the Senate. Fox News Lauren Blanchard and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sen. Bernie Sanders was projected to win the Alaska, Washington and Hawaii Democratic presidential caucuses -- victories he hopes will spark a Western states comeback and help him cut into frontrunner Hillary Clintons substantial lead. The Associated Press projected Sanders the winner of the Alaska and Washington contests Saturday, while the results of Hawaii's presidential contest weren't announced until early Sunday morning. "We knew things were going to improve as we headed west," Sanders said at a rally in Madison, Wis. "We are making significant inroads in ... Clinton's lead ... We have a path toward victory." Clinton leads by roughly 300 pledged delegates, with 142 up for grabs Saturday. Washington had the biggest prize, 101 delegates, followed by Hawaii with 25 and Alaska with 16. Sanders, a democratic socialist, on Saturday acknowledged his struggles in recent contests across the South, with its strong conservative voting bloc. But he remained optimistic about upcoming contests in the more liberal West including those in Oregon and California, which alone offers 546 delegates. The next Democratic and Republican primaries are April 5 in Wisconsin. Sanders is popular among younger and more progressive Americans but continues to struggle to connect with Hispanic and African-American voters. He will win at least nine delegates in Alaska. And all of them are elected to the state Democratic convention, not the party's national nominating convention in July in Philadelphia. Going into Saturday, Clinton had a 1,223-to-920 lead on Sanders in so-called pledged delegates, who are bound to candidates by their states' elections. It takes 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination. Sanders was expected to do well in Washington, considering residents of Seattle, the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest, are among the most liberal in the country and major campaign contributors. He drew more than 10,000 supporters to a rally Friday evening at Safeco Field in Seattle. And by Saturday afternoon, the state appeared to be having a record voter turnout, which has helped keep alive Sanders insurgent campaign. In Spokane, a huge line of caucus attendees had already snaked around a high school parking by Saturday morning. "I think one of the biggest things is free tuition for students and getting big money out of politics," said Savannah Dills, 24, a college student who supports Sanders. "He's not paid for by billionaires." Top Sanders adviser Ted Devine recently told FoxNews.com that he was optimistic about the campaign cutting Clintons lead this weekend to under 300 delegates with a couple of thousands more delegates to go. Most of the Washingtons Democratic leadership had endorsed Clinton, including Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. Still, Sanders entered Saturdays contests optimistic after winning more delegate than Clinton in three contests earlier this week -- nearly 20 in the Idaho and Utah caucuses, despite losing the marquee Arizona primary to the former secretary of state. Sanders has done significantly better in caucus contests, now winning nine of the last 11. Most of his 14 primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in the caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. Yet Sanders still needs a dramatic surge to catch Clinton or even hold her under the number needed to clinch the nomination, despite the optimism and fundraising numbers, which also include collecting more than $140 million from 2 million donors. Clinton did not hold a public event after the Alaska and Washington results were announced. While Sanders faces a steep climb to the nomination, a string of losses for Clinton would highlight her persistent vulnerabilities, including concerns about her trustworthiness and weak support among younger voters. Clintons delegate advantage, before Saturday, increases to 1,692-to-949 once the superdelegates, or party officials who can back either candidate, are included. Based on that count, Sanders still needs to win 58 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by June's end. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall -- from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates -- to prevail. Because Democrats allocate their delegates on a proportional basis, meaning that the popular vote loser can still pick up a share, his Saturday victories netted Sanders a gain of at least 27 delegates to at least five for Clinton. Clinton has been looking past the primary contests and aiming at potential Republican challengers. In interviews, rallies and speeches this week, she largely focused on Tuesday's deadly attacks in Brussels, casting GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as unqualified to deal with complicated international threats. Her campaign sees the April 19 contest in New York as an important one, not just because of the rich delegate prize but because losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate would be a psychological blow. She hopes to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern contests a week later. Fox News Lauren Blanchard and Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Latest on the killings of a couple and their 5-year-old daughter (all times local): 3:45 p.m. A 27-year-old man from the San Diego area has been arrested in the killings of a doctor, his wife and their 5-year-old daughter in their Santa Barbara County home. KEYT-TV reports that Sheriff Bill Brown announced the arrest of Pierre Haobsh of Oceanside at a news conference on Friday afternoon. Brown says Haobsh was arrested in the San Diego area. The Los Angeles Times reports that Haobsh was a business associate of the family and was taken into custody at gunpoint. The bodies of 57-year-old Dr. Weidong "Henry" Han; his wife, 29-year-old Huijie "Jennie" Yu, and their daughter, Emily Han, were found on Thursday morning. The sheriff called the case diabolical and complex. ___ 2:40 a.m. Authorities are searching for a suspect in the deaths of a couple and their 5-year-old daughter in a Santa Barbara County home. The bodies were found by detectives Thursday morning when they entered the home on Greenhill Way. County sheriff's deputies sought a search warrant after they were asked to check on the family's welfare Wednesday evening and decided to open a suspicious death investigation. The victims were 57-year-old Dr. Weidong "Henry" Han; his wife, 29-year-old Huijie "Jennie" Yu, and their daughter, Emily Han. Sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Hoover says the three were slain by an unknown killer. She won't discuss how they were slain or a possible motive. Hahn owns the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic. The website says he practiced traditional Chinese medicine, including herbal treatments and acupuncture. A business partner of a California herbalist was arrested Friday in the "horrific" deaths of the doctor, his wife and the couples 5-year-old daughter, authorities said. Pierre Haobsh, 27, of Oceanside, was arrested at gun point at a San Diego County gas station, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bob Brown said. Authorities, armed with an arrest warrant, were tailing his red Lexus, Brown said. Police found a handgun and some property belonging to one of victims in the car. The bodies of Dr. Weidong Henry Han, 57, his 29-year-old wife Huijie Jenni Yu, and their 5-year-old daughter Emily were found wrapped in plastic and duct-taped in the garage of their multi-million dollar Santa Barbara home, a statement from the sheriff said. All three had been shot. "This was a diabolical, pre-mediated crime, one of the most odious that I have ever been involved with or that this agency has ever investigated," Brown said. He said Haobsh was recently involved in a business deal with Han and that financial gain may have been the motive for the crime. "This investigation is far from over," he said. "It is complex and ongoing." Two other business associates of Han went to his home Wednesday after he failed to show up for a meeting something they told authorities was highly uncharacteristic of him. The associates called authorities when they found the front door ajar and the family's cars parked outside. Deputies went to the home to check on Han's welfare and found the bodies. Brown said the arrest came within 32 hours after the bodies were found inside Hans home, the Los Angeles Times reported. "This tragic case is a terrible blow to the Santa Barbara community and the medical community at large," he said. "Dr. Han has an impressive background in Chinese herbal medicine and Western medicine." The killings have shaken up the Santa Barbara community. Han operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic and was a popular figure, according to the Associated Press. Han had owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991, according to the clinic's website. Public records show he is a licensed acupuncturist. The couples daughter attended kindergarten at Foothill Elementary School in Goleta Unified School District. Counselors were made available to students and parents. "It is impossible to express the tremendous pain that this situation presents to us," Superintendent William Banning said in a statement. Han came from a family of Chinese doctors and provided traditional treatments including acupuncture, acupressure and herbal formulas from an on-site Chinese pharmacy. He is co-author of the book "Ancient Herbs, Modern Medicine," and he was working on a volume about how to integrate Chinese and Western medicine. At the clinic, he created individualized herbal formulas for each patient that were filled at an on-site pharmacy. "Not only is he going to be missed by me personally and professionally, but this community is going to miss him incredibly. He was the man," said Dr. Glenn Miller, a psychiatrist who co-authored "Ancient Herbs, Modern Medicine" with Han and considered him one of his closest friends. "Patients we share would talk about how in the true sense of the word he was a healer, in that he would listen to the wholeness of his patients," said Miller, who choked up several times as he spoke to the AP. He said Han wanted his patients healed both physically and emotionally. Community Centered Oriental Medicine in Santa Barbara called the deaths a tragic loss and said Han was the real thing, and (we) will miss him dearly, the LA Times reported. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from the Los Angeles Times. Louisiana health officials Saturday lifted a notice advising people in the small town of Donaldsonville not to drink the water after tests determined it was safe to drink. Residents in the small town of about 10,000 people southeast of Baton Rouge were advised Tuesday not to drink the water after an inspection showed the possibility it contained chlorine dioxide levels four to five times above national guidelines. The state said exposure to elevated levels of the chemical can cause serious health effects to the nervous systems of some infants, young children and the fetuses of pregnant women. The state's top health officer, Dr. Jimmy Guidry, said Thursday that the state had approved a plan by the privately run Peoples Water Service Co. that supplies water to the town to begin disinfecting with a different chemical chlorine instead of chlorine dioxide. It was expected to take two to three days to implement the plan and do needed testing. Guidry said the "do not drink" advisory was issued out of an "abundance of caution." He said an initial test by the company showing the elevated chlorine dioxide level was not properly followed up with more tests. The Department of Health and Hospitals said in a news release Saturday that they had taken five samples at different sites and all showed the water was safe to drink. Water distribution points in the town, which had been providing residents with drinking water, were being closed, Mayor Leroy J. Sullivan Sr. said in a news release posted on the town's website. Prosecutors say a man accused of pouring boiled water on two gay men inside a suburban Atlanta apartment has been indicted. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the indictment of 48-year-old Martin Blackwell on Friday. Authorities say Blackwell told investigators he was disgusted with Anthony Gooden's relationship with Marquez Tolbert and poured "a little hot water on them" last month. Blackwell is the boyfriend of Gooden's mother. Howard said Tolbert was hospitalized for 10 days and had to undergo surgery. He said Gooden was released from a hospital two weeks ago. Blackwell has been charged with eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault He's being held at the Fulton County Jail. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney. An Illinois prosecutor said Friday that new evidence proves that a man convicted in the 1957 abduction and murder of a 7-year-old girl couldnt have committed the crime. DeKalb County States Attorney Richard Schmack said his court-ordered, six-month review of the case included new evidence that reaffirmed an alibi for Jack McCullough, who was initially cleared in the case but was then charged in 2011. Schmack said evidence convinced him that McCullough couldnt have been anywhere nearby when Maria Ridulph vanished on Dec. 3, 1957, while she was playing outside in the snow near her home in the community of Sycamore. The girl was choked and stabbed to death in an alley, and her body was found months later, dumped in the woods more than 100 miles away and her murder remained unsolved for decades. McCullough was a neighbor at the time of the murder. He had long ago been cleared by authorities before a renewed effort was launched to solve the case. He was found guilty in 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison. Schmack said in a court filing that he joined in the defendant's motion to set aside the guilty verdict. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Some of the new evidence includes a recently subpoenaed phone records that proved McCullough made a collect call to his parents from a phone booth in the lobby of a Post Office in Rockford, about 35 miles from Sycamore. The call was placed minutes after the abduction was said to have taken place. That had always been McCullough's professed alibi, though the precise location of the phone had previously come under doubt. Testimony that the abduction had taken place earlier was also discredited, Schmack said, meaning there was no possibility McCullough could have committed the crime and driven to Rockford in time to place that call. "I know there are people who will never believe that he is not responsible for the crime," said Schmack, whose own family has lived for 30 years in the small Sycamore neighborhood where the crime occurred. "But I cannot allow that to sway me from my sworn duty." Schmack said the findings also cast doubt on the fairness of a photo array that authorities prepared for a witness who identified McCullough as the suspect a half-century later. "We're very pleased," said McCullough's attorney, public defender Tom McCulloch. Their appeal will be back in court on Tuesday, and McCulloch, now 76, is hopeful his client could be released soon. "Given this filing, hopefully this comes to a rapid and favorable conclusion," he said. Schmacks conclusions are based off FBI reports from 1957 and 1958 which were ruled inadmissible during the 2012 trial, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. He also claims the states timeline falls apart when compared to federal authorities reports. But Maria's sister remains convinced that McCullough is guilty. "It's all very upsetting for us," said Patricia Quinn of El Paso, Illinois, her voice cracking with emotion. "We're just trusting in what the judge will do Tuesday at the hearing." McCullough's conviction had put to rest some of the decades of anguish endured by Maria's family and friends. At his sentencing in 2012, McCullough turned to them in the courtroom and proclaimed his innocence. "I did not, did not, kill Maria Ridulph," said the silver-haired McCullough, who grew up in Sycamore and was 17 when Maria died. "It was a crime I did not, would not, could not have done." The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Obama administration is emptying the militarys Guantanamo Bay detention facility of avowed terrorists captured fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, but several American service members languish in another military prison for actions on those same battlefields that their supporters say merit clemency, if not gratitude. Among the prison population at Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas, are remaining members of the so-called Leavenworth 10, convicted service members doing terms ranging from 10 to 40 years for heat-of-the-battle decisions their supporters say saved American lives. The very people who protect our freedoms and liberties are having their own freedoms and liberties taken away, said retired U.S. Army Col. Allen West, a former congressman and political commentator. I think its appalling and no one is talking about this issue." The "Leavenworth 10" is the name given to a fluctuating number of men housed at Leavenworth for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan that their supporters say were justified. Over the years, a handful have been paroled, and more have been incarcerated. Among the more well-known cases is that of Army First Lt. Clint Lorance, who is serving a 20-year sentence for ordering his men to shoot two suspected Taliban scouts in July 2012 in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. Lorance had just taken command of the platoon after the prior leader and several others were killed days before. The Taliban suspects were on motorcycles and matched descriptions given by a pilot who flew over the area earlier and spotted them as scouts. The very people who protect our freedoms and liberties are having their own freedoms and liberties taken away. Col. Allen West A Facebook page devoted to Lorances case has drawn more than 12,000 likes, and supporters have launched a website, FreeClintLorance.com, dedicated to winning his release. A WhiteHouse.gov petition calling for Lorance to be pardoned garnered nearly 125,000 signatures, but the White House has not taken action. Critics say Lorance was given a military trial, and his conviction was based in large part on the testimony of men serving under him. It was September of 2010 when Sgt. Derrick Miller of Maryland, on a combat mission in a Taliban-held area of Afghanistan, was warned the units base had been penetrated. An Afghan suspected of being an enemy combatant was brought to Miller for interrogation and wound up dead. Miller claimed the suspect tried to grab his gun and that he shot him in self-defense. But he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Hatley -- a highly decorated, 20-year vet who served in Operation Desert Storm and did another three tours during the Iraq War -- also is serving a life sentence at Leavenworth. His conviction stems from an April, 2007, incident in Iraq in which he and his unit captured enemies following a firefight. He radioed a U.S. detention facility to notify officials he was bringing in four prisoners, but was ordered to let them go, according to his legal team. Two years later, a sergeant who had served with Hatley, Jesse Cunningham, was facing charges for assaulting another officer and falling asleep at his post. As leverage for a plea deal, he told investigators that Hatley and two other officers had taken the insurgents to a remote location, blindfolded them and shot each in the back of the head. He claimed their bodies were dumped in a canal, though none was ever found. Hatley, now 47, insists he and his men let the insurgents go, but believes he was punished in the interest of the governments relations with Baghdad. When concerns over appeasing a foreign country are allowed to interfere with justice for the purpose of the U.S. government or the military demonstrating that we, the military or the U.S. government will hold our soldiers accountable using a fatally flawed military judicial system, it doesnt matter what the truth is; it matters only that there is only the appearance of the truth, he wrote in a message to supporters posted on freeJohnHatley.com. Law experts say military service members face a daunting task once accused of committing crimes in the heat of war. Killing on the battlefield is not the same as [a police officer] killing someone on the streets, Dan Conway, an attorney who specializes in military law, told FoxNews.com. When a cop uses force, theres a line of duty investigation. When a soldier uses force, it is investigated as criminal, and non-infantry investigators handle the case, many who have no combat experience. If you had experts handling the investigation, youd have much more balance, he added. While the military rightly holds its soldiers to a high standard of justice, detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay have been freed even with no mitigating circumstances or reasonable belief of rehabilitation. The release of Gitmo detainees began during the presidency of George W. Bush in 2005 when nearly 200 detainees were released before any tribunals were held. According to a March 2015 memo released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, of the 647 detainees transferred or released, 17.9 percent were confirmed of re-engaging in extremist activity with another 10.7 percent suspected of doing the same. Said Mohammad Alim Shah was repatriated to Afghanistan in March 2004. After his release, he was responsible for kidnapping two Chinese engineers, took credit for a hotel bombing in Islamabad and orchestrated a 2007 suicide attack that left 21 people dead. Abdullah Ghoffor went back to Afghanistan at the same time and became a high-ranking Taliban commander who planned attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces before being killed in a raid. Abdallah Salih al-Ajmi, a former detainee from Kuwait, committed a successful suicide attack in Mosul, Iraq, in March 2008. That came three years after he had been freed from Guantanamo and transferred to Kuwait, where a court acquitted him of terrorism charges. West agrees that U.S. soldiers who commit crimes should be punished severely. But he said the military owes at least as much to men and women who risk their lives fighting for their country as it does to the unrepentant terrorist at Guantanamo Bay. The rules of engagement should be coming from the bottom up and not the other way around, to protect them against the scores of non-state combatants and enemies, West said. Gitmo is seen as this place of recruitment for jihadists and there are those trying to make us believe that Leavenworth is the same. Nearly 20,000 people have signed a petition to allow the open carry of firearms at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. The group Americans For Responsible Open Carry started the petition on Change.org on Monday, according to the Akron Beacon-Journal. The petition had a goal of 5,000 signatures and by Wednesday it had reached the goal. As of early Saturday morning, the group had reached just over 18,000 signatures. The GOP Republican National Convention is going to be held at the Quicken Loans Arena from July 18-21. The Ohio Republican Party told the Beacon-Journal it wasnt aware of the petition. The Secret Service along with Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, state and federal officials are handling the security at the event. The Secret Service banned guns at the GOP Convention in Florida four years ago. They are coordinating and will be continuously refining security plans leading up to the national convention, Republican National Convention spokesperson Alee Lockman told the newspaper. The group has a list of demands for the convention. First, the group wants the arena to suspend its open-carry ban during the convention. The group then wants the NRA has to condemn Ohios law banning guns in some public places. Policies of the Quicken Loans Arena do not supersede the rights given to us by our Creator in the U.S. Constitution, the petition reads. Americans For Responsible Open Carry also want presidential contender Ohio Gov. John Kasich to use his executive power to override the so-called gun-free zone loophole in Ohios law. RNC Chairman Reince Preibus also must explain how a venue so unfriendly to Second Amendment rights was chosen for the Republican Convention and have a backup plan to move the site if the groups demands arent met. Finally they call for the three other candidates to pressure the GOP to protect the Second Amendment. Ohio is an open-carry state, but they are not permitted in the Statehouse and even if concealed, could be banned by businesses and property owners, according to the Beacon-Journal. Quicken Loans Arena forbids guns and weapons of any kind from heavily attended events. The arena said it is following the states concealed carry law and the right for private businesses to ban firearms on its property. The petition claims that because Cleveland is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, forcing attendees to leave their weapons at home is putting everyone at risk. Without the right to protect themselves, those at the Quicken Loans Arena will be sitting ducks, utterly helpless against evil-doers, criminals or others who wish to threaten the American way of life. Click for more from the Akron Beacon-Journal. The terminally ill father of an Arizona boy, who was kicked off a plane for having an allergy attack in February, died Thursday at a hospice facility. George Alvarado lost the battle with esophageal cancer, his wife, Christina Fabian of suburban Phoenix said Friday. Alvarado, Fabian and their 7-year-old son Giovanni, visited Washington state last month as part of a buck-list wish for Alvarado and to help take Giovannis mind off his fathers illness. The family was on an Allegiant flight in Bellingham, Wash. bound for the Phoenix area when the boy had an allergic reaction to some of the dogs on board the plane. The family initially tried to move their seats but airline officials said an on-call doctor recommended that they get off the plane. Fabian said the family had no issue with being removed but did object to several passengers vigorously cheering and clapping when they left. According to Fabian, Giovanni became extremely upset. In an interview with KING 5, Giovanni cried as he recalled the clapping that erupted from the back of the plane. My dads sick with Stage 4 throat cancer, Giovanni said. And that made me really sadder when I was already sad. Im sad this has to be a memory with my dad. Allegiant apologized to the family and they were put a new flight back home to Phoenix Wednesday after their trip to visit family in the town just south of the Canadian border. "If we needed to get off, that's fine," Fabian said. "But the disgusting behavior of the adult passengers, you just don't expect that from adults at all." Fabian said her husband will be buried in Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A suspected suicide bomber, who was intercepted in Cameroon Friday before she could blow herself, reportedly told authorities that she was one of the Chibok schoolgirls who were captured by Boko Haram in 2014. Two girls were carrying explosives in the village of Limani in northern Cameroon before being stopped by local defense forces, according to the UK Daily Telegraph. The village had been the target of suicide bombings in recent months. The girls were handed over to Cameron soldiers who are part of a multi-national African force that was created to take on the Islamist terrorist group. Boko Haram militants shocked the world in April 2014 by kidnapping 270 girls from the Nigerian town of Chibok. The militants stormed a school and loaded them onto trucks. Around 50 of them had escaped immediately after the raid. "One of them indeed declared that she is one of the Chibok hostages, government administrator Raymond Roksdo said, according to The Telegraph. She is around 15. We are now verifying, because on the Nigerian side they have the names and photos of these girls. Two anonymous government sources also told the UK Daily Telegraph that the girl had claimed to be one of the kidnapped girls. "We need a few days to be able to confirm this information. We have to debrief all the men who were present and interrogate the two girls before we can say anything," one of the sources told the paper. A joint-coalition featuring troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have been successful in driving Boko Haram from many of its strongholds in Nigeria last year. However, Boko Haram has still had success in its cross-border attacks and suicide bombings. They have been known to use young girls in the attacks. Click for more from the UK Daily Telegraph. The investigation into Mondays suicide bombings at a Brussels airport and a Metro station is reportedly prompting fears that the Islamic State is looking to obtain nuclear material and is increasing concerns about security at Belgiums nuclear faciilities. Belgiums nuclear agency said earlier Friday it withdrew the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concerns that the next terror attack could take place at one of the facilities. Employees were sent home hours after the attacks in Brussels. The New York Times reported that surveillance footage of a top official at a separate site was found last year in the apartment of a terror suspect linked to the extremists who carried out the atrocities in Paris in November. Belgian media reported this week that two of the suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks, brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, had video of the home of a senior official at the Mol nuclear waste facility in the Flanders region. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon expressed his concerns about ISIS getting its hands on a nuclear weapon. When asked, Fallon said that was a new and emerging threat, according to the New York Times. Sebastien Berg, a spokesman for Belgiums federal agency, told the Times that their fears lie on several fronts, including exploding a bomb inside the plant or flying something into the plant from the outside. That could potentially stop the cooling process of used fuel and shut down the plant, Berg said. According to the New York Times, Belgium has already had its issues with security at its plants. The nuclear agencys computer network was hacked this year and was shut down briefly. Three years ago, two people were able to jump a fence surrounding a reactor in Mol, break into a lab and steal equipment. And in 2012, two nuclear employees defected from Belgium to join jihadists in Syria and eventually pledged their allegiance to ISIS. One of the former employees died fighting in Syria, but Pieter Van Oestaeyen, a researcher who tracks terror networks in Belgium, told the New York Times the other man was convicted on terror charges in Belgium in 2014 and had been released last year. Another incident reportedly occurred in 2014 when another unknown individual turned a valve on a reactor and drained 65,000 liters of oil used to lubricate turbines. The damage was so extensive it shut down the reactor for five months. Authorities are investigating possible links between that incident and terror groups. This was a deliberate act to take down the nuclear reactor, and a very good way to do it, Berg told the Times. The incidents are now being seen in a different way after the attacks in Brussels Monday and the anti-terror raids across Paris and Brussels in the last few days after the bombings. Experts told the newspaper that obtaining any of the nuclear material from Belgiums reactors would be a tough grab without alerting law enforcement. Even a dirty bomb threat is low because radioactive waste is incredibly toxic and would likely sicken or kill the people trying to obtain it rather quickly, the Times reported. Belgium has both low and high enriched uranium. Officials in the nuclear field told the Times that the discovery of surveillance footage of a top nuclear official has sparked concerns that a terror group could kidnap a nuclear scientist and force them to help them obtain nuclear materials. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The New York Times. Three men have been charged with terror offenses over the suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and subway earlier this week, Belgian prosecutors announced Saturday. The Belgian Federal Prosecutors Office told Fox News that Faycal Cheffou had been taken into custody. He was arrested Thursday and has been charged with involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder, prosecutors said. Belgian media said Cheffou is the man in the light vest and hat pictured on airport security video with two men who blew themselves up at the airport. Cheffou is described as a local activist known to police for trying to rally asylum-seekers and homeless people to join radical Islam. Prosecutors didnt confirm Belgian media reports in their press conference Saturday. A police raid was conducted at his home but no arms or explosives were recovered, they said. Two other suspects detained on Thursday and identified as Raba N. and Aboubakar A. were charged with "involvement in the activities of a terrorist group." In addition, a man named as Abderamane A. who was taken into custody on Friday after he was shot by police at a Brussels tram stop is being held for at least 24 more hours. Italy police Sunday said they arrested an Algerian wanted by Belgium authorities for facilitating travel of illegal migrants in connection with the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Paris bombings that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Brussels prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch told The Associated Press that 24 of the victims have now been identified and 11 of them were foreigners. One was a former Belgian ambassador to the United States, Andre Adam. Officials confirmed that 24 of the 31 people killed in the attacks Tuesday had been identified, and a doctor who had served in Afghanistan said he and his colleagues have been shocked by the extreme burns suffered by some of the 270 wounded. Dr. Serge Jennes said he had treated similar injuries during his service in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, but said he and his colleagues were shocked to see such injuries on women and children. "I've never seen this before in my 20 years at the center for burns," Jennes said. "Injuries linked to the blowback from the blast, which can mutilate." He said almost all the wounded had burst eardrums and added that his colleagues are likely to need psychological counselling to help cope with what they had witnessed. Belgiums interior minister asked residents not to march Sunday in Brussels in solidarity with the victims over security concerns. "We understand fully the emotions," Interior Minister Jan Jambon told reporters. "We understand that everyone wants to express these feelings." But, he said, "we invite the citizens not to have this demonstration." Organizers quickly granted his request, postponing the march. Meantime, Brussels airport officials moved to assess the damage caused by twin explosions at the terminal on Tuesday. Authorities have wrapped up their investigation of the crime scene at the airport, and will allow engineers into the building to check its structural safety and information technology systems -- and whether any damage can be repaired quickly. Brussels Airport, which handles 23.5 million passengers annually, said it would be Tuesday at the earliest before flights resume. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A popular shopkeeper who wished Christians a happy Easter on Facebook was stabbed to death in what police in Scotland say was a religiously prejudiced attack carried out by a fellow Muslim, it was reported Saturday. A vigil was held Friday night in Glasgows Shawlands neighborhood in memory of Asad Shah who was killed the day before-- a few hours after he apparently posted messages on Facebook that said Good Friday and very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation. Lets follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds, one of the messages said. Police said a 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with Shahs death. Police said the suspect is Muslim. He was not been identified. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined the vigil in support of Shah and his family. Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family, Sturgeon tweeted afterward, the BBC reported Saturday. Moved to be one of hundreds tonight as Shawlands united in grief for Asad Shah and support for his family. https://t.co/W3CmFkW7X8 Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 25, 2016 According to the BBC, those attending the memorial were encouraged to bring a daffodil. Those at the gathering laid flowers and lit candles. It was very respectful, vigil organizer Eildon Dyer told the BBC. There were a lot of people clearly very upset. There were a lot of tears and lots and lots of flowers. Dyer added: "Everybody has said he was the nicest man. He was clearly much-loved. Everybody had nice stories to tell about him and warm stories. It's just very, very sad." Scottish police promise a full investigation into Shahs death. Upcoming special event ;- GOOD FRIDAY AND VERY HAPPY EASTER ESPECIALLY TO MY BELOVED CHRISTIAN NATION X !... Posted by Asad Shah on Thursday, March 24, 2016 The Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Syrian government forces have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported Saturday. Syrian troops and allied militiamen backed by Russian airstrikes have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Palmyra, affectionately known as the "bride of the desert," used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. IS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments in the UNESCO world heritage site. The extremists believe ancient ruins promote idolatry. Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Bashar Assad's government and its allies, which have made steady gains in recent months against IS and other insurgents, including Western-backed rebels. The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week according to the Observatory, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and IS-affiliated media sites reported. Another 10 soldiers were killed Saturday. Footage broadcast on Lebanese stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyra's skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. IS began evacuating civilians this week to other parts of its territories in Syria. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. Activists citing sources among advancing government forces said the two sides were fighting over the area, while the Observatory said government forces had retaken the site. Syrian state media made no mention of the area. RALEIGH, N.C.Technology giants Apple, Google and Facebook are among a dozen big companies or their top executives objecting to a North Carolina law that bars municipalities from adopting their own anti-discrimination ordinances. Facebook, Google and Apple each run massive data-processing complexes in western North Carolina. They joined American Airlines, IBM and others in reacting to a state law quickly adopted Wednesday that blocked local government measures to counter discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people. None of the high-profile companies have threatened to immediately withdraw business from North Carolina. San Franciscos mayor on Friday banned city workers from non-essential travel to North Carolina. The city, which has a large gay and lesbian population, will not subsidize legally sanctioned discrimination, Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement. The Charlotte ordinance would have enabled transgender people to legally use restrooms aligned with their gender identity, and would have provided broad protections against discrimination in public accommodations in the states largest city. North Carolina is the first state to require public school and university students to use only those bathrooms that match their birth certificates, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. Advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights say state legislators demonized them with bogus claims about bathroom risks. Supporters say the new law protects all people from having to share bathrooms with people who make them feel unsafe. Corporations announcing their displeasure are shamefully bullying state officials while many small business owners who live in North Carolina support the new legislation, North Carolina Values Coalition Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald said. North Carolinians should be aware of this so they have the opportunities to be consumers of companies that are congruent with their values, Fitzgerald said in a statement. Other businesses have voiced support for the measure Republican Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law, a spokesman for his re-election campaign said. Spokesman Ricky Diaz did not respond when asked which businesses backed the governors decision. Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat challenging McCrory this fall, opposes the law. He said Friday hes worried actions by the GOP-led legislature and the governor could harm the states chances to land or keep sporting events such as the NCAA basketball tournament and the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte in 2017. Both organizations released statements about the law on Thursday, but stopped short of saying they would not hold the events in the city. Not only is it wrong to discriminate, but we should not be putting our economy in jeopardy, Cooper told 99.9 The Fan, a Raleigh-area radio station, calling the actions creating the law a national embarrassment. McCrory and his allies have blamed Cooper for failing to intervene before the General Assembly did to stop Charlottes ordinance. McCrory said Thursday that Cooper has lost touch with the privacy norms the public expects while using a restroom or locker room. Twenty five years ago, hope was in the air. The Berlin Wall had fallen and Germany, divided since the end of the second world war, had reunified. Mikhail Gorbachev was leading the 15 republics of the Soviet Union towards a loosening of ties that would soon result in their independence after the drama of a failed coup in the summer of 1991 by hardliners trying to stand in the way of the winds of change. Beyond Europe, the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years in prison prompted joyful scenes in South Africa, as did the constant emphasis that Madiba placed in speeches and interviews on peace and reconciliation, rather than revenge and violent revolution. Transition away from repression to freedoms could be seen everywhere in Chile, for example, where General Augusto Pinochet finally relinquished power at the end of the 1980s to a civilian, democratically elected regime. Then there was China, where the aftermath of Tiananmen Square in 1989 saw the loosening of the states grip on the economy and a wave of liberalisation and privatisation in the years that followed. There was hope even in Iraq following the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm. Kuwait is liberated. Iraqs army is defeated. Our military objectives are met, President George HW Bush announced in a televised address on February 28 1991. Bush was sanguine, too, treating military success as the start rather than the end of a chapter. This was not a time of euphoria, certainly not a time to gloat, he went on; we must now begin to look beyond victory and war. Few had any illusions that Saddam Hussein would change his spots. But removing him would be difficult and would come at the cost of antagonising allies in the Arab world. Besides, noted Dick Cheney, then US defence secretary, the question in my mind is how many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? And the answer is not very damned many. Nevertheless, these were fragile times, and few doubted that transition could go wrong at any time. It would take the flap of a butterflys wings for violence to erupt on the streets of Moscow, Johannesburg, Santiago, Beijing or Baghdad either as the result of the accelerated expectations of those wanting change, or because of a hardening of those determined to hang on to power. It was not wild optimism to speak of changes of almost biblical proportions, as Bush did when he addressed Congress nearly 25 years ago; rather, the observation reflected the reality that something dramatic was happening. It seemed to be the end of an age of autocracy and repression. All over the world, dictatorships were being swept away. To be sure, there were still exceptions such as the regime of Muammer Gaddafi in Libya, for example; but liberal democracy had triumphed as the political system par excellence. Some believed that we had reached the point where it was possible to talk of the end of history. It seemed hard to argue with the observation that not only were all practical alternatives flawed, they had also all failed. The ideals of liberty and individual rights had triumphed. These were quintessentially western values, learnt at immense cost above all in the course of the brutal 20th century. The world was not perfect but there was much to be hopeful about. That sense of optimism and hope has long vanished. We live today in a world filled with the fear of the unexpected. America is at a moment of transition, wrote President Barack Obama in the opening statement of a review prepared by the US defence department in 2012, which underlines that the US faces unprecedented challenges from across the globe. It is a conclusion shared by the Ministry of Defence in London, which recently published a report observing that the next three decades will require Britain to face the reality of a changing climate, rapid population growth, resource scarcity, resurgence in ideology, and shifts in power from West to East. Anxieties are also raised by more immediate difficulties and pressures. Sluggish domestic and global economies are one problem but issues such as repeated terror attacks in mainland Europe and mass migration a topic on which the European Union has struggled to agree, let alone act seem overwhelming and intractable. The devastating war in Syria and the loss of significant territory in northern Iraq to Isis are one end of the spectrum of despair that has seen the dawn of the Arab Spring and the promise of a wave of liberalism and a surge of democracy give way to intolerance, suffering and fear across north Africa and the Middle East. Few doubt there is more turbulence to come, not least because of the dramatic fall in the price of oil. This threatens to have an impact on the stability of states across the Gulf, the Arabian peninsula and central Asia, which are battling to balance budgets and being forced to introduce austerity measures after generations of living off rich hydrocarbon deposits. Economic compression and political volatility go hand in hand and rarely resolve quickly and easily. Limitations on freedom of expression in matters of faith, conscience and sexuality contrast sharply with those taken for granted in the west To the north of the Black Sea, Russias absorption of the Crimea and its involvement in Ukraine have destabilised relations between Moscow and Washington, as well as with the EU in direct contrast to the trajectory of Iran, long a pariah state but now apparently reverting to the traditional role it has played since antiquity as the central piece of a jigsaw puzzle without which there can be no stability, peace and prosperity. And then of course there is China, entering its own phase of transition, in which the breakneck economic growth of the past two decades is slowing to a pace widely referred to as the new normal consistent, but not dramatic. Beijings ambitions in the South China Sea, meanwhile, create new uncertainties. So much depends on how China engages with its neighbours and near-neighbours in the years ahead. To understand the tensions and instabilities that are reshaping our world, we must look above all to the Silk Roads. First described as such in the late 19th century, though connected in myriad ways that go back millennia, the region that sprawls between the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the Pacific barely registers for many historians, more used to charting the rise and fall of the west. Yet while countries such as Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria may seem wild to us, these are no backwaters, no obscure wastelands. In fact, the bridge between east and west is the very crossroads of civilisation. Far from being on the fringe of global affairs, the countries of the Silk Roads lie at its centre as they have done since the start of history. The reconfiguration of each of these countries, and the relations they have with one another, have long dictated rhythms of global exchanges of ideas, faiths, goods and produce, but also of violence and disease. The transitions of today are being driven by the rebirth of a region that once provided the axis on which the world spun. Far from witnessing the end of history, we are going back to its beginnings. West Berliners crowd in front of the Berlin Wall on November 11 1989 AFP But perhaps the most striking feature of the past 25 years is the retreat of liberal democracy the panacea whose moment of triumph is now a distant memory. The countries that straddle the spine of Eurasia, from Istanbul and Moscow to the Pacific coast of China, have many differences as well as many similarities. The thing all have in common is that they are governed by systems closer to the traditions of royal courts than to democracies. At the heart is a powerful ruler, surrounded by a tight group of advisers and magnates whose interests are aligned. Those who are not deemed sufficiently loyal or overstep the mark are summarily removed from positions of authority. This is a pattern that is familiar in Putins Russia, where figures such as Vladimir Yakunin, former head of the state railways, is the latest in a long line of those to have fallen foul of the Kremlin and been shut out from political and commercial access as a result. In China, likewise, a series of high-ranking serving or former members of the politburo have been disgraced, such as Bo Xilai, Xu Caihou, Chen Xitong and Chen Liangyu, accused of corruption or malpractice and removed from positions of authority in steps presented as a sign of the vigilance of the leadership. It is the same story in Iran, where the billion-dollar fortune amassed by Babak Zanjani proved valueless when he was recently found guilty of fraud and economic crimes, and sentenced to death. In many of the states along the Silk Roads that mesh Asia together, presidential authority is absolute, usually reinforced by a crushing mandate that western politicians struggle to comprehend. In the most recent elections in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, incumbent rulers were re-elected with more than 80 per cent of the popular vote. Transparency, accountability and good governance are key pillars of liberal democracies; but they are neither priorities, nor even welcome, in many countries that are re-emerging today. Perhaps not surprisingly, therefore, civil society is developing along very different path. Limitations on freedom of expression in matters of faith, conscience and sexuality contrast sharply with those taken for granted in the west. Control of the media dictates what does and what does not appear in the press, while independent outlets are shut down if considered to be provocative. Take Turkey, where regular shutdowns of Facebook and Twitter have proved the first phase in more dramatic acts such as the forcible takeover of the Zaman newspaper by riot police equipped with water cannons and tear gas. In a country where insulting the president is a criminal act, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the confidence to declare that he would neither abide by the decision or respect a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court. It is tempting to look at the failings of a world whose history we have paid little attention to and deplore the perceived lack of progress. It is important, though, to hold a mirror to our own world and the forthcoming US election, where the choice is likely to be between one of two rival courts those of Clinton and Trump. World Bank figures show that inequalities in the US and UK are not only rising, they are more pronounced than those in many developing countries. And of course there is the misalignment of interests between the corporations and the state. Technology companies such as Google, Facebook and Uber have been built as disruptive businesses: their loyalties, as the face-off between Apple and the FBI over the unlocking of a terrorists iPhone has shown, are to customers and shareholders, and not to citizens; so too with corporates profits, where tax efficiency trumps all, at the expense of the state. Perhaps we in the west are on our own trajectory away from the liberal democracy that we learnt to cherish a trajectory that we ignore at our peril. We are living through an age that has much more in common with the distant past than it does with those days of hope 25 years ago. Peter Frankopan is author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (Bloomsbury). He will be speaking at the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival on Monday April 4 and Saturday April 9. oxfordliteraryfestival.org Photographs: Rov Haviv/VII; Gerard Malie/AFP Letter in response to this article: Dissolution of Yugoslavia was first post-cold war test / From Michael Djordjevich Farmers and landowners have called on the government to end the urban-rural digital divide after it announced the first steps towards making it a legal requirement for access to superfast broadband for all by 2020. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched a consultation on the process the government intends to follow to deliver a universal service obligation (USO) for broadband. According to the department, nine out of 10 homes in the UK now have access to superfast broadband. But the NFU said a forgotten part of rural areas still have either poor or no access to broadband at all. See also: Rural broadband service on farms slower than on Everest Prime minister David Cameron has committed to providing superfast broadband to 95% of premises by 2017 and he said everyone must have access to receive a broadband speed of at least 10Mbps by 2020. As a first step to achieving this aim, the government is proposing that it must be a legal right for all homes to have access to superfast broadband by 2020. In addition, telecoms regulator Ofcom must be allowed to analyse broadband services to ensure they reflect connectivity needs. The government clearly wants farmers to do things like filling in their BPS forms digitally, which we fully agree with. But if farmers have not got access to good broadband provision they cannot do it. It feels like farming communities are the last in the country when it comes to getting good broadband services Guy Smith, NFU vice-president Landowners organisation the CLA, which has been campaigning for better broadband in rural areas for more than a decade, said access to superfast broadband should be put on an equal footing with other vital utilities, such as gas, electricity and water. CLA vice-president Mark Bridgeman said: This consultation on technical issues is an important step to delivering on the prime ministers pledge to end the discrimination and exclusion felt by people who live and work in the countryside. Currently only half of rural homes and businesses can receive broadband of 10Mbps versus 96% in urban areas. We will urge ministers and Ofcom to stick to the core principle. The universal service must operate clearly as a legal right to affordable broadband. NFU vice-president Guy Smith said poor broadband and mobile phone coverage was a universal complaint among farmers, which was not going away fast enough. Mr Smith said: The government clearly wants farmers to do things like filling in their BPS forms digitally, which we fully agree with. Its more efficient than paper forms. But if farmers have not got access to good broadband provision they cannot do it. It feels like farming communities are the last in the country when it comes to getting good broadband services, which is part of the frustration. We call on government to not forget that final 5% when it makes these bold promises and to remember that 10Mbps will not be sufficient to complete a lot of digital applications in future. Farming now, with its technology, often needs more than 10Mbps. Wed almost say these government targets are not ambitious enough. The governments consultation runs until 18 April. Tell Farmers Weekly about your broadband coverage. Are you happy with your connectivity? How does it affect the running of your business? Email philip.case@rbi.co.uk 'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable. VMU-2 flies RQ-21A in 'Class D' airspace US Marine Corps News By Pfc. Nicholas Baird | March 25, 2016 Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 launched into a new era with its RQ-21A Blackjack flight into Class D airspace, over Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, March 21. Commonly only allowed to fly in restricted airspace, VMU-2 now has the expanded ability to integrate RQ-21A flight operations with manned aircraft over this air station. Cherry Point's Class D airspace is defined by a circle around the air station with a 5-mile radius, from the ground up to 2,500 feet above the air station. This is airspace that is constantly under the control of Cherry Point air traffic control, and is frequently busy with military air traffic, as well as contracted commercial flights landing and departing the air station. "Unmanned aerial systems like the Blackjack are commonly flown from forward sites that sometimes restrict our integration with other air players and events," explained 1st Lt. Orlando J. Benedict, an unmanned aerial systems officer with the squadron. "Having the RQ-21A at MCAS Cherry Point fosters connections with the rest of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and allows for procedures that integrate manned and unmanned aviation to be solidified for the future." The Blackjack is designed to operate off a Marine Expeditionary Unit in support of ground forces deployed worldwide. UAS requirements have evolved and the Marine Corps has refined its concept of operations to incorporate rapidly emerging technologies in its unmanned systems. The RQ-21A Blackjack can safeguard military bases and activities through a pattern of life identification and explosive device detection. It is equipped with an electro-optic/infrared payload that supports the real-time monitoring to provide indications and threat warnings, and its plug-and-play payloads enable multi-intelligence capability to support a broad range of operations. "The Blackjack's main purpose is to support aerial reconnaissance missions," said Sgt. James E. Burch, a UAV operator with VMU-2. "With the new system, we will now be able to launch and land the UAV on a ship, where with other systems, more space would be required for recovery." Before the launch at Cherry Point was possible, VMU-2 traveled to various locations to include Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic, Marine Corps Auxiliary Field Bogue in N.C., MCAS Yuma, Ariz., and Marine Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. The ability to conduct flights at Cherry Point assists in a more fluid ability to maintain, test and hone specific skills required to operate the system without the added burden of travel to other sites. The inaugural flight within Cherry Point's Class D airspace allowed for another chance to integrate an unmanned aerial system with manned platforms while sharing the same airspace, explained Benedict. The ability to do so is an intricate process involving FAA requirements that demand UAVs to garner an equivalent level of safety and aircraft separation, comparable to manned aircraft. "Marine UAS are flown and treated like any other aircraft, the only exception is that the pilot at the controls is not physically located in the plane, but they are very much still in control," said 1st Lt. Jeremy Eshleman, a UAS officer and weapons and tactics instructor with VMU-2. With the great accomplishment of being able to operate the RQ-21A aboard MCAS Cherry Point, Eshleman provides one final thought explaining how air traffic controllers and the pilots maintain control of the UAS. "Our UAS flies a standard and predictable route under control of the tower while here at Cherry Point, and the pilot will perform any additional instructions as issued by the tower. In the rare event the pilot loses connection with the UAS and can no longer control it, it will only fly a predetermined route to a known location before landing at our site." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Lodges Protest After Arresting 'Indian Spy' March 25, 2016 Pakistan says it has arrested an Indian intelligence officer, sparking a new diplomatic row between the two rival neighbors. Foreign Minister Aizaz Chaudhry summoned the Indian envoy in Islamabad on March 25 to lodge a protest over the alleged spy's illegal entry into Pakistan. The man is also suspected of involvement in subversive activities in the southwestern province of Balochistan and the port city of Karachi. Security officials said the man was detained in Balochistan on March 24, months after New Delhi said militants from Pakistan were linked to a January assault on an air base in India in which seven soldiers were killed. Balochistan, Pakistan's least developed province, has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch separatist groups. It's also home to Taliban insurgents, drug smugglers, kidnapping rings, sectarian militants, and government-backed paramilitary death squads. Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, is often hit by religious, political, and ethnic violence. Based on reporting by AP and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-arrests-indian-spy/27635097.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Carter: U.S. Military Targets Key ISIL Terrorists By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 25, 2016 The U.S. military killed several key Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists this week, including a senior ISIL leader and finance minister who led certain external affairs and plots, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today. During a Pentagon press briefing, joined by Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Carter said the coalition is systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet, including Haji Imam. "He was a well-known terrorist within ISIL's ranks, dating back to its earliest iteration as al-Qaida in Iraq when he worked under [the group's leader Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi as its liaison for operations with Pakistan," the secretary said. Hampering ISIL Operations "The removal of this ISIL leader will hamper the organization's ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of Iraq and Syria," he said. Carter said Imam is the second senior ISIL leader the coalition has killed this month. Earlier this month defense officials confirmed the death of ISIL's so-called minister of war, Abu Omar al-Shishani, known as Omar the Chechen. When the fight against ISIL accelerated a few months ago, the secretary said, the coalition began with storage sites where ISIL holds its cash, and now the leader who oversees all funding for ISIL operations is dead, hurting the terrorist army's ability to pay fighters and hire recruits. "Our campaign plan is first and foremost to collapse ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria, focusing on its power centers in Raqqa and Mosul," he added. Repelling Counterattacks In Syria, coalition-supported local forces recently took the town of Shaddadi, repelled ISIL's counterattacks and ultimately severed the main artery between Syria and northern Iraq, making it harder for ISIL's leaders and forces to travel between Raqqa and Mosul, Carter said. Iraqi forces have moved from their staging base at Makhmur and are advancing to new positions as part of the early stages of operations to collapse ISIL's control over Mosul, the defense secretary added. U.S. Marines near Makhmur now are providing artillery fire there at Iraq's request, he said, to help protect and support the Iraqi advance against ISIL. "In both Syria and Iraq we're seeing important steps to shape what will become crucial battles in the months to come," Carter said. Relentless Pressure As local partners move forward, the coalition continues to bring relentless pressure on ISIL commanders in Mosul, the secretary added. Along with killing Imam, U.S. forces targeted Abu Sara, a top ISIL leader charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq, and several ISIL associates who were directly involved in external plotting and training, he said. "These precise actions came after recent strikes that destroyed a significant quantity of improvised explosive devices and bomb-making equipment that could have been used against our partners headed for Mosul," Carter added, noting that the actions are believed to be successful and damaging to ISIL. Campaign Momentum The defense secretary said the momentum of the campaign against ISIL is clearly on the coalition's side. "The United States military will continue to work intensively with our coalition partners to build on this progress, as our counterparts throughout our governments work to defend our homelands at the same time," he said. Carter also announced that yesterday he and his Saudi counterpart, Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman, agreed to convene a U.S.-Gulf Cooperation defense ministerial on April 20 in Riyadh ahead of President Barack Obama's participation in the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council leaders' summit there the next day. "This will be an important forum to build on our counter-ISIL defense ministerial in Brussels last month," Carter said. The meeting also will strengthen U.S.-GCC defense partnerships by allowing participants to review and discuss the way ahead for joint regional defense initiatives that all committed to during the 2015 US-GCC Camp David Summit last May, the secretary added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dunford: More U.S. Troops May be Needed in Iraq to Support Counter-ISIL Forces By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 25, 2016 To accelerate operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, it may be necessary to send more U.S. service members to Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told the Pentagon press corps that in the coming weeks DoD will present to President Barack Obama a series of recommendations to further enable support to the counter-ISIL forces. Dunford, who briefed the press alongside Defense Secretary Ash Carter, said they both "believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks, but that decision hasn't been made." President's Decision Any decisions the president makes will be done in the broader context of what needs to happen to maintain momentum against ISIL, "and what specifically do we need to do to enable operations in Mosul," the chairman said. A Marine Corps artillery unit based in Makhmur, Iraq, is part of the support to Iraqi forces. The Marines are providing fire support to Iraqi forces isolating ISIL forces in Mosul, Dunford said. "From my perspective, this is no different than aviation fires we've been delivering," he said. "This happens to be surface fires, or artillery, but certainly no different conceptually than the fire support we've been providing to the Iraqis all along." Mosul Battle The battle for Mosul will be tough, the chairman said, but he stressed that Iraqi forces will be the ones fighting that battle. "We will be in a position to provide advise, assist and enabling capabilities to make them successful," he said. The counter-ISIL campaign is more than the effort in Iraq and Syria. The attacks in Brussels, Paris, San Bernadino, California, Ankara, Turkey and elsewhere highlight the need for more and better intelligence sharing, the chairman said. "From a military-to-military perspective, we've significantly increased our information- [and] intelligence-sharing over the last few months, and we have specific locations where we bring together a number of our coalition partners to do just that," Dunford said. Foreign Fighters U.S. officials believe that there are citizens of more than 100 countries who have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the terrorist group. The chairman said it is hard to know, but estimates exceed 35,000 foreign fighters in the region. "In my judgment, unless all the countries that are affected by the foreign fighters are cooperating at the law enforcement, the intelligence community level and the military level, we won't have the site picture necessary to take effective action against these individuals prior to attacks, like the one we saw in Brussels this week," he said. Dunford stands by his statement that counter-ISIL forces have the momentum. Whether measured in terms of the ground ISIL holds or the resources it can call upon, counter-ISIL forces are making progress in both Iraq and Syria, the chairman said. "We've made a dent in the resources. We've started to affect their command and control in a negative way. I think we've begun to undermine the narrative," Dunford said. But ISIL is still able to launch terrorist attacks abroad and conduct guerilla operations in the region, he said. "I think the momentum is in our favor," the chairman said. "I think there are a lot of reasons for us to be optimistic about the next several months. But by no means would I say that we're about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Transcript Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph F. Dunford March 25, 2016 Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Carter and General Dunford in the Pentagon Briefing Room SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: Well, let's see. Good morning and thank you all for being here. I want to start by reiterating that our thoughts and prayers remain with all those affected by Tuesday's bombing in Brussels. As you know, this tragedy has hit our military community as well. And our hearts go out to the injured airman and his family. Like Paris, Brussels is a strong reminder of why we need to hasten the defeat of ISIL, wherever it exists in the world. Today, the United States is as committed as ever to our European friends and allies. Our enemies are one and the same, and together we continue to do more and more to bring the full weight of our vast military capabilities to bear in accelerating the defeat of ISIL. After Chairman Dunford and I spoke with our commanders this morning, let me update you on some new actions we've taken in just the last few days. First, we are systemically eliminating ISIL's cabinet. Indeed, the U.S. military killed several key ISIL terrorists this week, including, we believe, Haji Imam who was an ISIL senior leader, serving as a finance minister and who is also responsible for some external affairs and plots. He was a well-known terrorist within ISIL's ranks dating back to its earliest iteration as Al Qaida in Iraq, when he worked under Zarqawi as its liaison for operations with Pakistan. The removal of this ISIL leader will hamper the organization's ability for them to conduct operations both inside and outside of Iraq and Syria. This is the second senior ISIL leader we've successfully targeted this month, after confirming the death of ISIL's so-called minister of war a short time ago. A few months ago, when I said we were going to go after ISIL's financial infrastructure, we started with the storage sites where it holds its cash, and now we've taken out the leader who oversees all of the funding for ISIL's operations, hurting their ability to pay fighters and hire recruits. As I've said, our campaign plan is first and foremost to collapse ISIL's parent tumor in Iraq and Syria, focusing on its power centers in Raqqa and Mosul. In Syria, motivated local forces that we support recently took the town of Shaddadi, repelled ISIL's counterattacks and ultimately severed the main artery between Syria and northern Iraq. And as a result, it's become much harder for ISIL's leaders and forces to travel between Raqqa and Mosul. I'm also pleased to see that Iraqi Security Forces have moved from their staging base at Makhmur and are advancing to new positions as part of the early stages of operations to collapse ISIL's control over Mosul. The U.S. Marines we've seen near Makhmur, where Staff Sergeant Cardin gave his life, are now providing artillery fire at the request of the Iraqis to help support the ISF advance against the enemy and protect their forces. So in both Syria and Iraq, we're seeing important steps to shape what will become crucial battles in the months to come. As our partners move forward, we're continuing to bring relentless pressure on ISIL commanders in Mosul. And we've taken a significant number of actions this week, one of which I've already mentioned. But second, we targeted Abu Salah, one of the top ISIL leaders charged with paying fighters in Northern Iraq. Next, we targeted a number of ISIL associates who were directly involved in external plotting and training. And these precise actions came after recent strikes that destroyed a significant quantity of improvised explosive devices and bomb making equipment that could have been used against our partners headed for Mosul. We believe these actions have been successful and have done damage to ISIL. As Chairman Dunford noted earlier this week, the momentum of this campaign is now clearly on our side. The United States military will continue to work intensively with our coalition partners to build on this progress, as our counterparts throughout our governments work to defend our homelands at the same time. One final note before we turn to questions. Yesterday I spoke with my Saudi counterpart, the Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman. We agreed to convene a U.S. Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial on April 20th in Riyadh, ahead of President Obama's participation in the USGCC Leaders Summit there the following day. This will be an important forum to build on our counter ISIL defense ministerial in Brussels last month and to strengthen USGCC defense partnerships, including by reviewing and discussing the way ahead for joint regional defense initiatives that we all committed to during the 2015 USGCC Camp David Summit last May. Chairman Dunford and I are now prepared to take your questions. I have to say, we have limited time to do that, because we have something else that we both need to do upstairs. But we want to do that. I'm going to ask you also, please, to respect the fact that we're not going to go into any further details about how our coalition conducted the operations I mentioned earlier. Any more details than that could put lives and our future operations at risk, hinder the effectiveness of our campaign. So we're going to ask you to be restrained in that regard, as we intend to be as well. Let me ask the chairman -- GENERAL JOSEPH DUNFORD: Sure. I just join you in expressing my condolences for those affected by the attacks in Brussels this week, in particular, the families of the two Americans that were lose. Also, to recognize Staff Sergeant Cardin, by all accounts, a great leader who we lost last weekend in operations in Iraq. (inaudible) SEC. CARTER: Lita? Q: Mr. Secretary, I realize you said you didn't want to go into any more details. I was hoping you could at least confirm that this was - -happened in Syria, that this latest death of the latest -- of the ISIS senior leader was in Syria? And more broadly, can you talk a little bit about -- we've all saw a lot of Al Qaida senior leaders killed repeatedly over the years. The number three, was killed, you know, every six months or so. What do you think this actual death suggests in terms of plots, particularly those involving the West? I mean, does it really mean anything or do they simply just replace them? SEC. CARTER: Well, strikes -- Q: And then I have a question for the chairman. SEC. CARTER: Okay. I'll turn it over to Joe after this. Q: General Dunford, the Marines that the secretary -- SEC. CARTER: You know, why don't I just take your first question first -- Q: Oh, sure. SEC. CARTER: -- just to -- on -- on the question of leadership, striking leadership is necessary, but as you note, it's far from sufficient. Leaders -- leaders can be replaced. However, these leaders have been around for a long time. They are senior, they're experienced, and so eliminating them is an important objective and it achieves an important result. But they will be replaced and we'll continue to go after their leadership and other aspects of their capability. So I would say it's necessary. It's not sufficient, but it's important. Joe? Q: The Marines this week in their support of the Iraqi offensive operation, is this something we will see more of, do you think, as time goes on in the fight to get to Mosul? And is -- can you talk about the accelerants that the secretary has talked about before and whether this is a key part of what you want to see the military do more of in Iraq over the next several months? GEN. DUNFORD: I mean, Lita, we've talked I guess now for some months about setting the conditions for success in Mosul and -- and facilitating the Iraqi forces and staging around Mosul to begin to isolate Mosul, and as the Iraqis have announced, that has begun. These Marines that were there, the artillery battery that were there were in direct support of that. We put the -- we put the battery there to support the Americans that are there advising the Iraqi forces and also in a position to provide support to the Iraqi forces. And from my perspective, this is no different than aviation fires we've been delivering. This happens to be surface fires -- (inaudible) -- artillery. But certainly no different conceptually than the fire support we've been providing to the Iraqis all along. And with regard to further accelerants, the secretary and I do expect that there'll be increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions for their operations in Mosul. Those decisions haven't been made yet, but we certainly -- we certainly do expect more of the kinds of things that we saw in Ramadi, albeit a bit different tailored for operations in Mosul. But it's -- but again, the primary force fighting in Mosul will be Iraqi security forces and we'll be in a position to provide advise, assist and enabling capabilities to make them successful. Q: It appears to be part of a -- more of a ground combat role than we've seen before. GEN. DUNFORD: No, it's not. I mean, we have -- we have -- we have surface fires in Al Asad and other places, as an example, and we've used those in the past. And so this is not a fundamental shift in our approach to supporting the Iraqi forces. This happens to be what was the most appropriate tool that the commander assessed needed to be in that particular location. Q: Secretary Carter, Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, who you call Haji Imam, was in an Iraqi prison up until 2012. He was released in 2012 shortly after U.S. forces were pulled out at the end of 2011. Do you see this as a cautionary tale for releasing these prisoners who are already caught and captured? SEC. CARTER: Well, the -- a number of the leaders of ISIL were in detention in Iraq back in former years, including the head of ISIL himself, in Iraqi detention, so it is important that -- these are people who have experience, they're people who've shown dedication over the years, and that's why it's so important that we eliminate them. Q: But does it give you pause about releasing prisoners from Gitmo? SEC. CARTER: Well as far as Gitmo is concerned, that's the very reason why we need an alternative detention facility to Gitmo, because it's not safe to release everybody or transfer to the custody of another country everybody in Gitmo. So that's the -- that's the very point of that. Mik? Q: But General Dunford, we've just heard this week that there are actually 5,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. Why is the Pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say that it's more than 3,800? GEN. DUNFORD: We're not reluctant, Jennifer. What we track is the number that are in our force management level. That's 3,800. But this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on for the last 15 years in terms of people that are in and out on temporary duty less than a certain period of time, people that are in direct support of the embassy. Those have -- those have not been counted. In other words, there's a consistency in the way we've been counting people that's been going on for the last 15 years. And at any given time, we have 3,800 directly in support of the mission. When units rotate, for example, we don't double-count those numbers, so if there's a unit of 200 that's being replaced by a unit of 200 and they both happen to be on the ground at the same time, we don't count that as 400, we haven't in the past 15 years, because that hasn't -- that hasn't counted against our force management level. So the accounting of our people has been consistent. We're not denying that there's more people than 3,800; I think you got the numbers from us. But in terms of what we count in the mission, and that's in accordance with the direction that we've been given, the 3,800 is what's against the mission. SEC. CARTER: Jim. Q: (Off-mic.) GEN. DUNFORD: No, I didn't say 5,000 was accurate, I said 3,800 was the force management level and there's some number above that on any given day as a result of people that support the embassy, people at a TDY and people in other categories that don't count against that 3,800. SEC. CARTER: Jim? Q: I'd like to follow up, if I could, on Lita's questions about the Marines and that fire base. Unlike the previous U.S. military combat positions and fire support, this is an independent base, these are U.S. military only. And by all indications, they are not just defensive, but in this latest movement by Iraqi forces, they provided fire support for offensive operations against ISIS. So why is this not the first footprint of a U.S. combat ground operation there in Iraq? GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, the reason they're in a different base is simply a function of geometry. They're designed to support forces in an area called Makhmur. The artillery can't be co-located with the ground forces in Makhmur and provide effective fire support, so this position was selected because of the geometry necessary to support that particular location. And with regard to providing support to Iraqi offensive capability, once again, I mean, to me, there's no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation support is doing every single day. I don't draw a distinction with it. In other words, we've said that we're providing enabling support to include combined arms capability to Iraqi forces as they conduct operations, which is exactly what this artillery unit was doing. Q: Well, we have all indications that this is a pretty permanent position right now; that after a short period of time, U.S. Army personnel are going to replace the 26 MEU Marine there. And it still has all indications that the U.S. military is directly involved in the ground operations of -- with the U.S. -- with the Iraqi. SEC. CARTER: Yes, maybe very quickly just say, even since last week now, as the Iraqis have started to consolidate their positions, the situation on the ground has changed in terms of where the Iraqis are in the relationship to the support, the defense of support they're providing to our artillery unit that's there. So that's already changed, you know, through the course of the week. But in all honesty, I just cannot see this being inconsistent with everything that we've been doing over the last several months. SEC. CARTER: And let me just add to that, what we'll be doing in coming months. This is our approach to eliminating ISIL from Mosul. The Iraqi Security Forces are the ones who are carrying out the assault, the envelopment, the assault, but we're helping them. That's our -- that's been our approach and we'll continue to do that. Started in Ramadi, we'll continue to going up to Mosul. Carla? Q: When do you anticipate seeing U.S. American ground forces closer to the front lines as the battle towards Mosul looms? GEN. DUNFORD: Jim, one thing that I probably just need to clarify, this position is behind what is known as the forward line of troops for the peshmerga and Kurds. So it's by no means out in front on its own. And secondly, what I would say about your question about the future is we have a series of recommendations that we will be discussing with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces. So again, the secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks. But that decision hasn't been made. Nor -- you know, you alluded to decisions that have already been made about Army units replacing the Marine units. All that is pre-decision. There's been no decisions made about what's going to happen to this particular position in the future. But it is going to be decided in the context of the broader issue that the secretary will bring to the president again, focused on what it is we need to do to maintain a minimum money campaign and what specifically do we need to do to enable operations in Mosul. SEC. CARTER: Carla? Q: Thank you, secretary. Back on the Haji Imam, was it in Syria? And was this a U.S. raid or was it a drone strike or a manned aircraft? SEC. CARTER: I'm not going to say where and how it was done, Carla. I'm simply not going to do that. But it's -- the only thing I will say, it is consistent with our strategy there, which is to put pressure on ISIL every single way we can, from the leadership, which we've discussed previously, right down to supporting local forces on the ground. And with respect to operations in Iraq, I want to make clear and reiterate that everything we do is with the consultation and approval of the Iraqi government. Barbara? Q: One more. Can I ask you the same about Abu Sara? You said he was targeted. Can we assume that that was an air strike? SEC. CARTER: Again, I'm not going to talk about how these guys went out. You know, we have a number of ways to do that and I'm going to ask for your forbearance there. We're going to be disciplined about that. Barbara? (CROSSTALK) SEC. CARTER: I don't think he wants to add anything to that. But if he does, he can. Q: You said to Congress that the Europeans need to step up their intelligence sharing. I know that several people who were part of the Brussels attacks have been on our terror watch list and would not have been let into the United States. Are we increasing our sharing of our intelligence? Did we share all that information with the Belgians? GEN. DUNFORD: We -- I can speak military-to-military level. I was speaking broader when I spoke to Congress, in other words, you know, intelligence agencies, military capabilities law enforcement, and so forth. From a military-to-military perspective, we've significantly increased our information intelligence sharing over the last few months, and we have specific locations where we bring together a number of our coalition partners to do just that. I mean, we think that over 100 countries have foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq. You've seen the numbers that exceed 30, 35,000. I wouldn't put, you know, a high degree of confidence that we have those exact numbers, but that gives you an order of magnitude of what the problem is we're dealing with. In my judgment, unless all the countries that are affected by the foreign fighters are cooperating at the law enforcement, the intelligence community level and the military level, we are not going to be able to have the kind of site picture, as I describe it, necessary to take effective action against these individuals prior to attacks, like the one we saw in Brussels this week. SEC. CARTER: Carla, just to reinforce what the chairman just said in getting back to the fight in Syria and Iraq, I should also mention that a number of our European partners, to include Belgium, in the last month and a half after I had the counter-ISIL ministerial in Brussels, the chairman had the CHOD's conference, have increased their contributions. And I want to note the Belgians did that too. That's different from the homeland security, law enforcement and intelligence side of things. But in the fight in Iraq and Syria, I -- for -- I want to note that the Belgians have intensified their role in view of what happened in Brussels, and that's worth noting. Barbara. Q: Mr. Secretary, in light of Brussels and the attacks that have happened in Paris, as you look at the death of this person and other ISIS leaders in Syria, can you tie some of this together for us? Do you see these plots in Europe, these cells in Europe being directed from ISIS leadership? Do you -- for example, do you think this man, Haji Imam, because you said he had some external affairs plotting involvement, could he have been and was he involved in the Paris or Brussels cells? Are there operatives in Syria training them how to make bombs? What are the links you're seeing between ISIS in Syria and these cells emerging in Europe? SEC. CARTER: I can't confirm that this individual had anything to do with the Brussels attacks specifically, but the general phenomenon you're describing is correct, and the kinds of influence are various. They range all the way from fighters who have trained in and participated in ISIL operations in Iraq and Syria, returning to their countries of origin, and that's where the -- these many foreign fighters that the chairman was talking about are concerning to us. Right through ones who are recruited and trained by such individuals, but have not themselves been in Iraq and Syria or been in contact with ISIL forces directly, right back through those who are simply inspired by, maybe get some sort of general instructions from ISIL, but are otherwise self-motivated and self-radicalized. So, there's an entire spectrum here that our law enforcement and counter-intelligence colleagues are dealing with. Q: Can I just follow up very quickly? Of course, yet we see the link between the Paris and -- SEC. CARTER: Oh, I'm sorry. And one other thing I should say, Barbara, there is no question that this individual and other individuals we have eliminated have been part of the apparatus of ISIL to recruit and to motivate foreign fighters, both to return from Iraq and Syria to countries in Europe and elsewhere, and also simply by using the Internet and other communications to do so. So, no question these leaders have that -- did that. Q: So, people like Abu Salah and the leaders that you see in the Paris and Brussels cells, what is your assessment? Do you think these -- this cell that has emerged in Europe, do you think -- and several of them have gone to Syria by all accounts -- do you think they're being directed by ISIS leadership, or is that even a relevant question to ask? Is being inspired, you know, by them enough for them to have the expertise, equipment, technology, weapons to carry out these missions, these attacks? SEC. CARTER: It's a relevant question because if they're directed, we want to get at the people, and that's what we're doing, and eliminate the people who are directing them. But even if it's just inspiration, it still takes you back to Iraq and Syria and the need to eliminate the sources of that inspiration, the idea that there can be an Islamic state based on this ideology with a capital in Raqqa, we're going to eliminate that image. And that's an important part of eliminating the inspiration, even if it's not direction. But the answer to your question is there is both direction and there's inspiration and various shades in between, and we need to combat them all. Q: (Off-mic.) SEC. CARTER: Well, I can't speak for the Paris and Brussels cells, that's a law enforcement matter. And my impression is it is a mixture of some who are inspired either by the Internet or by a friend or associate or family member who himself did travel to Iraq and Syria. I think you see that mix in what we already know of the cells involved in Paris and Brussels. But I'm not going to presume that I know everything that French and Belgian law enforcement know. That's their business, and they share it through law enforcement channels with us. STAFF: We have time for one last question. SEC. CARTER: One last question? Q: Mr. Secretary, you mentioned -- it seems for months now that the progress against ISIL has been frustratingly slow. You mentioned that the momentum is now clearly on your side. Are we at a point where there's a turning point? Are we seeing signs that ISIL is beginning to crack? Are they offering less resistance? Are they -- have we turned the corner in the fight against ISIL? SEC. CARTER: Well, we're certainly gathering momentum and we're seeing that that momentum is having effect. And we're broadening both the weight and the nature of our attacks on ISIL. We've learned a great deal, and we continue to learn about who is who in ISIL so we can kill them, about how they get their finances so we can dry that up. And the forces that we're working with on the ground in both Iraq and Syria continue to gather strength because our strategic approach for the re-taking of territory is to help local forces to do so. And you see both in Iraq, the Iraqi security forces first with Ramadi, now with other towns up the Euphrates Valley and with the envelopment of Mosul, gathering that momentum with our help. And you see it also in Syria with the taking of -- an example I gave at the top of my statement in the taking of the town of Shaddadi, which is that key connection between Raqqa and Mosul, and the idea there is to bisect -- dissect the parent tumor of ISIL into its Syrian side and its Iraqi side. So in all of these ways, we're other gathering momentum, broadening both the nature of the tools we're using and the pure weight we're bringing, and the same is true of our partners as well. Let me see if the chairman wants to add anything. GEN. DUNFORD: The only thing I'd say, Jamie, is that -- you know, we talk about momentum, and I think it's indisputable, whether it be the amount of ground that the -- that ISIL holds, the resources. We've made a dent in the resources. We've started to affect their command and control in a negative way. I think we've begun to undermine the narrative. But there's a lot of work that remains to be done. And at the same time, while ISIL has not been able to seize ground in the past several months, that hasn't precluded them from conducting terrorist attacks, and it hasn't precluded them from conducting operations -- that are more akin -- guerrilla operations then the conventional operations that we saw when they were seizing territory. So, I think the momentum is in our favor. I think there's a lot of reasons for -- for us to be optimistic about the next several months. But by no means would I say that we're about to break the back of ISIL or that -- that the fight is over. SEC. CARTER: And one final note I'll make if I may, Peter, just to reinforce what the chairman said and in answer to your question, Jamie, one things Brussels also reminds us is, essential as the military effort is, and confident as I am that we're going to be successful -- you know, we're gathering momentum in the military campaign -- it is necessary, but there's a critical law enforcement, intelligence and Homeland Security ingredient to this. And they're our partners in this fight here and in other countries. And Brussels is a reminder that that fight is necessary as well, both in the European countries and any other country potentially affected by that including our own. And with that, let me thank you all very much. http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/705469/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ICEX 2016 Camp Operations Conclude Successfully; Submarine Ops Continue Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160325-14 Release Date: 3/25/2016 12:15:00 PM From Commander, Submarine Forces NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Navy announced March 25 that all primary objectives for Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016 have been met and the breakdown of Ice Camp Sargo is underway. "The objectives of demonstrating presence, gaining additional Arctic operational experience, furthering partnerships and expanding scientific research were all achieved over the four weeks in which the ice camp was operational. The hard work and dedication displayed by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory, the ICEX participants, and the shore support team made this event an overall success," said Vice Adm. Joseph E. Tofalo, commander, Submarine Forces. With the primary objectives met and indications of adverse environmental conditions, specifically a crack on the ice floe, that could impact the future safety of the Camp, the decision was made to conclude Ice Camp operations seven days early; submarine operations however continue as planned. "Completing an exercise with over 200 participants, representing 30 different organizations and four nations, while operating in an unforgiving and dynamic environment like the Arctic is no small feat," said Tofalo. "All the participants in ICEX accomplished a great deal work," said Larry Estrada, Director of Arctic Submarine Laboratory. "Significant testing and research took place during this ICEX. What we have learned and the data collected by everyone will only further our understanding of this region and improve our operating capabilities in such an unpredictable environment." Ice Camp Sargo was comprised of a series of portable lodging huts, dining and storage facilities, and a command post, and was serviced by two primary frozen runways and two backup runways. The Camp was built on a large floating sheet of ice called an ice floe, nearly 200 miles north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In the demobilization process, the camp will be fully disassembled and all the fuel, tools, equipment, lodging facilities, and waste will be removed from the ice floe. All personnel have safely returned to the mission logistics hub in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The Los Angeles-class attack submarines USS Hampton (SSN 767) and USS Hartford (SSN 768) will remain in Arctic waters and continue under-ice operations through early April. Submarines have conducted under-ice operations in the Arctic in support of inter-fleet transits, training, cooperative allied engagements and combat training operations for over six decades. USS Nautilus (SSN 571) made the first submerged transit to the North Pole in 1958. USS Skate (SSN 578) was the first U.S. submarine to surface through Arctic ice at the North Pole in March 1959. Since those events, the U.S. Submarine Force has completed more than 120 Arctic exercises, with the last completed in 2014. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bataan Well-Deck Operations Begin with AMW 1.3 Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160325-05 Release Date: 3/25/2016 9:55:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mutis A. Capizzi, USS Bataan Public Affairs ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Well deck operations aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5) started March 21 with the implementation of Amphibious Warfare 1.3 and the help of Assault Craft Unit 4. Operations Specialist 1st Class Leron J. Renfro, a native of Houston, currently assigned to Naval Beach Group 2, is on amphibious assault ship as part of the group in charge of grading AMW 1.3 results. Renfro stated, AMW 1.3 is the training portion of the well-deck qualification needed by the ship for deployment and his team is there to evaluate Bataan's effectiveness with amphibious warfare exercises. "We are doing our AMW 1.3 certification, which will enable us to launch and receive various amphibious crafts into our well deck," said Chief Boatswain's Mate Peter Whitaker, a native of North Conway, New Hampshire. Whitaker is the leading chief petty officer of Second Division, which handles well-deck operations. "The different kind of craft we have to be able to take into the well include landing craft air cushions, amphibious assault vehicles, landing craft units and lighter, amphibious resupply, cargo 5 tons," said Whitaker. Whitaker said, this certification would ensure that Bataan could fulfill the whole purpose of amphibious warfare, which is ship to shore movement of marines and their equipment. ACU 4, currently stationed at the Joint Expeditionary Base in Little Creek, Virginia, embarked Bataan March 19 in LCAC 85 to assist with well-deck operations. Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class Christopher Hilger, a native of Camarillo, California, said the crew of five will deploy with Bataan and this training is as much for them as it is for the ship. Hilger is the engineer for the craft and runs the power plant, to include all systems that relate to engines and the transmissions. "We are the ship to shore connector," said Hilger. "We bring all the troops, vehicles and assets and carry about 60 tons as needed." Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) 2nd Class Andrew Kim, a native of Alton, New Hampshire, is the deck engineer for LCAC 85 and assists Hilger with overall plant operations. If something breaks mechanically, Kim says he is the one to fix it. "The best part of this training for me is being out on the water and hitting the beaches," said Kim. "I deployed two years ago on Bataan and I am ready to do it again." Renfro stated the completion of the training qualification depends on four departments - deck, engineering, combat information center and the bridge coming together as one and working effectively and efficiently to ensure the safety of all personnel, crafts, equipment and ship. "The criteria that I grade on, is effectiveness and control of LCACs, LCUs, and AAVs," said Renfro. "Deck has to be able to receive all vehicles, stage them properly, send them out properly and know the difference between situations like wave height, for basic and general safety not only of the ship, but also of the craft and crew onboard whatever is coming on. "Engineering has to be able to ballast up and down efficiently to get the craft inside and outside the well, he said. "CIC has to show its ability to direct craft and have solid communications with all the craft so they can relay when they are farther away from the ship when no one has any visual contact with them, telling them what is going on and what should be happening, he said. "Finally, the bridge has to show they know how to react in different situations," Renfro said. "When a craft is coming up, the bridge needs to know they cannot change course because if they were to change course suddenly and not talk to anyone involved, then you can have a craft coming on board and the craft can end up running into the side of the ship, damaging and hurting the ship, crew and pushing back the certification phase." Whitaker said as high tempo as this training evolution is, everything is going outstanding. He went on to say that deck department has been getting nothing but positive feedback from NGB 2. "The training is going very well; the crew is very receptive," said Renfro. "It has been a while since the ship has actually partaken in some of these exercises other than the synthetic training that they have done in the school house; so to see it real world, real life and having to work through problems and situations has been very eye opening for everyone involved." AMW 1.3 continued through March 23. Bataan will continue her underway conducting routine qualifications in preparation for her future deployment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 15 people killed in another round of Saudi airstrikes across Yemen Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 9:46AM At least 15 people were killed Friday in another round of airstrikes carried out by Saudi warplanes across Yemen, local media say. Yemen's al-Masirah television said one woman was killed and her two children sustained injuries when Saudi jets bombed a house in Bani Suraim District of the northwestern province of Amran. At least 14 people were also killed in similar strikes on a residential area in Jabal Habashi region of the southwestern province of Ta'izz. Saudi warplanes also pounded the Masloub district of the northern province of Jawf. There was no immediate report on casualties. Saudi Arabia continues to bomb Yemen causing more death and destruction to its impoverished neighboring Arab state. On March 15, Saudi warplanes bombed a crowded market in the province of Hajjah. The strike killed 119 people, including 22 children, drawing international condemnation. The UN children's agency strongly condemned the deadly airstrike. Riyadh has been under fire from international organizations and rights groups over the rising number of civilian casualties in Yemen. On March 22, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on the United States, Britain and France - the largest arms suppliers to the regime in Riyadh - to stop arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia. Amnesty says the arms exports to Riyadh have contributed to the Saudi crimes against Yemeni civilians and have given rise to a humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's most impoverished nation. Human Rights Watch also urged Washington, London and Paris in a statement to suspend all the weapons sales until Riyadh begins to "curtail its abuses." UN sanctions monitors said earlier this year that civilians have been targeted in the Saudi airstrikes and some of the attacks may have been crimes against humanity. The UN has already warned of a "human catastrophe unfolding in Yemen." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein recently said Saudi Arabia and its allies may be committing crimes against humanity due to their indiscriminate killing of civilians in Yemen. In an apparent bid to divert mounting criticism of the military aggression, General Ahmed al-Asiri, a Saudi military spokesman, said last week that Riyadh will scale down combat sorties in Yemen. However, Asiri said the kingdom will continue to provide air support to Yemen's former regime loyalists battling Houthi Ansarullah fighters and allied army units on the ground. More than 8,500 people, among them over 2,000 children, have been killed since the onset of the Saudi aggression on March 26, 2015. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Islamic State Finance Minister Killed by US Forces by Carla Babb March 25, 2016 U.S. forces have killed Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, an Islamic State finance minister also responsible for the terrorist group's external affairs, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Friday. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's Cabinet," Carter said, using an acronym for the terrorist group. Carter would not say whether Qaduli, also known as Hajji Iman, was killed in Iraq or Syria, nor would he say whether the IS leader was killed in a raid or an airstrike. According to a U.S. defense official, Qaduli was "actively plotting to conduct terror attacks in the West." The official said the U.S. military believes Qaduli was providing money to foreign fighters trying to develop and carry out attacks similar to the attack this week in Brussels. Qaduli was released from Iraqi prison in early 2012 and had a $7 million reward on his head. Others under attack Carter also announced that Abu Sara, an Islamic State leader charged with paying fighters in Iraq, was targeted by U.S. forces this week. A defense official told VOA that Sara was hit by a U.S. drone airstrike in Iraq. Omar al-Shishani also known as "Omar the Chechen" was killed in a U.S. airstrike in March, and IS chemical weapons expert Abu Malik was killed by a strike in late January. "Striking leadership is necessary, but it's far from sufficient," Carter said. He added that the killing of Qaduli was consistent with U.S. strategy of pressuring the Islamic State in "every single way we can, from the leadership right down to supporting local forces on the ground." "Momentum is in our favor," General Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the briefing Friday, "but by no means would I say that we're about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over." U.S. role questioned The announcement of Qaduli's death comes one day after a senior U.S. official said Marines who were protecting U.S. forces near the northern town of Makhmur fired artillery rounds and illumination rounds to help Iraqi forces locate IS fighters. Reporters questioned Carter and Dunford on whether these actions expanded the role of U.S. forces from purely supporting Iraqis to actively engaging in ground combat. Dunford said he expected "increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions" to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters, but he did not feel the actions in Makhmur constituted a change in the U.S. mission. "This is not a fundamental shift in our approach to support the Iraqi forces," the top U.S. general said. "There's no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation support is doing every single day." Palmyra Also Friday, local media reported that Syrian soldiers had recaptured the city of Palmyra after fierce fighting with the Islamic State. The group in control of the strategically important area since May 2015 had killed the local antiquities chief and blown up many historically significant sites in the area. Katherine Gypson and VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban Assassinate Afghan Army General by Ayaz Gul March 25, 2016 Taliban suicide bombers have assassinated a senior army general and his bodyguard in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, Afghan officials said Friday. Three gunmen with explosives strapped to their bodies entered the home of General Khan Agha in the Dand district disguised as guests late Thursday. The gunmen opened fire before blowing themselves up or being killed in a firefight with security forces, regional Corps Commander General Dawood Shah Wafadar told VOA. The deadly overnight attack also left a teenaged son of the slain general seriously wounded. Wafadar said Agha, the deputy head of 205th Atal Military Corps for civilian affairs, routinely received guests at his residence. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman saying two of its suicide bombers participated in it and 10 Afghan security personnel, including Agha, were killed while many others were wounded. The insurgent group often gives inflated casualty figures in such attacks. Separately, at least seven police officers were killed in a suspected insider attack in Kandahar's Arghandab district. Officials said the slain members of the Afghan Local Police, or ALP, were asleep when three of their colleagues sprayed them with bullets and fled the scene along with the victims' weapons and ammunition. The ALP is a community policing system established about six years ago to protect villages and remote districts around Afghanistan because of the insufficient presence of army and police forces there. The Taliban spokesman later claimed responsibility, with a spokesman saying the assailants were its loyalists and returned to the insurgent ranks after carrying out the attack. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Liberia's Defense Minister Denies Politicizing Military by James Butty March 25, 2016 Liberia Defense Minister Brownie Samukai has denied politicizing the country's military. Samukai has been accused of supporting the candidacy of Vice President Joseph Boakai, who, like him, comes from the country's Lofa County. "The constitution provides that each and every Liberian citizen has a right to vote his or her choice," Samukai told VOA. "... And if my choice is going to be the vice president, yes, it is my choice to vote for him as I want. However, my choice should not interfere with the professional function of the Armed Forces of Liberia." A consortium of political parties and civil society groups rallied earlier this month to urge an extension of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL) after its mandate ends in June. The groups said they don't trust the Liberian security during the 2017 election. An official for Liberia's main opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change, told VOA it wants UNMIL's continued presence to safeguard "democratic governance and free and fair elections in 2017." Mulbah Morlue, the party's vice chairman for operations and mobilization, said some political groups did not trust the Liberian security to be impartial during the elections. But Samukai said the Liberian military is not a political organization and does not act on the whims of a political party. Samukai insisted "there is no politician, including myself, who can try to politicize the Armed Forces of Liberia." He said the Liberian military is ready to take over national security when UNMIL's term ends. "The Armed Forces of Liberia is a professional entity" whose members, he said, are "completely nonpolitical, nonpartisan in the execution of their duty. So we are prepared to carry on the duties, to protect the sovereignty of the nation." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belgian police detain three more in terror case Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 2:58PM Belgian police arrested three people Friday, one of them injured after being shot by security forces, against the backdrop of terrorist attacks in Belgium and the French capital, Paris. Belgian investigators have uncovered alarming new evidence of a European militant cell tied to the bomb attacks at Brussels Airport and metro, the November 2015 attacks in Paris and a new terror plot near the French capital. One of the three arrested suspects was shot in the leg at a tram stop in Schaerbeek Borough of northern Brussels, where police this week found a bomb factory linked to the Brussels bombings. "Police carried out two searches as part of a terrorism case linked to the arrest (near Paris) of Reda Kriket," the Belgian prosecutor said in a statement on Friday. Kriket, 34, was arrested by French police for allegedly plotting an attack in France. He has been linked by authorities in Belgium to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind of the terrorist attacks of last November in the French capital, according to the Belgian court documents. French police said explosives were found at Kriket's home. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the arrest "foiled a planned attack in France, which was at an advanced stage." President Francois Hollande also said the militant network behind the Paris and Brussels attacks was "being destroyed." He warned, however, that other terror cells remain. A Belgian court previously convicted in absentia Kriket alongside the Paris attacks ringleader in a terror case and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for being part of a militant network. Twin bombings at Brussels Airport and another at a metro station close to the European Union headquarters in the Belgian capital left at least 31 people dead and 300 others wounded on March 22. Najim Laachraoui is the prime suspect in the bombings. He was the third man pictured in airport CCTV footage alongside two bombers who blew themselves up at the airport. Police identified two of the other attackers as brothers, named Khalid and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui. Ibrahim set off one of the two bombs that caused twin explosions at Brussels Airport, also known as Zaventem International Airport. Belgian prosecutors have revealed that Laachraoui's DNA was found on an explosive vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium, where the bombings of November were carried out. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address France police foil 'advanced stage' terror plot Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 7:16AM Police in France foil an "advanced stage" terror plot following the arrest of a French national suspected of membership in a militant group at a Paris suburb, the interior minister says. Bernard Cazeneuve said in a televised address on Thursday night that the individual was arrested earlier in the day in Argenteuil, adding the arrest helped thwart a plot in France. "He was part of a terrorist network that planned to strike France," the minister said. Cazeneuve said there was no "tangible evidence that links this plot to the attacks in Paris and Brussels" at the moment. This came after Belgian police arrested six people in Brussels as part of an investigation into the bomb attacks that hit the Brussels airport and a metro station on March 22. Nearly 35 people were killed. The attacks raised concerns among European Union countries about the EU security and its response to threats from Takfiri groups. The Daesh terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for Brussels attacks, was also behind bombings in the French capital last November that killed 130 people. On Thursday, EU justice and home affairs ministers held an emergency meeting in Brussels, calling on the European parliament to work for a scheme to share strategic intelligence data. The ministers said the European states could not keep crucial information to themselves anymore. Officials say some states, including France and Germany, refuse to give their strategic data to other EU countries despite professed readiness to do so. "Sometimes there is a lack of political will, a lack of coordination and most importantly in some cases, a lack of trust," said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. "These horrendous attacks cannot continue to be wake-up calls for ever." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brussels police detain six people over terrorist bombing attacks Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 1:16AM Police in Belgian capital have arrested six people in a series of operations two days after bomb attacks claimed by the Daesh terrorist group left 31 dead and some 300 others injured in Brussels. Three of the suspects were arrested "outside the door of the federal prosecutor's office" in the city center on Thursday evening, said Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the federal prosecutors. Two further people were reportedly arrested in the Schaerbeek district in northern Brussels and the sixth was detained in Jette, a neighborhood west of the capital. The identities of the detained people have not been revealed yet. "It will be decided tomorrow if an arrest warrant (charges) are brought against these people," the spokesman said. On Tuesday, two explosions ripped through the international departure hall of the Zaventem Airport in Brussels. One blast hit near the American Airlines check-in desk and the other one near a coffee shop. An hour later, another bomb went off at the Maelbeek metro station, 10 kilometers away, and close to European Union buildings. Belgian police has identified three of the bombers, but at least two other suspects are still on the run. The three identified suspects behind the bombings were reportedly linked to the last November attacks in Paris that claimed 130 lives. Belgium is observing three days of national mourning over the carnage. A minute of silence was also observed for the victims on Thursday. The bombings in Brussels have led to intensified security measures across Europe. A number of intelligence officials have said Daesh has a network of semi-autonomous interlocking terror cells comprised of more than 400 Takfiri terrorists trained and prepared to target European cities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After Brussels Attacks, Will Europe Adopt Israeli-Style Airport Security? March 25, 2016 by Daniella Cheslow TEL AVIV -- European countries are consulting Israeli security experts for advice after the deadly attacks on the main airport and the subway system in Brussels, according to a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. "There is an increased interest in Europe in Israeli know-how and technology," said Emmanuel Nahshon. Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport is among the most secure in the world. About 16 million passengers travel through the Tel Aviv airport a year, according to Airports Authority Spokesman Ofer Lefler. A string of hijackings and a shooting at the airport in the 1970s prompted Israel to undertake stringent measures based on layers of protection, meaning each passenger must pass through multiple levels of scrutiny before he or she even reaches the check-in hall. The perimeter of Ben-Gurion Airport is secured with radar, security forces, cameras and automatic license-plate scanners that check every vehicle entering the area. Security officers in uniform and undercover monitor the doorways to the terminal. Cameras, hidden and in plain sight, provide extra surveillance. And inside, airport staff ask travelers exhaustive questions about their itineraries, their personal backgrounds, and their luggage. Pini Schiff, former director of security at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, said the Brussels attacks showed serious gaps in Belgian security and intelligence. Had the three assailants approached the Tel Aviv airport, "they would be stopped where the vehicles are entering Ben-Gurion area. And this is 11 kilometers before the terminal building." In Brussels, the March 21 attack "was done easily," he said. In the wake of the Brussels attacks that killed at least 31 people, airports in Europe and the United States tightened their security. Israel did not have to tighten its airport security, Lefler said. Flights from Europe to Tel Aviv were briefly suspended on March 22 and then quickly reinstated. Israel's airport -- named after the nation's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion -- is a lifeline for a nation with two hostile neighbors, Syria and Lebanon, and a cold peace with Egypt and Jordan. Most Israelis travel further afield, to Europe, North America, and other countries. In the summer of 2014, during Israel's war with Hamas, the Islamic group notched a victory when American and European airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a home near the airport. During that war, militants in Gaza fired thousands of rockets into Israel, while Israel responded with air strikes and a ground invasion. More than 2,200 Palestinians died in the 50-day war, the majority of whom were civilians, while 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed. Schiff said he has consulted a European nation on airport security in the past. He declined to name the country. He said that many of Israel's methods could be applied in Europe, though they would require adjustments to be effective on a large number of passengers. Last year, more than 23 million passengers traveled through Zaventem, the Brussels airport targeted by suicide bombers. London, Paris, and Amsterdam each handle more than double that volume. However, Arab travelers, journalists, pro-Palestinian activists, and others have complained Israeli security policy is too rigorous and rests on racial profiling. Diana Buttu, a lawyer and Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent, said security officers always take her aside for about two hours of extra questioning. They carefully examine the contents of her luggage, usually subject her to a strip search, and inquire about her life and work before continuing on to examine her hair, ears, and mouth, she said. Buttu, who holds dual Canadian citizenship, said she has never faced such checks in other airports outside of Israel. "I fear that by Europe instituting the same rules that Israel is instituting, it's going to lead down the same path that Israel has led down to, which is wholesale racism," she said. "I am profiled in Israel because I am not Jewish in what is classified as a Jewish state." Airports Authority Spokesman Lefler said "every action we take here is for one goal: the securing of passengers and aircraft. "The check is equal for all, without a difference of religion, color, race, or gender," Lefler added. Schiff, the former security head, acknowledged that Israel profiles passengers for more intensive searches. "Profiling as we do it in Israel -- we can't copy it to Europe because of the number of passengers, but it can be done in other ways." In 2014, an Israeli parliament panel inquired into complaints that the airport was too invasive in its security checks, which can include reading passengers' e-mails and entering their Facebook accounts. At the time, the airport authority's legal adviser, Aryeh Shaham, told AP that fewer than 5 percent of Arab travelers are inspected in Ben-Gurion Airport, and said the authority receives more complaints from Jewish travelers than Christian or Muslim Arabs. With Israeli technical help, however, European countries should also brace themselves for bravado. Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz told Israel Radio on March 23, "If the Belgians continue to eat chocolate and enjoy the good life and to look like big democrats and liberals and not decide that some of the Muslims there are terror organizers -- they will not be able to fight them." His comment sparked ridicule from opposition lawmaker Shelly Yechimovich of the Labor party, who tweeted, "The government has announced a solution to minimizing terrorism: stop eating chocolate." Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/after- brussels-attacks-europe-looks-to-israel- airport-security/27635306.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belgium Detains 3, Ties Airport Bomber to Paris Attack by Cindy Saine March 25, 2016 Belgian prosecutors say three people have been detained in a counterterrorism operation in Brussels prompted by the arrest Thursday of a Frenchman in the Paris area suspected of plotting a new attack. The Belgian prosecutor's office confirmed in a statement that Friday's arrests were conducted in three districts of the capital Schaerbeek, Forest and Saint-Gilles. Two of the three suspects were wounded in the leg. The statement also said that investigators used DNA tests to determine that Naijm Laachraoui was one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up in the Brussels airport on Tuesday. Laachraoui was also linked to the November 13 Paris attacks, in which 130 people died. His DNA was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth discovered at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel rejected resignations offered by Interior Minister Jan Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens. Michel skipped a wreath-laying ceremony at the Brussels airport with the departing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry because of the ongoing police raids. Kerry offers condolences Kerry was in Brussels for talks with the Belgian leaders as well as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker about the attacks. A senior U.S. official confirmed that two Americans were among the more than 30 people killed. Kerry did not provide any details, other than to say one of them was a personal trainer, on her way back to the United States for Easter. Kerry said the U.S. and coalition members have a message for anyone who would kill and wound innocent civilians going about their everyday lives: "We will not be deterred. We will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth." Kerry met with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel at the prime minister's residence. Michel thanked Kerry for his presence, and vowed to do his best to work with the U.S. and his European partners to prevent any future attacks. Speaking with VOA and other reporters at a round table in Brussels, he declined to place blame on the Belgian government for not thwarting the attacks, saying, "Carping four days after the attacks is inappropriate." Kerry said the U.S. and Belgium had already scheduled a number of counterterrorism training sessions. Search for clues Belgian authorities continue to search for clues to how the attacks happened even amid heightened security and an investigation of the Brussels-based militants that attacked Paris in November. U.S. officials have told reporters that the brothers who carried out Tuesday's attacks, Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, were on the terrorism watch list in the United States. Belgian federal prosecutors say six people have been detained for possible links to the attacks. The prosecutors said the raids that led to the arrests took place in central Brussels, Jette and Schaerbeek, the neighborhood where police found a stash of explosives earlier this week in an apartment used by the bombers. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also said a French national was arrested Thursday and found to be in an "advanced stage" of planning a terror attack. Cazeneuve said the man was arrested early Thursday, and said police went back to search his home later that day. French officials said later that he has connections to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks of November 13. Stepped-up efforts Meeting Thursday in the shadow of the Brussels terrorist attacks, European Union Justice and Interior ministers vowed to deepen joint intelligence gathering and swiftly push through measures to share airline passenger information and step up the fight against terrorism. "We don't need new plans, we need to fully implement the plans and measures that have been taken," said Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk of the Netherlands, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency. Coming two days after the Brussels bombings that killed more than 30 people and wounded more than 260 others, the emergency meeting offered a stark counterpart to the EU's usually staid gatherings especially since it took place near the Maalbeek metro station, one of the targets of the attacks. "Everybody feels the attack on Belgium was an attack on Europe and the values we stand for together," Plasterk said. "Europe has been under attack before. But we've always defended liberty and democracy and we will do that together." Under fire for security lapses The meeting comes as Belgian authorities face growing criticism over security lapses, with more evidence of significant links between the Paris attacks in November and Tuesday's strikes in Brussels. But Belgium is not the only country to face criticism. "There is a lack of trust, otherwise things might have been predicted and then prevented," said European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. Of the Brussels attackers, he added: "they were home-grown, but they were also quite well known to intelligence services. If we were sharing information, we might dissuade their actions. The same for the perpetrators of the attacks in Paris." IS video about Brussels attacks The Islamic State (IS) group, which has claimed responsibility for both attacks, released a video Thursday describing the Brussels strikes as a victory and urging its followers to wage jihad. Critics are particularly questioning how the Brussels suicide bombers could have planned and carried out the attacks under the nose of Belgian authorities, since many had dubious backgrounds and links to the Paris attacks. Brothers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, two of the three suicide bombers on Tuesday, had criminal records but no known jihadist ties. Turkish authorities say Ibrahim El Bakraoui was caught near the Syrian border in 2013 and extradited. Belgian's federal prosecutor's office has since said European and international arrest warrants were issued for Khaled El Bakraoui, in connection with the Paris attacks probe. Najim Laachraoui, named by local media as the third suicide bomber, was stopped by Hungarian authorities last year driving in a rented car with Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam. Abdeslam is now in a maximum scrutiny prison in the Belgian town of Bruges and is expected to be eventually extradited to France. After initially resisting the move, his lawyer says he wants a speedy extradition to "explain himself." Justice, interior ministers resign Earlier in the day, Belgian justice and interior ministers tendered their resignations which were rejected by Prime Minister Charles Michel. Speaking to local broadcaster RTBF, Justice Minister Koen Geens acknowledged Belgian authorities could have been faster in following up on information passed on by Turkey about Ibrahim El Bakraoui. "The information was passed on, but we have not been diligent, or probably not diligent enough," Geens said. But following the EU meeting, he said things were changing swiftly in terms of sharing information and joint investigations among European countries. A case in point took place last week, when both French and Belgian police carried out raids of residences linked to where assailants of both the Paris and Brussels attacks are believe to have stayed. 'Almost inevitable' Michael Hayden, former director of the U.S. National Security Agency, told VOA the Brussels attack was "almost inevitable." "I realize that's a pretty dramatic word," Hayden said. "But if you look at what has happened...the soft targets, the transportation targets, the maximum civilian casualties, (it's) something we could see." Hayden also said it is "certainly not the last" attack IS will carry out, saying the group has a "network that seems to be active and thriving in the heart of Europe." The retired four-star general, who also headed up the CIA, said European intelligence and security agencies could do a better job at sharing information. Counter-terrorism expert Thomas Reynard of the Brussels-based Egmont Institute, believes cooperation between French and Belgian police is often underestimated. "It's not like we just started cooperation," he said. "Obviously cooperation between police, between intelligence services anywhere in the world including often within one single country is also difficult." "So is this a case of perfect cooperation definitely not," he added. "But what's important is these remain hiccups rather than a major lack of cooperation." In mourning In Brussels, there is little sign that the public is eager to place blame for the attacks. Belgians observed another minute of silence earlier Thursday for the victims of the Brussels attacks. Many also placed wreaths and candles in front of makeshift shrines at the Maalbeek metro station. Asked whether Belgian authorities could have done more to prevent the attacks, state worker Griet Smaers said she didn't know. "That's a question that will be answered in the next weeks and months," she added. "Right now, I just want to be here this place where very weird and tough things happened." Isabela Cocoli contributed to this report from Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Islamic State Better Resourced Than Al-Qaida for Long Terror Campaign by Jamie Dettmer March 25, 2016 European intelligence officials say they don't know exactly how many assassins and bombers the Islamic State terror group has trained to conduct deadly attacks in Europe like Tuesday's in Brussels. Officials fear, however, they are facing hundreds of potential assailants, either trained in camps in Syria or recruited through kinship and crime networks in Europe by returning IS volunteers. Estimates of IS jihadists ready to carry out out attacks range from as low as 200 to up to 400. "We just don't have any real precision on how many dedicated and trained operatives they have on the continent," a senior French intelligence official told VOA. "The estimates in the end are guesses," the official admitted. Last year, a smuggler on the Syrian-Turkish border claimed to U.S. news-site Buzzfeed that the terror group "had sent some 4,000 fighters to Europe." Belgian and French Intelligence officials say they doubt the figure is that high of fighters plotting attacks in Europe; but, they are acutely aware that more than 5,000 Europeans have over the last few years joined the terror group and that as they trickle back, the danger of terrorism increases exponentially. The officials say IS is better placed to wage a sustainable and deadlier terror campaign than al-Qaida was able to manage after the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. And analysts agree with that assessment. "It has many more resources, capacities and experiences compared with those of al-Qaida," according to Omar Ashour, a senior lecturer in security studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Britain's University of Exeter. "These are not only demonstrated by ISIS's control of territory stretching from parts of Aleppo in Syria to parts of Salah al-Din province in Iraq, in which about 10 million people live, but also by the capacity of ISIS to strike in areas where they do not have that control," he said, using another acronym for Islamic State. Al-Qaida has had little success with complex operations against targets in the West since 9/11. The group's highly active Arabian Peninsula branch has made several efforts to bomb Western airlines but seen them all foiled or botched. In contrast, since August 2014, IS and its affiliates have conducted at least 25 plots against Westerners, either in nearby North Africa or on European soil. Before then, it was behind just three attacks on Western targets. The rapid increase in the tempo and complexity of IS attacks is alarming and fulfilling exactly what the group intends them for, says Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. "The purpose of any of these attacks is get the headline, show the capability of the network and provoke fear among European public," he says. Rising fear And that fear is rising. So is the political and public clamor for a rapid fix to the lapses in the continent's security services. As the IS terror campaign has morphed abruptly from so-called lone-wolf attacks and simpler hit-and-run shooting sprees - such as the Brussels museum attack in May 2014, in which a single gunman killed four people - into coordinated assaults targeting multiple locations simultaneously involving several assailants, the opportunities for leaks increase as do the chances for electronic or human intelligence to pick up outlines of plots. Even so, the Belgian and French security services were unable to prevent last November's attacks in Paris or Tuesday's deadly terrorism. It took the Belgians 125 days to capture Salah Abdeslam, who oversaw the logistics for the Paris attacks, and was wounded and apprehended after a brief shoot-out, even though he had remained holed up in a Brussels suburb. Much of this week's criticism of the Belgian security services has focused on perceived lapses in intelligence-sharing. Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, the two suicide bombers at Brussels' Zaventem airport, were on the terrorism watch list in the United States. Ibrahim El Bakraoui was able to skip parole after serving part of a nine-year sentence for armed robbery, leave for Syria and be deported from Turkey as a "foreign terrorist fighter" without Belgian authorities flagging him as an Islamic militant. "If you put all things in a row, you can ask yourself major questions," Belgian's interior minister, Jan Jambon, said this week. Intelligence sharing As in the wake of the Paris attacks, plotted on Belgian soil, Belgium's government has vowed to overhaul the security services and improve intelligence-sharing among the country's federal and local law-enforcement agencies divided between Flemish and French speakers and with European neighbors. Meeting Thursday, European Union justice and interior ministers pledged, as they did before in November, to improve joint intelligence-gathering and push through measures to share airline passenger information. The challenges don't only rest with failures in intelligence-sharing. Resources are crucial, too. All European security services are overwhelmed - short of the necessary skilled analysts needed to sift through and make sense of the huge amount of information provided by electronic data surveillance. They are also short of the intelligence manpower needed to investigate and monitor suspects. In November, former French intelligence counterterrorism chief Louis Caprioli told the Financial Times in an interview that 18 to 20 officers were required to monitor any one terror suspect for 24 hours a day. French authorities have watch lists of 20,000 people considered to have ties in varying degrees to radical Islam. "Materially, physically, you cannot keep watch on 20,000 people round the clock," he said. Using Caprioli's ratio, It would need 400,000 intelligence operatives to do so. Likewise, British intelligence has around 4,000 officers employed by the country's domestic intelligence organization, MI5, as well as 6,000 employees at Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency, GCHQ. Britain has more than 3,000 suspects on its watch list - for all to be under surveillance 24 hours a day would require up to 60,000 intelligence officers. Belgium currently employs about 700 people in its civil intelligence service with about 800 working in military intelligence. Those intelligence officers also have to help provide security for the government and EU institutions and assess and counter other threats including a highly active Russian intelligence operation focused on NATO, analysts say. Belgian authorities plan to hire an additional 1,000 police, prosecutors and security agents to focus on the IS threat. According to the country's justice ministry, about 117 Belgians are estimated to have returned from fighting in Syria and to keep tabs on them them would require at least 2,340 intelligence officers, leaving no one to monitor hundreds of others on watch lists who have closely-knit kinship ties or other connections to radical Islamists. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S.Korea-born U.S. citizen confesses to espionage in Pyongyang People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 18:55, March 25, 2016 PYONGYANG, March 25 -- A South Korea-born U.S. citizen held by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) confessed in public to committing anti-DPRK crimes Friday. Kim Dong-chul, born in 1953 in South Korea, told a press conference that he tried to gather DPRK top military and state secrets and subvert its government under leader Kim Jong-un. Kim, who immigrated to the United Statesin 1972, moved to Yanji, a border city between China and the DPRK, in 2005 and later in 2008 established a trade company in Rason, a special economic zone in North Hamgyong Province of the DPRK, where large numbers of Chinese businesses operate. Kim pledged that during his time in Rason he "defamed the DPRK social system, carried out reactionary propaganda and tarnished the supreme dignity of the country in a systematic manner, in order to undermine the single-minded unity of the DPRK people," using vocabulary similar to that of DPRK official rhetoric. He said he "insulted his employees who would laud the DPRK's leadership and propagandized the collapse of the DPRK system as well as instilled fears for the war to be waged by Washington into his local staff." According to Kim's confession, he started "espionage activities" in 2013 after coming into contact with several South Koreans who tasked him with gathering information on the DPRK's top leadership, nuclear facilities, military secrets, national economy, naval vessels that were being built as well as the DPRK's latest political and economic policies. He said he was also asked to photograph the poor living standards of the locals. Kim was caught on Oct. 2, 2015 when he was receiving a flash disk and other documents, which he said contained military secrets, from a local resident in Rason whom he had bought off. He said he "perpetuated the crimes because South Korea and the United States where he was brought up instilled into him American values and hatred and resentment against the DPRK." He apologized for all his crimes and said he would accept any punishment while begging for an opportunity for self-correction. The DPRK government convicted a number of foreigners of anti-DPRK crimes in recent years, often letting them publicly confess their actions before trying them in court. Last week, American student Otto Frederick Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for taking down a political slogan from a hotel. In December 2015, the Supreme Court of the DPRK sentenced South Korea-born Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim to lifetime labor. He was charged with attempts to overthrow the DPRK government and undermine its social system under the guise of conducting religious exchanges over 18 years. In late 2014, Pyongyang released three detained Americans, two of whom had been sentenced to hard labor of six years and 15 years respectively, for "hostile acts against the DPRK." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Philippines releases seized DPRK vessel People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 20:31, March 25, 2016 MANILA, March 25 -- The Philippine government said Friday it had released a cargo ship of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The cargo ship was impounded early this month following the sanctions on the DPRK imposed by the United NationsSecurity Council (UNSC) against. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it received a directive from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to allow MV Jin Teng to release the 4,355 metric gross tonnage ship, which had been held in Subic port in northern Philippine province of Zambales since March 3. The DPRK freighter, along with its 21 crew members, left Subic on Thursday, the PCG said. "At the policy level, there is no longer any basis to continue to hold MV Jin Teng after UNSC delisted it from the Annex of UNSC Resolution 2270," said Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on March 2, imposing a raft of sanctions on the DPRK to curb the country's nuclear and missile programs after its recent nuclear test and satellite launch. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea threatens to 'turn Seoul into ashes' Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:23AM North Korea has staged a live-fire military exercise involving a simulated strike on the residence of South Korean President Park Geun-hye two days after warning her of a "miserable end." "Artillery shells flew like lightning and intensely and fiercely struck targets simulating Cheong Wa Dae and rebel governing bodies in Seoul," the North's official KCNA news agency reported on Friday, referring to Park's executive office, known as the Blue House in English. The North Korean leader ordered and oversaw the drill, the largest-ever of its type, which involved "hundreds of different types" of long-range artillery and was staged to challenge the operation by "the gangster US and Park Geun-hye forces," according to the KCNA report. "If the enemies challenge us... our artillery forces' merciless retaliating blow will turn Seoul into rubble and ashes," the news agency quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying. The long-range artillery drill, attended by Kim, was staged in response to the Foal Eagle military exercises, the largest ever US-South Korea military drills that began on March 7 and will continue till April. The large-scale annual war games involve more than 17,000 US and 300,000 South Korean troops, with warships and aircraft carrying out live-fire drills in the region. Pyongyang has responded to the drills, which it regards as provocative, with threats of nuclear strikes against both Seoul and Washington. The development comes a day after North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a solid-fuel rocket engine that could boost the country's ballistic missile capabilities. On Wednesday, the North vowed to wage a "retaliatory battle of justice" to bring a "miserable end" for Park and her US allies. Seoul has described Pyongyang's reactions as a "sense of crisis" in the North, and has warned that Kim is "walking the path of self-destruction." Relations between North and South Korea have been turbulent for years. The two countries fought a war in the early 1950s, and have been at odds ever since. Tensions have escalated further recently following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and the start of the joint military exercises by Washington and Seoul. The US says Pyongyang is after developing long-range missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads and can reach the US, while North Korea says its adversaries, including the US, seek to bring the regime in Pyongyang down, and it is thus strengthening itself against hostile countries. North Korea has already been targeted with international sanctions over its nuclear and missile activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea Receives First Humanitarian Aid Since Pyongyang's Nuclear Test Sputnik News 19:48 25.03.2016(updated 19:51 25.03.2016) The first delivery of humanitarian aid has been made to North Korea since the imposition of sanctions against Pyongyang following it's fourth nuclear test, carried out in January, local media reported Friday. TOKYO (Sputnik) The Eugene Bell Foundation, which is helping the North combat tuberculosis, stated that despite the tensions on the Korean Peninsula, it managed to successfully deliver multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis medications and treatment supplies to North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported. The medications have been awaiting shipment to the North from South Korea since February, after Seoul imposed sanctions against Pyongyang, although pledging they would not affect humanitarian aid. According to the private aid agency, some 1,500 people in North Korea require treatment for tuberculosis. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated after North Korea successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test in early January and put a satellite into orbit a month later, violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community. On March 2, the Security Council adopted the toughest sanctions imposed against North Korea in the past decade. The latest restrictions make all cargo going to and from the country subject to inspections and limit or prohibit the nation's export of coal, iron, gold, titanium and rare natural minerals. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim Jong Un: North Korea Ready to Attack Seoul Government Buildings Sputnik News 05:24 25.03.2016(updated 05:34 25.03.2016) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to attack Seoul government buildings if South Korea challengers Pyongyang. TOKYO (Sputnik) North Korea's artillery forces "will turn Seoul into rubble and ashes" if "the enemies challenge us [Pyongyang]," North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim Jong Un as saying on Friday, when the North Korean leader was overseeing a large artillery drill. According to KCNA, the military exercise involved a simulated strike on the governing bodies in Seoul as well as the Blue House, the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state. North Korea's threats against Seoul come as the maritime portion of the annual Foal Eagle military exercises between South Korean and US forces began on Thursday. Foal Eagle is a series of joint and combined field training exercises conducted by US-South Korea Combined Forces Command each year. As in past years, North Korea responded to the beginning of Foal Eagle with a threat to annihilate its enemies with nuclear weapons. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Sends Unclear Signals on North Korean Sanctions by Brian Padden March 25, 2016 China is sending out conflicting signals on its support for tough new international sanctions against North Korea. The United Nations adopted the expanded sanctions on March 2 to punish the Kim Jong Un government for conducting its fourth nuclear test and launching another long range rocket earlier this year. China and the United States collaborated on developing the new sanctions that require the immediate implementation of mandatory inspections of all North Korean imports and ban the exports of most minerals. Chinese enforcement Beijing's enforcement of these international sanctions is considered crucial because 90 percent of North Korean trade flows either to or through China. China's leaders have pledged to support the sanctions, but have not yet announced specific measures to implement them. There have been mixed reports on enforcement efforts coming from the city of Dandong, a major bilateral trading hub located on the Chinese side of the Yalu river, which separates China and North Korea. Some news organizations, often citing unnamed businessmen in the region, have reported a reduction in vehicle traffic at the border, the suspension of currency transfers to North Korean banks, and a prohibition on North Korean vessels from entering the Chinese port. Yet China recently negotiated a slight easing of the sanctions to reinstate four ships to conduct international trade that were blacklisted for past ties to Pyongyang's arms trade. Coal exception There are also reports that China has been lenient in enforcing the U.N. restrictions on North Korean exports of coal. The U.N. ban on North Korean mineral exports includes a difficult to verify humanitarian exemption for coal and iron exports, as long as the profits are not used to fund the development of nuclear weapons or other illicit arms. Coal exports are often bartered for goods utilized by the North Korean general public, including oil, food and machinery. But the $1 billion of North Korea coal exported to China last year also provided Pyongyang with a key source of hard currency that potentially could be used for its weapons program. A number of regional sources in the coal trade recently said they had received no instructions from the government on any new rules on coal imports from North Korea. Choi Kyung-soo, the president of the North Korea Resources Institute in Seoul that tracks mineral exports from the North, said there is a lot of confusion as to whether China is actually stopping North Korean ships and to what extend the sanctions are being implemented. "Nothing has been clearly identified on whether these are North Korean ships carrying coal and minerals or if they are carrying general shipments," he said. Trade data will be released in April and that will give officials their first objective indication of what impact sanctions may be having. In January, despite rumors to the contrary and a rising concern over impending sanctions, Choi said, there were no restrictions placed on the exports of minerals. Choi also said it will be difficult for Chinese authorities to differentiate between coal exports that benefit the general populous and those that might be used to fund the country's nuclear program. Many analysts expect Beijing to follow the same pattern it set after the U.N. imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2013 for its third nuclear test. Then, China initially restricted border trade, but over time loosened those constraints and has since invested heavily in expanding bilateral commerce and development. Stifling change from within These tough new sanctions, however, will likely make international companies and even developmental assistance organizations wary of doing business with North Korea. Andray Abrahamian, the executive director of Choson Exchange, a non-profit group that helps North Korean businesses operate more efficiently based on market principles, said his international donors are starting to withdrawal support. "People are nervous about giving money to organizations that work in country lest they slip up and work with organizations or individuals who are on the designated list" of sanctioned individuals and companies, he said. The North Korean economy has improved under Kim Jong Un in part because of the economic reforms he implemented that allow farmers to sell a portion of the crops they produce, and permits some industries more incentives and control to manage their production and workforce. Proponents of engagement have long argued that these changes will dissipate the rigid communist government control over all aspects of life in the country, and over time would transform North Korea into a more rules based and open society, even if the Kim family remains in power. While it is not clear if the sanctions will work in pressuring the North Korean leadership to give up its nuclear weapons program, it will likely make it more difficult to generate change from within. "Kim Jong Un's brand has very much been associated with economic growth and improvement of quality-of-life. If that really slows down, I worry that we'll see a return to the more traditional military first [type of] austerity that we saw under his father's leadership," said Abrahamian. Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Missile tests are legitimate measures to boost defense might IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, March 25, IRNA -- Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo said on Friday that Iran's recent ballistic missile tests were part of ongoing efforts of the armed forces to strengthen the country's legitimate defense capabilities. Khoshroo made the statements in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon after recent missile-test launches by the Iranian military forces rejecting a campaign of disinformation as well as efforts to misinterpret Security Council resolution 2231 that followed. He stressed that Iran's missile test launches were aimed to exercise the right to self-defense in the case of any armed attack. 'Iran, as a country living in the most unstable and volatile region of the world, is fully entitled to build a credible conventional capability to deter and defend against any aggression,' the letter said. 'For decades, Islamic Republic of Iran has been under threat of use of force by the United States and the Israeli regime in flagrant violation of Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter.' Last year, the Israeli regime even took military threat against Iran to its extreme when Moshe Yaalon, the defense minister of this regime, threatened to use nuclear bomb against Iran, Khoshroo said. He added: 'the same regime remains the only one in the region in unlawful possession of nuclear weapons and the only obstacle in the way towards establishing a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.' 'We expect the Council to live up to its Charter responsibility of maintaining international peace and security and address the threats to use force against a UN member state,' the envoy said. 2222**1377 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's Rouhani in Pakistan on 1st visit as president Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:24PM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Pakistan on his first landmark visit since the implementation of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of six countries. Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation including 60 Iranian businessmen, Rouhani was officially welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif upon his arrival in Islamabad on Friday. A 21-gun salute was performed in Rouhani's honor. Rouhani's two-day trip is aimed at discussing ways to further strengthen trade and economic relations and holding consultation with senior Pakistani officials on the latest developments in the region. Iran and Pakistan are expected to sign documents for cooperation in the fields of electricity export, insurance, commerce, media, science and academy, health and tourism. President Rouhani plans to hold meetings with Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif among others during his stay, Pakistani media said. The two sides are also expected to discuss resuming work on a stalled Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, a project designed to help Pakistan meet its energy needs. Iran has completed its part of the gas pipeline project with more than USD 2 billion of investment, but Pakistan has fallen behind the target to take delivery of gas, initially scheduled for 2014 . The energy crisis in Pakistan which suffers everyday loadshedding has worsened in recent years amid 4,000 megawatts of electricity shortfall. Islamabad and Tehran are also expected to discuss threats posed by terrorist groups to the region and potential cooperation in combating extremism and terrorism. Intelligence, security and border cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad will be also on the agenda during the visit. On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany started to implement the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that they reached on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks. After JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran says missile tests not violate UN resolution Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 9:1AM Iran's ambassador to the UN says the country's recent ballistic missile tests do not violate a UN Security Council resolution that endorses Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers. Gholamali Khoshroo said in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council that the missile tests were not against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) adopted in July. "Security Council resolution 2231 does not prohibit legitimate and conventional military activities, nor does international law disallow them," the Iranian ambassador said in the letter. He added that the missile tests "were part of ongoing efforts of its (Iran's) armed forces to strengthen its legitimate defense capabilities." Resolution 2231 (2015), which endorses the nuclear agreement, provides for the termination of the provisions of previous Security Council resolutions on the Iranian nuclear program and establishes specific restrictions that apply to all states without exception. The resolution calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology. Khoshroo said Tehran "fully honors its commitment" under the JCPOA and that there is "no basis for the raising of this issue in the Security Council." "It is contrary to the prevailing positive environment and detrimental to the good faith implementation" of the nuclear agreement, he said. On March 9, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired two ballistic missiles as part of military drills to assess the IRGC's capabilities. The missiles dubbed Qadr-H and Qadr-F were fired during large-scale drills, code-named Eqtedar-e-Velayat. Iran fired another ballistic missile dubbed Qiam from silo-based launchers in different locations across the country on March 8. Earlier this month, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the missiles are a means of defense. "We spent a fraction of any other country in the region on defense, and missiles are a means of defense that we require." After Iran and the P5+1 group of countries the US, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany - started to implement the JCPOA on January 16, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trade In Focus As Iranian President Visits Pakistan March 25, 2016 by RFE/RL Iranian President Hassan Rohani is heading to Islamabad on March 25 as neighboring Iran and Pakistan seek to boost trade ties. Rohani will be accompanied by eight cabinet ministers, including those responsible for oil, electricity, and industries, during his two-day trip to Pakistan -- the first by an Iranian head of state in 14 years. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said a long-delayed gas pipeline to supply Iranian natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan would figure high during the talks. Rohani's visit is taking place after international economic sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program were lifted in January. The restrictions had made it difficult to find financial backing for the 800 kilometers of pipeline needed on the Pakistani side. Also, Washington has for years opposed the multibillion-dollar project amid concerns over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. A spokesman for Iran's Embassy in Islamabad, Seyed Abbas Badrifar, said the two sides envisage signing a five-year strategic commercial plan and increasing the trade of meat and animals between the ports of Karachi and Chabahar. Pakistan is also said to be looking to boost electricity imports from Iran to as much as 3,000 megawatts from some 75 megawatts currently. Iranian officials were quoted as saying tensions between Iran and regional rival Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan's possible role as mediator, would also be discussed during Rohani's visit. The Iranian president will hold talks with both President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on March 26. He is also scheduled to address a gathering of Pakistani scholars and intellectuals. On the eve of his visit, Rohani said that "constructive relations with neighbors and the Islamic world are at the priority list of our foreign policy." "I believe that at this crucial moment of the history of relations between the two countries, it is essential that Pakistan and Iran...lay the cornerstone of a new bilateral engagement based on the mutual interests of the two countries," he also said in his statement. Pakistan has traditionally had close relations with the United States and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, Shi'ite Iran's top rival. Meanwhile, relations between Pakistan and Iran have often been fraught. In the 1980s, Islamabad and Tehran backed different groups fighting against Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan, which has more Shi'ite Muslims than any country apart from Iran, later backed the hard-line Sunni Taliban movement in Afghanistan. Tehran also accused Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Pakistan of orchestrating deadly attacks on Iranian soil. But Islamabad's refusal last year to join a Saudi-led offensive against Shi'ite Huthi rebels in Yemen has helped rebalance the relationship with Iran. In January, Pakistani officials used shuttle diplomacy in an attempt to ease heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan agreed this year to join an international military coalition led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism in the Muslim world, but it did not commit troops for the alliance. Iran and its regional ally Syria are not part of the initiative. With reporting by AP, dpa, Dawn, and Bloomberg Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iranian-president-trip-pakistan/27635078.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi forces recapture another town in troubled Anbar Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 5:25PM Iraqi armed forces have made new advances in their fight against Takfiri terrorists, liberating the town of Kubaysah in the conflict-ridden western province of Anbar. The troops pushed Daesh militants out of the town, which is located in the district of Hit, and raised Iraqi flags over buildings there on Friday, Iraq's Arabic news channel Al Sumaria reported. The new gain comes after the military announced the beginning of an operation to recapture the country's second-largest city of Mosul in the north from Daesh. Backed by Kurdish forces, Iraqi soldiers retook three villages located on the outskirts of the town of Makhmour, east of Mosul on Thursday. An unnamed Iraqi army source said on Friday that troops are preparing to attack another village, whose streets and buildings are rigged with explosives planted by the militants. "The mining has slightly slowed down the army," said the source. Thursday's offensive is the first phase of a large-scale operation aimed at liberating the whole of Nineveh province, of which Mosul is capital. The Iraqi government has deployed thousands of troops to the north over past several weeks and established a base in Makhmour which may be a key launchpad for any future offensive on Mosul. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence since Daesh mounted its offensive in the country in June 2014. The militants have committed various crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others. Home to around two million people before its capture, Mosul fell to the extremist militants in the earliest days of the assault. The Iraqi army has been fighting to liberate Daesh-held regions with the help of volunteer forces. They have succeeded in retaking some key towns and villages, including Tikrit and Baiji in Salahuddin Province and the city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Muqtada al-Sadr Calls For New Iraqi Government Members by Edward Yeranian March 25, 2016 Thousands of supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held what they billed as a "joint" Sunni-Shi'ite prayer service Friday outside the main entrances to the government-controlled "Green Zone." Sadr has given Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi a Saturday deadline to carry out governmental "reform" and install a new Cabinet composed of technocrats instead of political loyalists. It was the sixth consecutive Friday that supporters of Iraq's mercurial Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protested in central Baghdad to demand government reform. The mostly Shi'ite crowd chanted slogans and listened to a sermon by Sadr ally Sheikh Asad al-Nasiri. Nasiri repeated a Sadr ultimatum to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that the Iraqi leader has until Saturday to present a new government to parliament. Nasiri also threatened to raise the stakes against lawmakers. He says his supporters want to see the prime minister come up with convincing, new reforms, including an independent government of technocrats, with new ministers loyal to the people and not to the political parties which are battling to dominate the political arena. Nasiri pledged to support Prime Minister Abadi if he goes ahead and presents the new government to parliament, but warned of the potential wrath of demonstrators if the legislators vote down the new administration. A member of the parliamentary committee vetting potential candidates for the government positions told Iraqi state TV that ministers will be required to have strong experience: He says the committee is requiring ministerial candidates to have a higher degree in their field of specialization and at least 15 years of experience, as well as a plan of action. Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, tells VOA that he thinks authentic reform will require more than a new government of technocrats. "The new Iraqi political system was modeled after Lebanon's. That is: a confessional political system, based on sectarian and ethnic accommodation. The political system in itself invites corruption. So, unless we deal with the political question and the future of Iraq as a nation-state, dealing with corruption is a waste of time," said Khashan. Iraqi TV indicated that Prime Minister Abadi has spent the past 24 hours meeting with the country's top political leaders to win their approval for his new government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Leaked Memo Reveals UK Special Air Service Deployed in Libya Since January Sputnik News 17:04 25.03.2016(updated 22:04 25.03.2016) According to a leaked memo written by King Abdullah II, Jordanian troops have operated alongside UK Special Air Service troops in Libya since January. The memo was sent to US lawmakers by King Abdullah to brief them of Jordan's plans to embed special forces "with British SAS" in Libya. The document also reveals that the monarch met with Arizona Senator John McCain and Tennessee Senator Bob Corker in the presence of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. "On Libya His Majesty said he expects a spike in a couple of weeks and Jordanians will be imbedded [sic] with British SAS," reads the document, obtained by the Guardian. The memo explains that Jordan's role in Britain's operation was crucial, since "Jordanian slang is similar to Libyan slang." Libya is of particular concern to Jordan because it serves as a hotbed for both Daesh, also known as the Islamic State, and al-Shabaab, following the NATO overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. King Abdullah indicates that special forces operations could be carried in other African nations, as well. "Jordan is looking at al-Shabaab because no one was really looking at the issue, and we cannot separate this issue, and the need to look at all the hotspots in the map. We have a rapid deployment force that will stand with the British and Kenya and is ready to over the border into Somalia." Britain's operations are not limited to Africa. The memo states that UK special forces were critical in forming a battalion of tribal fighters to combat the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The document also expresses Jordan's frustrations with other allies in the region. "[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] believes in a radical Islamic solution to the problems in the region," it reads, adding that the "fact that terrorists are going to Europe is part of Turkish policy, and Turkey keeps getting a slap on the hand, but they get off the hook." The king complained that Israel "looks the other way" in regards to the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, because "they regard them as an opposition to Hezbollah." The memo also offers Jordan's view on the controversial issue of whether or not to shut down known terrorist websites. Intelligence agencies should keep such websites "open so they can use them to track extremists," the memo reads, adding that tech giant Google confirmed to King Abdullah that "they have 500 people working on this." The leak comes at a particularly trying time for the British government. Prime Minister David Cameron is facing increased pressure by parliament to improve transparency over special forces operations. News that Britain has been secretly operating in Libya for three months will only increase Cameron's troubles. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Appoints Kadyrov as Acting Head of Chechen Republic Sputnik News 15:41 25.03.2016(updated 16:43 25.03.2016) Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed incumbent Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose term is about to end, as the republic's acting head on Friday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The term of the head of Chechnya, who assumed office in April 2011 is due to expire next month. "Your term ends on [April] 5, as you just mentioned. Based on what you've done over the past years, first of all for the Chechen people and for those living in the republic, but for Russia as a whole as well, I signed a decree today appointing you the acting head of the Chechen Republic, hoping for your participation in the September elections," Putin told Kadyrov at a televised meeting. The president expressed hope, Chechen people would truly acknowledge what Kadyrov has done for the republic. Putin urged the Chechen leader to focus on contacts with the federal authorities regarding security issues and to do everything possible to comply with Russian laws. Kadyrov will be the acting republic's leader until the elections that are scheduled to take place on September 18. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Army Continues Forming New Divisions in Response to NATO Buildup Sputnik News 12:28 25.03.2016 Moscow continues to strengthen its Western Military District in response to NATO's ongoing buildup near Russia's borders. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Armed Forces are continuing to form two new divisions in the country's Western Military District (WMD) in response to NATO's military buildup in Europe, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday. "The field strength in the Western Military District is continuously being improved. The formation of military units and groups continued throughout 2015, which includes two divisionsNATO continues building up its military potential in Europe, within close proximity to Russia's borders included. Of course, the given situation cannot leave us indifferent. We must react," Shoigu said at a Defense Ministry board meeting. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian talks end with 'no drama;' early April target date set for resumption - UN envoy 24 March 2016 Both the Syrian Government and opposition delegations are taking the United Nations-mediated peace talks "very seriously," the UN envoy on the discussions said today, wrapping up the second round of the process by issuing a paper on "commonalties that exist between the two negotiating parties," and announcing that the talks could pick up again by the second week of April. "The support of this cessation of hostilities [held] for one month. And [as for talks,] no breakdowns; no walkouts; and no de-legitimization or personal de-legitimization," UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva as he summed-up the past 10 days of intra-Syrian talks. He said since the Government delegation was extremely focused on the issue of principles in order to be able then to talk about everything else and that the opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC) had a very serious list of papers as well, he had decided to produce a paper himself, issued as a paper on points of commonalities, which, while not agreed by the two parties, summarizes the negotiations results of the talks thus far, and covers, among others, the rejection of terrorism, the right of return for refugees, rejection of foreign interference in Syria, and a political transition of power. "I think by looking at those twelve points you can see that there is a lot of common ground, which can be, according to my interpretation and my colleagues, a listing to both sides, and even to all the stakeholders we have been inviting to be consulted as you know civil society, various platforms, even those who came from far away and women's associations that those points are, for me, to look for a common ground," he explained. Responding to questions, he said that while the paper does not delve into the details of the political transition which he has referred to as "the mother of all issues" in the negotiations the guiding principles do reference the Geneva Communique "in its entirety. And if you look more carefully there is reference to [Security Council] resolution 2254 which includes three elements: governance, constitution and elections. So there are guiding points, which are leading towards helping the next phase." As for next steps, Mr. de Mistura that as things stand, having come through the past two weeks with "no drama," and with potentially a paper that on what could be an understanding of principles, "the next time we take the principles aside and we look now at political process. Hopefully [] between now and then, could be the other political and diplomatic discussions, which are mutually supportive." So the target date would start on 9 or 10 April, but with arrivals, could slip to 13 or 14 April, "because we do not want too much of a gap," said Mr. de Mistura, adding that he would keep everyone informed of any changes. In the meantime, he said, the issue of detainees has become one of his key priorities, as well as maintaining pressure regarding the lifting of sieges, "and obviously maintaining the issue of supporting the cessation of hostilities and expanding it and controlling it []." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, Russia Push for New Syrian Constitution by August by Cindy Saine March 24, 2016 The United States and Russia are calling for the drafting of a new Syrian constitution by August. They have also agreed to push both the Syrian government and the opposition to free all political prisoners, especially those who are vulnerable. After a four hour meeting in Moscow on Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that U.S.-Russian cooperation had been instrumental in achieving an unexpectedly successful cessation of hostilities in war-torn Syria. Kerry said that he was aware of violations of the cease-fire but that they were being carefully monitored. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a late-night joint press conference at the Kremlin after Thursday's lengthy talks, and there were some awkward moments. Some stark disagreements became apparent, but both Kerry and Lavrov assured reporters that Washington and Moscow were committed to establishing a more permanent peace in Syria, increasing the flow of humanitarian aid and launching a political transition. Asked by a U.S. reporter at the news conference whether he thought America was a partner in fighting terrorism or a part of the problem, Lavrov said he thought the U.S. helped to create conditions conducive to terrorism in Afghanistan, Libya and parts of the Middle East. Lavrov said some current politicians in America have been saying the same thing. For his part, Kerry condemned five years of "unimaginable" carnage by Russia's close ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and said Putin had now decided to withdraw some Russian forces because he had re-established Assad's hold on power with the intervention. Kerry added that it was reprehensible that the Syrian regime was stealing medical supplies out of relief shipments. Kerry also called on Russia to release jailed Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, sentenced by a Russian court to 22 years in prison this week. Lavrov did not make any pledge to do so. Scope of talks Kerry and Lavrov said the talks with Putin were wide-ranging, with Syria being the dominant issue, but with Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, North Korea and other topics also being discussed. On Ukraine, Kerry said the U.S. was holding firm on its position on the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people and of Crimea, which Russia annexed two years ago. Both men backed the implementation of the Minsk agreements, calling for a political solution to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Kerry, Putin and Lavrov discussed Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels. Kerry is headed to Brussels early Friday to demonstrate that America stands with the people of Belgium against terrorists. During short remarks before their talks began, Putin welcomed Kerry with praise for U.S. leadership in Syria: "We are aware that the groundwork we have on Syria has only been possible by the supreme political leadership of the United States, specifically by the leadership of President Obama." Kerry said that cooperation between the United States and Russia had made it possible for Syrians to "taste and smell" what it means to have a reduction of violence and a resumption of some humanitarian aid deliveries after five years of bloodshed. Kerry said to Putin: "Mr. President, I know you have ideas, and you've already made a very critical decision with respect to a drawdown of forces in Syria. We obviously also have ideas on how we can now, most effectively, make progress in the United Nations talks in Geneva." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria forces, allied fighters advance in Palmyra, capture citadel from Daesh Iran Press TV Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:58PM Syrian forces made a major advance against terrorists in Palmyra Friday, capturing a citadel from Daesh Takfiri terrorists after closing in on the ruins of the ancient city in Homs Province. "Our armed forces, in coordination with the popular defense forces, have taken control of the ancient Palmyra citadel after inflicting many losses in the ranks of the terrorist group Daesh," state television said citing a military source. Earlier, Maamoun Abdelkarim, the chief of Syria's antiquities, said, "In the southwest, the army has liberated the district of hotels and restaurants as well as the Valley of the Tombs." "And in the west, the army has taken the Syriatel hilltop that overlooks the Mamluk fort built in the 13th century, which is still under IS control," the official added, referring to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group by its alternative name. Drone footage of Palmyra's ancient remains emerged on Friday, amid reports that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was closer to seizing full control of the adjacent city of Palmyra. Daesh overran the "Pearl of the Desert," the title the city is known with, in May 2015. The terrorists have blown up UNESCO-listed temples and looted relics that dated back thousands of years ever since. Syria's state TV aired live footage of airstrikes targeting the positions of terrorists near the fort. Abdelkarim also stated that the Syrian army has advanced "600 meters from the Temple of Bel, but it is advancing slowly because of mines and above all to protect the city, which is an ancient treasure." In September 2015, Daesh claimed to have destroyed the Temple of Bel. UNESCO says the site is one of the best preserved and most important first century religious edifices in the Middle East. Syrian forces allied with volunteer fighters entered the ancient city, located in Homs Province, on Thursday. The initial offensive for the city was launched earlier in the month with the aerial backing of Syrian and Russian fighter jets. Russia has been conducting combat sorties against the positions of terrorists in Syria, particularly Palmyra recently, since September 31, 2015. The airstrikes came upon a request from the government in Damascus. Heavy clashes between Syrian forces and terrorists were also reported in Deir al-Zawr, the seventh largest city in eastern Syria. Meanwhile, a senior US official, whose name was not mentioned in the report, said the second-in-command of Daesh in Syria was killed in a US airstrike on Thursday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daesh Begins Counteroffensive Against Syrian Army in Palmyra - Commander Sputnik News 20:15 25.03.2016 Daesh has begun a counteroffensive against Syrian government forces around the citadel of Palmyra. PALMYRA (Sputnik) Daesh fighters have begun a counteroffensive against Syrian government forces around the citadel of Palmyra, a desert Desert Falcons brigade commander said Friday. "Our assault team was able to enter the fortification. The second group is covering from a nearby height, and the militants are trying to counter-attack the citadel from the direction of the town. Fighters in the citadel are tasked with securing their position," the brigade commander told RIA Novosti. Earlier on Friday, the Syrian army and patriotic militias retook the historic Palmyra Castle from Daesh terrorists. The militias consolidated their grip on a height some 650 yards near the citadel. Assault teams approached the site from several fronts, with mortar detachments providing cover. Syrian government forces plan to mount an attack to oust the Daesh from the town of Palmyra, the commander said. Palmyra is considered a strategic part of Syria which is Key for advancing to the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria. The town of Palmyra and its historic ruins have been under Daesh control since May 2015. The jihadist group, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States, has since destroyed part of the ruins, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Warplanes Carry Out 41 Sorties Amid Palmyra Liberation Sputnik News 19:55 25.03.2016(updated 21:51 25.03.2016) Russian warplanes carried out 41 sorties to support Syrian army's operation aimed at Palmyra's liberation, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russian military jets destroyed 146 terrorist targets over the past two days, the ministry said Friday in a daily bulletin. "From Tuesday to Thursday, Russian Aerospace Forces' warplanes conducted 41 sorties to support the Syrian army's advance and launched strikes on Daesh militants near Palmyra in the province of Homs. Russian aviation destroyed 146 terrorist targets, including command centers, ammunition depots, artillery systems, tanks and automotive vehicles," Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko said. On Friday, the Syrian Army alongside the Desert Falcons regained control over the Palmyra Castle, a military source told Sputnik. Government troops and militia units have already taken control over all of the strategic heights in the area. Daesh militants used the castle for sniper fire and mortar shelling of the heights controlled by the army. The ancient ruins of Palmyra have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was seized by Daesh in middle-May 2015. Before leaving the city, the Syrian Army evacuated the majority of its residents and the most precious museum antiquities. After Daesh seized the city a number of ancient ruins and temples faced destruction. Al-Nusra Front terrorists have kidnapped 12 civilians in the Syrian province of Hama for the participation in the country's reconciliation, Kuralenko said. Meanwhile, a preliminary agreement with one populated area in Hama has been reached over the past 24 hours. "According to information received from local residents of the Hama province, al-Nusra Front terrorists kidnapped 12 locals for participation in the national reconciliation process." According to the Russian reconciliation center has registered an increased number of provocations carried out by al-Nusra Front terrorists in Syria, especially in the Aleppo province. "This concerns, in particular, the city of Aleppo, where we have registered eight armed clashes and shellings of residential areas in the past week, including five in the past 24 hours." According to the center, three people died and three others were wounded as a result of al-Nusra Front's shelling in the Idlib province. "Al-Nusra Front terrorists shelled the Al Fu'ah settlement in the Idlib province twice. As a result of the shelling, three people died and three more were wounded." The Russian reconciliation center registered 7 ceasefire violations in the province of Latakia, according to the general. The Russian center has held talks with 11 armed groups on the truce regime in Syria, he said. Eight armed clashes have been registered in the Aleppo province over the past week. A total of 43 armed groups from the Syrian opposition have confirmed their participation in the Syrian ceasefire regime, Kuralenko said. Russian warplanes do not carry out airstrikes on Syrian opposition groups, participating in the truce, he emphasized. The ceasefire regime has been generally holding, Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko said. The personnel of the Russian reconciliation center at the Hmeymim airbase delivered over 19 metric tons of humanitarian aid to settlements in three Syrian provinces in the past week. The general stressed that the Russian personnel several times came under fire from militants during the deliveries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army, Desert Falcons Gain Control Over Strategic Height Near Palmyra Sputnik News 15:20 25.03.2016(updated 15:35 25.03.2016) Syrian government forces and Desert Falcons fighters have gained control over a strategically important height near Palmyra in the Homs province, a military source told Sputnik. According to the source which participates in the operation aimed at the liberation of Palmyra, the Syrian army has restored control over the Qalaat Fakhr ad-Din al-Maani Castle, also known as the "Palmyra Castle". "The infantry of the Syrian army together with allied forces regained control of the entrance to the city Palmyra after a height of Alseriaatal was liberated yesterday and the historic Castle of Palmyra today," the source told Sputnik Arabic. According to him, the complete liberation of Palmyra is now a matter of time after a major operation has been launched and a huge advance has been achieved from three sides of the city. Earlier in the day, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported that the Syrian army and the Desert Falcons militia commenced an assault on the ancient citadel of Palmyra. On Thursday, army and militia consolidated their positions on the territory of the hotel complex in southeastern Palmyra after a joint operation to gain control of strategic heights surrounding the historic city. Palmyra has been under Daesh control since May 2015. The terrorist group has since destroyed part of the city, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. A brigadier-general told Sputnik on Wednesday that the Syrian army had recaptured a historic part of the city from the militants. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army, Desert Falcons Start Assault on Palmyra Citadel Sputnik News 14:25 25.03.2016(updated 15:51 25.03.2016) The Syrian army and the Desert Falcons militia commenced an assault on the ancient citadel of Palmyra on Friday morning, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported. PALMYRA (Sputnik) The militias consolidated their grip on a height some 650 yards near the citadel. Vanguards have been approaching the site from several fronts, with mortar detachments providing them with cover. Air support and heavy artillery are not being used in the operation. Daesh terrorists group have been sporadically shelling the heights from their stronghold. On Thursday, army and militia consolidated their positions on the territory of the hotel complex in southeastern Palmyra after a joint operation to gain control of strategic heights surrounding the historic city. The troops entered the city at the junction of the Damascus Palmyra Deir ez-Zor highway, which is under government control. After fierce fighting near the Semiramis hotel, the militia managed to break down the IS defense and push the extremists deeper into Palmyra. Palmyra has been under Daesh control since May 2015. The terrorist grou has since destroyed part of the city, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. A brigadier-general told Sputnik on Wednesday that the Syrian army had recaptured a historic part of the city from the militants. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Declares Curfew in Southeastern District Over Anti-PKK Operation Sputnik News 18:31 25.03.2016(updated 18:35 25.03.2016) Turkish authorities declared a curfew in the country's Silvan district in the province of Diyarbakir due to a planned operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party. ANKARA (Sputnik) A curfew was declared on March 25 in Turkey's Silvan district in the province of Diyarbakir due to a planned operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is outlawed in the country, local authorities said. "Due to the upcoming operation against the separatist terrorist organization PKK a permanent curfew has been introduced in all areas of the [Silvan] district from 11.00 [09:00 GMT] March 25 until further notice," District Governor Murat Kutuk said in a statement. On March 20, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala announced the introduction of a round-the-clock curfew in seven southeastern Turkish regions. Earlier in March, Ala announced the launch of a new counterterrorism campaign against PKK militants in the country's southeast, especially in the districts of Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Sirnak. Relations between Ankara and the Kurds, who comprise some 25 percent of the country's population, have been progressively worsening. Ankara has been carrying out a military operation against the PKK, which seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq, since the summer of 2015 following a deadly suicide attack in Suruc. The PKK seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Over 20 PKK Militants Killed in Clashes in Turkey's Southeast - Official Sputnik News 21:12 25.03.2016 Twenty four Kurdistan Workers' Party militants were killed in over 24 hours in clashes with the Turkish army in the country's southeast. ANKARA (Sputnik) A total of 24 militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in over 24 hours in clashes with the Turkish army in the country's southeast, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement Friday. "Over 24 hours, 12 members of separatist terrorist organization [PKK] were killed in Sirnak [province], ten in [the city of] Nusaybin [on the Syrian border] and two in [the southeaster city of] Yuksekova," the statement reads. According to the general staff, homemade bombs, explosives, hand grenades, grenade launchers, machine guns and a large amount of ammunition were seized from the militants. On Sunday, Turkey's Interior Minister Efkan Ala announced a round-the-clock curfew across seven southeastern regions. The standoff between the Turkish government and PKK has claimed the lives of 300 troops and police officers since it erupted anew in July 2015. The Turkish general staff estimates over 1,000 Kurdish militants were killed in its anti-terror campaign since mid-December, a figure that pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) officials argue includes hundreds of civilians. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address As several companies from around the world of telecoms share their Q3 results, here is a financial round-up with all of the key points. Low: VDOT still hasnt cleaned up the litter at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Virginia 41. Eventually, though, the trash will be picked up but what happens then? One reader suggested to us the county look into a system of cameras to record local litterbugs. Does something like that even exist right now? High: Pittsylvania Countys government doesnt have any rules governing solar farms, but the county soon is going to have a solar farm near Dan River Middle School that will provide electricity to Danville Power & Light for 25 years. Pittsylvania is taking a closer look at solar farms and how they might change the county. The county has to protect itself, Supervisor Joe Davis said. High/Low: Danvilles George Washington High School School is considering moving to a four-by-four block schedule next year, in part to cut down on the number of chances for GW students to meet one another in the halls. Were all for doing things that can improve student conduct in the public schools, but will changing the schedule to limit the number of times the students see each other in the halls really help? Wed like to see what kind of changes this particular schedule can make. High: Security is being tightened at the Danville Courthouse and the public no longer will be able to bring in cellphones. Were adding an internal vestibule inside the courthouse [entrance], Danville Sheriff Mike Mondul said. Nobody will be able to walk straight forward anymore. High: Local farmers are being recruited to grow grapes for wine under a new program called the Southside Viticulture Primer. An upcoming meeting for local growers will be held to answer questions about how to grow grapes for wine production. We want people to understand the risks and benefits involved, said Freddie Wydner, the countys director of agribusiness development. Its a good way for farming families to diversify some of their farm income. We dont want people going into establishing these vineyards blind. An $811,526 grant to Pittsylvania County from the Virginia Tobacco Commission made the program possible. High: And finally this week, the story of Wyshawn Brandons rise from a kid in trouble to a feared wrestler who is making something of his life is one of the most inspiring stories weve heard in a long time. Brandon has overcome a lot of things and were glad he was willing to share his story. I would tell them Im not with those guys anymore, Brandon told us. Im trying to be better; Im not over there like I used to be. Thats when things really started to change. I lost a couple friends, but thats what happens. SHARE Jerry Jeff Walker By Janet Van Vleet, janet.vanvleet@reporternews.com Texas outlaw legend Jerry Jeff Walker was on his way to California when he stopped in to Austin and fell in love with the place, not a woman. "I spent time in Austin and saw they wrote songs about themselves and write about other things, too," Walker said. It seemed a natural fit to the native New Yorker. "Your life takes many winding turns," he said. Walker's road has taken him from New York to New Orleans to Florida and finally, to Texas. Walker's latest song, "I Always Thought I'd Live in California," tells the story about heading for the Golden State. But don't look for the song just yet it's still in the working stages, with Walker testing it out on live audiences, family and friends. He spent a lot of time hitchhiking across the country when he was younger, back when drivers actually stopped and picked up people. Walker remembers being somewhere north and lightly populated, maybe Montana, and thumbing for a ride. After a long while of no vehicles, a car drove by him. "Then the car stopped and the guy said, 'Hey, do you need a ride?' They didn't see much of that out there," Walker said, adding that West Texas shares something with that part of the country. "You've got room between people." That room, that extra space that's so abundant out here, makes for more kindness, more of the "Drive Friendly" mentality, he said. People still nod at other drivers and do that casual lifting of a finger off the steering wheel to indicate "Hello." Walker cited Elmer Kelton and Larry McMurtry as influences. He mentioned the Dairy Queen culture in Texas, back when the ranchers would meet at the local DQ and drink coffee as the sun came up, that McMurtry wrote about in "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen." "And 'In a Narrow Grave,' he wrote about being Texans without being cowboys," he said. One of Walker's most enduring legacies is "Mr. Bojangles," which he wrote and recorded in 1968. Harry Belafonte, Garth Brooks, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Elton John, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Johnny Paycheck are just a few of the diverse artists who have recorded that song. Walker recalls being approached by a woman on an airplane who asked if he was the person who wrote "Mr. Bojangles." When he told her he was, she thanked him for the gift. "I said, 'Thank you, it's given me an adventure,'" he said. Walker said the two things he credits most for launching his career are that song and his 1973 "Viva Terlingua" album. At 74, he's still that Texas troubadour, playing music for his fans, like his annual birthday bashes in Austin's Paramount Theatre and Gruene Hall on Saturday and Sunday. After that, it's on to Abilene and Outlaws & Legends. "Just tell them we're coming with a bagful of songs and we'll have a good time." Indian Christian devotees re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to mark Good Friday in Mumbai, India, Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) SHARE By The Kansas City Star (Tns) The Rev. Kevin D. Huddleston, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Mission: There is no statement attributed to Jesus in the New Testament in which he claims to be God. We do not really know with 100 percent certainty what Jesus said. The Christian Scriptures (New Testament) were written beginning at least 20 years after the life of Jesus. Therefore, all "sayings of Jesus" were constructed from memory or part of an oral tradition. What can be stated is that Jesus was proclaimed to "be seated at the right hand of the Father" by his followers after the resurrection event. More importantly, the proclamation by his followers of his resurrection from the dead would be perceived to have put God's stamp of approval on Jesus' life and teachings. Given the cultural outlook of the period, it was not unusual for "gods" to be among humans (Roman/Greek mythology). As the saying goes, we live life forward, but we understand it backward. Jesus' disciples would have begun to re-examine past words and events to look for clues as to the implications of his life and teachings. The history of Christian theology is fraught with debate and discussion about the nature of Jesus and his relationship to God. What can be emphasized is that some of the finest minds in the world at that time (or any time) have come to such a belief. Therefore, it would be imprudent for one not to continue to engage in dialogue, debate and discernment about the nature of Jesus and his relationship to God. Elder Donald D. Deshler, of the Seventy, North America Central Area, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: There is no record in the New Testament of Jesus stating "I am God." However, there is overwhelming evidence in the things that he said and did that he knew that he was, indeed, the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New Testament. Among the things he said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me"; "I am the light of the world"; "For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath"; "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Among the things that Jesus did: Under the direction of his Father, he was the creator of the Earth; he walked on water, instantly calmed a tumultuous sea and created sufficient food to feed 5,000 from only five loaves and two fish. He caused the blind to see and he raised others from the dead; most importantly, he raised himself from the dead. Collectively, the things that Jesus said and did make an unequivocal and resounding statement that he is God. I know that he is God and that one day he will return to Earth and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Prince Georgeis County, Md. police carry team carry the casket of Police Officer First Class Jacai Colson after funeral services at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Friday, March 25, 2016, in Upper Marlboro, Md. Jacai Colson, a four-year veteran of the force and a undercover narcotics officer was mortally wounded by his own colleagues as he responded to an attack on his police station by a gunman with a death wish. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) SHARE Bagpipers play during the funeral service of Police Officer First Class Jacai Colson at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, on Friday, March 25, 2016, in Upper Marlboro, Md. Jacai Colson, a four-year veteran of the force and a undercover narcotics officer was mortally wounded by his own colleagues as he responded to an attack on his police station by a gunman with a death wish. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The parents and brother of police officer Jacai Colson, from left, Jurea, Sheila and James Colson watch the hearse with the casket of Police Officer First Class Jacai Colson after funeral services at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Friday, March 25, 2016, in Upper Marlboro, Md. Jacai Colson, a four-year veteran of the force and a undercover narcotics officer was mortally wounded by his own colleagues as he responded to an attack on his police station by a gunman with a death wish. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) A Maryland police honor guard stand at attention before the arrival of the hearse containing the casket of Police Officer First Class Jacai Colson for funeral services at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Friday, March 25, 2016, in Upper Marlboro, Md. Jacai Colson, a four-year veteran of the force and a undercover narcotics officer was mortally wounded by his own colleagues as he responded to an attack on his police station by a gunman with a death wish. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) By The Associated Press UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) A plainclothes narcotics officer killed in a shootout at a Maryland police station was remembered Friday for his infectious smile and devotion to his job and the people around him. Prince George's County Detective Jacai Colson was killed March 13 after a man fired at a police station in Landover, and officers returned fire, officials said. Fire from the gun of one of those officers struck Colson. Thousands of mourners, including police officers from several states, remembered the life of the 28-year-old Pennsylvania native. Friends and relatives remembered Colson's big heart, his dedication to those he loved and his playful manner. Colson's mother, Sheila, remembered her son trying to cheer her up at her grandfather's funeral when he was just 2 by jumping on her lap and calling for a "hundred kisses." "He was truly special from the day he was born," she said, noting that Jacai was born three months early. "He fought to get here and he fought going down. So we're at peace, Jacai is calm and I know that infectious smile that he had, he's grinning down and he saying, 'Yeah mom, that's my mom, that's my mom.'" Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told those gathered that though Colson's life was just beginning, he left a lasting mark as a leader who was always ready to lend a helping hand. "When many run from danger and adversity, Jacai ran toward it," Hogan said. "Where others would back down in fear, he stood on the front lines. The legacy of Detective Jacai Colson is that of a beloved son, grandson and brother and it is the enduring legacy of a proud, brave member of the thin blue line." County Executive Rushern Baker said those called to protect aren't trying to be heroes; they are just doing what they were called to do. "He loved his job and the people he swore to protect," he said. "It was that unintentional valor that enabled him to stand in the face of danger and not blink or waiver. He dedicated his life to making this county safe and he died protecting us, all of us." Three brothers who live near the police station where the shootout occurred have been charged in the gunfight, which police have described as an attempt by the oldest brother, 22-year-old Michael Ford, to provoke officers into killing him. Police said Ford's brothers, 21-year-old Malik Ford and 18-year-old Elijah Ford, aided him before and during the shootout and recorded the gunfight with their cellphones. Michael Ford faces more than two dozen charges, including second-degree murder. Malik and Elijah face charges including attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. All three were denied bail and have preliminary hearings next month. Relatives made emotional pleas at a bail hearing for the two younger brothers, trying to distance them from Michael's actions, saying they were not armed and their involvement was minimal. A public defender for the younger brothers declined to comment. Online court records do not list an attorney for Michael Ford. SHARE By Michael Kelly, mike.kelly@gosanangelo.com / @kelly_SAST What do Grape Creek, Lake View and Christoval have in common? One is a working class, blue collar district north of San Angelo; another is an old, established middle-class area in the city's north end, and the third is a gentrified, high-income village on the banks of the Concho River south of the city. These contrasting bookends of Tom Green County, however, showed the strongest support for Donald Trump in the March 1 primary election. The Tom Green County Elections Office released the results by precinct last week, showing that Precinct 358 (Grape Creek), Precinct 422 (Christoval) and Precinct 304 (the Lake View neighborhood) were the three of the county's 34 precincts whose residents gave more than 30 percent of their vote to Trump, who polled 31 percent in those areas. A look at the demographics for two of those areas show similarities that might not be immediately apparent. Although Grape Creek and Christoval are widely divided in educational attainment Grape Creek shows 13.7 percent of its population with a college degree, while Christoval has 28.5 percent the two areas have unemployment rates well below average, above-average per capita income, an above-average rate of homeownership and a relatively low poverty rate. Those demographic commonalities are not shared by Lake View, however, which has more than double the rate of unemployment and poverty compared to the other two, significantly lower homeownership rates and a much higher proportion of Hispanic residents. San Angelo voters who opted to receive Republican ballots were fairly uniform across the county geography in their presidential candidate preferences, with Trump generally receiving 25-30 percent of the vote, Ted Cruz getting 40-50 percent, and Marco Rubio receiving 20-25 percent. There were, however, anomalies: what do Southland, Downtown and Bryant Boulevard South neighborhood have in common? A preference, apparently, for Marco Rubio, who polled 33 percent in Precinct 114, the area south of Avenue N between Chadbourne Street and Knickerbocker Road; 28 percent in Precinct 420 at the far end of Southland; and 28 percent in Precinct 401, which is Downtown. The lowest level of support shown for Cruz was in Precinct 241, Bentwood, where he received only 38 percent of the vote. Rubio received 21 percent and Trump 27 percent. Only two other precincts 401, which is Downtown, and 420, the far end of Southland gave Cruz less than 40 percent of their vote, and more than five gave him 50 percent or more. Much of the Republican campaign landscape has changed since Super Tuesday. Rubio, whose campaign even then was flagging, received about 17 percent of the Tom Green County vote and dropped out of the race two weeks later after losing his home state of Florida to the Trump juggernaut. Ben Carson, whose campaign was nearly finished when Tom Green County went to the polls, got just under 7 percent of the vote here despite a history of strong financial support from Concho Valley campaign donors. Ohio Gov. John Kasich didn't play well in the county, receiving 4 percent of the vote, but he continues to campaign, having won his home state two weeks after the Texas primary. Jeb Bush, who also dropped out in March, got only 244 votes in the county, less than half the number Kasich got. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton was the county's overall choice with 56 percent of the vote, but opponent Bernie Sanders received a majority in 13 of 34 precincts. Sanders polled more than 50 percent in a swath through the center of San Angelo that included Downtown, Santa Rita, western College Hills and the university area, and the Central area north of Santa Rita and south of Angelo Heights. Sanders also took a majority in PaulAnn, the northeast county, Precinct 420 at the far end of Southland, and Christoval. LOCAL ELECTIONS In the contest for 391st District Judge, Brad Goodwin defeated Carmen Symes Dusek by about 7 percentage points. Dusek got a majority of votes in seven of 34 precincts and tied in two. That support was widely scattered, in Southland, Rio Vista, Veribest, Wall and the north central section of the city. For 119th District Attorney, John Best prevailed over Andrew Graves by 11 percentage points. Graves carried the Country Club area, the neighborhoods around Goodfellow Air Force Base, south Rio Vista, PaulAnn, the north central area of the city, Precinct 348 just outside the northeast city limits, and Christoval. THE TAKEAWAY These figures should be analyzed temperately on several counts. Although the demographics are based on the most recent and accurate figures available the 2014 American Community Survey they are subject to change over time, and the survey itself has some level of imprecision, reflected in margins of error assigned to each finding by the Census Bureau. The nature of the Texas primary system is another factor to consider. Because two of the highest profile local races for judge and district attorney were contested Republican races and there will be no Democratic opponent in the November general election, the primary was the only opportunity for local voters to have a choice for those offices. With the open primary, many who voted as Republicans on March 1 will be voting Democrat in the general election, raising the issue of what has been termed "strategic voting" Democrats voting on the Republican ballot for the presidential candidate they believe could be most handily defeated by the Democratic nominee in November. Trump and Sanders have identified themselves as renegade, anti-establishment candidates. Examining their centers of support in San Angelo and Tom Green County can lead only to the conclusion that dissatisfaction with the status quo can take many forms and come from voters of vastly different backgrounds. And if you're looking for a place that votes against the popular current, Christoval may be what you're after. SHARE Imagine that in high school you loved Shakespeare so much that you desired to make a life in literature. But your mother asked you to make a career in biology. You heeded her advice and, in time, turned yourself into one of the foremost scientists in the world. That's the life of Huda Y. Zoghbi, the 40th speaker for the WTMA Distinguished Lectureship in Science at Angelo State University. Among her achievements, she is an acclaimed professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, director of the renowned Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and other prestigious scientific bodies. Moreover, she has received many distinguished awards and honorary degrees. Her research has combined cell biology and genetics to reveal the inner workings of a wide range of diseases. But her pioneering works are in degenerative and developmental disorders of the nervous system. She and her collaborators elucidated why nerve cells die in Huntington's disease and spinocerebellar ataxias. She ameliorated the spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, a deadly affliction, in animal models, opening the way toward treating humans. Her group also discovered the gene of this ataxia in 1993, and then in 1996 cloned the Math1 gene, an important gene that is responsible for diverse functions, including balance, breathing and hearing. And abnormalities in this gene also can initiate medulloblastoma, a highly malignant brain tumor primarily in children. Her research is vital to understanding a large family of devastating illnesses such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, a group of neurodegenerative conditions known as proteinopatihes, because they are caused by malformed proteins. In 1983, Zoghbi cared for two young girls with Rett syndrome, an intractable illness akin to autism that affects girls almost exclusively. For the first two years or so, the children appear normal, and then suddenly their nervous system turns treacherous: they lose motor and cognitive skills, stop speaking and do relentless hand-wringing and hand-flapping, and cry constantly. It's Zoghbi's empathy for patients that moved her to hunt for Rett's cause. But her beginning wasn't auspicious. Early in her career, her colleagues and funding agencies weren't eager to support Rett research because it's a rare and a complex illness, and because there was no good technology for its study. But she doggedly pursued the disease despite her other researches until she found its causative gene, MECP2, in 1999, 16 years after meeting Ashley, her first patient with Rett. This finding has profound influence in unraveling autism, because MECP2 is present in almost every brain cell and plays a critical role in brain functions. She reversed the Rett symptoms in mouse models with antisense therapy, a form of gene treatment that suppresses a culprit gene. Ultimately, her aim is to find "cure" for these suffering girls. Antisense drugs are already in use for some human ailments and show promise for cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma and muscular dystrophies. Zoghbi is an example of the immigrant scientists and talents who have made seminal contributions to advance American medicine and science, and the world of science in general. She was born in Lebanon in 1955. While in medical school in Lebanon, civil war broke out. Eventually, circumstances brought her to Texas. Then she found a home at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, from where she graduated. After graduation, she completed pediatric and neurology residencies and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and then joined its faculty. The science field hasn't always been encouraging to girls, and one of her goals is to inspire girls to choose science careers. Winning the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize, a major scientific award, she said: "Women are as important contributors in science as men are." And about the reward of scientific research, she observed: "To come to work not knowing what you will learn, but knowing you will learn something that will add to the greater pool of knowledge, I find that very rewarding." She is a rare combination of a caring doctor, a pioneering researcher and an inspiring teacher. Zoghbi will give two talks both are open to the students and public at ASU's Houston Harte Center at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The topics in order are: "On the Level: Equilibrium on the Brain," and "The Story of Rett Syndrome: Insight into Neuropsychiatric Disorders." Fazlur Rahman is a longtime selection committee member of WTMA Distinguished Lectureship in Science at Angelo State University and an adjunct professor of biology (medical humanities and ethics) at ASU. He also is a senior trustee of Austin College and a selection committee member of its Posey Leadership Award-Global Outreach Forum; and an advisory council member of the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He can be reached at frahman1@suddenlink.net. CIO Steve Emanuel has held the top IT spot in New Jersey for the last five years, but on April 8, he will move on.Emanuel, who is no stranger to the ins and outs of state and local government, said the upcoming state elections and emerging opportunities had him considering how to make a controlled departure from government.Despite his affinity for public service and the dedicated employees who make up the state of New Jerseys IT workforce, he said he saw bright opportunities in connecting government and industry on important initiatives.Like every government CIO, when you know there is going to be an end to the term of an administration, you start looking, he said. Knowing that I was going to have to make a change, I just wanted to be in control of the change myself. I wasnt desperate to get out, but I was looking for the right opportunity.In his new role with Alliant Technologies Inc., he will act as a liaison between the company and government, and will be responsible for developing the public-sector vertical.Throughout the New Jersey-based companys 17-year history, Emanuel said partnerships with the government have not been developed or pursued. The new position will meet what he calls a good triangle of requirements.We get to stay in New Jersey, I get to stay in something that is relatively innovative when it comes to technology and its a little of my background," he said. "Im really dying to get back into the network arena and really understanding the technology better, because thats where I started, in networking."Emanuel added that he's looking forward to maintaining relationships with his government colleagues and helping them to meet the myriad challenges that inherently come with operating in the public space.The biggest thing for me is that I wanted to be able to stay involved with public-sector CIOs and colleagues because I think we are probably the most underpaid, overworked, attempting-to-be-innovative with basically mud and water. Emanuel said. I tell people, CIOs in the government sector have to build castles out of mud and water because we dont have the money for concrete, we dont have the money for steel, weve got to make these things durable and last, and we have to do it for the taxpayers. So, I really want to stay involved with government.In his time at the Office of Information Technology, Emanuel said he is proudest of the work he and others have done to enhance the states information technology procurement process, cybersecurity communication between private and public stakeholders, and the creation of an award-winning self-assessment plan, which was shared with other organizations.From his first days in the office, Emanuel said the state lacked the ability to quickly move on the technology acquisitions and tools that would ultimately help drive government forward.Through dialog with the states Division of Purchase and Property, Emanuel said new processes and best practices led to greatly improved acquisition times and better process automation.When I first got there, we were striving to have 80 percent of our procurements approved in a 30-day timeframe," he said. "As of right now, our goal is to have 90 percent within 14 days and were exceeding that on a regular basis, all as a result of improving processes."As for who will take over for Emanuel, the state has not yet named his replacement, but Emanuel said that when it comes to the challenges he sees for anyone stepping into the role, the work is very rewarding; its the caldron of politics and interests in state government that pose the challenges.Legislation and politics can make you turn left when you think youre turning right. Thats the hardest part. The actual work is very rewarding. Ive really enjoyed making some differences in the state of New Jersey, Montgomery County, Md., even at Amtrak in quasi-government. It was really good being able to see the value add, he said. I think the state of New Jersey has a lot more political sway and sometimes its a little unnerving, but I think someone who is politically savvy in how to interpret the politics will have a better chance than someone coming at it from the private sector. LOS ANGELES Within hours of ditching 70 pounds of cocaine at a security checkpoint and bolting barefoot out of the main Los Angeles airport, an off-duty flight attendant was flying across the country after clearing security at the same airport, law enforcement officials said Friday. Marsha Gay Reynolds, 31, did not do anything out of the ordinary to get back on a plane, officials said, describing how she used an airline badge with her real name to board another flight the next morning at one of the nation's busiest airports. Communication lapses, bureaucratic protocols and special security privileges afforded airline workers all contributed to Reynolds' remaining out of the grasp of law enforcement until she surrendered four days later at Kennedy Airport in New York. "This is a security breakdown. That could have easily been an explosive device and a terrorist running from the checkpoint. And we wouldn't have known until it went boom," said Marshall McClain, president of the union representing LAX airport police officers. Reynolds' escape was another embarrassing error for the airport, which sought to enhance security after a gunman opened fire in a terminal in 2013 and killed a Transportation Security Administration agent. Reynolds was off duty when she arrived March 18 at an LAX checkpoint, wearing jeans and a black suit jacket and carrying her "known crew member" badge, according to an FBI affidavit filed in support of the charge against Reynolds. When Reynolds was chosen for a random security screening, TSA officers reported that she became nervous and made a phone call in a foreign language before she dropped her bags, kicked off her heels, ran down an upward-moving escalator and out of the airport, the affidavit said. Airport police soon found 11 packages of cocaine wrapped in green cellophane inside one of the bags Reynolds left behind, the affidavit said. The drugs had an estimated street value of up to $3 million. The badges allow airline workers to get through security faster to reduce lines and allow the TSA to focus on travelers they know less about. To obtain the badges, airline workers must submit to a background check that includes fingerprinting. Crew members do not have to be wearing uniforms or have a boarding pass when using the badges. But they are still subject to random screenings. The fact that Reynolds was able to fly so soon after her mad dash through the airport did not particularly surprise aviation expert Jeff Price because the system is designed to catch terrorists, not criminals. The involvement of the crew member badge "might cause the TSA to look at this program a little more closely, to see if this is going to be a problem from a terrorist perspective," Price said. McClain agreed that the case raises long-held fears about the "insider" threat of a terrorist gaining special access to airports and planes using the crew member program or becoming radicalized after obtaining such access. "It's like giving someone the keys to your house, and you just made their job really easy," said Price, who has written a textbook on airport security and trains airport workers across the country. The TSA has said that full screening of all employees would cost too much. Instead, the agency has urged airports to increase random screenings of workers and to keep background checks up to date. No bulletin for Reynolds' arrest was immediately issued. The TSA would not have flagged her name because she did not pose a terrorist threat, according to an airport security official with knowledge of the investigation. The Drug Enforcement Agency did not learn about the drugs until at least five hours after Reynolds fled and did not know her name until well after she had boarded a flight to New York, according to a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about details of the case. TSA spokesman Mike England said in a statement that the agency "immediately notified and began working with local law enforcement to identify the individual." "Following events such as this, we conduct a full review of our procedures to determine how best to improve upon an already strong security foundation," he said. The TSA did not verify Reynolds' name until at least Saturday because no one at the airport is allowed to access the database that had scanned her crew member badge at the airport, both the airport security and federal officials said. As a result, the Los Angeles leadership of the TSA is recommending that someone with access to the database be required to be at airports across the country, the airport security official said. The TSA declined to provide details about the crew member program, citing the investigation. Price confirmed that no one at airports can access the database. Rather, he said, the information goes to a remote location where the database is stored. He doubts that anybody is staffing that location on a 24-hour basis, simply because it's rare for anyone to need regular access to the database. If a crew member is turned away after a badge is scanned, that person could just go through a regular security screening, he added. Reynolds, a former Jamaican beauty queen and New York University track athlete, faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted of the federal drug charge against her. Her spokesman, Allan Jennings, representing her family and her defense lawyer, said she "may not have been fully aware of what was in the bags." On Friday, a judge ordered that she be returned to Los Angeles and remain in custody at least until an April 7 hearing. SAN FRANCISCO Investigators are broadening their DNA searches beyond government databases and demanding genetic information from companies that do ancestry research for their customers. Two major companies that research family lineage for fees around $200 say that over the last two years, they have received law enforcement demands for genetic information stored in their DNA databases. Ancestry.com and competitor 23andme report a total of five requests from law agencies for the genetic material of six individuals in their growing databases of hundreds of thousands. Ancestry.com turned over one person's data for an investigation into the murder and rape of an 18-year-old woman in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 23andme has received four other court orders but persuaded investigators to withdraw the requests. The companies say law enforcement demands for genetic information are rare. But privacy advocates and experts are concerned that genetic information turned over for medical, family history research or other highly personal reasons could be misused by investigators and that the few known cases could be the start of a trend. "There will be more requests as time goes on and the technology evolves," said New York University law professor Erin Murphy, author of "Inside The Cell: The Dark Side of Forensic DNA." Law enforcement agencies across the country have access to growing state and national databases with millions of genetic samples of convicted offenders and arrestees. Investigators compare DNA found at crime scenes against the genetic samples in the government databases. They look at 13 distinct locations in a DNA sample, seeking exact matches at each location to pair a suspect with genetic material at the crime scene. Ancestry.com and 23andme officials say their databases won't be useful to most criminal investigations because they analyze regions of DNA different from the locations forensic experts explore. Still, that hasn't stopped investigators stumped on cold cases from contacting the companies for help. In the summer of 2014, court documents show, the Idaho Falls Police Department obtained a warrant to seize genetic information from Ancestry.com in connection with the 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge. In 1998, Christopher Tapp was sentenced to life in prison for Dodge's murder and rape, but he's appealing his conviction saying his confession was coerced. Police are still working the case at the insistence of Dodge's mother and others because the only DNA found on her body was not Tapp's and investigators believe another suspect also was involved. Idaho Falls police sent the DNA sample to Ancestry.com in 2014 to process. Ancestry emailed the results to the police without naming anyone in the company's database, which was only partially accessible to the public. The results, however, established a close, though not exact, match. Believing the killer could be a relative of the DNA donor, police obtained a warrant to compel the company to turn over the donor's name. "The hurdles for this should be extremely high, like getting a warrant for a wiretap, because it is an invasion of privacy," said Greg Hampikian, a Boise State University biology professor and forensic DNA expert assisting with efforts to exonerate Tapp. Hampikian said there has to be "a compelling public safety issue" and judge's approval before calling on companies to turn over genetic information. "In this case, there is a killer-rapist still out there and a man in prison for murder claiming innocence," Hampikian said. The donor was Michael Usry Sr., a contractor living near Jackson, Mississippi. Ten years earlier, thinking he was helping further the Mormon Church's deep interest in genetic research, Usry donated his DNA to a nonprofit scientific organization conducting a hereditary study. The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation was launched by billionaire Utah businessman James LeVoy Sorenson with the backing of the church. The foundation's goal was finding a "genetic blueprint" for humans, and it amassed more than 100,000 samples when Ancestry acquired the database in 2007. Usry was not the right age for the 20-something suspect investigators were seeking. But his son was the approximate age and had connections to the Idaho Falls area. Police showed up at Michael Usry Jr.'s doorstep in New Orleans in December 2014, armed with a warrant for his DNA. The younger Usry, a filmmaker, was interrogated for six hours and finally gave blood for a DNA sample. For the next month, he remained under suspicion until his DNA was determined not to match the samples taken from the crime scene. Now Usry Jr. says he is making a documentary about his experience. "It was disconcerting," he said. "It was a very weird situation." Idaho Falls Police Department spokeswoman Joelyn Hansen said the investigator who obtained the warrant has retired and no one else in the department "felt comfortable" discussing the warrant. After media reports about the Usrys' experience, Ancestry and 23andme each said they turn over customer genetic data only under court order. Both companies announced publication of "transparency" reports that disclose the number of warrants and subpoenas from law agencies. "Privacy is our primary concern," said 23andme privacy officer Kate Black, who said the company has never turned over genetic information despite receiving four court orders. But Black said 23andme has so far convinced investigators that the company's data won't help with their cases and the agencies have withdrawn their demands. Ancestry says the only request it received was for Usry's information. The company has since removed the Sorenson database from public view. "It does bother me that Sorenson sold that information after they told me it wouldn't be shared," the elder Usry said. "It does bother me that my DNA was used in this." GREENSBORO The State Bureau of Investigation is not releasing information from the preliminary autopsy findings on a man killed in a shootout with Greensboro police. SBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Williams said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner gave the SBI its preliminary autopsy report on how Christopher Michael Tokazowski died on March 11. Williams would not say how many times Tokazowski was shot. He also would not say if Tokazowski died of a self-inflicted gunshot or if he was shot in the barrage of bullets fired by police. More than 100 shots were fired that night, but the SBI hasnt said how many were fired by Tokazowski or the police. We have an idea how many times he was shot but were not releasing that, Williams said. It could take three to four more months before the final autopsy report is complete, he said. Williams said the SBI is still interviewing officers who were at the standoff at 1606 Efland Drive. It could take several more weeks to finish the interviews, he said. The SBI is waiting to see how Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson wants to proceed with the case, Williams said. As of Thursday, the eight officers involved in the shooting were still on administrative duty, said Greensboro police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen. Danielsen identified the eight officers who fired their weapons and were placed on administrative duty as: Officer R.G. Ector, who has been with the department 10 years; Officer J.E. Chasten, six years; Officer C.B. Cline, seven years; Officer A. Mendez, 11 years; Officer W.Z. White, five years; Cpl. M.R. McPhatter, eight years; Cpl. A.M. Deal, 11 years; and Cpl. M.P. Brown, 16 years. Under department policy, the Professional Standards Division investigates officer-involved shootings to determine if policies were followed. Also under that policy, officers are placed on administrative duty during such investigations. Officers responded to a domestic call at Tokazowskis home about 4 p.m. March 11, police said. They responded to domestic-related calls twice more that night. On the final visit about 9:30 p.m., police said Tokazowski met officers at the door with a firearm, prompting a standoff. Tokazowski exchanged gunfire with police shortly before midnight. About 1:30 a.m. March 12, after authorities had lost telephone contact with Tokazowski, police looked inside the home and saw him motionless. They forced entry into the home and found him dead. Now that both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5 are off the starting line and already exciting Android fans, the rumor mill has refocused its attention to HTC. The Taiwanese giant is still quite tardy to the flagship race, but that could very well be a god thing, as it leaves plenty of time for the HTC 10, formerly known as the HTC One M10, to gather hype before its alleged April 12, or perhaps April 15 release. Today, a new development, offers us a very up-close and personal look an the handset's design and particularly that of its metal chassis. A rather interesting listing has surfaced online of what appears to be a replacement shell for the still unannounced flagship. It is offered in gray and black for only around $30 or so and best of all, the page features a set of detailed photos for us to enjoy. Comparing these with previously leaked stills seems to reveal an identical match, adding a lot more credibility to the otherwise shady listing. Also, the provided color options seem to match up to another recent batch of renders of the HTC 10, only leaving out the final while finish variant. As interesting as the shots may be, they offer little additional information of the upcoming handset or any specific insight. Still, they provide a nice up-close look at the beautiful curves of the model and give away certain little details, like the presence of a pair of horizontal antenna lines on the back, as well as a sizable plastic segment on the top, around the 3.5mm jack - a quite typical HTC touch. We can also clearly see a single speaker on the bottom and what looks to be a USB type-C port, at least from this angle. Of course, seeing how this is only the shell of the HTC 10, there are no extra details about the front of the unit, but thankfully, we have already seen a quite revealing shot of that as well. As for alleged specs on the HTC 10, it is reported to have a 5.1" QHD screen of the AMOLED variety, a Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM, benching like a champ, and HTC claims it will have a "very compelling camera" (12MP UltraPixel say the rumors). Also, there should be a fingerprint reader in the home button and a 3000 mAh battery pack in the mix. Source (in Chinese) | Via (in French) Haiti - FLASH : 3 disabled women assassinated In a note, Gerald Oriol Jr. Secretary of State for the Integration of Disabled People regrets to inform the general population and people with disabilities in particular that in the afternoon of March 18, 2016 three women deaf have been assassinated in the zone of Haut Damier, near Cabaret. This tragedy occurred following the traffic jam caused by the partial collapse of the bridge on route #9, https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16913-icihaiti-flash-bridge-collapse-on-riviere-grise.html which forced women to take an unusual path to bypass to back home. According to information gathered by the Association of Deaf of Leveque, Haiti (ASLH), the three victims were identified as Mrs. Sophonias mother of six children and two single young women respectively named Vanessa and Monique. "The Secretary of State regrets with infinite pain these odious crimes committed on three disabled women," and indicates that as soon as he was informed, he immediately contacted the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to initiate an investigation to shed light on these crimes and punish the authors. To this end, the Office of the Secretary of State, invited the population of the area to cooperate with the judicial authorities in order to make triumph the law and justice. The Secretary of State Gerald Oriol Jr. "presents its sincere condolences to the relatives, friends and families bereaved by these sordid acts. It is necessary that peaceful families stop count the bodies and that everyone can live in safety. Let's act each other and be more united in the fight against insecurity and for a civilized society." HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2009/05/08 | Source By Park Si-sooStaff ReporterActor Park Shin-yang won his lawsuit against a drama production firm for a performance fee.The Seoul Central District Court ruled Friday that the drama production agency should pay 386 million won ($306,700) to Park for starring in four additional episodes of the hit TV drama " War of Money " in 2007.The 41-year-old filed the suit against the agency last December after it refused to pay the contracted fee for the additional episodes.The agency alleged Park tried to capitalize on the drama's high popularity by asking for too much money. It also claimed the fee he had received per regular episode be equally applied to the additional episodes because they are part of the drama.In 2006, Park signed a contract with the company worth 45 million won per episode of the drama, initially made up of 16 episodes. As the drama enjoyed high popularity, the company decided to film four extra episodes. Park agreed to appear in the extra productions in exchange for 155 million won per episode.Judge Park Gi-joo said in the ruling, "The two contracts are independent cases, meaning the first one cannot influence the second contract. The new fee set three times higher than original one is legally acceptable".Since last December when the suit made headlines, Park has come under fire for demanding too much money from penny-pinching drama production agencies. Corea Drama Production Association banned Park from appearing in any dramas produced by members of the association for an indefinite period.Following the decision, about 5,600 overseas fans issued a joint protest statement to denounce the decision. Advertisement Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 20:37, 21 OCT 2022 By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected] Beautiful imagery is more than just a business for husband-and-wife duo Jonathan and Bonnie Burton. Individually, theyre talented, educated, expert photographers with remarkable technical skills. Together, as Burton Photography, theyre an impressive force of creativity that uses true artistry to explore lifes most precious moments. The glory of the Blue Ridge hill country often plays the backdrop for their portrait, wedding, fine art and commercial work, which always tells the story of the people and places it features. While both Jonathan and Bonnie are brilliant photographers on their own, theyre even more incredible when they work as a team. Joining Forces Jonathan and Bonnie began their individual careers in photography by creating images for their own enjoyment, which later evolved for both into a passion for capturing memories, relationships and beauty for clients. Raised in Avery County, Jonathan had been running his own studio in the High Country for more than two decades when he met Bonnie at the East Coast School, an intensive weeklong seminar hosted by the Professional Photographers of North Carolina. In addition to working as a professional photographer, Bonnie, a graduate of Wake Forest Universitys music education program, was living and teaching in the Winston-Salem area at the time. The two joined creative forces in 2010, were married the following year and now work together to offer high quality, fine art photography services in the High Country and beyond. Together, they describe their style as timeless and illustrative the Art of Life. A single image can be a beautiful portrait, and a series of images can tell a story, they explained. We strive to combine the endless beauty of the High Country with our enthusiasm for illustrating the personalities of our subjects the melding of these two elements. The acclaimed duo and their work have been recognized on state, regional and international levels, earning a number of prestigious awards from industry greats like Fuji, Kodak and Canon, as well as associations including Professional Photographers of North Carolina, Southeast Professional Photographers Association and Professional Photographers of America. The Art of Life The bulk of their work lies in portraiture, where they capture families, babies and children, high school seniors, special occasions and more. Portraiture makes up the largest portion of our work, said Bonnie. We also have our commercial clients, and for them we create numerous business headshots, architectural images, illustrative images of their workplaces in action, images for their annual reports, etc. The Burtons also shoot close to a dozen weddings in a season, which often runs through spring, summer and fall months, and they typically shoot engagement and bridal portrait sessions for each couple. We limit the number of weddings we photograph so that we can be extra attentive to our wedding clients, she said. For Jonathan and Bonnie, photographing a client means getting to know that person or family in order to produce an image that best reflects their personalities, their passions and their experiences. Many of our clients have turned into close and lasting friends. Getting to know our clients is a continuous cycle of meeting and making new friends, as well as reuniting with old friends, said Bonnie. Social media has been a wonderful means of keeping that connection alive. We love seeing our family portrait subjects add new members, our wedding couples getting new jobs, homes, having babies, and seeing our child portrait subjects deciding where to go to college. We celebrate our clients life milestones with great excitement and affection. Many times, we have been called upon to provide a portrait of a loved one who has passed away. We never forget how precious these images are to family members who are separated from someone they love so much. Burton Photography A true love for their profession drives the Burtons to grow and learn as artists every day. We are energized by regular trips to view and study the work of other artists, especially at the Smithsonian galleries in Washington, D.C., at several of our favorite galleries in Asheville and, of course, the work of local artists in the High Country, Jonathan said. Studying the art of others helps refine an idea or inspire us to try something new. Bonnie especially loves the work of the great portrait artists, as well as the ancient technique of encaustic the layering of beeswax and resin to create one-of-a-kind, original pieces of portrait art. In order to stay up-to-date with quickly evolving technology and techniques, we frequently participate in educational experiences, learning from internationally recognized artists. The joy our images bring to our clients keeps us continually striving for an even higher level of excellence in the images we create. Theyre constantly working to offer their very best to clients, and they look to the people and places around them for continued inspiration. No matter what time of the year, we know of beautiful locations and are constantly seeking out new places to explore. Whether its a field covered in wildflowers, a moss-covered rocky stream, layers of the Blue Ridge, weathered barns and cabins or miles of fences and rock walls, there is beauty everywhere, the Burtons agreed. We find soft, directional lighting that is most flattering to our subjects. Because we dont always have the ideal light, we have the technical skills and equipment to modify the existing light if needed. Live Portraits So, whats new with Burton Photography? In addition to their exceptional photography services, Jonathan and Bonnie now offer Live Portraits and Talking Business Cards, which use a smartphone application to bring still images to life by connecting them with video. Imagine a portrait of a child that comes to life, and the wonderment of being able to hear your young childs sweet voice several years later as theyre getting ready to leave home for their next big adventure in life. Priceless, Bonnie said. Imagine a business card with a professionals portrait that magically starts to tell the story of that person, inviting a more personal connection with their potential clients. To see the magic of a Live Portrait, all you need to do is download the free Live Portrait app on your smartphone, open it up and hold it over the image (whether its hanging on your wall, on a screen or the front of your Christmas card or business card) and watch the image come to life. Want to try it out? Get the app, open it up and set your sights on the photo to the right, which features a family and yellow balloons. This past year, we created several Live Portrait Christmas cards, and were still getting rave reviews as friends and family not only received a beautiful card during the holidays, but it also came to life as our portrait subjects actually spoke right from their card, said Bonnie. We are excited that advances in technology are making these sorts of innovations possible for us to offer our clients, she said. Jonathan and Bonnie look forward to their 11th annual Portraits on the Parkway event in May, which enables Burton Photography to make a generous donation to the Blue Ridge Parkway. They are happy to give back to the community in this and other ways, often donating gift certificates or other services to local organizations and their fundraising events. Need a photographer for an upcoming special occasion? Is it time for new family portraits? Cant wait to have a Live Portrait of your own? Check out ncphotographer.com to see some of their work and reach out to Jonathan and Bonnie Burton. You can also follow them on Facebook. Most of all, we love creating beautiful images as a team. Playing off each others creativity intensifies the success we find as we are working together, they said. We share an artistic vision and have the highest trust and respect for one anothers abilities. We are passionate about the images we produce and capturing a moment that can never again be duplicated, knowing that, to its owner, it will only become more valuable as the years pass. We feel so blessed to live in the beautiful High Country and work with such wonderful people. Portraits by Burton Photography: Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket The N.C. Governors Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is launching its annual speed enforcement blitz from March 24 April 3 under the tagline: Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine. The intensified enforcement effort against speeding drivers underscores the severity of the problem across our states roads. Officers will step up enforcement of posted speed limits throughout North Carolina and stop and ticket anyone caught speeding. Speeding translates to death on our roadways. It greatly reduces a drivers ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve, said Don Nail, director of the GHSP. We want to help our state and local law enforcement get out their message Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine to reduce fatalities. In 2015, speeding was a contributing factor in 23 percent of all fatal crashes in North Carolina and 322 lives were lost in such crashes. During last years Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine campaign there were 23 fatalities, including five speed-related deaths. North Carolina law enforcement remains committed to keeping our highway and roads safe, said Public Safety Secretary Frank L. Perry. The NC State Highway Patrol does not intend to change its tactics when it comes to enforcing the speed limit. Our troopers still have reasonable discretion when it comes to enforcing our traffic laws. Earlier reports that we would begin ticketing drivers going one or two miles over the speed limit were based on a misinterpretation of the initiative. Troopers and local law enforcement officers will continue to enforce the speed limit. Fully 86 percent of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occur on local roads where the posted speed limits were 55 miles per hour or under. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below. About 14 percent of the countrys speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways each year. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket David McCarthy claimed he was aiming the drink at someone else (INM) A young man assaulted a volunteer working with the homeless by throwing a cup of hot tea in her face, a court has heard. David McCarthy (22) had been aiming for another man when he hit the charity worker as she handed out food and drinks in Dublin city centre. Judge Ann Ryan adjourned the case for a victim impact statement. Pain McCarthy, with an address at Ardbeg Park, Artane, north Dublin, pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman at the GPO last May 7. Gda Richard Loakman told Dublin District Court that the incident happened at around midnight. "The injured party was working as a volunteer with a homeless charity serving hot food and drinks to people on the street," he said. The court was told McCarthy approached and picked up a cup of hot tea, which he threw at a man. However, the tea hit the woman and left her face red and in pain. The victim was not in court, and Judge Ryan said he believed the woman "should be able to attend" before the case is finalised. If she did not attend in person, she should be heard by way of a statement if she so wished, he said. McCarthy was working full-time and was finding it difficult to get time off work, his lawyer said. Notified The judge adjourned the case to a date in May. "Thanks, Judge Ryan," McCarthy said. The judge told the garda that the victim should be notified about the date of the adjournment. The charge is being dealt with at district court level where the maximum penalty on conviction is six months' imprisonment, a fine or both. Hopes of a breakthrough in the bitter Luas dispute have been dashed as the blame game between the company and workers intensified. High-level sources last night accepted that strike action planned for tomorrow and Monday is "inevitable" and will cause widespread disruption during one of the busiest periods for the capital. Luas services are due to be suspended tomorrow and on Monday, causing massive disruption to the Easter Rising commemorations. The Herald can reveal that there are no plans for a last-minute intervention from Luas operator Transdev, the Siptu, the Government or the country's leading industrial relations troubleshooter, Kieran Mulvey. Businesses in the city have warned they are facing financial losses of more than 1m during the two-day stoppage. In a worrying development, acting Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe warned that "indefinite strike action" is on the cards as the country braces for an escalation in industrial disputes. Mr Donohoe said he is not prepared to intervene in the dispute between workers and Transdev if it is at the expense of the taxpayer. "For me the priority now is the commemorative period," he told RTE's Today with Sean O'Rourke. "The uniqueness of this period is understood, I know, by everyone in the trade union movement, and they need to reflect on that and lead to the reinstatement of these services." Misrepresented Transdev said its previous pledge of an 18pc pay rise over three years is now off the table entirely. Siptu leader Jack O'Connor said his officials are willing to engage with Transdev, but said the company must improve its offer. He also claimed that the pay demands have been "misrepresented" and only add up to 10pc. "One of the reasons it was rejected is because of the way it has been represented, as an increase of 18pc over three years. It's not that," said Mr O'Connor. He raised eyebrows after questioning how James Connolly would have responded to such a dispute. "I wonder what would Connolly do? Would he have gone out now and betrayed workers? No, he would have not," he said. Mr Donohoe is due to make a last-ditch appeal today for both sides to come together, but sources said he is resigned to the strikes going ahead. Staff are also due to withdraw their labour for a further two 48-hour stoppages next month. Transdev boss Gerry Madden is consulting with company executives on the stalemate and is due to make a statement on the matter next week. He has warned that the strike has serious implications for the firm. BRISTOL, Va. Flames licked at Mary Phillips as if from the devils tongue. Tried, convicted and burned at the stake in 1705 for being a witch, Phillips was one of the last two women in England to receive such a fate. And there sat her Bible. It was turned to a page on which was written by hand her name, Mary Phillips; her 17th century Bible nestled within a collection of incredibly historic and valuable Bibles on display last Monday night at the Bristol Public Library. Michael Morgan owns, spoke of, and astoundingly welcomed attendees to touch and thumb through the Bibles. He let people he had never met come up and touch the things, said Martin Dotterweich, associate professor of history at King University. The (1611) King James he has is worth in the six figures. Bibles on hand included a William Tyndale translation of the New Testament, who was burned as a heretic as a result. Before and after Morgan spoke, folks approached, reached out and gently touched the rare Tyndale. He loves the Bible and he wants people to touch them, Dotterweich said. A world class collector of English Bibles, Morgans collection exceeds 4,700 volumes. Presented by King University as part of its ongoing recognition of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeares death, Morgan spoke of the Bards connection with the Geneva and King James Bibles. Shakespeare did read the Bible and he went to church, said Morgan, who lives near Atlanta. He recently retired after nearly 40 years as a church organist. There is nothing that he alludes to (in his writing) more than the Bible. One of Morgans King James Bibles dates to 1616, the year of Shakespeares death. The King James Bible dawned five years earlier, in 1611. Morgan owns one of those, too. There are only about 20 copies (of the 1611 first printing of the King James Bible) in private collections, Morgan said. There are about 120 copies recorded. This one is in beautiful condition. And there it rested, Morgans 1611 King James Bible, perhaps the worlds most influential and life-altering book of all time. The King James Bible went right into the veins like a life-giving drug, Morgan said. Victor Hugo said that England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. He said that England made Shakespeare, but the Bible made England. An audience of rapt attendees clung to Morgans presentation. They included King graduate Tiffany Anderson, of Bristol, Tennessee. It was like, wow! said Anderson. Here were pieces of history that had a monumental impact all over the world. Here it was, right in front of me. Those pieces of history included Mary Phillips aforementioned Bible, which dates to 1613. After the presentation, Anderson thumbed carefully through its pages and marveled at being able to do so. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Anderson said. You could touch the pages and it didnt feel like it was going to come apart. Consider and let sink deeply the ages of Morgans Bibles. Every single page within every single Bible that he brought to Bristol was older than the United States by more than 100 years. The earliest date I have printed on a Bible is from 1540, Morgan said. Ed Harlow, former mayor of Bristol, Virginia, could barely believe his eyes when he saw the Bible opened on a table. Is that really from 1540? asked Harlow. Morgan replied in the affirmative. He proceeded to flip through its pages, much to the astonishment of Harlow. That Bible was printed during the reign of Englands King Henry VIII. Im astounded by how he found these things, Dotterweich said. Indeed, how did even an astute collector such as Morgan find such rarities? Whether to San Francisco or Los Angeles or New York or London, I always build in a few days to browse around, Morgan said. I have crisscrossed London so many times looking for shops and books. Morgan bought a King Henry VIII-era Bible during the 1970s in Washington, D.C. The shop was owned and manned by author Larry McMurtry. He spoke of another rare find, a Psalter Bible, which has a profound connection to Shakespeare. There are only eight known copies of the Psalter, Morgan said. This one belonged to Ben Jonson, who was of course connected to Shakespeare. Amazement spread through the crowd. I found this in an old bookshop in London in October 1977, Morgan said, who did not have the funds on hand to purchase the rare volume. They agreed to hold it for me until I got back. My father, who was a farmer, loaned me the money. For Christmas that year, he gave me the debt I owed to him. Such anecdotes peppered Morgans captivating hour-long presentation. He spoke of the Bible he owns that once belonged to President Franklin Pierce, of Bibles connected to English royalty, common folk and yes, that of Mary Phillips, who was burned as a witch. I have loved doing this for 45 years or so, Morgan said. I love having the Bibles on the tables for people to see and touch. After Tuesdays terrorist attacks in Belgium, it took no time for Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Donald Trump to compete over who could be tougher on Muslims. Aside from the usual rhetoric about locking down the borders and halting refugees, Cruz called for law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods in the United States, which is similar to Trumps earlier calls to surveil or even shut mosques. Cruzs campaign clarified that he wants authorities to work with Muslim communities to identify and root out extremism, much like the community-based tactics police use to combat gangs. His camp said authorities should partner with non-radical Americans who want to protect their homes. As an example, Cruzs representatives pointed to New York Police Department efforts that they accused Mayor Bill deBlasio (D) of shutting down because of political correctness. But the New York practices Cruz appears to be citing were not really about partnering with Muslim communities, which is an excellent idea. They were covert and, once they inevitably became public, deeply controversial. They ultimately strained the bonds between the police and Muslim neighborhoods, making them counterproductive at best. In the years after Sept. 11, 2001, New York police collected and organized a lot of information on New York-area Muslims: mapping where they lived and worshipped, placing undercover officers in bakeries and having them eavesdrop on conversations and, in some cases, infiltrating Muslim student groups. Part of the goal was to have a sense of where to look and whom to ask if counterterrorism authorities got wind of an imminent threat or if police wanted to take the temperature of ethnic communities reacting to big events overseas. Yet New York Police Deputy Commissioner John J. Miller said that, after a while, one major piece of the citys covert efforts became a sort of top-secret Zagats guide, because officers tended to frequent restaurants with the best food. Then there were examples of egregious overreaching, such as the monitoring of Muslim student groups at elite universities. Once the Associated Press began reporting on various covert police efforts in 2012, many Muslim Americans were outraged; they saw the police singling out and spying on a largely peaceful community of Americans based on nothing more than their religious affiliation. New York City officials determined the police could do much of what they had aimed to do, such as getting to know neighborhoods and taking the communitys temperature without all the cloak and dagger, as Miller put it. This is the decision the police should have made in the first place. The last thing the government should do is isolate and alienate peaceful U.S. Muslims. Making them feel as if they are a part of a distrusted, fringe population promotes the homegrown radicalization that now poses a threat to European nations, where integration has not occurred. Cruzs campaign warned about isolated Muslim neighborhoods in Europe that have become recruiting grounds for terrorists. This is a significant problem that requires sophisticated responses there and here. Neither Cruz nor Trump has such a plan. Instead, both seem bent on making the problem worse. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ At its recent meeting, the national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party passed a political resolution, a passage of which read: Our Constitution describes India as Bharat also, [hence] refusal to chant victory to Bharat is tantamount to disrespect to our Constitution itself. Bharat Mata ki Jai is not merely a slogan. It was a mantra of inspiration to countless freedom fighters during the independence struggle. It is the heartbeat of a billion people today. It is the reiteration of our constitutional obligations as citizens to uphold its primacy. The BJP has many senior lawyers in its ranks, who doubtless have read the Constitution. So have I. As I understand it, the Constitution of India does not prescribe any slogan to be shouted or whispered, whether individually or collectively. Nor does it proscribe any slogan. I checked with two colleagues who have published scholarly books on the Constitution, and they confirmed my interpretation. As one scholar put it, Under the Constitution, no particular slogan is required to be uttered by a citizen of India, nor is any particular slogan prohibited. READ: Nationalism row: BJP won 1st round of ideological battle, says Jaitley Schedule 3 of the Constitution lists the oaths that legislators, ministers, and judges take on assuming their posts. Legislators are asked to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, while ministers and judges are asked, in addition, to uphold the Constitution and its laws, and to perform the duties of their office to the best of their ability, knowledge and judgment, and without fear, favour, or ill-will. There is no, repeat no, mention of Bharat, Mata, or Bharat Mata. The core ideals of our Constitution include multi-party democracy; equality of citizens regardless of age, sex, caste, gender, or religion; and the eschewing of violence in settling social or political disputes. Thus, if an MLA or MP of any party shouts or whispers, I will overthrow the state through violence!, or India should be broken up into 29 nations!, he or she is certainly disrespecting the Constitution. The same charge can be levelled against a minister of judge who shouts or whispers those two slogans, or indeed any of these three others: Men are superior to women!; Brahmins are superior to other castes!; and dictatorship is superior to democracy! That said, neither MLA, MP, judge nor minister, nor indeed any ordinary aadmi or aurat among the billion plus citizens of this land, is guilty of dishonouring the Constitution if he or she refuses to shout or whisper Bharat Mata Ki Jai! The BJP national executives claim is legally untenable. It is also historically incomplete. It is true that Bharat Mata ki jai was a slogan shouted by many freedom fighters. But there were others too. A popular slogan, especially among atheistic socialists such as Bhagat Singh and his comrades, was Inquilab Zindabad. A third was Jai Hind, which was used by Subhas Bose and his Indian National Army. READ: Congress, BJP accuse each other of appropriating Bhagat Singh legacy Mahatma Gandhi, whom I trust the BJP will accept was a nationalist, did not lay much stress on slogans. His emphasis was on social change on the ground, on ending caste and gender discrimination, on promoting religious harmony, on cultivating an ethic of non-violence and of self-reliance. Gandhi never used or advocated the slogan Inquilab Zindabad, since he opposed the shedding of blood to further political aims. Nor did he ever shout Bharat Mata ki jai. He did once visit a Bharat Mata shrine in Varanasi, where he urged the temples trustees to promote religious unity, peace and love. Unlike the BJPs national executive, Gandhis focus was on substance rather than rhetoric. However, in speaking to former members of the Indian National Army in Calcutta in 1946, he warmly endorsed the adoption of the INAs slogan Jai Hind. Just because it had once been used in war, remarked Gandhi, it need not be eschewed in non-violent action. Of the three nationalist slogans, Gandhi therefore showed a decided preference for Jai Hind over Bharat Mata ki jai or Inquilab Zindabad. READ: See the distress Mallya caused, Bharat Mata Ki Jai Why then is the BJP laying such stress on the slogan Bharat Mata ki jai? Why is it seeking to make the public affirmation of these words a test of citizenship itself? There could be two reasons. The first is tactical. The ruling party knows that in close to two years in power at the Centre, it has implemented few of the promises it made during the campaign for the general election. Seeking to divert attention from agrarian distress, caste and gender violence, and the lack of jobs for the young, it demands that citizens shout certain slogans, and that they eschew certain others. This move towards sloganeering is also very likely tied to the Uttar Pradesh elections. The BJPs top leaders seem to have decided that the patriotic, or more accurately jingoistic, card will intimidate its opponents and polarise opinion. The Ayodhya movement led to the BJPs rise in UP in the 1990s; now, 20 years later, it seeks to revive its fortunes under the Bharat Mata banner. Patriotic slogans made much sense when India was a colony. Invoking Jai Hind or Bharat Mata ki jai when we were ruled by the British, and struggling for freedom, was one thing; forcing it down peoples throats 70 years after independence, quite another. Given the range of social and economic problems that this country and its citizens face, to make politics and governance so dependent on the shouting of certain slogans reflects a truly perverted sense of priorities. Speaking of 18th century England, Samuel Johnson famously said that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. In 21st century India, it seems to be the first refuge of the incompetent and malevolent. Ramachandra Guhas most recent book is Gandhi Before India Twitter: @Ram_Guha The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Have you noticed how people you are eager to meet often prove to be disillusioning? Perhaps anticipation builds up huge expectations but they end up less than they originally seemed. Rather than their perceived star qualities its their faults and flaws you notice. Consequently, heroes end up with feet of clay. That happened to me last weekend. Im writing about it today more out of disappointment than criticism but also because the story could strike a chord with you. Three weeks ago I was invited to moderate the gala finale of the India Today Conclave with Amal Clooney. The combination of a high-flying internationally acclaimed lawyer and the wife of Hollywoods leading star was irresistible. I accepted with alacrity. Now let me not mislead you. Theres no doubt Mrs Clooney is striking. Though painfully thin she has a presence. I wouldnt call her beautiful but she is undoubtedly attractive. Theres something about her that makes you want to look again and again. Additionally, she is soft-spoken, charming and even coy. When she talks about George and she does it only occasionally and quite reluctantly theres a winning bashfulness. Its almost as if she cant believe hes her husband! READ: George Clooneys wife Amal receives death threats, security boosted Sadly, there is also another side to Amal Clooney. A side that contradicts the freedom of speech she espouses. And it diminishes her. Mrs Clooneys formal speech to the Conclave was about this topical subject. She spoke about her famous clients, former President Nasheed of The Maldives; Mohamed Fahmy, Al Jazeeras former chief of bureau in Egypt; and Khadija Ismayilova, an Azerbaijani journalist languishing in jail. Though she didnt say so, Amal Clooney emerged as the protector of their liberty and, perhaps, their best hope for justice. As she spoke the audience warmed to this self-presentation. Alas, how different is the reality hidden under the surface which the audience was unaware of. Amal Clooney, though speaking to a television channel Conclave, had forbidden the live broadcast of her speech as well as the question and answer session that followed. She also insisted that nothing could be broadcast afterwards without her clearance. That includes the right to edit whatever she was asked or said. In the end nothing of her speech was broadcast and only approximately six minutes of her 30-minute Q&A was permitted to be shown. This was the extent to which Amal Clooney censored the channel that hosted her. Of course, she had a contract that permitted this. So it was her prerogative to exercise these rights and the channel, no doubt, was shortsighted in agreeing to such terms. But the incongruity of a human rights lawyer, who champions freedom of speech, insisting on rigidly restricting the broadcast of what she said was, for me, more damaging than anything else. The bizarre part is that if Mrs Clooneys speech and Q&A had been broadcast in full live or afterwards it would only have added to her image because she handled both with considerable aplomb. Now, instead of recalling with delight what is probably a once-in-a-life-time experience I feel disillusioned. I didnt know what to expect of her but it certainly wasnt this. Who would have believed Amal Clooney, of all people, would twist Voltaires dictum into I will fight to the death to ensure you cant broadcast what I have said unless you let me edit it? READ: I feel like an idiot talking to my wife: George Clooney I guess you could say Amal Clooney preaches freedom of speech but, at least in her own case, practises something closer to censorship. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off on Saturday the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJPs) poll campaign in Assam, where elections are due along with four other states. Modi held rallies at Tinsukia, Majuli and Bihpuria and he will be addressing crowds at Bokakhat and Jorhat later on Saturday. He will hold two rallies at Rangapara and Hailakandi on Sunday. Among the states going to polls in the next few months, the BJP has good chances of breaking the Congress partys dominance in Assam. The state polls will be held in two phases on April 4 and 11 to elect members of the 126 constituencies. At Saturdays rallies, Modi talked about his past as a humble chaiwallah (tea-seller) and played the development card to connect with a state in which 18% of its population comprises tea plantation workers, a major voting force in at least 30 of Assams assembly constituencies. Watch | Highlights of PM Modis rally in Tinsukia district Here are the top 5 quotes 1. Following on his ambitious development agenda for the country, PM Modi said: I have three agendas: Development, fast development and all-round development. Modis BJP bagged a landlside victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the promises of development and achche din. 2. The PM also said his fight is not against chief minister Tarun Gogoi, but against poverty and under development of Assam. Gogoi recently said his fight was against Modi in this assembly. Soon Gogoi will turn 90 years, it is our culture to respect old and elderly people gives blessings to younger. He is my senior and in our culture, we bow down before elders to seek blessings... My fight is not against Gogoi but against poverty, corruption and destruction of Assam. I am not fighting against any individual. I do not intend to fight with Gogoi. 3. Modi lambasted the Congress government for misrule in the state. Who is responsible for all this backwardness (in Assam)? The Congress ruled Assam for 15 years. It gave us a PM (Manmohan Singh) for 10 years but even he could not rescue the state from darkness. 4. He said he wanted to see Assams tea workers smile. Assam holds a special place in my heart because her teas provided me with a livelihood. Assams teas have energised Indians but the condition of tea workers has not improved under this (Congress) government. We want to see them smile, and not just in advertisements. 5. Modi assured the state that if given five years, the party would pull the state out of all its difficulties. You give me five years, you give Sarbananda (BJPs CM candidate) five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty, Modi said. Read | Modi talks development, recalls chaiwallah days to woo Assam voters (With inputs from agencies) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign in Assam with a jam packed schedules of four rallies today in Tinsukia, Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and a meeting with locals at Jorhat. He will become the first Prime Minister to visit Majuli, an island located in between river Brahmaputra and Lohit. Will campaign in Assam today. Shall address rallies in Tinsukia, Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and Jorhat. @BJP4India @bjpassampradesh Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 26, 2016 At the rally in Tinsukia, Modi said his fight is not against Tarun Gogoi but against poverty and corruption. Our motive is to make Tinsukia Sukhiya in the true sense of the word, said Modi. Addressing the locals, Modi said You gave 60 years to Congress expecting good things, I ask nothing but 5 years from you. Read more: Assam: Battle of wits between Gogoi and ex-poll manager Here are the highlights from his speech: Gogoi says his fight is with me, but my fight is not against Gogoi but poverty and destruction of Assam When we got independence, Assam was in the list of top 5 developed states. Now, it is in the list of the worst Assam will get a young CM in Sarbanand Sonowal and Assam will scale new heights of progress I want your blessings, to take Assam to new heights Congress misrule in Assam is evident from lack of potable water despite possessing huge water resources The day is not far when children in India will be taught A for Assam BJP and allies will together bail out Assam from poverty, corruption, under development Assams tea energises Indians, but not the workers who make it Read more: Vote for land: Politics of shuttling migrants on Assams sandbars The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address rallies at Rangapara and Karimganj on March 27, the release added. BJPs chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting from Majuli assembly constituency. Assam will vote in two phases on April 4 and 11. Read more: BJPs election promise is to seal Assams border with Bangladesh The BJP is contesting in 91 of 126 assembly constituencies of the state leaving 24 seats for Asom Gana Parishad and rest for Bodo Peoples Front and other smaller parties. Earlier, releasing his partys vision document for the upcoming Assam Assembly polls, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that the BJP-led alliance will have a landslide victory and uproot the failed Congress government from the state. Watch | Highlights of PM Modis rally in Tinsukia district There is a desire for a change which is sweeping the state. People of Assam are tired of slogans and they want development. The youth here are craving for growth. The core strength of our alliance is the youth here and the youth is leading that campaign for a change, Jaitley told the media. The Finance Minister further trained his guns on the grand old party, saying the Congress has in the past several years encouraged infiltration and failed to act on it as they wanted to turn it into a vote bank for themselves. Being a border state and a pivotal north east state, this vision document aims at providing security and it strongly emphasises on that, Jaitley said. Sunny Leone has lived the dream of so many Shah Rukh Khan fans. She was at the set of his next movie, Raees, and said that this was the first time at a film shoot where she kept wanting to pinch herself just to see if it was a dream or reality. Sunny, who was last seen on the silver screen in director Milap Zaveris adult comedy film Mastizaade, tweeted after filmmaker Ritesh Sidhwani, who is producing Raees shared that she is a part of Rahul Dholakias upcoming film. So we have Laila @SunnyLeone @iamsrk & baniya ka Dimaag @rahuldholakia in #Raees.. R u wondering what's next ?? Ritesh Sidhwani (@ritesh_sid) March 25, 2016 So we have Laila Sunny Leone, Shah Rukh Khan and baniya ka dimaag Rahul Dholakia in Raees... Are you wondering whats next? Ritesh tweeted, to which the Jism 2 actor replied. 1st time on a film set where I kept wanting2pinch myself2see if it was real or a dream.Amazing 1st day! @rahuldholakia @ritesh_sid @iamsrk Sunny Leone (@SunnyLeone) March 25, 2016 First time on a film set where I kept wanting to pinch myself to see if it was real or a dream. Amazing first day! Rahul Dholakia, Ritesh Sidhwani, Shah Rukh Khan, she wrote. Raees also stars actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pakistani talent Mahira Khan. Shah Rukh is shaking a leg with Sunny in a reprise version of the 1980 chartbuster Laila O Laila from the film Qurbaani. The original track featured Feroz Khan and Zeenat Amaan. A special set has been created here at Mehboob studio. Its a dance track, an item number which is part of the film and not an end-credit song. The set is that of an old retro bar. The situation is that it is a bar where they are selling alcohol in the pretext of selling cold drinks. That is where Sunny is dancing, a source told PTI. The song will be shot for four days. Right now Shah Rukhs entry shot will be filmed. There are 50 junior artists and 20 dancers, the source said. Read: Heres why Sunny Leone slapped a reporter in Gujarat A book of essays by a range of authors attempts to study Modis India. Aide to former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, Sudheendra Kulkarni examines this PMs discomfiture with secularism. An excerpt. The sixteenth of May, 2014, was a turning point in Indian democracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party, with Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, secured a historic victory in the general elections held that month. After thirty long years, a single party succeeded in winning a clear and decisive mandate on its own: 282 seats in a house of 544. In no election since 1984, when the Congress under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi and riding a sympathy wave in the wake of Prime Minister Indira Gandhis assassination, had a single party won a majority in the Lok Sabha. Modis leadership had helped the BJP attain its highest ever tally, which marked a staggering 100-seat increase from its previous high watermark of 182 seats in 1999. Read: Narendra Modi finishes victory lap in Delhi, dedicates win to party workers The result was a turning point in another important respect. The Indian National Congress, Indias oldest political party that had ruled for the longest period (forty-nine years) since the countrys independence in 1947, suffered its worst-ever electoral defeat. For a party that had secured outright majority in seven previous elections, and had led or supported six coalition governments, the tally was a measly forty-four seats. By any reckoning, it was a stunning performance by the BJP. Previously, the party, led by its stalwarts Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani, used to claim that its biggest achievement was that it had transformed Indias Congress-led unipolar polity into a bipolar one, with the BJP having become the second pole. The claim was justifiable because the BJP, which was founded in 1980, had succeeded in defeating the Congress and forming coalition governments at the Centre after two parliamentary elections, in 1998 and 1999. On both occasions, the governments were led by Vajpayee, the founder as well as the tallest leader of the BJP. For a party that had bitten the dust in the 1984 parliamentary elections, winning only two seats, it was truly an impressive achievement to have become Indias ruling party fifteen years later under the leadership of Vajpayee and Advani. Read: 2014 will go down in history as the election of Narendra Modi, says Rajdeep Sardesai However, Modi demonstrated in 2014 that he could lead the BJP to a victory that far surpassed any that the Vajpayee-Advani duo had achieved. Indeed, in his very first innings as the captain of the BJP, he had succeeded in transforming Indias polity into unipolar again. The crucial difference, this time around, was that he had made the BJP the single pole in the countrys political establishment... The 2014 election was different for the BJP in another respect. In all previous elections, the party was seen to have been led by a collective leadership. ...The 2014 election changed all that. It was, and also deliberately projected as, Modis solo show. No other leader really mattered in the BJP. Both before and immediately after the election, Advani had been deliberately and systematically marginalized. Since Vajpayee has remained bedridden for many years he had anyway become inactive after his government failed to win a renewed mandate in 2004 the BJP suddenly and irreversibly emerged out of the Atal-Advani era. It entered the Modi era on 16 May 2014. MODI GOVERNMENTS FIRST TWENTY MONTHS: A MIX OF POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES What happens to the BJP under Modis leadership is really of secondary importance. Of primary importance are the following questions: What happens to India with Modi at the helm of the government? How enduring is the turning point in Indian politics that his victory has effected? Will there be a point of return? And since history does not quite repeat itself in the literal sense of the term, what will be that point of return when the Modi era does come to an end? An objective and dispassionate examination of these questions after twenty months of Modis government (at the time of writing this article) shows a mix of positive and negative trends. There are also some troubling signals that the positives could be overshadowed by the negatives if Modi allows himself to be controlled by the Sangh Parivar, the ideology-driven family of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), of which the BJP is a member... Read: Modi govts first anniversary | It has been a year of icy silences This book is a collection of essays by a range of authors including Sudheendra Kulkarni. FOREIGN POLICY: NORMALIZATION OF INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS IS THE HARDEST TEST AND THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR MODI Modis performance on the foreign policy front so far has been creditworthy. He has taken personal charge of introducing dynamism into Indias relations with the rest of the world... Today Indias profile has become higher both in the Western world and also in our immediate and extended cultural neighbourhood. Indias relations with China, the emerging great power, have significantly improved even though there is no resolution in sight for the border dispute between the two countries... Read: PM Modis Lahore surprise, the phone call that started it all The only country with which Modi has so far failed to improve relations is Pakistan. Indeed, inconsistency and confusion, coupled with needless bravado, have marked his governments approach to Pakistan. Normalization of India-Pakistan relations is a historical necessity for both countries indeed, for South Asia as a whole. Both New Delhi and Islamabad need to revise their traditional, and failed, approaches to dealing with one another as enemies... After spending nearly one and a half years in deciding how to engage Pakistan, Modi sprang a pleasant surprise by paying an unexpected visit to Lahore on 25 December 2015. Although the specific purpose of his visit was to greet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday, Modis gesture signalled a much-needed thaw in India-Pakistan relations. It was widely welcomed on both sides of the border, including Modis critics... Of course, the road ahead for the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue is by no means smooth. There will be many obstacles and crises along the way. One such crisis erupted when both India and Pakistan were still basking in the warmth of Modis visit to Lahore. In the first week of January 2016, Pakistan-based terrorists, reportedly belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed, attacked the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab. Seven security personnel were killed in the attack, which naturally outraged the Indian public. It also temporarily led to the postponement of the scheduled meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries. Read: Reconstructing the Pathankot air base attack Narendra Modi after a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at a temple in Adalaj, about 20 kilometers north of Ahmadabad in September 2009. (AP) However, such terrorist attacks are only to be expected. Whenever Indian and Pakistani governments have decided to begin serious bilateral talks, anti-India elements in Pakistan have tried to sabotage them in some or the other violent way. Stopping the talks for this reason would amount to victory for those who want India and Pakistan to continue to live as hostile neighbours. Therefore, the test of Modis leadership and also the test of his counterpart in Pakistan lies in his determination to continue the talks in an uninterrupted, meaningful and result-oriented manner, certain in the knowledge that dialogue is the only way to resolve all the problems between our two countries. There is simply no military solution. In case Modi has internalized this realization, he will have to take up two attendant tasks. First, he has to courageously reject the advice of both the militaristic establishment in New Delhi as well as the rabid Pakistan-haters in the Sangh Parivar. Without lowering the guard in the uncompromising fight against terrorism, he has to remould the thinking of the Sangh Parivar in favour of an enduring rapprochement with Pakistan on terms that are honourable and acceptable to both sides. Specifically, and this is the second task, both he and the Sangh Parivar have to recognize the truth that any formula for normalization of relations between India and Pakistan has to address the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir. As per the Simla Pact of 1972, both countries have accepted that a final settlement of the Jammu & Kashmir issue is yet to be reached, and also that they would settle it through bilateral negotiations. Obviously, this requires, both in India and in Pakistan, broad national consensus and the willingness to accept certain compromises. So far at least, Modi has not articulated his thinking on the resolution of the Kashmir issue, without which normalization of India-Pakistan relations can at best be partial and tentative. Read: PM Modis package cannot solve the Kashmir issue, says Opposition On its part, the army and the political establishment in Pakistan also must show courage and determination in fighting the forces of Islamist extremism and terrorism. Correcting their costly mistakes in the past, they must vow never again to use or allow these murderous forces to target India. After all, they ought to know that Pakistan itself has suffered the most on account of encouraging and sheltering extremist and terrorist organizations on its soil... MODIS DISCOMFITURE WITH SECULARISM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE IDEA OF INDIA It is in the area of safeguarding secularism that Modi, his party and his government have a lot of work to do to allay the concerns and misgivings of not only Indias religious minorities but also of secular-minded Hindus who constitute the majority within Indias majority community. Modi would surely be inviting trouble for himself if he chose not to remove these concerns. After all, his failure or unwillingness to do so would seriously threaten the Idea of India that guarantees our national unity and integrity. And no leader, howsoever powerful, can govern India if his core beliefs and policies endanger the Idea of India; if he or she alienates the countrys large population of religious minorities, especially Muslims. Read: Why is Modi silent? Rivals criticise PM over Dadri lynching What is the idea of India? Why is it so fundamental to our national identity, unity, survival and progress? India is, and has always been, a multi-faith nation. Freedom of religion, equality of all faiths in the eyes of the nation-state and all its institutions, equal respect for all faiths both in polity and society, and non-discrimination on the basis of creed or caste have been assured by the Indian Constitution. They are also embedded in Indias age-old cultural and civilizational heritage, which celebrates unity in diversity. They together constitute the meaning of secularism in the Indian context. The Partition of India in 1947 and the carving out of Pakistan as a separate Muslim nation on the basis of the spurious Two-Nation theory dealt a severe blow to this heritage. In subsequent decades, this Muslim nation further solidified its identity as an Islamic nation. The population of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in Pakistan shrank drastically. Their rights were severely curtailed. However, as far as the truncated post-1947 India is concerned, the founding fathers of our republic wisely desisted from making India a Hindu version of Pakistan; they created a Constitution that committed India to the principle of secularism. The idea of India: Why the choice is clear in intolerance debate Narendra Modi paying homage to RSS founder KB Hedgewar at the Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur in February 2009. (PTI) It is true that the word secularism was not explicitly included in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution when it came into force in 1950. Opponents of secularism, most of whom are in the Sangh Parivar, often gripe over the fact that the word was incorporated into the Constitution as a preambular principle only later in 1976, when India was reeling under the Emergency rule (1975-1977) imposed by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi. Their criticism does not hold water for two reasons. First, even though the word secular was not specifically used to describe the Republic of India in 1950, the content and essence of even the original unamended version of the Indian Constitution was incontrovertibly secular. Secondly, no political party, not even the BJP, has demanded, after the lifting of the Emergency, that the Constitution should be amended once again to excise the word secular from its Preamble. In fact, the Janata Party government, which came into being in 1977 both Vajpayee and Advani were prominent ministers in that government annulled all the anti-democracy amendments to the Constitution that had been passed by Indira Gandhis regime during the Emergency. However, it kept the word secular intact in the Preamble. This means that, both in the post-1950 period as well as in the post-1976 period, there has been a rock-solid national consensus on secularism as a fundamental pillar of the idea of India. The Sanghs new clothes: RSS has changed the uniform, not its views Sadly, this consensus is sought to be broken, altered, or at any rate weakened by the BJP and its government now. Concerns on this score have arisen because of the Sangh Parivars extreme discomfort with the secular core of the constitutionally endorsed Idea of India. In open defiance of the spirit and the text of the Indian Constitution, leaders of the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliate of the RSS, have been saying more vociferously than ever before that India should be declared a Hindu Rashtra. This clearly means that, in their understanding of India, non-Hindus especially, Muslims who constitute the largest minority in the country have a secondary status which is not on a par with the Hindus. When pressed to explain their position, RSS ideologues state that the word Hindu, according to them, connotes culture and not religion, and therefore even Muslims in India should regard themselves as culturally Hindus. RSS HAIR-SPLITTING This is nothing but deceptive verbal hair-splitting and conceptual obfuscation. By no stretch of imagination can the word Hindu be stripped of its religious connotation in todays India. Indeed, when the VHP describes itself as an organization of Hindus worldwide, it clearly uses the term Hindu in its religious sense. All the religious leaders who congregate on the VHP platform are Hindu religious leaders; it has no place for Muslim or Christian religious leaders. Obviously, the claim that India is a Hindu Rashtra is an assault on India as a secular nation. The claim is deeply offensive to Muslim, Christian and other non-Hindu Indians. Indeed, it also offends the patriotism of a majority of Hindus who are secular by nature. A quick explanation is in order here even at the risk of a slight digression. It might be asked: If a majority of Hindus are secular, how did the BJP under Modis leadership manage to secure a decisive mandate in the 2014 parliamentary election? The answer to this question is that most of the Hindus who voted for the BJP Muslims hardly ever vote for the BJP in significant numbers did so not because they were influenced by the Sangh Parivars Hindutva ideology. They did so principally because, firstly, they wanted to end the highly unpopular Congress rule which was marred by many corruption scandals; secondly, they were influenced by Modis promise of ushering in development and better governance; thirdly, Modi was able to project himself as a strong leader; fourthly, the Congress partys new and young leader Rahul Gandhi failed hopelessly to match Modis mass appeal; and fifthly, both Hindus and Muslims were disenchanted with the Congress partys self-serving and inconsistent espousal of secularism. Those who voted for the BJP solely because of its Hindutva ideology were only its core voters, whose number is small and who, by themselves, can never bring their party to power either in central or state elections. Read: Meet the RSS leader who changed fortunes of a Muslim village Let us return to the discussion on secularism. In a clear sign that the RSS was tightening its ideological control over the BJP, after the end of the Vajpayee-Advani era, the word secularism did not find even a cursory mention in the BJPs manifesto for the 2014 parliamentary election. This was not an oversight. Modi himself, as the partys prime ministerial candidate, had shown his disapproval of the word secularism. In an interview given to Shahid Siddiqui before the polls, while answering a pointed question Will you keep secularism as part of the Constitution or remove it? Modi described secularism as an imported word. The answer given by Indias would-be prime minister was as baffling as it was disturbing. Secularism, understood as a non-theocratic state that shows equal respect for all faiths, is by no means an imported concept. If Modi thinks secularism is foreign to India, he should also declare parliamentary democracy to be foreign to India since it too is imported from the West! It is worth emphasizing here that BJPs own constitution, adopted when the party was founded in 1980 with Vajpayee as its founding president, shows allegiance to secularism. If Prime Minister Modi believes that it is an imported concept, will he now get his party to remove the word from its constitution? Even if he does, he and his supporters should know that secularism cannot be removed from the Preamble to Indias Constitution since it forms part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has clearly, and wisely, curtailed Parliaments powers, under Article 368, to amend the Constitution when such amendment seeks to alter its very heart and soul. The basic structure can be changed only by a new Constituent Assembly. Neither the BJP nor any other party can bring a new Constituent Assembly into being. Nevertheless, the prime ministers displeasure over secularism has helped create an intellectual atmosphere in which many of his supporters have taken to secularism bashing with no fear of being reprimanded. For example, the social media is awash with the abusive term sickular to describe the secular constituency. To be fair to Modi, I must add here that in the same pre-election interview with Shahid Siddiqui, he had also spoken these reassuring words: There is only one holy book for the Indian government, and that is the Constitution. I respect everything that the Constitution says. He is therefore duty-bound, and also bound by his own solemn assurance, to swear his allegiance to secularism. In practical and policy terms, this obliges him and his government to treat all religions and religious communities equally with no discrimination. His own partys pre-election promise of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas enjoins him to do so. THE COMING TENSION BETWEEN MODI AND THE SANGH PARIVAR WILL THERE BE A POINT OF RETURN? An important question arises here. As the prime minister of India, Modi has to scrupulously follow the Indian Constitutions commandment on secularism. His failure to do so will be the undoing of his premiership. Whether he likes it or not, whether his core beliefs permit him or not, he is bound by the Constitution to ensure that his government does nothing that violates secular ideals and principles. Which means that his government cannot follow a majoritarian agenda, even though that is what many in the Sangh Parivar would like it to do. The prime ministers fairness and rectitude would be especially tested if, God forbid, India witnesses an outbreak of communal violence. The communal violence in Gujarat in 2002 was certainly a blot on his record as the states chief minister. Indeed, it was also a blot on Vajpayees prime ministership, besides being a major cause for his failure to lead the BJP to win a renewed mandate in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. Read: From IS to RSS, drawing parallels between Islamism and Hindutva It is obvious, therefore, that Modi and his government and also BJP governments in states as well as the BJP organization all over the country must ensure zero tolerance both for communal violence and terrorist violence. Those guilty of aiding and abetting such violence, irrespective of their religious and political affiliation, must be punished as per the rule of law. Zero tolerance for communal violence also entails no tolerance for communal and hate propaganda by Hindu, Muslim or other organizations. Naturally, this includes the RSS propaganda that India is and should be declared as a Hindu Rashtra. So far, no BJP leader, not even Modi, has publicly criticized the RSS for this divisive advocacy even though some BJP leaders privately express reservations about the Hindu Rashtra concept. However, with the passage of time, Modi and his colleagues in the government and the party will be forced to distance themselves from, and also actively curb, the anti-Muslim and anti-minorities propaganda by the outfits of the Sangh Parivar. They will also have to show at least some concern for the legitimate concerns, needs and demands of the Muslim community, even at the risk of being accused by Hindu communalists of following the Congress policy of appeasing Muslims. Modi is an astute politician and he knows that alienating a large section of the Indian population would create problems for his premiership especially for his desire to win a second term in the parliamentary election in 2019. Read: Narendra Modi turns to Jawaharlal Nehru All this will inevitably create tension between Modi and the Sangh Parivar. When such tension surfaces, the choices before him would be stark: either he allows himself and his government to be controlled by the Sangh Parivar, or he curbs and subdues the Sangh Parivar in pursuit of its majoritarian agenda. The former choice will spell doom for his government. Of course, there could also be other threats to his government such as failure to fulfil peoples expectations and its own election promises related to development and good governance. If Modi makes the latter choice, he would be doing a big service to India. Read: How Narendra Modi resembles Indira Gandhi In my opinion, making the latter choice acceptance of the secular anchor of the Idea of India would constitute for Modi and the BJP the point of return to the mainstream of national life. Whether Modi and the BJP actually make this choice or not is difficult to predict but not beyond the pale of possibility. After all, there are many sensible and secular-minded people in the RSS and the BJP who care for Indias future and who would be amenable to revising their own ideological beliefs. Electoral compulsions and the compulsions of retaining power will also force them to change their convictions, policies and conduct. After all, Indias democracy and our plural cultural-civilizational heritage have the invincible power to ensure that only those who are, or become, faithful to the Idea of India will govern this great nation and shape its destiny. In that power lies the hope for India. Making Sense of Modis India HarperCollins Rs 499 PP 216 One smile at a time, things are changing in the world of business. India has 1.34 crore people with disabilities within the employable age of 15 to 59 years, but 99 lakh of them are marginal workers or unemployed.Today many companies have been consciously seeking out differently abled staff, hiring and training them for mainstream jobs. Along the way, theyre changing notions about diversity, inclusivity and what makes a good employee. Take a look. A New Sign Of The Times At Mirchi and Mime in Powai, forget about restaurant etiquette. Here, you have to gesture for your servers attention. The 27-member staff is hearing- and-speech-impaired. Prashant Issar and Anuj Shah who thought up the concept say they had been to Signs Restaurant in Toronto, Canada, which has only disabled staff, and wanted to introduce it in India. But it was not easy to recruit differently abled staff. Their parents said, If something happened to our children, what would happen to us? recalls Issar. We had to counter it by asking, Well, what will happen to your children after youre gone? Issar and Shah learned sign language themselves, so they could communicate with the people they wanted to hire. They tied up with the Rochiram Thadani Institute, Dr Reddys Foundation and NASEOH, which trained the employees in life sciences, job readiness, simple English and hospitality services over eight weeks. Three weeks of on-the-job training followed, plus work at catering colleges. And then the staff began their jobs. The 27-member staff at Mirchi and Mime is hearing-and-speech-impaired. They were trained for over eight weeks in life sciences, job readiness, hospitality services and more. Vishal NK, is one of them. A guest service associate at the restaurant, he dreams of becoming the restaurants manager one day. Hes got used to the work hours and hungry guests and is proud of being able to single-handedly clear a table of four to five guests at one go. I also look a lot dapper now. Mirchi And Mimes menu carries text as well as sign language. Customers can order their food with just two signs. But we dont want people to come here out of sympathy, says Issar. We keep telling ourselves that the food is the leader. Once you start eating the food, you forget about the concept. It has to be profitable or the cause wouldnt make sense. Given that the restaurants attrition rate is only 4 per cent (the industry average is 60 per cent). Its clearly working out well for the staff too. Redefining Hospitality Differently abled is not just politically correct jargon. Thats what the proprietors of the Lemon Tree Hotels chain realised when they began recruiting people with Down syndrome and hearing and speech impediments in 2007. They learned that differently abled genuinely indicates a new skill set. Those with Down syndrome, for instance, are happier when they work together and interact with others, which makes them brilliant in the restaurants, says Aradhana Lal, vice president of sustainability initiatives at the company. Employees with speech and hearing impediments have the amazing ability to clean 19 rooms a day, as opposed to the 16 that non-disabled people can manage. Thats because no chit-chat and gossip gets in the way. The chain, which owns or operates 27 hotels in 16 cities, started off with a simple idea: everyone must have access to employment. today, about 13 per cent of their employees are differently abled. Training comprises a 10-day programme called See, Smile, Greet, and the speech- and hearing-impaired are provided with sign language interpreters and videos to show them how to go about their jobs. Employees with Down syndrome, meanwhile, receive one hour of training in a workday, so that they experience no information overload. At work, Down syndrome employees carry whistles to use when they feel overwhelmed, the hearing- and speech-impaired employees carry notepads and pens to communicate. They also display a card that states their disability so as to prevent misunderstandings with guests. This way you are educating the guest about whats happening so she or he is not dissatisfied, says Lal. At Lemon Tree, job profiles keep in mind that people with Down Syndrome are happier working with others For employees the training and support from fellow staff is what keeps them motivated. Devinder Kumar who is orthopedically handicapped, handles the front desk and back-office operations of the Delhi branch. Its a step up from his previous job at a call centre where he never got a rise in position in spite working well even as non-disabled employees kept getting promoted. At the hotel chain, he started off as a telephone operator in 2013, went on to win the companys best employee award and now handles 11 departments. I want to do an MBA in the future, he says. The hotel also gets non-profit agencies to educate other employees in interacting with the disabled. We learned that when people with Down syndrome are tired, they become moody and their actions become jerky, says Lal. They would drop cutlery in the restaurants. So the managers let them sit for five minutes to get their energy back. Where it counts, however, theyre just like other staff. If they havent done their job well, we dont hesitate to let them know, says Lal. If you dont, and you spoil them, it will be a mess and no longer a business model. Changing the tech code Four years ago, IT firm Capgemini decided to recruit people with disabilities. We are so insensitive as a country, says Gayatri Ramamurthy, the companys head of diversity and inclusion. This is reflected even in our buildings. If there are 22 steps to get to the office, what is a wheelchair user expected to do? Capgemini has more than 200 employees with hearing, speech and visual impairment, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Their roles range from account processing, technology support and software development to support functions such as recruitment, consulting and some technologies. But they are not recruited out of pity. We employ them for their ability, not disability, says Ramamurthy. And the employees need to fit the job description for their roles. If an employee in the complaint and redressal department needs to talk with customers, then a speech- or hearing-impaired person wouldnt fit the role. At the IT firm, Capgemini, inclusion is also cause for celebration Hearing-impaired trainees are provided with sign-language interpreters for the first 15 days, to help them integrate with their teams, while their seniors and peers are sensitised and also given sign-language training to overcome communication barriers. A theatre group also enacts scenarios with employees to see how they would deal with situations that may arise. The IT sector mainly employs young people who dont want gyaan from a leader who says, read this article on disability, explains Ramamurthy. The theatre group is expensive, but effective. Capgemini has learned that the disabled work harder than most people. They dont want sympathy, but empathy, says Ramamurthy. They want to feel included. Three years into his job, a hearing-impaired man was made manager and now is responsible for a team. Hes super happy! Delivering A Revolution Aspiring entrepreneur Dhruv Lakra always wanted to transform a social cause into a business opportunity. It took a bus ride for him to finally hit upon the idea. Watching a hearing-impaired passenger struggle to communicate with the conductor, the HR College and Oxford University graduate decided, on the spot, to challenge preconceived notions about the way the disabled are hired. In 2010, he launched Mirakle Couriers, a business that required its employees to have more visual skills than verbal. The hearing-impaired are extremely good at map-reading and remembering roads and buildings because they are so visually inclined, says Lakra. Slowly, the business grew into two offices, one at Churchgate and one in Andheri. Mirakle Couriers turned to NGOs to recruit its 70 employees, who deliver more than 65,000 shipments a month. Training is simple. We ask beginners to shadow experienced employees to see the kind of work they do, says Lakra. We take them on board if they like and are comfortable with the work. Today, the hearing-impaired are hired as delivery boys and entry staff. So far, the business has received a mixed response. Lakra wishes more corporates would work with Mirakle. Creating a social impact can be very satisfying, but when it comes to a commercial venture, youre pitted against big companies. Profits matter too. But then, he seldom loses his staff to other companies, and sees more loyalty from his employees than most other employers get. Its actually an advantage for us in the longer run, he says. From HT Brunch, March 27, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch A family holiday by the lake, a solo stroll through mountain trails, a party with your friends away from the city take your pick from our recommendations. For the family Naukuchiatal, Uttarakhand A few years ago, Naukuchiatal in Uttarakhand was an obscure little lake-side town, one that you bypassed while driving to its more famous cousin Nainital from the nearest railhead of Kathgodam. Then in 2009, a few musicians and their groups of friends decided to get away from Delhi for a few days to a quiet place where they could jam and play music together. They chose Naukuchiatal as their escape and the Escape Festival was born. Over the next few years, the festival grew from a small gathering to a three-day creative retreat dedicated to contemporary indie music and art that drew in people by the hundreds. And in the process, Naukuchiatal with its nine-cornered lake and undulating green hills began to attract those who wanted a quick weekend getaway but wished to give the crowds in Nainital a miss. Today, Naukuchiatal houses a couple of resorts, sprawled across acres of land, overlooking the majesty of the lake. These are holiday destinations in themselves with full in-house recreational facilities, they are perfect for a family vacation. You can spend many leisurely hours boating in the lake. Or take a quick drive to the other tourist destinations nearby Nainital, Bhimtal, Sat Tal and Mukteshwar, to name a few. How to get there: Drive from Delhi (320 km approx) or take a train to Kathgodam and a cab further ahead. * For the solo traveller Dharamkot, Himachal Pradesh The village of Dharamkot lies uphill from McLeod Ganj and is an offbeat getaway (Getty Images) The 10-minute auto rickshaw ride or the roughly half hour trek you take from McLeod Ganj to reach Dharamkot is usually uneventful. Dont be disheartened though, because sometimes, the destination does matter more than the journey. And the little village of Dharamkot, situated about three kilometers uphill from the tourist-thronged McLeod Ganj, is one such. Once visited mostly by post-draft Israelis and other foreigners, Dharamkot has been gaining popularity amongst Indian backpackers especially solo travellers. Many go with the intention of ticking off one of the most famous and easy destinations off their trekking bucket list Triund. The short three to five hour trek (depending on how leisurely or fast paced you want it to be) takes you through jungle trails and gentle slopes to the summit of Triund Hill. The trail is lined by tea shops and cafeterias, and even a couple of guest houses. You can also choose to spend a wonderful time in Dharamkot village instead. The picture postcard village set in a valley surrounded by the mighty Himalayas is a feast for the eyes green fields sway gently in the cold mountain breeze, cobbled lanes lead you further inside the landscape dotted by small houses with tiled sloping roofs. Villagers amble on their porches in the afternoon sun, smoking hookah, petting their dogs. Several cafeterias provide the perfect ambience to sit, relax, read a book, enjoy a smoke and listen to music. Most of them serve cafe staples, but one among them is famous for its loaded, wood-fired pizzas. Family Pizzeria is run by a family of locals who learnt the art of making pizzas from a foreign tourist who was passing by. They now serve delicious vegetarian pizzas with ingredients hand-picked from the village fields. How to get there: Take an overnight bus to McLeod Ganj from Delhi or Chandigarh and then a quick auto ride to Dharamkot. * For a group of friends Kasol, Himachal Pradesh Kasol is the new hippie haven after commercial Manali lost its sheen (Getty Images) This place needs no introduction at least amongst the new generation of tourists who love all things hippie. Every weekend through the summer, groups of friends from Delhi and Chandigarh drive up to one of the coolest destinations in Himachal today Kasol. Gone are the days when neighbouring Manali used to be the hippie haven; now its a honeymoon-family-adventure destination all rolled into one. So Kasol, once an obscure village on your way to the hot springs and the gurudwara at Manikaran, is where the smoke-loving, harem pant-wearing, guitar-playing crowd found a new home. The swarm soon followed some who were looking to partake in the flower culture, others who went because everyone else did. And over the last couple of years, to indulge in one of the several full-moon parties that take place in the nooks of the mountains. Whatever your reason, Kasol will beckon you with its hotel-lined village road on one side of the gushing Parvati river, and tree-lined walking trails on the other. The mountains loom large and towering in the backdrop. Cafes and food stalls are many, and every time you visit Kasol, a new one pops up. There are shops selling every smoking paraphernalia imaginable, along with pyjamas, jholas and psychedelic t-shirts. And when you manage to make your way to one of the all-night parties their venue and time are often kept hush-hush you are greeted by all things trippy. How to get there: Drive from Delhi (520 kms) or Chandigarh (290 kms). Alternately, take an overnight Volvo to Bhuntar and then a local bus to Kasol. Follow @satarupapaul on Twitter From HT Brunch, March 27, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch This is a fact of life: bibliophiles will go to any lengths for books. But some seem to go further than others can even dream of. Literally. Meet Satabdi Mishra and Akshaya Rautaray. They met each other at a bookstore in Bhubaneswar where Rautaray worked, and their mutual love of reading got them talking about society, reading habits, and things that bothered them. Both felt strongly that they could join forces and make things better. To begin with, that meant only travel. But when you take two bibliophiles out of a bookshop, you cant leave the bookshop behind. So it was just a matter of time before they put into practice what they had only dreamed of while travelling in the tribal areas of Koraput, Odisha. Starting January 2014, they collected books in backpacks and set off for villages and small towns, selling them to people from footpaths and bus stops. We wanted to make books more accessible, says Mishra. So we started Walking Book Fairs and set off. Walking didnt take them far enough, so Mishra and Rautaray soon purchased a second-hand Maruti Omni van and went around the entire state of Odisha with books. Next came an actual shop in Bhubaneswar, called The Walking Bookfairs Bookstore and Tea Cafe. Soon after, they were off with books again, but this time with a bigger aim to travel to 20 states with a customised truck carrying 4,000 books, as part of an initiative called Read More India. Akshay Rautaray and Satabdi Mishra travelled through villages where children had no access to books Collecting Memories We partnered with publishing houses like HarperCollins India, Pan Macmillan India and Paragon Publications, says Mishra. We bought a pick-up truck with a large cargo space and customised it with bookshelves. That cost us a lot of money. They tried to cater to everyone, by carrying a mix of childrens books, picture books, classics and non-fiction. After starting in Odisha, Mishra and Rautaray continued on to Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and beyond. After 85 days and 11,000 kilometeres, they wound down in West Bengal on March 7. Read more: How Amish Tripathi changed Indian publishing People were overwhelmed to discover books they couldnt find easily even in bookshops, says Mishra. School and college students came in droves to look at the books, the truck and them. We had thousands of school students at a reading session in Khammam, Telangana. It was overwhelming to see the joy on their faces, says Mishra. An old man at the session was thrilled to find Wendy Donigers The Hindus: An Alternative History. When Rautaray and Mishra thanked everyone for coming, he got angry! laughs Mishra. He said: we should be thanking you for coming with these books, not the other way round. Another joyous memory is of a bunch of bibliophilic sex workers in Bhubaneswar, to whom Mishra and Rautaray donated some books to build up a library. Seen here with author Susmita Bagchi Overcoming The Odds Everything isnt all happy-happy, though. The road is not always smooth. There is so much traffic that driving is stressful, says Mishra. Its also dangerous driving on the highways and finding a parking space is almost impossible. She does not exaggerate when she says impossible. A two-day trip to Chennai became a few-hour detour to another venue because there was no place to park. And Ive had people stare at me because its odd for them to see a woman with weird hair (a pixie crop) drive such a huge truck, says Mishra. Driving through Naxal-dominated Bastar and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, the duo was stopped by army men and taken to the police because they looked suspicious. Finally released after much questioning, they were advised to stay on because it wasnt safe to travel. But ultimately, Mishra and Rautaray loved interacting with different people, eating different kinds of food and witnessing different kinds of cultures. And more importantly, knowing that Read More India made a difference. We learned that children just arent being introduced to books outside of their syllabus, says Mishra. We met a bunch of girls from an engineering college who had never read anything apart from their textbooks. There are so many more like them who are absolutely clueless and unaware of the world outside. Its sad. From HT Brunch, March 27, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch MUMBAI Global fashion designer Donna Karan is exploring opportunities to expand in the jewellery segment in India, and work with local fashion designers and artisans to expand her brand Urban Zen. I am looking to work with the jewellery segment here. I am planning to come back in my next trip and do some exploration, Donna Karan told HT. Speaking at the Mint Luxury conference in Mumbai, Karan talked about sustainable fashion and how she intends to connect with local partners and local consumers, since even a global brand should celebrate the local culture. With 100% foreign direct investment allowed in single-brand retail in the country (49% in case of multi-brand retail) and the current government promoting Make in India heavily, Karan is open to the idea of investing further in India. She, however, didnt disclose specific numbers. I would like to do it (FDI) with a partner in India. I have a problem with globalisation of a brandEuropean and American brands come here but Urban Zen is about the relationship between cultures, Karan said. She sold her labels Donna Karan and DKNY to French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2001. She has been focusing on her brand Urban Zen, which includes apparel for men and women, jewellery, accessories, artisan furniture and home decor, among other things. She plans to work with local artisans, is looking for partnerships in the rural areas and going to unseen local places in India. I want partners for that, which will definitively stay in India. So, it is a balance between philanthropy and commerce . It is not just about dressing people but addressing people of India. Drawing inspiration from Indias traditional touch as well as yoga and meditation, Karan plans to create a local culture and communicate to consumers. I want it to be through their eyes and would be more interested in those who are looking to preserve the culture and taking it to the next dimension. Karan, who is in India for two days, met Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi, and discussed collaboration plans to talk to more designers and partners who can create Indias Urban Zen. Urban Zen is in India for the past 10 years. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Is it a high-end luxury car, or a bespoke watch, or the finest suit from Saville Row? What exactly is luxury? Most speakers and moderators at Mints Luxury Conference as well as Bollywood celebrities gathered at the pre-event dinner hosted by celebrity designer Manish Malhotra were unanimous in saying that luxury is something that reflects ones attitude. Luxury is something that makes your life easier and reflects your attitude, said actor Kangana Ranaut, who considers the BMW 7 series car as the most luxurious thing she owns. For Malhotra, luxury is the house that he owns. Luxury is something you like and something you can associate with. But beyond the material possessions and the comfort factor, luxury is also about a host of other things such as knowledge, experiences, finding your own self and creating a perfect brand strategy. It is knowledge for Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej India Culture Lab, who also is a Yale World Fellow. Shahani doesnt own a car because he feels it is unnecessary in the age of the Uber economy. It is not that I cant buy one, Shahani said. Id rather invest that money in buying scores of clutches. Who knows, by the time I finish, I might have a museum of clutches. Acquisition of knowledge is his idea of luxury. In a fast-moving world, time is almost a luxury in itself. And the way the world is connected via the Internet, all the information is just a click of a mouse away. So in that fast life, taking the time out and researching and investing yourself in knowing something in detail is the greatest luxury, Shahani said. Not to forget about relationships, friends and families and, sometimes, beyond that. Look at these trousers, Shahani said pointing to his pink khaki trousers. Now the fight with the tailor was about the cut. It might not be important to him, but it is to me... So luxury is about taking the message forward and making people understand what you believe in. In terms of material possessions, he counts the art collection that he has as the most luxurious. Relationships are a luxury at times of acquisition, where everything is done for business and is put on show as a status symbol, he said. Vivek Ramabhadran, MD of Swarovski India, thinks luxury is about creating the perfect brand strategy. It all starts with an attempt to create an iconic brand, which also has a wide appeal. If you look at all the iconic brands, they started with the same concept. They had to express themselves. Swarvski started with the same material but with a different outlook and different level of skill-sets and, over time, there were cost overruns. Having said that, the final products were different from the others, special if you may, and could be marketed as exclusive. And thats exactly what they did, Ramabhadran said. So it is about creating the perfect brand strategy to express the philosophy about the brand. For Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, luxury is about seeing his dreams come true. Luxury is not about the things that you own. It is about something that reflects your personal values, something that shows the choices that you have made in your life, Wanders said. I have 60 people working for me in my studio. Thats luxury if you ask me, he added. I just dream. Tell those people that I want a certain thing. Those people will then invest days, and sometimes, months, in bringing that idea to life. What more could you ask for?. Thats luxury for me. A car or some other such thing has very little value for me in comparison. The high court on Friday dismissed a petition of rebel Congress legislators challenging the Speakers notice, in what could be a much-needed boost to the Harish Rawat government, which will face a floor test on Monday. Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia dismissed the petition noting that the Speaker has the right to take a call on the notice. The notice issued on March 19 questioned why the rebels joined BJP legislators on March 18 in raising anti-government slogans. Speaker Govind Kunjwal had served notices to the nine rebels, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, on the application of Congress chief whip Indra Hridyesh. In a written response through an advocate, of which HT has a copy, the rebel legislators demanded a list of people who attended House proceedings on March 18, and sought copies of notices served against the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and a video recording of the proceedings. Speaker served us notices against the rules, Harak Singh Rawat said on Friday. He has been giving contradictory statements. Therefore we fear that he can take one-sided decision (disqualify legislators). Not counting the dissenting MLAs, both the BJP and Congress have 27 legislators each in a house of 70 members. Nine rebels are with the BJP while one rebel BJP legislator is with the Congress. To prove a simple majority, a party needs 36 members in the house. BJP claims it has the required numbers to form a government, while Congress plans to prove its majority after firing protesting members. It is a technical matter (to disqualify rebels) but Congress wants them out. They have let down (the) party, state Congress president Kishor Upadhyay told HT. Sources said Congress could save its government with the support of the three independents one from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and two Bahujan Samaj Party members. However, the Speaker claimed that the Appropriation Bill was passed in the House on March 18 with a voice vote. If the Bill is considered passed (with the rebels support), it will be difficult for him to act against them. However, a senior finance department official said the Appropriation Bill was yet to be sent to the governor for his assent. The political rivals have been butting heads since the state plunged into political crisis on March 18. Over the past week, the income tax department has searched the offices of three people believed to be close to the government. These include liquor trader Rameshwar Hawelia, businessmen Inder Khatri, and Harendra Ladi, a businessman and a state cabinet-rank holder. [The] BJP will not hesitate in opening files of corrupt Congress leaders and associates if present regime is replaced with a new one, said Shyam Jaju, BJP in-charge for party affairs in Uttarakhand. In turn, Congress alleged that yoga guru Ramdev is behind the political crisis. However, Ramdev told a TV channel that if I want to topple or support a government, then I will do it openly. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The divide between the rich and the poor is palpable in the New Krishna Park area where a 42-year-old dentist was beaten to death on Wednesday night allegedly by a mob from the adjoining slum. The slum, which came up about 20 years ago, is located next to over 100 bungalows and flats that make up New Krishna Park. Nine residents, including four juveniles, of Indira Camp have been held for Dr Pankaj Narangs murder. The incident, residents say, has now widened the gap further between them. Some men and women from the camp work as maids and helpers in the upper-class neighbourhood. The colony has four gates, which are used by the slum residents reach the nearby metro station. Unhappy with the slum dwellers passing through their bungalows, the residents in the past tried putting up a gate to secure the colony. In a letter to the police on Friday seeking permission for iron gates and a police post, the Residents Welfare Association said the colony was peaceful for the last 50 years. Advocates, doctors, engineers, CAs and MBAs and businessmen live in the colony. Read | Delhi Police directs angry people to counsellors The slum dwellers though said that since they live in the same area they too have a right to the roads in the locality. We too need a way for movement and to reach the metro station. Where are we supposed to go? Do the roads belong only to the rich? asked a slum dweller on condition of anonymity. The RWA also said the slum has grown over six times in the past 20 years. Most occupants are either daily wagers or do menial jobs and belong to the much lower strata of the society. Despite all their notorieties, we have been maintaining our cool and trying to maintain good neighbourly relations all these years, reads the letter. The colony residents and the slum dwellers have been in a fight earlier too. According to SC Malhotra, secretary of the RWA, the camp has many residents who are e-rickshaw drivers. Many people who have no business here use the road inside the colony. A gate will help secure residents from miscreants. Earlier, the slum wasnt so populated but because it has grown, safety has become a problem, he said. Like Wednesday night, when the deceased had pulled up two youths for rash driving inside the colony, the RWA had recently complained about the e-rickhshaw drivers driving dangerously on internal roads. We had decided to make speed breakers but they had a problem. They threatened to demolish the speed breakers the day they were constructed. Hope, police will now look at our safety and build a police post and get us gates, Malhotra said. Read | Anger on the streets: 4 stages of road rage and top triggers In the past decade, the raging anger of Delhiites has become one of the focus areas of the citys police force. To deal with anger issues, the department has been encouraging those held for pointless crimes to visit psychiatrists or counsellors to talk out their problems. Late Wednesday night, a 42-year-old dentist, in west Delhis Vikaspuri was beaten to death in a case of rage. In 2011, when incidents of people killing over non-issues such as, not giving a screwdriver or not selling curd, saw a spike, the police decided to refer offenders to anger management sessions. In every such case after a thorough analysis of the offenders records, the police recommend their case to the courts for compulsory anger management sessions at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The incidents of crimes in a fit of rage are a fairly new phenomenon, and are often the result of growing dissatisfaction with your standard of living. In a lot of colonies people are fighting to maintain basic standard of living. With such deplorable living conditions, it becomes difficult to keep your sanity intact. The smallest of trigger instigates such crimes, said Depender Pathak, joint commissioner of police (southwest district). Pathak said that Delhi being a confluence of various cultures also offers reasons for misunderstandings. There have been cases where people have started fights because they were addressed as tum instead of aap. In some cities of Uttar Pradesh, there is no concept of aap. Tum is how they address even their elders, he said. A survey conducted in 2014 by Santhan, an NGO working for the mental health of people, showed that over 60% of Delhiites have anger management issues. In many cases this remains bottled up, until a small instigation sparks violence. Even Delhi Police officials are not spared by this rage. In 2014, a 24-year-old traffic constable, Manna Ram, was killed by a driver after he was stopped and asked to take a detour. After a heated argument with Ram, the driver hit him with his car and dragged him till he was mowed. A similar incident made headlines last year, after a traffic policeman got into a physical fight with a woman who allegedly refused to pay the traffic fine. We constantly advice our officials to not engage with people who enter into an argument. If the situation gets out of hand, we have ordered them to call for their team or the PCR, said Muktesh Chander, special commissioner of police (traffic). He said that the department has recently started conducting mandatory workshops at the traffic headquarters in Todapur where they are given tips such as, keep the pictures of their loved ones on the dashboard while driving, call the police in case an argument gets violent, and avoid eye contact with the person starting a fight. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Narendra Modi-led Centres big move to increase the states share of taxes may end up crippling several crucial schemes related to healthcare, education, child care and irrigation. A closer look at the state budget presented recently indicates how the Centres move to stop funding stipulated centrally funded schemes may mean the end of the road for many of them. The Centre had, accepting the 14th Finance Commissions recommendations, decided to increase the share of taxes for each state by 10% from 32% to 42% . However, this increased share came with a rider the Centre stopped funding several schemes it used to sponsor. It either stopped funding the schemes entirely or reduced funding for others and instead allowed the states to decide where to spend the additional money it received. This rider has meant that from the National Rural Health Mission to Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and constructing more anganwadis to treat malnourished children, many important social sector schemes may have taken a major hit. For instance, 13 schemes relating to childcare under the Women and Child Care Department (WCD) saw a sharp cut of 75% this year. Until last year, the Centre and state would pool together Rs2,846 crore on these schemes, which, in this budget, has been slashed to Rs702 crore. From funding almost Rs2,500 crore of the total Rs2,846 crore, the Centre has decided to fund only Rs388 crore, which is a paltry 15% of its earlier fund amount. Similar is the case with the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, which faced a 72% cut in allocation this year, with the Centre retaining only 18% of its original funding. Such a slash in schemes isnt entirely because of a financial crunch. The Centres devolution of finances means the state is getting Rs7,112 crore more than it had expected to get in last years revised estimates. Then what has led to such a slash in budgets? The Centre, while taking away funds from centrally sponsored schemes, gave states more untied funds, which allowed each of them to decide its spending priorities. Neeraj Jain, convenor of Lokayat, a Pune-based non-profit, who analysed the budget for its social sector spending, said the devolution allows states to get away with skewed priorities. The Centres move to give states more funds is only on paper. How is this greater devolution when you are taking away a large amount of funds silently by cutting funding for schemes? The fact that it has decided to end funding and that it is silent even when the state has withdrawn its funding means that both are in consensus that they want to reduce spending on the social sector, said Jain. State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, when contacted, said he would provide a detailed explanation on the issue soon. Police arrested a man for allegedly raping the four-year-old daughter of his tenant in west Delhi, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday when the girl was alone at her house in Sagar Pur colony. Her mother, who works as a nurse at a private hospital, and her father, who is an employee in an airline, had gone to work. The accused lured the girl on the pretext of giving her chocolates, police said. The mother found the girl unconscious when she returned from her job at noon, said a police officer. On the girls statement, the landlord Monti Singh, 35, was arrested on charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Three minors, aged between three and eight years, were raped in separate incidents in the last 48 hours in the city. Police arrested the accused in all three cases. All accused were known to the victims. One of the victims, an 8-year-old girl, was raped after being murdered with her body being recovered from a field in Samaypur Badli. The first incident was reported from a Metro construction site at Adarsh Nagar on Thursday night. A three-year-old girl, who stayed with her labourer parents at the site, was raped allegedly by her neighbour. The police said that at around 10pm on Wednesday, when the minor was alone, her neighbour Bhimrai (35) took her to his jhuggi and raped her. When the child raised an alarm, the locals gathered and thrashed the accused before handing him over to the police. The second incident took place in Sagarpur, southwest Delhi, where a 4-year-old child was raped allegedly by her landlord Moti. The incident took place on Friday afternoon when the victims parents had left her alone at the house. Her mother told police that she had asked her daughter to lock the door from inside and not open it for anyone except her. Around 3pm, the accused reached the minors house and offered her a chocolate and some biscuits and lured her to open the door. Once in, Moti raped the minor and threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone. Her mother returned home and saw the minor bleeding. On being asked, the child broke down and narrated her ordeal. Medical examination has confirmed rape, said an investigating officer. In the third incident, the victim, an 8-year old, was raped and murdered by her fathers friend at Samaypur Badli. The body of the child was found in a field of Khedakala village. We questioned more than 70 villagers and found that the deceased lived near a brick factory. We discovered a soiled slipper and suspected that she was raped by a labourer, said an officer. During questioning, police learnt that the girls father had consumed liquor with other labourers, including the accused, Chandrabhukan, on Thursday night. Police learnt that Chandrabhukan (19) had reportedly gone missing for a while that night. He dragged the child to a nearby field. He strangulated her when she tried to raise an alarm and then raped her. The slipper too matched, said an officer. Residents welfare associations met on Saturday to discuss ways to resolve the issue of water scarcity in south Haryana and alternatives for the Yamuna-Sutlej Link (SYL) canal project. The move comes after Punjab chief minister, Prakash Singh Badal, said his government will not allow the construction of the 214-km SYL canal, which is based on a water-sharing policy with Haryana. This destroys Haryanas share of water from Ravi and Beas rivers. The Punjab assembly also passed the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of Proprietary Rights) Bill 2016, which seeks to return land acquired for the canal to the owners free of cost. Fearing this might affect water supply to Gurgaon and other parts of south Haryana, the RWAs launched a campaign to press the ministry of water resources to construct Lakhwar, Kesao and Renuka dams on the Yamuna, Tons and Giri rivers. The dams will increase water supply to the Tajewala barrage on the Yamuna river in Haryanas Yamunanagar district. This would ensure all-year-round supply to the Western Yamuna Canal that carries water to south Haryana, including Gurgaon. Constructing dams will save river water, which is wasted in the monsoon. This water can be stored and diverted to the western canal, which could supply water to south Haryana, RN Malik, a retired engineer-in-chief of the Haryana government, said. In the monsoon, the Western Yamuna Canal supplies 13,000 cusecs of water full capacity but this reduces to 2,000-3,000 cusecs during the rest of the year. Of this, 600 cusecs is supplied to Delhi, an official of the Gurgaon municipal corporation said. Water scarcity is a perennial problem in Gurgaon with no solution. The aim is to make people aware about the water crisis in Haryana and negligence by the state government and Centre, RS Rathee, president of the Gurgaon Citizens Council (GCC) that which launched the campaign, said. The GCC will take up the issue with the ministry of water resources, he said. Supported by a political consensus that brings the opposition; Congress and Aam Aadmi Party on board, the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government passed the bill in the Punjab assembly. Even though Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki is yet to approve the Bill, reports of work on levelling the land, scooping earth and flora along the canal emerged, causing ecological damage and creating political uncertainty in the two neighbouring states. For those who are wondering how the 47-year-old Jennifer Aniston still looks amazing, its all thanks to her morning exercise sessions. In a recent interview, the Friends star revealed that she dedicates every morning to exercise, adding she does yoga for half an hour and meditates for 40 minutes, E! Online reports. Read: Why Jennifer Anistons mother was not invited to her wedding Then I go to a gym, where I do strength training or just my own thing on the treadmill, the bike, or the elliptical, just to change things up. Keeping your body confused is always the key for me, she said. Read: A4 waist challenge: The unrealistic fitness trend sweeping China Jennifer Aniston begins her day with yoga. (Twitter) Talking about her diet, the Were the Millers actor emphasized on eating more organic fruits and veggies and added people should cut down the levels of their sugar intake and should drink tons and tons of water. Aniston also suggested getting sufficient sleep. Read: Jennifer Aniston, Justin Therouxs secret wedding She is known for films like Bruce Almighty, The Break-Up, Marley & Me, Just Go with It, Horrible Bosses and Were the Millers. Follow @htshowbiz for more A former Indian Navy official arrested in Pakistan on charges of espionage is a businessman running a small shipping operation from Iranian ports to India, government sources said on Saturday, though there was no official word. But, Pakistani media reported Kulbhushan Jadhav, a purported RAW agent, owned a jewellery shop in the Iranian port city of Chabahar. It is still not clear whether he was lured into Balochistan or picked up after he strayed into Pakistani territory -- land or water. India has sought consular access to him. We will have to wait till then, said a senior security official on condition of anonymity. He was not authorised to speak to the media. India has said the detained individual has no link with (the) government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy. Read: Pak arrests RAW agent, India denies link: All you need to know Indias involvement in the construction of Chabahar port remains an irritant for Pakistan. The strategically important port gives India a direct access to Afghanistan and other central Asian countries bypassing Pakistan. The arrest coincides with Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis trip to Islamabad and comes ahead of a Pakistani teams visit to India for a probe into a suspected cross-border attack on an Indian airbase. Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif called on the visiting Iranian president on Saturday, taking up the issue of Research and Analysis Wings (RAWs) alleged interference in Balochsitan. Pakistan army spokesperson General Asim Bajwa tweeted: COAS (chief of army staff in his meeting with the Iranian President) highlighted challenges being faced by Pak & discussed involvement of RAW in Paks internal affairs specially in Balochistan (sic). Pakistan has repeatedly accused Indias external intelligence agency of fomenting unrest in Balochsitan, the countrys largest province, but it has never offered any evidence to back up its claims. Pakistani media said the country has shared the details of the case with diplomats of six countries - the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. In Mumbai, police sources said a person staying in the house of Jadhav is a former police officer. But, they did not confirm whether the arrested person is the son of the retired assistant commissioner. A senior officer said they did not speak to anybody staying in the address that was mentioned in Jadhavs passport seized by Pakistani authorities. Another officer, however, confirmed the retired officer was posted in Mumbai and was known as Rajkumar because of his style. MDMK leader Vaiko on Friday alleged that the DMK and BJP had made offers, including money, to DMDK leader Vijayakanth, who had rejected them to join the Peoples Welfare Front (PWF) to fight the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Talking to reporters, V Gopalsamy, popularly known as Vaiko claimed that the DMK had offered 80 (assembly) seats and Rs 500 crore to Vijayakanth for joining its alliance while BJP had offered him a Rajya Sabha lawmaker post and a ministerial berth in the Union Cabinet. Vijayakanth has joined us to form a corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu by rejecting the offers. Vijayakanth has created the confidence that he will provide a corruption- free government. Vijayakanth has rejected the offer of corruption money by DMK to form a corruption-free government, Vaiko said. Reacting to the charge, DMK treasurer MK Stalin said the party would take appropriate legal action in the matter. In the first place no talks were held (between DMK and DMDK). How come such a thing could have happened when parleys did not take place, he said. Premalatha has replied to this allegation. Still, since Vaiko has levelled a blatantly denigrative charge against the DMK. Our party chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) would, for sure, take appropriate legal action. Wait and see, Mr Stalin told reporters in reply to questions on the issue. DMDK leader and Vijayakanths wife Premalatha refused to be drawn into the controversy. It is his (Vaiko) opinion. Anything (questions) related to this should be posed to him, we are committed to unseating the AIADMK regime, she told reporters in Tuticorin. The first election meeting of the PWF will be held in Chennai on April 20. Vaiko said quality education would be provided free of cost, and liquor would be abolished. Besides, the party would write off farm loan and put an end to unemployment problem, he said. Intense diplomatic efforts at various levels are on to ensure the safe return of Catholic priest Tom Uzhunnalil, currently in Islamic State custody in Yemen,foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandys office is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with the ministry of external affairs and people concerned in Yemen and other countries. We are unable to reveal all details, but there is intense activity taking place at various levels and in various countries to ensure that the Keralite priest is rescued, said an official posted in Chandys office, who is coordinating between various agencies. We are all hopeful that things will be resolved, said the official. Earlier this month, armed militants barged into an old peoples home set up by Mother Teresa near Yemen in 1992 and shot dead many, including four nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, including one from India. These militants later whisked away the Kerala priest and there has been no word from him ever since. The government has dug into its arch rival Congress records to reject BJP leader Subramaian Swamys demand to edit Indias National Anthem. Swamy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and flagged an old point of view that Jana Gana Mana, penned by Rabindranath Tagore 105 years ago, could be written in praise of King George V. As the union home ministry sought views of parliamentary affairs ministry on the matter, it highlighted the proceedings of the Congress partys internal session in Kolkata in 1911 where the song was first sung. In its reply, the parliamentary affairs ministry maintained there was no evidence that the song was meant for the British ruler and it was used for a political function. Swamys letter in November 2015 to Modi suggested some words in the National Anthem be replaced with those suggested by iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Netaji had proposed to change the alleged reference to the British monarch with Sanskrit words. Earlier, Rajasthan governor and former BJP leader Kalyan Singh had also advocated changing the word adhinayak (captain) from the anthem. During the Congress-led UPA era, BJP MPs had raised the issue in Parliament but the then government outright rejected any possibility to change the national anthem. The home ministry is expected to give a structured response, armed with reports of the two ministries, on Swamys plea. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a startling revelation during his cross examination presently underway in a Mumbai sessions court, 26/11 operative David Coleman Headley has said that Hafiz Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) wanted to teach Shiv Sena supremo a lesson for which Headley asked for six months to complete the task. Read more: Kasab was to be traded with 26/11 hostages: Headley In the cross examination which has entered its fourth day today, Headley also said that he had visited the Sena Bhawan and the residence of Thackeray to do recce. Read more: Did not have first hand knowledge about Ishrat Jahan, says Headley Here are the top developments so far: 1.I visited Sena Bhavan and residence of Bal Thackeray to do a surveillance where I met some of the guards at the gates of the perimeter of his residence. 2.I also did surveillance on the CBI HQ Tanna House and Maharashtra Assembly but not on the Israel Embassy. 3.During my interrogation, NIA was showing me photographs with names on them. They showed me around 6-7 photographs, but after US prosecutors objection, they started showing me photographs without names. 4.But it is not correct that I identified photos in this court on the basis of those photos shown to me by NIA. 5.Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil Bhatt in 2006 as a top commander of LeT and told me that he has done Akshardham and Ishrat Jahan cases: Headley 6.Lakhvi told me about Ishrat Jahan case but I was having prior knowledge about Ishrat Jahan case through newspapers. 7.NIA has recorded my statement in different words what I told them. I never told NIA that Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil as a top commander whose every big operation was a fail. 8.I cant explain why NIA did not record my statement in exact words. They never read out that statement to me after recording. 9.How can I explain why someone else made a mistake (on why NIA did not record his statement in his exact words) 10.I didnt tell NIA that Lakhvi sarcastically told me that Muzammil was a top commander whose operations were a failure. 11.Yes, I told NIA that there was a women wing in LeT and Mother of Abu Aiman was the head of that. Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack is cross-examining Headley and Special Public Prosecutor in the case Ujjwal Nikam is also present. In 2014, when BJP legislator Hare Krishna Singh allegedly led a mob to raid a truck full of cows and oxen and distributed them among villagers in Jharkhand, local residents hailed him as a hero. Left leaders and activists said the Manika MLA appeared part of a planned campaign against minorities in the name of cattle trade and beef consumption but their words fell on deaf ears. Fast forward two years, and the warning seems to be becoming a reality. Once a Maoist bastion, the Latehar region has seen a rise in communal clashes over cattle trade with Muslim communities saying theyre being targeted. Last Friday, two Muslim traders -- Mazlum Ansari, 32, and Imteyaz Khan, 13, -- were hanged to death in Balumath allegedly by a Hindu mob when they were herding cattle to a fair in the adjacent Chatra district. Police have arrested five suspects, including a member of a local cow protection group, and is hunting for three more suspects, one of them a Bajrang Dal activist. Communal passions in the sensitive region have run high since a save cow movement was launched two years ago. Beef is banned in BJP-ruled Jharkhand but cattle trade is booming in the state. Opposition parties say Hindu groups -- especially the Bajrang Dal -- launched a campaign under the banner of the Bharatiya Gau Kranti Manch against cow trafficking to slaughter houses or Bangladesh. Read | Jharkhand: Hindu seer may have incited mob that hanged Muslim herders As part of the campaign, Manch members in Latehar allegedly beat up people caught herding or transporting cattle. They hold public rallies inviting cow protection preachers and reportedly scribble inflammatory messages on walls. Group members are also active on social media. Manch members concede running campaigns to protect cows democratically but deny using any form of violence. Among the five suspects arrested in connection with the twin murders, at least three are Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) workers, said Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, state member of the Gau Kranti Manch. Leaders of the JVM-P led by Babulal Marandi were the first to hold the RSS and the BJP responsible for the murders of the two cattle traders. Sinha said several Muslims are part of their save cow movement and speak at public programmes on why protecting cows is significant scientifically, socially and religiously. At Arahara,the village of slain cattle trader Imteyaz Khan, Maoist-turned- activist Madan Pal minced no words accusing the saffron leaders of spreading hatred among Hindus and Muslims in the name of cow. There is utter anarchy here as MLAs and people in the government are spearheading violent campaigns against a particular community in the name of cow, Pal said. Pal said he questioned the Manika legislator on why he took the law in his hands. The legislator gave no reply and instead cut my phone, he said. Singh denied the charges. The administration had confiscated the cattle from illegal traffickers but had no funds to feed them. The cattle were dying of hunger when we intervened and in consultation with the administration gave them to villagers to save their lives. Read | In Hyderabad, this Muslim group is on a cow protection mission Falling oil prices and a flood of cheap labour from other countries is turning sour the dreams of millions of Indians in the oil-rich Gulf and threatening to choke the stream of remittances their families depend on. Fewer Indian workers are travelling to the Gulf, stung by practices such as nitaqat (employing local people), cheap migrant labour from countries such as Bangladesh, stricter crackdown on illegal workers and a slump in the once-booming construction sector. Raging conflict in neighbouring countries such as Yemen, Libya, and Iraq is also contributing to the problem. And the worst may not be over yet for the seven-million strong Indian diaspora and their families in states such as Kerala that draw a major chunk of revenue from remittances, say experts. The crisis is hurting employment prospects for Indian emigrants such as Neha DSouza*, who has been looking for opportunities in Dubai for a month. I still havent found a job. My cousin, who works in that country, said the job scenario in Gulf countries is really bad at the moment, and people are being laid off. In fact, my cousin is also planning to come back, she said. The job squeeze is triggering a rise in cases of Indians duped by unscrupulous job dealers in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Some of us are forced to send back families due to economic reasons and losing jobs for many of us have become a reality, said Prashant G, who works in an oil firm in Bahrain. Amit Desai* moved from Bengaluru to Saudi Arabia just a year ago but is disillusioned with falling subsidies and a burgeoning local young population replacing outsiders in jobs. With oil prices falling by 70% in two years, revenues in Gulf countries have fallen, forcing governments to slash budgets and generous subsidies. With the geopolitical situation worsening, many governments have scaled up defence spending, said Desai. If oil stays at such levels, the situation looks grim for expats. The crisis has serious implications for India, the largest recipient of remittance in the world and the biggest exporter of manpower to Gulf nations for decades. The Gulf countries account for more than 50% cross-border remittance. More importantly, those who work in Gulf send back almost all of their savings back home. A fall in remittance from these countries will have larger implications back home, said an Indian diplomat. Driving the slump is an oil glut that has pushed down prices to around $40 a barrel, the lowest in two decades. This has come at a bad time for Gulf countries that have been trying to diversify but are still heavily dependent on oil. My parents just moved to Dubai, and only in the third month my mum faced a cut in her salary. The company claims she will be reimbursed next month but Im not sure how true that is considering the scenario, said Shamak Irani*, a Mumbai-based writer. It wont be long before they reassess their situation and maybe move back to India. There have been other reports of job cuts, shelving of expansion plan by firms and pruning of perks. A Qatar state company had cut 1,000 jobs though many found jobs elsewhere, the Parliament was told last session. We often get complaints about non-payment of salaries these days, said an Indian diplomat in a Gulf country. India retains the top slot in receiving remittance but the flow of money is stagnating. In 2014-15, the remittance was $69.8 billion against $69.6 billion a year ago. Any stagnation or fall in remittance from the Gulf doesnt augur well for India, considering the remittances from United States and Europe dont look encouraging. What we witnessing is an alarming scenario for the Indian migrant workers. They are at the receiving end due to cheaper labour from countries like Bangladesh, slump in the construction sector, and lack of any booming economic activity in the Gulf region, says Ginu Zacharia Ommen, honorary associate, Centre for International Migration, University of Poitiers, France. He says the worst is yet to come. The larger question is how Indians are losing out on the job pie in Gulf to others. The six countries account for around 96% of the annual labour export from India. Last year, 781,000 Indian workers migrated abroad as against 817,000 in 2013, shows external affairs ministry data. The jobs are shrinking in Gulf. But the Indians taken for a ride by the employers for non-existent jobs are also going up, calling for a course correction from all those concerned, said Kundan Srivastava, an activist. (With inputs from Aayushi Pratap in Mumbai) * names have been changed . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A nurse from Kerala and her one-and-half-year-old son have been killed in a rocket attack in violence-hit Zawiya city of Libya. Sunu Sathyan and her son Pranav were killed in the rocket attack on their apartment block yesterday at around 4 PM in Zawiya city, 45 km from Libyan capital Tripoli, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. On 25 March 2016, around 4 pm Mrs Sunu Sathyan an Indian nurse from Kerala and her son Pranav were killed when a rocket (hit) their apartment. We have got in touch with her husband Vipin Kumar. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital, Swaraj said in a series of tweets. On 25 March 2016 around 4 pm Mrs Sunu Sathyan an Indian nurse from Kerala and her son Pranav were killed when a rocket their apartment. /2 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 We have got in touch with her husband Vipin Kumar. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital. /3 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Sunu and the toddler were sleeping in their house when it was rocked by the explosion, her father Sathyan Nair, hailing from Kondadu in Kottayam district, said. The victim was working as a nurse in Zawiya Medical centre AZ Zawiya in Libya. Her husband Vipin, who is also a nurse in Libya, was away on duty. The External Affairs Minister made a fresh appeal, urging people in conflict zones to move out. We have issued advisories many times. I request you once again - Please move out of the conflict zones, she said. We have issued advisories many times. I request you once again - Please move out of the conflict zones. Pl RT Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Nair has sought Kerala governments help to bring back the mortal remains of his daughter and grandson. Yesterday I got information through phone that my daughter and her one-and-a-half-year-old baby died in a bomb blast at her residence while they were sleeping, he said in his letter to the government. Nair also requested for help and protection to Sunus husband, who he said is in a state of shock. I came to know that the blast occurred due to regular fights between the rival groups in Libya. So I humbly request your good self to make available the detailed information about the incident and help us bring back the dead body of my beloved daughter and her son, whom we have never seen. Meanwhile, states Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said eight to nine people are stranded in Libya and efforts are on to bring them back. Global software major Infosys Ltd. is waiting for an official communique on the fate of its employee Raghavendra Ganesh, who has bee missing in terror-hit Brussels since Tuesday. We have no further information on Ganesh. We are also waiting to know from the government, its external affairs ministry or the authority concerned, a company spokesman said. The 28-year-old Indian-born techie was believed to be in a metro rail on that fateful day (March 22) when the Maelbeek metro station in the Belgian capital was rocked by an explosion, in which at least 20 people died and several were injured. We learnt from a tweet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter that Ganeshs last phone call was traced to the metro rail in which he was travelling when terror struck the main metro station in the city, the spokesman recalled. Raghavendran Ganesh -- We have tracked his last call in Brussels. He was travelling in the metro rail, Swaraj tweeted on Thursday. As the explosions at Brussels airport and metro stations on Tuesday were fallout of terror strikes and its impact being sensitive, the IT firm is depending on the foreign ministry and the Indian embassy in Brussels, as the incident was being handled at the highest official level between the two governments. It is best to go with what the authorities or ministry is saying in this matter. We will update you when we have more information, the spokesman added. Barring a brief note on one of its employees missing in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Brussels and that it was in touch with his family in India, the company did not share any information on Ganesh. We are trying to reach one employee with whom we have not been able to connect as with all other employees,a the company said in a terse statement on Tuesday, without specifying how many of its techies, including Indians work in Brussels. Like the media, the company also learnt from a tweet Swaraj posted on Tuesday that she spoke to Ganeshas mother Annapoorni and assured her of all help in tracing her son. It is also learnt that Ganesh spoke to his mother in India an hour before the blasts ripped the Brussels airport and the metro rail station. Swaraj also appealed to Indians living in Brussels to help locate Ganesh in the Belgian capital. Police arrested on Saturday a reporter with a Hindi daily in Chhattisgarhs Maoist-dominated Dantewada district on charges of entering an examination hall without authorisation. Sources said Dipak Jaiswal was arrested in Gidam, the fourth journalist to be picked up by police in the conflict-ridden Bastar region in the past six months. The arrest of journalist Prabhat Singh last week triggered waves of protests and condemnation with the National Human Rights Commission expressing distress and sending a notice to the state government. Read: Chhattisgarh: Another journo arrested, focus on police intimidation Singh was arrested on charges of texting obscene comments on a WhatsApp group against a senior police officer posted in Bastar. Two other Bastar- based journalists, Somaru Nag and Santosh Yadav, have earlier been arrested on charges of having links with Maoists. Critics say the ruling BJP government is using these charges to clamp down on free speech and independent political reporting from the mineral-rich region that has seen several local and Maoist uprisings. The incident follows the alleged police intimidation of journalist Malini Subramaniam and the hounding of a group of female lawyers out of the region. But the BJP has refused to back down, saying journalists in Chhattisgarh were safer than anywhere else. Read: Pen or gun: Journos in Chhattisgarh stuck between cops and Maoists The body of soldier Sunil Rai was recovered buried under snow on Saturday, a day after he was swept away by an avalanche in the Turtuk Sector of Ladakh, army said. Rai, a 21-year-old rifleman, was one of the two soldiers struck by an avalanche on Friday morning. Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang died on Friday after being rescued. The mortal remains of the soldiers are being evacuated from the area of the avalanche, after which, a wreath laying ceremony will be conducted to honour the martyrs. Thereafter, they will be transported by air to their native places where they will be accorded funerals with full military honours, an army spokesperson said. Rai was a native of Darjeeling in West Bengal and had joined the army in December 2013. He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers. Tamang is survived by his wife, a six-year-old daughter and parents. The Indian Army fraternity stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in their hour of grief, said Lt Gen DS Hooda, army commander, Northern Command expressing his condolences to the families. Inhospitable climate at the high altitudes along the Line of Control has claimed many from the Indian and Pakistani armies. Last week, a soldier was killed after an avalanche struck an army outpost in the Kargil sector last week. In February, 10 soldiers died after being buried in an avalanche in the Siachen. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, 55, continues his testimony to an anti-terrorism court on Saturday. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative-turned approver in the 2008 Mumbai attacks is being cross-examined via a video-link from the US. Headley has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 strike that killed 166 people. He is serving a 35-year prison sentence in that country. An Indian court has pardoned Headley on the condition that he will reveal every fact regarding the conspiracy behind the attacks, which India believes were orchestrated from Pakistan. Eight years ago, ten Pakistani terrorists went on the rampage in Indias financial hub over a period of three days in November. Read | Kasab was to be traded with Israeli hostages of 26/11: Headley India blames the attack on LeT. Mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others were arrested in Pakistan and charged with planning, financing and facilitating the attacks. Their trial has dragged on at a snails pace since 2009 and Lakhvi was released on bail in April. The lack of progress in the trial has become a key irritant in bilateral relations. Heres what Headley has said so far: 1) Headley says he has hated India since December 1971 when his school was bombed by fighter planes during a war with Pakistan that saw the creation of Bangladesh. He joined LeT to avenge the bombings. 2) Headley says Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was Pakistans Prime Minister in 2008, visited his home to condole his fathers death within weeks of the 26/11 attacks. 3) His father, who was a director general with Pakistan Radio, knew about Headleys links with the LeT but was not happy because of the association. 4) Headley says attempts were made to trade Israeli hostages in Mumbai in return for the release of Ajmal Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist nabbed alive after the Mumbai attacks. 5) He says LeT tried to kill Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray but the assassin was caught, though he slipped out of police custody. 6) Headley says he arranged a fund-raising programme for the Shiv Sena in the US and planned to invite Thackeray. 7) He has said Maharashtra resident Ishrat Jahan was a member of LeTs female wing, igniting a row over a controversial 2004 police shootout that killed the 19-year-old woman. Read | I have hated India since childhood for bombing my school: Headley Continuing his testimony to an anti-terrorism court on Saturday, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, 55, reiterated that the NIA did not coax him to name Ishrat Jahan during his deposition. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative-turned approver in the 2008 Mumbai attacks is being cross-examined via a video-link from the US. Headley has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 strike that killed 166 people. He is serving a 35-year prison sentence in that country. An Indian court has pardoned Headley on the condition that he will reveal every fact regarding the conspiracy behind the attacks, which India believes were orchestrated from Pakistan. Eight years ago, ten Pakistani terrorists went on the rampage in Indias financial hub over a period of three days in November. 10: 15 am Headley told the Mumbai court that Jamaat-ud-Dawah Hafiz Saeed wanted to teach Bal Thackeray a lesson. I told him I will take 6 months to complete the task, said Headley. 9:50 am Headley on Saturday was confronted on many issues in connection with his statement to the National investigating agency (NIA) in June 2010. Advocate Wahab khan in his cross examination asked why certain portions are missing in the NIA statement, to which Headley told the court that he had told NIA everything in 2010. Headley ,howeve, radmitted before the court that he did not have first hand knowledge about Ishrat Jahan. Jahan, a 19-year-old girl from Mumbra died in an encounter with Ahmedabad police crime branch in June 2004. Headley earlier had said he had heard she was a member of the militant outfits female wing. Headley claimed that NIA after recording his statement did not read it out to him and he was not even given a copy. When asked, if he had asked Zaki-ul-Rehman Lakhvi about Ishrat, Headley replied he did not ask Lakhvi about her. 9:30 am Defence claims headley has not spoken about Ishrat Jehan in the NIA statement though Headley claims he had told an NIA official about the LeT operative 9:00 am Headley denies part of his statement given to NIA about LeT operative Ishrat Jehan, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter. Headley says NIA never read his recorded statement back to him but maintains that Lakhvi told him Muzammil Butt handled Akshardham and the Ishrat Jahan project ( 26/11 Mastermind Zakiur Rehman) Lakhvi told me about Ishrat Jahan case but I was having prior knowledge about Ishrat Jahan case through newspapers, Headley told the court. He also alleged that the NIA recorded his statement wrongly . I never told NIA that Lakhvi introduced me to Muzammil as a top commander whose every big operation was a failure, he added. When asked about the conversation between him and Lakhvi, Headley said Muzzamil Butt was introduced to him by Lakhvi in 2005, where he (Lakhvi) said that Butt was top commander of Lashkar. Akshardham and Ishrat were his operations. However I thought that as these operations were failed why did Lakhvi mentioned it to me. Headley is deposing from US before the Mumbai court which is hearing the trial in 26/11 terror attack in which another LeT operative Abu Jundal alias Zabiuddin Ansari is facing trial. Headley had taken videos of many places in the city for the LeT which were used in the 2008 terror attack in which 10 Pakistani terrorists had attacked the city. 7 am Ex-Pakistan PM Gilani visited my home, says Headley Pakistani-American LeT terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley said on Friday that former Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited his house to pay condolences a few weeks after his fathers death on December 25, 2008. Though he denied that Gilani had attended the funeral of his father Sayed Salim Gilani, a former diplomat and Director-General of Radio Pakistan, who died a month after 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Headley said the former prime minister visited his home a weeks later. Headleys revelation came before Special Judge G.A. Sanap during his ongoing cross-examination by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, defence counsel for Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an accused in the 26/11 attack case. Headleys father expired on December 25, 2008 while his step-brother Daniel Gilani worked as a PRO in Prime Minister Gilanis office, Headley told the judge. He added that his father was aware of his association with the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and was not happy about it. However, when asked if his step-brother Daniel Gilani was aware of his LeT links, Headley merely said they lived in different cities of Pakistan. But he said a friend in Pakistan, Saulat Rana, was in the know of his LeT connections and his recce trips to Mumbai. Rana was not linked with LeT and he neither objected nor encouraged Headley who worked for the terror group, nor did he tour Pakistan with him before the 26/11 terror attack by Pakistani terrorists that left 166 people dead. He added that his father was a noted poet and writer, and after his death Daniel had publicly clarified that the family had barely any connections with him (Headley) -- who had changed his name from Dawood Gilani to David Coleman Headley at LeTs behest to enter India easily. A 10-year-old girl was burnt alive and at least two others of her family injured when a fire broke out at Parade Market, gutting over 100 shops, here on Saturday morning. Police said the girl, Chandini, died when her makeshift house was gutted in the blaze. Her grandmother, Sona Pal, and brother, Jitendra, were admitted to the LLR and UHM hospitals after suffering 50% burns. Sources said the fire began around 4 am. While additional district magistrate (city) Avinash Singh said that the cause of the fire was still unknown, local shopkeepers alleged that it was part of a conspiracy to dispossess them of the land. Irate local residents assaulted the city magistrate, who had to be rescued by the police. They later launched an agitation at the site. Parade Market has been in the news ever since the city administration got half of it cleared to construct a multi-level parking lot recently. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his Assam election campaign on Saturday by reliving his life as a chaiwallah and playing the development card in the states eastern tea-growing belt. Addressing a series of rallies in the state, Modi reminded Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi that he was too elderly to be a rival, and Assam was ready for an era of development under a new tarun (young) leader Sarbananda Sonowal, the BJP state chief and its projected chief ministerial candidate. Read more: Modi kicks off Assam campaign, says fight not with Gogoi but poverty Gogoi has been underplaying Sonowal and other opposition leaders, stating that only Modi stands between him and the chief ministers post for the fourth straight term. The BJP and its allies will ensure a government that provides employment as well as all-round development, things that have eluded Assam in 60 years of Congress rule. The new age of development that Sarbananda and his allies usher in will see children in India recite A for Assam, Modi said. The Prime Minister held rallies at all the major tea-growing centres across Assam, with the exception of river island Majuli, on Saturday. PM Modi: I sold Assam tea, Im indebted to the state At the Majuli assembly constituency, from where Sonowal is contesting, local BJP leaders hailed Modi as Assamese to counter Gogois barbs that the party was imposing outsiders from the Hindi heartland onto the northeastern state. Even this island has not been spared the Congress scourge of corruption. Our fight is against corruption, unemployment, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, underdevelopment Modi said in his Majuli address. Who is responsible for all this backwardness? The Congress ruled Assam for 15 years. It gave us a PM (Manmohan Singh) for 10 years, but even he could not rescue the state from darkness. Read more: Vote for land: Politics of shuttling migrants on Assams sandbars The Prime Minister accused Gogoi of trying to pick fault with him when he should have been presenting his performance sheet to the public. Gogoiji, ask what you have done for Assam instead of targeting me. This is a state election, you should think of your state first, Modi said. He claimed that the ageing chief minister should retire instead of fighting him. Gogoiji is approaching 90, and I dont consider him as someone to fight against. He is my senior, and in our culture, we bow down before elders to seek ashirvaad, he said. Professing his devotion to the state, Modi said, Assam holds a special place in my heart because her teas provided me with a livelihood. Assams teas have energised Indians, but the condition of tea workers has not improved under this (Congress) government. We want to see them smile, and not just in advertisements. Tea plantation workers, comprising about 18% of Assams total population, are a major voting force in at least 30 of Assams 126 assembly constituencies. Most of these plantations are in eastern Assam, which goes to the polls on April 4. Read more: Why 1.36 lakh people in Assam cant cast their ballot Even the PM has limitations, but you can change Assams fortunes by pressing the right button on April 4. Your decision will help Sarbananda live up to his name and help us bail Assam out of backwardness and darkness, Modi said. The Prime Minister came down heavily on the Congress for failing to provide basic amenities such as potable water and electricity. Assam has rich natural resources, but its people are thirstying for clean water. Assam produces gas but the poor do not have gas to cook as many as 2,000 villages are without electricity, he said. Modi said the Gogoi government has not spent even a fourth of the development funds provided by the Centre. The state government avoids providing updates on utilisation, but we have launched our own initiatives to provide power to 1,000 villages in Assam, he added. The NDA government has been providing funds to the poor through the Jan Dhan Yojana, so they can start their own ventures, Modi said. In the next three years, we will provide LPG connections to poor families so that mothers dont have to cook with firewood and inhale smoke equivalent to 400 cigarettes. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley told a special court on Saturday that he told the National Investigation Agency in 2010 that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT militant and wondered why it was not mentioned in the organisations statement. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley said he told NIA that a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan but added that he didnt know why that was ignored by the NIA. The cross-examination via video link of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the United States, concluded after four days of intense grilling. A student in Maharashtras Mumbra region, Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The death has remained at the centre of a political storm for over a decade and caused central agencies to contradict each other in court. Read: I have hated India since childhood for bombing my school: Headley Headley said he had informed the NIA that this woman (Jahan) was an Indian and a LeT operative but could not explain why this was not recorded in his statement. It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan, he added. The statement comes a month after a controversy involving former Union home secretary GK Pillai, who alleged the then UPA government omitted a reference to 19-year-old Jahans possible LeT links. Pillai was the home secretary when the ministry filed two affidavits within two months in 2009 with regard to Jahans encounter. P Chidambaram was Union home minister then. In the first affidavit on August 6, 2009 in the Gujarat high court, the home ministry said Jahan and Javed Ghulam Sheikh, the person she was traveling with, were members of the LeT. The affidavit said two months prior to the encounter, Javed had allegedly met LeT operative Muzammil in Oman. Read: Kasab was to be traded with Israeli hostages of 26/11: Headley But in September same year, the ministry made an about turn and said the central government was not concerned with the merits of the action taken by the Gujarat police and anything stated in the (first) affidavit was not intended to support or justify the action of the state police. Pillai told a news channel that change in the affidavit was not done at his level. I would say it was done at the political level, said Pillai. In February, Headley said during examination by prosecution that there was a womens wing of LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that defence is pre-supposing this. Explaining this, Headley said, I had no knowledge of womens wing that was for combat but there is a womens wing that takes care of womens issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the social issues taken up by the womens wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. Headley, who has turned approver in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, was answering questions put to him by the defence lawyer via the video-link. On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, No and added that the agency just took down the notes. Read: LeT hitman sent to kill Bal Thackeray was arrested but escaped: Headley A five-member team from Pakistan that arrives on Sunday to probe a suspected cross-border attack on an Indian airbase will examine all three witnesses but wont get complete access to the strategic facility. The team will visit only those areas of Pathankot airbase in Punjab where militants were engaged in an 80-hour gun battle that killed seven Indian soldiers. Indias anti-terror agency NIA is ready to help the team meet 17 people injured in the early-January assault blamed on Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). This will be the first time a Pakistan team will examine witnesses in a case in India, and New Delhi doesnt want the neighbouring country to cite lack of cooperation at any level. This is also the first time an official of Pakistans spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is part of such a high-profile team that has Indias nod. The team, however, will not be able to question soldiers from the National Security Guard and the Border Security Force, and commandos of Indian Air Forces Garud division. Any lead picked up by the Pakistan team will not be of any legal use in the absence of Letter Rogatory, a request from a court to a foreign court for any judicial assistance. But, there are hopes that Pakistan will conduct a serious probe during the goodwill visit. The team will arrive by a special aircraft at 11am in Delhi, where it will get a detailed presentation on NIAs probe. It will reach Pathankot the next day by 11am either by car or by a BSF chopper. If a chopper is used, it will not land in the airbase. Salvinder Singh, Gurdaspur superintendent of police, Madan Gopal, his cook, and Rajesh Verma, the policemans friend, will be examined. Militants kidnapped them on December 31 night before entering the IAF base. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to ask for information on the four attackers and the people who facilitated their entry into India through Bamiyal village on the border. India will also press for a visit of its probe team to Pakistan. India might also seek some phone numbers and information on JeM chief Masood Azhar, his brother and companies that supplied packed food to the militants. Officials are expected to cite similarities between the Pathankot attack and strikes in Samba and Kathua last year - the use of GPS and wireless sets, the act of hijacking cars, energy drink Red bull (common in all attacks) and identical wire cutters and arms. The Pakistan team, led by Punjab Counter Terrorism Departments (CTDs) additional inspector general of police, Muhammad Tahir Rai, will return to Delhi on Tuesday and leave for Pakistan. Other members of the team are: Lahore deputy director general of the Intelligence Bureau, Mohammad Azim Arshad, ISI Lt Col Tanvir Ahmad, military intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujjaranwala CTD investigating officer Shahid Tanveer. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a cabinet meeting late on Saturday night to discuss the situation in crisis-ridden Uttarakhand. We have nothing to share, but the situation Uttarakhand was discussed, said a home ministry official requesting anonymity. Modi, who was in Assam for election rallies in the state, returned to Delhi to chair the emergency meeting that lasted more than an hour. He was supposed to stay in Jorhat to address more rallies on Sunday but will now fly back to Assam in the morning. Uttarakhand was plunged into a constitutional crisis after nine Congress MLAs led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna supported BJP legislators demand for a conscience vote at the assemblys budget session on March 18. Even before the cabinet meeting ended, Congress leader Ambika Soni in a late-night address to media said it was a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government. The Congress said there was no need to impose the Presidents rule in the state. In Delhi, a BJP delegation met the President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday, demanding Presidents Rule in the state. Earlier in the day, a sting video surfaced purportedly showing Rawat striking a deal for bringing rebels back to the party fold. Rawat has also blamed the central government for the crisis, saying an unholy alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah was behind the sting. Read | Struck by rebels, stung by media: Harish Rawats image takes a hit AAP leader Kumar Vishwas on Saturday asked PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to clarify her stand over Afzal Guru, who was convicted for the 2001 Parliament attacks and hanged three years ago. Mufti had called him a martyr in the past. This comes at a time when Mufti is all set to stake claim to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. On Saturday, the PDP and the BJP will meet J-K governor NN Vohra in Jammu to stake claim to form the government. Mufti will become the first woman chief minister of the state with Nirmal Singh as her deputy. After a series of tweets with #SpeakUpMehbooba, Kumar Vishwas released an open letter to Mufti on Saturday afternoon, which said: According to our sources, you have changed your old stand over Guru to facilitate the formation of this government. So as per the conditions of the alliance, you too agree with the stand of the rest of India on Afzal Guru, that he is a traitor and not a martyr. So you too, along with all the patriots like us, accept that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Vishwas also accused Mufti of using her power to prevent the arrest of few Kashmiri students in the Jawaharlal Nehru University after the Afzal Guru event. We have come to know that the arrest of some Kashmiri students, who raised the anti-India slogans in the JNU, was stalled on your instructions. So now (after alliance with the BJP), we expect you to get them arrested, or help the Centre in their arrest wherever they are, Kumar said. Jawaharlal Nehru University is the epicentre of the nationalism debate in the country after the February 9 event to commemorate Guru, during which pro-Pakistani slogans were allegedly raised. Vishwas also congratulated PDP-BJP alliance for the new government in the state, while seeking a clarification over her stand on Afzal Guru issue. Your new stand is appreciable and our party welcomes the big change you have had on this issue. We congratulate you for allying with the BJP, by agreeing with these conditions, to form the government. Read | Mehbooba set to be J-Ks first woman CM; BJP, PDP to meet governor today We request you to come out and speak before the media that it was your mistake to call Afzal Guru a martyr and that you too believe he was a traitor. This will help clear the confusion over the formation of this new government. On Friday, AAP MLA Kapil Mishra wrote an open letter to BJP president Amit Shah asking if Mufti believes in chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai and whether he would still ally with the PDP to form the government if she didnt. He also asked whether the PDP chief will accept that Afzal Guru was a terrorist. If not, why is BJP so helpless to form the government? asked Mishra. After months of deadlock over the J-K government following the death of CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the discussion between the PDP and the BJP achieved a breakthrough on Friday. A sting video purportedly showing chief minister Harish Rawat striking a deal for bringing rebels back to the party fold has come at a bad time for the 69-year-old leader. Exactly eight months ago on July 22, chief ministers officer on special duty (OSD) Mohamad Shahid was caught in video, allegedly demanding money from a person for awarding liquor rights. The two sting videos appear to have tarnished the CMs image. Rawat could have successfully gained sympathy from the present political crisis but he failed miserably. From hero he seems to have emerged a villain feels Jay Singh Rawat, a Dehradun-based political commentator. Read: Unholy alliance led by Modi, Shah behind Uttarakhand sting CD: Rawat The expose came just two days before Rawat was slated to prove his majority in the Uttarakhand assembly on March 28. The government was plunged into a constitutional crisis after nine Congress MLAs led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna supported BJP legislators demand for a conscience vote at the assemblys budget session on March 18. The CM has come out all guns blazing and blamed the central government. But the tactic appears to not have worked, with people on social media questioning the credibility of Rawats government. Harish Rawat dont deserve to be the CM; he shud be sacked even If Congress proves majority in house ... (sic) tweeted one Azeez Mubaraki @azizmubarki. Rawat was seen as the partys media face, especially after his election as an MP from Haridwar in 2009. He was first inducted into the Manmohan Singh cabinet as a minister of state and was later elevated as the cabinet minister for water resources. His regular appearances on news channels as a cabinet minister elevated his image as an articulate leader. This was why the Congress high command picked him as chief minister in 2014 to replace Vijay Bahuguna in spite of Rawats rebellious reputation. His mass contact with workers as well as masses cemented his image further. Rawat managed to rope in himself as a pahari leader who equally enjoyed the support in the plains. But the Rawat government came under attack last year when it introduced a new liquor policy. Many alleged it was meant to mint money and remove some people from competition. The BJP then released a sting video that purportedly showed his officer asking for money. This snowballed into a political controversy with the CM accusing the Narendra Modi government of hatching a conspiracy. Now history seems to have turned full circle this time involving Rawat himself -- and again, he is training his guns on NDA and BJP leaders. Read: Ukhand crisis: HC dismisses petition of rebel Cong legislators SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A British court has ruled as unlawful the basis of the deportation of nearly 48,000 non-EU students most of them Indians in the past two years for allegedly fraudulently passing a mandatory English language test needed for visa purposes. In a damning ruling this week, the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) allowed an appeal by two students who were accused of cheating in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) conducted by the US-based company ETS. It began in February 2014, when a sting operation by the BBC Panorama programme uncovered cheating, including the use of proxies to impersonate candidates in speaking and listening tests, and invigilators at a London centre providing correct answers. The Home Office reacted by claiming its own probe after the programme had revealed 46,000 invalid and questionable tests conducted by ETS, and suspended the company. Extrapolating fraud uncovered in one London centre by the programme, the Home Office revoked the sponsorship licence of 60 institutions and detained or removed thousands of non-EU students and migrants who had obtained the TOEIC certificate. The actions affected genuine students who had not cheated. The tribunal ruled on March 23 that the Home Office had relied on hearsay in the case. Apart from the limited hearsay evidence, there was no evidence from the protagonist in this saga, the ETS organisationThe secretary of state has not discharged the legal burden of establishing that either appellant procured his certificate by dishonesty, it said. Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz called it a devastating verdict on the judgement: It is clear that there are many people who speak impeccable English, and who have broken no laws, who have been denied the right to live in the UK. Harsev Bains of the Indian Workers Association told HT: Seventy percent of the 48,000 affected were Indians. Due to their personal and national humiliation, many left of their own accord, the majority were deported. He added: The biggest disappointment was this was not briefed or highlighted to PM Narendra Modi during his (November) visit. I certainly hope that the students will be adequately compensated. However, I would not be surprised if they choose not to come back to UK after the way they were disgracefully treated. A Home Office spokesperson said: We are very disappointed by the decision and are awaiting a copy of the full determination to consider next steps, including an appeal. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday said that the unholy alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah was behind a sting that showed him allegedly agreeing to a multi-crore deal for buying back nine rebel Congress legislators. The contents of the CD (showing the sting) are plain falsehood aimed at blackmailing the people of the state, he said during a hurriedly organised press conference at his residence. The sensational expose came just two days before Rawat was slated to prove his majority in the Uttarakhand assembly on March 28. The government was plunged into a constitutional crisis after nine Congress MLAs led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna supported the BJP legislators demand for a conscience vote at the assemblys budget session on March 18. Read: Uttarakhand: Speaker gives rebels todays time for proof Harak Singh Rawat, a recently sacked minister and one of the rebel MLAs, circulated the controversial CD at a press conference in Delhi. Speaking to TV reporters after the event, Bahugunas son Saket alleged that the incumbent chief minister was seen agreeing to the deal to buy back the nine rebel Congress legislators. Harak Singh alleged that Rawat was not only trying to lure the nine Congress MLAs back into the partys fold with bribes but also issuing threats against them. We have, therefore, asked the Centre to provide us security cover, he said at a media interaction in Delhi. The expose, telecast by TV channels in Delhi, was carried out by a local television channel called Samachar Plush. It allegedly showed Rawat agreeing to the deal at a meeting with Harak Singh at the Jollygrant airport in Dehradun on March 23. The sting CD was circulated at the press conference three days later. Read: Ukhand crisis: HC dismisses petition of rebel Cong legislators Rawat, however, dubbed the editor-proprietor of Samachar Plus as a notorious blackmailer. Everybody from chief ministers to government officials is scared of him, he said. Alleging that blackmail was the sole reason for the editor-proprietors rags-to-riches story, Rawat said: All the chief ministers who refused to be cowed down by his blackmailing had to go through this kind of situation. The Uttarakhand chief minister said his government cannot be brought down under pressure like this, and added that the national media should try and dig out his (the editor-proprietors) controversial past. The nine rebel MLAs have shifted their allegiance to the BJP to fulfill their greed for power and pelf, Rawat said, adding that they were no longer a part of the Congress. Speaker GS Kunjwal recently issued a notice against them, signalling that they might invite action under the anti-defection law, he added. The chief minister, however, refused to answer queries relating to the nine rebel MLAs and the sting CD stating that the matter was sub judice. The greed of lucre drew them to the BJP, but now they talking about lucre, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttarakhands rebel Congress MLAs released a video of sting operation purportedly showing chief minister Harish Rawat offering them bribes for support during the floor test in the assembly on March 28. The CM, who called it fake. While CM Rawat called the video fake, Congress alleged that the dirty tricks department of BJP president Amit Shah is at work. The BJP demanded immediate dismissal of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged sting video in Delhi, former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the rebel MLAs, said, The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds. Read | Will resign if I lose majority in House: Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed, Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD false, Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money. Read | Unholy alliance led by Modi, Shah behind Uttarakhand sting CD: Rawat In a statement, AICCs chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House. Reacting to the sting video, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has no right to remain in power even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. We had told the governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs, he said. Read | Ramdevs hand in political crisis in Uttarakhand, says Congress The political crisis in Uttarakhand reached a cliffhanger of sorts on Saturday night, with reports emerging that speaker Govind Kunjwal had disqualified nine rebel MLAs of the ruling Congress at a time when the Centre is considering imposition of Presidents Rule in the state. Kunjwals reported move may alter the political equation in the state, providing a lifeline to chief minister Harish Rawat who has to prove his governments majority in the 70-member assembly on Monday. News agency PTI reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a late-night cabinet meeting in Delhi, where he was said to have discussed the Uttarakhand crisis and the possibility of imposing Presidents Rule. The talks came hours after a sting video aired by a local channel purportedly showed 69-year-old Rawat striking a multi-crore deal for bringing rebels back into the party fold. Rawat said an unholy alliance led by Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah was behind the sting, accusing the saffron party of orchestrating the crisis. Read | Ukhand crisis: HC dismisses petition of rebel Cong legislators Meanwhile, the rebel lawmakers led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna supported the BJP legislators demand for a conscience vote at the assemblys budget session on March 18. But if the nine MLAs are disqualified now, the strength of the assembly will be reduced to 61. Rawat may get the support of 27 Congress MLAs and six others, bringing the total number to 33 enough for him to survive the floor test. However, speculations are rife over how the Centre plans to prevent the situation from working out in the Congress governments favour. It has already received a report from governor KK Paul on the crisis. Modi had cut short his visit to Assam, where he was addressing election rallies in view of the upcoming elections, to call the hour-long emergency cabinet meeting. There was no official confirmation about the topic of discussion, but sources told PTI that another meeting would be held on Sunday before a final call was taken on the matter. Read | Struck by rebels, stung by media: Harish Rawats image takes a hit Maintaining that the Uttarakhand government has a majority in the assembly, the Congress leadership denounced attempts to pull down a duly elected government on the basis of a farcical sting operation. At a hurriedly convened press conference at the Congress headquarters here, party general secretary Ambika Soni said the BJP was desperately trying to dislodge the state government by imposing Presidents Rule. A BJP delegation had met President Pranab Mukherjee earlier in the day to state that Rawat has no right to continue after being exposed in the sting video. Its memorandum to the President was also critical of the governor, alleging that he did not act on the request of the majority of the legislature to dismiss the state government. (With inputs from HTC in Delhi and agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Calling your overweight husband mota haathi (fat elephant) is grounds for divorce as it is destructive of the matrimonial bond, the Delhi high court has ruled . The court on March 22 upheld a divorce granted by a family court in 2012 to a man who said he was subjected to cruelty by his wife for being overweight and his alleged failure to satiate her sexual desires. The woman challenged the order in the high court. The calling of names and hurling of abuses such as Haathi, Mota Haathi and Mota Elephant by the appellant (woman) in respect of her husband even if he was overweight, is bound to strike at his self respect and self esteem, justice Vipin Sanghi said. The woman had contended the family court relied on vague and non-specific allegations while granting the divorce. She argued he failed to give specific instances of alleged cruelty with dates, time and particulars. The high court, however, rejected this argument. When two parties are in a marital relationship, neither is expected to maintain a logbook and note down therein each and every instance of matrimonial offence committed by the other, justice Sanghi said. The judge also took note of other complaints by the man that his wife not only slapped him but also asked him to leave the house. The man said his wife threatened to immolate herself with kerosene and implicate him and his family in a dowry case. The woman left the matrimonial home with her jewellery and belongings, and told the man to transfer his property in her name if he desired her to live a devoted wife, the man alleged. Such events are clearly destructive of the matrimonial bond and would naturally give rise to a bonafide and genuine belief and apprehension in the mind of the respondent (husband) that it is not safe for him to peacefully and mentally continue the relationship the high court said. The man also said on the night of February 11, 2005, she hit his private parts when he wanted to have intercourse and injured him. Each of this incidents are grave and weighty matrimonial offences/misconducts by the appellant (woman), which cannot be described as events relating to normal wear and tear of a marriage, the judge said. Also read | Get a job, dont rely on ex-husband: Court to woman seeking alimony Marital bliss in trouble? Stop expecting so much from your spouse SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Japanese have a word for the beautiful clouds that rise up in miso soup when its stirred after being allowed to sit for a while: moya moya. Add gossamer ribbons of egg white, as Tatami does to its tamago miso, and it becomes even prettier all the rich flavour compounds of fermented soybean paste swirling with texture from tofu and albumen. Tatami replaces Kofuku in the grimy Kenilworth Mall, but you couldnt tell if you didnt look at the new nameplate outside. (Kofuku fans, fret not; its just moved across the street.) While the room looks pretty much the same down to large groups of Japanese men having sake-soaked lunches what has changed are the management and menu. Read: Mumbais Farmer & Sons is a pretty place serving tasty, farm fresh food Theres a new sushi chef, from Chennai, a city known for its large Japanese expat population and many Japanese restaurants. Tatamis owner, an energetic woman with a big smile, works the room enthusiastically. Tamago miso is one of Tatamis lovelier dishes: savoury, light, warming. Citrus salmon tataki its worthy cool contrast; delicately seared slices of pink are dressed minimally to let the fishs flavour shine. What didnt work in our meal, strangely enough, was the sushi. We tried the austere red snapper nigiri and the decidedly elaborate yellowtail uramaki with chilli, ponzu, cucumber, avocado and cilantro. The nigiris vinegared sticky rice was artfully composed, but the white fish was mushy and not chilled. With the uramaki, there was a little of everything, but not enough of anything. Perhaps we picked poorly. In the citrus salmon tataki, delicately seared slices of pink are dressed minimally to let the fish flavour shine. (Pramod Thakur/HT Photo) Even if you skip past the sushi menu, Tatami has enough to keep you engaged for multiple visits. There is so much crunch in the okonomiyaki that a meal of the zesty sauce-glazed pancake wouldnt feel monotonous, perhaps with a little help from shichimi togarashi (Japanese spice mix). A little bowl of teppanyaki fried rice, perfectly firm and flavourful, with nuggets of texture from diced onions and peppers, is fine enough to eat by itself. We preferred the kakuni when this space was still Kofuku, but not for the way the meat was cooked it still only needs a mere nudge with a chopstick to fall apart but because the braising liquid could paint the pork belly more thickly. Rock corn tempura, originally simple izakaya (pub) grub, typically over-sauced by restaurants in India, gains a smidgeon of sophistication if its had alongside the stark, un-sweet, and uber-fresh Back to Base with sake, basil, lime and cucumber juice. There is so much crunch in the okonomiyaki that a meal of the zesty sauce-glazed pancake wouldnt feel monotonous. (Pramod Thakur/HT Photo) Tatami has that glorious dessert of ice-cream wrapped in mochi or glutinous rice flour, but best to book one as soon as you get in. We had to settle for a spiced chocolate cake that was both flourless and flavourless. None of the promised poached pears it was paired with showed up on our plate. The energetic owner overheard us missing the mochi and got us matcha ice cream to make up. TATAMI JAPANESE KITCHEN AND SAKE BAR Rating: *** Where: Second Floor, Kenilworth Mall, 33rd Road, off Linking Road, Bandra (West) When: Noon to 3.30 pm, 6.30 pm to midnight Cost: Rs 3,000 for a meal for two with one drink each Call: 6710-5105 The author tweets at @RoshniBajaj With less than a week left for the deadline to pay property tax for 2015-16 without penalty, more than 50,000 city residents are yet to pay their taxes. The defaulters, who fail to pay tax till March 31, will be slapped a penalty of 20% on the tax applicable in addition to 18% interest. Meanwhile, the municipal corporation (MC) has generated more income than it expected from the budget for the same year from property tax. In the budget proposed for year 2015-16, the MC had expecting to generate an income of Rs 60 crore from the property and house tax. But, the civic body has generated more than Rs 63 crore as property and house tax already. The collected property tax is Rs 60.33 crore, while Rs 3.16 crore has been collected as house tax. A total of 1.24 lakh property owners have already paid their property tax, while the civic body is expecting to collect property tax from 1.77 lakh people. Out of 1.24 lakh people who have paid property tax for 2015-16, more than 40,000 people paid property tax online through the MCs official websitemcludhiana.gov.in. By providing some relief, the state government had recently waived the 10% penalty to encourage property owners to pay their property tax without any penalty by March 31. The government had also reduced the rate of property tax for hotels but the sources claimed many hotel owners have not submitted the property tax. During the previous financial period of 2014-15, the MC had generated only Rs 38 crore as property tax. MC superintendent Vivek Verma said, The MC offices will remain open for collection of property and house tax on Saturday. The MC has generated more property tax than it had expected in the proposed budget. A city resident, Sanjay Shar ma said, We pay the property tax timely, but we wanted the MC to spend this tax amount for development of the areas. The residents should be provided well-constructed roads, safe drinking water and developed parks. MC commissioner GK Singh Dhaliwal said, According to the budget for 2015-16, the civic body has generated more property tax than expected. Now, we are expecting to collect ` 10 crore more till March 31. In budget of 2016-17, we will propose to collect ` 80 crore property tax. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a bid to stop unemployed teachers from marching to the deputy commissioners (DC) office, the Bathinda police resorted to a mild lathicharge in Bathinda on Friday. The unemployed ETT (Elementary teachers training)-TET (Teachers eligibility test) pass proteste had gathered at the Childrens Park and were planning to march to the DC office; however, the police officials locked up the gates of the park. When the protesters tried to escape by jumping the gates, they were lathicharged. A few of the protesters were also round up and taken in police bus. Some of the female protesters jumped from the bus windows, in a bid to escape. State president of the ETT-TET pass unemployed teachers union, Joginder Singh Vareh, said the government is not serious about giving jobs to the unemployed youth of Punjab and it was making false statements about providing more than one lakh jobs. Vareh said, There are more than 14,000 vacant posts for ETT teachers in government schools but the government advertised about only 4,500 ETT posts. We are about 8,500 TET pass teachers. We are demanding an increase in the number of posts from 4,500 to 8,500, so that all the eligible candidates get jobs. The unions general secretary Chinder Singh Ladhuka said, The Punjab government has not recruited ETT teachers after the year 2010. Now the government is just trying to mollify the struggling teachers by announcing to fill up only 4,500 posts. We want to increase the number of posts from 4,500 to 8,500. The protesters placed a demanded for a meeting with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and insisted to meet Bathinda deputy commissioner Basant Garg. Talwando Sabo naib tehsildar Avtar Singh gave written assurance to fix a meeting of the protesters with the deputy commissioner on Monday. The protesters who were rounded up protesters were later released. To mark their dissent over the levying of one percent excise duty on gold jewellery, the cavalcade of infuriated jewellers (in thousands) were cane-charged by heavy police force deployed at the scene to disrupt them from blocking the Ladhowal Toll Plaza. The jewellers were joined by district Congress president Gurpreet Gogi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member of parliament from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann on day 23 of the strike As it happened, jewellers were on their way towards the Ladhowal Toll Plaza to block the traffic movement on national highway-1, but a heavy police force of more than 400 cops, led by deputy commissioner of police Narender Bhargav, was pressed into action. They countered the procession of more than one thousand members at the Ladhowal Chowk itself and thrashed the jewellers and members of political parties profusely who were leveraging support to the former. Bhagwant Mann was addressing the gathering atop a truck alongwith local MLAs Bharat Bhushan Ashu and district Congress president Gurpreet Gogi, who were detained by the police till the filing of this report. Several arrests were made at the venue while those injured were admitted at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJPYM), youth wing of the BJP, held a protest against the Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for comparing the Jawaharlal Nehru Student Union (JNUNSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar with Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The rally, under the leadership of state BJP chief Sanjay Tandon, started from the BJP office in Sector 33 and ended at the Congress Bhawan in Sector 35. Some workers were also injured when the police used mild lathicharge and water cannons to disperse them near the Sector-34 Gurdwara. Youth wing chief Amit Rana and other youth wing leaders also participated. Addressing the gathering, Tandon said Tharoors statement is highly condemnable, and that the Congress party had lost its balance. By supporting such elements, the Congress is dividing the country. The party is unable to see the growth and development works being done by the NDA government, he added. The Congress leaders effigy was also burnt by the protesters. The Yuva Morcha chief said all those who support such anti-national activities should not be spared. Party vice-chairman Ramveer Bhatti, general secretary Harishankar Mishra also participated in the protest. Protest march in Panchkula BJP leaders and office bearers carried out a protest march against anti-national forces here on Friday. The march, led by local chief Deepak Sharma, started from the party office in Sector 2 and went up to Majri Chowk, where the party workers burnt an effigy of antinational elements. MLA Gian Chand Gupta and Ambala MP Ratan Lal Kataria were also present. Kataria said, Those who consider Afzal Guru and Yakub Memon as heroes should be condemned. I am in favour of the freedom of expression, but spreading anti-nationalism in the name of ideology cant be tolerated. Read: Bhagat Singhs nephew supports Tharoors Kanhaiya remarks A person sustained head injuries in a clash between staff members of two transport companies owned by Akalis at PAP Chowk in Jalandhar on Friday. Dilbagh Singh, conductor of Baba Budha Sahib Bus Service owned by senior Akali leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon was injured when the staff of Dabwali Bus Transport, belonging to the ruling Badal family, allegedly hurled bricks at him. An argument of ferrying of passengers triggered the clash. The Dabwali bus staff also allegedly manhandled a journalist who later filed a complaint against them at Navi Baradari police station. Dilbagh and bus driver Kulwinder alleged that employees of Dabwali bus transport argued with them over bus timetable. The journalist, who was standing near the spot, started recording the scuffle. The journalist was later roughed up by members of the Dabwali bus company crew, who also threatened him of dire consequences. Pressures of modern systems of education and development have pushed the youth and others in opting for different languages for education, politics and governance but disowning their own mother tongues. This was a matter of great concern, said professor Sukhdev Singh, director seminar, at the two-day national seminar on Language shift and endangered languages issues, effects and responses held in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art & Culture Heritage (Punjab chapter), the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, and the department of English, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU). Prof Panchan Mohanti, director of the Centre For Endangered Languages, Central University of Hyderabad, who was here on Friday, apprised the students about conserving linguistic diversity and asked them to popularise a slogan which states Biodiversity is important for physical health of the mother earth and linguistic diversity is important for mental health of the mother earth. Mohanti, who was key speaker at the seminar, said that biodiversity will survive only if linguistic diversity survived. While Sukhdev Singh talked about the modern models of economic development and urbanisation and said that they had impacted various languages in such a way that either some languages have been pushed to complete death or were facing the danger of slow death or extinction. The major reason of such an impact is the loss of cultural heritage, identity and traditions which are destroying diversity and promoting homogeneity. While we have lost cultural diversity, we are heading towards loss of language diversity also. Need of the hour is to document and record the languages and state governments should ensure that mother languages are compulsory subjects in schools, said Singh Prof Mohaniti said that there was an urgent need to preserve small languages and cultures as they have contributed to the development in major languages and cultures. Languages and culture has a lot to give and take and India culturally and linguistically is plural but unfortunately this is shrinking today. The need is to preserve dying cultures and languages. He said, When I show concern about the linguistic diversity getting affected, people tell me what is the worry about it and that irritates me as when a language dies, the knowledge system is contained it vanishes. Prof Mohanty said, Those people who know more languages are more intelligent and thus flexible in lives. He said, More languages you know and speak, more healthy life you would lead. He asked students to first respect and speak their mother language and then learn and speak other languages. Eminent educationist Joginder Singh Puar, former vicechancellor, Punjabi university, Patiala, was guest of honour and ON Koul took the first technical session where he highlighted endangerment of languages in multilingual contexts whereas Gurpreet Bal gave sociological point of view of the language endangerment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The municipal corporation (MC) has slapped a notice on non-government organisation (NGO) Karuna Foundation for delaying the project of construction of 40 public toilets in the city. The NGO had started construction of first public toilet near city bus stand a few months ago, but it is has not been completed till now. As there is a major need of public toilets in the city, the MC had given green signal to the NGO last year for construction of 40 public toilets 10 each in all four zones. The NGO is supposed to maintain them for the next 33 years by charging nominal user charges. Sources said the NGO was to receive the financial aid from central government for the construction of toilets in city, but it failed to receive the payment. MC commissioner GK Singh Dhaliwal said, The firm had not started the construction of toilets, which are urgently required in the city. So, we have issued a notice to the NGO concerned for delaying the project. We will propose spending Rs 10 crore on construction of public toilets in the upcoming budget session of the MC. If the NGO does not start work within seven days, we will cancel the agreement with it, as we do not want any further delay in the construction of public toilets, he said. Some people generally urinate in open places as there is no provision of public toilets at many places in the city. Such open urinating points at various places, including railway station, bus stand and at major markets are giving a bad look to the city. Toilets in shambles At present, the city has public toilets at 35 places, but most of them are in a shambles. Besides, there is a shortage of toilets for women. A resident of Pakhowal Road, Inderjit Singh said, It is the responsibility of civic body to construct public toilets in all major markets and outside public places like railway station and bus stand. Also Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) and Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) should ensure construction of public toilets at markets developed by them. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Intensifying their strike on Friday, jewellers surrounded district BJP president Parveen Bansal house to mark their dissent over the levying of the excise duty on gold jewellery as strike entered day 22. Jewellers gathered on College Road and then marched till BJP leaders house at Kidwai Nagar. Jewellers were then countered by the police personnel after which they raised slogans against Parveen Bansal. Anand Sikri, president of Ludhiana Jewellers Association said on Saturday they have planned to block traffic movement at the Ladhowal toll plaza and protest against the passive stance of government over the excise duty issue. Sarjeevan Dheer, patron of Punjab Swarankar Sangh, said, We would continue with indefinite strike until government takes a satisfactory decision on the issue. We were already battling a low business scenario owing to skyrocketing prices of gold and the decision of the Centre to make furnishing of PAN card, a mandatory while making a purchase of Rs 2 lakh and above. He said the decision did not make any practical sense as only a small percentage of total population posses PAN cards. Punjab is a farmers state and even while buying a small gold ornament piece of 100-gm cost around ` 3 lakh but the irony was that farmers did not have the PAN cards, therefore the transaction could not take place. Notably some of the jewellers opened their shops on Wednesday, following which, majority of members assaulted them physically before forcibly downing their shutters, all the jewellery shops remained shut on Friday. Members of Sikh organisations, under the banner of Sikh Talmel Committee, blocked Company Bagh Chowk on Saturday, seeking registration of criminal case against Hindu outfit men and justice for the Mohali-based man Jaswinder Singh who was beaten up by Shiv Sena workers on Friday. The agitators burnt tyres and placed barricades around the chowk that led to vehicular traffic jam on the old GT road. They chanted slogans against the Shiv Sena and sang hymns during the protest at the centre point of the city. After getting information, the senior police officials including additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-I) J Elanchezhian, ADCP special branch Harpreet Singh Mander, three SHOs accompanying force arrived there and tried to pacify the Sikh protesters. The officials held meetings with the some of the representatives to lift the dharna but they refused to do so. The protesters remained firm on their demand for registration of criminal case under Section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the IPC against Shiv Sena workers, who had allegedly beaten Jaswinder and his turban had got pulled off in the scuffle, claiming that the incident had hurt their feelings. The officials showed their inability to act over their demand on the pretext of the jurisdiction of the incident that occurred in SBS Nagar. After an hour, they gave a complaint to the police officials to take action against Shiv Sena and cops assured them to take up their concern with the SBS Nagar police and to refer their complaint there. Only then, they would lift their protest from the spot. Read: Hindu Shiv Sena leader dies in SUV-truck collision The World Culture Festival organised by the Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living Foundation (AOL) was recently in the news because of the alleged damage caused to Delhis Yamuna floodplains. The event, for which a seven-acre stage had been erected to accommodate 8,500 artists and about three lakh visitors, had also been criticised by the National Green Tribunal, which claimed the floodplains would be adversely impacted. What seemed to have worked in the organisers favour, however, was the apparent ambiguity in Delhi Master Plan 2021 where zonal development plan sub zone 07 relating to river development leaves scope for recreational purposes without clearly specifying which activities are recreational. Most importantly, no Central regulatory authority exists to check such recreational activities or construction of farmhouses and concrete structures on the floodplains. This is perhaps the reason why the Akshardham Temple was built on 90 acres of the floodplains, the Commonwealth Games Village on 157 acres, the Millennium Bus Depot on 50 acres, not to mention Barapullah Phase 3 and the Metro projects. It is because of this that large pockets of the Yamuna riverbed along Noida and Greater Noida, between sectors 151, 152, 153, 158 and 167, have also been taken over by land sharks who have been constructing and selling farmhouses and bungalows for premium prices of `50 lakh to over a few crores. Such properties are also advertised often as houses with a riverfront view. Environmentalists attribute the present situation to an inordinate delay on the part of the environment ministry in notifying the River Regulation Zone (RRZ) that is to be modelled on the lines of the Coastal Regulation Zone under the Environment Protection Act 1986. Clarifying the governments stand, Ashok Lavasa, secretary, ministry of environment, forests and climate change, says consultations are going on with the states. The purpose of the River Regulation Zone is to define the area included in the regulatory zone and provide protection to the flood plains and regulate activities that can be permitted therein. This is the first regulation of its kind in the country and we are going through a consultative process, he adds. Brij Gopal, former professor of JNU who conceptualised the RRZ in 2001 and has been a member of all expert groups set up by the ministry to formulate guidelines for management of river floodplains through the river regulation zone, says, The basis of RRZ is that the rivers need certain space to carry their large seasonal flows and this space on either side of the river channels called floodplains has many important functions. These include groundwater recharge, holding floodwaters and allowing the development of fertile soils by replenishment of nutrients, supporting fish, and all other biodiversity, and improvement of water quality in the river. Hence, all development activities in the floodplains - on either side of the rivers - should be regulated. In all climates, the area occupied by the river flow with a probability of (floods?) once in every 100 years is considered as a floodplain. This flood probability is taken into account while designing the rail and road bridges. However, because in many parts of the country embankments have already been constructed to prevent villages, towns and fields from submergence, and much development has occurred close to the rivers, it has been proposed that areas where there is a probability of floods once in 50 years should be demarcated, mapped and brought under regulation, says Brij Gopal. Flood zone mapping was proposed 40 years ago through a draft bill, but it has not been undertaken in the country. The proposed RRZ requires states to undertake this task for every small or large, seasonal or perennial river and notify it for all landuse planning. Wherever the embankments exist today, the developments outside (away from the river) will not be disturbed except for a small buffer. The activities on the floodplain within the 50-year flood limit will be regulated (permitted or prohibited or restricted) according to their nature and magnitude with the primary objective of prevention of pollution and encroachment on space, says the draft. Only organic agriculture and natural vegetation would be permitted and no permanent construction should be permitted in these areas. Access to the river will be regulated for cultural, religious, activities, it says. It is proposed that Central and state authorities to implement it. The draft notification had been circulated to the states for their comments about two months ago, says Brij Gopal. According to Amit Khemka, a senior lawyer and a legal activist fighting for environment protection, who has represented many cases against developers in the National Green Tribunal, the distance from the river is not important. It is the elevation of the floodplain that matters. Most cities are traditionally located on a higher elevation from the river. The flow of water may not be dangerous but if there has been rampant urbanisation and construction along the river and there is a flood, it is the force of the water coupled with the debris that causes destruction as was the case in Uttarakhand, Chennai and Kashmir. Environment analyst Chetan Chauhan adds that the river regulation zone is an important climate adaptation measure that will protect both the river flood plain and the river bed. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Veteran actor Anupam Kher is happy to start shooting for the second season of the American science fiction drama web television series Sense8. The popular series is created, written and executive-produced by Matrix directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski. The 61-year-old says its a joy to be a part of the series. Read: After sister Lana, Matrixs Andy Wachowski comes out as transgender Happy to start shooting for Wachowskis Sense8 Season 2. It is a joy to be a part of this amazing series, an elated Anupam tweeted. Happy to start shooting 4 Wachowski's #Sense8 #Season2. It is a Joy to be a part of this amazing series.:) #Netflix pic.twitter.com/Fz34U23CqA Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) March 26, 2016 The plot of the series revolves around eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly become mentally and emotionally linked. Read: Tina Desai: The girl who impressed the Wachowskis The actor was also a part of the first season of the show, which consisted of 12 episodes. Anupam was seen essaying the character of Sanyam Dandekar, a chef who owns a restaurant. While the reviews werent very kind and the show was expensive to produce, Netflix renewed it for a second season. Watch the trailer for the Indian character in Sense8, Kala, here On the Bollywood front, Anupam was last seen in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, starring superstar Salman Khan and actress Sonam Kapoor. The film released in November last year and was directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Follow @htshowbiz for more As reports of police raids in Belgium dominate headlines, social media yet again reacted promptly to Tuesdays brazen attacks in Brussels. The Belgian capital, hosting Nato and European Union, was hit by Islamic State suicide bombers at the Brussels airport and a metro station on Tuesday. More than 30 people were killed and over 300 were injured in the triple blasts. The attacks, perhaps, resonated the most with France, where IS killed 130 in multiple attacks across Paris on November 13 last year. French newspaper Le Mondes cartoonist Plantu quickly put out a personified French flag comforting its Belgian counterpart, draping its fold on the other -- a powerful symbol of solidarity indeed. The infamous Trevi Fontana in Rome, World Trade Centre in the United States and the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up in Belgian national colours to stand with Brussels. World leaders too descended on their podiums to denounce the attacks, including US President Barack Obama who reiterated that the US-led coalition will continue pounding IS and were going to go after them. Instead of Paris, the hashtag #PrayForBelgium trended on Twitter this time around. Netizens changed their profile pictures as tributes poured in from across the world. Tintin, the popular detective created by Belgian cartoonist Herge, also cried in sketches shared by thousands. Read | Tintins tears become symbol of solidarity after Brussels attacks Meanwhile, not too far away, some -- not half as many as Brussels -- questioned the same outpour of support and asked why is it that Turkey or Ivory Coast were forgotten in the sea of tributes for Brussels. The two countries too were engulfed by violence the same week. Turkey, still hoping for a full EU membership, was attacked by an IS-affiliate three days before Brussels. Four, including the bomber, died in the Istanbul attack on March 19. A Twitter user @Turkey_Pics shared an edited version of Plantus cartoon but this time with an important addition -- Turkeys flag next to the Belgian and French colours as a potent reminder of extremisms Non-European victims. Turks, who suffered from equally heinous attacks at the hands of terrorists, share the pain of the Belgians. pic.twitter.com/5v5pdfhp4L Turkey_Pics (@Turkey_Pics) March 22, 2016 Africa was not insulated either. Ivory Coast witnessed a brutal attack on March 14 by six al Qaeda militants who killed fourteen civilians and two soldiers with Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades at a beach in Grand Bassam. There were women and children running and hiding, a witness, Marie Bassole recounts. It started on the beach. Whoever they saw, they shot at. A police cordon is seen while Ivorian police prepare to inspect the area of the hotel Etoile du Sud following an attack by gunmen from al Qaeda's North African branch, in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast. (Reuters Photo) Luckily, there are still few who think victims of non-European countries deserve the lamentation accorded to Paris or Brussels. Here are those who were critical and others, morose: Why no global solidarity over Turkey (or Nigeria) bombings as there is for Brussels? Here's a handy map. pic.twitter.com/Oc2Ms6YMOy ian bremmer(@ianbremmer) March 24, 2016 the media coverage of the explosions in Brussels airport is everywhere, but when there were terrorist attacks in Turkey where was the media Bom Emoji Updates (@homotears) March 22, 2016 My thoughts, love and prayers go out to Belgium and Turkey ?? #prayfortheworld #Brussels #Turkey Ashley Benson (@AshBenzo) March 22, 2016 Thoughts and prayers out to Brussels, Turkey , Yemen, Ivory Coast and Nigeria who have all recently gone through devastating attacks. SKRILLEX (@Skrillex) March 22, 2016 Read | Wounded suspect among 3 held in Brussels police raids over attacks (With inputs from agencies) Two days after 31 people were killed in the attacks at the Brussels airport, a security guard at a Belgian nuclear research centre was found murdered, with his security pass stolen, the Belgian media reported on Saturday. The prosecutors, however, on Saturday called the murder of the guard a purely criminal affair and said it is unrelated to any terrorist threat. The Charleroi prosecutors office in charge of the case formally denied any connection between the murder of Didier Prospero, who was shot dead on Thursday at his home in Froidchapelle and a planned terror attack, the Belga news agency reported, citing the prosecutor. There was no immediate independent confirmation from the prosecutors office in Charleroi, about an hours drive south of Brussels. Belga said the prosecutor had also denied media reports that Prosperos access badge had gone missing. Prospero, who worked for the G4S security firm, was found dead in his bathroom by his three children when they returned from school. He had been shot with four bullets. His dog was also killed. He was in charge of security for a nuclear research centre at Fleurus. Media had said he worked at a nuclear power plant. The case is being handled by criminal investigators and terror specialists are not involved, Belga said. The media reports follow last years discovery by investigators of surveillance footage of an official from a Belgian nuclear plant that was found in the flat of a suspect linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks. Belgium on Saturday charged a man believed to be the fugitive third Brussels airport bomber with terrorism murder, in a breakthrough for security forces facing criticism for letting suspects slip through the net. A huge manhunt netted the suspect officially identified as Faycal C -- and identified by local media as Faycal Cheffou -- and investigators are now working on the theory that he could be the man in a hat and white jacket pictured with two other airport bombers, but whose device failed to go off. Brussels airport said it will not reopen before Tuesday at the earliest as it implements new security measures and repairs the departure hall wrecked by the bombers, believed to be from the Islamic State group. Belgians in mourning will gather Sunday for a rally in a central Brussels square now carpeted with flowers and tributes to the 31 killed and 300 injured in the March 22 metro and airport bombs, with a national solidarity march also planned. Prosecutors meanwhile also charged a man arrested in Belgium over a new plot to hit Paris, deepening the connections in what French President Francois Hollande has described as a single terror cell straddling both France and Belgium. The Belgian government faces a torrent of criticism at home and abroad, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesdays attacks and track a network also linked to Novembers Paris attacks. Many believe it failed to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) -- which claimed the attacks -- and then returning home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. A woman's baggage is searched by soldiers at the entrace to a Brussels subway station following Tuesday's bombings in Brussels, Belgium, March 25, 2016. (Reuters) Man in the hat Heavily armed soldiers and police remained on patrol in the capital and Zaventem airport. Prosecutors said Faycal C was one of three people arrested outside the Belgian federal prosecutors office in Brussels on Thursday night as part of a huge sweep of detentions across Belgium and Europe. He has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder, the prosecutor said. Asked by AFP if Faycal C. was the suspected third bomber dubbed the man in the hat, a source close to the inquiry told AFP: That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on. Local media named the suspect as Faycal Cheffou, a freelance journalist. He is the first person charged with terror offences over the Brussels attacks, the worst in the history of a country that is home to the European Union and the NATO military alliance. A second suspect named as Rabah N linked to a foiled plot in France was charged with taking part in terrorist activities. French police said Friday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket -- a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud -- after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home. A suspect shot in the leg Friday at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels is being held for another 24 hours as investigations into the French plot continue. People gather at the Place de la Bourse to pay tribute to the victims of Tuesday's bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium, March 25, 2016. (Reuters) Threat to nuclear plants Belgiums ageing nuclear power plants have also come under scrutiny as a possible terror risk, with the EUs anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove telling La Libre Belgique newspaper they face the threat of a terrorist cyber-attack over the next five years. According to reports, a security guard at a Belgian nuclear power plant was murdered Thursday and his access badge stolen. Prosecutors denied any terror link, Belga news agency reported, and said that in fact the man worked at a medical research facility that used radioactive isotopes. These reports follow the discovery by investigators last year of surveillance footage of a nuclear plant official in the flat of a suspect linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks. European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria. The Belgian government has admitted errors and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Belgian prosecutors have said that the DNA of second airport bomber Najim Laachraoui was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed during Novembers Paris attacks, and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system and died when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Maalbeek station near Brussels EU quarter, British media said. Republican contender for the White House Ted Cruz on Friday dismissed a tabloid report accusing him of extramarital affairs as garbage and held Donald Trump responsible for it. The two men have feuded bitterly in recent days over their wives, calling each other names Cruz called Trump a sniveling coward and now the tabloid report. The National Enquirer accuses Cruz of extramarital affairs with five women without naming them or providing any proof. Some of the women insinuated have since rubbished the report. Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage, Cruz told reporters at a campaign stop, bringing up the subject himself. It is complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen, he added, alleging the tabloid was aligned with the flashy real estate tycoon. Trump denied in a Facebook post he had anything to do with the report: I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this weeks issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it. Read | From bimbo to slobs: Trump could be ruined by comments on women Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump during a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP) As Trump closes in on the party nomination, there is mounting sense of urgency in the Republican party leadership to try and stop him, and its banking on Cruz to do that. But Trump leads Cruz by a wide margin in the count of delegates needed to clinch the nomination 739 to 465 (John Kasich is a distant third with 143). They need 1,237 to win. With 20 more states still to hold their nominating contests on the Republican side, the rivalry between Trump and Cruz is getting muckier and, according to some, uglier. A partially nude picture of Trumps wife Melania Trump, from her days as a top model, was used by an anti-Trump group of conservative to canvass support for Cruz. Trump retaliated, by retweeting a post that ran an unflattering mugshot of Cruzs wife, Heidi Cruz, along side a glamorous Melania Trump, headlined A picture is worth a 1,000 words. Read | Republican White House race mired in War of the Wives Bimbo, dog, fat pig -- Donald Trump has never minced his words about women he doesnt like, but prolific insults and personal attacks on prominent females may cost him the election. This week Americas extraordinary presidential campaign descended to new lows when the billionaire and his main challenger for the Republican nomination, Ted Cruz, escalated their bitter feud, taking to social media to clash over two unlikely figures: their wives. Before the episode was over, Trump had tweeted a picture of his third wife, Melania, a former model, next to an unflattering photograph of Cruzs wife, Heidi. The images are worth a thousand words, read the caption. Cruz, an arch-conservative and evangelical Christian, reacted with fury. Leave Heidi the hell alone, he hit back. It is not acceptable for a big loud New York bully to attack my wife. The real estate mogul posted the tweet after an anti-Trump coalition unveiled a controversial campaign ad using a magazine photo of Melania posing nude in his private jet 15 years ago. The incident likely did little to boost Trumps ratings among women in a week when opinion polls revealed the very depth of the problem he faces with females. 39% of Republican women have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, according to a CNN/ORC poll. Meanwhile a survey from Quinnipiac University found that 60% of women would definitely not vote for Trump in the November presidential election. These are damning finds, especially when women outnumber men at the ballot box. In the 2012 presidential election, women accounted for 53 percent of turnout. - Fat pigs and slobs - It doesnt help that most days -- on Twitter or in speeches -- Trump hounds Americas most watched female TV news anchor, Megyn Kelly, as crazy. Trump and the Fox News host clashed at the first Republican debate in August when she questioned him about derogatory remarks he made in the past about women, such as calling them fat pigs, slobs and disgusting animals. An irritated Trump snapped that he did not have time for political correctness and later insinuated Kelly asked the question only because she was menstruating. But it didnt end there. Before Republican candidate Carly Fiorina dropped out of the race, Trump insulted her, saying: Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Last week he released an ad ridiculing Hillary Clinton -- replaying footage of her barking like a dog that then cut away to a giggling Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the comment We dont need to be a punchline. - Catastrophic - Nothing makes Katie Packer, a Republican strategist who worked for Mitt Romneys presidential campaign in 2012, angrier. She called Trump incredibly sexist and misogynistic and said he would be catastrophic for the Republican party. In 2012 Romney lost the womens vote 44% to Barack Obamas 56%. Trump would lose it 32 to 68% in 2016, she predicted. To overcome that level of unpopularity among women, Trump would need to win 85 percent of the white male vote, she said. Packer is supporting an anti-Trump attack ad in which female actors read out some of Trumps past insults. This is how Donald Trump talks about our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, the ad says. If you believe America deserves better, vote against Donald Trump. It was released in Florida and Utah before primaries there and will also air in Wisconsin, which votes on April 5. Trump won Florida, but lost Utah. If he loses Wisconsin, he cannot get the 1,237 delegates necessary to win the Republican nomination outright, Packer said. We have a big plan to push hard in Wisconsin, she told AFP. - Just show business - Trump denies being sexist. He told CNN this week that some of his remarks were just show business and claimed he would be better for women than Clinton. Nobody respects women more than I do, he said. But while he does have more success among men, Trump does not categorically do poorly with Republican women. He won the highest percent of womens votes in 11 of the first 15 Republican primary and caucus nominating contests, according to ABC News exit polls. In Missouri and Massachusetts, he got 46 percent of womens votes, and 45 percent of the female vote in Nevada. Vicky Reckart, who used to run a cleaning service but is now on disability benefit, said she is voting for Trump, but has started to question why. Im telling you, he has my vote right now, she told AFP in Atlantic City, the gambling resort town in New Jersey. But theres a lot of thinking about it, its a little scary, she added. Emerging as a key central figure in the jihadist super-cell behind the attacks in Brussels and Paris is a pot-bellied jihad recruiter who convinced young men to bring mayhem to Europe from the sidewalks of Molenbeek. Bearded and balding, Khalid Zerkani, 42, is behind bars in Belgium and is appealing against a 12-year sentence, but his influence was crucial to a vast terror network that would go on to kill more than 160 people in the biggest ever terror attacks on either French or Belgian soil. Zerkani perverted a whole generation, particularly in the Maritime neighbourhood of Molenbeek, prosecutor Bernard Michel told a courtroom in February, when Zerkani and 31 others were sentenced for their ties to terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group. He was active in recruiting, logistics, financial help and even in prison, he encouraged other inmates to take up the jihad banner, Michel said. Only 13 of defendants were actually present in court in February, with the rest either presumed killed in Syria or, more worryingly, in hiding. In an embarrassment for the Belgian authorities, several of these young men are no longer missing, having returned from Syria unnoticed to carry out attacks in Europe. Zerkani was born in Zinata, Morocco in 1973 and was arrested by police in 2014 after several years of defying authorities with his off-the-radar recruitment of jihadists for Syria in gritty Molenbeek. Belgium is the biggest supplier of foreign jihadists to Syria per capita and Zerkani, until his arrest, was their biggest recruiter, authorities now believe. Thirty other Zerkani-linked suspects are separately on trial in Brussels, many also with their whereabouts unknown. Until Tuesdays deadly attacks in Brussels, by far the biggest name on the trial list was Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abbaoud, who was killed by French police in November. But now police are taking another look at the Zerkani suspects after suicide-attacker and presumed Paris bomb-maker Najim Laachraoui, 24, blew himself up in Brussels airport on Tuesday. Also on the list is French national Reda Kriket, 34, who was arrested in a Paris suburb on Thursday, as is Gelel Attar of Molenbeek who was arrested in Morocco in January and was a close friend of Abbaoud and Chakib Akrouh, another of the Paris attackers. The emir According to people that knew him, Zerkani had a powerful influence on his young recruits, with an undeniable aura that was not discernable to outsiders. Hes the emir, the leader... He organised meetings in attics several times of week for candidates seeking to leave for Syria that often included children still toting their school bags, a suspect identified as Yacine E. told investigators in a deposition leaked to Belgian daily La Derniere Heure. For Zerkani, Islam requires jihad and armed jihad is the highest form that exists, he added. But with his long beard and unkept demeanour, he was also nicknamed the jihadist Father Christmas on the streets of Molenbeek and described by one legal source as smelly and unimpressive. Zerkani, also known under the nom de guerre Abu Riad, is still having a pervasive effect on the terror battleground in Europe. His recruit Kriket, the man arrested on Thursday near Paris, received a 10-year sentence in absentia in the Zerkani trial. French police said they found explosives in the operation and that Kriket was planning an imminent attack. Russian state television has aired the final words of the pilots of the flydubai passenger jet that crashed in Rostov-on-Don last week killing 62 people, suggesting pilot error could be to blame. Russias Rossiya-1 channel late on Friday said it had obtained a transcript of the last words exchanged a minute before the Boeing 737 plunged to the ground from a source in the investigative commission with access to the planes voice recorders. The plane, which was arriving from Dubai, exploded into a fireball last Saturday after missing the runway in the city in southern Russia while making a second attempt to land in heavy wind and rain. The transcript suggests that the pilot lost control of the plane immediately after switching off the autopilot. Read: FlyDubai crash: 13th major air disaster involving Russia in 10 years Dont worry, the pilot says repeatedly in the transcript translated into Russian, before repeating seconds later Dont do that! The last words are repeated calls to Pull up! For the last six seconds of the planes dive, all that can be heard are inhuman screams, the channels source said. Read: Human error, technical failure main theories for FlyDubai plane crash The channel suggested -- citing specialists while stressing that this was not the official version -- that the pilot accidentally switched on a stabilising fin at the tail as he tried to pull the plane back to a horizontal position. With this fin activated, the plane practically does not react to the pilots control panel the channel said. The pilots clearly did not understand that the stabiliser was to blame for the steep dive. Read: Two Indians among 62 killed in FlyDubai plane crash in Russia The channel said the pilot could have accidentally switched on the button activating the fin due to his reported chronic fatigue. The only other possible explanation would be an unprecedented glitch in the planes automatic systems, the channel said. Investigators have launched a criminal probe into whether poor weather, pilot error or a technical fault were behind the crash, which killed all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. With Belgium on high alert, authorities in Brussels have begun cracking down on suspected insurgents in the city. However, as investigators piece together the puzzle forming the parts of the deadly attacks last Tuesday, a number of disturbing security lapses have emerged. Belgian prosecutors working on the investigations have pointed out that authorities committed a serious security flaw in the days leading up the deadly bombings, which left more than 30 people and injured hundreds more. Prosecutors have stated that days before the fateful terror strike, Salah Abdeslam, an ally of the bombers and an individual suspected of having close connections to the deadly Paris attacks last year, was questioned by investigators. However, investigators neglected to ask the apprehended suspected terrorist about a number of pertinent details. Alleged to be the logistics chief of the Paris attacks, Abdeslam was captured by Belgian authorities on March 18. During his interrogation, investigators questioned him intensively. However, his interrogation allegedly focused on his connections to the Paris attacks. Thus, despite an overlying fear that there are active terror groups in the country, Belgian authorities, having one of the most notorious suspected terrorists in their hands, neglected to push Abdeslam to give up pertinent information about Belgium's terror groups and possible attacks that were being planned in the European country. This was, despite the fact that Abdeslam's fingerprints were discovered in an apartment rented by Khalid el-Bakraoui, one of the bombers who attacked the Belgian capital last Tuesday. In a special session of Parliament on Friday, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens addressed the issue. "We cannot exclude that, if everybody had been perfect, this could have gone differently," he said. Unfortunately for Belgian authorities, their alleged lapses came at a very high price. The nation has since started to get back on its feet. Belgian authorities have also been on the move to crush any insurgents left in the city. Just last Friday, a man was apprehended after being shot in the leg by the police. People, many of whom are still in shock about the tragic event, have also begun to rebuild. Little by little, Brussels is beginning to look like its old self, with its streets filled with people. Within the normalcy of everyday Belgian life, however, lies the innumerable armed police who are patrolling the streets. For many, the presence of the authorities is a welcome sight. "It makes me safe," a Brussels woman said. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It is no secret that one of the forerunners of the Internet, Yahoo! Inc., has been in financial trouble for some time. It is also no secret that Microsoft has shown an interest in acquiring the firm in the past. In fact, Microsoft has attempted to acquire parts of Yahoo! twice, albeit unsuccessfully. With the news that Yahoo! is considering the sale of its core businesses, it is no surprise that reports have emerged that Microsoft, a familiar name when it comes to the acquisition of Yahoo!, is once more looking into buying a stake in the Internet forerunner. This time, however, Microsoft is taking a relatively different path. Sources, who have opted to remain anonymous, say that Microsoft executives have been meeting with private equity firms who are interested in acquiring Yahoo!'s core business. What is particularly interesting is Microsoft's alleged strategy, which involves offering the interested firms notable financing in order to better equip them for their bids. By hook or by crook, Microsoft really does seem intent on being part of Yahoo!'s acquisition, even to the point of taking a step back and letting other firms go on the frontlines of the takeover. The sources, however, have stated that Microsoft's talks with the private equity firms are still in their preliminary stages. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft has yet to issue a comment on the allegations. After years of attempting to turn the company around, it seems like Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer is finally willing to throw the towel on the company's core Internet business, which is mainly composed of the firm's search, mail and news sites. Though the Internet firm has become more and more eclipsed by giants Alphabet and Facebook in terms of user population as of late, Yahoo!'s core business still boasts hundreds of millions of users every month. With the company still in dire financial straits even after years of trying to turn the company around, many organizations, such as Activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP, have expressed their disappointment at Yahoo!'s leadership. On Thursday alone, Starboard moved to overthrow the entire board of Yahoo!, stating that the company's executives have been too slow to react to market headwinds. Then again, reports have also emerged that Yahoo!'s board is asking $10 billion for its core businesses. Though the amount would probably be minuscule for a giant like Microsoft, analysts believe that the actual worth of Yahoo!'s Internet core business is far less. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Twista was on his way to a concert in Valparaiso, Indiana, when the Rolls Royce Phantom in which he was seated was pulled over by police. The cops claimed that the car had to be pulled over because it was following too closely behind a truck, and when they approached the car, they allegedly smelled weed, thus prompting a search. Cops then supposedly found a half an ounce of marijuana hidden in a fake can. Twista, two passengers, and the driver of the Rolls Royce were then each arrested on misdemeanor charges for marijuana possession, thus forcing the cancellation of the concert scheduled for later that night. Each of four men denied ownership of the marijuana. Twista remained in jail for most of the night and was eventually released at 4am (Mar. 25) on $500 bail. Later in the day, Twista placed a video call to TMZ to explain what had gone down the night before. Though the cops apparently measured a half an ounce of bud, Twista told the gossip outlet that, if the cops did indeed find something, it was only enough for a very small, short session. Nobody rolled on anybody, Twista continued. Nobody took blame. It was just a messed up situation with a little bit of smoke allegedly and we suffered the consequences, and the fans did too. The arrest has led the owner of the venue (Big Shots) at which Twista was set to perform, a man named Ed Roseberry, to take issue with the local sheriffs department, reports the Chicago Tribune. (Police) only show up when we have a certain demographic at the rap shows, said Roseberry, implying that the cops had unfairly targeted the Chicago emcee and his entourage. What really hurt me is we did everything and police said later we did a tight job but they got Twista with a little old weed charge. Twista The U2 singer was in 37 Dawson Street to support his friend, first-time novelist Helen Seymour. The launch of Helen Seymour's first book Beautiful Noise was the hottest ticket in town last night as the great and good of Dublin gathered in 37 Dawson Street to celebrate the Howth writer's self-published work. Chief among them was one Paul Hewson, with Bono giving a funny, touching speech about Beautiful Noise and its author, his friend Helen Seymour. He began by reading a particularly sombre passage from the novel, the sentiment of which was "death is on call, death does its rounds, checking up, taking notes, taking lives." He then broke from his reading to quip: "this is a very funny book", eliciting a big laugh from an illustrious audience that included The Works' John Kelly, comedian Barry Murphy, Hot Press editor Niall Stokes and Bill Cullen. Bono continued: "This is not one of the funniest passages, but it is truly great writing." He went on to speak highly of his friend and note the struggle she had to finish the book, which deals with Dublin pirate radio in the 1980s. Advertisement "Of course the novel's not really about pirate radio," he noted. "If anything this novel is about the inability of people to communicate with each other even as they're talking to the whole city... The book is a labour of love and the sound her baby made on entry to the world was indeed a beautiful noise." He concluded, as is his wont, by singing Neil Diamond's 'Beautiful Noise' a capella ("bear with me as I invoke the spirit of de Diamond!") before Seymour herself thanks Bono, her friends, family, and read a passage from her book. The 44-year-old author had moved in with her mother and started minimum wage work during the six years it took to pen Beautiful Noise. She turned down a substantial HarperCollins deal to maintain creative control. It seems to have paid off, as Dundalk director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, A Good Day To Die Hard) has optioned the book for a big screen adaptation. Bono became friends with Seymour through his wife, Ali Hewson, who worked with her on the Shut Sellafield Campaign. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. 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OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. International Training And Assessment Course In New Delhi By Janusz Miedlar - Australia Posted by Harsha Vipparthi on Saturday, 03-26-2016 8:14 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Greetings! Here is a rare opportunity to interact with Mr. Andrew Robb, Special Envoy, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Government of Australia, during special ITAC Trainer course from 06th April to 09th April 2016 in New Delhi. The participants will have an opportunity to meet the Special Envoy and have a group photo during the session. The ITAC (International Trainer & Assessor Course) is a joint initiative between the Government of Australia and India, where the course was developed by the Department of Education, Government of Australia in consultation with the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), India. The program will be conducted by an International Trainer from Australia. As a trainer, this is your best opportunity to upgrade your training skills and get qualified on this Indo-Australian qualification and enhance your career. The course is offered at a special price of Rs.20000/-, discounted by Rs.5000/- to celebrate the occasion. You can get further ... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Syrian refugees are "just like you and I." That's what Rob Green realized after meeting Rasheed Al Abadeen. Green, a realtor who lives in Guelph, Ont., posted a photo on Facebook with Al Abadeen Friday. "I want to make a shout out to my new friend, he wrote in the post. Green explained how Al Abadeen jumped in to help complete strangers as they were coping with the aftermath of an ice storm. Advertisement Rob Green and Rasheed Al Abadeen in Elora, Ont. (Photo: Rob Green/Facebook) On Thursday, as parts of Ontario were blasted with severe winter weather, Green offered help to members of his community facing damage caused by the storm. "Willing to assist any way I can," he wrote in a Facebook post. The next day he showed up in full gear, ready to cut and clear fallen trees near a friend's house. A few others joined in to help, as Canadians often do in the face of winter weather. But among the familiar faces was a new one. "It's a small town, Elora, everyone kind of knows each other and helps out," Green told The Huffington Post Canada. "So he just kind of fit in." After the job was done, Green was introduced to Al Abadeen and learned that he just arrived in Canada a few weeks ago through a private sponsorship by a church. The Syrian refugee spent the past four years at a camp in Jordan, and found out he was moving to Canada just days before boarding the plane. Advertisement "He's part of the community now." "He just arrived in Canada with his family and dove right in today to help fellow Canadians how ever he could!" Green wrote in his Facebook post, which has already been shared more than 200 times. Like many Canadians, Green has been hearing and reading about Syrian refugees arriving to the country, but he had never met one before. "It's nice to put a face to the name of Syrian refugees," Green told HuffPost Canada. "So many people have their own expectations or interpretation of what they think they look like, or how they're going to act." What Green realized was Syrian refugees are more similar to us than they are different. "They're just like everyone else in the community that would be helping out. And he's part of the community now." Also on HuffPost Great Things Canadians Have Done So Far For Syrian Refugees See Gallery OTTAWA The head of the board that recommended Senate appointments to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it wasnt their responsibility to ensure that all the nominees met the qualifications for office. Huguette Labelle, a highly regarded former civil servant and emeritus governor of the University of Ottawa, told The Huffington Post Canada on Friday that when her independent panel handed over 25 names to the Prime Ministers Office as recommendations for new senators, it did not make sure that the five Quebecers on the list met property ownership requirements that apply in the province. Advertisement We had to recommend a number of individuals, and not knowing who the prime minister would select of these individuals, we felt that it would be very complicated so we stuck with [the idea instead that] at the time of the appointment, the individual must have property in one of the [provincial] divisions, whatever that division might be, she said. Huguette Labelle, seen here in 2005, says the independent Senate advisory board did not make sure five Quebecers met property ownership requirements. (Photo: CP) Labelle suggested it was not her boards but rather the PMOs responsibility to ensure that every candidate fulfilled the requirements before being appointed by the Governor General. Advertisement Controversy over property requirement A controversy erupted this week after news broke that Andre Pratte, a columnist at the Montreal daily La Presse, was still waiting to complete the purchase of a plot of land in Salaberry, Que., the senatorial division that Trudeau announced on March 18 he would be appointed represent. Unlike in other parts of the country, the Constitution requires not only that senators from Quebec own $4,000 worth of property in the province but that it be in one of 24 districts to which their appointment is tied much like constituencies for members of Parliament. In the past, this has led to some frantic scrambles to find property. Former Conservative adviser Bruce Carson told HuffPost a story of how his friend, Robert de Cotret, was appointed to the Senate in 1979 by Progressive Conservative prime minister Joe Clark but did not own property in his district of BerthierMaskinonge. De Cotret drove up to the district to find something to buy for $4,000. He noticed an empty field with a For Sale sign on it offered the farmer who owned it $4,000, but the farmer said it was only worth $2,000, Carson said in an email. The argument was on, and eventually the farmer reluctantly took the $4,000 from city slicker Bob. Advertisement Andre Pratte has not been appointed to the Senate yet. (Photo: CP) Pratte has not been appointed to the Senate yet and, as he told the Canadian Press last week, he is actively looking to purchase something in Salaberry. He will, almost certainly, meet the constitutional requirement before he takes his seat in the upper house. The issue instead is, as Conservative MP and democratic reform critic Scott Reid noted in the Commons Thursday, whether the independent board Labelle chaired followed the clear criteria the government publicly set out for all potential nominees. On her website, Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef outlines the qualifications and merit-based assessment criteria the board had to weigh before recommending individuals for appointments. In the case of Quebec, a nominee must have his or her real property qualification in the electoral division for which he or she is appointed, or be resident in that electoral division, the website states. We were not nominating. We were recommending nominations. Labelle told HuffPost she believes the board was not nominating persons but was rather recommending them for nomination. The prime minister, she suggested, makes the nominations. Advertisement We felt this particular aspect would need to be dealt with in the subsequent phase, which is at the time that it had been considered by the Prime Ministers Office, she said. We were not nominating. We were recommending nominations. At the PMO, spokesman Olivier Duchesneau said Trudeau appointed individuals from the list provided to him and he suggested it was the boards responsibility to ensure individuals met the qualifications by referring questions to Labelle. The Privy Council Office, the PMOs department, took the view that the requirement on the ministers website applies only at the time of appointment to Senate, according to spokesman Raymond Rivet. Other qualifications outlined on the website for the boards consideration, such as non-partisanship, diversity, knowledge about the Senate, are clearly related to the nomination process. Vacancies in Quebec Labelle acknowledged that the wording on the website might need to change in order so as not to discourage would-be applicants from Quebec from coming forward for consideration even if they dont have $4,000 worth of property in a random region of the province. Advertisement Rivet would not say Friday whether the other appointee for Quebec, former paralympian Chantal Petitclerc, owns property in the division she was selected to represent. He also declined to say which senatorial division she will represent. Labelle told HuffPost she wasnt sure if any of the five potential appointees from Quebec had property in any of the vacant Senate districts. Even with the two new senators, there will still be four vacancies in Quebec. All of Trudeau's picks for the upper chamber came from the independent advisory panel's shortlist. (Photo: Getty Images) Two weeks ago, Trudeau announced he was recommending Pratte, Petitclerc and five other individuals from Manitoba and Ontario to fill vacancies in the upper chamber. Advertisement All the people Trudeau named were on the recommendation panels shortlist, Labelle said. They were all recommended by various organizations, had three references and each answered questions about what they thought they could accomplish in the Senate. A report outlining how the process worked and how many applications were received from organizations nominating individuals will soon be released to the public, she said. Rules surrounding the next phase of the appointment process including how individuals can nominate themselves will also be released later this spring. Also on HuffPost Rene Johnston via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - MAR 24. Protesters ready for the verdict at the back door. Ghomeshi verdict. Cleared of all charges. Marie Henein, defence attorney for former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi was successful in this high profile case. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images) It's been estimated that one in four North American women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. In Canada alone, approximately 460,000 sexual assaults occur every year. Yet, for every 1,000 incidents of sexual assault, only 33 are ever reported to the police, which many would agree is a startlingly low number. Even more disturbing is that only three cases ever result in a conviction. This means that, for every 1,000 sexual assault cases, 997 assailants are acquitted and allowed to walk freely out the courtroom. Advertisement There was a powerful piece of reporting done by 680 News in Toronto, in which Crown attorneys were anonymously asked to describe what they consider to be their "ideal" sexual assault complainant in order to help them secure a conviction. Their responses left me disheartened and in tears: "She needs to have serious injuries, running into the street, naked, yelling 'I've been raped!'" "She has to be a virgin, with no sexual history." (This, despite Canada's strict rape shield law -- an amendment to our Criminal Code enacted in 1992, which bans calling into testimony a woman's sexual history as a way to disprove her trustworthiness). "She has to bawl her eyes out on the stand. But not too much, or else she seems unstable." "She has to have no past history of anxiety or depression." It's been a rough week for many Canadian sexual assault survivors. Pick up any newspaper or browse your social media feed, and you will be inundated with a barrage of opinions from armchair legal experts weighing in on Judge William Horkins' verdict. Advertisement I will admit that I was glued to my Twitter feed during most of the Ghomeshi trial, swept up in the #BeenRapedNeverReported, #WeBelieveSurvivors and #BeyondGhomeshi hashtags. That last hashtag in particular is an interesting one, as I'm hoping that it will help elevate this important national conversation to one that can reach our lawmakers, police officers, educators, politicians, voters and parents. Both male and female. So, basically, all of us. Because this conversation is more important than Ghomeshi. It's beyond the Dalhousie University Dentistry scandal. It's beyond Lucy DeCoutere and her fellow two complainants. How many Rehtaeh Parsons tragedies do we need before we begin doing the important work of looking at our flawed sexual assault reporting processes? What will it take for us to begin making the grassroots changes from within to once and for all end this rape culture mindset that seems to permeate our day to day lives? How many Ghomeshis, Cosbys, Dr. Lukes, Cee Lo Greens, Kobe Bryants, Sean Penns, Roman Polanskis, Woody Allens and Pee Wee Hermans does it take? "My conclusion that the evidence in this case raises a reasonable doubt is not the same as deciding in any positive way that these events never happened," Judge Horkins said when delivering his verdict. Advertisement He made this statement after having systematically eviscerated the credibility of all three complainants over the course of about 75 minutes. He said this to cap off a trial during which the complainants were made to feel like "sacrificial lambs" throughout the brutal, though expert, cross-examinations at the hands of Marie Henein, to the point where they needed to rely on "Zoplicone smoothies" to be able to get much-needed sleep following their testimony. As Witness #1 astutely lamented during her Chatelaine interview: "It's not fair that someone gets assaulted, and has to go to court and get assaulted again. Why can't it be adults in a room, fact-finding and looking for truth?" Is it any wonder that only one to two per cent of "date rape" sexual assaults in Canada are ever reported to the police? I don't pretend to have the solutions to this #BeyondGhomeshi hairball, so I will leave the armchair legal debates and reforms to those more knowledgeable about the nuances of Canada's Criminal Code. But here's what I do know, based on the counselling work that I do with the countless female clients I see who agonize over the sexual traumas they've lived through. I know that it's not uncommon for one in four women to be sexually assaulted sometime in her life. Advertisement I know that despite Bill C-127, which came into effect in 1983 and made sexual assault against one's wife an offence, half of all sexual offenders are married or in long-term relationships with their victims. I know that 80 per cent of sexual assaults occur in the home, not in a dark alley in the middle of night as most mothers worry. I also know that 80 per cent of assailants are friends or family with their victims. In fact, this is quite possibly the most common theme I see with the majority of my clients; it's not "stranger-danger" who assaulted them, but usually a friend, family member, colleague or intimate partner who chose to ignore the fact that the women never consented to the sexual acts. Here's what else I know for sure, and this is especially for those of you reading this who cannot understand why more women don't report: sexual assaults are serious traumas that leave lasting psychological, emotional and/or physical scars. There is no one common reaction to sexual assaults. Survivors' behaviours following such traumatic events can vary from minimizing the incident and pretending everything is fine (e.g. kissing and cuddling in the park, or writing gushing love letters, as DeCoutere did following the assault); to suppressing the incident altogether, essentially blocking it from your memory; to blaming yourself, somehow, in an attempt to rationalize the trauma. Advertisement It is not unusual in my caseload to see women, years after the fact, still believing they were somehow responsible for the incident. "I had had too much to drink, Sandy." "I had been mildly flirting with him earlier, Sandy." "I smoked a joint with him and got so high that I passed out, and woke up the next morning naked and with no memory of what happened." I once worked with a client who had made herself believe that her date rape meant that she had cheated on her long-term boyfriend. She not only was reeling from the trauma of the long-ago rape, but faced the subsequent unravelling of her most important adult relationship. Some of us seem to be so quick to judge women for not stepping forward and reporting their assaults in a timely manner, yet we discount the fact that, for many of these women, their automatic coping mechanism has been to suppress or even deny their traumas had ever happened. And it's only many years later, when they are sitting in their psychotherapist's office, dealing with severe anxiety or debilitating depression, or trying to overcome somatic body memories such as chronic migraines, stomach aches or sleep disorders, when the truth of their traumatic personal history comes out, layer by layer. Advertisement The truth always eventually comes out. The outcome of the Ghomeshi trial was not a surprising one to me, given our current legal system. We appear to have a strong legal system, but our justice system seems genuinely flawed when even the presiding judge admits that his verdict doesn't necessarily imply that the assaults at hand never took place. As disheartening as it was to observe the disaster that was the Crown's case against Mr. Ghomeshi, I was heartened to see a couple of leading politicians speak out in support of the #WeBelieveSurvivors campaign, calling for changes to our current processes. Mr. Mulcair, I particularly tip my hat to you for boldly embodying your opponent's "Because it's 2016" ethos. I do, however, question why Canada's PM and avowed feminist was noticeably silent on this matter. I am no politician. Nor am I a lawyer or judge, relying on dated criminal processes. I am, however, a woman. I am a feminist. I am a counsellor. I believe survivors. Cartoons: courtesy of Michaeal De Adder. Used with permission. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook MORE ON HUFFPOST: The latest UK Airprox Board investigations into aircraft near misses in UK airspace have again contained a number of cases involving drones, which continues to highlight the major concern surrounding drones to the safety of manned aircraft. With the addition of these latest Airprox Board investigations there had been a total of 28 reported near misses between drones and manned aircraft for 2015. Of these 28 near misses 13 were rated by the investigators as Category A incidents, the highest level of risk category. To put these 28 near misses into context, the Airprox Board have in their near miss investigations for 2015 reviewed a total of 197 cases involving all aircraft. In all of the 28 drone related cases, the drone pilot could not be identified, and therefore not a single prosecution has been brought relating to these incidents. Outside of the identified near miss situations, the Civil Aviation Authority and the regional Police forces in the UK have been receiving increasing numbers of drone related complaints. However, further highlighting the challenges involved in identifying those flying drones where they are being misused, there were only 3 reported convictions of drone pilots in 2015 in the UK. Advertisement In the United States, the aviation regulatory body, the FAA, have been reporting hundreds of near misses between drones and manned aircraft per month, heightening the overall fears surrounding drone activity in the U.S. The extent of the problem has however been challenged by the Academy of Model Aeronautics, who in analysing the data produced by the FAA, believe that the true number of actual near misses to be far smaller, with the bulk of the cases actually being reports of sightings of drones in general, unrelated to near miss situations. A central fear surrounding drones flying in proximity to manned aircraft are that they may be sucked into a plane's engine leading in a worst case scenario to the plane being brought down. Of course the natural phenomenon of birds flying in conflict with aircrafts has always been a safety concern. New research carried out by Eli Dourado and Samuel Hammond at the George Mason University has via their investigation of the official data of bird strikes on planes in U.S. airspace sought to provide a statistical analysis of the potential level of risk posed by drones weighing up to 2 kg have for manned aircraft. Whilst the researchers recognised that their work in using bird strikes on aircraft does obviously have some potential weaknesses, such as the composition of birds in contrast to drones, they found that within the parameters of their study there was given the 1 million drones being flown in the United States, a likelihood of a damaging drone strike on a manned aircraft occurring no more than every 1.87 million years of 2kg drone flight time. Furthermore, they estimated that where a collision occurs, actual injury or death to someone aboard the manned aircraft would happen once every 187 million years of operation. This they concluded was an acceptable level of risk. If Dourado and Hammond are correct, and of course there needs to be definitive research carried out utilising simulated situations where drones are flown into aircraft engines in order to further help in such an assessment, then as regards the safety of manned aircraft, at present it might be argued that a greater potential hazard which appears far less reported on than drones, has been the proliferation of laser pen shining incidents, where powerful laser beams have been shone onto aircraft, potentially blinding pilots. The official data from the CAA shows that for 2015, up to the end of September 2015, there were a total of 882 reported laser incidents. Advertisement As regards the regulatory criteria, Air Navigation Order (ANO) Article 222 provides that a person must not shine a light on an aircraft in flight that may dazzle or distract the pilot. Added to this Article, ANO Article 137 further provides that a person must not recklessly endanger an aircraft. In October 2015, a Cardiff man was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for shining a green laser at 3 aircraft and a police helicopter that endangered the aircraft. The following month in November, a British Airways pilot had his retina damaged when a laser was shone at him whilst landing his plane at Heathrow. The General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association, Jim McAuslan, has called for laser pens to be reclassified as offensive weapons. Lasers of course are used in many ways, and it has been reported that the United States are developing a drone weapon that will possess a laser powerful enough to shoot down missiles. Previous attempts by the U.S. military to develop such a weapon for use via a manned aircraft ended in failure. However, the notion of incorporating a laser within the payload of a drone raises the serious question of how long it may be before we hear reports of lasers being shone at civil aircraft from drones? The linkage of lasers and drones would appear to significantly raise the potential overall threat level to manned aircraft. There can be no doubt that it takes limited technical skill to attach a workable laser to a drone as can be easily seen on YouTube. Bloomberg via Getty Images Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's Cabinet secretary, speaks during the Bloomberg Summit in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. Falling economic growth raises budget hurdles for the government, Sinodinos said in a speech at the summit. Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images The federal opposition says Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is protecting his "numbers man" by refusing to stand down embattled senior minister Arthur Sinodinos amid allegations of electoral law breaches. Speaking on Saturday, deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek urged Turnbull to show leadership on the issue and stop pandering to the Liberal Party's right wing. Advertisement "The previous PM, Mr Abbott, was prepared to stand Senator Sinodinos aside while this matter or similar matters were investigated," Plibersek told reporters in Sydney. Claims that @LiberalAus donors were allegedly approached about "chipping in" to by a house for @A_Sinodinos#9Todayhttps://t.co/C5TZncTx7l The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 25, 2016 "And you have to ask yourself why Mr Turnbull is less willing to act than Mr Abbott was. The only possible conclusion is that the PM, Mr Turnbull, needs to protect his numbers man in the face of a resurgent right wing of the Liberal Party." The comments come after the New South Wales Electoral Commission alleged the NSW Liberal Party branch deliberately hid the identities of major donors to the 2011 state election campaign. Advertisement Labor has previously called on the PM to stand down Sinodinos because he was the NSW Liberals' finance director and treasurer at the time. Turnbull has said that Sinodinos refutes the allegations. Plibersek said there were many issues that Sinodinos needed to address about his time at the senior Liberal post. "I think there's certainly questions around the individual role that Senator Sinodinos has played as the treasurer and finance director of the NSW branch of the Liberal Party while illegal donations were being channelled through the Free Enterprise Foundation," she said. "There are questions around Senator Sinodinos' individual behaviour, there are certainly questions about the NSW branch of the Liberal Party." Wow. Senator Arthur Sinodinos has released a seven page letter through his lawyers on Good Friday at 10pm... pic.twitter.com/f9aQYtmAYi Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) March 25, 2016 Advertisement Brussels Airport (Photo: NDTV) The ISIS terrorists attack again with impunity, killing innocent people minding their own business. These barbaric killers who commit these horrendous atrocities in the name of religion have no respect for human life. This time the target was Brussels, the heart of the European Union, frequented by people of many national origins. Although ISIS killers have murdered thousands of Yazidis, Arab Christians and Muslims who reject their murderous ways, the suicide bombings in Brussels were an attack on the world. What happened on Tuesday March 22nd was a coordinated multiple attack taking the lives of 31 people and injuring scores more. As expected, the condemnation, shock and horror expressed swiftly came from around the globe from ordinary people and leaders from all walks of life and religious affiliation. But, also as expected, there were outlandish statements by demagogic politicians to score short term political gains. The US presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, gleefully said I told you so and renewed his earlier call to ban Muslims from entering the US. I am not sure how he knew that Brussels would be attacked and why he did not share that information with law enforcement! Terrorist Organization Features Trump in Recruiting Video (photo: Inquister.com) Not to be outdone, another presidential aspirant, Ted Cruz, called for police to patrol Muslim neighborhoods in the US. This is not only outrageous, but it shows Mr. Cruz's total lack of understanding of American Muslims. Unlike France in particular and Belgium where the majority of Muslims live in separate areas outside the cities, American Muslims are well integrated and live mixed in with everyone else. There may be some cities like Dearborn, Michigan where the concentration of Muslims is higher. Advertisement Ted Cruz: Empower Law Enforcement to Patrol Muslim Neighborhoods. We have seen and will continue to see terroristic acts by the sympathizers of ISIS like the San Bernardino attack which claimed the lives of 14 people and injured 22 others. The so called threat from Islamic extremists is mostly by individuals and is not community based. However, the despicable rhetoric by the demagogues like Trump and Cruz could conceivably create more ISIS type sympathizers. This is exactly what terrorist groups like ISIS want. They use these general inflammatory statements coming from our leaders as recruiting tools, telling the vulnerable that the West is against you, and that you must strike back if you want to be somebody. Despite the attacks of 9/11, Boston and San Bernardino, US Muslims are loyal, educated and productive members of society. The US has always been a country which has offered people hope and this powerful idea is behind the success of many immigrant groups, including Muslims. By the way, Islam is a religion spanning the world. Its adherents come in all colors, from different ethnic backgrounds, speak different languages, and so on. It is impossible to identify an individual or a group by one attribute. Islam like Christianity, Judaism, and other world religions, only provides one attribute which is insufficient for the definition of a human being. Immigration of North African Muslims to France and Belgium was a result of colonialism. Germany on the other hand initially brought in Turks as guest workers to rebuild the country in the aftermath of World War 2. Muslims like other groups came to the US because they believed in the ideals of this country and not because of some past baggage or specific need. That is why theirs is a success story unlike what is going on in France and Belgium. While no act of terrorism is justifiable, people who live in the margins of society plagued by crime, with no hope of getting out, are the ideal target by ISIS. The majority of these first generation immigrants who settled in France, Belgium and Germany were mostly illiterate peasants. They were therefore content to do the back breaking jobs of cleaning up the streets, picking up garbage, working as laborers in construction, and so on. But the situation is very different for the second and third generations. These young people, in the age of social media, are stuck in a life of hopelessness in the banlieues (suburbs) such as Sevran north of Paris and ghettos like Molenbeek in Brussels. Of course not all will succumb to the false advertisement of ISIS, but only a handful is sufficient to cause such carnage as just happened in Brussels Advertisement Banlieue of Sevran (Photo: www.lejdd.fr) "Syria's future is in the hands of those who must demand the rule of law and accountability for mass graves still consuming today's innocents." (Official photo of Tomasica mass graves) The U.S. government has issued a statement accusing ISIS of genocide, which coincides with the guilty verdict for the leader of another "Joint Criminal Enterprise" by an international tribunal, (ICTY). If the judgment of Radovan Karadzic, "President of Republika Srpska," will have precedent, then the urgent question is not about the culpability of an individual but to what degree such has effect on the consequences of the crime for which convicted, the remedies available to victims, and indeed the very capacity of the Joint Criminal Enterprise to survive and perpetuate beyond the assignment of guilt for its leader(s). ISIS has similarly been defined as a Joint Criminal Enterprise and beyond the promise of punishment of its leader(s), what are the consequences now in confronting the criminal deeds and what measures will be undertaken to remedy the ethnic cleansing of Christian, Yazidi, Shia Muslim, Turkmen and other minorities who have been targeted and/or resisted ISIS's reign of terror in Iraq and Syria? The "Genocide Convention," to which the U.S. is party, carries with it the affirmative obligation to confront the crime while still ongoing and not just to punish the perpetrators after the fact. Without remedying the consequences of the crime, can we conclude that the rule of law has prevailed or justice served, particularly if the Joint Criminal Enterprise, (JCE), survives or perhaps is even given legitimacy? Advertisement Obligation to Actively Confront Genocide, Particularly the Veto 5 on Security Council and WITHOUT EQUIVOCATION: During the genocide committed against Bosniaks -- Bosnian Muslims -- over two decades earlier, the UN Security Council obfuscated and delayed in order to deflect its obligations and avoid action, particularly those who are vested with privilege and responsibilities of being veto-wielding UN Security Council members. Instead of simply employing the term "genocide" to describe the plan and deeds of the perpetrators, the veto powers imposed semantics as "acts of genocide" or "ethnic cleansing" thus implicitly drawing a distinction and presumably relieving themselves of the obligation to confront. Washington was perhaps more sympathetic toward the Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat (Catholic) and "the other" victims but unfortunately still evasive in directly confronting the crimes. Those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes as General Ratko Mladic, Serbia's despot Slobodan Milosevic, as well as the now convicted "President" of the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska continued to be characterized as negotiating partners. This resulted in a flawed Dayton Accords which still reflects the fruits, divisions and spirit of genocide. Worse, it arguably encouraged perpetrators to commit the Srebrenica genocide, years into the conflict after women, men and children were systematically murdered in the first few months from multiple ethnically diverse cities as Foca and Prijedor. Those responsible for the ethnic cleansing have perpetuated a scheme of ethnic/religious delineations including renaming ethnically cleansed towns and denying the crimes. Most recently, the current "President" of Republika Srpska, (now a legitimized entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina), dedicated a student dormitory to be named "Radovan Karadzic" even as the international tribunal was convicting the first "President" of RS for genocide, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity. What lessons are to be drawn by would-be despots and bosses of other JCE's as well as future students housed in the "Radovan Karadzic Dormitory"? Advertisement Dodik at dedication "Radovan Karadzic Student Dormitory" Putin's Moscow has aligned itself with Republika Srpska, in spirit and deed. Mercenaries from the war 20 years earlier have joined Putin's war in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. The conflict, more accurately the ethnic cleansing, have been employed as inspiration and model for its own adventurism. From the self-proclaimed ISIS Caliphate leader al-Baghdadi to lesser recognized JCE bosses to Vladimir Putin, wrapping oneself in religious and/or nationalist rhetoric has become the avenue for legitimizing the JCE and rationalizing its crimes by theology, ideology, fear and/or warped morality. The failures of some previous government and even bigotry of some its political leaders has fed the counter narrative of the inevitability of religious and ethnic conflict. (See: "Dayton Accords Defined the Past not the Future?") ISIS employs the Bosnia genocide to attract disaffected and isolated Muslim recruits from western democracies. As with other JCE's, revenge and strict obedience are espoused as pillars of its shrine. al-Baghdadi "Leader of ISIS Joint Criminal Enterprise" The new Europe is no longer defined by its original inspiration, indeed necessity: to minimize borders between states and peoples as means to douse the embers of centuries old rivalries and conflicts. Ethnicity and religion are employed as foundation for an ever more divided Europe by aspiring populist bosses seeking political legitimacy, whether Ukraine or western Europe, (See: "Construction According to Putin's Model,") or perhaps even in the US. "Never Again" as Commitment to Act and not Mere Rhetoric? As then agent of Bosnia and Herzegovina before the International Court of Justice in its genocide case versus Milosevic and the government in Belgrade, I have personal responsibility to seek justice for Bosnian victims but also press the international community to act in any ongoing grave violations of international humanitarian law, whether Ogaden, Ukraine, Myanmar and Syria/Iraq. The Genocide Convention was adopted in the aftermath of the Holocaust and other grave crimes committed during WWII. BiH, as well as I in my duties on behalf of victims, had the support of those representing peoples previously victimized, including the activists from "Jews Against Genocide." They intended to translate "never again" from a historic meaning to an active commitment and call to action on behalf of all victims. Their example has only re-enforced the commitment of most Bosnians to speak and act in the face of similar crimes and their perpetrators. The leadership of the BiH Islamic community is particularly welcome, not only because it has buried and comforted so many victims, but because Muslims must speak out against those would hijack their religion for intolerance, authoritarianism and an assault upon diversity. (See: "Bosnia's Muslim Community Urges Safety and Release of Hostages") When Washington and European politicians speak of partnering with other Muslims to counter ISIS, BiH has both the unfortunate experience of being the victim of genocide and being a historical model of diversity. Crimes Demand Remedies for Victims and not Just Punishment for Perpetrators! The crimes committed by the JCE advanced by Karadzic and his cohorts reminds very much of the grave violations of international humanitarian law now committed by ISIS. As the International Tribunal (ICTY) summarizes in convicting Karadzic: The Chamber found that Karadzic committed these crimes through his participation in four joint criminal enterprises (JCE). The Overarching JCE, which existed between October 1991 and November 1995, included a common plan to permanently remove Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory through the commission of crimes in municipalities throughout BiH (Municipalities). The Chamber found that a vast number of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats in the Municipalities were forcibly displaced from their homes by Serb Forces. Other victims were arrested, detained in detention facilities, often under inhumane living conditions, subjected to torture, beatings, rape and other acts of sexual violence, and then transported out of the Municipalities. Serb Forces also killed many Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during and after the take-over of the Municipalities, in mass executions or following attacks on non-Serb villages. (See: "Tribunal Convicts Radovan Karadzic for Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina") Washington's now designation of ISIS as being culpable for mass rape and efforts to eliminate a defined group from its homes, as was the case in BiH, also constitutes genocide as referenced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in his more substantive statement: "One element of genocide is the intent to destroy an ethnic or religious group, in whole or in part... The U.S. has vowed to deliver the evidence as well as perpetrators to the "competent court or tribunal." (See: US State Dept. "Remarks on Daesh and Genocide") Advertisement As a signatory to the Rome Statute, I would urge that trial(s) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) would best serve the interests of justice, the rule of law, victims and delivering an impartial judgment based on shared our shared values and civilization. There are also several other questions though that should be raised beyond this immediate first step: 1. Will the U.S. and international community take further actions not only to "defeat Daesh" but also protect the targeted communities? 2. What efforts by the U.S. to urge the UN Security Council to formally refer the conflict(s) in Syria and Iraq to the ICC? 3. Will the U.S. advance to become member of the ICC, and thus give further credence to calls for the rule of law? 4. The Assad regime and potentially others (including Putin's military forces) within Syria culpable for grave violations of international humanitarian law are no less deserving of investigation and prosecution for such crimes -- what accountability there or will the Assad regime in effect be reconfirmed by expediency through the rationale of gaining a signature on a presumed peace accord? Advertisement 5. Most critically, will the victims of ISIS be enabled to return to their ancestral homes or will the fruits of the crime be allowed to root them out, something that unfortunately still haunts Bosnia? This also helps address the refugee flow that now overwhelms Europe. Contrary to the despair or cynicism that the experience of the Bosnia genocide may nurture, we have to be even more resolute in the face of today's crimes and the omnipresent indifference or rationalizations. Some Serbian political leaders have sought to explain the conviction of Karadzic by accusing the ICTY of bias against Serbs. While the Tribunal has not been always to the satisfaction of Bosnians, it is probably more accurate to suggest that as a whole bias has been a more negative factor against Muslims including European Muslims, as well as the failures to respond in timely and adequate manner to the genocide committed upon the Bosnians. Regardless, our courage and character is best realized when we do not shrink from the truth of what smears our identity but rather confront it. The presumed injustices, current or historical, done to Muslims can in no way justify or mitigate the crimes committed by ISIS. We honor the Serbs (Christians), Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists who seek to root out the evil committed in their name. The conviction of Karadzic was not a judgment upon Serbs as the indictment of ISIS is not of Muslims. Perhaps though there is now a clearer legal and ethical pronouncement on the past compromises of western democracies and the international community with something that is now both defined and convicted as a "Joint Criminal Enterprise." There is also an ever greater responsibility, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. when a JCE hijacks our religions or usurps the narrative of patriotism and commits such grave crimes in our name. They seek to make us by our identity complicit in their crimes, and we must ask if our silence or failure to challenge is an acquiescence and a stain? @MuhamedSacirbey Image: Ukraine. Stock Photo. Pixabay.com One of the tragedies of living in a country that is both a dictatorship and a hotbed of corruption is that many people never get a chance to realize their potential, even with top educations and skills. That's because a relative handful of the elite in such countries skim off much of the wealth, leaving the 95 percent of ordinary citizens fighting for the crumbs. One of the prime examples of this is the former Soviet Union since the fall of the Communist system 2.5 decades ago. Advertisement And a key measure of the tragedy is the brain drain that's been occurring in most nations in the region since 1991. Most of those hoping that their leaders would embrace democracy so they would have more opportunity have had those hopes dashed. Several countries have become outright dictatorships. Examples are Kazakhstan, where Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled since the fall of the USSR, and Uzbekistan, where Islam Karimov has been the only ruler. Both men have used their power to swallow chunks of entire industries, making them and their families rich. Advertisement Other countries in the region have pointed to their leadership turnover to contend they are democracies. These include Ukraine, Russia and Armenia. In reality what is happening is not democracy, but just one autocrat being exchanged for another. Corruption goes hand in hand with autocracy, of course. If you hold unlimited power, you can steal your country blind. In fact, this practice is so common that a word has been coined to describe it -- kleptocracy, or rule by thieves. Ukraine has had a series of kleptocrats, starting with Leonid Kuchma and ending with the now-deposed Viktor Yanukovych. Because Vladimir Putin can tap as much of Russia's wealth as he wants, a number of international economists have labeled him the world's richest man, with a fortune three or four times larger than Bill Gates'. Advertisement Like Russia and Ukraine, Armenia has had changes of leadership since independence. Each new leader has used his position not to help the public but to increase his personal fortune, however. Armenia remains one of the poorest countries in the region, with most people just scraping by. By syphoning off a lot of a country's wealth, kleptocrats rob the rank and file of opportunities to make their lives better. A much publicized example was the governor of Odessa Province in Ukraine demanding a huge bribe a few years ago before he would allow the Scandinavian furniture company Ikea to open a facility in the region. Ikea, which has a policy of not paying bribes, said no. It also noted that the bribe demand was so large -- tens of millions of dollars -- that if it had paid it, it would have made no profit in Ukraine for years. The big losers in the Ikea story were Odessa-region residents who were denied hundreds of jobs with the company. Advertisement The kleptocracies in Ukraine, Russia and Armenia have led to millions of people leaving their homelands for opportunities elsewhere. Many have been skilled professionals, including scientists, mathematicians and computer experts -- the kind of brain drain no country can afford. There have been several waves of Russian emigration since 1991, with surges coming during economic crises and in response to increases in political oppression and the leadership vacuuming up more of the country's wealth. About 3 million Russians left in the decade from 2005 to 2015, estimates Lev Gudkov, director of the independent Levada Center polling agency in Moscow. They included many entrepreneurs -- people capable of building businesses and thus creating jobs -- who were fed up with corruption, red tape and crooked courts. Advertisement One of the surges in Russian emigration came after Putin was re-elected president in 2012. More than 53,000 Russian professionals left for the United States, Germany, Israel and other countries in 2014 -- the highest figure in nine years, Bloomberg reported. "More than 90 percent of those (Russians) who now come to us for help obtaining Israeli citizenship are successful, wealthy people," Eli Gervitz, a Tel Aviv lawyer who helps Russian Jews obtain Israeli citizenship, told Bloomberg. Ukraine's brain drain has been steady because its economy has bumped along without the intermittent flashes of economic success Russia has had. The Maidan protests in 2014 that ousted the biggest kleptocrat the country has ever had -- Yanukovych -- have failed to live up to their supporters' hopes for a less corrupt society and more opportunity for the little guy. Proof of that are two recent political developments that show little has changed in Ukraine. One is that Viktor Shokin remains prosecutor general despite public howls about his refusal to bring corruption charges against a number of current and former officials. Advertisement Another is Poroshenko's apparent decision to name a crony -- Volodymyr Groysman -- as prime minister, instead of a Ukrainian American, Natalia Yaresko, whom many consider the one leader who would mount a charge against corruption. Armenia is the former Soviet country with the worst brain drain as measured by emigrants as a percentage of the population. In 1991, when it became independent, it had 3.5 million people. It now has fewer than 2.5 million, demographers say. The majority of the emigrants have been laborers, construction people and others in trades work. But many are academics, technicians and other professionals who lacked opportunities at home. Armenia's national ombudsman, Larisa Alaverdyan, hinted at corruption's role in the process in noting that the way to stop the brain drain was for politicians to work with civil society on the roots of the problem. Advertisement How long it will take for democracy, with its better opportunity for the little guy, to take hold in the former Soviet Union, is anybody's guess. But one thing's for sure: As long as autocrats and corruption rule the roost, the region's brain drain will continue. DANE, WI - MARCH 24: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to workers at Dane Manufacturing during a campaign stop on March 24, 2016 in Dane, Wisconsin. Wisconsin voters go to the polls for the state's primary on April 5. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) That really should be "Copulating Rodents, Batman!" for full effect. Or it should just come right out and use the original term being euphemized. But somehow we couldn't quite bring ourselves to use either one of those in our title today. Confused? Join the club. The Republican presidential nomination race has previously devolved to the level of an elementary school playground (penis-measuring in a national debate), and has now risen to at least high school (if not a college frat house) with the vicious battle going on between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz over who can insult each other's wives the most. This morning, "the beans" may have actually been spilled, as the National Enquirer is now reporting not on Ted Cruz's wife, but instead on his (alleged) five girlfriends. I'd say "we're down the rabbit hole now, folks," but there is in fact a better rodent-based metaphor, from the dim and distant past. Here is the full explanation, from Cruz himself: Advertisement It is a story that quoted one source on the record: Roger Stone, Donald Trump's chief political adviser. It is attacking my family. And what is striking is Donald's henchman, Roger Stone, had for months been foreshadowing that this attack was coming. It's not surprising that Donald's tweet occurs the day before the attack comes out. And I would note that Mr. Stone is a man who has 50 years of dirty tricks behind him. He's a man for whom a term was coined for copulating with a rodent. Well, let me be clear: Donald Trump may be a rat, but I have no desire to copulate with him. The Washington Post article then helpfully explains: "The copulation reference was to a term coined to describe Stone and other political allies of Richard Nixon who spread rumors and foiled the campaign events of rivals." Another of these Nixon allies was none other than Karl Rove, a man George W. Bush called "turd blossom." But let's not get distracted. Back to the term in question, which is (warning -- avert your eyes if you are easily offended): "ratfucking." Originally the term had nothing to do with rodents, as the "rat" was short for "rations" -- it was a military term to describe soldiers who would comb though the rations packages and steal all the good stuff while leaving the less-tasty stuff behind for everyone else. But a rat is a rat, in the world of politics. And here is where we find ourselves, in the historic (or perhaps "infamous" will be more popular for future historians) election season of 2016. Call it the pest-control election, and you won't be far from the reality. Spring has sprung, so maybe it's just sex scandal season. We say this because the Republican governor of Alabama also seems to be in some mighty hot water. There's even an audio tape of him talking dirty to a woman who is not his wife, if the Cruz-Trump dustup isn't juicy enough for you. Advertisement Back out on the presidential campaign trail, we had another Tuesday night of watching the returns come in. Arizona had some pretty massive problems, which might just have been caused (ya think?) by the Republican official who decided shutting down 70 percent of the voting sites would make everything run smoothly. Trump and Cruz both took a state, winning every single delegate. But Trump emerged with a larger delegate lead than he had heading into the night. A few more nights like this one and maybe the Republicans will stop having feverish dreams of an open convention -- especially if the Cruz rumors continue to fly. It'll be interesting to see, in all of this, what the establishment Republicans are going to do. Last week, before the National Enquirer (who, it must be said, broke the very true John Edwards sex scandal, a while back) ran the Cruz girlfriends story, the establishment types had closed ranks behind Cruz. From Mitt Romney to Jeb Bush to Lindsey Graham, all were begging the voters to vote for Cruz, even if they found him to be as repulsive as the establishment GOP used to, one week earlier. The endorsements were so halfhearted, in fact, some started calling them "endursements" (because they must be endured by the giver). Big GOP donors are now quietly putting money into an attempt to salvage their down-ballot congressional races if Trump does become their party's nominee (the strategy is essentially: "How to distance yourself from your party's choice for president"). Look for this effort to pick up steam, now that Cruz is going to be answering tabloid questions for a while. The pro-Israel group AIPAC met last week, and all presidential candidates except Bernie Sanders spoke to them. Donald Trump gave a speech that was rather timid for him (he even read it off a TelePrompTer), but it so outraged some in the audience that AIPAC later had to apologize for even inviting him. On the Democratic side of the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders had a good night last Tuesday, taking two out of the three states that were voting (by almost 80 percent in both Idaho and Utah), and raking in a bigger haul of delegates than Hillary Clinton (who won Arizona). You might not have heard any of that (except for Hillary's win) in the mainstream media, who has apparently decided that Bernie is just not worth covering anymore, no matter what the voters have to say. Sanders may have another impressive night tomorrow, when Alaska, Hawai'i, and Washington all caucus. There's little polling to go by, but Bernie seems to have a good shot in all three. Advertisement Hillary Clinton just can't seem to do anything right, according to the folks at Fox News. After berating her for months for being too shrill and shouty, they were unimpressed by her big foreign policy speech at Stanford this week. Comments ranged from: "Did you notice that calm and collected tone of voice right there?" to: "She's a little too calm.... You see more passion from Democrats when they're attacking Republicans than when they're attacking the actual enemies of the United States." In other words, Hillary yells and screams too much, right up until she doesn't yell and scream enough, which are both to be condemned. With an incoherent media mouthpiece like this, it's no wonder the Republicans find themselves in the mess they're now wallowing in, is it? Paul Ryan made a speech, to impress all the sane people still clinging to the Republican Party (a number which seems to shrink almost daily), and also to try to distract people from the huge budget fight happening on his watch among House Republicans. He got up on his high horse to speak of all the messiness which regularly erupts from the mouth of Donald Trump (although Ryan refused to name him, so we guess it could equally apply to the messiness which Ted Cruz blurts forth, also on a regular basis). Politics, begged Ryan, should be above all this unseemliness. Things were so much nicer and better back when he first got involved with Congress, and we should return to those halcyon days. There's only one problem with all of this, and that is that it is complete and utter moose poop. Firstly, when Ryan first worked in Congress, none other than Newt Gingrich was busy leading his own revolution. Known publicly as a "bomb-thrower," Gingrich's style of politics was the precursor for Donald Trump's style. It might be put (in the most genteel way possible) as: "Take no prisoners!" The other problem is that, while Ryan did denounce his own framing of all of America as either "takers" or "makers," he forgot to mention the fact that for over seven years his own party -- aided and abetted by Ryan himself -- has dedicated itself to the absolute destruction of President Obama's agenda. Not just the opposition to everything Obama has wanted to do, but instead a policy of fearmongering and utter destruction. Need proof? How about all that high-minded fact-based opposition to the dreaded Obamacare? Remember all the sane and reasoned arguments Ryan and other polite Republicans put forth to oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? We don't. Instead, we remember idiotic dark fantasies about non-existent "death panels" and all the rest of the scaremongering. Advertisement To put this as politely as Ryan wants political discourse to be: "You cannot ignore everything your party has done to lead up to this point -- especially the fact that no matter how much you denounce Trumpism and Trump's tactics, you and almost all other Republicans are still going to back Trump if he wins your party's nomination." You can either denounce him, hold a moral position, and refuse to support him, or you can drown in the thick goo of your own naked hypocrisy. You simply can't have it both ways, Mister Speaker. In other non-campaign news, Republicans in North Carolina have now banned any local non-discrimination law which would get in the way of being able to discriminate against the people they don't like. Georgia is considering similar legislation. Seems that the lack of politeness has gone a bit beyond the presidential race -- maybe Paul Ryan will address this in an upcoming speech. Or something. Marijuana legalization got a big boost this week, from the Supreme Court (of all places). They tossed out a case where two states were suing the federal government to crack down on Colorado. Federal law is undoubtedly supposed to supercede state law, but the legalization experiment was instead given a big green light by the court. This could become an issue in November, because the next president will get to choose the next Attorney General, which will have a dramatic impact (one way or the other) on federal marijuana policy, going forward. This won't just be an issue in the four states which have already legalized recreational use (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Colorado), but will also be important in all the other states considering putting legalization on the ballot this year. Which brings us to a gem of a quote, to close on. This was actually from 1994, from a former member of the Nixon White House, John Ehrlichman. He summed up the reasons why Nixon ramped up the War On Drugs so much -- which should be a point of discussion now that we're beginning to dismantle this ugly legacy. The real reason for the War On Drugs? It's exactly as bad as you'd think, in Ehrlichman's own words: You want to know what this was really all about? The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black people, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did. Which is exactly what millions of hippies and black people have long suspected, in fact. Good to know it wasn't all just rampant paranoia, or anything. On that less-than-happy note, let's move along to this week's awards. There's a tight race happening for an open Senate seat from Maryland, and Donna Edwards is running a very impressive primary campaign against Chris Van Hollen. We must admit being impressed by Edwards the one time we got to hear her speak, and it seems like she's got EMILY's List in her corner, so this might be a race worth watching. There were two impressive Democrats last week in particular. On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders scored two victories to Hillary Clinton's one, which was impressive enough but what was even more impressive is that he picked up more delegates than her. You'd think this would be news, but it was virtually blacked out in the media the next day. Now, partly this was due to the fact that the Arizona returns came in a long time before the Utah and Idaho ones did, which meant the news of Bernie's wins missed the deadline for a lot of East Coast newspapers. But this doesn't fully explain the shoddy coverage. Take, for instance, the Washington Post political columnist Chris Cillizza, who regularly runs a "winners and losers" column after each primary election night. Cillizza not only didn't put Bernie in the "winners" department, he barely mentioned Bernie at all. That's a pretty inexcusable way to treat the candidate who won two states (to Hillary's one) by overwhelming margins, and who got more delegates than Hillary. Even having said all of that, we're only going to give Bernie an Honorable Mention this week. He'll no doubt be in the running for next week's MIDOTW award, especially if he (as expected) has another big night tomorrow (when Washington, Hawai'i, and Alaska Democrats caucus). Advertisement The reason why Sanders didn't win the big prize this week was because there was history being made by President Obama, in Cuba. For the first time in almost 90 years, an American president visited Cuba. That's a big deal. Cuba, right up until Obama took office, had become the last relic of the Cold War. Picture your refrigerator. In the freezer, if you cleared it out, you'd likely find a package of something in the back so ice-bound as to be immovable. That was America's Cuba policy, from President Kennedy all the way through Dubya's time in office. It was a solid block of ice, so covered with hoarfrost and rime that you'd need a chisel to even pull it out into the light of day. Obama has always wanted to be a transformative president, and on Cuba he certainly has lived up to this goal. He entirely deserved his visit to the island, after thawing the relationship that many (us included) thought would not unfreeze in our lifetimes. There is no sane reason for treating Cuba the way we have been, at least not after we normalized relations with communist China or communist Vietnam (a regime we actually lost a war to, mind you). America does business with all sorts of evil and totalitarian countries all over the planet, so why should Cuba be any different? Our embargo is nothing but a joke to the rest of the world, and it took Obama to realize that it simply was not working, after over a half a century of being ineffectual. Of course, two caveats apply. We've got a long way to go before the Cuban-American situation is truly thawed. The embargo still exists, as does the "wet foot/dry foot" immigration policy which automatically guarantees Cubans who manage to make it to our shores an immediate green card. Both are going to need to be revised, obviously. This work will remain for some future president to accomplish. But without Obama's initiative, we would never be at the point we are now. The second thing is that Obama's visit to Cuba was overshadowed by another incident of terrorism in Europe. The Belgian tragedy happened during Obama's trip, and while we do agree with the president's decision not to cancel the rest of his schedule, it did shift America's attention away from Cuba. Advertisement In the future, though, the juxtaposition of the two events will likely fade. What historians will remember is that "Obama opened Cuba," in much the same way they always say "only Nixon could go to China." For finally pulling the last vestige of the Cold War out of the deep-freeze and chucking the obviously outdated "total isolationism" Cuba policy on the refuse pile of history where it belongs, President Obama is clearly the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week. [Congratulate President Barack Obama on his White House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.] Bill Moyers wrote a column this week, outlining his top two choices of Democrats who should be so ashamed of themselves that they should just immediately resign. We've addressed both officeholders in previous columns' MDDOTW awards, though, so we merely mention his picks in passing. Bill Clinton got in a little hot water this week, for an off-the-cuff condemnation of Barack Obama's entire term in office -- which is not exactly the message his wife wants her campaign to portray. While Hillary has all but promised "four more years" of Obama policies, Bill had this to say out on the hustings (emphasis added): If you don't believe we're ever going to grow again, if you believe it's more important to re-litigate the past, there may be many reasons that you don't want to support [Hillary]. But if you believe we can all rise together, if you believe we've finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us and the seven years before that when we were practicing trickle-down economics and no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash, then you should vote for her because she's the only person who basically had good ideas, will tell you how she's going to pay for them, can be Commander-in-Chief and is a proven change-maker with Republicans and Democrats and Independents alike. The "awful legacy" of Barack Obama? Clinton later had to walk back and clarify what he meant to say, but it still earns him a (Dis-)Honorable Mention from us. We've also got a (Dis-)Honorable Mention on the other side of the Democratic race, as well. Senator Elizabeth Warren recently said, about Bernie Sanders's campaign: "He's out there. He fights from the heart. This is who Bernie is. He has put the right issues on the table both for the Democratic Party and for the country in general so I'm still cheering Bernie on." That's all fine and good, but these quotes were followed by the line: "Warren said she will make an endorsement in the 2016 race, but declined to make one Thursday." This can be read two ways. Either Warren is just holding back her endorsement until the nominee has wrapped up the primary season, or Warren is being coy and waiting for precisely the right moment to endorse Bernie. That moment, however, has long since passed. Bernie could have used a Warren endorsement, and the earlier it had been made the better. The prime time for Warren to have endorsed Bernie would have been just before Super Tuesday, in fact, when Hillary beat Bernie in Massachusetts by a little over one percent -- then it might have done him some good. It's been obvious since Warren herself declined to run that the closest Democratic candidate to her world-view was Bernie Sanders, but Warren continues to play it coy with her explicit endorsement. Unless she really means just to endorse "whichever Democrat wins the nomination," it is woefully late for Warren to make a primary endorsement. Not exactly a profile in courage, Senator. But this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week is the daughter of Illinois state representative Cynthia Soto. Jessica Soto was apparently putting up campaign signs for her mother outside her opponent's campaign office. Bob Zwolinski tried to stop her and her companion from doing so, and a verbal and physical confrontation followed. They beat Zwolinski "with a bottle and a metal object." He then posted a rather gruesome photo of his own face after the attack, which was not only swollen but actually had a metal staple (from a staple gun) stuck in his head. "Politics is a contact sport," he wrote. "Apparently that's literally the case." Advertisement Now, Jessica Solo and her companion deny the charges and say they were defending themselves. But they're the ones who now face three felony counts of aggravated battery, so we're going to go ahead and give Solo this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. In a campaign that has turned nasty and violent over on the Republican side, this is the last sort of thing Democrats need in the news. [Jessica Solo is a private citizen, and it is out blanket policy not to provide contact information for such persons, sorry.] Volume 384 (3/25/16) Before we get to the talking points, we have an interesting link for anyone who cares about Irish history. This weekend is the centennial of the "Easter Rising" of 1916, which was the biggest step towards Irish independence ever taken. The attempted revolution failed, in the end, but it directly led to the Republic of Ireland's independence from Great Britain, the most monumental political realignment that had happened on the island since 1690. Anyone interested in reading more about this story can check out this helpful guide in the Irish Times, which covers what took place one hundred years ago in Dublin. Back to the present, and American politics. We have a mixed bag of talking points this week. We'll begin with some nice things to say about President Obama, and we'll finish (as we often do) with some very snarky things to say about Republicans. And we promise, we won't even touch upon wives, girlfriends, or rodents copulating! How's that for fair? Winning the battle of public opinion This one should be used whenever any Republican sanctimoniously speaks of letting "the American people" have their say in Supreme Court nominations. Advertisement "Which 'American people' are you talking about, precisely? Because where I'm sitting, the American people have spoken twice -- by electing President Obama. As for current public opinion, CNN just released a poll showing that 64 percent of Americans -- that's two out of every three -- think that the Republicans in Congress should hold hearings on Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland. Over half of Americans think Garland should be confirmed, in fact. A full 57 percent think Obama should be the one to make this choice, not the next president. In fact, the only group surveyed without a majority in favor of Obama's nominee were Republicans. So let's be entirely clear, here -- what you're saying is that Republicans should get a chance to vote on the next Supreme Court justice. Be a little more precise in your phrasing -- because a clear majority of 'the American people' already think Garland should get not just hearings, but swift confirmation by the Senate. So stop acting like you're talking for them, please." Opening Cuba Again, this was a historic week. "This week, President Obama became the first United States president to visit Cuba in nine decades. For over half a century, it was completely unthinkable that any president would do so, because a policy from the depths of the Cold War kept us perpetually at arm's length from a country a mere 90 miles from Florida. Guess what? The Cold War is long over. We won. It's been over a quarter-century since the Berlin Wall came down, in fact, and almost as long since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Our Cuba embargo was a joke the rest of the world laughed at. Not even our closest allies agreed with it. Obama was the first president since John F. Kennedy to realize that our Cuban policy simply was not working and was long overdue for a change. A big part of Obama's foreign policy legacy will be the fact that he'll always be remembered as the president who opened Cuba back up." And the public agrees, once again Not everyone has noticed this, so it's worth pointing out. "Ever since the primary season began back in January, an interesting thing has been happening. As Americans listen to the Democratic candidates talk about expanding Obama's record as president, and as they watch the trainwreck of the Republican presidential campaign, President Obama's job approval numbers have been steadily climbing. Obama's got a higher job approval rate than he's had since the beginning of his second term, in fact. He now regularly polls above 50 percent approval. Perhaps it is because, stacked up next to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and the rest of the Republican field, Obama looks a wee bit more presidential. I think what's really going on is that the Republican campaign is reminding a whole lot of people why they voted for Obama in the first place." Advertisement Paul Ryan's amnesia This talking point is taken directly from a very good takedown article in Salon, which appeared after Paul Ryan made his plea for everyone to sit down and sing "Kumbaya" together. Seriously, his attempt to school Republicans on proper ways to conduct politics are pretty laughable, for those without amnesia. It's as if the past seven years didn't even exist, or something. Also worth pointing out is the fact that Ryan will still support Trump if he becomes the nominee, which pretty much destroys his "moral high road" posturing. It was perversely appropriate for Paul Ryan to deliver this speech, with those lines, on March 23: the six-year anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law. The Republican response to the A.C.A.'s passage has been to scare people -- you'll lose your coverage and then probably be murdered by the death panel -- and to oppose it without offering an alternative. There have been God knows how many votes to repeal or weaken the A.C.A. in Paul Ryan's House of Representatives over that six-year time period, but the number of legislative alternatives to Obamacare put forth by the GOP can be counted on zero fingers. The Republican policy during the Obama administration, on healthcare reform and pretty much every other issue area, has been to stoke fears and wring political benefit from unyielding opposition. Another crack in the wall We're up to three, and counting.... "I see that a third Republican senator has now called on their own leadership to do their jobs as laid out in the Constitution, and give Merrick Garland a proper hearing. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas now joins Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois in calling for the Senate to do its damn job. Both Kirk and Moran are up for re-election this year, but then so are a whole bunch of other Republican senators. Bet Moran won't be the last crack in the wall of GOP obstruction to appear. Because if Republicans follow through on their pledge to collect their paychecks without doing their constitutional duty, then Democrats are going to hit them hard over the issue, out on the campaign trail. You can take that to the bank, in fact." The fear spreads This is just too, too amusing. And it's only March! Imagine how much worse things are going to get down the road.... Advertisement "I find it interesting that already some big Republican donors are throwing their money behind an effort to salvage their party's chances in November's elections. They know full well that having Donald Trump at the top of their ticket (or Ted Cruz, for that matter), is going to be devastating for their down-ballot candidates. People are now openly talking about the possibility of not just seeing Republicans lose control in the Senate, but also for control of the House to possibly slip from their fingers. This is a truly stunning turn of events -- millions of dollars are already lining up to create Republican House and Senate campaigns which are centered around disavowing their own party's presidential nominee. They're trying to limit the damage that Trump or Cruz will do to the party as a whole, but this rear-guard action seems as doomed to fail as every other attempt to take down Trump. Still, the spectacle of the big money guys in the Republican Party lining up to denounce their own party's leader in the fall is really unprecedented." With friends like these... Ted Cruz is getting some awfully bizarre endorsements lately. Now, Ben Carson not showing much excitement for Ted Cruz is one thing (Carson doesn't show excitement about much of anything), but the real standout among recent Cruz endorsers is Lindsey Graham. Graham appeared on "The Daily Show" recently, and had these warm words for the man he has now endorsed for president. Graham, quite obviously, is stuck between a rock and a very hard place, when the best he can come up with is: I prefer John Kasich, but he has no chance.... [Ted Cruz] was my fifteenth choice, what can I say? ... He's not completely crazy. Chris Weigant blogs at: Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com The Korean Wave swept Asia a decade ago and put Seoul on the map as a cultural epicenter that no one had imagined was possible. But for all the success of the TV series about the palace kitchen Dae Jang Geum and Psy's "Gangnam Style" there is an increasing cultural entropy in Korea and commercialization of cultural contents that has undermined the cultural creativity that so many have held high expectations for. Jin Yong Lee is a young artist in Seoul who has actively set out to imagine a different potential in Korea and has pounded the pavement seeking out people who support his vision. He envisions a cultural metamorphosis that will shake Korea out of this torpid motif of rapid industrialization that dominates its received tradition. He has launched the Seoul Aesthetics Movement which aims to transform how the citizens of Seoul conceive of their city. Advertisement Jin Yong refers to himself as an "Imagineer" (Image + Pioneer), someone who wants to move beyond the limited concept of "branding" which dominates Korean thinking about Korea's cultural value. "Culture is about aesthetics, philosophy and literature, not 'branding' a soft drink. We need to create a transformative civilization, not a new commercial fad," Jin Yong explains. Jin Yong grew up in Korea, Taiwan and the United States and went on to study illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. He came back to Korea with a clear vision for what he wanted to achieve. His concept of a cultural renaissance in Korea dates back to his studies with art historian Pascale Rihouet and digital media critic Richard Gann. He came to see the nature of material culture as the determining factor in true innovation, as opposed to "innovation as a show." Jin Yong has taken the first steps towards realizing a cultural Renaissance in Korea that reinterprets traditional culture and combines it with the potential of emerging technologies to create a compelling paradigm shift. Jin Yong argues that Korea can become the center for a new civilization not because of its strengths in the automotive sector, or even its domination in popular music, but rather by affirming its traditional ethical values and aesthetics. He notes that Korea's tradition of "universal benefit" (hongik Ingan) and of the "compassionate intellectual" (seonbi) is something the world seeks desperately if we want to create a globalism that is not alienating, but rather promotes collaboration and cultural diversity. Advertisement Jin Yong explains, "Often Korean philosophy is overlooked by Koreans because it seems old fashioned. Koreans felt compelled to conform to international standards and downplay traditional culture. We Koreans have not lost our identity, but we have lost our confidence in Korean culture's universal value." I met Jin Yong Lee two years ago in Seoul and learned of his big plans to revive Korean culture. I immediately invited him to join the Asia Institute and to contribute to our artistic efforts. We launched together a project to promote Seoul's culture and encourage pride among citizens in the history and culture of neighborhoods. In fact, I wrote a book about the cultures of Seoul in which I stress the importance of neighborhood cultures. I previously designed a T-shirt and a mug cup with a logo for the city of Daejeon that drew its inspiration from the city's ecosystem. We decided to create a series of logos for neighborhoods in Seoul that play on cultural and historical themes. We have released so far three T-shirts for the public and we have plans for at least five more T-shirts in the near future. One T-shirt features "Seoul" in both Korean and Roman letters in a stylized form. There is also a T-shirt for Itaewon featuring Sam Jok-o, the three legged phoenix accompanied by the triskelion that is a universal symbol for balance and eternity, and a T-shirt for the Cheonggyecheon River which flows through downtown Seoul which uses traditional Korean color patterns. At the intersection of fashion and technology meets a new generation of fashion writers. Flipboard, the company that has revolutionized digital media, has partnered with the Academy of Art University's Fashion Journalism Program, becoming the first official platform for journalism students to present their work in a visually stunning and industry grade way; it's quality content presented in a beautiful magazine style format. The news and magazine application that's operable on a smartphone, tablet, and desktop will provide a visual voice for the students using cutting-edge digital and social media skills, quintessential to an increasingly image-driven culture. Digital magazines have an important place in the world of fashion and social media, says Mia Quagliarello, Head of Curation and Community at Flipboard. "They are an effortless and beautiful way to package and share classwork and social media activity, publicly or in private groups." Mia Quagliarello. Photography by Ashleigh Maule-Ffinch The natural progression of print to digital has allowed for the emergence of a creative online community that reaches increasingly diverse audiences. "With over 300 million Instagrammers and more than 1.5 billion active Facebook accounts, the market for quality visual content is exponential," says Stephan Rabimov, Director of Fashion Journalism. The Academy's Fashion Journalism magazine on Flipboard is a highly curated selection of the work of the academy's BA and MA fashion journalism students. Advertisement Quagliarello talks with the Academy about the rise of Flipboard's use in education, the key elements to starting your own magazine on the platform, and how they've managed to create such an incredible user growth on a global scale. Hint: It's as easy as 1-2-3! 1. What impact does the print magazine world have on Flipboard's app/desktop presentation philosophy and process? Every impact! Flipboard was 100% inspired by print magazines and the desire to bring print's immersive layouts, breathtaking typography, full-bleed photography, and deep journalistic expertise to mobile devices. We were even inspired by print's advertising--our business model is centered around bringing beautiful print-style advertisements to phones and tablets. You might read VOGUE as much for the ads as the stories, right? Well, it should be the same on digital. Flipboard is that place. Photo: Flipboard hall inspired by print magazines 2. How do you start a magazine on Flipboard? What element(s) is/are key? It's as easy as 1-2-3(4-5): 1.Pick five or more topics of interest - this is the first step to personalizing your Flipboard 2.Create an account 3.Connect Flipboard to your social networks - this part is optional, but things like tweets, Instagram pictures and Tumblr posts can be creative sources of content for your Flipboard Magazines Advertisement 4.Flip great stories: see the + button in the lower right corner on most items in Flipboard? Tap on that to flip an article, photo, video or SoundCloud item into your magazine. You can also install the "Flip it" button to your browser bar and add any Web page to your magazine. Get such curator tools here: about.flipboard.com/tools/ 5.Share with friends and followers. Now that you've packaged up all these fascinating stories, photos, videos and songs, share your Flipboard Magazine with the world via email, text and social media. 3. What are the main drivers of Flipboard's phenomenal user growth and success around the world? Word of mouth. As Apple's App of the Year in 2010, Flipboard got off to a rocket start and that buzz continues today, but driven more from sharing than just awareness. Now we find people don't just use Flipboard to read and connect with things they are interested in following, but also as a platform to share ideas--which continues the great word of mouth. Our fans, from tech enthusiasts to teachers, are our best evangelists. Be everywhere your users are. Though we started as an iPad app, we have since launched on every major device and platform, including the Web. We've also localized the app for 25 regions, with unique content experiences for places like China, Japan, Russia, UK, Brazil and many more countries. Photo: Flipboard in the early days A true valuing of great journalism and its creators. From the beginning, we partnered with the world's best publishers--outlets like The New York Times, National Geographic, Vanity Fair, WSJ, The New Yorker and so many others--to beautifully render their stories for mobile and to create a healthy ecosystem where great, definitive journalism is read, shared and supported well into the future. Advertisement 4. Flipboard's use in Education is on the rise; can you share some of the (un)expected ways Flipboard is utilized in the classroom(s)? Absolutely, we're inspired by educators on Flipboard every day. There are so many ways they use Flipboard. (We cover a lot of them in our Flipboard for Educators blog and magazine). For one, there is the Class Curriculum magazine. These are magazines that contain articles that are the subject of class discussion or that supplement class discussions. Here's an example: Things AP Econ Students Should Know--this teacher's class is over, but he used his magazine to collect real-world examples of theories and concepts they were talking about in his classroom. There's the Collaborative magazine. This is a way students can curate content together and feel empowered to impact the conversations in their classroom. Here's an example out of the University of Central Florida: Cybersecurity. The teacher who started this magazine is also part of a research team that measured the effectiveness of Flipboard Magazines on class engagement. Here's an article about what they found. There's the Student Activity magazine, which packages up content around team sports, school newspapers and literary magazines, clubs, language learning and more. See this example from Palo Alto High. In fact, 'Paly' has all of its student publications organized into Flipboard Magazines. This not only creates a beautiful, sharable package for all of their hard work, but it also gets their stories into Flipboard's ecosystem of 34,000 topics--so anything they write that's applicable to those topics could be surfaced to readers interested in the very thing they're writing about. It's a smart, scalable way to distribute content. Advertisement 5. You follow Academy's Fashion Journalism magazine; is there an article that particularly stood out for you? I really like getting to know the students and alumni and learning from them: how they got to where they are, how they use social media, what motivates them...It's fun and inspiring to learn about the real people who've emerged from the program. Photo: Mia demos Flipboard with Ashton Kutcher 6. In an era of cross-brand collaborations who would Flipboard be interested in collaborating with? We would love to partner with the companies our readers use and care about and that are natural extensions of where and how people use Flipboard. For example, Starbucks: "Flipboard and coffee" is a meme we hear a lot about on social media and partnering with a company like Starbucks would make a ton of sense. Working with Eventbrite, Yelp and AirBnB would be amazing. Not only are they companies our readers really use and love, but they create content and listings that would fit well with our many local topics. And of course we hope to partner with more organizations leading the conversation around education, like EdSurge. This will be a big part of our work in the year ahead. Advertisement 7. Outside Flipboard, where can one run into you? How do you spend limited free time? Probably in one of San Francisco's live music venues: last year, I saw 51 concerts. Not bad for a full-time working mom of 2! I'm obsessed with electronic music, and I probably use SoundCloud as much as I use Flipboard. 8. What was the best advice you got while launching your career? I had a first boss with a high bar from whom I learned so much. She taught me that the details matter--in your copy and in your attitude. She taught me you should be doing the next job up before expecting that you actually get that job. She showed me the joys of "work hard, play hard" and of a good sample sale. :) 9. Do you have a daily mantra? "Go with the flow." And "Always be learning." 10. What is the most important question on your mind at this stage of your career? Good question! Well, I'm super passionate about media, pop culture, and technology, and I always want to be at the intersection of these industries. My job at Flipboard is squarely in this sweet spot: my world here involves knowing/curating the very best in journalism, social media content, music and so much more. It doesn't get much better than that! Also, for my whole career, I've been the "voice" of various companies--MTV Networks, YouTube and now Flipboard. Now I'm working on developing my own voice at places like Medium, on the Burning Man blog and my new blog Disco Nap. The most important questions on my mind right now are: how to 'do it all' and where is media going next so I can be right there with it. Advertisement by Dawna Jones, Connecting Decisions to Creating Prosperity Companies work hard to adapt to changing market conditions yet most achieve only incremental change. Worse, people become burnt out by one change initiative after another and are left wondering, "What was the purpose? Is there a deeper meaning to work and life than this?" Eventually numbness sets in as a coping method to deal with for doing meaningless work that are measured but really don't matter. What if decision makers instigating change are seeing the inherent nature of companies all wrong? The Traditional View - Assume the Company is a Machine Traditional hierarchically structured companies were invented at a time when the business saw companies as machines. People and Nature were (still are) resources and power is centralized in position. Responsibilities and accountabilities are delegated from top to bottom. By centering power in authority, barriers to taking collective action were installed and decision-making slowed down. Reliance is on analytical thinking so that, much like a car, if performance slowed, you found and fixed the defective part. Unsurprisingly change initiatives tend to follow the same path of fixing the parts, while neglecting to witness the effect on the entire interaction. Because business is believed to be a highly rational affair, the assumption is that change happens using the mental intellect. Emotional and social data (included in intuitive intelligence) is dismissed. The notion is that if you fix what's showing on the surface, such as employees who are not behaving according to expectation, the whole system will respond predictably. Predictable change that is controllable forms the underlying value and belief structure powering all decisions. Advertisement Achieving buy-in and pushing change forward is the strategy and it can unintentionally create the very resistance you'd prefer to avoid. Other underlying assumptions include: Change is controllable. Outcomes are engineered. Consequence: Incremental results. Thinking the way we always have (linearly or causally) will create system wide change. Consequence: Emotions and social relationships are ignored. The impact of a decision on another's area of responsibility isn't considered. Plenty of negative consequences, some are noticed, others are not. Focus on problem solving will solve more problems. Consequence: Whatever you focus on expands. Focusing on problem solving expands the number of problems to be solved. Attention is given to the negative. Eventually, an addiction to crisis can result which increases risk of missing opportunities. Innovation is accomplished through linear and predictable thinking. Consequence: Creativity is limited to mavericks whose thinking and ideas ensure the company stays somewhat in the game. Advertisement People resist change so telling and selling them is required. If that doesn't work, push harder. Consequence: Resistance to change is created by not attending to fundamental human values. Will I be safe? Will my basic human needs for belonging and emotional and social security be covered? How will this change affect my personal life? Using the mindset traditionally managed companies believe in means change initiatives fail or achieve suboptimal results because focus is on engineering the change and neglecting the informal networks that drive performance. The Living System View - Complex Communities Propelled by Networks of Relationships In contrast, the properties of a living system are emergent. You'll find them at the level of the whole system rather than looking at the specific parts. Activating change in a living system does not focus on changing the parts of the system. Instead, it starts with understanding the interaction between the formal designed structure (organization charts, delegated decision making) of a company with its informal networks that get work done. Social and emotional data is critical because it is the energy - the fuel- that powers past adverse conditions to create better solutions. Take Zappos and the introduction of Holacracy as an example. Holacracy is a formal designed structure that distributes power - a worthy goal. But in the implementation, if the character of the informal networks is not considered, then a governance model like Holacracy can confine rather than liberate creative potential. The collision creates big clunks of resistance. You can't mandate a change in governance and inspire engagement. However, you can co-create change using experimentation, observation and reflection as your guidance system. Informal social and communication networks do the heavy lifting when it comes to getting challenging work done. Applying a governance model out of sync with those networks will feel like moving through molasses. How do you change living systems? By tickling them, as you will learn below. Adapting Thinking to Fit the Situation Advertisement Each world-view of the company as a traditional or living system draws out very different thinking. Looking at companies as a mechanistic machine with manuals, budgets and rules controlling behaviour prevail, favours analytical and linear thinking. Planning is popular at the expense of flexibility. Focusing inward instead of attentive to changing conditions is overly tempting since thinking looks at the small parts at the expense of seeing the whole picture. Directing action is the norm, and rational thinking (mental) highly valued. Busy brains work hard leaving little space for insight, reflection or vision. Through the lens of a living system you use a broad perspective without sacrificing the details. The details provide cues to what is emerging next. It is a much more advanced awareness and skill set. Analytical thinking is not redundant; it is simply not applied to every single situation. The vitality of a company, its capacity to flex, learn and release creative potential, is rooted in the informal, fluid networks connected by meaning. It is a much deeper system and is fluid. One person coming in or leaving can change the character of the network as anyone who has attempted to engage others in their vision knows. Fritjof Capra said in a Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision, "a machine can be controlled; a living system can only be disturbed." How Do You Tickle the System for Quantum Speed? Applying an understanding of complex living systems to how change is implemented means stepping out of the mind and into the heart. To clarify, as long as companies ignore the power of caring, belonging, and inspiration to performance, they will never be able to adapt fast enough. Only when you engage what matters to people, with what you are collectively committed to achieving will change happen faster and with greater ease. Advertisement Core elements to tickling the social and emotional system of a company include: Vision: Every large company that successfully reinvents itself has had a visionary big picture thinker at the helm. Apple. Haier. Toyota. If you are at the top and not a visionary, find visionary thinkers and work together. Message: Living networks selectively respond to disturbances that have meaning. Consider how a morsel of information spreads through the company. Although disruptive, reorganizing the formal organizational chart has zero meaning. Initiating change starts at the informal leadership level and spreads to engage the community. Autonomy and the freedom to exercise creative initiative without fear of retribution, is the force behind innovation and lasting change. Creativity: Adapting a company's thinking to gain flexibility and vigilance needs creativity. With creativity, is a comfort with uncertainty and commitment to learning. Creative methods for tickling the system include: dialogue, story, Appreciative Inquiry, trust building conversations, play, and outdoor experiential learning. The methods are only one part of the equation. The other part is learning how to access the wisdom held beyond the intellect, discovered through heightened awareness. Learning: Fail or succeed, it amounts to being a grand experiment. Minds stay open, and attentively focused. Learning is the modus operandi. Self-Collective Transformation: A more conscious and courageous kind of leadership is needed to let go of the old and create space for the new. Leaders at the top of an organization function as integrators, not controllers. Minus awareness, they will unwittingly sabotage the company's relevance to customers. To illustrate, one of the biggest threats to company's survival today are executives burnt out by a redundant way of thinking, who then put their own interests ahead of the company's. Advertisement Mindfulness Before Action: Energy flows where attention goes. Knowing that, you have an observational tool - a means to self-regulate your responses to whatever emerges. You have the ability to non-judgementally receive and accept information without feeling the need to control or bend it to your existing frame of reference. Given this short list of commitments, what if pushing change or mandating it, was replaced by self-inspired, collectively engaged change? Effecting change in a complex living system - what companies truly are - is inspired, not driven. And the results can be truly exponential - allowing the company to keep pace with the radical speed of disruption we're in now. The real challenges lies in switching from one belief about how companies work to the view that companies are really interconnected relationships and interactions that respond to meaning - living systems. And that changing them can be much more fun, be faster, and more lasting using principles that apply to companies as living dynamic communities. Who is ready to try something different? Who is ready to acquire the intuitive intelligence needed to see beneath the surface? Dawna Jones knows business can transform itself to be better for society and the ecological community we depend on to sustain life. Collectively making better decisions based on expanding body-mind-spirit awareness asks for deep commitment to realizing potential. Contact Dawna to learn about custom designed experiential learning programs to integrate personal and collective multi-dimensional knowledge. Dark chocolate shavings This Sunday marks Easter, a holiday celebrated by many families with church, ham, egg hunts and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Easter is the second top-selling confectionary holiday behind only Halloween, according to the National Confectioners Association. So now is a fitting moment to think about the effort that goes into making the chocolate in those Easter baskets. The world's cocoa supply -- the raw ingredient used to make chocolate -- is rapidly diminishing, while world demand for chocolate is at an all-time high. The situation is dire: Mars and Barry Callebaut have projected a global shortage by 2020. Advertisement So how do we make sure there is a viable and robust supply of cocoa for years to come? Here are five areas deserving attention: Empower the cocoa farmer: The sustainability of cocoa rests with the success of the cocoa farmer. Child labor, resource or "brain" drain, and profitability are significant issues on their own and can be insurmountable when a small farmer has to deal with all three on his or her own. And while there are existing initiatives to support farmers, such as fair trade, these efforts may not provide the autonomy and incentive farmers desire. Enter a model that empowers the cocoa farmer. The co-op. The co-op model offers farmers more control over the system, the profit and the ability to address the broad range of challenges that they face in all aspects of their lives. Strengthen local communities: Productivity falters when social factors are obstacles. Sixty percent of the world's cocoa is sourced from West Africa -- a region lagging in efforts to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. Here are just a few statistics to provide some context: over half of West Africans live on less than one dollar a day; life expectancy at birth is only 46 years; secondary school enrollment is at 20 percent; 42 percent of adults are illiterate. Advertisement We are not talking small margins, but subsistence farming, where there is little profit and economic growth. That's why the co-op structure has been highly recognized as effective in community development, particularly in agriculture. Not only does it help the farmer in terms of economic needs, but also with social development, such as prioritizing access to education and healthcare. Modernize the process: Climate change is a real threat to cocoa. Cocoa farming needs to adapt to meet this challenge; however, the practice and process of harvesting cocoa hasn't really changed in the history of the crop. There are opportunities to support farmers by providing access to the financing, training and tools they need to boost productivity to meet future demand. Examples include developing a system to provide real-time weather updates and notifications, understanding of the latest planting materials, methods and fertilizers, as well as investing in better facilities for crop collection, storage and transport. Put innovations to work: Disruptive innovations are in the works. Now is the time to get them into the field. With chocolate producers spending $1 billion to boost cocoa output, research and development and entrepreneurship are recognized as essential to enact the widespread change needed in cocoa farming practices, and throughout the entire supply chain. But even if an innovation is developed within the walls of the lab, like the Cocoa Genome Project, a program launched in 2008 by Mars, Incorporated, IBM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sequence, assemble and annotate the cocoa genome so that we can identify traits of disease resistance and improve efficiency in water and nutrient use in the world's cocoa trees, the challenge remains of how to implement it as common practice with the local cocoa farmer. Perhaps this is where entrepreneurs can make advancements. Advertisement Unite for a common goal: Chocolate producers, cocoa buyers and local governments are all more successful if the cocoa farmer is successful, which is why increased collaboration and cooperation between groups, even competitors, is imperative. This is not as outlandish as one might originally think. In an unprecedented move back in 2014, 10 of the largest chocolate producers and cocoa processors agreed to begin sharing with each other private data on farming practices and crop yields. This knowledge sharing is a huge step in the right direction. They seem like unlikely leaders in the dozen-plus states where proposed legislation would effectively keep transgender people out of public restrooms, but there they are: sexual assault survivors. Their stories are heartbreaking. As a child, Kaeley Triller Haver loved the man who used to watch her while she showered, and yearned to be closer to him when he moved away. Gretchen Flores was repeatedly abused by a man in a locker room when her mom dropped her off for swimming classes. Janine Simon's abuser started grooming her at 8 and raping her at 9. Each survivor shows long-term signs of trauma. Flores has been "waking up sometimes with cramps in my legs and that feeling of terror again." Simon "recently experienced her first panic attack in the last decade." Triller Haver is still trying to come to grips with a picture of her when she was a 10-year-old holding a felt cutout of the state her abuser had just moved to. Advertisement Even more tragically, decades after they were first harmed, these survivors are again being exploited. Those who are promoting their stories, including the Heritage Foundation, are claiming they want to "protect" them. Actually, however, like these women's original abusers, these "helpers" are acting only in their own interests. In this case, their interest is ensuring transgender people are not guaranteed rights to privacy and safety. This is far from the first time people have used the specter of sexual assault as a political tool. Politicians have demonized many American minorities over the centuries as rapists and/or child molesters, using those charges to whip up opposition to granting those groups respect, dignity, and rights. Those so targeted have included (but by no means are limited to!) African-Americans, young Japanese men, Jewish Americans, gay men, and, most recently, Mexican immigrants. I, too, am a sexual assault survivor. I also work with sexual assault survivors professionally, both helping them heal and training others how to help them, as well. So I am in a position to know who is really helping us make progress, and who is just using us. Part of the evidence these survivors are being used comes from the jurisdictions that have already protected transgender individuals' rights to pee and change clothes in peace: all of them report that there has been no increase in sexual assaults in bathrooms or locker rooms (see, for example, "15 Experts Debunk Right-Wing Transgender Bathroom Myth"). Advertisement More importantly, perhaps, is the list of what the Heritage Foundation and other politicians who are using sexual assault survivors are NOT doing: They are not leading the effort to support the growth and funding of programs working on the prevention of sexual assault, such as the Violence Against Women Act. The Heritage Foundation in fact opposed the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act). They are not acknowledging that both men and women can be survivors, and that both men and women can be perpetrators. Instead, they are picking out just the one type of sexual assault that meets their needs and enforcing silence about all the others. How would they protect boys who shower or toilet with men? Is anyone talking about the needs of women and men whose female relative or babysitter molested them? They are not visibly demanding follow-up of the hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits that are gathering dust in evidence rooms nationwide. They are not conducting public education campaigns to tell people the facts of who abusers are and how they behave, so that people can start identifying and addressing actual dangerous situations. They are not proposing legislation to change statutes of limitations so that adults can prosecute the people who molested them as children, or backing other reforms that might change the fact that 98 percent of rapists never serve a day in jail. They are not funding or advertising quality trauma-treatment programs that can help survivors re-integrate into the world without carrying a debilitating fear of half of its inhabitants. Healing from sexual assault is very hard work. In my situation, the rapists were police officers, at least one of whom still patrols my community. More than a decade after the assaults, I am still working on transforming the instant nausea and full-body quaking I experience whenever I see a law enforcement official. While my fear is understandable, it doesn't serve me any more than Janine Simon's panic attack serves her. For my own sake, I am working to get to a place where I can still think and function in the presence of police. Unfortunately, no one seems to be helping Trilley Haver, Flores, and Simon focus on this kind of healing. Although all of their abusers were - like 82% of all rapists and 90% of all child molesters - known to them, their stories are being used to focus on controlling strangers. Instead of educating parents about child molesters' grooming behaviors so they can be better guardians of those children, the people using these women's stories imply parents are "protecting" their children by knowing the genitals someone has, or what is on their birth certificate, or, for heaven's sake, what their chromosomes are (for an article on proposed legislation that would mandate transgender youth to reveal these very personal private facts, see "Gender is Not Just Chromosome and Genitals"). Instead of working to strengthen programs addressing sexual assault, some politicians are cynically arguing that banning transgender people from certain public spaces will somehow protect people from child molesters. Even Flores, the survivor who was molested in a locker room, doesn't claim her abuser was transgender. As a society, we have already chosen: rather than using public policy to "protect" one group from another that they fear is dangerous, we have affirmed civil rights and worked instead to change stereotypes. White people who fear Blacks no longer have a right to a whites-only bathroom or water foundation. An employer can no longer fire a pregnant single mother because one of her co-workers finds her "immoral." A restaurant owner can no longer refuse to serve a Muslim patron because some other diner believes all Muslims are terrorists. It is time we now protect transgender people from those who mistakenly fear they are -- or can be used by -- child molesters and rapists. Resources: o To locate local services for sexual assault survivors, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit https://rainn.org/get-help/national-sexual-assault-hotline o To learn how to effectively protect children from child molesters go to http://www.stopitnow.org/ o For information on male survivors and female perpetrators see "When Men Are Raped," at http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/04/male_rape_in_america_a_new_study_reveals_that_men_are_sexually_assaulted.html o To learn more about or join the effort to reduce the untested rape kit backlog go to http://www.endthebacklog.org/backlog/what-backlog o To learn about efforts to change sexual assault statutes of limitations check out https://verdict.justia.com/2016/01/07/sex-abuse-statute-of-limitations-reform-2015-year-in-review Advertisement Exterior view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joshua Targownik / targophoto.com. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel: Changing the Contemporary Art Landscape Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, the new outpost of international mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth, opened last weekend in a restored flour mill in Downtown Los Angeles's Arts District, the latest in a slew of brand name galleries opening up shop on the West Coast. But unlike other new arrivals--Berlin and London-based Spruth Magers opened a new gallery next to LACMA last month, New York galleries Maccarone and Venus Over Manhattan opened LA locations in the past year, and London-headquartered Ibid. Projects opened their Downtown LA space in 2014, to name a few--Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is more than a newer, bigger location for the gallery, it represents a paradigm shift of what a commercial gallery can be and do. Louise Bourgeois, Ruth Asawa, Lee Bontecou, installation view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Courtesy the artists and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Brian Forrest. Advertisement The inaugural exhibition, "Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947 - 2016," curated by Paul Schimmel and Jenni Sorkin, is a massive, museum-worthy affair. It traces a geographically wide-ranging yet chronological path through the works of key female sculptors, beginning with a stunning pantheon of post-war progenitors: Louise Bourgeois, Lee Bontecou, Louise Nevelson, Claire Falkenstein, and Ruth Asawa. In this first gallery, the restored 1917 administrative center of Globe Mills, Bontecou's audacious raw canvas, steel, and wire bas-relief constructions face off with Bourgeois's totemic and lanky Personage sculptures, all gracefully presided over by an awe-inspiring installation of Asawa's biomorphic hanging crocheted wire sculptures. These first works, which date from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, establish some of the tactics and motifs that will reappear throughout the exhibition: repetition, seriality, stacking, suturing, weaving, and the use of unconventional and experimental sculptural materials. Jackie Winsor, 30 to 1 Bound Trees, 1971 - 1972, installation view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Jackie Winsor. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Brian Forrest. The exhibition continues with material and process-driven works from the 1960s and 1970s, heralded by the imposing 30 to 1 Bound Trees (1971-72, 2016) by Jackie Winsor, a sculpture composed of white birch saplings bound in hemp rope, specially recreated for the exhibition, and situated in the center of the large outdoor courtyard around which the various galleries congregate. Works in fabric, rope, wire, aluminum, latex, leather, and paper by artists such as Sheila Hicks, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lynda Benglis, Eva Hesse, Hannah Wilke, and Mira Schendel, emphasize physical presence and material form. Space and relativity become primary concerns in the works that follow, as the sculptures move from discrete objects to installation works that incorporate walls and corners, as in Lygia Pape's ethereal Tteia 1, A (1978, 1997, 1999), made simply of golden thread strung between thin nails, illuminated by shafts of light. Sculptures in iron, concrete, and cement by Isa Genzken and Cristina Iglesias, from the late 1980s and early 1990s, exhibit a sense of interiority, inviting the viewer to peer into and through them, but resisting any total, all-encompassing view. Advertisement Lygia Pape, Tteia 1, A, 1979 / 1997 / 1999, metallic nylon string, nails and light, 230 x 320 x 150 cm / 90 1/2 x 126 x 59 in Lygia Pape. Collection Projeto Lygia Pape. Photo: Paula Pape. The final gallery, devoted to works dating from 1988 or later, most of which were made in the last few years, erupts with color, craft, and unconventional materials. The space, which is the most unfinished-looking of the galleries, with exposed brick walls and rough wooden beams, accommodates a sprawling Phyllida Barlow installation exploding with colorful pompoms, Lara Schnitger's stretched nylon and fabric works, and a parade of candy colored plaster poles, raucously covered with cellophane by Karla Black. In these ultra contemporary works, the historical continuity of the exhibition falters slightly, as more curatorial risks are taken with artists that, understandably, haven't yet attained the level of significance of their predecessors. Yet, it is an inspiring lot, that, rather than displaying a constrained or conservative view, manages to point to even more possibilities forward in the field of abstract sculpture. Phyllida Barlow, installation view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Courtesy the artists and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Brian Forrest. Advertisement "Revolution in the Making" does what many good museum exhibitions do: it draws new connections between works of historical significance; it revises and enhances our understanding of the evolving continuum of art history; it introduces new or lesser-known artists alongside those from the canon; it surprises as it edifies. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is hardly the first commercial gallery to mount a museum-quality exhibition (Blum & Poe's "Dansaekwha and Minimalism" exhibition is another recent, local example), but it is taking what is a relatively new phenomenon to a whole new level. In a practice notably spearheaded by Gagosian Gallery with its series of Picasso exhibitions curated by Picasso biographer John Richardson, commercial galleries looking to present a museum-caliber exhibition will enlist an expert curator or art historian for a single exhibition on a given artist or topic. The curator enjoys the benefits of the robust resources and often-unconstrained budget of the commercial gallery, while the gallery benefits from the prestige, new connections with collectors and museums, and other business opportunities. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel are taking this "Gagosian model," expanding on it and committing to it fully. Instead of coming in to curate a show or two, Paul Schimmel's name is on the building. As the former chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Schimmel brings scholarship, expertise, and myriad connections to the gallery, while Schimmel (after his unceremonious ousting from the museum during Jeffrey Deitch's tenure as Director) now has the space, time, and the resources to back his curatorial vision. Cristina Iglesias (left) and Isa Genzken (right), installation view, 1947 - 2016', Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Courtesy the artists and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Brian Forrest. In his address to the press before the opening, Schimmel called the new gallery "the Arts District's first art center." While it is undoubtedly a commercial business, the gallery will function in many ways like a museum or kunsthalle, at least in the eyes of the visiting public. As museum admission fees rise (even the nearby Broad, with its much-touted gratis entry, will charge $12 for its upcoming Cindy Sherman retrospective), an increasingly sophisticated public is taking advantage of commercial galleries as a free place to experience art, and Hauser Wirth & Schimmel recognize that most of the people who will pass through their doors will be artists and other creatives from the neighborhood, who "are not here to shop," in Schimmel's words. And owing to Hauser & Wirth's international collector base, their "art center" outpost in Los Angeles won't have to rely on the foot traffic of local collectors. Lara Schnitger, installation view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Brian Forrest. While Iwan Wirth describes the heart of the Hauser & Wirth enterprise as "a family business," it's no denying the gallery has considerable resources at its disposal. Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is its sixth location, joining galleries in Zurich, London, and New York, where it has plans for a huge new gallery in Chelsea. These resources allow for projects, like the new Los Angeles gallery as well as its art center and sculpture park in rural England, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, that can invest in the kind of long curatorial projects, education, and public enrichment traditionally found in the domain of museums. In the rapidly changing landscape for contemporary art, whether this new hybrid commercial-curatorial model will prove successful in the long-term remains to be seen. Yet for now it seems everyone wins: the curators, the galleries, and the public. Eva Hesse, Aught (wall), Augment (floor), 1968, installation view, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, 2016. Aught: Collection of University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, Augment: Private Collection. Photo: Brian Forrest. --Natalie Hegert This week we witnessed a world coming together and a world falling apart, a world between engagement and terror. For the first time in nearly 90 years, an American president visited Cuba, turning upside down the anti-Yanqui narrative that has been the raison d'etre of one of the Western Hemisphere's most longest-lasting dictatorships. In Havana, President Barack Obama promised to work toward lifting the embargo on Cuba just as he has done in Iran, where the advance of reformists in last month's election has already demonstrated the fruits of that opening. In Brussels, it appears that some children of Muslim immigrants expressed their explosive alienation in terror attacks in the very city many of them grew up, which also happens to be the capital of Europe. As the French scholar Olivier Roy has insightfully noted, we are not so much seeing radicalized Islam in these European attacks as the Islamization of radicalized native youth who have been marginalized and deemed superfluous by mainstream society. Advertisement Blogging from Cuba, President Obama says, "I've come to Havana to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people. I'm here to bury the last vestige of the Cold War in the Americas and to forge a new era of understanding to help improve the daily lives of the Cuban people." Howard Fineman contrasts Obama's policy of opening up to the world with the demagogic stance of the leading Republican presidential candidates, stiffened further by the Brussels attacks, that would close America off. Writing from Havana, Miriam Leiva, one of the dissident leaders of the Ladies in White who met with Obama, says she is confident the president's visit will facilitate change. "Above all," she writes, "he eliminated the government's pretexts for repressing and blaming the American government for the economic disasters caused by capricious and failed programs." Yoani Sanchez also blogs from Havana, writing that, "with each symbolic chord Obama touches in the popular imagination, he assumes a responsibility. The expectations are overflowing because Cubans want to cling to any hope that makes them believe the future will be better." Sammy Almashat reminds us that, despite the embargo, Cuba's universal health care system -- with nearly three times the number of doctors per capita as the U.S. -- has one of the lowest infant mortality rates and the longest life expectancies in the Americas. Roque Planas outlines the human rights issues raised during Obama's visit and the Cuban government's response. See here some striking photos of daily life in Cuba during the past week. Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt writes that "the attacks in Paris and Brussels are our 9/11. It is now more important than ever to leave the rhetoric about increased coordination behind us and take real action at the European level." The Tunisian-Belgian scholar Chams Eddine Zaougui writes from Brussels that, "Belgium needs to combat terrorism in a decisive but careful way -- so as not to further polarize society or strengthen resentment of alienated and frustrated youth." Ramon Jauregui, a Spanish delegate who was under lockdown inside the EU Parliament building in Brussels because of the attacks, echoes Zaougui: "It is necessary to develop a policy of integration in the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of young people vulnerable to the trap of jihadism." Andrea Purgatori blames the Belgian intelligence and secret services "for the tolerance and indifference" they "displayed when dealing with the neighborhood on the outskirts of Brussels, where terrorists recruited their soldiers and stockpiled weapons and explosives." Writing from Paris, Francois Heisbourg worries that our reactions to attacks like Brussels could give ISIS the kind of legitimacy it wants: "By creating two categories of French people (ISIS and non-ISIS), by perpetuating a state of emergency with grave effects, and by confronting terrorism as if it were a question of fighting an army, we risk leaping from a scenario of fighting groups and individuals, to a drama involving entire populations." World Reporter Nick Robins-Early highlights the fact that Belgium has the highest number of Islamic State fighters per capita of all Western nations. Advertisement In an interview, Pakhshan Zangana, the secretary-general of Kurdistan's High Council of Women's Affairs, says the Brussels attacks show that the West just can't rely on the Kurds to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but must mount a global effort. WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones surveys Turks, recently hit with their own ISIS-claimed attack, who express their sympathy with Belgians. She also reports on Egypt's "anti-torture t-shirt" detainee who was finally freed after nearly 800 days behind bars. As the Apple vs. FBI controversy over penetrating encryption to fight terror continues, Richard Clarke, the former national coordinator for counterterrorism, writes that if Apple is forced to unlock the iPhone, it will weaken the ability to fight cybercrime. Lennart Pfahler profiles one community in Germany that is working to ensure new refugee arrivals are fully integrated into the mainstream. Stefan Ihrig is concerned that the recent EU-Turkey deal on immigration is an all too familiar trade-off of European interests for human rights, recalling when Germany turned a blind eye to Armenian genocide in 1915 to keep the Ottoman Empire on its side during World War I. European parliamentarian Miguel Urban agrees. "European institutions are accepting proposals -- as we have seen in the EU-Turkey agreement -- in which Europe betrays itself," he writes. Writing from Sarajevo, Jana Jevtic reflects as a person of mixed Serb and Bosniak blood on the the conviction of Radovan Karadzic -- the so-called Serb "Butcher of Bosnia" -- for war crimes this week at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Advertisement This month we saw the first major pushback within the Communist Party against Chinese President Xi's recent clampdown on the media. Using well-known allusions from Chinese history, a "loyal remonstrance" titled "A Thousand Yes-Men Cannot Equal One Honest Advisor" was posted on the website of the party's anti-corruption arm, which is headed by one of Xi's closest aides. We publish the English translation in full. Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden discuss how China has become a pivotal factor in the future of many African nations. Writing from Honduras, Karen Spring argues that the recent assassination of environmental activist Berta Caceres has not ended her movement but multiplied the determination of activists to take up her cause. In our series on everyday entrepreneurs this week we profile Peruvians who are upholding the fading folk art of carving colorful wooden retablo boxes by hand. Ahmed Zewail, the only Arab to have been awarded a Nobel Prize for science, discusses his plan to bring a "Science Spring" to Egypt that will jumpstart development in the stagnating Middle East. Fusion this week reports on how Mark Zuckerberg's recent "smog run" on Tiananmen Square in Beijing has raised eyebrows. Our Singularity series examines an amazing new computer chip made of live human brain cells. We also report on how scientists have used stem cells to generate human heart muscle. WHO WE ARE EDITORS: Nathan Gardels, Co-Founder and Executive Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. Kathleen Miles is the Executive Editor of The WorldPost. Farah Mohamed is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. Alex Gardels and Peter Mellgard are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. Katie Nelson is the National Editor at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's editorial coverage. Eline Gordts is HuffPost's Senior World Editor. Charlotte Alfred and Nick Robins-Early are World Reporters. Rowaida Abdelaziz is Social Media Editor. 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These include, Jacques Attali, Shaukat Aziz, Gordon Brown, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Luis Cebrian, Jack Dorsey, Mohamed El-Erian, Francis Fukuyama, Felipe Gonzalez, John Gray, Reid Hoffman, Fred Hu, Mo Ibrahim, Alexei Kudrin, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Alain Minc, Dambisa Moyo, Laura Tyson, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, Raghuram Rajan, Nouriel Roubini, Nicolas Sarkozy, Eric Schmidt, Gerhard Schroeder, Peter Schwartz, Amartya Sen, Jeff Skoll, Michael Spence, Joe Stiglitz, Larry Summers, Wu Jianmin, George Yeo, Fareed Zakaria, Ernesto Zedillo, Ahmed Zewail, and Zheng Bijian. From the Europe group, these include: Marek Belka, Tony Blair, Jacques Delors, Niall Ferguson, Anthony Giddens, Otmar Issing, Mario Monti, Robert Mundell, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt. MISSION STATEMENT The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets. Now that Donald Trump has transformed our political process into a complete joke--but with devastatingly serious consequences--why not go the "full Monty"? Let Heidi Cruz debate Melania Trump. It cannot be less enlightening than the Republican presidential candidates' debates thusfar, where barely a single word of substance emerges from the noise and bellowing. The leading candidate for the Republican nomination has already talked about using nuclear weapons, about taking the oil of another country, about violating US and international law on torture, and of giving orders to US troops that the troops would have to disobey. His major challenger wants to make the desert sand glow, and wants police to patrol neighborhoods where US muslims live. Advertisement All Republican candidates want the government to force women to carry their rapist's child to term. Now, we have a growing spat about their wives. So, let Heidi Cruz and Melania Trump debate. And, of course, Karen Kasich would deserve a place at the debate if she wanted it. Shouldn't Republican voters know if the candidates' wives share, eg., Trump's view of a woman's place, Cruz's view on carrying a rapist's child, Kasich's view about Medicaid expansion? And, let us be forthright, should Melania respond to whether her nude photos make her unfit for First Lady the way Vanessa Williams's forced her to relinquish her Miss America crown? Or, does Vanessa Williams's race, and her being the first black Miss America, set different standards similar to those for President Obama as the country's first black President (and the first person of color to rule any majority-white country)? We should also learn why Heidi and Melania married their bozo husbands in the first place. [OK, we are pretty sure we know about Melania, but still....]. Advertisement Copyright: Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock Insurance can provide a safety net for individuals who worry about their property or purchases. However, most insurance policies come with a long list of exclusions that can leave policyholders out in the cold when the unforeseen happens. By knowing what typically is and isn't covered, consumers can know when buying extra protection may be needed. After reading through dozens of home, auto, and travel insurance filings these are some of the most surprising exclusions we've come across. Terrorist Acts. Many individuals get travel insurance in order to protect their itineraries from sudden events that may cause a change of plans. However, if you are traveling to a high-risk area, your policy may not necessarily cover you in the event your trip is cancelled due to a terrorist act. In such cases, the insurer may consider the event a "known peril" and choose not to pay out damages. Always check the policy to see whether there are any time specifications regarding previous activity as well. Interestingly enough, our research found that your car's comprehensive coverage may protect it from damage resulting from terrorism. It is one of the few personal lines of insurance to explicitly protect against such an event. Advertisement Expert Tip: If you use some travel credit cards to pay for a trip, you may automatically qualify for travel accident insurance. In some of the best ones, you may also qualify for trip cancellation and lost luggage insurance. However, just as with regular travel insurance, double check with the policy before you book your travel - terrorist acts may not be covered in all instances. Nuclear Explosions And War. If the United States Congress declares war on another nation, and that country were to attack us and damage your car or home, your insurance policies would not cover the cost. Such stipulations exist in virtually all insurance policies. The reason for this is chiefly financial. If a war were to break out on U.S. soil, the number of claims that would hit insurance companies would be tremendous - potentially even greater than those from Hurricane Katrina. Such an event would have the potential to put insurers deep in the red. Floods. Standard home insurance policies do not cover your property against damage that results from floods. You need to buy separate flood insurance coverage in order to cover the structures of your home as well as its contents. Even by getting a separate flood insurance policy not everything may be covered. For example, there exist limitations on the type of contents that may be covered if it is kept below the first floor of your home. Expert Tip: Be aware of category limits on your coverage. For example, artwork and furs will typically only be covered up to $2,500. If you have a collection that is worth significantly more, consider whether or not you want to pay a little bit more for higher coverage limits. Advertisement Mold. Whether or not your home insurance policy will cover mold damage comes down to what caused it. If the mold grew due to water damage or the homeowner's neglect, it won't be covered. However, if the mold was a result of something that your insurance policy does cover, such as a burst pipe, they will cover it by extension. Sinkholes. Despite at least 20 percent of the geological landmass in the United States being susceptible to sinkholes, most home insurance policies will not cover damages that result from it. Furthermore, if a sinkhole has already caused structural damage to a property, insurers are likely to discontinue coverage to the affected area. In Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena had promised progress regarding Tamil political prisoners, although we've seen little of that. Unfortunately, the president's dithering project has continued -- with no end in sight. More broadly, the Sri Lankan government has made big commitments regarding transitional justice and those changes, if they ever happen, will come incrementally. However, we haven't seen much in the way of incremental change since Colombo co-sponsored a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka in October 2015. In terms of optics and rhetoric, Mangala Samaraweera, the country's foreign minister, continues to deliver strong speeches (that are designed primarily for international consumption). The problem is that Samaraweera is not running the country and his view regarding the (expansive) reform agenda doesn't appear to align neatly with other key players in the government, including the president and the prime minister. Advertisement Worries about the government's capacity to implement bold reforms, specifically as it relates to the pursuit of high-level corruption cases and transitional justice, are not baseless. That said, members of the international community who are greatly concerned with the provision of technical assistance and capacity-related matters may be missing a crucial point that precedes any thorough discussion regarding capacity: the coalition government's sincerity. Is Colombo actually serious about fulfilling all of the promises it's made? Are President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe really prepared to connect words with actions and stand up to Sinhala nationalism? Sri Lanka wants the world to believe that things are really changing. And yet the dubious detention of Tamils continues. To be clear, releasing or bringing to trial all Tamil political prisoners would be a big deal, though that's the ground floor of war-related reforms that the government should move on. A proper truth commission? A robust accountability mechanism for wartime abuses? Putting senior members of the Sri Lankan military on trial? Moving on political prisoners would be scratching the surface of the politically inconvenient. In May 1968, nine Catholic activists set fire to draft records in Catonsville, Maryland, in a deliberate act of sabotage and protest against the Vietnam War. For the crime of destroying government property, a crime they freely admitted, they were tried in federal court in Baltimore and found guilty. I've been reading the edited trial transcript (with commentary) by Daniel Berrigan, one of the Catonsville Nine and a Catholic priest. What unified these nine people was their moral opposition to the Vietnam War, a moral revulsion to the acts their country was committing in Vietnam, a revulsion that drove them to burn draft records with a weak brew of homemade napalm so as to gain the attention of their fellow citizens. On this Easter Weekend, I would like to focus on a few of the statements made by the Catonsville Nine, as recorded by Daniel Berrigan in "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine." Statement by Philip Berrigan We have been accused of arrogance But what of the fantastic arrogance ... of our leaders What of their crimes against the people ... the poor and powerless Still no court will try them ... no jail will receive them They live in righteousness ... They will die in honor For them we have one message ... for those in whose manicured hands ... the power of the land lies We say to them Lead us ... Lead us in justice and there will be no need to break the law Let the President do ... what his predecessors failed to do Let him obey the rich less ... and the people more Let him think less of the privileged and more of the poor Less of America and more of the world Let lawmakers ... judges ... and lawyers think less of the law ... more of justice less of legal ritual ... more of human rights ... Advertisement Statement by Thomas Lewis We were speaking as Americans We were proud to be Americans Yet we have representatives in Vietnam who do terrible things in our name We were saying to the military This is wrong ... This is immoral ... This is illegal And their response to this was they were only obeying orders Question from the Judge: But they did respond to you, did they not? Thomas Lewis: It was an atrocious response. Statement by Marjorie Melville I know that burning draft files is not an effective way to stop a war ... but who has found a way of stopping this war I have racked my brain I have talked to all kinds of people What can you do They say yes ... yes But there is no answer no stopping it the horror continues Statement by Thomas Melville I hear our president ... confuse greatness with strength riches with goodness ... fear with respect hopelessness and passivity with peace The cliches of our leaders pay tribute to property ... and indifference to suffering We long for a hand of friendship and succor and that hand clenches into a fist I wonder how long we can endure Statement by George Mische We were not out to destroy life There is a higher law we are commanded to obey It takes precedence over human laws My intent was to follow the higher law My intent was to save lives ... Vietnamese lives North and South American lives To stop the madness That was the intent Advertisement Statement of Daniel Berrigan Question from the Judge: You say your intention was to save these children, of the jury, of myself, when you burned the [draft] records? That is what I heard you say. I ask if you meant that. Daniel Berrigan: I meant that of course I mean that or I would not say it The great sinfulness of modern war is that it renders concrete things abstract I do not want to talk about Americans in general .... I poured napalm [on the draft records] on behalf of the prosecutor's and the jury's children Closing Statement by Daniel Berrigan When at what point will you say no to this war? We have chosen to say with the gift of our liberty if necessary our lives: the violence stops here the death stops here the suppression of truth stops here this war stops here Redeem the times! The times are inexpressibly evil Christians pay conscious ... indeed religious tribute to Caesar and Mars by the approval of overkill tactics ... by brinksmanship by nuclear liturgies ... by racism ... by support of genocide They embrace their society with all their heart and abandon the cross They pay lip service to Christ and military service to the powers of death And yet ... and yet ... the times are inexhaustibly good solaced by the courage and hope of many The truth rules ... Christ is not forsaken ... At the end of the trial, as all nine defendants were found guilty, a "member of the audience" cried, "Members of the jury, you have just found Jesus Christ guilty." That last statement, and the words of the Catonsville Nine, give us much to ponder on this Easter Weekend. Advertisement Google maps Everyone who has used Google maps to find their way around a city will have stories galore about how they took several wrong turns or landed up at a wrong place thanks to the app. However, here's a goof-up that's sure to leave Google Maps more red-faced than usual. If you are so inclined and type the words 'Anti-national' or 'sedition' on Google Maps, you will be directed to Jawaharlal Nehru University. Advertisement Now these are not the only keywords which will lead you to JNU. Apart from 'Anti-national' and 'sedition' if you search 'Kanhiya Kumar', 'Umer Khalid', 'Arnab Goswami', 'Intolerance' and even 'Rahul Gandhi', Google maps will lead you to the JNU campus. It looks like many BJP leaders are tagged to JNU as well. The list includes Smriti Irani, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh. In an India Today report, a Google spokesperson has been quoted saying, "We are aware of the issue and we are working on it to get it fixed". Following the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, the word 'anti-national' and 'sedition' frequently comes up in conversations regarding JNU. However, how JNU came to be tagged with those words in a map application is plain bizarre. Advertisement The application faced a similar issue last year in the US. It was found that, if one searches for 'Ni*ga house' on the maps, the user is directed to the White House. Google rectified the error and then apologized. Google has a tool called Mapmaker where users can add and edit places. It seems like some troublemakers edited the location to include these words. If you go to Google Mapmaker and search for JNU you would find that a lot of requests to mark the university 'leftist' and 'Jihadi' university has been filed. Here's how Twitter reacted to this news: JNU as "anti-national" on Google Maps? Google India says it is aware of the issue, working to fix it. Javed Anwer (@Javed_Del) March 25, 2016 Tried searching "anti-national" in Google Maps. Yes, it showed JNU. Then tried "nationalism". Then also, JNU. But "patriotism" is in Atlanta Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) March 25, 2016 Try searching Smriti Irani on Google maps... you will get JNU!! WHAT'S UP Google."? N.Chandramohan (@Moet51) March 25, 2016 Contact HuffPost India ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 courtroom drawing, David Coleman Headley, left, pleads not guilty before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, in Chicago to charges that accuse him of conspiring in the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai and of planning to launch an armed assault on a Danish newspaper. Headley, who pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to laying the groundwork for the attack, told Indian interrogators in June that officers from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency were deeply intertwined with Lashkar-e-Taiba. (AP Photo/Verna Sadock, File) Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that he has "no personal knowledge" about Ishrat Jehan and he had learnt about the case from the media. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he said during cross- examination via video link before judge G A Sanap. Advertisement While deposing last month, Headley had told the court that Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl, was working for LeT. Ishrat was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "When Lakhvi (LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi) introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said. The cross-examination of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Advertisement Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a women's wing LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that "defence is pre-supposing this." Explaining this, Headley said, "I had no knowledge of women's wing that was for combat but there is a women's wing that takes care of women's issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the "social issues" taken up by the women's wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley also claimed he had told NIA that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to National Defence College, New Delhi. Advertisement Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: NARINDER NANU via Getty Images Pakistani Rangers and Indian Border Security Force personnel lower their respective country flags at the Beating Retreat Ceremony at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border Post on March 24, 2016. / AFP / NARINDER NANU (Photo credit should read NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images) NEW DELHI -- Former Research and Analysis Wing chief AK Verma on Friday rubbished Pakistan's claim that they have arrested an Indian intelligence operative from Quetta, saying that Islamabad is fabricating a tale to back its allegations of India brewing unrest in Balochistan. Verma told ANI that Pakistan does not have enough evidence to substantiate its claim that the arrested individual was apprehended from Balochistan. Advertisement "The fact remains that he was previously working with the Indian Navy and he took premature retirement the question is why was he found in Balochistan it's not very clear. It was not even clear whether he was found in Balochistan," he said. This may be an effort to create fictitious evidence of tht kind:AK Verma on arrest of alleged RAW officer in Pak pic.twitter.com/Z6Jum2LDcJ ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 "He could have been kidnapped anywhere on the borders or even in the neighbourhood and brought to Balochistan to create a story that an agent of India has been arrested in Balochistan because Pakistan needs some evidence to support what it has been alleging since the number of years that India has been active in Balochistan to conspire against Pakistan," he added. Pak needs some evidence to support what it has been alleging that India has been active in Balochistan to conspire against Pak: AK Verma ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 Dubbing the entire episode as fictitious, Verma said that there is a code of conduct which intelligence community follows, that a lone agent does not work on foreign soil in the said manner. "Another point to remember is a lone agent does not work like this in a foreign country creating subversion or mischief. He needs local support, he got to have local friends, nothing of the kind it has been indicated so far as this person is concerned, it appears that he was caught alone single handed. All this makes it a very highly and likely story of him being an agent," he said. Pakistan security forces earlier arrested a man during a raid in Balochistan province who, according to them, is 'a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to RAW. Expert on Pakistan affairs and author, Tarek Fatah, also said that the arrest of a former Indian Navy officer, whom the Pakistani agencies are claiming to be a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative, from Quetta is an attempt by Islamabad to divert the attention from 'genocide' being committed by them in Balochistan. This is an act of desperation by Islamabad,they're carrying out genocide in Balochistan:Tarek Fatah on arrest of alleged RAW officer in Pak ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 To expect truth from Pak govt is overly optimistic: Tarek Fatah, Expert on Pakistan affairs &author on arrest of alleged RAW officer in Pak ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 "They are committing genocide in Balochistan, and to distract from that they are saying that they have arrested a former Indian naval officer from Quetta. Even if you arrest a navy officer then you would nab him in Gwadar, how will they find him in Quetta," Fatah told ANI. It is absolute nonsense that any Indian naval officers would be found somewhere in Quetta: Tarek Fatah pic.twitter.com/mj3G9wHlBs ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 He further questioned India's silence over the 'genocide' being committed by Pakistan in Balochistan. "Pakistan is fooling India and India loves being fooled. They enter your country and kill your people and you trade onions and tomatoes with them. No self respecting nation would keep a relationship with country that attacks you," he added. Advertisement The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier yesterday said that Indian Government has no link with the arrested individual, adding that New Delhi has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the matter was raised yesterday by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. "The said individual has no link with Government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," Swarup said. A Pakistan security official earlier told Dawn that the arrested individual had been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, as he was suspected of involvement in various acts of terrorism and other dissident activities in Balochistan. Confirming the arrest, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said, "the arrest has proved Indian involvement in Balochistan". Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images JAMMU, INDIA - AUGUST 17: The BSF personnels patrolling on the fence at International Border, Suchetgarh about 30 km from Jammu on August 17, 2013 in Jammu India. Since last 11 days Pakistan has been violating ceasefire which has kept the BSF on high alert manning the LoC and the IB. The Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami had recently visited the jawans on the BSF Octroi and expressed contentment over the jawans keeping strict vigil on the International Border. (Photo by Nitin Kanotra/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Pakistan made an official protest to India on Friday after detaining a man it says is an Indian spy who illegally entered the country and was captured on Thursday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan. India's foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Pakistan's foreign secretary had taken up the matter with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad but denied the man is a spy. Advertisement "The said individual has no link with the Government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy," the spokesman said in a statement. "We have sought consular access to him." It is absolute nonsense that any Indian naval officers would be found somewhere in Quetta: Tarek Fatah pic.twitter.com/mj3G9wHlBs ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 This is an act of desperation by Islamabad,they're carrying out genocide in Balochistan:Tarek Fatah on arrest of alleged RAW officer in Pak ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2016 Tensions are already high between the nuclear-armed nations after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a January attack on an Indian air base, in which seven military personnel were killed. Advertisement "(Pakistan) conveyed our protest and deep concern on the illegal entry into Pakistan by an RAW officer and his involvement in subversive activities in Baluchistan and Karachi," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, referring to a message conveyed to India's ambassador. RAW is Research and Analysis Wing, the country's main external intelligence agency. Pakistan believes that India is supporting separatists in the resource-rich Baluchistan province, as well as militants fighting the state from the lawless tribal areas. It also sees India as fuelling strife in the volatile city of Karachi. India denies any such interference and has itself accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in its part of the divided Kashmir region, of helping militants to launch attacks elsewhere in India and backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan say it only offers diplomatic support to the Muslim people of Kashmir living under what it says is heavy-handed Indian rule. It denies backing militant attacks in India. A Pakistani military official in Baluchistan told Reuters the alleged RAW spy was an Indian navy officer. Another Pakistani official gave the same information. Advertisement Both declined to be identified because they were not authorised to give details of the incident to the media. One of the officials said the man had been moved to Islamabad for interrogation. The neighbouring countries have fought three wars since 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. Baluchistan's provincial interior minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, told reporters that the arrest "proved Indian involvement" in his province. Last year Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the RAW was determined on annihilating Pakistan. "RAW has been formed to undo Pakistan and to wipe Pakistan off the map," Asif said in a television interview. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sought to improve ties with India since his election in 2013, but his efforts are widely considered to have caused friction with the army, which sees relations with India as its domain. Advertisement Last December Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet Sharif, the first visit by an Indian premier in more than a decade, raising hopes that stop-start negotiations might finally make progress after decades of hostility. Contact HuffPost India Also on HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi and Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar during the joint conference of the Chief Ministers and the Chief Justices of High Courts at Vigyan Bhawan, on April 5, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Talking about judicial system, Modi said that what the people in judicial system do is divine and God has sent them to carry out this divine responsibility. We are going on increasing our power. But We also need to remember to become perfect even as we get more powerful. He urged the need for judges to evolve an in-built mechanism of self-correction to prevent rot from within. He further said that the common men's expectation from the judiciary is huge. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) TINSUKIA -- Wooing voters in norteastern Indian state Assam with a promise of "fast, all-round development", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his fight was not against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi but against "poverty, corruption and destruction" of the state under Congress rule. "I have three agendas. Development, fast development and all round development," he said at an election rally as he hit the campaign trail and claimed his government had allocated many times more funds for state's infrastructure than the previous governments. Advertisement The PM also took a swipe at 79-year-old Gogoi who had called the Assembly election as a direct fight between him and Modi, saying he can only pay his respects to the elderly leader. He heaped praise on BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, describing him as one of his best ministers. "The leader of Congress who will turn 90 in a few years says his fight is with Modi. Respected Chief Minister, you are an elder and I am young. I pay my respects to you. In our culture, the young do not fight their elders and the elders give their blessings to them. "My fight is not against Gogoi but against poverty, corruption and destruction of Assam. I am not fighting against any individual," he said. The PM said if Sonowal becomes the Chief Minister, it will be his government's and his personal loss because Sonowal is one of his best ministers and "a bright, capable and simple person". Advertisement "There is only one 'anand' (joy) in Assam, it is Sarbananda," he said Modi, however, made no mention of the contentious issue of infiltration, a major poll plank of the BJP-led NDA, and chose to stick to his development theme and lack of progress in Assam. He said the state was among the five most prosperous states after Independence but is among the five least developed states now and blamed successive Congress governments for this. "You give me five years, you give Sarbananda five years and BJP and its allies will pull Assam out of its difficulty," he said. Trying to connect with the crowd, he touched on his early days as a tea-seller, saying he sold their tea to energise others and due to this he shares a special bond with the people of Assam, a large tea-producing state. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Exclusive: Rahul Dravid a Very Good Communicator, Over Time India Will See Benefits of Him as Head Coach - John Buchanan 'He Just Asks How The Ball is Coming From The Wicket...': Virat Kohli Enjoys Batting With Suryakumar Yadav Imperial Valley News Center Office of Naval Intelligence Celebrates 134th Anniversary Suitland, Maryland - The men and women of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) celebrated the 134th anniversary of the establishment of America's longest-serving intelligence agency in a March 23 ceremony at the National Maritime Intelligence Center, the command's headquarters. Past leaders and members of the Naval Intelligence community joined other guests in honoring some of ONI's most accomplished military and civilian professionals. Eighteen members of the command were presented prestigious awards in recognition of their outstanding service. "As we have in the past, the men and women of Naval Intelligence have worked together to overcome obstacles, adapt to change and build relationships to better support our Navy and our nation," said Rear Adm. Elizabeth Train, ONI's commander. Today ONI is a core element of the Navy's Information Warfare Community. Its 3,000 members specialize in the collection, analysis, production and dissemination of vital, timely and accurate scientific, technical, geopolitical and military intelligence for key strategic, operational and tactical decision makers. The event's featured speaker, retired Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, and former commander of ONI, traced the history of the command from its founding in 1882 through numerous conflicts and world wars to the present. He discussed the successes of Naval Intelligence, as well as its growing pains. Progress, Cox said, is not linear, consistent nor easy. "There's nothing definite about intelligence that will guarantee success. In order to make sure that we have the capability to not have a catastrophe instead of success requires extreme vigilance," Cox said. "The key to success in battle," he added, quoting fifth century B.C. Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu, "is to know your enemy and know yourself." The fundamental mission of the people of ONI, Cox said, is to know the enemy. "You, as intelligence professionals, have to be ever vigilant and make the case that the Navy needs the capability that ONI brings to the fight," said Cox. Imperial Valley News Center Key Outcomes of U.S. Priorities at the UN Human Rights Council's 31st Session Washington, DC - Although the United States is not a voting member of the UN Human Rights Council this year - taking a mandatory year off, while standing for re-election in the fall it maintains robust engagement in the Council, working with countries from all regions to address urgent human rights situations and issues. At the Councils 31st Session in Geneva from February 29 - March 24, U.S. leadership proved critical to shaping the international communitys response to these challenges. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered the U.S. national statement at the sessions high-level segment March 2, underscoring our ongoing commitment to the mandate and mission of the Council. South Sudan: The U.S.-led resolution on South Sudan reflects the increasing gravity of the situation on the ground since the outbreak of fighting in December 2013. The resolution established a new mechanism, a Commission for Human Rights in South Sudan, to monitor and report on human rights violations in South Sudan and to provide guidance on transitional justice, accountability and reconciliation issues. Syria, Iran, Burma and DPRK: The United States supported and co-sponsored resolutions to renew the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the Special Rapporteurs on Iran, DPRK and Burma. These special procedures mechanisms have proven critical in documenting human rights violations and abuses in those countries and establishing the basis for accountability. Human Rights Defenders and Peaceful Protests: The United States continued to fight back against the global trend to restrict the space for civil society, including at the UN. The delegation strongly supported the Norway-led resolution on protecting human rights defenders, which focused this session on human rights defenders working to defend economic, social and cultural rights. The United States also strongly supported the Switzerland-led resolution affirming the freedom of peaceful assembly and emphasizing the ability of persons to protest peacefully. The unprecedented number of 31 amendments to the human rights defenders text as well as several to the peaceful protests text was all soundly defeated before these resolutions were adopted. Freedom of Expression: The United States led a joint statement on freedom of expression and peaceful transitions within democracies. Sixty-six countries from all regions supported the statement welcoming actions taken by states undergoing transitions in democratically elected leaders to protect freedom of expression. The statement highlights freedom of expression as a fundamental pillar for building a democratic society and for its essential role in supporting the peaceful transition of power. Combating Religious Intolerance and Promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief: The United States led efforts at the Council to promote of freedom of religion or belief and combat intolerance. The United States co-sponsored a resolution adopted by consensus to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief for an additional three years. The Special Rapporteurs recent report focused on the significant relationship between freedom of religion or belief and freedom of opinion and expression. The United States worked with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to adopt a resolution by consensus reiterating calls on states to take concrete steps consistent with protecting fundamental freedoms of expression and religion or belief to combat religious intolerance and condemning all forms of violence, intolerance and discrimination in the name of religion or belief. China: Deeply troubled by the Chinese governments ongoing crackdown on lawyers and civil society activists and its apparent extrajudicial and extraterritorial action against journalists and critics, the United States led a joint statement signed by twelve states highlighting these concerns. This is the first Joint Statement on China at the HRC. Anti-Israel Item 7 Resolutions: In the United States national statement, Deputy Secretary Antony Blinken underscored for the Council our longstanding, fundamental opposition of the stand-alone agenda item on Israel, maintaining that the HRCs persistent bias against Israel undermines the work of the Council. As a non-member, the United States was unable to vote against the five anti-Israel resolutions presented at this session, but strongly supported the decision of those that did call votes on some of these resolutions. While the United States strongly oppose Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories, the United States was troubled by one resolutions provision mandating the creation of a database of businesses operating in Israeli settlements an unprecedented measure outside the mandate of the Council. Burundi: Following the successful U.S.-led effort to convene an historic Special Session of the HRC on Burundi in December, an investigation team of independent experts provided an oral report on its first visit to Burundi to carry out its mandate to conduct investigations on human rights violations and engage with the Burundian authorities and all other relevant stakeholders. The United States joined a statement led by Canada expressing grave concern regarding the human rights violations and abuses being committed by State and non-State actors. Imperial Valley News Center Cold case arrest highlights cooperation between ICE and U.S. Marshals Service Houston, Texas - A fugitive recently arrested in Houston, Texas, for the 2009 rape of a 13-year-old girl has been remanded into the custody of the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) on a felony warrant and is awaiting extradition to Virginia. Following a lead from the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Deputy U.S. Marshals and officers from ICE ERO Houston Fugitive Operations Team located and arrested Efren Cruz-Nunez, a citizen of Honduras who entered the United States in 1998. Cruz-Nunez is now removable based on his criminal convictions; in addition to the rape for which he was recently arrested, he also has a conviction for larceny dating back to 2009, and was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. One of Virginias Most Wanted fugitives, the case received extensive press coverage when the Arlington County Police Departments Special Victims Unit requested the publics assistance in locating Cruz-Nunez. Because of a lack of leads regarding his whereabouts the case eventually went cold. In late 2015, the case was assigned to the USMS, who then reached out to ICE ERO for help developing fresh leads. Through detailed target analysis, ERO academy instructor Marco Coloma helped develop information indicating Cruz-Nunez was potentially living in Houston, Texas under the alias Anthony Sanchez. ERO also associated Cruz-Nunez with a second sex offense on a minor in 2012 in Houston, Texas, under the name Anthony Sanchez; however, he was not arrested for the offense because of lack of evidence. After several weeks of investigation and surveillance, Houston ERO and USMS deputies located Cruz-Nunez at a Houston address where he was arrested without incident March 3, 2016. This arrest is the culmination of months of investigative work and serves as an excellent example of law enforcement cooperation between ERO and USMS. Imperial Valley News Center Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Hack into U.S. Defense Contractors Systems to Steal Sensitive Military Information Los Angeles, California - A Chinese national pleaded guilty Wednesday to participating in a years-long conspiracy to hack into the computer networks of major U.S. defense contractors, steal sensitive military and export-controlled data and send the stolen data to China. Su Bin, also known as Stephen Su and Stephen Subin, 50, a citizen and resident of the Peoples Republic of China, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder of the Central District of California. The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central District of California, Assistant Director Jim Trainor of the FBIs Cyber Division and Assistant Director in Charge David Bowdich of the FBIs Los Angeles Division. A criminal complaint filed in 2014 and subsequent indictments filed in Los Angeles charged Su, a China-based businessman in the aviation and aerospace fields, for his role in the criminal conspiracy to steal military technical data, including data relating to the C-17 strategic transport aircraft and certain fighter jets produced for the U.S. military. Su was initially arrested in Canada in July 2014 on a warrant issued in relation to this case. Su ultimately waived extradition and consented to be conveyed to the United States in February 2016. Su Bin admitted to playing an important role in a conspiracy, originating in China, to illegally access sensitive military data, including data relating to military aircraft that are indispensable in keeping our military personnel safe, said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. This plea sends a strong message that stealing from the United States and our companies has a significant cost; we can and will find these criminals and bring them to justice. The National Security Division remains sharply focused on disrupting cyber threats to the national security, and we will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who seek to undermine our security. Protecting our national security is the highest priority of the U.S. Attorneys Office, and cybercrime represents one of the most serious threats to our national security, said U.S. Attorney Decker. The innovative and tireless work of the prosecutors and investigators in this case is a testament to our collective commitment to protecting our nations security from all threats. Todays guilty plea and conviction demonstrate that these criminals can be held accountable no matter where they are located in the world and that we are deeply committed to protecting our sensitive data in order to keep our nation safe. Cyber security is a top priority not only for the FBI but the entire U.S. government, said Assistant Director Trainor. Our greatest strength is when we harness our capabilities to work together, and todays guilty plea demonstrates this. Our adversaries capabilities are constantly evolving, and we will remain vigilant in combating the cyber threat. This investigation demonstrates the FBIs resolve in holding foreign cyber actors accountable regardless of where they reside, said Assistant Director in Charge Bowdich. Cybercrime investigators in Los Angeles are among the finest and their efforts toward preserving America's national security in this case should be commended. In the plea agreement filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, Su admitted to conspiring with two persons in China from October 2008 to March 2014 to gain unauthorized access to protected computer networks in the United States, including computers belonging to the Boeing Company in Orange County, California, to obtain sensitive military information and to export that information illegally from the United States to China. As part of the conspiracy, Su would e-mail the co-conspirators with guidance regarding what persons, companies and technologies to target during their computer intrusions. One of Sus co-conspirators would then gain access to information residing on computers of U.S. companies and email Su directory file listings and folders showing the data that the co-conspirator had been able to access. Su then directed his co-conspirator as to which files and folders his co-conspirator should steal. Once the co-conspirator stole the data, including by using techniques to avoid detection when hacking the victim computers, Su translated the contents of certain stolen data from English into Chinese. In addition, Su and his co-conspirators each wrote, revised and emailed reports about the information and technology they had acquired by their hacking activities, including its value, to the final beneficiaries of their hacking activities. Sus plea agreement makes clear that the information he and his co-conspirators intentionally stole included data listed on the U.S. Munitions List contained in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Su also admitted that he engaged in the crime for the purpose of financial gain and specifically sought to profit from selling the data the he and his co-conspirators illegally acquired. Su faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest. Judge Snyder is scheduled to sentence Su on July 13, 2016. The case is being investigated by the FBI Los Angeles Field Offices Cyber Division with assistance from the U.S. Air Forces Office of Special Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Lewis of the Central District of California and Trial Attorney Casey Arrowood and Senior Trial Attorney Robert E. Wallace of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with support from Lisa Roberts of the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs. Governor Brown Grants Pardons Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that he has granted 59 pardons. Individuals who have been convicted of a crime in California may apply to the Governor for a pardon. Those granted pardons all completed their sentences and the majority were originally convicted of nonviolent, drug-related crimes. All applicants for a pardon who were eligible obtained a Certificate of Rehabilitation, which is an order from a superior court declaring that a person convicted of a crime is now rehabilitated. A gubernatorial pardon may be granted to people who have demonstrated exemplary behavior and have lived productive and law-abiding lives following their conviction. Pardons are not granted unless they are earned. When a pardon is granted, the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are notified so that they may update their records on the applicant. The pardon is filed with the Secretary of State and the Legislature, and it is a public record. Copies of all 59 gubernatorial pardons can be found here. Additional information on pardons can be found here. 2016 FBI San Diego Teen Academy Applications Available Online Now San Diego, California - Applications are now being accepted for FBI San Diegos 2016 Teen Academy, which will take place on June 29, 2016 and August 17, 2016 at the San Diego Field Office headquarters in Sorrento Valley. Any student interested in the FBI, what we do, and how a relationship with the FBI can help his or her school and community is encouraged to apply. The Teen Academy is open to high school sophomores or juniors enrolled in a public, private, charter, or home school program. The applicant must currently attend school within San Diego County or Imperial County to be eligible to apply. Students selected for the FBI Teen Academy spend an interactive day with special agents and professional staff participating in both classroom and hands-on activities. Classes will offer an insiders look into criminal and cyber investigations and hands-on experience involving evidence collection and tactical operations, all while learning about the FBIs core values. After completing the class, students will be more aware of the challenges their communities face and better understand how the FBI serves their community. Teen Academy graduates are encouraged to mentor their peers by sharing the knowledge they have gained through the program. The FBIs Teen Academy application process allows for the identification of a diverse pool of students who are capable of leadership and have an interest in the FBI. An essay is required of all applicants. The essay will be the first element of the application package that will be reviewed and provides an insight into the students motivations for attending. All applications should highlight the students school activities and community involvement, which will be an important part of the criteria used to evaluate the applicants Applications, supporting essay, and release form must be received at the FBI San Diego field office by 4 p.m. on April 18 2016. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Send completed applications to: FBI San Diego Attn: Community Outreach Specialist 10385 Vista Sorrento Parkway San Diego, CA 92121 Applications may also be scanned and e-mailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Pictures from last years Teen Academy: USDA Offers New Toolkit to Assess Economic Impact of Local Foods Chicago, Illinois - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled a new resource created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Colorado State University that will help communities and businesses evaluate the economic benefits of investing in local food systems. The Secretary released details about " The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices" in his keynote remarks at the 12th Annual Good Food Festival and Conference in Chicago. "Strong local and regional food systems are helping to revitalize rural and urban communities across the country, and more than 160,000 farmers and ranchers nationwide are tapping into growing consumer demand for locally grown products. With USDA support, this sector is increasing access to healthy foods for local residents and creating opportunity for small businesses that store, process, market and distribute food," said Vilsack. "Now community leaders have a toolkit that can help measure job creation and other economic development indicators, which will help make the case for continued investments." The Local Food System Toolkit was developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to help communities reliably evaluate the economic impact of investing in local and regional food systems. The Local Food System Toolkit provides detailed guidance in seven modules to measure and assess the expected economic impacts of local food investments. Using real-world projects, experiences, and applied research, it provides grounded, credible, and useable assessment methods. The Local Food System Toolkit can be used by policy makers, community leaders, private businesses or foundations to offer specific estimates that will help them decide whether to invest in initiatives that increase local food activity. Secretary Vilsack has identified strengthening local and regional food systems as one of the four pillars of USDA's commitment to rural economic development. Over the course of this Administration, USDA has helped farmers, ranchers, and businesses access the growing market for local and regional foods, which was valued at $12 billion in 2014 according to industry estimates. In the last six years, USDA invested more than $800 million in more than 29,100 local and regional food businesses and infrastructure projects. These activities contribute to USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) initiative, which coordinates efforts across USDA to support local and regional food systems. AMS plays a key role in supporting farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), food hubs, and local food businesses by offering technical assistance, conducting research, and awarding grants. The Local Food System Toolkit is the latest resource offered by AMS in support of local and regional food systems. Seven Iranians Working for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Affiliated Entities Charged for Conducting Coordinated Campaign of Cyber Attacks Against U.S. Financial Sector New York - A grand jury in the Southern District of New York indicted seven Iranian individuals who were employed by two Iran-based computer companies, ITSecTeam (ITSEC) and Mersad Company (MERSAD), that performed work on behalf of the Iranian Government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on computer hacking charges related to their involvement in an extensive campaign of over 176 days of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Ahmad Fathi, 37; Hamid Firoozi, 34; Amin Shokohi, 25; Sadegh Ahmadzadegan, aka Nitr0jen26, 23; Omid Ghaffarinia, aka PLuS, 25; Sina Keissar, 25; and Nader Saedi, aka Turk Server, 26, launched DDoS attacks against 46 victims, primarily in the U.S financial sector, between late 2011 and mid-2013. The attacks disabled victim bank websites, prevented customers from accessing their accounts online and collectively cost the victims tens of millions of dollars in remediation costs as they worked to neutralize and mitigate the attacks on their servers. In addition, Firoozi is charged with obtaining unauthorized access into the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems of the Bowman Dam, located in Rye, New York, in August and September of 2013. The indictment was announced today by Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Director James B. Comey of the FBI, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York. In unsealing this indictment, the Department of Justice is sending a powerful message: that we will not allow any individual, group, or nation to sabotage American financial institutions or undermine the integrity of fair competition in the operation of the free market, said Attorney General Lynch. Through the work of our National Security Division, the FBI, and U.S. Attorneys Offices around the country, we will continue to pursue national security cyber threats through the use of all available tools, including public criminal charges. And as todays unsealing makes clear, individuals who engage in computer hacking will be exposed for their criminal conduct and sought for apprehension and prosecution in an American court of law. The FBI will find those behind cyber intrusions and hold them accountable wherever they are, and whoever they are, said Director Comey. By calling out the individuals and nations who use cyber attacks to threaten American enterprise, as we have done in this indictment, we will change behavior. Like past nation state-sponsored hackers, these defendants and their backers believed that they could attack our critical infrastructure without consequence, from behind a veil of cyber anonymity, said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. This indictment once again shows there is no such veil we can and will expose malicious cyber hackers engaging in unlawful acts that threaten our public safety and national security. The charges announced today respond directly to a cyber-assault on New York, its institutions and its infrastructure, said U.S. Attorney Bharara. The alleged onslaught of cyber-attacks on 46 of our largest financial institutions, many headquartered in New York City, resulted in hundreds of thousands of customers being unable to access their accounts and tens of millions of dollars being spent by the companies trying to stay online through these attacks. The infiltration of the Bowman Avenue dam represents a frightening new frontier in cybercrime. These were no ordinary crimes, but calculated attacks by groups with ties to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard and designed specifically to harm America and its people. We now live in a world where devastating attacks on our financial system, our infrastructure and our way of life can be launched from anywhere in the world, with a click of a mouse. Confronting these types of cyber-attacks cannot be the job of just law enforcement. The charges announced today should serve as a wake-up call for everyone responsible for the security of our financial markets and for guarding our infrastructure. Our future security depends on heeding this call. According to the indictment unsealed today in federal court in New York City: DDoS Attacks The DDoS campaign began in approximately December 2011, and the attacks occurred only sporadically until September 2012, at which point they escalated in frequency to a near-weekly basis, between Tuesday and Thursdays during normal business hours in the United States. On certain days during the campaign, victim computer servers were hit with as much as 140 gigabits of data per second and hundreds of thousands of customers were cut off from online access to their bank accounts. Fathi, Firoozi and Shokohi were responsible for ITSECs portion of the DDoS campaign against the U.S. financial sector and are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit and aid and abet computer hacking. Fathi was the leader of ITSEC and was responsible for supervising and coordinating ITSECs portion of the DDoS campaign, along with managing computer intrusion and cyberattack projects being conducted for the government of Iran. Firoozi was the network manager at ITSEC and, in that role, procured and managed computer servers that were used to coordinate and direct ITSECs portion of the DDoS campaign. Shokohi is a computer hacker who helped build the botnet used by ITSEC to carry out its portion of the DDoS campaign and created malware used to direct the botnet to engage in those attacks. During the time that he worked in support of the DDoS campaign, Shokohi received credit for his computer intrusion work from the Iranian government towards his completion of his mandatory military service requirement in Iran. Ahmadzadegan, Ghaffarinia, Keissar and Saedi were responsible for managing the botnet used in MERSADs portion of the campaign, and are also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit and aid and abet computer hacking. Ahmadzadegan was a co-founder of MERSAD and was responsible for managing the botnet used in MERSADs portion of the DDoS campaign. He was also associated with Iranian hacking groups Sun Army and the Ashiyane Digital Security Team (ADST), and claimed responsibility for hacking servers belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in February 2012. Ahmadzadegan has also provided training to Iranian intelligence personnel. Ghaffarinia was a co-founder of MERSAD and created malicious computer code used to compromise computer servers and build MERSADs botnet. Ghaffarinia was also associated with Sun Army and ADST, and has also claimed responsibility for hacking NASA servers in February 2012, as well as thousands of other servers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. Keissar procured computer servers used by MERSAD to access and manipulate MERSADs botnet, and also performed preliminary testing of the same botnet prior to its use in MERSADs portion of the DDoS campaign. Saedi was an employee of MERSAD and a former Sun Army computer hacker who expressly touted himself as an expert in DDoS attacks. Saedi wrote computer scripts used to locate vulnerable servers to build the MERSAD botnet used in its portion of the DDoS campaign. For the purpose of carrying out the attacks, each group built and maintained their own botnets, which consisted of thousands of compromised computer systems owned by unwitting third parties that had been infected with the defendants malware, and subject to their remote command and control. The defendants and/or their unindicted co-conspirators then sent orders to their botnets to direct significant amounts of malicious traffic at computer servers used to operate the websites for victim financial institutions, which overwhelmed victim servers and disabled them from customers seeking to legitimately access the websites or their online bank accounts. Although the DDoS campaign caused damage to the financial sector victims and interfered with their customers ability to do online banking, the attacks did not affect or result in the theft of customer account data. DDoS Botnet Remediation Since the attacks, the Department of Justice and the FBI have worked together with the private sector to effectively neutralize and remediate the defendants botnets. Specifically, through approximately 20 FBI Liaison Alert System (FLASH) messages, the FBI regularly provided updated information collected from the investigation regarding the identity of systems that been infected with the defendants malware and operating as bots within the malicious botnets. In addition, the FBI conducted extensive direct outreach to Internet service providers responsible for hosting systems that have been infected with the defendants malware to provide them information and assistance in removing the malware to protect their customers and other potential victims of the defendants unlawful cyber activities. Through these outreach efforts and the cooperation of the private sector, over 95 percent of the known part of the defendants botnets have been successfully remediated. Bowman Dam Intrusion Between Aug. 28, 2013, and Sept. 18, 2013, Firoozi repeatedly obtained unauthorized access to the SCADA systems of the Bowman Dam, and is charged with one substantive count of obtaining and aiding and abetting computer hacking. This unauthorized access allowed him to repeatedly obtain information regarding the status and operation of the dam, including information about the water levels, temperature and status of the sluice gate, which is responsible for controlling water levels and flow rates. Although that access would normally have permitted Firoozi to remotely operate and manipulate the Bowman Dams sluice gate, Firoozi did not have that capability because the sluice gate had been manually disconnected for maintenance at the time of the intrusion. Remediation for the Bowman Dam intrusion cost over $30,000. U.S. Department of Education Announces Path for Debt Relief for Students at 91 Additional Corinthian Campuses Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Education announced that students who were defrauded at 91 former Corinthian Colleges Inc. (Corinthian) campuses nationwide have a clear path to loan forgiveness under evidence uncovered by the Department while working with multiple state attorneys general. These campuses represent the largest group of borrowers eligible for loan relief so far from the ongoing investigation into Corinthian. In total, the Department has made findings of fraud against more than 100 of Corinthian's former campuses. Students who attended Corinthian schools operated under its Everest and WyoTech brands in more than 20 states Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Washington, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oregon, New York, Utah, Maryland, New Jersey, and Wyoming can apply for debt relief through a form posted here. The Department is reaching out to those students through postal mail, email, partner organizations and other means. U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. made the announcement in Boston with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, whose office was instrumental in bringing forward evidence that Corinthian's two Everest Institute campuses in Massachusetts Chelsea and Brighton misrepresented their job placement rates to enrolled and prospective students. Students from multiple programs at those campuses can now apply for relief using the online process described above. The Department's Special Master Joseph A. Smith also attended the announcement. Smith delivered his third report on borrower defense today, which outlined that the Department has approved loan discharges for more than 8,800 former Corinthian students nationwide, totaling more than $130 million. "When Americans invest their time, money and effort to gain new skills, they have a right to expect they'll get an education that leads to a better life for them and their families. Corinthian was more worried about profits than about students' lives," King said. "Through these important partnerships with states' attorneys general, we are pleased to offer relief to Corinthian students who were defrauded. And we will continue to take action to protect students and taxpayers from unscrupulous companies trying to profit off of students who simply want to better their lives." "For two years, our office has been working to secure loan forgiveness for students preyed upon by Corinthian. Today marks an important first step in providing the debt relief these students deserve," Healey said. "I thank the Department for its partnership and look forward to working together to help even more Corinthian students in Massachusetts and hold other predatory schools accountable for their illegal and unfair practices." Last summer, the Department created a similar form for students at 12 Heald College campuses after fining the institution $30 million for misrepresenting job placement rates to current and prospective students. In November 2015, the Department, in conjunction with the California Attorney General, published additional findings of misrepresentation at 20 Everest and WyoTech campuses in California and Florida. Smith and Department staff have been working closely with state attorneys general from Illinois, Wisconsin and other states across the country to identify wrongdoing that could provide former Corinthian students a basis for relief under federal law. The Department hopes to replicate these partnerships in other states. "I'm pleased that the Special Master and his team are continuing to make it possible to provide relief to defrauded Corinthian students. To ensure students defrauded by other institutions can be made whole, the Department is currently drafting rules to simplify the process for submitting borrower defense claims," said Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell. Protecting Students and Taxpayers Over the past seven years, the Obama Administration has taken aggressive and comprehensive action to address fraudulent, illegal and abusive practices in higher education. The U.S. Department of Education is working on multiple fronts to ensure that poorly performing or predatory institutions will no longer be able to take advantage of students and taxpayers. The Department's forceful new steps to protect students and provide them with opportunities for a high-quality, affordable education that prepares them for their careers has resulted in improved options for college-goers and increased protections for taxpayers. Student Aid Enforcement Unit In February 2016, the Department established the Student Aid Enforcement Unit to respond more quickly and efficiently to allegations of illegal actions by postsecondary institutions. The Enforcement Unit is led by Robert Kaye, a well-respected enforcement attorney who was most recently a leader in the Federal Trade Commission's work protecting consumers. Through his work as the Bureau of Consumer Protection's Chief Litigation Counsel and as a manager in the Bureau's Division of Enforcement, Kaye has considerable experience supervising and advising managers and attorneys engaged in consumer protection investigations, as well as federal court and administrative litigation. The new unit will collaborate with state and federal agencies and will incorporate evidence gathered in investigations by those agencies in building cases against postsecondary institutions. The unit will also collaborate with the Department's office of Program Compliance regarding evidence which may impact ongoing compliance reviews. Moreover, the unit will utilize a broad set of interventions and tools, including subpoena authority, document demands, and interviews to enforce against violations of federal law. The Enforcement Unit consists of the following four divisions: Investigations Group, Borrower Defense Group, the Administrative Actions and Appeals Service Group, and the Clery Act Group. Borrower Defense to Repayment In June 2015, the Department appointed Smith, an advocate for consumers and taxpayers, as a Special Master to the Department to help create a process for reviewing borrower defense claims that is fair, transparent, and efficient. This decision is intended to simplify the process of discharging loans under the current regulations where students have valid claims that qualify as defenses to repayment of their federal loans (borrower defenses), and to ensure students who have been subject to fraudulent behavior by schools receive the relief for which the students are eligibleall while protecting taxpayers. In his first report, Smith discussed the legal and regulatory basis for the Department's approach to BD and the sequence of events leading to his appointment and his process going forward to evaluate borrower defense claims. The second report documented progress made on a number of student debt-relief goals. This report also discussed the issues that Smith and his team continue to examine. In particular, Smith described his plans to develop rules for resolving borrower defense claims still under review and to pursue additional engagement with state attorneys general to expedite relief to students. Smith's third report released today identifies the relief provided to borrowers so far and describes how borrowers who were enrolled in Corinthian Colleges Inc.'s Everest and WyoTech programs can seek borrower defense relief. Smith's work will help inform the work of the Enforcement Unit. To further formalize this process going forward, the Department has begun a negotiated rulemaking process whereby the Department will seek not only to clarify how Direct Loan borrowers who believe they were defrauded by their institutions can seek relief, but also to strengthen regulatory provisions to hold colleges accountable for wrongdoing that results in loan discharges. Gainful Employment Regulations To protect students enrolled in career training programs from becoming burdened by student loan debt they cannot repay, in October 2014 the Department published regulations that require career training programs to meet minimum thresholds in student outcomesor risk losing access to federal student aid. These regulations, also known as the "gainful employment rule," hold career training programs accountable for putting their students on the path to success, and they complement action across the Administration to protect consumers and prevent and investigate fraud, waste and abuse, particularly at for-profit colleges. To qualify for federal student aid, the law requires that most programs at proprietary institutions and certificate programs at all institutions prepare students for "gainful employment in a recognized occupation." By defining what "gainful employment" means, the new regulations distinguish programs that provide affordable training that leads to well-paying jobs from programs that leave graduates with poor earnings prospects and unmanageable debt. The regulations also support greater accountability for colleges by requiring institutions to disclose key information on program costs, graduation rates, employment outcomes, and student indebtedness. These disclosures empower students to compare across career training programs when searching for and selecting a program. The regulations also help the Department in its efforts to protect students from deceptive practices. Based on available data, the Department estimates that about 1,400 programs serving 840,000 students would not pass the accountability standards. Institutions will have the opportunity to make immediate changes to their programs that could help them avoid sanctions, but if programs do not make these changes, they will ultimately become ineligible for federal student aid. Joint Task Force on the Oversight and Accountability of For-Profit Postsecondary Institutions In October 2014, the Department formalized an interagency task force to complement and build upon other actions by the Administration to protect students by addressing problems at poorly performing institutions of higher education, particularly in the for-profit sector. The purpose of the task force is to provide a means for federal agencies to share strategies and collaborate on the most effective ways to produce complementary protections for the public. These strategies include developing more streamlined information sharing practices, producing effective consumer tools like updates to the College Scorecard and Financial Aid Shopping Sheet and sharing program expertise to identify best practices that minimize negative impacts from poorly performing institutions. Examples of these efforts include sharing relevant information of interest to task force members, such as the work underway at the Department to develop processes and systems to provide relief to federal student loan borrowers who have legal claims against the institutions of higher education they attended. Calling on Congress to Do Its Part The Department continues to take aggressive action to ensure that defrauded borrowers get the debt relief they are entitled to, to step up oversight and enforcement to identify colleges that present the greatest risk to students and taxpayers, and to hold schools accountable for their actions. But to fully address these issues, Congress must also take action. Congress should strengthen, not roll back, both consumer protections for students and accountability for colleges to make sure there are better oversight and enforcement tools in place to prevent colleges from harming students and leaving taxpayers holding the bag. The Department looks forward to working with Congress on such efforts. The President's FY2017 budget calls on Congress to require that no more than 85 percent of a proprietary institution's revenue come from all federal sources including grants to servicemembers, veterans and their family members from the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) . Under current law, proprietary institutions participating in federal student aid programs may receive no more than 90 percent of their revenue from the federal student loans and grants available through the Higher Education Act. But federal grants to servicemembers, veterans and their family members from the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), such as the post-9/11 GI Bill, that are used to pay for education are not counted in this calculation. This loophole allows institutions to receive almost all their revenue and far more than 90 percent from a combination of Department of Education grant and loan programs, DoD and VA student aid, and other federal sources. Closing the loophole and returning to 85 percent will discourage aggressive, and sometimes predatory and deceptive, marketing and recruitment of veterans and servicemembers who receive student aid under DoD and VA programs. In addition: Remarks With Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel Brussels, Belgium - Remarks With Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel: PRIME MINISTER MICHEL: Well, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would want to thank Secretary Kerry and the United States for their visit today in Brussels. Its very important support for us. We are facing in Belgium and in Europe very difficult moments with these terrorist attacks. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to talk with President Obama. We have arrested Salah Abdeslam and a few days later we are facing this terrible this tragedy, the terrorist attacks in the airport of Brussels and in the center of Brussels in the subway. We have had the opportunity this morning with John Kerry to discuss the fight against terrorism, how its possible to do better, how its possible to work together in order to be more efficient. Its also important to look at this issue on the local level, and I can say Belgium is trying to do our best efforts in order to play a positive role, in order to have a stronger Europe in the fight against terrorism, in the fight against radicalism. (In French.) I want to express also my condolence for the American victim. We know that we are facing a situation with more than 14 nationalities. The victims of this of these attacks in Brussels (in French.) Its very important for us to receive today your support. We want to cooperate with you. We want to do our best with you in order to face these very sensitive issues. (In French.) I give you the floor. SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. And good afternoon. And I want to begin by thanking Prime Minister Michel for his remarks, and especially for his leadership in this challenging moment. And Im pleased to be here also with my friend and counterpart, Didier Reynders, the foreign minister of Belgium. On behalf of President Obama and all of the American people, I offer our deepest condolences to the people of Belgium and to all of the families of all those individuals who have suffered an inconceivable loss in the last few days. The United States, I want you to know, is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those who have been very cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks. As I told Foreign Minister Reynders on Tuesday when we talked by telephone, the United States stands firmly with Belgium and with the nations of Europe in the face of this tragedy. We join you in thanking the very brave first responders who rushed to the scene on a moments notice in order to care for the wounded and to save lives. And we will continue to provide any assistance necessary in investigating these heinous acts of terrorism and bringing those responsible to justice. In America, we remember very clearly how, in the days after 9/11, Belgians and other Europeans came together around, in this city, around the events of the World Trade Center. And you showed your solidarity with us, with the victims in New York, in Washington, and Pennsylvania. And then voices all across Europe declared, Je suis Americain. So now, we declare, Je suis Bruxellois; ik ben Brussel. Those whose lives were torn apart this week were not combatants in any kind of conflict; they posed no threat; they wished no one any harm. They were simply going about their lives airport and subway workers; a Peruvian mother of twins who was training to be a chef; an American personal trainer flying home for Easter; an Indian employee of a high tech firm; Mormon missionaries; public servants, teachers, tourists. Contrast these good people innocent people with the twisted killers who planted the bombs terrorists whose sole aim was to kill and maim and sow fear. There, in the sharpest relief possible, you see in that the difference between life and death, between decency and evil, and between civilization and those who revel in destruction. We all of us representing countless nationalities have a message for those who inspired or carried out the attacks here or in Paris, or in Ankara, in Tunis, San Bernardino, or elsewhere: We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred. And we will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of this Earth. Daesh has claimed responsibilities for these attacks. But there is not a government on Earth that supports the terrorists of Daesh not one. In fact, a coalition of 66 nations, including Belgium, stands united against them. And the very reason that Daesh is resorting to actions outside of the Middle East is that its fantasy of a caliphate is collapsing before their eyes; its territory is shrinking every day; its leaders are being decimated; its revenue sources are dwindling; and its fighters are fleeing. So, as we have said many times President Obama, myself, and others our mission to defeat and destroy Daesh is not going to be accomplished overnight; its going to take some time and patience and persistence. It will require resources and commitment and cooperation across many cultures and beliefs, and the recognition that this is, in fact, truly a global challenge. But I am absolutely confident that we will be successful, and there are so many measurable ways in which we have already been rising to meet this particular challenge. Its also important that we respond to the killers inhumanity by underscoring our own basic decency and humanity ourselves. We should learn from the example of an American doctor, Laura Billet, who had just left the airport here in Brussels when she and a friend heard the bombs go off. She ran to a nearby police station and started to triage victims. She tended to any victims who came through the door, doing what she could to treat shrapnel wounds, burns, and other injuries that she had never seen before. She had a few supplies very few but that didnt matter to her. There are people hurt, she said, and Im going to help these people. I am going to help these people. No statement could be simpler, and yet no statement could really be more powerful. No commitment could be more directly opposite to what Daesh and similar groups represent. Mr. Prime Minister, your nation has suffered a cruel and unfair tragedy this week. People are hurt, but we are, all of us, going to help. No act of terror can undermine the foundation of our friendship or the values that define our alliance: our fundamental openness, tolerance, and diversity; our pursuit of justice; our dedication to preserving the blessings of freedom for ourselves, our children, and generations to come. On Tuesday, lives were viciously cut short, and hundreds were injured. It is with irreplaceable loss in mind that we will renew our vow to come together against a common enemy in order to keep our people safe. And it is with their memory in our hearts that we must always stand in solidarity as friends, as allies, and partners. (In French.) Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you again for taking the time to receive the condolences of the people of the United States today. We will continue to work very, very closely with you, and I am absolutely confident, as I have said, that we will be successful in destroying Daesh and restoring a sense of tranquility and peace to communities that seek exactly that daily life. Thank you very much, sir. Deputy Secretary of State Higginbottom Travel to Greece and Switzerland Washington, DC - Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, will travel to Lesvos, Greece and Geneva, Switzerland. Deputy Secretary Higginbottoms trip to Greece on March 28 underscores the U.S. Governments support for Greeces efforts to manage flows of refugees and migrants humanely. During the visit, she will visit facilities involved in registering newly arrived migrants and talk to young refugees at a local center. She will meet with other delegations to discuss how the United States can work with partners to expand and improve the global effort to assist refugees, through significant new commitments in increased funding for UN humanitarian appeals, refugee resettlement, integration, and self-reliance. The United States has an abiding interest in the welfare of refugees and migrants, including those who are risking their lives in a desperate attempt to find safety in Europe. In Fiscal Year 2016, the U.S. Government has provided nearly $24 million in humanitarian assistance to UNHCR for the refugee emergency in Europe, including for its operations in Greece. The United States will continue to monitor the situation and coordinate efforts with those of the EU and affected countries, supporting efforts to respond to this challenging situation in a way that respects the human rights and humanitarian needs of refugees and migrants. Deputy Secretary Higginbottom will then proceed to Geneva, where on March 30 she will head the U.S. delegation to the UNHCR-hosted meeting on Global Responsibility Sharing through Pathways for Admission of Syrian Refugees. She will meet with other delegations to discuss how the United States can work with partners to expand and improve global effort to assist refugees through significant new commitment to increase funding for UN humanitarian appeals, and refugee resettlement, integration, and self-reliance. Inflatable Halloween Pumpkin Twice the Size of a House Rings in Spooky Season Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Rumours of a Spice Girls reunion tour to commemorate the group's 20th anniversary are swirling again. Mel B, aka Scary Spice, recently said it would be "rude not to celebrate" the anniversary of their chart-topping debut single "Wannabe", adding "hopefully something will be happening pretty soon". Now US Weekly claims to have been tipped off by a Spice Girls insider, who reportedly said: "This has been in the works for the past year. The girls have long been keen to do a major reunion tour together." However, fans of Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, and her signature stage move - basically, a sassy point of the finger - could be disappointed, as the source added: "They are trying to convince Victoria to jump in, but she doesn't want to do it." The Spice Girls last reunited for a short performance at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Their 2007-8 reunion tour "The Return of the Spice Girls" included a 17-night run of shows at London's O2 Arena. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Q. We have held current accounts with HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds for more than 30 years. We sold some possessions for cash and have around 15,000 to pay into our accounts. But we are concerned that the banks may not accept this because of money laundering regulations. We do not have any records for the transactions. GE, by email A. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks to have "adequate policies and procedures sufficient to counter the risk that they might be used to further financial crime". In addition, banks must "identify and monitor customer relationships". In effect, this is a requirement for banks to "know their customers" and be confident they are not using accounts to receive the proceeds of crime. There is no specific limit on cash receipts imposed by the FCA. So the attitude of the banks will depend on their prior knowledge of you. We spoke to Barclays, which indicated that its response would vary according to the type of account you hold and your history in relation to the receipt of large sums. It confirmed that your lack of records to explain the cash receipts is a potential problem. It was unable to provide clear guidance specifically because that could assist criminals who are trying to money launder. HSBC said simply: "We don't have restrictions for how much customers can deposit in their accounts." A spokesman for Lloyds said that while it had no set limit on cash deposits, it may ask customers for information on how the cash was obtained and seek proof of this. "If the customer wasn't able to provide this information, then it is possible that further controls could be triggered," he added. Why the surcharge for paying by card? Q. A 3 per cent surcharge has been levied on me for using a debit card when paying a holiday deposit. I thought new EU legislation prevented traders imposing surcharges. ZG, by email A. The new rules banning surcharges on debit and credit cards do not come into effect in the UK until January 2018. Visa Europe told us that the current position in the UK is that all cards can be surcharged, so long as this is in accordance with the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, which prohibit merchants from charging more than their direct costs for using cards. The Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 cap the fees paid between banks for the acceptance of Debit and credit card transactions. The revised Payment Services Directive will, from 2018 in the UK, prohibit surcharges on cards regulated under the Interchange Fee Regulations; this does not cover some commercial cards. we've been left up in the air by thomas cook Q. In January I bought two tickets from Thomas Cook to fly to Lanzarote in June. The flight was 379.96 and the total cost - including extras for selected seats, food and luggage was 527.96. But when the paperwork came through, the extras, though shown as all paid, were on a separate invoice. And the only payment taken from my account was 379.96 for the flights. We are afraid that when we get to the airport, we will be told that no extras have been booked. We have tried to contact Thomas Cook, but have got nowhere. AH, by email A. Thomas Cook said the extras have been booked and apologised for a systems error. Its spokeswoman added: "As [the reader] is a repeat customer, we offered a 150 discount from the [next] flight booking and she was delighted." flight delays and the quest for a refund Q. I'm trying to obtain compensation for a delayed flight. My partner and I returned from holiday in Sarajevo to Manchester last September with Austrian Airlines, with a connection at Vienna. The departure from Sarajevo was delayed three hours, we missed our connection, got diverted via Heathrow and arrived at Manchester seven hours late. I emailed a complaint to the airline but have heard nothing. AW, Stockport Recommended Read more London Emergency Plumbers owner given suspended jail sentence A. As you booked through Lufthansa, we took the matter up with the German company it referred the issue to Austrian Airlines. You have now received compensation of nearly 600 which was more than you paid for the flights. we want to claim air passenger duty back Q. I went through Expedia in November to book flights to Mauritius, leaving at the end of this month. My children are 12 and 14 and the airline, Emirates, is now refunding the air passenger duty [APD] on these flights. But if you've booked through a travel company then Emirates says this is where you should go to claim a refund. I have emailed Expedia and it seems to have no idea what I am talking about. LM, Hampshire A. The Government removed APD on flights for children aged over 12 but under 16 from the beginning of March. An Expedia spokesman said it will arrange for you to be refunded. He added: "We are aware of the changes... and we are working with our air partners in order to support customers who are eligible for an APD refund. We will ensure our customer service agents are fully briefed." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} What does the future hold for us as spenders and savers? In the past 30 years, the way in which we bank and use money has changed dramatically. But while the pace of change has started to slow, there are still exciting times ahead, reckon future-gazers . In 1986, when The Independent was launched, few could have anticipated that in paying for goods and services, we would one day be able to "tap and go" simply by brandishing a piece of plastic or, even more outlandishly, something called a mobile phone. The internet has changed the way in which most of us bank and spend, and the "millennial" generation takes such convenience for granted. But that won't do for people coming of age in "Generation Z"; born in the mid 1990s, they will almost certainly soon be embracing the internet of things a technology that will let gadgets talk to each other. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Sounds frightening? I'm assured they won't be plotting to overthrow humans but will talk to each other with the sole aim of making our lives easier. So our fridges will tell our phones to order fresh groceries when stocks are low, and our cars will tell our heating systems to warm up the home when we're a few minutes away. I experienced a little of this in Dublin this week when I visited MasterCard Labs. The centre is one of the company's eight innovation hubs across the world, focusing, MasterCard says, on fresh ideas to improve customers' lives or at least make it easier for them to spend money. Garry Lyons, the company's chief innovation officer, is very enthusiastic about the changes ahead. When we met, he had three items of wearable technology on his person and soon produced a fourth a garish ring that is linked to a phone and glows in different colours according to who's calling. It can also be used to tap and pay and is one of thousands of ideas considered by the lab every year. "This isn't actually my style," he said of the ring, but he beamed proudly when displaying his wristband. It uses the throb of his own heartbeat as an identifier, rather than making him remember passwords or PINs. That certainly piques my interest - remembering passwords is a pain. "It's part of a range of new wearables we're looking at," Mr Lyons said. "We know that people have trouble remembering passwords, and using biometrics can help avoid needing to remember a complicated series of letters and numbers." The wristband uses electrocardiograms to measure your heart rate, and when you pay, it transmits a signal to a till to verify your identity. Your electrocardiogram reading is unique, so if someone else takes your wristband, they won't be able to use it This summer the company is also launching "selfie pay" in the UK; it will allow you to take a picture of yourself to verify your identity. Fingerprints are already being used for the same purpose and further ahead is iris technology. All the big financial companies are striving to use biometrics to make banking easier. Anthony Thompson, the man behind Metro Bank and the soon-to-launch online bank Atom, said: "In the future you won't have to remember your own name to bank with us. You'll be your own unique PIN code." The future is digital, with technology driving better ways to manage our money and even financial advice increasingly being delivered by artificial intelligence. The drawback is that if you're not plugged in, you'll miss out, raising the prospect of a two-tier economy of digital "haves" and "have nots". Except it's not just a prospect: millions already have to pay a premium if they can't or won't pay bills automatically. The way we were: 30 years of change The year in which The Independent was launched, 1986, marked a revolution in high-street finance as well as the newspaper industry. For the first time banks were allowed to sell mortgages, which revolutionised the way in which home loans were sold as real competition entered the equation for the first time. Back then incredibly, it seems now we were still three years away from the launch of the UK's first telephone bank, First Direct. And then 1990 marked the peak year of cheque use, with more than 11 million written each day. Remember cheques? Most millennials won't even have any idea where their chequebook is now. In fact, cheque use has slumped by more than 75 per cent since 1990. Meanwhile debit cards are, surprisingly, younger than The Independent. The first didn't appear until 1987 when Barclays launched its Connect card. The new breed of flexible plastic soon swallowed up the old cheque guarantee cards. By 1997 the Nationwide was offering the first internet banking service and in 2003 came chip and pin cards, followed in 2007 by contactless. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An unlikely new big-screen genre is filling cinemas in France the comedy-documentary-thriller. Merci Patron follows two unemployed textile workers as they successfully blackmail Frances wealthiest man, Bernard Arnault, the founder and executive chairman of the worlds biggest luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH. By an astute double double-cross organised by a far-left journalist and film maker they bag 35,000 (28,000) to save their house and simultaneously make it impossible for Mr Arnault to sue or bring criminal charges. Recommended Read more LVMH sets new gold standard for Repossi The film has the convoluted, feelgood plot of The Sting and the in-your-face, faux good humour of the documentaries of US film maker Michael Moore. Despite the mysterious cancellation of a government subsidy and its banishment from the main distribution networks, the low-to-no-budget movie has been packing out French cinemas this month, especially in the provinces. More than 150,000 people have seen the film, mostly drawn to it through word of mouth. Its success means that it will be shown on nine times more screens across France from next week. Jocelyne and Serge Klur, two unemployed, impoverished 50-something workers from a village near the Belgian border, are the unlikely stars. So, against his will, is the 67-year old Mr Arnault. More than 150,000 people have seen the film, mostly through word of mouth LVMH delocalised the Klurs small suit-making factory from northern France to Poland. When they threatened to cause a stink about the threatened loss of their small house, Mr Arnault and LVMH agreed to help them, so long as they signed a contract to keep the deal quiet. Much fun follows, involving a video camera hidden in a soft toy cat and a jolly ex- intelligence agent dispatched to negotiate in secret by LVMH. Where is the tape recorder? I hope this is not being recorded, he says. In the end, the film maker and the Klurs manoeuvre LVMH into breaking their own confidentiality agreement. The movies theme song has become the ironic battle anthem of workers and students who have demonstrated in recent days against the centre-left governments proposal to reform Frances hiring-and-firing laws. The film has, however, also annoyed some people on the hard left. At a launch party in Paris, there were scuffles after a handful of activists accused the director, Francois Ruffin, of being a self-publicist who had patronised two distressed workers without endangering capitalism. You only see that kind of thing in Paris, said Mr Ruffin, who runs a small left-wing newspaper called Faqir. It was just two or three pitbulls of the ultra-left. People who are in the same fix as the Klurs come out of the film with tears in their eyes. That is what is important to me. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Mr Ruffin believes that the film is successful because it plays with two of the most powerful forces in the modern world public image and the moving image. He argues that Mr Arnault and LVMH were easily manipulated because they feared that bad publicity would damage their brands. To tell a story today, to reach people, he said, the most effective medium is film. LVMH and Mr Arnault have resolutely refused to comment on the movie even though the billionaire comes out of it reasonably well. He appears image-obsessed and naive rather than brutal or hard-hearted. How many bosses would have agreed to give redundant ex-workers 35,000 to save their house? All the same, LVMH would like the film to go away. Journalists at two newspapers owned by Mr Arnault say that they have been banned from writing about Merci Patron. There are allegations, but no proof, that LVMH intervened to have the films small state subsidy withdrawn. In fact, the company, if it bothered, has a good riposte to the films anti-globalist and anti-capitalist arguments. Although Mr Arnaults early career as a tycoon was troubled by accusations of asset-stripping, he has built LVMH into the worlds most successful luxury goods company, with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Celine and Berluti. It employs more than 120,000 people around the world, including 22,000 in France. Although much work has been sent abroad including the Kenzo suits once made by the Klurs factory near Valenciennes LVMH remains an important source of innovation, skilled jobs and apprenticeships for luxury trades in France. Mr Ruffin does not see things that way. He describes himself as anti-capitalist, anti-European and anti-free trade and in favour of taxes at frontiers, border controls and import quotas. Does he fear a legal attack by LVMH to get the Klurs money back? No. Can you imagine what effect it would have on their image, if they did that? They wont risk it. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Oxford has beaten London to the top spot in a list of the 10 least affordable cities in the UK, partly because of its appeal to commuters working in London. House prices in Oxford are almost 11 times average annual earnings in the city, at 364,429 on average. London came third on the list after Winchester, with Cambridge and Bath also making up the top five. Researchers said that the London average was brough down by prices in outer boroughs, which disguise the extremely high prices of the centre. Home affordability, measured by Lloyds Bank as the ratio between the average house price and gross local earnings, is at its worst level in eight years. The affordability of a house has now dropped to levels not seen since the ratio rose to 7.2 at the height of the last housing boom. House prices have risen 8 per cent on average from 196,229 in 2015 to 211,880 in 2016. That average is now 6.6 times the average salary, compared to 6.2 times in 2015. House price rises in the past three years have risen more steeply than average wage growth, making it more expensive to buy a home in the majority of UK cities," said Andrew Mason, Lloyds Bank mortgage products director. Outrageous property deals in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Outrageous property deals in pictures Outrageous property deals in pictures The Park Lane townhouse set to become one of the UK's most expensive student flats at 4,000 a week A town house situated in Park Lane, one of the most affluent places in London, is about to become the capitals most expensive student residence. Most of London students usually live in halls of residence before moving on to house-share. For this reason it is fair to say few will able to afford the 3,540 square foot three-bedroom flat, which is available for 4,000 a week, 16,000 per month or 192,000 per year. Wetherell Outrageous property deals in pictures London's most expensive flat goes on sale at Buckingham Palace near Buckingham Palace priced at 150m A luxury flat in Londons historic Admiralty Arch, which overlooks Buckingham Palace, could sell for up to 150 million. If sold for that price, the 15,000 sq ft apartment will become London's most expensive flat, topping One Hyde Park, a flat which sold for 140 million in 2014.The Grade I listed property boasts 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms Outrageous property deals in pictures Little White House inside the US embassy complex in London goes on sale for 2.5m A luxury home inside the US embassy complex has gone on sale for 2.5m. The property is said to be the most protected home in Britain and any visitor is asked to carry an identity card at all times. The complex has patrolling US marines, a 24-hour British police presence, checkpoints, anti-tanks blocks and CCTV.But potential buyers looking for a fortress should not get their hopes up as all the security will disappear once the US embassy moves to a new site in Nine Elms in 2017. The home, located at 4 Blackburnes Mews near Grosvenor Square, dates back to 1732 and owes its nickname to its white facade, grand entrance and sweeping staircase as well as its proximity to the US embassy. It provides nearly 3,000 sq ft of living space and benefits from access to communal gardens. Wetherell Outrageous property deals in pictures First London luxury flats to contain their own private art gallery with prices going from 3.8m up to 7.7m The first private luxury apartment building in London with its own private art gallery has been unveiled in March. The Chilterns at 24 Paddington Street contains 44 luxury residences, the majority of which were sold in 2013. It contains a signature restaurant, a 24 hour-hotel style concierge service, a gymnasium and sauna and a private cinema. The new art gallery, with original pictures of the area by David Bailey, is part of the lobby of the building and is one of the most exciting and unique features of the Chilterns, according to Stephen Conway, CEO of Galliard Homes. With prices going from 3.8 million up to 7.7 million for a three bedroom flat, the residence is located between the local shops of Marylebone High Street and Baker Street. Outrageous property deals in pictures Margaret Thatcher's Belgravia home is up for sale for 30m Margaret Thatchers six-floor townhouse in Belgravia is on the market for a cool 30 million. The Grade II listed building on No. 73 Chester Square, one of Londons most prestigious addresses, now boasts a lift, a newly constructed mews house with a roof terrace and a private garage after a three-year refurbishment by Leconfield, a development and construction company. Some features from Thatchers time at the property remain. The layout and design of the formal dining room and interlinking study on the ground floor has been reinstated exactly as the Iron Lady had it during her 22 years at the property, from 1991 until her death in 2013. Outrageous property deals in pictures Tiny London house that is just 10ft wide goes on market for 800,000 A tiny terraced house that measures no more than 10ft wide has gone on the market in south London for a staggering 800,000. The house, generally labelled "unique" by estate agent Foxtons, looks all the more unusual because it is sandwiched between two regular-sized homes. It doesn't even have a proper back door - images of the interior suggested renovators had sought to maximise the property's space by including a folding aperture to the similarly narrow back garden. Outrageous property deals in pictures The Mayfair penthouse that sold for 30 million A Mayfair penthouse on Albemarle Street, one of Mayfair's oldest roads, sold to a mystery buyer for 30 million in December. The 5,845 sq ft, three-bedroom family home is thought to be one of the most expensive properties sold in the capital this year, and comes with an annual service charge of 61,000. supplied by Estate agent Peter Wetherell Outrageous property deals in pictures The dilapidated pre-fab 'shed' sold for nearly 1 million A pre-fabricated bungalow in south-east London has sold at auction for just under 1 million. The 1950s property in Peckham comes with 0.6 acres of land, is in need of renovation and has no fitted bathroom, but still sold for 950,000. A guide price of 590,000 was initially set, but increased rapidly during the bidding. Google Maps Outrageous property deals in pictures The starter home flats that went for a combined 60 million Some 215 affordable starter homes, specifically designed for first time buyers, sold out in just three hours in November, after dozens of aspiring homeowners camped overnight and queued in bad weather to get their hands on the flats. The starter home flats at Trinity Square by Galliard Homes went for a combined 60 million, or an average of 700 per sq ft. Londoners looking for affordable housing did not hesitate to camp out for up to two days to snag a flat, despite the fact that the project will not be complete for another two years. Galliard Outrageous property deals in pictures The longest lateral flat where H.G wells hosted a book club: yours for 3.65m The 2,200 square foot apartment in Chiltern Court in Marylebone was also home to author Arnold Bennett and political cartoonist David Low. Now on the market for 3.65 million through Rokstone agency, the four-bedroom flat has been refurbished into a luxury apartment, providing an exceptional 40 meter window frontage and depth. It claims to be the longest and most outstanding lateral flat - ones that stretch the full width of a building, or sometimes across two buildings - currently for sale in Londons West End. Rokstone Outrageous property deals in pictures Gatti House: the flats with celebrity links and private "pizza" lift that sold for a collective 16.5 million Celebrity links, a famous history and a private pizza lift has helped set a new record for price per square foot for a block of flats in central London. The four flats have sold for a collective 16.5 million at Gatti House on Londons Strand. Gatti House, a magnificent grade II building built in 1867, was sold as four separate apartments priced from 2.95 million to 5.95 million by CBRE Residential and Beauchamp, which has completed the last remaining sale. CBRE Residential and Beauchamp Outrageous property deals in pictures Londons most expensive office A newly refurbished office in the heart of Mayfair measuring 6,000 sq ft was unveiled by Enstar Capital in October. At 500 per sq ft, it is set to be the most expensive commercial fit out ever undertaken in the West End, according to the developer. The workspace on 54 Brooks Mews features gold-plated executive washrooms inspired by Armani-hotel in Italy, timber flooring imported from a 16th century monastery in Tuscany and an Art Deco entrance restored with a new 54 entrance logo replicating Steve Rubells famous studio 54 nightclub logo from the seventies. While the directors floor include a rooftop terrace dressed with loungers and an outside meeting and dining table. Enstar Capital Outrageous property deals in pictures Former garage in Mayfair become worlds most expensive mews house at 24m in Mayfair In September, the worlds most expensive mews house, in Reevews Mews, sold to a Qatari buyer for an eye-watering 24 million. Outrageous property deals in pictures A penthouse where you canoe from your front door, yours for 16.95 million London luxury dockside complex located on Chelsea creek is due for completion by the end of 2016. But its luxury flats are already on sale including this penthouse yours for 16.95 million. Its future residents will be able to slip down the river for a work out on the water at anytime of the day. Outrageous property deals in pictures The only property in London too expensive for the citys super-rich property buyers A 45 bed-room mansion near Hyde Park, previously owned by a Saudi Prince, received a private bid for 280 million. If accepted this would have made the property he most expensive single home ever to be sold in Britain. It was originally listed with an asking price of 300 million more than double the price of the UKs second most expensive home. Londonderry was named as the UK's most affordable city. House prices in Norther Ireland are on average 3.8 times salary, with the average house price now 113,302. Northern Ireland cities Belfast and Lisburn are the 4th and 6th most affordable cities respectively as a result. Northern English and Scottish cities make up the remainder of the top 10 most affordable cities. Mason said the North-South divide had widened because of the latest results. "House prices in the South have generally seen stronger growth than in the North. Winchester has recorded the biggest gains over the past decade, whilst London, not surprisingly, has seen the largest growth during the economic recovery of the last five years," he said. The 15 least affordable cities in the UK 1. Oxford: house prices are 10.68 times the average salary 2. Winchester: 10.54 3. Greater London: 10.06 4. Cambridge: 9.90 5. Bath: 9.77 6. Brighton And Hove: 9.60 7. Truro: 9.11 8. St Albans: 8.66 9. Chichester: 8.58 10, Exeter: 8.36 11. Southampton: 8.33 12. Salisbury: 8.12 13. Bristol: 7.80 14: Lichfield: 7.53 15. York: 7.50 The 15 most affordable cities in the UK 1. Londonderry: 3.81 2. Stirling: 4.11 3. Bradford: 4.31 4. Belfast: 4.42 5. Hereford: 4.55 6. Lisburn: 4.64 7. Durham: 4.73 8. Lancaster: 4.89 9. Carlisle: 5.03 10. Glasgow: 5.07 11. Hull: 5.11 12. Liverpool: 5.23 13. Perth: 5.24 14. Sunderland: 5.28 15. Swansea: 5.28 For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Sun has been ordered to admit a controversial story that said one in five British Muslims had sympathy for Isis was "significantly misleading". Press watchdog the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) received an unprecedented 3,000 complaints over the article, which was headlined: 1 in 5 Brit Muslims sympathy for jihadis. Accompanied by an image of British Isis member Mohammad Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, the story covered a survey of British Muslims conducted by The Sun shortly after the November Paris attacks. It said "nearly one in five British Muslims has some sympathy with those who had fled the UK to fight for Isis in Syria". But an Ipso spokesman said: "The newspaper had provided various interpretations of the poll result which conflated important distinctions between those travelling to Syria and those already fighting in Syria; between 'sympathy' for these individuals and 'support for their actions; and between individuals attracted by the ideology of Isis, and the ideology of Isis itself. "The Complaints Committee deemed that the newspaper had failed to take appropriate care in its presentation of the poll results, and as a result the coverage was significantly misleading in breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy)." The Sun published the adjudication on page 2 of the paper on Saturday, as instructed to by Ipso. The independent press watchdog has upheld a complaint over this headline (The Sun) "The newspaper had failed to take appropriate care in its presentation of the poll results, and as a result the coverage was significantly misleading, in breach of Clause 1," The Sun admitted. Published on November 23, 2015, the story was captioned: 'Support ... Brit Jihadi John who went to Syria'. Ipso ruled the article breached Clause 1 of the Editor's Code, which relates to accuracy. The story noted that the survey showed "a clear majority of the 2.7 million Brits who follow Islam are moderate". The question about sympathy asked respondents about people "who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria". Complainants argued that, as the question did not mention Isis, those who responded to the question might not have intended for their answers to be understood as relating to those joining Isis. Some British Muslims have also left the UK to fight against Isis, or alongside anti-Assad forces or with various Sunni groups. The Sun did not accept that the meaning of "those who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria" was ambiguous. It said that previous questions in the telephone survey had made explicit reference to Isis and the overwhelming majority of those who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria are joining Isis. 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 As the regulator received so many complaints, it chose a think tank named Muslim Engagement & Development (MEND) as the lead complainant and upheld the complaint after considering the coverage. Ipso also upheld a complaint about the headline of an article in The Times which reported the Sun's survey with the headline "One in five British Muslims has sympathy for Isis". Additional reporting by Press Association Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A species of cave fish has been documented 'walking' up waterfalls like a lizard, in a discovery which could have "major" implications for our understanding of evolution. A team of researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) travelled to Thailand to study the Cryptotora thamolica, a species of blind fish found in a handful of caves. Only around 2,000 of them exist in the wild. There are other types of fish which use their fins to 'walk' across the sea bed, usually with a rudimentary hopping motion. The cave fish is very different, however, since it climbs up steep rock faces covered by fast-moving waterfalls using its fins, moving in a similar way to a salamander. Videos of the fish show this unusual movement - twisting its body from side-to-side, it uses its front and rear fins to take steps up the face of the waterfall. To the untrained eye, it looks more like a lizard than a fish. A study detailing the team's discovery, which was contributed to by Thai researchers and includes the findings of a CT scan of a specimen, was published in the high-profile Nature Scientific Reports journal on 24 March. Recommended Read more Walking fish among 200 new species discovered in the Himalayas Speaking about the investigation, Brooke Flammang from the NJIT said she had never come across a similar creature in her entire career. She said: "From an evolutionary perspective, this is a huge finding. This is one of the first fish that we have which is a living species, which acts in a way we think fish must have acted when they evolved from a fluid environment to a terrestrial environment at the very beginning of the fin-to-limb transition, when the first limbs evolved in our earliest ancestors." In effect, the humble cave fish can offer biologists a glimpse of what life may have looked like around 400 million years ago, when the oldest ancestors of humans began to walk on the land. Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary Since the fish are so rare, it's difficult to study them with conventional means. More investigations will need to take place to unlock its significance for evolution. The species' lack of eyes also throws up more important questions for researchers. "How do they find each other and make babies? How do they sense where their food is?" "All of these are interesting and important questions," Flammang said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A British-based dissident is being pursued through the courts by the UKs elite crime agency over a plot to assassinate the former Saudi king in a hit ordered by the ex-Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, The Independent can reveal. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has targeted Professor Mohammed al-Massari in a tax inquiry to retrieve 600,000 he is accused of receiving from the Libyans for his alleged role in the audacious plot, which he vehemently denies. The plan was to kill the former King Abdullah by firing a missile at his motorcade. The Independent can also disclose that Scotland Yard interviewed Professor Massari in 2014 during a criminal investigation into the alleged conspiracy. The Saudi dissident has lived in London since 1994. The action against Professor Massari and another UK-based Saudi dissident comes almost a decade after details of the murder plot first emerged. The timing has fuelled suspicions that counter-terrorism officers acted against the two men following pressure from the Saudis, who are controversial allies of Britain in tackling global terrorism but have been outraged by the London activities of the prominent critics of the Riyadh regime. Documents reveal how London with its large community of politically connected expats allegedly became the recruiting ground for the plot, which is said to have stemmed from a public row between the two Arab leaders at a summit. Gaddafi ordered his intelligence chiefs to find a way of killing Abdullah after the row caught by television cameras was played across the Arab world. Libyan intelligence bosses allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to the British-based dissidents to find people inside the kingdom to carry out the killing. Abdullah was Crown Prince at the time of the plot, but considered the most powerful figure in the kingdom as his half-brother King Fahd was ailing. He succeed to the throne in 2005 and was in power until his death last year. Met Police letter to dissident Dear Professor Doctor al-Massari, I write to advise you of our wish to interview you in connection with an alleged conspiracy to murder the now King of Saudi Arabia (and related money laundering offences) which occurred in 2003. We wish to interview you under caution at a police station. (5 September 2014) The murder plan only came to light after an American middleman, Abdurahman Alamoudi, was stopped at Heathrow airport in 2003 with $336,000 (238,000) in his luggage. Alamoudi later confessed to his part in the plot as part of a plea deal and is currently serving 23 years in a US jail for illegal dealings with Libya. The diplomatic ramifications of the case were considered so grave that the names of the two British-based dissidents were suppressed in US court papers for a decade. The secret court documents detailing their alleged involvement were only unsealed last year. As part of a plea deal, Alamoudi gave two statements to Scotland Yard which placed Professor Massari and another London-based dissident, the surgeon Saad al-Faqih, at the heart of the conspiracy. In one of the statements, Alamoudi claimed Professor Massari secretly flew to Libya to meet Gaddafi. He also details a series of secret meetings at London restaurants and hotels where money was handed over and details of the plot discussed. Both London-based dissidents have denied taking part in the assassination bid. They also deny meeting and taking money from Libyan officials. They claim that Alamoudi made up the allegations in return for having his sentence shortened. The other main co-operating witness, a Libyan intelligence agent, has reportedly been pardoned by the Saudi authorities. The plot was being uncovered as Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing of the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie and agreed to pay compensation. A few months later the former Prime Minister Tony Blair travelled to Tripoli where he hailed a new relationship with the former Libyan leader and claimed Gaddafi was willing to join the UK in the fight against terrorism. UK court papers show that the NCA is currently seeking to recover more than 600,000 allegedly paid to Professor Massari by the Libyans to find Saudis who might be willing to kill King Abdullah. The police move to seize his assets comes despite the fact the Crown Prosecution Service is declining to bring charges against him and Dr Faqih after Scotland Yards earlier criminal investigation. The row that provoked the plot Muammar Gaddafi ordered the hit on Crown Prince Abdullah after a public row at an Arab summit in Egypt in March 2003, according to court documents. Gaddafi, detailing concerns about US troops in Saudi Arabia, said: King Fahd [the ailing ruler] told me that his country was threatened and he would co-operate with the devil to protect it. Abdullah responded saying that Saudi Arabia was a Muslim country and not an agent of colonialism like you and others. Wagging his finger at Gaddafi, he went on: You, who brought you to power? Dont talk about matters that you fail to prove. Your lies precede you, while the grave is ahead of you. Abdurahman Alamoudi, the US middleman in the plot, claimed that he met Gaddafi in Tripoli three months later when the dictator spoke at length about his hatred of the Crown Prince and referred to him as a pig, according to his statement for Scotland Yard. Gaddafi then instructed me that I must tell [British-based dissident] Saad al-Faqih to kill Crown Prince Abdullah. This was to come about in one of two ways: either a personal attack, or a revolution which would overthrow the Saudi regime. This was the first time that I had been told of the plan to assassinate the Crown Prince. Prof Massari, 69, a former Kings College physics lecturer, described the claims he was involved in the assassination plot as absurd. Theres nothing in the bank. They want the house. I thought that they wanted to close the file. Now Im thinking it may be political, he said. Dr Faqih said: Im aware that they [British police] have been informed by the Saudis of allegations, and they have neglected or ignored that information for 10 years. He added: Apparently the British police and also the British Establishment are convinced that none of these allegations are true. Police allege that both men were approached in London in 2003 by the Libyan intelligence agent Colonel Mohammed Ismael and Alamoudi, who was recruited to help Gaddafi exact revenge following their summit row in 2003. The Saudi Prince told the Libyan leader your lies precede you and your grave is in front of you. Alamoudi later told investigators: The plan was to get the dissidents involved initially in disruption. After they accepted money, they would then be pressurised into providing details of persons capable of carrying out violent actions within Saudi Arabia. In a second statement he said action and disruption referred to sabotage and they were seeking people willing to be involved and carry out significant acts of violence, sabotage and, as the plot developed, murder and terrorism. He claimed he gave the London-based dissidents up to $1m in return. He also claims he introduced the senior Libyan intelligence agent Moussa Koussa to Professor Massari. Alamoudi claims Mr Kousa offered the Saudi dissident weapons and stressed the main target was Crown Prince Abdullah. In his statement to Scotland Yard, Alamoudi said: Massari was happy at Gaddafis request to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah. He said it could be done, but it would be difficult As a result of the London meetings, Col Ismael travelled to Saudi Arabia in November and delivered $2m in cash in bags to a hotel room in Mecca where they were to be collected by the would-be assassins. However the Saudi authorities were alerted to the plan and made arrests. Col Ismael, who fled to Egypt, was arrested and sent back to Saudi Arabia where officials said he confessed his role and has since been interviewed by US investigators. Although the NCAs tax action against Professor Massari continues, Scotland Yards criminal investigations into the two British-based dissidents have been dropped. The British government even backed Dr Faqihs successful application to be removed from a UN sanctions list for allegedly supporting al-Qaeda. Observers believe his removal from the list infuriated the Saudi authorities who then renewed their pressure on the UK to act against both men. Saudi Arabia has been suspected of targeting the men in the past. Dr Faqih was stabbed in the leg by two men who forced their way into his London home claiming to be plumbers in what he claimed was a kidnap attempt in 2003 by the Saudi authorities. Professor Massari fought off attempts to deport him from Britain in the 1990s after the Conservative government admitted that top Saudi officials had brought pressure to have him expelled. Professor Massari denies he received money from Libya, and the sums of money that the NCA allege he received were from family funds. He said that he was told by police they wanted to interview him just to tidy up the files. The Saudi Arabian embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment. Plot and counterplot: The main players Moussa Koussa: A Libyan foreign intelligence chief, Foreign Minister and one of Gaddafis closest confidants. Expelled from Britain in 1980 after publicly threatening to kill Libyan opposition figures living in the UK. Credited with identifying Islamic extremist groups which later became al-Qaeda, which led to Libya issuing the first international arrest warrant for Osama bin Laden. He fled Libya and flew to the UK in 2011. He lives in Qatar. Mohammed Ismael: Colonel in Libyan intelligence services. Trusted by Abdullah Senussi, overall head of Libyas intelligence services before Gaddafis overthrow. He is said to have facilitated payments to Saudi dissidents in London to take part in the assassination plot. Arrested in Egypt in November 2003 after the plot unravelled. He returned to Saudi Arabia and confessed his involvement but received a royal pardon. Now believed to live in Saudi Arabia. Abdurahman Alamoudi: Eritrean-born US citizen. Founded the American Muslim Council to lobby for Muslims in the US and is a former Islamic adviser to President Bill Clinton. Arrested at Heathrow in September 2003 with $336,000, and detained again in the US later that year. Was accused in a US court of being a senior al-Qaeda financier and playing a role in the assassination plot. He admitted three charges of illegal financial dealings with Libya in 2004 and was jailed for 23 years. He is still in jail. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A fundraising page set up by the devastated customers of a much-loved Muslim shopkeeper who was killed in a religiously prejudiced attack has so far received more than 22,000 in donations to support his family. Asad Shah, 40, was found seriously injured in the street outside his shop in Shawlands, Glasgow, just after 9pm on Thursday, and later died in hospital. He is believed to have been stabbed and stamped to death. Four of his regular customers said they decided to set up a Support for Mr Shah fundraising page on the Go Fund Me website to contribute towards the cost of his funeral and to provide financial support to his family in the coming months. (Go Fund Me) The customers wrote on the page: Mr Shah was a popular, well-respected and much-loved member of our community and his death has devastated many. He was a warm and friendly man and he always went out of his way to make time to talk to you he was more than just our local shopkeeper. He was a friend to many. It quickly became clear to us in the aftermath of this tragedy that the people of Shawlands were looking for a way to show their support to Asads family and we thought this would be a fitting way to do so. Shopkeeper dies after being attacked outside his store The page will remain open until the end of the Easter weekend for people to contribute. Hundreds of people also gathered for a silent vigil to honour the devout Muslim on Friday evening, which was attended by Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose constituency covers the area. Eildon Dyer, 85, one of the organisers of the vigil, said: Everybody has said he was the nicest man. He was clearly much-loved. Everybody had nice stories to tell about him. Its just very, very sad. We felt the potential for something like this could be to divide a community and really what we wanted to show was a community standing together, which is, in fact, what happened because there were people from all different backgrounds who were there. People have been laying tributes to Mr Shah outside his family-run shop, Shahs Newsagent and Convenience Store. Isabella Graham, 64, said Mr Shah had employed her daughter at the shop when she was younger and that she had cried when she called and told her of his death. Placing flowers at the scene, Mrs Graham said: He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldnt do enough for you. He wouldnt hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. I cant believe hes gone. Police Scotland said they have arrested a 32-year-old Muslim man in connection with the attack, which they are treating as religiously prejudiced. In the hours before he died, Mr Shah posted on Facebook: Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation Lets follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ (PBUH) [peace be upon him], and get the real success in both worlds xxxx. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A double-decker bus caught fire in a south London street in what police are treating as a suspected arson attack. Fire crews were called to Loampit Vale, near Lewisham station, at 6.03pm and had the blaze under control by 6.20pm. The fire erupted on the top deck of the number 208 bus, sending a plume of black smoke into the sky. Video showing the blaze was shared on Twitter. No one is believed to have been injured. The road was reopened around 20 minutes later, though TfL warned there could be continued delays. Police said they were treating the fire as a possible arson attack. Writing on their official Twitter accout, Lewisham police said: "Although it looked dramatic, it was a simple fire and is being dealth with as a suspected arson." A spokesman for Scotland Yard told the Evening Standard: "We await information from London Fire Brigade fire investigators as to whether the fire is suspicious." Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When Alan and Gary Keery decided to open a cafe in east London selling only cereal to the public they became objects of ridicule and even found themselves at the centre of an anti-gentrification riot as a mob of angry protesters singled out their premises. Now, it appears the Belfast-born twins may have the last laugh as the Cereal Killer Cafe is to open an outpost in Dubai, The Independent can reveal the beginning of what is poised to be a major international expansion campaign. Currently the brothers, 33, run two Cereal Killer Cafes, both of which are based in London. The first outlet, on Brick Lane, east London, opened in December 2014; a second branch in Camden, north London, followed five months later, and this spring the Cereal Killer brand will go global. Alan Keery revealed there has been a massive amount of interest internationally from people wanting to open their own Cereal Killer Cafes, and confirmed a branch is set to open Dubai in May. Weve had huge interest from across the Middle East about setting up branches out there, Alan said. We get a lot of people coming in from the Middle East. One of the sheikhs of Dubai came into the cafe. They dont have a big drinking culture. We hang out in bars, they hang out in cafes. Theyre loving it because its like a dessert. Recommended Read more Cereal cafe protester says gentrification affects range of people Billed as the UKs first speciality cereal cafes, Cereal Killer stocks 120 types of cereal from around the world, 30 varieties of milk and 20 toppings. Prices range from 2.50 for a small bowl of All Bran Flakes to 4.40 for a large bowl of speciality cereal imported from the US. Whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk come free but a premium option such as bubblegum flavoured milk will be an extra 40p. Customers arent just paying for the meal but the experience too, Alan claimed. Memorabilia from the 1980s and 1990s decorate the premises and are designed to take customers back to their earlier years. However, the business is not to everybodys taste. Last year the hipster twins became the unwitting poster boys of east London gentrification, and came under attack for allegedly making the area unaffordable for poorer residents. In September protesters targeted the Brick Lane branch, daubing red paint on the windows and forcing the staff and customers inside to barricade the doors as the mob outside lambasted the no-good gentrifying rich hipsters. If anything, though, the riot helped boost trade. We had a lot of people come in to support us after we were attacked. Business has been great, Alan said. The proprietors are coy when it comes to disclosing takings but estimate they have served 150,000 customers since December 2014. With the licensing agreement for Dubai signed and entrepreneurs across the Middle East clamouring to open their own Cereal Killer Cafes, the Keery brothers are enjoying the fruits of their labour. Were in talks with Jordan and Lebanon. They can use our name and our recipes and well share the tricks of the trade. Its all in our brand bible, Alan said. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains nuclear industry is under threat from cyber-attacks, terrorism and state-sponsored espionage, regulators have warned. Buried in the Office for Nuclear Regulations 2016-20 strategic plan are bleak references to the growing threat of attack on Britains 15 operational reactors, which account for nearly a fifth of the countrys electricity. The Independent has established this is the first time that the ONR has explicitly acknowledged the growing terrorist threat to the nuclear industry. The document states: The threat of terrorism in the nuclear sector will continue to be managed proportionately and effectively through national and international capabilities. The capabilities of potential adversaries to operate in cyberspace will continue to grow. At the top of a list of the industrys corporate risks, the ONR writes: Failure to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive information and assets from both known and emerging security threats to the UK nuclear infrastructure (eg, cyber-attacks, terrorist activity, state-sponsored espionage). In another reference, it says: We recognise the world is increasingly globalised and digitised, where both the terrorist threat and the risks from cyberspace are changing. The Government and duty-holders have well-developed security capabilities to deter and defend against organisations and individuals that might conspire to attack or exploit the nuclear estate. ONR will continue to work with the Government to ensure that security-focused regulations evolve to remain fit for purpose and align with safety regulation. The news comes at a sensitive time, with French giant EDF weighing up whether to risk its balance sheet on building a 24.5bn reactor at Hinkley Point on the Somerset coast. This is supposed to herald a new generation of nuclear power plants, which are needed to bridge the UKs yawning energy gap, but EDF has delayed a final investment decision until May. There are also reports that the Isis terrorists who attacked Brussels might have planned to steal radioactive materials from a Belgian nuclear plant to build a bomb. John Large, the nuclear expert who warned in a 2014 report for the French authorities that reactors are highly vulnerable to drone attacks, said the admission was a step forward, but warned: It might be too late. The problem is that the plants were designed in the 1950s and 1960s and those designs ignored terrorism. Thats one of the problems they [the nuclear industry] face. Terrorism is an intentional, intelligent event that seeks out the vulnerabilities of the plant but an accident, which they are designed to guard against, is an unintelligent event. Nuclear plants are primarily built on an accident basis. But this [admission] does make the regulator more accountable. Clive Lewis, a shadow Energy minister, pointed out that the ONRs admission comes shortly after news that the Civil Nuclear Constabulary will be cut by about 200 officers by 2020, despite government promises to protect police funding. Just as the nuclear regulator is acknowledging the all-too real threat from terrorism, the Government is cutting back on the police we need to prevent it, Mr Lewis said. We need investment to ensure energy security in every sense. A spokeswoman for the ONR said: ONRs strategy plan is deliberately outward-facing. Now we are in the third year of our operation as a public body, we are committed to openness and transparency and focused on ensuring the public are kept informed and reassured about our regulation of nuclear safety and security. The ONR was separated from the Health and Safety Executive in 2014. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Children in homeless families who have been shunted out of their local areas by councils trying to save money on accommodation are dying from neglect and abuse, after disappearing from support services during their moves. The legacy of the housing crisis and the Governments cuts to welfare is proving deadly for some of the most vulnerable people in the country, an Independent investigation has found. Evidence suggests that the transfer of homeless families to other parts of the country could have resulted in suicides and miscarriages. Tens of thousands more are at risk from the damaging practice because councils, unable to cope after years of budget cuts, are not meeting their basic safeguarding duty and the current system is not fit for purpose, experts say. Anti-poverty campaigners say the revelations show the potential impacts of what Iain Duncan Smith called inexcusable and unfair benefit cuts when he resigned as the Work and Pensions Secretary last week. The problem is proving particularly acute in London. Figures obtained by this newspaper show that 64,704 homeless families were moved by councils in the capital between July 2011 and June 2015, with 4,053 families moved out of Greater London completely. The Independent understands that dozens of local authorities have raised serious concerns about whether they have sufficient information to support families moved into their area and are not aware of problems until crisis point. The cases uncovered include: the death of a six-month-old child from head injuries a 13-month-old child who died from ongoing abuse the death of a neglected one-year-old baby an eight-month pregnant woman who miscarried after collapsing from stress and exhaustion the death of a seven-year-old boy. The Independent has also documented more than 20 cases of councils threatening to pull families apart and take children into care if homeless families do not accept out-of-area moves, more than 100 cases of depression caused by forced moves, and more than 30 cases of homeless children unable to attend school. Last April, a High Court judge criticised persistent and endemic failures in communication between local authorities which regrettably has resulted in vulnerable families being without support or services. Mr Justice Cobb said that the conduct of Tower Hamlets council, in London, in failing to notify Havering council of a homeless family it moved into the area, was shameful. The Supreme Court reiterated last year that the practice is unlawful in the vast majority of cases. But this has largely been ignored amid accusations that forced moves amount to social cleansing. A yet-to-be-published academic study into out-of-borough placements, funded by the Feminist Review Trust, has found multiple examples of stress, depression, insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, self harm, suicidal feelings and some cases of miscarriage. One-room hell in a hostel Elina, a mother with three girls, was moved out of Newham into a hostel. She was initially offered somewhere in Birmingham, but finally was moved out of the Newham area but still within London. There was one room for all of us in the hostel and all the kids were getting upset, misbehaving. My eldest daughter had nowhere to sit and do her homework. The younger girls had nowhere to play. I was getting depressed and getting anxious. Its more like surviving in these places than living. Luckily we are now in our own flat [in Basildon] but it is a long way from our previous home. Jane Pritchard, the head of housing at TV Edwards solicitors said: Im shocked by the absence of common sense, joined-up thinking, good management and compassion in how homeless services are delivered. John Healey, the shadow minister for housing and planning, said: These findings lay bare the reality of a growing crisis of spiralling homelessness combined with cuts to housing support and services. He added: Without a change of course, I fear that the problem will become yet more acute. These stories are the tip of the iceberg of the housing crisis but they must shake ministers out of their complacency about homelessness. Rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010 with overall levels of homelessness up 42 per cent. The number of families in emergency bed-and-breakfast accommodation has doubled over the same period. Official statistics released this week show that, as of 31 December 2015, there were a record-breaking 18,670 homeless families living in temporary accommodation outside of their local authority area, with nine-in-10 of them moved by a London borough. Problems arising in the sharing of information about these families, and safeguarding them, have been known about for more than a decade but deaths are still occurring. A serious case review into the death of a six-month-old homeless child moved with her mother between the London boroughs of Newham and Redbridge warned in 2008 that the city-wide Notify database, used to share information about the whereabouts of families that are moved, is significantly under-used. Yet, in December 2015, a serious case review into the death from abuse and neglect of a 13-month-old homeless child found again that despite the appearance that Notify has London-wide coverage, it appears that only two-thirds of London boroughs actually use it regularly and reliably. The report concluded that generally, as families are moved to different boroughs by housing providers, there is no effective system where there are children in the family, to notify either health or childrens services that these families have moved in or out. Another serious case review, also published last December, involving a homeless woman moved by Westminster to Ealing where a one-year-old baby died due to neglect, warned that the needs of unborn children are not properly considered in housing decisions, and this could leave some at risk of serious harm, stating this is likely to be a London-wide problem. Where homeless families are moved out of London completely, even the patchy coverage of the Notify system does not exist. Despite the Housing Act stating that councils must send detailed information to receiving areas within 14 days, this is not being done in many thousands of cases. Notes from a meeting of the London Safeguarding Childrens Board in February 2015 state that a review has found that Notify can give a false sense of assurance to housing departments that they have discharged their responsibility to safeguard vulnerable children and Notify has now been removed from child protection procedures entirely. The Independent understands that Notify will be replaced by another system which will track out-of-area homeless placements, but this is yet to be implemented. A Government spokesman said: Councils have a duty of care to their residents and must ensure that where a family is offered new accommodation their needs continue to be met. The Government is supporting the most vulnerable people in our society and has already committed 139m to homelessness programmes and announced a further 100m accommodation support at the Budget. In addition as part of our welfare reforms were giving councils 870m for discretionary payments for those who need extra help. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The man who was charged by police after posting on Twitter about confronting a Muslim woman over the Brussels attacks jplans to launch a formal complaint against the Metropolitan Police. Matthew Doyle posted a message on Twitter on Wednesday which read: I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. "She said 'Nothing to do with me'. A mealy mouthed reply." Scotland Yard said on Friday the 46-year-old was no longer charged with the offence and would not be appearing in court. Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Show all 27 1 /27 Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A building illuminated with the Belgian flag colours and a heart in Brussels, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and subway Maelbeek. Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A picture taken on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, shows drawings and a candle, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and Brussels subway Maelbeek Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Candles are displayed in tribute to the Brussels attacks victims on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, two days after the suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on 22 March. Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A mourner lights a candle in Trafalgar Square during a candlelit vigil in support of the victims of the recent terror attacks in Brussels. Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels airport workers pay tribute to the victims near Zaventem Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Activists light candles and hold placards to condemn the terrorist attacks in Belgium, during a gathering in Manila, Philippines Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A banner for the victims of the bombings reads "I am Brussels" at the Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left front center, stands with front row, left to right, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Belgium's King Philippe, Belgium's Queen Mathilde and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as well as members of the European Commission during a minute of silence at EU headquarters in Brussels Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims People join hands in solidarity near the former stock exchange following the bomb attacks in Brussels Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Belgium flags ornate the facade of the Paris Town Hall Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A woman embraces her children at The Place de la Bourse as she pays her respects to victims of the terrorists attacks in Brussels Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Belgian and European Union flags fly at half mast following the bomb attacks in Brussels Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Candles in the colors of the Belgian national flag are lit inside the Belgian embassy in Madrid, a day after the deadly suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and its subway system Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Servicemen of Azov, Ukrainian volunteers battalion, hold torches in front of floral tributes during a ceremony in front of the Belgian embassy in Kiev, in tribute to the victims of Brussels attacks Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims A refugee boy holds up a placard reading "Sorry for Brussels" at a refugee camp near the Greek-Macedonian border Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes People light candles in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes A woman holds a drawing by French cartoonist Plantu picturing a character made of a French flag consoling another made of the Belgian flag, in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes The colours of the Belgian flag are projected on to (clockwise from top left) the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the town council building in Belgrade, Rome's Campidoglio and the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes Candles are lit in tribute to the victims, at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes A woman holds a placard reading "Paris hearts Belgium, How much time will it take us to open our eyes and say STOP, Today our hearts are broken, Open your eyes to change the future" at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes People gather to pay a tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes People write messages on the ground at Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes A bouquet of flowers in the Belgian national colours with a card reading 'To our neighbours, to our friends, to our Belgian brothers - an indignant Parisian' is seen next to a French national flag at the fence of the Belgian embassy in Paris Getty Images Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes Solidarity messages are written in chalk outside the stock exchange in Brussels AP Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Brussels tributes Messages and floral tributes outside the Brussels stock exchange AP Guidance about racist and religious crime on the Crown Prosecution Service website states a charge under the the Public Order Act can only be made with the consent of the attorney general, and adds that a referral must be made to the counter-terrorism division. Criticising the Metropolitan Police, Mr Doyle told the Guardian: "In reality, the Met added ammunition to whatever I said. "Concurrently, their press office should be cautioned about issuing largely self-congratulatory statements and then being forced to backtrack. They smelt blood, but got egg on both their face and reputation. When asked if he regretted his tweets, he added: I said how I felt at that moment in time. If anyone fanned the flames, it was the nameless Twitter trolls who smelt a lynching on their hands. For the Met to bow to social media rows, it is not only foolish of them but I will be making a complaint against them and [claiming for] damages for trashing my flat, taking all my electronic stuff from my flat and forcing me to leave London. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Heath officials have released a list of the most ridiculous reasons people have been to A&E to discourage misuse of the NHS over the Easter period. And visits from people with broken false nails are the number one example of inappropriate trips to A&E departments in Cambridgeshire, where the records were taken. As well as false nail mishaps, people also visited A&E because of splinters in their fingers, for emergency contraception, and shaving and paper cuts, Cambridge News reported. "When you use A&E and you don't need to, it puts a huge and unnecessary strain on the NHS," said Dr Neil Modha, chief clinical officer at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group. The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? Show all 19 1 /19 The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36454.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36456.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36455.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36457.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36458.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36459.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36460.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36461.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36462.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36464.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36463.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36466.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36467.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36468.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36469.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36470.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36472.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36473.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk The NHS at 60: has the dream been matched by reality? 36474.bin Nick Wilkinson/Newsteam.co.uk "This is not just financial strain the time A&E staff spend treating very minor issues reduces the time they have to help people who have serious illnesses and life-threatening injuries." He also said that any of these conditions could have been treated outside of A&E. "We want residents to make themselves aware of the range of services the NHS provides and make sure they use the most appropriate one," Dr Modha added. An NHS spokesman said: "Local pharmacies are a quick and easy way to get medical help and medication, and are an underused NHS service. "They can give useful advice on common ailments, as well as provide emergency contraception. "GPs can help with pretty much anything as long as it's not life-threatening. They are specialists in their field and can advise and treat a variety of problems. "Anyone with a long-term problem such as back pain or a persistent cough should see their GP. In full: The 10 most ridiculous reasons people have been to A&E 1. Broken false finger nail that wouldn't come off 2. Splinter in finger 3. Needing emergency contraception 4. Shaving cut, that wasn't visible 5. Paper cut 6. Months of back pain, but not seen a GP 7. Sore throat 8. Hiccups 9. Unable to sleep 10. Run out of medication Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A restaurant manager hit back with a brilliant online response after a scathing TripAdvisor review attacked the appearance of his staff and branded the venue a freak show. The manager of the Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester issued the riposte online after a customer complained about his staffs body piercings and tattoos. In the review, the customer named Elizabeth complained she was somewhat repulsed by her waiters appearance and said she wouldn't like to meet him in a dark alley and would have preferred him not to be serving me food either. Her complaint was based on a large septum ring in the shape of a horseshoe, accompanied by ear expanders which resulted in gaping holes in his ears, as well as multiple other piercings. She added: I appreciate its a destination restaurant and with a name like Hard Rock Cafe I wasn't expecting genteel waitresses in frilly caps, but between him and a female waitress with tattooed sleeves! It was less an experience and more of a freak show! But in response, manager Ben G pointed out the restaurant chain has had Love all, serve all as a mantra since launching in London in 1971. Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties He wrote: No matter who you are, where you from, what you look like, what your background etc. You are welcome at the Hard Rock Cafe. We can hardly adopt such a value without treating our staff in the same way, can we? Your server has been with us for almost 15 years it's sad you couldn't look past his appearance and see him for the genuine nice guy that he is. There are hundreds of Hard Rockers all over the world with tattoos and piercings living the same values and delivering a great experience too, hopefully if you get the chance to meet any of them you might remember that they are human beings, just like you. Take Time To Be Kind. Manchesters Hard Rock Cafe has a four star rating on Trip Advisor, with more than 1,000 reviews submitted, most of them positive. The most recent, by Emma C, said the staff treat our autistic son like a rock star. TripAdvisor, which launched in 2000, has quickly become one of the most popular reviewing websites in the world. But business owners have complained its open nature allows spiteful or malicious reviewers to hurt their businesses, with a group action for libel threatened by more than 400 hotel managers in 2011. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Barely three weeks after German bombers had obliterated the medieval core of Coventry and killed nearly 570 people in November 1940, its chief architect announced that the Nazi atrocity had presented the city with a long-needed opportunity. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, the Labour leaders of the Midlands city had commissioned their young, visionary civic architect, Donald Gibson, to come up with a plan to overhaul the cramped and traffic-choked centre as Coventry blossomed from a quiet Victorian market town into a burgeoning industrial hub. It failed to make much progress until, with impressive chutzpah, Gibson and the citys elders saw a silver lining in the cataclysmic intervention of the Luftwaffe. Recommended Read more Coventry police tweet pictures of themselves inside unlocked homes At the end of the war Gibson wasted no time in finalising his plans for revolutionising central Coventry mingling high-grade architecture with civic art and building Europes first pedestrianised shopping centre to create a blueprint for a civic reinvention that once complete by the early 1960s brought admirers flocking from across the world. But while the other centrepiece of Coventrys post-war resurrection, Sir Basil Spences pared-back cathedral, continues to attract plaudits and appreciative crowds some five decades after its completion, conservationists are concerned that the equally pioneering work of its reimagined city centre much of it already listed is in danger of becoming obscured and lost. Historic England, the governments conservation watchdog, this week published a book chronicling the rebuilding of Coventry. Its aim was to alert residents and officials alike that, far from having inherited another concrete carbuncle of the sort that many argue inflicted more damage on Britains post-war cities than the Luftwaffe, they are the custodians of revolutionary architecture. It has raised particular concern about the fate of the civic zone of council offices created by Gibson and his successors, whose future is unclear while a new headquarters for the city council is built on the edge of the centre. With its boarded-up shopfronts and much of the original 1950s architecture obscured by later additions, some might struggle with the idea that central Coventry should take its place alongside Brazils Brasilia or Englands new towns as exemplars of 20th-century civic architecture. But campaigners are eager to highlight the radical nature of Coventrys makeover, which its creators hoped would encourage something of a socialist paradise, with features including the Precinct the traffic-free galleried shopping area inspired by Chesters medieval Rows where citizens were expected to gather for activism and morris-dancing. The Independent was this week taken on a walking tour of Coventrys unsung treasures, including its circular Central Market, decorated with murals by art students from Dresden, and its centrepiece Broadgate Square, originally intended to be decorated with a monumental arch now in-filled with a branch of a building society. Jeremy Gould, emeritus professor of architecture at Plymouth University, who co-authored the Historic England book with his architect wife Caroline, said: These are such an important set of buildings. Coventry was at the forefront of post-war reconstruction and it was the first time that an architect had produced an example of how you make a new town or city centre. It was built with the best materials to stand the test of time. It was viewed as hugely successful architects and planners rushed from across the world after the war to see how it was done. It could and should be preserved. With facades of Travertine marble and Westmorland slate, the key buildings in the centre were designed to form long avenues with the spire of the firebombed cathedral a symbol of post-war reconciliation along with Spences new church at their apex. Each major structure also featured works by leading British artists, including a tiled mural by illustrator Gordon Cullen and a row of extraordinary semi-relief concrete panels by sculptor William Mitchell, which currently provides a facade for a chicken shop. Coventry City Council last year unveiled a regeneration plan for its core area, which pledged to maintain the listed post-war buildings, including the Central Swimming Baths, and acknowledged that later additions to Gibsons design had spoilt its clarity. But Historic England said it wanted to shine a light on buildings in Coventry, which may have fallen out of favour, including the Scandinavian-influenced City Architects office from which Gibson and his successors conducted their work. Prof Gould said: It wasnt a glitzy or a showy architecture, it was supposed to be rooted in a sense of place. It would be good if that could be rediscovered. Five things to see in Coventry 1) Broadgate (1948-53) The centrepiece of Donald Gibsons vision for Coventry, the wide square was designed to have a monumental arch, a hotel and a department store. It still retains its Peeping Tom clock with Lady Godiva riding out on the hour. 2) The Precinct (1953-55) Europes first pedestrianised shopping area was the key to the redesign, offering traffic-free shopping on a long axis in line with the spire of the citys bombed cathedral. 3) City Market (1956-58) The circular market hall was the creation of Gibsons successor, Arthur Ling. With its concentric rows of stalls and Socialist realist murals, it remains one of Coventrys best-loved buildings. 4) Belgrade Theatre (1955-58) The first new municipal theatre to open since the war, it was intended as a venue for left-wing productions to explore issues of cultural, social, political and moral significance. It was named following a gift of beech wood for its ceilings from the capital of then Yugoslavia. 5) Bull Yard sculptures (1966) The Aztec-inspired concrete sculptures by William Mitchell were designed as the facade for a city centre pub. They now adorn a fast-food restaurant. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Guidance on animal welfare standards is to be scrapped and codes devolved to the farming industry itself, under plans drawn up by Conservative ministers. The move by ministers to create industry-led regulation will start with a transfer of the code on chicken-farming to the poultry industry on April 27, according to the Guardian. The British Poultry Council which includes meat processing giants among its companies will be in charge of the new animal welfare guidance. Other livestock sectors, including the cattle, pig and sheep industries could also face similar changes. The Environment Secretary, Liz Truss, is overseeing the plans as part of her departments deregulatory agenda. The RSPCA, however, said the new rules may only serve to help ensure animal keepers are compliant with minimum legal requirements. Best Animal moments of 2015 Kerry McCarthy, the shadow Environment minister, warned the move risks undermining consumer confidence in the food they buy. Labour said to the Guardian the plans were endangering Britains proud tradition as a country that stands up for animal welfare. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), made it clear that legislation that makes it a criminal offence to mistreat animals is not being altered. The spokesperson added: No changes are being made to farm animal welfare legislation or the strict enforcement and penalties that apply. No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses Show all 4 1 /4 No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses 603762.bin GETTY IMAGES No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses 603765.bin GETTY IMAGES No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses 603764.bin ALAMY No 10 blocks plan to ban wild animals performing in circuses 603763.bin GETTY IMAGES Instead, the British Poultry Council has produced new non-statutory guidance on how to comply with the legislation. The industry-led guidance can also be used as evidence in court to prove criminal liability and will ensure farmers have the most up-to-date and practical information. The RSPCA said: We are concerned that this change to guidance could impact on the legal weighting these documents have in providing magistrates with legal guidance when considering negligence during animal welfare prosecutions. We also have concerns that the new guidance documents may not contain the same level of welfare information as the existing codes and may only serve to help ensure animal keepers are compliant with minimum legal requirements. Kerry McCarthy, the shadow environment, added: Abandoning codes of practice for farm animal welfare is not in the best interests of the animals and will not produce higher quality food. In the wake of food scandals from horsemeat to campylobacter, scrapping government standards risks undermining public confidence in the food we buy. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A mother-of-three who vanished 42 years ago has been found alive and living under a false name. Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller admitted her identity after being tracked down in Texas by police looking into her case. She had been missing since leaving home in 1974 shortly after giving birth to her third child. Then aged 28, she had decided she was too young to be a mother and signed custody of her children over to her parents. Indiana State Police Detective Sgt. Scott Jarvis began looking for her in January 2014 after receiving a request from the Doe Network a volunteer organisation which helps hunt for unidentified and missing people. Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Show all 6 1 /6 Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies MissingpersonsPA.jpg PA Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Untitled-1.jpg PA Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Untitled-2.jpg PA Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Untitled-3.jpg PA Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Untitled-4.jpg PA Missing Persons appeals over unidentified dead bodies Untitled-5.jpg PA The detective had arranged for a body buried in an unmarked grave to be exhumed and DNA analysis to be carried out. But while this was underway, Sgt Jarvis began to follow the trail of a women with similarities to Ms Gillespie-Miller who was living in Texas. He eventually tracked her down and knocked on her door where she admitted to being Lula Gillespie-Miller. She has not committed a crime, and is currently electing to keep her assumed identity secret. Police said her youngest daughter, Tammy Miller, who she has never known, hopes to speak to her over the coming days. Todd Matthews, a Doe Network spokesman, said that after 42 years the likelihood she was dead was far greater than she was alive". The Doe Network, an international charity, specialises in cold cases in which missing individuals have not been seen in many years and are often deceased. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US presidential campaign has seen plenty of protesters trying to disrupt rallies, or even storm the stage. But until Friday night in Oregon, it had not witnessed a tiny bird land on the podium and earn a standing ovation. The beneficiary of the birds intervention - both because it was his rally, and as a result of his splendid response when the bird hopped onto his lectern - was Bernie Sanders. I think, I think there may be some symbolism here, Mr Sanders told the crowd in Portland, Oregon, which roared and cheered. Mr Sanders was campaigning ahead of three Democratic votes on Saturday (AP) I know it doesnt look like it, but that bird is really a dove asking us for world peace. No more wars. A frequent critic of American military interventions abroad, Mr Sanders voted against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has often pointed to contrast between himself and rival Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. She was wrong, I was right, he said. Mr Sanders encounter with the bird - which triggered the Twitter hashtag #BerdieSanders - came as he campaigned ahead of votes in three states on Saturday where he is hoping to make up ground on Ms Clinton. Both Mr Sanders and the bird earned a standing ovation (AP) Democrats vote to select a presidential candidate in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. While few public polls are available, all three contests on Saturday are being conducted with caucuses, a format that has favored the Vermont senator. Reuters said that as Mr Sanders struggles to remain competitive, western states have become must-win for him, after he lost by large margins in earlier contests in the US South. No states are holding Republican nominating contests on Saturday, a race where Donald Trump holds a lead over the remaining rivals US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kaisch. Ms Clinton holds a sizable lead in the delegates race against Sanders. She has won 1,223 compared to Mr Sanders 920. Despite needing to win about two-thirds of the remaining delegates, the former Burlington mayor has vowed to stay in the race until the July convention in Philadelphia. The latest national polls suggest the two candidates are tied in terms of support. Ms Clinton has 47 per cent of the Democratic vote, with Mr Sanders on 46 per cent. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Dnald Trump has said he is open to the idea of both Japan and South Korea developing their own nuclear deterrents and would like to withdraw US troops from their soil. In perhaps his most detailed explanation yet about his foreign policy plans if he were to be elected president, Mr Trump told a US newspaper that allowing the two countries to do this would reduce pressure on the US to come to their defence every time North Korea acted aggressively. He also said he would consider stopping oil purchases from Saudi Arabia unless the Saudi government provided troops to fight Isis. Therell be a point at which were just not going to be able to do it any more. Now, does that mean nuclear? It could mean nuclear, Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, told the New York Times. Isis fighters in Allepo (Getty) Mr Trump said the US cannot be the policeman of the world and suggested that Tokyo and Seoul would move to develop their own weapons regardless, if the US continued along what he described as a path of weakness. Would I rather have North Korea have [nuclear weapons] with Japan sitting there having them also? You may very well be better off if thats the case, Mr Trump said. If Japan had that nuclear threat, Im not sure that would be a bad thing for us." During the extensive interview, Mr Trump was asked about halting oil purchases from US allies unless they provided on-the-ground forces against Isis. The answer is, probably yes, he said. Mr Trump has said the United States should be reimbursed by the countries it provides protection, even those with vast resources such as Saudi Arabia, a top oil exporter. And yet, without us, Saudi Arabia wouldnt exist for very long, Mr Trump said. Mr Trump also named in the interview retired Major Gen Gary Harrell, Major Gen Bert Mizusawa and retired Rear Adm Charles Kubic as additional foreign policy advisors to the five named earlier this week who were criticised as being obscure. Mr Trump has faced questions about his reluctance to reveal who was advising his campaign. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Republican Convention this summer is already expected to be a hectic and impassioned affair. Now, potentially adding to the mix is a suggestion by more than 20,000 people, that those attending the event be allowed to carry firearms. A petition on the Change.Org website calls on the Republican National Convention organisers to permit the carrying of licensed weapons at the rally at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Donald Trump may not secure a majority of delegates before the delegation (Alex Wong/Getty Images) The petition says that current rules bar the carrying of firearms at the arena. It adds: This is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk. As the National Rifle Association (NRA) has made clear, gun-free zones such as the Quicken Loans Arena are the worst and most dangerous of all lies. It continues: Cleveland is consistently ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous cities in America. By forcing attendees to leave their firearms at home, the RNC and Quicken Loans Arena are putting tens of thousands of people at risk both inside and outside of the convention site. Many political observers believe that the convention, to be held between July 18-21, will likely be a dramatic and heated event. The group has called on Ohio Governor John Kasich to use his executive powers (Reuters) While Donald Trump is currently leading the Republican race, it is possible he will not secure a majority of delegates before the convention - a situation that last occurred in 1976. There are already a number of plans in place by those opposed to the tycoon, to try and stop Mr Trump becoming the candidate should the convention be contested. Security for the event will be the responsibility of the Secret Service, along with police from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, and other state and federal officials. The Secret Service banned guns at the Republican Convention in Florida four years ago. They are coordinating and will be continuously refining security plans leading up to the national convention, Republican National Convention spokesperson Alee Lockman told the Akron Beacon-Journal newspaper. The group behind the petition, the so-called Americans For Responsible Open Carry, also wants presidential contender Ohio Governor John Kasich, to use his executive power to override the so-called gun-free zone loophole in Ohios law. It demands that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus explain how a venue so unfriendly to Second Amendment rights was chosen for the Republican Convention. Ohio is an open-carry state, where people with permits can openly carry weapons, but they are not permitted in the government headquarters and can banned by businesses and property owners. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The reported sexual assault of as many as 1,000 women on New Year's Eve in Cologne may not even be considered a crime in Germany. Currently, Germany's rape laws only include attacks where a victim can prove they physically resisted and verbally said "no". The German law accepts that a man generally has the right to touch a woman, to have sexual intercourse with a woman. Its his right, unless the woman shows her resistance very, very strongly, Chantal Louis, an editor at Emma, Germanys oldest feminist magazine, told Buzzfeed. We have a situation where even touching the breasts or vagina cant be punished in the logic of that law, because if the perpetrator does it very quickly, you dont have time to resist. It seems weird and crazy, but thats German law. Cologne victims speak The law focuses on the overwhelming force of the perpetrator, reportedly requiring there to be a "threat of imminent danger to life and limb". As such, for a court to rule a woman was raped, she must prove she physically resisted her attacker with bruises or other injuries on her body. Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP You have to be able to show that violence has been committed against you, Nancy Gage-Lindner, a member of the German Women Lawyer's Association, told Buzzfeed. If you dont in the end have any physical harm to show for it - you havent been ripped apart, you havent gotten bruises, youre not getting a conviction." German law makers have reportedly moved to tighten the country's rape laws in light of the attacks. The government has approved an amendment which no longer requires physical refusal. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet signed off on the change, which will now go to the parliament for approval before being passed into law. Refugees were widely blamed for the attacks, leading to a hardening of attitudes towards Ms Merkel's open door policy. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Brussels attacks suspect believed to be the surviving airport bomber has been arrested and charged with "terrorist murders". The Belgian federal prosecutor announced a warrant for "Faycal C"on Saturday, confirming the probe was linked to the explosions at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek Metro station. Named as Faycal Cheffou by local media, he stands accused of participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempted terrorist murders. Arrests made as Belgian police carry out new raids Cheffou had been arrested near the prosecutor's office on Thursday evening alongside a man and woman who have since been released. A search was conducted at his home, where no weapons or explosives were found, a spokesperson said. Belgian media report that Cheffou is the man pictured in CCTV footage alongside suicide bombers Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui in the departures terminal on Tuesday morning. The suspected Isis militants died when they detonated the suitcase bombs they were wheeling on luggage trolleys but the third and most powerful device, believed to be Cheffous, was found unexploded after he fled the scene. Little over an hour later, Khalid el-Bakraoui blew himself up at Maelbeek Metro station. A taxi driver who drove the trio to the airport identified Cheffou as one of his passengers from photographs, Le Soir reported, but prosecutors have not confirmed the claim. In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man carries an injured person in Brussels Airport, after explosions ripped through the departure hall In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Travellers get to their feet in a smoke filled terminal at Brussels Airport after explosions In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man is wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man speaks on a mobile phone in Brussels Airport, after the explosions ripped through the departure hall In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Belgian police officers detain a man at the Gare du Midi train station in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A police officer stands guard as people are evacuated from Brussels airport, after explosions rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People stand near Brussels airport after being evacuated following explosions that rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Crew and passengers are evacuated from Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after an attack in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers gather near Brussels airport in Zaventem, following its evacuation after blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Two women wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers and airport staff are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers and airport staff are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Broken windows seen at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People leave the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People are evacuated from the scene after two explosions were heard at Brussels Airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People wait outside of the Brussels Airport after evacuation In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People leave the airport area after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers comfort each other as they are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People react as they walk away from Brussels airport after explosions rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services attend the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels Reuters In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Injured people at the scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People wait outside of the Zaventem airport after two explosions were heard PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services at the scene of explosions at Brussels Airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A view of the scene after the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels Reuters In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The view of the Brussels airport after the explosion PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Smoke is seen at Brussels airport in Brussels AP In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A photo shows cars on a blocked highway near Zaventem, Brussels National airport, after two explosions rocked the main hall of Brussels Airport Getty Images He had allegedly been watched by Brussels police for months after being accused of attempting to radicalise refugees at a makeshift camp in Maximilien Park. The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, told Le Soir he alerted prosecutors to Cheffous activities but did not secure any charges and took out an order banning him from the area. Nine people have been arrested in Belgium and two in Germany as the investigation continues into the attacks, which killed at least 31 people. One suspect, named as Aboubakar A, was arrested as he drove along the Brussels ring road on Thursday and has been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group. An alleged terror plot separately uncovered in France led to the arrest of Reda Kriket, a Isis jihadist and former associate of Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Belgian police stand guard as a bomb disposal expert arrives at the scene of an operation in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, 25 March 2016 (EPA) Intelligence that he was in the advanced stages of planning a new atrocity in the French capital led to three more arrests in Brussels. A man named as Abderamane A was shot in the leg at a tram stop and detained by armed police. He remains in custody as questioning continues. Another raid in Saint-Gilles saw a person named as Rabah N (formerly named incorrectly prosecutors as Salah A) held by police. He has now been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group. A third suspect detained as part of the same investigation on Friday, Tawfik A, has since been released. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A man who once claimed to be a freelance journalist has been charged with terrorist murders following the Brussels attacks. There is growing speculation that Faycal Cheffou could be the fugitive man in the hat seen with the two airport bombers on CCTV but prosecutors have not confirmed his exact role. A statement on Saturday said that he had been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempted terrorist murders in connection with the explosions at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek Metro station. Faycal Cheffou: 'Freelance journalist' Belgian media report that Mr Cheffou is the man pictured wearing a distinctive white coat and hat alongside suicide bombers Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui in the departures terminal on Tuesday morning. The suspected Isis militants died when they detonated the suitcase bombs they were wheeling on luggage trolleys but the third and most powerful device, believed to be the third mans, was found unexploded after he fled the scene. Little over an hour later, Khalid el-Bakraoui blew himself up at Maelbeek Metro station. A taxi driver who drove the trio to the airport identified Cheffou as one of his passengers from photographs, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported, but prosecutors have not confirmed the claim. Cheffou was arrested near the federal prosecutor's office in Brussels on Thursday evening alongside a man and woman who have since been released. Prosecutors did not confirm report he was the 'man in the hat' Their relationship and the reason for their presence in the area was unclear. A search conducted at Cheffous home found no weapons or explosives, according to the federal prosecutors office. Little appears to be known about the man, who has no Facebook profile under his name and despite apparently claiming to be a freelance journalist, is known for only one report. In a video uploaded to YouTube two years ago, Cheffou reports from outside an immigration detention centre in the Belgian province of Steenokkerzeel. With shouting and banging clearly audible from the building in the background, he claims the migrants and asylum seekers are protesting inside because they have not been fed. In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man carries an injured person in Brussels Airport, after explosions ripped through the departure hall In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Travellers get to their feet in a smoke filled terminal at Brussels Airport after explosions In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man is wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A man speaks on a mobile phone in Brussels Airport, after the explosions ripped through the departure hall In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Belgian police officers detain a man at the Gare du Midi train station in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A police officer stands guard as people are evacuated from Brussels airport, after explosions rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People stand near Brussels airport after being evacuated following explosions that rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Crew and passengers are evacuated from Zaventem Bruxelles International Airport after an attack in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers gather near Brussels airport in Zaventem, following its evacuation after blasts rocked the main terminal of Brussels airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Two women wounded in Brussels Airport in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers and airport staff are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers and airport staff are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Broken windows seen at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People leave the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People are evacuated from the scene after two explosions were heard at Brussels Airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People wait outside of the Brussels Airport after evacuation In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People leave the airport area after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Passengers comfort each other as they are evacuated from the terminal building after explosions at Brussels Airport in Zaventem In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People react as they walk away from Brussels airport after explosions rocked the facility in Brussels In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services attend the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels Reuters In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Injured people at the scene at Brussels Airport after two explosions were heard PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport People wait outside of the Zaventem airport after two explosions were heard PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services at the scene of explosions at Brussels Airport In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A view of the scene after the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Emergency services at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport near Brussels Reuters In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The aftermath of the explosions at Brussels airport PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport The view of the Brussels airport after the explosion PA In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport Smoke is seen at Brussels airport in Brussels AP In pictures: Terror attacks at Brussels airport A photo shows cars on a blocked highway near Zaventem, Brussels National airport, after two explosions rocked the main hall of Brussels Airport Getty Images After reporting that meal times at the centre mean dinner stops at 10pm, meaning that Muslims fasting for Ramadan cannot eat, Cheffou tells the camera they have been totally forgotten by the rest of the world. A description beneath the video said fundamental freedoms were being violated, adding: Belgian Muslims must act urgently to stop the abuses. It was unclear if Cheffou wrote the description for the footage, which was posted in July 2014 on a YouTube channel whose name translates as The Oppressed. With more than 900 subscribers, the most recent video was uploaded in February and subjects include alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians, the Quran, police brutality and reporting on Hasna Ait Boulahcen, who died in a raid linked to the Paris attacks. Masked Belgian police secure the entrance to a building in Schaerbeek (Reuters) Cheffou has allegedly been watched by Brussels police for months after being accused of attempting to radicalise refugees at a makeshift camp in Maximilien Park, Le Soir reported. The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, alerted prosecutors to Cheffous activities but did not secure any charges and took out an order banning him from the area. He also has previous convictions for offences including receiving stolen goods dating back more than a decade, another Belgain newspaper, La Capitale, reported. The report added that Cheffous older brother, Karim, was shot dead by police during an arrest in 2002. A Kalashnikov and grenades were reportedly found at his home in Schaerbeek. Prosecutors did not confirm the claims or whether Cheffou is believed to be the third airport bomber. Nine people have been arrested in Belgium and two in Germany as the investigation continues into the attacks, which killed 31 people and injured more than 300 more. Two other suspects linked to the case and anther alleged plot in Paris have been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A five-year-old boy was accused of sexually abusing a three-year-old girl using a piece of Lego, it has been reported. Austrian police were called to a kindergarten in the city of Linz to investigate the claim, reports The Local. In the alleged incident, the boy is said to have pushed a Lego brick into the girls underwear. Police confirmed they investigated the complaint, according to the news site, but a report that was filed for consideration by the prosecutor was rejected for any further action. In cases involving youngsters we never prosecute, said Philip Christl, prosecution spokesman. Typically this is the case right until the age of 18. There are exceptions for older children but usually there will be no prosecution. Following the prosecutors decision, the parents of the girl reportedly announced that they would be moving her to another nursery. The age of criminal responsibility in Austria is 14, with juvenile offenders defined as those aged between 14 and 18. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An international war crimes tribunal has jailed a French journalist over a book she wrote in 2007 about its investigation into a massacre in the Bosnian war. Florence Hartmann, a former correspondent for Le Monde, was seized by United Nations police outside The Hague court in the Netherlands on Thursday. She is being held for contempt of court, after revealing the tribunal withheld documents on the Srebrenica massacre from its sister organisation, the International Criminal Court. Ms Hartmann, who covered the conflict in Bosnia as a reporter, was originally ordered to pay a 7,000 fine after her conviction in 2009. But this sentence was upgraded to seven days imprisonment in 2011 when the fine remained unpaid. Her lawyer, Guenael Mettraux, told The Guardian she was being held solitary isolation with lights on 24 hours a day and checks every 15 minutes. He said: A journalist is being detained in conditions isolation, segregation, suicide watch that were supposed to have been created for war criminals. It is incomprehensible. I filed three motions yesterday [Thursday], one of which sought to have her granted early release no later than two-thirds of her sentence, as has been accorded to war criminals convicted by the courts in The Hague and Rwanda. Ive asked of the same to be done for a journalist, and this would mean her being released on Tuesday. But the problem is that there is literally no one at the detention unit who can address my inquiries, and my application will not be addressed until after the Easter break. Bosnia: the nation left behind Show all 18 1 /18 Bosnia: the nation left behind Bosnia: the nation left behind 508489.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508483.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508484.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508485.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508486.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508487.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508488.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508492.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508493.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508471.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508469.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508468.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508470.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508472.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508496.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508481.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508482.bin ANDY SPYRA Bosnia: the nation left behind 508467.bin ANDY SPYRA The Guardian reported Ms Hartmann was approached outside the tribunal on Thursday as she joined Bosnian survivors and families to wait for the verdict on former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. A notice on the tribunals website says: The Mechanism [tribunal] arrested today at its premises in The Hague Ms Florence Hartmann, executing an outstanding arrest warrant issued in November 2011 by the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Ms Hartmann received the contempt of court conviction after her book Paix et chatiment (Peace and Punishment) claimed the tribunal had documents which proved Serbian complicity in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. The massacre, one of the darkest moments of the Bosnian conflict, saw almost 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks murdered in and around the town of Srebrenica. The enclave had been a desginated safe zone, where many Muslims had fled seeking protection from the UN, but was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces. Ms Hartmann claimed in her book that the tribunal had kept the documents a secret from the International Criminal Court, which was carrying out its own investigation. She did not reveal the contents of the documents. The cells where the journalist is being held are the same as those used to detain notorious war criminals for their participation in various genocides, including Rwanda, Sierra Leonne and Bosnia. Karadzic, nicknamed the Butcher of Bosnia, was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment on Thursday. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} British commandos are training Bahrains armed forces which violently put down pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring in 2011 in the use of sniper rifles, The Independent can reveal. The revelation that elite Royal Navy commandos are running week-long training courses for Bahraini personnel has outraged human rights campaigners, who accuse the regime of using snipers to target protesters during anti-government protests in 2011. Pro-democracy activists in Bahrain say the military training by elite troops from the Royal Navys 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group proves that the British Government is turning a blind eye to abuses in the country. The Independent can reveal that the most recent training took place when specialist commandoes visited Bahrain in January on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans. The warship docked at HMS Juffair, Britains new naval base in Bahrain, and Royal Marines marksmen trained multiple groups of Bahraini personnel and were awarded Bahraini sniper badges in return. Bahraini authorities have already requested that the elite snipers return to run the course for a new batch of recruits. Britain has taken the lead internationally in arguing that Bahrain has reformed its security forces since its violent crackdown on dissent during the Arab Spring, but a Human Rights Watch report released last November found that torture and illegal detention are still common in the country. Labours shadow Defence Secretary, Emily Thornberry, demanded guarantees about how sniper training would be deployed in future. She said: People will be rightly concerned to discover that our elite commandos have been tasked with training sniper units in Bahrain, which risk being deployed against the civilian population of the country. Shadow human rights minister Andy Slaughter MP, added that he was dismayed that the British government appears to be holding Bahrain to a lower standard than other countries over human rights. He said: It seems there is a completely different level of scrutiny for Bahrain compared to other repressive regimes. This can only be linked to our very strong military ties. The latest figures show that the British government has approved more than 45m of arms sales to Bahrain since the 2011 Arab Spring, including sniper rifles, machine guns and assault rifles. Andrew Smith, of pressure group Campaign against Arms Trade, said: Despite the on-going crackdown, the UK charm offensive in Bahrain is continuing unabated. It's not just arms and training that are a major cause of concern; it's also the uncritical political back-scratching and military integration that has gone with it. This is yet another symptom of that toxic relationship. If the government really cares about the human rights of Bahraini people then it must finally stop arming and supporting the regime that is oppressing them. Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: As repression in Bahrain intensifies, the UK is helping the regime by providing training to brutal and unaccountable security services. The revelation over military training for Bahraini security services comes two week after the prominent human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja was arrested and imprisoned with her 15-month-old daughter on charges of insulting the Kingdoms monarchy. In a letter smuggled out of jail, which is published on Indy Voices, she wrote: There are governments willing to turn a blind eye to our suffering and shake hands with those who oppress us, but I also believe there are also enough good people in the world who cant stand silently in the face of oppressions. I hope this letter finds its way out of this prison and into the heart and hands of all those freedom loving people. An MoD spokesperson, said: The UK enjoys close links with Bahrain, spanning 200 years, which reinforce our commitment to the Gulf region. We dont shy away from raising issues of concern, including human rights, at all levels within the Government of Bahrain in all our Defence discussions. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Syrian forces claim they are close to driving Isis out of the ancient city of Palmyra as Russia pounds militants with waves of air strikes. Troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad, along with allies from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, have reportedly gained control of area around the citys castle and are attempting to force Isis fighters into retreat. Syrian state television was hailing progress on Friday but the so-called Islamic State has hit back with its own propaganda videos. Isis posted footage online claiming to show its fighters still in control of the deserted city centre on 24 March 2016 One appears to show Isis militants driving around the deserted town centre, showing the black flag of jihad fluttering over streets littered with rubble, before a fighter gave a speech vowing to defeat the kuffar (disbelievers). Recommended Read more Syrian troops set to retake ancient city of Palmyra from Isis forces The footage was dated on Thursday, when military operations were intensifying, but could not be verified. The government-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) claimed the army and popular defence groups seized Palmyra Castle on Friday and was edging closer to the city centre. The 13th century fortification occupies a strategic hill to the west of inhabited areas and the complex of ancient monuments for which Palmyra was famed before they became a backdrop for Isis gory execution videos. Smoke billows from Palmyra Castle on March 25, 2016, during a military operation by Syrian troops to retake the ancient city from Isis (AFP/Getty Images) Army units combed the hill after destroying the last hideouts of Isis terrorist organization and dismantled the explosive devices left behind by its members, Sana reported. A number of Isis terrorists were killed, while the rest escaped towards the city, leaving their arms behind. The Director-General of UNESCO hailed the liberation of the archaeological site, which has seen many of its most precious buildings and artefacts destroyed by Isis. Irina Bokova called the destruction a war crime and said Palmyra had become a symbol of the cultural cleansing plaguing the Middle East, vowing to send inspectors to evaluate the damage as soon as possible. But an activist from the Palmyra Media Centre told Al Jazeera that the former tourist attraction was still the site of heavy fighting and that most of the city remained under Isis control. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes continued on Saturday morning around the castle and in the neighbourhoods of al-Motaqaadin and western al-Jamia, documenting heavy aerial bombardment. Images and footage posted online by pro-regime supporters showed attack helicopters and armoured vehicles joining the battle as well as extensive shelling of Isis-controlled areas ahead of an expected ground assault. A live feed broadcast by the Lebanese Al Mayadeen channel showed smoke rising from the streets as the sound of shooting and artillery fire rang out. Russias defence ministry said it launched 41 sorties between Sunday and Wednesday, hitting more than 320 terrorists along with tanks, vehicles, artillery positions and ammunition depots. State media reported that an unnamed Russian officer was killed when he called in an air strike on himself after becoming surrounded by Isis militants. Up in smoke: Isis has destroyed several key ruins in the ancient city (AFP/Getty) Vladimir Putins special forces have been on the ground since he launched an intervention in support of the Syrian regime last September, with at least five Russian servicemen killed so far. The reported gains came after the US targeted several senior leaders including Isis top finance officer in air strikes, as coalition operations intensified following the Brussels attacks. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest defeat for Isis in Syria in recent months. The city, also known as Tadmur, controls routes east into the heartland of territory held by the militants, including the province of Deir Ezzor and the Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa. Syria's antiquities chief, Maamoun Abdulkarim, said driving the terrorists out would be a victory for the whole world. Ancient monuments under Isis threat Show all 8 1 /8 Ancient monuments under Isis threat Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra The ancient oasis city of Palmyra Getty Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra A partial view of the ancient ruins Getty Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra The ancient Palmyra theater Reuters Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra A view of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra Getty Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra The Temple of Bel Reuters Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra Palmyra's famous graves AP Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra The ancient castle Getty Ancient monuments under Isis threat Isis seizes Palmyra A sculpture depicting a rich family from the ancient Syrian oasis city of Palmyra, displayed at the city's museum Getty After all the tragedy we have suffered in Syria for five years, and the 10 months in Palmyra after it fell...it's the first time we feel joy, he told Reuters. We pray for victory soon, so that the damage is limited. Palmyra, under their control, was the loss of a civilisation. The citys former head of antiquities, Khaled al-Asaad, was publicly beheaded by militants whose body was hung on display as the group started destroying monuments including the Temple of Baalshamin. Talks are continuing between the US, Russia and other parties aiming at drawing up a blueprint for a political process to end Syrias brutal civil war. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Russian special forces officer has been hailed a hero after reportedly ordering an air strike on himself while fighting Isis militants in Syria. The unnamed man died during operations to retake the ancient city of Palmyra, state media reported. A spokesperson for the Russian armed forces told RIA Novosti that the officer was stationed to hunt down crucial Isis facilities and provide co-ordinates for bombing. Smoke billows from Palmyra Castle on March 25, 2016, during a military operation by Syrian troops to retake the ancient city from Isis (AFP/Getty Images) The officer died as a hero, calling a strike on to himself after he was compromised and surrounded by terrorists, the source said. Russian special forces have been on the ground in Syria since Vladimir Putin launched an intervention in support of the Syrian regime last September. Colonel General Aleksandr Dvornikov said they conduct ground reconnaissance for air strikes in remote area, as well as other unspecified tasks. Moscow has acknowledged the deaths of five Russian servicemen in Syria so far, including the pilot of a fighter jet shot down by Turkey and a marine killed by rebels during a mission to rescue him. At least five Russian servicemen have died in Syria (EPA) Two others were killed in mortar attacks and bombardment, while a 19-year-old soldier died in disputed circumstances at his air base in Latakia. Officials said Vadim Kostenko hung himself after falling out with his girlfriend but his relatives insisted he did not kill himself, citing unexplained injuries on his body. Mr Putin ordered the Russian defence ministry to begin the withdrawal of the main part of its military contingent in Syria last week, with fighter jets starting to arrive back in the country the following day. But American officials said they had seen no significant reduction in Moscows combat power, particularly on the ground, as efforts continue to deescalate the civil war and draw up a blueprint for a lasting peace agreement. 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 United Nations and humanitarian organisations have raised concern about the death of civilians and opposition fighters Russian air strikes, but the Kremlin insists it has been targeting Isis. Russian jets are currently supporting troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad, along with allies from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, in an advance on the Isis stronghold of Palmyra. The defence ministry said it launched 41 sorties between Sunday and Wednesday, hitting more than 320 terrorists along with tanks, vehicles, artillery positions and ammunition depots. But while Russian and Syrian media claimed progress was being made after the capture of a castle on the outskirts of Palmyra, other reports said Isis was still in control of the city centre. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Elections are unnecessary in Saudi Arabia because its people are happier with the current system of government than almost any other country in the world, the kingdom's UN ambassador has claimed. Abdallah al-Mouallimi was challenged as to why the Saudis were calling for elections in Syria, but only allow limited municipal elections in their own country, where it is illegal to call for a change of government or publish criticism of the state. Mr Al-Mouallimi, the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, was grilled on the point in an interview for Al Jazeera by British journalist Mehdi Hasan. Abdallah al-Mouallimi speaking at the United Nations (Getty Images) Mr Hasan asked: If the people of Syria should get to choose their own head of state, why not the people in Saudi Arabia as well? Mr Al-Mouallimi responded: Elections are not the panacea for everything. Just because there are elections in Syria doesnt mean there have to be elections in Saudi. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty The key question is: Is the population content and happy and satisfied with the form of government they have and I would like to claim if you went to Saudi Arabia and conducted a survey you will find a high degree of support for the system. Mr Hasan responded: Isnt that partly because they do say they want another government they will go to jail? Mr Al-Mouallimi denied this, claiming that even an anonymous survey would return support for the political system. He added: What is important is the pact between the government and the governed, the mutual acceptance. I can tell you that mutual acceptance is much higher in Saudi Arabia than almost any other country in the world. Municipal elections were held in Saudi Arabia in December, with women allowed to vote for the first time in the countrys history. Representatives were elected to its consultative assembly, which can propose laws but does not have the power to enact them. Political parties are banned in Saudi Arabia and the country is run by a king, who serves as head of state and absolute monarch. Calling for a change of government or removal of the monarchy is illegal, and it is a crime to publish anything which damages the states reputation. Saudi Arabia is one of several countries to call for free and fair elections to be held in Syria. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A journalist has been sentenced to five years in a Saudi Arabian prison for "insulting the rulers of the country" and "ridiculing Islamic religious figures". Alaa Brinji was convicted by Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism court, known as the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC), for tweets he posted in support of Saudi Arabian women's right to drive cars, human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience. Mr Brinji has also been given an eight-year travel ban and a fine of 50,000 Saudi riyals (around 9,500). The court ordered the closure of his twitter account. He was arrested on 12 May, 2014, and has been in detention since. He was initially held in solitary confinement and has not been allowed access to a lawyer, according to Amnesty international. His offences originally included the act of "apostasy," which is considered a serious crime in Saudi Arabia and carries the death penalty, but he was not convicted due to lack of evidence. Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Show all 8 1 /8 Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher Abdullah al-Zaher was arrested at the age of 15 for attending a protest and he is was the youngest in a group of juvenile offenders put on death row Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher Previously held alongside fellow juvenile offender Ali al-Nimr, whose case sparked outrage around the world, Abdullah has now been moved to solitary confinement at a new facility and could be beheaded at any moment Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Abdullah al-Zaher His family and lawyers believe he was forced to sign a document without knowing its contents, and which later was used as a confession in the closed trial against him Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Ali Mohammed al-Nimr faces imminent beheading and crucifixion for crimes he reportedly committed as a child Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr The UN has issued an urgent call for Saudi Arabia to halt his execution but a Saudi court has upheld the sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of a prominent government dissident, despite growing and high-level international condemnation Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Mr al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 for his participation in Arab Spring protests when he was just 16 or 17 years old, could now be put to death at any time Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Dawood al-Marhoon Dawood al-Marhoon was 17 year old when he was arrested for participating in an anti-government protest Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Dawood al-Marhoon After refusing to spy on his fellow protesters, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer James Lynch, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme, said: The sentencing of Alaa Brinji to a five year prison term is utterly shameful. He is the latest victim of Saudi Arabias ruthless crackdown on peaceful dissent, where the aim appears to be to completely wipe out any and all voices of criticism. Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for its gross and systematic violations of human rights. Its international allies, who seek to collaborate on security and intelligence, have to confront the fact that using the pretext of 'counter-terrorism, the government's draconian crackdown has eradicated virtually all forms of peaceful dissent in the country. Earlier this month, Saudi writer Mohanna Abdulaziz al-Hubail was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison, followed by a travel ban of equal length. He was convicted of a series of offences, including "insulting the state and its rulers" and inciting and taking part in demonstrations calling for the release of prisoners of conscience. Authorities in Saudi Arabia executed the 76th person to be put to death in the country on 24 March. The rate of executions has dramatically increased since the accession of King Salman in January, 2015. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Over 80 per cent of the population in war-torn Yemen is in need of humanitarian aid and many are facing starvation, Oxfam has said. The charity also warned of the likelihood of a financial crisis in the country, which could further worsen the already dire situation. The war has killed over 6,000 people, around half of them civilians, and displaced a further 2.4 million. Over 14 million Yemenis are hungry and 21.2 million - 82 per cent of the population - urgently need humanitarian assistance, according to Oxfam. The conflict, escalated hugely by a Saudi-led bombing campaign, has caused significant problems for Yemens food supply, with rising prices and food becoming less available. Importers to Yemen are finding it harder to get credit from international banks nervous about involving themselves with such a fragile market. Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images Show all 18 1 /18 Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348501.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348502.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348503.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348504.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348505.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348506.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348507.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348508.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348509.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348510.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348512.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348513.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348514.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348515.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348516.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348517.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348518.bin Amnesty International Charity reveals 'scorched earth' Yemen images 348519.bin Amnesty International The Central Bank of Yemen is also facing difficulties stabilising food prices. This could lead to further financial diffuculties for the citizens of a country, which regularly ranks as the poorest in the Middle East. On a grassroots level, many low income Yemenis have responded to rising prices by buying food on credit, causing debts they cannot repay. Lenders are now reluctant to provide money to poor families to buy food. It is feared these factors could result in new food price rises affecting a quarter of the population. All the evidence shows that the poorest people do not have the ability to withstand this crisis for much longer, Oxfam said. Sajjad Mohamed Sajid, Oxfam's Country Director in Yemen, said: "A brutal conflict on top of an existing crisis, a catastrophe on top of catastrophe, has created one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in the world today - yet most people are unaware of it. Men, women and children are caught between reckless bombing from the sky and indiscriminate shelling on the ground, with nowhere to hide. "Close to 14.4 million people, more than half of all Yemenis, are hungry and the majority will not be able to withstand the rising prices for food if importers are unable to trade due to a crippled financial system." The embattled country is dependent on imports for 90 per cent of its food, though the dangerous situation limits what can get into the country. In addition to Saudi airstrikes which have destroyed farms and markets, agricultural productivity has plummeted because of a fuel crisis related to the conflict. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Diesel fuel, used to power irrigation, is also vital for pumping water in domestic settings. Infrastructure such as supply routes, warehouses storing food aid and vehicles carrying humanitarian supplies have also been hit by bombs. Last summer, 10 out of the 22 governorates in Yemen were classified as 'one step away' from famine and in need of immediate life-saving assistance. Oxfam has criticised Western governments for not doing more to help resolve the conflict. "Without peace, Yemen risks sliding in to famine but some world leaders seems more intent on fuelling the conflict than stopping it, Mr Sajid said. In 2015 governments reported total arms sales of $25 billion, including drones, bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles, to belligerents in the conflict. Governments - particularly the US and UK, the main supporters of [Saudi led] coalition forces - must act as peace brokers, not arms brokers." The British government has faced renewed criticism for supplying arms to Saudi Arabia, which are believed have been used in Yemen. In March, protestors linked to Amnesty International delivered replica missiles to Downing Street to call on the government to end the supply of weapons to the Saudi military. British companies such as BAE Systems have sold 58 Eurofighter jets and 2,400 500lb Pathway-IV guided missiles to Saudi Arabia in the past year. The Yemen conflict is being fought between supporters of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shia Houthi rebels. However, it is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, who support Mr Hadi and Iran, a Shia nation, which supports the Houthis. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The U-2 spy plane, one of the most emblematic aircraft of the Cold War, should return to Europe to conduct surveillance on a resurgent and aggressive Russia, a top American general has warned. General Philip Breedlove, the head of US forces in Europe and Natos supreme allied commander, said the iconic jet was among additional intelligence collection platforms needed to effectively counter an increased threat posed by Moscow after decades of downgrading of American military assets in the region. The officer, who is due to step down this spring, said Russia poses a long-term existential threat to the United States. With sensors that can spot a landmine from a height of 13 miles and scoop up vast amounts of communications data, the U-2 would prove a potent tool in monitoring any build-up or sudden movement of Russian forces on the border of the Baltic states or the Ukraine. Recommended Read more Britain responds to threat from Russians by beefing up Royal Navy But the suggested return to European skies of the slender espionage plane, which first flew six decades ago and has survived several attempts to force its retirement, could also risk provoking Russian ire by resurrecting memories of the U-2s role in the most incendiary moments of the Cold War. In 1960, a U-2 on a spy mission over Russia was downed by a surface-to-air missile and its CIA pilot, Gary Powers, held captive for two years as Moscow successfully embarrassed Washington over its claims that the plane had been on a mission monitoring weather patterns. In reality, Powers had been sent to spy on military installations and his capture undermined a major peace summit as well as causing the withdrawal of an invitation for then President Dwight Eisenhower to visit Moscow. The potential restoration of a relic from that era to active service in the same military arena is further evidence of an increasingly muscular response from Washington to the deteriorating relations between the West and Russia following its annexation of Crimea and involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. General Philip Breedlove is a former US Air Force fighter pilot (EPA) In unreported remarks from a little-noticed annual summary of US strategy in Europe, General Breedlove said assets such as the U-2, along with another longstanding surveillance aircraft known as the RC-135 Rivet Joint, were needed to bolster the intelligence-gathering capabilities of Americas European command, known as EUCOM. The general, a former US Air Force fighter pilot, said: EUCOM finds itself in a shifted paradigm where the strategic threat presented by [Vladimir] Putins Russia requires we provide a credible assurance against what remains the only nation capable of strategic warfare against the homeland. EUCOM needs additional intelligence collection platforms, such as the U-2 or the RC-135, to assist the increased collection requirements in the theatre. Military experts said it was highly unlikely that any U-2s deployed in Europe would seek to overfly Russia. Instead the planes would remain in the airspace of Nato allies, using their powerful cameras and sensor arrays to peer into hostile territory from an operating altitude of 70,000ft. The Pentagon did not respond to requests from The Independent for comment on whether it was acceding to General Breedloves request, but Washington last month announced a quadrupling of funding for its European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) to rebuild Americas military presence on the Continent after decades of running it down. The number of US soldiers based in Europe fell from 200,000 during the 1980s to 33,000 in 2015, prompting a military think-tank to warn recently that heavily-armed Russian battalions would overwhelm their lightly-armed Nato opponents in just three days in any attack on Latvia or Estonia. Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Show all 5 1 /5 Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border Russian plane shot down by Turkish jets Russian aircraft goes down in Kizildag region of Turkey's Hatay province, close to the Syrian border The latest $3.4bn (2.4bn) ERI budget for 2017 includes $22m to be spent on increased airborne intelligence and reconnaissance. Although it falls outside the ERI, Washington is also spending 200m on a new intelligence hub at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire - the largest outside the US - which will house a joint Nato intelligence centre assessing threats to the alliance. Known as the Dragon Lady, the U-2 is widely regarded as one of the most successful spy planes ever built and has been deployed to gaze down on hostile territory from Afghanistan to Cuba since it entered operation. But while maker Lockheed insists the glider-like jet can fly until 2045, it is currently slated for retirement in 2019 as part of proposals to equip the Global Hawk unmanned drone with similar sensors. Analysts said the fact that Russian forces were now much closer to Natos borders in places like the Baltics meant there was a pressing need for early warning of any deployments in the region by Moscow as well as ongoing to work to monitor the Isis terror group. Lisa Samp, an international security specialist at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told The Independent: I know EUCOM is seeking to increase its [intelligence] collection capabilities in recognition of the increased threat from Russia/Isis and the importance of adequate warnings to give [Nato] as much notice as possible. Such efforts are vital and should be supported. One source with knowledge of US military programmes in Europe added: There is no information in the public domain about a U-2 deployment for Russia. But that doesnt mean it isnt happening. Shot down over Russia: The story of Gary Powers When Gary Powers U-2 took off from an American base in Pakistan on a top secret mission to traverse the Soviet Union in May 1960, he did so in the belief that the USSR possessed nothing which could touch his spy plane at its cruising height of 70,000ft. It did not take long for him to be proved wrong. Shortly after he entered Soviet air space, military commanders unleashed five surface-to-air missiles, the first of which hit the CIA jet, severing one of its wings and forcing its pilot to stage a perilous parachute jump to safety - and captivity. The downing of the U-2, whose mission had been personally endorsed by President Dwight Eisenhower, sparked an immediate crisis in Soviet-American relations. The ill-feeling was deepened by Washingtons initial insistence that Powers had been collecting weather data for Nasa and accidentally entered Soviet territory. Unbeknown to Washington, the USSR had recovered Powers U-2 and its photos of military installations intact. The pilot was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at a show trial in Moscow but was then released two years later in a prisoner exchange which is the subject of the Steven Spielberg film, Bridge of Spies. Once home, Powers faced a hostile reception from some who suggested he had in effect defected to the Russians. A Senate committee later exonerated him - and awarded him $50,000 in back pay for his time in Soviet prison. Cahal Milmo Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ignore the Brexiteers. The bungling of the Belgian police in Brussels makes a simple case we need more Europe, not less. This may seem hard to grasp at first, because Belgiums security forces have performed hopelessly against the Jihadi underground. Handling suspects? A screw up. One was caught only to be released after an hour. Handling fear? An even bigger screw up. The army has been called in-and-out, placing Brussels under a paranoid, and after the attackers struck, some say ultimately pointless, lockdown. So, the overall verdict? The Belgian state is failing to fight terror. More Europe, not less, is what Belgium now needs. What should be done? Britain, France and Germanys top cops need to be on the ground in Brussels. There needs to be an empowered EU anti-terror taskforce up and running. But the problem goes much, much deeper. Belgiums security forces clearly need an overhaul: Britain, France and Germany need to start working through the EU itself to bring all EU member states security services up to scratch. There needs to be an EU-wide review investigating what anti-terror gaps need to be plugged in every member state. Yes, that means more EU interfering and more EU standards to make us safer. Recommended Read more The US must recognise the Armenian genocide As for Brussels itself? The EUs de-facto capital needs a single, coordinated police force. Right now it has six of them, something that only makes sense in answering to the countrys complex linguistic federalism, between French-speaking and Flemish-speaking communities. This dysfunction is one of the reasons the Belgian state has had to call out its army during the capitals emergency. These six forces need to be scrapped and quickly replaced with a united Brussels police force, possibly run by the EU itself. Brexiteers fail to see that problems like the Brussels Jihadi underground where why the EU was invented so EU states can interfere in one anothers affairs for mutual benefit. When one weak EU police force can let terrorists slip through, the answer is to help beef them up to our top standards, not walk away. London, with its expertise in fighting terror should naturally take the lead in the EU on making sure all 28 member states can fight terror like the British, and not the Belgians. But it says something about the sorry state of Britains political debate today that this seems like a laughable proposal. Britains narrow minded politicians, so used to bashing Europe, have been quicker to suggest leaving the EU over the heightened security threat, than taking leadership inside its institutions to make us safer. Britain's failure of leadership in Europe is not only a failure of British ambition and British imagination. It's a failure to fight terror to the best of our ability: using the EU's continent-wide structure sitting right there, waiting to be shaped by us. This is a shame because what Belgium needs right now is some British meddling. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In June 2007, Tony Blair denounced the British press as a feral beast and singled out The Independent as the only example. This open letter, which we published on the front page, still sums up my feelings about the paper Most days The Independent speaks for itself. We like to think that we do our little bit to make sense of an often bewildering world. But today is different: our editorial approach, and the values that underpin it, have come under attack from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. In a wide-ranging speech on politics and the media, he singled out this newspaper as a metaphor for the corrosive relationship between the public and the body politic, and on behalf of our journalists, and more particularly our readers, we felt it would be wrong to let his assertions go unchallenged. The Independent, he said, is absolutely entitled to print what it wants, on the Middle East or anything else. But it was started as an antidote to the idea of journalism as views, not news. That was why it was called The Independent. Today it is avowedly a viewspaper, not merely a newspaper. The final consequence of this is that it is rare today to find balance in the media. As the only representative of the multifarious British media mentioned by name, its hard not to be flattered. Or, indeed, vindicated our principled opposition to his policy on Iraq (or the Middle East as he quaintly put it: note he couldnt refer to Iraq by name) has clearly exasperated him. But that misses the point. We are unabashed about the way in which The Independent has evolved, although we would point out that this newspaper was not established as an antidote to the idea of journalism as views, but as an antidote to proprietorial influence and narrow political allegiance. Todays paper is true to those ideals. So how come we now exemplify everything thats wrong with the public discourse? We dont trawl through peoples dustbins. We respect the privacy of those in public life. We strive to abide by the PCC code. But, after 10 years of the Blair administration, a decade of spin and counter-spin, of dodgy dossiers, of 45-minute warnings, of burying bad news, of manipulation and misinformation, we feel that the need to interpret and comment upon the official version of events is more important than ever. And we are confident that our readers can differentiate between news and opinion. We can also be sure that our readers will make up their own minds, and with this in mind we are printing the full text of Mr Blairs speech (there we go again, offering another viewpoint). What clearly rankles with Mr Blair is not that we campaign vociferously on certain issues, but that he doesnt agree with our stance. What if we had backed the invasion of Iraq (like, for example, we supported the interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone)? Would he then be attacking our style of journalism? Of course not. We are unapologetic about our opposition to Iraq, the biggest foreign policy folly of our age, and we shall continue to hold him and his government to account. All that said, we welcome Mr Blairs contribution to what is an important debate. He is right to say that relations between the media and the political establishment need to be repaired. And his comments on the role of newspapers in particular in the fast-changing media landscape echo discussions that are currently taking place in this office, and in probably every other newspaper in Britain. The days when a newspaper could be simply a notice-board of the previous days events are as outdated as black-and-white television. Of course, news is still the backbone of our offering, but we feel our readers today want more: a diverse range of commentary, colourful debate, provocative front pages and, yes, the views behind the news. It is difficult to imagine what kind of newspaper Mr Blair envisages in his platonic heaven, but its probably safe to say that this isnt it. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} I was arrested a few days ago after being sentenced to three years in prison for several political cases; one of which was tearing a picture of Hamad, the king of Bahrain. As I walked up to the prison door carrying my baby, I realized that I had walked through that door on crutches, I had walked through that door pregnant, and I had been carried through that door by police. Five years have passed since the start of the revolution in Bahrain; five years of systematic aggression on the people of this country whose only wish was to seek equal rights and democracy. Five years of criminal acts by the regime. Killing peaceful protesters, arresting thousands, torturing thousands. Years filled with heroism, bravery, sacrifice, filled also with pain, anger and loss. And it seems to me, after all this time, the governments only strategy here is to simply distract the world from the crimes taking place. Instead of improving the human rights in the country, they seem to be thinking, lets create GONGOs (Government Organized Non-Governmental Organizations). Instead of hearing the peoples grievances, lets silence them. Instead of fixing the problems, lets contain them so theyre less visible. Instead of releasing prisoners of conscience, lets build bigger, better looking prisons. Contain the protests to the villages and let the world only see the cities and the malls. Contain the activists in jails and let the world hear government mouth pieces who speak of reform. Basically contain, bury, the truth and spread a lie. Whats more shocking than the governments plan on how to deal with the biggest revolution the country has witnessed, is that they apparently think it could work. I sit here in the dark in prison cell 19, I look past my baby at the shining prison bars. This is a new prison, new walls, new paint and new metal bars. All the government is doing is shining those metal bars. Making them as shiny as possible so the rest of the world would be so busy looking at the shiny metal that they are blinded to what is behind it. I dont believe they can succeed. I invite the world to look beyond the shining metal bars. To see my one-year-old baby holding on to them during the day and calling out. To see my 50-year-old father hunched over a book, deep in thought. To see hundreds of tortured bodies and thousands of wounded hearts. Fathers who dream of raising their children, husbands who wish they could support their wives, young boys with lost futures. All living through this pain, every hour of every day, hoping this silence speaks louder than anything they could say. Recommended Read more Osborne is playing fast and loose with our economy Its hard to look pain in the eyes and acknowledge it, but thats exactly what I ask everyone to do. Yes there are governments willing to turn a blind eye to our suffering and shake hands with those who oppress us, but I also believe that there are enough good people in the world who recognize the good fight, who admire a people who sacrifice in the hope for a better future, and who cant stand by silently in the face of oppression. I hope this letter finds its way out of this prison and into the heart and hands of all freedom loving people. Love from Bahrain Zainab Alkhawaja Prison cell 19 Isa Town Womens Prison Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} All week, the G-word has been rattling around the foreign ministries of the world. Ever since John Kerry he of Israeli-Palestinian peace "in six months" fame announced that Isis was committing genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims, weve been trying to work out just what hes talking about. Even the poor old Canadians and their super-liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, have since been refusing to recognise the Isis atrocities as "genocide" the attempt to exterminate an entire race of people preferring instead to talk about crimes perpetratedagainst religious and ethnic minorities. Could this be, ask Canadian critics, because Canada last month withdrew the last of its clapped out CF-18 fighter jets from the battle against Isis? More likely the Canadians have caught on to the whole genocide trap. But first: yes, Isis have indeed committed horrific crimes against minorities under their control. Their massacre of Shia Muslims and the murder and enslavement of Yazidi and Christian women and children are all real perhaps 10,000, perhaps 100,000, the figures are as numbing as they are vague. The Isis magazine Dabiq admits all this perhaps the closest anyone has come to self-incrimination since Pol Pot listed his crimes in Cambodia. But theres a problem. These terrible atrocities are being committed on the very land and deserts upon which a far more terrible genocide was perpetrated just over a hundred years ago by the Turks who head-chopped and knifed and shot to death a million and a half Armenian Christians, raping their women and throwing so many of their dead men into the waters of Anatolia that the very rivers changed course. And Turkey heaven be praised is now our good friend, Nato ally and, since this month, our bastion against the Muslim refugee "invasion" of Europe. Back in 1915, the Brits and Americans had no problems in naming the guilty party, along with the Turks militia ally again, take in your breath the Kurds, now our brave allies against the forces of Isis darkness. All this, you see, is a bit embarrassing. The Yazidis and Christians of Iraq have certainly been massacred including a few Armenian grandchildren of the 1915 survivors, although that hasnt cut much ice in the US although the Shia Muslims of Iraq were being slaughtered in Iraq by the thousand during the latter half of Americas military occupation. The Shia, I suspect, have been given a bloodbath upgrade to genocide because Shia Iran agreed to a nuclear deal with the rest of the world. But back to Yazidis for a moment. One of the worst genocides against this forlorn, centuries-old religion occurred in 1892 when the Turkish Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II targeted them for mass extermination. But the Sultan included among his victims tens of thousands of 19th century Armenians whom Mr Kerry cannot bring himself to declare victims of genocide in the 20th century (although he did so for many years when he was a mere Senator). So earlier references to Yazidi extermination have to be left out of the Kerry narrative of history. The current Kerry mantra for the Armenian genocide is one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. La Clinton is going to be no help in all this. She regularly condemned the Armenian genocide until she became Secretary of State to Barack Obama and discovered that the frightful persecution of the 1915 Christians a teaching forum for future Nazis who witnessed the genocide as young German army officers and later put their lessons into practice against the Jews was now a matter of historical debate. Donald Trump has not yet entered this particular blood-boltered debate although his Trump hotel in Azerbaijan a country which, like Turkey and (to its shame) Israel, denies the Armenian genocide suggests that we shall be hearing from him soon. Much of the rest of the world governments and parliaments of 29 countries up to last year have recognised the Armenian genocide. For 20 years, The Independent has regularly referred to the Armenian Holocaust with a capital H, the very same word (Shoah in Hebrew) used by many ordinary Israelis to describe the slaughter. But not the Americans. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose Sukhoi jet had of course not yet been shot down by the Turks, attended the official genocide memorial day in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, declaring the genocide a fact of history to the fury of the Turks -- while President Obama skulked in Washington, still too fearful of offending his Nato ally whose airbases ironically built, in many cases, on lands stolen from murdered Armenians were so important to the US Air Force which was already supposedly destroying Isis. All in all, then a pretty mess. Kerry tells us that Isis is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions as if the destruction of the Armenian people in 1915 was not and is perfectly happy to label the dark forces of the Islamic Caliphate as genocidal themselves which they clearly are. But it raises another frightful question. Since we know that Isis sells Syrian and Iraqi oil to the Turks Russian bomber pilots have seen miles of Isis oil convoys running to the horizon towards Turkey and since Turkish journalists have been imprisoned for reporting on secret Turkish arms transfers to Islamists in Syria the Americans are, in effect, blaming Isis for the genocide of a hundred thousand or more human beings while being too frightened to label the Armenian massacres of a million and a half souls as genocide lest it offend Isis sinister chums in Turkey. Its not difficult to accuse the bad guys of genocide Colin Powell had no problem over Darfur in 2004 but shouldnt we stand up to the real bullies who prevent us honouring the memory of those million and a half Christians who were treated just as Isis treats the Yazidis and Christians and Shia today: the Turkish government and the Turkish army and the Turkish institutes of state? And all this at a time when an increasing number of brave Turks are themselves acknowledging the Turkish genocide of 1915? Forget it: 75 million visas to Turkey in response to their $3-billion European bailout to block those refugees is enough to keep the Armenian mass graves of 1915 well and truly closed. Just ask John Kerry. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson is close to carrying all before him. An MP summed up the partys view to me: He is like a hurricane far out to sea. No one knows where it will hit, or how many roofs will be ripped off, or if we will all get through it. But we know it's coming. All right, all right. That was a Labour MP talking about the imminence of Gordon Brown as prime minister 10 years ago, in October 2006. But it was just the same, only without the menace of Browns kneecappers and knucklebreakers. At the time, it wasnt clear that Brown would be the only candidate. In the end only John McDonnell tried to stand against him, and he secured only 29 of the 45 MPs nominations he needed. Johnsons landfall is not as certain as Browns was, but I have the same feeling now that the other options are narrowing. It is getting harder to see how Johnson could fail to become prime minister. The first and quicker route would be for the British people to vote to leave the EU in three months time. David Cameron may want to stay on to negotiate Britains exit, but I do not think his party would let him. In the last few days the number of Conservative MPs declaring for staying in the EU reached 170, which is just more than half of the total. However, that also means that nearly half of Tory MPs are Outers, which is not only far more than Cameron expected, but they have the support of a large majority of party members. What is more, if Cameron loses his great referendum gamble, he would be a failed and broken leader. Johnson would have the authority to insist that the consequences of voting to leave the EU should be managed by someone who believed in it. As for predicting the outcome of the referendum, I know that guessing what will happen next is what this column is for, and this one is all about predicting that Johnson will be our next prime minister, but I know my limitations better than I did this time last year. The betting markets and the opinion polls suggest we will vote to stay in, but I am not so sure. If we do stay, though, the Johnson hurricane is still coming this way. Those Conservative Party members, the ones who are overwhelmingly opposed to EU membership, would respond to defeat with the same respect for the sovereign wisdom of democracy as was shown by the Scottish Nationalists 18 months ago. That is, they would immediately declare a moral victory and start campaigning for another referendum. More importantly, they would believe that the world owed them compensation, and one of the forms this would take would be the succession to the leadership of one of their own. The rules of the Tory leadership contest provide that the final ballot shall be between an Inner and an Outer, and that the Outer shall win. Naturally, that is not quite how the rules are worded but, given that Tory MPs select a shortlist of two and party members have the final say, that is how it will work. (It will be, incidentally, the first time that non-MPs will vote directly for a prime minister.) The only question, therefore, is who the Outer candidate will be. Something untoward could happen (when I wrote about the imminence of Brown as prime minister a decade ago, I said I didnt know how the voters would respond to a choice between him and Cameron at the ballot box: I had no idea that this choice would be made after a global financial crisis). But if the choice of Outers is between Johnson, Michael Gove and Liam Fox, Johnson would just about edge it. It took a former Labour Party official to pose a more important question last week. Tom Hamilton asked if there were any sensible, non-popularity-based arguments for why Johnson wouldnt be a useless prime minister. To which my answer was that he hadnt made a mess of being Mayor of London, which sounds flippant but isnt. Not making mistakes is, as George Osborne could tell you, an important quality in politics. Martin Hoscik, the Mayorwatch journalist, said that this was more to do with the team around him. But even that is only another argument in Johnsons favour. Since Johnson came out against the EU last month, I have detected a change in mood among journalists towards him. The most notable example is an article in Saturday's Times by Matthew Parris laying into Johnson's "casual dishonesty, the cruelty, the betrayal; and, beneath the betrayal, the emptiness of real ambition: the ambition to do anything useful with office once it is attained". If anything could make me approve of Johnson it is Parris's savagery, an extreme example of the pro-EU journalistic consensus. Johnson blustered inarticulately on the Andrew Marr Show, they said, and he did it again in his three-and-a-quarter-hour interrogation by the Treasury select committee on Wednesday. I disagree. When Andrew Tyrie, chairing the pro-EU kangaroo court, remonstrated with his witness for interrupting questions, Johnson said: I think Ive demolished all the questions that have been asked. I actually thought that was quite a fair self-assessment. But that unusually long session raised a different doubt about Johnsons succession: will he be overfamiliar in 2019? Will we be bored with him? Will he be like Gordon Hurricane Brown: someone who waited too long to be prime minister and who had run out of ideas when he got there? Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Republican excesses know few bounds. And Im not talking about the likelihood Donald Trump will be their nominee in Novembers presidential election. In fact, the Manhattan property tycoon is staging a hostile takeover of the party, a calamity that Republicans have brought entirely upon themselves. Just one Senator and a tiny handful of Congressmen have come out in favour of Trump. The rest just wish they could wake up and discover that the whole nightmare had been precisely that. No, Im talking about a big reason why Republicans are responsible for the predicament in which they find themselves the political obstructionism that has touched an outrageous new low with the refusal of Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, even to consider presidents Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland to be a Supreme Court Justice. Merrick Garland would replace the flamboyant, arch-conservative Antonin Scalia who died in mid-February. Obama could have picked an out-and-out liberal to fill Scalias seat on the bench, who would have tilted the ideological balance of the Court to the left and ended a quarter century of conservative dominance. Instead the president chose the unassuming Garland, greatly admired by his peers, and who heads the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, generally regarded as the second most important jurisdiction in the land. Not that long ago, many Republican Senators spoke highly of him. Although he is to the left of Scalia, some liberal lobby groups oppose him on the grounds hes too conservative. Yet McConnell will have nothing to do with him, curtly informing the nominee not to waste his time by making the traditional courtesy calls on Capitol Hill and this despite the overwhelming belief of ordinary Americans that the Senate should do what it is constitutionally obliged to do and take up Garlands nomination. If the Republican majority votes him down, then so be it. The post should not be filled until after the presidential election, maintains McConnell, to let the people have their say (as if the average American greatly cares about who sits on the Court). In fact, of course, McConnell wants to preserve its conservative majority - even if that means limiting its members to eight for the best part of a year, guaranteeing a 4-4 deadlock on many key cases. In other words, McConnells playing politics, but lousy politics. Now Obama is not without some blame for the systemic breakdown. Despite winning the ultimate political prize, he gives every impression of hating politics. A supremely rational man, he makes the mistake of believing that others are rational as well. He has never hidden his scorn for Congress, and made little effort to establish the sort of informal relationships on Capitol Hill, both within his own party and across the aisle, that in happier times made Washington work. That said, Garland is the least contentious and best qualified nominee the president could have could have come up with. Once upon a time, before Congress turned into a hyper-partisan swamp, Supreme Court nominations were a shoo-in, as long as a candidate was up to scratch. In 1986, Scalia was voted in 98-0 by the 100-member Senate. Seven years later Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who struck up a close friendship with Scalia but was in fact his ideological opposite, was confirmed 96-3. Recommended Read more It is hard being a columnist for eighteen years Trouble began in earnest in 1991, the last time the ideological balance of the Supreme Court changed. That year Thurgood Marshall, the first black Justice and a hero of the civil rights movement, retired. Cynically, President George H.W. Bush picked another African-American to succeed him except that Clarence Thomas was as conservative as Marshall was liberal. The senate hearings were a bloodbath. Thomas was hit with lurid charges of sexual harrassment by a former colleague Anita Hill. He defended himself by maintaining his treatment was the high-tech lynching of an uppity nigger. In the end, the Democrat-controlled Senate did confirm him, but by a humiliatingly thin margin of 52-48. Since then, as the Congress has increasingly failed to do its job of passing laws, the Court, once a remote legal arbiter, has assumed some of the formers powers almost by default. Unsuprisingly, Supreme Court nominations have increasingly become pitched battles. Substantial minorities have voted against the last three justices to be confirmed Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan on purely ideological grounds. Recommended Read more Osborne is playing fast and loose with our economy McConnells tactics, in defiance of the constitution as well as the wishes of most Americans, reflect a determination to block everything Obama proposes. But it is merely the predictable next step in a process whose logical outcome is that a presidents nominee to the Court will be confirmed only if the Senate is controlled by his party. Which brings me to the second reason why McConnell is playing lousy politics. All is predicated upon a Republican recapture of the White House, which probably means a Trump presidency. (A matter of delicious speculation, incidentally: who would the reality TV mogul choose? His obedient friend Chris Christie? Or Sarah Palin?) In fact, every poll shows Hillary Clinton beating Trump by 10 points or so in a November match-up. Were Bernie Sanders to be the nominee, he would win by an even wider margin, according to those same polls. Worse still, the strong likelihood is that Trump drags a clutch of Senate Republicans to defeat, in which case control of the chamber would revert to the Demcrats, and McConnells manoeuvrings would have spectacularly backfired. Any Clinton or Sanders nominee would surely be well to the left of Merrick Garland. No wonder some vulnerable Republicans, facing strong Democratic challengers in November, are ready to meet Garland and urge hearings now. Others, fearing a Clinton victory, say they should take place after the election, but before a new Senate is sworn in in January. That assumes saint-like patience on the part of Garland: that he does not decide he has better things to do than wait out McConnells whims. If so and just as with the emergence of Donald Trump Republicans would have only themselves to blame. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} They were mad to do it reckless, even. As Andreas Whittam Smith, our first editor, explains in the supplement to todays souvenir edition, the founders and initial staff of this newspaper defied convention, common sense and the advice of countless sages to launch a newspaper in 1986. Yet the product of their crazy experiment has been the most wonderful boon to the life of the nation. Today is the last edition of the printed Independent, but our journalism now reaches more people in more countries than ever before, and will continue to do so in the digital sphere. This bold transition, which history will judge an example for other newspapers around the world to follow, is a good moment to reflect on the journey so far. The clue is in the name There is such a thing as the spirit of The Independent, and the clue is in the name. (What a fine decision our founders made, incidentally, to ditch the alternative titles: Arena, The Examiner, The Nation, The Chronicle and 24 Hours.) In character and attitude The Independent is, above all, a pioneer. But it also has a set of values political, moral, intellectual and cultural which have remained consistent, been the source of our best victories and will inform our journalism in the digital sphere hereafter. Our first edition was published during the Cold War. That was a time of deep ideological divisions across the globe and in British politics, which found expression in Fleet Street, too. With a polarised media, it was clearly refreshing to have a paper that was of no party or faction, and genuinely independent: free from both proprietorial interference and party allegiance. Politically independent doesnt mean centrist, of course, and though on the whole we have been on the side of those who want to speed history up rather than slow it down, we have always fought for causes associated with both left and right. If there is one political idea which we have mercilessly championed, it is democracy. No newspaper has campaigned harder against the absurdities of Britains electoral system or the blatant corruption of the House of Lords, and for us the sometimes plodding business of government has always mattered as much as the fast sport of party politics. Our pages have recognised that Britain is run as much from Whitehall as Westminster. As part of this mission, we have steered clear of royal coverage. Republican in principle but pragmatic enough not to be in practice, we have resolutely avoided the mental habits of royalism in which Fleet Street is trapped. Making friends of heresies Many of the unfashionable causes that we took up have switched from heresy to common sense during our lifetime. A decade before others, this newspaper gave climate change its due as a man-made threat both to humanity and the precious Earth we inhabit. For the most part, we did this without slipping into the sentimentalism or misanthropy that infects some of the green movement, and while promoting science and Enlightenment values with unique conviction. We warned about the dangers of addiction to debt years before the political and financial class caught on (itself much too late). Long before Britains scandalous prison system and drug laws became fashionable subjects, we made the case for reform. We argued for equality and liberty to be extended to homosexual people here and across the world, and for a humane approach to asylum-seekers and refugees in the face of frenzied scaremongering from elsewhere. We have stood up for globalisation and immigration while being alert to, and honest about, their costs. The best of The Independent's photography Show all 48 1 /48 The best of The Independent's photography The best of The Independent's photography liverpool-protests-1989-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography wimbledon-1993-david-ashdown.jpg David Ashdown The best of The Independent's photography williams-blackpool-1992-craig-easton.jpg Craig Easton The best of The Independent's photography wilburton-social-club-2003-witold-krassowski.jpg Witold Krassowski The best of The Independent's photography West-Side-Boys-Sierra-Leon-2000-David-Rose.jpg The best of The Independent's photography waterloo-station-1987-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography Vivienne-Westwood-Immo-Klink.jpg The best of The Independent's photography ve-day-anniversary-1995-david-sandison.jpg David Sandison The best of The Independent's photography valletta-moss-harlow-1993-herbie-knott.jpg Herbie Knott The best of The Independent's photography shane-macgowan-2012-dragana-jurisic.jpg Dragana Jurisic The best of The Independent's photography tony-blair-1996-david-rose.jpg David Rose The best of The Independent's photography stoppard-davies-2015-charlie-forgham-bailey.jpg Charlie Forgham Bailey The best of The Independent's photography skegness-beach-1999-tom-pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography sikh-wedding-1996-kalpesh-lathigra.jpg Kalpesh Lathigra The best of The Independent's photography tony-blair-2002-david-sandison.jpg David Sandison The best of The Independent's photography seal-1996-david-sandison.jpg David Sandison The best of The Independent's photography russian-soldiers-kabul-1989-john-voos.jpg John Voos The best of The Independent's photography rebecca-fron-2014-charlie-forgham-bailey.jpg Charlie Forgham-Bailey The best of The Independent's photography police-raid-brixton-1989-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography nigers-tuareg-2005-tom-pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography nigel-farage-2013-david-vintiner.jpg David Vintiner The best of The Independent's photography michael-portillo-1997-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography marianne-faithfull-1990-anton-corbijn-getty.jpg Anton Corbijn The best of The Independent's photography Margaret-Thatcher-Teesside-1987-John-Voos.jpg The best of The Independent's photography marcus-wareing-2013-rick-pushinsky.jpg Rick Pushinsky The best of The Independent's photography magdalen-may-ball-oxford-1989-witold-krassowski.jpg Witold Krassowski The best of The Independent's photography yesodey-hatorah-school-2004-tom-pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography leonardo-dicaprio-1997-kalpesh-lathigra.jpg Kalpesh Lathigra The best of The Independent's photography kwasi-afari-minta-1989-glynn-griffiths.jpg Glynn Griffiths The best of The Independent's photography kosovo-1999-tom-pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography jacob-rees-mogg-1997-colin-mcpherson.jpg Colin McPherson The best of The Independent's photography irek-mukhamedov-1996-laurie-lewis.jpg Laurie Lewis The best of The Independent's photography hong_kong-1997-david-rose.jpg David Rose The best of The Independent's photography hit-for-six-hove-1996-david-ashdown.jpg David Ashdown The best of The Independent's photography henry-kissinger-2014-daniel-p-shea.jpg Daniel P Shea The best of The Independent's photography grimethorpe-colliery-1992-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography gradinari-hospital-bucharest-1990-mike-abrahams.jpg Mike Abrahams The best of The Independent's photography gemma-arterton-2015-benjamin-mcmahon.jpg Benjamin McMahon The best of The Independent's photography father-christmases-1988-john-sturrock.jpg John Sturrock The best of The Independent's photography dr-sandie-logie-zimbabwe-1999-david-sandison.jpg David Sandison The best of The Independent's photography david-cameron-tom-pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography common-riding-2014-robert-ormerod.jpg Robert Ormerod The best of The Independent's photography by-election-yorkshire-1994-david-rose.jpg David Rose The best of The Independent's photography bjork-1995-david-sandison.jpg David Sandison The best of The Independent's photography birmingham-six-1991-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography berlin-wall-1989-brian-harris.jpg Brian Harris The best of The Independent's photography Ascot-Ladies-Day-2000-Tom-Pilston.jpg Tom Pilston The best of The Independent's photography albanians-korce-1990-barry-lewis.jpg Barry Lewis Whats more, we did all this without hacking a single phone. Rupert Murdoch tried to destroy us, and undoubtedly did us lasting damage. But 20 years after his infamous price war, we are still producing world-class journalism without bribing public officials, making crooks of police officers or accelerating the debasement of our country through the cheap thrills of paparazzi lenses and celebrity detritus masquerading as popular culture. If the reputation of Britains boisterous, rampant media split between two cultures, broadsheet and tabloid is in the gutter, we have done our bit to wrench it out, and so make the case for a free press. Truth not tribe Today, the truth is becoming unfashionable again. Political language is increasingly designed to conflate and confuse; the campaigns and PR of officialdom and corporate power are shamelessly spreading deception as never before. Moreover, the truth is hard, expensive and sometimes boring, whereas lies are easy, cheap and thrilling. It is no wonder that that portion of the press for whom lies that sell matter more than truth that doesnt is thriving. But, we humbly submit, that only makes our pursuit of real news more valiant. In that war for truth and civilisation against lies and barbarity, this institution has been a brave and honest soldier. Once a single newspaper, we now publish across several digital platforms web, mobile, tablet and have our biggest audience ever. That is why The Independent, far from shutting, is switching. With history on our side, and global ambitions, we encourage you to join us online at independent.co.uk, or via The Independent Daily Edition on tablet and mobile. Its been a remarkable journey, and such an honour to have had your companionship along the way. Today the presses have stopped, the ink is dry and the paper will soon crinkle no more. But as one chapter closes, another opens, and the spirit of The Independent will flourish still. Our work goes on, our mission endures, the war still rages, and the dream of our founders shall never die. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The centenary of the Easter Rising, the insurrection by Irish republicans in Dublin 100 years ago is a secret history to most people on this side of the Irish Sea. The Easter Rising was the beginning of the end of the British Empire. The total loss of control in Dublin, even for just a week, was a wounding humiliation for Britain. If uppity Fenians could bring the second city of the Empire to its knees, nothing would ever be the same again. Revisionist British history has it that, by the standards of the time, and taking into account we were midway through the First World War, their treatment was no worse than what should have been expected. But tying the badly-wounded trade union leader, James Connolly, to a chair in the yard outside Kilmainham Gaol, merely for the pleasure of killing him by firing squad, was as disastrous a piece of public relations then as it sounds now. Recommended Read more The US must recognise the Armenian genocide A free, independent 32-County Ireland could have been the UKs staunchest ally throughout the 20th Century. So much pain could have been avoided - and more radical demands headed off - had Britain kept its word and legislated for Home Rule during any of the various attempts at doing so. A specially-reserved contempt for the Irish meant their yearning for nationhood was unlikely to see a resentful British establishment relent and make an honourable peace. Instead, we saw partition in 1922 and the creation of a sectarian state in Northern Ireland where naked religious hate against the Catholic nationalist minority was hardwired into the workings of government. The rest of Ireland was allowed to slip into civil war over the terms of Britains eventual, messy, part-withdrawal. British elites cared not a damn until events in the north spiralled out of control from the late 1960s onwards. The failure to heed calls for civil rights from the Catholic nationalist minority, bookended by the Bloody Sunday massacre of 14 civil rights demonstrators by British soldiers in 1972, turbo-fuelled the Provisional IRAs campaign. From that point onwards we had the troubles; the ultimate political euphemism for what was in reality a secessionist civil war within the British state. The deaths of 3,600 people and countless tens of billions pumped into maintaining Northern Irelands wretched stalemate, seemed to stretch out forever, until the peace process was encouraged to bloom from the mid-1990s and political statecraft superseded dunder-headed militarism. What a different history we could have had with our near neighbour. An independent Irish state, borne not from the bloodshed of the War of Independence from Britain, but by enlightened British self-interest, would, in all probability, have become a member of the Commonwealth. Instead of Irish neutrality during the Second World War, Irish soldiers might have taken up arms for Britain, as they had done so successfully for centuries before. It took the state visit of Her Majesty the Queen in 2011 the first such visit to Ireland in 90 years for these self-inflicted wounds to begin to heal. The events commemorated this weekend stir long in the mind of the Irish as the seminal moment when their great patriots struck a blow for freedom. These events should be remembered here to, with a measure of shame and regret for our failure to do the decent thing. Kevin Meagher is associate editor of Labour Uncut and a former Special Adviser at the Northern Ireland Office A BRITISH exit from the European Union could knock more than 2bn off the value of the Irish economy as early as next year. Economies across the European Union will be hit if British voters plumb to leave the EU in the all-or-nothing referendum in June, according to research by Dutch lender ING. Ireland will see the biggest economic contraction outside of the UK in the event a so-called Brexit, ING's chief Eurozone economist, Peter Vanden, Houte said. The fallout here could be a reduction of up to 1.1pc of the size of the economy by the end of 2017 - almost as great as the effect on the UK's own economy. The Irish economy, measured by the standard gross domestic product gauge, is worth just over 200bn. The Department of Finance here has estimated that growth will be around 3.5pc next year, without factoring in the possible effect of a Brexit. Based on those figures, ING's estimated cost of a Brexit to Ireland of 0.5pc to 1.1pc of GDP could comfortably exceed 2bn. Other countries inside the Eurozone that are also in the frontline for Brexit-related losses are Malta, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, which would also see a big hit to their growth rates. In Ireland 6pc of all jobs and a similar share of "value added" in the economy relate to demand from the UK, ING said. In Malta, the next most severely affected country, the levels are about 5pc. Up to 0.3pc of Eurozone GDP will be lost in the two years it would take to negotiate a British withdrawal from the EU, ING reckons. Longer term affects are harder to assess. If it votes to leave, Britain has two years to negotiate exit terms, a period that would see a sharp depreciation in the pound. It could fall as low as 0.90 against the euro, hammering Irish exports. As well as hurting exporters the weaker pound would see companies with big UK sales hit when profits are converted back into euros - in the case of Ireland, that would include banks such as Bank of Ireland and airlines including Ryanair. After a Brexit, if that happened, falling exports, weaker investment and a policy shift in the remaining EU away from free trade, would all combine to create a significant adverse shock, economists at ING reckon. (Additional reporting Telegraph) TRUSTEES of company pension plans are being called in by the regulator to be quizzed to ensure they are up to the job of overseeing their schemes. The trustees of defined benefit schemes are being questioned by the Pensions Authority without their financial or legal advisers being present. There are around 500 active defined benefit schemes still in operation, with assets totalling 65bn. These schemes account for around 210,000 workers and pensioners, according to Jerry Moriarty, inset, of the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF), which represents trustees. A defined benefit pension in private sector is a promise to pay a set level of pension based on an employee's earnings history and length of service. For those with 40 years' service, the promise has been to pay a pension amounting to two-thirds of the salary at retirement. However, large numbers of DB schemes are in deficit, with the majority of these currently being restructured. Known as a Section 50, this generally involves reducing the pension benefits and increasing the contributions. A spokesman for the regulator, the Pensions Authority, confirmed that it recently began a process that will eventually see trustees of all schemes interviewed by its regulatory staff. Each trustee is questioned as part of the process. This is likely to involve some 3,500 trustees in total. He confirmed that scheme advisers are excluded from these meetings, and all trustees of each scheme have to attend. The objective of the trustee engagement was to gauge the level of competence of trustees. "We have started a process of direct engagement with trustees of all schemes. "We want to ensure trustees are in a position to question their advisers, and are able to tease out with the advisers the strategies and plans being pursed for the scheme." The Pensions Authority spokesman said the trustee questioning started the end of last year with larger schemes, and would continue until each scheme is covered. Mr Moriarty, of the IAPF, said trustees already interviewed had reported that the questioning was thorough but fair, with a lot of preparation required by trustees, and documentation asked for by the regulator. "The Pensions Authority is seeking some level of comfort that trustees are aware of the issues and understand the advice they are getting," he said. It is understood that the Pensions Authority will take an intrusive regulatory approach to schemes where there are concerns about the competence of the trustees, based on the answers to the questioning from the regulators. The trustee engagement comes as the Pension Authority is expected to drop a proposal to require all trustees to have a professional pension qualification to act as a trustee, a move that would rule out most worker trustees. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has criticised the proposal, an intervention that puts huge pressure on new Pensions Authority chairman and former general secretary of Congress David Begg to order the scrapping of the idea. Activist Starboard Value is making good on its threats to unleash a proxy war with Yahoo, seeking full control of the Web portal's boardroom. Starboard has said it nominated nine directors to replace all of the board's current members, including chief executive Marissa Mayer, who has drawn increasing investor ire over her stalled turnaround strategy. The activist hedge fund, which has increased its Yahoo holdings to 1.7pc, is seeking the director sweep after first raising concerns about how the company was being managed in September 2014. Using a playbook that helped give it leverage over other, smaller companies, Starboard's Jeffrey Smith is raising the stakes with Yahoo - even after the company said it would consider strategic alternatives such as a sale of the main Web operations. Smith is betting that other frustrated shareholders will support him in his bid to force change from management and boost pressure on Mayer, who has struggled for more than three years to revive sales and has so far failed to separate Yahoo from its multi-billion dollar stake in Alibaba Group. "It puts pressure on the board," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners. "We have seen plenty of times where boards are less independent than they should be." In a statement, Yahoo said it has "noted" Starboard's announcement regarding the board nominations, and its nominating and governance committee will review the nominees and respond "in due course". The board needs credibility, Smith wrote in a letter to fellow shareholders, adding that Starboard's nominees can deliver that. It's important for the activist to be involved to ensure a "full and fair sale process", according to the letter. "We believe this is crucial not only to reach the appropriate conclusion, but also to ensure that potential buyers believe the board will take their interest seriously and impartially. "We have been extremely disappointed with Yahoo's dismal financial performance, poor management execution, egregious compensation and hiring practices, and general lack of accountability and oversight by the board," Starboard said in the letter. "We believe the board clearly lacks the leadership, objectivity, and perspective needed to make decisions that are in the best interests of shareholders." While some analysts expressed surprise at the drastic move of seeking to oust the entire board, some investors have already signalled their support for Starboard. Ryan Jacob, who manages the Jacob Internet Fund, said he backs Starboard - and thinks the activist will succeed in persuading enough shareholders to get its slate of directors elected. "At this point, it's kind of, "Who are going to be the best stewards and make the right decisions'?" said Jacob, whose fund owns Yahoo stock. "This board and this management team have made a lot of wrong decisions. So there's just not a lot of trust or credibility there." If Yahoo were to announce a sale before the shareholders' meeting, Jacob said, that may weigh in the company's favour for keeping its board in place. Still, he said there's value in getting a new slate of directors for handling the assets after any sale of the core business. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, said Starboard's ultimate goal is more about ensuring that management pursues a deal for the company than it is about ousting directors. "It's not about getting a new board" and fixing Yahoo, Munster said. "Investors want the company to be sold." Nicholas Donatiello, a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, said it isn't entirely clear why the Web portal needs a new board while it's already seeking strategic alternatives. "In some ways, the question for Starboard is, 'Why don't they want to let that process work?" he said. "Activists have to be active or they don't have a reason to exist." For Mayer, it's another difficult step in her tenure that began as a turnaround effort when she arrived in July 2012. In February, she rolled out her latest plan to overhaul the company, calling for job cuts, product closures and other reductions to drive efficiency and focus on growth opportunities. Yahoo is likely to hold its annual meeting in June, though that could be delayed to July, according to a research note from Robert Peck, an analyst at Suntrust Robinson Humphrey. Earlier this month, Mayer said she would do what's best for investors as Yahoo considers its strategic options and she would like to keep her job leading the company even if it changes hands. "I certainly hope the strategic alternative has a place for me," she said in an interview on the 'Charlie Rose Show' television programme. "But that said, we'll obviously honour our commitments to our shareholders." Mayer stands to collect at least $12.4m (11.1m) if her job is terminated, including $3m cash severance, and about $9.34m in equity vesting early and certain health and outplacement benefits. The fight with Starboard isn't Yahoo's first run-in with disgruntled activists. In 2012, Third Point LLC's Dan Loeb succeeded in getting himself and two nominees on the Yahoo board after tangling with former CEO Scott Thompson, who stepped down after failing to correct errors in his credentials. Later that year, Loeb was instrumental in getting Mayer to lead the company. (Bloomberg) Reviewed by our Technology Editor this week are the Toshiba Portege Z30-C, Panasonic Lumix GX8 and 3D Robotics Solo. Toshiba work laptop does the business Expand Close Toshiba Portege Z30-C / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Toshiba Portege Z30-C Toshiba Portege Z30-C Price: 1,650 from Dabs.ie Rating: 4 Stars What is a 'business laptop'? What distinguishes it from an ordinary laptop? For the answer to this, Toshiba's new Z30-C is a good place to look. It's light, robust, very powerful and prioritises features such as security and device management over speakers and screen-pixel quality. The basic specifications are high end, with an ultra-beefy Core i7 Intel processor and 8GB of Ram. It also starts with 256GB of onboard storage (plus an SD card slot to add in more). For such a fully loaded 13-inch business laptop, the Z30-C is pretty light at 1.3kg. That probably has something to do with the magnesium chassis, which feels like a halfway house between metal and carbonised plastic. (It's a grey, brushed metal colour.) Although you wouldn't call this a 'sexy' laptop, I liked its overall feel. It's solid and well built. It probably takes a lot of wear and tear. (Toshiba says it's been drop-tested and put through other hardiness trials.) The downside to business laptops is that they're not especially suited as multimedia laptops. They'll let you watch Netflix or edit photos, but if these form a core part of what you want in a laptop, you'd be better looking elsewhere. The Z30's screen, while fully HD, doesn't quite compare to displays on rivals such as Apple's MacBook Pro. The laptop's speakers are pretty mediocre, too - they'll do just fine to listen to something at volume, but Toshiba hasn't prioritised audio quality here: they're a little tinny. For Skyping, the webcam is a reasonable 2 megapixels. For more conventional laptop activities, the Z30 is good to excellent. The backlit keyboard is comfortable and easy to use. It's also spill-resistant, for those awkward with takeaway coffee cups. At first, the touchpad threw me off as it's a little further over to the left than I'm used to, resulting in frequently unwanted right-clicks. Also, the lower-left double-click mechanism has an odd squeaking property when pushed. But I got used to both over time. The Z30-C's battery is a fairly long-lasting one, easily making over seven hours for me. (Toshiba says it's supposed to go up to 13 hours, but I can only assume that doesn't include much online activity or video.) One slight annoyance is that my model came with Windows 7 Professional, with an upgrade to Windows 10 available. I realise that this is not unusual for 'business' laptops and that many IT departments even still prefer Windows 7 ("it's what we know") to Windows 10. Still, it's 2016 already. As previously said, one of the things that makes a laptop a 'business laptop' is the pile of security and device-management features that consumers usually don't pay too much attention to. For example, the Z30-C has a fingerprint reader and a smartcard reader. It also has a security lock accessory. If security is a big issue for you, it's probably handy to have these on board. There's also plenty of connections available, including three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port and an ethernet port, as well as the aforementioned SD memory card slot and smartcard reader. I'd be hard pushed to recommend the Z30-C as a best-in-class laptop, but it's a high-quality machine that you probably wouldn't regret buying. Panasonic ups the mirrorless ante Expand Close Panasonic Lumix GX8 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Panasonic Lumix GX8 Panasonic Lumix GX8 Price: 1,089 from Conns Cameras Rating: n/a: Panasonic continues to come out with some of the best mirrorless cameras on the market. I've written in these pages before about how impressed I've been by the LX100 and GX7 models (the aging LX100 is, for me, still the best all-in-one travel camera you can buy). But its latest GX8 interchangeable lens model aims to take the Lumix range into more advanced territory. The 20-megapixel camera is styled a lot like the 16-megapixel GX7 and is mostly metal. This gives it a very solid feel, although it also makes it a little heavier. It's designed to work with the huge range of Panasonic micro four-thirds lenses, some of which are premium pieces of glass that match high-end lenses from Canon and Nikon. The camera has a new dual image stabilisation system that works with some of the newer lenses available. This makes a big difference for shooting photos, handheld, in low light, as the shutter speed can go down to a thirtieth of a second (or slower) and still produce shots without blur. It has all of the modern attributes and modes that you'd expect, including time lapse, panorama, Wi-Fi and more. And like other recent Panasonic cameras, the GX8 has a mode that allows you to isolate 8-megapixel frames from 4K video you shoot on it. This isn't something I really use but it could be very useful in a fluid situation, such as a bride walking up an aisle. The GX8 also has Panasonic's new 'post focus' feature. This allows you to change the point of focus in a photo you take, provided you set it to the correct mode. It's a little clunky but it does work. What the camera appears to be doing is taking a bunch of photos at different focus points and reaching in to pick out the focus point you select on review. My time with the GX8 was limited to some hands-on demonstrations so I can't give a definitive verdict on image or movie quality. But Panasonic has a solid pedigree when it comes to mirrorless cameras. And first impressions are pretty good. Sky high buzz that's pricey Expand Close 3D Robotics Solo / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp 3D Robotics Solo 3D Robotics Solo Price: 1,050 from The Camera Centre Rating: 3 Stars If you're interested in getting a fairly easy-to-fly drone that gives you some really nice video footage, this is a pretty decent choice. The only drawback is that it's relatively pricey: you can get a similar drone from market leader DJI for about half the price. The 3DR Solo also doesn't come with a camera or gimbal (which you'll need for video). It's designed as an accomplished, beginner-friendly drone for those who have their own GoPro cameras. If this is you, this works very well. It lets you stream live HD video from your airborne GoPro directly to your phone. It also has an impressive array of flight controls, most of which are easy to use. Flight time before recharging is about 20 minutes and it has a range of half a mile for Wi-Fi. It can fly at speeds of up to 85kph. They have been some of the most painful career mistakes in history: the record-label which turned down the Beatles, the editor who told Walt Disney he lacked imagination, and the publishers who rejected J K Rowling. The misery of the latter has today been compounded after Rowling shared the painful rejection letter she received, warning her adult crime novels could never be commercially successful. By popular request, 2 of @RGalbrath's rejection letters! (For inspiration, not revenge, so I've removed signatures.) pic.twitter.com/vVoc0x6r8W J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 25, 2016 The author, who wrote under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, was turned down by several publishers after submitting her manuscripts anonymously. She has now disclosed the details letter sent by Constable and Robinson, a noted crime imprint, which advised her to learn more about how to pitch and consider joining a writer's class. "I regret we have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we could not publish it with commercial success," it reads. "At the risk of 'teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, may I respectfully suggest the following." The publisher went on to list tips and tricks to help a budding would-be author, including asking a helpful bookshop for advice on who would best represent their style of work, learning how to write an "alluring" 200-word blurb to sell it and picking up the Writer's Handbook. Apologising for being unable to provide constructive criticism about the manuscript itself, it added: "A writer's group/writing course may help." It went on to wish her "every success in placing your work elsewhere". Rowling, who tweeted a photograph of the letter, obscured the name and signature of the editor who sent it, saying she intended it merely as inspiration for other writers. I wasn't going to give up until every single publisher turned me down, but I often feared that would happen. https://t.co/bMKu4zJ3nm J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 25, 2016 The story of her many rejections for her first Harry Potter novel has become the stuff of literary legend, with new authors taking heart from her early failures. The Harry Potter series went on to become one of the best-loved and best-selling children's franchise of all time, with seven books, eight films and an ever-expanding commercial empire to its name. Video of the Day Following its success, and the publication of the adult novel The Casual Vacancy, Rowling secretly wrote her first crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling, under an assumed name. Robert Galbraith, it now appears, was no more successful in selling his books initially. Rowling revealed one publisher, which she did not name, had the honour of being the first to turn down Harry Potter and send Galbraith "his rudest rejection (by email)". Another publisher, Creme de la Crime, sent a blanket rejection letter telling Galbraith they were not accepting new submissions. The Cuckoo's Calling was eventually published by Little, Brown Book Group, receiving criticial acclaim before Rowling was unexpectedly unmasked as the real author. Constable and Robinson were taken over by Little, Brown in 2014, several years after the letter was sent. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Insight: Blindboy Boat Club and Mr Chrome, of The Rubberbandits, gave their version of the 1916 Rising in their own RTE show. After wowing viewers with their no-holds-barred appearance on the Late Late Show, the Rubberbandits are set to return to our screens with a new six-part series on RTE chronicling Irish life. The Limerick-born Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome made a strong impression earlier this year when they joined host Ryan Tubridy to discuss the 1916 commemorations. When Limerick native Blindboy was asked about how his generation felt about the Rising, he responded: My generation cant afford to buy a house, cant afford to have a baby. My generation are either leaving the country or jumping in rivers. His comments were applauded on social media, with some Twitter and Facebook users even appealing to Blindboy to run for President. Expand Close Insight: Blindboy Boat Club and Mr Chrome, of The Rubberbandits, gave their version of the 1916 Rising in their own RTE show. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Insight: Blindboy Boat Club and Mr Chrome, of The Rubberbandits, gave their version of the 1916 Rising in their own RTE show. The comedy duo also impressed with their one-off TV special, The Rubberbandits Guide to 1916, originally broadcast on New Years Eve. Their show got a good audience when it aired but after Blindboy went on the Late Late Show, the Rubberbandits 1916 special became one of the most watched programmes on the RTE Player. Thats the kind of thing that makes RTE sit up and notice, an RTE source told the Irish Sun. The series will reportedly be filmed in the same boisterous style showcased in their Easter Rising special. According to a source, each show in the new series will be based on subjects close to the hearts of the Irish people, but covered by the Rubberbandits with the same irreverence they showed to 1916. The new series comes just as the duo begins to widen their audience and find success in the UK. Rapturous reviews led to sell-out shows at Londons Soho Theatre and the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but the acclaim has taken the pair by surprise. We went over thinking, theyre not going to get the jokes but they started laughing exactly the same. So that was a big eye-opener for us. Expand Close DEBATE: The Rubberbandits Blindboy was on the History Show. Photo: Colm Kelly / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DEBATE: The Rubberbandits Blindboy was on the History Show. Photo: Colm Kelly Video of the Day We really love them, theyre just like the Irish, except theyre more used to seeing shows and not getting drunk and shouting, said Blindboy. As Late Late Shows go, it was definitely up there. The Late Late Show has been largely criticised for its Good Friday episode, which featured a mix of guests including former Meath GAA manager Sean Boylan, lamb cooked by model Roz Purcell, the strongest man in Ireland Sean O'Hagan, fashion designer Richard Malone, a performance by the Bootleg Beach Boys and last, but not least - the headliners - five RTE presenters on hand to promote the network's 1916 special. Read More Last night's show led with five RTE stars - Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, Marty Morrissey, Liz Nolan, Marty Whelan and Sean O'Rourke - dressed in 1916 garb, including a number of fake moustaches (except for Marty's which was all natural), to discuss RTE's Reflecting the Rising special during Easter weekend. Expand Close (L to R) Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, Marty Morrissey, Liz Nolan, Marty Whelan and Sean O'Rourke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L to R) Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, Marty Morrissey, Liz Nolan, Marty Whelan and Sean O'Rourke Many viewers were quick to take to social media to express their disappointment at the show's depiction of 1916; while others said they felt there should have been an entire episode dedicated to the event. After the fivesome ended their segment, Ryan spoke with model and food guru Roz Purcell, before embarking on a mini cooking bit - which included sharing calorie friendly Nutella balls and a lamb dish with members of the audience. Plenty of people on social media weren't too happy at meat being served on Good Friday, but it later turned out that the segment was pre-recorded on Thursday. Tubridy's attempts at banter during this piece fell short, but the former beauty queen was largely praised for her quick-witted responses. It's not even the first time this season that the Late Late Show has got Twitter into a frenzy with an item on lamb. But the Late Late seems to be incredibly adept at getting Twitter into a frenzy... Expand Close Ryan Tubridy serving lamb on The Late Late Show / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ryan Tubridy serving lamb on The Late Late Show Read More Architect Hugh Wallace gave an in-depth interview about his global success, interior trends and his relationship with alcohol;, but perhaps most memorably - kept referring to host Ryan Tubridy as "Brian". An RTE spokesperson defended the decision to not dedicate an entire show to 1916 and stick with the traditional magazine format. #LateLateShow turning 1916 into a fancy dress party. What are they like. Jonathan O'Brien (@obrien_jonathan) March 25, 2016 "The Late Late Show has featured several 1916-related items in the run up to the commemoration of the Easter Rising including a panel discussion earlier in the year," they told Independent.ie. "In addition, RTE One has a comprehensive range of 1916-related programming broadcasting over the course of the weekend including live coverage of the State commemorations; A Nation's Voice live from Collins Barracks; '16 Letters presented by Ryan Tubridy; Children of the Revolution presented by Joe Duffy; and Centenary, a special television event, live from the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, telling the story of modern Ireland through music, dance and song." The people of 1916 had a lot to put up with, thankfully the #LateLateShow wasn't one of them. Adrian Carty (@poorado) March 25, 2016 In the aftermath of the Easter Rising, Dublin Corporation pasted notices up on the citys walls advising citizens to inform the authorities immediately on coming across dead bodies. Bodies on the Streets Clearly those killed in the Rising littered the streets and the Corporation feared an epidemic. Glasnevin cemetery recorded burying 197 bodies of those killed in the city in all cases from gunshot wounds up to May 5th and total later crept up to 201. The records of Deans Grange cemetery on the south side of the city similarly record a grim total of over 30 bodies interred. Even the smaller, Protestant cemetery at Mount Jerome buried 22 victims of the fighting. It is generally stated that of the 487 fatalities in Dublin city during Easter Week that we know about and another 2,500 wounded, at least half were civilians. On the basis of the cemetery records, this seems like a conservative estimate. By contrast, counting both combat and subsequent executions, 80 insurgents lost their lives along with 134 British soldiers and policemen. So civilians were about twice as likely to be killed as someone wearing the uniform of the Crown, and about six times as likely to be killed as a Volunteer or Citizen Army member. The Easter Rising, the assertion in arms of the Irish Republic by a self-selected group of revolutionaries, was therefore exceptionally costly to Dublins civilian population. Bearing in mind that the fighting lasted only a week, this would have meant that had fighting of such ferocity continued, there would have been over 1,000 dead civilians in a month, and 10,000 injured, and in the unlikely scenario that urban warfare had ground on for a year, there would have been 12,000 civilians killed in the city and over 100,000 injured. In other words, considering its short time frame, the Easter Risings fighting was every bit as severe in its consequences for civilians as, for instance, the present day siege of Aleppo or the battle of Fallujah in 2004. Were the rebels to blame? The civilians of Dublin who died in 1916 had not asked for their city to be turned into a war zone. They had not taken up arms on either side. So who should we blame for their deaths? One of the shocking things to come out of the recently released Bureau of Military History witness statements is how common were violent confrontations between the insurgents and civilians in the first days of the Rising. The Volunteers and Citizen Army took over sites like Jacobs Biscuit Factory and Bolands Mills, making the workers there unemployed and South Dublin Union a workhouse and hospital which the poor relied on for what public healthcare there was at the time. Many Dubliners also had relatives serving in the British Army. As a result , on Easter Monday there were not a few occasions where Dublin civilians, particularly the very poor, rioted against the republicans. At Church Street Volunteers had to fix bayonets to drive away crowds of women who were attempting to pull down their barricades. At Jacobs Vinny Byrne saw the Volunteers shot dead a man who tried to snatch a rifle off one of them and drive the rest off with shotgun fire. While at the same location Matt Walton saw a woman who was hitting a Volunteer shot in the face, I just remember seeing here head disappear as she went down like a sack. At Stephens Green, James Stephens, who worked at the National Gallery, saw a carter shot dead when he tried to remove his cart from a Citizen Army barricade. Disturbing as such stories are however, they were generally confined to the first day of the Rising, and could account for no more than a dozen, at most killings and probably fewer. Elsewhere, during the fighting, the Volunteers generally tried to move civilians away from danger. Were the British to blame? Fearghal McGarry, historian of the Rising has argued that, whether by accident or design, the British Army was probably responsible for most of the civilian deaths. Their troops had little idea of who was hostile and who was not in a strange city and therefore shot at everything that moved. They also had far more formidable weapons than the insurgents in artillery, machine guns and explosives. One soldier in Beggars Bush told his commander that he had shot woman who watching the fighting. What on earth did you do that for? he was asked. But doubtless there were many such cases. Around Moore Street, as the rebel GPO garrison was cornered at the end of the week, there are many accounts of civilians being gunned down by the encircling troops as they tried to flee the scene. Some Volunteers remembered seeing three elderly men with white flags shot down; others recalled the deaths of a husband and wife and their young daughter, who were shot as they tried to flee their house; others the deaths of another family who had tried to use a womans apron as a flag of truce. There were also to cases at least of British soldiers deliberately targeting civilians. One was at Portobello Barracks where Captain Bowen Colthurst had Francis Sheehy Skeffington and three others summarily executed. The other was at North King Street, where orders were issued that all men in the area were rebels and were to be shot, with the result that 15 civilian men and boys were taken from cellars where they were sheltering and killed. Again though, this is not the full story. The British troops at North King Street were acting under orders and there were no repeats of the atrocity elsewhere in the city. In many locations the British troops, like the Volunteers, attempted to evacuate civilians before launching their assaults on rebel strong points. What is more, such deliberate killing amount to only a fraction of the 250 odd civilian deaths. We must conclude that most of them were killed by one side or the other in the crossfire. Sacrifice & Protection So if both sides killed civilians deliberately on some occasions, but generally tried to avoid hurting them most of the time, who ultimately should we blame for all the civilian deaths and injuries of Easter Week? One argument is that, by choosing to launch in the insurrection in the middle of Dublin the leadership of the Volunteers and the Citizen Army were deliberately sacrificing the civilian population to inevitable death and injury. This is a fair point, as civilian casualties were entirely foreseeable in urban warfare. On the other hand though, Patrick Pearse explicitly stated that he was surrendering precisely because so many civilians were being killed especially in front of his eyes at Moore Street. He told a Wexford Volunteer when asked why he had not fought to the last, Because they were shooting women and children in the streets. I saw them myself. And it seems that the majority of civilian casualties were most probably caused by the British Army. So we are left with a messy conclusion. The republicans bear the ultimate responsibility for the outbreak of fighting in the first place but the British Army certainly failed to protect the civilian population in its re-capture of the city centre. Small comfort either way to those whose loved ones ended up in mass graves at the end of Easter Week 1916. John Dorney is a historian, author of 'Peace After the Final Battle the Story of the Irish Revolution 1912-1924 (2014)' and editor of The Irish Story website. Celtic Tiger businessmen Simon and Christian Stokes have been told to appear in person at the High Court next month to hand over a detailed list of their individual property holdings. The identical twin brothers (41) ran the famous Bang restaurant in Dublin and were declared bankrupt in November last year. The Stokes family was behind the well-known Unicorn restaurant in the capital, while the brothers operated the exclusive Residence club on St Stephen's Green and other venues. But the economic downturn saw the ventures dramatically collapse. The brothers ran a number of restaurants and bars, which were known high-profile hang-outs for millionaire developers and speculators during the property boom. The High Court has said that it will hold statutory sittings on April 11 in relation to Christian and Simon Stokes's bankruptcies. "The bankrupt is required to attend at this sitting and make full disclosure of his property to the court," according to official notices published this week in relation to the pair. The notices add: "Creditors may at such sitting prove their debts and choose and appoint a Creditors' assignee. All persons having in their possession or under their control any money or other property of the Bankrupt should pay or deliver the same, and all debts due to the Bankrupt should be paid to the Official Assignee." In 2014, Christian and Simon Stokes, as well as their parents Jeffrey and Pia, consented to a 14.7m judgment being entered against them arising from various loans and guarantees. Dunbar Assets Ireland, formerly Zurich Bank, had claimed it was owed the money under what it described as the "Consolidated Stokes Facility", created following a restructuring in 2011 of various facilities dating from 2007, and from guarantees. The case arose from facilities advanced by Zurich Bank to some or all of the defendants and, in relation to one facility, Missford Ltd, a company of the defendants, from 2007. Borrowings The facilities were initially secured against various properties, including the Unicorn Restaurant in Dublin; 'Mazemore', Torquay Road, Foxrock, Dublin; and the leasehold interest in the Residence club, St Stephen's Green, Dublin. The facilities included 9m advanced to Jeffrey and Pia Bang Stokes in May 2007 to re-finance borrowings with Bank of Scotland Ireland. That facility was secured over a number of commercial properties and the freehold property of 'Mazemore', Dunbar said. A second facility of May 2007 was entered into with all four defendants for some 3.36m for the purpose of purchasing the 'Mazemore' property as a residential investment, Dunbar claimed. Last year, Dunbar Asset Management petitioned the High Court to have Christian, Simon, Jeff and Pia Stokes declared bankrupt. In January 2012, the High Court had barred Christian and Simon Stokes from being company directors again until 2016 following their involvement in the Residence club. Justice Peter Kelly described them as "delinquent directors". The judge said the pair had engaged in "a form of thieving" by using tax money to trade. It was subsequently revealed that the Stokes twins continued to use their company expense accounts to go on lavish holidays and buy Gucci suits, even though their businesses were crumbling. She was the woman who could easily have become another victim to depraved killer Graham Dwyer. The investigation team that successfully unmasked the architect as the depraved sexual deviant responsible for the death of Elaine O'Hara had been trying to find the English woman for over a year. And detectives also believed that the woman was the subject of a shocking fantasy story written by Dwyer entitled 'Jenny's First Rape'. In the story he described meeting a woman in Newcastle who he then ties up, tortures and rapes before producing a hunting knife. Investigators had been unsuccessful in their attempts to trace the English woman before Dwyer's trial which ended with his conviction for murder a year ago this weekend. Gardai were seriously concerned for her safety - and asked their UK colleagues to check all unsolved murders of females over a five year period, as well as their list of missing women. But the woman concerned made contact with the gardai and admitted she had been involved in a voluntary S&M-type relationship for a number of years. She was just one of the women who featured in a number of horrific sex movies recorded by Dwyer - some of which were crucial in last year's trial. But while gardai were tying together strands of a case that was so nearly the perfect murder, Graham Dwyer has not been idle in his new life behind bars. Despite being jailed for murder one year ago, sources say that Dwyer is "supremely confident" that he will win an appeal against his conviction. Over the past year he has been in contact with a number of female admirers - including a Russian woman who claimed that she had fallen in love with him. A series of letters to an Anglo-Spanish student au pair who started writing to him in prison saw him boasting that he is 'Fifty Shades of Graham'. He has also grown his hair long and often wears it in a ponytail - prompting the nicknames 'Steven Seagal' and 'Jonathan Ross', according to Dwyer. In his looming appeal, it is understood that Dwyer will be challenging the conviction on several legal issues - including the admissibility of thousands of text messages between him and his victim. His case will focus on the EU's Data Retention Directive. In Ireland, the directive was implemented through the Communications (Data Retention) Act 2011, which obliges all service providers to store logs of customers' phone records for two years, and internet records for one year. Trial Judge Tony Hunt ruled that the 2011 law was properly invoked and enforced, despite the EU directive having been struck down. Another strand of the appeal will be that the State offered no medical evidence of how Elaine died. Towards the close of his trial, Dwyer's lawyers sought to have the court direct a not guilty verdict on the basis that one of the constituent elements of murder - causation - had not been met. The architect will also claim that the jury should have been discharged on the allegation that Judge Hunt glared at Dwyer during a difficult piece of evidence. Sources say that Dwyer is "supremely confident" that he will win his appeal. And were it not for a sequence of extraordinary coincidences and a conspiracy of nature, Dwyer could have got away with one of the most gruesome and shocking murders in Irish criminal history. At 11am on August 22, 2012, Elaine O'Hara was discharged from the private mental health hospital where she had been for the previous five-and-a-half weeks. The care worker (36), who had suffered from chronic depression and anxiety since childhood, was to vanish without trace six hours later. She had a long history of psychiatric issues, but her family were confused by the disappearance. She had been in good spirits of late. On September 10, 2013, angler William Fegan and friends were standing on Sally's Bridge at Vartry Reservoir near the village of Roundwood. That summer was the hottest since 1995 and water levels plummeted. William Fegan spotted something in the water and fished out cuffs. Troubled, he later brought them to Roundwood and handed them to Garda James O'Donoghue, who resolved to investigate further. The garda later turned up keys in the reservoir with a Dunnes Stores loyalty card attached. They belonged to an Elaine O'Hara. On September 13, a curious dog called Millie began retrieving bones from the undergrowth while out walking with its owner in a forest on Killakee Mountain. When Millie's owner, Magali Vergnet, went into the bushes to get the dog she spotted bones, tracksuit bottoms and shoes. And when gardai searched the reservoir they found two mobile phones along with bondage equipment. The phones were to prove crucial in the hunt for the one of the country's most depraved killers. Data from the phones provided a chilling script to the last days of Elaine's life - including the instructions she had received as she went to meet Dwyer near Shanganagh Park on the day of her disappearance. A reference in one of the texts which had been recovered referred to the author coming fifth in a flying competition, as well as a substantial pay cut at work. Initially, the investigation team drew up a list of every registered pilot in the country - before shifting their focus to model airplanes. That led detectives to the Roundwood Model Aeronautical Club, where a competition took place on June 11, 2011. The officers checked the club's website for the competition results for that day - and found Graham Dwyer had come fifth. The detectives then began a background check of this man, who they quickly confirmed was married with two children, who was from Foxrock in Dublin, and who worked as an architect. When they delved further they discovered that he had taken a substantial pay cut. Suddenly, the text messages and downloaded data became the beacon that led to Dwyer. Closer scrutiny of CCTV footage from inside Elaine O'Hara's apartment block also showed him entering and leaving several times. Just 10 days after Elaine O'Hara's remains had been identified, on September 27, Graham Dwyer became the prime suspect for her murder. Paul Williams is the author of 'Almost the Perfect Murder - The Killing of Elaine O'Hara, the Extraordinary Garda Investigation and the Trial That Stunned the Nation' The deadlock over water charges between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is pushing the country towards a second election. Fianna Fail is set to dig its heels in and demand the suspension of water bills when Enda Kenny contacts the party to seek Micheal Martin's consent for a minority government. Senior sources in Fianna Fail say the single biggest obstacle to a deal is the parties' stances on water charges. A Fine Gael document circulated to Independents during Thursday's roundtable meeting mentions "water management" as an issue - but does not put charges on the table. Fine Gael sources directly involved in the negotiations told the Irish Independent if Fianna Fail demands the abolition of charges "then we're heading into another election". Expand Close Micheal Martin. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Micheal Martin. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins Read More "Water charges are staying and Irish Water is staying. That is not up for negotiation," said one party source. "The view in the parliamentary party is so robust on this from all sides and the party leadership know that. Middle Ireland is with us on this one." The majority of Independent TDs who met with Fine Gael this week have not listed water charges on the agenda of items they want urgently addressed. But Mr Martin assured his TDs in recent days that the party will not budge on its pledge to abolish Irish Water and suspend charges for at least five years. And senior figures in Fianna Fail have insisted that they will not support a Fine Gael minority government unless a deal is struck on water. "We can hardly be expected to back such an arrangement if water charges are kept in their current form - the Independents need to realise that," said one. There is a growing optimism within Fine Gael that they can convince some of the Independents to vote for Mr Kenny as Taoiseach when the Dail next sits on April 6. If that support is promised in advance then Fine Gael is likely to open a dialogue with Mr Martin - but sources on both sides say an agreement on water charges seems impossible. Read More At an event in Dublin yesterday, Mr Kenny said the Rising of 1916 shows "the only way forward as a nation is to sit down together, work hard, and build a better future". Fine Gael is willing to compromise on how charges are applied, particularly to pensioners and vulnerable groups - but it will not back away from the concept of charges. Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney found himself in hot water when he suggested there was room to talk about charges in the days after the election. Fuming "When the issue was brought up accidentally by Coveney and others, people in the party were fuming that there was any suggestion the policy would change. It won't. "It's not a massive issue on the doorstep when compared with housing," insisted a Fine Gael source. Official talks between the parties and Independents have been suspended for the Easter weekend but informal contacts are continuing. Seventeen TDs are due back at Government Buildings to meet Fine Gael on Tuesday. The Independent Alliance and Green Party have also agreed to meet Fianna Fail on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Westmeath TD Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has told how he was described as a "brave man" by Fine Gael officials - after challenging Mr Kenny on whether his position is under threat. "I asked him would he be pushed aside and I also asked him would there be a heave against?" he said. "And if there was, would there be a chance Fine Gael would do a deal with Fianna Fail and Independents be left our long days in discussions." Irish patients suffering from melanoma skin cancer could miss out on a ground-breaking new drug which is being rolled out to patients in the UK. Independent medicine cost watchdog the National Pharmaeconomics Centre (NCPE) has recommended that the HSE does not make Opdivo available through the public system. This is at odds with a recent decision by the NCPE's UK counterpart which recommended that the drug, estimated to cost 5,700 (7,217) per patient per month in the UK, is to be available through the NHS system. Research has found that melanoma patients survive much longer on Opdivo, which is administered by drip, than those given conventional chemotherapy. The company behind the drug, Bristol Myers Squib (BMS), told the NCPE that the gross cost to the HSE of Opdivo over the first five years will be 98m and its net cost will be 17.6m. The estimated cost by BMS is based on treatment with Opdivo being capped to a maximum of two years treatment duration. However, the NCPE Review Group considered this time frame may potentially under-estimate the gross budget impact since there is no evidence to support the discontinuation of treatment at two years. Last year, BMS recorded global sales of $942m from Opdivo. BMS submitted revised figures to the NCPE last month but the review group stated that following a review, Opdivo is not considered to be cost-effective. The NCPE doesn't state what the cost per patient would be for Opdivo. A spokeswoman for the HSE said it was required to manage financial provisions for new medicines to the best of its ability, providing access to as wide a range of new medicines as possible in a clinically appropriate, fair, consistent and sustainable manner. The drug will now be reviewed by the National Cancer Control Programme Technology Review Committee and will be sent to the HSE Drugs Committee for final funding decision if given a positive recommendation. A car that went on fire on Parnell Street, Dublin. Photo: Mark Condren A TAXI driver had a lucky escape when his car exploded on a busy Dublin street, minutes after he got out of the vehicle. Istiaq Ahmad had been working a shift at a taxi rank on Parnell Street when he smelled smoke coming from the car. Expand Close Mr Ahmad talks to gardai. Photo: Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Ahmad talks to gardai. Photo: Mark Condren Mr Ahmad (35) stepped out of the car to check the bonnet, which was spewing heavy black smoke. After initially getting back into the car, he got out again as the fumes became overwhelming. The driver had only been out of the car five minutes when it burst into flames in front of dozens of onlookers and a plume of black smoke swept down the road towards O'Connell Street. It is believed to have been a mechanical fault with the car. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Credit: Facebook A car that went on fire on Parnell Street, Dublin. Pic:Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Credit: Facebook Mr Ahmad, from Pakistan but now living in Coolock in north Dublin, told the Herald that he's just happy he came away unscathed. He said that while you can always buy a new car, a life is a lot more precious. "I checked the bonnet and could see more smoke there, so I got out of the car and a few minutes later it just exploded in front of me. "I'm still in shock," Mr Ahmed said. "It's a 2009 car, but if you look at it now, it looks more like it was from the 1970s. "I'm just happy I'm safe. If I had been in there I could have been in a very serious condition right now," he added. The incident took place shortly after 2pm yesterday with emergency services arriving on the scene at approximately 2.30pm, while Mr Ahmed provided a statement to gardai. Nobody is believed to have been injured during the explosion. People from around the world have donated almost 90,000 in just five days in memory of the five people who died in the Buncrana pier tragedy. Two online campaigns and a fundraiser in New York will help the McGrotty/Daniels family. Expand Close Louise James kisses son Evan McGrotty after he and his brother Mark (behind) collected their medals for the Walled City Marathon mini race last May from Mayor of Derry Elisha McCallion. Photo: Margaret McLaughlin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Louise James kisses son Evan McGrotty after he and his brother Mark (behind) collected their medals for the Walled City Marathon mini race last May from Mayor of Derry Elisha McCallion. Photo: Margaret McLaughlin Marty McGranaghan from Derry, who set up a Justgiving account hoping to raise 5,000, says he has been overwhelmed by donations topping 45,000 (57,000) by last night. Read More Buncrana mother-of-four Michelle Black has raised 19,490, and a fundraiser in New York on Thursday night added another 9,000 to the total. Derry charity worker Mr McGranaghan, a relative of those who died, said Louise James, who lost five family members in the tragedy, had been overwhelmed by the support. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Louise James (front left) breaks down as she carries the coffin of one of her sons. Photo: PA The slipway at Buncrana Pier. Photo: Kyran O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Louise James (front left) breaks down as she carries the coffin of one of her sons. Photo: PA Ms James lost her partner Sean McGrotty (46), her sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), as well as her mother Ruth Daniels (59) and her 14-year-old sister Jodi-Lee. Her four-month-old baby Rioghnach-Ann was rescued from the water by brave Davitt Walsh. "I lost my own mother in 2012 and afterwards realised the huge costs of funerals so I set up a Justgiving.com page asking for 5,000 to help out the family," said Mr McGranaghan. Read More "People have donated almost 10 times that from across Ireland and around the world. "I know this is never going to bring back those who died, but thanks to the generous people of Ireland and around the world, it is one less worry for Louise and her baby." He said Louise was extremely grateful for the support. She had raised 20,000 for muscular dystrophy charities because Evan had been suffering from the condition. People can make donations at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Buncranatragedy Work gets under way in preparation for the Rising events outside the GPO on OConnell Street. Photo: Damien Eagers The Rising hit the streets of Galway this week, as one troupe of actors has been staging a series of rather clandestine performances to mark the centenary. Pictured is actor Sean Misteal whispering to Cliodhna O Donoghue, 8, from Ballycullen in Dublin in Ti Neachtain's Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes Dublin Bus will be functioning at full capacity this weekend - with half a million passengers expected to use its services to attend centenary events in the absence of the Luas. The impending strike on Easter Sunday and Monday by Luas drivers will combine with restricted vehicle access into the city centre, and the closure of several key Dublinbikes stations, to make travel more difficult. Dublin Bus said normal bus services would be available close to routes normally served by the Luas Red and Green lines. Read More But many diversions will be in place across the city itself, and passengers are urged to check Dublinbus.ie for diverted routes. Meanwhile, Irish Rail is putting on additional services to accommodate the large number of passengers using the Dart and commuter trains into the capital. There will be extra trains between 8.30am and 10.30am on Sunday and Monday as well as after Sunday's parade, starting at 2.30pm. There will also be a revised Intercity service in the morning, and after the parade on Sunday. Read More However, the Docklands and Tara Street stations will be closed all weekend. Passengers are advised to check Irishrail.ie for more information. John OSullivan tragically died in an accident in the Green Isle Foods factory in Naas A father has died from severe crush injuries in a workplace accident in Co Kildare. Engineer John O'Sullivan (42) died after suffering fatal crush injuries in the Green Isle Foods factory in Naas, Co Kildare. The tragedy is believed to have happened after Mr O'Sullivan became caught in machinery. Gardai and the Health and Safety Authority are carrying out separate investigations into the incident, which is believed to have occurred at around 6.30pm on Thursday. Mr O'Sullivan (42), who lived in Westfield Drive in Kilkenny city, had been working in the factory for a little over a year before the accident. He is survived by his wife Maureen and two children, Adam and Martha. He also leaves behind his parents Billy and Bee, and his three brothers and three sisters. Green Party councillor for Kilkenny City called Mr O'Sullivan's death "terribly, terribly tragic" and sent his condolences to the father's family and friends. Independent Naas councillor Seamie Moore expressed his sympathy to the family, calling the death "tragic, with all that's been going on in Donegal and Brussels as well". "For something like this to happen in Naas, the family didn't need that ahead of the Easter weekend," he added. In a statement, Green Isle Foods expressed their sympathy to Mr O'Sullivan's family. "Green Isle Foods confirms with deep regret that there has been a fatal accident at its manufacturing facility," it said. "Management and staff at Green Isle Foods wish to express their deepest sympathies to the family and offer their full support at this very difficult time. "Green Isle Foods is co-operating fully with the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigations." The factory on Monread Road, Naas, which normally operates around the clock, has been closed until further notice. Father Roderick Whearty is the local parish priest in Kilkenny City, and said the local community and neighbours were "in shock" at Mr O'Sullivan's loss. Support "This is a particularly tragic incident because of the suddenness, the situation and the consequences of what happened," he told the Herald. But he added that local people "are very good at supporting each other". "I know the neighbours will rally around [the family] and the community will offer their help," he said. "We'll do what we can to support the family." Planners have refused permission for the countrys biggest wind farm Campaigners have welcomed a decision by planners to refuse permission for the country's biggest wind farm. Cork-based Planree Ltd had proposed spending 200m erecting 49 turbines on a route from the Bluestack Mountains to Castlefin in Co Donegal. However, An Bord Pleanala (ABP) spent a year and 115,000 in costs examining the proposal for the turbines, some 150 metres high. The board voted four to one against the plans. ABP said the wind farm was in close proximity to especially high scenic areas and a number of protected areas. It criticised Planree's environmental impact statement saying it was "inadequate" and had failed to assess the potential impact on a number of bird species, including whooper swans and Greenland white-fronted geese. ABP said it was not satisfied the proposals "would not have a significant adverse effect on the ecological environment" and "would not adversely affect the integrity of certain European sites in view of those sites' conservation objectives". Finn Valley Wind Action Group welcome the decision as "a victory for common sense". Spokeswoman Marie Scanlon said the wind farm would have covered 40 square kilometres. "Among the experts involved in preparing our group's response were internationally renowned experts in the field of acoustics, hydrogeology, ornithology and landscape assessment," she said. "Donegal County Council has deemed that 95pc of our county is suitable for wind farm development and this decision shows once again that this policy needs to be changed. "We will oppose any attempt to re-submit the application in any other guise," Ms Scanlon added. Enda Kenny's Election posters being put up in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Photo: Keith Heneghan / Phocus. Fine Gael has hired a 40ft metal container to store tens of thousands of posters in the event of another General Election. Party bosses have requested that candidates who ran in last month's poll deliver their posters to an industrial estate in North Dublin for safe storage. Some candidates have been told that the facility is being made available "in case of emergency" - prompting speculation that party bosses are preparing for another election. It was also felt that many candidates do not have the capacity to store their posters in their homes. "The party wants all the posters in one place so that they are kept dry and clean and can be quickly put back up again if needs be. It makes perfect sense to take this approach," said one source. The move will see thousands of posters being delivered to the container, which is being held in the Rosemount Industrial Estate on the Cappagh Road in Finglas. The estate is the party's location of choice for a printing press for leaflets and other campaign material. A party spokesman confirmed that the party is to store it posters in the container now that the election is over. "A facility has been provided for candidates to do that," the spokesman told the Irish Independent. The view remains mixed within Fine Gael, in terms of whether another election is desirable. Premium What will it take to unite Ireland? Opinions are divided There are those for whom Northern Ireland is a geographical fragment of the UK holding true to empire on its western flanks, and those for whom partition is a century-old wrong that must be overturned. Somewhere in the middle are the persuadables people willing to accept either unity or union, so long as the justification is logical. One way or another, the unity conversation is in the air. One month ago today the ballot papers spilled out onto tables across the Republic and combined to create a new image of Irish politics. In the days since there has been a stretch in the evenings and plenty of time for reflection. But still our TDs haven't managed to figure out the result delivered on that Saturday morning. It now appears likely that we will break the 1992/93 record of going 48 days without a government - but is that really such a bad thing? As we commemorate, not celebrate, the centenary of the 1916 Rising it seems somewhat fitting that the electorate decided to use their votes so disruptively. What the gun didn't achieve at the GPO in those stormy days, the ballot box can force today. We now sit with the British as equals at the European table and with the exception of Gerry Adams we feel comfortable walking the corridors of power in the United States. Everything is not perfect but there is no reason to be embarrassed this weekend that Ireland is governed by a caretaker administration. Just as 100 years ago the people took a leap that the politicians weren't ready for, now the establishment is again readjusting to a new reality. This week we saw ministers fuss over 17 TDs of different hues like a mother welcoming the cousins from America for the first time in decades. The red carpet up the steps into Government Buildings was hoovered, there were sandwiches for every taste ordered in and as they entered a large room on a floor above the Taoiseach's office they were welcomed with open arms. Just a few short news cycles ago the same 'dolly mix' of Independents were being described as a 'rag bag' who were not to be trusted. Some see what is happening as a slow-moving car crash destined for disaster. Others see it as a new chapter in our history. The truth is that the significance sits somewhere in the middle. Change, much like the peace William Butler Yeats wrote about, comes dropping slowly. Our politicians are now for the first time in generations having a serious debate on housing, homelessness, health, water and what kind of an Ireland we want not just until the next election but for many more after that. In a way the people have retaken ownership of Ireland and after the economic turmoil of the crash have sought to reassert control over our destinies. The politicians tried the old trick of buying us with our own money but we've grown up. Yes, people want something back after years of austerity but the spirit of the proclamation has been rekindled. We live in a society where some are more equal than others and we know it. Nobody believes for a second that poverty will end and hospitals will run like clockwork - but people now want the best Ireland we can have. The election result demanded a country for young and old, where people don't have to sleep in the doorway of the Department of Environment that should provide housing for them and where everything we do is a lifestyle choice. Whether or not the rainbow coalition happens is important but more significant is the fact that the leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail no longer have the right to rule purely on their historical merits. Diverse voices from across the spectrum are now being listened to and within a few weeks we will know whether they are actually being heard. The grand coalition still seems unlikely but when it eventually happens at some future point people will think back to this period and say it was the voters of 2016 who made it a possibility. When he launched the Government's programme of commemorative events, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he wanted this year to be "a meaningful opportunity to reflect on our achievements and our failing". He said we should take the opportunity "to imagine our future". In Dublin yesterday, Mr Kenny mused that the bloody experience of 1916 has taught us "that the only way forward as a nation is to sit down together, work hard, and build a better future". "When it comes to imagining the next 100 years of the Irish State, I hope that every custodian of Ireland's democratic tradition can protect the public trust in them by putting the people and the national interest first," he said. A month is a long time without a government but five years would be an eternity with the wrong government. Mr Kenny's future involves a phonecall to Micheal Martin which may not be as difficult as both men fear. The Civil War is over and has been replaced by political rancour. But almost anything in politics can be achieved in 'the national interest'. This weekend offers us the opportunity to wonder what this generation's mark will be in the Irish story. Was it for this? Yes it was. The voters have brought history to life. In the months following the Rising, the writer James Stephens published 'The Insurrection in Dublin', one of the most vivid eyewitness accounts of the rebellion. Having been present in St Stephen's Green when the Rising broke out, Stephens was curious to get a sense of his fellow citizens' reactions and he spent most of Easter week travelling around Dublin city centre, constantly listening to people's discussions. He observed one reaction which in retrospect was extremely significant. By the Wednesday evening, he detected that a feeling of pride and growing respect for the rebels was coming to the fore. As Stephens put it, there was "almost a feeling of gratitude towards" the Irish Volunteers for "holding out for a little while, for had they been beaten on the first or second day, the city would have been humiliated to the soul". Many others also began to observe this reaction, not of approval of their actions per se, but more a general admiration for the rebels' courage. This was, of course, drilling into a deep historical well for, as Stephens concluded, "being beaten does not greatly matter in Ireland, but fighting does matter". For the past four years, I have had the pleasure of lecturing the 'Uncovering 1916' course run by UCD in conjunction with the National Library of Ireland. The course provides members of the public with an overview of the Rising and its profound impact on Irish history. Over the years, the demand for places has grown substantially as passion for the history of the period has awoken. At a time when the future of history as a compulsory subject in our education system is under threat, anniversaries such as 2016 afford historians the chance of connecting with the public and helping them appreciate the complexities which drove the 1916 rebellion. As I often remind my students, history, like life itself, is never black and white but coloured in shades of grey. On the commemorations, the main message I have imparted to my students is that the ways in which the Rising is remembered in 2016 tell us far more about Ireland today than about our country a century ago. Commemorations will always reflect the present more than the past. They are also very susceptible to hijacking by any number of groups for their own designs. In fact, an examination of the history of the 1916 commemorations in itself can chart the entire subsequent course of Irish political history. The Free State government, on account of their victory in a Civil War which had so bitterly split the nationalist movement, tended to shy away from the difficult legacy of 1916. With the ascent of Fianna Fail to power, 1935 was the first real attempt by the State to gain control over the direction of 1916 celebrations as the party sought to claim the sole right to the 1916 inheritance. With the accession to power of the first inter-party government and John A Costello's declaration of the Republic in 1949, Easter Monday was designated the new day of commemoration in an attempt to differentiate their celebrations from those overseen by Fianna Fail. However, once Eamon de Valera returned to power, the State commemorations switched back to Easter Sunday. The defining commemoration of 1916 for an entire generation was the 1966 Jubilee celebrations. Sean Lemass used the occasion to promote Ireland's image as an inclusive, progressive, modern democracy. Yet the outbreak of the Troubles would lead Jack Lynch to abandon State commemorations in 1972. Southern politicians struggled to explain why violence in pursuit of a united Irish Republic was justified in 1916 but immoral after 1969. Lynch's decision effectively conceded control of 1916 commemorations to republican bodies such as Sinn Fein for the next 30 years. The success of the Peace Process allowed the government to again direct the official commemorations. During the 90th anniversary in 2006, Bertie Ahern sought, in the wake of the Good Friday agreement, to reclaim the legacy of 1916 from republican elements. With the normalisation of politics in the North and the now closely fostered relations between Britain and Ireland, 2016 offers us the chance to commemorate the Rising in a more comfortable, inclusive and open manner. Of course, the centenary year also brings the danger of overwhelming people with too much history. There is a fear that every minor character or tenuous link will be dissected to such an overblown degree as to leave people cold towards the event itself. Another worry is that the events of Easter week will come to dominate Irish history in the popular memory. For decades, any sense that we were actively involved in the Great War and that 210,000 of our countrymen fought in that terrifying conflict seemed to be lost under the tsunami of literature on the Rising. It is worth remembering that from April 24-29, 1916, more Irishmen were killed serving with the British Army on the continent than were killed in Dublin. So what will the Ireland of 2016 take from the centenary of the most important event in its modern history? In ways, the build-up to 2016 has seemed like an eternity and yet, as Easter Monday approaches, the centenary seems to have been relegated by an increasingly frantic search for our next sovereign government. Following a general election dominated by our political leaders desperately trying to convince a doubting public that each has the competence to lead our economy, my own thoughts turn back to the Proclamation. Its authors were not sacrificing themselves for an economy. They fought for an ideal, a sovereign state that would guarantee "equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts". That is something I would hope we will reflect on as we pass through this centenary year. When Patrick Pearse proclaimed the formation of the Irish Republic, he evoked a vision of what an independent Ireland could be. In many ways, it is that vision which continues to hold people spellbound. Those who took to the streets on Easter Monday fought for a new and better Ireland. These ideals, so powerfully articulated by the men and women of 1916, seem to have been lost in the intervening decades. The centenary and the intense public interest it has evoked give us all the opportunity to cast an eye backwards as well as forwards. While mindful of the flaws and failings of what was attempted, we can still seek to apply the aspirations of Easter 1916 to our modern Republic. Dr Richard McElligott lectures in Modern Irish History in UCD. He teaches the 'Uncovering 1916' and the 'Irish War of Independence' courses, which are being hosted by the National Library of Ireland. Having poked around in the ashes of 1916 for a century the nation is still awaiting a phoenix. Over the past year the historians and the academics have been engaged in a tussle over the telescope of history which has merely resulted in many perceptions being inverted, rendering views either upside down or backwards. However, commenting on the Rising in its immediate aftermath, Michael Collins said: "That valiant effort and martyrdoms that followed 1916 finally awoke the sleeping spirit of Ireland." Looking at our country today, it is pertinent to ask just how vital or vibrant is that spirit? Certainly in terms of leadership and direction, it has been caught napping. What would the signatories of the Proclamation - those who died so that we could manage our own affairs and be an independent Republic - make of the fact that on the 100th anniversary of their deaths, and one month after an election, we have no government? Were they to return they might wonder had they entered a new Lilliput where a Big-Endians versus Little-Endians squabble about water charges is the great issue of the hour. In the crucible of history the enmities and mistrust between loyalist and nationalist in the North were able to be dissolved sufficiently for them to work together for the greater good. Party interests, as opposed to the national one, have constrained political progress down here and we are left in a limbo. Many have argued that it is naive, bordering on simplistic to believe that the leaders of 1916 sought to lay down a flawless template to guarantee sweetness and light for future generations. Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that they were men and women of courage and conviction who put their country first to the point of dying for their beliefs. Thankfully today it is recognised - as so compellingly argued by John Hume - that it is far preferable to live for your country than to die for it. Nevertheless, we have come to a troubling fork in our progress as a nation when after several centuries of agrarian strife we cannot provide shelter, let alone housing, for our poorest. We have people sleeping in wooden boxes in Dublin's streets. A century ago, commenting on the inequality of the times, James Connolly said: "Just as it is true that a stream cannot rise above its source, so it is true that a national literature cannot rise above the moral level of the social conditions of the people from whom it derives its inspiration." The moral level of our social conditions has remained shamefully static. Before we get lost in a misty-eyed philosophical debate about a national identity, there are more practical pressing issues that require our immediate attention. The country has emerged from the greatest economic crisis in its history thanks to the readiness of its people to bear the most onerous debt burden ever inflicted on a sovereign state. The people, not the politicians, accepted unprecedented taxes, charges and income cuts, putting the interests of the country first. It was an example that our politicians might have learned from, especially as many of them were on the bridge when the economy was holed beneath the waterline. Terence MacSwiney's immortal phrase that: "It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can suffer the most," was never intended to be seen as a contest between inept leaders and those they purport to serve. The country has made enormous strides. We are a peaceful and decent democracy. But the journey begun by the leaders of 1916 has a ways to go before all of our children can consider themselves cherished equally. The Rising tide has yet to lift all boats. On Friday night I headed for the Lisdoo where a rather special party was being held for Marie Foley who was retiring from the Department of Social Protection after a staggering 47 years. There to make sure she had a great night was her brother and his wife Seamus and Goretti Marron from Carrickmacross and a huge collection of workmates and friends. I was only in the door when I had the pleasure of meeting up with Marie who told me she had started back in 1969 and did a year in Dublin before coming to Barrack Street in Dundalk in September 1970 and had been here ever since! She said that she won't be finished until next week, but is looking forward to her retirement and hopes to get involved with some sort of volunteer work in the future, amongst other things. I then decided to have a look to see who was there and first met up with Aidan Kirk from Castletown Road who told me he was there with Gerry McEneaney from Carrick Road. Aidan told me that Marie is a lovely woman and is basically 'the oracle', if you want to know anything in the office, you just ask Marie and she knows all the answers. After this I caught up with Pat O'Callaghan from Social Protection who told me she is a very dedicated worker, very loyal serving and with an excellent work ethic and they were all there to give her a most memorable send off. Making my over to another table I caught up with Majella Smyth from Dundalk who was having a laugh with Pauline O'Brien and Sean McCrudden both from Monaghan who have all worked with Marie and said she is truly a lovely woman and will definitely be missed. Also at the same table were Dervla Flynn, Pauline McKiernan and Eileen Maguire all from Monaghan who told me they'd come over specially to pay tribute to a totally dedicated and lovely woman. I then caught up with Helen Gosling from Dublin Road who was with Denise Kerley from Belfry who have both worked with Marie and wanted to wish her all the best in the future and were there to see she had a fantastic night at her party. Also at their table I then met up with Dympna Shaw from Darver who told me she had worked with her for a number of years, Sally Murphy from Bay Estate and Margaret Bell from Carrick Road who said the night was going to be fantastic and was sure to turn into a right knees up. Not too far away I caught up with Marian Garland from Carrick Road, Margaret O'Callaghan from Knockbridge and Marie Traynor from Castleblaney who told me that Marie is a lovely woman and definitely has a heart of gold. Making my way through the crowds I headed over to a table where I got talking to Peter McGivern from Belfry Avenue who told me that Marie is one of the best and this sentiment was mimicked by Una Keogh from Avenue Road and Aine Quigley from Kilkerley who said that she is a total Lady and really great for One Liners too. After this I met up with Paul Galvin from Carrickmacross and Jonathan Mulholland from Avenue Road who told me she is a terrific woman, gave terrific service and she's still not finished, there'll probably be another 22 years work left in her! I headed over for a quick word with Ambrose McDermott from Rockmarshall who has already retired from the department but said that Marie is a lovely person who helped to make it a lovely place to work. Next I got a word with Anne McCluskey from Carrickmacross who told me she remembered Marie coming to work in Barrack Street and she was chatting to Oliver Nixon from The Laurels and they told me that they were sure that she'd certainly missed by all her workmates. After this I got talking to Liam Tynan from St. Marys Road who told me he had been manager there for 12 years and said that she was a great woman to work with. He was chatting to Linda Conlon from Castleblaney who said she thought that Marie is a fabulous woman altogether. I then headed for a table where I met Marie's niece Louise Cunningham who was having a laugh with her sister-in-law Goretti Marron and they, along with her brother Seamus hopes she has a fantastic time in her retirement and they were on for giving her a massive send off. Not too long later I had the pleasure of meeting up with my old friend Nicola Mathews from Ravensdale who was there with Joanne Rogers from Castleblaney Road, Aine McCourt from Omeath and Brenda Walker from Ard Easmuinn who were only in the door. Nicola told me she worked with Marie for five and a half years; she is a real lady and will be desperately missed, a lot like when Alex Ferguson left Man Utd! After this I had the pleasure of meeting up with a bunch of ladies who were up for making the best of the night and they were Colette Campbell from Drogheda, Lynn Gallagher from Carrickmacross, Kate McArdle from Point Road and Annmarie McQuaile from Blackrock who all agreed that Marie is a legend and is definitely irreplaceable. Heading for yet another table I then got a word with Jimi McKillop from Carlingford and Brian Nolan from Tallanstown who said that Marie is the mother figure there, does the work of 10 people and is definitely old school. Seated close by were Joanne Sharkey from Blackrock and Noeleen Mallon from Hackballscross who said that she is a real lady and a total legend. Next I met up with John Brady from Carrick Road who said it is impossible to replace someone like Marie and yes they were going to give her a send-off to remember. Making my way to another table I got talking to Debbie Emerson from Tallanstown and Miriam McGuinness from Carlingford who said that Marie is one in a million and there really is no one like her. Also in their company were Maureen Brodigan from Carrickmacross, Majella Reilly from Shore Road and Jackie Clarke from Sutton Court who said she'll be really missed and mentioned that she has been working there longer than some of the other workers have been alive! I then caught up with Aine McCourt from Dundalk who said she will definitely missed and she goes over and above the call of duty where work is concerned for her workmates. Finally, I got a word with Ann McErlean from Dunmor and Carol Shannon from Tateetra who told me they weren't actually at the party, but wanted to wish Marie all the best for the future and to say she's a lovely lady. St.Vincents students were leaders on the Lighthouse programme, a new peer ministry initiative, with the pupils of Realt Na Mara A group of Dundalk teenage students became leaders in the 'Lighthouse' programme where they worked with younger pupils ahead of their Confirmation. Student Joy Quigley explained that fifth year students in St Vincent's Secondary School applied to be part of the new Lighthouse programme. 'This was a new departure and we were really excited about being a pilot school for Veritas,' Joy told the Argus. 'The Lighthouse programme invited us to get involved in a servant leadership training module, and a peer ministry module, hence we became actively involved in leading catechises for confirmation. Although this was a somewhat daunting challenge, we embraced it! Joy explained that the peer ministry module meant that the St. Vincent's students linked with the 6th class pupils from Realt Na Mara who were preparing to celebrate their Confirmation. 'We began in October with a weekly training session, where we had the time to look at our own faith as well as engaging again with the gift and blessings of the Holy Spirit. We spent valuable time articulating our own understanding and experiences of faith. We then had the opportunity to lead the 6th class pupils from a position of faith.' She added that the project enabled the students to develop their own skills, as well as guiding younger children 'As Lighthouse Leaders we not only learned about leadership, we actually became leaders. Each week we went over to Realt Na Mara and worked through exercises in the peer ministry booklet. These activities were great fun, really interesting and targeted at the 6th class pupils. They were really able to explore their understanding of the gift and blessings of the Holy Spirit. We even had a rapping session which was such fun!' The weekly sessions saw groups of two leaders working closely with groups of 6 pupils so we were always leading with another 5th year so we never felt under too much pressure.' The benefits of taking part were felt by all, Joy added. 'The Lighthouse programme encouraged the coming together of our schools to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, we loved it and so did the 6th class pupils. We even went to their Confirmation day, which was very special.' In basically calling for some good manners between officials and the elected representatives, Louth county council chairman Peter Savage spoke on Monday about 'a number of difficult moments' at recent meetings. As can be seen in his statement, he says there has been criticism about this behaviour beyond the chamber, particularly from the business community, who fear it may hinder potential investment. His comments are therefore timely as the March meeting formally adopted the Louth local economic and community plan. Cllr Savage has exhorted everyone to put the past behind them, and to work in the best interests of the county and its people. Matters came to a head last month when chief executive Joan Martin led a walk-out of council officials, over an inference by then councillor Imelda Munster that the local authority's five directors of service are not doing their jobs. The Sinn Fein representative, who has since won a seat in Dail Eireann, said there was a perception that there was 'no co-ordination or management' of the five directors of service. She got a motion passed calling on the chief executive to appoint a director of service for Drogheda. At the time, Cllr Munster said no insult was meant, but the chairman replied she went too far. Cllr Savage told the March gathering that there are many times when he feels that 'officials lack regard for the elected representative;' and that his interest in the meetings has 'seriously diminished.' However, he is looking forward to the rest of his time in the chair being without controversy. Referring to the motion which was passed in February, Cllr Kenneth Flood asked was there any movement on a director of service for Drogheda. Director of service Emer O'Gorman said there has been no change in the position. 'The appointment of staff is a matter for the chief executive. The motion has no legal effect,' she explained. Responding to a further query by Cllr Tomas Sharkey about the rights or wrongs of withdrawing staff from the February meeting, Ms O'Gorman replied there is no obligation on staff to be at a meeting. The work of a Dundalk artist is to feature in a major Brazilian exhibition about executed Irish Volunteer Roger Casement, who tried to get Germany involved in the fight for Irish freedom. Michelle Rogers, a visual artist and environmental activist, was inspired to create a beautiful artwork featuring Casement focusing on his work as a naturalist after she read a book about him by Angus Mitchell from the '16 Lives' series. After learning about Casement's human rights work in the Congo and then in the Amazon basin, as well as his work in environmental conservation, Michelle created this artwork. She was contacted by the Irish ambassador to Brazil, Brian Glynn, who spoke to her for almost an hour about Casement and the high regard in which he's held in Brazil. Casement became popular in Brazil after Mario Vargas Llosa's 2010 book 'The Dream of the Celt' highlighted how he was among the very first Europeans to denounce colonialism. Michelle was delighted to allow the artwork, which is based on the 'Belfast poster style' to be used in poster format for a major Casement celebration in the Irish embassy in Brazil later this week. And the original art piece is on its way to her hometown for the Town Hall events around Easter, including the 'Easter Service' drama which starts on Thursday, in which her brother, Kieran, has a part. Michelle said: 'I love Roger Casement not only because he was an Irish rebel, he was also a human rights activist and environmentalist, way before those ideas were popular at all. I had very little idea about his life and was fascinated by it and the fact that he donated a lot of the exhibits to the Natural History Museum in Dublin. 'He had a vision for Ireland. Ambassador Glynn knew more about Casement than almost anyone else and he was really enthusiastic about him and Casement if very highly regarded in Brazil. In addition, Paul Hayes from An Tain Arts Centre was in contact about the original art work and it will feature in the Town Hall. St Malachys Boys NS stand to attention in the Market Square in front of Principal Mr Kevin Stanley having marched from their school, where 6th class student Neil McCarron read out the Proclamation Having had some training the basics of marching by members of the 27th Infantry Battalion in the week prior to last Tuesday's nationwide commemoration of 1916 in schools, the boys of the Friary marched behind the National Flag and school flags to the Market Square. They congregated opposite the Courthouse where Volunteers had gathered in 1916 and listened to the reading of the Proclamation, sang Amhran na bhFiann before marching back to the school where the National flag was raised over the school and the national anthem was sung again. Meanwhile Dun Dealgan National School celebrated the 1916 Commemoration with students arriving to school as they would have in 1916. Pupils discussed the school day as it would have been for young pupils one hundred years ago. The study they may have done and the food they would have eaten and the working conditions they would have had. The pupils of Dun Dealgan National School, like thousands of other pupils around the country celebrated the 1916 Commemoration with the raising of the tri-colour flag. During their ceremony pupils read the original 1916 Proclamation and their new insightful and inspiring 2016 Proclamations written by 5th and 6th class pupils. It was a Washington dream for the musicians of the Cross Border Orchestra who performed at the White House during the St. Patrick's day celebrations. Speaking to the Argus about the 'incredible experience' orchestra founder Sharon Treacy Dunne said: 'When the call came from the White House last week requesting that violinist Patricia Treacy, and a string and pipe ensemble from the CBOI perform at their St. Patrick's Day celebrations the following week, there was no time to waste. This was the greatest honour imaginable!' The group left on Sunday last for Washington D.C, and began intensive rehearsals the following day. Celebrations officially began on March 15th with an exclusive St. Patrick's Day breakfast at USA Vice President Joe Biden's residence, where violinist Patricia Treacy was invited to play for the guests. From there it was on to the White House where Patricia and the CBOI ensemble were engaged to perform for over 600 invited guests as they arrived to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The group included: Oisin Drumm, Deirdre Kenny, Caoilfhionn D'Arcy, Treasa Toner, Roisin Ward-Morrow, Maria Dawe, Anna McKenna, Liam Monagher, Richie and Aisling Dunne on strings, and Cormac Keegan and Grahame Harris on pipes. 'The ensemble played for an hour and a half to a thrilled crowd consisting of all the great and good of the Irish America business, celebrity and political worlds. They were note perfect and determined to do Ireland proud and give the performance of a lifetime. Their programme of traditional and contemporary Irish music was electric and which really set the party atmosphere in the White House, before President Obama addressed the crowd.' 'We were also invited to a private meeting with the President himself, and he spoke to each member individually and shook their hands congratulating them on their outstanding performance. This was a huge privilege as none of the guests, with the exception of An Taoiseach, personally met President Obama.' 'The musicians were invited to perform as guests departed, but they were enjoying the music so much that they were very reluctant to leave and instead, joined in singing 'Ireland's Call' added Sharon 'On the following day, Ambassador Anne Anderson also held a reception for the CBOI at the Irish Embassy, where she congratulated the musicians on 'doing Ireland proud.' They were also later honoured by African Ambassador Michael Moussa-Adamo who held a reception for the group at his residence, which is the former residence of Senator Ted Kennedy. Sharon thanked all who supported their appeal for help to cover the cost of the trip, and in particular Larry and Kate Goodman for 'their very substantial donation to the Washington Fund.' Imelda Munster TD accompanied new Sinn Fein councillor Joanna Byrne to her first council meeting 'Don't forget us, now you're gone,' was the message to new TDs, Declan Breathnach and Imelda Munster; while a warm welcome has been extended to their replacements on Louth county council. Deputy Munster was in attendance at this week's meeting to see Sinn Fein colleague, Joanna Byrne, take her seat on the local authority. Emma Coffey, who contested the general election, is filling the place vacated by her Fianna Fail running mate, Deputy Breathnach. Chairman, Peter Savage congratulated Munster and Breathnach on being elected 'to a body way above our heads.' 'Don't forget the people you left behind, and continue to fight for local government.' He also commiserated with councillors Kevin Callan, Maeve Yore and Mark Dearey, who were unsuccessful in their bids to make it to Leinster House. Cllr Oliver Tully remarked both Imelda Munster and Declan Breathnach worked hard on Louth county council. He asked them not to forget their former colleagues 'who are doing the work on the ground,' and believes national and local politics should mesh together. 'There used to be a bit of electricity at debates, and I don't know who I will fight with now,' said Cllr Pio Smith. He thinks the new TDs will represent the county very well. Cllr Callan wished them both well, having discovered himself 'it is not an easy road to travel.' Meanwhile, Cllr Dearey noted it reflects well on the county council that there are two new deputies from the local authority. He also congratulated the three sitting TDs on their re-election. Cllr Tommy Byrne urged the former councillors never to forget the local issues, and described Imelda Munster as a 'great Drogheda girl.' After being asked, tongue-in-cheek, by the chairman if she is 'glad to get rid of them', chief executive Joan Martin said she will continue to be available to the new deputies, and is looking forward to working with all the TDs and hopefully with some senators in due course. After the formalities were over, Cllr Coffey thanked party members for the opportunity afforded to her, noting it is good to see politics is active in the 'Wee County'. Cllr Joanna Byrne added she is looking forward to joining a strong Sinn Fein team. She acknowledged Imelda Munster's hard work. 'I hope I can make half as much impact and keep half as many people on their toes.' The chief executive said she is looking forward to working with the new councillors, pointing out her door is always open. Cllr Byrne is taking over from Imelda Munster as chairperson of the housing SPC, while Cllr Oliver Tully is the new chairman of the Infrastructure SPC, a position held previously by Declan Breathnach. Cllr Coffey is a member of that committee. Nicola Pierce (third left), presents the prizewinners in the 1916 Short Story Competition to Cara Sheehy, Tola Oladejo and Eimear Farrell, St.Malachy's Girls' School with Teacher, Danielle Duffy, along with Bernadette Fennell and Amanda Branigan, Dundalk Library Dundalk Library marked National Proclamation Day last week with fifth class from Scoil Bhride, Dunleer and sixth class from St. Malachy's Girls NS, Dundalk invited back for a prize-giving ceremony. Both classes had attended a three week series of 1916 themed creative writing workshops with writer Nicola Pierce. At the end the children were invited to write their own 1916 themed stories, and Nicola presented first, second and third prizes to each class. All entries will now be displayed in the library. Local actor Alvaro Luchessi read the Proclamation and the children played a number of traditional Irish tunes on recorder and tin whistle. Senior Librarian Amanda Brannigan explained: 'We were also lucky enough to watch an excerpt from the upcoming play 'Easter Service' which runs in An Tain Arts Centre from March 24th-28th. This play is a new devised piece of theatre, commissioned by Louth County Council, created by community actors, An Tain Arts Centre and Upstate Theatre Project.' Husband and wife blacksmiths Michael Calnan and Gunvor Anhoj were both present in the 'Big Apple' this St Patrick's Day after being selected to create a new award. The Saint Patrick Award is to be presented annually at the New York City Saint Patrick's Day Gala Dinner held each year on January 16. The recipients of 'The Saint Patrick Award 2016 - for Peace in Ireland' include those who have played a truly significant role in the Irish peace process; such as Congressman Bruce Morrison, Niall O'Dowd, Brian O 'Dwyer, Christopher Hyland, William J. Flynn, Charles F. Feeney, John Fitzsimons and last but not least this year's Parade Grand Marshal Senator George J. Mitchell, who was of course Chairman of the peace negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement, during his time serving as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland 1995 to 2001. Michael and Gunvor both studied blacksmithing at art college in a UK facility maintaining the teaching of artistic-blacksmiths. The couple were pleasantly surprised to find themselves selected to design and create the award. 'We received a call early January from a member of the Saint Patrick's Day Foundation, Christopher S. Hyland who is himself a recipient of 'The Saint Patrick',' explained Michael. 'Christopher Hyland was Bill Clinton's outreach person on ethnic affairs, he is also a renowned designer and the man behind the 'Hyland Magazine' and the 'Hyland Award' for design, architecture, decoration and photography. 'He found us via a search on the internet, and selected us to create the award, as according to himself "he was enamoured" with our designs and our use of forged steel. 'During the seven weeks preceding St Patrick's Day we have been in regular touch with both Christopher Hyland, Sean Lane, Vice-Chairman of NYC St. Patrick's Day Foundation, and Hilary Beirne, Executive Director of NYC St. Patrick's Day Foundation.' The Saint Patrick portrays the essence of a swan through the use of carefully pared-down design elements, feather-like textures and attentive use of negative space. It is finished with 22-carat gold leaf and is set on a piece of uniquely Irish Connemara marble. The foundation wish to celebrate a selected group of honourees for their part in the Irish peace-process. 2016 is a big year as it not only marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising but also marks the end of ongoing LGBT issues, thus signalling a more visionary modern-day ethos from the organisers behind this event that is the biggest celebration of Irish culture in the world. This year when we remember those brave men of 1916 it is also worth remembering the one who inspired them. Twenty-five-year-old Robert Emmet stood like a beacon of hope. This great orator spoke for his generation and the generations that were to come when he said, 'Sedition is not a Catholic thing... We fight that all of us may have our country, and that done, each of us shall have our own religion. We war not against property, we war against no religious sect, we war not against past opinions or prejudices, we war against British dominion.' This gallant young hero, was 25 years old when he was hung in Thomas street in Dublin. A member of the Irish Protestant ascendancy, he led the United Irishmen to Rebellion in 1803. There is a museum to his memory, created here in Wicklow by his relatives, just 10 minutes drive from Greystones. Robert Emmet's conduct and legacy left such a deep and clear commitment to freedom from British rule, and imbued such value to his cause, that his name or his character have never been forgotten. When he was publicly executed in 1803 his parting words at the gallows were: 'My friends, I die in peace, and with the sentiments of universal love and kindness to all men.' Chosen as the poster boy for Irish freedom for over 100 years, the man who Patrick Pearse referred to as 'Christ-like in his perfection', Robert Emmet embodied this ideal of the pure of heart, the young man prepared to sacrifice his life for the values he believed in. He believed we should not use God to divide men, and he would never accept the injustice of British occupation. His commitment to the woman he loved, and hers to him, which led to her untimely death of a broken heart, in true romantic style adds depth to his romantic hero status. It was his great speech in the dock, and his willingness to accept the punishment dealt him, which inspired thousands of Irish men and women to hold onto their belief and never give up the fight for Irish freedom. This commitment also helped to raise the money and inspiration for them to come out and strike for freedom in 1916, in difficult and almost impossible circumstances, just like those he had faced. Though you may find traces and mementos of Robert Emmet on a walk through Dublin city centre, there are some real gems, which make the heart of the man come alive at the Robert Emmet Museum here in Wicklow. In a castle hundreds of years old lived in by the Emmet family who finally returned to Ireland, you can find the real evidence of his care and concern for others, his great attention to detail, his youth, and his family's respect for his memory. Among the very precious items are the seals he designed, the very last letter he wrote, the one that broke a man's heart and drove him to distraction, and led him to deeply regret his part in Robert's execution. There is even the spinette which his fiancee Sarah Curran used to play. Emmet entered Trinity College at 15 years of age. He was to come first in his class and receive five awards during his few years as a student there. This was an incredibly bright, articulate, caring man, with the courage of his convictions. In 1904 William Butler Yeats, Patrick Pearse and John Devoy travelled to America to celebrate the 126th birthday of Robert Emmet. Addressing a crowd of 4,000 people at the Brooklyn Music Hall in New York, they came to celebrate the hero they admired, and share his inspiration. Those dreams of freedom he inspired in Irish and American hearts were soon to grow into burning desires when the chink of opportunity presented itself years later in 1914, when Britain engaged in World War I. England's difficulty was Ireland's opportunity. The Irish chose their moment to unsheathe that glimmer of hope, that Ireland might once again be free from British occupation. He would be proud that we celebrate the Easter Rising of 1916, the day that the journey to becoming the Republic of Ireland finally began. It is truly time to look back and value the fact that this dream has been achieved. Yes, only for 26 counties, but I don't think anybody would really feel like celebrating 1916 if there were not peace in the north of Ireland now. It seems as though since the Good Friday agreement of 1998, this fragile peace which has developed, this freedom from violence, is such a recent achievement, it is only now we feel free enough to remember our personal family histories, tell our stories and recognise the public acts which form our history. Freedom from violence, freedom from fear, give us a moment to breathe and reflect. It is a great start. In a world still hell bent on occupying foreign territories, war, death, refugees and religious crusaders. It is commendable at this time that our country is seen as a beacon of peace, understanding, and respectful resolution. We are moving on to practice the importance of human rights globally and environmental rights and realising it is not just our country but our planet we need to protect. Surprisingly, some of the Emmet family were the first legislators of environmental protection laws in America. To find out more about the Robert Emmet Museum, call Aran McMahon of Delgany Tours at 089 5434248. (Back, from left) Swimmer John Brady TD, Angie Pepel from the Strand, Jerry Teehan, President Bray Lions, swimmer and Lion Michael Galligan, (front) Clare Barnes from Lincara, Oonagh Kenny, Marino School and Suzanne Cox from Open Door Bray Lions handed over a total of 8,400 to local charities following this year's New Year's Day sea swim. There was a huge turnout for the event on January 1, with many donning fancy dress for their dip in the Irish sea. It was, as always, a very enjoyable and colourful event and a bracing way to start the year. Set up 33 years ago for the dual purposes of having some fun and raising funds for local charities, this yearly event has to date realised 321,888 for a long This year's funds were divided between Marino Community Special School, Open Door Day Care Centre, Lincara Day Centre and Bray Lions Carer's fund. Representatives of the organisations gathered last week at The Strand Hotel where Bray Lions President Jerry Teehan presented them with their cheques. They were all very grateful for the contributions. The money will support their ongoing works within the community. Deputy John Brady, who participated in the swim, was there to congratulate them, along with fellow swimmers and Lions Club members. Other charities to have received donations over the past three decades include Sunbeam House, Bray Women's Refuge. Guide Dogs for the Blind, Bray Caring for Carers, Society of St Vincent de Paul. Sa Bhaile Homeless Project and many more. All funds raised go 100 per cent to the charities. There are no costs deducted as Bray Lions Club members pay all of the running costs associated with the sea swim. Meanwhile, the Lions Club is seeking nominations for charities to be supported by the 2017 swim. To find out more, call John McEvoy on (086) 8561888 or email brayswim@gmail.com. The Kilcoole Heritage Group is marking the centenary of the Easter Rising with 'Kilcoole Remembers 1916' running from June 2 until June 5. Its objective is to remember, reflect and re-imagine by bringing history to life. 'Our approach is to explore lesser known aspects of the Rising,' said a spokesman. Lord Edward's own re-enactment group will recreate the Kilcoole Gunrunning of 1914 and the Rising in Dublin. It will feature vignettes performed by Square One Theatre Group explaining how ordinary people's lives were impacted by the Rising. The 'Bob' Monteith Summer School with a list if invited speakers will focus on some of the more side-lined stories and nuances of the Rising. Run by the Women's Group, the period 'Chotah' Tea Rooms is going to incredible lengths to recreate the theme and atmosphere of taking afternoon tea for a truly nostalgic experience. A street closure on the Sunday of the festival will see the Main Street transformed with craft demonstrations, stalls, games, and music. The Proclamation will be read by children from the village at the Post Office. The museum will once again open up in St Patrick's hall. This year a second museum, courtesy of the prison services, will be set up in the Community Centre. On Friday's Curation Day people are encouraged to bring family memorabilia to be recorded and assessed by Wicklow County Council Genealogy Service. Saturday's Luisne Cross-Border Women's Project will examine how the role of the arts and culture has been used as a revolutionary tool to break through political oppression. Feile Cluichi Sraide is a celebration of outdoor play and will look at how young people played together 100 years ago. With a wide range of fringe events there is something there for all the family. This festival is part of the National Commemoration Programme. For more information on the event, go to www.kilcooleremembers1916.com. Up to 30 members of a famous Muskerry choir narrowly escaped the Belgium blasts of Tuesday morning when their Brussels-bound flight was diverted while en route to the stricken Zaventum airport. Members of Cor Chuil Aodha were in the air, little more than an hour out from Brussels, when two blasts rocked the airport, killing 11 and injuring hundreds of innocent travellers. Cor Chuil Aodha were en route to the EU Parliament in Brussels to take part in a special 1916 Centenary celebration organised by Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada - a daughter of the choir's founder Sean O Riada. Ms Ni Riada was meanwhile entertaining her young family on their first visit to their mother's workplace when the terrorists struck at the heart of the EU with the twin blasts at the airport at 8am. She is also currently advising a group of young UCC students - most from Cork - who were in Brussels on a trip with the geography department. All are thankfully unharmed but understood to be very shaken and were deeply anxious on Wednesday to get home. Air traffic controllers across northern Europe immediately scrambled to divert planes from the danger zone with the flight on which Cor Chuil Aodha was travelling diverted to Amsterdam. "They were due to land at 9.10am to take part in the 1916 Centenary celebrations we had organised at the Parliament, but were instead diverted to Amsterdam . They managed to get out of their later on to fly home," Liadh Ni Riada told The Corkman. Ms Ni Riada learned of the attacks on the airport while on her way to Parliament with husband Nicky and daughters Cait, Ailsa and Neans, the latter just nine years of age. The family was looking forward to what all were hoping would prove a very special day for the Irish in Brussels. "I was just grabbing a coffee at around 8.20am when I saw a Facebook message saying there had just been two explosions at the airport and looked on Twitter then to see tweets rolling in about the attacks with people worrying about others." Then, at 9am, a bomb on the Metro at Maelbeek ripped apart the heart of the Belgian capital, killing 20 and plunging Brussels into a nightmare as citizens anticipated further acts of terrorism. "A lot of the staff who work with me come through Maelbeek every day, the Parliament is just ten minute's away. They were very shaken, it was a case of 'there but for the grace of God' thinking what might have happened had they come to work that bit later on Tuesday," Ms Ni Riada said. "But under the circumstances they were very calm. That's the general mood here today (Wednesday) whereas things were very eerie on Tuesday in the aftermath of the attacks as we simply didn't know if Maelbeek was the end of it." The EU Parliament went into lockdown on Tuesday with just one door left open. "There was no huge increase in security in Parliament, but the scene outside was surreal with the streets cleared and army trucks on patrol." Cait, Ailsa and Neans' first trip to the European Parliament is not one they will likely forget in a hurry but the girls appeared mercifully unfazed by the day's terror for the most part. "They found it all a bit exciting I think." Similarly, the group of UCC students shocked by the horror will return home with a much weaker sense of their own personal security. "I know they're trying to get out at the moment, but they will probably have to wait another 24 hours until the airport can open again and I'm advising them to remain calm until then," Ms Ni Riada said. The sense of besiegement had lifted by Wednesday. "We're not under siege today, there's no sense of that - just a calm determination to get on. What happened is an absolute tragedy but life has to go on while we hold all those innocent people who died in our thoughts and prayers. "It's just so hard to get your head around it and as this is probably not the end of these horror attacks by ISIS I think it's time for EU leaders to come up with some sort of resolution to address it. Who's supplying ISIS with weapons and money? That's one of the big questions I have at present and I think we need to start looking very carefully at who is providing them with everything." This week the eyes of the nation will be firmly focused on 1916 as we commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising. Dublin will be a hive of activity but so too will counties throughout the country, not least the County of Cork. Easter Weekend in Cork will see events taking place in over 15 locations including Bantry, Eyeries, Kealkil and Rosscarbery in West Cork and further to the north: Macroom, Mourneabbey, Millstreet, Boherbue, Dromina, Kilbrin and Mallow. The largest event of the weekend will undoubtedly be the Easter Monday State Ceremonial Event in Cork City on March 28, organised by Cork City Council and Cork County Council with the support of the Defence Forces and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This event is the only Easter Rising State Ceremonial Event taking place in Munster and it is hoped that as many people as possible can attend. The public are invited to assemble on the Grand Parade, Cork City, at 11.45am. Live music will feature performances by the Defence Forces Band, Peadar O Riada, Cor Chuil Aodha and Eimear Coughlan on harp. The State Ceremonial Programme will commence at 12 noon. The programme will feature speeches by both the Lord Mayor of Cork City, Councillor Chris O' Leary and the Mayor of County Cork, Councillor John Paul O'Shea, a reading of the Proclamation by an Officer of the Defence Forces, a wreath laying ceremony, a minute's silence, a Piper's Lament, the Last Post, the raising of the National Flag, the Reveille played by a bugler from the Defence Forces and the National Anthem played by the Defence Forces Band. At this time, there will be an Air Corps Fly Past (weather permitting) and following the formal State Ceremonial event, which finishes at 1:30 pm., Irish musicians will take to the stage for a short performance showcasing some of the best of Irish music. Proceedings will close at approximately 2.30pm. Easter Weekend will see a huge number of events taking place in the County of Cork, over two dozen, in fact. In Dromina, events will take place from March 26-28, as part of the '1916-2016 Who We Are' Dromina Festival. This festival will feature a range of activities including an exhibition featuring the historic writings, materials and memorabilia relating to Dromina's involvement in the Rising. There will also be a reflection wall where people can have their thoughts and feelings on the occasion posted. Easter Saturday in Dromina will feature a Guided Tour of the Dromina Heritage Trail, illustrating the local areas of historical, artistic and cultural importance in and around Dromina, many of which are related to 1916, and on Easter Sunday evening a large centenary gathering will take place, featuring music, poetry, dance and discussion for all in attendance. Easter Monday in Dromina will see the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. Over the Easter Weekend, commemorative plaques will be unveiled in Kilbrin, Bantry, Boherbue, Conna, Ballingeary, Kealkil and Millstreet. In Millstreet, a plaque will be unveiled on Easter Sunday, at 12:30 p.m., to commemorate the formation of the Irish Volunteers in Millstreet on November 1, 1915 and to commemorate the mobilisation of the four Companies of Keale, Millstreet, Mushera and Rathduane on Easter Sunday 1916 under C/O C. J. Meany. In Conna, at 12:30pm an ecumenical service will take place at Conna Bridge, followed by the unveiling of a plaque, the reading of the proclamation and the laying of a wreath. Present will be United Nations ex-servicemen in uniform and there will also be a recital by a pipe band. In Macroom, proceedings will commence at 2:30pm on Easter Sunday when a parade led by the Cullen Pipe Band takes place, which will include relatives of the 7th/8th Battalion, representing many locations from the surrounding hinterland. The event will culminate in the raising of the National Flag, the laying of a wreath, the Last Post and a rendition of the Irish National Anthem. There are some wonderful plans for the commemoration of the Easter Rising in Boherbue, Kilbrin as well as Mournebbey and in Ballingeary, Easter Sunday will be commemorated by way of a 1916 re-enactment march of the Volunteers to Kealkil. The ceremonial aspect of this event will also include the unveiling of a memorial plaque and a performance by the Ballingeary Pipe Band. In West Cork, Easter Saturday sees a 1916 themed tour in Rosscarbery at 2:30pm and an audio/visual event later that evening at 8:30pm entitled 'The Story of Rosscarbery in 1916". In Rosscarbery the following day, a 1916 Remembrance Parade will take place, which will be preceded by a commemorative mass for peace and reconciliation in St. Fachtna's Parish Church at 12 noon followed by open air traditional Irish music and dancing at the monument in the Square. The parade itself commences at 3pm (duration 2 hours) and will be followed by traditional music in local hostelries. In Bantry on Easter Sunday, a commemorative plaque will be unveiled at Bridge Street at 10am followed by a re-enactment march to Kealkil, in association with the Ballingeary Historical Society. At 1:30p.m. in Bantry there will be a community commemoration of 1916 with traditional Irish Music and Dancing as well as the Raising of the Flag and a Reading of the Proclamation by students from Colaiste Phobail Bheanntrai. A Photographic exhibition, entitled '1910 to 1920' will also be on display in the Bantry Tourist Office. In Eyeries on Easter Sunday, a plaque will be unveiled at 8am to commemorate the visit of Terence MacSwiney to Eyeries on 1st January 1916. This will be followed by a re-enactment march of the Beara Volunteers from Eyeries to Lauragh, Co Kerry, leaving Eyeries Village at 08:30am. Without question, the centenary commemorations held during Easter 2016 will live long in the memory of County Cork, with many more events to come in April. She has come to symbolise the story of Irish emigration but now over a century after she became the first emigrant to pass through Ellis Island in New York, Annie Moore has been traced back to Ireland and roots that lie deep in North Cork. Long something of a mystery and indeed the victim of mistaken identity up until 2006, Annie Moore, whose maternal family originate in Dromtarriffe, is finally about to have her story told thanks to the effort of American genealogist, Megan Smolenyak. The woman who traced President Obama's Irish ancestors to Moneygall in Co Offaly, Megan was working on a TV documentary on immigration into America in 2002 when she began researching Annie Moore and tried to find out both where she came from and what happened to her. Annie, aged 17 and her two younger brothers, Anthony (15) and Philip (11) departed Cobh ( or Queenstown as it was then ) on 20th December 1891 when they joined five other Irish people among the 145 steerage passengers on board the SS Nevada bound for New York. After 12 days sailing on the SS Nevada, they arrived in New York Harbour on New Year's Day 1892 and they were ferried from the ship to step into history by becoming the first immigrants to land at the new Ellis Island Immigration Inspection Station. Megan's research led her to discount the Annie Moore generally assumed to be the Irish emigrant when she established that the woman who lived in Texas had actually been born in Illinois and instead she traced the Irish Annie Moore to the Lower East Side of New York. "Annie had come to New York in 1892 with her younger brothers, Anthony and Phillip to join their parents Matthew and Julia who had come over before them and I established that she married the son of German immigrants, Joseph Augustus Schayer in 1895 and they set up home in Rutgers St." "They later moved to nearby Cherry St and I was able to trace her descendants - she had 11 children but five of them died before the age of three - all from different causes but all of which could be traced back to poverty- they lived in a tenement in a tough neighbourhood." Annie died herself of heart failure on December 6, 1924 at the age of 50 at her home on Cherry St on the Lower East Side and was buried with six of her children at Calvary Cemetery in Queens where in July 2006 Megan identified her previously unmarked grave. Megan duly tracked down Annie's descendants and organised a reunion for them in September 2016 but her curiosity about Annie's Irish relatives grew and conscious of next year being the 125th anniversary of Annie's arrival in New York, she set about tracing Annie's Irish relatives. Her research led her to trace Annie's father, Matthew to Watergrasshill and Annie's mother, Julia Cronin to Booleymore, between Rathcoole and Dromagh in the parish of Dromtarriffe from where the Cronin family moved to Kilcoolishal near Little Island in East Cork. Matttew Moore married Julia Cronin in Glounthaune in 1870 but the couple later moved to Cork city where they had five children with Annie, the middle of five children, being born when they lived on Old Youghal Road and baptised in St Patrick's Church on the Lower Glanmire Road. When Megan tracked down Annie to Cork city, she made contact with Irish genealogist, Tim McCoy- or as she calls him - "Annie's champion in Ireland" and when she traced Annie's Irish descendants to Mayfield in Cork city, Tim made contact with Annie's Irish relative, Tom Long from Mayfield. Megan explained that she had tried to trace Annie's father's family only to discover that they had also emigrated but Annie's mother's family back in Booleymore in Dromtarriffe had provided her with the link to find Tom Long and his cousins in Cork city. "Annie's mother, Julia Cronin had a brother Timothy Cronin and Timothy had a son, Richard Cronin so Annie and Richard Cronin would have been first cousins and Richard Cronin's grandchildren would be Annie's first cousins, twice removed. "Tom Long and his siblings and cousins are Richard Cronin's grandchildren so they are Annie's first cousins twice removed so they are as close as you are going to get to Annie in terms of her surviving Irish relatives," said Megan who traced the family through census data and death notices. Last week, Tom and his sister, Lila and his cousins, Noel and Frank Brett and Eilis Linehan gathered with Tim McCoy at Annie's statue at Cobh from where she departed for the US as they reflected on the discovery that they were first cousins, twice removed to someone so famous. "I had no inkling at all that we were related to Annie Moore, " said Tom "it was a huge surprise to us but we were all delighted to discover we were related to her - the honour of it really but there's also an element of sadness when you think of all the emigrants like her who left Ireland." Noel Brett from Ballyvolane echoed his cousin's thoughts. "When you think of the poverty of Cork at the time and how the family here in Ireland must have felt seeing her going off at the age of 17 looking after her two brothers to head off to a strange land - it's very poignant." Noel's sister, Eilis Linehan said that the family were aware of their links with Glounthaune but had no idea that their ancestors came from Dromtarriffe and they were anxious to make contact with Megan Smolenyak to learn more about their famous ancestors. "We would often come to Cobh with visitors" said Eilis "and we would often show them the statue of Annie Moore- I always thought that she might be an orphan so I'm just glad to learn that she had a family and I'm just amazed to learn that we are related to her." Tom and his sister and cousins are anxious to find out more about their famous relative and plan to quiz Megan in more detail on the family links and the American genealogist is only more than willing to fill them in on the story of the young girl who symbolised Irish emigration to the US. Said Megan:"For me, finding Annie's Irish relatives was like a mixture of satisfaction, relief and delight because I think of Annie as like a bridge between Ireland and America and finding only her American relatives was telling only half story - now we can tell the full story of her life." Lourdes Youth Choir director Jackie Walshe and organiser of the event and conductor John Anderson were proud to stage 'Celebrate Saint Patrick' in the magnificent landmark that is St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Armagh. 450 voices of the leading choirs from around Ireland which included the Lourdes Youth Choir, as well as dancers, actors and musicians gathered to celebrate our national saint. It was an imaginative and entertaining concert that was streamed live worldwide. The Lourdes Youth choir took on the challenge of learning 4 new pieces, that on the night the combined choirs present in the Cathedral sang beautifully together. 'I was so proud of the girls on the night. The concert went really well and following the live broadcast, the recording is now going to be edited and made into three episodes for television,' Jackie explained. In order to to promote each choir and the event on an international platform John offered each choir the opportunity to perform on their own on the night. Hannah O'Brien represented the Lourdes Youth Choir and gave a stunning and professional performance of "Ag Criost an Siol" to the delight of everyone present. Hannah was the only soloist (all other choir opting to do a choir piece) on the night and she shone and made all proud. Choirs present were The Lourdes Youth Choir, Cantabile Vocal Ensemble and Cork RTAI Choir, Clare Chorale, Garda Ladies Choir, Grosvenor Chorale, Mount Anville Choral Society, St Patrick's Cathedral Choir, Sligo Orpheus Choir, The Armagh City Choir, The Kelly Family vocal Ensemble, and The Voices of Ireland. Former Louth TD Seamus Kirk attended one of his first 'post-retirement' functions last Thursday when he officially launched the Rising Centenary: Louth 1916-2016 magazine, produced by the Argus and Drogheda Independent. Mr Kirk was joined by a number of invited guests including the many contributors to the 96-page magazine for the launch which took place at the Windsor Bar in Dundalk. The magazine is the Argus and Drogheda Independent's contribution to the commemoration of the Rising Centenary and marks a departure for the newspaper group as this is the first time a magazine such as this has been printed, without any advertising, and has gone on sale separately from the papers. Guests heard from the titles' group editor, John Mulligan, who thanked everyone who had contributed their knowledge and talent to the creation of the commemorative magazine. Magazine editor, Argus journalist Anne Campbell, also thanked the many people, including the relatives of some of the Louth Volunteers, who had contributed to the articles, pictures, layout and design of the publication. Mr Kirk referred to the large volume of work that went into making the magazine and congratulated all those involved in what he called 'an important contribution to the centenary year'. During the course of putting the magazine together, a number of previously unknown stories from Dundalk and Drogheda about the towns' contribution to Easter Week 1916 have emerged. County Museum curator Brian Walsh contributed an article about the award-winning Birth of a Nation exhibition which continues all year at the Dundalk venue. Drogheda's important connection to the Rising is also highlighted, with articles by Tom Burke and Hubert Murphy, while Rosemary King tells the story of Joseph Dolan, the Ardee businessman who bankrolled Patrick Pearse's school, St Enda's. There is the story 'No Ordinary Joe' telling the role of Padraig Pearse's 'Press Agent' Joe Stanley. How MacBride Station got its name is also included, as well as the details surrounding the murder of three local men in what became known as the North King Street massacre. Peter J Lawless, Packie Hoey and James Finnegan were all gunned down by members of the South Staffordshire regiment. They were not involved in the uprising. Stunning portraits of the seven signatories, by artist Carol Wallace, are also showcased The Rising Centenary: Louth 1916-2016 is available in newsagents and at the offices of the Drogheda Independent at 9 Shop Street and is priced at 3.95. A brave Drogheda woman has been given a second chance at leading a normal life following a ground breaking operation that saw her receive reconditioned lungs. It's the first time in Irish medical history for the procedure to take place and it has proved a great success for Leigh Bagnall (20), who now plans to take part in a 10k event! Up to this, the cystic fibrosis suffer could hardly go for a short walk and had to give up college and was on oxygen all the time. Just a few months ago she was told there could be a five-year waiting list for a lung transplant, but she was waiting just eight weeks when she got the call from the Mater Hospital to say that a transplant had become available. Less than a month later, she was out of hospital and admits she is 'feeling terrific' now. Leigh spent many hours in Our Lady of Lourdes and Beaumont Hospital growing up with CF, but the operation has changed her life. She now intends returning to college to do a make-up artist course. The new 'washing lungs' procedure - known as Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) - takes organs that may not have been usuable and turns them into transplantable options. Leigh's case was the pioneering journey for doctors, with the team at the Mater headed by surgeon Karen Redmond. There are up to 30 people waiting for lung transplants in the Mater and the new development means up to half of them may now be suitable for the new procedure. It is hoped that more people will now carry donor cards and help people like Leigh. A woman who was involved in a physical encounter with another woman in the early hours of the morning on a Drogheda street has been placed on a Probation Bond for 12 months. Judge Flann Brennan warned Stacey Kennedy (26) to 'stay out of trouble' during the 12 month period. Kennedy, of Beechwood Drive in Drogheda pleaded guilty at Drogheda District Court to disorderly conduct on West Street on December 20th, 2014. Inspector Brendan Cadden gave evidence that at 3.15am, Kennedy was involved in a row with another woman. She refused to desist and was arrested. He said Kennedy has 11 previous convictions including a previous conviction for assault. Defence solicitor Paddy Goodwin said Kennedy has engaged well with the Probation Services. Sinn Fein in Drogheda will mark the Centenary of the 1916 rising with its Easter Commemoration to the Republican plot on the Marsh Rd this Sunday 27th March. The parade will assemble at 12 noon outside St.Peter's Church, West Street. Speaking in advance of the event newly elected TD for Louth Imelda Munster said, "As in past years we look forward to having The Lourdes Brass Band, The Drogheda Republican Colour Party and The Rising Phoenix Republican Flute band in attendance at the commemoration. 'In this the Centenary year of the 1916 Easter Rising some of those in attendance will be dressed in period attire and I would encourage anyone else who is coming along to do the same. 'The Centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Proclamation of the Irish Republic is a time of huge significance for the people of Ireland. 'This is a time for the commemoration of those who worked, fought and died for Irish freedom. It is a time for the celebration of the spirit of freedom and the progressive vision that motivated them. 'It is a time for renewed commitment to the values of the Proclamation: the sovereignty of the Irish people; the unity and independence of Ireland; equal rights and equal opportunities for all the people who share our island. 'I would encourage people to honour Ireland's patriot dead by wearing an Easter lily". St. Senan's Primary School has been busy of late with a variety of 1916 themed projects - from making a CD to a short film. The children who attend the school are becoming accustomed to photographers and camera crews, with two recent visits from RTE and Irish TV. Most recently, a crew from RTE's popular evening show Nationwide visited the school to speak with children who were drafting a Proclamation for a New Generation. The project, co-ordinated by teacher Adeline Foxe, saw children write a proclamation in the same way the 1916 leaders wrote their historical document. So impressed were the RTE with the student's work, they stayed for nearly three hours to hear the children's ideas and listened to their finalised proclamation. Similar projects are ongoing in schools across Ireland, to encourage young people to create a vision of Ireland for the next 100 years. St. Senan's Primary School featured on RTE's Nationwide last night. The latest round of 1916 centenary grants from Fingal County Council have been announced with seven groups across Fingal benefiting from the 2016 Commemorative Community Funding Scheme set up by the local authority to help our communities celebrate the centenary of the Easter Rising. Garristown Historical Society was awarded the sum of 1,000 under the grants scheme to fund the erection of two plaques marking local participation in the Rising and for a re-enactment of some of those events. Balbriggan and District Historical Society was awarded the sum of 640 under the scheme towards the staging of a one day seminar in May on the revolutionary events of 1916. CoolMINe Musical Society will be awarded 1,000 under the funding scheme which will go towards that groups staging of show that aims to showcase Dublin's musical heritage over the last 100 years. In Donabate, the Bleeding Pig Cultural Festival will be awarded 800 to provide guided visits to 1916 Rising sites in Fingal and commemoration events at former RIC stations that were targeted by the rebels in Donabate, Garristown, Kilsallaghan and Knocksedan. Blanachardstown Brass Band are also set to benefit from the fund to the tune of some 800. The money will go towards the new arrangements of two marches originally played by the 1916 version of the band. Staying in Blanchardstown, the local Foroige club will be awarded 1,000 from the council funds to stage an event aimed at remembering the children caught up in the Rising. Funding for all of these groups was formally approved by councillors at a meeting of Fingal County Council. This is just the latest round of funding in a much larger distribution of funds helping to commemorate the centenary across the county. One hundred years ago, the grandfather of Professor Anthony Staines was in the GPO doing his bit to found a new republic and a century later his grandson wants to make his own contribution to the State by running for election to the upper house of that republic's parliament. Professor Staines lectures in the School of Nursing in DCU and has lived in Skerries since 1998. He holds two PhDs and has worked as a doctor specialising first in children's medicine and then in public health and he is standing for election to the Seanad on the university panel as a graduate of Trinity College. He recently worked with an organisation drawn from all corners of civic society called 'Claiming Our Future' that presented a 'Proclamation for a New Ireland' to President Michael D Higgins. The group is planning a public reading of that document at the GPO, mirroring the events of one hundred years ago as the original 1916 Proclamation was read on the steps of that landmark building on Dublin's O'Connell Street. Inside the GPO in that revolutionary Easter Week was Anthony's grandfather, Michael Staines. The Seanad candidate explained: 'He (Michael) was in the IRB as a quartermaster, so he was responsible for bringing in the guns on the day. 'Fortunately he wasn't executed after the Rising otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation, but he was sent to Frongoch and served as quartermaster there. His day job was running a hardware wholesalers so he was good at stock and stock management. 'He was a quartermaster in the War of Independence too and gathered a lot of the munitions along with others.' The professor comes from a political family and is a member of Fine Gael but is running for the Seanad as an independent and says he will not take the party whip, if elected. His political training began at an early age. The Skerries man told the Fingal Independent: 'The first political thing I remember being involved in was in 1966. I was putting leaflets in envelopes for Tom Higgins and I was six. 'I didn't know what a president was or what an election was, I just knew I had to put these leaflets in the envelopes and I knew that Mr DeValera was a 'bad man' which perhaps was not a very considered judgement of his political career but I was only six. 'We are a Fine Gael family and we are an activist family. My mother was one of the people who set up the community council in Blanchardstown and she was involved in that for most of my childhood and adolescence. 'In my first jobs I was an active union member and when I went to college I got very involved in the Students' Union. When I got out I got involved in the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and later in the British Medical Association (BMA).' Public health is the area where Professor Staines has concentrated for the last twenty-five years and he hopes he can bring all of that knowledge and experience to bear on the issue in the Seanad. He explained: 'My specialty is public health and fundamentally, that is a political speciality. It is about how we design our lives and how we influence people to live their lives in different ways and what are the consequences of that. 'Most of my work is about sustaining healthy lives rather than studying disease and I've worked consistently at that for the last 25 years.' In that time, the professor has done a lot of work on public health issues around mental health, children's health and health issues affecting members of the travelling community and people with autism. So why has he taken the decision to run for election to the upper house? Professor Staines said: 'I'm running because I think I have something to offer to the work of the Seanad.' And chief among the benefits the Skerries man believes he can bring to the Seanad is his perspective on our healthcare system. He said: 'We have a health system that is very expensive but it's not great and it's not great despite the great efforts of a lot of people in it.' He added: 'We should have one of the best health systems in Europe for the money that is spent on it but right now, we don't. 'It is badly structured as a service and the way we pay for it puts in a lot of 'perverse incentives' where you give money to people to do things you don't want them to do and we have a lot of that kind of thing in the system. We incentivise people to go to outpatient services in hospital but we don't put the resources into General Practice. 'If you look at the number of staff in General Practice in Ireland, it is not very high. Our area has some of the oldest practicing GPs, on average, in the country so we are perhaps suffering more than in other places from GPs who just retire and it becomes very hard to replace them. 'The model of payment to our GPs is not very attractive for them to set up in business and we need to have a serious conversation about all of this and what we want our health service to look like and come to an agreement on that and I would like to be part of that conversation.' Professor Staines is particularly concerned about health issues affecting the very old and the very young. For the elderly, he believes there is a lack of options for how our citizens live out their later years and says they often find themselves stuck in 'nursing homes built in the middle of nowhere'. But it is in childhood and adolescent health care where Professor Staines has had a lot of experience and there he believes he can make a difference, working in Oireachtas committees and framing legislation and policy to tackle some of the health issues facing our youth. The Skerries man said: 'There is a lot we can do to improve the quality of life of children and young adults in Ireland and some of it is fairly achievable and wouldn't cost very much so we should be doing it.' In the teenage populations, the professor wants to tackle alcohol abuse and mental health issues. He said: 'We have a big problem with alcohol use in teenagers although it is actually improving. The alcohol intake of teenagers is actually falling which is great and very positive but it is still pretty high. 'It is both a cause of poor mental health and a consequence of poor mental health because if you are not feeling great then you often self-medicate with alcohol which of course, is counter-productive. I think we need to be much more overt in talking about mental health to kids from a much earlier age and that is achievable and it is not very expensive to do.' Childhood obesity is also something of grave concern to the Skerries doctor, who said: 'Physical exercise in schools is a shambles. We know there are rising levels of obesity and you see diabetes in teenagers now and when I was in training, you never saw type two diabetes in anyone under 25. But now, one of my colleagues runs a clinic with type two diabetes, so that is a huge shift.' The Skerries candidate for the Seanad has a difficult task ahead to get elected. There are 16 candidates in the field and three seats available on his panel with three sitting Senators seeking re-election. But the Skerries man remains hopeful about his chances and says he hopes he gets 'a serious vote because I am a serious candidate'. He added: 'I am doing this because I want to be a senator, not just because I want to draw attention to an issue but because I think there is a job of work to be done as a senator.' Following her strong showing in the General Election, Fianna Fail's Lorraine Clifford Lee has won a Seanad nomination from her party, the Fingal Independent can reveal. The Portmarnock-based candidate was informed late last week of her nomination, by the party's Seanad director of elections, Timmy Dooley. Fianna Fail had a hugely successful election in Dublin Fingal with Darragh O'Brien topping the poll and Clifford Lee coming in seventh place the five-seater constituency. The performance signalled a huge turnaround in fortunes for the party in the region after it lost two sitting TDs in the 2011 constituency. Clifford Lee was a new face to Fingal voters and her performance was all the more remarkable given it was her election debut in the constituency. That has been recognised by the party bosses who have handed her one of the few precious party nominations for a Seanad seat. Clifford Lee said she was honoured to receive the party nomination and explained: 'It is very hard to get an inside nomination from the party - they are very much sought after and not something I could have expected.' She said she believed she secured the nomination 'based on my very strong performance in the General Election' and added that along with Darragh O'Brien in the Dail, a Seanad seat would allow the party to build its profile further in this constituency and make a tilt at securing two seats in the next election. She said however, that when she went into the General Election, she did so with the aim of securing a seat in the Dail and the Seanad was not part of her plans. It is understood however, that Clifford Lee's nomination for a Seanad place was signalled by party bosses soon after her strong showing in the General Election. Clifford Lee will run on the Cultural and Educational Panel and while there are other Fianna Fail candidates running on that panel, most have been nominated by organisations outside the party and Clifford Lee hopes that her party's seal of approval will help her bid. The party nominates just nine candidates across the five panels and as often is the case in an Irish election, Lorraine Clifford Lee's main opponents will be her party colleagues running on the same panel. The electorate is the outgoing Seanad members and the new members of the Dail as well as county councillors around the country, which means Clifford Lee will be travelling the length and breadth of the nations over the next few weeks to press the flesh with her electorate in a bid to secure a seat in the Seanad. Clifford Lee believes in the Seanad as an institution and said that a 'lot of good legislation starts there' and it is in the formation of new legislation that she hopes to play a part. Similar to her election platform for the Dail, the Portmarnock candidate said she wants to be 'a voice for young families and to highlight the issues they are facing on the national stage'. She bring expertise in family law and employment law to the table too and hopes to work on issues around employment rights and tackle the growing problems of 'zero hour contracts and falling standards of employment'. Fianna Fail has about 270 local authority members around the country and Clifford Lee will be travelling all around the country and working the phones in a bid to speak to all of them before polling closes in the postal election on April 25. She is already well known in the party as a member of the famous 'Committee of 15' and is well known in the south east and across Munster as a native of Waterford. The Fingal Old IRA will be holding their 2016 Centenary Commemoration ceremony on Easter Sunday. This year the ceremony takes place at St. Patrick's Church in Donabate at 11am followed by a parade to the old cemetery. One of the highlight events of the Fingal 2016 Centenary Programme, this ceremony will commemorate the Fingallians who took part in the 1916 Rising and, in particular, the Battle of Ashbourne. There were 60 men assembled on Easter Monday. Twenty of these men were sent into the city on the request of Patrick Pearse to fight at the Mendicity Institution and the GPO, where Peter Wilson lost his life. The rest were split into four groups, led by Richard Mulcahy and Thomas Ashe, who was a teacher in Corduff, Lusk. These groups adopted mobile hit and run tactics, an innovated and successful approach that was subsequently widely adopted during the war of independent by Michael Collins. The Battle of Ashbourne involved men and women from the Fifth Battalion (the Fingal Brigade) and was one of the only military successes of the Easter Rising. Led by Thomas Ashe, the Fifth Battalion fought their way through Fingal culminating in an attack on the barracks in Ashbourne. After the barracks had surrendered, a large force of seventy RIC men arrived to reinforce the barracks and a battle ensued. Following four hours of fighting, the volunteers were successful, despite being totally outnumbered. Eight RIC men, two IRA members and two civilians lost their lives. On Easter Sunday, Fr. Pat Hannion will celebrate the commemoration in Irish in St. Patrick's Church Donabate. The Black Raven Pipe Band will then lead a parade from the Beaverstown Road to the Old Cemetery at 12 o'clock. After the parade there will be a number of family activities outside Donabate Parish Hall including a reading of the proclamation, a performance of the Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen and the rising of the Irish flag. The general public are then invited to enjoy refreshments in the Parish Hall, where the Bleeding Pig Arts and Cultural Festival will launch their exhibition and the Donabate/Portrane Dramatic Society will perform. Noel McAllister, Chairman of Fingal Old IRA, said: 'The part that Fingal played in the fight for Irish freedom is a unique story that needs to be told. This annual commemoration by the Fingal Old IRA honours the legacy of the Fifth Battalion and secures its place in the memory of future generations. In this particularly significant year, we call on families throughout Fingal to join us in commemorating the rich legacy of Fingal and the birth of the Irish State.' For further information on the full Fingal 2016 Centenary Programme visit www.fingal.ie . A young man who was part of a group of youths who were openly drinking from bottles of wine outside Swords Garda Station became abusive towards gardai after he took exception when they were all asked to leave the area. Sean O'Donoghue refused to put his bottle of wine in the bin and told gardai to 'f**k off pr**ks' and called them 'w**kers' and 'terrorists' before he was arrested. Sergeant Bob Kavanagh told Swords District Court that at 2.50am the group of youths were drinking from wine bottles and were directed to leave the area by Garda Stephen Harte in an orderly manner. 'The defendant took exception to being told to leave and as the rest left the scene, he didn't,' said Sgt Kavanagh. 'He became highly abusive towards gardai calling them terrorists and w**kers,' said Sgt Kavanagh. O'Donoghue (21) of Cedar Park, Ridgewood in Swords pleaded guilty to being intoxicated, using threatening and abusive behaviour and failing to comply with garda direction on January 21st at Dublin Road in Swords. Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said the 21-year-old McDonald's worker doesn't remember the incident. 'He doesn't usually drink wine and behaved in an appalling way,' said Ms D'Arcy. 'He apologises for the way he spoke to gardai and he can't believe he behaved in this fashion,' she said, adding that O'Donoghue is hoping to to go the UK to study physiotherapy. She said O'Donoghue can give Garda Harte a written apology. However, Judge Victor Blake ordered the defendant to give an apology in court. 'I am sorry and it won't happen again. I promise I won't behave in this way again and I haven't drank since the incident. I intend to stay off it as drink is not for me,' said O'Donoghue. Convicting and fining O'Donoghue a total of 450 for the public order offences, he also handed him a two month suspended sentence for failing to appear before the court on a previous date. He suspended the sentence for 12 months and ordered O'Donoghue to be of good behaviour, not to come to garda attention, to remain sober in public places and to abstain from alcohol. 'It's for your own good,' said Judge Blake, 'You seem to have a bright future ahead of you.' The Dublin Airport Central Masterplan as the document is now called will serve as a design framework for the future development of one of the most important and high profile sites at Dublin Airport, opposite T2 and alongside that terminal's multi-storey car park facilities. Explaining the genesis of the plan, Fingal County Council said that at the time when it was decided to prepare the document comparative studies with other similarly sized airports internationally, indicated that Dublin Airport was 'under-performing'. The draft masterplan states: 'The nature and scale of development envisaged for the Masterplan lands is not intended to compete with other local or regional employment or business locations, but with alternative international locations that would be considered by companies that look to airport locations and proximities as being key factors in their location selection process.' The plan commits to no specific timeframe for the delivery of this ambitious development but commits to 'gradual and logical' implementation of the masterplan. In developing the plan, four key guiding principles were kept in mind. According to the masterplan, these guiding principles included 'principles relating to urban design and quality space making; movement and circulation; economic conditions; and environmental and building sustainability'. The draft masterplan explained: 'In combination, the principles guiding the development framework ensure the creation of an extremely well connected, unique business destination that is of a high quality design, construction and finish, that will offer a range of high value office accommodation competing with other international locations and supplementing the employment and enterprise opportunities in Fingal.' The masterplan envisages major global tenants at this future office development and says the site is 'most suitable for corporate-type headquarters'. Euthanasias are part of my routine workload as a vet, but this one was particularly difficult. Milly the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was a seriously ill nine year old dog, and her twelve year old owner, Amy, was distraught. I'd explained that Milly was suffering from heart disease caused by a leaky valve, and that although drugs had helped her enjoy an extra two years of good quality life, they weren't working any more. Milly was coughing almost continuously, and was struggling to catch her breath. If we didn't help her to die peacefully, she'd suffer immensely, and she'd pass away anyway. There was nothing more that could be done to help her. "But WHY does she have heart disease?", Amy wailed. I glanced at Amy's mother as I said "It's just something that happens". As I spoke, I could feel my nostrils flaring. This is an innate part of my unconscious body language that I can't control. My wife tells me that my nostrils always flare when I am not telling the full truth, even when the "untruth" is something as harmless as a practical joke. I knew that it was not entirely accurate to tell Amy that Milly's heart disease "just happened", and my subconsciousness was not letting me get away with it. The truth was that, like many illnesses in pedigree dogs, heart valve disease in Cavaliers is a result of human inaction. Pedigree dog breeds are a human invention. If left to breed on their own, all dogs would be cross breds, probably resembling fox-type wild dogs, or the type of collie-cross street dog that's commonly seen in Asia. Instead, humans have stepped in over the centuries, carefully choosing which dogs are allowed to breed together. By choosing dogs with particular appearances, the various separate types of dog breeds have been created. The variety is immense: from Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to Great Danes to Chihuahuas. The human impact on the shape, size and appearance has been remarkable. However there is a serious problem with deliberately selecting a narrow number of dogs for breeding (i.e. only the ones with the particular type of appearance that's sought). Just as the desirable visible characteristics are selected, so are some undesirable but invisible faults. In the Cavalier breed, one of these "faults" is an increased tendency for the heart valves to age prematurely. Heart valves are like fine, flexible rubber sheets inside the heart chambers that close and open as the heart beats. They let blood flow through in one direction, and prevent blood from flowing back in the other direction. As the body ages, it's normal for heart valves to gradually degenerate, becoming less elastic and less flexible, just like other tissues in the body (skin is the most obvious example). As heart valves change in this way, they stop creating a tight seal, allowing blood to leak through the gap. This leak creates a hissing noise that can be heard with a stethoscope: it's called a "heart murmur". In most dogs, heart murmurs are rarely seen, and even very elderly dogs often have healthy hearts. In Cavaliers, however, the heart valves start to degenerate when dogs are young: 50% have a heart murmur by the age of five, and 90% have heart valve disease by the age of ten. It's almost "normal" for Cavaliers to develop heart failure in middle age, and it's common for dogs to die of heart disease before they reach ten years of age, like Millie. In Denmark, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breeding fraternity has taken this disease seriously. For a number of years, it has been compulsory to have Cavaliers' hearts checked by a cardiologist before using them for breeding. Dogs that have not been tested cannot be used for breeding. Dogs that discovered through testing to have heart murmurs cannot be used for breeding. So only dogs with healthy hearts are allowed to produce puppies. The results have been remarkable, with a 70% reduction in the rate of heart failure in the breed. In the UK and Ireland, there has been much talk about the need to take some action, but other than the efforts of a few individuals to improve their own breeding stock, nothing official has happened. The UK Kennel Club has been saying for eight years that a scheme will be set up, but so far, no scheme is in place. As a measure of the strong feeling amongst pet owners who feel aggrieved by the situation, a recent online petition asking the Kennel Club to take action has gathered over 25000 signatures. People who have owned Cavaliers that have developed heart failure feel incensed that more has not been done. The Kennel Club has responded by explaining that they are currently discussing the protocol for heart testing which exists in Denmark in the hope that this will further the development of an agreed scheme in the UK. And in due course, the hope would be that a similar scheme will start in Ireland. Meanwhile, when Amy asked me why Millie had heart disease, I really should have said "because the people who organise the breeding of puppies of her breed haven't done enough to make sure that dogs like Millie have healthy hearts". And I would have been able to say that without flaring my nostrils. A team from St Mary's CBS in Enniscorthy came third in last week's Griffith College annual Business Enterprise Competition. Featuring 12 finalists and over 300 students, the competition promotes entrepreneurship with students from transition, 5th and 6th year developing a business idea and then using their social media skills to market it. Fenu Health, created by Annie and Kate Madden from Loreto College, St. Stephen's Green, won first prize and the Griffith College Business Enterprise Competition Perpetual Trophy. Their winning idea promoted a range of supplements to treat and prevent gastric ulcers in horses. It's a growing business, with top Irish horse trainers expressing interest in the product, including Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot. Paddy the Plasterer, Cheltenham winning racehorse, is their brand ambassador. Learn to Drive, created by Darragh McGee, Eoin Lennon, Conor Fagan and Cian Hanlon in St. David's Holy Faith Secondary School in Greystones, came in second place. Learn to Drive is a pocket-sized board game with the rules of the road aimed at those taking their driving theory test. Sliotar Clocks, created by Dean Doyle and Diarmuid Doyle in St. Mary's CBS Enniscorthy, came in third place. Sliotar Clocks are customised sliotar shaped clocks in club and county colours with a 100 per cent Irish Ash wood base. The Business Enterprise Competition was judged by two lecturers from the Business Faculty and the Marketing Supervisor for the college. A group long celebrating the life and work of Roger Casement are getting ready for even bigger commemorations in the centenary of his Banna capture and execution. Tionol Mhic Easmainn - The Casement Gathering - has brought leading academics in Casement studies together in Tralee over many years, imparting the public with a deep sense of the man and mission in the process. As ever, the North Kerry terrain on which Casement met his Waterloo will form the focus of one of the main parts of the Gathering in its centenary celebrations. A guided walk will take place from the Banna Strand Car Park to the Casement Memorial and on to McKennas' Fort (now appropriately called Casement Fort) on Good Friday next, March 25, beginning at 11am. The walk will be led by the Tionol Chairman, Sean Seosamh O Conchubhair, and the journey, entitled 'Casement's Last Walk as a Free Man', will trace the steps of the 1916 patriot. At 7.30pm on Easter Monday, 28th March, the The Gathering's second session will be officially opened at Meadowlands Hotel by Helen O'Carroll, Curator of Kerry County Museum, and two researchers, Dr Tim Horgan and Brian O'Daly, will speak on '1916 - Forgotten Heroes' and 'The Wireless Way in 1916'. The Tionol continues with Uachtaran Naisiunta of Chonradh na Gaeilge Coilin O Cearbhaill delivering an oration at Casement's Fort three weeks later - at 3pm on Thursday April 21 - coinciding with the actual date of Casement's ill-fated Banna landing. Training teachers and students in Uganda is the next big mission for a Kerry educator who's fairly a veteran of overseas charity work at just age 29. Causeway native Maria Casey is heading back to Uganda this Sunday, March 20, where she will volunteer with VSO Ireland, the international development organisation that 'fights poverty through volunteers'. This time, Maria is going to the region of Karamoja in the African country where she's going to draw on her experience in Irish education to help train other teachers as well preparing students for school practice. Maria has previously volunteered as a primary teacher trainer for student teachers in Cambodia, Rwanda, Uganda and India. "I can't wait to begin my placement in Uganda," Maria told The Kerryman. "I'm really looking forward to working with the local primary school teachers and principals. I hope to make a positive difference in the lives of the teachers and children I reach. I always wanted to work with 'the poorest of the poor' and the community I'll be based in definitely has a need for improved education," Maria added. Now, Maria is looking at the overseas work long term: "Volunteering with VSO is a great way to network and meet like-minded people so there is a big chance that other avenues will open up professionally," she said. Maria will be joined in Karamoja by Padraic McKeon, a retired primary principal teacher from Co Mayo, who is also volunteering as a teacher educator. This will be Padraic's third volunteer placement with VSO Ireland and he is looking forward to helping improve the lives of people living in poverty in Uganda, which is currently ranked 163 out of 183 countries on the UN Human Development Index. "The education system in Uganda needs increased investment in producing better qualified teachers. I hope to help achieve this by working with student teachers and head teachers in the teacher-training college to improve the quality of education in the area," Padraic said. "I have previously volunteered with VSO Ireland in South Sudan and Myanmar and have derived tremendous satisfaction from these placements, trying to use my experience to help people who have so little," he said. Megan Munsell, Executive Director of VSO Ireland, said: "We are delighted that Maria and Padraic are about to begin their volunteer placements in Karamoja. Uganda is a very important programme country for VSO Ireland and, thanks to Irish Aid funding, our volunteers are playing a vital role in improving the quality of primary education that is available to people who are living in poverty." VSO Ireland is currently looking for experienced education professionals, including people who have recently retired, to volunteer as teacher educators in Uganda for three-month placements from July-September 2016. For further details please visit www.vso.ie or Tel: 01-6401060. All the pieces of the Rosalie Rice story were finally brought together as a whole in a remarkable 1916 celebration in the great lady's home town of Kenmare on Friday. Rosalie - the Cumann na mBan member who telegraphed the US of the Rising through her Valentia Island cable station cousins Eugene and Tim Ring - is one of the key Kerry figures of 1916. It's a distinction Kenmare is deeply proud of, seen in the big turnout for the special celebration on Friday. Excitement was even more keen given the presence of Rosalie's son Denis Barrett at the event, who travelled from his home in Cork to join with all for the night. Historian Maurice O'Keeffe - of the Irish Life and Lore Collection - was responsible for much of the exhibition on Rosalie's life that has been running at the Carnegie these past few weeks. On Friday he outlined the whole story, playing a recording of an interview with Denis Barrett on his mother's life and times conducted in recent years. "Not many people know that Rosalie Rice was the only woman to have been awarded the Cumann na mBan badge in Kerry for their activities in 1916, which is quite a distinction," Maurice told The Kerryman. Maurice also recalled her own mother, Ellie Rice, another formidable lady staunchly supportive of Irish independence long before it became widely sought. The Post Office from which Rosalie sent the telegraph is still remembered in a little plaque on the wall of Quill's Woolen Mills, where the PO was. Britain's Ambassador to Ireland Dominick Chilcott will be in attendance at the launch of Maurice and Jane O'Keeffe's publication The Field Hospital at Merrion Square and the Defence of Trinity College in Dun Laoghaire's Lexicon on Thursday at 2.30pm One of the county's most important addiction-counselling centres is calling on the help of the region's cyclists as it prepares to expand to help even more. Castleisland's Talbot Grove was selected as one of the beneficiaries of this year's Ring of Kerry Cycle - Ireland's biggest charity fundraising event on two wheels that sees thousands of cyclists from all over the country battling the Ring one day each year. The event has raised millions of euros for numerous vital charities since its inception many years ago. Now, Talbot Grove is counting on it to help raise funds towards a major new expansion it is planning in its East Kerry home. Staff at the centre, which helps people battling with everything from alcoholism to drug addiction, compulsive gambling, eating disorders and other behavioural problems, are calling on all cyclists taking on the Ring to consider doing so in aid of its work. The money will go towards a new centre on its Castleisland grounds it has already secured planning for. "Cyclists who register directly with Talbot Grove will see all their contribution go directly to fund this new building project. As we have places still available please contact us on 066 7141511 or info@talbotgrove.ie to register for the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. Places are limited so contact us immediately." A north Kerry community is up in arms over a threat to the post office locals say is vital to their lives. An Post bosses have warned the people of Kilmoyley that the post office at Lerrig Cross could be closed for good. "An Post is considering the future post office service provision at Kilmoyley, which could include the permanent closure of the office," was the grim warning given customers this week. Locals mounted a protest outside the premises on Monday in response. The threat comes as local couple John and Martina O'Sullivan take over Lerrig Stores - in which the post office is located - from retiring owner and postmistress Avita O'Halloran. Rather than transfer the licence to the new owners, An Post is initiating a public consultation period which they say could result in its permanent closure, however. But An Post told The Kerryman this week it is issues such warnings as 'standard practice' of the process. "It's a kick in the teeth when we're trying to set up the new business which will entail considerable investment in the existing store," John O'Sullivan told The Kerryman this week. It's a scary prospect for the O'Sullivans who say the service is a key part of their business plan: "It would be a shame if An Post decided not to keep the post office open as there's great potential to modernise and expand it," Mr O'Sullivan said. For the many customers who access it on foot and by tractor the closure would be a huge inconvenience, forcing them to travel to Ardfert or further for a range of vital services, from drawing down pension payments to AIB transactions, paying TV and dog licences and accessing An Post's growing insurance and mobile phone services. Fianna Fail TD John Brassil can't understand why An Post isn't simply transferring the licence. "This is the first real test now to see if anyone is listening to rural Ireland on postal services," he said. An Post insists it will listen to what locals have to say on the matter, however. "The statement is a standard part of our procedure in this process," An Post Public Affairs Manager Angus Laverty told The Kerryman. "We will factor in expressions of interest into the deliberations." The deadline for submissions is on Tuesday, March 29, next however. This means locals will have to post submissions by Thursday. Michael Healy Rae has been released from hospital and is recovering at his Kilgarvan home after he was attacked by a cow at the weekend. On Sunday evening - having returned from Dublin where he had appeared on RTE's Week in Politics - the Independent TD went to feed cattle on a farm. One cow, which had just calved, suddenly became violent. Deputy Healy Rae was pinned against the bars of the cow shed and then trampled on by the angry animal. Thankfully Deputy Healy Rae's son Kevin was nearby and he and another man, John Joe O'Reilly, ran to his aid. The 49-year-old politician was rushed to Cork University Hospital where he was treated for several fractured ribs and cuts and bruises to his face and upper body. He was kept in hospital until Tuesday for tests and observation. On his return home Mr Healy Rae said he had a lucky escape and warned others to be careful when dealing with livestock. "This was a cow that had just calved. She was always very quiet. But to show the way things can happen, she just caught me unawares. She caught me up against the bars and gave me a good going over," he said. "The truth of it was that I let it happen by just not being on the ball. I'm sore all over but I know I was very, very lucky. Only for the two of them being there to pull me away I wouldn't he here to talk about it today," he said. The TD thanked staff at CUH and everyone who had sent messages of support adding that he is now eager to get back to work. The Emergency Department at University Hospital could see a new cohort of nurses hired in the near future following an agreement between the HSE and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Last Wednesday an deal was reached between the HSE and the union at the Workplace Relations Commission during talks aimed at addressing the current overcrowding crisis in Emergency Departments. In late 2015 a "zero tolerance" policy was introduced to prevent patients waiting more than nine hours to be seen. The first review of the Emergency Department agreement - in which that policy was introduced - took place last Wednesday. At the review the HSE and Department of Health affirmed their commitment to implement all strands of the agreement. As part of the agreement the HSE have stated that all nursing posts which are vacant - and other posts required to deal with admitted patients - either in Emergency Departments or on wards, will be advertised and filled as a matter of urgency. To move the hiring programme forward as quickly as possible a task force will also be established to handle staffing in Emergency Departments. Senior management and clinicians at hospitals will also meet with INMO members from Emergency Departments to monitor the operation of individual Emergency Departments. Kerry MEP Sean Kelly says that the people of Brussels are shaken but determined not to give into terror. The Ireland South MEP was in the European Parliament complex in Brussels when ISIS terrorists set off a series of lethal explosions on Tuesday morning. Mr Kelly - whose office is in a building directly above the Maelbeek Metro Station where 20 people lost their lives - said the people of Brussels were shocked and scared but that they remain determined in the face of terror. "There's great shock and uncertainty around Brussels today but there is also a determination to carry on. If we don't, we let the terrorists win and that can't happen," Mr Kelly said. "There is a sombre mood all over the city. Everyone is very concerned and very sad," he said. He said heightened security since the Paris terror attacks last November had most likely prevented a direct attack on the European Parliament itself. Mr Kelly spent the hours after the attacks making contact with Irish citizens - including several from Kerry - to ensure they were safe. Meanwhile Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada who was due to host 120 Irish visitors - including 30 from the Ireland South constituency - at the parliament on Tuesday morning said all members of the group were safe and well. She condemned the attacks which she said had shocked the world. Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune described the attacks as the "desperate acts of fanatical extremists" and said that Europe must stand united against terror. Two tower cranes are helping in the construction of the village backdrop West Kerry is set to get a new village. With filming of the next Star Wars movie due to start at Ceann Sibeal late next month the crew of the science fiction film have this week started building an extensive set on the picturesque headland. Ceann Sibeal doubles for Skellig Michael where filming took place last September and a mock village - which it is understood will look similar to the famed monastic settlement on the island - is being built on the site. The film-crew have already built a lengthy temporary metal road on the headland to access the set. This week two tower cranes were brought to the site to aid in the construction of the village backdrop. As well as Ceann Sibeal and Skellig Michael - which provided the setting for the closing scenes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens - the filmmakers are also due to film for a few days at Malin Head in Donegal. The Irish shot scenes are expected to play a prominent role in the film which will be released in December 2017. Filming in west Kerry is expected to start in late April and last until mid May with Mark Hamil and Daisy Ridley the main actors involved in the shoot. Euthanasias are part of my routine workload as a vet, but this one was particularly difficult. Milly the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was a seriously ill nine year old dog, and her twelve year old owner, Amy, was distraught. I'd explained that Milly was suffering from heart disease caused by a leaky valve, and that although drugs had helped her enjoy an extra two years of good quality life, they weren't working any more. Milly was coughing almost continuously, and was struggling to catch her breath. If we didn't help her to die peacefully, she'd suffer immensely, and she'd pass away anyway. There was nothing more that could be done to help her. "But WHY does she have heart disease?", Amy wailed. I glanced at Amy's mother as I said "It's just something that happens". As I spoke, I could feel my nostrils flaring. This is an innate part of my unconscious body language that I can't control. My wife tells me that my nostrils always flare when I am not telling the full truth, even when the "untruth" is something as harmless as a practical joke. I knew that it was not entirely accurate to tell Amy that Milly's heart disease "just happened", and my subconsciousness was not letting me get away with it. The truth was that, like many illnesses in pedigree dogs, heart valve disease in Cavaliers is a result of human inaction. Pedigree dog breeds are a human invention. If left to breed on their own, all dogs would be cross breds, probably resembling fox-type wild dogs, or the type of collie-cross street dog that's commonly seen in Asia. Instead, humans have stepped in over the centuries, carefully choosing which dogs are allowed to breed together. By choosing dogs with particular appearances, the various separate types of dog breeds have been created. The variety is immense: from Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to Great Danes to Chihuahuas. The human impact on the shape, size and appearance has been remarkable. However there is a serious problem with deliberately selecting a narrow number of dogs for breeding (i.e. only the ones with the particular type of appearance that's sought). Just as the desirable visible characteristics are selected, so are some undesirable but invisible faults. In the Cavalier breed, one of these "faults" is an increased tendency for the heart valves to age prematurely. Heart valves are like fine, flexible rubber sheets inside the heart chambers that close and open as the heart beats. They let blood flow through in one direction, and prevent blood from flowing back in the other direction. As the body ages, it's normal for heart valves to gradually degenerate, becoming less elastic and less flexible, just like other tissues in the body (skin is the most obvious example). As heart valves change in this way, they stop creating a tight seal, allowing blood to leak through the gap. This leak creates a hissing noise that can be heard with a stethoscope: it's called a "heart murmur". In most dogs, heart murmurs are rarely seen, and even very elderly dogs often have healthy hearts. In Cavaliers, however, the heart valves start to degenerate when dogs are young: 50% have a heart murmur by the age of five, and 90% have heart valve disease by the age of ten. It's almost "normal" for Cavaliers to develop heart failure in middle age, and it's common for dogs to die of heart disease before they reach ten years of age, like Millie. In Denmark, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breeding fraternity has taken this disease seriously. For a number of years, it has been compulsory to have Cavaliers' hearts checked by a cardiologist before using them for breeding. Dogs that have not been tested cannot be used for breeding. Dogs that discovered through testing to have heart murmurs cannot be used for breeding. So only dogs with healthy hearts are allowed to produce puppies. The results have been remarkable, with a 70% reduction in the rate of heart failure in the breed. In the UK and Ireland, there has been much talk about the need to take some action, but other than the efforts of a few individuals to improve their own breeding stock, nothing official has happened. The UK Kennel Club has been saying for eight years that a scheme will be set up, but so far, no scheme is in place. As a measure of the strong feeling amongst pet owners who feel aggrieved by the situation, a recent online petition asking the Kennel Club to take action has gathered over 25000 signatures. People who have owned Cavaliers that have developed heart failure feel incensed that more has not been done. The Kennel Club has responded by explaining that they are currently discussing the protocol for heart testing which exists in Denmark in the hope that this will further the development of an agreed scheme in the UK. And in due course, the hope would be that a similar scheme will start in Ireland. Meanwhile, when Amy asked me why Millie had heart disease, I really should have said "because the people who organise the breeding of puppies of her breed haven't done enough to make sure that dogs like Millie have healthy hearts". And I would have been able to say that without flaring my nostrils. The third annual Flowers for Magdalene's memorial ceremony took place in St. Stephen's Cemetery, New Ross, recently drawing people from across the region. A large crowd gathered despite the inclement weather conditions to lay flowers in homage to women who died behind the walls of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry. With the demolition of St Aidan's Industrial school, which formed part of the Good Shepherd campus in New Ross, in December 2015, the communal grave in St Stephen's cemetery offers the only visual reminder of the Magdalene legacy in New Ross. It is estimated that at least 1,663 former Magdalene women are buried in cemeteries across Ireland, many of them in unmarked graves. The memorial marked International Women's Day and was held in unison with commemorations at other Magdalene locations throughout the country. This year a flag designed by Nancy Rochford-Flynn for the commemoration was raised by laundry survivor Maureen Sullivan, to place Ireland's once anonymous daughters within their rightful position in society. Colourful bunting made by members of the Southend Women Social History group, Wexford town, brightened up the graveside. These ladies were also in attendance on the day. Readers included Martina Kavanagh, Kathleen Buggy, Jenny Murphy O' Neill and Niamh Walsh. 6-year-old Meadhbh Flynn placed a flower on the grave for each of the 62 women buried. Flowers made by the children from New Ross Educate Together National School were placed on the grave offering another welcome element to this inter-generational gathering. The ceremony ended with a musical composition entitled 'The Emasculated Magdalene's Innocence', penned and performed by local musician Michael Fottrell especially for this third anniversary remembrance ceremony. Ms Rochford-Flynn is an interdisciplinary artist and a community art activist. She is a supporter of JFMR Advocacy group, and has paid homage to women who suffered incarceration in Ireland's Magdalene Laundries through her work. Ms Rochford-Flynn has worked with the Waterford Memories project as a research assistant and is completing an M.A. by Research in Limerick Institute of Technology in SMART Age Research exploring Emotional Resilience. She said: 'A special word of gratitude to local businesses that very generously sponsored the event,' and she thanked Corcoran's public house for the generous hospitality shown. Wexford has been getting a good plug during a visit to the US city of Savannah by a Minister Paul Kehoe. Minister Kehoe's visit took place alongside that by a county council delegation, comprising the vice chairperson Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan, chairman of the Economic SPC, Cllr Michael Sheehan, chief executive Tom Enright, and Tony Larkin, Director of Services for Economic Development, to promote the county as a place to invest in with a great quality of life. Meetings with business and tourism interests have been scheduled in Atlanta and Savannah and the delegation will concentrate on developing economic and tourism links to fit in with the economic development of the four county towns. It is also hoped to attract business and tourisms interests in Atlanta and Savannah. The Savannahnow.com web daily newspaper carried an article of the Minister's visit saying that 'Savannah's ancestral ties to Ireland run strong and deep - something Paul Kehoe knows well. 'As a member of the Irish Parliament representing Wexford County, Kehoe is especially aware of the large numbers of people from his community who left Ireland well over a century ago in search of a new life here. 'Indeed, the names are as familiar to Savannahians as they are in Ireland - Kehoe, Rossiter, Corish, Stafford, Ryan, Fitzgerald, O'Keefe and O'Neill, to name a few.' The paper says Kehoe began to recognise the depth of the Savannah-Wexford connection when he visited Savannah for the first time on St. Patrick's Day last year and learned more about the work of Georgia Southern University professor Howard Keeley and the Wexford-Savannah Axis, an innovative research and heritage-outreach project that chronicles the historic links between the two regions. 'The project joins GSU and the Savannah-based Georgia Historical Society with Waterford Institute of Technology, the foremost university in southeastern Ireland and the John F. Kennedy Trust, a heritage foundation that operates in the historic County Wexford port of New Ross. 'Although the young project is less than three years old, it already has uncovered a number of surprises, not the least of which are the business connections that go back centuries. 'For example, in the archives of the long-defunct Irish shipping company, William Graves and Sons, Keeley and his students discovered a letter addressed to the company owner, detailing "the advantages of sailing into Savannah" from none other than Savannah's leading 19th-century cotton factor, Andrew Lowe.' Kehoe, it says, is determined to refresh and grow those business connections. He was so impressed with what he learned on his first visit that Kehoe has returned this year 'with a delegation from the Wexford County Council in tow'. 'I wanted them to experience the energy, beauty and potential opportunities of Savannah for themselves,' he told Savannah.now. Savannah, too, has demonstrated its commitment to intensifying cooperation with Ireland and County Wexford. The World Trade Center Savannah recently added Ireland to its list of target countries for economic cooperation - just the sixth such country so designated. There are already at least 78 Irish facilities operating in Georgia, employing more than 6,600 Georgians, according to Shane Stephens, Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta. 'Ireland has recovered well from the recent global financial crisis,' he said, adding that his country's economy is growing at an enviable rate of 7.8 percent. Kehoe listed his country's operation in Savannah as including an APAC-Southeast facility, part of Oldcastle's 40,000 strong operation in North America, and a Kerry Group operation. 'And I will be recommending more Irish firms to consider locating here,' he said. Kehoe also wants to encourage Savannah corporations to consider doing business in Ireland. 'We have a strong pool of highly skilled, multilingual workers in the only English-speaking country within the Eurozone, providing barrier-free access to an EU market of over 500 million consumers,' he said. The basic message is that if Savannah wants to trade with the Eurozone, it should channel its ambitions through County Wexford. During the visit, Mayor Eddie DeLoach presented the delegation with a key to the city. The village and wider community of Aughrim lost a dear friend with the death of Kevin (Jack) McManus this week. Kevin, of Nursery Way, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 19 following a long illness. He was 83 years of age. Kevin was well known in media circles for his successful career spent with the Irish Times as a photographer where he worked until his retirement at the age of 65. Kevin was an active and well respected member of the Aughrim community. He was heavily involved with Tidy Towns for many years and it was joked that he and Chairman Bernard Keating took the 'good cop, bad cop' approach when showing the judges around. He knew every inch of Aughrim and had great pride in the community. If anyone wanted to contact Kevin, all they had to do was head to the Pavilion, where the message would be relayed. His passing was met with great sadness from the village. Fellow photographer and friend Miley Carroll described Kevin as 'a great friend and splendid photographer who will be dearly missed'. Kevin is survived by his wife Sue, children Ashley, Kevin and Lynn, daughter-in-law Karen, grand-daughter Alexandra, brother, Michael, sister Una, pre-deceased by sister Pat, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and a large circle of friends. Kevin was laid to rest at Macreddin Cemetery yesterday, Tuesday. Of the two million dogs kept as pets in Ireland, only 180,000 are licensed, resulting in a revenue loss of over 36 million. These were just some of the startling figures revealed at a presentation on the impact dog attacks have on sheep made by the Wicklow Cheviot Sheep Owners Association to the elected members of Wicklow County Council. In 2013, 4,000 sheep were killed nationwide as the result of attacks from dogs. In Wicklow alone, some 800 sheep are either killed or have to be destroyed because of such attacks, at an average loss of 2,000 to each farm. Jim Fitzsimons outlined the extent of the attacks to the council. In February, one Roundwood farmer lost 50 per cent of his flock, while last week 30 sheep were killed on a farm located in Rathvilly, right on the west Wicklow-Kildare boarder. In most cases, farmers fail to report the attacks to the gardai. 'A lot of farmers think, and probably quite rightly, why call the gardai, what can they do?,' said Mr Fitzsimons. 'We would encourage all farmers to immediately report any attacks. They should get a log made of it and make sure the statistics are there for people to see.' In six years, Wicklow County Council has received 244 dog-related complaints but only five were in relation to dogs worrying sheep. While the vast majority of dog attacks are carried out by animals living nearby, hill-walkers who also bring their pets along with them when venturing in the upland areas are also proving problematic. Pat Dunne said some hill-walkers were causing a 'huge problem, which is only getting worse.' 'I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet but I don't believe there is anyone in Ireland who has done more to foster good relations between walkers and upland farmers. A few years ago there was the potential that a large part of Wicklow would have been closed off. We agreed access routes, the first in Ireland. It seems an awful lot of walkers want to bring their dogs with them and ignore farmers asking them to keep their pets on the lead.' He estimated that dog worrying is causing the death of between 15 to 20 sheep a year on the hills. 'There is over 200,000 hectares of Coillte land in Wicklow. They have an open forest policy and surely people can bring their dogs there once they are under suitable control.' A leaflet campaign is under way, as is an educational programme which will soon be rolled out to Wicklow schools. The Court of Appeal last week quashed the convictions of two former Anglo Irish Bank executives jailed for furnishing false information to the Revenue Commissioners and conspiring to delete bank accounts. Tiarnan O'Mahoney (56) of Glen Pines, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, and Bernard Daly (67), of Collins Avenue, Whitehall, Dublin, had denied knowingly furnishing false information and conspiring to defraud the Revenue as well as conspiring to have accounts deleted from the bank's internal system. Having been found guilty by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Patrick McCartan jailed O'Mahoney for three years and Daly for two years on July 31, 2015. The Court of Appeal quashed the former executives' convictions last Tuesday, March 15, on a number of grounds. Giving judgment, Mr Justice George Birmingham said they 'should not have had to stand trial' on the charge of furnishing false information because the proceedings were not commenced within the ten year time limit. The decision to reformulate the charges after they were formally charged was made because the prosecution discovered that there would be a complete defence to the charge that had been presented originally, the judge said. Beacuse of the reformulation, the proceedings for which Mr Daly and Mr O'Mahoney stood trial were not commenced within the ten year limit, the judge said. In addition, the charges originally proferred alleged that as officers of the company they consented to the commission of the offence but the offences on which they stood trial saw them charged as principles, the judge said. They also successfully contended that a substantial number of documents were wrongly admitted in evidence. Mr Justice Birmingham said the documents, which the trial judge ruled admissible, were 'vital to the prosecution case'. These documents allowed the witness - a fraud investigator within Anglo, Patrick Peake - to trace for the jury and to explain and illustrate the means by which Anglo accounts were opened, kept, how ownership was designated, how funds were sourced, moved between different accounts and how the names of different accounts were changed or re-designated at various times. In circumstances where crucial documentary evidence was admitted in breach of the hearsay rule, Mr Justice Birmingham said the could must uphold this ground of appeal. Furthermore, the court held that the conspiracy counts as alleged against Mr Daly ought to have been withdrawn from the jury. Sean Guerin SC, for Daly, said the prosecution case against his client rested 'almost entirely' on the bank's former head of compliance - a Brian Gillespie. During the trial, Mr Gillespie described a conversation in which Mr Daly asked if he could delete a name from the list to be provided to the authorities and Mr Gillespie said 'no'. Mr Justice Birmingham said that where there was cogent evidence that Mr Daly was ascertaining whether Mr Gillespie would be party to impropriety, there had to be strong suspicion that Mr Daly was involved in further impropriety and, it was contended, that the conspiracy couldn't have succeeded without him. However, this contention went further than was justified, Mr Justice George Birmingham said. The evidence available to the prosecution was thin, tenuous and in those circumstances, the court feels that 'notwithstanding the level of suspicion that existed', it would have been appropriate to withdraw the conspiracy case against Mr Daly from the jury. Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice John Edwards, said the conclusions reached by the court meant their convictions 'must be quashed'. The question of a re-trial did not arise for Mr Daly because, the court concluded, that there was insufficient evidence to go before the jury. Mr O'Mahoney's position was different. His 'omnibus' ground of appeal concerning multiple complaints related to the trial in the summer of 2015 and did not affect the question of a retrial, the judge said. The ground on which he succeeded did not preclude the ordering of a re-trial. The court will hear further submissions on this point at a later date. He was subsequently released on bail. Giving background, Mr Justice Birmingham said the Revenue Commissioners conducted an audit of Anglo Irish Bank in 1999/2000 in relation to Deposit Interest Retention Tax. In the course of a subsequent tax amnesty, a number of Anglo clients came forward to disclose that they had non-resident accounts which renewed the Revenue's interest in the institution. In March 2003, the Revenue obtained High Court orders requiring Anglo to hand over details of non-resident deposit accounts in the bank. In addition, the Revenue initiated a second DIRT audit of the bank which was formally opened in November 2003. The so-called substantive offence - the furnishing of false information - related to a list for 1995 which was physically handed by Bernard Daly to the Revenue on November 17, 2003. The prosecution's case was that it was incomplete in that it did not contain an account held in the name of John Peter O'Toole and that its exclusion was 'prompted by the fact that the account was connected to a named senior figure in the bank'. Mr O'Mahoney was released on bail until April 14 next when the court will hear submissions on whether he should face a retrial. Actress Brittany Murphy arrives to the Warner Bros. film premiere of Happy Feet held at Grauman's Chinese Theater November 12, 2006 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Actress Brittany Murphy arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons on March 5, 2006 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images) Actress Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack backstage at the Max Azria 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at The Tent at Bryant Park on February 4, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for IMG) The LA coroner would consider re-opening the investigation into Brittany Murphy's cause of death. The popular actress was 32 when she died in December 2009 and the circumstances surrounding her death have always been shrouded in mystery, namely due to the fact that her husband Simon Monjack died five months later in similar circumstances. L.A. County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told Us Weekly said the possibility of reopening the case isn't off the table, but it would require hard evidence. "We would have to have direct evidence. In all honesty, it would take something like a confession. Something connecting somebody with it," he explained. "If the police wanted to conduct an investigation or if somebody came to us and said, 'This is the following circumstances, did you guys find this or this?' Then we would contact the law enforcement agency also and say, 'The family or somebody came and said that somebody confessed to actually putting some sort of poison in her food.'" Expand Close Actress Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack backstage at the Max Azria 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at The Tent at Bryant Park on February 4, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for IMG) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actress Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack backstage at the Max Azria 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at The Tent at Bryant Park on February 4, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for IMG) "Theres a lot of speculation, but our findings are pretty set," he added, "I think that if she had gotten medical attention instead of just delaying it, that theyd taken her to a doctor, shed probably still be alive as we speak today." Read More In 2009, it was concluded that the Clueless star died of a combination of pneumonia, anemia and multiple-drug intoxication and was ruled an "accidental death." Her father Angelo Bertolotti has long claimed that his estranged daughter was murdered, citing poison as the cause, based on hair samples he sent to an independent lab for testing. The results showed her hair contained traces of rat poison, but the LA coroner said it contained the same heavy metals associated with hair dye. Expand Close Brittany Murphy with Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash in Clueless / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brittany Murphy with Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash in Clueless "I have a feeling that there was a definite murder situation here. Yeah, it's poison. Yes, yes, I know that," he told Good Morning America at the time. Her mother Sharon Murphy, who was famously close with the Sin City actress and was living with her and her husband at their LA home at the time of their deaths, has previously spoken out, saying she believes they died of toxic mold and moved out of the home after Simon's death. Video of the Day Actor Hugh Jackman, wife Deborra Lee Furness, children Oscar and Ava attend the handprint and footprint ceremony honoring Hugh Jackman at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) (L-R) Oscar Jackman and Hugh Jackman sighting at school on May 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic) Hugh Jackman had a real life superhero moment when he saved his children and a group of strangers from a strong rip current in Sydney. The Australian actor (47) was filmed saving his son Oscar (15), daughter Ava Eliot (10) and others on Bondi Beach earlier today. In the footage, obtained by 9 News, The X-Men star was seen grabbing his son and another man, who was holding on a girl. The man, who was later identified as Peter Adam, said he was holding onto Ava, as they all attempted to safely escape the rip. "He wasn't rescuing me, I was assisting him to get his daughter up to the sandbar. He then grabbed my hand to get us up," Mr Adam told the network. "He then went to get his son." Expand Close Hugh Jackman rescuing his son Oscar from a rip in Sydney's Bondi Beach. Picture: 9 News / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hugh Jackman rescuing his son Oscar from a rip in Sydney's Bondi Beach. Picture: 9 News Lifeguards joined in the rescue efforts, while Jackman was also seen waving to swimmers to return to the beach. Meanwhile, the actor recently hit headlines when he announced he would be retiring his most famous character to date - Wolverine in the X-Men series. He's played the iconic role since 2000 and said he's looking forward to another actor taking the reins. "I actually do like the feeling of being strong and I'm training way harder than I would if I wasn't in one of these movies but it's painful, it actually hurts," he told the Jonathan Ross Show. "People say: 'You get addicted to it.' I'm not addicted to it. I'll be quite looking forward to having a few beers, some burgers and hanging out." Expand Close Actor Hugh Jackman, wife Deborra Lee Furness, children Oscar and Ava attend the handprint and footprint ceremony honoring Hugh Jackman at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actor Hugh Jackman, wife Deborra Lee Furness, children Oscar and Ava attend the handprint and footprint ceremony honoring Hugh Jackman at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) When I first came to Ireland, it was to follow those Irishmen who had long captured my imagination. The Yeats and Joyce I read back in Syria drew me to my dream of postgraduate work, musing 'Under Ben Bulben' or on the trail of Stephen, Leopold and Molly. I still remember the day I landed in Dublin Airport on a student visa. I had a bagful of memories and longings which I lugged along to a new city I didn't know a single soul in. It was lonely and hard, not to mention cold. With the support of my teachers at the University of Limerick, and an ever-widening circle of kind Irish friends and colleagues, I got the helping hand we all need at some stage in our lives. I struggled for long hours in libraries, through hundreds of books and thousands of pages, endless exams, presentations and term papers. And I managed an A1 in my MA research. But as caps flew high on graduation day, I couldn't help but think of Plato's Ghost as imagined by Yeats singing, 'What then?' Back home, a war had started that was getting worse. More than 200,000 people had already been killed, half a million injured and maimed, nine million displaced. There was practically no home to return to. I worked in hospitals and courts as a translator, then as an English language teacher and an academic manager. I landed a job in a leading social media company here in Dublin, and now I work as a journalist with Storyful and consider myself incredibly lucky to be part of it. Of course, I worried about my family. I still can't forget my brother's words on the phone: "I can't wait any longer. At least I have a chance on a boat. I can swim." Treacherous I felt the world was collapsing around me. I imagined him on a rubber boat in the middle of the night, about to sink in the treacherous Mediterranean waters. There was a voice deep down inside me, telling me things will somehow be OK. Just hold on and be strong a bit longer. I promised my brother I would get him out, no matter what. Under the Irish government's private sponsorship scheme, the 'Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme' (SHAP), I was able to bring him to Ireland. The process was long but, eventually, my application was approved. I can't explain how relieved I was to be reunited with him. My brother adapted quickly to Ireland and the Irish way of life. For the first few weeks, he could not believe he was sleeping quietly without hearing bombs and bullets day in, day out. He did his first ever interview in English after only one and a half months in Ireland, and he got the job. He is working now in the Arabic department of a prestigious social media company in Dublin. He said to me recently: "I feel I belong here. I'm having the time of my life. I love Guinness and adore the Irish weather." Not all stories of refugees end up happily ever after, though. There were applications in respect of 308 people to come to Ireland under the SHAP, but only 119 were approved. There are many Irish Syrians who desperately want to help their families reach safety. Almost 300 Syrians have arrived since 2014, with more to come this year. For many, their joy at reaching safety is bitter-sweet, tinged by remorse at the thought of family members who were not so fortunate. Many others who escaped the war find themselves living in precarious circumstances. Of the 1.7 million Syrians officially registered in Jordan and Lebanon, the majority are unable to afford the basics, including sufficient food, clothes and medicine, according to a recent World Bank Study. Children are dropping out of school to work and help their parents make ends meet, while the universities have emptied of young people. As many as six out of seven Syrian university students outside the country are not continuing any form of higher education or advanced training, according to some studies. It is little wonder that many have taken the decision to travel to Europe. Of the more than one million people who risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean in 2015, Syrians represented the highest percentage (49pc). Next Wednesday, March 30, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will host a meeting in Geneva calling on states to show solidarity with Syrians and the countries who host them, by taking more refugees. There are 4.8 million Syrian refugees in the countries neighbouring Syria. At least 10pc are vulnerable and in need of resettlement or other safe and legal pathways to safety. Student scholarships, private sponsorship programmes, or similar programmes that exist in Canada - which allow private citizens, NGOs and churches to sponsor refugees - would help them do so. Giving them the opportunity to reach safety would not only take the pressure off countries such as Turkey, which now hosts more refugees than any other country in the world. It would allow people with real abilities and ambition to realise their potential. The meeting in Geneva is an opportunity to do so and for Ireland to give as big and warm a welcome as it gave my brother and me to many more Syrians in desperate need. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli is seen in an undated picture from the US Department of State. Photo: Reuters The US has announced that it has killed a number of leading Isil militants in the past week, including the purported second-in-command. Read More He gave no details about how Qaduli, an Iraqi also known as Hajji Iman, died. However, NBC News earlier reported he was killed during a raid by US special forces in Syria on Thursday morning. Defence officials said the troops landed in helicopters and lay in wait as al-Qaduli drove past them in a car. There was an attempt to capture al-Qaduli alive, but the situation escalated and the militant and three other people in the vehicle were killed, the officials added. The US authorities had offered a reward of $7m (6m) for al-Qaduli. Mr Carter told a news conference in Washington yesterday: "We are systematically eliminating Isil's cabinet." He described al-Qaduli as a "senior leader", who served as a finance minister and who was also responsible for "external affairs and plots". The ethnic Turkmen was born in 1957 or 1959 in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has been controlled by Isil since 2014, according to the US. He joined al-Qa'ida in Iraq - a precursor of Isil - in 2004 under the leadership of the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, serving as his deputy and the leader in Mosul. After his release from an Iraqi prison in early 2012, he joined Isil forces in Syria. Last year, some sources identified al-Qaduli as the second-in-command of Isil, known as "Abu Alaa al-Afari", who was said to have taken temporary charge of Isil after its overall leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was allegedly injured in an air strike. "The removal of this Isil leader will hamper the organisation's ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of Iraq and Syria," Mr Carter said. "This is the second senior Isil leader we have targeted this month, after confirming the death of Isil's so-called 'minister of war' a short time ago." Tarkhan Batirashvili, a Georgian known as Omar Shishani, died of the injuries he sustained in a US air strike in north-eastern Syria on March 4, US officials said last week. However, the Isil-linked Amaq news agency subsequently cited an unidentified source as denying Shishani was dead. Mr Carter said the US military had killed other senior Isil figures in recent days. They included a man known as Abu Sara, who was tasked with paying fighters in northern Iraq, and "a number of Isil associates who were directly involved in external plotting and training", the defence secretary added. But he cautioned: "As you know, leaders can be replaced. These leaders have been around for a long time - they are senior and experienced, and eliminating them is an important objective and result. "They will be replaced and we will continue to go after their leadership." He said American airstrikes had also destroyed "a significant quantity of improvised explosive devices and bomb-making equipment" that could have been used against Iraqi forces as they try and reclaim the city of Mosul. An Afghan migrant holds his son as they wait to be transferred to the Moria registration centre after arriving at the port of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos, following a rescue operation by the Greek Coast Guard at open sea The decision to suspend or withdraw medical humanitarian operations is one which Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) does not take lightly. We only do so when we feel that we have no other choice. This week, in light of the recent EU-Turkey deal, we were faced with such a decision. Our activities in the 'hotspot' of Moria, Lesbos are now closed until further notice. Over the past several months, we have denounced the policy- made humanitarian crisis created by the EU on the Greek islands; policies that have served to create additional suffering and increased obstacles to protection. We have witnessed the unwillingness of the Greek authorities to put in place adequate reception facilities. We have witnessed Turkish coastguards using hoses to fire water into boats of refugees and migrants trying to reach Greek shores. Expulsion On Monday morning, in the wake of the EU-Turkey deal, we witnessed the 'hotspot' of Moria transform from a reception centre for processing new arrivals of refugees and migrants to that of a detention centre offering no guarantee for the respect of people's basic rights; a closed centre, with the sole function of detaining people. People who clearly have the right to seek asylum in Europe, and who now face mass expulsion. For Medecins Sans Frontieres, being complicit in a system that is both unjust and inhumane is a step too far. This deal formalises a system that jeopardises the right to seek asylum. It is a system based on deterrence principles, rather than humanitarian ones. Those who are arriving onto the Greek islands today are fleeing war, conflict and persecution. They are already extremely vulnerable and are in need of humane treatment. In Moria, our emergency teams provided medical care to those who had made the perilous journey across the Aegean Sea. Hypothermia, respiratory infections, serious burns and skin disease were among the most common illnesses treated. They're all conditions directly related to long journeys, dangerous sea crossings and unsanitary living conditions. Our psychologists offered mental health support for those left traumatised by the journey - or what they had left behind. We have tried to ensure that these basic humanitarian services will continue beyond our departure. However, despite support from other organisations and groups, it is clear that there will be gaps. MSF medical teams will remain on the island of Lesbos in order to continue life-saving activities, emergency medical care and search and rescue services. The only condition for us to resume activities within the 'hotspot' is the guarantee that protection and humanitarian principles will be respected. We will not allow our assistance to be instrumentalised in a mass expulsion operation. As a humanitarian organisation working in more than 65 countries and dealing with the humanitarian needs of refugees on a daily basis, we simply cannot accept to participate in a model that is jeopardising people's right to seek asylum. If the logic of this deal was applied by all countries, there would be no refugees - as all victims of conflict would remain besieged in war zones. This is completely unacceptable. Whether the EU and Greece will put in place sufficient safeguards to ensure people's rights and respect the non- refoulement principle remains highly unclear. So far, similar assurances have not materialised into concrete actions, and our teams in the field are seeing daily human rights violations - such as violence from border guards and arbitrary push-backs. Legal assistance and access to legal services and information in Moria is notably absent. It is clear that European leaders are willing to do anything, including compromising human rights and refugee law principles, to stem the flow of refugees and migrants to Europe. These short-sighted, unrealistic and dangerous policies will not stop people from seeking protection in Europe. It will not stop smugglers from operating - it will simply shift the flow. Keeping the focus on preventing people coming, through increased militarisation of borders and deterrence measures, will be in vain. This will only serve to increase the level of suffering, as people fleeing war-zones move towards other potentially dangerous routes to seek protection. Jane-Ann McKenna works with Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei had bad start but he's not going anywhere Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei struggled against Syracuse and was pulled from the game, but don't expect Cade Klubnik to take over. Renowned actor Ajay Devgn will soon be seen in his most talked and awaited project 'Shivaay' that will release by the end of this year. The movie will feature the scenic locales of Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria and currently Ajay and his team in there shooting. Ajay took to Twitter and shared a photograph of the set location on the Balkan mountains. He captioned it saying, "Shooting on top of Balkan Mountains," and in the pic you can see, a man is standing and facing a helicopter. Shooting on top of Balkan Mountains pic.twitter.com/DYtSxrWA5A Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) March 25, 2016 The movie 'Shivaay' has been shot in parts of Bulgaria, in Hyderabad and Uttarakhand. 'Shivaay' will release in Diwali and it features Sayesha Saigal, Abigail Eames and Erika Kaar among others in the lead. ibtimes Jishnu Raghavan has lived an inspiring life. The Malayalam actor, who died after battling prolonged cancer on March 25, has become a symbol of strength for his fans. 36-year-old Jishnu began documenting his last days in ICU on social media and talked about his interaction with the doctors and nurses. He stressed on how the 'magic' of smiles can heal everything in the world. In his tear-jerking final FB post, Jishnu said, "Being positive and always smiling makes a lot of difference..." filmibeat Being positive and always smiling makes a lot of difference.. I'm in I C U now , nothing to worry this is kind of my... Posted by Jishnu Raghavan on Monday, 7 March 2016 indianjobs4u Jishnu was the son of popular actor Raghavan. He was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and had been completely cured of it. But in April last year, to the shock of his followers, Jishnu shared that cancer had attacked him again and that he was going for the treatment. Known for his zeal for life and active social media presence, he stayed connected with his fans even in his last days. From sharing his chemotherapy experience to thanking the hospital staff on World Nurse Day, his posts left a smile on every face. In a special message, he had also thanked his well-wishers. I see God and feel his love through so many people around me. i have gone through a lot but the support love I get just... Posted by Jishnu Raghavan on Monday, 7 March 2016 indiatoday In a career spanning 12 years, Jishu had delivered hits like Nammal, Choonda, Freedom, Parayam, Nerariyan CBI, Pauran and Chakkara Muthu. After a brief sabbatical, he made a comeback with super hit film Ordinary. He is survived by his architect wife Dhanya Rajan. Those close to him say that he was very hopeful of coming back to his acting career. But what he has left for his people is bigger than anything else - a life worth inspiring and smiles that'll echo in the minds of his fans, friends and family. RIP Jishnu. Were not denying that weed has some advantages, but the fact remains that it is still bad for your memory! A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that smoking a lot of weed can do permanent damage to your short-term memory. A team of researchers led by Professor Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne examined the marijuana-smoking habits of over 3,400 people, across a span of 25 years. At the end of the 25-year period, they had the participants do a series of tests to evaluate their memory, ability to focus, decision-making capability and other cognitive abilities. They found that people who smoked marijuana every day for a long period of time, basically five years or longer, had poorer verbal memory than those who didnt smoke or smoked less frequently. Auer and his team coined the phrase marijuana years to measure exposure to marijuana. 365 days of smoking pot, whether consecutive or spread out, adds up to one marijuana year of use. So, if a person has been smoking pot every day for a year, or every alternate day for two years, it's still one marijuana year of use. Boom, a startup aimed at bringing back supersonic jets 13 years after the Concorde, is still working on its first prototype and claims the aircraft can fly at a speed of Mach 2.2. The team of 11 with a wealth of experience in aeronautical engineering plans to roll out the first prototype by early next year. Other than saving people the hassle of long travel time, the makers of Boom want to make it affordable with tickets estimated to cost around $5000 (INR 3.34 Lakh). While funding is still an issue, they have managed to get support from Silicon Valley billionaires and have recently signed up to partner in development with the Virgin Group. boom.aero We can confirm that The Spaceship Company will provide engineering, design and manufacturing services, flight tests and operations and that we have an option on the first 10 airframes. It is still early days and just the start of what youll hear about our shared ambitions and efforts," said a Virgin group spokesperson. theverge.com The design of the aircraft intends to have 40 seats with two aisles so that all passengers have a view of the curvature of the Earth. The team behind Boom; engineers who once worked with NASA, Boeing and Lockheed; claim the plane will fly at a speed that's 2.6 times the speed of sound which would be around 3210 km per hour. This could get you from London to New York in 3.5 hours and from Tokyo to San Francisco in 4.5 hours. imaginactive Earlier this year, Canadian engineer, Charles Bombardier had designed an aircraft, the Antipode, that claims passengers could fly from Delhi to London in half an hour. However his team is still working on prototype and it could take up to a couple of years. Being able to travel at Mach 5 would cause the body of a aircraft to heat up to temperatures as high as 980 degrees Celsius. Time is money and with motor urban mobility concepts like the Hyperloop and the pod taxis in Gurgaon, the future looks bright. wired.com The Indian government is making all efforts to secure the release of a Christian priest who was abducted by suspected Islamic State militants earlier this month, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has said. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 BCCL Fr Tom Uzhunallil from Kerala was abducted by unidentified gunmen after they attacked an old-age home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity. Sixteen people including four nuns, one of them from India, were also killed in the attack. Reuters Even though Fr Tom remained untraceable, social media was abuzz in the past couple of days following a rumour that he could be crucified on Good Friday. Spokesman from the Salesians' Bangalore province where Father Tom belonged, however, rejected the reports as rumours and said that no group had yet claimed to have carried out the criminal attack. The 58-year-old who has been in Yemen for sometime had returned to India last year following the war in the country. But in April 2015, the congregation got a call from Yemen which said that they required priests to help and serve at Yemen for which Fr Tom volunteered his services as he was familiar with the country. India may become home to the world's largest telescope project - the $1.47-billion Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) International Observatory. Forbes Hanle in Ladakh has been short-listed as a prospective site by the TMT board following major hurdles in Mauna Kea, Hawaii - the first choice for the project. An international team is expected to visit Ladakh in a couple of months. The Hawaii Supreme Court had in December 2015 cancelled the permit issued to TMT for constructing the observatory following claims that the plot in Mauna Kea was sacred. While Hawaiian authorities are working towards re-issue of the permit, the TMT Board is scouting for alternative sites to avoid delaying the project. India is already building edge sensors, actuators and system support assemblies, besides contributing to the software of TMT. thenewsindependent After a meeting on this February 11, Henry Yang, chair of the TMT International Observatory Board, said in a statement: "Given the enormous investment and potential challenges ahead, it is necessary to also carry out a review of alternate sites." TMT India programme director B Eswar Reddy said that after the February meeting, the board has decided on two prospective sites - Hanle and another in Chile. "Yes, it was an unexpected turn for the project which got delayed due to the decision of the Hawaiian supreme court. Meanwhile, the project is also looking for prospective sites both in northern and southern hemispheres, including Hanle," he said. India is expected to invest $212 million in the project. New York Times Admitting that the Hawaiian problem means, at least, a two-year delay, Reddy said: "However, a lot of technical works (including in India) are progressing well in the partner countries. We expect all the systems to be ready and technical risks retired by the time we resolve the issue of the site... In India too, industries are working on prototype development and some are qualified for production and some are still working on." He said TMT is hoping to get back to civil construction within two years either on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Two major scientific institutions - the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune - along with two government departments having worked on the project since 2013. The department of science and technology (DST) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) are the government partners while IIA is the nodal agency. Asad Shah, a newsagent in Glasgow, Scotland, was murdered in his shop for wishing his Christian neighbours a peaceful and happy Easter. He had praised the life of Jesus and referred to the UK as Christ's nation. Mike Gibbons/Spindrift.com A family friend described that the man who committed the crime was wearing a religious robe and spoke to Shah in Urdu before stabbing him in the head. Shah's brother, who came to his rescue, tried to save him from the man but ended up being injured himself. They tried to escape to a bus stop where Asad collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Mr Shah promoted cross community ties in his neighbourhood and reached out to people of different communities through various events. He had organised a debate on the importance of Easter. The people who knew him said that he observed both Christian and Muslim holidays and sent cards to his neighbours during Christmas and Easter. His posts on social media were peaceful and against religious intolerance. He had recently spoken out against the attacks in Brussels. Friday night witnessed a vigil in front of his shop which was attended by the people of his neighbourhood and members of the Scottish Parliament in solidarity and support for his bereaved family. Mark Anderson Asad Shah belonged to the Ahmadi sect that preaches non-violence and tolerance towards all faiths. The Ahmadi are persecuted in Pakistan, hence their headquarters are present in London. Despite their religious differences, mainstream Muslims have condemned the murder. Police who questioned the 32-year-old suspect, say the crime was religiously motivated. James Chapelard/SWNs.com ISIS wanted to end "America's capitalist financial system of enslavery" with its own currency, but that plan seems to be failing miserably as their dependence on the US dollar increases. According to the activists working in the Syrian capital of Raqqa, the jihadists are now demanding fines for practically everything, from smoking to repairing electronics, to be paid in American dollars, rather than the Syrian pound or their own "dinar". vocativ.com Last year, the militants, on their way to "world dominance" claimed to launch their own silver. copper and gold coins. They even added some propaganda videos showing the currency being put to use by fighters and shopkeepers. Not only did the video label the global economy as "satanic", it also vowed to break "America's capitalist financial system of enslavery". They wanted to "purify the Earth of the corruption that tainted it." dailymail.co.uk Ironically, though, the Islamic State has been known to pay its recruits in dollars. It also sells looted antiques and oil for dollars, apart from accepting extorted taxation and money taken from hostages in dollars. They even have a list of punishments for petty things, as discovered by an undercover activist writing under the pen name Abu Mohammed. - Repairing televisions/satellite receivers $50 (35) and 80 lashes - Smoking, per cigarette $25 (18) - Traffic violations $25 (18) - Violation of women's dress code $20 (15) - Violation of male's dress code$20 (15) - Failing to attend prayers $20 (15) His report also quoted a young Raqqa resident named Said Ali saying,"There are so many rules that you cannot escape - if it's not clothing, smoking or even fashion they will find questions to ask." He claimed that the traffic police would be given targets to match. Which would make them hand out fines regardless of the driver's guilt. prophecy.news There were also reports of the Islamic State cutting pay, bonuses and food ration perks for its fighters. And as the US-led coalition continues to bomb oilfields, money stores and other important infrastructure, it has begun to pinch them in the pocket. ISIS was trying to generate funds by offering the release of their prisoners for $500 per head. They are also demanding their civilians to pay their utility bills in dollars. American officials claimed that operations were already "putting significant damage on ISIS's ability to fund itself" in November and vowed to "step up the attack". ISIS's Omar oilfields were the first target when British planes extended operations from Iraq into Syria in December. The Tornadoes and drones have returned to destroy attempted repairs. Cover image from independant.co.uk Myanmar democracy icon and the foreign minister in the country's first democratically elected cabinet, Aung San Suu Kyi has sparked off controversy over a comment she made in 2013 on Muslims. Reuters This, after she was asked about the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. "No one told me I was going to be interviewed by a Muslim," she reportedly said off air after a tense exchange with British-Pakistani news presenter Mishal Husain, broadcast in October 2013. BBC The claim was made by Peter Popham, a journalist and author of newly published book The Lady and The Generals- Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Freedom. On being asked about the attacks on Rohingya Muslims Suu Kyi claimed that it was "not ethnic cleansing" and said: "Muslims have been targeted but also Buddhists have been subject to violence. There's fear on both sides." Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi had come under criticism as recently as late last year on the issue of Rohingya Muslims, after she refused to condemn the violence against them. Even in the November elections, which her National League For Democracy swept with a landslide majority, the party did not have even a single Muslim candidate. Rohingya Muslims, whose ancestors migrated to present day Myanmar from Bangladesh, have faced discrimination and violence for long. Reuters They are not even recognised as legal citizens of Myanmar. The attacks against the minority community had peaked in 2012 following a riot in Rakhine state. Reuters Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced in violence which is still continuing in the country. New Delhi has rejected reports that a former Indian Navy officer arrested in Pakistan's south western Balochistan was a RAW agent. Dunya News Indian authorities have identified him as Kulbhushan Jadhav. The security establishment in Mumbai is probing whether Jadhav is the son of a retired ACP. This, after he had given the ACP's Mumbai address. "We are verifying the authenticity of these claims. We have not been able to trace the former cop. His mobile phone is switched off and his flat is locked," a source said. Here is everything we know so far He was arrested in Balochistan near the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman on Thursday on chargers of alleged involvement in subversive activities. Balochistan government also claimed that Jadhav was in contact with Baloch separatists and terrorists fuelling sectarian violence in the province. Express News Pakistani media reports said Jadhav had an Iranian residency permit and that he purportedly had a passport in the name of Hussain Mubarak Patel. Pakistan government claims to have recovered travel documents and multiple fake identities from him. There are also claims that Jadhav was a businessman and he was in Pakistan on business purposes. However, the timing of the arrest has raised more questions. It comes ahead of a Pakistani Investigation team's proposed visit to India to probe the Pathankot army base attack. The Valmiki Temple located in the narrow streets near the New Anarkali Bazar in Lahore might not get the attention it would generally get. After all, it is the oldest temple in Pakistan. However, on Holi, the 12,000-year-old marvel buzzed with joy as people from different religions got together to celebrate the fun and frolic that comes complimentary with Holi. When bystanders and shopkeepers nearby saw people having fun, even they couldn't resist the joy of celebrating with colours. Drenched in vibrant colours, how could one differentiate on the basis of religion? dawn.com Standing strong for years, the Valmiki temple, over the years, has faced enough angst from religious extremists, angry mobs and land grabbers. Yet, it still manages to stand tall as one of the only two temples (other being Krishna temple) in Lahore. academic.r 1992 was its biggest test of faith in fact. Right after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India, an angry mob marched into the temple, smashing idols left, right and centre, including a tile made of gold by Valmiki's feet. They took with them all the gold and the jewels that once adorned the statues. Rubble and ashes were all that was left of this temple. Now, 24 years later, after the temple was reconstructed, and the idols replaced with photographs of religious figures, the temple opens its doors to the public to experience the spectacle of festivals like Diwali and Holi. Mail Today So while some sections of the society prefer to stay regressive and live in the Pandora's box they have created for themselves, the number of progressive individuals who look at the world and its people as one is also increasing. Pakistan had earlier proposed festivals like Holi, Diwali and Easter being made into public holidays in their National Assembly. The resolution was also met with a lot of enthusiasm from the locals, but the bill hasn't been passed yet. Cover image from Mail Today. Lagos State is known mostly for hosting one of the most popular cities in Nigeria, Lagos City. But thats not all about Lagos state. There is so much you probably dont know about Lagos State. INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you a list of 6 facts that you should know about Lagos State. 1. It is the Smallest State in Nigeria Of all the 36 Nigerian states, Lagos state is the smallest. It looks absurd but its actually true that this is the smallest Nigerian State. This is despite the fact that it hosts one of the most popular cities in Nigeria Lagos City. 2. The Most Populous State in Nigeria Though it is the smallest state in the country, Lagos remains the most populous state in the West African country. The country accommodates 1200 new people daily. 3. It has the Tallest Building in West Africa Lagos state plays host to the tallest building in West Africa. NECOM house towers is the tallest building in the West African region. This building that is located in Lagos is 160m above the city. 4. Nollywood is Centered in Lagos Africas most popular film industry, Nollywood is centered in Lagos. Nearly all the acting scenes in Nigerian movies are in Lagos. It can only be compared to California in the United States. 5. It is a Fast Growing State in the World Playing host to the city of Lagos, the state of Lagos is considered to be among the fastest growing states in the world. The city of Lagos is responsible for propelling Lagos state to an economic hub. 6. The Longest Bridge in Africa is from the state Lagos state has the longest bridge in the continent. The bridge connects Lagos Island to the Mainland and it is 11.8km long. The above listed are some of the facts about Lagos State that you probably never knew!!! The deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has described as worrisome, the continued trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, insisting that there were flaws in the processes leading to the arraignment. Mr. Saraki is facing a 13-count charge of alleged false declaration of assets while he was governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011. In a statement on Friday, Mr. Frank said that it was dangerous that the leadership of the APC chose to sit on the fence and watch Mr. Saraki swim or sink in his trial. I sincerely hold that the current trial of Saraki is not only underserved, but amounts to paying a good man with evil. I also want to say that the leaders of our great party have unfortunately remained quiet in the face of evil. I dont believe we have forgotten that the victory of the APC during the last general elections could not have been possible without courageous strategists like Saraki who lent their political weight in favour of the APC at the risk of their own lives and personal survival, he said. I dont think we have forgotten how Saraki as a Senator in the 7th Senate brought the attention of Nigerians to the fraud perpetrated by the the last administration in the name of fuel subsidy. I dont think we have forgotten so soon how Saraki led five other governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the APC a development that successfully turned the political tide against the PDP and eventually tipped the electoral scale against them during the 2015 general elections. I dont think we have forgotten how Saraki led scores of Senators to cross over to the APC on the floor of the Senate. I dont think we have also forgotten what he gave of his time, personal resources and energy to ensure that the APC emerged victorious both at the National, State and Local Government level, he said. The Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal on Thursday rejected the argument by Mr. Sarakis lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) that the case against his client was flawed, and ordered the trial to continue. But the APC deputy national publicity secretary wondered how the case of Mr. Saraki was being treated differently at the CCT, which in 2011 struck out the case against one of the national leaders of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu because he was not given the opportunity to deny or admit the alleged discrepancies in his asset declaration forms in line with Section 3(d) of the CCB/CCT Act unlike 11 other ex-governors who had similar cases of irregularities whose cases were dropped by the CCB after they were invited by the agency. For the avoidance of doubt, Section 3(d) of the CCB/CCT Act which has been so undermined by the CCT in its Thursday ruling states that the CCB shall: Receive complaints about non-compliance with or breach of this Act and where the Bureau (not the AGF or EFCC) considers it necessary to do so, refer such complaints to the Code of Conduct Tribunal established by Section 20 of this Act in accordance with the provisions of Sections 20 to 25 of this Act: provided that where the concerned makes a written admission of such breach or non-compliance, no reference to the Tribunal shall be necessary. Mr. Frank said it was pertinent to mention that when the particular section of the Act was pleaded in the defence of Tinubu in 2011, the same chairman of the tribunal, Justice Umar, struck out the case for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the suit when he ruled that On Section 3(d), I feel compelled by the argument of the learned SAN for the accused. It is a condition precedent for referring a charge to this Tribunal that the Accused ought to have been invited to either deny or admit the allegations against him. This is missing in this case as the Complainant has no such evidence of a prior invitation. It would be proper for me at this stage to simply decline further exercise of jurisdiction having held that the co diction precedent to the instituting of charges against the Accused has not been complied with. I hereby resolve this issue in favour of the Accused He added: It is based on the above precedent that I want to ask why Sarakis case is different? Why is the judiciary suddenly giving in to apparent blackmail from a section of the media by refusing to do their job as required by law? Already the Senate President has told the world that the trial has nothing to do with corruption but that he is being persecuted for emerging as the Senate President. To me the ominous silence of our leaders since the day he was arraigned uphill now serves to validate the claims of the Senate president that he is being persecuted. Or where else in the world will the number three citizen of a country be hurled before a tribunal over alleged irregularities in his asset declaration forms 13 years ago, and the hierarchy of the ruling to which he is a bonafide member will not come out to show solidarity or defend him? If it is true that the trial of the Senate President is not borne out of genuine desire to fight corruption but is being carried out for selfish political ends, then who is next? I think the party need to be courageous enough to speak out against this unwholesome trend whose outcome will definitely not augur well for the overall development of our party and by extension the country at this hour. Even the holy scriptures admonish us not to muzzle the (ox) that thresh the corn. Saraki has paid his dues at a time it was suicidal for anybody to stand up against to the then ruling PDP. I believe it is time for all of us to act to save our party. It is time to rally round our generals who have fought valiantly and led us to victory. To abandon Saraki is to abandon a worthy comrade, he said. Police have conducted new raids in Brussels in an operation a local official said was linked to both the attacks in Belgian capital and to the arrest in Paris of a man who may have been plotting a new attack in France. Three people were detained, two of them shot in the leg, the federal prosecutors office in Brussels said following the raids on Friday. Belgiums state broadcaster RTBF said one person who was detained was carrying a bag of explosive materials. The operation was conducted in the Schaerbeek district as well as the Forest and Saint-Gilles neighbourhoods. Schaerbeek was also raided Thursday night, and six people were initially detained for questioning, before three of them were eventually released. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF that the raids were linked to the Brussels attacks and Thursdays detention of Reda Kriket, a man in France who was convicted in absentia of terrorist activities last year. At least two explosions were heard in Schaerbeek at the start of the operation on Friday. Al Jazeeras Dominic Kane, reporting from the Schaerbeek, said the explosions he heard during the raid were consistent with the sound of stun grenades, usually used by police during raids. Images captured by Al Jazeera in Schaerbeek showed armed police officials and security personnel donning special suits crowding near Place General Meiser, an area with mixed residential and business establishments. Aljazeera. An actor who has played Jesus in traditional Spanish Easter parades for 30 years says he has been banned from the role for at least two years because he is gay. Ramon Fossati says he was told he could not perform the role in the traditional parade to mark Easter Sunday until 2019 because he exposed a naked shoulder and waved his arms in an ostentatious way last year. The Junta Mayor de Semana Santa Marinera, which governs the brotherhoods in Valencia which organise the Holy Week celebrations, accused Mr Fossati of ostentation and parody and appearing to give false blessings to the crowd. Mr Fossati said he was merely waving to the crowd and that his costume had been modelled on traditional religious paintings which showed Jesus bare shouldered. He had modified it so it only had bare one shoulder because he feared exposing both would be considered too risque, The Times reports. He was originally fined 300 (237) following the parade last year but it was reduced to 60 (47) on appeal and he was banned from the parade by the Santisimo Cristo del Salvador brotherhood. Mr Fossati says he was not given a reason for the ban but that he suspected it was because he is gay. He said: It could be jealousy. Or maybe it was punishment for being gay. But everyone where I live knows my sexual orientation and it is not an issue. I am deeply religious and this is the worst thing that could happen. Easter processions are strictly regulated by religious authorities in Spain to prevent too much flesh being exposed or inappropriate religious gestures. Women have been fined in the past for showing cleavage or wearing dresses above the knee. They are usually asked to wear black dresses and a headdress known as a mantilla to the parades. UK Independent. Lagos State Government has moved to help commuters get around with ease during Easter in the face of the current fuel scarcity in the country. Commuters along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Bus Franchise Scheme (BFS) corridors would enjoy free ride in commemoration of Easter, according to the Acting Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, Mr. Iyiola Adegboye. The free bus service would be offered on the BRT corridor from Ikorodu to CMS by Primero Transport Services Limited, operator of the Ikorodu to CMS BRT system while Capetrust Investment Ltd, operator of the BFS would offer free bus service along the MarylandIkeja-Iyana-Ipaja-Ikotun-Igando corridor. Adegboye, while felicitating with residents on the Easter holiday said the state government was poised to ensure that the vision for a world class transport for Lagos became a reality. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have vowed to boost cooperation on regional security and trade during talks in Islamabad, the first visit by an Iranian head of state in 14 years. Rouhani said he and Sharif had agreed on Friday to fight extremist and terrorist groups in their countries shared border, as the two leaders announced the opening of two new crossing points to encourage trade long hampered by sanctions. We place emphasis on the need for cooperation between our two countries, on regional security, Rouhani said, adding that issues related to energy, gas the export of electricity were also discussed. Meanwhile, Sharif said he hopes the opening of two new crossings would contribute to economic integration in the region, while promoting tourism and people to people contacts. Pakistan, a majority Sunni country, has traditionally close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is hostile to Iran, a Shia power. The kingdom accuses Tehran of supporting Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen against the internationally recognised president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of mostly Gulf Arab states in an air-campaign against the Houthis in the conflict, widely seen as a proxy Saudi-Iran war. Last year, Pakistan refused a Saudi request to send troops into Yemen after a vote in Parliament delivered an overwhelming no. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mosharraf Zaidi, a former advisor to Pakistans foreign ministry, said Rouhanis visit is proof positive that Pakistan cannot maintain a relationship with Saudi and other Gulf countries at the expense of a useful and functional ties with Iran. Rouhanis visit is also expected to discuss a controversial gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan to India. Aljazeera. The Kebbi State Government has earmarked N100 million as counterpart fund to combat malnutrition in the state. Governor Atiku Bagudu disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi on Friday when he received the Chief Nutritionist of UNICEF, Mr Arjan Dewatt. Bagudu said the fight against malnutrition would be jointly executed with UNICEFs Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINN) initiative. He explained that the collaboration would reduce maternal and child mortality. The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Babale Umar, assured the partners of his commitment to improving healthcare delivery in the state. He appreciated the efforts made by WINN in combating malnutrition and maternal mortality. We are making efforts to ensure that the primary healthcare becomes a law in the state, Bagudu said. Speaking earlier, Dewatt said: Some 500,000 children of the 800,000 children under five years old in Kebbi are stunted far more than the national average. At least 90,500 children six to 59 months are severely malnourished and are nine times likely to die without treatment an estimated 17,400 of these are likely to die this year. He said 77,000 children aged between zero to six months did not get exclusive breast feeding, describing the synergy as the most cost effective intervention to prevent malnutrition and save lives. The records indicated that 174,000 of the 200,000 pregnant women in the state do not take iron supplements to prevent anaemia and stillbirth, he added. Dewatt described the partnership with the state as a success, stressing that 88,000 women were counselled on breastfeeding and young child feeding in 2011. In 2015,16,000 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition; 30,000 pregnant women received iron Folate; 391 health workers and more than 2,000 community volunteers trained in nutrition in the state with WINN support, and 35,000 children treated with Zinc/ORS in the state, he added. The ever alert and vigilant troops of 7 Division Garrison based in Maiduguri, in conjunction with Civilian JTF averted yet another suicide attack on the innocent citizens in Borno State today. The troops intercepted 2 female suicide bombers at about 1.20am this morning, almost 100 metres south of Umurari village, outskirts of Maiduguri. However, one of the suicide bombers on sighting own troops detonated her explosive device, killing herself instantly, while the second bomber in an attempt to escape was gunned down by one of the Garrison snipers. The combined team of Nigeria Police and Nigerian Armys Explosive Ordinance Device team safely detonated the unexploded Improvised Explosive Devices strapped on the gunned down suicide bomber. It is important to state that there was no casualty beyond the two suicide bombers. Presently, the troops and the Civilian JTF deployed in the village are now combing the general area to forestall further breach of security. The situation in the area is calm and law abiding citizens are going about their normal activities without fear. More photos The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked Christians to use the occasion of Easter to renew the bond of love, forgiveness and peaceful co-existence, irrespective of religious, ethnic or political persuasion. The opposition party said as Easter represents the triumph of life over death, Nigerians can draw strength and inspiration to overcome the division, disagreements and bitterness that now threaten the unity and corporate existence of the nation. In a goodwill message yesterday by its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP said such devotion to national unity and harmony is paramount to overcoming the economic, social and security challenges presently bedeviling the nation. The statement read in part: Indeed, the occasion of Easter presents us a great lesson in faith in the Almighty God and the triumph of good over evil, the very reason we must humble ourselves and seek divine intervention for our dear country. Our unity is our strongest source of strength as a nation. We must therefore collectively determine to end the bitterness, hostilities and division that keep us apart and seek only the virtues of love, forgiveness, charity and such others that unite us as a people. In the same vein, duty beckons on all of us to imbibe a life of constant prayers for our leaders at all levels to be divinely guided against actions and inactions that tend to polarize the people and create tension in the land. We must all continue to see ourselves as brothers and sisters and work together towards fulfilling the mind of God who, in His infinite wisdom destined us to live together as a united and prosperous nation, where nobody is molested and where fairness and the wellbeing of all citizens are paramount as guaranteed within the laws. Several key leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including its finance minister, were killed in an airstrike in Syria this week, according to US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Carter told a press conference in Washington on Friday that US forces had killed Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Iman, which would mark a further erosion of the groups leadership. We are systematically eliminating ISILs cabinet, Carter told reporters, referring to the man as Haji Iman and saying he managed the groups finances. The removal of this ISIL leader will hamper the ability for them to conduct operations inside and outside of Iraq and Syria. Carter said Qaduli had been in the ranks of ISIL, also known as ISIS, since its earliest incarnaton as al-Qaedas affiliate in Iraq. Al Jazeeras Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, said Carter had stopped short of calling him ISILs number two, referring to the fact that some reports named Qaduli as the groups second-in-command. We also have to add a note of caution, Fisher said. Thats because back in May 2015, the Iraqis said they had killed him in an air strike. US special forces carried out the strike, officials told the Reuters news agency. The original plan was to capture, not kill, Qaduli. But after the commandos helicopter was fired on from the ground, the decision was made to fire from the air, one of the officials said. The killing, if confirmed, would be the second of a top ISIL commander in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the Pentagon said a man known as Omar the Chechen had died from wounds he sustained in a US-led coalition strike in northeastern Syria. Elder statesman and leader of the Northern Elders Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has urged the Federal Government to wade into the political crisis in Rivers state, warning that if urgent steps are not taken, it may snowball into the kind of political crisis that characterized the Western Region in 1965. Mr. Yakasai, who spoke in Kano Friday, also warned that the spate of killings, accusations and counter-accusations that characterized the legislative rerun elections in the state does not speak well of the nations democracy. The politician warned that imposition of emergency rule in Rivers state for whatsoever reason will not augur well in the present situation just as he stressed the need for the Presidency to discourage individuals from using security operatives to intimidate the masses or impose their will on the electorate. According to him, way back in 1965, it was a similar trend in the West that people in power at the centre at that time tried to use the power of incumbency to deny the Action Group victory in the West that gradually transcended into killing and mayhem by political opponents. They resorted to killing one another by pouring acid on their political opponents in order to kill or disfigure them. He also traced the 1966 coup to the political crises in the West at that time and warned against a replay of such occurrence, pointing out that, 1966 coup was a single act that destroyed political stability of Nigeria and sow the seed of successive political crises which denied the nation the ability to match forward. Yakasai recalled that after the 2015 general elections in which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost power at the centre and regained control of one of the states in the South-South whilst retaining its firm grip on the South-East, some PDP leaders raised alarm over a plot by the governing All Progressive Congress (APC) to forcefully take control of some states the PDP managed to win. After the last election and the PDP gained control of the states in that region, allegations were made that APC leaders were scheming to use election petition tribunal to deny them their victory. And true to the PDP accusation, most of the election results in those states won by the party were nullified by the election tribunals. It was only the action of the Supreme Court that reversed the situation and save the peace in that area in particular and the nation at large, he added. According to him, it was alleged that a scheme was hatched to use election tribunal by the APC to take control of the states PDP managed to control power. True to that allegation, the election tribunal cancelled gubernatorial elections in more than half of the states PDP managed to gain control. After last years general elections where PDP lost power, the party managed to win control of some strategic states. A lot of them are in the South-South, this area is where we have the largest deposit of crude oil in our country and it is where large chunk of foreign investment is concentrated, he added. The former Adviser on National Assembly Matters to ex-President Shehu Shagari, said there was need for the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that when next it will conduct the rerun election in the remaining areas in Rivers state, electoral officials that would be sent to conduct the rerun election must be people with no partisan inclination. According to him, if that is done, there will not be any need to send thousands of security forces to maintain peace during the election. A true democracy is when the minority will have their say and the majority will have their way. So, what I want to say is that a democracy without a strong opposition does not work out. I will like to appeal to those in control of the federal authority not to allow over ambitious politicians to manipulate them to achieve their political objectives, he added. He also reminded the Federal Government of the impending dire consequences should states such as Rivers and Bayelsa be allowed to sink into political crisis, noting that with the huge presence of foreign investors in that state, particularly in the oil and gas industry, it will be of huge consequence for Nigeria if crisis erupts from those areas because the foreign investors will not be happy. Their property and installations will not be safe and it will not be a good omen for our economy, which is already in trouble. Yakasai also stated that with the battle against Boko Haram yet to be totally won, giving another opportunity for groups like the Niger-Delta militants, whose operation almost crippled the economy during the regime of late President Umar Musa YarAdua, will spell disaster for the country. He added that, although considerable success has been recorded in the military campaign against Book Haram tactless killings; to provoke a new insurgency in the Niger-Delta area in the name of imposing unpopular leadership in Rivers state or any place in that area will be unrewarding. A doctor at Yale Hospital in Connecticut is being sued by a patient for not only removing the wrong rib from her body, but also allegedly trying to convince her that no mistake had been made. According to the NY Daily Mail, Deborah Craven, a 60 year old woman from Milford Connecticut, was scheduled to have her eighth rib removed last May due to a lesion. However, after the operation, Craven reportedly still experienced pain in the same area, so her doctor ordered her to have an x-ray exam to find out why she was still in pain after the successful surgery. According to the scan, not only had doctors removed the wrong rib, but the metal coils used in the operation had also been left inside of her. Cravens suit explained that Dr. Anthony Kim, who did not take part in the surgery, told her of the mistake and booked her in for a follow-up surgery the next day. The doctor who made the mistake of removing the wrong rib, Dr. Ricardo Quarrie, a resident at the hospital, told Craven that her surgery was not due to the wrong rib being removed but that not enough of the rib had been removed. Craven believes that Quarrie lied to cover up the removal of the wrong body part in an effort to prevent her from accusing him of incompetence and negligence. According to Cravens lawyer, Joel Faxon, Craven said if Quarrie hadnt tried to cover up his mistake by lying to her, she would have never even initiated the lawsuit. Yale-New Haven Hospital acknowledged that an error had been made and announced their plans to immediately report it to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The case is in court and investigations are underway. Source: Linda Ikejis blog By Amy Campbell and David Koster As a self-storage operator, finding ways to save money is among your top priorities. One option coming under greater consideration in the industry is an investment in solar power. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, so choosing solar not only saves you money in energy use, it can increase your facilitys public appeal. People like doing business with companies that are environmentally responsible, says Michael Murphy, head of new project development at Murphy Brothers Contracting, the developer and owner of Mamaroneck Self-Storage in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Opened in October, the facility features a number of green initiatives, including DOW Powerhouse Solar Shingles, which are a combination of roof shingles and a solar-panel system. Expansive roofs can make solar power a great investment for self-storage operators, particularly those in sunny states. Some facilities generate additional revenue by selling excess power back to their utility company. And the technology has never been more affordable, as municipalities and other organizations continue to offer incentives and rebates. If youre thinking about adding solar panels to your new or existing self-storage facility, here are a few things to consider. Inducements Not only is the general community increasingly appreciative of a business that goes green, city governments and some utility companies are encouraging companies to invest in eco-friendly initiatives by offering rebates and incentives to offset the cost of installation. This has made adding solar panels more affordable for many self-storage owners. Midtown Vault Self Storage in Memphis, Tenn., took advantage of one such program. The facility received a direct tax credit of 30 percent for the cost of its solar-panel system, cutting the price tag from $100,000 to $70,000, according to Michael Haugh, owner and president of Absolute Storage Management Inc. (ASM), the company that developed and operates the facility. The federal and utility company incentives made it financially accretive to the property to install the panels. We also wanted to test the system to see if it really worked the way the vendor explained. The good news is that indeed it has worked, and we recently expanded the system, Haugh says. A little bit of research can help you uncover what, if any, incentives might be available for your project. The federal government, for example, currently offers an investment tax credit of 30 percent to companies that add solar. There are a number of rebates for sites under construction as well as those for existing facilities. Often your vendor can help you uncover potential savings. Saving Money A solar-panel system reduces a storage facilitys utility costs through net energy metering (NEM). Under NEM, a meter tracks how much electricity is consumed by the facility and the amount of excess electricity sent back into the electric utility grid. In some states, operators can even sell that excess power back to the utility company and generate revenue. They can also use it as credit toward future energy use. This is the case for Greenbox Self Storage, which operates three facilities in Denver. During the summer months at some of our facilities, we are a net producer of energy, meaning we produce more energy from the photovoltaic panels than we consume from our operations, says Josh Fine, vice president and general counsel for Focus Property Group, the management company that oversees Greenbox properties. We send this energy back to the power grid and our electric meter literally spins backward, giving us valuable credit for the winter months when our energy production is diminished because of reduced sunlight. The success of its first solar installation led ASM to expand the number of panels on Midtown Vault Storage last summer. The new system covers nearly all of the buildings 12,500-square-foot rooftop. The existing panels, which were installed in 2013, have cut the facilitys electric costs by a third. Our solar-panel system will cover two-thirds of our carbon footprint and will do so for the next 25-plus years, Haugh says. ASM has also added solar panels to properties it manages in North Carolina and Tennessee. Weve been happy with the systems. Were looking out 20-plus years, expecting these systems to continue to produce over that timeframe delivering carbon-free utilities, Haugh adds. Getting Approval To receive the full benefits of solar, self-storage operators typically must go through an approval process by a delegated organization of the state. The New York State Energy Research Development Agency, for instance, determines if a New York business qualifies for incentives by making sure panels and usage output reach an acceptable standard. Its not just the solar systems functionality thats taken into consideration, though, but also appearance. Murphy witnessed this firsthand while building Mamaroneck Self-Storage. The architecture-review board and city officials expressed issues with solar-panel design from an aesthetic viewpoint. They just didnt like the way they looked. So it was always a bone of contention when people came before them to put solar panels on their project, he says. To appease its opponents, Murphy Brothers decided to use an alternative to traditional-looking solar panels: DOW Powerhouse Solar Shingles. While they carry the same solar-absorbing technology as traditional solar panels, the shingles can be custom-designed to blend better with any roof texture. This decision earned Murphy Brothers the approval it needed to move forward with its solar plan. AMS also faced obstacles to getting authorization for its solar-panel project. Getting approved by the Tennessee Valley Authority was a challenge since they have a set amount of dollars they can allocate, says Haugh, who credits his vendor, Lightwave Solar, for pushing through the red tape and getting the panels installed. Reaping Long-Term Benefits While storage operators who add a solar element are generally happy about saving money, there are other advantages to consider. Many are eyeing their global footprint and how theyll be perceived by the communities they serve. When we started the project, we decided that we were going to build it in an energy-efficient manner, Murphy says. Because Murphy Brothers Contracting is a family-owned construction business, we believe that building green and simple is building smart. When we saw the solar shingles, we thought this was a brilliant product. Mamaroneck Self-Storage will achieve 60 percent energy efficiency over an average building of the same size and specifications, Murphy says. Basically what we want to do is reduce our energy consumption. Going green can also bring in new business to a storage facility. Although we recognize its not necessarily the main factor in a customers decision, if two sites are similar and one has solar, the one with solar will probably get the tenant, Haugh says. Being eco-friendly has paid off for Greenbox facilities. Because solar energy is aligned with our brand and corporate identity, our solar panels help us convey our values of environmental responsibility to our customers, Fine says. We operate our facilities efficiently and in as environmentally friendly a manner as possible. Our environmental responsibility is an important way we become good neighbors to the many types of uses that surround our locations. Greenbox also has a monitoring system that shows customers how much energy is being produced from its rooftop solar array and how much is being consumed by the building. The data is displayed on a monitor in the facility offices so customers can see in real time how much energy is being saved. We translate this into terms our customers can comprehend, like how many pounds of CO2 each customer is preventing from being released into the atmosphere by renting with us as opposed to a conventional facility, Fine says. Our customers appreciate knowing that simply by choosing Greenbox they can reduce their environmental footprint. At the end of the day, the decision to add solar is pretty simple, Murphy says. Want to be energy efficient? Put solar on the roof! Operators should think about what theyre doing, and the impact they have on the environment and the place they live. If they want to show customers theyre environmentally responsible, be energy efficient. David Koster is a senior English major at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. His emphasis is on fiction creative writing, pursuing a study of fiction publication and editing. After graduation, he hopes to build his way up to becoming an editor of a fiction-publishing company and publish his personal novel work on the side. To read more of his material, search his name at www.insideselfstorage.com. Oltre 26 milioni di americani hanno gia votato anticipatamente per le elezioni presidenziali che vedono in gara, in un testa-a-testa Donald Trump e Hillary Clinton. Si tratta di circa il doppio di quanti usarono learly voting (voto anticipato) una settimana prima delle presidenziali del 2012. A molti lentourage di Trump ha chiesto di rivotare in considerazione delle ultime rivelazioni sullex First Lady Grazia di Clinton a Rich, file Fbi su web LFbi ha infatti pubblicato via Twitter i documenti dellinchiesta sulla grazia concessa dallallora presidente Clinton (nellultimo giorno del suo mandato, il 20/1/2001) al finanziere Usa, Marc Rich, morto in Svizzera nel 2013, accusato di 60 reati, tra cui frode, evasione di 48 mln di tasse e traffico di petrolio con lIran. Rischiava 300 anni di carcere. I file sono stati diffusi a 7 giorni dalle elezioni e dopo la bufera scatenata dallannuncio dellFbi sullapertura di una nuova indagine sulle email della candidata Hillary Clinton. Fbi: carte grazia Clinton note per legge LFbi ha pero difeso la propria decisione di pubblicare a una settimana dalle presidenziali le carte di una inchiesta archiviata sulla controversa grazia concessa da Bill Clinton nel 2001 a un finanziere amico, Marc Rich, scappato in Svizzera per sfuggire alle accuse di evasione fiscale. Per procedura standard spiega lFbi questi materiali diventano disponibili per la diffusione e sono postati automaticamente ed elettronicamente nella sala di lettura pubblica dellFbi nel rispetto della legge e delle procedure Evocato limpeachment per Hillary Evocato anche lo spettro di una messa in stato di accusa per Hillary se fosse eletta alla Casa Bianca. Lo ha fatto il senatore repubblicano Ron Johnson, presidente della Commissione per la Sicurezza nazionale e per gli Affari governativi. Johnson ha detto al Beloit Daily News che Hillary ha deliberatamente aggirato la legge usando un server privato per trattare affari pubblici quando era Segretario di Stato. Il senatore ha accusato la candidata dem di aver intenzionalmente nascosto e distrutto materiale riguardante la difesa nazionale. Hacker, NYT: nessun legame Trump-Putin E Trump oggi ha piu di un motivo per sorridere. Non solo le nuove accuse alla rivale, non solo i sondaggi lo vedono in crescita, ma lFbi non ha trovato finora alcun legame diretto tra il candidato repubblicano alla Casa Bianca Trump e il governo russo. Secondo i servizi Usa, gli attacchi di hacker contro i democratici sono volti a minare le elezioni presidenziali piu che a favorire Trump. Lo scrive il NYT, citando fonti investigative. Queste rivelazioni, se confermate, sconfesserebbero le convinzioni dei democratici sui legami Trump-Putin. Vanguard funds, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds, allow investors to obtain exposure to equity and bond markets at reasonable costs with highly competitive expense ratios in the fund industry. Vanguard funds typically come with no load fees, and many are available free of transaction fees through numerous investment broker platforms. The Morningstar rating system is designed to weigh various factors of a fund, such as past performance, management, fees, and the process that a fund uses to select its holdings. Some Vanguard funds have a five-star rating from Morningstar. Key Takeaways Vanguard offers a wide range of diverse ETFs and mutual funds. Morningstar gives many of Vanguard's funds a five-star ratingthe highest rating possible from Morningstar's rating system. The Vanguard Wellesley Income Admira allocates over half its assets to a broad mix of bonds. The Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares allocates nearly half of its assets in stocks. Beginners may be interested in Vanguard's low-cost, low minimum index funds. Vanguard Vanguard is a well-known mutual fund company that offers over 100 index funds and ETFs to investors. The funds vary in account minimum balances and how much each fund charges in fees, but Vanguard is best known for its low-fee index funds. 1. The Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral (VWIAX) The Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral (VWIAX) seeks to attain long-term growth of income and a sustainable level of current income. As of Q1 2022, the fund allocates about 60% to 65% of its assets to bonds, including U.S. Treasury bonds, government agency bonds, industrial bonds, and mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Almost all of the Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund's bond holdings are investment grade. Since the fund has an average maturity of 10.4 years in 2022, its bond holdings are subject to interest rate risk. The remainder of the fund's assets is invested in U.S. stocks with a 35% to 40% allocation and a small reserve amount. Equity sectors are diversified amongst 11 categories, including consumer staples, financials, health care, and industrials. Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral selects equities that have above-average dividends expected to grow in the future. Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral has experienced management with a proven track record of delivering strong returns. In the past 10 years, the fund has generated an annual average return of just over 7%. The fund has a low expense ratio of 0.16% and a 30-day SEC yield of 2.41%, but note that it does have a relatively large minimum investment of $50,000. The Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral is most suitable for investors interested in income investing at a very low cost. 2. The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral (VWALX) The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWALX) invests its assets in municipal bonds with current income exempt from federal income taxes. The fund has a very conservative allocation that favors highly rated municipal bonds with A or above credit ratings. Only about 43% of all bonds are rated BBB or below or with no rating as of 2022, while the remaining 57% of the fund's holdings are A or above. The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund has an average maturity of 18.2 years, making it sensitive to interest rate risk. As of Q1 2022, the fund's 30-day SEC yield is 2.28%. Over the past decade, the Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund has generated an average annual rate of return of over 5%. The fund has a low expense ratio of 0.09% as of 2022, but it requires a $50,000 minimum investment. The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund is most suitable for investors in very high tax brackets and would like to gain exposure to high-quality bonds exempt from federal taxes. 3. The Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX) The Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares (VTMFX) seeks to provide exposure to mid-and large-cap stocks of the U.S. equity market. The fund's asset allocation is around 48% in stocks and 52% in bonds. The bond portfolio consists of federally tax-exempt municipal bonds. Over the past decade, the Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares has generated an average annual rate of return of around 9%. The fund has a very low expense ratio of 0.09%, a 30-day SEC yield of 1.34%, and a $10,000 minimum investment as of Q1 2022. The average maturity of the fund is 8.9 years. The Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares is best suited for investors in higher tax brackets with investment goals of growing principal with the ability to absorb market volatility. What Is the Most Popular Vanguard Fund? The Vanguard Wellesley Income Admiral, the Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral, and the Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund are all popular vanguard funds. What constitutes the "most popular" depends on the individual investor. What Qualifies a Fund for a 5 Star Rating From Morningstar? According to Morningstar, funds that qualify for a five-star rating are those whose risk-adjusted returns fall within the top 10% relative to category peers. What Are VFIAX and SPY? The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Class (VFIAX) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) are similar investment products. Both track the S&P 500, a U.S. stock index comprising 500 companies with the largest market capitalizations. Both funds have expense ratios significantly lower than those of the average fund. Most importantly, both offer excellent long-term track records. Also, it's possible that passively managed index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track broad market indices can outperform actively managed mutual funds. The difference in returns becomes even more striking when you consider that index funds and ETFs impose lower fees than actively managed funds. As a long-term buy-and-hold investor, the Vanguard fund or the SPDR ETF can be a way to gain access to the overall equity market. Subtle differences exist between the funds, though they fulfill the same investment objectives. Before deciding between these two funds, it's important to understand their differences in fees and performance. Key Takeaways Both VFIAX, a mutual fund, and SPY, an ETF, seek to track the S&P 500. One of the primary differences between the two is that Vanguard's VFIAX has a lower expense ratio of 0.04% versus the SPY's 0.0945%. The SPY ETF may have a slight tax advantage over the VFIAX mutual fund since it's not actively managed, meaning there's less buying and selling of trades. VFIAX and SPY are generally considered strong investments, especially for passive investors. Fees The good news is that both funds charge a lower expense ratio than actively managed mutual funds usually charge. The average mutual fund has an expense ratio of just around 0.5% (including both actively managed and passive funds). By contrast, the Vanguard fund had an annual net expense ratio of 0.04% as of April 29, 2021, while the net expense ratio of the SPDR ETF is more than double at 0.0945% as of Jan. 13, 2022. The savings from lower fees (or expenses), relative to the average fund, improve your annual rate of return. Remember that actively managed mutual funds, despite the allure of having a professional pick and choose your investment basket, may underperform when compared to index funds and ETFs, particularly when factoring in management fees. Performance Because both funds track the S&P 500 Index, the difference in their performances, as with their fees, is small. Since 2011, both funds have slightly underperformed the S&P 500 each year, but only by a few hundredths of a percentage. They have effectively moved in lockstep with the broader index, and thus it's important that, like all broad US. stock indices, the S&P 500 has never gone anywhere but up over the long term. Buy-and-hold investors enjoy returns from the S&P 500 that average around 10% per year, even after you factor in years with substantial losses, such as 1987 and 2008. Other Considerations Both funds are generally excellent investments with low fees and strong track records. It ultimately comes down to whether you prefer an index fund or an ETF. Additional factors to think about include tax implications and sales commissions. Generally speaking, ETFs are slightly more tax-friendly than mutual funds, which can result in fewer capital gains tax than an actively-managed mutual fund might. They feature fewer taxable events, such as a fund manager rebalancing the fund by selling shares of certain securities, which happens more regularly with a mutual fund. If these funds are sold at a gain, you owe capital gains taxes for the year they are sold, even though you had no say in their sale. With ETFs, the manager does not have to sell specific shares to manage inflows and outflows. Therefore, you are less likely to realize capital gains in a given year, and your tax bill is often lower. On the other hand, mutual funds do not charge "loads," or commissions, and typically cost less to purchase than an ETF. Vanguard is known for selling no-load funds, so you should not pay a sales commission if you invest in the Vanguard 500 index. By comparison, an investor purchases ETFs through a broker, just like for individual stocks. Therefore, you pay a commission upon purchase. This is particularly disadvantageous to investors who employ strategies such as dollar-cost averaging, which involves making frequent investments at set intervals. A final consideration is the minimum investment required. The VFIAX fund requires a minimum investment of $3,000, while SPY ETFs can be bought with fractional shares for as little as $1.00's worth, in theory. As a result, SPY may be more suitable to smaller retail investors who only want to put a few hundred dollars to work. S&P 500 vs. Russell 2000 ETFs: An Overview If you find yourself on the conservative end of the active vs. passive spectrum, then investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) may be one way to go. You may not beat the market, but you will certainly come close to matching it. Here, well focus on ETFs that track two of the more popular indexes, the S&P 500 and the Russell 2000. Key Takeaways The S&P 500 and the Russell 2000 are two popular indexes. Many investors consider the S&P 500 to be the pulse of the U.S. equity market. Russell 2000 ETFs closely track the Russell 2000 Index, which combines 2000 of the small-cap companies in the Russell universe of 3000 stocks. S&P 500 ETFs The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is a market-capitalization-weighted index of some of the largest publicly-traded U.S. corporations. Market capitalizationor market cap for shortis determined by multiplying the number of outstanding shares of stock by the current stock price. For example, a company with 10 million shares outstanding and a $100 stock price would have a $1 billion market cap. Most analysts see the S&P 500 as the best indicator of the U.S. equity market. The index is a commonly used benchmark for many portfolio managers, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. The three most commonly traded ETFs that track the performance of the S&P 500 index include: State Street's SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) BlackRock's iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF (VOO) The common theme between all three funds is, of course, the index they trackthe S&P 500. Many investors consider this index to be the pulse of the U.S. equity market. It is calculated using the market capitalizations of the 500+ largest U.S. companies with stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the Nasdaq Stock Market. Index constituents are selected by a committee, which takes into account criteria such as market capitalization, liquidity, financial viability, length of trading, and other factors. Expense Ratio The SPY's expense ratio is 0.0945%, which is low in a broader asset management context. An expense ratio represents the percentage of expenses associated with managing the fund as a percentage of the total assets under management (AUM). Although relatively low, the SPY's expense ratio is higher than the .03% expense ratio for both BlackRock's IVV and Vanguard's VOO as of January 2022. Daily Trading Volume Despite the higher expense ratio, the SPY has superior liquidity with an average daily trading volume of 11.8 million shares. Liquidity represents the amount or volume of shares being exchanged. Higher liquidity is ideal since it means investors can easily buy and sell shares of the fund. However, as of January 2022, Blackrock's IVV and Vanguard's VOO are catching up with 9.6 million shares and 8.6 million shares, respectively. Performance The performance of the three funds is often compared to the S&P 500 indexrepresented by net asset value (NAV) returns. The S&P 500's three-year performance was 26.07% and 18.47% for the past five years as of December 2021. The table below shows the performance of the three S&P ETFs over the same period. Investment Banking vs. Investment Management: An Overview Plenty of undergraduate finance majors and master of business administration (MBA) students consider pursuing a career in investment banking or investment management, two intensely competitive fields in the finance industry, after receiving their degrees. These professions offer some of the highest starting salaries in the field, and there's plenty of room for growth for those who are talented and ambitious enough to land one of these spots. If you take away all of the industry terminologies and boil these jobs down to their basic elements, investment bankers and investment managers (sometimes called asset managers or fund managers in the U.K.) are primarily responsible for channeling money from investors to companies that need capital. Some of the top experts in the investment world can be found in these positions. Investment management is all about investment decisions and asset allocation. This means coming up with investment strategies and directing funds to property, equities, or debt securities on behalf of clients. Investment bankers, by contrast, are deal-makers. They work as high-level consultants and analysts for large companies to help with capital raising strategies. Key Takeaways Investment managers help clients by managing their money. Clients can include individuals, educational institutions, insurance companies, and pension funds. Investment managers perform financial analysis, portfolio allocation between bonds and stocks, equity research, and issue buy and sell recommendations. Investment bankers help with corporate finance needs, such as raising funds or capital. Companies and governments hire investment bankers to facilitate mergers and acquisitions as well as IPOs, and new debt issuance such as a bond offering. Investment Management Investment managers help clients reach their investment goals by managing their money. Clients of investment managers can include individual investors as well as institutional investors such as educational institutions, insurance companies, pension funds, retirement plans, and governments. Investment managers can work with equities, bonds, and commodities, including precious metals like gold and silver. Investment managers can have varied roles and responsibilities, depending on the firm, which can include: Financial statement analysis Portfolio allocation such as a proper mix of bonds and stocks Equity research and buy and sell recommendations Financial planning and advising Estate and retirement planning as well as asset distribution Investment Banking Investment bankers help with corporate finance needs, such as raising funds or capital. Companies and governments hire investment bankers to facilitate complicated financial transactions, including: Debt issuance such as a bond offering New securities underwriting Mergers and acquisitions Initial public offerings (IPOs) Investment banking can involve equity and security research and making buy, sell, and hold recommendations. Investment banking firms are also market makers, which provide liquidity or connect buyers and sellers to "make" the market. Almost every investment banker starts out as an associate or analyst and hopes to put in enough years to reach a role as a vice president or managing director. Special Considerations Education and Skills Competition for both careers is notoriously stiff. Investment banking firms are usually only interested in candidates who have graduated from top schools and who have worked previously with major corporate players. It's virtually impossible to find an investment banking associate position without an MBA and strong recommendations from respected professionals in the field. Investment management positions aren't quite as crowded by top applicants, but it's still very difficult to break into major firms. Networking is very important and sometimes matters more than experience or academic bona fides. Many firms use internships as extensive application processes; in fact, some investment management and banking internships are more competitive than entry-level positions for corporate finance or research analyst positions. Undergraduate degrees are preferred in business disciplines, such as finance, economics, accounting, or investment analysis, although degrees from other fields are considered. Some banks look for demonstrated analytical proficiency in specific sectors, like healthcare or pharmaceuticals. Firms are generally looking a strong combination of the following skills and characteristics: Strong written and verbal communication skills Analytical and problem-solving skills Demonstrated independence and responsibility Responsiveness and attention to detail Negotiation and client management skills Knowledge of investments, corporate finance and business negotiations (practical commercial expertise) Advanced mathematical and technical skills An ambitious, eager, get-it-done attitude Salary Investment banking and investment management jobs have attractive salaries and bonuses. Even the lowest-level investment banking analyst at a smaller firm can expect a first-year salary of $65,000 to $95,000 and a hefty signing bonus. The average base pay for investment managers is $95,829 with salaries that can be as high as $180,000, according to glassdoor.com. Additional compensation averages $14,900, which includes commissions and bonuses. The average base pay for investment bankers is $119,110 with salaries that can be as high as $235,000, according to glassdoor.com. Investment banking analysts make anywhere from $73,000 to 108,000. Work-Life Balance High-level investment jobs are highly concentrated in New York, London, and Tokyo. Even though there is some evidence of geographical shifts as the 21st century marches forward, it is still probable that a career in investment banking or investment management means moving to one of these three global financial hubs. Workloads for investment managers vary. Those employed by mutual funds or hedge funds work when the stock market opens and closes. This can be a relatively short time if the firm is only active in one market, but those active in all three major exchanges can have very irregular. Private equity firms average much longer workdays, sometimes as many as 65 to 70 hours per week. Investment bankers sometimes joke that they enjoy a nice "work-work" balance. Very few careers demand as much time and energy as investment banking; it's not uncommon to work 12- to 14-hour days for six or seven days a week. Despite the high salary and prestige afforded to an associate or analyst, many burn out and suffer physically and emotionally after a few years on the job. These roles are for career-minded people who may have little time for relaxing on weekends and spending time with family. Occupational Outlook These are very prestigious careers with huge salaries, so competition should remain very high for the foreseeable future. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that financial jobs such as analysts, bankers, and financial managers will experience 15% job growth between 2019 and 2029. In all likelihood, a prospective banker or manager must decide on a firm-by-firm basis. Pay structures and workloads can vary, and the choice may hinge on the specifics of the role and the career goals of the individual. Top 4 Mutual Fund Holders of AAPL (as of Q1 2021) Holder Shares % Out $ Value Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund 431,222,114 2.57% 57,218,862,306 Vanguard 500 Index Fund 320,241,258 1.91% 42,492,812,524 SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust 163,690,830 0.98% 19,994,834,884 Fidelity 500 Index Fund 144,727,522 0.86% 17,549,659,317 Source: Yahoo! Finance The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (VTSAX) The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) is a one-stop shop for a wide range of small- and large-cap stocks. The fund seeks to capture returns on the entire stock market and thus holds more than 3,680 stocks. While the composition of VTSAX is not much different from that of S&P 500 ETFs, its investments in many small-cap stocks have kept it above others for several years. About 25% of the fund's assets are invested in technology stocks, with Apple holding the top position as of the end of April 2021. The fund owns more than 431.2 million shares of Apple, amounting to 2.57% of the company's outstanding stock as of Q1 2021. The fund's expense ratio is just 0.04%, well below the category average. The fund's three-year annualized return is 17.13%. The Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFIAX) Another fund tracking the S&P 500, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFIAX) gives weights to the stocks it invests in based on their positions in the S&P 500 index. With net assets of $220.5 billion as of April 2021, the fund's asset allocation skews in favor of information technology, healthcare, and consumer discretionary, forming 26.7%, 13%, and 12.5% of its portfolio, respectively. The fund holds about 320.2 million shares of Apple, just under 2% of the company, making it the second-largest mutual fund investor in Apple. The expense ratio for VFINX is 0.04%. The fund has a three-year annualized return of 16.75% as of the end of Q1 2021. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), or "spider," was first listed in 1993 by State Street Global Advisors. The ETF's main function is to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 index. Each share of SPY owns a small portion of all 500 stocks in the S&P 500. SPY is bought and sold much like a stock, but instead of making a bet on one particular company, you're making a bet on the market as a whole. SPY is invested heavily in technology, with 34% of its holdings dedicated to the sector. The fund holds 163.7 million shares, just under 1%, of all Apple stock as April 2021, making it the company's third-largest mutual fund holder. Apple shares are the ETF's top holding and account for around 6% of the fund's $355.5 billion portfolio. The expense ratio for SPY is 0.09%. The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) is another S&P 500 index fundand among the least expensive index mutual funds aroundwith an expense ratio of just 0.015% per year. The fund is also the fourth largest mutual fund holder of Apple shares as of the first quarter of 2021, owning more than 144.7 million of its shares. The fund manages around $308 billion in assets and has zero minimum investment, making it quite accessible to most investors. The title of world's richest person can change on any given day, depending on corporate share pricesbut as of late, that title has been held by Elon Musk. Famous for his business prowess, communication style, and role as a tech visionary, Musk has often been hailed as a genius. Musk is the CEO and co-founder of Tesla (TSLA), the electric vehicle company, and the CEO and lead designer of the aerospace company SpaceX. Elon Musk has generated his wealth primarily through companies that he founded, but part of his fortune also comes from passive investments. Keep reading to learn which of Musk's investments make it into the top five. Key Takeaways Musks best investments include PayPal, SpaceX, DeepMind Technologies, Tesla, and The Boring Company. Elon Musk is an engineer, industrial designer, and technology entrepreneur known for disrupting multiple industries. Musk often holds the distinction of being the world's richest person. Investopedia / Bailey Mariner 1. PayPal In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and email payment company. A year later, X.com merged with Confinity, which in 2001 was renamed PayPal (PYPL). On Oct. 3, 2002, PayPal was purchased by eBay (EBAY) for $1.5 billion. At the time of the sale, Musk owned 7,109,989 shares of PayPal, which made him the largest shareholder with a stake of 11.7%. Musk no longer holds a stake in PayPal. He exited his position after the sale of the company and used his proceeds from the sale to fund investments such as SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. 2. SpaceX In 2002, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly known as SpaceX. The company's founding mission is to revolutionize space technology, including by developing spacecraft that carries humans to Mars and other places in the solar system. NASA awarded SpaceX a lucrative contract in 2006. In 2008, SpaceX launched Falcon 1, the first private liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit. In 2010, SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft reached the International Space Station (ISS). In 2012, granted SpaceX a second contract to help shuttle crew members between the ISS and Earth. Another contract with NASA was inked in 2021 for $2.9 billion, to transport astronauts aboard its Starship vehicles from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon. 3. DeepMind Technologies The artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepMind Technologies was launched in late 2010, with Musk as one of its key angel investors. In January 2014, Google announced that it had acquired the company for an undisclosed amount. $216 billion Elon Musks reported net worth, as of March 6, 2022 Musk is famously worried about AI overtaking humans and is reported to have invested in DeepMind not to make money but to stay abreast of how rapidly the technology behind AI is developing. DeepMind has focused much of its research on deep reinforcement learning, which is an AI technique that combines deep learningwhich is primarily for recognizing patternswith reinforcement learning. DeepMind developed this type of learning based on reward signals, such as a score in a game, and gave the technique its name in a 2013 white paper. Though developing deep reinforcement learning represented a breakthrough in AI, DeepMind hasnt yet found many successful commercial applications. Alphabet, Google's parent company, has applied the technique internally to reduce the power costs associated with cooling Googles servers at data centers. 4. Tesla Motors Musk was not a founding member of Tesla but led an early round of financing in 2004. In 2008, Musk went from being a board member of Tesla to its CEO, even while still serving as the CEO of SpaceX. On June 28, 2010, Tesla launched its initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq with shares of common stock initially available to the public at $17 per share. As of March 7 2022, shares of Tesla traded for more than $800. Teslas mission is to accelerate sustainable transportation by introducing mass-market electric cars to the public. In November 2017, Tesla announced the creation of fully electric tractor-trailer trucks, which were preordered by companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and PepsiCo. The companys electric vehicles include the Model S, the Model X, the Model 3, and the high-end Roadster supercar. As of Dec. 28, 2021, Elon Musk owned 177 million shares of Tesla, worth approximately $142.3 billion. Elon Musk remains the company's largest individual shareholder and has significant control over the company's long-term plan and operational goals. 5. The Boring Company Musk founded the infrastructure and tunnel construction company known as The Boring Company in 2017. The company was founded on the premise that traffic is awful but traveling above ground isnt necessarytraffic woes could be "solved" by using the miles and miles of earth beneath roadways. The companys goal is to reduce the cost of tunneling while also making production more efficient. In March 2019, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved a $48.6 million proposal from The Boring Company to build an underground tunnel, called the LVCC Loop, that would travel underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center and feature three stations and a pedestrian tunnel. In April 2021, The Boring Company officially opened the LVCC Loop. As of 2022, The Boring Company has completed additional projects in Hawthorne, Calif., and currently has another project underway in Las Vegas. Should You Invest Like Elon Musk? As the worlds richest person and founder of more than one company that has disrupted its respective industry, people around the world are interested in Elon Musk and how hes accumulated such a fortune. Few would deny that Musk is a talented entrepreneur, given the track record of his investments. Though you can choose to invest in one or more of Musk's companies, your investment and business decisions are personal choices that you should customize. What Companies Does Elon Musk Own? Musk is primarily known for his leadership of the electric vehicle company Tesla, although he co-founded and leads Tesla, SpaceX, the neurotechnology company Neuralink, and The Boring Company. The Iraqi military said Thursday that it had captured several villages in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, backed by American airstrikes, in an operation that it described as an early phase of the campaign to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State extremists. Iraqi officials did not say when an assault on Mosul itself would begin. Col. Steve Warren, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said the retaking of the villages in Nineveh was a planned operation that was successful, but added that it did not necessarily point to the beginning of the long-awaited assault on Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq and capital of Nineveh Province. The city has been under Islamic State rule since the militants surprise offensive in the spring of 2014. American and Iraqi officials have cast the retaking of Mosul as a symbolically and politically crucial step for the Iraqi government. Even so, the effort has been hampered by disputes over the possible role of forces other than the Iraqi Army, including units of the Kurdish pesh merga in the north and Iranian-backed Shiite militias. The start of the operation has been pushed back multiple times as the United States and other members of the international coalition have urgently worked to train more Iraqi Army soldiers to take the lead in the campaign. An Iraqi military statement, read on state television, said the army had recaptured four villages outside Mosul. Calling it a heroic operation, the statement said that two car bombs had been seized and that the Iraqi flag was now flying in the villages. But rather than signaling an imminent march on Mosul, the operations on Thursday seemed more geared toward clearing villages near Makhmour, a town about 40 miles southeast of the city. Iraqi security forces have a base in Makhmour for training and planning operations in Nineveh Province. The area is close to where an American Marine was killed last week in an Islamic State rocket attack. Iraqi officials have at times released upbeat statements about military offensives against the Islamic State that are often not matched by successes on the ground. Several times last year, officials announced the beginning of the liberation of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, but the city was not retaken until the end of the year. Still, American officials have consistently signaled that the Mosul offensive is a priority, and even an imminent one, often describing airstrikes in the area around the city as shaping operations that are a prelude to a ground offensive. In recent months, the military campaign in Iraq against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has focused on Anbar, with American and Iraqi officials saying that a major offensive on Mosul may not come until the end of this year or early 2017. After recapturing Ramadi, which was devastated by heavy airstrikes and urban fighting and is still not safe enough for civilians to return, Iraqi forces recently began an assault on Hit, northwest of Ramadi in the Euphrates River valley. | Soruce: NY Times | Almost half of Irish students believe the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising would not be proud of the Ireland we have today, according to a new survey carried out by Studyclix.ie. As Ireland faces into the main centenary celebrations this Easter weekend with a caretaker government, the Irish education site asked just over 1,000 students their views on the state of the country 100 years on from the rebellion and what they feel in means to be Irish in 2016. Forty-six per cent of those surveyed stated that they did not believe Padraig Pearse and his cohorts would be proud of how Ireland is run today. Despite this, only 39 per cent felt that the equality set out for all Irish people in the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and the dream of an equal society held within its words had not been achieved in Ireland today, possibly with thanks to the successful marriage equality referendum last year. The survey spelled great news for Irish pride, however, as although students are unsure with the manner in which the country is run (or at least what Rising leaders would think of it), a phenomenal 93 per cent of them are proud to be Irish with 87 per cent saying that it is a good place to grow up. Interestingly, language came up high in the rankings as both one of the best and worst things about Ireland with students obviously not sitting on the fence and either loving or hating their mother tongue. In total, 37 per cent of those surveyed felt that Gaeilge should not be a compulsory subject in schools as it is now (along with English and Maths) and it came just behind alcohol, drunk, and stereotypes as one of the worst things about being Irish. CEO and founder of StudyClix.ie Luke Saunders wasnt surprised by the lack of love for the language. I wasn't surprised to see that 37pc of students believed Irish should not be a compulsory subject, he said. From my experience, both as a teacher and through setting up Studyclix, I have found Irish to be a very polarising subject. Some students see it as a badge of honour to be able to hold a conversation 'as Gaeilge' while others resent having to study what they feel is a dead language." Alcohol came out overwhelmingly on top as the worst thing about being Irish with students also obviously feeling exam stress in the build up to the Leaving Cert with education system and exam pressure featuring highly, too. "One of the most surprising aspects of the survey was students responses to the question of what is the worst thing about being Irish. More than one in four students referred to some aspect of our nation's relationship with alcohol and our drinking culture, Sanders continued. Among the other suggestions for the worst things about being Irish were weather, paleness, politicians, disrespect, and conservative. Language was also mentioned as one of the best things about being Irish with the infamous craic a strong contender for the top spot. Our national sports, music, culture and sense of community were among the other aspects of Irish life that students enjoy. Read more: The absolute best things about being Irish on St. Patricks Day As we reflect this year on the history of the Rising, on Irish independence and on what the actions of those who took up arms during Easter week one hundred years ago has meant for our country today, 78 percent of students surveyed are proud of the Rising with 73 percent also agreeing that the men and women of 1916 were correct to stage a violent uprising in this manner instead of waiting around for possible Home Rule at the close of the First World War. The National Student Centenary Survey was carried out by Studyclix.ie with responses from over a 1,000 5th and 6th year high school students in Ireland (between 16 and 18 years old). The President has paid tribute to those who fought in the Easter Rising at a gathering of their relatives in Dublin this evening. President Higgins said those who fought did so 'without expectation of living to see what could be subsequently achieved in the name of Irish freedom'. A barrage of economic reports from both sides of the Irish Sea have predicted dire consequences should the UK vote to leave the EU in its referendum in less than three months. However, uncertainty about the in-out outcome is already buffeting the Irish economy in a most painful way through the surge in the euro against sterling. An economy like Irelands which had undergone unprecedented levels of austerity for seven years of crisis needs every bit of help it can get. And last year the slump in the euro finally delivered for exporters and jobs as the ECB marshalled its quantitative easing artillery. Finally, the battered economy had got the boost from devaluation that it had long craved and all without being forced out of the euro bloc. Last November, the euro had slumped to under 70 pence against sterling making goods sold into Britain by labour- intensive Irish firms and the multinationals highly competitive. The Brexit uncertainty this year has unwound a lot of the good. By the time David Cameron had secured his unexpected re-election last May, the UK currency had weakened to around 73p. With a referendum date set and UK opinion polls showing at best only a slim majority of Britons favoured staying in, sterling has slumped further. It was worth 78p per euro this week. There has been no shortage of reports warning about the economic effects of a Brexit. Institute of International and European Affairs The first major report was published here a year ago, by the Institute of International and European Affairs. The Dublin-based think tank took an expansive economic and social look warning that a Brexit would raise the spectre of a reconstructed Irish border and the deepening of partition of the island that only our grandparents could recall. In other words, a large chunk of the Good Friday Agreement would be negated. That would be a consequence the think tank argued, of new migrant controls under a Brexit as the EU could necessitate new immigration controls on the M1 at Newry or the Derry road at Augnacloy. Despite Mr Camerons determination to keep the UK in Europe, a British exit from the EU would be hugely disruptive for the Irish economy, north and south. The UK exiting the EU would strip 3.6%, or about 6bn from the Republics export base should full tariff barriers be re-installed in Britain and the North and threaten the security of thousands of jobs across the whole of Ireland, the institute said. Worst hit would be jobs in labour-intensive sectors such as agriculture, food and small manufacturing businesses. The think tank said the consequences of the UKs departure would be felt more acutely across Ireland than any other European region and have a disproportionate impact on Irish-owned businesses because of the importance of the UK market for small exporters. Irish Exporters Association The associations survey published last week showed 95% of its members want the UK to remain a part of the EU, but only half are at all confident that it will stay in. A large majority said a Brexit would harm the Irish economy, with most exporters here thinking so. However, some 40% of the survey said Brexit would have a positive effect in attracting more foreign direct investment here. A small minority suggested Ireland should have a similar referendum if Britain were to decide to leave. If the British electorate votes to leave the EU it will have serious implications on bilateral trade and on our exports to the UK in particular, said association chief executive Simon McKeever. The biggest problem at the moment is the uncertainty that surrounds the outcome. This uncertainty has already weakened the pound against the euro by 10.5% since mid- November of last year, making Irish goods and services in the UK more expensive and therefore less competitive, he said. Mr McKeever said that many companies in Ireland test the water by exporting to the UK, and most Irish exporters unless they are British nationals will not have a vote in this referendum. The Economic and Social Research Institute The ESRI late last year forecast that bilateral trade flows between Ireland and Britain could fall by at least 20% in the long-term, if Brexit were to become a reality. In the report, the think-tank said neither Britain or Ireland would benefit from a Brexit and poured cold water on any notion that Ireland would see any meaningful benefit from redirected investment flows from Britain. A chief reason for this, it said, is that many multinationals in Britain such as car makers are in sectors unlikely to relocate in Ireland anyway and that Ireland is a small economy already punching above its weight in terms of attracting foreign investors. The analysis suggests that larger EU member states such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland would benefit more from the redirection of new foreign direct investment away from the UK, said the think tank. The Small Firms Association The association warned the SME sector could be the hardest hit of all in the case of Brexit with the risk that some could even be driven out of business by the fallout. Trade between the two countries directly supports over 400,000 jobs half of them in Ireland. For small Irish businesses looking to expand, the UK is often their first export market and 43% of exports from indigenous Irish companies are destined for the UK. The UK is a strong voice for free trade, reduction in red tape and other pro-enterprise policies at EU level. For all of these reasons, it is in the interests of the Irish small business community that the UK remains in a reformed EU. Small firms do not have the same degree of mobility, flexibility and diversification that may help larger businesses to navigate the risks posed by a UK exit from the EU. Small businesses may be dependent on a UK supplier, investor or market, which means their very survival hangs in the balance, said the associations assistant director Linda Barry. Confederation of British Industry The UK economy would face a serious shock even if it were to strike new trade deals rapidly after leaving the EU, the Confederation of British Industry said in its report published earlier this week. Even the most favourable scenario under which the UK strikes a new free trade agreement with the remaining EU bloc within five years of the vote to exit would cost its economy 55bn (70.5bn). A less favourable outcome by which long drawn-out talks take place under World Trade Organisation rules would cost its economy even more, 100bn. The confederations figures were based on a 79-page report by accountants PwC, which deals with the hot issues of trade, employment, and migration. The report made few references to the Republic, but noted the importance of the market here for Britain. We (the UK) still export more to Ireland, for example, than to China and Hong Kong combined. In the future, we expect this to change, but it would be a slow process, as this would require structural adjustments to reorient exports towards emerging markets, it said. It also cited historical research showing EU membership delivers big US foreign direct investment in the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden. The confederation said increased economic and political uncertainty following a Brexit vote would be significant and any talks could drag on for more than two years before its new relationship with the EU is agreed. It expects increased financial market and exchange rate volatility, higher-risk premiums in credit and equity markets, and possible consequential impacts on business confidence and investment. A process for leaving is set out in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, but its worth saying that Article 50 has never been triggered. By choosing this path the UK would be taking unprecedented action, said director of economics with the confederation Rain Newton-Smith. Oxford Economics Echoing the Institute of International and European Affairs report a year previously, Oxford Economics warned earlier this week that Irelands economy would be the most vulnerable to Britains potential exit. The study found in the worst case scenario as much as 2.2% could be wiped off Irish GDP rates in the long run. The research also found in any plausible scenario the UK economy would shrink should British voters choose to leave the EU. A clampdown on immigration would leave a funding gap of between 22bn and 30bn that would need to be plugged by spending cuts or tax increases from 2030 onwards. Irish exports to Arab markets have surpassed all forecasts with the value of goods and services topping 5.3bn in 2015 from a previous high of 4bn in 2014. With countries and regions such as offering considerable opportunities for Irish businesses, the 2016 Arab-Irish Business Forum will take place at Dublin Castle on April 15 and has been organised for those doing business or looking for new opportunities outside of Ireland. When the Middle East first opened up a few decades ago, there was the inevitable stampede of large Western companies wanting to do business there. The market has evolved a lot since then. Opportunities in the region have arisen for boutique consultancies and smaller niche companies, which is excellent news for Irish companies. Miagens first customer in the Gulf was Qatargas. At that time, we were a small organisation competing against much bigger companies, yet we won a tender with the worlds largest liquefied natural gas company with an estimated turnover of $60bn (53.7bn). Now, difficult economic conditions in the region are compelling companies to seek out deeper insights into their operational performance and profitability. Arab businesspeople are having to face up to new challenges. We are seeing greater demand for scenario planning and models that can cope with the impact of change. Throughout the Gulf, were seeing strong traction for corporate performance management and forecasting and planning models that we design and deliver on the cloud. Arab business leaders have long looked westward for technical expertise and skills, and Irish companies are held in high regard. Whats more, over years of doing business in the region, Ive encountered a willingness to look at more innovative solutions. Combined with a greater focus on the bottom line, this is creating sustained interest in solutions that deliver real value, backed by high-quality service. I believe there are a number of lessons for Irish companies that are serious about doing business in the Gulf. Lesson one is spending time in the region is essential. The Arab world can be a challenging place to do business. The business culture in the region is to meet face-to-face, so Irish businesspeople need to travel regularly to establish relationships. The more you commit to the market, the stronger you will build your brand. A serviced office is sufficient at first as you will be visiting their offices. The approach of drop in for a coffee and well talk is very commonplace as is a culture of no show, even if a meeting has been agreed. Much of our work is now done online through GoToMeeting, reducing the need to travel as often. Unlike Europe, it is not possible to buy a database of contact names; you have to build that information over time. Previously, you needed to have a local partner or to establish an office in the market, but you can now set up in the airport-free zones Miagens regional office is in Abu Dhabi. It is now possible to trade directly with a company, or work in tandem with a local agent, so you can find the right business model in the Arab world that works for you. I strongly recommend contacting Irish companies who are already working there for their insights. There are a number of excellent expat networking groups worth exploring, along with a conversation with your Enterprise Ireland relationship manager. Lesson two is expect a lot of bargaining. Our initial meetings with Aramex, a logistics company headquartered in Jordan and listed on the Dubai Stock Exchange, were very intense almost combative. Arab businesspeople want to see how youll perform under pressure. We spent the whole day with Aramex in a charged atmosphere but then over dinner that evening, we were told the deal was ours. In the early stages of a business relationship in the Gulf, if there is tension in the room during negotiations which appear almost unfriendly, that might be a sign theyre about to close the sale. Conversely, an amicable tone could be a cue that theyre not ready to buy. Anyone looking to do business in Arab countries should also be ready to haggle on price. Its part of the culture and expected. Another thing to watch for: when you go to a meeting at first, there could be up to 20 people, when you had expected only two. My advice would be: dont bluff and bring plenty of business cards. Irish and Arab cultures are very alike in many ways with similar emphasis on home life, a willingness to diffuse situations with humour and personal promises carry a lot of weight. Lesson three is be ready if business moves fast. Our initial contact with Etihad in early 2013 started with three intensive days of meetings so they could assess exactly what we could deliver. By March, they reached a decision for us to build a budgeting model. By June, we had begun delivering it and phase one was completed by September that year. Etihad is now one of our largest clients, we work with several of their equity partners Jet Airways, Air Serbia and Air Seychelles proving the importance of chance engagements and the appropriate response. That first contract came about from an unplanned meeting at a financial conference in London. My contact wanted to find out more about us, so we arranged a call and subsequently a web meeting. He then told me: My manager says if youre serious, youll be in the Gulf tomorrow. And I was. Teddy Murphy is chief executive of corporate performance management consultancy Miagen. He will be speaking at the Arab-Irish Business Forum at Dublin Castle, on April 15. For more information see www.arabirishbusinessforum.ie US president, Barack Obama, announced his decision to continue sanctions against Russia, just a few days ahead of the expiry of the originals, which were put in place over the undermining of the territorial integrity or stability of Ukraine. The renewed sanctions will be valid for one year, until March 6, 2017. Meanwhile, the EU has also agreed, in principle, to renew its sanctions against Russia, for a further six months, but the current regulation ran out on March 15 and, at the time of publishing, there has been no official announcement by the Commission of a renewal of the sanctions. Russia, in a tit-for-tat response, banned a range of imports, mainly agri-food, from the EU, the US, Canada and Australia. Some EU countries have felt the impact of the sanctions more than others. Ireland was particularly affected, losing 48% of its goods export to Russia in the past year, whereas the impact per the EUs other 28 countries was half of this, in percentage terms. Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy produce, and various other foods were particularly affected by the Russian ban. Germany has appeared especially reluctant to ratchet up sanctions. That is not surprising, as German exports to Russia totalled 38bn the highest in the EU. More importantly, Germany gets more than 30% of its oil and gas from Russia. Italy is also highly dependent on Russian energy and some of Russias former Soviet bloc neighbours rely 100% on its gas deliveries. The EUs trade with Russia worth nearly 210bn in 2015 dwarfs US-Russia trade, and, hence, the divergence of aggression, in terms of sanctions renewal. Exports and imports between the US and Russia were 24bn in 2015, down by 10bn from the previous year. This compares with lost trade of 80bn by the EU. Britain is also reluctant to inflict any further hurt on Mr Putins rich and well-connected friends, though the asset freezes. London is a popular haunt for Russias business elite, many of whom have bought expensive properties in Britain. For Russias battered economy, 2016 already looks miserable. The ruble has slumped to record lows, as oil prices have slid since January. The government, which gets nearly half of its revenue from oil and gas, is scrambling to plug a 1.5 trillion-rouble (17bn) hole in its budget. The IMF forecasts that the economy will shrink 1% this year, after contracting 3.7% in 2015. As grim as the numbers are, they may understate the increasingly dismal prospects for a country that, only a few years ago, was enjoying its greatest prosperity. The prospect of a crippled Russian economy on its door-step is the last thing that German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants, as sluggish growth continues across the EU. The EU has tied its sanctions to the implementation of a peace deal that Germany and France negotiated between Moscow and Kiev, many points of which have still not been implemented. Irish exporters also look forward to an early return to normalised trading relationships with Russia. * John Whelan is a leading consultant on international trade. The technology was adapted and managed by Ornua as part of a highly integrated collaborative research programme to develop the current suite of local cheeses. Mark Fenelon, head of the Teagasc Food Research programme, said it was delighted this inclusive approach with Ornua has proved effective. It marks a new approach to cheese manufacture involving the production of cheeses from reassembled milk without whey expulsion, he said. Ornua will manufacture white cheeses at the Riyadh plant for the Saudi Arabian market, the fifth largest dairy importer in the world. The venture will provide the group with a central hub to access the high-growth dairy markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The new facility will use the technology developed by Ornua and Teagasc to produce a range of bespoke fresh white cheeses for the increasingly sophisticated bakery sector, retail delis, and foodservice customers. It also includes an innovation hub which will be used to co-develop customised white cheese solutions with customers. The facility will provide a direct route to market and value for Irish dairy products. Ornua chief executive Kevin Lane said the opening of the Al Wazeen facility is strategically very important to the group. We now have a manufacturing and trading hub in place to service the high growth dairy market of Saudi Arabia and our growing MENA customer base, said Mr Lane. The ability to innovate and adapt to market needs is key to developing opportunities for Irish dairy. Our partnership with Teagasc is a great example of how innovative technologies can create new ways of producing dairy products for global markets. The Riyadh facility is the latest in a series of significant investments by Ornua, targeting new routes to market for Irish dairy products. Over the last 18 months the group has invested in acquisitions and significant infrastructure development in Africa, China, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Britain, and the US. It comes just weeks after the acquisition of Ambrosia, a dairy facility in Shanghai which supplies dairy products including sour cream, yoghurt, and speciality cheeses to the high-end retail and foodservice markets in the region. The acquisition provides Ornua with its first manufacturing base in China, one of the most important dairy growth markets in the world. It will significantly increase Ornuas access to the high-end retail market and will provide an entry point into supplying dairy ingredients to the rapidly growing Chinese foodservice industry. It will also complement the existing range of Kerrygold Irish milk products already on sale in China. The Ambrosia facility will also include a new product development centre that will focus on developing cheese items that meet the specific tastes of the Chinese consumer. Mr Lane said the acquisition is another important milestone in Ornuas growth as a global supplier of quality dairy products. We are buying an excellent dairy enterprise which allows us to significantly grow our Chinese business in one step, he said. It provides us with a manufacturing base in China and brings on board a team with local knowledge and expertise, complementing our own existing in-market operation. Ambrosia Dairy is particularly well-known for the quality of its cheeses and it has been at the forefront of the development of the domestic cheese market in Shanghai. Mr Lane said the addition of domestically produced premium cheeses to the Ornua product range will complement the existing range of Kerrygold Irish milk products already on sale in China. These products occupy similar shelf space in retail outlets and the newly expanded product range will help Ornua leverage sales opportunities for Irish dairy produce in premium Chinese markets, he said. Ornua, a co-operative owned by Irelands dairy processors and in turn by Irelands dairy farmers, employs some 3,000 people across the globe. It is responsible for some 60% of Irelands dairy exports to over 100 countries, with annualised sales of over 2bn, and is owner of the iconic Kerrygold brand which is found in shops and homes around the world. Ornua is currently building a 36m butter production and packing facility for its Kerrygold brand in Mitchelstown, Co Cork. Meanwhile, Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur was awarded the title of Best Cream Liqueur 2016 at the prestigious World Liqueur Awards in London earlier this month. Adam Murphy, marketing director at Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur, said as a relative newcomer to the industry, it was delighted with the award. It had been extremely rewarding to see how popular the drink has become in key markets since being launched in September 2014, he said. Dubliner Sean Meaney has been lobbying the GAA for more than 10 years to provide funding for a statue in Cork to honour his famous ancestors legacy to Gaelic games. Earlier this week, after laying a commemorative plaque on MacCarthys London grave, Mr Meaney spoke of his distant relatives overlooked contribution to the fight for independence. MacCarthy, who was born in England to an emigrant couple from Ballygarvan, Co Cork, went on to head Londons branch of the Irish Volunteers and is believed to have played a key role in the Howth gun-running episode in July 1914. According to Mr Meaney, he also played a major part in helping to spring Eamon de Valera from Lincoln Prison in 1918. Mr Meaney said: The Irish public know very little about the man who gave his name to the Liam McCarthy Cup. He established the London GAA county board, where he was chairman for 10 years, and in 1920 he designed and funded the making of a new cup, which he donated to the GAA. The Liam McCarthy Cup From the following year it was known as the Liam McCarthy Cup and has been presented to the All-Ireland senior hurling champions ever since. But he also had a remarkable relationship with Michael Collins and Patrick Pearse and its important that thats remembered in this centenary year. Mr Meaney said the 1916 commemorations have made him more determined than ever to honour MacCarthy by raising funds for a permanent memorial in Cork. He said: A statue would cost somewhere in the region of 80,000 to 100,000 and Ive suggested before that the GAA should donate 1 from every ticket sold to an All-Ireland final to fund it, which would provide more than enough money. But whether the GAA comes on board or not, Im going to try and raise this money myself by 2021, which would be the centenary year of when the first Liam McCarthy Cup was presented. Im also in talks with a major TV company, who are interested in making a documentary about him. Its in the early stages at the moment, but if that happens it would be a huge boost, because it would help people learn more about Liam MacCarthy and help me with the fundraising. Belgian police arrested three more people yesterday as investigations into the suicide bombings by Islamist militants threw up more links to killings in Paris last year. The federal prosecutors office said the operation was connected to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on Islamic State militants they link both to the Brussels bombings that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Ahead of one of the arrests, heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Mr Clerfayt as saying the suspect had been detained after being wounded and that he was linked to Tuesdays suicide bombings. It initially said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives. But later news reports did not confirm that explosives were found. Witnesses said police appeared to shoot the man in the leg at a tram stop and that he appeared to have his daughter with him. We heard Dont move. The man was sitting at the bus stop, a bus stop with a glass wall, and we heard a small detonation and a big detonation, said Norman Kabir, 38, an electrician who lives and works nearby. Then the police came, took the little girl who was shouting Dad, she seemed terrified and the man got shot in the leg anyway because he was still moving, Mr Kabir told reporters. Then the police asked him to move his bag. He was lying on the ground, but he did it and pushed the bag and a robot from the mine-sweeping brigade arrived. It came, grabbed the bag, and took it away, then they took the guy, put him in a car and left. It took 20 seconds. Video showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. IS suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such assaults in Belgian history. Investigators believe they were carried out by the same cell behind Novembers gun and bomb attacks in Paris. The developments coincided with debate in Belgium and the Netherlands over the circumstances in which one of the suicide bombers had been deported from Turkey and returned to Belgium via Amsterdam last summer. European and US political and military figures asserted that, despite the latest attacks on a European capital, IS is in decline. The reported death of senior IS figure Haji Imam was hailed by Britains foreign secretary Philip Hammond as bringing the defeat of the militant group another step closer. US forces believe they killed the groups finance minister this week as part of efforts to target the hierarchy of IS. We are systematically eliminating [ISs] cabinet, US defence secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon press conference. Indeed, the US military killed several key [IS] terrorists this week, including, we believe, Haji Imam who was an [IS] senior leader serving as a finance minister and who also was responsible for some external affairs and plots. He added: Leaders can be replaced. However, these leaders have been around for a long time. They are senior, they are experienced. Mr Carter did not say whether the IS finance leader was killed in Syria or Iraq. The Dublin City Council outlay includes 36,908 on the installation, removal, and storage of an electronic LED Christmas Tree at Smithfield. Dublin lord mayor, Sinn Feins Criona Ni Dhalaigh, said yesterday the outlay on natural Christmas trees was justified because of the Christmas cheer the trees bring and the community spirit they create. However, she added: I would have concerns over the ongoing costs associated with the LED Christmas tree at Smithfield. A council official said the 107,700 spend involves the purchase of 41 large trees located in the city centre including OConnell St, urban centres, and villages. The trees had ranged in height from 30ft to 45ft. The spokeswoman said the cost also includes the purchase of 60 smaller trees that are purchased for civic buildings, libraries, and leisure centres. In 2008, Dublin City Council paid its one third 100,000 share for the purchase of the 300,000 LED tree in an initiative also funded by the Dublin City Business Improvement District and the Dublin City Business Association. The tree, designed by French family firm Blachere which has also created the lighting for the Eiffel Tower, was originally located in OConnell St before being moved to Smithfield. However, the taxpayer and the Dublin rate-payer continues to pay for the installation, removal, and storage costs of the tree. According to the council, last December it paid 36,809 to private firm 2B Light Company in respect of the tree at Smithfield. The spokeswoman said that the firm was paid 26,961 for the installation and removal of the 18m, five-tonne, eco-friendly tree illuminated by 100,000 bulbs. In addition, the outside firm was paid 5,500 for the storage of the tree while the total includes a 13.5% Vat component of 4,378. Much work has been done in Smithfield this year, particularly to the square which is now fully pedestrianised and is also home to a childrens playground, a council spokeswoman said. The Christmas Tree was moved to Smithfield to increase footfall and give the area an added boost. Meanwhile, Ms Ni Dhalaigh said: If you had asked me about the Christmas Tree programme spend last year, or before becoming mayor, my first thought would have been is it a waste of money putting all these trees up? but, in my job as mayor, I have seen at first hand the sense of pride and atmosphere that the trees create. She said: There is a big lead-in period in a lot of areas ahead of the trees being erected where the area is cleaned up and there is a reception afterwards for the community. The trees brighten up areas that can be dark and dreary at that time of year. There are areas of Dublin that havent got trees and would love to have them. There is a huge demand for the city council to have trees in all areas, but that just cant happen, because we dont have the money for it. The lord mayor added the spend on Christmas trees did not mean other services, like funding to combat homelessness, are losing out. She said: The money would remain in the councils community and recreation budget if it wasnt spent on trees. Ms Ni Dhalaigh said she would be asking questions on the continuing cost of the LED tree at Smithfield. She said: We shouldnt be paying that amount for the installation and storage of a tree. There must be a less costly way of promoting an area. An ordinary tree would do the job at Smithfield and the council should consider selling the LED tree. An Irishman, who admits he is not a licenced architect in the US, has been revealed as the designer of a mega mansion the developer wants to sell for a staggering $500m (448m). Dubliner Paul McClean is the designer behind the 104,000 sq ft mansion in Los Angeles that, if the developer reaches even close to his asking price, will make it by far the most expensive house in the world. McClean, who graduated from the Dublin Institute of Technology before moving to Los Angeles, is now the go-to designer of mega mansions in the city. Yet McClean admitted to a LA newspaper he is not yet an architect in the United States, postponing the last of six tests needed to be granted a licence because he is so busy. He has a licensed architect on the staff of his firm, McClean Design. McCleans rise has been meteoric just four years ago he was working out of his garage. He can thank, in part, the developer Paddy McKillen and his family for helping to catapult him to the top of his profession in the city. McKillen hired McClean to design seven houses in the city, including five for members of the McKillen family. And son Drew McKillen was the developer of a McClean-designed home sold last year for $25m (22.4m), to fashion designer Calvin Klein. His brother Tyrone McKillen, an agent with high-end real estate brokers, Hilton & Hyland, brokered the deal. And Hilton & Hyland are also the brokers for the $500m Bel Air mansion, now half built but with a planned 2017 completion date. The asking price will be $500m, mansion developer Nile Niami told Bloomberg News last spring. Niami, an independent film producer turned developer, hired McClean to design six houses prior to approaching him about a project dubbed simply The One, a mansion twice the size of the White House on a four-acre plot in Bel Air. It will have a 5,000 sq ft master bedroom, five swimming pools, a casino, a nightclub with a VIP area, a 30-car garage, a room with jellyfish tanks instead of walls and ceilings, and another set aside entirely for flowers. Niama told Details magazine: We have a very specific client in mind. Someone who already has a $100m yacht and has seven houses all over the world. Some LA real estate experts have expressed scepticism the asking price will be met. McClean, who was not available for an interview this week, told the Orange County Register newspaper that he did not set out to produce southern Californias biggest and ritziest mansion. But, while growing up in Dublin, he always wanted to be a designer. As soon as he graduated from DIT in 1994, McClean set off for California. Its just great to design homes in such a fantastic climate and to take advantage of the ocean and city views, McClean told the Orange County Register, I got off the bus in California, and the first thing that struck me was the light. Our houses are all about light. Light and water. He worked several jobs before becoming a design assistant with an architectural firm in Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles. McClean struck out on his own in 2000, designing houses in Laguna Beach. He designed two for McKillen in the area. But it was not until 2008 that McCleans business began its meteoric rise. It was his first job in LA and the house sold for $10m. Since then he has specialised in designing multi-million dollar mansions, including one that sold for $39m. In a candid interview with the Hollywood Reporter, given before he was hired to build The One, McClean expressed some disbelief at the trend in LA for unique, so-called spec, mansions. These are buyers who just arent going to be spending much time in these homes, McClean said. They start with a house in London, then in New York, then they realise the weather is crap in both, so they get a home here. But its more about collecting homes, not living in them. Ive never designed on this scale before, he said of of his five projects at the time, ranging from 20,000 sq to 60,000 sq ft. No matter what we build, theres only one complaint: Theyre too small. Niama, the developer, said the asking price, which if met will be $200m more than the current priciest mansion in the world, a French chateau, is only $5,000 per sq ft. Thats half what billionaires have paid for Manhattan penthouses, he said. The family of father of two, Nicholas Lyons, said they believe he met a violent death, and have appealed for information about a man who was seen with Nicky, an hour before he is understood to have died. Mr Lyons, 33, was the third member of his family to lose his life on the river. The Lyons family claim there are many suspicious elements surrounding Nickys death, which they further claim have not been properly investigated by gardai. Last Tuesday, an inquest jury returned an open verdict in Mr Lyonss death. The jury heard evidence from state pathologist Marie Cassidy, who performed Mr Lyonss autopsy, that she found an injury to his jaw, which she stated could have been caused by a blow or a punch consistent with an assault. Professor Cassidy also stated the injury could have also been caused when Mr Lyons entered the river on April 21, last year. Gardai believe Mr Lyons, who was found to have had high alcohol levels in his blood, fell off his bike into the river and sustained bruising to his face either in the fall or while in the river. However, Mr Lyonss family are convinced he was assaulted before he entered the river. His brother John, and sister Catriona, said the spot where Nicky is believed to have entered the river was not sealed off for a garda forensic examination. They also claimed, a large crowd that had gathered at the fishing spot could have contaminated a potential crime scene. John Lyons discovered his brothers fishing gear and fishing rods broken and strewn along the riverbank. His equipment was scattered everywhere. I found his bicycle in the river, and his fishing rod was broken by the ends, as if it was snapped off a knee, Mr Lyons said. The family claimed Nicky was a devoted fisherman, and would never have treated his equipment like that. We firmly believe something sinister happened, John and Catriona both said. The inquest backs up our belief there are questions as to how Nicholas got into the water, John added. A witness told gardai, and the inquest, that they saw a man wearing a white hooded top talking to Nicky at 10.30pm, an hour before Mr Lyons is believed to have entered the river. Another witness said they heard a heated argument between two men at the same spot on the riverbank around 11.45pm on the night. Mr Lyons family have appealed for anyone with information about the man who was seen speaking with Nicky to come forward. Last November, as the Sean O Muirthile Historical Society began planning commemorations in Drinagh for Sean Hurley, all they knew was that he had been engaged to marry a Kathleen OBrien but little else. We knew little about Kathleen, we had no background information such as her year of birth, parents names or what county she was from, explained society officer Margaret Murphy. But thanks to detailed research and a chance contact from a Cork City man to the Irish Examiner with a letter sent to his uncle in 1916, Seans and Kathleens families are back in touch. The couple met while both worked in London, and Seans close friend Michael Collins wrote a letter of sympathy to Kathleen from prison after the Rising. For regular updates on news and features (as well as twitter action action as it may have happened 100 years ago) to mark the revolutionary period follow @theirishrev HERE Two years later, Kathleen got married, but not before spending the War of Independence and Civil War as an active Cumann na mBan member (on the opposite side to Collins in the latter conflict). But ever since some contact between the Hurleys and Kathleens family for a 1966 memorial in Drinagh, West Cork, six years after Kathleen died, ties had faded out. It was detail in the letter written in June 1916 by Kathleens brother John, then a private in the British army, which confirmed her as being from a family that Margaret and others were starting to focus on as that of Kathleen. While they knew she had married, there was no certainty up to then that she was the same Kathleen they were looking for. Now, however, Kathleens grand-niece Muireann Ni Dhomhnaill has been located and has verified the family history. Kathleens photograph has been seen for the first time by descendants of Sean, whose grand-nephew David Hurley was delighted to learn of the find this week. Enjoyed this? Then check out our dedicated micro-site, developed in collaboration with UCC, to mark the revolutionary period HERE In an operation described as a major success for gardai, officers from the specialist organised crime unit recovered two AK47 assault rifles, two handguns along with silencers, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Officers said three men arrested with the guns definitely have connections with the Hutch crime gang which is involved in a spiralling feud with the Kinahan cartel. Detectives said that while they had no information that the weapons were going to be used by the Hutch outfit to carry out revenge attacks on the Kinahan cartel, they did say they were only a step away from falling into use in the feud. The murder of Noel Duggan in Ratoath, Co Meath, on Wednesday night brought to three, the number of people very close to Gerry The Monk Hutch killed by the Kinahan cartel. Last September, his nephew Gary Hutch, a former senior associate within the Kinahan syndicate, was gunned down in Spain by cartel members. After the Hutch gang murdered Kinahan lieutenant David Byrne at the infamous Regency Hotel military-style assault on February 4, the Kinahans shot dead The Monks brother, Edward Hutch, a taxi driver. Gardai are putting out more patrols and checkpoints to try and prevent further violence. While observers might expect the Hutch gang to retaliate first for the two revenge killings for Byrnes murder, experienced detectives said it was almost as likely the Kinahan cartel will strike again. The seizure of weapons and ammunition on Thursday night was part of a continuing operation by the Drug and Organised Crime Bureau into a gang involved in the provision and distribution of firearms. In the operation, supported by the heavily-armed Emergency Response Unit, two assault rifles and more than 200 rounds of ammunition were seized, and three men arrested when gardai stopped two vehicles in the Ratoath area. Gardai are not drawing a link to the Duggan murder because of the location, with sources saying members of the firearms gang also live in the area. In a follow-up search, two semi-automatic pistols, silencers and further quantities of ammunition were found near Ashbourne. This is an extremely significant seizure and also significant to get prisoners, said a garda source. This has saved lives, no doubt. These guns have been taken out of the hands of criminals and prevented people being shot down the road, whether in the days, weeks or months to come. These weapons would not just be used in one shooting and thrown away, they are too valuable. They would have been used and used and used. They could have been rented out. Two of the three arrested are linked to the Hutch gang. There are definite connections with a crime group from the north inner city that are involved in the feud, said the garda source. The Kerry-based TD said it would be a very foolish politician who would ever rule themselves out of something without knowing what they are ruling themselves out of, amid ongoing speculation over whether he will be in line to take up the long-rumoured position. During an interview with RTE Radios Countrywide programme due to air this morning, the controversial TD said the need for the full ministerial position has been accepted by both Enda Kenny and Micheal Martin. Speaking after a series of meetings in recent weeks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, Mr Healy-Rae said he has been given a commitment by both parties the rural affairs position will be created. He said the development will address a great imbalance that has seen rural Ireland left behind. However, when asked, he declined to rule himself out of seeking the role if he and his brother form part of a rainbow coalition. My honest answer about everything is I listen to everything, I see what arises. If an opportunity was ever to arise to me that would make sense and that was a good thing, it would be a good thing for the people I represent, it would be a very foolish politician who would ever rule themselves out of something, he said. Whoever forms the next government, whether its a Fianna Fail-led government or Fine Gael-led, whoever they are they will have a senior minister for rural affairs. The caretaker taoiseach Enda Kenny has told me yes, he will have such a position if hes in power. Micheal Martin has told me yes, that its Fianna Fail policy, that he will have a full minister for rural affairs. Thats terrible important, because there was a great imbalance in the last number of years that I really feel rural Ireland was left behind, Mr Healy-Rae said. Rural TDs have repeatedly called for a full cabinet-level ministry to tackle issues such as flooding, job creation, farming and broadband. When British soldier John OBrien wrote home to a pal in his native East Cork in June 1916, he could hardly have imagined a single line would help solve a romance mystery a century later. But by referring to his sister Kathleens boyfriend being killed in the Easter Rising, he has done just that. Kathleen OBrien met Sean Hurley from Drinagh, West Cork, in London, probably when both worked at Harrods. She was a secretary to the managing director and he worked in the sanctions department which she joined in 1914. In the same year, Kathleens brother John left his job in a London bank to join the Royal Dublin Volunteers, that formed a unit in the Irish Brigade. The OBriens came from the Conna area in East Cork but the family moved to Ballinacurra, near Midleton, in the years before the First World War. Fast-forward to Easter 1916, and Sean, now 29, and his West Cork friend Michael Collins returned to Ireland and fought in the Rising with the Irish Volunteers. But while Collins would go on to a prestigious but shortlived political and military career up to 1922, Hurley was shot and seriously wounded in fighting around the Four Courts. He died in Dublin the day of the surrender, Saturday, April 29. But as he was not identified it was weeks after his burial before his family learned of his death. It was only when a London lady friend with a photograph of Sean arrived in Dublin weeks later that the unknown volunteer who was dead on arrival at Richmond Hospital was identified The woman transpires to have been Kathleen. But while his family had known he was engaged to a Kathleen OBrien, little was known of her in West Cork. Ironically, Seans grand-nephew David Hurley recalls that when his fathers uncle was commemorated in Drinagh for the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966, representatives of Kathleen were there. But contact was lost and we didnt really know where she lived or anything about her family, he said. His own father helped to organise that memorial but he passed away a few years later. But not before he had organised a posthumous 1916 service medal for Sean to be issued to the family. David still proudly keeps the medal at home in Ballinhassig. There was always a photo of Sean over the dining room table when I was growing up in Cork City. When we started thinking about marking the centenary of 1916, we wanted to try and track Kathleen or her relatives, David explained. The Sean O Muirthile Historical Society in Drinagh, named in honour of the 1916 volunteer the only Cork man killed in the Rising was formed about two years ago. Margaret Murphy, an officer of the society, put out a public call for information on Kathleen late last year, and research in the meantime identified a Kathleen OBrien who worked in Harrods until 1919. A process of elimination was pointing to an OBrien family shown in the 1901 and 1911 censuses as living in Conna and Ballinacurra. But there was nothing to say where that familys descendants were now, which might have enabled contact until this week. When John Clohessy from Mayfield made contact with the Irish Examiner about a letter his uncle Chris Clohissy (the spelling used by the family at the time) received almost a century ago, one line jumped out. Writing from the magazine fort in Phoenix Park where he was on guard, John OBriens last page opened as follows: I dont know if you know John Hurley, the boy to whom Kathleen was to have been married. He was killed during Easter Week during the fighting in the neighbourhood of the Four Courts, he wrote. Although the names of Kathleens older siblings were not known to those searching for the family of Seans fiancee, the familiarity of his description suggested this John OBrien known to have been from Conna could very well be her brother. Knowing from John Clohessy who had no idea of the significance of this particular line in the letter that John had died in the final days of the Battle of the Somme in November 1916 added further help. A December 1916 Cork Examiner article reports Johns death, saying the Royal Dublin Fusiliers machine-gunner was the eldest son of rate collector Robert OBrien. This matched the family which Margaret Murphy and the Drinagh historical society were focused on in the 1911 Census. But the discovery on the same day of an article on the Waterford County Museums website brought the search almost to a conclusion. Kathleen had returned to Ireland from London in 1919, and married widower Tim Daly in 1924. Before that, she had been a member of Cumann na mBan, and went on hunger strike during imprisonment in the Civil War. The article was based on information from her grand-niece Muireann Ni Dhomhnaill from An Rinn, Co Waterford, who was this week able to provide Margaret, and Seans grand-nephew David, with a photo of Kathleen. The bride-to-be, now 38, is shown smiling happily ahead of her marriage to Tim Daly. But behind the smiles lay further tragedy. Not only had her fiancee and brother died within months of each other in 1916. Muireann has also shed light on a line in a letter from Michael Collins to Kathleen during his imprisonment after the Rising, which Margaret knew of from a 2011 auction catalogue. ...in the present circumstances with so many of your dear ones gone, I can only say that I do feel and feel very deeply, Collins wrote to his dead friends grieving fiancee. The week before Seans death in Dublin, Kathleens mother and her grandmother had died at her home in Cork within days of each other. Her brother would be killed wearing his British soldiers uniform before 1916 had ended. Kathleen herself died in 1960, after living a quiet life in Newbridge, Co Kildare a life which Muireann had been researching for more than a decade. Now David Hurley hopes to meet some of Kathleens own family, when Sean Hurley commemorative events are held in Drinagh over the May bank holiday weekend. Its just a wonderful story, that we were able to make contact, and it would be lovely to have somebody there to represent the other side of the romance. And now having a photograph of Kathleen too, its lovely to have those things because otherwise the links might die forever, he said. The former British prime minister, who brokered the Good Friday agreement in 1998, said there is no longer community support for terrorists in the North, but that you cant drop your guard at all. Mr Blair said the breakthrough deal 18 years ago was only a beginning and there were still major barriers of segregation to break down in Northern Ireland. He told BBC radio: Some of the deep social problems and their political consequences still remain and what is true also is that it is still very easy for politics to break back into sectarianism. The answer to this is that it takes a long period of time. I think in Northern Ireland we have got to be realistic, we have also got to keep working at it, because we didnt stop working at it and I think you have got to do that if you really want the reconciliation to take hold. The attack on prison officer Adrian Ismay, who died after being injured in a dissident republican bomb attack, and the threat of violence marking the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising showed the continued danger posed by terrorism, according to Mr Blair. However, he said there had been a change in the attitudes of communities in Northern Ireland. You have got to be apprehensive and you have got to be vigilant, for sure, he said. But the big difference is that when the IRA were operating and some of the loyalist groups were operating when we came into office in 1997 and for the decades before that, they were operating often with significant support within local communities. I dont think that support for this terrorism is there in the local communities today. But there will be some on the fringes that want to engage in violence and therefore you cant drop your guard at all. Mr Blair said there is still progress to make on tackling segregation in Northern Irelands politics. You have got to break down segregation. Its not done always by laws or political agreements, it is also done at a grassroots level, it is done by changes of attitude in the mindset over time and its also by achieving a sense in the politics that people want to move on. You have still got a situation where the parties in Northern Ireland, they have a power-sharing agreement but they are still very much defined by their position from traditional communities. In time you have got to think about how you break those barriers down as well, for sure, but this takes a long time. Its not going to be easy. He added: You know when a democracy has taken root and that is when you elect the best person in your judgment to lead the country. Its not where the person came from or what background, its what they stand for and what they can do for the people as a whole. It is not surprising we are not at that point yet in Northern Ireland but we can get there. Asked about the possibility of Sinn Fein taking power both North and South of the border, Mr Blair refused to be drawn: The one thing I do remember from my time in Northern Ireland is there are certain questions you answer and certain questions you dont. Thats definitely in the category of one you dont. Some 130 people attended a public, mid-week meeting to discuss the proposed community-run shop for the seaside village of Courtmacsherry. The event was expected to be a crucial indicator of whether the proposal would be successful. Take-up of shares would determine the future of the initiative, locals were advised. However, following the meeting, organisers said that they were very pleased with both the turnout and the level of community support. Just under 7,000 worth of shares was purchased on the night. Its confidently expected that more shares will be bought, in blocks of 50, in the coming weeks, to bring the overall investment to around 20,000, which would ensure the opening of a shop. We are on track now, reported Dara Gannon, spokesman for the organising committee. He said the meeting was presented with a power-point presentation, followed by a Q&A session and an informal chat. If we continue this trend, we will be on track to raise the 20,000 required to open the doors of our community shop. It is imperative, if people invest, that they do it sooner rather than later. This was a very good start, he said, adding that another public meeting would be held in four to six weeks: It will be around the end of April or beginning of May and, in the meantime, we would urge people to buy shares. Following the public meeting, Mr Gannon said: We have been taking feedback from it and more information will be available at our next meeting. It is hoped that the new community shop will open in the villages former post office in May. His apartment is one of those expected parquet-floored affairs with carved boiseries painted chalk-white, filled with contemporary art. Theres a George Condo painting that makes the sitter look like Beaker from The Muppet Show, hung in a space once occupied, perhaps, by a 19th-century academic oil. There are good Picasso ceramics on a gray marble mantelpiece. An old house, filled with something new. That, and all the flowers, are a neat metaphor for Dior, the fashion house Simons designed for until last October, when, in a surprising turn, he resigned as artistic director of womens wear. There, Simons disrupted, bringing modern references and even modern art into the storied couture maison. Then, after three-and-a-half years, he was gone. The apartment came with that Dior job, but remains. Simonss boyfriend of just over a year is French: They live together here. Its also convenient, as Paris is where, for the past 21 years, Simons has staged shows for his own, Antwerp-based mens wear line. Simons himself is 48 just. His birthday came a week before his fall show. Hes a winter baby, like Monsieur Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga. Arguably, of the two, Simons has more in common with the latter, a relentless Modernist with a Spartan aesthetic and a love of complex construction. Balenciaga constantly challenged himself. Balenciaga wrought revolutions. Simons has as well. However, now Simons has elected to do so not through haute couture clothing for women, but through ready-to-wear garments for men. Its the path less ordinary. Which perhaps explains how he worked in relative obscurity for an entire decade through 2005, when he was appointed designer of the German-based label Jil Sander. Such obscurity comes from the fact that womens wear outweighs mens wear in sales, column inches and sheer number of shows certainly not from Simonss lack of talent, or, indeed, lack of adulation from the appropriate quarters. Men, it is different, Simons says, of the industry, in comparison to womens wear. I find it a pity. It was always an investigation from my side: My brand has never stood for a classic wardrobe, which is what most mens brands represent. Then they give it a twist, with styling. We are so far evolved . . . he stops, sighs. And mens fashion is still . . . he stops, and sighs again. For more than 20 years, I try. I wish it was where womens fashion is. Meaning he wishes that more designers were like him willing to fashion a new identity for men in the same way they do for women. Not that mens fashion be subject to the same seasonal upheaval, but that it break out of rigid adherence to the standard sartorial strata of sweater, pants, overcoat, underwear. Mens wardrobes are ferociously pigeonholed. Simons wants to explore what lies in between. He wants to make clothes we havent seen before, not just another white shirt. In doing so, he has become, arguably, the most important menswear designer in the world. He has fundamentally altered the way men dress, and the way men want to dress. He injected menswear with cultish youth affiliations before anyone else was doing it, back in the mid-90s. His clothes then, and now, express something about the world in which we live. Their design evokes socio-economic mores, notions of value and worth, complex codes of masculinity, youthful rebellion. They challenge the status quo, frequently championing the dispossessed. Theyve influenced entire generations of designers that have followed him, and changed the way his forerunners do their jobs today. He has shifted the landscape of mens clothing. Even if his impact isnt perceived, its there. Simons comes from a practical background. His father was a soldier; his mother cleaned houses. I dont have a cultural background. My parents werent at all, at all, connected to anything you could call cultured, he says, quietly but emphatically. He was born in Neerpelt, Belgium, close to the border of Holland. The population, he says, was about 8,000. In our village there was no cinema, no museum, no gallery, no boutique. It wasnt there. . . . I had no access to things I clearly felt an attraction to. Art, and also fashion. He originally studied industrial design at a university in Genk for five years, graduating in 1991. I got frustrated, he says. What I was doing after graduation was furniture. I was aware that I had to go to Italy, where there were these producers. Cappellini. Cassina. I just felt that it was out of my reach. I was quite driven. I ended up in a little gallery; they would sell something. But I couldnt live from it. And my dad would say . . . Simons shrugs. You can picture the conversation. He had already begun to be enamored of the fashion world, after a friend, the designer Walter Van Beirendonck, took him to Paris to see the work of another young Belgian designer named Martin Margiela. The show, in 1990, took place in a playground; the children played with the models as they strode out. Simons had an immediate emotional connection. It was a split second . . . a flash of Ah! Its not so on the surface, its not so glamour and parties. It was so different. Simons gets emotional talking about that show even today. Soon after, Simons designed a few skinny black suits and skinny sleeveless shirts that resembled school uniforms. He made them to impress Linda Loppa, then head of the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, in the hope that she would invite the 26-year-old to join her course. Those audition garments became Simonss first collection. Instead of study, Loppa encouraged him to set up a business. When I showed it to Linda, she sent me to this agent. . . . I brought it to Milan, literally stuffed into my car. Nothing was planned . . . Simons is still incredulous in relaying the details. And he sold to, I dont remember, seven or nine clients. Japanese clients. Barneys was there the first season! And I just thought How am I going to do this? There was no thinking time I had to create a company. Originally, Simons was to design the line with two female friends. After they dropped out, he concentrated on mens wear. I started to just fit on myself, he recalls. It was a real one-man show. Thats how I ended up making 40, 50 garments that were mens. Simons shrugs, pragmatically. It wasnt the idea to start a mens collection, the idea was to start a collection. To make garments for a specific audience. That audience was himself his friends, his generation. Simons once told me he wanted to make clothes for kids. Flummoxed, I asked if he meant childrens clothes. He laughed. No, me and the kids around me. I was really out to find an audience, no matter how small, who could really feel: This is something I could connect with, something I feel like I can be part of. Much of that centered on music, an obsession that Simons has repeatedly articulated in his collections throughout the years. Hes designed clothing inspired by New Order, Joy Division, the Manic Street Preachers. For his fall 1997 runway show, he dressed models as Kraftwerk and played their music as the soundtrack. No one had thought of doing that before, coupling music and mens wear together to publicly explore their own teenage subcultural affiliations. It was nothing to do with fashion, only with music, says Simons. Hes speaking of his teenage years: 13, 14. Duran Duran was big and Anne Clark and Depeche Mode and all that kind of stuff. All that was happening when I was going to the clubs, which was great. . . . But no fashion. No fashion the way we now define fashion. No fashion related to fashion designers, fashion brands and fashion houses. If fashion inevitably meets music in Simons work, it also meets art. He is an ardent collector. I once saw him walking around the Frieze art fair in London in his own little world, clutching a catalogue, eager to buy. The contemporary pieces dotting his apartment are almost a chart for the inspirations and instincts that have powered his career. The Picasso ceramics, for instance, inspired the penultimate womens wear collection of his tenure at Jil Sander, where Simons worked for seven years, designing the mens and womens lines. When he was poached by Dior in 2012, his first collection featured a chine silk dress woven not with traditional Dior fleurs, but a couture rendition of a spray-painted work by his close friend, the California-based artist Sterling Ruby. Art on your back. I wasnt someone who was so interested in fashion before I went to university. I was not obsessed with clothes, at all, Simons says. But at quite a young age, I got to see art in a way that triggered interest. When he was 18, he visited the groundbreaking Chambres dAmis exhibition by the Belgian curator Jan Hoet where more than 50 artists from across America and Europe created works, installed in the homes of private citizens in the city of Ghent. You could buy a train ticket, get a list of the participating houses and visit the art. Simons did. And it was mind-blowing, he emphatically states. A house, and these people would have had Joseph Beuys in there. I instantly had a very strong attraction to art. I could relate to it. It wasnt so distant. Simons is wearing a cotton shirt, in thick drill like a workmans uniform. Its Yves Klein blue, Pollocked with bleach. Its another Sterling Ruby piece, not only inspired by, but actively created with the artist. Its from the collaborative collection Simons designed with him in 2014. That fall season, the designer shared the label on his clothes with the artist, a recognition of what a true collaboration, an extraordinary fusion of the fashion and art worlds, could look like. Collaborations are normally schlocky, one-season runs, resulting in graphics splattered across clothing and handbags, or spun out cheaply on T-shirts that have all the integrity of rock-band merch. For the Raf Simons/Sterling Ruby collection, however, samples, images and accompanying texts were shunted back and forth across the Atlantic. The final garments looked something like Rubys paintings, sprayed with paint and stamped with slogans. Rubys work examines notions of masculinity, of urban spaces, of violence. Waste, decay, social anxiety: all ideas that inspire Simonss designs. For observers, to see a talent like Simons surrender part of his creative authorship to another was exceptional. Simons speaks Flemish, and his accent is strong and guttural. Dior comes out Diorgh. For how much of his life the job consumed for the past few years, he doesnt bring it up much. On the one hand, because Simons menswear is now his sole focus; on the other hand, because I suspect he has talked enough about Dior for a lifetime: When I interviewed him after his second cruise show for Dior in New York in 2014, he mentioned how he had just completed 23 consecutive interviews. It was really absurd, he murmured. As much as he dutifully accepted the responsibilities that come with the most high-profile job in fashion, with his own line he has grown increasingly introspective. For the past two years, his collections have been intensely personal: One was literally pasted with images of Simons past, patchworked together, juxtaposing a passport image of the designer as a teenager, a photograph of his parents, a Japanese woodcut. (Simons is a cult figure in Japan, where he has two stores.) A later collection, containing long white coats scribbled with graffiti, was inspired by similar garments sported during hazing rituals enacted at colleges in Belgium, like the one Simons attended in the late 80s. Simons has also forgone the standard runway show. Hes made his audience stand as his models walk by. For his recent fall show, he constructed a twisting maze of wooden flats, press and buyers clustering around them as the models strode past urgently. Simons told me the show was about Martin Margiela, about his memories and connection to the designer that triggered his entry into fashion. Like Margiela, Simons is trying to make us feel something: surprise, shock, maybe even sadness. It isnt autobiographical. He isnt telling us what happened at any point in his life, but articulating how he felt, and trying to make us feel the same. I ask if his seminal Sterling Ruby show prompted a plunge into the personal. I think its more connected to the fact that I was doing this other thing, Simons says. He means Dior. Something youre never really aware of or maybe something youve always been very aware of but you never really think it over: the fact that it is your thing. It is what I started, what Im about. If his Dior clothes were marked by a reverence for the codes of the brand the femme fleur, the Bar jacket the past two years have seen Simons marking out his own labels identity, his own design tropes and hallmarks. When you start performing as the creative director of another brand, you realise how much its not . . . that. How different those two are. "You could really work your ass off, really bring a lot of your own thing, but its not the same thing. . . . I didnt really think it over but with my own brand, I have became very protective, almost. "Doing literally what I want to do, that relates to its own history or my own history or my own being or . . . I dont know. Simonss thick eyebrows knit together. I never really thought of it until now. I remember something he said to me, for a profile I was writing in the Independent magazine more than a year before he left Dior: My opinion is that being a creative director in a huge institution is . . . you enter, and youre going to go out. "I could never take the attitude that this thing stands or falls with me. No. My brand, yes, but Dior or Jil, no. . . . I dont experience it as something that I have to make mine. Its not mine. Simonss own line, however, is definitely, defiantly his and his alone. It not only reflects his specific interests, his personal fixations, but the moment in which each design is devised. The former is fairly standard. If a designer is obsessed with 18th-century art or the designs of Ettore Sottsass for Memphis (as so many seem to be), youre guaranteed to find references on their runway. But the latter isnt a given. Simonss clothing has a cultural resonance that few fashion designers, for menswear or womens wear, have ever enjoyed. In 2001, he created two collections whose models wrapped faces, layering, air of distress and rebellion reflected global upheaval: school shootings, guerrilla warfare, anticapitalist protests, the violence around the then-recent G8 summit in Genoa. They predated the September 11 terrorist attacks, but were eerily prescient. Those are the kind of things youre not supposed to talk about in fashion. But at their best, designers capture the mood of a time, making clothes that are a testament to the moment in which they were created. Dior did that, in 1947, when his New Look captured the fantasies and tensions of a postwar fashion industry looking to make women dream and return to the home. Simons does it too. His clothes speak of the disenfranchised masses, of youthful disquiet, of the turmoil of the outer world. Its why he admits to being drawn to art even more than to fashion. He handles the heavy stuff. M any have interpreted Simons clothes as garments of aggression; of rebellion and revolt. He talks of them as protection. I think maybe its when you feel fragile, when you have a lot of questions, he says. Simons stopped designing for 12 months before those two shows: He investigated other projects, edited an issue of the British style publication i-D and assessed if he wanted to be in fashion anymore. I had a love-hate relationship with fashion, he carefully says. In a way I was completely obsessed and attracted and I loved it; on the other, I hated it. Hated it. I can hypothesise. I suspect Simons was frustrated by the superficiality of fashion his attraction began when he saw that Margiela show and witnessed fashion as something emotional, something deeper than mere appearance. It was also the pace and the complexities of business, something he echoes today, when discussing the last few years. Its not me to just perform, perform, perform, Simons says. I was always thinking about what I could do, how people perceive it, how can we react, how would they react. I wasnt thinking any more about that, in the last years. It was all about timing and product and performance. I was just doing. The evening is rolling in, and the broad windows of Simons apartment are dark. Its cold. He pulls on a sweater, one by Miuccia Prada, a designer he admires, the only one whose clothes Ive seen him wear besides his own. You get the sense that Simons, maybe, still hates fashion on some level. The pace, the relentless cycle of seasons, the built-in obsolescence. His work seems to fight against all that. He sells to a number of stores around the world, but the commercial impact of his line is second to its creative heft. Its still small from an economic view, its a small brand . . . its my baby. Simons says. People ask me, Why dont you push it up, and make it big? His voice hardens. No. I like it the way it is. Maybe its pretentious. I know I am able to keep it like that because of . . . me. Taking positions at houses, doing things on the side. "Because the economical law these days is to make sure that you always pump it up, and increase turnover. Its not that Im against that. It would be great if we could become bigger. But there should be a way to not lose what it is. The size of Simons label may necessitate taking other creative director roles at other labels, as he intimates, to shore up his own business and keep its expression free. Rumours abound that he may be headed to Calvin Klein next. The New York-based Klein seems initially an odd proposal for the hitherto European-bound Simons. But if he is to join another established label, its likely to be to somewhere entirely different from either of his previous tenures. I needed a challenge, he says of his move to Dior. Jil is a niche brand. And I think it wouldnt have been a challenge to take on another niche brand. Its not only the style, its not only the aesthetic, its also how it sits in the fashion world, how people look at it, and how people criticize it . . . how its communicating with so many different women. Given Simonss frustrations with the medium of mens wear, a Raf Simons womens wear line isnt far-fetched either. Sometimes [in] a lot of the mens I dont even find fashion, he murmurs. I find wardrobe. Elegant, and beautiful, and modern, sometimes. Beautifully executed. Does it impress me? Not really. With the evolution of our society, its not the biggest challenge, I think, to have it perfectly executed. He pauses. I just wonder why more mens fashion cant push, and cant try to take the responsibility. That men could manifest themselves the way that women manifest themselves. Simons is constantly questioning. He questions in conversation like he questions in his clothes. Slowly, methodically, insistently, frequently cyclically. Why is something this way? Can it be different? Should it be different? Shall we try? Quiet, simple notions, reiterated time and again. Simons seems a little tired as he poses those questions to me; perhaps exhausted with pushing, and provoking, and making great menswear while everyone else is coasting along. I hope he isnt. Because in a world filled with so much stuff, Raf Simons creates something that matters. He shifts the goalposts. He makes you look at the world, and, more importantly, at yourself, with fresh eyes. >>> Funny, isnt it, when something that appears to be a disaster can turn out to be a life-changing opportunity over time? And one for the better, at that, for four ex-employees of Waterford Crystal. Because thats exactly what happened when the world-famous glass-maker a mainstay of the local economy that employed more than 800 workers in the city closed its doors. It was the end of an era, the end of something synonymous with Irish-ness, something that represented Irish craft and skill at its best. And that it should cease to exist, despite its popularity, came as a shock but for the employees and the city of Waterford, it was far worse. Livelihoods disappeared overnight. One of those affected was master glass-blower Tony Hayes, who started as an apprentice at the factory in 1987, following in the footsteps of his father, who worked there as a master engraver for 42 years. Shortly before the doors closed, however, Tony had left but only just. I jumped on the 19th of December, 2008, but others were still there when it closed in the January, he says. For those with the specialist skills of a glass-maker, there were no alternative opportunities, not just in the city of Waterford but nationwide, with much of Irelands glass production already being shipped abroad in the interests of cost efficiency. It was a massive blow for 870 workers, who found themselves unemployed and without any financial buffer. Redundancy had been agreed, says Tony, but later reneged on. While Tony and a few of his ex-colleagues were on a FS course, they started talking about doing something together. We were learning to drive fork-lift trucks, he says, but saw a market for making coloured glass. So they produced an outline business plan. We got help from the Enterprise Board and brought in ex-sales people from Waterford Crystal, so we had all-round expertise in sales and finance, Tony explains. January 2010 saw the beginning of The Irish Handmade Glass Company, continuing 200 years of glass-making in Waterford. A year later, they produced their first piece a clear centrepiece bowl with flower cuts. Tony quips that theyve kept it all in the family; he and his colleagues fellow master glass-blowers Derek Smith and Richard Rowe and master glass-cutter Danny Murphy prioritise employing ex-Waterford Crystal staff. From time to time we take some guys off the social welfare and were hoping to take on apprentices in the future, says Tony. These will be the first such apprenticeships in Waterford for almost 30 years. Tonys was one of the last when he began, at a time when there were 650 glass blowers in Waterford alone. Today, there are around 25 in the entire country. Their products include everything from centrepieces and vases to paperweights and glasses, with a contemporary design aesthetic and emphasis on colour. Affordable prices saw the business turn a profit last year and it is on track to do the same this year, helped by a lucky marketing break that came about when a representative of American shopping channel QVC saw the products at a trade show. It now means that Tony has been a guest on the channel for the last three years, including St Patricks Day just last week. They put in an order in January with us, says Tony, and have 20 hours of Irish products. Tourists are the other major customer base, which informed the decision to base the business in Henrietta St, right in the heart of the historic Viking Triangle. A shamrock bauble costs just 19.95 and can be carried home in luggage with ease. At the higher end of the scale, artisan centrepieces cost between 300 and 400, but beautiful drinking glasses from the Wild Heather series, delicately etched to show the fine training the makers received at Waterford Crystal, cost less than 60 a pair. Tony returns to QVCs Philadelphia headquarters this summer. Ill be doing Christmas gifts in July, he quips. It all sounds very glamorous. Were not millionaires yet, he says with a twinkle. He and his colleagues have certainly come a long way from FS and forklifts. Hypo-christian, cultural Catholic and a la carte Catholic: just some of the labels applied to people like me who are more likely to see the inside of an Easter egg than a Church this weekend. Like the 3,860,999 others who ticked the Roman Catholic box on the last census, I was baptised by a priest as a baby, still have the rosary beads I got for my First Holy Communion, and carefully hand-picked a saints name (Francis) for my Confirmation. Two decades on, after jetting 2,500 miles to Israels capital to follow in the final footsteps of Jesus just days before the worldwide celebration of his resurrection, its clear you can take the girl out of the convent school, but you cant take the convent school out of the girl. Snaking through the heart of the Old City, Via Dolorosa is just one of the religious sites that attracts around 3.5m visitors of all creeds to Jerusalem each year. Latin for Way of Sorrows, for subscribers to the New Testament at least, its held as the path along which Jesus carried the cross he eventually perished upon. Deirdre Reynolds in Jerusalem Dotted with schools, churches and cafes, however, more than than two millennia later, the pretty cobbled route couldnt be further from Mel Gibsons gruesome portrayal of The Passion. Over the centuries, the ancient city has been gutted at least twice and captured and recaptured more than 40 times by everyone from the Ottoman to the British empires. Religion may have ripped the Middle-Eastern melting pot asunder, as you pass through Zion Gate in its 16th century walls though, its also the very thing still holding it all together. With shrines sacred to three faiths, Jews, Muslims and Christians flock to the holy city to stay and pray, and if you dont find God there, you probably never will. At Mahane Yehuda market a short stroll away, crucifixes and anointing oils are flogged alongside kippahs and menorahs, while Church bells and the Islamic call to prayer simultaneously puncture the mid-morning air. Even within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the last five Stations of the Cross are found, six denominations including Catholics and Coptics battle it out to worship the same entity in their own unique ways Climbing the narrow stone stairs to Calvary and ducking to enter the nearby tomb is certainly a leap of faith. But that didnt stop hundreds of devout tourists from queuing to catch a glimpse of the traditional sites of the crucifixion and burial, or this slightly more cynical one from lighting a candle, just in case. Witnessing a row of women weeping openly at the Western Wall, one of the last surviving remnants of King Herods rebuilt Jewish Temple, indeed I couldnt help but wish I had some of their faith, and scribbled the desire onto a tiny a piece of paper before pushing it into one of the cracks in the stonework as is customary. Judean desert Leaving daylight behind in the Western Wall tunnels, pilgrims or just backpackers can get even closer to where Jesus reputedly once stood, giving the temple its mystical power. Irrespective of your spiritual leanings, getting up close and personal with the historic Dead Sea Scrolls on display at the Israel Museum is simply a must during any trip to Jerusalem. Then again, if youve flown from Dublin to London to Tel Aviv with budget carriers like I did, you may be more interested in the excess baggage fee-beating Nano Bible thats also housed at the countrys foremost cultural institute than the 734cm-long Great Isaiah Scroll. No bigger than my smallest fingernail, incredibly, all 27 books of the New Testament are squeezed onto the silicon chip, a feat that appears even more miraculous once youve visited the expansive Qumran Caves outside the city where the scrolls were first unearthed by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947. While Jesus spent 40 days and nights praying and fasting in the Judean Desert, modernly commemorated during Lent, these days you can just take an hour-long jeep tour to sites such as Mount Sodom made famous by the bible. Meanwhile, I barely managed to go 40 minutes without eating in the Holy Land, never mind 40 whole days. Chomping my way through a feast of biblical proportions at kosher restaurant The Eucalyptus back in the city, however, I swear I died and went to vegetarian heaven. Fried cauliflower, stuffed dates, vegan ceviche and seaweed caviar were just some of divine dishes served up by chef Moshe Basson during the 11 course supper hopefully not my last. With more than 300 wineries now scattered throughout the land, theres no fear of having to turn water into wine either. It is worth making the seven hour trek to Jerusalem just to experience floating in the Dead Sea once in your life. Stuffed as a Medjool, mind you, it probably took divine intervention to ensure I bobbed to the top of the salt-laden lake renowned for its healing properties. Boasting a heavenly mix of food, faith and floating though, as a bucket list destination, Im definitely converted. HOW TO GET THERE As theres no direct flight from Dublin to Tel Aviv, I flew to London Luton Airport with Ryanair (168 return, www.ryanair.com ). I stopped at the Holiday Inn overnight (80, www.holidayinn.com/luton ) before travelling on to Ben Gurion Airport with Easyjet (212 return, www.easyjet.com ). Once there, its just over an hours drive to Jerusalem. WHERE TO STAY Overlooking the Old City, you wont do better than the five-star Inbal Jerusalem Hotel for amazing breakfasts and comfortable beds ( www.inbalhotel.com ). Beyond the capital, I stayed at the family-friendly Daniel Dead Sea Hotel ( www.tamareshotels.com/daniel-dead-sea ), where you can grab a towel and float the day away. WHERE TO EAT At 290 Israeli Shekel (just under 67), The Eucalyptus Restaurants King Solomon Feast is sensational (www.the-eucalyptus.com). Beside the Dead Sea, I kicked off my high heels for a Bedouin-style spread at the Taj Mahal, an air-conditioned tent with a Moroccan vibe (www.2eat.co.il/eng/taj-mahal). WHAT TO DO King Herods mountaintop fortress, Masada, depicted in the 1981 epic starring Peter OToole, Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve are some of the sights and sounds I squeezed into a jam-packed five days in Jerusalem. Visit www.goisrael.com for more ideas. Theres a camel ride in the Judaean Desert and a night-time spectacular at the Tower of David citadel. There is a buzz in Dublin at the moment redolent of the 1990s when emigrants began to seriously contemplate coming home because the city was actually becoming a cool place to live in. St Patricks Day saw the Fair Citys iconic buildings and bridges once again painted green but this year, the green hasnt disappeared and the likes of Liberty Hall are dressed in cartoon-style posters celebrating 1916 heroes like trade unionist, James Connolly. And then every second bus seems to be a 1916 tour bringing the events of 100 years ago to life for international tourists and the many Irish families who have been watching the drama, documentaries and reading the extensive newspaper coverage of the historical events. Our plan for the weekend was to enjoy a sneak peak at the GPO Witness History and to go to Kilmainham Gaol. But we also got a look at the impressive Epic Ireland experience at CHQ and, after wanting to for years, I eventually got to the Little Museum of Dublin. Epic Ireland at The chq Building Because of the commemoration events this weekend, GPO Witness History isnt opening to the public until Tuesday. As its name suggests, the exhibit allows visitors to bear witness to the events of that week and of the subsequent years by revealing them from the eyewitness perspective of the rebels, bystanders and British Crown forces. There is a lot of film, of audio and touchscreen games for kids which help bring to life the challenges facing the rebels and their supporters. One that grabbed my kids attention was a game which showed how kids and women were used to carry messages between the rebels various battalions: often the kids were on bikes, the women pushing babies in prams. One game had the 9-year-old trying to work out how to get his message safely to College Green without being intercepted by the legions of police and army that were patrolling the city centre. Alex Ashe, Niamh Ni Riain, Sunna Begum, Luke Hand and Evan Burke at the GPO Witness History attraction There is so much information to be accessed at the multimedia space that you could find yourself coming back several times and still learning. According to the museum, they want to ensure that all levels are catered for so those who only want a superficial understanding will find it engaging while those who want to dig deeper, will be enthralled. We also visited Kilmainham Gaol. Beware the queues for tours are over an hour long at the moment but it is worth every minute. We began in the chapel where Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett were married before continuing past the bleak cells where rebel brothers Padraig and Willie Pearse spent their final hours before being executed. The cells at the Victorian prison were originally designed for one person per cell but as it become overcrowded during the famine, when people deliberately tried to get into prison in the hope of being fed, there were up to five men, women and children in the ice cold cells as none of its windows were glassed. It was then into the East Wing where we looked into cells including that of Plunketts widow, Grace Gifford who, imprisoned during the civil war painted a Virgin Mary on her cell walls. Kilmainham Gaol Dublin City The section of Kilmainham that you will take with you forever, however, is the stonebreakers yard where the seven blindfolded rebellion leaders were executed at dawn by firing squads. Going from museum to museum with children when you are staying at the Spencer Hotel is not easy, as it has a great underground swimming pool. First thing in the morning after devouring pancakes and pains au chocolat from its mammoth breakfast buffet, they wanted to go to the pool, before dinner they wanted to go to the pool. If there was any spare hour, they begged to go back to the hotel which is just 10 minutes walk from OConnell St to swim, or play fussball in the lobby. We got in one early evening swim at the pools underground pool on day one before heading to dinner across the river at Herb Street, just beside the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. The Spencer hotel, on Excise Walk in Dublins docklands, boasts a swimming pool sure to keep the children entertained. Its a buzzy, restaurant which still has a chilled out vibe so parents and kids unwound easily. We devoured hot Buffalo wings with a Cashel Blue dip for starters, the eldest went for the substantial turkey burger for mains while small boy, despite claiming he was on the point of starvation, couldnt finish his fish and chips. Herb Street also do a great homemade Iceberger made with flour-less chocolate cake which went down a treat with kids and coeliac parent alike. Day two saw us walk five minutes to get a sneak look at Epic Ireland, the new multimedia museum of the diaspora which is due to open on May 6 in the vaults under the CHQ building. It is entirely funded to the tune of 15m million by the former CEO of Coca Cola and now owner of CHQ, Neville Isdell, a member of the diaspora himself, having left the North in the 1950s for Zambia. The vaults, which are broken into 21 interactive galleries, showcase some of the best stonemasonry in the city. Epic Ireland museum housed in vaults under the CHQ building. As you weave through them you take the journey taken by 10m emigrants: seeing via multimedia how they travelled, why they travelled whether it was to spread religion, to capitalise on the goldrush, because of conflict or to survive and how the extraordinary influence they had in their adopted homelands. We met global icons like Grace Kelly, Billy the Kid, the real Zorro, a William Lamport from Wexford and the seventh president of the US, Andrew Jackson who was born in the States to recently emigrated Irish parents. Sections of the experience deal with the Irish contribution to design, via Orla Kiely and Eileen Grey and to the arts via John McCormack, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Riverdance, and theres also a gallery of infamy starring the likes of Ned Kelly and Typhoid Mary. Later in the day, we visited the Little Museum of Dublin which operates on a minuscule scale compared to Epic Ireland but which tells the tale of Dublin and Irish history in a wonderfully sardonic, fun-filled way. One room of the Little Museum of Dublin Set in a Georgian house just doors away from the Shelbourne, it is based entirely on donations from the people of Dublin and all the posters and artefacts handed over are used to tell the story of Dublin from Victorian times to now. Take for example the framed newspaper front page published the day after Queen Victoria visited Dublin: Queen Victoria pisses over the bridge, rather than passed over the bridge, a headline boldly stated. We heard anecdotes about Pearse, Connolly, the War of Independence, Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and the bombing of Nelsons Pillar in an hour long tour of just two rooms in the house. The hour felt like 15 minutes as its an hour filled with humour, quirkiness, song and a healthy dose of Irish cynicism. I cant recommend it enough. Little museum front room. Theres so much to do in Dublin that we could have stayed for a week happily. Dinner on the second night was at San Lorenzos, on South Great Georges St. Pan fried gambas, which felt like they had been caught that day, certainly hit the spot, while the kids devoured what they thought was a fancy bolognese. It was Wicklow venison they were eating. We might inform them just how sophisticated they are next week. This Easter, the Spencer hotel is offering family rooms with breakfast for up to two adults and two children under 12 with one nights dinner in the East restaurant from 279 midweek. Mourad Laachraoui, the younger brother of one of the suspected Brussels airport attackers, told reporters this week he had not noticed any changes in his older sibling, Najim, and had no idea he was becoming radicalised. Najim left for Syria in 2013. Twenty-year-old Mourad, a martial arts champion who represents Belgium in international competitions, described his brother as kind and intelligent. I couldnt believe that it was him, but you cant choose your family, he said. His words echo those spoken last November by Mohammed Abdeslam, older brother of the accused Paris attackers Salah and Ibrahim, who described his siblings as normal brothers from an honest family. Belgian authorities have been heavily criticised for failing to stop Tuesdays triple attacks, which killed 31 people and injured at least 316. Brothers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui were both known to police before the bombings. An arrest warrant had been issued against Khalid last December on suspicion of using a false identity to rent hideouts for the Paris attackers; and Ibrahim was extradited from Turkey last summer, where he had been arrested on the Syrian border on suspicion of being a foreign fighter. The Belgian federal prosecutor confirmed yesterday that Najim Laachraouis DNA had been found in two of the hideouts used by the Paris terrorists and on explosive material used in last Novembers attacks on the Bataclan nightclub and the Stade de France. Laachraoui had also travelled to Hungary last September with Salah Abdeslam, the man charged in connection with the Paris attacks. The developments indicate the existence of a home-grown and vast network of IS cells that Europol warned, in an eerily prescient January report, would strike other countries in Europe. That report noted how the religious impetus for joining terrorist cells was being replaced by more social elements such as peer pressure and role modelling, and the romantic prospect of being part of an important and exciting development. The UNs special rapporteur on human rights and countering terrorism, in a February report, said governments needed to look at foreign policy when trying to root out radicalism. A confluence of issues at local, national, and supranational level may all play a part there can be too much focus on religious ideology as the driver of terrorism and extremism, while factors related to identity, or misguided altruism, are overlooked. And there are social and economic problems. Belgium sends the most jihadis in Europe per capita to Syria more than 500 out of a total Belgian population of just over 11m. Molenbeek, a neighbourhood in Brussels canal district, and Schaerbeek, an area in the north of the city on the way to the airport, keep cropping up in police raids. Both neighbourhoods post high levels of unemployment, at more than 30% in Molenbeek and over 25% in Schaerbeek. Belgiums federal prosecutor, Frederic Van Leeuw, said Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam had a large network of friends and relatives that already existed for drug-dealing and petty crime to help him hide out for four months. The need to look at what drives people to commit terrorist acts has begun to preoccupy European governments though it is far down their to-do list, behind harder counter-terrorism measures such as surveillance, intelligence sharing, firearms control, and limiting terrorists financing. EU justice ministers, meeting this week, agreed that deradicalisation was a priority, and are focusing on countering the rhetoric of Daesh online. Specifically, they want to use the recently established EU internet forum to get Google or Facebook to help remove terrorist content online and intercept terrorists who use encryption technologies. The EUs radicalisation awareness network, set up in 2011, has a 25m budget to support relatives of departed foreign fighters or fund programmes to help extricate unwilling extremists from radical groups. The EU has a 3.8bn internal security fund to help fight terrorism, from which Belgian police received money in 2013 to train frontline staff to detect early signs of radicalisation. Boots on the ground, information sharing, and border control are the measures on which EU countries are now concentrating. The EU has also brought in additional checks at its external borders, with information gleaned from the checks which have increased by 300% since 2013 shared through the Schengen Information System, the migration database of which Ireland is now part. EU ministers also want the swift adoption of rules on exchanging air passenger data, but the European Parliament has blocked an agreement over privacy concerns. Information is power, and it has been closely guarded by EU countries keen to protect their own interests. You have a history where there wasnt the kind of sharing that is now needed, said Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald. I wouldnt assume that information is not being exchanged, but clearly there are gaps. Sometimes people are known to police agencies already and it shows the complexity of surveillance and exchange of information. The EUs counter-terrorism co-ordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, struck a positive note, saying Europe had strongly reduced our vulnerability to terror. However, he said the perennial problem remains: The more we put pressure on Daesh in Syria and Iraq, the more the organisation is tempted to commit atrocities. FOR years, Ive been walking out along that magnificent stretch of beach in north Kerry, Banna Strand, kicking up the sand as I go in the hope of uncovering some long-forgotten treasure. It seems, now, that I might have been on to something. Earlier this week, Kerry County Museum bought a map drawn by Roger Casement showing where he reputedly buried gold and silver coins in the vicinity before he was arrested on Good Friday in 1916. While in custody in Scotland Yard, he apparently sketched a map marking the spot where he hid 50 in gold and silver coins, binoculars and a lamp a little distance from the beach, as it happens though thats hardly enough to attract any treasure hunters. It does, however, solve a 100-year-old mystery and his Plan of Rath will go on display at the museum in April. The treasure map will also put a renewed focus on Banna beach which, of all the places connected with the 1916 Rising, is the one I imagine least changed in the last 100 years. It is also the one place where a person might be able to get a bit of perspective on this celebration-saturated weekend. For one thing, theres nothing like an exfoliating sea wind on a Saturday in March to clear the head. Then, theres the vast sweep of history that has been depositing bits of itself on Bannas shores for centuries. Stand anywhere along the shore and youll be reminded that Ireland did not spring into being 100 years ago, though youd be forgiven for thinking that. Whenever the white noise of the world is overwhelming or, when Rising fatigue sets in I get my bearings by looking out to the steadfast hulk of Mucklaghmore rock in Tralee Bay. We always called it the Muck-a-luck, which does make it sound like a place Chicken Licken might live. On a serious note, the sky did indeed fall in for many sailors whose vessels ran into difficulty near this rock. All along Banna Strand, there are reminders of ships that have run aground down through history. Roger Casement. One of them, a little-remembered Spanish Armada vessel, comes to mind this weekend because the fate of its crew echoes faintly with that of Roger Casements. In this case, though, the planned attack on England in 1588 had already failed. The ship, possibly the Nuestra Senora del Socorro, was on its way back to Spain when it took refuge from violent storms in Tralee Bay, not far from the place Casement would, in 1916, put ashore in a dinghy in the dead of night. More than 300 years before, three crewmen made a similar journey, though they jumped from their ailing ship and swam to shore looking for food, water and help. They were apparently assured their lives would be saved if they and the 21 others still on board surrendered. They agreed, but were later taken to Tralee and executed on the orders of Sir Edward Denny. When Sir Dennys actions were questioned in England, he said there was no safe place to detain them in Tralee so he opted to hang them rather than risk their escape. The executions caused a political storm in the English court, but Denny was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. 1916: For regular updates on news and features (as well as twitter action action as it may have happened 100 years ago) to mark the revolutionary period follow @theirishrev HERE Its not clear what happened to the vessel itself, though one story has it that timbers salvaged from the wreck which long immersion in the sea had made as black as ebony and immensely heavy, to quote one account were fashioned into a table by a member of the Denny family. Head north along the beach and youll get several other glimpses into various episodes of seafaring history, some of them swashbuckling tales of treasure and treachery worthy of the silver screen. I love the random nature of it. It is freeing and refreshingly devoid of imposed historical narrative. Most of us have probably had it up to the gills with the historical narrative of 1916 by now. Its not that the period is not important, or fascinating and well recounted it is. The problem is that we appear to be stuck in a 100-year-old straitjacket that makes it hard to move forward or indeed back. There was a lovely irony in the timing of the discovery of bear remains this week that indicate Irelandhas been habitated for the past 12,500 years more than 2,500 years older than was previously thought. It makes the last 100 years appear like a very insignificant spec on the historical landscape and it makes you wonder how the people who lived here through those long millennia have shaped us as a people. Marking the beginning of the modern political era is only one very small and reductive part of our history. Its all too easy to forget that in these Rising-soaked times. Thats why Ill be off along Banna strand on Sunday, this time heading towards Ballyheigue to remember the wreck of the Golden Lion, a Danish ship that limped into land in 1730 with a cargo of 12 chests of silver. The crew was saved and the booty salvaged, but it was later stolen in a raid that led to one of the most sensational news stories of the 18th century. When the skeleton of a vessel emerged on the beach after storms in 2014, there was speculation it might be the wreck of the Golden Lion, or one of many other ships involved in the thriving smuggling trade operating along that coastline in the 18th century. It is now thought to be the Wind Trader, an 18th-century vessel that was first exposed in the 1960s when it yielded a cargo of pottery, wooden barrels, brandy magnums and three perfectly preserved felt hats now in Kerry County Museum. Ill doff my hat as I pass the wreck site and continue to kick up the sand as I go, not so much looking for treasure, but perspective. Enjoyed this? Then check out our dedicated micro-site, developed in collaboration with UCC, to mark the revolutionary period HERE This Easter, people across Ireland are proudly commemorating 100 years since Padraig Pearse and his comrades led the Rising against British imperial rule. The rebels were not universally welcomed in 1916. They saw that, in the struggle for justice, you cannot wait till everyone is ready, and that to endure defeat is part of an eventual victory. Time proved them right and confirmed their place, and the relatives of the rebels are being welcomed to a series of events by the President and Taoiseach. Im attending on behalf of Pearses family. And I am English. It is a great tribute to the values of the freedom movement that I have never met an Irish person to whom this matters. This is partly because Ireland is a nation of emigrants, its sons and daughters spread across the globe, from Canada to New Zealand and everywhere in between, and so the Irish sense of national family is broader. But it is also because the values that drove the Rising transcend both nationality and time. Earlier this month, I attended the beautiful St Patricks Day celebrations hosted by Irelands ambassador to Kenya, where I now live and work for the international NGO ActionAid. The ambassador spoke some very moving words about Pearse, and so I found myself in a series of wonderful conversations about the Rising. Listening to Irish expatriate NGO workers, diplomats and business people, as well to the most inspiring Irish nuns who work in Nairobis toughest slums, I was struck by how the values of Irelands rebels still inspire such a broad swathe of Irish people today. But I was also struck by how Irelands Rising resonated with Kenyans they too had been denied their land and culture, had to win their freedom; indeed, it can be said that Irelands freedom movement was the first to show that a people colonised by Britain could defeat the colonisers. What struck me most from all these conversations was that people were not inspired by a narrow nationalism but a love of justice, with people moved by a 100-year-old call for equal rights and equal opportunities of all, cherishing all children equally. For the Rising to inspire beyond one country is not new. Indeed, we know from history that even the British officer who chaired Pearses court-martial could see the justness of cause, commenting: I have just done one of the hardest tasks I have ever had to do. I have had to condemn to death one of the finest characters I have ever come across. There must be something very wrong in the state of things that makes a man like that a rebel. The idealist poet Pearse, the workers leader James Connolly, and the pioneering feminist Constance Markievicz did not struggle only to replace English rulers with Irish ones but to replace landgrabbing by the rich with fair land redistribution to the poor, cramped slums with room to move, painful hunger with full stomachs, squalor with dignity, exploitation with decent work, corporate impunity with workers rights, inequality with equality, hopelessness with hope, shame with self-worth. They saw that the struggles for political democracy, economic justice, and cultural self-confidence were interconnected and inseparable. Across the world, those lessons could not be more necessary today. Its a privilege that my job as campaigns and policy director with ActionAid enables me to support communities campaigning against injustice, and working for more equal societies. So how come I came to be English and a Pearse? Padraigs youngest sister, Mary-Kate (by birth his cousin, taken into the family when she was orphaned), was the only one of their household to have children. She is my great-grandmother. On a holiday at the Royal Hotel in Galway, Mary-Kate complained to management about another guest who left the communal bathroom in a mess. The management made the errant guest apologise to her in person. He was Sydney Shovelton. He was English. She liked him. She married him. She passed onto her Irish-English children the stories of her adored brother, and her pride in the values he lived by. And each generation passed on the same. Along with so many people across Ireland and across the world, I still feel moved by his call to dream for a more just world and to work to make that dream a reality: And he wise have pitied the fool that hath striven to give a life... To a dream that was dreamed in the heart, and that only the heart could hold. O wise men, riddle me this: what if the dream come true? Ben Phillips is Padraig Pearses great-grandnephew. He lives in Nairobi, where he is international director of policy, research, advocacy, and campaigns for ActionAid, an NGO working to tackle inequality and injustice 1916Auction_large WAS it for this? A nation where nobody wants to govern. A century ago, seven men signed their death warrant by declaring themselves a provisional government. Today, most parties dont even want to sign for an expense sheet in government. To actually assume power and implement policies is regarded as an inconvenience that would just cost votes. The only party in the current Dail that appears to want to govern is the Redmonites who lost the election. Its as if theyre claiming that the people have no right to be wrong. All others want nothing to do with exercising power in the democracy that rose from the ashes of the GPO. Fianna Fail wants to keep its recovery going in opposition. Sinn Fein is intent on maintaining the slow building process that should see the party in government in time for the bicentenary. The Social Democrats are terrified at the prospect of not being in opposition. And the Labour party, in the throes of post-traumatic stress disorder, are medically unfit to be in government. As of now, there is still no sign of a permanent national government, elected by all the suffrages of all her men and women in sight. Was it for this that the children of the nation were summoned to the flag to strike a blow for freedom? Was it for this? Vulture funds acting the maggot with the countrys housing crisis, undermining the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland. Bad enough that one government ran the ship of state onto the rocks, but it is now becoming increasingly clear that its successor administration contracted out the salvage job to a foreign people and handed over the unfettered control of Irish destinies. Was it for this? A two-tiered health system, a two-speed economy, unequal access to education, particularly with regard to religious persuasion, or lack thereof. Racism. Insiders and outsiders. Illegal discrimination against people on the housing supplement. Discrimination against Travellers. Was it for this that the leaders proclaimed there would be equal rights and equal opportunities? Was it for this? The freedom not to take everything so darn seriously during this year when we begin to remember why for so long we forgot what it was to commemorate. Or reimagine. Or reinterpret. Or reflect. Or put a call into some pony-tailed marketeer to find out what were supposed to call this years knees-up. Was it for this? Cultural imperialism, as best expressed by the alarming tendency of people to begin every sentence with the word So. This carry-on was traced by journalist Michael Lewis to Silicon Valley at the turn of the century, when all these techie heads indulged in it to explain stuff to mere mortals less tech obsessed, as if talking to small children. Listen out for it. You thought the rising inflection at the end of sentence was bad? You aint heard nothing yet. Valour and discipline is now required to rid the country of this scourge. Was it for this? Public emoting. If the seven leaders were around today, they would not be subjected to a court martial following surrender. Instead, they would be sentenced to appear on a chat show and confess everything, wringing a whole gamut of emotion from their beings for the pleasure of the masses. Pardons would be awarded to those among them who shed the most tears. Emotive backstories, including the conquering of bereavement, ill health and/or alcoholism would be required from all if they really wished to assert their right to national freedom and sovereignty. At the end of it all, the leaders would be crying out to bring back General John Maxwell as an act of mercy. Was it for this? Operation Transformation. In the name of God and the dead generations please spare us. Was it for this? Torturous national introspection on the exact meaning of the Proclamation. If we have to listen to much more of that it could lead to the destruction of the Irish people. Was it for this? Gross misinterpretation of the Proclamation for the sake of torturous inspection. Just last Monday, an august body of commentators on the Claire Byrne Live Show all failed to point out that mentions of the phrase cherishing all the children of the nation equally was being misused. The children referred to therein are adults, just as the children summoned to the flag are. The leaders were not attempting to recruit child soldiers in that line or further down the document proclaiming the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves. For some reason, it has become fashionable to use the cherishing line to decry how we have not lived up to some misinterpreted ideal. Of course actual children should all be cherished equally, but theres no need to use the Proclamation as a benchmark. Basic human decency is all that is required. Was it for this? Irish Water. Irish Water protesters. Irish Waters water, which is only fair to middling at the moment, but heading in the right direction. Once upon a time it was a case that only our rivers run free, but treatment plants were not high on the agenda of those plotting the Rising. Some who object to water charges claim that the government who serve that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine. Others say: Get a life. Was it for this? The screening of The Queen Of Ireland on Easter Sunday night 2016. What would the Most High God Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms have made of a programme about a transvestite entertaining on the airwaves on such a night? The movie following Panti Bliss around during the same-sex marriage referendum is not exactly Insurrection, and its difficult to see that it would have found any favour with Mr Pearse in this supreme hour of the Irish nation. Still thems the breaks when you let loose and declare a Republic. Its open season for all kinds of everything to follow. Enjoy the weekend, particularly if you are attending any of the events. On the whole the commemorations have gone ok. After a shaky start last year, when the government launched the programme as if it was a Tourism Ireland advert, the tone of the celebrations and commemorations has been pretty good. Attempts by some elements to claim ownership of the Rising do not appear to have succeeded, but theres a road to go with that yet. Instead, theres a little something for everybody, everywhere. Just as the anniversaries are a moveable feast dependant on the dates for Easter so too are peoples perceptions, and that is the great thing about freedom. The Rising belongs to everybody and nobody. Was it for this? Probably. Happy Easter. Roll on 2017. iStock/Thinkstock(FORT WORTH, Texas) -- Forget Budweiser. As far as Louis Torres is concerned, he is the king of beers. And his castle? Built of aluminum cans. For at least two decades, somethings been brewing at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. I drill a hole in the bottom and then I start cutting, Torres, 68, told ABC affiliate WFAA of his technique for cutting his beloved beer cans into aluminum adornments. Hes proud of the thousands of beer cans that adorn his house and yard. Now retired from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Torres does all the drinking, and the decorating. Just something for me to do. I'm retired, he told the station. Sit at home, drink beer, and watch TV. But all of his ideas and visions have a beginning. I started on the tree, and then from there, I went up to those trees up there, and then after that I went up to the fence line, he explained. Torres house is the only one left on his block due to redevelopment, though. Now he says its time for a change. I was gonna have to go because theyre buying everything up around here, said Torres. The beer can builder will move from his aluminum creation in a few weeks, but he already has plans for his next property. All I got to say is the beer can house will be back, he said with a laugh. And obviously, so will his Milwaukees Best and Miller Light. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. We werent warned until after the plane landed at Schiphol Airport, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens told reporters in Brussels. The only thing we knew before that, by the end of June, was that he had been arrested. He was expelled without further notice and without telling us he was going to be expelled. Investigators in Belgium identified El Bakraoui as one of the bombers in the terrorist attacks on Tuesday that left more than 30 people dead in Brussels. El Bakraoui was deported from Turkey on July 14, 2015, to the Netherlands on suspicions he was planning to cross the Syrian border. Geens and Belgian interior minister Jan Jambon offered to resign over the issue but the prime minister rejected the offers. Brussels police detained six people yesterday in raids in several areas of the capital related to the probe of Tuesdays attacks, federal prosecutors said in a statement. The searches were carried out in central Brussels and in the neighbourhoods of Schaerbeek and Jette. Geens was attending a meeting of EU interior ministers, who vowed to accelerate counter-terrorism measures in the wake of the deadly attacks. Geens said he gathered very important information on the investigation into the assaults from at least three other EU governments. Dutch Justice Minister Ad van der Steur presented documents to the Dutch parliament in The Hague showing that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a message to the Dutch embassy in Ankara 26 minutes before El Bakraouis scheduled takeoff, saying El Bakraoui would be on the flight to Schiphol. The note sent to the Dutch embassy didnt say why El Bakraoui was being expelled. The note did not contain any information or clarification about the background or about the reason Turkey facilitated the flight, Van der Steur said in a letter to parliament, adding that the Netherlands didnt receive a request to take any action on El Bakraoui. No suspicions were known about him, when El Bakraoui landed in the Netherlands, Van der Steur said in the letter, which was posted on the parliaments website late on Thursday. It was not a return from detention nor an escorted return, and El Bakraoui had a valid Belgian passport, he said. The Dutch parliament had scheduled a debate on the Brussels attacks and the El Bakraoui issue for Thursday evening, but that was postponed to next week. Shaken by the Brussels terrorist attacks, EU governments pledged to step up surveillance and plug holes in criminal databases that have allowed jihadist plotters to operate undetected. Europe faces greater hurdles than the US after the 9/11 attacks in hunting terrorists-in-the-making because EU intelligence gathering is splintered among 28 countries . Bruno belongs to a family of three rover prototypes the others are named Bridget and Bryan which are testing the last word in planetary navigation technology. In two years time a so far nameless six-wheeled machine with a brain similar to Brunos will be launched to the Red Planet. There it will look for signs of life in soil samples from six feet below the arid Martian surface and take breathtaking colour images of the surrounding landscape. The British-built rover has star billing in the second half of the 1.2bn joint European and Russian ExoMars mission. As the ExoMars orbiter hurtles towards Mars at 33,000km/h after its launch on March 14, scientists and engineers are gearing up to start work on the rover that will go into space. Assembling the complex array of mechanical parts and electronic circuits is due to begin at the UK headquarters of Airbus Defence & Space later this year. Testing of the rover prototypes takes place in a giant hangar containing 250 tonnes of sand strewn with artificial boulders, against a backdrop of panoramic photos from Mars. Speaking at the facility as Bruno trundled slowly by the rovers top speed is two centimetres per second head of science Dr Ralph Cordey talked about the machines unique ability to steer itself around obstacles. ExoMars rover Bruno in action at the Airbus Defence & Space "sandpit" in Stevenage https://t.co/i7Ywsykwsw John von Radowitz (@JohnvonR) March 24, 2016 One of the challenges of going to Mars is that its so far away in terms of the time it takes radio signals to go there and back around 40 minutes. Its not possible to drive this sort of machine with a joystick. Youll crash it. So this rover is designed to be semi-autonomous. It can produce its own 3D map of the area ahead of it, look where its being asked to go, and plot its own path. Its aware that some rocks it cant get over and has to drive round, and it can see ditches and sense what slopes are safe to climb. The rover has one navigational weakness, however it can get confused by shadows. There are caves on Mars and craters that cast long shadows, said Airbus Defence & Space communications director Jeremy Close. To explore those areas, its more efficient to have a human in the loop. Cue British astronaut Major Tim Peake, orbiting the Earth as part of the crew of the International Space Station. Next month he will take part in a pioneering experiment that will see him operate Bruno remotely from space. Major Peake will be asked to drive the rover into a cave simulated by plunging half the Mars sandpit into darkness. Steering the machine through a barrier raised across the 30 metres (98ft) by 13 metres (42ft) testing area, he will seek out targets marked with an X. Bruno is a stripped down version of the rover, missing all its scientific hardware, yet is designed to weigh the same as the machine on Mars, around 200kg. That is because the pull of Martian gravity is about a third of the Earths. The finished rover will have a drill that can bore down two metres (6.5 feet) below the Martian surface and extract samples to be analysed in its on-board laboratory. Unlike any Mars rover before it, the ExoMars rover will look for biochemical signatures of life. They might be organic molecules with a particular left or right handedness to their structure that indicates a biological origin, or specific minerals left behind by long-dead microbes. The planned landing site is a flat equatorial region known as Oxia Planum where there is geological evidence of surface water long ago. Navigating autonomously, the rover is expected to cover up to 70 metres per day and as much as four kilometres in the course of its six-month mission. A colour panoramic camera mounted on a mast in the centre of the machine will capture unmatched images of the planet. It will have the ability to put you there in a 3D colour environment, as if you were on Mars, Dr Cordey pointed out. Asked how he felt about the mission, he said: It will help answer one of the really deep down questions that we have. You stop and look up into the night sky and wonder, is there life out there? Weve now got the engineering and science capability to start trying to answer that question. Its not just in the realms of sci-fi there are good reasons for believing there could have been life on Mars early in its life, just as there was on Earth. The surface of Mars is not a nice place for life. There are cosmic rays that bombard the surface, and energetic particles from the sun, and the surface chemistry is very reactive so that any organic material would be rapidly oxidised. The place to look for life is under the surface, and thats what this mission is doing that no other mission has. Searching for life brings with it a new set of technological challenges. It is the reason why the rover has metal, not rubber, wheels, and why no oily lubricants can be used on its moving parts. ExoMars rover structures engineer Abbie Hutty explained: You cant have anything organic when youre looking for organic material, even sheaths around cables, gaskets and lubricants. To withstand the harsh Martian conditions high doses of radiation and night temperatures that drop to minus 130C the electronics cannot be too delicate either. That rules out super-fast systems. As a result, the rovers technology, while in some ways highly advanced, is at 1980s level in terms of speed. IS suicide bombers hit Brussels Airport and a metro train on Tuesday, killing at least 31 people and wounding 270 in the worst such attack in Belgian history. Investigators believe the attacks were carried out by the same IS cell responsible for gun and bomb attacks that killed 130 people in Paris in November. The Belgian federal prosecutors office said six people were held during searches in the Brussels neighbourhoods of Schaerbeek in the north and Jette in the west, as well as in the centre of the Belgian capital. Public broadcaster RTBF said a seventh man was arrested in the Forest borough of Brussels early yesterday. A Briton who has been missing since the deadly Metro blast has been confirmed dead. The family of David Dixon, 53, who is originally from Hartlepool but was living in the Belgian capital, said they had received the most terrible and devastating news. At least 32 people were killed and 270 injured when suicide bombs ripped through the airport and a Metro station on Tuesday morning. A statement issued on behalf of Mr Dixons family said: This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David. At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. Please respect our wishes. The British Foreign Office said: We can confirm David Dixon lost his life in the attacks which took place in Brussels on Tuesday 22 March 2016. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time and our Embassy staff are continuing to support them. British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: I am deeply saddened to hear David Dixon was killed in the Brussels attacks. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. The Netherlands foreign minister said three Dutch citizens were killed in the bombing at Brussels airport. Bert Koenders said the victims were a woman from the eastern city of Deventer and a brother and sister from the southern Limburg province who live in the US. A Chinese citizen was also confirmed among the dead. Meanwhile, a US official said at least two American citizens were killed. The news came as US secretary of state John Kerry was visiting Brussels to express his condolences to the Belgian people. Mr Kerry said the United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks. He did not give a specific number but a senior official said the families of two Americans had been informed of their deaths. The plea, issued in an open letter signed by leading figures from the arts and business, calls on Britain to step up and do more to help vulnerable refugees. It comes ahead of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) meeting on Syrian refugees, which will be held in Geneva on Wednesday. Campaigners hope the government will seize the unique opportunity to do more by expanding the rules around family reunion. The letter, backed by the Refugee Action and Citizens UK charities, recognises the substantial aid being used to help Syrian refugees, but says, as the crisis grows, so too must our response. It says: Many organisations and public figures have stepped up to help protect children in Calais, but, across Europe, thousands of refugee children are still stranded without hope or support. In the UK, Syrians with close family in refugee camps or conflict zones often cannot legally bring their relatives to safety. We are seeing the reality of this human crisis play out on our TV screens week after week. Families are desperate to reach their loved ones. Traumatised children have no-one to protect them. It ends: We call on you to increase our resettlement commitment and to strengthen family reunion policies to help separated children and divided families. Law and Juliet Stevenson, who have both backed the letter, were among the famous faces who visited the Jungle camp, in Calais, last month to perform to refugees. They also joined 145 stars in signing an open letter to Mr Cameron, asking him to help save children based at the makeshift camp, as sections of it were prepared for demolition by French authorities. The senator from Texas also sharpened his attacks on Trumps conservative credentials, linking the brash billionaire to disgraced New York politicians Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner. Cruz continued bashing Trump for making Cruzs wife, Heidi, a target of social-media barbs. I have to say, seeing him go deeper and deeper into the gutter, its not easy to tick me off, Cruz said at a news conference while campaigning in Dane, Wisconsin. But you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, itll do it every time. The ultimate goal for Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy, is a plan for political transition in Syria. In the wake of the Brussels bombings de Mistura sought to focus international attention on the next step, saying that to defeat terrorism, you have to find a political solution in Syria. Although he succeeded in keeping Syrian government and opposition delegations from walking away from the indirect talks, de Mistura made little headway on getting them to sit around the same table or discuss the UN Security Councils envisaged political transition away from president Bashar Assads government. Still, the fact that the talks did not break off in recrimination as they did the last time coupled with the relative calm on the ground underline the limited options left for either side of the conflict. Worn out by five years of fighting, with neither side able to defeat the other militarily, the warring sides appeared to acknowledge that they have no choice but to continue talking. The US and Russia, who back opposite sides of the war, are working together toward a political settlement for the civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half the countrys population. The talks were adjourned on Thursday, with de Mistura setting April 9 as a target date for resumption. The top Syrian government envoy, Bashar Jaafari, met the envoy on the final day but didnt hold a news conference before leaving Geneva. The night before, when asked by a reporter about whether the talks had made progress, Jaafari said the two sides had worked through some unspecified issues that had existed when the talks began on March 14. For the first time, we were able to break the impasse, perhaps symbolically and perhaps a bit more in substance, but we have not yet started on substantial matters, he said, according to the Syrian state-run news agency Sana. George Sabra, a senior member of the oppositions High Negotiations Committee, indicated Thursday that his side was committed to continuing talking. Progress in the talks is difficult, but we will fight this battle as we have fought the war, he told reporters. As in previous talks, the sticking point remains the fate of President Assad. Elissa Wall can seek the payout from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, through its communal property trust, which is now controlled by the state. Her testimony helped convict Jeffs, in 2007, of being an accomplice to her rape, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. Jeffs is serving a life prison sentence, in Texas, for sexually assaulting girls he considered wives. Attraction blooms BRITAIN: Mr Bloom actor Ben Faulks admitted receiving a few rather fruity letters from mothers who have found an unlikely sex symbol in the childrens show gardener. He plays a jolly horticulturist in CBeebies show Mr Blooms Nursery alongside his basket of vegetable pals, but he has grown an army of admirers among the parents of his young viewers. Speaking about whether there had been any advances made on him by such mothers, he told the Mirror: There have been letters. Rather fruity letters. And Valentines cards. Maybe a few marriage proposals. One lady knitted me a lovely turnip. Im flattered mums find Mr Bloom an endearing fellow, despite his wellies and tank top. I give all credit to the make-up department, prosthetics and special effects. Its nice to know theres a lot of love out there. The green-fingered actor, 37, has been the subject of lewd posts on the CBeebies Facebook page. Disappointingly for his fans, Faulks is married to wife Mimi and the pair have three children. She thinks its very, very laughable, he admitted. Love at first whiff US: Love at first whiff is the idea behind Smell Dating, a New York matchmaking service that promises to help single people sniff out their perfect match by breathing in the odours from dirty T-shirts. Artist Tega Brain, who teaches at New Yorks School for Poetic Computation, and Sam Lavigne, an editor and researcher at New York University, created Smell Dating, which they describe as an art project. Each of its first 100 clients received a T-shirt to wear for three days straight without bathing. The clients then mailed the T-shirts back to Brain and Lavignes Sweat Shop at NYU, where they were cut into swatches. Smell Dating then sent batches of 10 mixed swatches back to the clients to sniff this week. A match will be made if one client likes the scent of another and the olfactory attraction is mutual. In other words, if Client 55 likes Client 69 and vice-versa, put a heart around it, Brain said. The idea is based on the science of pheromones, the chemical signals that creatures from gerbils to giraffes send out to entice mates. Across the miles JAPAN: A Japanese couple travelled more than 6,000 miles to get married in Philadelphia with some help from the organisation that first brought the groom to the city six years ago. Philly.com reports Yusuke Yoda, aged 33, and Kazuko Inoue, aged 35, tied the knot on Thursday during the Rotary Clubs weekly lunch. The linguistics lecturers at Tokyo University tried to arrange their wedding from across the Pacific, but didnt know any caterers, photographers, reception halls, or even a judge to marry them. Thats when they remembered the Rotary Club. The organisation had sponsored a scholarship to bring Yoda to the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school. The Rotarians found a judge, a photographer and a cake. They toasted the newlyweds who travelled across the world to get married at a Rotary lunch. Save the bacon US: A pastry has helped save the life of a pot-bellied piglet that was abandoned on a busy highway in New Jersey. A motorist called the Barnyard Sanctuary after seeing another driver toss the animal onto the side of Interstate 80 on Wednesday. Director Tamala Lester told WNBC-TV the motorist stood guard by the terrified piglet for 45 minutes until she could get to the scene. Lester says she used a cherry danish to lure the animal closer and grabbed its hind legs to take it to safety. The piglet has been named Cherry. It is recovering at an animal sanctuary and will be put up for adoption. After the bands private jet arrived at Jose Marti airport in Havana with the four veteran rockers, family members, and about 60 technical workers, Mick Jagger offered a brief greeting in Spanish and said he was happy to be on the island. Last nights concert at Havanas Ciudad Deportiva arena came three days after US president Barack Obama ended a visit to the communist-run island during which he declared an end to the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas. Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (March 26, 2016) Govt gives concessions to shipping tycoon; hotel owner pursues tourism reforms; new contactless MasterCards; another Japanese firm joins Thilawa SEZ. Outgoing Government Gives Wharf Concession to Tycoons Shipping Firm Burmas Port Authority has awarded Kaung Myanmar Aung Shipping Co. Ltd. the right to develop a new area for cargo ships to dock on downtown Rangoons riverside, state media reports. The company is part of the sprawling KMA Group, which is headed by Burmese tycoon Khin Maung Aye, known to be close to outgoing President Thein Sein. The announcement comes less than two weeks before a new government takes over, and follows a series of other awards made during the long lame duck period following the Union Solidarity and Development Partys trouncing at elections in November. The Global New Light of Myanmar said on Monday that the company would build a modern wharf and supporting facilities in Seikkan Township, the administrative area that stretches between Strand Road and the Rangoon River. The project which would be implemented with the Build, Operate and Transfer-BOT system is located between the Botahtaung Pagoda and Bo Aung Kyaw jetty, it said, citing a Myanma Port Authority announcement. On completion, the wharf can handle two 15,000-ton vessels, providing wharf services to improve the States export and import handling. According to its website, Kaung Myanmar Aung Shipping was Burmas first private shipping company and operates between Rangoon, Malaysia, Singapore and the Indian ports of Chennai, Kolkata and Nhavasheva, close to Mumbai. The firm currently ships out of the Asia World Port Terminal in Ahlone Township. Presidential advisor Khin Maung Ayes business empirewhich reaches into aviation with Golden Myanmar Airways, private health care with Parami General Hospital and finance with CB Bankhas flourished during Thein Seins five-year administration. KMA Groups website also lists interests in mining, real estate, hotels, forestry and agriculture. The outgoing administration has also awarded other concessions ahead of the transfer of power, reportedly raising concerns among the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD), which is preparing to take power. In January, Myanmar Railways, the state rail agency, awarded the rights to build two inland ports, in Rangoon and Mandalay, to a subsidiary of Hong Kong tycoon Robert Kwoks Kerry Group. Most controversially, the government appeared to rush through the final steps of a tender process for the port and industrial zone parts of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone in Arakan State. In December the government announced that a consortium led by Chinas CITIC Construction had won the two contracts. As the Wall Street Journal noted in January, Any contracts given out now will bolster foreign direct investment in this fiscal year that ends on March 31, giving the outgoing government maximum credit for their economic initiatives, rather than being recorded under Ms. Suu Kyis leadership. Inle Hotel Owner to Take on Tourism Reforms The NLD is set to install Ohn Maung, who runs the Inle Princess Resort in Shan State, as its minister of hotels and tourism, boosting hopes for more reforms in the sector. A former political prisoner, Ohn Maung, 68, a longtime pro-democracy activist, also has a lifelong interest in tourism, having run the only guesthouse in Nyaungshwe (Yawnghwe), now his constituency, since Burmas socialist era. He has already gained a reputation as an advocate of sustainable tourism in Burma, sparking hopes of a new approach to tourism in the country. Andrea Valentin, founder and director of the Rangoon-based NGO Tourism Transparency, said Ohn Maung was an excellent choice for the new head of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (MoHT). Hes well aware of the many tourism problems in Myanmar and hes in a position to draw from a good team, she said. Over the past years, MoHT did excellent groundwork in terms of passing responsible tourism policies, but not much action followed these papers. To counter any accusations of window dressing, its time to put action into words. Ohn Maung will replace Htay Aung, who has been criticized for focusing on tourism that benefits hotel-owning tycoons. During his tenure, the number of visitors arriving in Burma each year has swelled from less than 1 million in 2011 to 4.68 million last year. But a lot of that growth can be attributed to changes in visa policies and the wider opening up of the country, rather than a particular government strategy to bring in more tourists. Government restrictions, including those that prevent citizens from opening up their homes to tourists as homestays, continue to keep many from benefiting from the astonishing growth in visitor numbers. Towards the end of his tenure, U Htay Aung put a strong focus on community-based tourism but apart from that, strategy often seemed to be concerned primarily with the building of hotel zones and growth for the sake of growth, said Marcus Allender, business development director at Pegu Travels, a travel agency based in Rangoon. Allender added that he hoped to see a countrywide strategy for sustainable tourism growth from the new minister. Myanmar has a huge amount to offer, but tourism dollars are concentrated in narrow geographic and wealth terms, he said. The issues of homestays, easier cross-border movement from neighboring countries, and a broader focus of destinations for tourism growth are some of the issues that need to be addressed. MasterCard to Offer Contactless Cards in Burma American financial services company MasterCard is teaming up with Burmas Cooperative Bank (CB Bank) to offer so-called contactless cards to customers, according to a statement. The cards can be used in other countries to pay for low-value items, or even rides on public transportation systems, simply by passing the card over a sensor. For now, they are unlikely to be much use in Burma itself, where only a limited number of outlets are even accepting card payments of any kind. But MasterCard says it has conducted research that appears to show that many Burmese are keen to travel, and therefore might find a use for its new prepaid card. The latest of MasterCards efforts to better serve the people of Myanmar, the CB EasiTravel Prepaid MasterCard Contactless card provides consumers with a more convenient way to pay when traveling abroad without compromising security, the statement this week said. While the economy is growing at about eight percent per year, research has found that the vast majority of Burmese people do not have bank accounts. Many remain too poor to imagine traveling overseas for any reason other than to do higher paid work. About a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations. MasterCard says, however, that some 61 percent of people in the country are seeking to travel abroad in the next year, up from only 25 percent two years ago. The credit card company did not provide detailed data from the survey. More Myanmar citizens are making trips to neighboring countries than ever before, buoyed by recent relaxing of entry Visa restrictions, CB Bank chief executive and vice chairman Kyaw Lynn said in the statement. This trend will continue as the economy grows and gains traction. CB Bank is always looking for ways that will bring convenience to Myanmar travelers. CB Bankss newly issued MasterCard Contactless card will give added convenience when making payments internationally. In 2013, MasterCard and CB Bank launched Burmas first prepaid card that could be used abroad, as the countrys banks began to reengage with international financial systems. After years of sanctions imposed against the countrys military government, there were few ATMs or outlets accepting cards. In a sign of the progress thats already been made during the countrys opening, MasterCard says more than 2,800 restaurants, retail outlets and hotels in the country now accept payment by plastic. Vietnamese Firm Begins Phase 2 of Massive Rangoon Project With the Myanmar Plaza shopping mall now open, the Vietnamese company behind the project has now begun work on the residential and office space part of its mixed-use development on the eastern shore of Rangoons Inya lake. Vietnam Economic Times reported this week that construction on the second stage of the HAGL Myanmar Center began on March 19, and was expected to be completed by 2018. Five 28-floor buildings will contain 1,134 apartments, the report said, adding that 674 of the flats would be available on leases of up to 70 years. HAGL, or Hoang Anh Gia Lai, is a major conglomerate from the south of Vietnam. The company officially opened Myanmar Plaza in December, and it is already home to Australian coffee chain Gloria Jeans and US chicken restaurant KFC. HAGL chairman Doan Nguyen Duc reportedly said that occupancy is already above 90 percent at the mall. Occupancy in the two 27-floor office blocks is around 60 per cent, with large corporations such as Ooredoo, Huawei, CB Bank, Yoma Bank, Missui, and BIDV having signed leases, Duc said, according to the Vietnam Economic Times. Japans Konoike to Set Up Shop in Thilawa SEZ Japanese logistics firm Konoike is investing US$5 million in setting up a subsidiary to offer services in Burma, according to a report from Deal Street Asia. The website reported that Konoike Myanmar Co Ltd would offer services such as custom clearance, warehousing, trucking and engineering and would be based in a Japanese government-backed economic hub close to Rangoon. The majority of the 60 or so businesses to set up at the Thilawa Special Economic Zone are Japanese. Last week, leading local bank CB Bank set up an branch in the zone, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The Japanese outlet reported that the CB Bank branch would include a Japan deskstaffed by employees of Japans Bank Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJto offer services to Japanese businesses operating at Thilawa. Konoikes website says it began trading in 1880, starting life as a transportation business, before entering the cargo, port and warehousing sectors. It says the firm, which also has manufacturing and food divisions, first established a representative office in Burma in 2012 as part of an effort to expand across Asia. BlackBerry on Android with a slide out keyboard, 5.4 OLED screen, 18MP camera, and it runs all apps this is the stuff electronic dreams could be made of. Lets start by saying this is a corporate/enterprise device predicated on the need for security. At A$1249 it is probably not going to appeal to the average fashionista who wants a high-end Android or iOS phone. More so it is about the hopefully watertight security and importantly it marks BlackBerrys comeback from its near-death as a mobile security company. In fact, have a read of iTWires first looks article on the PRIV because it gives a good overview of the company and where it is heading with security. But this is a review of the hardware and software so lets leave the BlackBerry security alone for the while and concentrate on the device. I repeat my advice you dont buy BlackBerry primarily for its specs you buy for the security ecosystem. Australian price and availability BlackBerry only sell in Australia via Optus that is not to say that other companies may parallel import and sell cheaper but official support only comes from Optus. You can get it on a range of plans from $67 to $120 per month or you can buy it outright and use it on any network. Read on for the review. Out of the box Australian Model STV100-3 It is almost as if BlackBerry waved a magic wand and wished for the best possible specifications including the sexy curved edges of the Samsung Edge; a slide-out keyboard; a camera that should be one of best; and lets put it in an impressive, uniquely BlackBerry styled case that no one can emulate. The result is a big, imposing, masculine, phone you need to consider that if pocketability is an issue. The 5.43 screen is housed in a 147 x 77.2 x 9.4mm x 192g curved glass black slab. With the keyboard extended it is 184m. For comparison, the new 5.5 S7 Edge is 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and 157g. The box includes a set of black buds/mic, an 850mA standard charger, and a micro-USB cable. It has a nano-sim slot and a separate microSD slot at the top. Build quality is good it is assembled in Mexico - but the keyboard slider mechanism could be prone to wear and the onscreen keyboard (not the physical keyboard) had a little rattle when used. In all, it could be regarded as a little too plastic for what we have come to expect from a premium phone. The rounded screen edge is similar to the Samsung Edge replete with a pull over a productivity tab. But its not as elegant as the bezels are quite wide and framed by matt chrome highlights that, when its placed face down, lift the screen a little off the surface to reduce scratching. The on/off key is on the left side and the right has volume up and down and a smaller key in between that seems only to pull down the notification screen it is also mutes the microphone. Setup Initial set-up is just like any other Android 5.1.1 there is no hint that BlackBerry has modified it. But the reality is that Android has been substantially changed. BlackBerrys President of devices, Ron Louks has confirmed that the PRIV will be updated to Marshmallow In 2016. Under the bonnet The specifications are pretty good but since its release some other makers have surpassed it c'est la vie. Processor: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 - Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 418 GPU; 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 418 GPU; Memory: 3GB of DDR3 RAM; 32GB eMMC storage, microSD up to 2TB - it supports Host USB hard disk devices devices Screen: 5.4", 540ppi, 2560 x 1440 pixels AMOLED, capacitive, curved edge touchscreen, Gorilla Glass 4, 71.6% screen to body ratio Rear Camera: 18MP, 4896 x 3672 pixels, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus with OIS, dual-tone LED flash, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, 2160p video recording 2MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording, selfie panorama mode LTE: Cat. 9 LTE (up to 450Mbps) Wi-Fi AC dual band 2 x 2 MIMO, Wi-Di, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS, video out (via USB) and the usual sensors Battery: Non-removable 3410mAh battery supporting Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 (quick charger not supplied) It does not have wireless charging despite a US model having it. The physical keyboard The essential BlackBerry has a keyboard and to this day, it is a prime reason that people buy one. The backlit keys require a firm press and while accurate are much slower than the onscreen keyboard that allows swipe like gestures. Some overseas reviews have claimed the physical keyboard supports swipe like gestures as well its capacitive so you can swipe over it and the home screen moves left or right mouse-like. Keys are small to the extent that meaty fingers would prefer to use the larger onscreen keyboard. There are some keyboard shortcuts that can be activated by a long press. Then camera bulge on the back is large enough to provide a stable base when typing it did rock side to side when using the onscreen keyboard. The Screen It has a Samsung Edge-like design and AMOLED screen. However, on closer look the screen is not up to the absolute blacks of the S7 nor does it have anywhere near the contrast at 377 nits (the S7 is 855). Its a good screen dont get me wrong but more like two generations behind the S7. You can slide the screen up to reveal the keyboard, or double tap, to turn it on from sleep mode. Battery It is hard to make a definitive claim on this as it depends on use. GSMArena gives it a 62-hour endurance rating which is really about a day of typical use. On average, I got from 6.00am to 10 pm 16 hours before needing a charge. But on one day I used it for about 2 hours of microphone recording and 30 minutes of GPS I was surprised that it only gave six hours use. Charging time is very slow with the supplied 850mA charger on average five hours. I did not have a Qualcomm fast charge 2.0 but I am told it will go from 0 to 60% in 30 minutes and a full charge in an hour. For what you are spending a quick charger in the box should be mandatory as should Qi wireless. The back unit becomes very hot when charging fortunately, it wont burn a hole in your pocket. Performance It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 system on a chip (SoC) the same as the LG G4, Moto X Style, and Nexus 5X. It is not the latest technology but it is a six core two fast and four slower. It was adequate for normal use but did lag with lots of open apps and when using the camera. GeekBench 3 rates it about 15% below other 808 competitors and about half the speed of the new S7 (using an 820 or Exynos SoC). Basically, there is a lot going on under the bonnet to provide security. Having said that apart from some lag with multiple apps it does what it should and that is all you can ask. Phone The Australian model STV100-3 supported LTE bands are: 1 (2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12 and 13 (700), 17(700), 20(800), 28(700), 30 (2300), 38 (2600), 40, (2300) and 41 (2500). I cannot guarantee these bands are entirely correct as it is advertised as a 12 band modem. At a minimum for total Australian Carrier present and future coverage you need: Optus: 1, 3, 7, 28 and 40 Telstra: 1, 3, 28 Virgin: 1, 3, 7, 238, 40 Vodafone: 3, 5 You will need to check if you are buying for use overseas. There are at least two other models STV100-1 and 4. The speakerphone was good the noise cancelling microphone is excellent as is in-call volume. You can flip the phone to reject calls. Movies and Audio Installed multimedia software is scant and you will need to download a decent video and audio player. There is no photo gallery its accessed via the camera. There is no file explorer but there is a Device Search. The front mounted speaker was a little low in volume and fidelity when playing a movie which is surprising given its performance as a speakerphone. Still earbuds made up for that. It should support all major still, video, audio, and streaming protocols and codecs Camera It has an 18MP, f/2.2, phase detection auto-focus, with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), dual-tone LED flash, 6 lens, Schneider-Kreuznach optics sounds good but it is far from outstanding. I found the camera app unstable sometimes working brilliantly, sometimes hunting for autofocus making it slow to shoot, and often locking up press the shutter icon and wait. In tests against comparable smartphones (Samsung Galaxy S6 and S7, Lumia 950XL and iPhone 6s Plus) it was a very distant fifth. Outside daylight: colours are slightly muted/muddy and whites tend to off-white. Shot formats are either 4:3 or 1:1 no 16:9 option Inside no flash: poor low light probably due to the f/2.2 lens. Auto HDR lengthened shot time and produced better results. It is not a rapid snapper. Inside flash: too much flash resulting in noise, glare, and washed out images. Outside video: quality was good getting 4K video at up to 30fps if you killed all other background apps. OIS worked well. 1080p at 30fps produced the best all-round results. Inside video: unless there is good light the results are poor. Note video resolution is 3840 x 2160 or about 8MP. Many international reviews have experienced similar camera issues. To be charitable, I am going to put this down to early software there were two updates in the two weeks I tested the phone. Listen well BlackBerry yes, people buy this for the security, but camera quality has become a major driver and at present it is the Achilles heel. The front camera is 2MP, f/2.8, 720p and worked well for Skype and very average selfies. Despite it having larger 1.75um pixels it was inadequate for low light use and did not have a fill flash. BlackBerry security To be clear security is about keeping your information private via encryption, VPN, handset security, and other methods like enterprise mobile device management. You can read more here. But a warning no matter how hardened BlackBerry makes Android it would it is well served by running a paid Antivirus/malware suite to protect it from Android Malware. For a secure phone, I was surprised that it is missing fingerprint or other biometric authentication a significant oversight as passwords can be reasonably easily broken by brute force attacks. DTEK is a privacy diagnostic tool it will tell you where security is weak and has per-app, per-permission control. Why would weather for example, need to access the microphone? BlackBerry will roll out security updates to the Android kernel but it is still via the Telco. At an enterprise level, BlackBerry Enterprise Service will handle roll-outs. BlackBerry and Google apps BlackBerry Hub is a centralised place to keep all emails, SMS, Twitter, BBM, and other notifications. It was very well regarded in the BlackBerry community. However, BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) functionality has long been surpassed by other social media. In addition to security it also has its own versions of Meetings, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Password Keeper, Camera, Content Transfer, Device Search, and Yahoo! Finance. All of these are suitable for the task. The usual Google apps/services are provided and you can download any app from Google Play. Conclusion PRIV is a single purpose device security. If that is what you want, then it is for you and you will overlook any shortcomings in its hardware, software, and OS implementation - these can only improve. It is the start of BlackBerrys return to prominence in a niche market but I cant help feel it was too long in the making, evidenced by the older processor and second-generation OLED screen, etc. Technology wise it is, at least, two generations behind the Samsung S7. During the review I found myself apologising to BlackBerry I wanted to give this a stellar review if only to root for the underdog. At best I have been diplomatic in some of my comments some things are early software issues and others may never be fixed in this model. None are real deal breakers but many could have been so much better (camera, battery, fingerprint reader, and speed). So the question is would you buy it? The answer is that I am not an enterprise user so I am going to leave that to the CTO or CSIO to determine because it will ultimately come down to corporate use of the BlackBerry Hub, encryption and BlackBerry Enterprise server etc. Note that the slider mechanism does not lend itself to clip on accessory cases. BlackBerry has a range of slide in pockets/holsters, but you can find a leather back, hard shell, flip cover for around A$100. Wireless broadband at potentially six times the highest cable broadband speed tell them theyre not dreaming! Netgears new AirCard 810S is a Cat 11, LTE-Advanced connectivity modem that is simply the fastest 4G wireless broadband modem on the market. In theory, it supports 600/50Mbps down/upload. It is also known as Telstra Wi-Fi 4GX Advanced III and is on a range of plans from A$37-120 per month for 1-15GB of data. It can be purchased for $299 unlocked, and you can then use pre-paid data on the Telstra network check online. Its fast because Telstras 4GX makes it so - but the catch is that is that only Telstra has it in selected capital city and regional areas. It currently offers improved download speeds using carrier band aggregation of 700+1800+2600MHz, a more solid connection, and it is ideal for video streaming. I should add that this is a two-part story the modem and a very interesting Smart Cradle. More on that later. In a near Sydney CBD suburb where I get 4G x 4 bars the download speed was consistently well over 200Mbps and upload was over 30Mbps. Ping speeds were under 20ms. In the Sydney CBD standing near Telstra I managed to get over 300Mbps and 35Mbps In a 4G only area, it was over 100/10Mbps. It will also fall back to 3G if 4G/X is not available. Compare this to the Samsung S6 Edge+ (Cat 6, 300/50Mbps) of about 100Mbps and upload of 2.9Mbps. OK, it is fast but mobile data is expensive, so it wont replace landlines anytime soon. I chewed up 5GB in a few hours. It is not the speed that causes more data use its the wonderful ability to do so much more in less time. The Aircard is also a Wi-Fi AC, Dual Band 2.4/5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO router (Hotspot) that will support up to 15 devices. Of course, each shares the bandwidth but then again so does a landline Wi-Fi router. It has an 11-hour, removable battery and comes with a micro-USB charger. I really like the 2.4 LCD capacitive, colour touch screen that displays signal strength, battery use, devices attached and data remaining. You can change all major settings from here or log in via a web page. There are management apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The device also has two TS-9 socket connectors for external 50-ohm antenna as well as to dock with the cradle. The DC112A AirCard Smart Cradle may be just what business and rural users need. It docks with the modem and uses its own 3/4G antennas to extend coverage in low signal areas. It can also be connected to an additional two external 50-ohm antenna there are a variety of these to boost the signal enormously. Netgear says that as long as you have one bar (3 or 4G) then you will get a significant improvement with external antenna. It also has two external high-gain Wi-Fi antenna, Beamforming and supports up to 20 devices. The dock also has one USB 3.0 port, four Ethernet Gigabit LAN ports, and one Ethernet Gigabit WAN port (to use as a router or access point or fall over device). It is DLNA certified will act as a media steamer. Price: under $300. Comment Damned fast and a really easy way to boost wireless signals and speeds. A no-brainer really if speed is your need. The 1st New York City Marathon of the millennium takes place on November 5, and Scope are looking for intrepid people who want to keep fit, have fun and support Scope, to take up the challenge. Even if you have never run or raised funds, the charity will supply you with a package including a comprehensive sponsor pack, training and diet tips to get you into shape. Mike Mallwitz (right), president of Busch Precision Inc., and production manager Matt Pettigrew stand near a ship propeller, which the shop machines. Mallwitz, who once swore by old-school communication methods, now understands how to use LinkedIn as a business tool. Credit: Angela Peterson SHARE By of the Mike Mallwitz is a no-nonsense executive who for years swore by an old-school communications method: picking up the phone and calling. Now, however, Mallwitz is increasingly relying on a different approach: LinkedIn. As president of Busch Precision Inc., a nearly 110-year-old Milwaukee machine shop and rebuilder, Mallwitz says he's particularly interested in congratulating people for their accomplishments. Maybe he sees a customer featured in a news story, or hears about a former employee who got hired for a new job. LinkedIn, he says, is a great way to give someone a pat on the back. "I was hesitant, there's no question," Mallwitz said. But in 2009, after taking a class about how to do it, Mallwitz says he slowly became a convert. Mallwitz is one of 642,000 people in the Milwaukee area and 414 million in the world, by LinkedIn's count, using the service, which is an online social media platform for business professionals. As with many technology start-ups, LinkedIn's path has by no means been free of obstacles. The social media world is highly competitive, and shareholders can be very demanding. The company went public in 2011, and its shares traded above $250 as recently as last fall. But a bad revenue forecast, along with concerns over its decision to scrap a business-to-business ad network, sent the stock plummeting more than 40% on Feb. 5 to close at $108. It slid to $100 on Feb. 9 but has since recovered somewhat, closing at $111.03 at the end of trading last week. Some analysts contended the massive sell-off was an overreaction. Different from Facebook, Twitter, Slack and other social media networks, LinkedIn is mainly used by business people to find new customers, employers and employees, and to maintain business connections. "Don't think of LinkedIn as a social media tool; think of it as the best database of business professionals you ever had," said Wayne Breitbarth, a Milwaukee-based LinkedIn trainer, speaker and consultant. In the past, companies had to buy databases, and by the time they arrived they were often outdated, Breitbarth said. Not only that, the information was unreliable. With LinkedIn, which was founded in Mountain View, Calif., in 2002, users keep their own information up-to-date, and are typically very motivated to do so. "Purchasing managers are on it not because they want to be bothered by sales guys who call on them," Breitbarth said. "They realize that in order to get called by recruiters who specialize in purchasing managers, they've got to be on it." Breitbarth has taught hundreds of LinkedIn training classes at companies, colleges and even in churches with job ministries he does the latter for free. He says he has a mailing list of 25,000 people and has sold nearly 100,000 copies of his book "The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success." And he says it is his observation that many baby boomers are still having trouble understanding the power of LinkedIn. "It's holding them back in this new economy that we have," Breitbarth said. Dena Wortzel, director of the Wisconsin Humanities Council, was hesitant about LinkedIn because she says she didn't understand how she could use it. But recently, she discovered how she could use it to research candidates for a grant program director job and was pleasantly surprised to realize people in the fields of culture and education were using it too. Breitbarth said he likes to tell a story about using LinkedIn for finding potential job applicants in order to convert the holdouts. Several years ago, Breitbarth's partner in a furniture store they ran together said he was going to run an ad seeking an interior designer. Breitbarth asked for half an hour to try something different. During that time he said he did an advanced search on LinkedIn for interior designers in the area, got 100 hits and culled that group down to a list of 13 people with "resumes on steroids." "It was like I threw an interior designer party and everyone showed up at a bar downtown," Breitbarth said. LinkedIn is very useful for researching people before meeting them, said Doug Watson, president and chief executive officer of The Howard Co., a Brookfield maker of menu boards and graphics. And it's critical for job seekers to have a strong presence on it, he said. "If I'm looking to hire somebody and I go out on LinkedIn and they're not there or their profile is poorly done, it certainly flavors whether I want to go forward with them or not," Watson said. LinkedIn is a necessary business tool, said Troy Vosseller, co-founder of the gener8tor start-up accelerator. He said he uses LinkedIn nearly every day to research companies. "We frequently will use search filters based on where people went to college to find friendly audiences within a company or firm we're trying to reach out to," Vosseller said. Software engineers like Nick Gartmann have had LinkedIn-like tools for years in their circles to find employers and employees, said the partner at RokkinCat LLC, a Milwaukee software contractor that specializes in building new products. But even in his industry, recruiters use LinkedIn heavily to find people, he said. So heavily, in fact, that many tools have been built to help people look up different recruiters and see how many times they've sent messages to people. As with Facebook and other social media platforms, there's social pressure to have a LinkedIn account. For business people it's "kind of weird" not to have a LinkedIn account, Gartmann said. "Like any social media platform," Gartmann said, "you have to participate heavily in it to get big value from it." By the numbers Here are the number of LinkedIn users in some of Wisconsin's biggest cities. Greater Milwaukee: 642,000 Greater Madison: 290,000 Greater Green Bay: 142,000 Greater Oshkosh: 156,000 Greater Sheboygan: 52,000 Janesville/Beloit: 53,000 SHARE By of the Internet speeds in Wisconsin have improved considerably in recent years, although they're still slow in places and, nationwide, more people are using smartphones as their only Internet device. Wisconsin ranks 17th among states in average broadband speed, up from 22nd three years ago. The average connection speed of 15 megabits per second is more than three times faster than it was eight years ago, according to Akamai Technologies, a Cambridge, Mass., firm that tracks broadband trends. Nationwide, Washington, D.C., has the fastest average speed, about 21 mbps, while Alaska and Kentucky have the slowest average speeds, less than 10 mbps, Akamai said. Wisconsin's average peak connection speed, 60 mbps, is now six times faster than it was in 2007, according to Akamai. There's been consistent improvement, said David Belson, senior director of industry and data intelligence at Akamai. "Is Wisconsin number one? No. But are things improving? Absolutely," Belson said. Broadband is a high-speed Internet connection capable of handling data through fiber-optic cable or other means. Many rural areas are limited to a slow-speed connection that is unsuitable for certain purposes, such as watching videos or operating a business. There are various rankings of how states compare, and while not everyone agrees on the numbers, few would say broadband service isn't important. Still, the percentage of U.S. homes with broadband access seems to have slipped, according to a Pew Research Center study. It now stands at 67%, down from 70% in 2013 a small but statistically significant difference, according to Pew. "We are not sure if this is a trend or an aberration," said Bill Esbeck, executive director of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, which represents telecom providers. The downtick has taken place at the same time as there's been an increase in "smartphone only" adults those who have a smartphone for accessing the Internet and don't have traditional broadband service at home, Pew said. Thirteen percent of Americans are now in the smartphone only category, up from 8% in 2013. Some of the most significant changes have taken place among African-Americans, those with relatively low household incomes and people living in rural areas, according to Pew. There's also more competition now between wired and wireless Internet providers, with some wireless firms marketing products as a substitute for a wired connection. "We are watching these trends very closely. ... But I think the user experience of a wired option at home is still superior," Esbeck said. Barry Orton, a recently retired University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor, said he's not convinced that demand for home broadband service has fallen much. "The one thing I can say for sure (from the Pew research) is that dial-up Internet service is disappearing. There's almost no more dial-up, which I don't think is a surprise but, historically, is interesting," Orton said. Overall, 33% of American adults do not have broadband at home, according to Pew. Within this group of non-adopters, 36% had a subscription in the past, while 59% say they have never had a broadband subscription plan at home. In addition, just 25% of non-adopters are interested in subscribing to broadband service in the future, while 70% say they're not interested, the Pew report says. For some people, a wired Internet connection isn't available even if they want it, and a smartphone connection isn't very good either. That's the case for Paul Ohlrogge, who lives 20 miles west of Madison in a rural area that has weak wireless phone signals and few Internet options. "I live in a dead zone for cellphone reception. And while there are good Internet connections in Dodgeville, a couple of miles out of town there are people still on dial-up," he said. Ohlrogge does economic development work at the University of Wisconsin Extension in Dodgeville. Without adequate broadband, he said, rural areas can't attract businesses and encourage company start-ups. "If people find that Internet service is spotty, they won't even consider starting a business," he said. Six years ago, Ohlrogge was in Rwanda working on a dairy cow artificial insemination project in remote areas of the mountainous country. In the "middle of nowhere," he said, a woman used a smartphone to sell beans in a marketplace. "I couldn't do that at my house," he said. As more people use a smartphone as their only Internet-access device, they encounter challenges including data caps in their service plans, according to Pew. "They also more frequently have to cancel or suspend service due to financial constraints," the research noted. As smartphone traffic increases, the industry needs to increase its network capacity, said Jeff Roznowski, past president of the Wisconsin Wireless Association. That, he said, would help relieve data caps. The Pew report also says 15% of Americans have become "cord cutters," meaning they have abandoned paid cable or satellite television service. Many of these people say the availability of televised content from the Internet is a factor in dropping subscription television service, according to Pew. Internet providers are taking market share from cable companies that have been in the marketplace for a long time, said Andrew Petersen, vice president of TDS Telecom in Madison. TDS is one of the largest broadband providers in rural Wisconsin. Petersen said the company is pursuing "skinny bundles" of television channel offerings that have fewer choices and lower prices. "Certainly our customers would like to see a more tailored package of channels where they can pick and choose," Petersen said. By of the Fortunately for investors, there's more than one way to grow a bank. That's evident in two promising Wisconsin financial institutions, each with a different strategy for the future, said Jon Bruss, a former bank executive who now invests in companies in the industry. "Both banks' chief executive officers are focused on shareholder value, and they know in their markets how to get it," said Bruss, managing principal, chief executive officer and portfolio manager at Fortress Partners Capital Management Ltd., Hartland. Citizens Community Bancorp Inc. (CZWI, $8.95), Eau Claire, provides consumer and commercial banking products and services, primarily in Wisconsin, as well as Minnesota and Michigan. Edward Schaefer became the bank's president and chief executive officer in 2009 after the previous top executive, who had led its conversion to a bank from a credit union, was ousted. Since then, Schaefer has turned the bank around, Bruss said. "They are well-capitalized, they've really cleaned up the loan portfolio and cleaned up the investment portfolio," Bruss said. "Their focus going forward is to be a player in the western part of the state." Under Schaefer, Citizens carved off and eliminated a significant number of branches located in Walmart stores. Now the company is focused on growing organically and by acquisition. Citizens said last month it would acquire Community Bank of Northern Wisconsin, Rice Lake, for about $17million. At 102% of tangible book value, Bruss said he views that as a reasonable price. The deal will almost immediately add to Citizens' earnings, he said. With the Community Bank acquisition, Citizens will have nearly $800 million of assets, Bruss said. Also, Citizens has several branches in nice suburban areas of Detroit that would fetch a "nice price" if the bank ever decided to sell them, he said. The bank is trading at 77% of tangible book value, a discount that is difficult to find among banks today, Bruss said. Community Bank represents Citizens' first whole-bank acquisition, so the biggest risk here is that management could stumble in integrating it. "They've taken this into consideration and are doing everything possible to ensure that the integration will go smoothly," Bruss said. These shares have a 52-week trading range of $8.56 to $9.73. They could reach as high as $14 in the next 12 to 18 months, he said. Westbury Bancorp Inc. (WBB, $19.09), West Bend, provides banking and financial products and services. While Citizens is growing more by acquisition, Westbury is focused almost exclusively on organic growth through so-called lift-outs. A bank does a lift-out by identifying and luring away from another institution a lender or group of lenders. This way, there are no acquisition costs, just salaries and one-time bonuses, Bruss said. Westbury has been able to lift a number of good teams out of BMO Harris Bank and TCF Bank, in particular, he said. Westbury promoted Greg Remus to CEO in July, replacing Ray Lipman, who led its conversion from mutual to stock form. Remus heads a strong team that includes Kirk Emerich, a very talented chief financial officer, Bruss said. Westbury management is very focused on increasing deposits which are up almost 17% in the last year, Bruss said. The bank is focused on lending as well; loans grew more than 18% in the most recent fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Bruss said. Most of those loans were commercial, he added. Westbury is also buying back its stock, and purchased more than 1 million shares during the 18 months ending Dec. 31, he said. The biggest risk here is that in ramping up its commercial loan portfolio so rapidly, quality might suffer. But Mike Holland, Westbury's chief credit officer, "has a laser focus on credit quality," Bruss said. These shares have a 52-week trading range of $16.96 to $19.63. Westbury shares are trading at about book value but have potential to sell at 125% to 135% of book value, Bruss said. That would translate into a price of as much as $25 a share, which is conceivable in the next 12 to 18 months, he said. When Karen Wilets entertains, she enjoys making unique and upscale dishes for her guests. And they're usually a mix of very different recipes and/or ingredients. For one party she decided she wanted to make toasted ravioli. "I used wonton skins and filled them with a standard filling, but I couldn't find anything to go with it," she recalled. "Then I found an Asian caramel sauce. "I coated the ravioli in Japanese panko bread crumbs and graham crackers and drizzled the caramel sauce over them. Most people would think these ingredients shouldn't go together, but they really do." She's also made beef short ribs with a cauliflower puree, Moroccan spiced rack of lamb, scallops with a white chocolate sauce, and cauliflower creme brulee with mango and caviar that she served in shot glasses with tiny spoons. Her party themes are just as unusual. A few years ago when she and her husband, Jeff Boutin, wanted to have an event in their Mequon home for about 30 people who didn't know each other, they decided to host an Around the World beer-tasting party. "When I sent out reservations, I told everyone that when they RSVP'd they would get the name of a country and that they should bring a six-pack of beer from that country...." Wilets said. "We had 23 countries represented. "I had four to five large buckets of ice per table and we had three 8-foot tables. We had flags for all the countries, and mini beer glasses for tasting. "I also started the night with international pub food. I had about eight different dishes including Irish stew, ribs, spring rolls and desserts. Everyone spent the night going from table to table sampling beers and rating them. It was the best party we ever threw," she said. The beer voted the best that night came from Brazil. The worst? "That was from Ethiopia." She's also had wine- and beer-pairing dinners and a mystery dinner, where her guests brought the protein and everyone cooked together. But it's no surprise that her food and themes are distinctive, as she's been in the food business since she was a teen. She now owns The Good Life Catering in Mequon. In addition to catering in her customers' homes, she also teaches cooking classes in homes. She recently talked about her love of cooking. Q.What are some tips for making events run smoothly? A. Write down everything you have to buy and prepare and check them off as you go. Try to get things made ahead of time so you are not exhausted the day of the party. Set your table the day before and make sure you have utensils for every course laid out properly so you aren't running back to wash extra forks. Also know where you want to put things on your table. And make sure your dishes make a statement. It's also a good idea to hire someone to help you clean up after the party. Q.What are some ways you make food look elegant? A. I always use collard greens under my food because they hold up longer and I also want contrast on my plates. I prefer white or clear plates so the food is the star, and I accent most of my dishes with beautiful greens and some with edible flowers. If something is looking dry, I drizzle olive oil over it. I also make my buffet table look elegant by using a tablecloth that goes all the way to the floor. Q.Other than salt and pepper, what are your favorite spices or seasonings? A. Right now I am having fun with zatar, which is a blend of sumac, sesame seeds and thyme. I also love smoked paprika, and Penzeys makes a great spicy curry blend called Vindaloo. I buy my spices in bulk and store extras in the freezer. Q.What cuisines do you specialize in? A. I would say fusion cuisine, I love mixing ethnicities and creating something new. Q.Buffet vs. sit-down dinners? A. I prefer sit-down, but I also like family style because you can make the platters of food look so beautiful. Q.Host cooks everything or potluck? A. Sorry, but unless you are 100% sure of your guests' cooking abilities, just have them bring the wine. Q.Do you have a favorite cookbook or cookbook author you keep returning to? A. I have probably worn out my Julia Child baking cookbook, but I also go for my books that have the best pictures. That's what inspires me the creativity of the plating. Q.How do you dress your table? A. I like an eclectic table with chargers and interesting placemats instead of tablecloths. I always use linen napkins and unique glassware. Sometimes I use a different wineglass for each person. Also fresh flowers, but always smaller groupings in small vessels so they don't obstruct my guests' views. Q.What kitchen utensils do you use most? A. My chef's knife, silicone-tipped tongs, fine-mesh strainers, and I keep a cup with small spoons next to my stove for tasting so I always have one handy. Q.How did you start your own business? A. Thirteen to fourteen years ago when I was working at a restaurant, customers started asking me to make them special desserts that I was making at the restaurant. Then they asked if I could cook as well as bake. The rest is history. The nomination Anmarie Markoff of Grafton nominated her friend, Karen Wilets, as a Great Host. She wrote: "I have attended dinners and brunches hosted by Karen, and it is really as if a restaurant, interior designer and artist have put on their best show." Send your nominations of noteworthy Milwaukee-area hosts to GREAT HOSTS, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Food Section, P.O. Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201 or email to nstohs@journalsentinel.com. Be specific, and be sure to include name and daytime contact information both for yourself and your nominee. Investigators look over a limo crash on the Jane Addams Tollway near Dundee Ave. in Elgin on Friday. One person was killed and six were injured. Credit: Chicago Tribune SHARE By of the A Monona woman was killed and six other people from Wisconsin were injured Friday in a limousine crash near Chicago, according to the Illinois State Police. The crash was reported shortly after 7 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 90 in Hoffman Estates, according to a state police news release. According to the release, the driver of the white 1998 Lincoln Town Car limousine was in the far left lane of the highway when he was blinded by the sun and struck a wall, which caused the vehicle to roll over. When members of the Elgin Fire Department arrived at the scene, the limousine was on its roof with two people inside, five occupants outside and an off-duty Streamwood, Ill., paramedic rendering medical care, the fire department reported. The limousine driver, a 20-year-old Janesville man, and four passengers were taken to hospitals with injuries that are not life-threatening, state police said. The other two passengers were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. One, a 53-year-old Monona woman, later died, according to a state police official. The others injured were identified as two Fitchburg men, ages 45 and 53; a 61-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man from Verona; and a 59-year-old man from Monona, according to the release. The limousine passengers were on their way to O'Hare International Airport for a vacation trip to Mexico, WKOW-TV in Madison reported. SHARE By of the The Milwaukee County medical examiner has ruled that the November death of 3-month-old girl is a homicide. Police arrested the parents of India Rosa Gilmore shortly after her death, but neither has been charged, according electronic court records. The infant's father told authorities he found the child unresponsive in a car seat on his bed late on Nov. 6. The child was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where she was pronounced dead early the next day. An autopsy revealed that the child had healing rib fractures. According to a medical examiner's report, India died from blunt force injuries to her head. Turbines on a We Energies wind farm near Johnsburg in northeastern Fond du Lac County in 2014. Credit: Mark Hoffman Wisconsin's renewable energy landscape has been pretty much frozen for the last five years, especially when it comes to wind farms. While neighboring states have been blossoming with wind development in recent years, Wisconsin has become almost a "black hole" of development, according to one renewable energy advocate. And it shows: Wisconsin ranks ninth among 12 Midwest states in a ranking released Tuesday of jobs in the clean energy sector including energy efficiency, renewable energy and biofuels. Where Wisconsin has about 25,000 people employed in clean energy jobs, Illinois, which ranks first in the Midwest, employs 112,000 people in clean energy jobs. Apparently, Gov. Scott Walker's invitation a few years ago to Illinois companies to move north wasn't extended to the renewable energy industry. Too bad: Wisconsin workers could use those jobs. But just as spring is breaking up the ice around Wisconsin, there are signs that a thaw is coming for renewable energy. The state, and in particular the Public Service Commission, should do all it can to hasten that warming. Among the signs: The Journal Sentinel's Thomas Content reported that nearly 50 turbines could be built over the next year or so in Lafayette County east of Platteville in southeastern Wisconsin, and Emerging Energies of Wisconsin is proposing to build 44 large wind turbines in St. Croix County in western Wisconsin. Other projects may also be developed. EDP Renewables, a global renewable energy company based in Spain, is looking to build the Lafayette County wind farm in 2017 after completing preparatory work this year. The project, valued at about $200 million, would generate up to 99 megawatts of electricity, or just barely under the threshold that would require it to obtain a permit from the PSC. Meanwhile, regulatory agency is taking yet another look at the $250 million St. Croix County wind farm, which has been on the drawing board for more than five years. A PSC permit to allow the project to proceed was challenged in court, and St. Croix County Judge Edward Vlack last summer sent the case back to the commission for more work. The project has raised concerns among neighbors that need to be addressed. But we hope that the PSC, after a thorough vetting, finds a way to move this and other projects forward. Renewable energy (including wind farms) is one tool that can help mitigate the effects of climate change, which is real and becoming more urgent, despite the wishful thinking of some who think they can just close their eyes and it will all go away. And yes, this applies to many of the candidates who are now (and will be for months to come) assaulting voters around the state, as well as to Gov. Scott Walker and the state Legislature, which took steps to restrict wind farm construction during Walker's first term. In fact, it was the Walker administration's and Legislature's disdain toward climate change that essentially put wind farm development into the deep freeze. Not all is bleak: Wisconsin has done relatively well on energy conservation and Wisconsin utilities have met a goal of already built enough to comply with Wisconsin's law requiring 10% of the state's electricity to come from renewable power sources. But wind power development among our neighbors is booming, up 45% in five nearby states compared with growth of 3% in Wisconsin, according to an analysis of market data from the American Wind Energy Association. And that 10% renewable energy goal is pretty anemic, given the challenge of climate change and new federal goals for renewable energy. State government (including the PSC) needs to step up its game. It will mean new jobs for Wisconsin workers as well as the state doing its part to meet a serious global threat. Here's hoping for a new spring for renewable energy. An unidentified Indian actor dressed as Jesus Christ reenacts the crucifixion during Good Friday in Hyderabad, India. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By Millions of people will flock to their churches Sunday and then enjoy Easter egg hunts, elaborate brunches and family celebrations. The question is: Why? After all, Easter is the celebration of one of the most absurd claims in history: that Jesus of Nazareth was seen alive again after dying on a Roman cross. This is an absurd claim because if there is one thing life teaches humans, it's that dead people stay dead, never to be heard from again. Yet for 2,000 years, the Resurrection has been one of the foundational teachings of Christianity. As the apostle Paul put it, if Jesus was not raised to life, then Christian faith is "futile" and Christians are "of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). Of course, some Christian apologists argue that the Resurrection can be proven historically or, if not proven, at least shown to be highly probable. Authors such as Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, Mike Licona and J. Warner Wallace take a "Just the facts, ma'am" approach to the Resurrection, calmly laying out the "case" that Jesus rose from the grave. Strobel, a journalist and author of "The Case for Christ," approaches the subject like the skeptical investigative journalist he once was. Wallace, a "cold case" homicide detective and former atheist, treats the ancient New Testament documents like a crime scene, raising questions of motive and opportunity. The problem is: Proving the Resurrection historically is a difficult task. There is no mention of Jesus of Nazareth in any non-Christian sources for at least 65 years after his Crucifixion around A.D. 30. As for the earliest Christian sources, even they have surprisingly little information about the central claim of the Christian religion. The account of the Resurrection amounts to only 472 words in the Gospel of Mark (including the long ending), 426 words in Matthew, 1,059 words in Luke and 791 words in John. There are also brief mentions in the Acts of the Apostles (about 239 words) and in the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (125 words). All in all, not a lot to go on if your belief is based solely on the biblical evidence alone. Yet despite the lack of historical corroboration, Christians worldwide continue to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was restored to life by God and reigns with him as Lord of heaven and Earth. Where does this belief come from? I would argue that it ultimately comes from the Christian community itself and from the faith that life in this community engenders. Week after week, believing Christians flock to their houses of worship, attend Bible studies and prayer meetings and, at least in some churches, participate in the ritual meal Jesus asked his followers to enact "in memory of me." This is where belief in the Resurrection arises, from Christian worship itself. As one of the earliest Christian writings, the Gospel of Luke, put it, the risen Jesus is made known "in the breaking of the bread" (24:35). Thus, most Christians believe in the Resurrection not because they've critically examined the historical evidence and found it "probable," but because they sense Jesus' continuing real presence in the world through prayer and worship. Not a lot to go on, I know. Even the earliest Christian evangelists called it "foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:18). But it is what has sustained Christianity for 2,000 years and continues to sustain it today. Happy Easter! Christos anesti! Robert J. Hutchinson is the author of "Searching for Jesus: New Discoveries in the Quest for Jesus of Nazareth And How They Confirm the Gospel Accounts" (Thomas Nelson). Readers may send him email at robert@roberthutchinson.com. He wrote this for The Philadelphia Inquirer. D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Merrick Garland (left), walks with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), before a meeting on Capitol Hill March 22. Credit: Getty Images By The recent nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court signals President Barack Obama's willingness to compromise, but it comes far too late to induce a sudden state of happy cooperation. It should not change the political calculus of the Republican majority to keep Justice Antonin Scalia's seat open until the November elections. Garland currently serves as the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., commonly described as the second-highest court in the land because of its jurisdiction over the headquarters of the federal government. It has long served as the prep school for Supreme Court justices it is the bench on which Scalia first served, as well as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas. Garland also seems eminently qualified. He went to Harvard for his undergraduate and law degrees, and served as a law clerk for Judge Henry Friendly and Justice William J. Brennan of the Supreme Court. He worked as a partner for a powerhouse D.C. law firm and served as a top Justice Department official during the Clinton administration before his appointment to the D.C. Circuit in 1997. Garland enjoys a reputation as a relatively moderate judge, someone who seeks consensus and writes careful, technical legal decisions. He is probably the most moderate Supreme Court candidate nominated by a Democratic president since John F. Kennedy tapped Byron White in 1962. Obama still hopes to get a justice through the Senate. He put aside the opportunity to nominate a candidate who had little chance, but could have served as a convenient point of attack in the presidential campaign because of his or her race or gender. In any normal year, Senate Republicans would welcome such a nomination from a Democratic president with open arms. But as the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders shows, this is no normal year. Scalia's vacancy comes in the last year of a lame-duck president, with a Senate controlled by the opposition, and national elections closing fast. The Senate has rarely confirmed a Supreme Court justice in such circumstances. Nevertheless, Senate Republicans should keep Scalia's seat open at least until the November elections. The president believes the Constitution requires otherwise. "I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time," he said after Scalia's death, and demanded that the Senate must "fulfill its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote." Contrary to this claim, however, the Constitution does not require the Senate to give Garland a hearing or a vote. The Appointments Clause set out in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, declares that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States." The Appointments Clause undeniably sets out a power-sharing procedure. The president nominates, the Senate gives its advice and consent, and only then can the president complete the nomination. But the constitutional text does not impose any duties. It does not require the president to nominate candidates for vacancies; it does not require the Senate to take a vote; it does not even require the president to complete the appointment after the Senate consents (as the Supreme Court made clear in the foundational case establishing judicial review, Marbury vs. Madison, in 1803). Critics might accuse Republicans of politicizing judicial appointments. This is true, but refusing to vote on Garland is sadly the only rational response to a downward spiral started by Senate Democrats. In 1987, they unjustly blocked Judge Robert Bork from the high court for believing in the original understanding of the Constitution and tried to prevent Clarence Thomas from appointment for being a black conservative. Democrats filibustered dozens of President George W. Bush's lower court nominees on the exact same grounds as Senate Republicans today: that the Constitution does not require a Senate vote. Judicial nominations will never leave the political swamps until Republicans respond tit-for-tat. The Republicans also have reason beyond tactics to await the outcome of the November elections before deciding on the Scalia seat. In the years since the Warren Court, the Supreme Court has expanded its powers and taken more issues away from the democratic process. These involve policies dear to both liberals and conservatives: affirmative action, gun rights, abortion, gay marriage, religion, immigration and health care. If we are to restore control over society's deepest social questions to our constitutional democracy, the people should at least have a say over the appointment of justices to the court that has seized them. If a Republican wins the presidency, then the people will have spoken in favor of replacing Scalia with another conservative. If a Democrat wins, the Senate could confirm Garland or await a pick from Hillary Clinton or Sanders. But in either case, the American people will have had a say in filling a seat on a court that has seized more and more issues from the political process. It is the least that democracy requires. John Yoo is a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley and a former general counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is co-editor of "Liberty's Nemesis: The Unchecked Expansion of the State." Readers may send him email at jyoo@law.berkeley.edu U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) (left) meets with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland on March 17 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Credit: Getty Images By The United States Constitution is clear. The framers of that document specified that the president has the sole power to choose the identity of nominees to the Supreme Court. The text of Article II gives the Senate the power of "advice and consent" over the president's choice. That refers to the power to accept or reject the individual nominee. And the drafters of the Constitution were quite clear that this was the only role that the Senate was to play in the process of filling a vacancy on the court. When there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court, the Constitution gives the president the power of initiative. In contrast, the Senate may only exercise its power in reaction to a specific nominee. There is no place for the Senate to make demands upon the president prior to a nomination or to foreclose nominations altogether. The Constitution only grants the Senate a post-nomination role. We don't have to guess at the intent of the framers. Alexander Hamilton explained this very point in the Federalist Papers. He wrote that the power to choose a nominee is an exclusively presidential prerogative. By placing this power solely in the hands of the president, the framers made one person accountable for the identity of the nominee. Any potential abuse of the appointment power would be prevented by granting the Senate the power of "advice and consent" over the person that the president selected. By refusing to consider any nominee at all for the current vacancy on the court, the Senate leadership is exceeding its constitutional authority. The leaders are upsetting the carefully drafted balance of power contained in Article II of the Constitution. This is the conclusion of more than 350 law professors (myself included) who have signed a letter on behalf of the Alliance for Justice condemning the action by the Senate's Republican leadership. This is not a partisan interpretation of the Constitution. Conservative scholars agree on the original meaning of "advice and consent," or at least they did prior to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. One particularly exhaustive discussion of the authority of the president to nominate, without Senate interference, was written in 2005 by John McGinnis and can be found on the website of the conservative Heritage Foundation. Ironically, this is the same Heritage Foundation that in 2016 is actively encouraging Senate Republicans to obstruct any nomination by President Barack Obama to fill Scalia's seat on the court. Hypocrisy is nothing new in politics. Many Senate Republicans, including Wisconsin's own Sen. Ron Johnson, have spent most of the Obama administration casting themselves as defenders of the Constitution in the face of presidential overreaching. Suddenly, when it comes to the power to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court, these same senators have abandoned the text of the Constitution in favor of some amorphous "will of the people." This acrobatic about-face calls into question the sincerity of their previous protestations. The Constitution is the foundational law of our land. It cannot be followed or avoided depending upon convenience or political expediency. Senate Republicans must uphold the oath that they took when they were sworn in an oath to uphold the Constitution and end their obstruction of Obama's power to nominate a Supreme Court justice. Ed Fallone is a professor at Marquette University Law School. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) speaks at a campaign rally at the Alliant Energy Center on Saturday in Madison. Credit: Getty Images By of the Madison Touting victories Saturday in Alaska and Washington and seeking a win in Wisconsin April 5, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied thousands here by calling for a revolution at the ballot box and in the way America does business. "You guys ready for a radical idea? Why not? This is Madison, Wisconsin," Sanders told the cheering crowd in this liberal bastion of support. "...We have to create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%." The Easter weekend crowd was impressive, but Sanders will need to pick up big margins in Madison if he wants to beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the state's primary. Yet Sanders, with the caucus wins in Washington and Alaska and awaiting results from the Hawaii caucus, was poised to narrow the delegate gap with Clinton. She has held a healthy lead in delegates throughout most of the primary season, thanks in part to hundreds of super delegates who can support the candidate of their choosing independent of the primaries and caucuses. The campaigning is intensifying, with Clinton and Republicans Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio campaigning across the state on Monday and Tuesday, including in the Milwaukee area, and real estate mogul Donald Trump coming to Janesville on Tuesday. Sanders will be in Appleton and West Allis on Tuesday and Kenosha and Onalaska on Wednesday. Saturday was a sort of homecoming for Sanders, who in July 2015 spoke for an hour to about 10,000 people in a larger coliseum next door to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Sanders told the crowd Saturday he is picking up momentum after struggling to win earlier primaries in the South. "We knew things were going to improve as we headed West," Sanders said. "We are making significant inroads in Secretary Clinton's lead and we have, with your support here in Wisconsin, a path toward victory." Though Sanders had plenty of people in his audience, relatively few elected officials spoke at the rally besides Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. For instance, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), an unabashedly liberal member of Congress who represents Madison, has stayed neutral in the presidential primary even though Sanders might seem a good fit for Pocan and his district. "I just don't think it's about individual campaigns," Pocan said Friday. "It's about (beating Republicans in) November. I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize." In his speech, Sanders singled out Gov. Scott Walker for the state's law requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls. The governor and GOP lawmakers were trying to boost their chances by making it harder for groups like minorities to vote, he said. "If you cannot win in a free and fair election where everybody votes, get out of politics!" Sanders told Wisconsin Republicans. GOP officials have said that the law ensures the integrity of elections and has been upheld by courts. Wisconsin won't be an easy win for Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who serves as an independent in the Senate but is running as a Democrat in the presidential race. This past week, an Emerson College poll showed Clinton with a 6-point lead in the state 50% to 44%. Clinton performs best among older and minority voters making Milwaukee a key base of support in the state. For Sanders, a candidate who has thrived on the youth vote, the presence of the University of Wisconsin has made Madison a natural rallying point. The last two polls by the Marquette University Law School highlight how important younger voters are for Sanders. Combining the last two polls by Marquette in January and February, Sanders leads voters under 30 years old by 69% to Clinton's 20%. Among likely voters of all age groups, Clinton and Sanders are tied at 44% to 44%. Sanders has recruited young people to his cause by calling for doubling the minimum wage, fighting climate change and establishing a more aggressively public health care system. In this college town, Sanders got some of his biggest applause Saturday when he called for making tuition free at public universities using a tax on investment trades. Affordable college tuition was one reason Mary Gurgone of Crystal Lake, Ill., drove two hours to see a candidate whom she had already voted for in her state's primary. Gurgone, a purchasing coordinator at a rehab center, said that her 21-year-old had to drop out of college after he was denied federal student financial aid. "I feel he's the better candidate. He's been saying the same thing since what the 1980s," Gurgone said of Sanders. But Clinton has said that Sanders' plan relies in part on using funding from state governments. That may not be realistic in a GOP-controlled state like Wisconsin, she's said, pointing to the $250 million in state aid cuts to the UW System that Walker and lawmakers made in the last state budget. Walker and Republican lawmakers have instead focused on their in-state tuition freeze for UW campuses. Pocan, the Madison congressman, said he's focused his own proposals on making college debt-free rather than tuition free. "You're far more likely to get support for (that)," he said. VICTORIES FOR SANDERS Bernie Sanders won caucuses in Washington and Alaska on Saturday, barely denting Hillary Clinton's several hundred-delegate lead but underscoring her persistent vulnerabilities within the Democratic Party. See story on 11A. Reddit Email 4 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The right wing is carping that President Obama is downplaying the dangers of Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) in the wake of the Paris and Brussels attacks on soft targets. But whipping up hysteria about the threat of terrorism is a racket that mainly benefits security firms and arms manufacturers. No one will deny that such attacks are horrible affairs that kill dozens of innocents and everything humanly possible should be done to combat them. But it is also just the case that the attacks are intended to provoke fear, terror, hatred and polarization, so such sentiments should be avoided. And these assaults on soft targets should be seen in some sort of perspective. So let us just consider the leading causes of death in the US (2014), a country of some 318 million, in the context of terrorism (defined as non-state actors using violence against civilians to accomplish a political goal). 1. Heart disease: 611,105 2. Cancer: 584,881 3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 149,205 4. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 130,557 5. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,978 6. Alzheimers disease: 84,767 7. Diabetes: 75,578 8. Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,979 9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 47,112 10. Intentional self-harm (suicide): 41,149 From 2005 to 2015, 71 Americans were killed on US soil by extremists, of whom 24 were killed by Muslim extremists (white supremacists etc. were more deadly than Muslims). That is an average of a little over 7 per year. In the same period, some 303 Americans died from terrorism worldwide, or 30.3 per year. People just die in unintended accidents like falling down in the bathtub a the rate of 130,00 a year. Despite the tiny number of victims (and each life of every one of them is precious), the American government shells out around $500 million on anti-terrorism programs per victim. But the USG only puts out $10,000 on cancer research per victim. Just having more mental health counseling covered by health insurance would possibly cut down on that 41,000 a year who commit suicide. Militarizing our police, spying on everyones internet use, and so forth cant possibly save a fraction of the number of deaths that better health insurance would. - Related video: The Young Turks from a few years ago: Dogs Kill More People Than Terrorists Reddit Email 0 Shares Special Correspondent | Niqash.org | An increase in air strikes on Mosul is causing more civilian casualties. Ordinary people live in fear, the Islamic State uses deaths for propaganda and Iraqi authorities say nothing. A still from video released by the extremist IS group, showing the aftermath of coalition air strikes. A still from video released by the extremist IS group, showing the aftermath of coalition air strikes. There are small signs of exactly how nervous the ordinary people of Mosul are. Small tents, swollen bags, cars ready to be driven away most likely at high speed, and at a moments notice and a non-stop search for the latest news on security developments. Since June 2014 the northern metropolis, formerly home to an estimated 2 million people, has been under the control of the extremist group known as the Islamic State. While some of the local population support the Islamic State, or IS, group, many others do not. And these people are caught in between the IS groups draconian rules and punishments for breaking them, air bombardment by the international coalition and the possibility of fighting breaking out should the Iraqi military decide to begin their campaign to liberate the city. That latter possibility appears to be increasingly likely as the number of air strikes on the city seem to be ramping up. Unfortunately though, because some of the airstrikes are killing civilians, that increase also seems to be benefitting the IS groups propaganda machine. Mosul resident: There were civilian deaths. I was personally able to identify six people among the dead and wounded. There are no specific times when the airstrikes start, says Ahmad*, the eldest son of the al-Haj Sheet family, who used to live in the northern Majmouah-Thaqafiyah neighbourhood of Mosul. It is common to see people running down the street all of a sudden, at any time of day. I saw them last week. And then I found myself in the middle of screaming mothers and children running down the street too, almost by instinct, after a rocket hit our area and several other blocks around us. It is well known in Mosul that the IS group locate their offices in residential areas on purpose it serves both to hide their fighters and members and to ensure damage to civilian targets. The airstrikes that got Ahmad running were targeting buildings that were part of Mosul University, he says. The buildings are only separated from his block by a 20 meter long street. So there were big losses and civilian deaths, the 34-year-old told NIQASH. I was personally able to identify six people among the dead and wounded. His family has since moved away to another house in a different part of the city. Some Iraqis have also started a Facebook campaign to draw attention to the increasing number of civilian deaths in Mosul, posting pictures of the dead and wounded. The makers of the Facebook page have blamed just about everyone for the deaths: The international coalition, the IS group and even the Iraqi government and provincial authorities, who they accuse of ignoring civilian casualties. One of the Facebook page producers, Bilal Saad, posted a picture of a friend of his from Majmouah, who died. Saad was happy to use his real name because, as he explained, he managed to get out of Mosul six months ago with the help of people smugglers and was now in Istanbul. If I hadnt gone, I could have been a victim of these air strikes, he concluded. I used to work in the area, very close to where the bombs fell. My advice to those who are still in Mosul: Leave now, before it is too late, Saad said. Meanwhile the IS group has also taken advantage of these air strikes. Through its news agency, the organization published pictures and video of the bombing and then also of the dead and injured civilians. The material was re-published by Iraqi news media. What the IS group didnt do though, was reveal how many of its own fighters had been killed in the raids. The international coalition started bombing runs against the IS group in Iraq, in August of 2014. Since the beginning of 2016, the coalition jets have bombed an estimated 10 different locations in Mosul, including residential areas. Locals say the deadliest raid took place mid-February in Mosuls Yabisat neighbourhood. Local man, Saadi Manawi, says that a rocket landed on one of the large warehouses in the area that was actually being used by displaced people. The target was a factory near there that had been being used by the IS group to put explosives in vehicles. But the rocket missed the target. Twenty one people were killed, Manawi told NIQASH, including 13 children. They were all buried in one big grave. Babies were laid to rest in their mothers arms, says the Iraqi man, who lost relatives in the raid. Mosul locals have criticized both federal and provincial authorities for their complicity in the air strikes; nobody seems prepared to speak out against the international coalition, they complain. The government in Baghdad has said nothing about the civilian deaths. When contacted for a statement by NIQASH, the office of Nofal Hammadi al-Akoub, the recently appointed governor of Ninawa province, responded with this statement: The governor has contacted the US and informed them of civilian deaths and casualties. He has asked them to be more accurate. So all the people of Mosul can do is wait and worry. Even when the air strikes stop, we always hear news of operations on the ground, says Ahmad of the al-Haj Sheet family. There are so many questions we cannot answer. Where can we go? Will the IS fighters allow us to leave? Will the Mosul dam collapse and flood us? Will there be a blockade where we may starve? What forces will fight in Mosul? And will they treat us as enemies or friends? For the time being, nobody in Mosul has the answers. So the al-Haj Sheet family have made one decision, perhaps the only one they can. Although theyve moved house to escape the air strikes near the university, they have simply decided not to unpack. *Names of individuals still in Mosul, or with families still in Mosul, have been changed for security reasons. Via Niqash.org Related video added by Juan Cole: Peshmerga Forces Destroy ISIS Rockets in Iraq Reddit Email 0 Shares Maan News Agency | BETHLEHEM (Maan) A UN official on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the brutal extrajudicial execution of a wounded Palestinian by an Israeli soldier that was captured on camera in Hebron the day before. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said he strongly condemned the apparent extrajudicial execution of the Palestinian, who was shot in the head at point-blank range despite having already been shot to the ground, where he lay wounded for several minutes, after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier. This was a gruesome, immoral, and unjust act that can only fuel more violence and escalate an already volatile situation, Mladenov said. He welcomed the condemnation of the execution by Israels Minister of Defense, Moshe Yaalon, and called on the Israeli authorities to swiftly bring to justice the Israeli soldier responsible. The UN official went on: It is time to stop the negative spiral of violence and to begin positive steps towards ending the occupation and bringing long overdue peace and security to the people of Israel and Palestine. Israel has repeatedly been accused by rights groups, international leaders, and Palestinian officials of enacting a policy of extrajudicial executions against Palestinians since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel last October. However, the rare video footage of Thursdays incident captured by a staff member with Israeli human rights group BTselem brought a barrage of condemnations from the Israeli leadership and led Israels army to detain the soldier responsible and launch an investigation. Palestinian residents of Hebron Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, both 21 years old, were shot down Thursday after allegedly stabbing and moderately wounding an Israeli soldier near a military checkpoint in Hebrons Old City. Al-Qasrawi was killed instantly, while the graphic video footage showed al-Sharif lying on the ground for several minutes moving his head slightly but posing no threat before an Israeli soldier walked up to him and shot him in the head. The soldier has since claimed he killed al-Sharif out of fear the incapacitated man was going to detonate a suicide bomb vest, according to Israeli media reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response the soldiers conduct did not represent the values of the Israeli army, which he said expects its soldiers to behave level-headedly and in accordance with the rules of engagement. Defense Minister Yaalon for his part said: Even as we are forced to fight our enemies and overcome them in battle, we are equally obligated to uphold our mores. To be human. The statements come despite the fact that both officials have been accused by Palestinians and rights groups of incitement against Palestinians and advocating a shoot-to-kill policy against Palestinians who carry out attacks. Palestinian member of Knesset Ayman Odeh, who has been a vocal opponent of past incitement, said: Israel has become a place where public executions are carried out with the cheers of the crowd, the price of security and moral deterioration is being paid by both peoples. The MK called for Netanyahu to be tried with the soldier responsible for Thursdays execution, alongside other Israeli officials responsible for incitement against Palestinians. Via Maan News Agency - Related video added by Juan Cole: Warning: Graphic TeleSur: Israeli Soldier Executes Wounded Palestinian Lying on the Ground A Belgian prosecutor said Friday that police have arrested six people in connection with the Brussels bombings during a large police operation in the city. The prosecutor said that several houses were searched in Brussels, Jette and Schaerbeek and residents had reported [BBC report] explosions during the house-to-house raids. Those arrested have been detained for questioning and have not been charged with a crime. The Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder], which has claimed responsibility for the attacks that left 31 people dead [CNN report], has been accused of war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. IS also claimed responsibility for the November attacks in Paris [JURIST report]. Authorities have reported [USA Today report] that that evidence gathered in three countries shows a close working relationship between terrorists who struck in Brussels on Tuesday and in Paris in November. Authorities have detained at least 11 people in operations in Belgium, France and Germany and have confirmed that one of the suicide bombers at Brussels Airport was the bomb maker related to the two suicide vests used in the Paris attacks. According to US counterterrorism officials, the ongoing police operations suggest [CNN report] that authorities are working towards preventing the next attack; investigators know of additional plots [CNN report] in Europe in various stages of planning. Idaho Governor CL Butch Otter [official website] signed Senate Bill 1389 [text, PDF; materials] on Friday, making it legal throughout the state for Idaho residents over 21 years of age to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Previously, it was legal for anyone over 18 to carry a concealed firearm without a permit only when outside city limits [KTVB report]. Some lawmakers in the state believed [KBOI report] that the concealed-carry laws should be consistent throughout the entire state. However, critics of the law are worried about the elimination of required training that comes with obtaining a permit. In a statement [text, PDF] released Thursday, Otter echoed those concerns, stating that he believes education and training is a part of the Second Amendment well-regulated standard, and that a training provision in the bill could have alleviated some of these concerns. He went on to say: In the absence of such a provision, I encourage anyone considering concealed carry to take advantage of gun safety training opportunities available from many reputable sources throughout Idaho. I also encourage the Legislature to monitor the exercise of this new law and respond appropriately when and if the lack of statutory education and training requirement undermines public safety. It will still be illegal in the state to carry firearms into certain locations including jails, courthouses, and schools. The law will become effective July 1. Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial national topics, and gun awareness has risen in the wake of recent shootings across the nation. Earlier this week Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe [official website] vetoed [JURIST report] two proposed bills that would eliminate restrictions on the possession of firearms in or around state office buildings. In December the US Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit vacated [JURIST report] a lower court ruling that found that a DC gun law requiring a concealed carry permit outside of the home may violate the Constitution. In October Maines revised concealed carry law went into effect [JURIST report], allowing legal gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Earlier that month a federal appeals court upheld [JURIST report] Connecticut and New York gun control legislation that ban semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. The body of Yuriy Grabovsky was found in a rural area on Friday, according to investigators. The lawyer had gone missing on March 9 in Kiev and was found buried [Reuters report] in an abandoned orchard after reportedly being transported to Odessa and later to Zhashkov. According to investigators, Grabovsky had been drugged and placed under an ankle bracelet rigged with explosives. Grabovsky had previously defended two ex-Russian soldiers who were detained in in Eastern Ukraine and charged [RT report] with waging an aggressive war against the country and terrorism, both rebels and the Russian government maintain the Russian citizens [Moscow Times report] were volunteers who joined the Ukrainian civil war after resigning from the Russian military. Ukrainian Chief Military Prosecutor, Anatoly Matios, said several motives [NYT report] are being considered for the murder, including a deliberate operation by a secret service and Grabovskys defense of the Russian defendants. Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict since the annexation of Crimea [JURIST backgrounder] in March 2014. This week, the UN Working Group on mercenaries urged [JURIST report] the government of Ukraine to bring accountability for any human rights violations committed by foreign armed actors since conflict began in 2014. Earlier this month, after a two-day reading of the verdict, a Southern Russian court sentenced [JURIST report] a Ukrainian pilot to 22 years in prison for complicity to murder two Russian journalists and illegal border crossing. Last month Russia filed suit [JURIST report] against Ukraine over Ukraines default on $3 billion in bonds. A Ukrainian official said in January that the nation plans to sue Russia [JURIST report] in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on claims of financing terrorism. Last March, KEARNEY The first time Nebraska Tourism Commission and Kearney Visitors Bureau officials brought travel journalists to south-central Nebraska during spring migration season was such a huge success there were no doubts about continuing it. That first tour in March 2013 resulted in more than 60 articles, Visitors Bureau Director Roger Jasnoch said a year later, with the crown jewel being Flight Club, a 14-page spread in the March 2014 edition of Smithsonian magazine that featured a story by Alex Shoumatoff and images by nature photographer Melissa Groo. Nebraska Tourism Commission Media-Public Relations Manager Angela White of Lincoln said then that if 14 pages of ad space had been purchased in Smithsonian, the cost would have been more than $2 million. Commission officials have computed the average economic benefits of the tours at $16 for every $1 spent by the commission and its local tourism and business partners. The commission hires Geiger & Associates, a Florida public relations firm that specializes in organizing and leading travel journalism tours nationwide. Senior Vice President George Percy told the Hub in 2015 that the company keeps a list of about 400 journalists and publications that is used to invite tour participants. The fourth spring migration tour was this week. There were stops at wildlife areas, museums, restaurants, historical sites and other attractions in the McCook, Kearney, Gothenburg, Minden, Republican City, Grand Island, Henderson, York, Aurora, Hastings and Red Cloud areas. A Tourism Commission press release says it was the 13th media tour overall sponsored by Nebraska Tourism. The 272 journalists on the previous tours produced 743 articles or broadcast segments that reached an estimated 854.2 million potential Nebraska visitors. If that coverage had been purchased as paid advertising, it would have cost more than $11.5 million, the press release says. National and state tourism sponsors have provided more than $500,000 in goods and services, including air transportation, lodging, meals and activities to support the commissions media tour program. The 21 travel journalists on this weeks tour included freelance writers who have contributed to National Geographic Traveller, the Nashville Tennessean, Georgia Magazine, Travel World International Magazine, Alaska Airlines Magazine, AAA Home & Away, Indianapolis Star, Des Moines Register, The Christian Science Monitor, Minneapolis Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Audubon magazine, Virginia Living, New York Lifestyles Magazine, American Cowboy, San Diego Reader and AAA Go Magazine. There were assigned editors or writers for the Toronto Star, BizTravelers Choice magazine, BYWAYS Magazine, First for Women, Canadian World Traveler, U.S. Frontline magazine and ON Magazine. There also was a Boston broadcaster who is host of a live, interactive radio show featuring birding destinations that is broadcast on 16 public and commercial radio stations in New England, New York and Maryland. The midmigration stop by sandhill cranes in the Central Platte Valley was featured Monday and included morning and evening tours to river blinds at Audubons Rowe Sanctuary southwest of Gibbon. Travel writers also visited Kearney and Minden museums, while another group went to Harlan County Lake to see American white pelicans. On Tuesday, the journalists were in river blinds at the Crane Trust south of Alda. While answering questions at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center before leading Mondays evening tour, Rowe Sanctuary Director Bill Taddicken said the cranes schedule usually can be timed by a watch except for the past two years. In 2015, they arrived later than usual, with the first large numbers not seen until March 13. Taddicken said there were an estimated 213,000 cranes in the region by March 1 this year, and a peak count of more than 400,000 on March 15. He added that aerial surveillance teams that fly the Platte River daily during migration season have become so good at estimating bird numbers the error rate is only about 5 percent to 10 percent. By the end of the second week of March, some sandhill cranes were reported to have arrived at nesting grounds near Homer, Alaska. Thats unheard of, Taddicken said. On Monday, the spotters estimated that 276,000 sandhill cranes still were in the Central Platte Valley. Taddicken said that number is higher than a usual peak count. Overall numbers used to describe how many sandhill cranes pass through the region during a spring migration have increased in recent years from 500,000 to 600,000. Taddicken said part of that is due to a growth in bird numbers and part can be attributed to better counts. It now is up to Gov. Pete Ricketts to decide whether the University of Nebraska should be allowed to conduct secret searches for its top administrators. Lawmakers on Thursday gave the regents final approval for LB1109. The proposal will shut out students, faculty and taxpayers from having any meaningful say in the selection of future NU presidents and campus chancellors, even though NU gets the majority of its funding from taxes and tuition. Statute currently requires the names of four finalists to be revealed so the public can size them up. Under LB1109, the regents would keep secret the names of all applicants except the top candidate, allowing the public only a token opportunity to react before regents officially confirm their pick. We urge the governor to uphold transparent and accountable government and veto LB1109. Consider the ramifications if the regents get what they want. Recruiting and vetting will rest with the eight-member panel. Under normal circumstances thats a lot of responsibility, but what might happen if the regents decide its time to appoint a candidate with a business background rather than academic experience? Would the NU faculty and students embrace such an appointee, or recoil and protest, as at the University of Iowa, where last year regents installed an industrialist as president? Suppose a president or chancellor steps down during a controversy. Thats what happened last fall when University of Missouri students protested against racism. The MU football team threatened to boycott games, students staged demonstrations, and the president resigned amid allegations his inaction contributed to the racist atmosphere. Earlier this month, the consulting firm thats recruiting MUs next president advised regents and the four appointed search committee members to maintain strict secrecy. However, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported some committee members are worried theyll lose the trust of their constituencies if they cannot talk about the search. We dont want to close ourselves off to the people who trusted us enough to put us on the committee, said Stephanie Shonekan, an MU faculty representative wary of backlash from secrecy. Controversies at the universities in Iowa and Missouri suggest that secrecy backfires more than it benefits. A closed process could narrow the field of acceptable applicants, especially among suspicious faculty who are kept in the dark. Non-academic candidates need not apply. Also, if controversy surrounds a vacancy, secrecy could heighten student and faculty distrust for the appointee who regents appoint unilaterally. NUs governance is inherently open. Regents are publicly elected and appointees for top posts receive a genuine public vetting. Ricketts should keep it that way and veto LB1109. Good government and secrecy dont mix. FILE - In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016, file photo, Mariah Carey performs onstage during her European tour at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Carey says she is canceling a concert in Brussels over security concerns in the wake of Tuesdays terrorist attacks. A website selling tickets to Careys European tour stated the Sunday show in Brussels has been canceled. A message posted to fans on Careys Twitter account stated that the show was being canceled over security concerns. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP, File) UNITED KINGDOM OUT; NO SALES; NO ARCHIVES International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland waves to reporters as she makes her way to Question Period in the House of Commons Tuesday January 26, 2016 in Ottawa. The federal government is studying the potential economic impacts of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, Freeland confirmed Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld 263 Shares Share The observation versus inpatient distinction is rightly getting more media and public attention with each passing month. In a nutshell, for anyone reading who is not familiar with what this is all about, its essentially a way of categorizing people when they get admitted to hospital. You are either deemed an inpatient (basically a more complex case) or an observation (a less serious case). The individual reasons and checkboxes that have to be fulfilled in order to be an inpatient are beyond the scope of this article, but the distinction initially came from Medicare (at the federal government level) and has now been adopted by insurance companies too. Why does this matter? Because patients who are classed as observation are responsible for more out-of-pocket costs than those who are inpatients. Theres little doubt that the intended consequence of this is to reduce central health care costs and shift more burden onto patients for the less acute cases. Even more worrying is that year by year, the criteria for being classified as an inpatient appear to be getting stricter. The bulk of the patients having to pay extra for hospitalization are of course the elderly in their 80s and 90s, who are frequently hospitalized for problems such as chest pain and syncope (passing out) conditions that are classed as observation stays. Despite the word observation sounding relatively benign, there really is little choice in most of these cases but to bring the person into the hospital for further management. In my clinical practice, Im noticing that patients are becoming significantly more aware of this issue, and many of them are asking me whether they will be inpatient or observation, worried that they will be paying more for the latter. I always feel very bad for them, and am brutally honest in telling them that I dont have complete control over that, and it depends on the severity of their illness. I dont finish without adding that if it were up to me, there would be no such artificial distinction, as dealing with that is not what any doctor went to medical school for. In my view, if youre sick enough to be in hospital, then thats the end of the story, whether its for 1 day or 4 days. One experience in particular stuck in my mind as if to underscore the unfairness of this whole thing. Not so long ago, I was taking care of a World War II veteran, who had landed on Normandy Beach on D-Day. I have an interest in history myself, and always enjoy talking to anyone who lived through World War II. Growing up in the United Kingdom, I would regularly encounter people who would tell me stories of the blitz and how much anxiety the country had gone through under the threat of an imminent Nazi Germany invasion. In over a decade living in the U.S., Ive heard the most amazing stories of that generations service in Europe and the Pacific. These are true heroes (they are not called the greatest generation for nothing). Consider the following statistic that underscores the enormous national sacrifices made by those people. Around the time of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was a country still reeling from the Great Depression, and had the 17th largest military in the world behind even Romania and Portugal! What happened over the next three years was one of the biggest mobilizations of any nation in world history. Thanks to the collective efforts of that generation, the U.S. not only became the strongest military world power in a very short amount of time, but was also catapulted to the worlds biggest economy for the next several decades (a position that still hasnt been relinquished yet because it pushed the U.S. so far up the ladder). It was their hard work that produced an unprecedented surge in standard of living and wealth. Such was the collective sacrifice endured by those good folk, both on the frontline of war and back home supporting and building everything. But back to my elderly patient who landed on Normandy Beach. He and his elderly wife (who got married in the early 1940s) asked to speak to me because they were very concerned about whether they were observation or inpatient. I knew inside that he would be observation, but didnt have the heart to tell them right away, because he still wasnt feeling too good. The worry on the wifes face was palpable, since they were of modest means only. That image of this elderly couple alone in a hospital room remained with me for quite some time. They were the embodiment of that greatest generation. They had been model citizens, worked honestly, raised a good family, and served their country well. They had seen so much: World War II, the tumultuous 1960s, the moon landings, presidents come and go, and the dawn of the age of computers. Its a big moral issue to ponder as this generation reaches the end of their lives. How should we be treating them? Our generation, who has it so easy compared to what they went through, really does owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Freedom and living in such a prosperous country are not to be taken for granted. They were hard-fought and won through the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. And now two members of that generation were here in front of me, at the twilight of their lives, getting stressed because this brief hospitalization may cost them a few hundred dollars extra because of some artificial distinction that we make to classify sick people. During his hospital stay, that patient recounted to me the moment when he landed on Normandy Beach. Weve all seen the harrowing images on newsreels and in movies. I tried to imagine what he was thinking as he sat on the boat sailing over from England and what thoughts went through his head as the door was lowered and he was getting ready to run onto the beach to face a hailstorm of bullets. One things for sure. He never could have thought that his country would be treating him like this one day. Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician and author of three books, includingThomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha. He is the founder and director, HealthITImprove, and blogs at his self-titled site, Suneel Dhand. Image credit: Shutterstock.com SHARE By Chris Henry, chenry@kitsapsun.com BAINBRIDGE ISLAND The family of a student whose science teacher had sex with him and urged him to lie about it is seeking $5 million in damages from Bainbridge Island School District. Jessica M. Fuchs, 26, pleaded guilty in December to first degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. The claim was filed Jan. 28 by Seattle attorney Isaac Ruiz, according to records released Friday by the district. Fuchs was a first-year chemistry and biology teacher at Bainbridge High School in 2015. She said she had gotten close to the boy, then 16, by playing computer games with him, texting with him and talking to him about his personal problems, according to court documents. Investigators recovered electronic messages that show Fuchs encouraged the teen to lie to police and his parents about their sexual relationship. The age of consent in Washington state is 16 years old. The charge of sexual misconduct was filed because Fuchs was in a position of authority over the boy. Fuchs, a 2007 Bainbridge High School graduate, was arrested May 7. She was placed on leave and later fired. Fuchs was given a suspended 29-month sentence on the first two counts and is in Kitsap County Jail, serving an eight month sentence for witness tampering, an additional charge to which she also pleaded guilty. The district has forwarded the claim to its insurance company, said Peter Bang-Knudsen, assistant superintendent for administrative serves. "We don't know exactly how it will play out," Bang-Knudsen said. "Sometimes there's early negotiations. Sometimes it goes to court. But really this is just a preliminary step in the legal process." Bang-Knudsen said there was little he could say about the claim, other than to repeat the district's position on the case. "We would reiterate what we said when the events unfolded last year. It's deep sadness for the student and his family. It's deeply regrettable that any situation of this nature would occur." Bang-Knudsen said. "It's unbelievable that any employee would conduct him or herself in a such a manner. It's unacceptable." Bang-Knudsen said the district has not changed its hiring policies since the Fuchs incident. The district requires a background check and a minimum of three references, including from previous employers for experienced teachers, or from university professors and student teaching supervisors for new teachers. Fuchs cleared her background check, indicating she had no previous documented convictions. Asked if teaching candidates from Bainbridge Island are given preference, Bang-Knudsen said no. "We always look for the highest quality candidate in whatever position we're hiring for," he said. That said, Bang-Knudsen acknowledged the pool of candidates for secondary science teaching positions is limited. "Absolutely, we have fewer math and science content folks applying than social studies and English folks," he said. "That's not just here on Bainbridge Island. That's statewide and probably nationwide." The state is in the midst of a teacher shortage for all types of positions that's reaching crisis proportions, Bang-Knudsen said. SHARE James Charles Mathes By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD A Kitsap Superior Court jury Tuesday convicted a Port Orchard man of kidnapping his girlfriend at gunpoint and then firing on sheriffs deputies, who then shot him. James Charles Mathes, 46, was found guilty of all counts for the Dec. 31, 2013, incidents, including two counts of first-degree assault for firing on two deputies. In a prosecutors review of the shooting, the deputies were found to have helped save Mathes life. Mathes potential sentencing range had not been calculated as of Tuesday, but attorneys on the case agreed he likely will be held in prison for the rest of his life. Mathes is scheduled to be sentenced Friday morning. Jurors had the option of convicting Mathes for lesser assaults, however, it found prosecutors had proved Mathes intended to cause the deputies great bodily harm and did not agree with assertions Mathes was attempting suicide by cop, firing to provoke the deputies into killing him. Juror Louise Martin, of Port Orchard, said jury members engaged in good discussion about the case but agreed with assertions by Deputy Prosecutor Chad Enright that Mathes was trying to escape. If he didnt have intent, he wouldnt have pointed the gun, he would have come out with his hands up, Martin said. She noted jurors were moved by testimony of the deputies. Mathes was shot three times. He has a history of mental illness and addiction. Although there were several witnesses at the incidents, including his father and his girlfriend, Michelle Toste, Mathes had opted to go to trial after being offered about 30 years in prison if he pleaded guilty, said his lawyer, Ron Ness. Ness said he arranged a meeting with Mathes and Enright to discuss the offer, but Mathes wanted to go to trial. (Defendants) only get to decide two things, whether or not to plead and whether or not to testify, Ness said. I never ask them why. Ness had indicated he was going to present a diminished capacity defense, however, psychologists reported they couldnt testify that Mathes was unable to form intent. Ness called a single witness to the stand and put the onus on the prosecutor to prove the case. Jurors heard that Mathes held Toste at gunpoint for hours. When confronted by family members at his mothers house, he pointed the gun at his father. While inside the house, a 911 dispatcher called and asked for everybody to walk outside and talk with deputies. Mathes emerged with the gun, told his father to move his vehicle and ordered Toste back into his car. In addition to the first-degree assault charges, Mathes was convicted of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of second-degree assault, harassment, violation of a no-contact order and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The Herald reports: Right-winger Stephen Berry has pulled out of the Auckland mayoral contest at Octobers local body elections and endorsed centre-right candidate John Palino. In a statement issued today, Mr Berry said when he announced in April 2015 he would run for the mayoralty, he said he would stay in the race as long as there was not another candidate with similar policies who stood a better chance of winning. Initially, when John Palino announced he would stand for the mayoralty again, I was sceptical of the benefits of yet another candidate splitting the centre-right vote and allowing Phil Goff to sleepwalk to victory. Unlike some other centre-right candidates, John has not been slow to offer solutions to the issues facing Auckland. His proposal to cut rates by 10 per cent over three years is a great starting point in the conversation about the role Auckland Council has assumed. Johns call to abolish the Metropolitan Urban Limit mirrors my own proposals to increase housing supply, while his plan to create development hubs outside of the central city revolutionises the usual tired central planning mantra. Mr Berry said he believed Mr Palinos policy positions make his own candidacy unnecessary for this election cycle. Thats why I am now endorsing John Palino to be the next Mayor of Auckland. Mr Berry was the Affordable Auckland candidate for Mayor in 2013 where he finished third behind Mr Palino, taking nearly 4 per cent of the vote. 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. SHARE By Amy Greene, Chapter16.org Reading "Hide" by Matthew Griffin, I found myself thinking about the great love stories "Anna Karenina," "Wuthering Heights," "Doctor Zhivago" but I wondered too about those left untold. "Maurice" by E.M. Forster comes to mind. It was nearly one of those silenced stories. A tale of same-sex love in early 20th century England inspired by the relationship between Forster's close friends, the poet Edward Carpenter and his partner George Merrill, "Maurice" was published posthumously in 1971. The release of such a novel during the author's lifetime could have meant the end of his career. But E.M. Forster helped pave the way for a voice, and a book, like Matthew Griffin's. "Hide" tells the story of Wendell, a taxidermist, and Frank, a factory worker. They meet at the end of World War II, when Frank returns to North Carolina. Like Forster's "Maurice," "Hide" is set at a dangerous time and in a dangerous place for two men to fall in love. Wendell describes life in a small Southern town where gays are arrested for "crimes against nature," in an era when their names, addresses, and photographs are printed in the local newspaper: "At best, they were fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, and abandoned by their friends and families. At worst, they were sentenced to prison, or sent to the sanitarium, where they might have electrodes taped all over their bodies, clustered like sores on their privates, to deliver a painful Pavlovian shock every time the image of a naked man was projected on the cinderblock wall, or die from hypothermia in a dark basement after having buckets of ice water thrown on them as part of an experimental and exciting new therapy, or simply be strapped to a table and castrated." It takes immense courage for Wendell and Frank to come out as gay even to each other. It takes bravery to reveal to each other their rawest and deepest selves. The process is perhaps best illustrated by one of the novel's most powerful scenes, when Wendell gives Frank a lesson in skinning a deer, guiding his lover's hand into the cut flesh, turning the animal's hide inside out to expose the blood, bone, and sinew. Wendell calls the post-war world he and Frank inhabit "a bright, strange place ... where none of us belonged." But it's easier to live in their bright, strange world together. For decades, all they have is each other, until at 83 Wendell begins losing Frank to the ravages of age. Griffin's debut novel comes to us at a pivotal point in our national history. Our country is beginning to acknowledge, incrementally, the civil rights of gay men and women. While the battle for full equality hasn't yet been won, victory is much closer now than it was in Forster's time. Books like "Hide" continue the conversation "Maurice" began, a hopeful plea delivered through fiction that same-sex couples might grow old peacefully together, enjoying the same freedoms as their straight counterparts. But "Hide" can't be reduced to a social-justice tale, or one of love between gay men. It's a story about the kind of love that endures beyond youth, strength and memory. It's about the preciousness of the lives couples build together and the heartbreak of losing them. Wendell and Frank have withdrawn from society, given up their friends and families, forsaking all others to hide away for decades in their secluded cabin. When Frank has a stroke that renders him unable to care for himself, Wendell is faced with a final act of sacrifice that may prove too great in his last years. Once again, E.M. Forster comes to mind. His final comment on "Maurice," in a note attached to the manuscript hidden away in a drawer, was this: "Publishable. But worth it?" Wendell finds himself asking a similar question at the end of his time with Frank. It's a question we all ask ourselves. How much are we willing to give up for the ones we love? For more local book coverage, visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. DISCUSSION Who: Matthew Griffin Where: Union Ave. Books When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 SHARE Performances by Mary Wilson of The Supremes and Bo Bice of "American Idol" as well as some Irish fiddling and the music of The Beach Boys and The Eagles are part of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's 2016-2017 Knoxville News Sentinel Pops Series. The symphony will perform six Pops concerts. Series subscriptions are on sale starting at $105 at 865-291-3310. Single concert tickets go on sale in August. The concerts begin in October and continue through May of 2017. All concerts except the opening event are at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. That opening concert, at 8 p.m. Oct. 7, is a performance of The Beach Boys music and is at the Tennessee Theatre. The concert, Pet Sounds A Tribute to The Beach Boys, will include the entire "Pet Sounds" album as well as a second half of the group's greatest hits including "Barbara Ann" and "I Get Around." The symphony's other concerts are: n Oz with Orchestra, 8 p.m. Jan. 7. The remastered "The Wizard of Oz" will be projected on the auditorium's large screen as the symphony plays the music's score. n Mary Wilson of the Supremes, 8 p.m. Feb 4. Wilson will perform Motown hits such as "Love Child" and "Baby Love" made popular by The Supremes. n Music of the Eagles, 8 p.m. March 11. The concert will include some of the group's greatest hits such as "Desperado" and "One of These Nights." n Celtic fiddler and step dancers Natalie MacMaster, 8 p.m. April 8. MacMaster, who has performed in the past with the orchestra, returns to play Irish favorites and folk melodies. n Blood, Sweat & Tears fronted by Bo Bice, 8 p.m. May 6. American Idol season four runner-up Bo Bice and the group Blood Sweat & Tears perform with the symphony. Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel/TNS Signs near the end of Magic Kingdom's "It's a Small World" display names of riders wearing MagicBands. SHARE By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel (TNS) ORLANDO, Fla. Walt Disney World guests are now incorporated into the finale of the "It's a Small World" ride at Magic Kingdom, thanks to their MagicBands. The final scene of the Fantasyland attraction has signs with the words for "good-bye" in multiple languages. There are also three big screens built in to display the names of the people in the ride boats. The effect is triggered by activated MagicBands in those boats, a Disney World spokeswoman confirms. A FastPass reservation is not required to get a name up on the board. This "surprise and delight" moment at "small world" could be part of a series about which that Disney creative types have hinted. For instance, princesses and other characters might be able to address guests by their names without asking through the magic of MagicBands. The "small world" system may still need tweaking. On a Friday morning trip through the attraction, the screens were showing "good-bye" words not names as vessels backed up for an unrelated reason back into the watery attraction. Eventually, boats traveled by lower-cased names that's the "small world" way, after all such as "tina & lloyd" or "becky, molly, & sarah." We also spotted a screen saying goodbye to "jackson, jackson, daniel, daniel, & erin," which appeared to have a redundancy issue. Riders should look quickly as the three screens are on each side of the waterway and could, in theory, need to run through 24 names per boat as they float toward the exit. The screens with names also sport a figure that resembles the hundreds of audio-animatronic children singing and dancing in the attraction, which opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971. The "small world" addition is the latest power given to MagicBands, which were introduced at Disney World in 2013. So far the bracelets (with chip technology) mostly have been used as theme-park tickets and FastPass (Plus) attractions reservations. Visitors staying at a Disney World hotel can use MagicBands as room keys and make charges to their room accounts while shopping in Disney theme parks. The MagicBands also can now be linked to Disney's PhotoPass system. Initially, the bands were available only in select, solid colors. Since then, Disney has developed hundreds of designs that feature characters, theme-park locations, movies and special events. Mark Taylor/Chicago Tribune/TNS The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. SHARE By Mark Taylor, Chicago Tribune (TNS) About the only thing that isn't incandescent about Cincinnati's American Sign Museum is its name a moniker a little too bland for an experience that has visitors strolling through with wide-eyed wonder. Located off the beaten path in an industrial park, the eclectic attraction is a paean to American capitalism, featuring commercial signs dating back more than 100 years. On display are colorful neon signs for iconic brands such as McDonald's, Howard Johnson and Rexall drugs, as well as classic Americana signage, such as a Mail Pouch Tobacco sign reassembled from a barn a visual marker on many a childhood road trip. Owner and founder Tod Swormstedt has signs in his blood. His grandfather was hired in 1907 to be the first editor of the Cincinnati-based "Signs of the Times," a national signage industry trade magazine that his family later purchased. The 11-year-old museum has hundreds of signs displayed, with nearly 4,000 items archived and cataloged in the century-old former site of Oesterlein Machine Company. Visitors might feel nostalgia for signs advertising bowling lanes and extinct companies such as Marshall Field's. A few might even remember Speedee, the first McDonald's mascot, who was phased out when Ronald McDonald took over. The piece de resistance is an American small town square, Main Street USA, featuring storefronts with signs from different eras. The museum, which also includes a working neon sign shop and books and magazines about American sign making, inspires visitors to see the signs with new eyes. The American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth Ave., Cincinnati, is open Wednesday-Sunday. Admission is $10 to $15 with guided tours included. www.americansignmuseum.org By Amy McRary of the Knoxville News Sentinel John Sevier was a Virginia-born, battle-proven soldier and government veteran when he was elected Tennessee' first governor in 1796. The 5-foot-9-inch Sevier was likely then at the height of his political power; he'd serve six terms as governor. But his life and career before and after he took that office helped make him a pioneer hero. "He had personality, charisma and leadership skills," says Michael Toomey, an associate professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University. "He had an extraordinary career. "He stands as a man of his time," Toomey said. "I think he was someone who reflected the times in which he lived better than most people did. And he was rewarded with the admiration of the people he led. He recognized how to be a leader, he knew how to be a leader. He had that about him." Sevier's story is filled with interesting bits of historic trivia. Born in Virginia in 1745, he died in Alabama in 1815. But his grave is in Knoxville. Chronicles of Sevier's life show the portrait of a complex man living in often dangerous times. n Sevier moved to what's now upper East Tennessee before the American Revolution in the early 1770s. The land was then part of North Carolina. With the nickname "Nolichucky Jack," Sevier earned a reputation as a military man and someone who'd defend his neighbors against Indian attacks. n He became a Revolutionary War hero when he helped lead the Overmountain Men to a victory over the British in the 1780 Battle of King's Mountain near Spartanburg, S.C. n Years before Tennessee became a state, he was governor of the short-lived State of Franklin. Created in 1784 from land that had been part of North Carolina, Franklin spread from what's now the Tennessee-Virgina border to current Sevier and Blount counties. But it failed in its statehood bid by two Congressional votes and its efforts to exist ended by 1788. n Being governor of the State of Franklin got Sevier charged with treason by North Carolina. While he was taken to Morganton, N.C., to face the charge, nothing came of it and he was never tried. Within the year he'd taken an oath of allegiance to North Carolina. He quickly returned to his political career, first in the North Carolina state senate and, from 1790 to 1791, as a North Carolina representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. n Sevier was married twice and fathered 18 children. His first wife, Sarah Hawkins, died in 1780 not long after giving birth to her 10th child in northeast Tennessee. Having heard that Indians were on the attack, Sevier buried his wife at night during a thunderstorm. The location of her grave is no longer known. In April 1780, Sevier married 26-year-old Catherine "Bonny Kate" Sherrill. Legend has it that four years earlier he'd saved her from attacking Indians at Fort Watagua near present day Elizabethton. Bonny Kate was milking a cow outside the fort as Indians attacked; settlers quickly shut the fort gates. Sevier pulled her over the fort palisades to safety. n Sevier was popular among Tennessee voters. He was elected to six terms as governor, from 1796 to 1801 and from 1803 to 1809. He'd later be elected to Tennessee's state senate and, in 1811, to U.S. Congress. n Sevier spent the latter part of his life at Marble Springs, his farm home in south Knoxville. Marble Springs is now a state historic site where buildings and tours inform visitors about Sevier and his time. n Political differences between Sevier and Andrew Jackson exploded into a nasty personal feud that climaxed with a duel of sorts. "They didn't like each other," Toomey said. The feud started over state military appointments and got worse when Jackson was named military general of the state militia over the older, more experienced Sevier. Jackson also accused Sevier of questionable land deals. "It made Sevier so mad that he decided to run for governor again and he won that (1803) election pretty handily," Toomey said. "The population just didn't care about those allegations." But when Sevier made unkind remarks about Jackson's wife, Rachel, during a confrontation between the two men in downtown Knoxville, the feud escalated. Jackson challenged Sevier to a duel. They met on an October day in 1803 in an area near today's Kingston. Exactly how they met and what happened was never clear; each side took its version. All agreed no shots were fired. n Sevier died Sept. 24, 1815, in Alabama while on a presidential mission setting the boundary between the United States and Creek Indian Territory. He was buried on a river bank near Fort Decatur, Ala. On June 19, 1889, Sevier's body was moved to Knoxville and buried on the lawn of the old Knox County Courthouse at the corner of Gay and Main streets. Some 30,000 people gathered to watch. A tall marble obelisk now marks his grave. Bonny Kate died in 1836 in Russellville, Ala.; her remains were reinterred beside her husband's in 1922. In 1946, a memorial stone to Sarah Hawkins was placed on the other side of Sevier's stone. Knoxville lawyer David C. Lee has picked up a petition to run against state Rep. Joe Armstrong in the 15th District in the Democratic primary, and former state Rep. Steve Hall has returned a qualifying petition to run in the Republican primary for his former 18th District House seat now represented by Rep. Martin Daniel. The last time Lee ran for public office was as a Republican, although he and his family have Democratic leanings. State Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee and he are cousins. Cameron Brooks, chairman of the Knox County Democratic Party, said anyone is welcome to pick up a petition to seek office but he feels strongly the inner city seat should be held by an black legislator. "I don't know anything about him (Lee). I'm a white man who lives in Joe's district. I believe that seat should be held by an African-American. They are under-represented in Knox County government and the Legislature," Brooks said. Lee said Friday he is exploring a run but hasn't yet decided what to do. He said his pet issue is legalization and taxation of marijuana, on a responsible step-by-step basis, and the repeal of the Hall income tax while looking for other revenue sources. As for Brooks' comment that the district should be represented by a black resident, he said he will reach out to Black Lives Matter, black ministers, downtown dwellers and University of Tennessee students in deciding what to do. "If I run, I promise I will be in tune with the African-American community," he said. Lee ran against then-4th Circuit Court Judge Bill Swann in 2006 in the Republican primary. It was a hard-fought campaign that pitted a sitting judge against a lawyer he had once jailed on a civil contempt charge. Armstrong is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 2, with the state primaries on Aug. 4. He has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the IRS, tax evasion and lying on tax forms in connection with a profit he turned from a cigarette tax stamp hike he helped push through the Legislature in 2007. A Republican, Andrew Stanley, has picked up a petition to run against Armstrong, as has perennial candidate Pete Drew, running as an Independent in the November general election. Hall served two terms in the House after being on the Knoxville City Council until he was term-limited. The deadline for filing qualifying petitions is noon April 7. By News Sentinel Staff Campbell County school shooter Kenneth Bartley returned to jail Saturday after being sought for months on a probation violation charge. Campbell County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Bartley early Saturday morning at his father's home on Imperial Heights Lane in LaFollette, Tenn., Chief Deputy Aaron Evans said. Bartley, who authorities say has fought with officers during previous arrests, gave up without a fight and was taken to jail. Bartley had been freed from prison in 2014 thanks to a favorable jury verdict in the shooting death nine years earlier of an administrator in the office of the Campbell County Comprehensive High School when he was 14. He immediately ran into trouble for assaulting his parents in two separate instances and later was questioned in the death of his live-in mental health counselor's toddler son. Beckett Josef Podomonick died in May, two days after he suffered massive injuries including a fractured skull and a set of head injuries that pathologists have deemed consistent with being struck by an object, while in Bartley's care. Bartley was living with Beckett's mother, Erin Tepaske, in her Vienna, Va., home at the time. Tepaske had promised in February 2015 she would take the troubled 23-year-old Bartley under her wing and get him mental health and substance abuse treatment in lieu of a jail sentence for violating probation in the assault cases against his parents. Records obtained by the News Sentinel show the pair were involved in a sexual relationship. Beckett died three months later. Tepaske said she left the boy with Bartley to go for a hike on Mother's Day. Bartley said he and Beckett were in the backyard "looking for deer" when the boy ran up three steps and tugged on the back door, which Bartley said was locked, according to records. He insisted the toddler fell backward onto gravel. At least one expert has questioned Bartley's account and said the child's medical records show signs of abuse. Virginia authorities have not charged Bartley in the boy's death. Bartley's Campbell County probation officer balked at Bartley's release into Tepaske's custody during the February hearing, testifying she believed Tepaske once had a sexual relationship with Bartley's father. She later said she believed Tepaske was involved sexually with Bartley as well. Tepaske met Bartley when he was sent to a mental health facility where she worked as an unlicensed counselor. He was 11. When Bartley was charged in the school shooting, Tepaske took a job at the juvenile detention facility where he was housed and again began working with him. She testified she grew so close to the Bartley family she visited them and stayed with Bartley after his release from prison while his father underwent surgery. Tepaske, records show, reached out to Bartley's attorney, Gregory P. Isaacs, with a plan to avoid jail in the probation case. A probation violation charge was filed but never entered in the National Crime Information Center fugitive database a month before Beckett's death after a monitoring device signaled Bartley was drinking in violation of the terms of his probation. Bartley is accused of removing the device after Beckett's death. He remained jailed on that charge Saturday. More details as they develop online and in Sunday's News Sentinel. p>Recent articles about Kenneth Bartley: Mom a reluctant witness in school shooter's assault case Bartley pleads guilty to assault, granted probation 3-year-old boy living with school shooter Kenneth Bartley dies Campbell County school shooter questioned by police in death of Virginia toddler Father glad for police probe of school shooter's story in death of his son Bartley no longer living with counselor Kenneth Bartley still on the run; warrant issued for his arrest Probation officer files loaded' warrant against Bartley Bartley's fugitive status, alleged Facebook taunt draw a yawn from authorities Judge: Kenneth Bartley a ticking time bomb' Anderson Co. drops robbery charge against Kenneth Bartley Kenneth Bartley ID'd as Anderson County robbery suspect, found in Virginia 3-year-old boy in Bartley's care died of blunt head trauma' Records: Boy who died in Kenneth Bartleys care deemed abuse victim Knoxville City County building, downtown Knoxville Friday, July 25, 2014. AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL SHARE By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel Knox County officials say a school board budget for fiscal year 2017 honors last year's agreement and offered praise for increased spending on teacher raises and transportation. Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre proposed the district's preliminary budget at a board meeting earlier this week. His proposal increases the current budget by $15.5 million, or 4 percent, to $453.5 million. The school board will vote on the budget in April before Mayor Tim Burchett proposes his countywide budget for a commission vote. This is the first budget proposal since last year's memorandum of understanding between the schools and the county that agreed budgets through 2019 would stay within revenue projections and that county finance staff would have greater oversight over schools. County officials said last month that early projections give the schools at least $451 million in the 2016-17 budget. The budget stays "within the range the county finance director (Chris Caldwell) gave," Commissioner Randy Smith said, noting it's been a good year for sales tax revenue. "I see no problems with it," Smith said. Commissioner Bob Thomas, the county commission's vice chairman, said the agreement has led to more communication between the county and the schools than in the past decade. Burchett won't propose anything outside the available revenue for the county, so no part of the county budget including education would require a tax increase to fund, said Michael Grider, the mayor's spokesman. The proposed schools budget includes 3 percent raises and workers' compensation for teachers and other licensed educators, 2 percent raises for "classified" or support staff and a $1 million increase for transportation to boost funds to bus contractors. Smith said he's thankful to McIntyre for creating a budget that isn't controversial and that addresses issues like workers' compensation and pay for teachers as well as transportation. Thomas said teacher raises were on the top of his list to accomplish. Thomas and Smith called adding $1 million to transportation a positive move. School bus contractors are squeezed because almost every eligible driver is driving, so the added funds will allow for backup drivers as well as widen the pool of potential drivers, Thomas said. He said increasing the salary for bus drivers would make the jobs more competitive to hire the best drivers available. Thomas will speak more about school bus safety at the commission meeting on Monday. Adam Jacob Daniels, 30./Anderson County Sheriff's Department SHARE By News Sentinel Staff A man is in custody after a standoff near Clinton, according to Anderson County authorities. According to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, two people in an apartment in Claxton were threatened by Adam Jacob Daniels, 30, about 9 p.m., Thursday. Authorities said Claxton had a handgun. Deputies said Daniels later shot through the apartment window about 3 a.m. Friday. The sheriff's office took warrants for Daniels' arrest to his mother's home on Hollingsworth Lane near Clinton about 8 a.m. Friday. Authorities said Daniels was seen inside but wouldn't open the door. A SWAT team was called, according to a news release, because authorities believed he was armed. Family members spoke with Daniels by phone, but he still refused to come outside. A deputy then spoke with Daniels and convinced him to surrender about 11:30am without incident. Daniels was taken to the Anderson County Detention Facility and was charged with aggravated assault, felony reckless endangerment, and an outstanding probation violation. More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel. SHARE Got some sensitive documents you need destroyed? Take them to the parking lot of WATE-TV, 1306 Broadway, today but only if they're on paper. From 8 a.m.-noon, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Tennessee Highway Patrol Special Investigations and Identity Crimes Unit, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, WATE and radio station WNOX will sponsor a free document shred day with Shred Pro THP Col. Tracy Trott urged residents to take advantage of this morning's opportunity to safely and securely discard personal and private documents free of charge. "Identity theft is an ever-increasing crime in our state and around the world," Trott said. "I cannot stress it enough that we each can be victimized by identity thieves. Approximately every three seconds in the United States, someone has their identity stolen." Attendees can bring a maximum of two boxes or trash bags of personal or private documents to shred. Cardboard and non-paper items will not be accepted. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security's Identity Crimes Unit has prepared a detailed downloadable resource kit for people who suspect they've been victims of identify theft. The kit includes information on how to report the crime, with links to forms and phone numbers of various agencies, as well as a checklist of tasks to help minimize the damage from identity theft and protect victims from further loss. Find the resource guide and more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft at https://tn.gov/safety/article/icu. SHARE Japan just marked a somber anniversary. Five years ago, the great earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, devastated the Tohoku region in the northeastern part of the country. This earthquake the strongest ever recorded in Japan's history caused a triple-disaster scenario of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. Beyond the heartbreaking human toll this natural disaster exacted, it could also be the costliest in global history, according to the World Bank. This fifth anniversary is a heavy-hearted one. However, it is also an opportunity to again express Japan's deep gratitude, as well as our strong optimism for the future. Immediately following the catastrophe, 160 countries and 40 international organizations showed Japan heartwarming support in many ways. During this time, Japan's 65-year-old friendship with the United States shone especially bright. U.S. military forces stationed in Japan provided awesome rescue response through Operation Tomadachi. Meanwhile, friends across Tennessee and four other mid-South states also galvanized, organizing festivals, rallies and fundraisers. These neighbors gave $150,000 through our office alone and even more through the International Red Cross. Our dramatic progress so far speaks to the resilience and resourcefulness of the Japanese people and shines a light on Japan's global friendships. Moreover, this five-year mark is an opportunity to share with our friends promising updates about long-term recovery. Today, the people of Tohoku are steadily returning home. They are reclaiming their livelihoods and rebuilding community life. The number of evacuees has decreased, down from more than 470,000 in 2011 to an estimated 174,000 now. Residents who have not already moved into new homes on higher, safer ground will soon have this opportunity, as housing construction in all affected areas should be complete by 2018. In addition to housing, Japan is rebuilding all regional infrastructure raising ground elevation, paving new roads, installing sea walls and more. In and around Fukishima, reconstruction will take more time. However, there are still already positive developments there. As radiation levels reduce, naturally and through decontamination strategies, Japan was able to lift evacuation orders for Tamura City, Kawauchi Village and Nahara Town. Regional industries are rebounding. Most damaged farmland has been reclaimed, while nearly 85 percent of the region's seafood processing industry has resumed pre-tsunami production levels. Food bound for domestic and international markets is inspected using the strictest standards in the world. No agricultural, forestry or fishery products items like rice, vegetables, fruit and meat exceeded any standard radiation limits in 2015. Finally, through a government program called New Tohoku, local residents are reinventing their own tourism, health, education and sustainability initiatives. Still today, Japan receives heartwarming expressions of support and inquiries from friends around the world who want to continue to help. I encourage everyone to read in full about the ongoing recovery process at the Japan Reconstruction Agency website, www.reconstruction.go.jp/english/. I also hope you will visit Tohoku soon. Your trip to this safe, beautiful part of my country will help Tohoku rebuild its tourism economy. It will also show friends, neighbors, even the world that the new Tohoku is truly worth experiencing. Most of all I, along with the people of Japan, would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of you. Consul General Masami Kinefuchi represents Japan in Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kentucky. SHARE The bloody slaughter and grievous wounding of innocents abroad compels us to focus on the tough truths underlying any chance we have for winning the war against global terror. Or at least not losing it. We must start by calling out the failings of all who need to rise to the urgency and become our heroes. TOUGH TRUTH: Tomorrow's only true heroes in the worldwide war against terror know who they are. And we know where they are (even though many of us think it is wrong to say publicly what we know). They must be and can only be the peace-loving and patriotic leaders of the Islamic communities in America, Europe and throughout the world. In the United States and Europe, patriotic young citizens who are Muslims enlist in our military, serve, fight and die to safeguard our freedom. Then they return home and resume their duties of citizenship in communities. Sometimes they are conflicted by the presence of a small fraction of radical religious zealots who may believe in honoring their supreme being by mass murdering; and they know Islamic State terrorists have murdered many fellow Muslims in the Middle East. There is nothing President Barack Obama and other world powers can do that will solve our ultimate security problem. Our security cannot be achieved without the courageous determination of Muslim leaders in their communities to identify and defeat evil-doers before they attack. TOUGH TRUTH: President George W. Bush, who was wrong on many things, was absolutely right after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when he told the world there can be no safe harbors for global terrorists either they are with us or they are with the terrorists. But it's a warning siren we stopped hearing until the bombs echoed through Brussels. Pathetically, passive Belgian authorities long permitted their large Muslim community to exist as a mostly impenetrable safe harbor where radicals often seemed to come and go terrorize and slaughter with frightening ease. We remember how Islamic jihadist terrorists drove three hours from Brussels' Maelbeek neighborhood to Paris, slaughtered, then at least one of them drove back across the allegedly closed border and became invisible, yet again, to Brussels authorities. Months later, that one terrorist was finally arrested and a few days later, Brussels officials were shocked, shocked when other Islamic State terrorists in their midst struck back by bombing Brussels. So French and Belgian leaders raced to meet anew. But there is nothing they couldn't have said and done months ago. TOUGH TRUTH: We must also recognize that at least some of our patriotic citizens today may feel a greater urgency and tension than the rest of us do because, as Muslims, they may occasionally see or sense something that leads them to fear the worst. Could a neighbor or family member have been co-opted by radicals who may be plotting terror? Do they always feel they know what they must do what to say and whom to tell to prevent a tragedy? Let America's finest Muslim community leaders forge a new heroic determination to defeat the terrorists where they live, here at home and around the world. Martin Schram, a columnist for Tribune News Service, is a veteran Washington journalist. He may be reached at martin.schram@gmail.com. SHARE The Maryland Legislature did not "refuse to secede from the Union" as reported in a March 18 national brief, "State song changed; 'Northern scum' out." In fact, President Abraham Lincoln arrested without charge as political prisoners Maryland legislators, the mayor of Baltimore and other governmental officials because Maryland was going to secede. To prevent secession of another state, patriots and political officials were jailed without charge and were imprisoned in Lincoln's "American Bastille." Lincoln unilaterally suspended habeas corpus. Some orders from Lincoln and his cabinet stated that political prisoners would not be allowed legal counsel. Lincoln didn't care about the Constitution. His legacy was all that mattered. To cover up his despotic and tyrannical acts, Lincoln shut down Northern newspapers that opposed him or his policies. So much for freedom of the press. Lincoln destroyed and/or closed more than 400 Northern newspapers that criticized his administration or called for peace with the South. "Burst the tyrant's chain, Maryland" was a rallying cry for citizens to resist Lincoln's imposition of martial law, illegal arrests and lawless invasion. Since Maryland legislators who supported secession were jailed, it is a misrepresentation and injustice to claim that Maryland "refused to secede from the Union." Maryland was going to secede in response to Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops to invade its sister states of the South. Hence the phrase "She meets her sisters on the plain 'Sic Semper!' 'tis the proud refrain." Granted, "She spurns the Northern scum" was not politically correct. Maryland, my Maryland. Scott D. Hall, Sevierville SHARE Greg Johnson hit the nail on the head in his recent column concerning saving money by outsourcing "some state stuff." He stated that Gov. Bill Haslam has "invaded the safe space" of "the angry mob of union workers and students and faculty." (You know those workers with full-time jobs with insurance and other benefits.) The "big boss governor" wants to help them by outsourcing building maintenance and management so out-of-state companies can get a share of Tennessee "taxpayers' hard-earned money." Johnson suggested that some of the money saved could be used to increase the budget for indigent defense counsel. That's very noble of him, since we've seen in his previous columns his heartfelt empathy for poor people, especially poor criminals. He also suggested that we hire more teachers. Thank goodness he didn't mention raising teachers' low salaries. He went on to say that outsourcing will help all state employees keep their jobs. Well, they might get to keep a lower-paying, part-time job with no insurance or other benefits. A previous effort by Haslam to privatize state jobs saw only 37 of 126 affected employees keep their jobs, and those were at lower pay. But Haslam, by "turning on his businessman's brain," will probably not let that happen again. Johnson is just following the ideas of his conservative idols like George W. Bush, who laughed at a single mom when she complained about working three jobs to make ends meet. He called her plight "uniquely American." His brother, Jeb, said Americans just need to work longer hours, and Mitt Romney said moms and dads who work multiple jobs and don't know what a weekend is are patriotic and have good hearts. So come on, you "unsettled" state workers; get some patriotic fervor. Be a real American and joyfully sacrifice your job security to outside interests. Dave May, Knoxville By Choi Sung-jin On Friday, the so-called "Super Friday" when 818 companies held their annual shareholders' meetings, top managers vowed to overcome the difficulties of the ongoing business environment through various strategies. These businesses could be divided into three broad types by their strategies generational change of management, development of new business sectors, and responsible management by owners. One of the corporations that attracted major attention on Super Friday was the Doosan Group. Major subsidiaries of the nation's 11th-largest family-controlled conglomerate ushered in Park Jeong-won as the group's new chairman. Park, one of the few fourth-generational chaebol leaders, will undertake the heavy responsibility of improving the performance and bottom lines of the group's key subsidiaries, including its heavy industry and construction units. Doosan Engineering and Construction's total borrowing, for instance, amounted to 1.33 trillion won ($1.14 billion) as of last year-end, and more than 1 trillion of it will reach maturity this year. The Lotte Group also made the transfer of management control from first to second generation. Honorary Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho, who founded the group in Japan, and later in Korea, and expanded it to Korea's fifth-largest chaebol, completely withdrew from management, if not entirely voluntarily. The nonagenarian businessman will likely shed all director titles of the group's affiliated companies before long. Other conglomerates are seeking breakthroughs in developing new business territories, and the LG Group is one of the most conspicuous examples. Chairman Koo Bon-moo said, "We will make extensive investment in auto parts and new energy areas to preempt markets and develop new growth engines." The nation's third-largest chaebol, which has enjoyed strength in consumer electronics, mobile equipment, petrochemicals and cosmetics, is diversifying into environmental vehicles and infotainment systems. The group accomplished good results in the fields of energy storage systems and solar batteries last year. Other chaebol families are tightening their grips on their conglomerates in what they call the strategy to enhance responsible management. One such example is Koo Ja-young, chairman of E1 who was also elected as CEO of LS Networks, which recorded sales of 810.1 billion won last year, down 14.6 percent from 2014, and an operating loss of 68.4 billion won. "The business environment this year will not be easy, either," Koo said. "We will create a foundation for new growth through selecting and focusing on a few strategic sectors." The situation is not much different at the Doosan Group. Former group chairman, Park Yong-man, who passed his group leadership on to his nephew, will likely concentrate on reviving the troubled Doosan Infracore, a maker of heavy equipment. Park will complete the deal of selling off the company's machine tool division to MBK Partners, a private equity fund, for 1.13 trillion won as well as finish listing Doosan Bobcat, a small-size heavy-duty equipment maker, on the stock market by the end of this year to improve the company's cash flow. "The election of the former group chairman as a new director of Doosan Infracore is a move in keeping with the group's strategy to enhance the owners' responsible management and improve the group's overall financial structure," a group spokesman said. By Choi Sung-jin As news about the United Nations' sanctions on North Korea spread, hoarding has been rampant in the North's private markets, driving up prices, Radio Free Asia reported Friday, quoting Chinese sources. The sources said they have checked market prices through residents in Rajin and Sonbong in North Hamgyung Province. "Particularly, rice and oil prices are rising rapidly," they were quoted as saying. This is because the North Korean people have begun panic buying, thinking China would block supplies as part of the international sanctions, they said. In Cheongjin, for instance, Chinese rice is traded at 3.8 Chinese yuan per kg, up 0.6 yuan from just 10 days ago. An official working with North Korean defectors also said, "A source in North Korea has told us the North Korean people think the latest sanctions are quite different from previous ones, as they see that the flow of goods from China has all but stopped." Since the sanctions went into effect, there have also been sharp increases in the numbers of homeless people, thieves and burglars, and that some vendors wait for their family members so they can go home together, the official said. Park Jeong-won was inaugurated as chairman of power equipment and construction conglomerate Doosan Group on Friday, heralding the fourth-generation of management for the country's 11th-largest business group. Park, who was chief of the group's holding firm Doosan Corp., took the position at its board meeting earlier in the day, replacing his predecessor Park Yong-maan. He is the eldest son of former Doosan Group chairman Park Yong-kon and Yong-maan's nephew, and first joined an affiliate of Doosan Group in 1985. He served as president of Doosan Engineering & Construction Co., and more recently worked at the group's de facto holding firm Doosan Corp. Before that, Jeong-won graduated from Korea University in Seoul and earned an MBA from Boston University in 1989. The new chairman has spearheaded the group's new businesses such as duty-free operations and fuel cells. With the inauguration, Doosan Group, which started as a small shop in 1896, ushered in the fourth-generation of management. Doosan Group has top power equipment maker Doosan Heavy Industries Co., No. 1 construction equipment maker Doosan Infracore Co., Doosan Engineering & Construction and a few other affiliates under its wing. The new chairmanship comes as Doosan Group is seeking to speed up the sale of core assets in a bid to improve its financial footing. Doosan Infracore, the group's construction equipment maker, has reached an agreement to sell its machine tool business unit to local private equity fund MBK Partners for 1.13 trillion won (US$921 million), according to industry sources. The company also plans to list its unit Doosan Bobcat Co. on the local bourse in a bid to improve its financial health. Doosan Infracore took over Doosan Bobcat in 2007 from Caterpillar for $4.9 billion won. Doosan Infracore has been mired in a protracted slump in the construction sector, in China particularly. Doosan Group's defense unit, Doosan DST, is also up for sale. Hanwha Group, LIG Group and other potential investors have shown interest in taking over the unit, a deal estimated at some 600 billion won. Last month, Doosan Group also sold its stake in Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. for some 300 billion won, whose proceeds will be used to beef up its financial status. (Yonhap) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the military to be ready to strike government organizations in Seoul, the North's state media said Friday, amid heightened tension on the divided peninsula. The North's leader said that the North's military should be ready to "ruthlessly" destroy Seoul's government bodies during his inspection of a long-range artillery exercise, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "All soldiers should be nurtured into warriors full of combat spirit and be on high alert," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA. The North's warning is the latest in a series of bellicose rhetoric in response to tougher U.N. sanctions on the North and ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and Washington. The North said Wednesday that it is ready to turn President Park Geun-hye and her office into "a sea of flames and ashes," with its large-caliber multiple rocket launching system. It said Thursday that it has successfully conducted a solid-fuel rocket engine test, boosting its ballistic rocket capabilities to hit its enemies. Last week, the North launched two medium-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, with one believed to have blown up mid-flight. It also warned that it plans to conduct nuclear warhead and ballistic missile tests "in a short time," sparking speculation that it may carry out its fifth nuclear test and missile provocations. The North conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, followed by its fourth one in January. (Yonhap) President Park Geun-hye warned Friday that North Korea's provocations will eventually lead to the regime's self-destruction, as she ramped up pressure on the isolationist regime to give up its nuclear weapons program. "The Republic of Korea (South Korea) will stay firm despite North Korea's threats and the regime will eventually self-destruct with its consistent provocations," Park said during a ceremony at the national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon, The ceremony was held to commemorate South Korean military personnel killed in three separate clashes with North Korea in the Yellow Sea area. The clashes include North Korea's torpedoing of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan on March 26, 2010, which killed 46 sailors. The Seoul government designated the fourth Friday of March as a day of remembrance for those that were killed while defending the country in those skirmishes. Park further renewed her calls on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programs and urged it to embrace change. Sri Lanka said Especially in the context of factually incorrect reference to Sri Lanka in the Report, we welcome the visit of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues to Sri Lanka, as such a visit will certainly enable the Special Rapporteur to engage with all concerned in my country to obtain the factual position in this regard and accurate information which will clarify and clear misconceptions pertaining to the areas mentioned in this report. Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Samantha Jayasuriya made this intervention at the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues under Agenda Item 3 during the 31st Session of the Human Rights Council held at the Palais des Nations on 15 March 2016 in Geneva. Full Statement Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Geneva 16 March 2016 The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more This sleek, single-level home pulls off a contemporary design coup with its emphasis on horizontal lines. Wide walls of glass doors slide open electronically to connect open-plan indoor and outdoor living spaces. City and ocean views stretch to the horizon. Even the long, low gas fireplaces follow the linear cues. Location: 551 Chalette Drive, Beverly Hills 90210 Asking price: $19.975 million Year built: 1976 House size: 7,430 square feet, six bedrooms, nine bathrooms Lot size: 19,825 square feet Features: Gated motor-court; marble entry wall; four-seat wet bar; eat-at kitchen island; additional prep kitchen; theater; office; gym; temperature-controlled wine room; master suite kitchenette and reflecting pool; glass-walled four-car garage About the area: In February, 23 single-family homes sold in the 90210 ZIP Code at a median price of $4.29 million, according to CoreLogic. That was a 6.7% increase from February 2016. Advertisement Agents: Ernie Carswell, (310) 345-7500, and Christopher Pickett, (424) 202-3230, both with Teles Properties, and Steve Frankel, (310) 281-3981, of Coldwell Banker To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to homeoftheweek@latimes.com. You can still, in certain haunts where old Los Angeles punks are known to gather, hear tales of the fabled late 1970s as experienced by the artists, writers and musicians who inhabited the strip of abandoned industrial land between Alameda Street and the L.A. River that became known as the Arts District. On the one hand, the area offered squalid living conditions and a bare minimum of amenities (aside from a few decent dive bars); on the other, there was the cheap rent and the freedom it created. While the rest of the city was in full retreat from downtown, these artists took full advantage of a moment in time when the neighborhood was empty, aside from a few forlorn freight trains that still rattled down the tracks flanked by narrow, winding streets. Advertisement Those Santa Fe Railroad trains had been trundling through the area since the late 1880s, first to export oranges from the citys groves to the Midwest, and later to import people from the Midwest to live in the housing developments that replaced those groves. Where Sci-Arc now stands was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe lines beautiful Moorish-style La Grande Station, just one of the many structures the massive company built in and around downtown. But Union Station meant the end of La Grande, and the rise of interstate trucking combined with the dispersion of factories to cheaper locales to the south and east left the area nearly empty. So, 30 years before the downtown renaissance, artists moved in and ironically set the stage for that still-unfolding phase of rapid gentrification and development by flouting the citys 1922 mass rezoning of downtown as a commercial and industrial district. The city modified the zoning laws to accommodate them, and eventually developers came to recognize the potential for loft conversions and expanded retail space. Now the old punk clubs are gone, but the galleries and artists are still there, as are cafes, restaurants and high-end shops. And, with the Gold Line nearby and the ongoing construction of Metros Downtown Regional Connector which will directly link the Arts District with the Westside passenger rail has returned to the Alameda Street corridor once again. Neighborhood highlights Eat, drink, art: Traction Avenue and East 3rd Street are the epicenter of dining and shopping in the north end of the district. There are galleries and indie eateries aplenty, as well as outposts of Wurstkuche, Umami Burger and Pie Hole, and locals and visitors commingle at the Angel City Brewery, which has gallery space and a curated food truck experience. At the southern end of the district, the area around 6th Street and Mateo and Palmetto streets is rapidly becoming just as hot, with such mainstays as Villains now being joined by a new wave of cafes and shops. Sci-Arc: The independent architectural school occupies the Santa Fe Railroad freight depot, which underwent a highly successful adaptive reuse renovation in 2000. This striking quarter-mile-long building provided the impetus for much of the new residential development nearby, including the massive One Santa Fe complex across the street. History: Though little of the areas agricultural roots remains, the warehouses and loading docks of the industrial heyday are remarkably well-preserved and give the neighborhood its distinctive feel. Buildings such as the Toy Factory and H. Biscuit lofts remain relatively unchanged as seen from the street, and narrow, curving roads trace the path of long-gone train tracks. Expert insight For prospective buyers looking for something unique, try buying in one of the historic buildings that have been converted to lofts, because there are only a fixed number of them, said Michael Ferguson, chief executive and founder of downtown L.A. real estate brokerage Loft Exchange. They are a little harder to get into at first, he said. But eventually, as we have seen in other parts of downtown L.A., new ground-up developments will dominate the area, making units in these older historic buildings that much rarer and more valuable. 1 / 7 Art Share L.A.'s 28,000-square-foot warehouse provides 30 subsidized live/work lofts for artists. Classes, exhibitions and events are also offered. (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 The Wrinkles in the City mural by JR of France adorns Angel City Brewery. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 7 An old warehouse at 400 Mateo Street in the L.A. Arts District. (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 A mural on 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles Arts District. (Wally Skaij / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 Everson Royce Bar is a relative newcomer to the neighborhood. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 Shreebs serves coffee from a coverted shipping container in the L.A. Arts District. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 7 The Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery and the Los Angeles skyline as seen from the gallerys roof. (Stuart Palley / For The Times) Neighborhood challenges Affordability: Its a familiar story. A cheap neighborhood becomes popular, and suddenly rents skyrocket. For artists, it can be especially difficult to afford market rents in a rapidly gentrifying area like the Arts District. Market snapshot In January, based on 10 sales, the median price for condominiums in the 90013 ZIP Code was $664,000, according to CoreLogic. The median price for condos in the 90012 ZIP code, based on four sales, was $551,000. Report card Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School scored 895 out of a possible 1,000 in the 2013 API ranking system. San Pedro Elementary earned an 809, Para Los Ninos Middle School an 803 and the California Academy for Liberal Studies Early College High a 794. Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts came in at 737. hotproperty@latimes.com Chants of Voltron! Voltron! were ringing in the air at the WonderCon convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The anticipation for the return of this animated series was high, especially since very little was known about the secretive Netflix series Voltron: Legendary Defender, until now. The crowd of elated fans was treated to never-before-seen footage from DreamWorks Animation. And as the lights went out the madness froze. Clearly the world is ready for the return of the gigantic cat-hand robot. Advertisement For the uninitiated, Voltron was a hit anime program created by Peter Keefe and John Teichmann in 1984. In it, a team of five young pilots command five robot lions that can be combined to form Voltron -- a giant, sword-wielding robot. Thats right, robot lions turn into a gigantic robot. The animated series comes with a built-in fan base and a lot of history. And the new Netflix series will no doubt only add to the fan fervor as its being helmed by the folks from Legend of Korra, another cult-loved animated property. After the surprise footage the panelists took the stage. Legend of Korra alum Joaquim Dos Santos, now executive producer of Voltron, co-executive producer Lauren Montgomery and writer Tim Hedrick were joined by members of the cast, which we can finally confirm. The voices of the new team Voltron actors are: Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) as Hunk Jeremy Shada (the voice of Finn from Adventure Time) as Lance Bex Taylor-Klaus (The Last Witch Hunter) as Pidge Josh Keaton (Hal Jordan in Green Lantern: The Animated Series) as Shiro Kimberly Brooks (Ashley Williams in Mass Effect) as Princess Allura Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords) as Coran Steven Yeun (Walking Deads Glenn) as Keith Sadly, Walking Dead actor Steven Yeun couldnt be at the panel, but he sent a special greeting to the WonderCon crowd. Interspersed between tales of fun voiceover moments and cast interactions -- many having to do with the comedic stylings of New Zealander Darby -- more clips were shown. One clip revealed the first robot lion to be introduced to the group (Lances blue lion) and another included a battle with a Robeast. But more importantly the footage showcased the style of the new Voltron series, which you can also see in the new trailer below. After a few requests, the panelists yelled the catchphrase, Form Voltron! from the stage, igniting the crowd yet again. Questions having to do with an upcoming Voltron movie (there isnt one), were brushed aside. At the end of the presentation about three-fourths of the room rose to its feet to applaud the panel. Rhys Darby, Kimberly Brooks, Tyler Labine, Josh Keaton, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Jeremy Shada, Tim Hedrick, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos on the Voltron: Legendary Defender WonderCon panel. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for DWA/AP Images) The actors carried that giddiness with them as they continued to answer questions afterward. Not only this was the first time they had seen a lot of the footage screened at the panel, but they were also finally able to spill the beans after being sworn to secrecy about their involvement in the franchise. Labine, one of the first actors to be hired, waited for a long time as different casts were formed with different scripts and other changes. He wondered aloud, Is this really a thing? Are we really doing Voltron? The panel, though, was cathartic, Its such a rewarding, amazing feeling to be here today and to see it reaching people and seeing their reactions, Labine said. And seeing that all of that secret-keeping -- which can cause cancer -- meant something to them. Because if all those people had seen stuff, it wouldnt have been as cool for them. So it is worth it. When asked about their level of fandom for the show, Labine said he was a fan from his childhood. Voltron and He-Man were it for me, said Labine. Actor Keaton agreed, adding a scary Scooby-Doo to his influences. Topics included Andrea Romanos direction, the camaraderie among the cast, even when working seprately, and getting ready mentally to perform as an actor in a story that had been a big influence on them. And its not just Voltron. Its Voltron and Netflix and DreamWorks, said Darby. Brooks, who voices Princess Allura, was prepared for it, though. I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a big deal, said Brooks. I cant wait to get the scripts. As for the plot, will the Legend of Korra folks bring their epic story-telling style to Voltron? Darby thinks so, saying Its somewhat of a space opera. I cant want for people to binge it. Yeah, its a total binge show. Trailer for Netflixs Voltron: Legendary Defender. So when will this bingey show be available? The official air date (also announced at the WonderCon panel) is June 10, 2016. Follow me on Twitter: @Storiz Chrissy Teigen is in your magazines (Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue), on your TV ("Lip Sync Battle") and all over your Twitter feed with hilarious by-the-minute updates on her pregnancy and husband, musician John Legend. Now with her new cookbook, "Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat," she's in your home as well and with good reason. The 100+ recipes are well crafted, with a good deal of humor and a great deal of cheese. And we were particularly taken by her never-fussy, always-fun brand of entertaining. (Think: roasting bacon simply to cover up unpleasant house smells.) See the most-read in Life & Style this hour >> Here are four easy entertaining tips that we can all steal from her. Chrissy Teigen her mom, Vilailuck Teigen, kick back with some pork-stuffed cucumber soup from the models Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat. (Aubrie Pick / Clarkson Potter) Involve booze in all courses. Whether it's bribing guests with cheap tequila to get their help rolling shrimp summer rolls or simply serving her brilliant Actual Drunken Noodles (complete with whiskey in the sauce), Teigen makes sure her guests never go thirsty. We'll toast to that. Get creative with your presentation. As creative as serving chili in individual bags of Fritos, alongside a self-serve bar of toppings. "It also makes for Instagram-like heaven," Teigen writes. (With 5.6 million followers, she would know.) It doesn't hurt that this makes cleanup a cinch. Include a draw besides the meal. Teigen regularly invites friends over to "shower them with gift-bag-giveaway parties" (her way of making up for missing milestones while she's traveling). It's harder to replicate if you're not regularly accumulating swag bags but a good reminder that a small parting gift goes a long way. Be an engaged host. Don't be so focused on cooking, serving and tidying that you forget to have fun. Teigen openly and joyfully recounts loving coconut rice and fried chicken so much that she'll eat it off guests' plates when they're too engaged in conversation and that watching as they ooh and aah over the cheese stretch of her garlic bread makes "her icy heart melt." home@latimes.com Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, The Times' letters editor, and it is Saturday, March 26, 2016. Here's a look back at the week in Opinion. Sen. Bernie Sanders doesn't have a chance against Hillary Clinton and when people say "chance," they mean it in the most literal sense of the word. The delegate math so favors Clinton that the Vermont senator would have to string together an unprecedented set of primary victories by wide margins, a statistically unlikely achievement. But Sanders believes he's the best hope for Democrats to beat any Republican this November, including Donald Trump and he's got the polling to back himself up. The senator sat down with The Times' editorial board this week to discuss his chances in the fall and a host of other issues, including how a Sanders administration would fight Islamic State, his campaign operation in California and the feasibility of implementing his social democratic economic agenda. Here's a transcript of the discussion; below is an excerpt: Mariel Garza (editorial writer): Can I follow up to that real quickly? You mention the higher voter turnout. A lot of people have attributed that to Donald Trump. So I wanted to ask you something that is on the minds of a lot of concerned Democrats and that is, how could you, how would you beat Donald Trump? Sanders: OK. Well, let me give you two answers. My first comment is, you know, if theres a high voter turnout in the Democratic caucus, that has nothing to do with Donald Trump. Youre right that Donald Trump has brought out a whole lot of people. Period. Youre right. But Im just suggesting to you that in caucus after caucus after caucus, we have had, primary after primary I believe yesterday, and the Arizona primary was so screwed up I dont even know what the results of it are. By the way, an absolute disgrace. Weve gotten communications from people who waited five hours to vote in Arizona. Five hours waiting in lines. So I dont even know how many thousands of people didnt vote. But my understanding is that we had very large turnouts just yesterday in three states in the Democratic caucuses. Garza: Well, that could be defensive, could it not? Sanders: No, no, I dont think so. I think this is a vote that, you know, people want to participate in. A lot of those votes go to us, some go to Clinton. But to answer your second question and this is one of the things that does bother me uh, is that, you know, people want to vote for Hillary Clinton, thats fine. But it is not fine when people say Hillary Clinton is the one who is going to beat Donald Trump. I would urge you, go to your website, look up virtually all of the current polls. Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump. Just so happens, what do I have in front of me, by complete coincidence, a poll that took place just a few days ago [from] CNN. And this is just one of many. All the same thing. Donald Trump Clinton beats Trump, 53-41, 12 points. I beat him 58-38, 20 points. John Kasich beats Hillary Clinton, 51-45. She loses by 6; I beat him by 6. Ted Cruz is tied 48-48 with Clinton. I beat him by 13 points. And that is absolutely consistent with virtually every poll thats out there. Why? Well, we obviously are going to get all the Democrats. But we get a lot of the independents that Trump will get if Clinton is in the race. So one of the arguments that I have been making I made it this morning, we had a press conference in San Diego if Democrats want to defeat a Republican candidate, Trump or anybody else, I think the evidence is overwhelming: I am that candidate. And its not just polls. The truth is also Democrats will do well when the voter turnout is high, Republicans do well when the voter turnout is low. I dont think anybody imagines that Hillary Clinton will be able to bring out more people than I can. We have the excitement. We have the energy. We have the non-traditional voters. So that is one of the arguments that I have been making. Click here for more. For fun (or whatever), pull up the transcript of Donald Trump's meeting with the Washington Post editorial board. Read it alongside the discussion Sanders had at The Times. Pundits often hold the two candidates up for comparison, but after reading the two transcripts, you might find yourself asking: Why? Washington Post Trump nomination or none, this won't end well for the Republican Party. Jonah Goldberg writes that a GOP that shuns Trump at the party's convention in Cleveland is a doomed GOP and so is one that puts him on the ticket. Goldberg's solution: "This ends in tears no matter what. Get over it and pick a side." L.A. Times Is Trump rich enough to continue self-financing his campaign? Yes, but only for three more months, according to data scientist Dave Goodsmith. Trump's liquid assets are estimated to hover around $70 million. "Even a conservative model one that allows Trump to spend barely a third as much as his primary competitors, on average still shows Trump's liquid assets running out entirely by June 1," Goodsmith writes. L.A. Times UC professors debate how administrators should handle anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism on campus. Judea Pearl, a computer scientist at UCLA, says the two -isms are indeed distinct and should not be conflated, but not because anti-Zionism is benign compared with anti-Semitism. On the other side, UCLA professor Saree Makdisi and UC Berkeley professor Judith Butler call the effort to stamp out anti-Zionism at the university a "thinly disguised attempt to suppress academic freedom and stifle open debate." Baby boomers can find all kinds of advice on working with millennials, but where can twenty- and thirtysomethings turn for tips on working with their older colleagues? Millennial writer Ann Friedman gathers advice from working professionals age 33 or younger via Twitter (where else?) on sharing office space with their less technologically literate co-workers who were born before 1964. One tip: Do not say "this is so easy" before showing a boomer how to use a new digital tool. L.A. Times Lucy Jones, California's iconic "Earthquake Lady," is retiring. She sat down for an interview with Patt Morrison. Among other parting thoughts, Jones said she wants to be around when the Big One hits: "Oh, I want to see the San Andreas earthquake. I mean, I don't want to do it to people, but given that it has to happen, I really hope I'm still alive when it comes along, because we're going to learn a lot about it. L.A. Times podcast and transcript. I like to read feedback. If you have some, email paul.thornton@latimes.com. Joining a growing list of cities looking to transform pollution-choked roadways into urban oases, Glendale will study the feasibility of building a park over a section of the 134 Freeway. The City Council this week ordered a study to examine the costs and scope of building a park and opened a bidding process for firms to apply. The idea to build a so-called cap park over part of the Ventura Freeway has been kicking around for years and is in line with a burgeoning movement in Southern California and the nation to create vibrant pockets of green space amid a concrete landscape. Cap parks typically built above recessed roadways have sprouted in Sacramento, Dallas and Seattle. Advertisement In Los Angeles, an environmental review is nearing completion on a plan to build a park that would span the 101 Freeway from about Hollywood to Santa Monica boulevards. Another green space is proposed for the 101 Freeway between Grand Avenue and Alameda Street downtown. Earlier this month, three Glendale council members visited Dallas Klyde Warren Park, which, with 5.2-acres of trees, walking trails and seating, serves as a connector between two parts of the city, said Councilman Vartan Gharpetian. It would do the same in Glendale. It will connect north Glendale to south Glendale, Gharpetian said. The study is expected to cost about $300,000. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> A final design for Glendales park could be years away, but city staffers have considered the idea of first constructing a segment over the 134 Freeway between Central Avenue and Brand Boulevard a distance of about two-tenths of a mile, with a further extension to Geneva Street. Overall, it could end up being as large as 4 or 5 acres. The Dallas park was bankrolled through a public-private partnership, with nearly $57 million generated through private donations, Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said. In exchange, donors got naming rights. Some residents are skeptical of the same approach working in Glendale. Dallas is a major city that can raise money, resident Mike Mohill, said at the city council meeting. They have plenty of guardian angels, private people to raise the money. But Gharpetian said several major developments have been built within the city. The [Glendale] Galleria wasnt an easy project. The Americana at Brand wasnt an easy project, Gharpetian said. The cap park may not happen tomorrow, but if we dont work on it, it will never happen. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> A poll of residents found broad support for a project that included walking trails, a childrens play area and concert space. I think if we can pull something like this off in our city, we would really be on the national map, not just for public safety, but for having one of the best parks in the country, Sinanyan said. arin.mikailian@latimes.com Twitter: @ArinMikailian Mikailian writes for Times Community News. ALSO First Californian contracts Zika through sex Ballot measure that could have derailed the bullet train project is put on hold Businessman arrested in diabolical, premeditated killing of Santa Barbara family I cant begin to recall how many classrooms Ive visited in more than 40 years as a journalist. Dozens for sure. More than a hundred, perhaps. Everything from grade school to graduate school. But my knees wobbled when I was offered a chance to teach an evening class at Cal State L.A. Why? Because visiting a class to answer a few questions and offer a few tips never to return again isnt that big of a challenge. But a teacher has to actually teach. Advertisement And I didnt know how to do that, even though I was pretty familiar with the subject: How to find and tell stories. Still, I took a leap. As someone who spouts off now and then about education, it couldnt hurt to do a little honest homework. And I did it because Im a graduate of the Cal State system (San Jose State, 1975), and I believe in it. The mission is the same as ever offer a quality education at a reasonable price although tuition has spiked in recent times. Every year, tens of thousands of graduates, many from humble means, help drive Californias economy when they go into healthcare, business, technology, social sciences, engineering, law enforcement, communications and teaching. So I asked teachers for some advice, and David Olsen, chairman of Cal State L.A.'s communications department, helped me put together a syllabus that offered something to aspiring journalists, TV/film majors and students interested in polishing their writing skills. And then on a Monday night in January, I found myself standing before 20 upperclassmen and grad students, all of whom looked at me expectantly. It was the first of 10 classes in the winter quarter, each one from 6:10 to 10 p.m., which struck me as I passed out my syllabus as an eternity. Thats a lot of teaching for a flat-footed rookie, and I loosened my collar, feeling the heat. What if I ran out of things to say? My students, I soon learned, do a lot of juggling. Most of them work, some of them full time, and care for families. They save money, take classes when they can afford them and keep pursuing the dream of a college degree, even if it takes six or eight or 10 years to earn the paper. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> I owed them something, and I made it through the first session encouraged not so much by my performance but by my students engagement. With the exception of one young man who may or may not have been awake I couldnt tell for sure, and he later dropped the class they listened, and spoke up, and we began to get to know each other through a shared love of words. I followed all the advice Id gotten from real teachers: Split the students into groups, have them read each others work, find ways to spark class discussions and bring in guest speakers. My appreciation of teachers is now greater than ever. Two students sitting next to each other might have vastly different skill levels, and youve got to find a way to address their very different needs. Meeting one-on-one during office hours helps. But Ive come away from this experience even more convinced that packing 30 or 40-plus students into a classroom the norm in public K-12 schools is insane. Its a burden on teachers and a disservice to students. The 10-week course ended just as I was getting to know my students, and realizing that while I may have helped them find ways to shape stories, they were teaching me things about the city I cover. Daniel Noriega wrote about his grandfather riding through East Los Angeles on a bicycle, collecting discarded toys for a backyard shrine, believing that each toy represents the lost spirit of a child. Noriega wrote that his mother took this idea to the next level, caring for troubled, wayward children. When one later died, she paid for his coffin, and then La Mama de East L.A. started a nonprofit to buy coffins for other families that couldnt afford proper burials for loved ones. Brandon Winfield a full-time student and laborer would often hustle into class a few minutes late, just off work from laying underground wire. His term paper was an account of the culture shock his African American family endured when his mother, determined to keep her kids safe, shepherded her brood out of South-Central and into the San Gabriel Valley. Follow the Times education initiative to inform parents, educators and students across California >> Former teacher Claudia Mercado took care of her parents, worked several jobs and commuted 30 miles to school in pursuit of her masters. She wrote a poetry-infused tribute to a Northeast Los Angeles womens activism and art collective Mujeres de Maiz where kindred spirits have connected through stories of personal struggle and cultural pride. Gus Ugalde Jr. my oldest student, in his 50s told me how upset he was about the demolition of the Sixth Street bridge in February, because it held special memories of his youth in Boyle Heights. Then tell me a story, I told him. And he did, writing that in his memories, the days are long and never turn to night, and he is riding his bike across the bridge or crossing it on foot, holding his grandmothers hand. I can still hear the sound of my corduroy pants rubbing against each other like that of clothes being scrubbed on an old-fashioned washboard. It was perpetual summer. I could still see grandma holding her parasol overhead to shield herself from the unyielding rays of the sun. A new crop of students is coming in now for the start of the spring quarter, and I feel a little more confident this time around. Well write, well talk, well get to know each other. Maybe Ill teach them a thing or two and maybe theyll return the favor. Steve.lopez@latimes.com @LATstevelopez ALSO Why so many voters are drawn to Donald Trump The Coastal Commission is learning the meaning of sorry-not sorry Trump circus rolls into Phoenix in a taste of whats in store for California Good morning. It is Saturday, March 26. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend: TOP STORIES Testing for lead: California officials have blood test results that show high levels of lead in some children living near the old Exide battery plant but they are not using those results to direct the cleanup operations at homes. Officials should rely on blood lead data and soil lead levels to identify hot spots and target cleanup. Otherwise they will be shooting in the dark, said Bruce Lanphear, a public health physician and professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University who studies lead and childrens environmental health. Los Angeles Times Pardons issued: For Easter, Gov. Jerry Brown announced 59 gubernatorial pardons. Most of those went to inmates convicted of drug crimes or low-level offenses. These pardons recognize and even affirm that people can turn their lives around after making mistakes and become solid members of their community, the governor said. Sacramento Bee Advertisement Disney history: The original offices of Walt Disneys animation company are now home to a copy store, tattoo parlor and skate shop. Despite its famous history, the Kingswell Building in Los Feliz does not have any historical protections. Every time Im here I feel like there is history around me like a good, rad history, said D.J. Chavez, a retired pro skateboarder who co-owns Kingswell. Los Angeles Times Bike path: Why will it cost an estimated $425 million to put in a bike path along the 51-mile Los Angeles River? Now youre talking about bridges, tunnels, spiral ramps and possibly even a bike elevator of some sort. If they want more than two or three access points, this could be a large part of the cost. LA Weekly Looking for clues: An esteemed acupuncturist, his wife and 5-year-old daughter have been identified as the victims of that triple homicide in Santa Barbara. Dr. Weidong Henry Han ran the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic. Sheriffs investigators are looking for any witnesses. Los Angeles Times In the wild: In San Francisco, pet owners are worried about coyote attacks on dogs. At a recent hearing, one woman was particularly upset given that coyotes are not really contributing members of society. We pay high taxes to live here. The coyotes dont pay taxes, they arent voting, she said. SFist Seen, not heard: Au Fudge is a new West Hollywood restaurant for children where the children are watched by au pairs who help them bake bread and create aesthetically beautiful arts and crafts projects while their parents nosh on corn lollipops and truffle french fries. Los Angeles Times THIS WEEKS MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA 1. An intimate look inside the home of the late Elizabeth Taylor. Zocalo Public Square 2. Amazing photos show how the drought and El Nino are shaping Californias landscape. Los Angeles Times 3. The Metro Expo Line is doing more than changing transportation. Its changing housing and rents along its route. Curbed LA 4. A home that William Randolph Hearst once gave to a contest winner is now up for sale with a $5.8 million price tag. SFGate 5. Elisa Lam was found dead at the Hotel Cecil in 2013. Her death remains a mystery, even after viewing the bizarre security footage. BuzzFeed ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEKS GREAT READS New life: An albino teenager from Tanzania is finding a new life in Los Angeles. Bibiana Mashamba was the victim of a terrible attack in her home country but now, thanks to the African Millennium Foundation, she and her sister are receiving medical care and an education. I will speak different languages and make sure all the people who hurt albinos in my country get their punishment, said Tindi Mashamba. Los Angeles Times Policing strategies: Helicopters have changed how Los Angeles police monitor the city. Theyve also changed how people commit crimes. The built environment may inadvertently catalyze new forms of illegal activity, but this also means that the Los Angeles Police Department is constantly responding to criminal innovation with new forms of police work, often before the rest of the world even knows they might be necessary. New York Times Trump supporters: Columnist Steve Lopez found plenty of people who support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump because they believe hes a straight shooter who will get things done. I just felt like he spoke what was on his mind. I like that because a lot of politicians say whatever they need to say to get votes from the party theyre in, said one business owner in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles Times Investigation status: Last July, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris vowed to review the Center for Medical Progress, the group that falsely claimed Planned Parenthood trafficked fetal tissue. But so far there hasnt been any action, writes columnist Robin Abcarian. Over the last few days, advocates for reproductive rights have wondered aloud during interviews whether Harris campaign to replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate has anything to do with her apparent lack of urgency on this case, she writes. Los Angeles Times LOOKING AHEAD Monday: Malibu will celebrate its 25th anniversary as a city. Tuesday: The Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles will present Making Sense of Department of Power and Water Reform. Wednesday: Ontario International Airport Authority CEO Kelly Fredericks will be in Riverside to talk about the future of the airport. Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad. Foster care asks caregivers to perform an almost impossible task: Love the child as your own, but relinquish the youth without delay or protest when social workers say the time has come. The anguish sometimes associated with such removals came into sharp focus last week when social workers removed a 6-year-old Santa Clarita girl who is part Choctaw, from her longtime foster parents. Across the nation, newspapers and television broadcasts displayed images of her distressed caregivers saying goodbye on the familys driveway as they were surrounded by hundreds of supporters who protested the governments decision to place the girl with relatives. Advertisement The case traveled an unusual path through Los Angeles Countys child welfare system, making comparisons to other cases difficult. But the long delays and deep emotion expressed at the final removal carried an unsettling familiarity to a growing number of caregivers and children in the system. My heart sank when I heard about it. I know what that feels like, said Ian Lewis, 45, who had to say goodbye this year to a baby he had nursed from the brink of death following child abuse injuries. The baby was the fourth foster child to be removed from the Miracle Mile home Lewis shares with his wife, a pediatric nurse, and their biological daughter after, he said, social workers led him to believe that each would remain with the family permanently, partly because the childrens time with the family had been so long. Some caregivers avoid the heartbreak by never bonding in the first place. For those who do, relinquishing custody is becoming harder as average stays in foster homes grow longer due to crushing court delays and the often belated discovery that family members exist to take the child in. Despite landmark state and federal laws intended to reduce the time in temporary foster homes, Los Angeles County foster youth are remaining in limbo with impermanent caregivers for an increasing share of their fleeting childhood, and the social bonds with their foster parents naturally deepen as the years drag on, lawyers, social workers and others who work in the child welfare system say. Children who entered Los Angeles Countys foster system in 2007 had a median stay of 13 months in foster care, according to county information collected by UC Berkeley. Those who entered in 2012 the most recent group studied had a median stay of 16 months. A quarter of the youth who entered foster care in 2012 spent 29 months or more in foster care. A portion of the increase results from the law that went into effect in 2012 to extend foster care to age 21, but across all categories, Los Angeles County foster youth spend significantly more time in foster care than the state average. 1 / 7 A distraught Summer Page and her children watch as social workers take her 6-year-old foster daughter away. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 Rusty Page carries his foster daughter from his Santa Clarita home to authorities waiting to take her to relatives in Utah. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 7 Praying neighbors fall to the ground crying as social workers removed a 6-year-old girl from her foster home in Santa Clarita. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 Members of the Page familys church community sang songs and prayed. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 Television and other media covered Mondays transfer of the child to social workers. Protesters have asked others to join their efforts to reunite the girl with the Page family. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 Neighbors and protesters bow their heads in prayer. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 7 Graham Kelley, 25, ran after the car, after social workers removed the child from the home today. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) In an attempt to shorten the time children spend in limbo, Congress approved the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and in 1997 President Clinton signed it into law. It places strict limits on the time given to parents to prove their competence. The goal was to more quickly reunify families or more swiftly find children new permanent homes with extended relatives or adoptive families. The law shortened the time for hearings meant to decide on a permanent home from 18 to 12 months after a childs removal from their parents, but lawyers say court delays in Los Angeles County regularly extend past that deadline. The Times filed a public records request to determine how often Los Angeles County courts miss statutory deadlines in child welfare cases, but the presiding judge of Los Angeles County juvenile court, Michael Levanas, declined to provide the information, saying the release would improperly interfere in his personnel decisions and the assignment of judges. He did not deny, however, that a backlog exists. The number of new petitions [to remove children from their parents] filed in dependency court have risen almost 25% from 21,557 in 2010 to 26,457 in 2014 while funding to the court has been drastically cut, Levanas said. Cases and the law have become far more complex in the last 10 years. Marcia Robinson Lowry, a veteran litigator who has filed class action lawsuits aimed at reforming foster care systems around the country, and who leads a nonprofit law firm called A Better Childhood, said the pressures faced by child welfare officials are no excuse for the delays experienced by children and families. L.A. County has big problems in its foster care system and a real lack of accountability, she said. There is no question that there has not been a great deal of attentiveness to the consequences for children, and I think its a violation of the law and constitutional principles. Citing the adage justice delayed is justice denied, Leslie Starr Heimov, who leads the court-appointed law firm for foster youth in Los Angeles County, said delays hurt everyone involved that it wasnt just the Santa Clarita child and foster parents who suffered as the custody battle dragged on for nearly five years. Nobody saw it because there werent television cameras, but it was even more painful for the family that was waiting, Heimov said. Much of the heartbreak could have been avoided, Heimov said, if members of the girls Utah family had been identified by social workers as possible permanent caregivers immediately after the girl was removed from her father in early 2011. We dont do a very good job identifying family at the front end, she said. Instead, we start looking for family when it is already too late. Los Angeles County relies on about 80 retired social workers to perform family searches for the countys 16,000 foster youth, and the work is tedious and time consuming because the legal system gives preference to anyone who is related to the child through blood, marriage or affinity including close family friends and neighbors. In the case of the Santa Clarita girl, the eventual Utah caregivers emerged around the time the girl went to live with foster parents Rusty and Summer Page in December 2011, according to court documents. The uncle of one of the Utah caregivers is the stepgrandfather of the girl and had not been identified by Los Angeles County social workers as a potential permanent placement for her, court records said. In 2012, the girls father, who has an extensive criminal background, discontinued his efforts to regain custody of the girl, and social workers then initiated work to transfer the girl to the Utah family, court records show. From there, the case took an uncommon course because the girls father is an enrolled member of the Choctaw tribe and the 6-year-old is 1/64th Choctaw. This qualified her case for supervision by the tribes child welfare unit, which identified the Utah family as its preferred placement for the girl, partly because a sibling also lives in the home and another sibling lives down the street. The girls paternal family, according to a Native American news organizations article based on interviews with relatives, had relocated to Los Angeles after the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 in which Indian families were encouraged to integrate in mainstream culture. After the migration, Los Angeles gained the second-largest urban Indian population in the United States after New York City. To fight the girls transfer to her family in Utah, the Pages enlisted the help of Washington, D.C.-based attorney Lori Alvino McGill, a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In her legal practice, Alvino McGill has targeted the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and, in 2013, she helped win a Supreme Court decision in the Baby Veronica case limiting the reach of the act. Meanwhile, the Santa Clarita girl remained with the Pages as appeals dragged on and as the California appeals court identified mistakes by the lower courts. Philip Browning, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said he agreed with Heimov that the heartache for everyone could have been avoided if his department had the resources to search for family from the onset. We need to have more staff or a better way to find potential family caregivers from the very start, Browning said Deborah Dentler, the attorney for Lewis, the foster parent who has had four children reunited with family after he and his wife had formed bonds, said childrens fragile emotional connections will continue to be collateral damage until the family-finding unit is improved. The routine time that my phone rings with some desperate foster parent is many months into the placement when they felt like no relative is going to show up now because they were trained in foster parent classes that family members would be found early, she said. By the time the fourth child was removed from Lewis unexpectedly, the family had started to believe the pain they felt was simply part of the process, Dentler said. It took me to explain to them that this is outrageous, Dentler said. Its not supposed to be this way. garrett.therolf@latimes.com Twitter: @gtherolf ALSO Orange County woman suing Trump University is allowed to back out Clinton criticizes lax campaign finance laws between two L.A.-area fundraisers After Bacas guilty plea, L.A. jail corruption case turns toward trial of his top aide, Paul Tanaka In his short life, 12-year-old Jason Spears witnessed immense violence in his San Bernardino neighborhood. He learned to run upstairs for cover when he heard the gunshots that would ring out regularly. He watched his brothers and cousins come home bloody and bruised after being jumped by gang members. In January, he ran for shelter to a local store, bleeding and shaking after five young men attacked him on the street. Then, this month, as Jason walked to a Circle K to buy a bag of chips with his 14-year-old cousin, he was shot and killed. His cousin was also hit but survived. Advertisement The sixth-graders death marked the 15th homicide this year in a city already coping with prolonged economic struggles, persistent crime and the tragedy of last Decembers terrorist attack. Homicides this year are almost twice what they were at this time last year. Community leaders are pushing for solutions to the violence, saying the city has dealt with enough. Marqual Spears,19, visits a memorial at the site where his brother Jason was gunned down. The sixth-graders death marked the 15th homicide this year in a city already coping with economic struggles, persistent crime and the tragedy of last Decembers terrorist attack. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) People in the city are ready for change, they want change, said Pastor Rick Alanis Jr. of Victory Outreach Church of San Bernardino. Last week, as Jasons mother planned his funeral, shootings in the city of about 210,000 residents continued apace. Thursday morning, a man was wounded by gunfire on the citys Westside. That evening, another man showed up at the hospital shot in the head and chest. Two days earlier, a man was wounded in a shooting outside an apartment complex, also on the Westside. The violence has been spread throughout the city, though some is concentrated in certain neighborhoods, such as the one where Jason lived. Police say most of the violence is tied to gangs and drugs, though at least some appears to be random. In January, the immigrant owner of a drive-through dairy was killed in a robbery, leaving behind his wife and 3-year-old daughter. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Community organizers say the citys violence has been compounded by its deep economic struggles. In particular, programs offering young people alternatives to life on the streets have been decimated, they say. Theres nothing for the kids to do, said Alanis, the pastor. Eventually they begin to just hang out and they end up getting in trouble. San Bernardino is not alone in coping with increased violence. A number of U.S. cities reported upticks in murder last year after years of historically low rates. Earlier this month, Los Angeles police reported a 27.5% increase in killings compared with last year. Police in San Bernardino say theyre doing their best to respond with a department hampered by severe budget cuts in the wake of the citys 2012 bankruptcy declaration. Department staffing has been cut by about 30% in recent years. It now has about 230 officers. At one time, the police had a number of community service offices throughout the city, where residents could make police reports, hold meetings and get information on starting neighborhood watch programs. But those offices also closed as the department cut back, police spokesman Lt. Rich Lawhead said. Even before this latest rash of violence, the city had been coping with high violent crime rates. In a report last year, police officials said San Bernardino had the highest level of violent crime of any Southern California city with a population between 100,000 and 400,000. Recognizing the need for improved policing, the city has adopted a five-year, $56-million police funding plan. But how and when the city can budget that money depends on the ongoing bankruptcy process. Chief Jarrod Burguan said his department is struggling with both funding cuts and the effect of statewide initiatives that led to shorter sentences for criminal offenders and reduced a number of drug- and property-related felonies to misdemeanors. All of the things we have done, at the state level, and at the local level have contributed to a perfect storm, Burguan said. Can anybody truly be surprised that youre going to occasionally see spikes in crime? A coalition of religious groups is pushing the city to adopt Operation Ceasefire, a program that has addressed violence in cities around the country by bringing together law enforcement and community leaders to identify and reach out to people likely to cause violence. In Richmond, Calif., where a version of the program was adopted in 2010, homicides dropped by more than half, officials there said. Burguan said he supports the idea, though he would want a group outside his department to run it. The biggest impediment is money. Were not going to be able to create that funding source right now, just based on city finances, he said. Some activists say police urgently need to develop better ties to neighborhoods to identify possible problems and defuse situations when they erupt. Both sides stand to gain from those relationships, said Kesha McGee, a minister at Life Center Church. This is our community where [police] have to serve, and their lives are in danger, she said. And its where we have to live, and our lives are in danger. Violence in San Bernardino led her to prohibit her own children, ages 4 to 19, from ever walking to the store or school. Our community is at war, she said. We have to get a handle on it before its really too late. Burguan said he has relationships with some locals to whom he turns to calm heated situations. When we feel we have that connection, that can make a difference, [but] we dont necessarily have that influence everywhere, he said. In the aftermath of Jasons death, there has been an outpouring of grief and calls for change. Churches embraced the Spears family, bringing them food and offering prayers and help with the burial. Residents have held vigils and peace walks. Some local leaders say the strong sense of unity that enveloped the city after the December terror attack is helping it pull together now. The attacks showed our community that we were amazingly well-prepared for something that was out of anyones ability to predict, said Major Daniel Henderson, of the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps. Now, he said, people are not throwing up their hands in despair. Theyre saying, Lets move forward. Lets make the changes we need to make. On Thursday, Terrance Stone, president and chief executive of Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, organized a town hall meeting where about 200 officials and residents addressed the violence. Stone said he felt compelled to do something after the spate of shootings. But, he said, the roots of San Bernardinos crime are deep and need long-term attention. He ticked off the names of children who died of gun violence in the city before Jason. In 2011, 3-year-old Nylah Franco-Torres was killed when someone opened fire on her familys home. One year earlier, Amarion Adams, 6, was struck in the head in a drive-by shooting while at a barbecue with his family. In each case, Stone said, there were vigils and marches and official vows to combat the violence. But San Bernardinos residents need jobs, mental health resources, social services and medical care, he said. With the magnitude of the problems the city has theres no cookie-cutter solution to whats happening, he said. Stone finds hope in a number of locals working to bring some of those resources to the city. Jason Spears mother, Shauna Zneidi, said the threat of violence in her neighborhood was so persistent that she kept her youngest son inside as much as possible. Before he died, she said, she sent his 16-year-old brother away after someone knocked on their door and threatened to kill him. Local gangs are running our neighborhood like terrorists, Zneidi said. She sees glimmers of change in the aftermath of her sons death. But, she asks, at what cost? It should not have taken the death of my son. paloma.esquivel@latimes.com Twitter: @palomaesquivel ALSO Attacker killed Santa Barbara family, wrapped them in plastic, police say Downtown L.A.'s skid row mourns slaying of transgender woman Driver charged in death of special needs student found in sweltering school bus The California rail authoritys failure to identify a source of funding to connect Los Angeles to the future bullet train system is not acceptable, said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Assn. of Governments. Until the high-speed rail authority released a new draft business plan last month, the state had planned to open its first operating segment between Burbank and the Central Valley by 2022. But in a major concession to its limited funding, the plan now calls for a cheaper segment that would run from San Jose to the Central Valley by 2025. By the time that initial segment is built, all the existing funds would be exhausted, leaving uncertainty about how and when the line would cross the geologically complex mountains of Southern California. Advertisement The lack of specificity is stirring some deep concerns among legislative analysts and Southern Californias political leadership, reflected in Ikhratas position. Ikhrata is scheduled to testify at an Assembly oversight hearing on Monday and says he will deliver a message that there are still too many unknowns in the plan. You cant say you can do something without saying how you are going to pay for it, he said in an interview. This is a must. If you dont have the money in the bank, I understand that. But you cant assume the money is going to fall from the sky. You have to have a path. You cant be silent totally. The states Legislative Analysts Office has raised the same concerns, saying in a report that the business plan fails to make a case for how it will pay for a completed system. The bullet train has been funded so far by a $9-billion bond, $3.2 billion in federal grants and about $500 million a year in greenhouse gas fees, all of which leave big shortfalls in the $64-billion megaproject. The shortfall is estimated at $43.5 billion, an amount that would be difficult or impossible to find in the short term. The Assn. of Governments has played a key role in representing the region at the rail authority, signing a 2013 memorandum of understanding that provided for about $1 billion of investments in Southern Californias transit systems to prepare for the future bullet train. The deal put Southern California on a near equal footing with the Bay Area, which received money to electrify its Caltrain commuter system. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> But the larger questions remain about the projects ability to deliver a system that would connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in two hours and 40 minutes, which is required under the 2008 bond act that voters approved. In the earlier plan, the rationale for starting Southern California was based on the regions larger population and the gap in passenger rail service that now exists between Bakersfield and Palmdale over the Tehachapi Mountains. Rail authority chief Dan Richard said in a recent interview that closing the rail gap remains important, but the state simply did not have the estimated $31 billion it would take to build in the south. The northern alternative would cost $21 billion and allow the state to build an operating system, theoretically with the funding it already has. We understand that high-speed rail wants to start in the north, Ikhrata said. We understand that logic. Having said that, this system will only be valuable if this connects San Francisco to Los Angeles. The statement reflects a continued belief that starting the system in the south remains the most logical approach and some nervousness that the region could be left behind, despite Richards often-repeated assurances that nobody will be left behind. The most important segment is from Bakersfield to Palmdale because there isnt any rail connection, Ikhrata said. That gap must be closed and the business plan must be clear how they are going to close it. If they build a system that fails to connect Los Angeles, this will be the biggest failure of an infrastructure project we have ever had in the state of California. It will be sad for future generations. A central political reality of the bullet train project is that its main supporters are from Northern California, led by Gov. Jerry Brown. Ikhrata said the project does not have enough support among the key leaders in the Los Angeles region. You dont find advocates because the story has changed so many times, he said. They are getting antsy. They are playing along. There also remains critical questions about how the future bullet train system will actually be constructed and how it will operate in Southern California, which Ikhrata believes needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. We are still where we started, he said, Ikhrata said the business plan now envisions using shared track through much of Southern California, though exactly what that means is unclear. In earlier planning, the state rail authority had planned to share track with Metrolink commuter trains and freight trains between Los Angeles and Anaheim. In the prior plan, the system would have had dedicated exclusive track between Los Angeles Union Station and Palmdale. But Ikhrata said the blended system would now include the section between Union Station and Palmdale. If so, it could affect the top speeds of the trains. Under past plans, the rail authority said the trains would operate at the full 220 mph between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. But a blended system could result in lower planned speeds, as it has in the Bay Area. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com ALSO State revises proposed bullet train routes, but San Fernando Valley communities remain skeptical Its not supposed to be this way: Why its getting more difficult for foster families Heres what $100 million in renovations will let the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station do The first annual 420 Games fun run in Santa Monica started a half-hour late. The leader of the pack threw up his hands at the two-mile mark, confused about where he was supposed to turn on the course. And the eventual winner got lost on his way to the finish line, running in from behind the crowd waiting to cheer his victory. Typical stoners, the winner, Chris Barnicle, joked before dozens of participants took off about 10 a.m. The 4.2 mile fun run which included runners as well as cyclists and skaters followed the bike path between the Santa Monica and Venice piers. Advertisement Jokes aside, the Saturday event is part of a larger effort to wipe away the lazy stoner stereotype, as laws governing medical and recreational cannabis use continue to be relaxed nationwide. Four states currently allow recreational marijuana use, and California is expected to pass a ballot measure and become the fifth later this year. 1 / 7 Scott Dunlap comes in costume to the 420 Games, held for the first time at the Santa Monica Pier. Ghe fun run started half an hour late. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 A 420 Games attendee wears pot leaf socks. The event is part of a larger effort to dispel the lazy stoner stereotype. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 7 Candice Lawler, 29, stands in line to get in the 420 Games and fair in Santa Monica. Saturdays event was the first 420 Games held in the L.A. area. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 A crowd lines up to attend the 420 Games. Vendors selling pot products, food trucks and marijuana dispensary employees were on hand to share information. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 The start of the 4.2-mile fun run Saturday. The leader of the pack quit at the 2-mile mark, confused about where he was supposed to turn on the course. The eventual winner got lost on his way to the finish line. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 Othello rocks a pot-leaf scarf. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 7 This is the most unique exercise group in the world, Chris Barnicle, winner of 420 Games fun run, said after jumping over the finish line. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The 420 Games concept was developed by Jim McAlpine, a former executive with a ski lift company and a medicinal marijuana user. He has run similar events in San Francisco since 2014 and plans to bring the 420 Games to Denver, Seattle and Portland, Ore., later this year. Saturdays event marked the first time it was held in Los Angeles. I use marijuana every day, multiple times a day. I use it on a level where people have called me a stoner my whole life, and Im the farthest, farthest thing from a stoner, said McAlpine, a California resident who holds a medical marijuana card. I own my own company. Im married. Im a good athlete. I do very well for myself. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> A trove of representatives from marijuana delivery companies, food trucks, musicians, marijuana dispensary employees and doctors could be seen dotting the parking lot to the north of the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday morning after the race completed. While people were more than ready to share information about marijuana, none was actually smoked. Event organizers didnt want to send the wrong message. R.J. Balde, 23, was at the event doing promotional work for Eaze, a company that developed a medical marijuana delivery app. Balde, who moved to California from Michigan two years ago, said events like the 420 Games are important because some people still pass judgment on his medicinal marijuana use. I still get a little bit of a side-eye, so I have to, to some extent, hide it, he said. Barnicle, the race winner and a former college athlete, laughed at the idea that the champion of a marijuana-themed race would get lost on his way to the finish line. The long-haired Boston native was well ahead of his competition in the final mile, but he banked to the right near Ocean Front walk, veering under the Santa Monica Pier and around a bike path as the crowd at the finish line stared at the empty straightaway he was supposed to be sprinting down. This is the most unique exercise group in the world, he said. Mariana Vieira started training for the race a month ago and made sure she had a solid breakfast and a good nights sleep before stepping off the starting line. She was all business for 4.2 miles. But once the race was over ... We just smoked, she said, giggling when approached by a reporter. Still wearing her 420 Games racing bib, Vieira said she doesnt understand why something as simple as a plant can cause so much controversy in certain crowds. Its 2016, the 31-year-old Angeleno said. Its a plant. Its acceptable in this society for people to stuff their face with pills, but its a problem for me to smoke a plant? james.queally@latimes.com ALSO Los Angeles archbishop will bless your pets at Olvera Street today Video shows killing of 7-Eleven worker over stolen hot dog and beer, police say Man attempting to rob South L.A. taco stand fatally shot by employee, police say The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will spend roughly $4 million to clean, repair and upgrade the Oregon wildlife refuge that was the site of a 41-day armed occupation by ranchers earlier this year. Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe said he wanted the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns to become a symbol to the rest of the country that collaboration, not confrontation, endures, the Oregonian reported. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made similar statements during her visit to the refuge earlier this week. See the most-read stories this hour >> Advertisement Photos of the refuge shared by federal officials show that the ranchers left a mess inside the building. The compound is undergoing a giant spring cleaning, using industrial vacuums and cargo trailers filled with cleaning supplies. Repairing damage and removing debris are expected to continue until early summer. In all, the standoff will cost Fish and Wildlife about $6 million, with about $2 million spent during the takeover. That includes the costs of moving the refuges 17 employees out of town for safety to live in hotels for weeks at the governments expense, Ashe said. Fish biologist Linda Beck says shes glad to be back on the job, but the biggest cost of the standoff was missed work. Beck and a team of biologists were planning to have invasive carp removed by commercial fishing because the fish consume habitat needed by birds. At the beginning of the year, Malheur Lake covered about 3,000 acres. It has since grown to about 20,000 acres. We lost the opportunity to fish for these fish in a really condensed setting, Beck said. ALSO 3 ways the unpredictable GOP presidential race could shake out How a healthcare revolution came to one red state while the Obamacare battle raged on Seattles progressives see a Sanders win in Washington as a way to send a message to Democrats Donald Trump insists he respects women Donald Trump has been relentlessly assailed for his comments about women, and in recent days, the issue has again come to the fore. On Saturday, Trump sent out a tweet insisting that nobody has more respect for women than he does. The media is so after me on women Wow, this is a tough business. Nobody has more respect for women than Donald Trump! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2016 Earlier this week, Trump threatened to spill the beans about Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs wife after a pro-Cruz super PAC used a nude magazine photo of Trumps wife, Melania, a former model, in an ad targeting Mormon voters. Trump then retweeted a comparison of an unflattering image of Heidi Cruz and a glamorous photo of his own wife, Melania. Since Trump entered the presidential race, the front-runner has repeatedly battled with Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly, even suggesting that she was menstruating when she questioned him at a debate in August. Moreover, his comments about the looks of his one-time challenger, Carly Fiorina, drew scorn. Will it matter when it comes to female voters? Yes, according to this report on how women view Trump. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders paid a visit to the L.A. Times editorial board on Wednesday as part of a West Coast campaign swing. In all of Sanders' exchanges with the board, perhaps none was more candid than his discussion of his struggles to earn the trust of black voters a traditionally crucial voting block for any Democratic candidate. Asked by Times editorial writer Carla Hall what he could do to turn those fortunes around, Sanders catalogued the obstacles he faces. Despite his struggles to win black voters, however, Sanders was adamant that he, and not Hillary Clinton, is the more electable of the Democratic candidates in a head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump. In an effort to perhaps further hammer home the notion of his electability, Sanders was quick to say he has been inaccurately saddled with a pacifist label, during an exchange with Opinion Page Editor Nicholas Goldberg. Sanders, however, later clarified that the job of fighting terrorism cannot be left to the United States alone. Arab allies need to shoulder more of the burden. Read the full transcript of Sanders' meeting with the editorial board here. Follow The Times' Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. MORE FROM BERNIE SANDERS' VISIT: Bernie Sanders discusses his prospects of beating Donald Trump with the L.A. Times editorial board Bernie Sanders visits the L.A. Times To the editor: When Muslim attackers in Boston, Paris, San Bernardino and Brussels shot or blew people up, there were immediate calls for, among other things, stopping all Muslim immigration to the U.S., surveilling mosques and patrolling Muslim neighborhoods. But when a white man in Norway killed 77 people (most of them teenagers), there was talk of only a deranged person. When a blond-haired, blue-eyed former soldier named Timothy McVeigh blew up an entire federal building, killing 168 people, nobody called for extra patrols of Christian neighborhoods and churches. (Ignore Cruz and Trump scapegoating Muslims is an un-American response to the Brussels attacks, editorial, March 22) When white Christian Americans shoot innocent people in movie theaters, shopping malls, schools, churches or healthcare clinics, nobody calls for special scrutiny of their churches or neighborhoods. Have we noticed how the National Rifle Assn. promptly calls for protecting gun rights after mass killings perpetrated by white people but remains quiet after killings by Muslims, evidently because doing so would imply Muslims deserve unfettered access to firearms too? Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and all the other Republican also-rans: Whats your answer to this? Advertisement Bruce Barnbaum, Granite Falls, Wash. .. To the editor: Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) offers a strategy to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods as a way to prevent future terror attacks. In order to secure these neighborhoods, I imagine that it would be necessary to define the perimeters of these neighborhoods, and maybe erecting some type of boundary perhaps a fence or wall would be helpful. That would make it easier to monitor the comings and goings of inhabitants and control the traffic of goods and services into the areas that Cruz would patrol and secure. Also, if some trouble should arise in these areas and it becomes necessary to relocate the inhabitants, it would easier to round them up, put them onto trains and transport them to.... Oh, wait, I think this strategy has already been tried. It sounds familiar. Laurie Jacobs, San Clemente .. To the editor: While President Obama is dancing the tango in Argentina and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is suggesting that waterboarding the captured terrorists would have solved the Brussels problem, we as citizens must consider what we can do in the immediate crisis. Here is a suggestion: We could organize volunteer Lincoln Brigades, as they were called in the Spanish Civil War, to go to Molenbeek in Brussels right now and help an overtaxed and inept police force find and rout out the terrorist enclave there. Such a brigade should be international and composed primarily of citizens of Arabic-speaking countries, citizens who could speak to the community, perhaps gain its confidence and find those would-be terrorists in that area. If, as has been reported, 400 fighters have been trained to attack Europe, it is time to stop squabbling and playing politics and instead do something. Forget tighter border controls the enemy is already inside the Belgian gates and ready to strike again any day. Marjorie Perloff, Pacific Palisades .. To the editor: Now that two brothers, both Belgian nationals, have been identified as the suicide bombers at the center of this weeks terrorist attacks in Brussels (one exploded a bomb at the airport, the other at a subway station), I wonder how long it will be before Trump calls for a moratorium on brothers entering the United States. David Medrano, Alhambra Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: UCLA professor Saree Makdisi and UC Berkeley professor Judith Butler are right to oppose a University of California policy against both anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, but they are deceptive in their arguments. (Suppressing criticism of Zionism on campus is catastrophic censorship, Opinion, March 23) They disingenuously characterize anti-Zionism as opposing Israeli policies rather than what it actually is: opposition to the very existence of a Jewish state. They know that while many people in the U.S. are opposed to the Israeli position regarding settlements, most Americans support the existence of a Jewish state. Thats why they try to paint lipstick on the pig of anti-Zionism. Still, the university should stay out of the business of saying what is hate speech. Let it all hang out. The slippery slope leading to the destruction of our freedoms is one of the consequences of political correctness. Advertisement Jerry Glass, Lakewood .. To the editor: Zionism threatens the indigenous population of Palestine. Under the banner of state security, Israel has imposed severe restrictions on the residents of the West Bank. By physically segregating the Palestinians and engaging in a brutal campaign of repression, the Israelis have in essence created a large ghetto. (Anti-Zionism is a hateful ideology. It has no place at UC, Opinion, March 23) Criticism of Israels brutal tactics is a human-rights issue, not necessarily anti-Zionism. The Israeli use of segregation and over-use of deadly force amounts to repression of another people, the very definition of racism. Racism is abhorrent, even if it is called Zionism or state security. Jeff LaCoss, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Do you know the penalty handed to the half of the UCLA judicial panel that voted in 2014 against a student solely for being Jewish? Nothing. Did those students come to UCLA as anti-Semites or did anti-Zionist students influence them? What if it were a Muslim, Buddhist or Sikh student? Would real discipline have been imposed? Edward Gilbert, Studio City Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook From one week to the next, the forces arrayed against Donald Trump have repeatedly suggested one state or another would cut down the Republican presidential front-runner. New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Michigan. He won them all. Now the effort to stop or at least slow Trumps march to the GOP nomination has narrowed to Florida and Ohio. Only one is close. Polls give Trump, who lives part time in Palm Beach, a sizable lead in Florida, where home-state Sen. Marco Rubio is making a last stand to save his fading candidacy. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is also campaigning hard in the state, but many in the party find him no more appealing than Trump. Advertisement If the Manhattan business mogul is to be denied, it may come down to Ohio and its governor, John Kasich, who is 0-for-24 in contests so far. He seems an unlikely party savior. One of the biggest questions when Kasich entered the race last summer was whether he was too abrasive to be elected president. For many, especially Ohioans long familiar with the governor, his White House campaign has proved a revelation. There is all the usual conservative talk of lowering taxes and limiting regulations, shrinking the size of government and sending Washington programs back to the states. But there are also sermonettes on love and lightness, on purpose and meaning, and on compassion and caring that seem more suited to a therapy session or self-improvement seminar. As a crowd of several hundred huddled last weekend against an afternoon chill, Kasich spoke movingly at a rally here of the nurse who stays past her shift to comfort a grieving family, or neighbors who take a lonely widow to dinner, so she can get her hair done and wear a dress she hasnt put on in months. I believe when we work together, were a great, beautiful mosaic, he said. We need to live a life bigger than ourselves to help heal this world. As a congressman in the 1990s, Kasich was a part of the conservative revolution that took over the House. But as Ohios governor since 2011, he has angered many Republicans for heresies including support for certain tax hikes and, more egregiously, expanding the states healthcare programs under the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. His prickly persona is well known in Washington and Columbus, the state capital. First elected to the Ohio Legislature in his brash 20s, Kasich now 63 has spent decades giving offense; stories abound of the personal insults and indignities suffered by Republican colleagues and others who have brushed up against him. Whatever caused the transformation, Kasichs new up-with-people luminosity offers a stark contrast to the slashing, belittling style of Trump, especially in debates, where the governor has refrained from the schoolyard taunts of other candidates. Zinny Bond was among those who waited in a blocks-long line for the chance to see Kasich alongside actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who delivered a late endorsement. The retired linguistics professor cant abide Trump. She cited the last presidential debate when he said he would force soldiers to commit war crimes such as torture to fight terrorism. He said, Well if I told them to do it, they would do it, said Bond, 74, releasing an exasperated sigh. Thats just not at all a candidate saying what this country stands for. Its ridiculous. The notion that Kasich is the adult in the room is one often expressed by supporters. So far, though, in this incendiary campaign season, that has only been enough to achieve a series of second-, third- and lesser-place finishes. Now it is down to Florida and Ohio, where losses Tuesday would eliminate both Rubio and Kasich, leaving only Cruz to face Trump. The Texas senator has won the second-most contests. But Cruzs hard-edged conservatism limits his appeal beyond all but the most ideological Republicans, a problem as the race moves to states with a more moderate lean, like Maryland, New Jersey and California. There are a lot of people who feel disenfranchised and feel like indentured servants to a government that just doesnt care about them anymore. Bob Ney, former Ohio congressman That is why Kasich hopes to emerge as the establishment favorite. A victory in winner-take-all Ohio, with 66 delegates, would more than double his total and, strategists hope, position him for a strong run in the big states that follow. We have an election where 50% of the delegates have been selected and 50% have not been selected, Kasich said Wednesday at a campaign stop in Illinois, which also votes Tuesday. And in those states that have not yet selected delegates, basically Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and I are dead even. It takes 1,237 delegates to claim the nomination ahead of this summers GOP convention. Trump has 458 after winning 15 states. The aim of Kasich and others opposing him is to stop Trump short of the number he needs to clinch the nomination and wrestle it away at a contested convention held, as its happens, in Cleveland. Kasich enjoys considerable advantages here at home, not least the fact he is fighting on familiar ground. The Ohio Republican Party has thrown its full weight behind Kasich; the party chairman organized an anti-Trump conference call with reporters when the reality TV star touched down this month for a rally at Columbus airport, drawing a crowd of several thousand. A political action committee working on Kasichs behalf is running more than $1 million in TV ads and has set up a network of phone banks, targeting voters as if it were a race for governor or state attorney general. For all of that, however, the race remains highly competitive, with polls giving Trump a modest lead. The same roiling mix of anger, frustration and disgust with politics that has powered his rise elsewhere is very much in evidence in Ohio, especially in Rust Belt communities whose best days are part of a long-ago past. There are a lot of people who feel disenfranchised and feel like indentured servants to a government that just doesnt care about them anymore, said Bob Ney, who represented portions of Appalachian Ohio in Congress for 11 years. He is neutral in the primary. Even some Kasich supporters find things they like about Trump. Hes a brilliant businessman, theres no doubt about that, said Mark Wirt, 52, who drove an hour and stood first in line to see Kasich and Schwarzenegger. He would have no problem supporting Trump as the nominee, the airline dispatcher said, and sees no reason for Republicans to panic. David Russell, standing next in line, said his dream ticket would be some combination of Trump and Ohios governor. I think he would make an amazing vice president, the 50-year-old event planner said of Kasich, and, hopefully down the road, hed make a great president if it turns out this is not his time. mark.barabak@latimes.com Twitter: @markzbarabak MORE ON CAMPAIGN 2016 What do you want in your next president? With Florida just days away, Rubio is all in, but some donors say he should quit now Tough debate questions, especially for Clinton, after her surprise loss to Sanders in Michigan Updates from the campaign trail The state of California has blood test results showing high levels of lead in children living near the closed Exide battery plant in Vernon but is not using the information to direct its massive cleanup of lead-contaminated homes and yards. Health experts say the test results should be used to help pinpoint neighborhoods most in need of swift cleanup because children there have been exposed to more of the poisonous metal. Lead, which spewed for decades from the Exide Technologies recycling facility, is especially dangerous to young children, putting them at risk of lifelong developmental and behavioral problems. Blood-testing data have guided government responses to lead contamination elsewhere. In Flint, Mich., the state is using maps of childrens blood lead levels to target neighborhoods hardest hit by the citys lead-contaminated drinking water. Advertisement But in California, officials have been unable to launch a similar effort. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control said it has tried unsuccessfully for more than two years to obtain blood lead levels from state and county health agencies, which keep the records. In September, 13 months after the cleanup began, it formally requested census tract-level data but still hasnt received it from state health officials. So the department is relying on soil tests, wind patterns and proximity to the plant to guide its cleanup of thousands of homes. The state Department of Public Health has yet to provide the information, according to toxics regulators. The health agency said it is prohibited by medical privacy law from releasing data showing individual test results but is finalizing an extensive analysis of whether people in census tracts near the Exide plant have increased blood lead levels. The toxic substances department said it knows of only two children a baby and a toddler who have had high levels of lead in their blood across the contaminated southeast Los Angeles County communities of Bell, Boyle Heights, Commerce, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood and Vernon. Officials learned of the children because their families told the department about their blood test results. To gauge the extent of the problem, The Times obtained and analyzed blood test records from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The analysis found that 547 people under the age of 21 living in the Exide cleanup area tracts had high levels of lead in their blood from 2010 to 2014. Elevated levels are defined as 5 micrograms or more per deciliter of blood, the threshold used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Young children with levels above 5 are among the highest 3% tested nationwide. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The county records analyzed by The Times are not as complete as the data held by the state health department, which collects the results of all blood lead screenings in California. Not all children are tested, however, so the data are considered an underestimate. In an effort to boost testing near the Exide plant, the L.A. County Department of Public Health has for two years administered an Exide-funded, voluntary blood-screening program ordered by state toxics regulators. The state shares blood-testing information with county health officials, which are tasked with preventing lead poisoning. But the toxics department has not obtained summaries of those results to inform its cleanup, despite repeated requests, spokesman Jim Marxen said. Public health experts say thats a serious limitation. Officials should rely on blood lead data and soil lead levels to identify hot spots and target cleanup, said Bruce Lanphear, a public health physician and professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University who studies lead and childrens environmental health. Otherwise they will be shooting in the dark. Grace Potvin and her grandson Shaun, 2, at home in Commerce. The Potvin home was found to have lead levels requiring cleanup. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Lead has contaminated as many as 10,000 properties within a 1.7-mile radius of the Exide plant, according to state regulators. Exide took over the car battery smelting facility in 2000. The company and the previous owners were cited repeatedly for violating hazardous waste laws. The plant closed permanently in March 2015 under a deal with federal prosecutors. The closure followed a criminal investigation and community outrage toward state regulators, who had allowed Exide to operate for decades without a full permit. The cleanup began in 2014 and has been dogged by community complaints that state officials have dragged their feet on an urgent health threat. The contamination was discovered months before high lead levels were found in the water in Flint, yet authorities in Michigan are already using maps of childrens blood lead levels to target neighborhoods for water sampling, lead line replacement, bottled water and filters, said Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and professor at Michigan State University. Hanna-Attisha, whose research showed an increase in children with elevated blood lead levels after a change in the citys water supply, said such screening data have been used in communities across the U.S. to find neighborhoods in need of intervention. Its easy, she said. And it should be done more. In California, community groups and researchers began asking long ago for state officials to use blood-screening data in the cleanup and to release the information to the public in an effort to protect children. Once the exposures have occurred, theres no amount of special education, nothing that can rewind the clock, said Jane Williams, who directs the group California Communities Against Toxics. Once the exposures have occurred, theres no amount of special education, nothing that can rewind the clock. Jane Williams, director of California Communities Against Toxics Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the areas near Exide, called the use of blood lead levels very important to the cleanup. There shouldnt be any reason why we dont know whats happening, Solis said. If people dont prioritize that, then theyre going to look over these communities. Lead is a powerful neurotoxin for which there is no safe level of exposure. Even small amounts have been shown to lower IQs, reduce academic achievement and lead to permanent health and learning deficiencies. Blood testing is typically ordered by physicians for children under age 6, who are most at risk of irreversible toxic effects from ingesting lead in contaminated soil, dust, water and paint. Community groups, environmentalists and elected officials in the predominantly low-income Latino neighborhoods around the facility scored a victory last month when Gov. Jerry Brown announced a plan to spend $176.6 million to sample 10,000 homes and clean the roughly 25% most contaminated of them over the next two years. But the funding legislation has not yet been approved. And with full remediation expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, state officials will have to make tough decisions about where to direct limited resources first. Soil sampling of several hundred homes near Exide has found that about 99% have lead levels that require cleanup, according to the toxics department. The department estimates 2,500 homes may have lead exceeding 1,000 parts million the states threshold for hazardous waste. The states screening level for residential soil is 80 parts per million. Homes with the highest soil concentrations, along with those with bare soil or young children, are being given higher priority. Any home where a child is found to have elevated blood lead level also goes to the top of the list, Marxen said. The mother of one of the two children known to have higher lead levels told the toxics department in November that her 16-month-old baby had a blood lead level of between 7 and 8 micrograms per deciliter. Tests of the Maywood home found lead concentrations of 400 to 1,000 parts per million and the contaminated soil was removed in February, according to the department. The department learned about the other child in April 2015 during a phone call between a toxics department employee and a Boyle Heights mother who said her toddler had a blood lead level of 9.9 micrograms per deciliter. The woman was referred to the county health department and her yard was cleaned up, the department said. Authorities have advised residents awaiting soil testing and cleanup to take precautions: Wash hands and toys, keep children from playing on bare soil and take off their shoes before they enter their homes. Grace and Everett Potvin, whose Commerce home was found to have lead levels requiring cleanup, have ripped out tomato and chile plants from their small garden and restricted the places their grandchildren can play outside. My priority is this little boy, Grace Potvin said as her 2-year-old grandson Shaun played in the living room. I dont want him to be mentally disabled or any problems health-wise. Potvin urged government officials to take all necessary action to protect the health of children in her neighborhood. Take care of it, she said. Take care of it. tony.barboza@latimes.com Twitter: @tonybarboza ben.poston@latimes.com Twitter: @bposton ALSO Genetic sleuths uncover Zikas viral secrets Californias largest reservoir filling too fast thanks to El Nino, must release more water Petition demands Navy stop removing Indian artifacts from Californias Island of the Blue Dolphins Japanese grocer Seiwa opens in Costa Mesa Costa Mesa has a new Japanese grocery store. Seiwa Market, 3151 Harbor Blvd., replaces a Fresh & Easy, whose parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last year and closed several stores. Seiwa is scheduled to have its grand-opening celebration Friday. The store will offer Japanese items including fruits, sake, frozen food, sauces and imported seasonings and condiments, according to its website. * Costa Mesa restaurant Arc beginning no-tipping policy Arc restaurant in Costa Mesas South Coast Collection center is implementing a no-tipping policy. Welcome to the implementation of European hospitality, the restaurant says on its Facebook page. A system that will preserve and reward our dedicated service professionals the fulfilling ability to progress in their careers. The reward of great service will no longer be based on tips but will come similar to businesses/resorts across the world in the form of a raise, promotion, benefits and other incentives. The Orange County Register reported that Arcs no-tipping policy, reportedly one of a few among Orange County restaurants, will start this month and trigger an average 20% jump in menu prices. Arcs owners will put its servers and kitchen staff on the same level, starting at $15 an hour, the Register reported. * Afters Ice Cream coming to Costa Mesa Afters Ice Cream is having soft openings for its new store in downtown Costa Mesa, with a grand opening scheduled for next month. The ice cream parlor is in the Costa Mesa Courtyards, 1835 Newport Blvd., and replaces a Coldstone Creamery at Suite D160. The chain, which also has locations in Fountain Valley and Tustin, is known for its Milky Bun a doughnut filled with ice cream. * Fresh Bros. opening second pizza place in Newport Fresh Bros., a pizza chain, plans to open a second restaurant in Newport Beach, near Costa Mesas Eastside. Fresh Bros. plans to open the location in early May in the Westcliff Plaza shopping center, 1124 Irvine Ave. The chain has another location in Newport at 1616 San Miguel Drive. * Working Wardrobes opens new resale store Working Wardrobes, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit, recently opened its seventh clothing resale store, in Huntington Beach at 6945 Warner Ave. Proceeds from the store will help the nonprofits clients with workplace readiness, interviewing tips and other services. * TLT Food opening in Newport Beach TLT Food, a California fusion fast-casual eatery, has announced plans to open a location in May in Newport Beach. The restaurant, at the Bluffs shopping center at 1332 Bison Ave., will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. TLT Food first opened at the Irvine Spectrum Center in 2014. Its menu features beef short rib quesadillas, seared ahi tuna tacos, pork belly nachos, craft beer, wine and agave tequila-infused limeades, according to a news release. * Kidder Mathews opens office in Irvine Kidder Mathews, a commercial real estate firm, has opened a new office in Irvine and recruited several local brokers, according to a news release. The office is at 2 Park Plaza, Suite 850. In addition to the six professionals we have today, we are expecting several more in the coming weeks and anticipate rapid growth, with a target of 25 to 30 by the end of 2017, Mark Read, the firms executive vice president of brokerage, in a statement. From staff reports Its a new kind of space race, 21st century style. More than 100 students from five Irvine high schools and a dozen more from a local middle school are on a mission named Irvine01, a yearlong collaboration to engineer, launch and place an operational nanosatellite in orbit. The Irvine students would be the first high schoolers in the country to accomplish it. The goal is to send a 4-by-4-inch device known as a CubeSat into low Earth orbit for the first in a series of missions. It is designed to carry a camera and a solar panel propulsion system and collect data such as temperatures and the satellites speed, direction, location and altitude. The launch is planned for March 2017. Its a very ambitious project, said Tinh Tran, 41, a teacher in University High Schools STEM program, or science, technology, engineering and math. This usually is done at the university or corporate level, so this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Tran and fellow teachers from Beckman, Irvine, Northwood and Woodbridge high schools developed curriculum for teams of 20 to 25 students from each school to handle the CubeSat mission. Students from Irvines new Portola High School will be brought into the program when the campus opens in the fall. Students from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School are involved in the project as a STEM feeder program. We get our shot at making history, Tran said. To us, its like the moon shot of STEM education in this community. Its really exciting to try to be the first group to launch an operational CubeSat. I dont know if that puts a lot of pressure on us, but hoping to be the first successful high school here is a huge deal, Hala Ozgur, a sophomore member of the Irvine High team, said during the programs kickoff event Tuesday night at The Cove at UC Irvine. That just makes us put that much more effort in, hoping it will turn out great. Unlike the space race of the Cold War era, collaboration has replaced competition in space exploration. With moon landings and shuttle missions in the history books, the International Space Station and companies such as SpaceX are driving the communal future of orbital experimentation and commerce. Several leading tech companies and science programs at universities including MIT, Brown, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Montana State are supporting the high school effort with mentoring and equipment. For example, the camera being sent up on Irvine01 is provided by Cal Poly. Faculty members at the colleges are serving as guest speakers in Skype sessions and providing other resources. Organizers of the Irvine program are in discussions with a company in Russia regarding the launch. A $150,000 grant from the Irvine Public Schools Foundation provided the seed money to begin a multiyear financial commitment. The plan is for three years of missions, with a goal of rolling forward in perpetuity, depending on continued funding and other support. This is exactly what our foundation is about, looking for hands-on opportunities for our students to gain real-world experiences, so thats why we jumped onboard, said foundation President and Chief Executive Neda Eaton. The Irvine CubeSat program is the idea of Brent Freeze and Kain Sosa, neighbors in Irvines Quail Hill subdivision who had an interest in supporting education beyond the fact that both have children headed for Irvine high schools. Freeze is the founder of Sorlox Corp., an Irvine company that develops fusion power for defense contractors. He said his company was having a hard time recruiting people with the required specialized science backgrounds and recognized that developing talent could start with STEM programs in local high schools. Theres so many smart students graduating from here that go to local colleges, Freeze said. This program has taken off and filled a void like nothing Ive ever seen before. Its just incredible how much excitement and energy there is for this. He and Sosa, a data scientist who wanted to boost participation of girls and minorities in STEM programs, decided to form the CubeSat program in October and quickly recruited unofficial support from NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency. Like-minded companies Accion Systems, Tyvak and Innovative Space Logistics signed on with corporate contributions. Students applied for positions on each of the school teams. Each team has a specific responsibility in the mission, including avionics, power, propulsion, prime (preparation logistics) and communication. We decided to do things a little bit different than other CubeSat programs because they didnt make it into operational orbit, Freeze said. He said the approach is modeled after NASAs launch projects, which use teams from different places working together. Its really great to come together as not only a community but also as a unified district, like the name, Irvine Unified School District, said Parker Haw, a sophomore member of the Woodbridge team. Organizers hope to have a lot of STEM students in early high school and the middle school feeder program participate so as older students graduate, many participants with experience will be returning. Its a totally different experience, and I think thats really neat because it shows the world and our community that different high schools can work together to produce a great end product, Hala said. She said her exposure to the STEM program has her reconsidering plans to study communications and journalism in college. Negative headlines reflect one reality about the Los Angeles area known as Skid Row. The other reality is Skid Row the community, where people are able to access services for issues they struggle with, where they live, work and create art. It is that second reality that visitors will find at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena in the exhibition, Do you want the cosmetic version or the real deal?, a 30-year survey of the community art, performance, and activism of Skid Row-based theater company Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD). Running through May 15, this extensive multimedia exhibition, first curated at the Queens Museum in New York, stretches across the walls and through several spaces in the Armorys large Caldwell Gallery. It encompasses video of LAPD rehearsals and performances, oral histories, written material and visual art, archival photos, news reports, talent show fliers, archival photos and installations. The exhibitions theatrical centerpiece, LAPDs latest installation/performance work, What Fuels Development? is set to premiere Friday, March 25, with additional performances on Saturday, March 26, and April 1 through 3. Performed by LAPD members on a revolving platform where the audience is seated, the work explores the affects of encroaching gentrification on the residents of Skid Row. Co-commissioned by Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia in partnership with the Armory, the Minneapolis-based Pangea World Theatre and the National Performance Network, What Fuels Development? and the overall exhibition were funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council Creative California Communities, and NPN, with additional funding for the Armory from the NEA and the Los Angeles County Art Commission. The new theater piece is based on the real-life controversy of a liquor license application made after the transformation of a Skid Row-area hotel into a mixed-use/mixed-income property with a restaurant. It upset a lot of people on Skid Row, said LAPD founder John Malpede. The housing had been for people coming out of homelessness, many of whom were in recovery, some who were still struggling with addictions. After a formal appeal by residents, the full bar license was denied. The neighborhood has continued to survive largely due to the efforts of people who live there, who have resisted different kinds of encroachments, Malpede said. We hear so much today about artists working in diverse, socially engaged practices, said Irene Tsatsos, the Armorys Gallery Director and Chief Curator, but theres a long tradition of this kind of work. John Malpede founded LAPD 31 years ago and he has been on the ground in Skid Row working and building community as an artist and with others on a creative practice that is very resonant and remains very relevant. For an art gallery, she said, its interesting to have this piece that operates in multiple universes. It reads within the context of the exhibition as an installation, yet it really is a theatrical element. Its a big piece. Skid Row is a designated zone bordered north and south by 3rd and 7th Streets, respectively, and by Alameda Street on the east and Main Street on the west. The approximately 50 blocks encompass a concentration of social services, shelters, and low-income housing. LAPD whose members are residents or former residents of Skid Row has created its multidisciplinary work around the criminalization of homelessness, addiction and recovery, city policies, and housing and related issues affecting residents. I think a lot of the initial response to homelessness was that it was something that was going to be solved and go away, Malpede said. Now, all these years later, its clear that housing is whats needed, and that issue is gaining resonance throughout all levels of society. The Armory exhibition begins with a timeline conveying the history of Skid Row, beginning with the 1891 founding of the Union Mission. It marks the birth of other services and recovery programs, the enactment of ordinances and laws affecting the areas residents, and LAPD projects, performances and visual arts programming. Video stations throughout the gallery air excerpts of LAPD works that have been performed in L.A., in cities across the country, and abroad. A sampling: Red Beard/Red Beard, which originated in a hotel on Skid Row in 2000 and went to Paris in 2008, is a recreation and duet with the 1965 Akira Kurosawa film, Red Beard, set among the impoverished in feudal Japan. I saw it in Mexico in Japanese with Spanish titles when I was just learning Spanish, Malpede said, but I could tell right away that it was a) profound and b) that LAPDers could profoundly understand and interpret it. Agents and Assets, a performance residency that has traveled as far afield as Bolivia, takes its text verbatim from a transcript of a House Permanent Select Committee in Intelligence hearing held after newspaper articles by investigative journalist Gary Webb suggested CIA involvement in the trafficking of crack cocaine in L.A. State of Incarceration is an installation with prison bunks staged in a darkened room with a projection of LAPD cast members relating real-life experiences and reciting in unison a haunting chronology of imprisonment in cultures throughout history. Malpede, a recipient of numerous awards and fellowships (a $225,000-plus Doris Duke Performing Artist Award among them), has taught at UCLA, New York Universitys Tisch School Of The Arts, and the Amsterdam School for Advanced Research in Theater and Dance, and has collaborated with creative artists of all stripes. In 2015, he oversaw the opening of the Skid Row History Museum and Archive, a new home base for the LAPD. The harbinger of his long commitment to the Skid Row community occurred in New York, in the early 1980s, when Malpede, then a performance artist, began to explore though his art the reasons for increasing numbers of homeless people in the city. In Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympics, Malpede witnessed sweeps of Skid Row and attended Board of Supervisors hearings where people testified about conditions at hotels that homeless people were being sent to, and he volunteered as an advocate for Skid Row residents at what became the Inner City Law Center in L.A. He was subsequently hired to fill an outreach paralegal position there. Malpede began leading performance workshops for residents during off hours at the law clinic. I didnt know if this was something that would gain any interest at all, but in fact a lot of people showed up immediately and wanted to participate, he said, but the dedication of people living and working in the community convinced him that this was what I wanted to do with my life. LAPD was founded, Malpede said, to create more ties among people in the community, and to talk about the needs of the community from the point of view from the people who knew best what they were. LAPDs work has always crossed creative boundaries, he noted, functioning in the visual arts world on a certain margin [and] in the theater world. And we work with a lot of social service providers, activists and all that. We have a lot of strong connections in different areas. So, its a lot of wonderful people floating around, Malpede said. Thats what makes it possible to do it. And it is the people who are involved in the project on all levels but especially the people [in LAPD] that make him feel that he is connected to something important. I think thats a big issue for artists, because often times you can wonder, why am I doing this? Is it just for me? For a good review? With LAPD, Malpede said, Every day is a new good reason why. -- What: What Fuels Development? performance Where: Armory Center for the Arts, Caldwell Gallery, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. When: 8:30 p.m. March 25 and 26 (sold out) and April 1 through 3. Tickets: Free, but reservations required. -- What: Do you want the cosmetic version or the real deal? exhibition. When: Ends May 15. Gallery hours: Noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday Gallery admission: $5 suggested donation; free for seniors, students, Armory members. More info: (626) 792-5101, www.armoryarts.org. -- LYNNE HEFFLEY writes about theater and the arts for Marquee. -- ALSO: Dining Review: Trattoria Allegria picks up speed on the basis of its founders earlier success Review: Art Club keeps its eye on West Coast tradition Music Review: Drinkin a toast to 25 years of honky-tonk California Chrome became the highest-earning thoroughbred in North American history Saturday when he impressively and decisively won the $10-million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. It was vindication for the popular California-bred. Chrome finished second in the race last year, part of a disappointing campaign for the 4-year-old. Returning to win this race was one of the reasons he was brought back as a 5-year-old. Most horses of Chromes caliber are placed into stud by that age. Chrome had more than $6.5 million in earnings before winning $6 million in Saturdays race. The former record-holder was Curlin, with about $10.5 million in earnings. Advertisement There was concern that Chrome would be hindered by his No. 11 post and some recent walks where he appeared lathered. But it didnt matter under the lights Saturday as trainer Art Sherman had the horse prepared just right. Victor Espinoza sharply broke him and took him up near the lead. He ran most of the race three and at times four wide before accelerating in the stretch in a way that truly underscored the horses place in history. The winning margain was almost four lengths. It was even more impressive when, after the race, it was seen that Chromes saddle had slipped back near his hind end, yet it did not deter him. The saddle was slipping back a little further and further, Espinoza said. So I didnt want to take any chance, so I let [him] go. Chrome won the 1 1/4-mile race in a track record of 2:01.83. Mubtaahij finished second, and California-based Hoppertunity was third. Other U.S.-based horses in the race were Frosted (fifth), Mshawish (sixth) and Keen Ice (eighth). Sherman was even a little teary eyed in the winners circle. Just to get him back and be here with all of my friends, its the dream of a lifetime, Sherman said. Chrome became the third Kentucky Derby winner to win the worlds highest-paying race. Silver Charm (1998) and Animal Kingdom (2013) also won this race. If the current plan holds, Southern Californians will get at least two more chances to see this winner of the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. After some time off, hes expected to race at Del Mar, possibly in the Pacific Classic, and then conclude his career in the Breeders Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Chromes inauspicious beginnings, bred for $2,500 to an $8,000 mare, and his rise to racing royalty have steadily been growing his fan base nationally, but especially in California. His legion of followers, including some 17,500 on Twitter, call themselves Chromies. The horse has shown an affinity for a special brand of cookies, which fans liberally send to the horses stable at Los Alamitos. After last years second in the World Cup, Chrome spent the rest of 2015 being shipped from place to place, but something always kept him from running. He was finally sent to the farm, where he was able to put on needed weight and rest. He returned to racing in January, easily winning the San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita. He then was shipped to Dubai, where he won a handicap race in late February. Sherman had talked about how good the horse was looking, and at one point said the horse was five lengths better than he was a year ago. Sherman later backed off that a little as the race approached. He was right the first time. Follow John Cherwa on Twitter: @jcherwa MORE SPORTS NEWS Blake Griffin cleared to practice again for Clippers Jordan Spieth knocked out of match play; Jason Day and Rory McIlroy advance Coaches Dana Altman of Oregon, Lon Kruger of Oklahoma are best friends, but one has to lose Saturday Crystal Cruises is upping the ante on its soon-to-launch Crystal Mozart yacht cruises with an exclusive cultural event -- for free. Passengers aboard the Crystal Mozart in 2016 and 2017 may attend an exclusive art tour and classical music concert at Viennas celebrated Belvedere palace complex, the cruise line announced Wednesday. FULL COVERAGE: Cruise reviews, deals and news Advertisement Its included in three itineraries on the Danube River, all of which begin and end in Vienna. The evening starts with a guided tour of the palaces art collection, ending at one of its most famous paintings, The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. Afterward, passengers attend a concert in the Marble Hall, an elaborate two-story room with a ceiling fresco painted in 1720 by Carlo Carlone. The concert will feature the music of Johann Strauss (father and son) and Mozart. The tour continues to the citys historic Ringstrasse, which is where the Austrian Parliament building and Vienna State Opera House are located, before returning to the ship. Crystal Mozarts maiden voyage is set for July 13; booking is available for 10-day itineraries (stopping in towns in the Wachau Valley before traveling on to Germany, Slovakia and Hungary). Guests will be able to book the free evening event starting in April, when other shore excursions will be announced. The cruise line expanded this year to offer luxury travel by ocean, yacht, river and air. Info: Crystal Cruises, (866) 446-6625, or contact a travel agent MORE Upcoming cruise ship: Sneak peek at the Seabourn Encore Disney plans to build two new cruise ships, but itll take awhile MSC Cruises partners with Technogym for new onboard wellness program Six Flags Magic Mountain has transformed one of its oldest roller coasters into a state-of-the-art virtual reality experience that thrusts riders into a futuristic battle to save the planet from an alien invasion. As part of an extensive renovation of the 1976 Revolution coaster, Magic Mountain has added a virtual reality overlay, installed new trains on the existing chassis and removed the universally despised over-the-shoulder restraints, replacing them with simple lap bars. The rechristened New Revolution VR coaster opens to the public April 21, with reservation-only annual passholder previews beginning Saturday. Advertisement I rode the renovated ride six times during a media preview Friday and found the New Revolution to be a surreal out-of-body experience that made me forget I was even on a roller coaster. Getting ready for my ride was not an easy task. Putting on the VR headset while waiting to board the coaster required me to adjust four Velcro straps to ensure a tight fight. A tether looped around my neck ensured the goggles wouldnt hit another passenger should they somehow fly off my head anywhere during the ride. Six Flags employees sanitize the antibacterial VR goggles between each use. The VR headsets synchronize with the motion of the coaster to fully immerse riders in a virtual world of nonstop action. The trick is syncing the steep drops, airtime hills and G-forces of the ride with the visuals in the VR headsets so that riders dont experience motion sickness. Since riders cant see where theyre going, the point-of-view perspective banks, dives and climbs to signal upcoming direction changes. After stepping into the coaster car, I lowered my goggles and synced the headset to the on-board VR system. It was at this moment that I forgot that I was at Magic Mountain and found myself in an alternate universe. Sitting in the cockpit of a virtual jet fighter, I glanced around the lower deck of an aircraft carrier as I waited with other pilots to begin my universe-saving mission. Looking left and right controlled the twin-barreled gun above my head. Touching the side of the headset pulled the trigger and fired a blast of artillery rounds. On the lift hill portion of the coaster, my jet fighter rose up from the lower deck of the aircraft carrier while I fired my virtual weapon at a series of practice targets. Just before the coasters first drop, a massive mothership appeared above a high-rise metropolis. Almost instantly, an alien aircraft smashed into my jet fighter, disabling my weapon and sending me hurtling toward earth as the coaster reached a peak speed of 55 mph. Then the chase was on as I tracked extraterrestrial drones through the city firing missiles, dodging explosions and banking tightly around collapsing skyscrapers. At one point, my plane even smashed through the top floor of a building. Diving beneath the crab-like legs of an alien walker the size of a suburban home, the badly damaged mothership came into view at the precipice of the coasters 90-foot-tall loop. As the battle raged on above the city, my plane landed on the deck of an aircraft carrier docked in a bay as the coaster slowly returned to the station. The New Revolution VR coaster was like riding a video game. I was among the skeptics who questioned the wisdom of wasting time in a virtual world while on a real-world thrill ride. After several trips on New Revolution, though, I came to realize the VR coaster combines reality and fantasy in a first-of-its-kind ride that is unlike anything Ive experienced. The VR coaster delivered a constant stream of G-forces, airtime and inverted loops that cant be duplicated when Im playing video games on my couch. And until I build a roller coaster in my living room, the VR coaster will remain something I can experience only at a theme park. While New Revolution was impressive for a prototype, there was still plenty of room for improvement. Unfortunately, the VR headsets had no audio capabilities, making the experience similar to watching a silent movie. It was disorienting to crash through a window, smash into a billboard or land on an aircraft carrier without making a sound. Six Flags officials said its possible a special effects soundtrack using speakers located along the track will be added to New Revolution in advance of the April 21 debut. While the VR imagery was stunning for a smartphone, the visuals cant compare to the graphics found in the latest cutting-edge video games. Theres no denying the fact that people look ridiculous wearing the bulky VR goggles on a roller coaster. But my own self-consciousness quickly faded away as I put on the headset and slipped into the spectacularly detailed virtual world. It was clear during my visit that riders waiting to board will have to be patient as load times will certainly increase with the introduction of the new technology. Ride operators will have to ensure every VR headset is securely fastened and operating properly in addition to inspecting lap bars and seat belts. Six Flags is adding virtual reality headsets to nine coasters across its chain this summer, joining a global trend that will see theme parks across North America, Europe and Asia jumping on the VR bandwagon. Six Flags fast-tracked the launch of the virtual reality coasters after an on-ride demonstration of the technology by Germany-based VR Coasters in November. The rebirth of the New Revolution also removes the universally despised over-the-shoulder restraints that mercilessly boxed riders ears and made the coaster my least favorite ride at Magic Mountain. The renovated ride is much smoother and more enjoyable now with the original lap bar configuration and a locking seat belt. If virtual reality proves to be a passing fad, fans of the classic coaster will be pleased to find the ride restored to its rightful glory. Back in 1976, the $2-million Revolution was made by Germanys Anton Schwarzkopf and billed as the worlds first modern vertical looping coaster. The Magic Mountain coaster started life as the Great American Revolution, paying tribute to Americas bicentennial. By 1979, when Six Flags took over the park, the rides name changed to La Revolucion, transforming the revolutionary reference from American to Mexican. In 1988, the moniker was shortened to simply Revolution. Magic Mountain rechristened the ride New Revolution for the 2016 makeover. MORE 32 best new theme park additions of 2016 8 unanswered questions about Disneylands Star Wars Land Disneyland 2055: What the future may hold for the original Disney park Hey, Harry Potter fans, heres an exclusive sneak peek at Universals Wizarding World Everything you need to know about Shanghai Disneyland 21 creepiest abandoned amusement parks > Sign-up for our weekly In the Loop theme park newsletter > Follow the Los Angeles Times Funland theme park blog on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State militant group last May, state media reported Saturday. Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants, Russias defense ministry said. Syrian troops and allied militiamen have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Advertisement Palmyra, affectionately known as the bride of the desert, once attracted tens of thousands of tourists a year. Islamic State drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best known monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage site. The extremists say the ancient ruins promote idolatry. The militants also demolished the towns infamous Tadmur prison, where thousands of Syrian government opponents were reported to have been tortured. Retaking the city would be a major victory for President Bashar Assads government, which has made steady gains in recent months against Islamic State and other insurgents. Syrias government has been assisted in large part by Russias air campaign. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the surprise pullout of some Russian warplanes from Syria, but said that strikes against Islamic State and the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front would continue. Those groups have been excluded from a cease-fire brokered by Russia and the U.S. that began on Feb. 27 and has largely held. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week according to the Observatory, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and Islamic State-affiliated media sites reported. The Observatorys figures indicate at least 56 soldiers have died in fighting this week. Footage broadcast on Lebanese television stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyras skyline as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. Islamic State began evacuating civilians this week to other parts of its territories in Syria. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. 1 / 6 Smoke rises from an explosion that destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin in Syrias ancient city of Palmyra. (AFP/Getty Images) 2 / 6 An image released by Islamic State is said to show militants setting explosives at the Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria. (AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 6 An image released by Islamic State shows explosive charges set on columns of the Temple of Baalshamin in Syrias ancient city of Palmyra. (AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 6 The courtyard of the ruins of the Temple of Baalshamin in the ancient city of Palmyra, as it appeared in 2014. Islamic State militants destoyed the site. (Joseph Eid / AFP/Getty Images) 5 / 6 A 2009 aerial view of the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria. (Christophe Charon / AFP/Getty Images) 6 / 6 An image released by Islamic State shows rubble at the location of the Temple of Baalshamin. (AFP/Getty Images) The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. Activists citing sources among advancing government forces said the two sides were fighting over the area, while the Observatory said government forces had retaken the site. Syrian state media made no mention of the area. The head of Syrias antiquities and museums authority described the condition of the remaining monuments including the grand amphitheater, the marketplace, public baths and a long colonnade as excellent, with only minor damage, based on footage captured by a drone and broadcast on Russian television Friday. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> If Syrian government forces retake Palmyra, they will be positioned to advance on the two largest Syrian cities held by Islamic State, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa. Islamic State is on the defensive in Iraq and Syria against an international force backed by U.S.-led airstrikes. The international coalition estimates the extremist group has lost 40% of the territory it once held in Iraq and about 20% of its territory in Syria. On Saturday, Turkish Air Force jets joined coalition forces in attacking Islamic State in northern Iraq, hours after a Turkish soldier was killed at a military base in the region from rockets fired by the extremist militants. Although Turkish jets have struck Islamic State positions in Syria in the past, the attack marks Turkeys first aerial assault on the group in northern Iraq. Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Friday that killed 41 people and wounded 105 at a soccer stadium in the Iraqi city of Iskanderiyah, 30 miles from Baghdad. ALSO A family reunion as some of Yemens last Jews arrive in Israel Extremist cell behind attacks in Brussels and Paris is being annihilated Three suspects in Belgium formally placed under arrest on terrorism charges Three suspects detained earlier this week have been officially charged with terrorist activities, prosecutors in Belgium said Saturday, as investigators in this tense capital continue to track down leads from the deadly bombings targeting the airport and metro. Media reports here linked one of the three men to Tuesdays suicide attack at the Brussels airport, but there was no official confirmation from the authorities. A suspect who is believed to have escaped from the scene has been the focus of a major police manhunt. Advertisement At least four Islamist extremists took part in the bombings at the airport and on a crowded metro train Tuesday that together killed 31 people and injured more than 250 in the latest terror strikes to stun Europe. Three suicide bombers are known to have died in the attacks, authorities say. Four Americans have been confirmed as among the dead. Justin Shults and his wife, Stephanie, were killed in the bombing at the airport, according to a statement issued Saturday by his employer, Clarcor. Shults, 30, who was originally from Gatlinburg, Tenn., and his wife, a Lexington, Ky., native, had lived in Brussels since 2014 and were reportedly dropping Stephanies mother off at the airport when the bombs detonated. A brother and sister from New York, Alexander Pinczowski, 29, and Sascha Pinczowski, 26, also died at the airport, officials confirmed Friday. Organizers called off a public march against fear scheduled for Easter Sunday in Brussels at the request of Belgian authorities. The city remains on high alert, and officials asked that the march be canceled so that police could focus on the ongoing investigation. Belgian prosecutors did not specify what role any of the three suspects now under arrest may have played in this weeks strikes or in any other plots. In a statement Saturday, the federal prosecutors office said the investigation of the Brussels attacks had resulted in the formal arrest of a man identified only as Faycal C. He was placed in custody on suspicion of participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings. A search of the suspects home turned up no arms or explosives, prosecutors said. The suspect was picked up on Thursday near the main justice building in downtown Brussels. Belgian news outlets have cited sources saying that Faycal C. was the accomplice who escaped from the airport on Tuesday. Various media accounts here identified the man as Faycal Cheffou, described as a freelance video journalist. Prosecutors identified the two other suspects charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group as Rabah N. and Aboubakar A. The arrest of Rabah N. was linked to an arrest in France on Thursday of a suspect allegedly plotting an attack in that country. No further details about the men were released. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> A fourth man swept up in a series of raids in recent days, identified only as Abderamane A., had his detention extended for another 24 hours, authorities said. Investigators believe that a large cell of Belgian and French nationals, mostly of Moroccan ancestry, was behind both this weeks attacks in Belgium and last Novembers strikes on Paris nightspots that killed 130 people. The Paris killing rampage may have been conceived and plotted in Belgium, authorities say. On Friday, Belgian prosecutors finally confirmed the most definitive link to date between the Brussels and Paris attacks, declaring that one of the two suicide bombers at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, 24, a Belgian fugitive who had traveled to Syria in 2013. His DNA was also found on two of the bombs used in the Paris attacks, the prosecutors said. U.S. authorities had already said that Laachraoui, an electrical engineer and suspected bomb-maker, was a key participant in both the Brussels and Paris assaults. Belgian authorities, facing considerable criticism for what some call their lax handling of the terrorist threat, have been under pressure to find the missing airport attacker. The normally staid capital, which is also the de facto capital of the European Union, has seen near-daily police raids of homes by anti-terror police wearing ski masks and toting rifles. The escaped airport plotter was recorded on closed-circuit television moments before Tuesdays attack, wearing a tan jacket and dark cap as he pushed a luggage trolley alongside two other men later identified as suicide bombers. Authorities released the grainy image in a bid to help find the fugitive. It was unclear if he also intended to blow himself up but backed out at the last moment, or his device failed, or whether the plan called for him to depart from the airport after leaving a bag of bomb materials behind. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> On Friday, Belgian police swept through several neighborhoods in the capital, arresting three suspects. One of them was shot in the leg as he was taken into custody in broad daylight at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district, the same neighborhood where the airport bombers had turned a rented flat into an apparent bomb factory, authorities said. Police say the apartment, which was discovered after the bombings, also contained a flag of Islamic State, the Al Qaeda breakaway group that has claimed credit for the Brussels attacks and last Novembers mayhem in Paris. In dramatic amateur footage purporting to show Fridays arrest in Schaerbeek, police with rifles drawn are seen approaching a man who is lying, apparently injured, on a tram platform littered with broken glass. Police escort a child away from the man before backing off. The man is seen clutching a bag as a bomb-disposal robot approaches. Witnesses quoted in local media said the robot removed the bag from the scene. Police later dragged the man away; reports indicated he had been shot in the leg. Several explosions heard in the area were described as controlled detonations. On Saturday, the prosecutors office identified the man as Abderamane A. His detention was extended 24 hours but no formal charges had yet been brought against him, according to prosecutors. Belgian officials said Fridays raids were not linked to Tuesdays attacks, but rather to a foiled plot in France disclosed Thursday as police outside Paris arrested Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old French citizen with links to French-Belgian Islamist extremist networks. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the arrest disrupted a plot that was in its advanced stages. Last year, Kriket was convicted in absentia in a terrorism case in Belgium along with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian national who later was named as the ringleader of last Novembers attacks in Paris. Abaaoud was killed in a shootout with French police days after the November attacks. In the wake of this weeks bombings, Belgian authorities have come under withering criticism for the nations failure to thwart the assaults despite numerous signs of a homegrown terrorist network on Belgian soil. The prime minister turned down offers from two ministers to resign after reports surfaced that one of the airport suicide bombers, Ibrahim El Bakraoui, had been expelled from Turkey in June on suspicion of terrorist activity, but the Belgian authorities had not taken any action against him. During a Belgian parliamentary commission hearing Friday, Interior Minister Jan Jambon one of the Cabinet members whose offer to resign was turned down said a Belgian federal police liaison officer in Turkey had made a serious blunder by not following up on the case. The officer, who was not identified, would face disciplinary measures, the minister said. Special correspondent Arthur Debruyne in Brussels and Times staff writer Alexandra Zavis in Los Angeles contributed to this report. For more news on the attacks in Belgium, follow @mcdneville on Twitter. MORE ON BRUSSELS TERRORIST ATTACKS Brussels attacks also shatter confidence in Europes open borders Mistakes were probably made, Belgian official acknowledges after Brussels attacks Injured Indian flight attendant, a symbol of Brussels attacks, is out of danger, family says Syrian pro-government forces battled their way Friday into the outer areas of the city of Palmyra, the archaeological metropolis held by Islamic State militants since May of last year, as part of a punishing month-long drive to wrest control of the city and surrounding areas from the extremist group. Syrian state television broadcast images of soldiers backed by armored units advancing toward the city as Syrian and Russian helicopters and warplanes pounded militant positions ahead of the troops. The state news agency said army units and allied fighters had retaken the ancient citadel, a 13th century castle perched atop a city whose 2,000-year-old antiquities have become some of the most devastating casualties of the occupation. Some opposition activists disputed the extent of the gains, and fierce fighting was still underway, but it appeared clear that Russian airpower was helping turn the tide in Syrian President Bashar Assads push to recapture large swaths of territory that have been declared part of Islamic States caliphate. Advertisement Moscow earlier this month said it would withdraw most of its forces from Syria, but President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that recapturing Palmyra remains a crucial objective. I hope that this pearl of world civilization, or at least whats left of it after bandits have held sway there, will be returned to the Syrian people and the entire world, Putin said. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Palmyra was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world; its storied ruins include more than 1,000 columns, a Roman aqueduct and a necropolis of more than 500 tombs. Drone footage released by Russian media outlets Friday showed that many of the citys columns and arches had been spared from destruction. Yet it also confirmed the potentially irreparable damage inflicted upon the temple of Baalshamin and the heart of the temple of Bel. The citys loss to Islamic State in May was a key setback for Syrian government forces. Overstretched troops, unable to hold ground across a variety of fronts, were forced to give up the city to defend provinces considered more essential to the governments survival. But Palmyras recapture would yield more than just a morale boost; The city lies along an important thoroughfare, the M20 highway, connecting the capital to government-held areas in the eastern desert. Retaking the city would also mean access to Palmyra airport, several weapons depots and the oil and gas facilities stretching from central Homs province into the eastern province of Deir Al-Zor. The assault on Palmyra came as government forces in neighboring Iraq began the early stages of a separate offensive to retake Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, captured by Islamic State in June 2014. The semiofficial Iraqiya News network reported Thursday that Iraqi pro-government troops declared the launch of the first phase of the conquest operation to liberate Ninawa province, of which Mosul is the capital. Analysts say the campaign to retake Mosul, a city of more than 1 million, could drag on for months. The tide in Palmyra began to turn on Thursday, when pro-government forces secured the southwest entrance of the city and parts of the hotel district nearby. Opposition activists confirmed reports of the governments advance but denied that Syrian forces had entered the city itself. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog with a network of activists on the ground in Syria, said pro-government forces had also taken areas north of the city. Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman warned in a phone interview Thursday that any move into the city itself would be a difficult fight, with scores of mines planted around the city. Government forces are also hampered by the need to protect the ruins. Advances will be slower now because the regime forces cant use any heavy weaponry for fear of damaging the archaeological sites, said Abdul Rahman. Its a street fight among the ruins, and there are very violent clashes there right now, he said. Opposition activists reported that Islamic State had ordered civilians to evacuate the city. There are no more residents in the city. [Islamic State] told them to leave, said Abu Majd Tadmuri, an activist with the Tadmur Coordination Committee who uses a nickname for security reasons. He added that residents, thought to number anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000, had made their way toward Raqqah, the de facto capital of Islamic State, more than 100 miles northeast of Palmyra. The evacuations seemed to be corroborated by a video released on Thursday by Aamaq, Islamic States unofficial news agency. It showed a pickup driving through the streets of an abandoned Palmyra, its streets devoid of life and its storefronts shuttered. It also showed a bearded militant sitting atop the rusting hulk of a tank, voicing a threat to Putin. And we say to Putin, Allah permitting, no matter how much you all rally, and no matter of how much you amass against this blessed state, we will be victorious against those disbelievers, said the fighter, according to a translation provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, a monitor of jihadi groups. Islamic State marked its reign in Palmyra early in the occupation by using the citys magnificent theater, once home to a music festival, to stage a gruesome mass execution of army soldiers left behind. Militants blew up many of the citys irreplaceable monuments, obliterating the magnificent Arch of Triumph, the temple of Baalshamin and the Temple of Bel, a unique structure dating from 32 A.D. even while doing a brisk illegal trade in artifacts small enough to be smuggled across Syrias borders. In August, the group beheaded Khaled Assad, retired director of Palmyras antiquities and museum, before crucifying his mutilated corpse on a traffic light pole in the center of town. Islamic State enforces a harsh interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, which counts monuments as sites of pagan worship. UNESCO described the carnage as an intolerable crime against civilization. Maamoun Abdel Karim, head of Syrias antiquities and museums department, said he is hoping for a fast operation to liberate the city. Our hope is that the battle will end today or tomorrow and it will be the end of the misery we endured for ten months, he said in a telephone interview from Damascus. Its liberation will be one of the most beautiful moments of my life. He said he is eager to go to Palmyra and assess the damage to the artifacts. Were just waiting for the liberation to happen, and then well visit the site to see the nature of the damage and their type and what we can undertake an emergency repair plan, he said. Bulos is a special correspondent. ALSO Suicide bomber hits stadium in Iraqi city, killing 29 6 detained in raids in Brussels; man accused of plotting attack captured in Paris Raid that killed No. 2 Islamic State leader was part of new U.S. offensive, Defense chief says Zion Dahari left his native Yemen as part of an international effort to bring its remaining Jews to Israel. He was 14 and not sure if he would ever see his family again. Four years later, they were reunited in an Israeli immigration facility after 17 of his relatives were airlifted out of their war-torn homeland. After stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, they arrived in Israel on March 20. Advertisement I found out they were arriving in Israel at the last minute. I dropped my study books, caught the bus and ran, said Dahari, surrounded by his parents, six brothers and sisters and nine other relatives at the immigration center. All of my family are now in Israel, he said. I am touching the sky with excitement. The airlift was a clandestine operation organized by the U.S. State Department and the nonprofit Jewish Agency of Israel. The mission marked the end of efforts to rescue Jews from Yemen, said Dov Levitan, an expert on Yemenite immigration to Israel at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv. Since Israel became a state in 1948, it has been helping Jews resettle there. A mission known as Operation Magic Carpet brought as many as 49,000 Jews from Yemen by 1950. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> More arrived over the decades, and today only about 50 Jews remain in Yemen. They have refused to leave. Most live in a compound next to the American Embassy in the capital, Sana. Yemens recent descent into civil war made leaving an easier choice for Daharis family. In 2014, Houthi rebels and their allies seized control of large parts of the country, including the capital. Saudi Arabia and several of its allies intervened a year ago to support Yemens government. More than 6,200 were killed in the conflict last year, the World Health Organization estimates. There was a lot of anti-Semitism and the war added another level to this, said 40-year-old Moshe Dahari, Zions father, who had worked as a carpenter in the city of Raydah in the northwest of the country but recently lost his job. The government no longer supported anyone, we had no electricity and limited water, he said. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> Another relative, Yehiya Zindani, who arrived with his wife and their three children, described a perilous exit from Yemen. He said they had little choice but to abandon their house and leave most of their belongings behind. We didnt know who was fighting who in the end, he said. We had attacks near our house, there was a big explosion. The family said that the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, helped them leave safely. The 17 migrants will spend their first year at the immigration facility here in Beersheba in southern Israel. They will then receive financial support to live on their own, including money to put toward a modest house. Zion Dahari recalled his own early days in Israel four years ago as such a lonely time. When I arrived I had plans to study a profession and learn Hebrew, but things didnt work out, they didnt happen, he said. It was too expensive to study, so I now study religious studies in a yeshiva. As for his family, he said: They need to have patience, to be relaxed and not under pressure. This is life and they need to relax and have some perspective. Shuttleworth is a special correspondent. ALSO Toll from ISIS suicide bombing at Iraq stadium climbs to 41 Raid that killed an Islamic State leader marks a shift in U.S. strategy The battle for Palmyra will reveal how much damage was done to Syrias priceless relics Republicans can rest at ease this Easter weekend, but for Democrats there are three presidential primary elections taking place on March 26. Washington State Washington State, where Latinos make up 12.2 percent of the population, hosts its Democratic Party presidential contest on Saturday with 101 delegates at stake, not including superdelegates. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been campaigning hard in the state. With 334,000 eligible Latino voters, Sanders has been hosting large campaign rallies, including one scheduled for Friday at Safeco Field, which seats over 54,000 people. On Thursday, he campaigned in the SunDome, a treaty territory of the Yakama Nation, with 7,000 people in attendance. "Native Americans have been lied to. They've been cheated," Sanders said, according to his campaign. "If elected president, there will be a new relationship with the Native American community." Sanders took an environmental approach on Thursday, stating the Native Americans understood humanity's place as part of nature and obligation to help the planet survive. The Vermont senator added he will tackle big oil companies that have played a negative role in climate change. Sanders might have an advantage in Washington, since the state doesn't host primaries but caucuses. On March 22, Sanders won the Idaho and Utah caucuses, and he has won every caucus so far except Iowa, Nevada and American Samoa. Republicans will hosts their Washington primary on May 24. Hawaii Caucus There's another caucus in Hawaii, where 25 delegates are available. The state is home to nearly 142,000 Latinos, including 85,000 Latino eligible voters. The caucuses start at 1 p.m. local time, but polling information has been scarce to determine who has an advantage in the state. In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., crushed rival Hillary Clinton with almost 76 percent of the vote. Republicans held their Hawaii caucus on March 8. Businessman Donald Trump won with 42.4 percent, ahead of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at 32.7 percent. Fellow GOP candidate John Kasich placed fourth, behind Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, who did not win delegates. Alaska Caucus Finally, Alaska will host its Democratic presidential caucus as well. Polling information is unavailable, per RealClearPolitics, in the state with a 6.8 percent Latino population and where 16 delegates are at stake, not including the superdelegates. Republicans hosted their Alaska caucus on March 1. Cruz narrowly won with 36.4 percent and Trump followed with 33.5 percent. Delegate Count Update According to RealClearPolitics, Clinton leads the pledged delegate count with 1,223, but her count increases to 1,691 with superdelegates. Sanders has 920 pledged delegates, while 29 superdelegates increase his count to 949. A Democratic presidential candidate has to win 2,382 of the 4,763 delegates to win the party's nomination. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. For the majority of his campaign, Donald Trump has been called many names and the man has been eating criticisms for breakfast. The man was referred to as racist, bigot, brat and jingoist, among others. And while he has been lording it over his GOP rivals in terms of delegate count, he has also chased away a portion of the voting population with his blistering rhetorics. Trump has not been the most popular candidate for some groups of Muslims and Latinos, thanks largely to his earlier statements and strong stand on some issues that have rubbed these people the wrong way. And now, his recent barb directed at Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi, as well as his caustic remarks against other women, could be driving away some members of the female demographics. Trump and His Controversial Spats Against Women Trump has previously picked at some well-known female personalities like Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, whom he referred to as a "bimbo"; American comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell, whom he called a "fat pig" and former GOP rival Carly Fiorina, whom he insulted by saying "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?" Recently, he also poked fun at Heidi Cruz's physical looks on Twitter and earlier threatened to "spill the beans" on her. Trump clearly did this in response to the ad released by super PAC, wherein a nude photo of his wife, Melania, was shown. Ted Cruz, naturally, was miffed by Trump's attack on his spouse. "We don't want a president who traffics in sleaze and slime," the Texas senator said. "We don't want a president who seems to have a real issue with strong women." During one of his Wisconsin events on Thursday, Cruz also added, "Donald, you're a sniveling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone." The Potential Effect on Trump's Campaign Some of the recent polls reflect the adverse effect of Trump's remarks against these women. About 70 percent of women expressed a negative opinion of him based on an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, while a CNN poll showed that 75 percent of women, including close to 40 percent of Republicans, was not in favor of the GOP frontrunner. "He already had a gender gap prior to all this," GOP pollster David Winston said. "The potential for that to be bigger now looms on the horizon." Meanwhile, Trump's camp defends its candidate by saying that he only "responded as any normal person would" because of the "vicious, mean-spirited, uncalled-for attack on Mr. Trump's wife," according to his spokesperson Stephen Miller. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments pertaining to the Montana criminal case since the defendant is arguing his constitutional rights for a speedy trial. According to NBC Montana, the Supreme Court is set up next week to decide whether the constitutional rights indicted in Sixth Amendment applies to a defendant who's already been convicted with the charges but didn't receive sentencing until later. Brandon Betterman's seven-year prison sentence in Montana court has been revealed 14 months after he pleaded guilty for jumping bail in 2012. However, Montana prosecutors hold that Sixth Amendment's language is clear: Betterman's trial ended with his plea and with it is his claim to the amendment violation. Times Daily wrote that the Sixth Amendment has been around for 225 years but the questions of whether sentencing falls under its speedy trials have never reached the court before. According to University of Montana professor Anthony Johnstone, "At its bottom, the case presents a question of what that word 'trial' means against a long historical backdrop of Americans' and Englishmen's rights - all the way back to the Magna Carta - of a fair trial." Nonetheless, it should be noted that 14 months of waiting is a long time but Johnstone included that once the individual is convicted, he's no longer accused and therefore some rights don't apply. Betterman was convicted for jumping bail when he failed to appear in Butte court in 2011, ABC News wrote. The charge was a domestic one and he was sentenced for five years in prison. He pleaded guilty to the separate charge of jumping bail in 2012. The delays included waiting for pre-sentencing investigation report and a further one after he tried to get the charge against him dismissed because of the time it was taking to sentence him. Betterman was finally sentenced in June 2013 with seven years in prison. Betterman said the delay made him unable to complete the requirements of his domestic violence sentence as he cited counseling. The delay reportedly caused him anxiety and depression. Betterman previously appeared on Montana Supreme Court wherein it was ruled that the right do not apply to conviction to sentencing. His appeal for U.S. Supreme Court was granted on December. All-electric Jaguar crossover coming by 2018? Mar 26, 2016, 9:18am ET Jaguar will show a \"big surprise\" before the end of the year. Jaguar has hinted that its first all-electric model is right around the corner. "Within two years, we'll have something that's not driven by a petrol engine," revealed Ian Callum, Jaguar's head of design, during a recent interview with AutoGuide. Callum joked that the model he's referring to will be powered by "a couple of hamsters," but AutoGuide believes he was talking about the battery-powered model that Jaguar has allegedly been working on for the past couple of years. Tentatively called E-Pace, the EV will take the form of a crossover that will ride on the same modular platform as the bigger F-Pace (pictured) and the XE sedan. Earlier reports claim it will feature a striking design inspired by the experimental C-X75 supercar. Interestingly, Callum suggested Jaguar is preparing a "big surprise" that will be revealed before the end of the year. He stopped short of confirming what the car maker has in store, but it's not too far-fetched to speculate the British car maker will preview the E-Pace with a close-to-production concept either at the Paris Motor Show or at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The production model will fight in the same segment as the Tesla Model X when it goes on sale about a year later. Photos by Ronan Glon. Ram considering mid-size pickup after all Mar 26, 2016, 11:37am ET A mid-size model would help boost Ram\'s presence in international markets. Last year, Ram announced that it had no plans to take on the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins and the Toyota Tacoma with a mid-size pickup truck. However, a new report suggests the company has changed its mind over the past few months. "I think there's opportunity there in the U.S. if you look at what's happened in the mid-size segment here - significant growth last year," said Ram boss Mike Manley in an interview with The Detroit News. Ram parent company Fiat-Chrysler will return to the mid-size truck segment in a couple of years' time when Jeep introduces a pickup variant of the next-gen Wrangler. Manley believes there's enough room in the segment for both a Wrangler truck and a successor to the Dodge Dakota (pictured), though he wouldn't confirm that Ram is preparing to launch a model positioned below the 1500. Launching a mid-size truck could help Ram expand its presence outside of the United States, where the 1500 is often considered too big. A mid-size model likely wouldn't fare very well in Europe, where pickup sales are low at best, but it could go head-to-head against popular similarly-sized trucks built by Nissan and Toyota in regions like Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia. The global mid-size truck segment is promising enough that even Mercedes-Benz is eager to get a slice of the pie. If approved for production, Ram's mid-size model is at least a couple of years away from hitting showrooms. Jesse Sollman's daughter, Savannah, is 17 and driving. His son, 14-year-old Jacob, is into motor sports. "Jesse would be out of his mind," said Charles Hentz, grandfather of the teens and father of Sollman's widow, Carin Radogna. Hentz was among about 50 residents, local police and Easton officials who gathered at 3 p.m. Friday in Centre Square for a prayer service memorializing the city's three officers who died in the line of duty: Sollman, Luther Fisher and Rush Stehlin. Sollman was fatally shot March 25, 2005, in the police station on South Third Street when fellow officer Matthew Renninger mishandled his handgun. "Today, obviously the 25th of March, is the day that Jesse Sollman passed," Easton police Chief Carl Scalzo said, "and we all remember him and remember that moment. "But today is one of those days ... when it hits home a little more than most because it's actually Good Friday, which was actually the exact day that it happened. It was Good Friday 11 years ago that that occurred." The Rev. Ed Van Arsdale, of Richmond United Methodist Church in Washington Township, Northampton County, led the group in prayer in an effort to answer, "Why did a good man be taken down." The Rev. Tim Ackley, of Cornerstone Church in Easton, also offered prayers for the fallen officers and those still on duty, closing with Psalm 23 from the Bible. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Whether we like it or not, the European Referendum campaign is already under way, threading in and out of the May elections. UKIP is hoping to make gains in the Welsh Assembly, and will be standing candidates in many local elections across England. Competing Leave campaigns fill the pages of the Mail and the Telegraph every day; leaflets are beginning to drop through letter boxes. LibDem activists who protest at the distraction that the referendum campaign presents to local campaigning between now and May forget that voters dont think about local and national politics in sharply-differentiated compartments. They also ignore the extent to which Conservative and UKIP candidates will be using nationalist and anti-EU themes in their pre-May campaigning. Immigration is an issue that affects voters choices in local as well as national elections. Attitudes to asylum-seekers, and how far they should be welcomed into local communities, shape voting intentions. Internationally-minded people, generously-inclined towards outsiders and non-citizens, are likely to be natural Liberals and potential members and activists. I recall canvassing on a former Council estate in Hull in 2004, with a Washington journalist who had asked to come with me to pick up attitudes towards the US after the Iraq invasion. The first person who opened his door to us started with complaining about cars parked on the grass verges; but 2 minutes later he had reached Iraq and how strongly opposed he was to British intervention alongside the Americans without any prompting to move away from local issues. Caroline Pidgeon has included some positive European themes in her London mayoral leaflets, alongside transport, housing and other London-centric issues: quite correctly, in an election in which Londons many EU citizens can vote, and may well be attracted to voting for us as the most internationalist and European party. Pitching for European citizens to give us their votes is important in some other areas as well. But countering the UKIP/Daily Mail rising tide of xenophobia matters throughout all our campaigning, local and national thats an intrinsic part of what makes us Liberals, after all. Polling has shown that between 20% and 30% of the electorate hold positive views about international cooperation, generosity to others, individual privacy and liberty sharing our core values. All of our campaigning should aim at identifying such people, and persuading them to give us their support. Both in the London campaign and elsewhere, anti-Europeans and Conservatives are also playing a subtle race-card, appealing to Hindus and Sikhs. In the London campaign its through underlining that Sadiq Khan is a Muslim, with hints that Muslims (and Labour) will want to tax Asian jewellery (or, it is implied, steal it). The Leave campaign is suggesting that leaving the EU would block further European immigration, thus allowing for looser restrictions on immigration from South Asia a pledge wrapped up in references to Commonwealth immigration, with a deliberate ambiguity about whether this means Canada and Australia or will extend also across Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangla Desh. We need to find ways to counter this subtle appeal. Most of all, we need to be engaged in the European debate as it gets under way. This is not just about facts, as the opening Remain leaflets say: its about what sort of country we want Britain to be, who we think we are. Do you want to live in a country that hates foreigners most of all our neighbours that believes that independence is still possible in an overcrowded world facing threats of climate change and global pandemics? Do wavering voters think they will still be able to travel wherever they want for their holidays without greater obstacles, while foreigners (and suspicious non-whites) will be subject to hostile inquisition every time they cross British borders? Have they fallen for Michael Goves (or Dominic Raabs) romantic English nationalism, in which we are naturally free and continental countries naturally authoritarian? Do they want to live in Boris Johnsons version of Trumpland, in which politicians propound populist myths without caring for consistency or honesty? There are some existential questions at stake in this referendum, which could take Britain towards a deeply illiberal country. * William Wallace has fought five parliamentary elections in Manchester and West Yorkshire. He is a former president of the Yorkshire regional Liberal Democrats. I am a Newbie-Oldbie and joined the Party after the 2015 elections. With a lifelong interest in international relations and career with much overseas work, I particularly wanted to find out where the Party stood on Middle Eastern affairs. I decided to attend the York conference which had interesting fringe meetings dealing with both Israel/Palestine and Syria. What really struck was the contrast between the two cases. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a relatively straightforward clash between a settler-colonial movement and indigenous people, but that of Syria is really complicated, with many moving parts: Regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and their relevant brands of Islam Saudi Arabia and Turkey on both sides, both as part of an anti-ISIS coalition while facilitating Jihadism to topple Assad and/or restrain the Kurds Competing Great Game interests and agendas of international and regional powers, involving access to oil, arms sales and other factors. Moves to contain nuclear proliferation, starting with Iran, and A billowing refugee crisis in Europe. The (Zionist) settler-colonial movement was born in the 1880s, about the time of the Congress of Berlin when other Europeans were carving up Africa. The subsequent establishment of a Jewish state in an already-inhabited land generated considerable native resistance, and led to reprehensible violence on both sides. Somewhat similar things occurred with French settler-colonialism in Algeria, and the British who displaced indigenous Kikuyu in the white highlands of Kenya. However, Israel has been able to continue its colonial project for decades longer than France and Britain, due to a combination of massive and highly effective lobbying, great sympathy for Jewish people on account of their past treatment (above all the Holocaust), and strong support from Christian Zionists in the USA. Many aspects of the conflict will take a lot of time and negotiations to resolve. However, Israel could start the process unilaterally, by halting the seizure of land and other resources, and putting into reverse its illegal Occupation of the West Bank. This would leave many issues unresolved, but it would calm the situation and provide impetus for an overall settlement. So why on earth has the Israeli/Palestinian situation proved so intractable? Here, I believe that we in the West should examine our own navels, and ask why we have failed to provide Israel with incentives to halt a colonial endeavour that is at odds with international laws and our national policies. We might find an explanation simply by looking at political parties in the UK: In the case of the Tory Party, a Channel 4 Dispatches programme of 2009 reported that 80% of MPs belonged to Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI). This begs the question as to whether these MPs have acted out of conviction, opportunism or even fear? In the case of the Labour Party, the Jewish Chronicle and allies are currently conducting a strident campaign (not to say witch-hunt) to root out alleged anti-Semitism after the resignation of the Chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club. In the case of the Lib Dems, one seasoned actor put it to me that senior Party figures are simply scared of being done over by the Jewish Chronicle. I cannot speak for the Lib Dems, but after several years studying the Israeli-Palestinian situation and engaging different actors, I believe that the fear factor bears upon the way British public figures, including politicians, religious leaders etc., and even people in professional and business life, approach the topic. It is a sorry state of affairs but I think it provides an opportunity. If we can only let go of fear, Lib Dems can frame a distinctive and convincing message, one that responds to widespread human rights concerns and our own interest in calming the situation in a convulsed part of the world. While recognising the complexity of the Syrian crisis, I feel Lib Dems could make some distinctive statements on other aspects of Middle-Eastern policy. As a minimum we should acknowledge that British approaches and alliances have contributed to the rise of the Jihadism and international terrorism. This does not just concern the ill-fated invasion of Iraq, but behaviour reaching back to the 60s where we have been too ready to leverage Islamists and Islamic Governments like those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the pursuit of geopolitical interests. * Jonathan Coulter works on agricultural and food market development, mainly in Africa. He joined the Party in 2015 and is a member in Bromley. MAYOR Liam Galvin has backed a proposed 40% pay hike for councillors but says it should be full-time role with a full-time salary. The increase would see their income go from just over 16,000 per year to 23,000. John Crowe, president of Association of Irish Local Government, said this week the amount of work that councillors are doing is unbelievable. When Shane Clifford retired from politics at the end of 2015, Cllr Galvin told the Leader that local government has become a full-time job. I don't know how any person can keep down a full-time job with it and it is something the government is going to have to look at if we want to keep young people like Shane involved in politics, he said at the time. This Wednesday the mayor welcome the pay proposal if we are to encourage young politicians. The public are giving out about some politicians and Im not being ageist here being too old and they want male and female youth coming into local government. You will not survive on the existing salary that is there. It just cannot be done in relation to public life. I know people will respond to me and say people are on social welfare. But when you are in public life, if you want to raise a family, go to take out a mortgage you cant. I welcome it but nothing has been sanctioned yet, said Cllr Glavin. But away from the rise he think councillors should be made full-time with a full-time salary. If that means reducing public representatives so be it, he said. Cllr Frankie Daly agrees. In the current format it would be a welcome addition - there are a lot of expenses in terms of transport costs, getting around to constituents, it is not cheap. Any improvement would be good but my own perspective is to make it full-time. You are not in it for the money. People think when you are a councillor you are very wealthy and it is a well paid job but the reality is it is not. It is more out of community obligation, said Cllr Daly. Cllr Cian Prendiville said being a councillor is a political commitment, not a career choice. For most councillors the allowance and expenses they get are an extra income on top of well paid jobs. Its the equivalent of almost 35 hours a week on minimum wage on top of their incomes, and I don't see a need to increase that by 40% as proposed. In reality this ideas seems more like an attempt by some Seanad candidates to buy votes from councillors. Many of these same Seanad candidates have opposed the AAAs call for a raise in the minimum wage to 12 an hour for all workers. However, if being a councillor was a full-time job and only income, I understand that it would be tough for someone to get by on that, said Cllr Prendiville. THE former IRA member who escaped Limerick Prison in 1966 has said that people should commemorate the Easter 1916 Rising with pride that our fathers and their fathers fought for Irelands freedom. Richard Behal, 78, of Killarney, visited the city last weekend with his former comrades to commemorate the anniversary of their own rising, when he and a group of Republicans plotted an escape from prison, 50 years ago. He said that the Limerick Republicans were amongst the strongest of supporters that he ever received through the years. Mr Behal, involved in the Republican movement since 1957, was jailed after his attack on the British navy vessel HMS Brave Borderer, in Waterford in 1965. When tensions were brewing over the ships presence in Waterford, he requested firearms from the chief of staff of the IRA. Though there was an embargo on militant action in the south, they were authorised weapons for this operation. He originally authorised to give me a bazooka, and I just said to him, Are you out of your mind? I asked for something that would penetrate, or put holes in the ship, so that they could see that we were serious. Our full intent was not to take life or injure any Irish people. So, we got a Boyes anti-tank rifle, which fires an armour-piercing bullet. The ship was severely damaged after three rounds of ammunition. He was charged and convicted of assaulting a garda, though he said they did not touch a garda. This prompted a retrial, but the rebel was to become a State fugitive before that was to take place. When he arrived in prison, Marcus Fogarty a fellow IRA member had only one week left in prison and was devising a plan to get Richard out. On the night of the prison break, the governors daughter was celebrating her 21st birthday party in the prison residence. He said that this startled the men who were waiting outside for Behal, as the prison had its lights on, and that there was a large number of cars outside. Because the prison shut its doors to the public after 8pm, they thought that Behal, then 27, had been captured in the act. He was able to exit through his window, after cutting the iron bars with small hack-saw blades. Luckily, one of the guys said, If the boys are taking their chance inside, we will take our chance too. And its good thing they did. So if they werent there, I had brought my own spare sheets that I had been using to make my own rope, and then I used a cut-off prison bar as a counter-weight so I could fling it over the wall. But I threw stones over the wall, and that was the signal, and the escape was successful, and within 10 seconds we were burning the car out of Limerick, and I spent a couple of weeks in a hide-out in Tipperary. The British were very insulted, so the Government went nuts and searched everywhere. And for weeks, anyone driving out of Limerick was stopped, and houses were raided. Richard fled to mainland Europe for a few months, and was made a political refugee by the United Nations during this time. During his visit to Limerick, he was joined by fellow prisoner Walter ODunphy, 75, a relative of Edward Kelly, deceased, who served time with Richard, and other former IRA members who aided the famous escape. Richard is a member of the National 1916 Commemoration Committee, and will read out the Declaration of Independence at Arbour Hill at the Republic parade, on Easter Monday. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Area 51 (opens in new tab) | Shutterstock.com (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: SipaPhoto Among the several strange stops on our tour is Area 51. But is it actually strange at all? This military based is about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Its claim to fame is that it's supposedly the top-secret site where alien bodies and technology were taken after a UFO crash-landing in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. While it's true the military base is secretive (most military bases are), many of the conspiracy claims surrounding Area 51 have been thoroughly debunked. Bermuda Triangle (Image credit: doctorjools | dreamstime) What secrets lurk in the triangle of ocean between Florida's southern tip, Bermuda and San Juan, Puerto Rico? The Bermuda triangle is said to gobble up ships and airplanes without a trace. Slight problem with the legend: Most of the "mysterious disappearances" cited by believers weren't mysterious at all, but occurred during storms or didn't even sink within the triangle's borders. [Read More: Bermuda Triangle] The Lost City of Atlantis Can it be one of the weirdest places on Earth if no one knows where it is and it's actually just a legend? Let's go with yes after all, many people are convinced that there really was a peaceful utopia that sunk beneath the sea in time immemorial, and they've tried to pinpoint it in spots all over the world. Even Google Earth once fed the legend with a data glitch that created a gridlike pattern on the ocean floor. Keen-eyed observers speculated that it might be the lost streets of Atlantis. [Read More: The Lost City of Atlantis] The Great Pyramids of Giza (opens in new tab) | Shutterstock (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: Dan Breckwoldt The trio of pyramids at Giza is so familiar that it can be easy to forget how unusual they really are. The Great Pyramid of Khufu was built between 2589 BC and 2504 BC, and reached a height of 481 feet (146 meters). Now consider this: Khufu's pyramid remained the tallest building in the world until the 14th century, when England's Lincoln Cathedral took the record. Plenty of mystery remains about how ancient builders constructed the huge pyramids out of 2.5-ton stones. [Read More: Giza's Pyramids and the Sphinx] The Nazca Lines (Image credit: ) Atlantis may be a legend, but the mysterious Nazca lines are real. These enormous geoglyphs in arid coastal Peru depict spiders, monkeys, plants and other figures. They date back to about 500 B.C. but are best appreciated by air (though all can be seen from the ground). No one knows why the prehistoric Nazca culture went through the effort of making the geoglyphs, though they may have had a ritual role or linked up to constellations in the sky. [Read More: The Nazca Lines] Loch Ness (Image credit: Serg Zastavkin | Shutterstock) Beautiful Loch Ness would be notable even without the monster sightings that made it a global name. The lake, which is in the Scottish Highlands, is the largest Scottish loch by volume. It gets as deep as 755 feet (230 m) and has a surface area of 21.8 square miles (56.4 square km). Perhaps this mammoth size is part of what led to rumors of a mammoth beast lurking in the lake. The Loch Ness Monster first made headlines in 1933 in an article that suggested a disturbance in the lake's surface may have been a fight between ducks. It was enough to spur rumors, however, especially when a supposed photograph of a long-necked lake monster came out in 1934. (Decades later, the photographer admitted the famous photo was a hoax.) [Read More: Loch Ness & The Loch Ness Monster] Stonehenge (opens in new tab) , Shutterstock (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: MPanchenko What was the purpose of this ancient icon? A burial ground? A winter solstice monument? A UFO landing site? Okay, it's probably not that last one. But Stonehenge's purpose does remain a mystery. The farmers and herders who built the structure starting 5,000 years ago continued to add to it over a period of 700 years. They left no written records behind, only a circle of striking stones near what is today Salisbury, England. [Read More: Stonehenge's Mystery] Easter Island (opens in new tab) via Shutterstock) (Image credit: Image via Shutterstock) The giant carvings on Easter Island are up to 40 feet tall. There are about 1,000 of them, and their torsos are buried, leaving only human-like faces above ground. It remains a mystery how they were moved into place, but one leading theory is that they were walked from quarries on stone platforms. Teotihuacan (opens in new tab) | Shutterstock (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: trappy76 The great pyramid-filled city of Teotihuacan went into decline about 1,400 years ago and was left in such ruins that no one knows who its builders were or what they called their home. The Aztecs, who would later make pilgrimages to the site, gave it its modern name, which means "the place where the gods were created." Teotihuacan was a major urban area. It covered about 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) and was likely home to 100,000 people, many living in apartment-like multi-family structures. But the city is best known for its expansive "Avenue of the Dead" and major pyramid complexes. [Read More: Teotihuacan's Ruins] Angkor Wat Among the largest religious monuments ever created, Angkor Wat stands out for its gorgeous towers and intricate artwork. The temple city, which sits in what is now Cambodia, was built between A.D. 1113 and 1150. Its towers are meant to elicit the mythological Hindu mountain Mount Meru, and the temple was originally built in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu. Several hundred years later, Angkor Wat was transformed into a Buddhist site. [Read More: Angkor Wat] Cahokia (Image credit: Painting by Lloyd K. Townsend. Courtesy of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Illinois. ) The banks of the Mississippi in the Midwest aren't necessarily known for world-class cities (sorry, St. Louis). But between A.D. 1050 and A.D. 1200, a city flourished right across from what is today St. Louis that was larger than London in size. Cahokia was spread over six square miles (16 square km) and was home to as many as 20,000 people. Modern development covers much of the site, but archaeologists have discovered that Cahokians drank caffeinated beverages and played a game known as "Chunkey." The city may have included a wooden temple and a wooden Stonehenge-like structure, perhaps important for keeping track of solstices and equinoxes. [Read More: Cahokia] Arctic sea ice typically reaches peak levels during the winter months, but this year is one of it's lowest on record. The ice covering the Arctic is at near record lows this year, and this icy deficit may impact weather around the world, NASA reports. Every March, the Arctic's sea ice reaches its maximum cover, both in area and thickness, before it recedes to its yearly minimum in September. Live Science spoke with NASA scientist Walt Meier yesterday (March 25) to learn more about the low sea-ice level and what it means for the rest of the planet. This winter has been extremely warm, Meier said. "Temperatures have been 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit [5.5 to 8.3 degrees Celsius] above normal [in the Arctic]. And we see that reflected in the very low sea-ice cover that generally grows to its maxima [maximum] around this time of year." [On Ice: Stunning Images of Canadian Arctic] NASA has been collecting data on Arctic sea-ice extent (a term that refers to area and volume) since the late 1970s. Last year's maximum was the fourth-lowest on record, and 2016's sea ice extent is also among the lowest that scientists have seen in about 40 years. The Arctic's sea-ice extent varies from year to year, but overall, researchers have seen a worrisome downward trend over time. "We've lost about two Texases' worth of sea ice during the wintertime," Meier told Live Science. "In the summer, it's even more extreme. We've lost almost double that or more in terms of the area covered." Furthermore, the ice is thinner now than it has been in past years. "So, we've lost about 50 percent of the volume of the sea ice, or the mass of the sea ice," since record keeping began, he said. These dramatic changes don't stay in the Arctic. Typically, white-colored ice reflects about 80 percent of the sun's rays back into space. With less ice cover, the ocean absorbs a lot more of these rays, which warms the water. "As you warm [the water] up, you're changing the contrast with the lower latitudes," Meier said. "And that contrast helps set up things like the jet stream and storm tracks and general weather patterns." As the Arctic warms, weather patterns in lower latitudes will also be affected, he noted. For instance, cold air usually stays in the Arctic because of polar vortex winds, which make a circular, counterclockwise trip around the North Pole. But as sea-ice extent diminishes, the Arctic warms, high pressures build and the polar vortex weakens, allowing cold air to flow southward and cause fiercely cold winters, according to Weather Underground. Within the next few days, NASA has two missions planned to take a closer look at the Arctic: Operation IceBridge and Oceans Melting Greenland, which has the rather fantastic acronym of OMG. These campaigns will take scientists to the Arctic and Greenland by land and air. Once there, they'll take measurements of the region's sea ice and glacier thickness. "Basically, we can see these changes, but we don't fully understand the processes that are causing these changes," Meier said. "And so these aircraft flights that we're doing will allow us to collect very good detailed data so that we can better understand these changes and better predict what is going to happen in the future." People can follow both of the missions at NASA.gov/earth or on Twitter @NasaEarth. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Snapchat lovers will surely be sending out all of the praise hand emojis ( On Thursday, March 10, our school, Mean Scoil Mhuire, was honoured to receive a visit from Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental. Mr Reichental is a regular speaker in schools, where he is a living testament to the truth of the Holocaust for a new generation. This was a momentous day for our school and undoubtedly will remain a profound and memorable event for students in years to come. Tomis story was both poignant and eye-opening. He himself confessed that he relives the painful memories of his past so that future generations will not forget or deny the brutal reality of the Holocaust. Born in the remote Slovakian village of Merasice, Tomi recalled fond memories of his life before the Tiso regime began to impact lives of Jews living in Slovakia. Under this fascist dictatorship, Slovakian people saw their country ally itself with Germany and they became victims of the Nazi regime. Tomi told the heart-rendering story of being only six years old when he was forced to wear the star of David and how at such a young age he became a victim of intimidation and abuse because of his religion. In the innocence of his youth he recalls the happy days when his cousins left Slovakia as the first group of Slovak deportees to be sent to Germany in 1942 in the hope of better prospects in employment but unfortunately this was not the case. During the war period, an estimated 58,000 Jews were deported from Slovakia but only between 200 and 500 survived the Nazi regime. Unbeknownst to Tomi the situation for Jews in Slovakia was only to worsen as the strict laws of the Jewish codex intensified after the failure of the Slovakian rebellion leading to the German occupation of Slovakia. This made life very difficult for Tomi and his family as they were forced to hide from constant Gestapo raids. For many months the Reichentals evaded arrest and, after obtaining false papers, they made the decision to flee to Bratislava where they hoped to emigrate abroad but sadly, they were arrested by the Gestapo in Bratislava along with 13 other family members. Tomi was only nine years of age at the time, his brother Miki was thirteen and their grandmother was 79. Following the arrest, Tomi and five of his family members were transported to Bergen Belsen concentration camp, forced to endure horrendous travelling conditions where 60 people were confined in a cramped cattle cart. Tomi described this experience as the end to civilised life as he knew it. After enduring a week of these horrific conditions, the inhabitants were then filed out and forced to walk a death march for two and half hours in miserable weather conditions (temperatures could drop to as low as -25 degrees). The horror was amplified when they reached the camp. Bergen Belsen was located in Northern Germany and during winter periods experienced unbearable cold. It housed around 55,000 inmates and was divided into seven camps in which men and women were segregated. Although it wasnt an extermination camp, hundreds died each day as a result of the illnesses caused by the bitter cold, starvation and horrendous living conditions. As a result, the crematorium in Belsen ran 24 hours a day. During his time at the camp Tomi witnessed death regularly and had to suffer the loss of his own Grandmother who became just another skeletal corpse to join the mounds of corpses covering the camp. Tomis appalling ordeal eventually came to an end on April 15, 1945, when British forces liberated the camp. We didnt understand what liberation meant but we knew we were free, Tomi told his rapt audience. Today, Tomi travels tirelessly around the country, speaking to all kinds of groups about his experience of the Holocaust. This is so that people will never forget the horrors that occurred and to ensure that they will never happen again. He also bravely speaks about the importance of ending racism and social discrimination, encouraging people to accept each others' differences because, as he pointed out; its wrong. Nobody stopped it when it was happening to us, and look what happened to us. Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com Columnists Press Releases Within hours of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on Mar. 22, the Amaq News Agency released a claim of responsibility on behalf of the Islamic State. Amaq has played a more prominent role in the Islamic States propaganda in recent months, reporting on events from many of the areas around the globe where the so-called caliphates fighters operate. Not long after, the Islamic State released a formal statement saying soldiers of the caliphate carried out the operation. As was the case after high-profile attacks in the past, Abu Bakr al Baghdadis propagandists quickly got to work, promoting the events in Belgium across multiple social media channels. Videos, articles, and graphics have all been used to glorify the terrorists deeds. The 23rd issue of the Islamic States Al Naba newsletter was released online later in the day on Mar. 22. It carried an infographic referencing the three suicide bombings in Brussels and an article taunting the Belgian government for failing to stop them. The infographic, which filled the second page of Al Naba, can be seen on the right. It lists 41 Martyrdom-Seeking and Commando Operations during the previous week. The majority of these were carried out in Iraq and Syria. For example, 13 of the operations were executed in Anbar and another eight in Iraqs Salah ad Din Province. But Al Naba also included the three suicide attacks in Belgium in its count. The next page of Al Naba contained a short article entitled, The Islamic State Shakes Crusader Europe Again Hundreds Dead and Injured as a Result of the Martyrdom-Seeking Operations in Brussels. The article didnt include any specific details about the terrorist cell responsible, but Al Naba explained that the explosions occurred just days after the Belgian government launched a security campaign in Brussels. The Islamic States propagandists noted that the Belgians claimed to have broken up jihadist cells plotting to attack the Crusaders. These same cells included a number of soldiers of the Islamic State. But the well-executed operation in Brussels caused the Belgian government to advise people to stay home, Al Nabas editors wrote. And all the Crusader states held emergency meetings to discuss security procedures. Al Naba is not just posted online. Hard copies are handed out to residents in the areas under the Islamic States control. The newsletter is intended to glorify the groups operations around the globe and it is noteworthy that Al Nabas editors were referencing the events in Brussels before the smoke had even cleared. After the Islamic States Sinai province blew up a Russian airliner in October of last year, other designated provinces released videos congratulating their Egyptian comrades. The same was true after the assault on Brussels. The Islamic States Deir Ezzor and Ninawa provinces both released videos on Mar. 25. The productions attempted to justify the attacks. The narrator in the video from Wilayah Al Khayr (the Islamic States name for Deir Ezzor) says that despite being a small state, Belgium has participated in the war against Islam. Belgium is one of the most prominent Crusader nations participating in the Crusader alliance against the Islamic State, the narrator continues, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. Belgiums airplanes commit massacres against our people in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other places every day. The video shows sweets and the aforementioned 23rd issue of Al Naba being handed out to residents as part of the celebration. One man says he hopes that the other Crusader nations are struck, including America. The narrator concludes, Belgium and the other combatant nations of non-belief should know that what they experienced in Brussels, and before that in Paris, is just a drop in the sea of the venom and violent death we have prepared for them. What is coming will be worse, God willing. The new 9/11 The Ninawa provinces video, which was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, features two Islamic State fighters from Belgium. The fighters tie the Brussels bombings to 9/11 and portray them as part of Osama bin Ladens legacy. Here are the lions of the Caliphate roaring in Brussels, the unofficial capital of the European Union, and near the Headquarters of NATO, the narrator says, according to SITEs translation. The degree of the preparedness is raised to the highest, but it did not stop the wagers of wars from reaching the safest and the most fortified places, to carry out their blessed operation and deprive the Crusaders of sleep. The narrator portrays the Brussels operation as part of a war between the Islamic State and Christian nations. O nation of the Cross, be pained and harmed, and taste from the cup of death, from which you always made the Muslims taste, the narrator says. Know that the Islamic Ummah [worldwide community of Muslims] took off the dress of submission, and threw from itself the dust of humiliation. It disbelieved the tyrants, and it retuned to follow the straight path of the Prophet. The narrator also claims that the attacks in Belgium are revenge for the shedding of Muslim blood in Iraq and Syria, ignoring the fact that most of the Islamic States victims in those two countries are Muslims. This is just the beginning of your nightmare, a Belgian fighter identified as Abu Abdullah al Beljiki says. Today we are enjoying this beautiful vengeance, Allah has willed it. After New York and Paris, today we declare to you the new 9/11. A second Belgian fighter, known as Abu Abdullah al Beljiki, evokes the memory of Osama bin Laden. I remind you O disbelievers, with the words of Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy on him, when he warned America and its allies that they will not dream of security before we live it as a reality in Palestine, Abu Abdullah al Beljiki says, according to SITE. Abu Abdullah continues by arguing that the jihadists have built a real Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, so they no longer accept the life of humiliation under the rule of the tyrants. Remember the message directed to you more than a year ago, which warned you that we will attack you in Paris and Brussels, and praise be to Allah, we succeeded in this, Abu Abdullah warns. Know we have other targets and we are determined. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Lourenco do Rosario is Dean of Universidade Politecnica, one of the leading universities in Mozambique which has been present in the market for more than 20 years. The institution is based in Maputo, Xai-Xai, Quelimane, Nampula, Nacala and Tete. Interview with Lourenco do Rosario, Dean of Universidade Politecnica Could you tell us about your visit to Havana and what was discussed with other student bodies during this travel? All the Mozambican Universities said yes to the invitation of the Cuban authorities, inviting us to be present in Havana to discuss education. Mozambique was represented by 40 delegates of all the Mozambican universities. It was a week of debates on several matters concerning research, comprehensiveness, teaching, community relations, etc. But what we have retained as being really fundamental was the development of pedagogical sciences in higher education. Mozambican universities, as most African universities, follow the European idea that a teacher can be a researcher and a teacher at the same time. But pedagogy is sometimes put aside. We have seen that this concern of Latin American universities is extremely important. Every day more the sciences and know-how transfer is not enough to improve teaching and develop HR in the country. Therefore, Universidade Politecnica believes it is important to consider the creation of conditions to establish the first post-graduation courses on pedagogy and education for teachers. When will this post-graduation courses be up and running? First we need to consolidate this idea with the Deans of the University of Zambeze and Eduardo Mondlane and then establish the network of actions which can be held. Teachers need to be trained in pedagogy. What are the news regarding exchanges between Portuguese-speaking universities after the last annual meeting which was held in Portugal? We believed we would have less students than usual, but that didnt happen. Actually, the number of students increased, which is great. It means people believe in our university. The meeting in Lisbon follows the dynamics of the CPLP, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, which is currently being presided by East Timor, and which will be presided by Brazil in July, before the Olympics. In this first meeting, academic titration and also the circulation of people and materials in the communities were discussed. But we have to understand that whatever idea is implemented, each university works at a different pace. Portuguese and Brazilian universities are faster than African ones when it comes to implementation of networks and platforms. Within Africa, universities have different rhythms of implementation as well, see Angola, Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe or Cap-Vert. Resuming, what we discussed in Lisbon was the reinforcement that bilateral cooperation is not beneficial when is done between solid universities and those which are still struggling to implement themselves. We came to the conclusion that if we all worked in a platform, this transfer of knowledge and circulation of teachers and students would bring a greater balance to all. The June meeting in Timor will allow us to discuss cooperation and financing between universities, as well as the importance of the ocean for CPLP. All the Portuguese-speaking countries have interest in the ocean, Timor, Cape Vert, Portugal, Brazil, etc. Not only for its history, geostrategy, politics or international commerce, but also due to piracy, traffic, etc. We are now reflecting on how we can work on this issue. Universidade Politecnica is one of the leading universities in Mozambique With which countries are you planning on making these teacher and student exchanges? The government of Lula, in his first term of office I believe, determined that in all elementary schools in Brazil classes on African history and culture should be taught, but this caught many schools unaware, because there were no qualified HRs for this purpose. The government of Lula also created Unilab, a university that receives a percentage of African students every year. As a matter of fact, many universities in Brazil are already developing post-graduation and masters related to African studies. We established a cooperation protocol with Unilab and we are currently preparing a representative group that will be travelling to Brazil to teach African culture in Unilab. Besides Unilab, we have covenants with other Brazilian and Portuguese universities: with the University of Sao Paulo and with PUC [Pontificia Universidade Catolica] in Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, where we send teachers to teach post-graduation courses and in return they send us students who come to complete their African culture researches. These people participate in seminaries with us and are obliged to minister some classes to our students, therefore having contact with our reality in terms of education. For example, representatives from Universidade Franca will be participating in a jury to promote a teacher of ours. We also have scholarships, allowing our students to do part of their studies here and the other part abroad, in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro or Belo Horizonte. With Portugal, we work with ISCTE (Instituto Universitario de Lisboa), Universidade de Coimbra and Universidade de Lisboa. Basically they send us some teachers who will ministrate courses here in Mozambique. Are you also working with universities that are not representing the Portuguese language? We have an exchange covenant, which is almost ending, with the University of Cranfield, in England, for the course of demining management, and we promote many demining actions with universities in Angola and Mozambique. We also had a covenant with a Swedish university called Groningen, but it was only for transfer of knowledge. We have also worked with the university of Lecce in Italy, where I, myself travelled to teach Italian students about African literature. But these are sporadic actions. I also recall that Usaid (United States Agency for International Development) financed an American university which helped us develop our radio project, as well as actions on health, nutrition, HIV, eating habits, etc. The project finished but we kept the radio up and running. It was a very important project. Exchanges are very important for Universidade Politecnica Could you tell us about your project of banking course? We are using the know-how of Joao Figueiredo, founder of Banco Unico, to promote this course and we also signed a protocol with Fundacao Dom Cabral in Belo Horizonte, in order for this banking course for corporate executives to be created in Mozambique. It is a course to stimulate the Mozambican knowledge of the Brazilian banking system. Part of the course is performed in here by Brazilian teachers and the other part in Brazil, where the students will be able to visit the banks and the banking system. This is a big project for us, alongside our masters and doctorates. What are the benefits of this banking course for those corporate executives? There are 3 main benefits: improvement of banking administration, banking product and service execution, and staff training. We truly believe this will help Mozambican banks to develop. Due to your expansion as a university, you will soon inaugurate a new building, correct? The university was created in 95 and in 98, due to political and social pressures, we were invited to create our headquarters in Quelimane in the Zambezia province. We were the first university to establish in that province, which is one of the biggest in the country in terms of demographics. We are now celebrating 18 years in Zambezia and therefore we are going to inaugurate a new building which cost us arounf 4 million US dollars. In terms of education buildings in Zambezia, ours is the first private building. This is an honor and we are very proud. Universidade Politecnica is also present in Quelimane in the Zambezia province What is your vision for Universidade Politecnica in 2016? Mozambique is facing some economic problems and when we prepared this school year we were a bit pessimist when comparing to the year of 2015 or 2014. We believed we would have less students than usual, but that didnt happen. Actually, the number of students increased, which is great. It means people believe in our university. Moreover, our e-learning platform also increased the number of students from 350 to 700 students. We created this platform since Africa is quite big and we cant be everywhere in person. What are the communities that tend to choose e-learning more often? There are many people looking for this type of learning platforms, mainly people in the interior of the country, which dont have a way to attend universities in person, or even public network officials or PMEs staff. What are your perspectives on the economic development of the country? We are currently facing political problems, but those will be solved and only then will we be able to reach an economic turnaround. Moreover, as Mozambique is not an oil dependent country, it can survive the low-cost of oil, which Angola, for example, cannot. The coal and gas crisis also shows this country that people need to diversify and I believe that when the political and military crises ends in Mozambique, we will be able to survive and develop in financial terms. The Port of Gothenburg has appointed a new Harbour Master Asa Karnebro. Asa has been deputy Harbour Master at the Port of Gothenburg since 2010. In her new position she has identified a number of ways to further strengthen the port's competitiveness, not only in Europe but also globally. As the new Harbour Master at the Port of Gothenburg, Asa Karnebro has ultimate responsibility for ensuring good order at the port; that vessels arrive and leave efficiently, safely and in a way that is not environmentally detrimental. Her new duties also include representing the port in nautical issues and cooperating with public agencies and shipping organisations in port-related matters. "It was of course very pleasing and an honour to be approached and the response from colleagues and other people around me has been highly encouraging. I am keen to put together a strong team and continue to develop the port for the future," said Asa Karnebro. More efficient arrival procedure A key area in which Asa Karnebro says there is potential for development is the port's arrival procedure. "It is extremely important to retain our position as the largest port in the Nordic region. But this requires clearer collaboration and more extensive sharing of information between the members of the port cluster and the vessels arriving at the port. I am currently investigating how we can encourage all those involved to pull in the same direction even more and improve communication before the vessel arrives. If we can achieve this then we can reduce the lead times." Another important factor that Asa highlights is collaboration with the City of Gothenburg. She states that a well-founded and fruitful dialogue is important if the port and the city are to develop. "The Port of Gothenburg has over the years been an extremely important part of the city of Gothenburg. I want to contribute to developing our collaboration even further. It is a great pleasure and a considerable source of inspiration for me to be involved in the work that is taking place in the city to develop the waterfront," said Asa. End of an era for long-serving employee Asa Karnebro will take over from Jorgen Wallroth, who will retire after 22 years as Harbour Master at the Port of Gothenburg. "During Jorgen's time as Harbour Master, the Port of Gothenburg has doubled its container volumes and has developed into the large, modern European port that we know today. He has been highly instrumental in this expansion," said Magnus Karestedt, Port of Gothenburg chief executive. Male-dominated industry Shipping has throughout history been a male-dominated industry and this remains the case even today. At the major ports in Europe and in other parts of the world, Asa Karnebro is unique as a female Harbour Master. Asa does not feel that this should come as a surprise. "I understand that it may appear unusual. But I've been in this industry since I was 16 and in many of my previous positions in shipping I was the first woman to be appointed. Having said that, I know from experience that there are many people in the industry who are keeping a close eye on me." "Ideal for the job" Port of Gothenburg chief executive Magnus Karestedt is very pleased with the appointment. She was in fact the main candidate from the outset. "Asa was our first choice when we entered the process and she is the obvious successor to Jorgen Wallroth. She has the drive that is needed to further reinforce an already safe, efficient port for ship arrivals and I am convinced that she is ideal for the job," said Magnus Karestedt. Stock Market SPX & Crude Oil at Critical Juncture The SPX at the 2050 level looks like a great place for a pullback to begin as indicated in the chart below. There is a potential distribution topping phase in which the SPX may pull back to 2000. I see a potential target at 1890. The price has made a series of lower swing highs and lower swing lows since topping in 2015. There was a big August 2015 sell-off, followed by a rally to a lower high in November 2015, then a sell-off to a lower low in January 2016. The rally currently is still at a lower high than the November 2015 high. Based on data, provided by Investor Intelligence, the bulls are up to 47.4% and the bears are down to 27.8%. This data has been collected from a survey of newsletter writers and investor advisors. This sentiment has changed very quickly and now points to an exhaustion inflection point in the SPX. This is a rare and excess swing of sentiment within a very brief period of time. It is reflecting that this move upwards is unsustainable! A topping phase has now started, but know we could see slightly higher highs during this choppy process. Crude Oil and SPX Comparison Chart: As long as the WTI Oil does not rally, the SPX will continue its decline. SPX and Oil Trading Conclusion: I feel oil will hold up and bounce for a couple more weeks and help support the stock market. But once stocks lose their upward momentum and oil starts to fall again look out below! Find out when to buy and sell the key indexes, sectors and commodities with my ETF trade alert newsletter: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com Chris Vermeulen Join my email list FREE and get my next article which I will show you about a major opportunity in bonds and a rate spike www.GoldAndOilGuy.com Chris Vermeulen is Founder of the popular trading site TheGoldAndOilGuy.com. There he shares his highly successful, low-risk trading method. For 7 years Chris has been a leader in teaching others to skillfully trade in gold, oil, and silver in both bull and bear markets. Subscribers to his service depend on Chris' uniquely consistent investment opportunities that carry exceptionally low risk and high return. Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. SPRINGFIELD - Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy said the city is poised for a strong year in economic development throughout 2016, particularly with progress he expects to occur on his "Top 5" list of projects that range from the MGM Springfield casino to redevelopment of Union Station. "We haven't seen any slowdown," Kennedy said. "We have also seen the projects that we thought would happen are happening - Union Station, the casino, the Innovation District, they really are happening." The projects include the downtown but also involve other neighborhoods and trigger citywide benefits including jobs and revenue, Kennedy said. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno agreed the economic development outlook "looks very strong" for the year ahead. The effort is "all about jobs" and creating vendor opportunities and spin-off benefits for the economy, Sarno said. Aided by collaboration between the developers and city, the public will start to see a busy skyline in the months ahead with cranes and other equipment a welcome sign of progress, he said. Kennedy offered the following summaries of progress he expects will occur in the coming year on his Top 5 projects in Springfield plus a project he referred to as his "5-B." MGM Springfield casino As soon as the City Council completes its site plan review on the $950 million casino project, Kennedy said the public can expect to see continued demolition, construction and related work. With properties already demolished including the former Alfred G. Zanetti School, next steps include relocation of a Spiritualist Church to Union Street, and construction of a parking garage. The public "is going to be pretty pleased when we see actual progress and more pleased when we start to reap the benefits," Kennedy said. Union Station redevelopment The $88 million project is under full construction including a new parking garage and major renovations occurring throughout the year within the long-dormant intermodal transportation center. Bus berths will be installed and there will be a complete renovation of the station terminal expected to be completed by the end of the year, Kennedy said. CRRC rail car factory Kennedy said the public will start to see activity on the grounds of the planned CRRC USA Rail Corp. factory this year at the former Westinghouse property on Page Boulevard in East Springfield. That will include construction activity, arrangements with supplier chains and training for its future workforce, he said. CRRC is planning to build a 213,000-square foot building for the assembly of rail cars and also renovate an existing former Westinghouse building on the 40-acre property. The Downtown Innovation District The city will continue to expand upon its creation of a downtown innovation district that includes renovations of various buildings along Bridge Street for 'business accelerator" programs, incubator businesses and job creation efforts. The city announced in January plans to free municipal Wi-Fi wireless Internet network in conjunction with the Innovation District. North Main Street reconstruction and a North End master plan. Kennedy said that the long-awaited reconstruction of North Main Street from Carew Street to the Chicopee city line is ready to begin. That includes street reconstruction, sidewalks, traffic signals and street lights. In addition, the city will be working with the New North Citizens Council as that neighborhood group works on a master plan. Kennedy even offered a "5B" in the Top 5 list, saying he expects there will be announcements of plans and renderings for the long-awaited redevelopment of the Indian Motocycle Apartments and Mason Square fire station. Chefs and food entrepreneurs interested in taking their favorite recipe "commercial" can find technical assistance at the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center in Greenfield. On the third Tuesday of each month the center offers a no-cost information session and tour for individuals interesting in having their food products packed at the center. Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on April 19, May 17, and June 20. Advance registration, which is required, can be accomplished by calling the Center at (413) 774-7204, extension 100 or by going to fccdc.org/ DAKIN_SPAY_NEUTER_2_14419293.JPG Dr. Sherri Therrien is one of the veterinarians at the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield performs spaying and neutering. (The Republican file photo) By LEE CHAMBERS Last month, a bright eyed Tiger cat named Dixie arrived at Dakin Humane Society for spay surgery. Some time ago her family had found her, homeless and roaming the streets in upstate New York, bundled her up and brought her home. When it was time for her to undergo her surgery, they came to Dakin, where she became the 66,000th patient at our Community Spay/Neuter Clinic. Not only was that a significant milestone, we're proud to note that Dakin is the largest spay/neuter provider in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Just last year we conducted 10,877 surgeries including 8,800 for pets living with families in our community, animals in the care of other rescue or animal control organizations, and feral cats. Recently we started performing spay/neuter surgery on rabbits as well, and during the month of April, thanks to a grant from PetSmart Charities, we will be able to sterilize 125 feral or "community" cats brought to our Clinic for free. As a direct result of this hard work, and that of our sister organizations, fewer unwanted litters are being born in the region and the homeless animal population has been greatly reduced. In fact, the number of homeless kittens brought to Dakin has fallen 54 percent since 2009. And that has driven all the other changes for animals in our care. We now have more time and resources to help homeless pets who have significant behavioral or medical complexities. In addition to the committed network of supporters and volunteers in Dakin Nation, our skilled and devoted staff has made these breakthroughs possible. Dakin's Clinic veterinarians are full-time, highly-skilled medical professionals who offer cutting edge quality care for every animal. In addition to their expertise in the Spay/Neuter Clinic, their services are in demand each Thursday morning when we present our weekly Vaccine Clinic in Springfield. The Vaccine Clinic enables the first 40 dogs and cats in line to receive a wide variety of treatments at affordable prices; from rabies and/or parvovirus vaccinations ($10 each) and feline leukemia vaccinations ($20) to flea/tick preventives ($28 for dogs, $15 for cats) and microchipping ($20), among others. A brief veterinarian examination precedes these treatments and costs $10 for a pet who has been spay/neutered, and $25 for one who is not. If your pet still needs to be spay/neutered, we offer special discounts to people at our Vaccine Clinic. With warm weather coming, we encourage people with dogs to have them receive a distemper/parvovirus vaccination to ward off the possibility of parvo infection, which surfaces each summer. In 2014 several Springfield communities were hit hard by this agonizing and often fatal dog illness, so please take this easy step to keep your best friend safe. Other seasonal hazards for canines include heartworm (which is transmitted by mosquitos) and intestinal parasites, both of which can be prevented by treatments at our Thursday Vaccine Clinics. Since its inception in 1969, Dakin has become one of the most recognized nonprofit organizations in the Pioneer Valley and a national leader in animal welfare. Thanks to all of you in Dakin Nation, our clinic is creating a more humane community, by providing high quality compassionate care to every animal that comes through our doors. For more information about Dakin Humane Society, please visit dakinhumane.org Lee Chambers is marketing and communications manager of Dakin Humane Society. Dakin delivers effective, innovative services to animals in need and the people who care about them. SPRINGFIELD - Three contemporary instrumental works will make their world premiere on a concert tour featuring two Pioneer Valley artists, pianist Andrew D'Antonio and flautist Erin Pulley, during the first week of April. The four-city tour begins at the Community Music School of Springfield, Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Robyn Newhouse Hall, continuing with performances at the Edwards Church in Northampton, Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m., The Green Room in Somerville, Saturday, April 9 at 6 p.m. and St. John's Episcopal Church in Williamstown, Sunday, April 10, 3 p.m. The concerts are free, however, donations to defray the costs of the artists will be appreciated. The concert tour is supported in part by a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, a local agency, supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency, also supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Funding to private robotics companies doubled in 2015 to reach a record high of $587 million, according to CB Insights. And robots were the dominant theme at a conference Amazon held earlier this week to encourage inspiration and creativity in techs hottest fields. In one demonstration, Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos was helped onstage in a blue robotic suit somewhat reminiscent of Iron Man, but which simulated the perils of old age. A person wearing the Genworth R70i still can control their movements, but is greatly hampered by the constraints of the 40-pound suit. By Matt McFarland Full Story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/03/25/get-ready-for-robots-to-become-part-of-the-family/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-technology%3Ahomepage%2Fcard Le Leader du MMM a annonce le 8 octobre 2022 quil a rencontre celui du Ptr le 6 octobre 2022 dans leur quartier residentiel. La rencontre Paul Berenger / Dr Navin Ramgoolam a ete une occasion pour le leader des rouges dexpliquer le retrait de sa petition contestant les elections dans la circonscription No 10, Montagne Blanche / Grand Riviere/Sud Est. A une question de Maurice Info si les negociations ont avance, Paul Berenger a indique qu;il ne va en parler sur la place publique avant dajouter que les leaders lEntente de lEspoir aura une nouvelle rencontre. Elle aura lieu apres les retours de Xavier Luc Duval et de Nando Bodha actuellement en France et Inde respectivement. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires by Josh Engroff , Op-Ed Contributor, March 25, 2016 To write is human, to edit is divine. -- Stephen King Movie buffs have no problem rattling off this years Academy Award nominations for Best Picture. However, ask them to name just one movie nominated for Best Film Editing, and they may struggle. But, perhaps surprisingly, these are two of the most highly correlated categories in the Oscars. In fact, since 1981 not a single film has won Best Picture without having also been nominated for Best Film Editing. And, in roughly 66% of the cases, the film being nominated for Best Editing has gone on to win Best Picture. Obviously, great editing goes hand-in-hand with great film success. The editors task is deciding what to keep, and what to cut from a piece of work, and these decisions may seem drastic or even violent (at least to its author). The word decision comes from the Latin cidere (to cut away) and is related to cide (killing). Or as Stephen King put it in On Writing: Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribblers heart, kill your darlings. advertisement advertisement Reading down the list of the top 200 mobile apps underscores, in a different context, the power of great editing. The top apps -- Snapchat, Messenger, Instagram, Pandora, Spotify, Uber -- all provide delightful, frictionless user experiences. They are perfected, purposeful environments free of nonessential details or functionality. And because these top 200 apps dominate 70% of all usage, they form the de facto rulebook for success. A few brands follow this rulebook: Chase, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Bank of America, and CVS. But the vast majority of brands do not, residing alongside 1,499,800 others in the purgatory of the 30%. Help is coming, and it will look like a bot. Bots are focused, purpose-driven, highly essentialized pieces of software. Stripped of excess ornament or bloatware, bots reduce friction to as close to zero as computing allows. They are an editors dream. Bots arent new. Googles search algorithms have relied on bots (called spiders) to index the Web for years. But three recent and overlapping shifts are making bots ever more central to our digital lives. Huge advances in AI technology and commercial applications. AlphaGos victory over Korean Go champion Lee Se-dol two weeks ago not only captured world attention, it also sprung AI from the laboratory think-tank. The commercialization of AIs various sub-categories -- natural language processing, computer vision, machine learning -- is where a lot of companies justifiably spend their time, because this is where the obvious applications are (Amazon Echo, for example). Bots are natural containers for much of this new functionality, because they are easy to make, work well in multiple environments, and dont ask users to change current behaviors. Messaging as a platform. Platforms appear where there is massive consolidation of engaged users. Developers write software only for dominant or ascendant platforms and will ignore the rest (remember Symbian?) The only smartphone OS platforms that matter today are iOS and Android (in all its versions). Higher up the stack, the only apps that matter are the top 200 mentioned earlier. Within that rarified group, those apps that really, really matter Messaging, for one -- become platforms. Bot stores become the new app stores. Bot ecosystems are growing up everywhere: Kik, Slack, and Telegram have them, Google is developing its own chatbots, and VCs are talking about the Great Bot Rush of 2016. The most important development in this area particularly for brands may happen three weeks from now at Facebooks F8 on April 12. It is widely accepted that, during this event, Facebook will announce the creation of a Facebook Bot Store (or at least a robust developer SDK), making branded bot integration within Messenger easier than ever. But will consumer prefer to use a brands native app, or the brands bot inside Messenger? Techcrunchs rhetorical question seems to make the answer obvious: When you can quickly and easily interact with Dominos, United Airlines and Capital One on Messenger, will you ever use their bloated native apps again? The evolution of messaging apps into giant, chat-based platforms, along with the simultaneous growth of bot ecosystems that serve them, will force brands to significantly question their current mobile strategies: Focus on low-cost, high-quality bot integrations with major platforms, and bring my brands core value proposition to a large number of consumers in their preferred environment? OR: Continue to spend real money building and promoting stand-alone apps that will probably be ignored by most users? In other words: To edit, or not to edit? That is the question. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. Advertisement Bhamla isn't alone. Bhamla and Fuller suspected that most of the discomfort arises from the break up of the tear film, a wet coating on the surface of the eye, during a process called dewetting. They found that the lipid layer, an oily coating on the surface of the tear film, protects the eye's surface in two important ways - through strength and liquid retention. By mimicking the lipid layer in contact construction, millions of people could avoid ocular discomfort.In their most recent study, Bhamla and his co-authors outline two functions of the lipid layer. One is to provide mechanical strength to the tear film. Lipids in this layer have viscoelastic properties that allow them to stretch and support the watery layer beneath them.Bhamla likens this protective lipid layer to a swimming pool cover. You can't run on the open water, but even a thin tarp can provide mechanical strength to support a person's weight."You will sometimes see the guards at the Stanford Avery pool run over the surface of the covered pool," Bhamla said. "The mechanical structure is very thin, but it protects the whole bulk of the liquid. If the swimming pool is shrunk to 1/100th the width of a hair, it is a good representation of the tear film with a lipid layer replacing the tarp."The lipid layer also prevents the tear film from evaporating away. Eyes are roughly 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), which is usually warmer than the ambient air. Like any liquid on a hot surface, the eye is constantly heating its liquid coating and losing moisture to the air."We recognized early-on that the fluid mechanical responses of the lipid layer were just as important as the conventional view that its role was to control evaporative loss," Fuller said. "And it's been gratifying to realize that the combined role of these two forces is now accepted."The key to producing comfortable contact lenses, then, involves designing lenses that don't destabilize the tear film. Manufacturers recognize the importance of protecting the eye's natural tear film on a contact lens surface to minimize painful symptoms such as dry eye, but it is not an easy thing to measure."Some people are studying contact lenses by holding them up to a light, dipping them in water, and looking at them to see if the tear film breaks up," Bhamla said. "We felt we could definitely do better than that."To solve this, Bhamla and Fuller built a device that mimics the surface of the eye. The machine, called the Interfacial Dewetting and Drainage Optical Platform or i-DDrOP, reproduces a tear film on the surface of a contact lens. It allows both scientists and manufacturers to systematically handle the unique array of variables that affect the tear film, including temperature, a variety of substances, humidity and the way gravity acts along a curved surface.With the ability to accurately recreate a tear film on the contact lens surface and test how quickly it breaks up, manufacturers are now armed with the tools to make a more comfortable lens that protects users from the painful side effects of wearing contacts. Even Bhamla may trade in his glasses for a new pair of lipid-protected eyewear.Source: Eurekalert Authorities say 22-year-old Fairborn resident Thomas DiMassimo jumped a barricade and charged at the Republican presidential candidate March 12 at a Dayton International Airport hangar. DiMassimo was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, illegally entering a restricted area. He pleaded not guilty Friday. His attorney, Jon Paul Rion, says the Wright State University student wanted only to ensure his political views were heard. Video shows DiMassimo touched the stage where Trump was speaking as Secret Service agents and other security converged. The acting U.S. attorney for southern Ohio tells the Dayton Daily News it's an important case in the context of an election full of passion and protests. HARBOR BEACH The City of Harbor Beach inched one step closer to starting its waterfront development project, following legislation that was passed this week in the Michigan Senate. On Wednesday, the Senate approved legislation allocating $27.9 million from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (NRTF) to natural resources improvement and acquisition projects across the state, including $295,000 for the citys plans to turn its former Coast Guard station into a waterfront attraction. The trust fund is supported by interest earned on funds generated from the development of state-owned mineral rights. The Natural Resources Trust Fund helps fund projects in the 25th District and throughout the state, said Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township in a release. The money in this bill will help support six important projects in Huron, Macomb and St. Clair counties and enhance the quality of life for those in the area. The citys specific plans for the project call for lake access to be provided by establishing a 540-foot pier on the bottomlands where a catwalk once connected the offshore station to the shore. A 1,240-foot paved drive off of Pack Street will allow vehicle access to parking next to the pier, while a paved trail off of the bike and pedestrian path will connect the existing path with the pier. A kayak launch also will be established adjacent to the pier. The drive, path extension, parking area and pier will be lighted. The retired Coast Guard garage and cupola, that remains on the property, will then be restored with funding from a Department of Transportation TAP grant. Following its passage in the Senate, House Bill 5377 now heads to Gov. Rick Snyder, who is expected to sign the measure. Harbor Beach Supervisor Ron Wruble said once the city is assured its receiving the funds, they will be lining up an engineer to get the process started. A meeting with the DEQ regarding the permit-intensive bottomlands project will take place sometime this spring. Wruble said the city hopes to start moving forward with the construction phase by spring 2017. In a compliment to the waterfront development project, Harbor Beach also received a check for $150,000 from DTE. According to Wruble, DTE will decommission its site in Harbor Beach, and the fishing access at that site will be eliminated. However, DTE has partnered with Harbor Beach to re-establish the public fishing access on Harbor Beach property in conjunction with the waterfront enhancement project. Almost 100 people mostly from Haiti who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the Florida coast had no food or water for... The commandant of the Marine Corps paid tribute to a staff sergeant killed by Islamic State rocket fire in Iraq last week, shedding new light on the circumstances surrounding the loss. Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin, 27, a member of Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was killed by indirect fire March 19 at a new artillery outpost near Makhmour, Iraq, shortly after he and a small element of Marines had detached from the MEU in order to support the small post. Speaking at a Marine Corps Association awards dinner near Washington, D.C. Thursday night, Gen. Robert Neller said three other Marines wounded in that same rocket attack were due to arrive back in the United States that evening, headed for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Reflecting on Cardin's loss, Neller did not prevaricate about a fight that US officials still refuse to describe as a combat operation. "The loss of a Marine is sad, but I thought about it: He was leading his Marines in combat," Neller said. "They were in indirect fire and he made sure everybody got in the bunker, and he just didn't make it in time. Is that sad? That's sad. But if you're going to go, you want to go in the fight." During a briefing to reporters at the Pentagon on Friday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said the circumstances of Cardin's death, the second combat death since the coalition fight against Islamic State militants began, does not change the nature of the operation or indicate an increase in the Marines' ground combat role. "This is not a fundamental shift in our approach to support the Iraqi forces," he said. "This happens to be what was the most appropriate tool that the commander assessed needed to be in that particular location." In his talk, Neller encouraged Marines to remain sharp, reminding them that the Corps was forward deployed all over the world to remain ready and train for future fights. "[Cardin's] death, and the things we see every day, from the attacks in Brussels by those murderous cowards that we're fighting, that's part of our world today," he said. "So whether [The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] continues to use terror to intimidate us and kill innocents, at the same time other adversaries, as they have since we've been engaged in the Middle East, are developing their capabilities to challenge us on future battlefields." Neller also fired a shot across the bow at another geopolitical threat, hinting that Marine Corps leaders were eager to answer the saber-rattling of Russian president Vladimir Putin with a show of force. About 1,800 Marines, he said, had recently wrapped up a massive cold-weather exercise in Norway, Operation Cold Response. "It's the biggest exercise we've done in Norway in some time," he said. We were working to repopulate our [pre-positioning equipment] in the caves, and the Norwegians were happy to see us and I'm sure our Russian friends were paying attention. Mr. Putin has done us a great favor." --Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Cascade Township has selected Clem Bell to fill the remaining months of outgoing Clerk Ron Goodyke's term. Bell, 50, currently serves as a paid on-call firefighter for the Cascade Fire Department. He joined the local department in 2010 and received certification in Fire Fighter I and II, as a medical first-responder, and as a hazardous material technician. His is a retired owner and president of Watermark Home LLC, which produced and warrantied new custom homes. He worked in both construction and accounts management. Bell also served in the military and met his wife, Renee, while serving in Saudi Arabia. They have two daughters -- Katherine, 15, and Caroline, 12, both of whom attend Forest Hills Public Schools. The family moved from Virginia Beach and has lived in Cascade for the past 14 years. Bell received a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in accounting and a master's degree in human resource management. "I am both excited and nervous," he said. "I have big shoes to fill, but believe I am ready for the challenge." The Township Board's Personnel Committee interviewed two others - Karen Kania and Susan Slater - before making the recommendation for the appointment, which was approved by the board on March 23. The current term ends in seven months or November 2016. All township positions, including the position of clerk, treasurer, supervisor and trustees will be on the primary ballot in August. The filing date to be on the ballot is April 19. Bell has already filed for election to serve as clerk for the following four-year term. KALAMAZOO, MI - No housewarming should be necessary for Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity's latest house. The 1,100-square-foot house at 2427 Glendale Boulevard is a certified Zero Energy Ready Home. "It's a Zero Energy Ready, which means with a couple of additions, that house will put as much energy into the (utility) system as it utilizes," said Don Jones, executive director of Habitat for Humanity. "This house is put together in such away that it will put back into the system as much energy as it draws from the utility system, to run itself over the course of a year." He said it should cost about $75 per month for gas heat and electricity at the house, about $900 per year. With the addition of solar panels, the homeowners could offset or eliminate those costs. Jones said Habitat has worked with families who rent homes for which they pay $300 to $400 monthly utility bills. "To many people, 'affordable' means 'cheap,' but it doesn't to us," Jones said. "We build high quality, super energy efficient, durable, healthy homes. This means the homes will be affordable to live in and maintain long-term, not just to purchase." Among energy-saving features of the three-bedroom house are super insulated walls, super insulated attic space, a super insulated foundation and footers, plumbing with "watersmart" technology (including narrower pipes that contain less water to waste), and a flash hot water heater (a tankless systems that heats water as needed). The tankless hot water system means no energy is expended to keep water heated and idling all day and all night in a 60- or 80-gallon tank, Jones said. "We sell our homes without profit to qualified families and provide an affordable, no-profit mortgage," Jones said. Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity is part of a worldwide, nonprofit housing organization that is operated on Christian principles and seeks to builds, rehabilitates, and repair homes for those in need and willing to partner with the organization. The three-bedroom house on Glendale will be home to two working parents and their two young children. They are Habitat partners who qualified to buy the house by contributing more than 500 hours of sweat equity to this project and/or the houses of other Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity homeowners. The home buyers also completed more than 30 hours of MSHDA-approved financial literacy and personal financial management classes and more than 27 hours of homeowner maintenance training. The Glendale house cost $80,400 to build but will be sold for its assessed market value, $73,000. "That is a terrific starting point for a family," Jones said. Construction of the house was made more affordable by the work of more than 275 volunteers who contribution about 3,500 hours of time from June of 2015 through February of 2016. Jones said volunteers were involved in many aspects of the project including insulating the footers and foundation, rough carpentry, finished carpentry, and installation of the cabinetry in the bathroom and kitchen. "They would have been involved in priming and painting, installing windows and doors, caulking, sealing and other insulating," he said. Habitat looks for discounts and inexpensive ways to do projects but it counts on professional contractors to do such things as dry-walling, roofing, plumbing, electrical work. Frugality and volunteer efforts don't cover all of Habitat's operational costs. The organization is also funded by donations from individuals and businesses, an annual "Habi Hour" fund-raising event (it has been held each February at Bell's Eccentric Cafe), and its Habitat ReStore, a retail store at 7612 S. Westnedge Ave. where donated housewares, furnishings, hardware and home items are sold. Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity has 18 staff members (nine full-time and 9 part-time) and is assisted annually by about 1,600 volunteers. The Glendale house, located in Kalamazoo's Burke Acres Neighborhood, is only the second house in Michigan built to satisfy U.S. Department of Energy ZERH standards, according to Habitat for Humanity. Burke Acres is an oblong stretch of the city of Kalamazoo, just east of Parchment. "We're just really excited about how these energy efficient homes provide power and the ability for families to thrive an succeed," Jones said. "If Habitat can build this kind of housing and make it affordable, anybody can step forward and figure out how to build or achieve this kind of housing for themselves. According to Habitat's Construction Manager Tom Tishler, the design of the Glendale house was based on a plan developed by a small group of members of the Southwest Michigan Chapter of American Institute of Architects, chaired by Mike Flynn of Byce & Associates Inc., of Kalamazoo. Volunteer groups who helped build the house included: Habitat's Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday volunteer construction crews; Aerotek; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority alumnae; Faith Temple Church; Ferris State University pharmacy students; Finishmaster; FOCUS Kalamazoo; Greenleaf Hospitality; Jeter's Leaders; Nulty Insurance Agency; and Stryker Global. The house has handcrafted cabinets made by Jackson State Prison volunteers through the Prison Build Program, a partnership between the Michigan State Department of Corrections and Habitat for Humanity of Michigan. Dow Chemical donated foam board insulation, Valspar donated paint, and Whirlpool Corp. donated a stove and refrigerator. Schneider Electric donated circuit breakers and service panels. Hunter Douglas donated mini-blinds for the bedrooms and bath. The construction was funded by individual donations as well as grants from the Turn 2 Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and Lowe's Home Improvement Store (Habitat for Humanity International's Women Build sponsor). Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity has closed in the sale of 196 houses during its 33-year history. It builds about four homes per year and does about 16 major home repair projects each year. From 2006-2013, it built about eight houses per year but was not involved in major home repairs. MLive writer Al Jones may be contacted at ajones5@mlive.com. Follow me on Twitter at ajones5_al. GRANDVILLE, MI -- When people open the door of Dublin Jerky Co., they are greeted with the scent of spices and exotic meats. "Everybody who walks in says I should make a cologne of this," says Troy Fischer, proprietor of the Grandville shop that is an offshoot of his family's famed Northern Michigan store. That savory aroma -- that comes from the dizzying array of jerky made behind the counter -- almost kept the business from opening in the line of sight of Cabela's. That would have been a shame because the hunters who buy their supplies from the outdoor retail giant are his bread-and-butter customers. With the patience and persistence of his loyal hunting customers, Fischer courted Scott Wierda, the developer who has brought Cabela's -- along with Trader Joe's, Anthropologie, West Elm and soon Fresh Thyme Farmers Market -- to the Grand Rapids area. Dublin Jerky Company owner Troy Fischer in his shop in Grandville, Mich., Friday, June 19, 2015. (Hugh Carey | MLive.com) While Wierda liked the concept of a jerky store as a symbiotic neighbor of Cabela's, he worried the smell could run afoul of other retail neighbors in the Bucktown development in Grandville, anchored by Cabela's and Target. When Wierda initially asked if the jerky could be made off-site, Fischer said that was a dealbreaker. The two corresponded for nearly two years before Wierda offered him a lease. That determination has paid off. Since the 2,000-square-foot store, at 3136 44th Street, opened nearly a year ago, sales have grown by 7 percent. "We have people come from all over the state and from out-of-state every day," Fischer said. Wierda confirmed to MLive and The Grand Rapids Press that aroma was an issue when signing Dublin Jerky to a lease. "That is just one item we consider with all food tenants so really nothing new or remarkable from our perspective," said Wierda, managing partner of CWD Real Estate. He added the Grand Rapids company is intentionally bringing strong local retailers into its developments as good fits with its national tenants. '50 varieties' "Dublin Jerky has a solid reputation, solid business history for growth and has a unique product that they sell and we considered this combination to be a great addition to Bucktown," Wierda said. The store carries 50 varieties of jerky, made from beef, turkey, chicken, pork, buffalo, venison, elk, ostrich, yak, pheasant, duck, wild boar, gator, rabbit and even python. Fischer shares that it took him six years to find the right supplier to provide him a steady supply of yak, a shaggy bull that populates the mountains of the Himalayas. The effort was it worth because yak jerky is "extremely tasty" and popular with customers. Pre-cooked meat hangs on a rack before entering the smoker machine at Dublin Jerky Company in Grandville, Mich., Friday, June 19, 2015. (Hugh Carey | MLive.com) Beyond jerky, Dublin also makes nine varieties of beef sticks, 20 kinds of brats, five varieties of hot dogs and six types of summer sausage. The shop also smokes its own cheese and hands-cuts its steaks. A wood-burning rotisserie smoker in the back is used to cook the store's supply of pulled pork and beef, brisket, ribs and chicken. Also popular at the store are the locally-made salami and thick-sliced smoked bacon from an Indiana producer. Fischer makes his own rubs, from an inventory of more than a dozen spices, peppers and herbs. Garlic is a base ingredient in all. "I'm always thinking about what I love," said Fischer, who came up his own recipe for bacon jerky. Experimenting with spices and meat to create new recipes is part of the thrill of the business. He's always looking for that next combination that will delight customers. He has paired sweet pineapple with sizzling habanero; apple with bacon, and maple with bacon in his bratwursts. The jerky process begins by cutting meat into strips that are tossed into a plastic tub. Then, they are dumped into a stainless steel tumbler with seasonings for 20 minutes. The machine pumps air, opening the pores of the meat so the spices are absorbed. The skewered strips are then put on a rack and wheeled into the smoker, a closet-sized oven where the meat cooks and bask in hickory smoke for five or six hours. The cooking takes about four and half hours. Jerky prices Usually 250 pounds of raw meat yields 150 pounds of dried jerky. Most of the jerky ranges in price from $17 to $39 a pound, with the majority being $17 a pound. The highest-priced is python, which is $67 a pound. He learned the jerky business from his dad, Greg Fischer, who began making it when Fischer was 7 years old. "We have taken the same meat experience and brought it down (to West Michigan)," said Fischer, who opened the family's first Grand Rapids area location in 2005. For a decade, the shop was in a strip mall down the road, between a a nail salon and lingerie boutique in the Grand Pointe strip mall, at 4763 Wilson Ave. SW. "Once we heard Cabela's was coming to town, I was concerned someone would want to come here," said Fischer, of the February 2012 announcement. Being in a brand new development anchored by Cabela's and Target comes with higher rent, but also with higher foot traffic. Cabela's employees are both frequent customers and send customers his way, Fischer says. At least one-third of his customers are those who are also making a stop at Cabela's after driving up from Chicago, Kalamazoo, Fort Wayne, Ind. or Saginaw. Even with the prime location, he still operates a kiosk at nearby RiverTown Crossings mall during the holidays and South Haven Farm Market in the warmer months. The shop has a loyal following, including nearly 23,000 on its Facebook page. The original Dublin General Store in Wellston in southern Manistee County - was named one of the "United States' 18 best detours" by Esquire magazine in 2002. His great-grandparents started the business in 1935 -- before electricity was available in the tiny burg. Back then, it was a white clapboard store with a broad front porch. It was replaced with a larger store after a fire in 1963. Original Dublin Jerky Greg's dad, Wally Fischer, bought the store in 1966, He and his wife, Rose Marie, raised their 15 kids in the house attached to the store. In 1975, Greg and his brother, Tom, took over and expanded the building in 1987. Greg began the tradition of making the store's famed jerky. Greg had been making sausage, hot dogs and lunch meats at the store when he decided to whip up a batch of jerky. The customers liked it. His parents' store, also includes groceries, pharmacy, hardware and sporting goods, Fischer's Grandville location is strictly devoted to hand-cured meats and cheeses. He buys most of his high-end meat from SpartanNash. "They stock it just for me and my dad," said Fischer, adding that the Michigan grocer's relationship with the Fischers goes back to 1987. Fischer usually picks up 1,200 pounds at a time. During December, he'll do four pickups a week. November and December are his busiest months, because jerky sales go up during deer season. Christmas Eve is also when he sells prime rib. This past Dec. 24 set a new record: He sold 600 pounds in a day. "It was crazy," Fischer said of the demand for his prime rib. Most of his customers are loyal fans. Jamie Hoekwater stops by weekly to pick up bacon and jerky. "I come here when I come to Cabela's," said the Grand Rapids resident. "It's in the perfect spot." During the visit, he was stocking up on the store's hottest jerky for a weekend trip. "We're going up four-wheeling and that's to see who has the guts to try the Grim Reaper." Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. OTTAWA BEACH, MI - What's a view of Holland's iconic "Big Red" lighthouse from your front porch worth? This shake-style cottage in the Ottawa Beach Historic District offers that and more for $1.4 million. Facing Lake Michigan and the beach next to Holland State Park, this four-bedroom cottage at 2445 Lake Michigan Ave. is listed by Wendy Ryder of Shore Sotheby's International Realty. Built in 2001, the tan cottage is one of the newest properties in a community that was nicknamed "The Atlantic City of the West" back in the 1880s. Ottawa Beach is listed on the National Register of Historic Place. This cottage is located on a 100-foot lot facing a small dune and boardwalk that leads past the dozens of other older cottages in the district, which is enveloped by Holland State Park, one of the state's most popular campgrounds and park with 2 million visitors a year. Three doors down, President Gerald R. Ford spent his summers as a boy in his family's rustic brown cottage. As an adult, Ford and his brother bought their own cottage nearby. "There is no finer sand beach worldwide," Ford said in a memoir. Some of the Victorian cottages are more than 100 years old and have been owned by the same family for generations, providing a summer vacation spot that built decades of memories. "I joke that ours is a turn of the century cottage -- just a different century," says Paulette Grotrian, an Ann Arbor resident who hired Cottage Home Builders of Holland to build on the last available vacant lot in the district. "Everybody is very friendly and kind and open," said Grotrian, who said they are selling as they spend more time at their home in Florida. "We have neighbors from all over, including Chicago, Holland and Grand Rapids." Grotrian said they used the cottage for about nine months of the year - even celebrating New Year's Eve on the beach this year. In the winter, the beach and surrounding trails are great for walking and snow-shoeing, she said. The craftsman-style cottage was built for an informal lifestyle with a 40-foot screened-in porch across the front facing the water and its sunsets. Inside, the oak-floored dining area and living rooms are accessible from the porch via double sliding French doors, insulated to keep out the chilly summer breezes. Between the two rooms, there's a three-sided gas fireplace to keep things cozy. The main floor also includes a master suite that offers views of the beach. The second floor includes two smallish bedrooms with a full bathroom. On the ground level, there's a bunkhouse style bedroom and bathroom. The lower level also includes a large storage room with double doors that could be used to store a small boat or other water toys. The cottage is one of six located next to the beach, which is shared with the other homes in the district by a boardwalk that leads to the state park and the Pavilion Walk and Black Lake Walk along Ottawa Beach Road and Lake Macatawa. This is one in a series of articles we have published about High-End Homes in West Michigan. Here are similar articles we have published recently: This $1.15M luxury home delivers on quality, not size Lofty Thornapple River perch offers dramatic water, wildlife views Foreclosed money pit was transformed into a $750K showplace Makeover yields modern $1.5M house on Old Mission Peninsula $1.5M Lake Michigan farmhouse has rich history, rustic decor 142-year-old Saugatuck B&B can fulfill romantic daydreams for $965K This $1M East Grand Rapids house has play areas for the kids and grown-ups 'Symphony House' gets toned down and tuned up This $3M luxury home has bedroom-bathroom suite for pampered dog Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+. UPDATE at 5:35 p.m.: Milan Mayor Michael Armitage said crews are suspending their search for a child reported to be in the water off of Allen Road. "They searched that area pretty thoroughly, gone door to door (and) nobody's reporting any missing child," he said. He noted that a juvenile reported the incident and no parents were in the area at the time. Armitage said although police will likely remain in the area for a short while, they intend to pull the search boat out of the water. A helicopter and K-9 unit were also used in the search, he said. "Considering that two hours has lapsed and that we have received to no other report, we're kind of at a dead end." Still, he said anyone with information is asked to contact police at 734-439-1551. -- MILAN, MI - Authorities are searching for an unaccounted for child in Milan. Milan Mayor Michael Armitage said dispatchers received a call at about 3:21 p.m. March 25 that children at a playground near a creek saw a young girl go in the water in the 500 block of Allen Road in Milan. No parents have reported a missing child, but Armitage said they are treating the report as true and continuing to interview witnesses. The child is reported to be an about 5-year-old girl with black hair. Milan Area Fire Department Chief Robert Stevens said it was not clear the child was in the water, but said his crews are searching land and water. The girl has not yet been located. The Monroe County Sheriff's Department sent a helicopter to the area and an Ypsilanti Police Department K-9 unit is also at the scene, Armitage said. Armitage said the creek feeds into the Saline River and may be deeper with a stronger current due to the recent rain. A Nixle alert posted by Milan police Chief Donald Tillery asked that residents stay away from the area to allow room for response vehicles. Armitage asked anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the police department at 734-439-1551. 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. Amtrak_station_061014_RJS_01.jpg Ann Arbor's existing Amtrak station on Depot Street. (File photo | The Ann Arbor News) ANN ARBOR, MI -- Sites along both Depot Street and Fuller Road remain under consideration as the city explores where to build a new Amtrak train station, Ann Arbor's transportation program manager has confirmed. Eli Cooper, who has been the city's transportation program manager since 2005, said the city's project team is working diligently on an alternatives analysis with input and guidance from the Federal Railroad Administration. The city has given consideration to several options, including demolishing the existing Amtrak station on Depot Street and building a new one there, or building on the footprint of a city-owned parking lot on the south side of Fuller Road in Fuller Park in front of the University of Michigan Hospital. "We understand that it is not atypical for this review process to take additional time," Cooper said this week, acknowledging it has taken longer than the city would have liked to move the project forward to the next phase. The city still has a sizable portion left to spend from a $2.8 million federal rail planning grant the city accepted in 2012, and the city has until September 2017 to spend or lose that money. The city hopes to be able to use the grant money to complete preliminary engineering plans for a new station once the alternatives analysis is complete, but it's waiting for FRA authorization to move ahead. "Part of the additional time may be the result of staff changes at FRA over the winter," Cooper said. "Wynne Davis has left her position as FRA regional manager and Melissa Hatcher has taken over her duties with respect to the project." Hatcher couldn't be reached for comment on Friday. Cooper said two segments -- Depot and Fuller -- are under consideration with a few different station iterations. A no-build option is required to be carried forward into the environmental assessment and is not being evaluated in this phase. "Current discussions include the structure of the document, formatting for public consumption and presentation of the data that distinguish one alternative from another," Cooper said of where the alternatives analysis stands. Though the city has refused to publicly release a draft copy of the alternatives analysis report and has been hesitant to share information about the back-and-forth discussions between the city and the FRA over the last year, Cooper said the city has no intention of keeping the public in the dark. "The public will have the opportunity to comment on the final draft alternatives analysis once FRA authorizes its release," he said. "Those public comments will be considered before FRA approves the final version and the project moves on to the next phase. We hope to have this draft ready to share with the public soon, but as this is a collaborative effort between agencies, the city cannot independently commit to any certain timeframe." Tom Crawford, interim city administrator, suggested in a recent report to the City Council that a final alternatives analysis report could be released in April. The city's position is that the existing Amtrak station on Depot Street is inadequate and will become increasingly inadequate in the years ahead in terms of passenger demand, quality and comfort, access, intermodal connectivity, and integration within the city. In an interview in late December, Mayor Christopher Taylor offered his take on the pros and cons of the Fuller Road and Depot Street sites. "The benefits and detriments of the Depot site versus the Fuller Road site are still known," he said. "It's long been my understanding that traffic engineers and transportation engineers who look at the two sites see the Fuller Road site as having plain transportation-related advantages. It is directly accessible by pedestrians who wish ingress and egress to the most visited site in the county, the university health system. It is on a corridor that is appropriate for last-mile mass transit. These features distinguish Fuller Road from Depot." As for the idea of returning the historic Michigan Central Railroad Depot on Depot Street, now the Gandy Dancer restaurant, to use as a train station, something the federal government asked the city to explore, the city's project consultant laid out a list of reasons last May why that wouldn't be a very good option. In an interview on Thursday, Cooper acknowledged the FRA has pushed the city to explore that option as part of the Depot Street alternatives. The City Council approved a resolution in October 2012 promising Ann Arbor residents will get to vote on whether to build a new Amtrak station. The resolution stipulates that "at or before the completion of a final design" the city will put the question of whether to move forward with construction to a vote of the people. The city's Capital Improvements Plan shows $2.6 million in planned expenses for final design of a new Amtrak station in fiscal year 2016-17. The CIP also shows $44.5 million for construction in 2017-18. The city expects to receive federal funding for a significant portion of the project. Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com. pilotarrest.jpg An American Airlines co-pilot was arrested Saturday, March 26, for arriving for a flight to Philadelphia while allegedly under the influence of alcohol. A passenger took this picture from the window of the airplane. (Courtesy of Kristyn Bradley) ROMULUS, MI - American Airlines has released a statement in response to questions about a pilot arrested Saturday morning at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on suspicion of attempting to co-pilot a plane while intoxicated. "This is a serious matter and we are assisting local law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration with the investigation. We will handle this matter appropriately as the safety and care of our customers and employees is our highest priority," the statement reads. The airline cancelled its Flight 736, which was scheduled to leave at 6:55 a.m. for Philadelphia. Its customers are being reaccomodated on other flights, said airline spokeswoman Laura Nedbal. "We apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans." Out of respect for the employee's privacy, further details are not being released, according to the airline. The co-pilot, in his early 50s and from Pennsylvania, exhibited behavior during crew checks that prompted the Transportation Security Administration to suspect he had been drinking, said Michael Conway, airport public affairs director. Airport police, contacted by TSA personnel about 6:40 a.m. March 26, responded and administered a field Breathalyzer, which the employee failed, Conway said. He was then taken to a "local jurisdiction" with a more sophisticated testing mechanism and also failed that test, Conway said. He had allegedly intended to co-pilot the plane with an alcohol level beyond the legal limit, Conway said. He would not release the man's alcohol level or name. The investigation is ongoing and police are still developing evidence, he said. The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits anyone from operating or attempting to operate an aircraft with a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or greater. An Administration spokesman, Tony Molinaro, said in an email the agency is investigating a report that the co-pilot was detained at a security checkpoint at the airport after allegedly testing above the legal limit. He did not provide further information. Everyone was shuffled off the plane because of what was said to be a problem with the co-pilot chair, said one passenger, Kristyn Bradley of Grosse Pointe Woods, who was headed to the Dominican Republic for spring break. "It was quite chaotic," she said. She is glad to be safe and grateful the co-pilot was not allowed to fly. It is concerning he had the mindset it would be OK to go to work in such a condition, she said. "It's pretty scary." FLINT, MI -- Just hours after an estimated end of the Flint water crisis became public, the Environmental Protection Agency is now denying it ever said Flint's water pipes could be repaired by May 1. The city's pipes could be rescaled to prevent lead from leaching into the water supply by the first of May, stated a Friday, March 25, letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The letter approved the state's request to extend a presidential emergency declaration for Flint and Genesee County due to the city's water woes. "EPA's evaluation of the water system is ongoing and is based on extensive and continuing sampling efforts," said Robert Kaplan, acting regional administrator for EPA Region 5. "EPA has never projected a fixed date for 'rescaling of the water pipes' in Flint." The letter came from FEMA Associate Administrator Elizabeth Zimmerman. FEMA issued the letter after State Police Capt. Chris Kelenske, deputy state director of emergency management and homeland security, requested an extension March 14 of President Barack Obama's emergency declaration, according to Gov. Rick Snyder's office. "The basis of your request is that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have determined that the rescaling of the water pipes to prevent lead from leaching into the water supply is estimated to be completed by May 1, 2016," the FEMA letter states. However, EPA officials deny ever identifying such a date. "As EPA Administrator McCarthy has said repeatedly, EPA is here for the people of Flint, and we're not leaving until the water system is back on track," Kaplan said. "We are committed to making sure the people of Flint have the protection and the peace of mind that everyone in this country deserves." FEMA spokeswoman Cassie Ringsdorf said the information in her agency's March 25 extension letter, including the May 1 date, was provided by the state in its March 14 extension request. She directed any further questions to the governor's office. Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said the state's Emergency Operations Center included the May 1 date in the extension request as an estimated date for planning purposes, but the date was only a rough estimate. He added the state will make a final determination on the water's safety based on solid data. "As we said in today's release, though the letter says the water is estimated to be safe to drink by May 1, the decision on when the water will meet standards that make it suitable for consumption will not be based on a calendar date, but on coordinated and extensive testing from state, federal and outside experts," Adler said. The FEMA letter also stated that health officials recommend residents only drink filtered or bottled water until the water is deemed safe for human consumption without having to use a filter. The letter said that could take upward of three months. Snyder's office, which announced the extension, said the decision to issue an all-clear on the city's water will not be based on a calendar date. The extension authorizes federal supplies of bottled water, water filters, replacement cartridges and test kits for another four months. Officials have been hesitant on placing a timeline on when they believe the city's water will be considered safe. Sentinel site testing data released March 23 by the state showed 8.4 percent of the more than 600 sites continue to test above the 15 ppb federal action limit for lead. EPA officials said previously the agency is conducting a sequential sampling program that will evaluate a sub-set of homes with a variety of different plumbing configurations to try to determine where the lead is coming from in the city's water system. That testing is expected to be concluded in mid-April. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Two men who allegedly threatened to shoot up a Grand Rapids adult education center are headed to trial. Mark Hollinshead, 21, and Alexander Rose, 22, this week waived probable cause hearings, sending their cases to Kent County Circuit Court on a charge of false report or threat of terrorism. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Police said the men made threats, both verbally and on social media, to "shoot up" Beckwith Adult Education Center, 2405 Leonard St. NE. They take night classes at the school. Officers were alerted to the alleged threats on March 14 and arrested the men within hours. Rose is jailed on $30,000 bond. Hollinshead was released from custody after posting $10,000 bond. Angie Jackson covers crime and breaking news for MLive. Email her at ajackso3@mlive.com, and follow her on Twitter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed a Tax Tribunal ruling that two police officers, who lost their jobs following a sexual harassment lawsuit 15 years ago, do not have to pay city income taxes. Under the terms of a federal court judgment, Patricia Denhof and Renee LeClear-Gavin have been getting paid as Grand Rapids police officers - although they no longer work for the department. Because they don't work in the city, the court this week ruled that they are not required to pay city income taxes on their wages, and are due about $7,250 in refunds. "The city presents a strained argument that because petitioners have not been terminated and technically remain employees, the backpay and frontpay awards can only be for work done or services performed in the city," the Thursday, March 24, ruling states. "This argument defies logic and reality - petitioners are not working or performing services. The backpay and frontpay awards reflect compensation for work and services that the city should have allowed petitioners to render or perform, but have been prohibited from doing so." RELATED: 2 former Grand Rapids cops entitled to city income tax refunds, state tribunal rules Denhof and LeClear-Gavin lost their jobs as city cops more than a decade ago, after they unsuccessfully sued the Grand Rapids Police Department for sexual harassment and gender bias. The city at the time found Denhof and LeClear-Gavin unfit for duty because of psychological conditions, but the women said they lost their jobs in retaliation for filing the lawsuit. A federal judge later agreed with the women and ordered Grand Rapids to reinstate them to active duty or pay them for damages. The city opted to pay the women up to $3.7 million, some of which continues to be paid every other week. Like paychecks for other city employees, Grand Rapids has been withholding non-resident city income tax from Denhof's and LeClear-Gavin's wages. Neither woman lives within Grand Rapids city limits. Denhof and LeClear-Gavin appealed and, in 2014, the city's Income Tax Board of Review ruled that the women must pay city income taxes on their police wages. But later that year, the tax tribunal ruled in favor of the women, entitling them to a combined $7,250 in tax refunds. The city income tax rate for Grand Rapids residents is 1.5 percent of income, while non-residents who earn income in the city pay a 0.75-percent rate. The deadline to file city income tax returns is May 2. Matt Vande Bunte writes about government and other issues on MLive. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Darkside The Light Show.png Dark Side: The Light Show will play Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m through June 19. (Courtesy photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- "The Dark Side: The Light Show" is back at the Chaffee Planetarium at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The light show features music from Pink Floyd's album "The Dark Side of the Moon" in surround sound along with visuals and LED sequences. "Dark Side: The Light Show" was the GRPM's first original production since the planetarium's $1.2 million renovation were completed in 2014. This most recent production of this show was developed by members of the original crew that worked on previous laser light shows at the museum in the 1990s and 2000s. Members of the volunteer planetarium production team include: Jacob Bourjaily, Matt Bourjaily, Ethan Brown, Dave Staskiewicz, Chad Kremer, Dave DeBruyn, John Foerch and Daniel Tell. Each song from this album is played in this show with its own unique thematic visuals. Following the course of the album, the visuals increase in complexity each song, taking the audience on an unforgettable rock and roll journey. The downtown Grand Rapids museum, located at 272 Pearl Street, warns the show contains adult language and dizzying visual effects. It is not recommended for individuals prone to motion sickness, seizures or light sensitivity. "Dark Side: The Light Show" will play Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m through June 19. Tickets are $4 each with general admission to the Museum, $5 each for planetarium only tickets and free to Museum members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit grpm.org. Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. JACKSON, MI - The Jackson Area Career Center's JROTC program was victorious in the inaugural Hunger Bowl Challenge. But the real winner in the event was its host - the Jackson Community Food Pantry. Related: Hunger Bowl Challenge turns food into art The event, Saturday and Sunday, March 19-20 at Art 634, brought in $850 and around 600 non-perishable food items for the pantry. A fundraising campaign conducted in conjunction with the event brought in another $30,000 from local businesses, said Stephen VanderVeen, a lead pantry volunteer. In the challenge, students from Northwest, Jackson Area Career Center, Jackson Christian and Jackson Preparatory & Early College schools assembled non-perishable food items they collected for the pantry into works of art. Related: Students start sculptures for Hunger Bowl Challenge The winning JROTC entry was an American flag. The group received a trophy for its efforts. Lumen Christi Catholic School also had intended to participate in the Hunger Bowl Challenge, but couldn't due to a scheduling conflict. Instead, students hosted Hunger Week at the school, during which middle school students collected 2,246 non-perishable food items and high school students raised $2,671 all for the pantry. BLACKMAN, TWP., MI - Students from two Northwest Community Schools buildings came together recently to celebrate spring and Easter. The classes of Northwest High School special education teachers Kris Koch-Jones and Judy Osterberg joined with Northwest Alternative High School students to decorate Easter eggs and exchange holiday candy. About 90 students participated in the activity, which was a follow-up to a similar friendship-building activity the students from the two schools participated in for Valentine's Day, Osterberg said. "We've done things together for quite some time, but this is the first year we actually planned an activity with them focusing on one-on-one social interaction," Osterberg said. "It was a great opportunity for everyone involved." KALAMAZOO, MI -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted Ibrahim Parlak a Deferred Action for one year. That will give him, his attorney and those who have been fighting to block his deportation 12 more months to try. "We can all breathe a small sigh of relief now that we have a one year reprieve for our friend and neighbor Ibrahim," said one of those supporters, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who has worked on Ibrahim's behalf since 2004. Parlak is a Turkish immigrant who fled his homeland in 1991 and was granted asylum in the United States in 1992 after he was convicted in Turkey on charges related to his support of the Kurdish separatist movement. In Berrien County's Harbert area, he is the owner of Cafe Guilistan restaurant. Prior to that, he owned a restaurant by that name in downtown Kalamazoo. "It has truly been a bipartisan, all hands on deck effort these past few weeks to make this happen," Upton said in a press release. "Now, our focus will be on finding a bipartisan solution that keeps Ibrahim here at home permanently. We're going to keep up our full-court press on Ibrahim's behalf." Upton was one of two U.S. lawmakers to praise the decision by the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, said Parlak has been "a contributing and beloved member of his community" for more than two decades and said she is pleased that the immediate threat of his deportation has been removed. "I am proud to have worked with Congressman Fred Upton to prevent the most recent threat and will continue to work with him until Ibrahim can finally live without worry in the United States," she said. Parlak was granted asylum in 1992, but immigration officials began efforts to deport him in 2004, saying he has previous ties in Turkey to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. That organization has been classified as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State. Parlak was arrested in 2004 and jailed for 10 months before a federal judge ordered his release. Since then, he has won numerous deferrals of deportation, the latest of which was set to expire in December 2015. It was extended for 90 days however, as Parlak and his attorney seek to have the Board of Immigration Appeals re-examine his case. In a February letter, Turkish officials claimed that Parlak has been misleading U.S. authorities about his past ties to terrorism and the life he led in Turkey. But his attorney, Robert Carpenter, said that letter is full of "fictional, defamatory statements." MLive writer Al Jones may be contacted at ajones5@mlive.com. Follow me on Twitter at ajones5_al. The following people were sentenced Feb. 29, 2016, in circuit court. 14th CIRCUIT COURT MUSKEGON COUNTY Judge Timothy G. Hicks Deontae Deshaun Carpenter, 19, of Muskegon, 13 months to five years Michigan Department of Corrections for weapons danger miscellaneous, $198 fees/costs. In a separate case, one year Muskegon County Jail for probation violation on 2014 conviction of unarmed robbery, $1,317.60 fees/costs. In a third case, one year jail for resisting and obstructing police officer, $198 fees/costs. Cainan Tyler Hunter Drinkwine, 25, of Muskegon, eight months jail for probation violation on 2015 conviction of second-offense controlled substance possession less than 25 grams-double penalty, $304.60 balance fees/costs, probation extended six months, must complete Thinking Matters while in jail, then Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program after jail. Laura Lee Hubbell, 35, of Muskegon, six months jail, 20 months probation for resisting and obstructing a police officer, $1,158 fees/costs, 90 days tether after jail, 100 hours community service. Idris Keshawn Phipps, 18, of Muskegon, five months jail, 18 months probation for controlled substance possession less than 25 grams, second-time habitual offender, $1,098 fees/costs, must complete the Exit program. Rhonda Mae Porter, 36, of Norton Shores, eight months jail, two years probation for third-degree arson, $1,158 fees/costs. Andrew Luis Soto, 24, of Roosevelt Park, six to 15 years MDOC for assault by strangulation, one year jail for domestic violence-aggravated assault, second-time habitual offender, $248 fees/costs. Yaanom, Mekyea Mo Nyinaa, Mema Mo Akwaaba. Apparently, it seems like I have found some sort of a lost love for my own culture, my mind keeps boggling with curiosity these days about my Ghanaian roots, its heritage and thus its history from which it originates. In all fairness though, for the Ghanaians who live in diaspora, especially from my generation and younger, it is hard to come across valuable and rich pieces of our own history, which in my opinion ought to be taught everywhere. I am pretty sure that there are many people out there who have heard about our historic, iconic ancestors, but unfortunately, the knowledge of it still remains on the surface for some of us (myself included before I started this study journey). Not to worry though... this lady got your back on this one, so let's get cracking. So I took it upon myself to do a little digging, and after an extensive research Im ready to present to you some correlated historic events that took place between the mid 1600s and the early 1900s that have been forgotten by some of us, or just never even known at allToday, I will be telling you the story of the legendary Nana Yaa Asantewaa and her incredibly heroic role in the war of the Golden Stool as well as the origin of the "Sika Dwa Kofi" itself (the Golden Stool). Before you proceed to read the rest of the article, you are invited to watch the short introductory video (created by yours truly), just so you can orientate yourself a bit in the correct timeframe and to have a little taste of what is to come, so do enjoy! Nana Yaa Asantewaa: The Warrior Queen You are welcome back! So as explained in the introductory video, this war was quite a memorable one. The War of the Golden Stool is sometimes even referred to as the Nana Yaa Asantewaas War. Now this woman was also known as the Warrior Queen, she was a fierce lady who was made gatekeeper of the Golden Stool and therefor she took her duty very very seriously. On top of that, she was also queen mother of Edweso (Ejisu) of the Ashanti confederacy. When Ghana was still under British colonialism, and still carried the name "Gold Coast", the British did everything in their power to get hold of the Golden Stool. So they decided to captivate the Asantehene, Nana Prempeh I, and to keep him hostage in the hopes that the Ashanti people would eventually cave and exchange the stool for their king. However, they soon realized that their decision to ship the king and other chiefs off to Seychelles had minimal effect. It became clear that if the Ashanti people had to choose, then they would rather give up their king than to give up the stool. So what was it about the Golden Stool that made it so insanely important? Why on earth would a group of people choose a "simple" stool over their own king? This seemed so illogic and irrational to the British, it made absolutely no sense, and because it made no sense, the desire to possess it grew even stronger. The "Forbidden Fruit" hypothesis/complex, the desire to want something you simply cannot have... is truly a thing. So a whole lot of commotion was stirred after Sir Frederick Hodgson committed the biggest faux pas by demanding the Golden Stool with the "slightest" ignorance, simply because he felt as though he was somehow entitled to sit upon it. And so after this so-called meeting, which was nothing but humiliating, Nana Yaa Asantewaa decided to have a gathering with the remaining kings so they could discuss the matter at handbut they seemed so frightened and passive. It outraged her so much and she basically said the following: Now I have seen that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our King. If it were in the brave days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye, and Opolu Ware, leaders would not sit down to see their King taken away without firing a shot. No white man could have dared to speak to a leader of the Ashanti in the way the Governor spoke to you this morning. Is it true that the bravery of the Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this, if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. We the women will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields!" So it was then that Nana Yaa Asantewaa declared war. She became commander in chief of an army of approximately 5000 men, and led them into battle. That right there took a whole lot of courage. Now even though she was captured in the very endthe purpose of the fight was still achieved. She was gatekeeper of the Golden Stool and so she made sure she executed her duty diligently. She protected the Golden stool metaphorically and literally! And thanks to her bravery, the Golden Stool remained in its royal home, in Kumasi. The Golden Stool: A Throne With A Throne Of Its Own Now, that I have taken you back in time, and dragged you through the war of the Golden Stool, Im pretty sure that some of you are still wondering what the Golden Stool even is and what makes it is so incredibly special to declare a whole war over if push comes to shove Well, it is believed that the Golden Stool or also known as Sika Dwa Kofi harbors all the souls of the Ashanti people, making it the very heart of the Ashanti tribe. And since it fell out of the sky on a white cloud of dust on a Friday (hence Kofi), it made it not only a sacred object but also a spiritual one. See, the Golden Stool has a specific function, and this is to give prosperity and strength to its people. So when the Ashanti would go to war, they would never lose a battle because of the protecting powers of the Golden Stool. So this is how the stool actually came to be. Okay so in the 1600s there was no peace between certain Akan states, especially between the Ashanti and the Denkyira people. Now there was a king called Nana Osei Tutu I (who became the very first Asantehene), and he had a close friend called Okomfo Anokye who was a chief priest, and according to some literature he was even acknowledged as the most feared, awed and respected traditional/fetish priest from that time. His original name was Kwame Anokye Frimpon Kotobre, but I will simply refer to him as Okomfo Anokye from here on out. He performed a historical ceremony that was and still is a major milestone in the Ashanti kingdom, simply because the Ashanti Kingdom truly came to its very existence after this event. So according to the legend, on a fateful Friday (in the late 1600s), or Efiada in the Akan language, Okomfo Anokye consulted the heavens and requested for spiritual guidance in order to help the Ashanti people to unite all the chiefs against their hostile neighbors, the ruling Denkyira. Before they became to be known as Ashanti, they were actually individual Akan states governed by independent chiefs. Okomfo Anokye proclaimed that the only way one could be released of its yoke or oppression is to come together and to form a union. So this is what they did next they summoned all the paramount chiefs together for a grand meeting. Okomfo Anokye said that the gods would be consulted for assistance in this matter and that the gods themselves would decide who would be the leader of this union. He then continued to say that he will command a stool to fall down from the sky, and onto whom it may land, will be the chosen one to lead this union. So after all was said and done, Okomfo Anokye started to dance and chant, and then... lo and behold... the Golden Stool descended from the sky, and this landed on the lap of Nana Osei Tutu I, which automatically made him the king of all the kings that came together. And therefor, if the gods have spoken that Nana Osei Tutu I should be the leader, then so be it after all, who are humans to go against the gods. Okomfo Anokye then continued to speak and said This stool is going to represent all the souls ("sunsum" in the Akan language) of all the Ashanti people. Then the chief priest proceeded with the rituals, he gathered hair and fingernails from all the chiefs and made a concoction. Then performed a sacred ritual and mixed the concoction with palm wine for all the chiefs to drink. And it was this very act that sanctified the Golden Stool. However, this did come with a fierce warning... Okomfo Anokye made it crystal clear that if the Golden Stool should ever be defiled or captivated, then the Ashanti would lose their power and there will be nothing left but chaos. So after this event, the Ashanti people went to war as a united front and they defeated the Denkyira people, just as it was prophesized they would. In the Akan language asa which is a derivative of ese means war and nti means because. So asa-nti or ese-nti means "because of war". And hence "Asantefuo" means "warriors". At this point, it was left with one more remaining thing a new established kingdom does need a capital to go with it. So Okomfo Anokye said that he will plant 3 Kum trees at 3 different locations, and the place where one of those 3 Kum trees would flourish, would become the capital of the newly established Ashanti kingdom. So he planted one in Kwaaman, another one in Apemso-Bankofo and the last one in Obuani. Now the Kum tree at Obuani grew to be very small, so the name of the village was later changed into Kuma meaning small. The Kum tree planted at Apemso-Bakofo was very disappointing, it did not grow at all, it was able to get some few branches but they were soon rotten and the tree fell down. So at this point, it was said that Kum awu, meaning the Kum has died. The name of the village was later changed into Kumawu. Now as for the Kum tree planted at Kwaaman, this tree flourished so large and beautiful, so much so that it became a place where the king and his people would often sit, and discuss some pressing issues. So the name of this village was later changed into Kumase, meaning under the Kum tree. And now, the flourishing Ashanti kingdom, which came to its very existence through the prosperity powers of the Golden Stool, was now completed. Now, the Sika Dwa Kofi, or The Golden Stool, is kind of a big deal, and trust me when I say... this is not an overstatement. It is a royal throne that has a throne of its very own... ow yeah, you read that correctly! It is always seated on its own stool or on animal skin, hence it never touches the ground, and it travels with its own crew/entourage, which consists of an umbrella and some drums. This sacred stool is 46cm high (or 18 inches), 61cm long (or 24 inches) and 30cm wide (or 12 inches). The stool is completely adorned in gold, and has strings and bells attached to it. Today the Golden Stool is housed in the Royal Palace in Kumasi. Not many people have been lucky enough to see the stool and it only leaves the premises on highly important occasions. So as you can see, the Golden Stool is not just a simple artifact for a foreigner to easily take away to place in a museum overseas. It is an important part of our culture, and it belongs right here on 'our' native soil. Well I hope this was a bit insightful to you as it was to me. Reading about it was so enlightening and interesting. A big thank you to Mr. Kojo Yankah (author of "The King of the Golden Stool") and Prof. Dr. Irene Odotei (Historian at University of Ghana, East Legon) for their valuable indirect contribution. Also, big thanks to Sy Blake and Gyimah Gariba for the amazing female illustrations and a huge shout out to Creo Concepts for their super illustration of Okomfo Anokye. Alright my dear readers, this is my cue to go, let me know what you guys think of the article, would love to hear your thoughts! Until then xoxo Originating at www.eclectickyeiessa.com The 11th edition of the annual paragliding sport usually held during Easter celebrations in Kwahu in the eastern region took place, Friday, March 25. The paragliding is perceived by many to be the main showcase of the Kwahu Easter celebrations each year. The paragliding festival commenced in 2005 after then Tourism Minister, the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey took a decision to introduce the sport as part of the Easter celebrations. This years was held under the auspices of the Tourism Ministry aims at promoting paragliding as part of sport. Dozens of revellers converged on the Odweanoma Mountain in Atibie where 15 pilots from Europe, Australia and Asia flew local Ghanaian spectators and foreign visitors. This year's event happens to be the first time a 34-year-old Ghanaian; Jonathan Quaye could operate and fly a parachute all by himself. Speaking at the opening of the event, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frempong expressed government commitment to sustaining the event and investing more in the sector. She urged Ghanaians to visit the area and take part in the paragliding activities to boost tourism in Ghana. Also at Obo in Kwahu, revellers defied the stress that comes with walking on 877 wooden steps to climb what Joy News Kofi Siaw described as a mini Canopy Walkway operated by a private entrepreneur. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Akosua Asiedua Akuffo| [email protected] Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian prosecutors ordered on Saturday the detention of four people in relation to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, a prosecution official said. Two of them are the wife and a sister of a gang leader whom police have linked to the brutal murder of Regeni, whose mutilated body was found more than a week after his disappearance in Cairo on January 25. They had been arrested in the sister's apartment, where police discovered a bag with Regeni's passport and wallet. The other two are the brother-in-law and brother of the alleged gang leader, who was killed in a shoot out with police along with three other alleged criminals. The four suspects are accused of concealing a crime and being in the possession of stolen material, the official said, adding they were taken into custody for four days. Egyptian police announced on Thursday that they discovered Regeni's passport and wallet in the home of the leader's sister, hours after the shoot out. Italy has cast doubt on the suggestion that the gang members -- who allegedly posed as police to extort foreigners and Egyptians -- were behind Regeni's murder. "Italy insists: we want the truth," wrote Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on his Twitter account, while prosecutors in Rome rejected the latest conclusions of the Egyptian probe. Italian media and western diplomatic sources in Cairo have voiced suspicions that Egyptian security services kidnapped and tortured to death the 28-year-old Cambridge University graduate student. Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone said in a statement that "details communicated so far are not satisfactory to shed light on the death of Giulio Regeni. Investigations must therefore continue." According to Italian government sources, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised Regeni's parents that Rome will continue to put pressure on Egypt to establish the full truth behind his death. Quoted by Italian press, the parents have said they were "injured and bitter" at Egyptian authorities' latest attempt to explain their son's death. Regeni had been researching labour movements in Egypt, a sensitive topic, and had written articles critical of the government under a pen name. In a statement late Friday, the Egyptian interior ministry said it was investigating the gang's links to Regeni's murder. "The investigation apparatus is continuing, in coordination with the Italian security team, in its efforts to examine the gang's links, and the circumstances of the crimes and the areas in which they occurred," the ministry said. Somewhere in Osu sit about one hundred people. Today is Sunday, but they are not worshipers. Or rather, they are worshipers, but they are not here to worship. Call them worshipers of theatre arts. There is no pastor here. The most distinguished among them is Prof. Akua Kuenyehia, a Ghanaian lawyer who served as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2003 to 2015. She also served as first vice-president of the Court. The rests are some selected journalists and the cast and crew of the Roverman Production. A handful of Roverman's production who, due to travel schedules, are bound to miss James Ebo Whyte's latest play, One Million Pounds. At about 4:20 pm, the unassuming James Ebo Whyte appears in his red Roverman Production customized shirt over a white pair of trousers and brown shoes. He isn't coming to introduce the play. He has come to introduce the ritual his production team goes through before rehearsals. Before they begin their rehearsal, they learn a life lesson. Today Uncle Ebo Whyte talks about the test people face on their way to the top. A lot of the examples he gives and those the participants give are from the Bible. Joseph. David. Samson. Paul. Name them. Some passed their test. Others failed. And ruined their chances. Uncle Ebo Whyte says many people face various tests in life. Whether they rise or fall depends on how they deal with such tests. If Joseph had failed the test from Potiphar's wife, he would not have gotten to greater heights. A hand shoots out when Uncle Ebo Whyte asks whether the audience has any questions to ask. A young woman wants to know who does the testing. Is it the devil? Ebo Whyte believes the answer is life. He says we should not always blame the devil. Life tests us and when we fail the test, we also fail to reach our destinies. He says after some streak of failures, the destinies of greatness can be taken from one family to the other. But we are here for more than the lesson life teaches about tests. We are here to see the rehearsal of Uncle Ebo Whyte's latest play, One Million Pounds and critique it. He tells us to enjoy tunes from the band. At 5PM, the play will begin. And if you have attended Roverman production's events before, you will realise they don't joke with their time. So at 5:00 pm, the stage lightens up. The music booms. A shrill voice pierces the ear from behind. We turn to see who owns that voice. A muscular young man is carrying a pretty young lady on his shoulders. By the time they get on the stage, ten or so others join them. A frantic dance rocks the audience and sets the auditorium ablaze with excitement. The dancers are beautifully costumed. Here, two things will catch your attention the beauty of the well-coordinated dance and beauty of the dancers. The ladies will find it difficult to take their eyes off the well-built young men with their six packs. And the men cannot take their eyes off the well-shaped contours of the African beauties, with their skins the colour of groundnut paste. Those are sights that can cause you to revoke a celibacy vow if you are not REALLY strong. One Million Pounds starts with a bang! The real act happens afterwards. It is a story inspired by the success of Regie N Bollie's success in the British music talent show, X-Factor. Uncle Ebo Whyte says the euphoria that greeted the sensational Ghanaian group inspired the play. But the storyline is not about them. . The Ghanaian group in the play, Jama, has gained a lot of support from over the world. They have braved all the odds and are in the finals of the most prestigious reality show in Great Britain. They are tipped to win. But there is a sinister power broker who does not think an African side deserves to win. Some sponsors will not be happy, he says. If Jama, the group from Ghana competes in the final, however, they are likely to win. So this nocturnal character invites the leader of the Ghanaian Team, Nii, to bribe him so that he will withdraw from the competition with an excuse. When he is reminded that the amount he is about to pay is nothing compared with what the group will get when they win, he says the African does not care about honour. They like money. And peanuts. You pay a person for what he bargains for and not what he is worth, he says. How much has Nii taken? Will he succeed in swaying other members of the team to succumb to his corruptible ways? Are they susceptible to corruption, the canker that has ruined Africans and reduced us to a bunch of second-rate beings on the global stage? With the usual lesson-laden dialogues spiced with humour, Uncle Ebo Whyte's latest play also provides lessons that will leave you thinking how we connive with our leaders to impoverish the nation. One Million Pounds provides many lessons. Kafui and Olive nearly had their relationship ruined by Kafui's ex-girlfriend. Those having relationship can learn. Kafui's value for integrity is admirable. And his insistence on the RIGHT thing to be done even when he is in the minority will teach you the importance of sticking to the most treasured but scarce value in our republic. One Million Pounds is the biggest side attraction in this season as we remember the redemptive death of Christ Jesus. I watched just the rehearsal. But I can't miss the real show. And I hope to see you after the show. With a bottle of sobolo as we discuss how we can apply the lessons in One Million Pounds in order to move our nation forward. The writer, Manasseh Azure Awuni, is a senior broadcast journalist with Joy 99.7FM. His email address is [email protected] . To read more of his writings, visit his personal website: manassehazure.com Source: Manasseh Azure Awuni On Saturday March 26, The GrEEK Campus in downtown Cairo will be the site of the second annual Maker Faire, a festival that brings together thousands of enthusiasts of the international movement of Makers, individuals or groups who use new technology to make useful items from unused or discarded material. Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and hosted by FabLab Egypt, the Faire invites talented Makers from Egypt and the region who display their creations and discuss how they combine creativity with emerging technologies. Described as The Greatest Show and Tell on Earth a showcase of invention and resourcefulness, the Faire will also feature talks by international leaders of the Maker movement. Some of the technology on display will be a wearable device to help blind people navigate around streets and buildings, and a portable, solar-powered energy source for powering mobile devices. Dale Dougherty, who helped launch the first Maker Faire, held in 2006 near San Francisco, California, will be among the expert speakers. This is the second year that FabLab and the U.S. Embassy have partnered to bring the Maker Faire to Cairo. Last year's Faire drew more than 5000 people to see nearly 100 inventions. This year, FabLab has reached beyond Egypt to invite Makers from across the Middle East, making this the largest Maker Faire event in the region. The Maker Faire will be held from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm at the GrEEK Campus in downtown Cairo. Tickets can be purchased online or at the event itself. For full information on the event, including a description of the projects and a schedule of speakers, visit makerfairecairo.com or visit FabLab's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fablab.egypt/ On March 2125, 2016, AFRITAC South held a workshop at the Africa Training Institute in Mauritius on export and import price indices. The workshop brought together 27 economic statisticians from 12 AFRITAC South countries, including national accounts compilers from statistical offices and data users from policy-making government institutions and agencies. Mr. Bahadoor, Acting Director of Statistics Mauritius, noted in his opening remarks the importance of measuring price changes as opposed to volume changes to understand international trade statistics. The objective of the workshop was to broaden participants' understanding of the theory and practice of compiling export and import price indices. It covered index number theory and its practical implications relating to the choice of index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The workshop also covered methods for sampling and collecting data from enterprises/establishments. There were sessions on methods for handling temporarily and permanently unavailable items; undertaking adjustments to prices for quality changes; including new products, and enterprises/establishments; and chaining and linking indices with updated weighting structures. The workshop focused on data issues and compilation methodologies covering methodological and practical issues relevant to both compilers and users of data. Participants shared their knowledge and experience of implementing internationally agreed statistical standards in AFRITAC South countries in the context of limited resources and scarce data sources. AFRITAC South will continue to provide technical assistance and hands-on training for the adoption of internationally recognized statistical standards. 26.03.2016 LISTEN The US has announced that it has killed a number of leading Islamic State (IS) militants in the past week, including the purported second-in-command. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the deaths of Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli and other members of the groups cabinet would hamper its operations. He gave no details about how Qaduli, an Iraqi also known as Hajji Iman, died. However, NBC News earlier reported he was killed during a raid by US special forces in Syria on Thursday morning. Defence officials said the troops landed in helicopters and lay in wait as Qaduli drove past them in a car. There was an attempt to capture Qaduli alive, but the situation escalated and the militant and three other people in the vehicle were killed, the officials added. The US authorities had offered a reward of $7m (5m) for Qaduli. Using an acronym for IS based on its former name, Mr Carter told a news conference in Washington on Friday: We are systematically eliminating Isils cabinet. He described Qaduli as a senior leader, who served as a finance minister and who was also responsible for external affairs and plots. The ethnic Turkmen was born in 1957 or 1959 in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has been controlled by IS since 2014, according to the US. . He joined al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) a precursor of IS in 2004 under the leadership of the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, serving as his deputy and the leader in Mosul. After his release from an Iraqi prison in early 2012, he joined IS forces in Syria. Last year, some sources identified Qaduli as the second-in-command of IS, known as Abu Alaa al-Afari, who was said to have taken temporary charge of IS after its overall leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was allegedly injured in an air strike. The removal of this Isil leader will hamper the organisations ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of Iraq and Syria, Mr Carter said. This is the second senior Isil leader we have targeted this month, after confirming the death of Isils so-called minister of war a short time ago. Tarkhan Batirashvili, a Georgian known as Omar Shishani, died of the injuries he sustained in a US air strike in north-eastern Syria on 4 March, US officials said last week. However, the IS-linked Amaq news agency subsequently cited an unidentified source as denying Shishani was dead. Mr Carter said the US military had killed other senior IS figures in recent days. They included a man known as Abu Sara, who was tasked with paying fighters in northern Iraq, and a number of Isil associates who were directly involved in external plotting and training, the defence secretary added. But he cautioned: As you know, leaders can be replaced. These leaders have been around for a long time they are senior and experienced, and eliminating them is an important objective and result. They will be replaced and we will continue to go after their leadership. -bbc 1 Kings 3:16-28 The Bible contains numerous stories to illustrate how God used his prophets to solve seemingly complicated issues. Any religious enthusiast will immediately realize the wise judgment of King Solomon in one such story captured in 1 Kings 3:16-28. But this article is not a Bible Lesson. It has been provoked by a news item penciled by one Edward Adeti and posted online onto the website of Accra based Starr FM and subsequently onto Ghanaweb and other social media circles. The headline screamed, Bawku: Chaos looms over Ethnic biased documentary. As someone who has been following issues concerning Bawku and as a concerned citizen of Ghana, the article immediately caught my attention. It concerned a press conference organized by chiefs in Bawku to protest the premiering of a documentary that in their opinion was biased to their cause. But the sad bit about their press conference is its content of threats, of violence, of war and mayhem that might befall the people of Bawku as a result of the premiering of a documentary that they honored. According to the story, Its a recipe for confusion, for war. It has to be retracted. And it can bring conflict. That is why we are telling the nation that they should be aware of these unscrupulous people parading themselves around that they are documenting something for the future. They are trying to create war for the future, the Chief of Binaba, Naba Akolburi Abaare IV, growled. Growled? Really? Like seriously? What could a man have said and in what manner could he have said what he said that a journalist finds no other adjective than growled to describe it? Is he a lion? Interestingly, the so-called Chief of Binaba, Naba Akolburi Abaare IV knew of these unscrupulous people parading themselves around. Those unscrupulous people came to their palaces, and mind you not in masks, but plain faced, sought permission and were granted such permission to interview some of the chiefs who appeared in the documentary. These unscrupulous people were the same people who extended an invitation to Akolburi and his ilk to be part of the premiering of the documentary Of course, the mass media has been used in times past to incite people to conflict. The genocide in Rwanda had its roots in unchecked media reportage and broadcasts that ridiculed one ethnic group against the other and eventually inciting and encouraging physical and lethal attacks that ultimately blew into a full genocide. For this reason, it is important that any work of art presented for mass consumption be done professionally and in a balanced manner. And professional, balanced and fair is what the producers of the documentary sought to achieve by including these chiefs in a documentary about Naa Gbewa in the first place. A professional, balanced and fair piece of work is what the producers sought to achieve by ensuring the chiefs who organized the press conference were given a voice and were present for the premiering in the first place. If you were given a voice and you chose to speak in a manner that gets it abridged and others seize the opportunity to talk plenty plenty why must the producers be blamed? So when people threaten violence anytime something in the media goes against their interest and turn around to use that very platform of the mass media and in a similar or worse manner, leaves much to be desired. What these chiefs failed to realise is that, by their very action, galvanizing their supporters and holding a press conference that eventually got carried on the mass media, they were also guilty of the same crime they are accusing producers of the documentary of. They failed to realize that by their very action, they were inciting their supporters against producers of the documentary by way of their vile threats. They forgot that the producers of the documentary also belong to some ethnic groups whose tribesmen may read reports such as arising from their press conference and act. The organizers of this press conference are supposed to be chiefs. Chiefs who are representatives of their people. The custodians of their culture and tradition. The protectors of the peace. That is why the story in 1 Kings 3:16-28 immediately came to mind when I read the article. It is a story about two women who claim to be true mothers to one live baby. One of the women had rolled on her baby the night before and killed hers. She then, under the cover of darkness exchanged her dead baby with the live baby of the other woman. King Solomon who presided over this case tricked the two women into believing that he would cut the baby into two and give each woman a piece. The true mother of the baby immediately protested and asked the wise King to keep the baby alive and give it in whole to the other woman. The other woman on the other hand insisted the baby be cut into two. By the actions and intentions of these two women, wise King Solomon knew the true mother of the baby and your guess is as good as mine as to how the story ended. And so, I thought that these chiefs, already knowing what the premiering of the documentary could do, (assuming this was even true) would caution their people against any acts of violence, chaos or war and then proceed to right the wrongs and correct the perceived bias against them as they claim is portrayed in the documentary and let Ghanaians be the Judge. But no, they chose to cut the baby into two. Could it be that these chiefs stole the Bawku baby under the cover of darkness and as they realize that the truth is catching up with them, want to cut the baby in half? Of cause no true son of Bawku would preach war, or violence or chaos at the least provocation. No true chief of Bawku would want to put the town in turmoil. No true chief of Bawku would paint such a picture of the town to the rest of the country. A country that is getting fed up with so much bad press of the town of Bawku as a result of a protracted chieftaincy conflict. The chiefs who organized the press conference knew exactly what they were doing. Using the volatile situation of the town to disturb the peace and trick government and the security agencies into continually believing that all is not well so they (the said chiefs) can continue to enjoy government protection to the necglect of the rest of the Bawku township. Government must realize that this puts the town several steps behind from the modest peace milestones the town has chalked. Now to the documentary whose premiere stirred the hornets nest resulting in this press conference. It is a documentary titled The Forgotten Kingdom? Chronicles of the North It is produced by the Chaka Orleans Heritage Foundation (COHF). COHF is non-governmental organisation with keen interest in youth empowerment and the documentation of African history with the belief that when a people know their history they become bound by the past circumstances so they work together to solve their present predicament. Wondering who I am and how I know about Chaka Orleans Heritage Foundation? Well I simply googled them and their blog popped up. According to the Foundations website, The short term aim of the (documentary) project is to educate Ghanaians especially those from the north about their connections to each other there by promoting peace and unity. The long term aim of this (documentary) project is to raise funds to build a university for the people of northern Ghana to help accelerate development in the area. And so if indeed they did any background checks on the producers of the documentary, perhaps their press conference would have been more circumspect. The sad thing is that the alleged chiefs who growled rather than dialogue or simply make their case do not come from Bawku and are in no way related to the town except for paying homage to a shaky alleged paramount chief in order to consolidate their own positions. Chaka Orleans Heritage Foundation had been working on this documentary for a long time and sought various opinions as well as researched the subject to come out with their final piece. They travelled far and wide within the country and across the border in neigbouring Togo and Burkina Faso in an attempt to tell a complete story. Considering the fact that they traced the roots of Naa Gbewaa, the ancestor of Mamprugu, Dagbon, Nanum and Moshie further buttresses the point that they sought to show how related we all are in the north. It therefore defies logic that these chiefs, supposedly identifying themselves as part of the larger Naa Gbewa family saw themselves apart from some others who were also featured in the documentary. They failed to see that the producers sort to portray them as one people along with all the rest who were featured in the documentary. They preferred to growl and break bridges rather than mend as the documentary intended. There is a saying that, it is wise to listen before you talk or if you must talk at all, then think before you talk. According to Thomas Abilla, secretary to an alleged kusasi traditional council, Someone also was introduced as Regent of Bawku. In traditional terms, when you have a sitting chief, the regent ceases to function as such. He could have gone in his personal capacity but not as Regent of Bawku. That constitutes an affront on the paramountcy. Once there is a paramount chief, nobody can pose as Regent of Bawku. When they (Mamprusis) went to Tamale, their position as regent was recognised; whereas that is wrong. They interviewed Bawku Naba. He spoke at length. Only a portion was covered. They interviewed Pusiga Naba. He spoke at length. It was abridged. But they allowed the other side to speak plenty, plenty. If you had the chance of watching the video, you would see Iddi Wuni speaking plenty, plenty, Akalifa speaking plenty. There was no fair play, Clearly, the agenda of this group of war hungry kusasis is exposed. They call a person Someone meaning they do not know the fellow and in the same breath they are able to identify that someone along with his entourage as they (Mamprusis). If this group of kusasis attended the premiere in their capacity as members of the larger Naa Gbewa family and shared in the vision of the producers of the documentary to forster peace and unity, why would they see themselves apart from they (Mamprusis). What Thomas Abilla failed to say at the press conference is whether his master was introduced at the event or not and if he was introduced how was he introduced. What Thomas Abilla also failed to say at the press conference is why in the first place they were invited and they agreed to participate in an event whose organizers they describe as unscrupulous. What Thomas Abilla failed to tell Ghanaians is whether, apart from Akalifa and Iddi Wuni who spoke plenty plenty there were other interviewees in the documentary from outside Bawku who also spoke. What he also failed to tell Ghanaians is what the plenty plenty Akalifa and Iddi Wuni spoke was about and the abridged interview of his master was also about? Otherwise, it beats my imagination how plenty plenty can be a recipe for War Could it be that Thomas Abilla, the person he speaks for and their supporters have decided to make a u-turn and are refusing to aid the filmmakers to achieve their aim of fostering peace and unity among the children of Naa Gbewa or that it was a mistake on the part of the filmmakers to have sought permission from Thomas Abilla and the person he speaks for before interviewing them to speak in an abridged manner and include them, an alien tribe as far as Naa Gbewa is concerned, into a story they have no part in? At the premiering of the documentary, many chiefs and traditional rulers were invited including the Overlord of Mamprugu. Other chiefs represented was the regent of Nanum and none of these chiefs went back home, organized a press conference, threatened war and predict horrific outcome for such a war. Why is it that only chiefs from a particular town and his allies feel this way about a documentary whose soul intention is to foster unity and peace? Perhaps it is high time Thomas Abilla expends his energy into learning and helping the persons he speaks for to understand what it means to be a chief. An example has been set by the other chiefs who attended the documentary premiere. They know that bringing about unity and peace is not in organizing press conferences and threatening war and chaos. They know that speaking the truth is all that matters and are comfortable no matter what part of their interview is abridged. The other sad part of the article is the way and manner in which the newly appointed Regional Minister of the Upper East Region reacted to the press conference organized by the so-called chiefs. According to the minister, We would call for the withdrawal of this documentary and for the producers to re-examine it and to come out to apologise if they find that the documentary indeed had touched on the sensibilities of some ethnic groups in the Upper East and Northern regions. I say so because my understanding is that the documentary was not fully played because it could not roll out fully at a SADA (Savannah Accelerated Development Authority) programme in Tamale. I will urge the people of Bawku through the Traditional Authority, the Bawku Naba, to remain calm whilst we take up the matter within SADA and within our region, Albert Abongo unfortunately already concluded that what was carried in the press conference was true and joined Thomas Abilla and the perosns he speaks for in their chorus by calling for a withdrawal of the documentary and asking the producers to apologise. Let me use this opportunity to say that for a member of BONABOTO, a reputable organization that identifies with the larger Naa Gbewa family, to react this way to a press conference leaves much to be desired. I do not know the kind of briefing he got from his predecessor about Bawku and its troubles but such knee-jerk reactions is a huge disappointment. Let Albert Abongo be cautioned about the trickery of Thomas Abilla and his master. Let Albert Abongo wear a father-for-all hat of a regional minister and do his work devoid of partisanship and any other external machinations. Albert Abongo should ask his predecessor about Bawku. In fact, he should read Thomas Abilla and his masters press conference again and next time he is in Bawku he should try and ask of the plenty plenty speakers and the Somebody who was introduced as regent at the said event. He should engage them, listen to what they have to say and then he would be very well informed about Bawku and its dynamics. Albert Abongo, until you do this, you will think yourself chairman of the regional Security Council but in actual fact remain a piece of wood on a chessboard. Remaining a piece of wood on a chessboard does not augur well for a town that has some of its inhabitants like the organizers of the press conference screaming war and chaos anytime something goes contrary to their agenda. Albert Abongo, be well informed that an election is around the corner and everyone is praying and preaching peace across the length and breadth of this country. Beware of those who see violence and war as a means to legitimizing their illegitimacy. Do not, in an attempt to sympathize with these chiefs, ostracize yourself from the other party in Bawku. They must be commended for their composure and show of maturity in the face of such open vileness and provocation. I shudder to think what your reaction and that of the security agencies you chair would have been if it were that other side that organized this press conference and made all these threats. Do not fall for the theatrics. Beware, Albert Abongo! Beware! And to Thomas Abilla and the persons he speaks for, true sons and daughters of Bawku know and value the peace they fought hard for and no amount of vile threats will deceive them into your trickery. You will not be allowed to cut the baby in half. The baby will stay whole and alive. Alemna Sidsob a lemma Siddons gmail.com Bawku 26.03.2016 LISTEN The decision by the Jacob Zuma government of South Africas African National Congress (ANC) not to get involved in the arrest and prosecution of the three former police officers of the South African Defense Forces (SADF) flown into Ghana at the invitation of the leaders of the latter countrys main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), for purposes of training security details and other political activists belonging to the Akufo-Addo-led NPP, is strikingly reminiscent of the warning given by Ghanas President John Dramani Mahama, then doubling as ECOWAS Chairman, to protesters demonstrating against the protracted and extortionate regime of Burkina Fasos President Blaise Campaore in the streets of Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, not quite a while ago. The Ghanaian leader would shortly and embarrassingly be exposed for his reprehensible politics of blind cronyism. Well, those of us who have been studiously following affairs between Ghana and post-Apartheid South Africa are well aware of the fact that both President Mahama and President Zuma are thoroughgoing corrupt politicians, at least by the informed judgment of the majority of the citizens in both countries, who appear to have grossly overstayed their welcome and shall soon be constitutionally bumped off the scene. Both leaders are also neck-deep mired in scandals that seem to have brought them to the nadir of their popularity in recent months. They are also very good friends. Talk of birds of same feathers. In deciding not to get involved in the case of the three South African nationals, on the dubious grounds that the case brought against them by the Mahama government is a patently criminal case, Pretoria may be making the egregious mistake of flagrantly shirking its bounden obligation and responsibility of ensuring that the fundamental civil and human rights of its citizens are respected wherever these citizens may find themselves, including arrest and prosecution in Ghana, of course. In other words, Mr. Zuma and his executive appointees ought to open their eyes to the inescapable fact that in every civilized constitutional democracy, even the most notorious and detested criminal suspects and defendants deserve a fair hearing and trial. Mr. Nelson Kgwete, the Media Liaison Director in charge of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, who spoke on behalf of the Zuma government cannot casually presume that these indicted South African citizens will be granted a fair hearing by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of Ghana. One hopes their local representatives have been studiously following judicial proceedings in Ghana, at least during the last couple years, and been communicating their assessments to the leaders of the government at home. At the barest minimum, the Zuma government should dispatch legal experts and human rights advocates to monitor judicial proceedings in Ghana. It is also rather bizarre for Mr. Kgwete, the media liaison for President Zuma, to assert that since the three former SADF officers are not members of the ANC government, this case has absolutely no diplomatic aspect to it. The truth of the matter is that these indicted men never renounced their South African citizenship when they decided to travel to Ghana at the express invitation of the leaders of that countrys main opposition New Patriotic Party. Whatever the ultimate outcome of the case, there are bound to be scores to settle with Pretoria, in the highly likely event of an Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party being voted into power or sworn in come January 2017, if care is not taken to ensure that these legitimate guests of the Ghanaian opposition leadership are afforded a fair trial. It is also very ironic that the leader of a globally reputed political party, the oldest of its kind on the continent, to be certain, whose epic struggle against the erstwhile white racist Apartheid regime was singularly guided by fundamental human rights, should now claim to be totally unconcerned about the same. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Paul Afoko 26.03.2016 LISTEN I join people of all FAITHS across the world, especially the people of Ghana in commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and to celebrate this Holy day as Easter. We as a people should be constantly reminded and guided by this significant gesture of our Lord, who had to endure human cruelty and died thereafter in order to cleanse and save us from our sins. The miraculous resurrection of our Redeemer after His death is reassuring and must renew our faith and hope in him. As it is stated in the adage, ' after darkness comes light ', He demonstrated his triumph over evil by rising two days after his crucifixion. We should be driven by this biblical truth and not lose hope on the account of the apparent triumph of evil and despair. I encourage all Ghanaians to remain resolute and face the future with hope as we all work at securing a better future for our country. Let me also use this important occasion to ask for your prayers for the souls of all our departed patriots, especially, J.B Danquah Adu who lost his life through the cruelty of man and Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey who passed away some few days ago. Their lives were well spent and they served their family, party and nation well. May their immortal souls continue to rest in peace. With love and profound joy, I wish you all, especially members of the NPP and the rest of Ghanaians, a memorable Easter and a renewal of hope and love. Let's keep hope Alive! Let's build bridges to the future! ...Signed... Paul Awentami Afoko NPP National Chairman The Kazakhstan snap Parliamentary elections were held on 20 March 2016. The snap elections were called amidst economic turmoil and fears that the Kazakhstan government would lose voter and public confidence because of the economic situation in Kazakhstan. The elections will solidify autocratic President Nursultan Nazarbayevs rule over the country and make it appear that he has the unwavering support of the people of Kazakhstan. Reports of crackdown of dissent suggest otherwise. The crackdowns, aimed at political dissidents and non-conformists to President Nazarbayevs policies, is a way to control civil unrest and silence critics which is a longstanding criticism of the Nazarbayev Administration. The elections did not generate significant differences in the countrys political landscape which has remained relatively unchanged since Nazarbayev gained power in 1989. Arguably, the elections are part of Nazarbayevs attempts to make Kazakhstan appear as a democratic country and are part of managed democracy. The elections are being held against the backdrop of a failing economy, fluctuating tenge, low oil revenue prices and the oil market crash, political dissent, and Nazarbayevs need to be reaffirmed by the people of Kazakhstan. The election will also show regional countries that Kazakhstan handle economic problems and is a reliable partner. Nazarbayevs victory was predictable and negative implications stemming from a minor Parliamentary mix-up are non-existent. A Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) mission monitored the elections. Kazakhstans past elections have fallen short of international standards citing lack of competitive candidates and corruption. As many as 234 candidates from the following six parties vied for 98 available parliament seats: the ruling Nur Otan party and the Party of President Nursultan Nazarbayev (127 candidates), Ak Zhol (35 candidates), Auyl (19 candidates), the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (22 candidates), the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (23 candidates) and the Birlik party (eight candidates). Over 1,000 candidates are running for seats in the lower Parliament. Not much has changed as the other parties platforms do not vary that greatly. Political parties are prohibited from forming blocks. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , the results of the March 20, 2016, parliamentary elections show, that three parties will have seats in the Majlis[:]Nur-Otan got 82.15 percent of the vote; Ak Zhol, 7.18 percent; and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan took 7.14 percent. These results are similar to the 2012 Parliamentary elections which highlights the lack of political variety and true democracy in the country. The elections were hailed a success by regional organizations, the SCO and the CIS. The ODIHR did not agree as Kazakhstan has a long way to go to fulfill its democratic agreement. International observers were not surprised at the results. As early voting commenced on Sunday, the Kazakh Central Election Committee, stated that the elections were transparent. The OSCE have been heavily involved as the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission opened in Astana on17 February, with an11 member core team and 28 long-term-observers deployed throughout the country. Whether or not the elections will expedite the reforms or guarantee implementation, the economy continues to slow. If Nur Otan retains its majority in Kazakhstans Parliament, the speed of implementation would not be effected. The snap elections directly are not being held to give the government a mandate on 100 steps. The legitimacy of 100 steps is derived from the President and support from Parliament and the overall willingness to reform Kazakhstan. Fifty-nine laws have already entered into force citing information from the Astana Times. The snap elections center on economic recovery and political change. The snap elections are supported by the Majlis, and the miners and metallurgists to allow for further implementation of reforms, under Plan of the Nation (or 100 Steps) and to understand how we work in a new way, what laws should be adopted to meet the requirements of a market economy, according to the Kazakh BNews news portal . The Head of the Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan (APK) stated elections will benefit the country politically and economically . Kazakhstans Peoples Democratic Patriotic Party, known as Aul Party, also supports the snap elections. Support from Aul makes the elections and the decision not so one-sided appear pluralistic. The Astana Times, published astonishing, but not surprising, poll results about voting in a new Majlis and reforms: 92 percent of citizens believe the early elections make the public more confident the new reforms will be implemented. Other poll results are similar. Recently, on 12 January 2016, protests were held in Astana against the Kazakh Bank and the falling tenge. In response, the Kazakh government offered powdered mares milk on the global market which can generate product worth $1 billion (a year) to mitigate declining global oil prices. Another recent incident was the firing of the Sovereign Wealth Fund manager, Berik Otemurat, stated Kazakhstans National Oil Fund would run out in the next six or seven years. The National Oil Fund, often used as an emergency fund, has fallen 17% from $77 billion since August 2014 and the government is withdrawing about according to the Wall Street Journal. The tenge strengthened slightly in February after the currency declined after the government began to float the currency and the country is still experiencing weakened GDP growth. By mid-March the tenge has recovered by 10%. Two activists in Kazakhstan, Serizkhan Mambetalin and Ermek Narymbaev, were convicted and sent to prison for two and three years respectively for Facebook posts inciting national discord (Article 174 of the Criminal Code) and the authorities claimed the clips amounted to a serious crime against peace and security of humankind according to Human Rights Watch . The two men were arrested in October 2015 and their trial began 9 December 2015. A third activist, Bolatbek Blyalov, has movement restricted for three years and cannot [change] his place of residence or work, or [spend] time in public areas during his time off. The punishment for the three activists violates many of Kazakhstans international commitments. On 22 February, the head of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan National Press Club, Seitkazy Matayev, was arrested on charges of corruptionaccused of tax evasion and embezzlement of funds. According to TengrinNews , the state anti-corruption agency said Matayev was detained along with his son Aset Matayev who heads the private KazTAG news agency. Seitkazy Matayev was President Nazarbayevs press secretary from 1991 to 1993. The Committee on Protecting Journalists reported that the Mateyevs sent statements to Adil Soz (a local press group) indicated harassment by city and state authorities began in January 2016 . There was also a recent protest in Almaty on 18 March 2016 about the incarceration of activist Yermek Narymbayev, one of the facebook activists, jailed for incitement ethnic strife (Kazakhstan Criminate Code Article 174). Kazakhstan repeatedly has fallen short of commitments for democratic reforms (particularly press freedoms) and instead has strengthened Nazarbayevs soft authoritarianism. Edward Schatz categorizes Kazakhstan as a soft authoritarian regime that engages in managed information and [discourages] opposition and [encourages] pro-regime authorities. Information management, according to Schatz, is not only through media, but by staging many events to convey information dramatically. Nazarbayev has a history of staging political events. Applying this notion to snap elections, Kazakhstans citizens know of the economic troubles. Snap elections are unnecessary to highlight the problem and snap elections give the impression the government is actively handling the problem and that political change is imminent. Kazakhstan does consider itself a democracy and whether or not Kazakhstans democracy meets international standards will be revealed once institutions are strengthened. The Kazakhstan-based Astana Times calls the 20 March elections the first step towards returning to the levels of growth and prosperity we experienced. Constitutional reforms may give more power to the lower house, redistributing more power from the strong Presidential system the country now has (in theory). Poor economic conditions are simple a pretext for squashing dissent and reducing political opposition. The poor economic conditions should be viewed as an opportunity to engage and strengthen civil society, establish dialogue between the government and non-governmental organizations, strengthen financial institutions, and explore alternatives in the energy sector. The crash of the commodities and oil markets presents Kazakhstan a unique opportunity to diversify its economy. The elections also present the opportunity to implement electoral reform as Nazarbayev has not picked a successor which greatly increases political instability and the possible formation of a power vacuum. Kazakhstan during its time as the Chair for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has failed to live up to its democratic obligations. The early Presidential elections of April 2015 showed that democratic reforms have yet to materialize. However, failure of democratization (all-encompassing to include media and political rights) and constant criticism has not stopped Kazakhstan from taking on the role of an international mediator on many high-profile conflictsIran and Syriaand from becoming a reliable and cooperative economic, trade, and security partners to its neighbors. Kazakhstans slow rise on the stage fuel autocratic behaviors. Kazakhstans elections, while varied, reflect Kazakhstans wavering commitment to democracy and lack of party pluralism. Snap elections and early Presidential elections provide an opportunity for Kazakhstan to slowly implement electoral reforms and most importantly media reforms. Kazakhstans Election Law is weak as it does provide for equal party distribution and fails to provide a concrete and non-ambiguous criteria for campaign finance. About the author: Samantha M. Brletich is a researcher and writer specializing in Central Asia and governance, security, terrorism, and development issues. She possesses a Masters in Peace Operations Policy from George Mason University in Virginia, United States. She works with the virtual think tank Modern Diplomacy specializing in Central Asia and diplomatic trends. Her work has appeared in multiple publications focused on diplomacy and Central Asia respectively. She is currently an employee of the U.S. Federal Government. 26.03.2016 LISTEN A time comes in the life of any nation when men must stand up to say enough is enough. I have been screaming from the roof top to anybody who cares to listen that Paul Afoko is doing the unthinkable in his Party. Chairman Afoko is digging the deepest well in Ghana. This man is breaking his back for New Patriotic Party to come alive again. Chairman Afoko is going the whole hog to clear the Augean Stable Akufo Addo has created within the last ten years. This man is going extra miles to recover the soul of NPP stolen for 9 years. This man is biting bullets to retake NPP that has been plundered and pillaged to bones in 9 years. I am a student of the Bible and at a time like this, what we are told as Christians is to pray for the leader whom God has chosen at a time like this. Given the magnitude of corruption, impunity, lawlessness and brigandage in our party today every right thinking person must rise up to offer a helping hand. Forces of darkness who want the maintenance of the status quo are very rich, very powerful, and well connected. They are capitalizing on the desire for power and the massive poverty they have created in the party to take advantage of the weak and the vulnerable. They have used massive poverty as an instrument to work on the psychology of our people. Now our people are poor, weak, dejected and confused. Our God, our Helper must do something for his people who are down, robbed and plundered. Throughout history I have known that our Creator cannot send you on a battle and leave you empty handed. He always arms those who genuinely love him and even those who do love him for a purpose and care for His people. You do not need to be a Christian for God to recognize you. After all, Cyrus did not know God as written in Isaiah 45 and yet God blessed him. Chairman Afoko did not emerge as Chairman last two years for nothing. God has a purpose for putting this man in the saddle at a time like this. If powerful men and women, political structures, networks etc were the yardstick for winning the Chairmanship Elections some others would cruised to victory. But God was on the side of New Plan for Power and Chairman Afoko. From the unexpected quarters he raised Afoko to come and restore hope in the party. But will this job be easy as milking a cow. We are seeing that it is not an easy task. Corruption is fighting back from all directions; the National Council, Flagbearer, His wife and Children, Council of Elders, some National Executive Committee members, and from a vast preponderance of other institutions in NPP. This man needs all the support from all and sundry to succeed. I am therefore invoking Psalm 20 on this day of March 25 2016 (GOOD FRIDAY) to encourage this Chairman at a time like this. Please pray with me 20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah 4 May He grant you according to your hearts desire, And fulfill all your purpose. 5 We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 8 They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. 9 Save, Lord! You can be an PPP or CPP member, a Christian, Muslim , a professional, a trader, a market man or woman, student, artisans , laborer, carpenter etc and you firmly believe in Chairman Afoko's drive for a new NPP, all you need to do is to key in to this project to pray for the Chairman to succeed. If you like what the Chairman is doing today, if you are a lover of good things, if you are lover equity, Justice and Fair Play, if you hate corruption, and impunity, if you believe in the project NPP under Afoko, if you want our party to join the comity of civilized world, if you want our party to grow, if you want NPP to rebuild her structures, please key in to this project. Light and darkness have no meeting point. Hope and hopelessness have no meeting point and so it is good for leadership and bad leadership. A party deserves the kind of leaders it gets. As man thinks so he is. The Holy book says we should not cast away our confidence in God which has great reward. Corruption must not defeat Afoko and NPPs Constitution. If God is with us as a mighty terrible one, the enemies of NPP will crumble and they will not succeed no matter how powerful they are. Their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. This should be our prayers at a time like this. Amen! 26.03.2016 LISTEN It just seems everything is collapsing rather too fast. Right from the devaluation of naira, to fuel scarcity and hike in the price of todays gold- petrol luckily if found, to the inter-state and intra-state kidnapping of girls involuntarily for illicit engagements and dealings and the continued drama of the corrupt leaders in our country Nigeria. When are we ever going to heave a sigh of relief? When and what time in particular are we going to weather the storm of all these challenges posing threats to the development of our dear nation? Quenching the fire to a problem automatically sprouts another, which obviously happens in our country and maybe other states too. It was firstly the case of Kidnap of some girls from their school, and its rather excruciating that some of them havent been found up till date. Its also necessary to say that military men have tried their best in securing some girls from the hands of the callous and obdurate sect. But it wouldnt be enough until the girls are all fully granted the chance of breathing the air they were used to before. While still trying to quench the problem on ground, another as surfaced just as I said above. Why would a person think of relocating to another state with the daughter of another family without due consent? What case do we call this? Women and girls have been faced with serious challenge all over the globe and Nigeria is definitely not an exception. One of which is the case which happened recently, when a man had to relocate to another state with another familys daughter and not even stopping at that, it was claimed that he even tried to change her faith and all thatone begins to ask what type of a country we are in? Or what type of people the country we are in accommodates? Whichever suits. Violence against women and girls, irrespective of what community, country or continent where one lives, is one of the most pervasive challenges facing humankind. The consequences across society, from the individual to nation-states and regions, demonstrate the range and severity of the crisis: One out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Girls and young women who are victims of sexual violence can be limited in their educational opportunities and achievements, affecting their capacity to earn a viable income. When women and girls are oppressed by violence and intimidation, businesses and government agencies are impacted from employee absences, security costs, prosecution of alleged perpetrators, and increased poverty from a shrunken workforce of female citizens unable to work at their full capacity. Further, women who have experienced violence are at a higher risk of HIV infection. A critical survey several years ago among South African women showed that those who were beaten by their partners were 48% more likely to be infected with HIV than those who were not beaten. (Jimmie Briggs; Ending Violence against Women and Girls.) Jimmie Briggs- an activist against women and girls violence opined that sexual interaction without consent or rape as taken over the day, emotional abuse, economic control, political disenfranchisement, denial of the right to education, as well as denial of independent movement or action not leaving out physical violence are just a few of the problems women and girls have to battle. In a society that has an integral part of it posed with these challenges what do you think? With all the problems lined up for possible solutions in our dear Country, do we have to add other unnecessary problems like the ones listed above? Blogs wont have fascinating features without having to feed readers with cases of physical assault on women or girls. If you dont read of one which relates to rape, you will read of a man who poured acid on his wife for reasons best known to him, or other cases like denial of sex resulting into merciless beating. Why the molestation? Often, violence against women and girls is fostered by negative constructs of masculinity and manhood, which lead men to believe they must hold certain qualities and exhibit behaviour which is typically harmful to others, and sometimes themselves. For example, physical strength and sexual prowess can be used as indicators of whether or not someone is a real man, as well as economic viability being able to provide for oneself and family and, having recognized authority or power beyond oneself. (Jimmie Briggs) I seem to agree with Briggs on this point, most assaults faced by women in their respective homes is as a result of that masculine power. The power that makes a man feel because he feeds a woman, he can treat her anyhow, even to the extent of beating her when she isnt cooperating. Is that what masculine power is supposed to king on? Women and girls are not objects of molestation and shouldnt be treated as such. I dont know of any faith that has recommended or supported the discrimination and violence against women and girls, and I am sure there is none. Women and girls are objects of respect, regards, and relevance and they should be treated as such. Take a look at countries that dont trample upon the rights of women, what is known of them? Economic buoyancy, stabilised society, peaceful atmosphere and all round development just to mention a few. I believe every man remains sane until the day he raises his filthy and vomity hands on a ladyLets all say no to violence against women and girls in our society! Tijani Sheriffdeen is a young writer; he nurses scintillating passion for literature, journalism, photography and activism. He is currently an Anatomy undergraduate student at the University of Ilorin. He hails from Oyo state. Major (rtd) Don-Chebe, Chairman of this occasion; the metropolitan Archbishop of the Cape Coast Diocese, Most Reverend Matthias Kobina Nketsia; Omanhene of Oguaa traditional area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II; the Headmaster, Mr. Joseph Connel; President of APSU, Dr. Anthony Osei; fellow APSUnians, distinguished guests, students, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to speak to the current students of my great Alma Mater, St. Augustines College, this morning. Before I do that, though, I wish to recognize my older brother, Mr. Gerald Anthony Freduah-Agyemang, who took me out of my village Kwasibuokrom, in the Brong-Ahafo Region, to come and live with him and his wife, Beatrice (Abban) Freduah-Agyemang. He is the primary person God used to transform my life. Mr. and Mrs. Freduah Agyemang, thank you! Also, I did not travel from the United States alone. This is such an important occasion that my wife, Christina, decided to travel with me and she is here with me this morning. Not only is her husband an APSUnian, but her own older brother, Kofi Yeboah, taught here at St. Augustines College for a few years beginning in 1980. First, let me start by thanking the Headmaster, Mr. Connel and the organizers of this event for giving me the opportunity to speak to you this morning. I consider this a great honor and an excellent opportunity to be part of the development of the future leaders of this country a country that we all love so much. Indeed, standing in front of us this morning are some of the future leaders of Ghana. As one of the premier high schools in our country, there is no doubt that many chief executives, ministers, parliamentarians, and heads of departments, and probably future Presidents, will be produced right here at St. Augustines College. Almost 44 years ago, my brother, Freduah-Agyemang (aka BIG BEN of the 1960s Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs fame), who is here with me today and himself an old student of this august college, brought me here to begin my journey into academia. It was a little over two years from the date the same brother took me from my village, Kwasibuokrom, in the Brong-Ahafo region, to come and live with him right here in Cape Coast. I attended Catholic Jubilee School in Forms 2 and 3 and was deposited here that September day in 1972 to begin my High School education. I spent seven years here, completing both my O Level and A level education and then went on to complete my BSc degree at KNUST before heading out to Canada and then to the USA for my Masters and Ph.D. degrees. Today, I have been asked to speak to us on a very important topic Leadership and Self-Development in the 21st Century. Those who know me may be thinking that I paid the organizers to select this topic. You see, I have been talking at different settings about this very topic. I even developed an acronym for the real GOLD that Ghana needs at this time. It is: Ghanaians for Orderliness, Leadership, and Development. The real GOLD for our nation is not what is under the ground but what is embedded in its citizens that must be unearthed so it can bear real dividends for all of us. The future leaders of our dear nation must be Ghanaians standing for the creation of an orderly society. They must exemplify true leadership, geared toward the development of Ghana that will inure to all our citizens. Standing right in front of me today are those we are counting on to lead the millions of our citizens living now and those yet to be born in the future from the abject poverty into prosperity. The abject poverty our people find themselves in today did not just happen. It has been orchestrated first from plunder by foreigners and in post-colonial times from bad leadership, incompetence, wanton stealing and greed from our own. Yes, from us, (the so-called leaders who have been educated on the sweat and backs of our peasant farmers and fishermen) with and without the help of foreigners. I sincerely envy you. I envy you because you will see a Ghana that most of us over 40 years old will probably not see. A Ghana that will rival its true peers and take its rightful position as the first born son of Africa. A Ghana that will be the envy of the rest of the world. A Ghana that will cause the Europeans, the Americans, and the Asians to rethink their negative view of Africa. Sure, our nation has produced some great leaders. Kwame Nkrumah comes to mind and Kofi Annan comes to mind. In fact, throughout the world, many individual Ghanaians are carrying our flag high with dignity and many question why our nation, with the caliber of people in leadership positions across Europe and the Americas, continue to wobble in the quagmire of poverty. It doesnt make sense. It doesnt make sense at all. I would like to posit to you that we have failed! We have failed as a group, those of us who call ourselves leaders have failed our people. Now, of course, its not all of us who have had the opportunity to lead in different capacities. And many who have had the opportunity have excelled but as a group, we have failed woefully!!! Now, the question is: is the situation hopeless? Of course NOT! It is never hopeless as long as humans exist and as long as we are willing to change course. My responsibility this morning is to help us outline the steps we need to take to change course. My work is made a little easy because this is a Christian School. You see, if you read many leadership books and if you have ever worked in a good company where true leadership is exemplified, and if you are a student of the Bible, you will see immediately that the Leadership gurus have done a good job at stealing. They have done a good job at stealing from the Bible. But this is theft that God strongly approves of. In fact, not only does He approve, He actually strongly encourages us to steal. I will go further. God, as the universes ultimate leader, has given us a perfect model of leadership that He wants us sometimes commands us to follow. Isnt it ironic that we flaunt ourselves in the faces of others that Ghana is a Christian country and yet, we fail woefully at applying the Bible to our lives? I find it one of the greatest contradictions! When I started reading the Bible, I developed great love for Jesus Christ. I just loved what He said. At one time, he pointed out to His disciples: You see the rulers of the Gentiles; they Lord it over their subjects. Not so with you. In my Kingdom, whoever wants to be the leader should be the chief servant of all. For the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. You see, if we apply the Bible we will achieve the promises in the Bible. Many of us in Ghana are actually doing all we can to disprove the Bible. We are doing all we can to tell God that he is a liar. We say we are Christians. God says if you obey my commands I will bless you and you shall eat of the fruit of the land. But our people are really not eating of the fruit of the land. Either God is a liar or we are not obeying God. You choose for yourselves what you think is really happening here; whether it is the case that God is a liar or that we are not doing what we should be doing. So what is wrong here? We, the leaders and those we lead, are simply NOT doing what we should be doing! Period! In this 21st century, I urge you, our future leaders, to abide by; to believe and live by; to work hard toward demonstrating; sound and proven effective leadership qualities. Any effective leadership must incorporate the qualities of Competence, Integrity, and Passion to Serve. I have already briefly spoken about the need for leaders to see their work as that of serving those placed in their care. Leadership must be self-selected. Only those who wish to serve must seek to be leaders and those who appoint leaders should seek to see that they are appointing individuals who have demonstrated Servant Leadership qualities. Competence: On competence, I will just pick the low-hanging fruits. You are students so begin with studying hard. Focus on your studies. Ask questions in class and pay attention. If you dont understand any concept, dont feel shy to ask your friends outside the classroom. Read widely and, in your studies, pay special attention to the areas of Mathematics, English, and the Sciences. We are in an era of high intellectual mobility and there is high global demand for qualified individuals in professions that demand strong foundation in Mathematics, the Sciences, and Technology. It is important for all of you to develop your mathematics skills, but it is especially important for the poorer ones among you. Education is the surest way out of poverty. Thank God for the global objective examinations like the SAT, GRE, GMAT etc. If you put yourself to the task and attain high scores in these exams, especially the graduate level exams, your financial/economic future can be transformed, along with those of several members of your extended family! In the United States, for example, the vast majority of doctoral students in quantitative disciplines such as Engineering and Finance are foreign students, mainly China and India. The demand for Finance professors, for example, is high and if you score over 700 (out of 800) in the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), you will most likely get admission into a reputable US Business School to pursue a doctorate degree in Finance and get a job as a finance professor upon completion. Integrity: This is an extremely important leadership quality. In fact, regardless of how intelligent a person is, if he/she is not a person of integrity, he/she should not be a leader. Integrity comes from the mathematics root word INTEGER, which means whole. You should be whole. Set good examples and live a life of sincerity, a life of truth. The least you can do as a leader is to NOT take a cedi for yourself from the funds entrusted to you for the care of those you lead. People do only what they can see done. Lead by example! If you believe it, you will live it! It is complete deception and a travesty against the truth when so-called leaders preach the theory of good leadership but live differently. Humans will see through your hollow preaching and do what they see you do not what you say. If you believe in Servant leadership, then they should see you serve and not lord it over them. If you lord it over the people, they will see it and copy you. After all, you are the leader. Not climbing to high leadership levels limits you and the people you lead. When I was here at St. Augustines, my mother died during the long vacation of 1975. My older brother, Mr. Freduah-Agyemang, a young man only in his twenties, assumed the mantle of leadership in the family. The strong single mother our family matriarch was gone. The family had no uncles (as my mother was an only child) and no father. Times were tough and I often cried walking around campus. I remembered I was walking right here on the pavement in front of St. Theresas house when the thought came to me that I was going to be the one to lift the family from the abject poverty. I felt a very heavy weight on my shoulders. I had one pair of trousers and felt very poor relative to my mates here. I sobbed because I thought I carried too heavy a load. But another thought came to me and it clearly said: You can do it, you can do it. Just keep going!!! I pumped myself up and kept going. You cannot climb the leadership ladder alone. Leaders are always taking somebody with them. When you are at the top alone, you are not a leader, you are a hiker, or a dictator or a proud selfish person. Leaders take people with them. Take a look at our Lord Jesus Christ and His example of coming down to teach us true leadership. He selected twelve apostles to be with Him and to learn closely from Him so that they can in turn lead others. I can take an example right from my home. My brother, Freduah-Agyemangs selflessness is a living example. His decision to lift me up from our village at a time when I had to stay home for weeks because my mother could not buy the school uniform I needed, transformed my life. I always consider, Monday, September 7, 1970 as the biggest turning point in my life. The day that my brother brought me here to Cape Coast. Incidentally, we arrived at Cape Coast at about 7:00 pm. God used that singular decision to transform a very poor family into who we are today. When I was doing my Ph.D., I was very sad that there was no university graduate in my family. I couldnt be happy that I was alone at the top and I yearned for some of my nephews and siblings to join me at the higher education level. Today, I am glad to report to you that I can count several members of our extended family with university degrees and higher. Folks, we can do this. In fact, if we do the right things and put the Biblical examples of leadership into practice, we can quadruple the per capita income of our dear nation in a decade and move millions of our citizens from poverty into prosperity. Standing in front of me this morning are some of those who will make this happen. But life is a continuum. Its not the case that all of sudden, all the old folks are wiped out and new young people of integrity are deposited into all leadership positions. It therefore stands to reason that all of us, young and old alike, make a decision to do the right things. If there are politicians in our midst, I urge you to enforce the laws of the land. God disciplines us when we stray from the path of righteousness, because He loves us and wants us to do the right things. Please dont shy away from punishing corruption! And punish corruption consistently without regard to tribal and party affiliations or economic status. The flip side is also very important. Reward those who live right and contribute in diverse ways to our development. I dont have much time this morning, but let me suggest that in a chaotic environment where bribery and corruption thrive, it is very difficult, very confusing, for the citizenry to map effort to reward. People see their neighbors become rich without the attendant effort that would lead to such wealth. In such a society, the citizenry become confused and tend to attribute success to mysticism and fatalism. They become vulnerable to fake pastors and jujumen who promise them success, because these people dont see a clear mapping from effort to success. The benefits of closing loopholes to stealing and bribery and corruption are just immense! And we should do all we can as a people to create an orderly society where such societal vices are reduced to a minimum. Let me say this to self-development: it will be difficult for you to achieve your potential without a clear purpose for your life. You are going to face difficulties on your journey to leadership excellence. If you dont have a clear, powerful, purpose, you may be forced to quit. In my view, a purpose that is focused on helping others is more powerful than one focused on yourself, and will enable you to withstand the headwinds you will face in life. Again, Christ gives us the greatest example of this. It was the joy set before Him in seeing His sacrifice bring salvation to many (including you and me) that enabled Him to endure the cross! Hebrews 12: 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. If you focus only on yourself, it will be easy to give up you will say, after all what am I looking for? Many who focus on themselves commit suicide when they feel the easier way out of problems is to give up and end it all. But when you focus on others, during periods of difficulty, you can throw your mind back to how your efforts will bring great benefits to them and that will help you to keep going. Let me end with a story I read about a man who moved to New York after the Jewish Holocaust. He found a low-paying job and provided for the large family under his care. But, as it was in those days for the Jews who immigrated to the United States, and is still in these days for several African immigrants, this man was taunted, jeered at, ridiculed regularly. Most people would have called it quits under those circumstances. In fact, someone asked him why he kept coming to this job under such harsh conditions. He replied: There are fifteen people in my family who depend on the paycheck I receive each week from this job. It is the money I receive that provides food and accommodation for those fifteen people and the smiles and joy on their faces when I am able to provide for them is what enables me to overcome the taunting from my coworkers. It is those fifteen people who keep me coming. To end, in this 21st century, lets go back 21 centuries and learn to put into practice what our Master/Lord taught us. His words still ring true it is not those who say Lord, Lord, but those who do the will of my Father. It is the will of the Father that we serve our people and help lift millions from abject poverty into PROSPERITY. We can do this, folks. We can do this! I trust that you will take hold of this responsibility and lead your generation into prosperity so that where we failed, you will succeed! Thank you and God bless you! Charles Appeadu is currently an Associate Prof. of Finance at University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business. He took up the appointment in January 2016. Kofi Portuphy 26.03.2016 LISTEN Mr. Kofi Portuphy says that Ghanaian voters should not vote for parties that preach disunity within their own party and tear each other apart (See Dont Vote for Warmongers Portuphy Classfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 3/25/16). The truth of the matter is that it is the leaders of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who have been inducing the troublemakers in the main opposition New Patriotic Party with bribes for the purpose. It is an open secret that Messrs. Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong and Sammy Crabbe, among a remarkable number of others, are in regular contact and consultations with rogue politicians like Mr. Portuphy, the National Chairman of the NDC. And so Mr. Portuphy must be living in a fools paradise to suppose that most Ghanaian voters are, somehow, too simple-minded to understand what is going on behind the scenes between some of the leaders of both major political parties. You would also think that when he visited Wa, the Upper-Wests regional capital, recently, that the former National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) would have been cutting sods to begin work on new school buildings, in a bid to drastically reducing the number of schools-under-trees, even as most residents of the Upper-West Region recognize the indescribable disaster which the Mahama government has made of our childrens education. Not so. Instead, the NDCs National Chairman went to Wa to commission work on another lavish multi-million-cedi office complex for his party, while hundreds of schoolchildren in the region sat on bare floors to take study lessons. If this criminal neglect of the education of Ghanaian schoolchildren does not amount to President Mahamas having waged a full-scale war against the future welfare and intellectual and cultural development of our country, I dont know what else he means when Mr. Portuphy pretends as if the development of the country is all about stealing the Ghanaian taxpayers money and unconscionably using such moneys to build forts and castles to serve as headquarters for the ruling National Democratic Congress. To the best of my knowledge, and most Ghanaians are apt to bear me out on this one, too, about the only political party in the country that preaches violence is the party whose leaders created the terror-mongering Azorka Boys and the PNDC Cadres, who still roam our streets and marketplaces causing mayhem and wanton destruction of lives and properties. You see, the problem with leaders like Mr. Portuphy is that these NDC Abongo Boys think that intimidating Ghanaians into a graveyards silence is what peace and unity in the country is all about. As well, rascals like Messrs. Portuphy, Asiedu-Nketia, Kofi Adams and Koku Anyidoho believe that badmouthing and driving out of the party intelligent and courageous young men and women like Mr. George Boateng, the former Oyarifa NDC Youth Organizer, who demand a healthy change of bad leadership for a more progressive one, is what defines party unity. In other words, for the leaders of the National Democratic Congress, party unity means that every other rank-and-file member or supporter of the NDC ought to shut up and pretend that this most corrupt and administratively incompetent Mahama/Amissah-Arthur regime is the best thing that happened to postcolonial Ghana since 1957. Well, maybe somebody needs to inform Mr. Portuphy and his gang members that the mere absence of open conflict is no good sign of peace. Ghanaians are too sophisticated to mistake mere acquiescence or enforced culture of silence for the prevalence of peace and unity. We had that for 20 years under the extortionate dictatorship and pseudo-democratic tenure of Chairman Jerry John Rawlings. And guess what we got, but Mr. Rawlings necklace. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs 26.03.2016 LISTEN Some of Africa's leaders are responsible for instability on the continent because they have failed to manage diversity in their societies, the former Nigerian President, General Olusegun Obasanjo, has said. By the same token, he noted, outside interference in Africa has been responsible for conflicts, citing the NATO air strikes in Libya in 2011 that led to the removal from power of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The repercussions are now being felt in Mali, Nigeria and the Sahel, Gen Obasanjo told a press conference on the upcoming Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Ethiopia. Asked whether African leaders were to blame for the conflicts on the continent, he said: Yes and no. He said leaders were failing their people because they had not been able to prevent marginalisation in their societies; prevent injustice; reduce unemployment; reduce poverty; and that they had not embraced democracy and good governance. The theme of his year's Forum is Africa in the Global Security Agenda. This is apt, given the continuing fallout from the NATO intervention in Libya, for which US President Barack Obama recently criticised the British and French governments for getting rid of Gaddafi without having plans in place for effective follow-up. On the issue of African peacekeeping operations, Gen. Obasanjo agreed that the lack of funding from African Union members states was a major setback for peace and security on the continent. He said that when he was head of state, he was in charge of a high-level panel to search for alternative sources of funding for the AU, but this came to nothing. He noted that when the AU was looking for funds to counter the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, member states failed to provide the money. The AU eventually had to turn to the private sector, and it was able to raise $40 million, said Gen Obasanjo, who is Chairman of the Tana Forum. . He was critical of AU member states for not contributing to the AU's general budget, adding: I think this is down to the lack of political will. Gen Obasanjo noted that Ebola and migration from Africa had security implications not just for the continent because we now live in a global community whereby if something happens in Africa, it affects the rest of the world. This was why Africa had to take a serious look at its security infrastructure; what Africans could do themselves to deal with these issues; and what should be the continent's role in formulating security policies globally. The Deputy Chairman of the Forum, Professor Andreas Eshete of Ethiopia, said that Africa had to have not only a stronger voice in the global security architecture but also for its perspectives to be taken into account and incorporated into the global security agenda. The fifth Tana Forum will take place in the Bahir Dar on April 16 and 17, attended by a number of heads of states and governments and members of the African peace and security community. The general impression on peacebuilding initiatives in Africa has been that they have been eternally driven. But in recent years, Africans have been building a solid community around peacebuilding that has been coming up with solid ideas on how to tackle the problems relating to peace and security on the continent. This is one reason the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) have been bold enough to pledge to silence the guns in Africa by 2020. Thus, the Forum, the brainchild of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, aims to provide a platform for airing African-led solutions to the continent's most pressing security problems. The Institute for Peace and Security Services (IPSS) at Addis Ababa University serves as the Forum's secretariat. -GNA 26.03.2016 LISTEN There is a rising discussion about whether there may be a brokered GOP nominating convention in Cleveland. Might a party faction be able to deny the nomination to the front runner or, even, to any of the leading delegate holders? Rumors abound that the Party Establishment is looking to hand the nomination to the 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. Not a credible scenario. A scorched earth attempt to deny the nomination to the leading contenders would be political suicide for the GOP. The Trump enthusiasts, and the Conservative Faithful (among whom I proudly am counted), would be alienated by such a move. The GOP would go to historic defeat. Of course the Party insiders wish to retain their control at all costs. As Satan, formerly known as Lucifer, said, inParadise Lost: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven. Saul Alinsky call your office. Wont happen. Speculation about a brokered convention may be a parlor game. Either Donald Trump or, just remotely possibly, Ted Cruz yet might secure the requisite 1,237 votes to secure a first ballot nomination or become so dominant as to be unstoppable. Farewell Establishment! Don't let the door hit you on the way out. In the event of a technical shortfall Trump will and Cruz just might, have sufficient delegates to broker the convention themselves, adding the delegates of a rival sufficient to put one of them over the top. Period. The next step will be to achieve party unity. Trump has proved himself over the course of a lifetime a shrewd negotiator. He does whatever it takes to win. Will he can he provide sufficient credible assurances to pull the bulk of conservatives back from the #NeverTrump brink? What to do? As I wrote here previously : A plurality of voters see [Trump] as a Superhero. Alternatively, not a few see Trump as a Supervillain. Donald Trump recently said, on Fox News Hannity , I mean, everythings negotiable. This perfect ambiguity is entirely consistent with how Donald Trump has lived his entire recorded life. That causes observers to see him, depending on their point of view, as Superhero or Supervillain. Trump could reach out to Cruz (or, possibly, Kasich's delegates or even Rubio's) to put himself over the top perhaps in return for the vice presidency, no small prize. (Marco Rubio, who failed to endorse Ted Cruz when it might have changed the electoral calculus, and who as widely anticipated lost his native Florida, alas does not now appear likely to be much of a factor.) In a contested convention with Trump leading Ted Cruz would offer, as VP-designate if he will take it, the powerful advantage of bringing with him the conservative base. Unless rank and file conservatives are stoked to turn out to vote on November 6th Republican victory prospects in the general election are diminished. Cruz would seem to be holding the high cards in the Veepstakes. John Kasich has the advantage of bringing with him Ohios electoral college votes plus impressive Congressional experience and a distinguished track record of executive branch public service as governor of Ohio. These are not inconsiderable assets for the general election. Yet the impressive Kasich somehow does not excite the conservative base. It may be that Ted Cruz will have enough delegates to make a deal with Kasich, sidelining Trump and creating a right-center-right unity ticket. Such a ticket would, of course, require a heroic effort to bring in the Trump enthusiasts. Possibility. Let it be noted that Trump however ruthless in the course of negotiation has a long history of not being a sore loser. He does not, win or lose, typically conduct vendettas against his opponents. He pivots to his next opportunity. This has served him very well. The apparently probable scenario places Trump solidly in the delegate lead. In that case he will face a conundrum in seeking to unite the GOP behind him while pivoting to pocket the presidency. As my above-referenced column observed, The evidence on the nature of Trumps character is ambiguous. Superhero? Or Supervillain? Nominating him for, and electing him, president would be a high stakes riverboat gamble. Trump alone would have the power to provide assurances to the conservative base that nominating him would not, in fact, be a high stakes riverboat gamble. Can he do so? Will he? Trump already has begun at attempt to pivot to the general election. As Megan McCardle noted at BloombergView , his initial attempt proved clumsy: It was as if hed read that youre supposed to pivot to the general, and failed to understand that you were supposed to selectively tack toward the center on key issues, rather than randomly retracting things you had previously said, some as recently as 30 seconds ago. His closing statement, delivered in the same half-asleep voice, was probably his most electrifying moment of the evening: So I just say embrace these millions of people that now for the first time ever love the Republican Party. And unify. Be smart and unify. Essentially: I broke your party. Now surrender. Uniting the party, toward winning the presidency, may be the greatest challenge yet in Trumps storied life. It might be a challenge he relishes. As I have written elsewhere : Wayne Barrett, a reporter for the Village Voice once upon a time in 1992 wrote an extensive biography of Donald Trump. Nestled among many other fascinating nuggets of reporting about Trumps life is something, a rare unguarded moment, that might cast a ray of light on the inner workings of a complicated mind. Consider if you will: "Donald liked to recall his favorite 'Twilight Zone' episode, which featured a venal man who died in an accident, was offered any wish he wanted, and declared: 'I want to win, win, win. Everything I want. I went to get. I want to get the most beautiful women. I want to get the beautiful this and that. I want to never lose again.' Then, as Donald recounted the story, the man was shown playing pool, winning every time. 'Everything he did, he won,' said Donald, until the godlike figure whod granted his wish came back to the man. 'And the man said, If this is Heaven, let me go to Hell. And the person said, You are in Hell. (Trump, HarperCollins, pp. 31-32) As if the agon, rather than the ecstasy, is what truly is most dear. Reading between the lines: Trump does not covet loss. He burns to confront an authentic challenge, one of the highest magnitude. A challenge worthy of his powers. Trump has created just such a challenge for himself. Some profound and influential conservative thought leaders, among them William Kristol and Erick Erickson, have joined #NeverTrump never to return. If Trump arrives in Cleveland with a decisive delegate lead can he provide sufficient assurances to the GOP conservative base to unite the party not as a matter of unconditional surrender but in a principled conservative way? This will not be easy. Trump does not crave easy. It just might be possible. Is Trump up to the challenge? Perhaps not. Yet Trump has demonstrated that he is formidable, not to be underestimated. If it comes to a brokered meaning contested convention, with Donald Trump in the delegate lead, choosing Ted Cruz as his running mate would be one step toward the goal of party unity. If Trump aspires to unite the GOP, however, more, will be required of him. If we arrive at a contested convention and if Trump, in the lead, can provide credible assurances to the conservatives, advantage Trump. If he cannot and if -- at this juncture a big if -- Cruz has enough delegates, the negotiating advantage in Cleveland will pass to Cruz. If we get to Cleveland without any candidate possessing 1,237 delegates, but with Trump and Cruz each holding a substantial bloc, do not expect a brokered convention. Expect the highest stakes poker game in living memory, with the presidential nomination as the stakes. Originating at Forbes.com 26.03.2016 LISTEN A recent visit to one of the prestigious universities library sent shivers down my spine. I was in search of a book which led me to a locked up cage, fully packed with research works of graduates from that Department. I glanced through a reference book listing topics researched by these graduates and like a bolt out of the blue, almost all the topics were linked to problems and challenges this country is currently facing. What could I do? Just shook my head and questioned the librarian, Are we serious as a country? It is undisputed fact that researching is the backbone of development. One major distinguishing factor between developed and undeveloped countries is their level of inclination toward research works. While the former give apt attention and value to research, the latter disregard and considered it as paltry. Solution to every problem comes through research. It is through research that jobs are created, economic activities increase and the nation experiences growth. This indicates that upsurge of unemployment, decline in economic growth and development are absolute indicator of how poor our commitments are toward research works in this country. I have come across several research works placed in a cold storage which had the potential of providing solutions to sustainable and effective ways of mobilizing internally generated funds at various MMDAs, improving waste collection and sanitation, turning waste products into useful resources, improving customer services and satisfactions, enhancing crop productivity, achieving quality education, just to mention a few. Just think of the numerous jobs these research works could have fetched for this country if serious attention and resources are spent on them. Recently, there had been a call from the Department of Chemistry, KNUST, appealing to the Electoral Commission to used indelible ink manufactured by the Department for the registration and other electoral exercises. I wont be surprised if their appeal is turned down but lets imagine the positive impact of EC using our own manufactured indelible ink for electoral assignments. University education in this country has become a mere formality. The pride associated with being a graduate in todays Ghana is synonym to a wooden nickel, nothing to boast of. The university education refined, reshaped and reformed graduates to solve the challenges of this country. As part of their education, each comes out with a research work targeting solution to a major problem in this country. With trusted lectures and professors, research works are well supervised and go through series of processes before approved by the authorities of the universities. This is the pride of the graduate, not only to come out with certificate of completion but to see the results of his/her research work solving problems and challenges in this country. What happened to these hard earned works full of tears and endless sacrifices? Locked up in the libraries because government disdained them. An interaction with a friend brought to light the brain behind free scholarships to study abroad offered by foreign nations to our students. He stated that they are interested in the research findings which are offered by our students of which when integrated into their economic system produce 10 times the value of the total cost of education which was offered for free. Many Ghanaians who studied abroad can boast of how their research works had contributed enormously toward the development of these foreign countries. There is no way these foreigners can beat our students when subjected to the same learning conditions. The only difference is that they have learnt to value research work which build great pride in their graduates to contribute enormously toward nation building. For the past ten to fifteen years, our universities and other tertiary institutions, both public and private, had produced over 1 million graduates indicating over 1 million news ideas and solutions to improve and solve problems as well as creating jobs in this country. Till we give value and serious attention to the research works of our graduates, all efforts and resources spent in our university education will fall flat. What do we do? We need an institution which will coordinates all research works carried out by students and translate them into the development of this country. Also, all the various agencies and departments in this country have to forward areas of problems and challenges facing their sectors to this institution to be researched by students. The education ministry together with various authorities at our universities need to team up and develop a system which will link research works in our various universities to solving problems and challenges in this country. It is time we prove to the world that the black man is capable of managing his own affairs. What a pride we would boast in this country to see students works solving problems at various sectors and sections of this country! Great would be the graduates from our universities. Also, the standard of our universities would be competing with the likes of Harvard, Cambridge, etc. Again, our professors and lecturers would be exceptional. The solutions to our problems are found in researching and nothing else. Till then, the message is simple, lets stop relying on politicians to solve our problems and join hands together to improve research activities at our various universities to solve our problems. Jeffery Amo-Asare [email protected] The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party has said election 2016 is about the future of the Ghanaian youth, explaining that the electoral choice they make this year will affect their future and that of successive generations of Ghanaians. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the youth of Ghana have a basic choice to make in this years election a choice between the current NDC government which is overseeing unprecedented levels of economic difficulties and hardships, and the NPP which has demonstrated, from 2001 to 2009, that it has a proven track record of delivering progress and prosperity to the people of Ghana. If you, the youth, feel comfortable with the current situation, then vote for the NDC and continuity. However, if you are dissatisfied with your current situation, then vote for change in November. We are living today in hardships and difficulties. This is not the kind of Ghana we want. Ghanaians want change and I strongly believe that the youth want change, Nana Addo said at the inauguration ceremony of the Kobreso NPP Youth Wing in the Offinso North constituency, in the Ashanti region. With nearly 60% of Ghanas population being 35 years and below, the NPP flagbearer explained that if Ghana becomes a success story, the youth will be the biggest beneficiaries. However, if the nation fails, it is the youth who have most to lose. Therefore, it is important that the youth view this election as being very critical, and an election whose outcome will determine whether the nation has a bright future. I believe Ghana has a bright future under the right leadership. So there is hope for the youth, he stressed He added: The bad state of Ghanas economy is because of bad governance, evidenced by the implementation of bad policies over the last 7 years. It is bad leadership that has brought about the poverty, economic difficulties and hardships Ghanaians are going through. If the fundamentals of our economy were right, there would have been an abundance of jobs in Ghana. So there is hope for Ghana. Ghanas youth have hope. If we can vote for change in November, I assure you that Ghana will be a nation that will be able to provide for the needs of her youth. Have confidence in me Nana Akufo-Addo, therefore, urged the youth to have confidence in him, trusting that when they give him the mantle to serve the people of Ghana, God-wiling from January 2017, I am coming to do a job for Ghana. I am coming to use the resources of this nation, not to enrich myself, but for the benefit of all Ghanaians. He assured that two main sectors that will deliver the hundreds of thousands of jobs required by the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth, namely manufacturing and agriculture, will be given a major boost through the implementation of a number of well-thought out policies and programmes. Nana Akufo-Addo indicated, for example, that Ghanas over-reliance on cocoa will not be a feature of his government, as an aggressive diversification of cash crops, akin to the developments in neighbouring Cote dIvoire, which earns that country $12 billion in export revenues, will be pursued by his government. I said in Sampa, a week ago, that an Akufo-Addo government will establish a Cashew Marketing Board, which will do for cashew farmers exactly what the Cocoa Marketing Board does for cocoa farmers. Likewise, we will give strong government backing to producers of maize. If Ghana is to make any meaningful change in the lives of her people, our efforts must be directed at this sector. The majority of people can only feel a change in their lives when we develop agriculture. That is the road to prosperity in Ghana, he added. All these policies, he stressed, will be brought to fruition by providing Ghanaians with a first class government whose main aim will be to improve their living conditions. Nana Akufo-Addo emphasized that we in the NPP have the men and the women that will give Ghanaians a first class government which is going to work honestly to solve the problems of our people. He appealed to the people of Kobreso that they should, on his third attempt, have confidence and trust in me, and try me. Give me the chance to show you what I can do. God knows my heart and I can assure you that I wont disappoint you. Progress and prosperity are what I am offering the youth, and the people of Ghana. Nana Akufo-Addo, prior to the inauguration of the youth wing, visited the NPPs Offinso North constituency chairman, Mr. D.K. Boakye Asare, at his residence in Afrancho, to console him on the loss of his wife. The NPP flagbearer also paid a courtesy call on the Akwamuhene of Kobreso, who was sitting in state on behalf of the Chief of Kobreso, who is out of the country, to inform him officially of his presence in the town, ahead of the event in Kobreso. 26.03.2016 LISTEN Egbert Faibille Jnr says the three South African ex-cops who are in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) did no wrong when they entered Ghana. The Lawyer and senior journalist said the three men went through the approved process in securing their visas from the Ghana High Commission in South Africa. According to him, the men applied for a business visa and went ahead to pay the required fees before being given the permit to enter Ghana. It is a business trip. What has been done wrong here? he asked adding it goes against the procedure itself. He also said the men paid duty fees on their equipment which he listed as paint gun (non-lethal), extension cords, boots, mosquito coil, brown envelopes, water bottles, files, empty cylinders which were consigned to Delta Security Services here in Ghana. Speaking on the Joy FM/MultTVs news analysis programme, Newsfile, Mr Faibille said the conducts of the three men does not amount to any breach of any Ghanaian law. He rebuked the manner people jumped onto the tangent to say all sort of things when they did not have the full information about the men adding it was a needless provocation. He said the behavior of government communicators shows a government that is jittery. He acknowledged there is the need to act swiftly when one chances on any intelligence but added it is always important to be careful with what one does with such information. Mr Faibille said he expected the Ghana Police Service would provide some form of security for the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo considering he was elected two years ago but they have failed. He said by his position, the NPP flagbearer is exposed to the public and attacks so there is the need to provide some form of security to him. According to him, there are some people in the country who have taken their own security into their hands because of the absence of protection from the security agencies adding this has shown a certain failure of the State. Deputy Communication Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu said no self-respecting security outfit will overlook the sort of information the BNI chanced on. He said The BNI did no wrong in swooping the three men especially when they are engaging in activities which have been described as a security threat to the country. Mr. Kwakye Ofosu condemned the claim by the leadership of the NPP that government functionaries are planning to harm the flagbearer. "Nobody in government has any plan to kill the flagbearer," he said adding Nana Addo has been walking freely in the country for more several decades without harm. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | Email: [email protected] Accra, March 25, GNA - The AI Oil Company has been ranked first among 24 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), quoting the lowest ex-pump prices, according to Energy Ghana's Gh Fuel Prices app ranking released on Friday. Energy Ghana, a brand of Energy Media Group, introduced the Gh Fuel Prices to rate OMCs in the country and update consumers on a regular basis about prices of diesel, petrol, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas. The Friday's chart saw AI oil pricing a litre of petrol at GH 3.2300 while a litre of diesel is going for GH 3.1000, displacing FRIMPS oil which was leading the chart on Thursday. Champion oil is next on the table charging a litre of petrol at GH 3.2680 and diesel at 3.1800, moving up one step up from the Thursday's records. Three oil companies - TOTAL, SUPERIOR and MAXXON, are quoting the highest ex-pump prices for petrol at GHa 3.3830 while SUPERIOR is the only company pricing the highest for diesel with a litre going for GHa 3.3930. Market watchers have described the Gh Fuel Prices app mooted under the slogan, "compare and buy," as good for the oil marketing sector that would give consumers a superior deal of energy products at the most competitive prices. The Energy Media Group (EMG) Chief Executive Officer, Mr Henry Teinor, earlier told the Ghana News Agency that the new Gh Fuel Prices app aims to foster competition among the OMCs and give consumers value for their money by providing oil and gas pricing information to the public. The Gh Fuel Prices app that can easily be downloaded on any Smartphone offers comprehensive information to consumers to make informed decisions when buying fuel as well as boost competition in the Ghanaian oil market, he said. Friday's ex-pump prices quoted in Ghana cedis per litre by the various OMCs are classified below according to the lowest and the highest prices on average terms. NO. OMC PETROL DIESEL 1. AI 3.2300 3.1000 2. CHAMPION 3.2680 3.1800 3. FRIMPS 3.2950 3.2780 4. ALLIED 3.3100 3.2900 5. CASH 3.3290 3.2900 6. GLORY 3.3290 3.2900 7. EXCEL 3.3290 3.2990 8. BENAB 3.3300 3.2900 9. STAR 3.3200 3.2900 10. NP 3.3280 3.2900 11. NASONA 3.3200 3.2900 12. GOIL 3.3300 3.3000 13. ENGEN 3.3300 3.3000 14. RICH 3.3300 3.3000 15. SHELL 3.3300 3.3000 16. PETROSOL 3.3300 3.3000 17. SKY 3.3300 3.3300 18. UNITY 3.2900 3.3900 19. PETROBAY 3.3590 3.3690 20. EV 3.3550 3.3550 21. UNION 3.3600 3.3700 22. TOTAL 3.3830 3.3910 23. SUPERIOR 3.3830 3.3930 24. MAXXON 3.3830 3.3910 GNA Ho, March 26, GNA - The premier waste management company, Zoomlion, has handed over waste collecting trucks and other operational equipment to Municipal and District Assemblies in the Volta Region. The equipment, including communal containers, 'sino skip' trucks and motor-kings, are expected to improve waste management services in the Region. Mr Evans Ewudzie Arthur, the General Manager of Zoomlion, Volta Region, who made the presentation, said the initiative was in line with the Company's Corporate Theme for the Year, 'Excellent Customer Service Delivery.' He said the Company was aware of its shortcomings over the years, thus had taken steps to address them. Mr Ewudzie Arthur commended the Government for initiating the National Sanitation Day Exercise and reiterated Zoomlion's commitment to providing logistical support for the programme. Mr Francis Ganyaglo, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, commended Zoomlion for the investment in environmental sanitation and waste management and pledged the readiness of the Regional Coordinating Council to collaborate with the Company to ensure better environmental health in the Region. He urged the MDAs to regularly maintain the equipment to enhance their durability. The Municipal and District Chief Executives, with their directors, later signed a performance contract with the Coordinating Council. GNA Cape Coast, March 26, GNA - Christians in the Cape Coast Metropolis, on Friday, attended church services to mark the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ some 2000 years ago. Many Christians were clad in black and red attire to solemnise the death of Jesus Christ. Many of the churches the Ghana News Agency visited, were filled to capacity with some having procession through some principal streets to reenact the 14 ways/ Stations of the Cross. Film shows on 'The Passion of Christ' and conventions to win more souls were also were also organised to mark the day. The Reverend Father Samuel Asantey, the Priest in charge of the Amanful St Joseph Catholic Church, said as Christians, it was important to reflect on the sacrifice and the abundant love Jesus had for Christians through His death on the cross to wipe off their sins. 'The cross of Christ signifies the down-fall of evil and the kingdom of Satan,' he said. Rev. Fr. Asantey said the cross would remain the safeguard of the Christian faith, the assurance of their hope and the throne of love as well as the sign of God's mercy, and the proof of forgiveness, adding that, though one of the two sinners who were crucified along Christ mocked him, he still forgave them their sins. He said the death of Jesus Christ had shown the way to peace, joy and righteousness in the Kingdom of God; and the way to victory over sin and corruption, fear, defeat, despair and death. He said as true followers of Christ, Christian should, therefore, endeavour to emulate Jesus by leading worthy lives. Rev. Fr Asantey, whose sermon was on the theme: 'Woman this is your son; Son this is your mother' as captured in John 19: 6-2, urged Christians to remain resolute and prayerful at all times and rely on the good Lord for their spiritual healing and growth. He urged them to go out and bear witness to Jesus' Divine love and Mercy in this Jubilee year of Mercy. Prayers were said for the churches, the country, President John Dramani Mahama, the Council of State members and the Ministers of State, and for peace and unity in the country. At the Family Sanctuary of the Victory Bible Church International in Cape Coast, the Bishop in-charge of the Western and Central branches, Richard Ampadu Duku, urged Christians to use the occasion to seek God's presence in their lives because without it Christians would struggle to carry out their God given assignments. GNA Tamale, March 26, GNA - Selected journalists and media practitioners in the Northern Region have been trained in Mental Health Reporting to ensure good, timely and accurate reportage to increase citizens' knowledge and understanding of the field. Activities undertaken at the two-day training, which ended in Tamale, included a presentation on the Mental Health Act, Techniques in Mental Health Reporting, and Radio and Television Programming on Mental Health Issues. It was organised by Gub-Katimali Society (GKS), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation, as part of its five-year project being implemented in partnership with BasicNeeds - Ghana, with funding from the Department For International Development (DFID). The project aims to support the Government to build a national Mental Health System, which responds to the mental health needs of the populace. Sheik Yakubu Abdul-Kareem, the Programme Coordinator of GKS, said accurate media reportage on mental health issues would also ensure the inclusion of mental health issues into the development plans of service providers to contribute towards the treatment and prevention of mental disorders, especially in rural communities. Sheik Abdul-Kareem, therefore, urged journalists to focus on mental health issues in the Region to reduce the treatment gap in the country as well as to encourage people with neuropsychiatric conditions to live and work successfully in their communities. Mr Inusah Iddrisu, a Public Education and Investigative Officer at the Northern Regional Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, who made a presentation on the Mental Health Act, urged journalists to work to protect the rights of mental health patients. Mr Iddrisu said people continued to violate the rights of mental health patients and urged journalists to, therefore, educate the citizenry on the Mental Health Act to ensure compliance and respect for the rights of mental health patients. GNA Accra, March 26, GNA - Puma Energy has plans to inaugurate a terminal at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in April, officials of the company have said. In a statement issued to the media on the vision and activities of the company, and a planned visit to its retail service centre at Oyarifa, in the Greater Accra region, the officials said the Transport Minister, Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, was expected to perform the inauguration. Myles Bouvier-Baird, the General Manager at Puma Energy Ghana said: 'This momentous event comes in the wake of Ghana's remarkable stride towards economic transformation, particularly, in the extractive sector with oil and gas leading the way. 'Puma Energy values these developments as an opportunity to partner Ghana in empowering the energy sector with the supply of affordable, high quality products in a safe, swift and reliably way, and this is at a competitive price.' The company has been supporting the country's oil industry for close to 10 years through the construction and operation of the CBM import system which, officials said, had been consistently available and was used to import crude and fuel products. Puma in recent times entered the storage and distribution market through its acquisition of minority shares in UBI holdings, operating in the storage domain as Blue Ocean and in the downstream segment as UBI, (renamed Puma Energy Ghana). 'The majority of the company is held by Ghanaians shareholders, making it a truly Ghanaian company,' Mr Bouvier-Baird. Puma Energy, through Blue Ocean, said it had invested heavily in developing fuel logistic infrastructure; quoting Blue Ocean as having invested in a 32,000m3 depot in Tarkoradi, the only depot with gasoline storage capacity, which would allow availability of gasoline in a key market. 'Blue Ocean has also invested in a new aviation depot airport in the West Africa region,' Mr Bouvier-Baird said. 'With Puma Energy Ghana, we are growing our retail footprint and will soon have 50 puma energy branded and upgraded retail stations to supply quality fuel, while offering lubricants and fuel to commercial customers.' The company has operates in 47 countries across five continents and in African is present in 19 countries, with 50 per cent of its ownership being in the hands of African investors. 'We pride ourselves as an Africa fuel supplier of choice, committed to building capacity in fuel transport, bunkering, storage and distribution in Ghana and across the African continent,' Mr Bouvier-Baird said. GNA Accra, March 26, GNA - Shop N Save continues to expand its presence in the country with the inauguration of its newest modern supermarket outlet at Adenta, in Accra. Customers on Thursday filled the newest modern classic fully air-conditioned shop, near the Ritz Junction, as soon as it opened its doors after for business. This brings to three the number of branches, with the others sited along the Spintex Road towards Sakumono, and Apremedo at Takoradi. The Adenta Branch offers a very good selection of the leading brands of packaged goods, frozen goods, groceries, fruits, local grains, electrical home appliances and a very-wide range of wines. Mr Michael Edward Chambers, the Managing Director, Shop N Save Supermarket, in his remarks, said besides providing customer services to the Adenta Community, Shop N Save would as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility support schools and sporting activities in the area. The Managing Director said Shop N Save would leave a lasting legacy by positioning itself to become the leading supermarket brand in the country. Mrs Margaret Titus-Glover, the Human Resource Manager of the West Africa Retail Chain Limited, said the Adenta Branch would provide services to residents of Adenta and surrounding areas such as Madina, Ashaley Botwe and Oyarifa. She said the supermarket would save shoppers in the area the trouble of going through traffic to Accra to shop. She said that 90 per cent of their staff were living in and around Adenta, and thus the Company creating jobs in the area. Felix Nana Sackey, the Managing Partner - Deloitte and TouchA, Ghana, who was the Guest Speaker, said there was evidence the supermarket business was expanding and becoming competitive in the country. He, therefore, urged Shop N Save to endeavour to go the extra mile to discover the needs of their clienteles' and to strive to satisfy them; stating that Shop N Save must make an impact that mattered. Mr Elijah Amankwah, a shopper, told the Ghana News Agency that the opening of the supermarket would save residents of Adenta the cost of travelling all the way to Accra Mall and other supermarkets to shop. He said the products being sold at Shop N Save Supermarket were cheaper and there were so many different varieties to choose from. GNA Accra, March 26, GNA - The University of Ghana (UG) has conferred honorary degrees on 14 individuals in recognition of their achievements and contributions to nation building and the University. The ceremony was held on the final day of the 2016 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lectures, which were delivered by Professor Ian Shapiro, a distinguished Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Yale University, on the Role of Businesses in South Africa's Transition. Prof Ernest Aryeetey, the Vice Chancellor of the UG, said the award of honorary degrees (Honoris Causa) provided opportunities for universities to show their interest in the happenings outside their campuses; to demonstrate that they were fully in tune with happenings in policy making, business and civil society. They are also to demonstrate that their work as academics was very much influenced by men and women in the public space. 'By having these ceremonies and inviting some of these men and women who have acquitted themselves extremely well in society, the University says: 'We see what you do, we appreciate what you do and what you do influences our work and for that we bring you closer and award you,' he explained. 'It is the University's way of bringing the gown to town'. Addressing recent public concerns over the award of honorary degrees by some institutions, from which individuals allegedly lobbied or bought their degrees from, Prof Aryeetey, stated:' The University of Ghana's honorary degrees are only given to deserving people who go through a rigorous nomination and selection process. 'At the University we believe that for all those we honour, we should be able to explain why those individuals were honoured. I can boldly say today that we are convinced that the 14 men and women we are honouring are very deserving of the awards.' Prof Aryeetey stated that the recipients of the honorary awards were not expected to change anything about themselves or to address themselves as doctors (Drs). 'We are concerned about the way titles are being abused in this country. Normally we expect a Bishop to be a priest, in the same way we expect a Professor to teach in a university. There's no way you can be a professor if you don't teach in a university,' he explained. The awards were given under eight categories: Distinguished Scholarship, for which awardees received a degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa); Contribution to Education; Alumni of whom the University is proud; Contribution to Public Service; Contribution to Industry; Institution Builder; Distinguished International Leadership and Statesmanship: and the 2016 Aggrey-Fraser Guggisberg Memorial Lecturer, all of who received degrees of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa). The awardees include Mr. Kofi Annan, the Chancellor of the University, who is a former Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Distinguished Scholarship Award went to Professor Christopher Udry, a professor of Economics at the Yale University in the United States of America for his support to Research at the UG, among other achievements. The honour for the Contribution to Education awards went to Mr. George Francis Daniel Jnr, a former Registrar of the UG, Prof. Jerome Siau Djangmah, a retired scientist and educationist, and Professor Peter French, a former University President, who has had notable involvement in education reform in Africa. Under the category of Alumni, which is the pride of the University, the awardee was Mr. Kweku Mensa-Bonsu, an advertising professional and a former President of the Alumni Council, who also provided pro bono services to the School of Communication Studies for many years. Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, received the honour of a Distinguished Public Servant and strong advocate of the University, while Mrs Bridget Katsriku, the Chairperson of the Public Services Commission and Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a renowned heart surgeon and a former Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital were awarded for their contribution to Public Service. Mr Ramchand Udharam Mohinani, the founder of the Mohinani Group and Mrs Justina Baidoo, the founder of the Adom Group of companies (Adom Mmroso) were honoured for their contribution to industry, while Prof Samuel Ofosu-Amaah, the Foundation Director of the School of Public Health and the Reverend Prof Andrews Seth Ayettey, the Foundation Provost of the College of Health Sciences, were the recipients of Institution Builders Award. The distinguished International Leadership and Statesmanship award went to Prof Akua Kuenyehia, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law and an alumna of the UG, who rose to become the Vice President of the International Criminal Court. Prof Shapiro was also awarded for his achievements, and his role in the 2016 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial lectures. Prof Jerome S. Djangmah thanked the University, on behalf of his colleagues, and pledged their continued support for the University wherever they found themselves. Honoris Causa is a Latin term that means 'for the sake of honour'. It is awarded as a mark of esteem, hence recipients are exempted from matriculation, study and examination. GNA 26.03.2016 LISTEN Over 200 residents of Zabzugu in the Northern region have been rendered homeless after torrential rains wrecked havoc on their properties, Thursday. The rainstorm that lasted for hours also ripped off the roofing of about 28 houses. According to the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the rainstorm also ripped off the roofing of two basic schools. The schools; Lainja D/A and Nuriya Primary School have been badly damaged compelling school authorities to combine classrooms for teaching and learning to continue while they wait on support from NADMO. The assemblyman for Lainja Lugima electoral area, Iddrisu Luqman, tells Joy News the residents are overwhelmed by the extent of destructions to their properties. "People are staying with their relatives and friends. We are appealing to the NADMO coordinator and the district assembly to come and do it quickly for people to get somewhere to put their heads. People are frustrated and living helplessly for now," said Luqman. District Chief Executive for Zabzugu, Mohammed Yussif Laabandoo said the assembly is making an effort together with NADMO to get some relief items for affected persons. He said they paid a visit to the school to see the extent of the damage. "We see it as an emergency situation and they will soon the Assembly will go and reroof the school because the pupils have to join the others in another class which makes the class is congested," said DCE Laabandoo Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Hashmim Mohammed | Joy News, N/R 26.03.2016 LISTEN The Obuasi Municipal Assembly has taken steps to check irregularities and abuse of people's right in the operations of Community Information Centers within the Municipality ahead of the 2016 general elections. This was revealed during the Third(3rd) Ordinary meeting of the First Session of the Sixth(6th) Assembly held at the Urban Council on Wednesday, 23rd March,2016. The well attended meeting had Honorable Edward Ennin and Honorable Kwaku Kwarteng,both Members of Parliament for the Obuasi East and Obuasi West constituencies respectively all in attendance. The Municipal Assembly has tasked the Information Services Department of Obuasi to fast track measures to ensure the closure of Information Centers within residential areas except for peripheral communities, lorry stations and market centers especially within the Central Business District. The I.S.D is to fine- tune sections of their proposed bye-laws regulating Information centers in the Municipality. In his sessional address to the Assembly, the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, Hon. Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi said the Municipal Assembly has outlined 39 projects of which twenty three (23) of them have successfully been completed representing 58.9% ,whilst eleven (11) of the projects are still ongoing representing 28% ,two however,have been repackaged for re-award; Two(2) of the projects have been terminated and one(1) on a standstill. "Every effort is made for the rest of the projects to be completed and the one on standstill, revamped", Hon. Ofori Agyeman added. On Social welfare issues,Hon Ofori Agyeman Boadi said Obuasi is a proud beneficiary of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (L.E.A.P) which is the Government of Ghana National Protection Strategy. He continued that a team from the Ministry of Gender, children and Social Protection was in the Assembly to rank additional communities and add more beneficiaries from other communities of the Assembly to the existing number. So far,he said, 848 households have been registered and are receiving money in every two weeks. After further deliberations by the house, it was unanimously agreed that, issues surrunding the much talked about 'M.C.E Bungalow' should be referred to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for investigations. The house was advised to treat the matter with a lot of tact and diplomacy because of its sensitivity. THE CURRENT STATE OF ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI, OBUASI MINE A representative of Anglogold Ashanti (A.G.A) to the Assembly, Hon Nana Ampofo Bekoe seized the opportunity to brief the house on the urrent state of the Mining giant which he christened 'high level update'. He assured the house that the company is still in operation contrary to news making rounds about the imminent closure of the Obuasi Mine.The Mine according to him is ranked among few Mines in the world with many reserves which can operate between 20-25 years and can successfully produce 4,000 ounces of gold a year for 25 years. Hon. Ampofo Bekoe who is also the Sustainability Manager of Anglogold Ashanti said the company has decided to repackage itself to attract investors through its engagement with Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A) and Government to come out with an Optimized Visibility Studies. He hailed the collaborative efforts between the Government and Anglogold Ashanti to make the Mine attractive for investors. Going forward, Nana Ampofo opined; .Anglogold Ashanti has now released 60% of their concessions to Government to be accessed by Small scale miners. .Plans are far advanced to to handover the Engineering Training Center(Apprenticeship School) to an investor who wilk train engineers. This,he said, will provide jobs for the people in the Municipality. .Due process are ongoing to handover the facilities at the former administration department of the Mine to begin the much anticipated Obuasi campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. A MESSAGE FROM ELECTRICITY COMPANY OF GHANA Mr Michael Twum Barimah,General Manager,Customer services, Electricity of Ghana briefed the house on the new structure of ECG's management. He revealed that the cost of operation and a surge in illegal connection or illegal acquisition of meters has accounted for the recent upward adjustment in electricity tarrifs. He said, presently, there are about 7000 illegally acquired meters in circulation in the Obuasi municipality alone. He advised for the acquisition of meters only from the offices of the Electricity Company of Ghana to enable the company sustain electricity supply. Assembly members,Heads of Department and the Media were all present at the meeting. 26.03.2016 LISTEN The Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has lauded Benin for making a declaration allowing its citizens to file complaints against the state to seek redress of human rights violations at the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (AfCHPR), in Arusha, Tanzania. In a statement, ACILA said that Benins declaration is an important step towards demonstrating its commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of its citizens, adding that the declaration also allows NGOs, including ACILA, to file complaints on behalf of citizens. The statement emphasized that demonstrating this commitment is very important, especially at a time when African states intend to establish an African court with jurisdiction to prosecute serious international crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The declaration comes three months after ACILA had called on Member States of the Africa Union to ratify the Protocol to the AfCHPR and make a declaration under Article 34 (6) of the Protocol to allow the court to receive complaints from citizens and NGOs. The AfCHPR is a continental court established by the AU to enhance the protection of human and peoples rights in Africa. It provides assurance to victims of human rights abuses that when domestic systems fail, they can resort to the African court for justice. Commenting on how citizens could access the court, ACILA explained that a complainant must ensure that the complaint meets admissibility requirements and must allege facts detailing the abuse of his rights which are within the jurisdiction of the Court. In addition, the writing should not be abusive and the complainant must have exhausted domestic remedies, among other requirements, ACILA added. The courts decision, which is binding on states that have ratified the Protocol, may include reparation and compensation for victims whose rights were violated by the state. Benin becomes the 8th Member State of the Africa Union to make a declaration. Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda and Tanzania are the other countries that have made a declaration under the Protocol. Benin is also the 30th AU Member State to ratify the Protocol to the establishment of the AfCHPR. The Protocol to the establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples Rights was adopted on 9 June 1998 in Burkina Faso and came into force on 25 January 2004.The Court officially started its operations in November 2006 and delivered its first judgment in 2009 following an application dated 11 August 2008 by Mr. Michelot Yogogombaye against the Republic of Senegal. As at January, 2016, the Court had received 74 applications and finalized 25 cases. 26.03.2016 LISTEN Manso Amenfi (W/R) March 26, GNA - A youth group calling itself the 'Friends of George Kofi Arthur', the Member of Parliament (MP) for Amenfi Central in the Western Region, has appealed to President John Mahama to consider appointing the MP in his next ministerial reshuffle. At a media conference, held at Manso Amenfi, the group stated that the MP had gained sufficient experience and distinguished himself throughout his 12 years in Parliament and he would thus perform creditably when given the chance to serve in the Executive branch of Government. The Convener of the Group, Mr. Alex Emmanuel Nti, said the MP was a ranking member on the Public Accounts Committee and had chaired several committees in Parliament, therefore, he had equipped himself to take up any position in Government. Mr. Arthur holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical and Automotive Engineering from the University of Education, Winneba and Executive Master's Degree in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Mr Nti said for the past 16 years, no minister had been appointed from Amenfi Central and that had reduced the pace of development in the area. He refuted suggestions that the group was doing the bidding of the MP but said it was genuine concern and they believed that the MP would fight for the well-being of the Constituency and the Region as a whole when given the chance. GNA 26.03.2016 LISTEN Banda-Ahenkro (B/A), March 26, GNA - The Member of Parliament for Banda, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, has stated that the review in the Drug Administration Policy of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) would not benefit people in the rural areas. He said that Policy would render Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds ineffective and cut off most rural communities from accessing healthcare services. Mr. Ibrahim made the statement at a durbar at Banda-Ahenkro in the Banda District of Brong-Ahafo Region in honour of Mrs. Lordina Mahama, the First Lady, who was in the area to donate medical suppliers from the Lordina Foundation to the Banda-Ahenkro Health Centre. He said the CHPS compounds served as the immediate source of healthcare in rural and deprived communities, hence such a policy was inimical to their health and well-being. 'According to the new policy, which took effect in March 2016, deliveries are not even supposed to be done at the CHPS Zones, while certain basic drugs which hitherto were administered at the facilities have been removed,' the Banda MP explained. Mr. Ibrahim, who is the Deputy Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, said the Government was using the CHPS system to enhance access to healthcare delivery in Ghana and most importantly reduce maternal mortality. 'Hence the implementation of that policy by the GHS is contrary to Government's Health Policy', and, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Health to intervene for its review in the interest of the rural dwellers. 'If all the investments in the CHPS system, including the 10 per cent deductions from the salaries of Government Appointees were allowed to go to waste, Ghana would be the ultimate loser,' Mr. Ibrahim added. Mrs. Mahama appealed to Ghanaians to go for regular medical check-ups for early detection of diseases for their efficient management to prevent untimely deaths. On behalf of the Lordina Foundation, she donated medical suppliers including hospital beds valued at thousands of Ghana Cedis to the Banda-Ahenkro Health Centre. When contacted, Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Deputy Director, Public Health, however, explained to the Ghana News Agency that the GHS was not implementing any New Drug Administration Policy. 'Rather the new wave that the National Health Insurance Authority is towing in the removal of some commodities such as antibiotics and also essential services like emergency deliveries at the Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds,' he explained This would greatly affect the achievement of universal health coverage at the lower level of the health services delivery in the country.' GNA Accra, March 26, GNA - The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)'s implementation of a Social and Financial Accountability Plan to promote citizens' engagement has bolstered its revenue mobilisation drive and this year it intends to rake in GHa 42 million. Mrs Lydia Sackey, the Director of Budget and Rating at AMA, told the Ghana News Agency following a forum, organised by the People's Dialogue, a non-governmental organisation, that the Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA) programme, had helped to bring citizens closer to the Assembly and minimised the misconceptions about its operations. 'For instance, since we partnered with them [People's Dialogue - SPEFA] our revenue has tripled, and this year we're expecting to raise GHa 42 million,' she explained. SPEFA, executed by People's Dialogue, aims to improve citizens' perceptions of urban management and increase their engagement with the Assemblies to enhance local development. 'This programme has prepared more citizens to question what the Assembly does, it also serves as a check between the Assembly and communities and the people now understand better the work we do,' Mrs Sackey said. 'It prevents nepotism and suspicion because it brings staff and the people together, they now understand our budgeting system, it brings out their felt needs because we cannot think for them; and once they get to understand our operations they are ready to honour their obligations. Mr Elvis Alipui, the Chairman of Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled, urged the AMA to eliminate physical and environmental impediments that limited their abilities to contribute to the national development agenda. 'If you look at our markets, the roads, pavements and our participation in national discourse, we're are handicapped to do our best for the nation, there should be improvement in these areas,' he said. Mr Kojo Anane, a Programme Officer of People's Dialogue said: 'Poverty can hardly be reduced in Ghana, particularly, in the short-run, unless deliberate efforts are made to strengthen social accountability at all levels of development.' However, he noted that the challenge facing citizens' active participation in local governance and the development processes was due to apathy, conflict of interest, and low level of patriotism. Mrs Sarah Naa Deda Agbey, the Project Manager of SPEFA, of The Netherlands Development Organisation, lauded the Assembly and the citizens' collaborative efforts in a quest to develop the metropolis to improve living conditions. The SPEFA project is the component of the Local Government Capacity Support Project with the involvement of the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Finance and Economic Planning as well as, the Local Government Service Secretariat. People's Dialogue, a community-based NGO, established in 2003, is part of the implementation agencies executing the project in selected metropolitan and municipal assemblies countrywide. GNA Accra, March 26, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday, gave the assurance that he would not take the Volta Region for granted but would rather continue to ensure that they gain their share of the National Cake. He said the Volta Region had over the years voted massively for the National Democratic Congress in all national elections and it was only fair to recognise their contributions by providing them with their share of development projects. "The Volta Region is not only my world bank ...but it is also my IMF and I will do everything possible to give you your share of development," he stated. President Mahama said this when he addressed the Chiefs and people of Sokpoe in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region during their annual Tortsogbeza Festival. The 32nd Edition of the festival is on the theme:"Consolidating the Socio-cultural Uniqueness of Sokpoe for Development: The Past, Present and the Way Forward." The festival, which annually brings the sons and daughters of the area together to deliberate on development projects in the area was attended by politicians, members of the Diplomatic Corps and people from all over the country. President Mahama urged the youth who had attained 18 years and above to register when the limited registration exercise opened this year. He, however, warned against multiple registrations, saying that it was a criminal offence, which could, subsequently, disenfranchise them and lead to their prosecution. On development projects in the area, President Mahama said the Government would continue to create the necessary environment in the areas of Health, Education and Agriculture to enable them to harness their potentials. He promised to construct a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in addition to the District health facility in Sogakope, their district capital, and support them in the educational sector. President Mahama appealed to Chiefs and other opinion leaders in all Ghanaian communities to fully participate in the educational programmes of their wards because achievement in the education sector required the collective efforts of all stakeholders. He said Ghana had over the years been blessed with peace and unity and called on Ghanaians everywhere to play their roles responsibly to maintain the status quo. Mr George Asafo, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, appealed to the Government to construct a CHPS compound, which would take care on basic health challenges in the area. He also appealed for accessible roads in the area to enable them to cart foodstuffs from farming communities to marketing centres. According to information of the website of dearghana.com, Tortsogbeze recalls the historic crossing of the Volta River following their arrival on the migratory journeys of the people from Notsie with the other Ewe groups. In their case, they were reputed to have settled for some time at Penyi, near present day Dzodze before making the final push to their present location some three hundred or more years ago. To the elders of Sokpoe, they were led during the period of their predicaments by an elder known as Tenutse. In addition to marking the crossing of the river and eventual settlement, the festival also manifests Sokpoe culture, their economic activities and other aspects of their social and cultural life. Highlights of the festival include mass funerals prearranged on the clan basis for all who died after the previous festival. In Sokpoe, funerals for traditional believers as opposed to Christians and Muslims, are not held immediately after the burial. They are reserved for observation and held a week before the start of the festival. Thus the funerals of all those who died during the festival period as well as those who die after the festival would have to wait until the next festival during which their funeral rites will be performed. Other important items included in the festival are the purification of royal and ancestral stools, settlement of disputes within and among the clans, historic symbolic crossing of the river, and the pacification of traditional divinities of the area including their gods and royal ancestors. There is also drumming and dancing midst merry making by the people. The events is climaxed by a grand durbar usually held on a Saturday while the following Sunday features an inter-denominational harvest and thanksgiving service. A picnic crowns it all on Monday before non-residents and invited guests depart, biding each other well till they meet again. GNA you are here: February 21, 2012 The Fake Election In Yemen After a year of bloody protests the people of Yemen could today enjoy the Saudi/US arranged elections for a new president. Ballot for today's election in Yemen bigger Despite the demand in the Yemeni constitution that there must be, at least formally, several candidates, the sole candidate is Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who has for 17 years served as vice-president under President Saleh. There isn't even a Yes and No vote to gauge his support. The only candidate is Hadi, the only vote is a Yes and there is no way that he will not win by a 100% majority. Then again, is there really much difference for policy choices in presidential elections in the U.S.? The dictator Saleh, who ruled for 33 years, got immunity for all his crimes as part of this election deal. He is currently as a U.S. guest in New York but will be back after the election to "attend the inauguration" of the new president and he will certainly keep pulling the strings. His son and his nephew are still controlling major parts of the security establishment in Yemen. Obamas top counterterrorism advisor John Brennan said Yemen has proved ability to move from the past to the present via ballot boxes. Unlike me, Einstein might have had ideas why moving from the past to the present would not have happened without this sham election. In a letter to Hadi Obama said that Yemen has become a model for peaceful transition in the Middle East. He did not mention the thousands of people maimed and killed during the last year up to this fake change no one can believe in. The southern separatist, who were betrayed by the southerner Hadi when he joined Saleh to be made vice-president, the defected general Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar and his tribe, the Salafist and AlQaeda groups in the south and the Houthi tribes in the north boycotted the election. Some polling stations were attacked and at least 4 people were killed today. The U.S. missed the chance to use the movement against Saleh for some real transition in Yemen. This will come back to bite it. Posted by b on February 21, 2012 at 19:05 UTC | Permalink Comments March 26, 2016 The Wahhabis' War On Yemen One Year On - When Will Riyadh Fall? One year ago the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, supported by the U.S., the Brits and several Gulf states, launched a war against Yemen: Yesterday the Houthi led rebellion had kicked the Saudi/U.S. installed president Hadi out of the country and took control over most of its cities including the southern capital Aden. The Houthi are allied with the former president Saleh, himself a Houthi and replaced two years ago with his vice president Hadi after a U.S. induced light coup. Saleh and the Houthi are supported by significant parts of the Yemeni army. ... There seems to be the idea that Saudi/U.S. selected president Hadi, out now, could be reintroduced through force. The U.S. claims that Hadi was "elected" but with a ballot like this any "election" is a mere joke. There is no way Hadi can be reintroduced by force. A year later the Houthis are no longer in Aden. Saudi proxy troops, which include "western" mercenaries, "liberated" it. But Aden is now infested with Al Qaeda and Islamic State militants who launched several suicide attacks over the last days killing many more people than were recently killed in Belgium. It is known that at least Al Qaeda in Yemen has direct Saudi support and is fighting on its side. But despite all its proxies, massive bombing and many announcements the Saudis did not get anywhere near the capital Sanaa. Instead Houthi forces attacked Saudi forces within Saudi Arabia and destroyed several hundred Saudi tanks and armored vehicles. The Saudis and the U.S. and British military supporting them are guilty of war crimes willfully targeting hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure as well as many people who were not involved in the war. Haykal Bafana talked to BBC Newshour today from Sanaa in Yemen about the war and the Saudi crimes. Shortly before the war started Pat Lang wrote: The Houthi descendants of my old acquaintances are not servants of Iran. They are not dangerous to Western interests. They are dangerous to AQAP. Get it? Salih will return. pl That is as right today as it was a year back. Here are some pictures from Yemen today. A pro-Saudi demonstration in Yemen as published by Saudi media: Half of the anti-Saudi demonstration on Sabaeen Square in Sanaa (video) today. Saleh's GPC party had called for it. Former president Saleh attended and the crowd sang the national anthem. Saleh is baaaackk!: bigger A separate anti-Saudi demonstration in Rawdah Sanaa. The Houthi had called for this one. Many women attended: bigger The Saudis managed to bomb the Yemenis back to Saleh! If the Saudis continue with their war on Yemen, Yemen will survive. But it will be Saudi Arabia that will at the end be destroyed. Riyadh, not Sanaa, will fall. Posted by b on March 26, 2016 at 17:27 UTC | Permalink Comments State lawmakers made it clear to North Carolina cities Wednesday: They sit as a Supreme City Council. Senators and representatives from Kings Mountain, Eden, Wilson, Mount Airy, Waxhaw, Archdale and Southport are absolute rulers over Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Durham and other large cities. If Charlotte gets out of line, lawmakers will yank it back. If Charlottes elected leaders lose their minds, as Sen. Buck Newton (R-Wilson) said, the state will knock them on the head. Republican legislators convened Wednesdays extraordinary special session to overturn a Charlotte ordinance protecting transgender people from discrimination. At 10 a.m., they presented a bill that did far more. It set a statewide nondiscrimination standard and barred any local government from exceeding it. It pointedly did not cover gay, lesbian and transgender people. This appears to supersede a Greensboro ordinance enacted last year that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing. The legislature also prohibited cities from setting a minimum wage for private employers higher than the state level of $7.25 an hour. Democrats, vastly outnumbered in the House and Senate, tried to separate the Charlotte and statewide portions of the bill, but Republicans shot down the effort. This proved that the special session wasnt meant only to deal with public restroom issues in Charlotte. It was another rebuke to all the states cities, following previous measures to dictate city council structures, overturn rental housing ordinances, grab airports and water systems, restrict annexation authority and more. This was one more power play by conservative legislators, many from small towns, to rein in progressive cities. It was a signal to the nation that North Carolina will stand with the most conservative states Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana in opposing progressive social policies. Except that, in Louisiana, legislators from the backwoods and bayous havent overturned gay, lesbian and transgender protections in New Orleans or even Shreveport. Similar protections are found in the ordinances of Atlanta, Ga.; Miami, Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Bloomington and Indianapolis, Ind.; Lawrence, Kan.; Louisville and Lexington, Ky.; St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; and on and on. In North Carolina, however, its painfully obvious that official state policy is hostile to the gay and transgender communities. From Amendment One to a law allowing state officials to refuse to facilitate legal same-sex marriages to, now, repealing local protections against discrimination, the state of North Carolina has made it abundantly clear that this population is unwelcome whatever attitudes cities hold to the contrary. Its disappointing that Gov. Pat McCrory immediately signed the bill. A sweeping measure with statewide impact was introduced, voted on and signed into law all in one day, with virtually no time allowed for public and business input although major corporations are sounding alarms now. It was a sad day for North Carolina and its cities. Midland continues to shed jobs as low oil prices and the resulting downturn in activity hammer area businesses. The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the unemployment rate for the Midland metropolitan statistical area (MSA) rose to 4 percent in February from 3.9 percent in January and 3 percent last February. Midland, Odessa and San Angelo were the only three MSAs to report slight rises in unemployment from January to February. Odessas rate rose to 5.6 percent from 5.4 percent in January and 3.7 percent last February. Lisa Givens, spokeswoman for the commission, said that Fridays numbers are preliminary. Last months job count was revised upward quite a bit, so these numbers may, at first blush, look bad but then you find out the count was actually better. She also pointed to the Permian Basin Workforce Development Area -- which encompasses Andrews, Borden, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward and Winkler counties -- which uses quarterly census figures that are considered more reliable. For the most recent quarter available, which ended in September, the WDA showed a loss of 10,821 jobs since the same quarter of 2014; 6,907 of these jobs were in the natural resources and mining sector. The Workforce Solutions Permian Basin offices headed by Chief Executive Officer Willie Taylor are reporting an increase in those filing first-time unemployment claims, Givens said. But he tells me theyre placing people who are transferring their skills from the oil fields to other areas like trucking, automotive repair, administrative work, she said. A glance at the commissions Work In Texas job-matching web site shows about 500 job postings in the Permian Basin, she said. Midland lost 400 jobs from January to February, with 800 lost in the mining, logging and construction sectors that include the oil and gas industry. Those 800 lost jobs were mitigated by a 200-job gain in the government sector and 100-job gains each in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities and the Education and Health Services sectors. For the 12 months from February 2015 to February 2016, Midland has lost 5,200 jobs, for a 5.4 percent loss rate. Mining, logging and construction shed 3,200 jobs, followed by the trade, transportation and utilities sector with a 1,000-job loss and professional and business sector with a 700-job loss. CR 90 Manufacturing -- which was founded about seven years ago to offer the oil and gas industry welding and fabrication services, building drilling and production equipment -- has experienced a significant downturn, said Jeff Dennis, owner and managing partner. 2015 was the worst year weve had since I started the business, he said. Dennis was speaking by phone from Seminole, where he had gone to rebuild pits for a client. Normally, he said he stays close to the shop but now is happy to drive 70 miles one way for a job. At the height of the boom, he said he had nine months of work. Finding help was a challenge to expansion for the company, he said. Especially since Im a small company with not a lot to offer compared to the bigger guys. I offered the same wages but couldnt afford to offer benefits like insurance, he said. At the height of the boom, I employed five, and now I have one contract worker, one part-time worker and myself, he said. Weve made adjustments, doing things were not used to doing, like driving to Seminole. Weve also cut our rates. Hes finding work such as rebuilding old pits for drilling companies and operators, and seems happy to do so. I feel blessed, he said. Theres not anyone out here who doesnt know someone whos lost their job. Hitting a round number, whether its age 50 or 4 percent unemployment can have a psychological impact. However, I would not expect much from this one. First, 4 percent is universally regarded as full employment, and, two, energy market forces are dominating decision-making at this point, said economist Ray Perryman, by email. He predicted the area will continue to see job losses, particularly in the oil and gas industry, for the next few months until crude and natural gas prices strengthen a bit more. Statewide, the unemployment inched down to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent in January as the state added 2,100 nonfarm jobs, expanding seasonally adjusted employment for 11 consecutive months. The state has added 170,900 new jobs in the last year. Amarillo reported the lowest unemployment rate at 2.9 percent, while the highest was reported by McAllen-Edinburg-Mission at 7.5 percent. Midland unemployment January 2016 3.8 percent January 2015 2.8 percent February 2016 4 percent February 2015 3 percent Preliminary numbers for February with January numbers in parentheses: Amarillo: 2.9 (3.0) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: 3.1 (3.2) College Station-Bryan: 3.3 (3.5) Lubbock: 3.3 (3.3) San Antonio-New Braunfels: 3.5 (3.7) Dallas-Plano-Irving: 3.6 (3.7) Abilene: 3.7 (3.8) Sherman-Denison: 3.7 (3.8) Waco: 3.8 (3.9) Fort Worth-Arlington: 3.9 (4.0) Midland: 4.0 (3.9) Tyler: 4.1 (4.3) Killeen-Temple: 4.2 (4.4) San Angelo: 4.3 (4.1) Wichita Falls: 4.3 (4.5) Victoria 4.4: (4.4) Texarkana: 4.5 (4.7) El Paso: 4.7 (4.9) Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: 4.7 (4.8) Laredo: 4.7 (4.8) Longview: 5.2 (5.3) Corpus Christi: 5.3 (5.5) Odessa: 5.6 (5.4) Beaumont-Port Arthur: 6.2 (6.7) Brownsville-Harlingen: 6.8 (7.1) McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: 7.5 (8.1) Midland Countys rig count has fallen four consecutive weeks. On Thursday, oilfield services company Baker Hughes reported the nations most-active county idled one rig, bringing Midland County to 25 rigs. This weeks rig counts were released a day early because of the Good Friday holiday. The Permian Basin fell five rigs this week to 147. For areas active in the Permian, there was one rig in District 7B, unchanged; 21 in District 7C, down three; 101 in District 8, down three; 11 in District 8A, unchanged; and 13 in New Mexico, up one. The Texas total was 134, down six. The Permian had four counties in double-digits: Midland, Reeves (19), Loving (18) and Upton (15). Lynn County saw new activity with one rig this week. At this time last year, the Permian had 290 rigs. TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO Texas is approaching fewer than 200 rigs, but its not there yet. This week, eight rigs were idled in the Lone Star State, leaving a total of 209 rigs statewide. The Eagle Ford was down four rigs to 41 this week, a distant departure from its 137 rigs a year ago. The Haynesville and Granite Wash were unchanged at 14 and eight rigs, respectively. The Barnett rose to six after two rigs were put online. Texas had two rigs offshore, unchanged. There werent any rigs in operation in inland waters. New Mexico added one rig this week, lifting its statewide total to 14. A year ago this week, Texas had 462 rigs and New Mexico had 51. UNITED STATES Nationwide, oil rigs fell but natural gas rigs gained. The number of rigs exploring for oil fell 15 to 372, while those searching for natural gas rose three to 92. In total, there were 464 rigs in the U.S., down 12. The offshore and inland waters rig counts each rose one to 28 and four, respectively. Twenty-seven rigs were operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The number of rigs operating on land fell 14 to 432. By drilling trajectory, there were 53 vertical rigs, down five; 359 horizontal rigs, down 10; and 52 directional rigs, up three. The U.S. had 1,048 rigs a year ago this week. MOST ACTIVE The top counties by number of active rigs in the Permian Basin this week were Midland, Reeves, Loving, Upton, Glasscock (7) and Martin (7). The top basins nationwide were the Permian; the Eagle Ford; the Cana Woodford and Williston with 31 each; and the Marcellus with 30. The top states were Texas; Oklahoma (63); Louisiana (51); North Dakota 31; and Pennsylvania (18). CANADA AND NORTH AMERICA Canada idled 14 rigs this week, leaving 55 nationwide. There were 44 natural gas rigs, down 14. The number of oil rigs fell one to 11. Canada had 120 rigs a year ago this week. The total number of rigs in the North America region fell 26 to 519. At this time last year, there were 1,168 rigs in North America. MORE ENERGY NEWS Dont miss the Oil Report in Sunday's Reporter-Telegram. This weeks big six stories: -- The Energy Information Administration says Permian output will fall next month. -- Stricter regulations are planned despite a fall in methane emissions. -- The EIA projects well costs will fall through 2018. -- Drillers cant replace lost output as $100 oil inheritance has been spent. -- U.S. oil exports are going around the world. -- The Houston Chronicles Chris Tomlinson weighs in on the threat of bankruptcies in the oil industry. Also on Sunday, the Reporter-Telegram sits down with Diamondback Energy Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Hollis to talk about the strength of his companys stock, pending redetermination, if the U.S. should be the worlds swing producer and an inter-office bet that has gone unpaid. For more energy news, visit mrt.com/business/oil. For more information about this week's rig counts, visit the Baker Hughes website at bakerhughes.com. Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes. *** The following are Permian Basin rig counts by county for the week ending March 24, with changes in parentheses: DISTRICT 7B Stonewall 1 Total 1 DISTRICT 7C Irion 1 Reagan 5 (-2) Upton 15 (-1) Total 21 (-3) DISTRICT 8 Andrews 5 Culberson 5 Glasscock 7 (+2) Howard 6 Loving 18 (-1) Martin 7 (-2) Midland 25 (-1) Pecos 2 Reeves 19 (-2) Sterling 1 Ward 4 (+2) Winkler 2 Total 101 (-3) DISTRICT 8A Borden 1 Cochran 1 Crosby 1 Hockley 1 (-1) Lynn 1 (+1) Scurry 2 Yoakum 4 Total 11 NEW MEXICO Eddy 7 (+1) Lea 6 Total 13 (+1) Day Of The Dead, the forthcoming Grateful Dead tribute album which features 59 tracks and over five hours' worth of music curated and compiled by The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner, is due to drop May 20. In advance of its release, the pair have shared the first five cuts: "Touch Of Grey" performed by The War On Drugs, Courtney Barnett's "New Speedway Boogie," "Sugaree" by Phosphorescent and Jenny Lewis, "Black Muddy River" by Bruce Hornsby and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with DeYarmond Edison, and the National's own take on "Morning Dew." The years-in-the-making tribute compilation includes covers by artists like the Flaming Lips, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Bela Fleck, Wilco with Bob Weir, Lucinda Williams, The Walkmen, Mumford & Sons, Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Bruce Hornsby, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Perfume Genius, members of Grizzly Bear and dozens more. Following the release of the five tribute tracks, Aaron Dessner tweeted: "These 5 are just a sampling, not favorites or singles." These 5 are just a sampling, not favorites or singles. Can't wait for you to hear all 59 songs!! Aaron Dessner (@aaron_dessner) March 24, 2016 The War On Drugs' version of the Dead's 1987 classic "Touch Of Grey" marks the Philadelphia band's first new music following 2014's Lost In A Dream, JamBase reports. Listen, and watch the psychedelic visual directed by Michael Brown, Nick Ciontea and Christopher Bartlett, below. Brown, Ciontea and Bartlett provided similar trippy visuals for each of the tribute tracks. Listen and watch below. All profits from the tribute album will benefit the Red Hot Organization which according to its website works to fight AIDS with the help of pop culture, Rolling Stone reports. The album is available to preorder now via the project's website here. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Someone should sue the President for ... Hwy 4 Wagon Trail Project Map View Photos View Video San Andreas, CA Local advocates of Calaveras Countys only state highway improvement project report that an appeal for Sacramento to not cut any funding from it went well. As previously reported here, Calaveras County Council of Governments (CCOG) Executive Director Melissa Eads and other local stakeholders planned to make their case before the California Transportation Commission (CTC) at a Thursday hearing. Reporting back to Clarke Broadcasting on Friday, she happily states, CCOG has done a wonderful job advocatingand working with elected officials to inform them of the seriousness of this funding crisis and the impacts it is having to our rural region. CCOG is arguing that in order to deliver a meaningful construction project along the corridor, it will require every dollar of the countys STIP regional shares as well as coordination of the programming schedule with the SHOPP Innovative Pilot program. The latter is key, should $10.3 million in conditional, recently awarded SHOPP funding ultimately be green-lighted by Caltrans Headquarters and CTC. According to Eads, the Wagon Trail improvements meet at least five of the CTCs top ten criteria for receiving prioritization. Among these: planning, programming and monitoring already in place; STIP and other competitive funding sources; required mitigation; contributions towards state highway safety, operational improvements and capacity expansion. For more on the projects costs, funding details, purported benefits, and development plans, click here. Irregardless of CCOG and Caltrans District 10 efforts, the CTC, due to a major funding shortfall, must find a way to cut $754 million in highway improvement projects. Eads acknowledges, It is a very difficult job prioritizing very limited funding amongst critical transportation projects statewide. Calaveras will learn on April 22, with CTC staff recommendations, if our project remains viable. She adds that, no matter the short-term outcome, CCOG will continue to work with partners over the upcoming year to address the fiscal crisis and continue advocating for rural transportation funding. As part of those outreach efforts, CCOG has released a new Highway 4 Wagon Trail Project video that it is sharing on YouTube as well as on the organizations Facebook page and website. To view it, click here. Tuolumne County Health Department View Photos Jamestown, CA Tuolumne County health officials warn of a spike in nitrates and/or arsenic prompting a public forum next week. Drinking water samples taken on March 3 by the Tuolumne County Environmental Health Department from private wells in the Stent area of Jamestown were sent for testing by the California Department of Public Healths Radiation and Sanitary Laboratory. The result came back Thursday with some of the samples showing elevated levels of nitrates and/or arsenic. Health officials alerted residents with the affected wells immediately indicating the need for further testing shortly. The county health department hopes to establish a database of water quality in the area, but need the publics help in allowing new and further well tests to be conducted. Health officials add the information could also expedite a public water extension project. A public forum to hear concerns and answer questions regarding the testing will be held Thursday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. at Jamestown Elementary School, 18299 5th Avenue in Jamestown. On hand will be officials from the Tuolumne County Environmental Health Department, Tuolumne County Public Health Department, and representatives from Tuolumne Utilities District. Tampa police are searching for at least 10 suspects accused of burglarizing and stealing cars from a car lot. The burglary happened Friday at Prespa Auto Sales located on the 6800 block of North Florida Avenue. Police said the suspects arrived in a Honda minivan that was stolen from the Orlando area. Two of the suspects are seen in surveillance video climbing through a broken window and entering the business. The two men sifted through drawers, stole papers and even a trash can. The other suspects, believed to be juveniles, are seen on video breaking into vehicles in the lot while the minivan drove through the gate. The vehicles then drive off the lot, stopping traffic on Florida Avenue as they fled. They didn't just come in here and do a minor vandalism or something, they destroyed half of our business," owner Danny Halimi said. "We had 40 cars. Twenty of them were affected so it's pretty severe and it made me feel pretty ill. A total of eight vehicles were stolen from the lot, according to police. Seven of the vehicles fled eastbound, while one fled westbound. At least 12 other vehicles were damaged as the suspects left the dealership. I am a little disappointed when you see eight cars flying out of here at seven in the morning and you see a gate torn open like this that someone would at least made a phone call to police," Halimi said. Two of the eight vehicles have been recovered. A 2012 white Dodge Ram is being processed by the Pasco County Sheriffs Office. The other vehicle, a 2005 BMW model X3 was involved in a crash and abandoned near mile marker 7 on Interstate 4. It was recovered by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Tampa Police Department is urging car dealerships to be vigilant of suspicious activity and to take precautions. Lt. Anna Richardson has some advice for other car lots in the area. Some of the things they can do to help themselves would be to increase lighting in the area during open business hours," she said. "Don't let customers or other people see where keys are kept. We would encourage the keys for the vehicles to be locked into a safe at night, lock the car doors to the actual vehicles when the business is close. We certainly encourage reinforcing the gates, perhaps leaving a car in front of the gate so the gate can't be pushed down. Police say the suspects may be linked to a crime group based out of Orlando. Investigators say they are working with officers in Orlando who are assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information about these thefts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). A new law signed by Governor Scott Friday cuts state funding for preventive health services if those clinics provide abortions. That includes Planned Parenthood. Were not going anywhere, but the reality is Florida politicians want to shut these doors, said Anna V. Eskamani, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. The bill, HB 1411, would also require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital near the clinic. It also requires the state to perform annual inspections of the clinics and review at least 50 percent of patient records, and requires the clinics to be registered. Eskamani said the bill will cut all Medicaid funding for non-abortion services at Planned Parenthood, including cancer screenings or STD screenings. Not only does this impact Medicaid patients seeking access to care at Planned Parenthood, but it also impacts Title 10 patients, so were talking about 9,000 individuals that we serve each year, said Eskamani. Eskamani also said men will see services get cut in Orange County. It is going to impact every county differently, like I said here in Orange County we have a vasectomy program with our local health department for folks to access vasectomy services, said Eskamani. However, the Florida Family Policy Council said taxpayer money that was going to Planned Parenthood will now go to hundreds of low-cost federally qualified community health clinics in the state. The law goes into effect on July 1. It could be challenged in court. Similar bills are on hold in others states, including Texas, while the U.S. Supreme Court considers its constitutionality. The bill was among dozens of other bills that Gov. Scott signed into law Friday, including a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana and a bill that would expand a scholarship for teachers that relies on SAT scores. See all of the bills signed by Gov. Scott so far on the governor's website. A Seminole County student says shes worried she may not do well on an upcoming Florida Standards Assessment because shes hearing impaired. Cancer left Peyton Bogert hearing impaired when she was just a baby. I work really hard to keep up with my classmates, said Bogert, whos now a sophomore at Oviedo High School. Bogert has been hitting the books even during her spring break. But she says no amount of studying will be enough for an upcoming language arts FSA that tests students on their ability to hear and comprehend conversation. Youre leaving 4,000 kids behind when youre doing that, so its unfair, said Bogert. Bogert says she usually understands everything just fine with the help of closed captioning. But right now, the FSA isnt set up to provide that. I reached out to state education officials, who say they are providing sign language videos for hearing-impaired students. Peyton says shes still learning sign language, so thats not an option. State officials say they are also allowing a teacher to read the audio portion of the test out loud, which would allow students like Peyton to read lips and understand that way. But Peyton says that will just draw more attention to a disability shes trying to get past. If youre having to repeat something over and over again, youre making it really obvious that I have a disability, said Bogert. In todays world where technology is so readily available, it is a shame that we are fighting [for what] shouldve occurred, said Virginia Bogert, Peytons mother. Bogerts mom says state education officials promise her theyll consider adding closed-captioning to next years testing. But state education officials said its too late to add that to this years FSA. I put in the work, so I dont understand why you cant accommodate me, said Bogert. When we reached out to the Florida Department of Education, we got the following response from Cheryl Etters, dep. director and press secretary for DOE: There are only a few listening items on each assessment and, for those, the Florida Department of Education worked closely with members of the hearing-impaired community and determined that the American Sign Language videos would meet the needs of Floridas students with hearing impairments. As a result, closed captioning is not available for the 2015-2016 administration of the Florida Standards Assessments, and, as we approach the next testing window, it is not feasible to make changes to the test delivery system at this time. Students with hearing impairments who are not fluent in American Sign Language will access audio content by reading a test administrators lips. "Each year, after we finalize the assessment administration, we consider carefully input that we receive from our states students, parents, and school and district leaders. While we cannot discuss any specific students, I can confirm that we have been contacted by a parent about this issue and we have assured that parent that this request will be considered for the 2016-2017 administration. "While we cannot discuss any specific students, I can confirm that we have considered a number of options and, as in any other case, we have worked with the district to promptly and satisfactorily address the issue. A New Smyrna Beach food bank inspired by the foreclosure crisis helps hungry clients in need of the four-legged kind. Sophie's Circle is a pet food bank run by Kathy Blackman, who, in 2008, found that pets were winding up in shelters because people abandoned them inside homes that were foreclosed on. Feeding pets was last on the list of priorities for those pet owners. Now, Blackman and her legion of volunteers give pet owners free pet food so their pets have a roof over their head, rather than spend their final days in a shelter. Blackman admits that she sometimes gets hoarders and unscrupulous pet owners looking for a free handout instead of a hand up. So she has special criteria: she makes sure the pet is spayed or neutered before she hands over the free food. "You'd be surprised at the amount of people that try to take advantage, backyard breeders trying to get free food, reduce their costs even more than they already are because they're not even vetting their animals," Blackman said. She added that hoarders sometimes don't know when they are in over their head by taking in multiple pets, with no way to buy pet food. All the food inside the pet food bank is donated by groups who hold parties and ask for food rather than gifts, or Girl Scouts who hold fundraisers. Blackman says she has seen her pantry shelves dwindle, but pet owners come through and donate, sometimes just in time. Sophie's Circle is named after Blackman's husky, who she rescued one day before she was about to be euthanized. "I got her in the nick of time. And it opened my eyes to how many animals are being euthanized every single day for no other reason than there's too many of them," she said. Sophie's Circle will hold a fundraiser called 2016 Rainbow Bridge Walk starting at 5:30 p.m. this Saturday at the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach. To donate to the pet food bank, go to Sophie's Circle's website. All the food at Sophie's Circle pet food bank in New Smyrna Beach is donated. (Saul Saenz, staff) This is the time of year when millions of travelers are in the middle of vacation plans and now many are headed back home despite the attacks on Brussels earlier this week. After a week in Florida for Spring Break, 10-year-old Nezzy Walker says shes done everything she ever wanted. We went to Sea World, Universal Studios, and Harry Potter, Islands of Adventures It was really fun, Walker said. Shes not the only one. This weekend the Orlando International Airport says they will have more passengers than at any time in airport history, which means longer lines and more traffic. And with all the hype some travelers cant help but think about security at the airports since the Brussel attacks. Thirty-one people were killed and 270 wounded in Brussels' main international airport and on a subway. "Thankfully I wasnt on a plane or having to fly the day of the attacks or else I definitely would have been nervous, my family would have been nervous. said Ian Dembling, who is vacationing here from New York. I am going a few days after so that helps me know that their security is a little bit heightened. But for other travelers, this recent tragedy doesnt change their outlook on travel. My niece and nephew are both there so I was concerned but you know, you cant stop living your life if youre going to live in fear," Monette Cormier-Macdonald from Canada said. "It is scary for sure. Officials with the Orlando International Airport say they expected 160,000 passengers to come in and out of this terminal for Saturday alone. Customs agents' discovery of bundles of marijuana inside two semitrailers at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing led to the arrests of six men who authorities say were awaiting the trucks' arrival in Fort Wayne. The men, all from Fort Wayne, made initial appearances in federal court on drug-trafficking and possession counts. They were being held Wednesday pending a detention hearing next week, federal prosecutors said. The men were arrested Monday, six days after U.S. Customs agents who inspected two semitrailers at a Laredo, Texas, border crossing found bundles of marijuana, prosecutors said. The trucks also contained ornamental pottery. Customs agents seized the vehicles and contents, and made arrests in Laredo. Agents then arranged to have the trucks continue to Fort Wayne under surveillance. Five men were present as the trucks arrived in Fort Wayne behind a two-story building, which investigators believe was the intended destination of the drugs, prosecutors said. Dozens of law enforcement officers were on hand to arrest the men. A sixth man was arrested separately. The men were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, and with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, prosecutor said. The six were identified as: Rodney Lumbardo, 21; Juan Jose Nieves, 21; Matthew Vincent Wilson, 19; Thomas Lee Fitzwater, 20; Eric Alan Fritsch, 19; and Juan Victor Mendez, 38. In the early 1990s, the world watched in horror as Hutus and Tutsis slaughtered each other in Rwanda. When it ended, Paul Kagame was heralded as one of the leaders of forces that ended the bloodshed. As president since 2000, President Kagame has fooled much of the world into thinking his country is a happy democracy and has received tons of international funding because on the surface Rwanda shines as an example of stability. The capital is clean, it has modern roads and lighting, malls all the trappings that look good to the Western eye and many of his measures have improved peoples lives, from a reduced mortality rate to an expanding economy and national health insurance. But author Anjan Sundaram tells a different story, one so chilling and painful that it should encourage international eyes on elections there. Sundaram, a mathematician by training, published Stringer: A Reporters Journey Into the Congo in 2014. In his latest book, Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship, Sundaram tells of his years as a mentor in an internationally funded program to train young journalists in the fledgling democracy. More Information Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship By Anjan Sundaram Doubleday Books, $25.95 See More Collapse He had eager young students and people who had worked as journalists who wanted to wear the title more respectably. Increasingly, as they set out to do the serious work of watchdogs, they came under surveillance. One reporter in particular, Gibson, is a heartbreaking soul, a young man with integrity, talent and tenacity. He had bought a couch as a symbol of the serenity he craved, but ended up selling it to pay for his escape to Uganda. A paper that took on the authorities had to close. Sundarams charges began turning, joining the reporting corps that fawned over the president and ran flattering, congratulatory articles about his work. One by one, students left the program. The author approached foreign visitors with clout for help, and they scoffed, telling him they knew of the repression but to give it time. Kagame has received the accolades of Bill and Melinda Gates, former President Bill Clinton and many other world leaders. He was a victim of trauma himself as a refugee to Uganda when he was a child, and his people, the Tutsis, were killed in such numbers in Rwanda that the violence was referred to as genocide. He is meticulous, learned and savvy, but he has carried his promising leadership into the trap that catches so many who get power, especially when their countries are poor and rocked by destruction. There is residual messiness and anxiety when countries emerge from trauma, and many leaders respond with dominance to maintain quiet. That just leads to disquiet. Dissent even mild criticism is treated as a threat. This is the way dictators seal the fate of their nations. As they clamp down, the initial pushback makes them clamp down harder, making docile people paranoid as they themselves get more paranoid, until nobody trusts anybody. Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship reveals this scenario on a person-to-person level, leading the reader to a heightened recognition of how fear can be used to seep into any society, subtly at first, and then malignantly transformative. President Kagames rule is supposed to end in 2017, but the term limits now in place are expected to be overturned. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Less than a week after 22-year-old Miracle Cooke was crowned this years Queen of Soul in time for Fiesta the senior at the University of Texas at San Antonio has been replaced. Deniece Cook, president of San Antonio Queen of Soul Inc., which produces the pageant, now in its 48th year, said Cooke notified the board of her departure on Thursday. Miracle Cooke gave our board her resignation as our Queen of Soul 2016. She stated regretfully, due to an unforeseen personal circumstance, she will not be able to fulfill her reign as Queen of Soul 2016. It was with a very heavy heart her resignation was accepted, Cook said in a text message. The new queen is the pageants first princess (or first runner-up), Omolara-Jola Lawal, 22, a financial analyst at Accenture Federal Services. In an email interview before her resignation, Cooke, who was crowned Queen of Soul six days ago, said she was working on a degree in public health with an emphasis on epidemiology. When I find the time between being a full-time student and working part-time, I volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House in the medical center, she said. She said she was looking forward to representing Queen of Soul. Queen of Soul is not only an organization that works to teach life skills to young women and provide scholarships, but their underlying premise is one rooted in sisterhood. I am blessed to have so many women I can call as my sisters in this service to the San Antonio community, Cooke said. Lawal said she plans on earning her masters degree in education, followed by a doctorate in international education. She volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, San Antonio Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio. She said she is most looking forward to Fiestas parades and the Taste of New Orleans. Throughout Fiestas 11 nonstop days of revelry, she will heed the advice of former queens. Everything you do is bigger than you. Do your best and do it from the heart. That was advice from different past queens as well as friends, she said. And shell also follow her own personal Fiesta mantra, Enjoy the experience! There is none like it. San Antonio Queen of Soul Inc. was started in the late 1960s to address the lack of involvement from the African-American community in the many Fiesta activities. Once accepted into the Fiesta Commission, the organization began its annual pageant and expanded the queens participation in numerous civic events. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO Two brothers were charged Saturday in connection with a Friday afternoon shooting on the West Side that left one male relative dead and another in critical condition, according to police. Juan and Sonny Hernandez, 24 and 21, both face a murder charge for the shooting death of 42-year-old Victor Gonzales, who was identified Saturday by the Bexar County medical examiner. Charges could escalate depending on whether the second shooting victim survives his injuries, said SAPD spokesman Douglas Greene. "The other victim in this case is hanging on by a thread," Greene said. "His injuries are very critical and is currently at University Hospital fighting for his life." Police officers initially responded to the 2900 block of Chihuahua Street at about 3 p.m. Friday in response to a shooting. Two shooting victims were found: One deceased with a gunshot wound to the upper body, and another man in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his upper body, said Greene. About three hours after the shooting occurred, Juan and Sonny Hernandez, came forward and went to police headquarters to tell their side of the story, Greene said. Juan Hernandez was arrested on an unrelated outstanding warrant for a state jail felony charge of possession of a controlled substance less than 1 gram. Police then learned Sonny Hernandez allegedly got into a physical altercation with the two relatives before the shooting. He left the scene and went to retrieve his brother, Juan, who accompanied Sonny back to the residence on Chihuahua. Another altercation ensued, with one of the relatives brandishing a knife. Juan Hernandez then allegedly retrieved a shotgun from the vehicle and chased down one of the family members, shooting him in the upper body. Juan Hernandez then allegedly shot the other relative, Greene said. The Hernandez brothers are believed to be cousins to the shooting victims, Greene said. Greene said family members persuaded the brothers to come forward and speak with police regarding the shooting. twhite@mysa.com Twitter: @tylerlwhite Teaching at Fox Tech High School in the 1970s and 80s, Ruth Hausler Miller Graves taught commercial art to students who might not otherwise have had a chance at decent employment after graduation. She encouraged her students, let them know that they would have the skill of doing something, silk screening or otherwise, her daughter Shanna Lea said. They could go out and get a job doing that. It was satisfying work. She would always talk about her students Id actually get a little jealous, Lea said. She found her niche there; they loved her. Graves died Feb. 28 at 86. Creative from an early age, Graves drew patterns for clothing, which her mother would sew for her. More Information Ruth Hausler Miller Graves Born: April 20, 1929, Austin Died: Feb. 28, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Husbands Johnn T. Miller, and Joseph R. Graves; parents Nell and Alton E. Hausler. Survived by: Daughters Erin McRae and son-in-law Ron, and Shanna Lea; two grandchildren; six stepchildren. Services: Funeral was March 5. See More Collapse Graduating from Brackenridge High School at 16, Graves went to the University of Texas at Austin, studying art before returning to San Antonio to work at Kelly AFB in the late 1940s. Named Miss Kelly AFB in 1951, Graves then won the title of Miss San Antonio, marrying soon after. Moving with her husband, an Air Force officer, first to Phoenix and then Southern California, Graves returned to school, graduating with a bachelors degree in studio art from the University of Southern California in 1958. The couple moved to Northern California shortly after, where Graves started teaching elementary school. She had the couples first daughter in 1959. A working mother, Graves continued to take art classes in the evenings, painting whenever she could. Working mostly with acrylics on canvas, Graves was very modest about her work, Lea said. She was really good but never put it out there to sell her work. Moving back to San Antonio after she and her husband divorced, Graves continued to teach elementary school, taking the position at Fox Tech in the mid-1970s. She cared so much for all of her students, said former student Juan Castillo, who went on to have a career in art, advertising and printing. We all loved the class; she would let us do any kind of art that we wanted. At home, Graves stayed busy, performing in community theater musicals and taking ballroom dance classes. She started doing ballroom dance competitions with her instructor, Lea said. She designed the costumes would come home so excited after doing these competitions. Remarrying in 1979, Graves continued teaching, transferring to Lanier High School before retiring in 1996. Widowed in 2011, Graves reunited with her first husband, living with him until his death in 2015. mheidbrink@express-news.net The case for more funding for VIA starts with its Primo 100 route. One of the most popular routes in VIAs system, Primo 100 runs from the east side of downtown to the South Texas Medical Center and then on to the University of Texas at San Antonio. Its everything you want in public transportation. The 60-foot buses, with their accordion middle sections, are sleek, clean and comfy. They receive priority at stoplights, so the buses move quickly across town. Theyre also scheduled every 10 minutes, every day of the week, so riders never have to wait long to get going. It is a good service, Primo regular Michelle Almanza told us. It gets you to where you need to go pretty quick. Thats what you want in public transportation, right? Primo is the rightful star of VIAs system, but thats also the problem. Why? Because its the only star in a system that is dramatically underfunded and is stretched thin to meet the basic needs of this community. If anything, Primos exceptionalism underscores the need to better fund public transportation here, an issue that deserves full attention at City Hall and yet so often is overlooked. As part of our agenda in 2016, we have pledged to beat the drum on improving transportation and studying ways to address congestion in the San Antonio region. The bus system is part of that equation, along with light rail, roads, bike paths and HOV lanes. The differences between Primo and the rest of the bus system are striking. While Primo riders only wait minutes to catch a bus, the wait can feel interminable on many other routes. During peak hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., half of VIAs buses come by every 30 minutes, and another 28 percent run on the hour. If you get held up and miss your bus, your schedule is shot. Even under the best of circumstances, a trip across town could easily take 90 minutes, a nightmare for anyone relying on the bus to get to work or school. At 10 minutes (between buses), people dont worry about schedules, VIA President and CEO Jeff Arndt told us. Twenty minutes seems to be the least frequent service that a discretionary rider will accept. Thirty minutes is the outside limit of what anyone will accept. That means slightly more than three-fourths of VIAs routes run at basically intolerable intervals. While overall bus ridership has fallen from more than 44 million in fiscal 2013 to just less than 41 million in fiscal 2015, Primo ridership has been steady at about nearly 2 million riders the last two fiscal years. Thats a product of two realities, Arndt said. Gas prices have fallen, putting more people back in cars. But Primo service is so attractive and efficient, cheap gas hasnt reduced ridership. Its so popular, VIA has responded with plans to add two more Primo routes in 2018, serving the South and West sides. One will run along Southeast Military Drive to Brooks City Base; the other will follow Zarzamora Street, where VIA ridership is heaviest, eventually linking with the Medical Center. Providing exceptional service doesnt come cheap. It costs a lot to run a bus every 10 minutes. These two new routes will cost more than $60 million. This brings us to the crucial issue of funding. VIA receives far less sales tax revenues than other large Texas metro areas. While Houston, Dallas and Austin dedicate a full penny in sales to public transportation, San Antonio dedicates a half-cent to VIA. The repercussions are striking. VIA and METRO Houston cover roughly the same size service area, more than 1,200 square miles each, but in 2015 VIA received $166 million in sales tax compared to $542.5 million for METRO Houston. Capital Metro in Austin covers 529 square miles and yet received $211 million in sales tax revenue in 2015. These numbers come courtesy of VIA. The upshot: There is an inherent tension at VIA about whether its best to stretch an inadequate service across the region or focus intensely on high-quality service in a few areas, leaving other areas hanging. Its a shame that weve made this a choice, but here we are. How to change this? Enter District 4 City Councilman Rey Saldana, who rode the bus for a month last June and was struck by how challenging it was to rely on the system. It took him about 90 minutes to get from his home on the South Side to downtown, and if he missed a bus, he said, sometimes it took him two hours to go one way. Two hours. Saldana has proposed shifting the portion of the citys Advanced Transportation District funds to VIA. Approved by voters in 2004, ATD is a quarter-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation. Half goes to VIA (this is in addition to its half-cent sales tax), and the other half is split between the city of San Antonio and the Texas Department of Transportation. Shifting the citys portion of ATD to VIA would bring about $17 million a year to transit, but there would be a trade-off. At present, the city has used those funds for sidewalks and traffic signal improvements. Are other City Council members receptive to the idea? Not really. Its difficult, Saldana said. You have to paint the picture very clearly about what it is we are getting in exchange for this. But from his perspective, using those funds to more efficiently move people around is a far better approach than building scattered sidewalks across the community. We agree. Since sales tax dollars beyond ATD are spoken for, we also believe city officials should consider a fee to dedicate additional funding for VIA. Saldana now heads a city committee to study boosting city funding and improving bus service. His preference would be to have Primo service for VIAs five busiest routes, reducing travel times by half and linking people to employment centers. Thats a possibility. Arndt, VIAs president and CEO, has also said an additional $17 million a year could be used to ensure every route runs at 30-minute frequency from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the bare minimum that riders will tolerate. These two possibilities again reflect the inherent tension at VIA. Which direction best serves the public? We like both takes, but our preference would be to improve the basic bus service first. The need is just too great. The disparities between Primo and everything else are far too glaring. On the surface, better funding for VIA means getting riders from Point A to Point B more quickly and, in turn, hopefully enticing some drivers to get out of their cars, relieving congestion. But, digging deeper, its also about equality across our community. As we recently highlighted, San Antonio has again been ranked as a leader in inequality and economic segregation. There is little to no connection between the prosperous parts of our community and the distressed areas. In this context, VIAs lack of funding serves as a barrier between those two realities when it should be a key link. Weve long been critical of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller for his cupcakes and deep fryers, and even worse, the bonuses he doled out for staff, the special hookups for friends and his oblivious endorsement of nuking Muslims. But the saga of his pursuit of a Jesus Shot in Oklahoma is especially troubling. As Brian Rosenthal of the Houston Chronicle methodically reported, shortly after Miller took office, he flew to Oklahoma City on the pretense of attending the National Stockyards and meeting with top state officials. He billed taxpayers $1,120 for the trip. He flew first class and charged taxpayers for cocktails. White grievance. Its real. That reality is about to gobsmack us on our collective forehead. Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Now, lets define real. Its real in the sense that white men in particular feel it older white men, acutely. To them, it is palpable and has substance. And, though Trump is said to be most popular among less educated whites, this grievance is felt across such lines. This is why, if you are a person of color, youve likely had the same conversation with educated and less educated people. You know, the one where a minority or woman got favorable treatment at a white mans expense. That a minority or woman was more qualified for a job or promotion seems to rarely get weighed as a significant factor. You can even have the conversation with a white male in which he acknowledges the disparity in outcomes for minorities but feels he got cheated. When its personal, the exception makes the rule even if the system is mostly stacked against minorities. You can cite the stats. You know, how incarceration rates and the weightiest sentences fall on African-Americans and Latinos. How being black alone can get you followed in a store or stopped and arrested sometimes shot and killed. How the unemployment rate for African-Americans and Latinos is still higher than it is for whites. How most positions of power are held by nonminorities though not the presidency, setting off Obama derangement syndrome nationwide. How all of our children attend segregated schools, but white schools are the only ones fortunate enough to be also segregated by affluence. How most undocumented immigrants spend a great deal of time and energy evading attention, which means not committing the level of crime attributed to them. How most Muslims abhor each terrorist act done by Muslims. Most of the pertinent economic numbers show clear and continued white advantage. And none of that makes the sense of white grievance any less real. Its felt. And calling people who feel it stupid is counterproductive. This grievance has been measured. In January, the RAND Corps Presidential Election Panel Survey, or PEPS, found Trump uniting white Americans ethnic and economic anxieties. It appears from the PEPS data, then, that the Trump coalition unites resentment of minority groups with support for economically progressive policies, wrote Michael Tester, one of the political scientists participating in the study. Trump does particularly well with folks with these biases who also exhibit tacit support for elements of the welfare state that minorities are routinely accused of looting. Translated: Its our welfare state, not yours, even if noncitizen immigrants arent even eligible. One tack, Trumps, is to mine these anxieties for political gain, while arguing that being strong means being OK with folks beaten up if they protest at one of his events and then blame them for the violence. Another tack would be to find common ground. It exists. The same economic forces buffeting blue-collar white families rock everyone. Weve not heard much about common ground in the GOP primary, except from perhaps John Kasich. And on the other side, from both Democrats. The general election could test just how much Trumps division resonates, and this test could happen even if hes not the nominee. Ted Cruz, the candidate said to be the most viable Trump alternative, is anti-gay marriage, pro-deportation, says theres a war on Christianity and wants to ban Syrian Muslim refugees, and his love for the Constitution apparently means he detests government but adores guns. He counts on white grievance, too. And this is tragic. If we get to a finger-pointing level of general election campaigning, we lose a part of who we are as a country even if the candidate, whoever it is, loses. White grievance is real, but if the GOP defines itself by it, it will be spelling its inevitable marginalization, if not its complete dismantling. Yves here. This sort of statement is years overdue. By Sarah Lazare a staff writer for AlterNet and former staff writer for Common Dreams. SHe co-edited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare. Originally published at Alternet A premiere public health commission warned Thursday that the global war on drugs and zero tolerance policies are unleashing an international health crisis by fueling lethal violence, communicable-disease transmission, discrimination, forced displacement, unnecessary physical pain, and the undermining of peoples right to health. A joint initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Lancet, the commission released a report calling for a global transformation of drug policytowards decriminalization and harm reduction. The goal of prohibiting all use, possession, production and trafficking of illicit drugs is the basis of many of our national drug laws, but these policies are based on ideas about drug use and drug dependence that are not scientifically grounded, declared Commissioner Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The global war on drugs has harmed public health, human rights and development, Beyrer continued. Its time for us to rethink our approach to global drug policies, and put scientific evidence and public health at the heart of drug policy discussions. The researchers based their findings on a review of existing evidence and an original analyses and modeling on violence, incarceration and infectious diseases associated with drug policies, according to a press statement. They concluded that punitive measures that fail to reduce harm are meaurably killing people. The persistence of unsafe injection-linked transmission of HIV and HCV that could be stopped with proven, cost-effective measures remains one of the great failures of the global responses to these diseases, the authors wrote. Furthermore, criminalization of drug addiction is slashing access to life-saving medications like naloxone, which can reverse the impacts of drug Opioid overdosescurrently an epidemic across North America. Notably, the report concludes that the criminalization of drugs unleashes political and social violence, including the mass incarceration of African Americans and Hispanics for non-violent drug crimes has led to deterioration of families and communities. The researchers also point out that the war on drugs has unleashed horrific violence across Central America and Mexico, leading to a spike in homicides that has measurably reduced life expectancy in Mexico and sparking a mass displacement. The study follows the publication of a cover story in Harpers magazine in which journalist Dan Baum resurfaced a damning, decades-old quote from President Richard Nixons domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman. You want to know what this was really all about, Ehrlichman said of the drug war. The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what Im saying. We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did. Construction workers contracted by EHC begin to work out curbs for a road on a current build site Friday on Vanderbilt Drive. SHARE By Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News The Naples area continues to grow jobs. Led by the construction and hospitality industries, local businesses added 2,100 jobs over the year in February, according to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Construction led the way, creating 900 jobs. Leisure and hospitality wasn't far behind, adding 800, as the peak of the busy winter season approached in March. "With more than 2,000 new jobs created in the Naples area, it is clear that more families are finding opportunities to succeed in Southwest Florida. We have successfully cut taxes over 55 times since 2010, including more than $1 billion in taxes cut over the last two years, so we can continue to grow our economy. Florida is on the way to becoming first for jobs and we will not stop working until we reach our goal," Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement. Jobless rates fell across Southwest Florida in February. In Collier County the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent, down from 4.8 percent in January and 5 percent a year ago. In Lee County the jobless rate in February was even lower at 4.3 percent. That was down from 4.7 percent a month earlier and from 5.1 percent last year. The lower unemployment rates are forcing businesses to raise wages to attract and keep good workers, said Beth Barger, Naples center supervisor for CareerSource Southwest Florida, a publicly funded workforce agency that matches job seekers with employers. Many of the new jobs are coming from new employers. The recent opening of Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant along U.S. 41 in North Naples created 250 jobs. "That's huge, and that was all in hospitality and service. But they are also paying a fair wage," Barger said. The continued growth in construction jobs is another good sign, with hourly wages of $17 or more, she said. "It means the economy is really starting to accelerate. So that is positive. It's one of the first signs that we are getting back to a good economy," Barger said. CareerSource continues to help area employers with job fairs, as their search for available workers has gotten tougher. The Naples center recently helped Marshalls find managers for a new department store, but it's not just big employers that are growing. "We are seeing smaller companies grow and expand. So that is a good thing. It's not all the big box companies," Barger said. The continued drop in the local unemployment rates have some wondering how low they can go, and how low is too low before it hurts the ability for businesses to grow. The rates are not dangerously low yet, as they were right before the Great Recession, said Chris Westley, an economics professor and the director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University. He expects to see employment rise and the unemployment rate fall again in March, which is usually the busiest month of the busy season that runs from November to April. The strong job growth in the volatile construction and hospitality industries shows there is still a big need to diversify the region's economy, Westley said. "That's a big concern of mine," he said. "We tend to overheat during the booms, and we tend to overcorrect during the busts, partly because of the lack of diversification." Jim Wall, a spokesman for CareerSource Southwest Florida, said it appears from year-over-year data that Collier County started to recover sooner than Lee County from the Great Recession, but now Lee County is starting to catch up. "It's all very good news," he said. The lower unemployment rates have triggered the federal government to require those who are collecting food stamps to go into a CareerSource center to get help with a job search. Locally, that became mandatory in January, Wall said. There are still plenty of jobs out there. The Naples area had 4,891 job openings in February, including 959 in high-wage science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, occupations. With such a tight labor supply, local employers are focused more on keeping their good workers than attracting new ones, Wall said. Unemployment rates in Lee and Collier counties in February were both lower than the state average. Florida's jobless rate dropped to 4.9 percent last month, the state's lowest in eight years. Over the year in February, Florida businesses created 235,200 jobs. Since December 2010, Florida has gained 1.06 million private-sector jobs. "While these are incredible accomplishments for our state, we will continue to do all we can to support economic growth so Florida can be first in the nation for jobs," Gov. Scott said in a statement. In the state, the industries gaining the most jobs in February over the year were professional and business services with 52,200; leisure and hospitality with 42,800; trade, transportation and utilities with 41,500, and education and health services with 39,300. There were 277,391 job openings in Florida in February, and the state's 24 local workforce development boards reported that nearly 35,000 Floridians were places in jobs, including more than 1,700 veterans. SHARE By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News Collier County's population is soaring, putting pressure on its infrastructure, its farmland, its water resources and the environment. About 100 planners, government officials and developers gathered to discuss how to resolve these issues Friday at the Isles of Collier Preserve in Naples, in a program sponsored by the Urban Land Institute of Southwest Florida, a nonprofit that focuses on real estate and land use issues. Russ Weyer, president of Real Estate Econometrics in Naples, said the county's population is booming primarily because the elderly continue to be attracted to the area. "The population should fall between 800,000 and 1.2 million, depending primarily on political will, over the next 75 years," he said, adding that population growth should peak around 2030. While the unemployment rate has fallen dramatically since it spiked at around 12 percent in 2010, most people who are settling in the fast-growing eastern part of the county are workers who are not as wealthy as those who settle along the coast, he said. Indeed, he noted, the per capita income of those who live in the western portions of the county is $52,112, more than double the per capita income of $27,439 for those who live inland. That's exacerbating the county's lack of affordable housing, said Mark Strain, chairman of the Collier County Planning Commission. Excluding apartments, 20.3 percent of all of the county's dwelling units, or 38,147 units, are appraised at $126,000 or below, he noted and most are on the eastern fringe of development in Ave Maria and Immokalee. While the county encourages builders to create affordable single-family homes and has approved the construction of 4,327 of them, only 2,619 have been built, Strain noted. If both houses and apartments are counted, only 7,887 units have been built, though 9,595 were approved. That's because developers haven't been given enough incentives to create housing that's generally not profitable for them, he said. Nevertheless, people will continue to come to the county, particularly when development of Rural Lands West, east of Golden Gate Estates, gets underway. With an expected build out of 15 to 20 years, the community eventually will have 10,000 new residences and about 2.1 million square feet of commercial space. With an added population of about 50,000 people, "we'll have to fix the transportation corridors," Strain said. He added that he thinks a new interchange on 1-75 will be necessary so workers will be able to commute to the expected 12,000 new jobs that will be created to serve the residents at Rural Lands West. Elsewhere in the county, roads will have to be widened and interchanges improved to handle an expected increase in traffic, especially around the "core growth areas" along Immokalee Road and Collier Boulevard, Deputy County Manager Nick Casalanguida said. "We need to own and plan for the future and leverage our dollars," he said. But that requires looking at whether it's better to widen an existing road or take advantage of a road that's already been widened when considering when and where to build, he said. With 77 percent of the county already earmarked as conservation land, developing the rest will require a careful look at how transferable development rights are handled, Collier County Planning Manager Kris Van Lengren said. TDRS allow landowners to sell development rights to their land to a developer in the form of credits; the developers can then use them to increase density at another location. These have been an effective way for the government to manage growth as it marches ever near the ecologically sensitive habitats in the eastern portion of the county, but Van Lengren identified a problem with the current system. Landowners are demanding more compensation to give up the right to develop their land, and "developers can only pay so much," he said. More development also is putting pressure on the area's potable water supply, especially in older areas like Naples Park where drinking water, rather than reclaimed water, is used to irrigate lawns, said David Wilkison, who heads Collier County's growth management department. He said his goal is to use aquifer storage and recovery wells to store irrigation-quality water and reharvest it in the dry season, when demand is high. Keeping agribusiness alive as development swallows up farmland is also a challenge, said Tim Nance, Collier County Commissioner for District 5. "As the world approaches 7 billion people in the next 50 years, we will have to produce more food on the same amount of land or less than we do now," he said, adding that South Florida produces about half the fruits and vegetables consumed in the nation during its growing season. Solving the problem may involve bringing in businesses that can create technology that will make the fields that remain more productive, rather than committing more land to farming. Other solutions might involve ramping up agri-tourism and enviro-tourism, he suggested. While the growing pains that the county is facing are complex, Nance said the only way they can be resolved is to involve every stakeholder in the process and to respect competing points of view. "People need to look at planning in a comprehensive way not in silos and buckets," he said. SHARE Eric Heckler By Leslie Williams Hale It seemed Eric Heckler was moving on with his life. He left Southwest Florida for a new start in Costa Rica and with that, he left behind the mortgage crisis that sullied his name. However, he also left behind 61 felony charges ranging from fraud to grand theft to racketeering, plus one bail bonds company that had paid $100,000 to the Lee County Circuit Court for his 2007 release from jail. However, it also seems that his new start may have involved a new scam, raising a brand new set of alarm bells leading to his apprehension, according to the private investigator who caught Heckler. Heckler, 38, is now awaiting extradition to the Lee County Jail after living in Costa Rica for a year, said John Moritz, the Texas-based private investigator who found Heckler. Lee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Larry King confirmed Sunday that Heckler is in custody in Costa Rica and said local authorities are working with Costa Rican officials to return him to Lee County. Heckler was arrested Sept. 12, 2007 in Lee County on 61 charges in a wide-ranging mortgage fraud scheme uncovered in 2006. Along with nine other people, Heckler was accused of approaching straw buyers, referred to as "nominees," who authorized their names and information to be used on bogus mortgage applications through the company Alternative Home Financing Inc. Heckler is identified in affidavits as the vice president of the company. According to the state attorney's office, after securing mortgages with fraudulent information based on inflated appraisal prices, Alternative Home Financing would find tenants for the homes. The company reportedly offered a rent-to-own agreement, taking deposits and rent checks under the auspices of paying the mortgage, but never made the mortgage payments. According to the documents filed in Lee County Circuit Court in 2006, many of the tenants and perspective home-buyers put down deposits of $5,000, in some cases the tenants' entire life savings, before the homes defaulted and the tenants were evicted. Investigators said the scheme netted $370,000 in fees through $3 million in loans. Heckler, who bonded out of Lee County jail the day after Christmas 2007, was assigned a public defender, entered a plea of not guilty and subsequently vanished. Court records show he failed to appear at a May 2008 court hearing. That is because he was in Costa Rica undertaking a brand new scam, said Moritz. Moritz, a retired undercover investigator with the Texas comptroller's office, owns a home in Costa Rica, in addition to his Houston home. Moritz said a friend asked him to look into Eric Heckler, an American living in Costa Rica who had started to draw attention as a businessman seeking investors in a teak wood plantation he claimed to own. Heckler made no efforts to conceal his identity, Moritz said. "He was taking those people down there to the Panamanian border and showing them the teak site and telling them he owned it and controlled it but didn't have the money to harvest it," Moritz said. Something about that story did not sit right with Moritz's friend. On July 19, three days before Heckler's birthday, Moritz said he met with the friend at a bar in Flamingo, Costa Rica, which Heckler frequented. He said he took a cell phone photo of Heckler and wrote his name on a napkin, promising to look into his background when he returned to Texas. All it took was a simple Google search, which returned a wealth of press releases and stories about Heckler's alleged involvement in the mortgage fraud scheme. He contacted the Miami bail bond company, Braswell Surety Services, that paid Heckler's $100,000 bond and offered to organize Heckler's extradition. For his efforts, Moritz said he will collect $10,000 of the original bond. An employee who answered the phone number listed on Braswell Surety Services' Web site Sunday said the information on Heckler's case was at her office and said she could not provide any details until the start of business Monday. Moritz said Heckler entered Costa Rica legally a year ago. With help from the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, Moritz applied for a provisional warrant, which was required to extradite Heckler. "We got it in a week and he's already in custody," Moritz said. "He was picked up at 4:30 p.m., Friday in a suburb of San Jose." Moritz said Heckler had run out of money and was staying with friends in Costa Rica while he got his next scam off the ground. He said he talked to one Florida investigator with the Department of Agriculture and Customer Services who said he believed Heckler was receiving financial help from an uncle in Miami. "As long as somebody is a crook on the lam, and somebody is assisting them," Moritz said, "they can stay a crook forever." SHARE By Joanna Fitzgerald Three common grackles and a Virginia opossum were among the 84 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include a red-shouldered hawk, a great horned owlet and a peninsula cooter. The nestling common grackles were found in a tree at a local nursery. The three babies were uninjured and were being cared for by their parents. The nursery did not feel it was prudent for the grackles to be re-nested. Our only option in this situation was to admit the nestlings to the hospital and care for them until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Hospital staff readily expects baby songbird admissions to begin by mid-April, so these baby grackles arriving in mid-March is just a bit ahead of our expectations. Knowing songbirds are actively breeding emphasizes the need for homeowners and landscape professionals to check trees and bushes before performing any trimming or landscaping activities. Native birds are protected by state and federal laws this protection covers the birds, their eggs, the babies, active nests and feathers. Breeding season for the myriad birds that inhabit Southwest Florida will be ongoing into September. Most songbirds grow rapidly and fledge from their nests within weeks of hatching. Allowing birds the few weeks that they need to raise their young provides the best chance for the babies to successfully survive in the wild. If you have a concern about an active bird nest or you find a young bird on the ground, please call the wildlife hospital for information. Staff will analyze the situation and determine the appropriate course of action. Our goal is to help people and wildlife successfully coexist. The young Virginia opossum was admitted after it was found alone in a yard. The opossum was clearly too young to survive without its mother. A full exam showed the orphan was bright, alert and responsive and in good health. It is unknown what caused the baby to be separated from its mother. Currently the baby opossum is being housed in the von Arx Wildlife Hospital Nursery and is receiving multiple formula feedings throughout the day and night. Several other opossums were admitted this week with obvious causes of injury. Six babies arrived at the hospital attached to their deceased mother after she was killed by a car strike. Another deceased mother was brought to the hospital with her four live babies after she was attacked by a dog. Please be aware it is breeding season for many species of wildlife in Southwest Florida. If you have pets, monitor them when they are allowed outdoors. Monitoring pets keeps them safe and allows you to intervene if your pet crosses paths with a wild animal. Another way to prevent injury to wildlife is to slow down when driving (especially at night). Being alert and aware that animals are on the move in search of nesting sites, mates and food may help you avoid hitting an animal crossing the road. Recent Releases Four Eastern screech owls, a mottled duck, a laughing gull, two gray squirrels, four double-crested cormorants, an anhinga, a tricolor heron, a diamondback terrapin, two great blue herons, three raccoons, five Eastern cottontails, a mourning dove, a bald eagle and a Florida red-bellied turtle were all released this past week. The great blue heron release was especially rewarding. The heron had been admitted with severe wounds to its neck, wings and legs after being entangled in fishing line and hooks. After almost one month of intensive care, the heron made a full recovery. Under Construction Our outdoor wildlife viewing area is temporarily closed to the public while our new outdoor animal recovery enclosures and guest education areas are constructed. Visitors to the Conservancy can continue to experience the nursery viewing window and wildlife rehabilitation exhibits throughout the Nature Center. Thank you for your understanding and patience while we improve our patients' recovery areas. Opportunities to Help Please visit the Conservancy website at conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Your volunteer time, memberships and donations are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida's water, land, wildlife and future. Joanna Fitzgerald is director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Call 239-262-2273 or see conservancy.org. By Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News Collier County Clerk Dwight Brock once again is withholding payment from companies doing business with the county, this time because government purchasing agents aren't demanding basic receipts or invoice details from vendors hired more than a year ago to install and repair fences. Since July, the clerk has withheld payment of a total of $41,365 from two companies Carter Fence and BUE Inc. as auditors look for invoices, receipts or any evidence that the county was properly charged for a series of projects. The billing issues are part of a larger problem with the purchasing process the county uses to spend taxpayer money, said Brock, who has stopped payment to vendors several times in the past year over purchasing and invoice issues. "Now can you see why I complain about staff entering into contracts?" Brock said. "This points to an underlying control issue and if you don't fix it you will have much larger problems." The only deal commissioners made with the fencing companies was in the contracts the parties signed, Brock said. No work could be done outside that contract unless the work was competitively bid, he said. "If this is what they're doing for $800 contracts, than who is to say they are not doing the same thing with $50,000 contracts and $200,000 contracts," Brock said. "If you don't watch things like this, people will make it a habit." Several commissioners, the county manager and county attorney called on Brock this week to pay the fence companies, saying the county has been using the same billing process for years without issue. Calling Brock the "poster child of dysfunction," Commissioner Tim Nance said in the end, the county got a fair price for the work. Nance said the price, whether it was charged lump sum or by another method, was a mutually agreed upon price and the county needs to pay for the work. "This is government administration at its absolute worst," Nance said. "I don't know how anybody can possibly make something like purchasing a fence this complicated. Small vendors don't have time to engage in this nonsense. We asked them to build a fence, they built a fence and we took a fence. I don't know what to tell you." The two companies and county purchasers essentially worked outside the rules of the contracts that were signed in July 2014, the clerk argues. The contracts, which were competitively bid, lay out the hourly rates that each company would charge for fence repair or installation work as it came up called time and material contracts. BUE Inc., also known as Gatekeepers, was to charge either $25 or $45 an hour depending on the class of employee doing the work, according to its contract. The company would also charge a markup of 25 percent on any materials used. Instead of billing according to those time and material rates, the companies gave the county quotes for individual projects without time or material details and sought payment in a lump sum based on those quotes. One invoice from July 16 shows that Gatekeepers billed the county $1,300 for installing a 54-foot long chain link fence in Serenity Park. The bill lists the materials used mesh, concrete, posts and the linear feet of a black coated chain link fence but it doesn't show the cost of the materials. Neither does the invoice show any record of the hours worked by employees or their titles. It only lumps the project into a single bill for $1,300. The county skirted the open bid process by allowing Carter Fence and Gatekeepers to essentially ignore the rates they had previously agreed to charge and give new quotes on their work, Brock said. "The problem is staff thinks they can go and change the terms and conditions of the contracts with these two companies work that was competitively bid at certain rates without giving everybody else a chance," Brock said. Efforts to reach representatives from Gatekeepers and Carter fence for comment were unsuccessful. September emails obtained by the Naples Daily News between Gatekeepers CEO Bob Unger and county purchasing officials show that after Brock stopped payment, county staff members asked for invoices that showed the cost of material. "If you do a time-and-material-job and invoice (time and material) with a markup, we have to be able to verify the markup during our audit function," county procurement strategist Matthew Catoe told Unger in an email. "How can we audit a markup or discount without the actual cost of the material?" Unger responded that his company was doing work outside the 2014 contract with the county and, in fact, had never been asked to do work for the county under that contract. Instead, the company was always asked to bid for individual projects. "We have been asked to bid on jobs, so we submitted bids," Unger wrote. "The bids were either accepted or rejected." If the price was accepted by county staff members they issued a purchase order for that price, Unger said. "Now after the work has been completed and the purchase order issued based on our bid, we were told to resubmit the invoice based on (time and material)," he wrote. "Unring that bell please ... how do we do it after it has been done?" In later emails staff members chalked it up to a miscommunication and agreed to charge the company lump sum for the work. After learning why Brock hadn't paid the two fencers, commissioners voted unanimously in January to amend the two contracts to specifically allow staff members to bill them lump sum for individual projects rather than at the rates in the contract. That amendment wouldn't affect the work already done under the original contract, Brock said. County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow said Brock has not offered a solution to move forward and get the vendors paid. "I'm flummoxed on this," Klatzkow said. "We already established that the vendors don't have the invoices. At this point in time there is no backup documentation. You can ask for all you want, but they don't have it." Brock said while detailed invoices may not be available, he would work with the companies if they could show him the general price of fencing and other materials used and see if the invoices matched the rates set out in the contract. Brock has taken issue with the county's purchasing practices several times over the past twelve months. He sued the county's top officials in April, saying employees shouldn't have the authority to enter into contracts or buy items without direct approval from commissioners. The clerk stopped paying millions worth of the county's bills then to hundreds of companies, vendors and employees for about a month, until a deal was worked out in court. The April suit was recently tossed out by the circuit court, but is still working through the appeals process. Brock also stopped paying local contractor BQ Concrete in June after he accused the company of billing the county for work done by another vendor on one project and submitting fraudulent invoices for at least two others. In that case, the county's former road and bridge supervisor, J.R. Gorentz, admitted to modifying BQ's invoices and resigned. BQ officials deny forging the documents. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal investigation is ongoing. --- RELATED STORIES: Kids scramble to grab Easter eggs at 22nd Annual Royal Scoop Easter egg Hunt and Games in Bonita Springs. Fla. on Saturday March 26th, 2016. (Logan Newell/Special to the Daily News) By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News The announcer asked if the crowd was ready and Mark Nichols, 7, smiled and clapped his hands together. Mark, a first-grader at Calusa Park Elementary who wears big, black-framed glasses, was part of the group of kids from the Lighthouse of Collier that came to Bonita Springs on Saturday morning for an Easter-egg hunt. Lighthouse of Collier is a local support center for the blind and visually impaired. For the first time, the group participated in the egg hunt that's hosted every year by the Royal Scoop ice-cream shop along Vanderbilt Drive. The event started more than 20 years ago when Royal Scoop owners David and Sarah Zimmermann wanted to raise money for a local boy who had leukemia. "That's when it was super small," Sarah Zimmermann said. "Now it's so big." Click here for list of Easter events in Southwest Florida Hundreds of young kids and their parents turned out to the event held at the field behind the New Life Church. Parking overflowed in the church parking lot and the Royal Scoop parking lot across the street. The egg hunts began around 11 a.m. with an invocation from a pastor who said, "Let the eggs be plenty and let the children be quick." Children in groups aged 2 to 5 years old and 6 to 10 scattered into the field to scoop eggs filled with pieces of candy. The group aged 6-10 got a little too excited. David Zimmerman, the day's master of ceremonies, had only said, "On you mark ... " by the time the kids took off running toward the eggs. "And we couldn't wait for 'Go,'" David Zimmerman said. "Go ahead!" Later, there were relay races with egg tosses and bunny hopping. Parents sought shade under tents during the sunny and hot afternoon. The event had raffles for game packs and stuffed animals. The money was used to cover the cost of the day's services, Sarah Zimmermann said. In event tents, kids could get their face painted or pose for photos with the Easter Bunny. There were two real bunnies named Harry and William. At 11:40 a.m., about a half dozen kids from Lighthouse of Collier prepared for their egg hunt. Mark looked excited. Click here for Easter dining specials in Southwest Florida When David Zimmermann yelled, "Go!" Mark quickly scooped up a blue egg. The kids were guided by helpers and a few electronic eggs that made noises. One of the eggs said, "I'm hiding!" Mark filled his blue and yellow basket. He opened his eggs to find candy and a purple flower sticker. He gave the sticker to his first-grade teacher. He was asked how many eggs he found and he smiled. "A lot," he said. A small plane landed along Logan Boulevard in North Naples about 4 p.m. Saturday. No one was injured. Submitted by Rob Odell SHARE A small plane landed along Logan Boulevard in North Naples about 4 p.m. Saturday. No one was injured. Carla Bogart/Submitted By Dave Osborn of the Naples Daily News There was plenty of high drama Saturday afternoon in North Naples, as a small plane in trouble led people to call 911. Witnesses saw a plane in distress above Immokalee Road a busy thoroughfare shortly before 4 p.m. and contacted Collier County emergency dispatchers. They in turn informed sheriffs deputies on the road. Nathan Jones, the pilot, reported he was having engine trouble, said Krista Williamson, a Sheriffs Office spokeswoman. Jones managed to carefully bring the aircraft down just after 4 p.m., along Logan Boulevard, north of Saturnia Grande Drive, which is just south of Immokalee Road. He did a phenomenal job landing the plane, she said. None of the four aboard the plane was injured. A car driving by clipped the wing but no one was injured in that vehicle, Williamson said. Members of the Sheriffs Office Aviation Unit planned to investigate the crash, Williamson said. Logan Boulevard was closed from Vanderbilt Beach Road to the south and Immokalee Road to the north for less than an hour. Periodic lane closers later in the evening snarled traffic a bit, as crews began moving the airplane around 7:15 p.m. The four-seat 1967 Beechcraft Bonanza fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft left LaGrange, Georgia, bound for Naples Municipal Airport at 12:31 p.m. Saturday, stated information on flightaware.com, an airplane tracking website. The website had the aircraft arriving in Naples at 4:05 p.m. The airplane is owned by Taylor Aero LLC in Lewes, Delaware. The corporation was issued registration for the Beechcraft in January 2014, flightaware.com information showed. Williamson said she had little information about Jones, other than hes not from Naples. The names of the three plane passengers remained unavailable Saturday night. TRAFFIC ALERT: Plane crash on Logan Blvd at Saturnia Grande. No reported injuries. Expect delays. #thinblueline #sheriff #LESM #CollierCounty #CollierSheriff #naplesfl #naplesflorida A photo posted by Collier County Sheriff (@colliersheriff) on Mar 26, 2016 at 1:35pm PDT By Maria Perez of the Naples Daily News HAVANA With silver cross pendants hanging around their necks, heads bowed and hands clasped, Neolgesia Mendez and Zulma Garcia prayed. They came to the church of La Milagrosa in the Havana neighborhood of Santo Suarez before the bells called for the Holy Thursday service. They joined more than 200 of the faithful who filled most of the pews, sitting in prayerful silence. Elderly women make up much of the congregation, but there are about 20 children and young adults. A girl wore a T-shirt with an American flag design. With the loud hum of fans in the background, Mendez and Garcia listened to the priest as he told them he wanted to see the church completely full. If they are a society built on socialist principles, then they should practice its positive values to care for the elderly. Grandmothers must guide their grandchildren into Catholicism at a time when generations of mothers have not heard of God. In Cuba, where many Catholics practiced their faith undercover out of fear, the congregation listened attentively as the priest explained how Jesus also had a moment of fear before the Roman soldiers came for him. "There has been so much denial, there has been so much hiding and lying," the priest said. "We should remember that this is the year of mercy and that it's time to ask for forgiveness." On the church walls with peeling paint, above one of the entry doors, a phrase by St. Vincent of Paul read in Spanish: "No es suficiente que yo ame a Dios si el projimo no le ama" ("It's not enough that I love God if my neighbor doesn't love him."). On the other side, a quote from Mathew's Gospel: "Tuve hambre y me diste de comer estuve enfermo y me visitaste" ("I was hungry and you fed me I was sick and you visited me.") Mendez, 76, and Garcia, 63, live by these words etched in their church. They spread the Christian gospel and care for the weak. The women, and many thousands of worshippers like them, kept the church alive in a communist country that once shunned religion. Their ranks grew over the past two decades as, bit by bit, the government that once professed atheism warmed to the practice of religion. In the nearby Havana neighborhoods of Santo Suarez and El Cerro, Mendez and Garcia, along with other Catholics, have set up 139 mission homes over the past 20 years, private places where they can share their faith, encourage others to join, arrange care for the elderly and needy, and bring back those who left the fold after the revolution. "We have attracted people who didn't even know The Lord's Prayer," Garcia said. "And God touched their heart." --- Such evangelism surely would have been difficult, if not impossible, 25 years ago in Cuba, where the atheist government discouraged Catholicism and other religions. Pope John Paul II helped loosen the Cuban government's tight grip on religion during his 1998 visit. Christmas Day became a Cuban national holiday after his trip. And when Pope Benedict visited the country in 2012, Good Friday was added as a holiday. Holy Week processions outside of churches have been celebrated for about a decade. "There's been an evolution toward a bigger public presence of the church, not only through processions, but also through social work, such as soup kitchens for the elderly, nonformal education activities in some parishes for children," said Monsignor Jose Felix Perez, adjunct secretary to the Cuban Bishop's Conference. But decades of interference and indifference have taken their toll on Cuban religions, with Roman Catholics making up a majority of the country's faithful. The Catholic Church has been weakened by decades of government promoted atheism. And some Catholics argue the church should have more access to the media and a larger presence in education. President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba last Sunday, as some Catholics here lined up in public processionals to celebrate the start of Holy Week, the holiest of times for the Chirstian faith. Obama, hoping to forge stronger relations with Cuba, made it clear during his three-day trip he is concerned about the "very serious differences" that remain between the U.S. and Cuba, particularly freedom of speech, assembly and religious expression. Today, there is more open expression of religion in Cuba. The public Palm Sunday processions enjoyed last week by congregations are proof of this. Yet, the government still must authorize the assemblies. Pablo Ley, 63, is a Cuban Catholic who has returned to the church. He attended Palm Sunday service at the Havana Cathedral, and not just to grab the palm leaves, known as "guano" and thought to bless the homes of those who return with one. While many people came to the Cathedral to take a guano and left before mass, Ley, his wife and granddaughter stayed for the service. Cuba is experiencing a religious renaissance, Ley said. "There was a time when we couldn't go to church," he said. "When you went to ask for a job, the first question was if you were Catholic." Cuba is the country of "Peters," Ley said, referring to the apostle who denied being a follower of Jesus three times out of fear. "Cubans, we have denied Him hundreds of times," he said. Ley, like many Cubans, had stopped going to church. No one told Catholics they couldn't practice their religion. But no one had to. Practicing religion in Cuba could make it difficult for a student to attend a university, could make it hard to get a government job, and could turn neighbor against neighbor. Many Cubans stopped celebrating Christmas after the revolution. But the renaissance is underway, bringing Ley and others back to their church. "I feel nearer to God," he said outside the Cathedral. "I am doing something that I demand spiritually." --- Along a street lined with sidewalks peppered with potholes sit one- and two-story houses. Their sides are old and cracked, paint peeling and a patchwork of wood pieces hide the decay. Here, Garcia pointed out, are the mission homes of her neighborhood. She named the people who converted their homes into private places for worshippers, usually women. These houses likely would not stand as "mission homes" 40 years ago. "I don't think so," she said. Neolgesia Mendez lives in one of these houses, where people gather in her living room once a week to talk about God. There's a figure of Jesus of the Sacred Heart on a small shelf on the wall with plastic faded flowers. On a table next to a television stands a small portable altar with a white figure of La Milagrosa Virgin (Virgin of Miracles). The statute is placed in a different home in the neighborhood every day. Mendez sits with Garcia and Emlia Fresneda with the fan off. They all opened their mission homes around 2003. They had kept their faith in their atheist country. Fresneda, 67, said as a child she attended a Catholic school, Santa Maria de los Angeles. She had to change to a public state school in 1962, after Castro's revolution. The nuns who taught there, she said, left the country. Religious schools were closed. Mendez said although at the beginning of the revolution it was difficult to go to church, she kept going. And she never denied having baptized her son. "Many people didn't baptize their children for whatever reason, because they were afraid," Garcia said. After the revolution, religious young men and women had a harder time being accepted at the university, Garcia said. Sometimes it wasn't even the government that singled you out. There were extremists in neighborhoods, Fresneda said. But the women didn't hide their religion. "We went to church all the time," Garcia said. "We went because we didn't have anything to lose." Garcia said she always prepared a nativity scene and a tree for Christmas. She looked for a dry branch and painted it. She hung tree balls made of newspaper pages wrapped in aluminum foil and gift boxes. Nativity scenes were made of cardboard. Garcia said her holiday symbols led people in the neighborhood to talk. "They never bothered me. But they didn't look at it in a good light," she said. Garcia said she was able to make her son believe the Three Wise Men existed until he went to school, where he later was told the men didn't exist. Children were told God didn't exist. "People stopped completely going to church," Garcia said, "because of fear." But John Paul II changed that during his visit. "The Pope said 'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid,' " Garcia said. --- In a building adjacent to La Milagrosa church, seniors play dominoes, watch TV and talk. A couple of elderly women are getting massages upstairs, and there are gym machines for therapeutic exercise. The elderly receive food and clothing at the church. They can also get a hair cut. In case of emergency, two ambulances donated to the church can take them to the hospital. The arrival of the Spanish priest Jose Maria Lusarreta in 1993 helped make this church what it is today, Garcia, Mendez and Fresneda said. Lusarreta, 79, said his church has been bold in evangelizing and performing social work. This is the 10th year they celebrated Good Friday with a procession featuring the only item they can get out, an image of the Virgin holding a dead Jesus. The owners of home missions also join in the streets holding crosses they bring. He said the first year he asked the government to authorize the procession, he wasn't sure he would get it. "I was a little bit daring," he said. "Against what I may have thought myself, they granted it." Lusarreta said they started to provide food and services to the elderly in the community in 1995, but they didn't asked permission to operate as an elderly daytime residence until 1997. They got it. And four years after, the government classified the home as an elderly residence and provided subsidies to buy food for its users. The subsidy helps, but many of the resources for the program come from Spanish nonprofits and international cooperation funds. The church also has a soup kitchen for transient people, helps single mothers with some food and clothing, and offers a vocational school for children with Down syndrome. "We were bold," he said. "We tried to see if we could. Everyone said that we wouldn't, but they weren't right." They also pushed the limits to evangelize. "We knew that we couldn't celebrate masses in the streets," Lusarreta said. "But we celebrated mass at homes. And sometimes, because we didn't fit in the home, people were in the street, and they didn't tell us anything." --- Garcia, Mendez and Fresneda say their mission homes are successful. There are more people going to church today than when they started. For Fresneda, her Catholicism is everything. "Catholic religion is love," she said. It's what pushed them to care for the elderly, for the children with Down syndrome, to bath them, look after them when they are sick. "That's how you live the love of Christ," Fresneda said. "If you don't help them, who will do that?" Mendez asked. And now they are happy they can share their religion, their love, freely. "Now you can get out in procession," Fresneda said. "And you feel happy to be able to evangelize. Go from home to home, to give the word. It's not forbidden any longer." Related stories and photos: SHARE John Currey, St. Catharines, Ontario Slant My wife and I have been coming to Naples for several years and always enjoyed reading the Daily News for the month we are here. Coming from Canada, it was always refreshing to get a conservative news presentation. We missed the last two years because of my health and the abysmal Ontario Health Care coverage (read Obamacare for you now). We are shocked how far left your presentation has come in the last two years. A recent headline was "Cubans welcome Obama." Two years ago it would have been, "Cuban government ignores Obama on arrival!" What a slap in the face Obama's trip is to Americans. Might as well have read the Toronto Star headline that day. SHARE Jerry Brisson, Bonita Springs What a country Cannot understand what is going on in this country and politics in general. The Democrats want to give the farm away, but have nothing to give and still owe plenty. We could have a Democratic president that might be impeached upon election for careless misdoings. On the other side of the coin, the Republicans are constantly fighting among each other. If they used all of their supposed political intelligence to support the front-runner, Republicans would win this election. Donald Trump is one person. He cannot run this country by himself. He may be a little rough on the edges, but a little smoothing and cooperation can sometimes go a long way. Workplace participation hasn't been this bad in 40 years More than 66 percent of workforce 'dropouts' are under age 55 (NaturalNews) The talking heads on the television can bumble all they want about the economy improving, but the latest labor statistics sing a much different tune. According to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roughly one-quarter of the American working-age population is currently unemployed, a figure that matches the unemployment rate during the Great Depression.Extrapolated into a chart created by the Senate Budget Committee, the figures show that nearly 30 million Americans between the ages of 25 and 54 are currently not working -- not because they aren't able, but because they simply cannot find work. This translates into one in four of America's most eligible workers sitting at home all day, or on the government dole."There are 124.5 million Americans in their prime working years (ages 25-54). Nearly one-quarter of this group--28.9 million people, or 23.2 percent of the total--is not currently employed. They either became so discouraged that they left the labor force entirely, or they are in the labor force but unemployed," wrote the committee."This group of non-employed individuals is more than 3.5 million larger than before the recession began in 2007."Though data of this type wasn't tracked back in the early 1930s during the Great Depression, figures compiled by BLS in the following decade show a similar one-in-four unemployment rate. It was estimated that nearly 13 million people were without a job in 1933, which represented about 25 percent of the over-51-million-people labor force."There is no doubt that 1933 was the worst year, and March the worst month for joblessness in the history of the United States," explains the Department of Labor (DOL) in a historical account of Americans in depression and war.Though the current unemployment rate within this same age group is just shy of 25 percent, the Senate Budget Committee notes that workplace participation is nearing a four-decade low. Partisan attempts to blame an aging population for this decline are patently false, says the committee, and more older people who should be in retirement are actually now working, further illustrating the true state of our nation's economy."Those attempting to minimize the startling figures about America's vanishing workforce... will say an aging population is to blame," said the Senate Budget Committee."But in fact, while the workforce overall has shrunk nearly 10 million since 2009, the cohort of workers in the labor force ages 55 to 64 has actually increased over that same period, with many delaying retirement due to poor economic conditions."At the same time, the vast majority of those who are currently unemployed, and who dropped out of the workforce in recent years due to lack of work, are under the age of 55. This proves that the cause of poor workplace participation isn't retirement, but rather the continual decay of the American economy "[O]ver two-thirds of all labor force dropouts since that time have beenthe age of 55," added the committee. "These statistics illustrate that the problems in the American economy are deep, profound, and pervasive, afflicting the sector of the labor force that should be among the most productive." (NaturalNews) More and more, the federal government is behaving like a Stalinist entity that views We the People as adversaries to be subdued, rather than as citizens to be served.According to a document released by the FBI under a Freedom of Information Act request filed by, the federal law enforcement agency requires state and local police departments to remain silent regarding the capabilities of a controversial form of surveillance equipment that enables officers to listen in on cellphone calls and track individuals based on signals sent from their mobile devices.As further reported by theTacoma Police were buying equipment that was produced by the Harris Corp., a Florida-based firm that manufactures the StingRay, as well as other IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catchers that are used by law enforcement entities around the country.The FBI document was not classified, thereported. However, it was designated as "law enforcement sensitive." In it, the bureau informed the Tacoma police chief that the Federal Communications Commission authorizes the sale of that particular kind of surveillance gear to state and local police agencies, but only if they sign an FBI "non-disclosure agreement."Details of the agreement were redacted, said the, which further reported that "the blacked-out portions stretch across the bulk of a six-page document, which was first published on [September 22] by MuckRock , a news site that helps journalists, researchers and others" in submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and then publishes the results of those requests.The FBI, which describes the IMSI catchers as "cell site simulators," would not comment to theregarding the document. The federal agency has said in the past that it considers tactics used by IMSI interceptors to be sensitive technology that could probably be defeated if too much were known about how it works.An affidavit by an FBI official from April of this year said, "The FBI routinely asserts the law enforcement sensitive privilege over cell site simulator equipment because discussion of the capabilities and use of the equipment in court would allow criminal defendants, criminal enterprises, or foreign powers, should they gain access to the items, to determine the FBI's techniques, procedures, limitations, and capabilities in this area."Last month, the FCC launched an investigation into reports that foreign intelligence services as well as criminals were using IMSI interceptors illegally. But the FCC noted that it does not provide any oversight into the use of such catchers by federal government agencies.Thealso reported that, in mid-September, makers of a device that is designed to detect IMSI interceptors said they found 18 in the Washington, D.C., area alone , following two days of looking. Theadded:Emails that were collected under a separate FOIA request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union showed that, in June, the U.S. Marshals Service had requested that police in Florida not reveal that it had used ISMI interceptors to determine locations of criminal suspects. Rather, police were told to say that they had determined the whereabouts of the suspects through the use of "a confidential source." Chronic availability problems and less staff because, well, money Politicizing the issue never helps but that's what politicians do (NaturalNews) As some presidential candidates in the United States run around telling supporters that they can provide "free healthcare" under a socialized medical scheme, one of the countries that essentially founded the concept is struggling to keep their system afloat.As reported by Britain's, what is happening to the country's National Health Service once a source of pride for Brits is a portent of what will happen in the U.S. if Obamacare, which is already imploding, is somehow transformed into one big giant Medicare program.A new study from the NHS has found that nine out of 10 hospitals are so overcrowded that they have been deemed to be unsafe. Some 33 percent of hospitals ran out of beds at least once this past winter, including some facilities in which that happened roughly every other day. The overcrowding has meant that desperately sick patients needing to be admitted for treatment have had to languish for hours on hospital carts, waiting for beds to open up.As thereported further:"Figures show that 143 out of 154 hospital trusts in England are currently more than 85 per cent occupied the maximum level considered to be safe."Patients are more likely to die when this limit is breached because rushed staff make more mistakes and are not able to monitor patients properly for signs of deterioration."There is also a higher risk of hospital-acquired infections because staff may not have time to wash their hands properly or clean equipment adequately."Data analyzed by the government found that 49 hospital trusts ran out of beds at least once since the end of November. They include a facility in North London, North Middlesex Hospital, which ran out of beds 45 times over that period, or once every other day, on average.Patients waiting on hospital carts are often lined up along hospital walls in hallways until another patient is discharged.All told, the government's health service reported that hospitals have run out of beds on 517 occasions since last November. On average, hospitals are 94 percent full, up from 92 percent in 2012, and only 79 percent in 1999."The huge rise is partly a result of the bed-blocking crisis. Soaring numbers of elderly patients, who do not need to be in hospital for medical reasons, are becoming stuck there because arrangements for their care at home have not been put in place," thereported.In addition, though, the crisis has been made worse because hospitals have had to slash bed space and close entire wards to cut staff and save money. The UK'sreported in Sept. 2015 that there were 3.4 million people on hospital waiting lists waiting for procedures, a figure that had risen by one-third since 2010, and which represented the highest number in seven years."Perhaps you did not notice the story? It wouldn't be surprising. There are so many stories about the failings of the NHS that we barely register them these days," the paper said in an editorial Additional data reported by thefound that hospital bed capacity in Britain had fallen from 133,000 in 2005, to about 102,000 today, as the population ages and as need increases.Just as they do in America, elected leaders in Britain choose to politicize the issue rather than come together to solve the problem."Under this Tory government hospitals wards have been left dangerously overcrowded and understaffed. This has resulted in a third of hospitals running out of beds over the winter," said Justin Madders, a Labour Party health spokesman. "It is about time this government was honest with the public about their dereliction of duty and the crisis in the NHS that has been created on their watch."If the British government and our government were honest, they would tell their citizens that socialist healthcare cannot work, and willwork, because there will always be more need then there is money to fund that need.More on how Obamacare is failing Americans here The connection between alcohol and cancer Cannabis a healthier choice (NaturalNews) Sales of legal marijuana have begun to surpass those of alcohol in at least one Colorado city, a trend which could lead to among other benefits a corresponding drop in cancer rates Statistics gathered by the City of Aspen, and published in the, reveal that during two consecutive months in 2015 March and April sales of cannabis from the city's seven marijuana dispensaries exceeded those of liquor stores.From the"The monthly breakdown of 2015 marijuana and alcohol sales shows marijuana generally trailing alcohol, though not by much. Marijuana sales eclipsed alcohol sales in both March and April, according to the statistics."Perhaps because of spring break, the $998,418 worth of marijuana sold in March was the city's highest monthly total of the year, and was about $140,000 more than alcohol sales that month. April's pot sales of $455,935 were about $13,000 more than that month's alcohol sales."Aside from raising more than $230,000 in tax revenues, while lessening police officers' workloads and presumably making residents a little happier, the shift in consumption could theoretically also lead to lower cancer rates in Aspen as it could in other places where the sale of marijuana has been legalized.It has been proven that alcohol consumption leads to a higher risk of developing several types of cancer and, although the exact biological mechanisms involved are not yet clear, researchers are beginning to understand more as studies on the subject continue.From a blog post published by Cancer Research UK.org:"There are seven types of cancer linked to alcohol bowel, oesophageal (food pipe), larynx (voice box), mouth, pharynx (upper throat), breast (in women), and liver. There's also mounting evidence that heavy drinking might be linked to pancreatic cancer . But how, and why?"According to Dr Ketan Patel, a Cancer Research UK expert on how alcohol causes cancer: 'We don't really know. We don't fully understand why alcohol causes some cancers and not others.'"There are some theories, however, although some are stronger than others."Among these stronger theories are those which concern mouth and throat cancers, "where alcoholic drinks directly damage cells in these tissues."In the case of liver cancer, it is believed that cirrhosis the scarring of liver tissue often caused by excessive alcohol consumption elevates the risk of developing the disease.There is also evidence to suggest that hormonal levels affected by alcohol consumption may explain the link between alcohol and breast cancer in women.The elevated risk of cancer is not limited to heavy drinkers:"While there may be a perception that the health risks of alcohol only apply to heavy drinkers, research is revealing that it's not just drinking large amounts of alcohol that increases your chances of developing cancer drinking small amounts can be harmful too."Although ethanol itself is "relatively non-toxic," according to Dr Patel, its conversion into acetaldehyde a " highly reactive, toxic chemical " during the body's breakdown of alcohol, is likely the agent which "causes changes that lead to cancer."Compared to alcohol, cannabis is far less harmful roughly 88,000 people die from alcohol abuse each year in the United States, while the number of deaths caused by marijuana is precisely zero.And while alcohol is linked to elevated cancer risk, marijuana is being used to treat and even cure many forms of cancer.It could be argued that abstinence from both marijuana and alcohol is the best approach to a healthy lifestyle, but if it comes down to a choice between the two, marijuana is by far the least harmful option. A Sacramento woman was arrested on suspicion of burglary and auto theft after returning the victim's keys while the investigating officer was still at the scene, according to police. The break-in was reported in the 4000 block of Doane Street in Fremont around 8 a.m. Monday. The resident said that some of his clothing and a truck belonging to his girlfriend had been stolen. While an officer was investigating a 33-year-old woman from Sacramento walked up, dressed in the victim's stolen shirt, and gave him the keys to the stolen truck, according to police. The suspect allegedly said that the vehicle was parked three doors down the street, and that she had needed it to help a friend. She also apologized, according to police, although she had no known relationship with the victim. The din of last-minute construction echoed through the 100 thousand square foot building creating an industrial soundtrack for pieces of fine art already hanging on the walls of the cavernous new art gallery called the Minnesota Street Project in San Franciscos historic Dogpatch neighborhood. Even with the gallerys opening just a day away, project co-founder Deborah Rappaport wandered about the space with the cool collective of someone whos survived a remodel project or two. I think people have realized the light at the end of the tunnel isnt the train coming at them, Rappaport said, surveying the building and its dozen new art galleries. Rappaport and her husband Andy Rappaport appear to be the engineers driving that art train purchasing the former furniture repair warehouse in this up-and-coming industrial neighborhood and crafting it into a new light-filled home for 12 modern art galleries with below-market rents. The Rappaports, who describe themselves as successful entrepreneurs-slash-art collectors said the idea was to combine their passions to come-up with a partial solution for the citys increasingly priced-out art scene. I dont want to live in a city that doesnt have a vibrant arts culture, Rappaport said. Weve done very well in this area and its our responsibility to give back. The giving back hasnt stopped with the vast public gallery which opened with fanfare last Friday lines for the opening reception and weekend activities stretched down the block. The Rappaports also purchased an old warehouse across the street and are in the midst of turning it into artist studios with room for several dozen artists, also at below market rents. I just think this is an encouragement for artists to stay in the Bay Area, said San Francisco artist Catherine Wagner who was tapped to create a series of works for the new space, that there will be a substantive platform for them to make work. Wagner said she would likely move to the new studio space since the Mission District building where her current studio is located is likely to be sold soon. She said she is constantly reminded of the financial squeeze that has forced working artists out of the city and even out of the Bay Area altogether. Theres not a week goes by I dont get an email from somebody saying oh Ive decided to move back home, Wagner said. So many artists have had to leave the bay area because of the cost of rising rents. Its not just the artists who have felt the pinch. Art galleries, especially those located in the traditional art corridors around Union Square have also suffered sticker shock when renewing leases. Ed Gilbert whos run the Anglim-Gilbert Gallery in Union Square for decades decided to open a second location in the Minnesota Street Project building. This is really the forum for galleries to show the art, Gilbert said, and maybe not have to deal so much with the rest of the mechanics. The Rappaports plans for the project also include a restaurant headed by Daniel Patterson that will open in the Fall and a storage facility for galleries to store their art. But Rappaport cautions the burgeoning arts center is not a fix-all for the citys struggling arts scene. She said she is hoping other people with a head for business and an eye for art will open similar spaces in the area. She predicts her business will become self-sustaining in a short time providing others with the incentive and a business model to follow. Were trying to solve at least a sliver of the real estate problem for people in the arts, Rappaport said. There might be some hope. Local and Federal investigators are trying to determine how the would-be assailant of three Chicago Police Officers obtained a gun which should have been in the possession of a Lake County Sheriffs deputy. That deputy has been fired, in the midst of an investigation of how his gun was used in the incident. Miraculously, all three officers survived the barrage of gunfire in the 3700 block of West Polk street with minor wounds. The alleged assailant, 29-year-old Lamar Harris, was shot and killed. But when investigators ran a routine trace of the weapon used in the shooting, it came back to that Sheriffs Deputy in Lake County, who previously worked as a Chicago Police officer. And police say he was unable to account for why he no longer had it. A source close to the investigation tells NBC5 Investigates, that police are looking into the possibility of a so-called straw purchase, where the deputy might have possibly purchased the weapon for Harris, who as a convicted felon, was prohibited from making such a purchase. But those same investigators cautioned that is only one scenario being explored. CPD investigating two police officers shot. Transported to area hospital. Updates to follow. Superintendent en route. Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) March 15, 2016 Update - 3 officers were shot, all non life threatening injuries. Details to follow Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) March 15, 2016 The deputy has not been charged. But sources say that after learning he had purchased at least 46 other weapons, they have demanded to know where those guns are now. Hired just last January in Lake County, the officer was fired last Friday. When this information came to light it caused us concern, Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose told NBC5. When we looked into this, this is the foundation of why hes no longer employed by the sheriffs office. Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi would say only that the investigation remains active. "While we are not in a position to publicly comment on the specifics thus far, he said, detectives are aggressively investigating the circumstances in which this deputy's personal firearm got into the hands of a convicted felon to shoot 3 Chicago Police officers." Connecticut's US Senators emphasized the need for extra funding form Congress to fight the Zika virus in this country and overseas. President Barack Obama asked for $1.8 billion to be authorized by Congress to be spent on research, outreach, and toward the development of a vaccine to fight Zika. The proposal has stalled in Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal chided Republicans, said, Mosquitoes, heres a newsflash, dont know the difference between red states and blue states." Sen. Chris Murphy said the funding from Washington could be critical for Connecticut because there are several labs working on a vaccine to fight the virus currently. They include Protein Sciences in Meriden, UConn, and Carogen in Farmington. Right now the Republican leadership in Congress is refusing to take a vote on the presidents recommendation. I dont know why this has become a political issue. Dr. Ulysses Wu, the Chief of Infectious Disease at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, said people don't need to be worried about contracting Zika in Connecticut. Those who should be concerned are anyone pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant and they have travel plans to Central America, where some mosquitoes are carrying the virus. "We are not worried about local transmission. People have said we are an air conditioning borne society so that is going to help us protect against these mosquito viruses," Dr. Wu said. Chaos erupted when parents rushed the fields at an annual PEZ Easter egg hunt in Orange, Connecticut, causing the event to end early, the visitor center's general manager told NBC Connecticut. Staff had laid out nearly 10,000 eggs over three fields at the PEZ visitor center and planned three start times for different age groups, but some parents ignored that plan, rushing the fields early, trampling signs and shoving other participants. One woman said an adult injured her grandchild's nose. "My grandson ended up with a bloody [nose] from an ADULT in the 9-12 year old section knocking into him!!!! Where was PEZ personnel?? Where was the safety of our children in your thought process??" Jennifer Barden-Moore wrote on Facebook. A woman from West Haven said she was separated from her son and later found him in tears. "It was ridiculous. The parents were literally a poster for everything not to do," said West Haven mom Nicole Welch. "By the time I found my 4-year-old, he was hysterically crying," she added. Her son, Vincent, described the scene in his own words. "Somebody pushed me over and take my eggs and it's very rude of them and they broke my bucket," Vincent recalled. The event the third annual drew more participants this year than the candy maker had expected. More than 1,000 people attended, according to Shawn Peterson, the general manager of the PEZ visitor center. Peterson said this year, the parents "took over," flooding the "kids only" fields and going on to the next hunt well before the designated start times. The signs on each field were taken or trampled on, Peterson said. "I take this personally. I dont want this to be a reflection of the brand," said Peterson. "It was a fun thing up until this point." PEZ said its staff pleaded with parents to follow the rules, but the staff was overwhelmed. He said staffing was the same as in previous years, with one employee at each hunt field, and this weekend's incident was the first. The company released an updated statement Monday. "People chose to ignore staff direction and entered the fields before the posted starting times, removing everything well before the activity was to begin. Due to the actions of a few, the good intent quickly turned into a disappointment," the statement read. Parents stormed the company's Facebook page with concerns and frustrations about the lack of order. One father who commented on Facebook said his 5-year-old was nearly trampled by other adults despite the presence of no adult signs. Peterson said the company deliberately refrained from advertising the event widely in an effort to keep the number of attendants low. No one should have left empty handed, the company said. When PEZ noticed the number of people, staff offered parents free coupons and candy inside the venue. "We sincerely tried our best to create a fun, free activity for everyone to enjoy and greatly appreciate the overwhelming support we have received not only locally, but nationally and internationally as well," the PEZ statement concluded. A father was tricked on Wednesday into thinking his daughter, a UConn student, was kidnapped, while the student was being told her brother was being held hostage, police said. The father, from New York, got a call on Wednesday from men saying that they had his daughter and demanded money. What the man didn't know was that his daughter was fine, and in fact, police said, being scammed herself. The student had also gotten a call saying that her brother was being held hostage and immediately the woman attempted to wire money to the callers. The men on the phone told both victims that their relatives would've been hurt if they didn't get their money. The father stayed on the phone with the presumed "kidnappers" and drove to the police station in Adams, Massachusetts. He told police he believed his daughter was kidnapped and that the men on the phone had personal information about his family. When Adams Police sent a "ping" to his daughter's cellphone, they determined she was in Oxford, on Old Webster Road, and police were dispatched to that location. At the time, the UConn student was at a Honey Farms on Sutton Avenue, telling an employee she was looking for a Chase bank, while at the same time passing a note that implied someone was going to hurt her family, according to Oxford Police, who were first informed by UConn police because the same employee had them called first. The student seemed distraught, the employee said. Police went to Honey Farms and saw the student sitting in her car, visibly upset. Approached by an officer, she stayed on her phone and whispered that the men on the other line had her brother and were going to hurt him if she did not wire them money. Oxford Police were able to confirm that the student's brother was safe and hung up the woman's cell phone. Police also notified the student's father that she was not kidnapped. At this point, the woman explained what had happened, according to Oxford police. She said she was told her brother had hit a child with his car and they were going to hurt him if they were note wired $1,000. When she could only wire $300 from a Wal-Mart, she was instructed to find a Chase and send the rest of the money to Puerto Rico. The caller also demanded she buy $280 in cellphone minutes and give the PIN to him in order to recharge his phone. The caller then demanded that the student call her father and tell him she had been kidnapped in order to extort money from him as well. If she didn't do so, she said, they would've hurt or even killed her brother. The scam is currently under investigation by the Oxford Police. Massachusetts State Police and Adams Police helped locating the student. A 12-year-old boy who was shaken as a baby and remained in a vegetative state for the rest of his life has died, authorities said Wednesday. Aiden Stein died Sunday at a Columbus hospital. The case drew national attention when his parents waged a successful legal fight to prevent a court-appointed guardian from having him removed from life support. Three doctors had testified that Aiden would never recover. The Ohio Supreme Court eventually ruled that a probate court lacked the authority to allow a guardian to stop the care keeping Aiden alive when his parents hadn't permanently lost their parenting rights. Four-month-old Aiden was rushed to a Mansfield hospital in March 2004 after his father, 21-year-old Matthew Stein, reported the baby had lost consciousness. Stein was later convicted of felonious assault and child endangerment and spent eight years in prison despite his assertions that he never injured his son. Subsequent motions for a new trial, including one from 2013, were denied by appellate courts. Richland County Prosecutor Bambi Couch Page told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it was "unlikely" she'd pursue further charges against Stein. "I would have to look at the reason (Aiden) died," Couch Page said. "But there would probably be a stretch in jurors' minds that he died as the result of what the dad did." It's unclear if a cause of death has been determined. Messages left with the Franklin County coroner weren't immediately returned Wednesday. Aiden's mother, Arica Heimlich, joined her fiance in fighting Aiden's removal from life support and told authorities she didn't believe Stein injured their son. A doctor at a children's hospital in Akron diagnosed Aiden with a traumatic brain injury that he said was consistent with child abuse. The Akron hospital's ethics committee recommended that a guardian be appointed to oversee his care because of suspicions about Stein and Heimlich's support for him. The panel also recommended that Aiden be removed from life support. Three doctors testified at a Summit County Probate Court hearing in April 2004 that Aiden was in a permanent vegetative state and that his injuries were consistent with being shaken. A doctor representing Aiden's parents said it would be inappropriate to withdraw that care. The judge hearing the case appointed a guardian and gave her authority to stop life-sustaining medical treatment. An appellate court upheld that ruling, which the Ohio Supreme Court overturned in December 2004. Neither Stein nor Heimlich have publicly listed telephone numbers. They couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. Parking in Manhattan is enough to give the Queen of Pop a headache. Madonna posted homemade "No Parking" signs around her property on the Upper East Side to keep delinquent drivers from blocking her driveway. A few of the signs outside the apartment at Lexington Avenue and East 81st Street read "Tenant Parking Only" and "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed Away." The words "No Parking" were embossed on the sidewalk in front of her garage, and it appears she had painted the curb yellow along the stretch. The signs caught the attention of several news outlets -- and the city's Transportation Department.The New York Post reports that a neighbor complained to the city, which issued a "letter of defacement" to the star. People who live and work in the area say they understand why Madonna resorted to the non-sanctioned signs and yellow paint. The search for parking there is so tough that contractor Sam Santana says he has someone stationed in his van every day to move it. "It's impossible to find parking here," said neighbor Sue Leonard. "She's not the only one," Gino Civici added of Madonna's tactics to beat people trying to park in front of her home. "But they always pick on the famous people." Sandra Weiksmer pointed out, "The neighbors down there have put in yellow in the past, but when it's faded people come and park. I don't think it's legal. It's good to let them know." The Material Girl responded to the citation on her Instagram, with a photo from the Daily Mail's story on the signs. "Yes Bishes I am Madonna and that is my driveway and if people park in front of it i cant drive in my driveway! So sorry the city doesn't like the color yellow! We will paint a nice dull grey to keep our neighbors happy! Sorry! Im saying 3 extra Hail Mary's this Easter for this transgression," Madonna wrote. Madonna bought her New York pad for a reported $40 million in 2008. The potential fine she faces for the signs and painted curb: $250. Mariah Carey won't be making it to Brussels after all. The superstar, who is on her Sweet Sweet Fantasy European Tour, was supposed to take the stage at the Forest National arena on Sunday, but announced on Twitter Friday that she was advised against performing. "I love my fans in Brussels and at this time I am being advised to cancel my show for the safety of my fans, my band, crew and everyone involved with the tour," she tweeted. "I hope to see you soon and send my prayers and eternal love, laughter and light to my Lambs." I love my fans in Brussels and at this time I am being advised to cancel my show for the safety of my fans, my band, crew and everyone... Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) March 25, 2016 RELATED: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice London Premiere Still On Despite Brussels Attacks, Red Carpet Canceled Her announcement comes after suicide bombers attacked the international airport and a Metro station in Brussels that claimed the lives of 31 people. Carey didn't mention any details about the cancellation or how ticket-holders can be reimbursed, Carey will return to the stage in Denmark on Tuesday at the Forum Copenhagen. Her international tour marks the tenth one in Carey's career. Her last stop on the tour is in South Africa on May 2. PHOTOS: Musicians Performing Live on Stage Robert De Niro has come out in support of including a controversial anti-vaccine documentary as part of the lineup at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, saying the issue is "very close to me and my family." The festival is under fire for including "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe" a film by a doctor who was stripped of his medical license after publishing a study that was later disproved in the 2016 roster of documentaries. "Vaxxed" explores the anti-vaccine movement and insists that autism and vaccines are connected, despite a lack of evidence linking the two. [[373569851,C]] Behind the film is British doctor Andrew Wakefield, who published the 1998 paper linking the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine to developmental disorders, including autism, in children. Wakefield was subsequently stripped of his medical license and researchers have discredited his paper and found there is no link between autism and vaccines. According to festival co-founder De Niro, the film provides an "opportunity for a conversation around the issue." "Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," said De Niro in the statement posted to Facebook on Friday. "In the 15 years since the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, I have never asked for a film to be screened or gotten involved in the programming. However this is very personal to me and my family and I want there to be a discussion, which is why we will be screening 'VAXXED.' I am not personally endorsing the film, nor am I anti-vaccination; I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue." [[238904721,C]] According to a blurb about the film on the festival's website, "Vaxxed" features "revealing and emotional interviews with pharmaceutical insiders, doctors, politicians, parents, and one whistleblower to understand what's behind the skyrocketing increase of autism diagnoses today." Critics were quick to note the promotional wording on the website cites Wakefield as "an academic gastroenterologist" but does not acknowledge the retraction of the medical study on the subject. Soon after the announcement of the film's inclusion at the festival, critics of Wakefield and the anti-vaccine movement took to social media to decry the decision. [[373569231,C]] Documentary filmaker Penny Lane took to Facebook to express her displeasure with the choice. "A lot of people, including those who buy tickets to see docs at your festival, believe documentary film has become an important form of news. But journalists are expected to tell the truth or at least not knowingly spread dangerous lies. Your choice to include 'Vaxxed' in your documentary lineup a lineup including films about abortion, Syrian refugees, solitary confinement, the American electoral system, in-vitro fertilization and drone warfare suggests that you think documentary filmmakers cant be held even to the latter standard. This threatens the credibility of not just the other filmmakers in your doc slate, but the field in general." The Tribeca Film Festival will take place April 13-24. Visit TribecaFilm.com/Festival for more information about TFFs 2016 programs and the full line-up of films. Its like Harry Potters closet but with a happy twist thats kind of how Bay Area illustrator Peter Berkowitz describes his 8x3.5x4.5' bedroom in the living room of his friends apartment in San Francisco. Berkowitz, 25, didnt always plan to live in a pod, but San Franciscos ridiculous rents and living costs helped him to make that decision pretty promptly about three weeks back. In a city where one bedroom apartments rent for an average of $3,500 per month and city leaders are grappling to come up with affordable housing solutions (yes, millennials in the city cant even afford garage-sized rooms), a pod will do just fine for Berkowitz. Yes, living in a pod is kind of silly, he said. But the silliness is endemic to San Francisco's absurdly high housing prices the pod is just a solution that works for me. As Berkowitz puts it, a pod is a really easy way to add on a bedroom. Having an extra bedroom in a San Francisco apartment raises your rent by a couple of thousand dollars, he said. Instead, Berkowitz pays $408 a month to live in the pod (plus $108 a month over the course of a year to cover its construction cost) which is in a house by Ocean Beach. I dont have any corresponding drop in quality of life, he said. [NATL] SF Man Builds 8-ft. 'Pod' for Bedroom in Bay Area Living Room Right now, Berkowitz spends quite a bit of time inside his pod, using it for sleeping, reading and working. Im still working on the soundproofing I think Ill line the pod with cork, he said. Its easy to see why Berkowitz, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and De Correspondent, came up with such an unique idea his creative flair to turn the mundane into something extraordinary is easy to spot in his art. We could have a lemonade stand, sweetie, but wouldnt you rather do a pop-up ramen shop? a guy asks his girlfriend in a New Yorker cartoon. He approaches his living conditions in much of the same way he approaches his art: An appreciation for the science of aesthetics. The idea for a pod came from a bunch of different sources I was always interested in Japanese capsule hotels, Berkowitz said. Earlier this year I was living in a very noisy apartment at street level, and I kind of thought how much I would love to have a quiet place to sleep. But finding a two-bedroom apartment was impossible in San Francisco I thought of making something like a Japanese capsule hotel. Berkovitz wanted the cheap rent, but he also wanted something nice enough that he would actually want to live in. So he went to work in his friends garage, and with a little help and about $1,200 worth of construction materials including plywood from Home Depot he had his pod. Berkowitz has four other roommates in the three-bedroom apartment. Im allowed in the kitchen and living room they are very nice to me, he said smiling. its really like adding an extra bedroom to the apartment. The pod pretty much holds all of Berkowitzs worldly possessions: a fold-down desk, a slanted and cushioned backboard, and LED lights for reading. In fact, Berkowitz even has room to store his books and clothing in a storage space behind the backboard. I dont really own that much so Im probably an anomaly, he said. Berkowitz admits that his tiny box isnt perfect. If I had to make it again, I would make it taller, he said. He tries to keep it really clean. I havent had a pod party yet and there are no candles allowed inside, he said. He adds that the pod isnt for everyone. Its a little small and its probably not for people who get claustrophobic. But what I kind of enjoy about it is how absurdly low my rent is."[[373509841, C]] Fliers addressed to white men with anti-Semitic messages were found at several Southern California university campuses on Friday. A university spokesperson said the fliers appeared on several campus printers throughout the day. University police believe the source of the fliers was off campus. Someone was able to access the schools' network-connected printers. Cal State University Long Beach and USC were among several schools where the fliers were discovered. Students had mixed reactions when they heard about the fliers. "Everyone's accepting of everyone else. That's what it seems like on this campus, so if I see something like that on campus, I'd be very surprised and shocked. Also, disappointed, of course," said Grace Ocular, a CSULB student. "We have differences and that's how we live together, and this is America," said Anas Ahmmed, a CSULB graduate student. University police were investigating the incidents and the CSULB has taken action by closing off the remote access to all of its campus printers. Officials also said university network was secure and was not affected. A family is still seeking justice and answers a year after a 19-year-old man was shot and killed after attending a party in South Los Angeles. Justin Logie and his friends were leaving a biker club after attending a party called on March 20, 2015 when an unknown suspect opened fire in the parking lot of a nearby burger joint, officials said. "It's a mother's worst nightmare when you know your kid's out there on the mean streets of LA," said Lakiesha Marshall, Justin's mother. "And then you get that call." Marshall and Justin's grandmother, Janisa Spears, rushed out to the scene at Florence Avenue and Main Street after they received a call around 2 a.m. that night. "We're just hoping against hope that down the street under that tent was not Justin," Spears said. "It was. It was too emotional for me to cry, all I could do was look him and say, yup, that's him, and then walk away and come home, and that's when it settled in -- that it was really Justin." Los Angeles Police Department South Bureau recently released surveillance footage from that night. People scattered and hit the ground after shots were fired, said Thomas Callian of the Criminal Gang/Homicide Division. Not one witness from that night has stepped forward, officials said. Marshall said the family is left with overwhelming grief of the unknown. "I'm gonna be honest, I'm very angry at the fact that no one is telling me what happened to my son," she said. "I know it's a code to the streets that snitches get stitches but someone needs to say something." Marshall said she's asked her son's friends who were there that night, too. "They all went mute.They wouldn't say anything to me. And these are people I have in my home for the holidays. They wouldn't say anything to me," she said. Police are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. Anyone with information can call the LAPD Criminal Gang/Homicide Division at 323-786-5113. Callers can remain anonymous. An armed man who allegedly attempted to rob a taco stand Friday night in South Los Angeles was shot and killed by a worker, police said. The shooting was reported just after 11:45 p.m. near the intersection of S. San Pedro Street and E. Century Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said at least one employee "defended himself" and shot the armed man multiple times after he and two other men tried to rob their taco stand. It was unclear if the worker used his own gun or was able to disarm the suspect, police said. The man was transported to a hospital where he was in critical condition. The man later died at the hospital. The two other suspects fled the scene. No other injuries were reported. A measure to expand Maryland's equal pay law has passed the state Senate. Senators voted 32-13 for the bill Friday. The bill would prohibit businesses from retaliating against employees for discussing or disclosing salaries. It strengthens state law that already prohibits pay discrimination based on gender. The measure would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. Supporters say it brings transparency to potential disparities. They cite a study that found overall women make about 86 cents for every dollar a man makes. Opponents say while they support equal pay for equal work, the bill puts extra burdens on businesses. The House has passed its own measure. The two chambers will need to address some differences for the measure to clear the General Assembly. Police have arrested a patient at a psychiatric institution who is suspected of sexually assaulting another patient. The Washington Post reports that police arrested 44-year-old Richard Garrs on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse on Saturday. A judge found probable cause for the charge and ordered Garrs to be held in custody on Thursday. Court records state that Garrs entered the room of a female patient at St. Elizabeths Hospital Saturday afternoon and sexually assaulted her. The Metropolitan Police Department says officials reviewed security footage showing Garrs entering the patient's room. Instigators also say they recovered a pair of men's briefs from the room and found Garrs walking around the hospital without underwear. Garrs is represented by an attorney from Washington's Public Defender Service. A spokeswoman for the agency did not immediately return a message to the newspaper. A woman who repeatedly rammed and tried to run over a man in Virginia Friday morning is undergoing a mental evaluation, police said. Ill be fearful for a couple of days, the victim told News4, too scared to reveal his identity. His commute started like any other until he noticed a woman driving a red convertible in his rearview mirror. She was tailing me, basically, he said. And just tailing me and swerving. So he pulled into a shopping center in Lorton, about 20 miles south of Washington, D.C., thinking it would be safer. But the woman became more aggressive and crashed into him, he said. She hit me like three or four times, then I get out of my car and she chased me in her car, he said. She was trying to run me over. He said she also shouted inflammatory remarks at him. When I got out of my car, she said, You need to go back to your country, he said. And then she said, Hey, hes from ISIS. Police found the woman described as a white woman from Woodbridge in her 20s -- just past the county line in Prince William County and took her into custody, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. She has not been charged, police said, but was given a mental evaluation. Two women who disguise themselves as male soldiers at Civil War events are discussing the real-life stories of women who served in the War Between the States. Audrey Scanlan-Teller and Tracey McIntire are the featured speakers Saturday afternoon at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick. Researchers have documented more than 200 cases of women who took up arms despite a prohibition on female fighters. Modern women have sometimes had to fight for the right to present themselves as Civil War soldiers. Scanlan-Teller was initially denied a role in the 2011 sesquicentennial of the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, because of her gender. She was allowed in after citing a 1993 federal court decision barring gender discrimination at National Park Service events. A body has been found by Revere Beach in Massachusetts, authorities confirm. Police say the deceased person was discovered around 3 p.m. in the water in the Point of Pines area. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, there were no visible signs of violent trauma on the body of the 54-year-old man, and it was most likely not a crime. State police assigned to the DA's office were investigating, with assistance from the department's marine unit and crime scene services, as well as Revere Police. The body has been identified, but authorities will only release the man's name if it is determined that there was criminal activity. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was expected to retrieve the body. The driver of a stolen one-ton dump truck faces various charges after crashing the vehicle into a house in Lebanon, New Hampshire, while fleeing police early Saturday morning, Lebanon Police said. Gabriel Blanche, 20, of Grantham, New Hampshire, is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property; criminal mischief; reckless conduct; subsequent driving while intoxicated, class A misdemeanor; disobeying a police office, class A misdemeanor; and driving after suspension, class A misdemeanor, according to police. Police said Blanche was driving the vehicle at about 12:20 a.m. when he passed another vehicle and crossed over a double-yellow line. Police attempted to stop Blanche's vehicle, but he sped away, lost control, flipped the truck on its side and hit a house at 104 School St. No one inside the house was injured, police said. Grantham was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries and released into police custody. The truck was stolen from a house in Grantham, police said. Blanche was taken to the Grafton County House of Corrections. His bail was set at $100,000. First branch of Christian baby charity in Norfolk A team of mums from Dersingham in West Norfolk have set up the first Norfolk based branch of the Christian charity Baby Basics, blessing new parents in financial crisis with a beautifully packaged Moses basket filled with essential items for their newborn. In December 2015 Davina Barrett, Kelly Stevenson and Tomris Setchell, three Christian mums from Dersingham, founded West Norfolk Baby Basics with the backing of their local church St Nicholas Dersingham. It began last summer, when Davina Barretts son was two months old and she read an article in The Independent that caught her attention. The story detailed accounts of parents who, faced with desperate financial circumstances, were being prosecuted for stealing nappies and milk for their baby. Davina says it was like God was guiding her and she was prompted to research what was available to parents who lacked the resources to provide for their newborns. It led her to find the Sheffield based Christian charity Baby Basics UK which collects, packages and donates Moses baskets full of clothing, toiletries and essential baby equipment as attractive gifts for new mothers in need. The growing charity has 11 local branches around the country. Davina spoke to her health visitor to ascertain whether there was a need within her West Norfolk community for the service. She said: I was having conversations with my health visitor. I said: Look, we live in rural, affluent West Norfolk. Weve got Kate and Wills just up the road, surely there cant be any need, can there? She said: You have no idea! And it was like, right, we need to do something about this. Davina took the idea of starting a local branch of Baby Basics to the vicar of her church, St Nicholas Dersingham, who agreed with the PCC to back the venture. So alongside Kelly and Tomris, Davina founded the West Norfolk branch of the Baby Basics charity just before Christmas last year. Referrals for the Moses baskets come through health visitors, midwives, social workers and Stonham housing, and it is these professionals who deliver the packs to the families. So far 8 Moses baskets have been packed and delivered with two in the pipeline for the coming fortnight. Davina said: We are averaging one a week at the moment. We are starting small. We are only a small team. We are all stay-at-home mums with lots of responsibilities so one a week is good just now while we are growing. The baskets are already having a big impact. One health visitor described how one of the recipient mums burst into tears when she saw the package, and the team received a home-made thank you card from another mum with a photo of her grinning with the basket. The initiative has also impressed the health professionals. Davina said: It is a blessing to see the faces of the health visitors when we give them a basket. It is just amazing for them to see what we are doing. Without banging the Christian drum, it is just a case of heres a basket with all our love. That has been very powerful. Weve had huge support from them. The baskets are filled with donated clothes, nappies, blankets and toiletries. The Knit and Natter group from St Nicholas Dersingham and the St Edmunds Crafty Knitters in Downham have got on board with the cause and are supplying knitted items for the baskets. Davina said: It has really touched peoples hearts. Weve had donations from everywhere. And being able to include knitted items is wonderful because it shows that someone has sat down and bothered to knit, which shows that they care. The West Norfolk Baby Basics team are effectively forming partnerships across the community to further their mission. The local pre-school has donated a room for the charity to use as a storage facility, and the local NCT has set up a clothes bank filled with pre-loved clothes up to 5 years, for recipient parents to access once their babies grow out of their original donated clothes. Davina said: I wish every parish had a Baby Basics, because you just dont realise the need. Its the pockets of deprivation that we are trying to help. It is such a vulnerable time. If you would like to donate to West Norfolk Baby Basics they would be keen to receive cellular blankets, nappies and financial donations in order to buy new Moses basket mattresses which cost around 10 each. You can contact the team at babybasicswestnorfolk@gmail.com or read more on their Facebook page. To read more about Baby Basics UK and how to set up a branch of the charity in your area go to www.baby-basics.org.uk . Photo (L-R): Co-founders Tomris Setchell, Davina Barrett, Kelly Stevenson Bishop washes feet of Norwich congregation Bishop washes feet of Norwich congregation The Bishop of East Anglia washed the feet of 12 members of the congregation at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich last night (March 24), in the traditional Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lords Supper. Bishop Alan Hopes knelt to wash, dry and kiss their feet following the example of Jesus, who did the same to his 12 disciples at the Last Supper, the day before he was crucified. For Bishop Alan, it was the first time that women were included in the Rite, following the recent change announced by Pope Francis, who himself yesterday washed the feet of 12 male and female refugees at a large centre for asylum seekers in Rome In his homily, Bishop Alan said: The whole mystery of Jesus Christ is expressed in this simple action of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. This is what the whole of Jesus life has been about from the beginning, the setting aside of his divine glory, bending down to us in the mystery of forgiveness and love. He is the love which cleanses us. In the sacraments of cleansing, Baptism and Penance, Jesus is continually on his knees, washing our feet, carrying out the service of a slave, the service of cleansing and forgiveness. We are not to be passive recipients of his goodness, said Bishop Alan. Jesus tells his disciples: If I, your Lord and master, wash your feet, you should wash each others feet. I have given an example so that you may follow. So he gives us the new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. Pictured above is Bishop Alan Hopes washing the feet of 12 congregation members at Norwich Catholic Cathedral. Emmaus Norwich is a life saver for Jonny A year ago, Jonny Sage was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. In his own words, his life had sunk into a spiral of debauchery and horribleness, until he came into contact with Emmaus Norwich. Artificial Intelligence is tricky stuff. When it works right, it does amazing things like thrash the World Champion Go player by winning four games to one in a $1 million tournament. When it goes wrong, well, thats a whole different story, and Microsofts recent experiment with an AI chatbot named Tay that interacted (note the past tense) with users on Twitter, Kik, and GroupMe, is a great example. Microsoft's Tay website currently says: Phew. Busy day. Going offline for a while to absorb it all. Chat soon obviously not because the AI is exhausted but rather because Tay, within a single day of the AIs launch, turned from a new-agey, happy, gushy personality into an abusive, racist, misogynist that seriously embarrassed Microsoft. What went wrong was that anonymous Internet trolls, notably from 4chans and 8chans political forums, found they could train Tay by having it repeat what they told it. Heres a collection of Tays tweets that start (at the top left) when it was first fired up and innocent to the end (bottom right) when it had been thoroughly troll trained: It also turns out that Tay was used by yet more ******** to avoid Twitter block lists (those are users lists of other users they dont want to hear from) by having Tay repeat whatever a blocked user wanted to say to their victim. But why, you may be wondering, did Microsoft want to build an AI chatbot? Because in China, theres another Microsoft AI chatbot called Xiaoice that's been hugely successful and, apparently, trouble free, despite being used by some 40 million people. As Ars Technica points out, given the censorship thats ferociously exercised by the Chinese government, theres a lot less opportunity (along with significant consequences) for anyone behaving badly online. The success of the Xiaoice project as a traffic and brand driver must have been what Microsoft hoped to duplicate in the West. Tays home page FAQ notes: Q: Who is Tay for? A: Tay is targeted at 18 to 24 year olds in the U.S., the dominant users of mobile social chat services in the US. Q: What does Tay track about me in my profile? A: If a user wants to share with Tay, we will track a users: Nickname Gender Favorite food Zipcode Relationship status Theres a lot of market intelligence to be gathered from both the demographics and the conversations so its no wonder Microsoft launched Tay outside of China. Alas for Microsoft, it seems that Internet users in the free world just want to be *****. Indeed, Internet users being ****** has been, and will continue to be, a problem as was recently demonstrated once again when the UKs National Environment Research Council ran an online poll to name their brand new, $290 million polar research ship and, it is reported, 27,000 people voted to name the ship "RRS Boaty McBoatface. Natural Environment Research Council Boaty McBoatface The problem with AI chatbots, at least ones like Tay, is that they dont understand what theyre chatting about. Theres no context to their conversations so, in effect, the AI's opinions on Hitler and feminism carry the same importance to the AI as those concerning carrots and cars. While certain topics could, presumably, be flagged beforehand to be avoided, the range of delicate subjects is so enormous that something undesirable is pretty much guaranteed to appear. Microsoft was hugely embarrassed by what Tay turned into and an Official Microsoft Blog post by Peter Lee, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research, explained: We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay. Tay is now offline and well look to bring Tay back only when we are confident we can better anticipate malicious intent that conflicts with our principles and values. But when it comes to inflammatory remarks theres a Twitter bot that could potentially out Tay, Tay. Modeled on Donald Trumps linguistic patterns, the bot, called DeepDrumpf (Trumps ancestral name) was built by Bradley Hayes, a postdoc student at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), to emulate Trumps speaking patterns which have been compared to those of a fourth-grader. Of course, Deepdrumpf had something snarky to say about Tay: I want to see Tay and Deepdrumpf swap jabs Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions? Prove youre intelligent and send me feedback via email or comment below then follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 A study published this week in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution reveals a new hypothesis on the evolution of hundreds of species of malaria - including the form that is deadly to humans. Extensive testing of malarial DNA found in birds, bats and other small mammals from five East African countries revealed that malaria has its roots in bird hosts. It then spread from birds to bats and on to other mammals. "We can't begin to understand how malaria spread to humans until we understand its evolutionary history," said lead author Holly Lutz, a doctoral candidate in the fields of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University. "In learning about its past, we may be better able to understand the effects it has on us." Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Lutz and her colleagues took blood samples from hundreds of East African birds, bats, and other small mammals and screened the blood for the parasites. When they found malaria, they took samples of the parasites' DNA and sequenced it to identify mutations in the genetic code. From there, Lutz determined how different malaria species are related based on differences in their genetic code. Having large sample sizes from many species was key. "Trying to determine the evolutionary history of malaria from just a few specimens would be like trying to reconstruct the bird family tree when you only know about eagles and canaries," explained Lutz. "There's still more to discover, but this is the most complete analysis of its kind for malaria to date." Humans cannot contract malaria directly from birds or bats. And while the study doesn't have direct implications for malaria treatment in humans, co-author and Field Museum Curator of Mammals Bruce Patterson noted, "Malaria is notoriously adaptive to treatment, and its DNA holds a host of secrets about how it's able to change and evolve. Having a better understanding of its evolutionary history could help scientists anticipate its future." GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. More worshippers, beggars in Siparia From Holy Thursday night into yesterday, Good Friday, scores of Hindus and Christians stood patiently side by side in the shade under the watchful eyes of police officers as the long line _ snaked its _ way into the room of the church where the worshippers knelt and made_their supplications to Siparee Mai. However, under the _ scorching _ sun,_ the poor and needy, some of them covering under blankets, opened their hands for alms from the alms givers . Parish priest Fr Martin Sirju wants more academic study and analysis of what goes annually on Good Friday at the church to be done._He spoke to Newsday yesterday as he kept an eye on activities in and out of the church . He said: It is a complex network of religion and races coming together and making things work . I think in these_ depressing, economic times, it is probably a social metaphor, a religious metaphor of what we should go out there and do. Make room for people, he went on to say, share with them talk with them. We_cant just pray. People are without jobs, people are without food and just as people bring food here for the saints, it should be extended beyond the boundaries of devotions. He added:_ What we do here is an indication of what we should be doing and all religions should be doing_to help those who are facing difficult times today. Sirju is worried though that while Hindus are keeping the Good Friday tradition alive, the Catholic identity on the other hand, is disappearing and he feels there must be some intervention now. He further said:__One cant help but be struck by the Hindus who come here, you will see them with their children and their parents are actually guiding them, showing them what to do, how to do the aarti. Sirju said there is a _thinning out of Catholics who must keep the tradition alive as all major religious identities are under attack right now._ Equal Opportunity body: Protect gays Lynette Seebaran- Suite, the chairman of the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), called on the State to, include sexual orientation as a status ground for protection against discrimination. In a media release, the Commission disclosed that a proposal seeking reform was submitted to the Ministry of the Attorney General in October 2014, but no action appeared to have been taken by the then administration. The EOC looks forward to urgent action being taken on our proposal of October 2014 to include sexual orientation as a status ground for protection against discrimination, and to the drafting and tabling of the necessary amendment Bill before Parliament, Seebaran-Suite said. The Equal Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination against individuals on seven status grounds, namely race, ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, origin and disability. But sexual orientation is expressly excluded from protection. Although the Act includes sex as a status ground, section 3 states sex does not include sexual preference or orientation. However, Seebaran- Suite welcomed remarks made last week by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on the issue of discrimination against gays. The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) is very pleased to note the statements of the Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr Keith Rowley to the effect that he does not support any aspect of behaviour which discriminates against people and which gives them rights that others do not have, the EOC chairman said. The EOC is very encouraged to note that the Honourable Prime Minister promised to revisit any laws that undermine the constitutional right of equality of treatment. In a television interview with CNC3 on March 16, Rowley said, I am not okay with any aspect of behaviour which discriminates against people, giving them rights that others do not have. He had been asked to comment on whether he viewed discrimination against gays by employers as acceptable. At the same time, in another segment of the same interview, the Prime Minister said the question of legal reform of the Equal Opportunity Act was subject to ones interpretation of the act. He further stated several steps in the Cabinet have to first occur, as well as a legislative review in which all the sides will come in. S e ebar an-Su ite said while the Constitution recognises a number of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to equality before the law and equality of treatment by a public authority, these rights are enforceable against only the State. A citizen cannot claim that a private individual, for example a private-sector employer, has breached these rights. Moreover, in order to enforce these rights, the citizen would have to file a motion before the high court. By contrast, the protection against discrimination provided by the Equal Opportunity Act applies to both the public sector and the private sector, so that a person can make a complaint against a non-State employer. Seebaran-Suite said the legislation mandates the EOC to review the working of its governing statute and to submit proposals. Chief Parliamentary Counsel blows whistle on Whistleblower bill The bill was tabled in Parliament last November and referred to a Joint Select Committee (JSC) for further examination. In January, Macintyre was asked by the JSC to submit a written opinion with respect to the constitutionality and retrospective application of the bill. His legal advice was released last week Friday with the publication of the committees second interim report. To the extent that clause 17(1) tolerates the commission of criminal offences for the purposes of acquiring and disclosing personal or confidential information, the Bill is not be reasonably justifiable in a democratic country and may be struck down by the courts under section 13(1) of the Constitution even if it is passed with a special majority, Macintyre states in his legal opinion, which is attached as an appendix to the committees report. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel whose remit includes advising the Attorney General on the constitutionality of legislation finds that the bill as currently formulated would require a special majority, meaning its successful passage would depend on the Opposition. However, even if a three-fifths majority is obtained, the legislation could still be deemed illegal because it may be disproportionate to its aims, or, simply put, it may go too far given the objective it is meant to serve. Macintyre states, the Bill permits personal and confidential information to be obtained in contravention of the criminal law and protects persons who obtain and disclose such information from criminal liability. This means, for example, that the Bill protects a person who unlawfully obtains personal information by hacking an individuals computer system or email account and discloses such information. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel continues, It is questionable whether such disrespect for the private and family life of the individual which tolerates the commission of criminal offences is proportionate to the desirability, in the public interest, of combating corruption and other wrongdoings and is therefore reasonably justifiable in a society that has a proper respect for the rights and freedoms of the individual. It is submitted that in this regard, the Bill fails the proportionality test and is not reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. On the fact that the bill proposes to prevent employers from taking action against whistleblowers who commit crimes, Macintyre states, clauses 16 and 17(1) infringe the right of the individual to the protection of the law enshrined in section 4(b) of the Constitution by removing the rights of persons to initiate judicial proceedings and administrative action to determine their rights. These clauses also abrogate section 5(2)(e) and (h) of the Constitution. However the senior counsel advises that the retrospective application of the bill to instances of corruption that occured prior to the enactment of the legislation would be found valid. The second interim reports also notes the concerns of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Integrity Commission on some aspects of the bill as formulated, specifically a provision which allows reporting of corruption to be done orally, without a formal written complaint. The Committee has asked for and received more time to complete its work and is moving to retain external experts to examine all of the issues that have been raised as well as submissions from stakeholder groups. A new deadline of April 29 has been set. As recently as this month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley stated the Government hopes to pass legislation to protect whistle-blowers within the year. Monsignor Pereira: Use stones to build We remember on this Good Friday that many stones were thrown at Jesus... May your words heal, bring life and blessings. May they be truly pleasant to the ears of others, may they enrich the beautiful environment that God has blessed us with. It is not the words that have no mind and no direction, it is where (who) those words came from, Pereira said to hundreds of faithful who trekked at the top of the historic San Fernando Hill for the annual Stations of the Cross devotion. Stations of the Cross, also called Way of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christs last day on Earth as a man. Pereira is the parish priest of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Roman Catholic Church, San Fernando. He acknowledged that despite problems faced in this country, citizens are more free than persons in many other countries. Pereira referred to the recent bombings in Brussels, Belgium, developments in Europe and the US political landscape to emphasis his point. Additionally he noted that many locals are facing retrenchment. The stones are everywhere and we are attempted in many ways to take up one or more literally and fling it against what we consider to be immoral and unjust realities. We want to straighten out people who are doing such wrong things. We want to fix our lives, straighten out situations and the stones are all around us, the priest added. Pereira explained that many new buildings are constructed with glass panels surrounding them, which is a feature of modern architecture. It is also symbolic of the lives people live, he noted. We think that the glass panels will protect us when those on the other side of the glass see clearly what we are trying to hide. We establish these to secure ourselves against others and often these panels reveal move about ourselves and what we are trying to protect, the priest explained. People often choose to hide their faults while at the same time believe they must expose faults of others. The very ones who are accusing, Pereira said, are more guilty then those whom they accuse. Thus, throwing stones does more harm to the person committing the act than the people who are being criticised. Addressing the devotees directly, Pereira said: I know many of you here understand that stones have no eyes but you Catholics have the power to make the stones agents of beauty and wonder that this land of ours can be even more noble than we know it to be. Worldwide this year has been dubbed the Holy Year of Mercy by the RC Church to highlight the Churchs mission to be a witness of mercy. The march saw hundreds of persons gathering at the base of the San Fernando hill as early as 5 am yesterday for the procession which ended at the top of the hill. 'He Had the Chance to Go in and Save the Children' (Newser) Robert De Niro says he's not anti-vaccinationhe's just in favor of screening an anti-vaccination documentary made by a disgraced medical researcher. The actor is defending his decision to include Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded, Rolling Stone reports. The film is directed and co-written by British anti-vaccination activist Andrew Wakefield, who was stripped of his medical license for ethics violations, reports the New York Times. Wakefield was behind a controversial 1998 study linking vaccines to autism, which was later discredited and retracted by the medical journal that published it. "Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," De Niro said, per Variety. He said that in the 15 years since he founded the festival, he has never been involved in programming, but "this is very personal to me and my family and I want there to be a discussion, which is why we will be screening Vaxxed. I am not personally endorsing the film, nor am I anti-vaccination; I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue." In an open letter in Filmmaker magazine, documentary maker Penny Lane urged the festival to reconsider its decision to spread "dangerous misinformation." (Read more Robert De Niro stories.) (Newser) A missing mom who was apparently in no big hurry to be found has been tracked down and now has another chance to get to know the children she left 42 years ago. After he was contacted by the Doe Network, a volunteer group that investigates cold missing-person cases, Indiana State Police Detective Sergeant Scott Jarvis managed to find Lula Ann Gillespie-Miller in a small town in south Texas, KWQC reports. In 1974, Gillespie-Miller, then 28, disappeared soon after giving birth to her third child. She told her family she was too young to be a mother, signed the children over to her parents, and wasn't heard from again, apart from a letter in 1975. Jarvis, with the help of the 1975 letter, was able to follow Gillespie-Miller's trail from Indiana to Tennessee to Texas. He contacted Texas Rangers, who went to her home and confirmed that the 69-year-old is the woman who disappeared decades ago, NBC reports. Police say she didn't explain why she left her family behind in Indiana, but she agreed to have her contact information passed to her daughter, Tammy. Thanks to Jarvis' hard work, "this Easter weekend, Tammy Miller hopes to make contact with the mother she has never known," police said in a statement. (After 30 years, this missing man remembered his name.) (Newser) Syrian government forces have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to ISIS last May, state media reported Saturday. According to the AP, Syrian troops and allied militiamen backed by Russian airstrikes have taken up positions in the modern part of town. Palmyra, affectionately known as the "bride of the desert," used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. ISIS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments at the UNESCO world heritage site. The extremists believe ancient ruins promote idolatry. Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Assad's government and its allies, which have made steady gains in recent months against ISIS and other insurgents, including Western-backed rebels. The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general. Another 10 soldiers were killed Saturday. Footage broadcast on Lebanese stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyra's skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told the AP. The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. (Read more Syria stories.) (Newser) San Francisco has banned travel to North Carolina in protest of what Mayor Ed Lee calls the state's "new discriminatory law," CBS San Francisco reports. Specifically, the mayor banned any city-funded and non-essential travel to the state. The Huffington Post notes he made an exception for travel that is "absolutely essential to public health and safety." This week, North Carolina passed a non-discrimination law that pointedly excludes lesbian, gay, and transgender people while simultaneously barring cities and counties from passing their own protections for LGBT people. Lee's travel ban is meant to ensure San Francisco residents don't "subsidize legally sanctioned discrimination," according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "We are standing united as San Franciscans to condemn North Carolinas new discriminatory law that turns back the clock on protecting the rights of all Americans including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals," CBS quotes Lee in a statement issued Friday. HuffPo points out it's unclear how many trips to North Carolina San Francisco was paying for, but the travel ban carries "symbolic weight." Other governments and businesses, including Google and the NBA, are also making their disapproval over the North Carolina law known in various ways. Lee says San Francisco will issue similar travel bans to Georgia or any other state that passes laws discriminating against LGBT people. (Read more San Francisco stories.) (Newser) Nervous flyers should stop reading now. ABC News reports an American Airlines co-pilot was arrested Saturday morning at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after allegedly showing up for work drunk. The unnamed pilot was was acting strangely and was reported by TSA, according to the New York Daily News. Officials say he was given a breathalyzer test, which recorded a BAC above the 0.04% legal limit for pilots. "This is a serious matter," ABC quotes an American Airlines statement. "We will handle this matter appropriately as the safety and care of our customers and employees is our highest priority." The pilot's flight to Philadelphia was canceled, leading to some cranky passengers. "American Air pilot arrested (supposedly drunk), spring break busted #thanks #qualityhire #compensationplease," tweeted one. Another passenger posted a photo of three women napping on a bench at the airport to Instagram with the caption: "When your pilot gets drunk, your flight gets cancelled, and you've been up since 2am #sprangbreak." (Read more American Airlines stories.) SEOUL -- A South Korean mega-hit drama about an army captain saving lives in a U.N. peacekeeping operation has apparently won the heart of the country's female commander-in-chief. South Korea President Park Geun-hye presided a regular meeting on Monday, March 21with her meeting aides at Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office. One of the agenda was the phenomenal drama "Descendants of the Sun" According to the meeting participants, Park shared that the global popularity of the drama could help in reaching South Korea's culture to international audiences and spark foreigners' interest in South Korea "Good cultural content can not only produce economic and cultural values but also contribute to the revitalization of tourism," Park said, noting it is the first South Korean drama aired in South Korea and China simultaneously. The KBS drama tells the story of an army captain sent on a U.N. peacekeeping mission to a distant fictional country where he falls in love with a South Korean doctor, who was sent there to offer medical relief to stricken people. Park also stressed that "Descendants of the Sun" could help instill patriotism among young people, according to the participants. The army captain, played by Song Joong-ki, helps save the lives of several people during the peacekeeping operation. As the first Korean drama to be broadcast simultaneously in South Korea and China, 'Descendants of the Sun' has sparked an incredibly sensation in both countries. The viewership has since broke record of more than 30% in Seoul and other cities, and attracted hundreds of millions of views on China's video platform iQiyi. Check Out : A WEREWOLF BOY (Song Joong-Ki Movie) Belgians are currently mourning the deaths of 31 people who were killed in ISIS-claimed twin attacks at the airport and the metro station. The attack caught everyone by surprise- the worst-ever that occurred in Europe's heartland, the EU capital of Brussels. Latest roundups from major media outfits tell us that details of the radical operatives behind the deadly suicide bombing attacks are starting surface amid a mounting public criticism over Belgian authorities' seemingly weak response to the terror threat which had earlier struck Paris some months before. As reported by Al Jazeera, two attackers named Brahim el-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui succeeded in blowing themselves up at Brussels Zaventem airport. Another unidentified attacker is currently at large after he fled from the scene following his explosives' failure to detonate. The fourth attacker was Brahim's brother, Khalid el-Bakraoui, who blasted himself to pieces at the Maelbeek metro station. Apart from 31 confirmed deaths, hundreds more were wounded. Among the first victims who died was 37-year-old Peruvian named Adelma Tapia, Saint-Louis University student Leopold Hecht, and Wallonie-Bruxelles regional government employee Olivier Delespesse according to a report by Independent. As a result of the perceived unpreparedness of its security forces, the Belgian government is currently fending off a barrage of criticisms leading Belgium's interior minister Jan Jambon and Justice minister Koen Geens to offer resignation after it was revealed that they were previously warned by Turkey about the ISIS militant background of one of the attackers. "One of the attackers in Brussels is an individual we detained in Gaziantep in June 2015 and deported. We reported the deportation to the Belgian Embassy in Ankara on July 14, 2015, but he was later set free. Belgium ignored our warning that this person is a foreign fighter," remarked Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan as quoted by ABC Australia. New Delhi: The ruling Samajwadi Party today released its first list of 143 candidates for the 2017 Assembly polls. The party is declaring candidates for 143 seats. On these seats, the party does not have MLAs at present, SP spokesman Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters here. The list includes 27 candidates from Muslim community, 18 from Yadav and 12 women, besides others. The state has 403 seats in total. The tickets were declared early so that the candidates could get more time for preparation. Of the 143 seats, 21 are reserved, the spokesperson said. Among those who were given tickets included Umar Ali Khan, son-in-law of Imam of Delhis Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, from Behat seat, sitting Peace Party MLA Anis-ur-Rehman from Kanth while Independent MLA Vijay Singh has been given a ticket from Farukhabad seat. From Lucknow east, party has fielded Shweta Singh, who is also the state president of SP womens wing. When asked about Azam Khans comments on Governor Ram Naik in the Assembly, Shivpal said that he (Governor) was holding a constitutional post and should avoid meddling in such issues. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a big development, Russian Government has approved ONGC Videsh Ltds deal to buy 15 per cent stake in countrys biggest Vankor from Rosneft for USD 1.268 billion. OVL, the overseas arm of the explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) had signed an agreement, to buy stakes in the Russian firm. Vankorneft is the developer of the Vankor oil and gas condensate field in Turukhansky district of Krasnoyak Territory in Russia. We have received approval of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) for the deal, OVL Managing Director Narendra K Verma told PTI here. All approvals for the deal are in place and Rosneft now has to restructure Vankorneft by giving OVL board positions and carving out the Vankor fields into a separate company, all of which is expected to be completed by June. This month, OVL signed an initial agreement to raise its stake in Vankor to 26 per cent from 15 per cent, while three other state companiesIndian Oil Corp (IOC), Oil India Ltd (OIL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPLC) would together pick up 23.9 per cent. We are not very clear if the additional stake would also need FAS approval, he said adding the price for the additional stake is yet to be finalised. Vankor is OVLs fourth biggest acquisition ever. Vankorneft, a subsidiary of Rosneft, was founded in 2004 to carry out the project of the Vankor field development, the largest field to have been discovered and brought into production in Russia in the last 25 years. It is located in the northern part of Eastern Siberia, in Turukhansky District of Krasnoyarsk Territory, 142 km from Igarka. As of January 1, 2015, the initial recoverable reserves in the Vankor field are estimated at 476 million tonnes of oil and condensate, and 173 billion cubic meters of gas. The area of the Vankor field is 447 square kilometers. Oil and gas condensate production in 2015 was 22 million tons. The 15 per cent stake will give OVL 3.3 million tonnes per annum of oil production. Prior to the deal, Rosneft, Russias national oil company, held 100 per cent stake in Vankorneft. This will be the fourth biggest acquisition by OVL. It had in 2013 paid USD 4.125 billion for a 16 per cent stake in Mozambiques offshore Rovuma Area 1, which holds as much as 75 Trillion cubic feet of gas reserves. In 2009, it had bought Russia-focused Imperial Energy for USD 2.1 billion. Prior to that, it had in 2001 paid USD 1.7 billion for a 20 per cent interest in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas field off Russias far eastern coast. Vankor is Rosnefts (and Russias) second largest field by production and accounts for 4 per cent of Russian production. The daily production from the field is around 442,000 barrels per day of crude oil on an average with OVLs share of daily oil production at about 66,000. Upon completion of the deal, OVL will have two seats on the board of Vankorneft, Rosneft said. With PTI Inputs Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley today claimed that LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi had told him about Ishrat Jahan operation though he had also learnt about the case through the media. Headley, who testified before an anti-terror court here in the 26/11 case during his cross-examination on the fourth day, claimed that he had told NIA that a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan and other things but could not say why they were not recorded by the agency. However, he went back on a part of his statement to the NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that Ishrat Jahan module was a botched-up operation and added that these were my thoughts. He also admitted that he had no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan. When Lakhvi introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure, Headley said No, I did not say this to NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded, he told Judge G A Sanap here. The 55-year-old, who has turned approver in the 26/11 case, is being cross-examined by Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Jundal who is an alleged key plotter of the 2008 Mumbai siege, via a video-link from the US. NIA had recorded Headleys statement in the US in July, 2010. On whether NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, No and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He also said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Headley said he told NIA that before Sajid Mir, Muzammil was the head of the group (LeT). Headley was then confronted with his own statement asking him why information about Bhat has not been recorded. To this, Headley said he cannot explain this. He also told Khan that he had told NIA about an unsuccesful operation near police naka in India but could not explain as to why it has not been recorded in his statement. Headley also said that he told NIA that there was a woman wing in LeT and the mother of one Abu Aiman was heading it. He further said he had told NIA that a female member who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan but could not say why this too was not recorded by the agency. To a question, Headley further clarified that he had informed NIA that this woman (Jahan) was an Indian and a LeT operative but could not explain why this was not recorded in his statement. Relplying to another question, he said, It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan. Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004 While testifying in February, Headley had said that Jahan, a 19-year-old student from Mumbai, was affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Headley also said that he had told the agency that Muzammils operations were all over in India and concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra but cant tell why this was not recorded in his statement. It is true that Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil to me in 2005, Headley said replying to a question. However, he denied that Lakhvi had told him that Muzammil was a top LeT commander whose every project fails. Lakhvi did not tell me this and I also did not tell NIA about this, he said but failed to explain why this was reflected in his statement. The terrorist, who is serving a 35-year-jail term in the US, was flanked by lawyers and US attorney while deposing from an undisclosed location. Jundal is appearing via video-link from the high-security Arthur Road jail here. Yesterday, giving a new twist to his testimony, Headley had revealed that Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was Pakistans Prime Minister in 2008, had visited his home within weeks after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to condole his fathers demise. Headley had also said that his father, who was a Director General with Pakistan Radio, knew about his links with with LeT and was not happy about it. Also, he told the court that he had nurtured a hatred feeling towards India since childhood after his school was bombed in 1971 during the Indo-Pak war. The terrorist also said that he had told his friend Tahawwur Hussain Rana that all the nine 26/11 terrorists should be awarded Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistans highest gallantry awards. He also denied that NIA suggested to him to name Ishrat Jahan or that he met special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and Joint Commissioner of Police Atul Kulkarni in the US before his current deposition in the case. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. London: Shakespeares skull appears to be missing, a British archaeologist has claimed using new scanning technology, giving new credence to a centuries-old tale that grave robbers stole the English playwrights skull from its burial place. Radar scans of Shakespeares tomb have led experts to conclude his skull appears to be missing, and was probably stolen in the 18th century. This is the first archaeological investigation ever of Shakespeares burial, and what we found was quite surprising, Kevin Colls, the archaeologist who led the study, said ahead of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeares death next month. Using radar scans, the team found an odd disturbance at the head end of the grave, he said. Our equipment could identify a change of material in the burial, said Colls, adding that the discovery suggested this foreign material was used to repair damage of the grave. Colls said that the findings matched several details of a robbery story published in British magazine, Argosy, in 1879. According to the magazine, almost a century earlier in 1794 grave robbers stole Shakespeares head from the Holy Trinity church in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is very likely to me that the skull is not there, Colls was quoted as saying by CNN. Apparently, the inscription on Shakespeares grave stone, which has no name on it, was not enough to keep tomb raiders away. Part of the inscription on Shakespeares grave reads: Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones. It is not surprising that grave robbers targeted Shakespeares final resting place, according to Colls. At the time, stealing skulls from graves was common practice, he said. People wanted the skulls of geniuses and famous people to analyze them and trying to figure out what made them special, the researcher explained. Or they were simply trophy hunters looking for money. The underground investigation also debunked several myths surrounding the burial. According to one of them, Shakespeare was buried in a vertical position, while another claims he rested 17ft beneath the surface. Yet another story claims the playwright was buried in a vault along with wife Anne Hathaway and other family members. None of them is true, Colls said. Instead, Shakespeare is buried in a simple and shallow tomb, about one meter deep, and probably wrapped in a shroud, say scientists. Next to him, some family members, including his wife, rest. Although conceding that the evidence is not conclusive, he believes the skull was taken from the church. Williams skulls is still out there, he said. And we are going after it, he added. Shakespeare, 52, died on April 23, 1616. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The 1.47-billion dollar Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) International Observatory, which the largest telescope project in the world, may be set up in India, according to a report in a leading national daily. The report further states that the TMT board has short-listed Hanle in Ladakh as a prospective site for the project. The project has been facing major hurdles in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which is the first choice. According to the report, an international team is likely to visit Ladakh in soon. The Supreme Court of Hawaii had in December 2015 cancelled the permit issued to TMT to construct the International Observatory after it was claimed that the plot in Mauna Kea was sacred. As the Hawaiian authorities work towards re-issual of permit, the TMT Board is looking for alternatives to avoid delay. India is already contributing to the software of TMT apart from building edge sensors, actuators and system support assemblies. "Given the enormous investment and potential challenges ahead, it is necessary to also carry out a review of alternate sites," Henry Yang, chair of the TMT International Observatory Board, said in a statement after a meeting on February 11, 2016. TMT India programme director B Eswar Reddy told the daily that the board has decided on two prospective sites Hanle and Chile after the February meeting. "Yes, it was unexpected turn for the project which got delayed due to the decision of the Hawaiian supreme court. Meanwhile, the project is also looking for prospective sites both in northern and southern hemispheres, including Hanle," he was quoted as saying. It is expected that India will invest $212 million in the project. "However, a lot of technical works (including in India) are progressing well in the partner countries. We expect all the systems to be ready and technical risks retired by the time we resolve the issue of site... In India too, industries are working on prototype development and some are qualified for production and some are still working on," Reddy was quoted as saying. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Political journey for Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is getting difficult day by day. Rebel Congress leaders have now released a sting CD showcasing Rawat indulging in horse trading to save his government. On the side-lines Harak Singh Rawat has demanded suspension of the whole Cabinet. Reacting to the news CM Harish Rawat addressed a press conference and claimed that the video released is fake. He also mentioned that a proper investigation should be held in the CD. Releasing a sting operation video on Saturday, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat alleged that the government is trying to arm-twist as well as threaten them. The rebels claimed the sting operation, which they said was conducted on March 23 and shows CM Rawat talking about buying MLAs, was done by a local channel whose head spoke to the CM. A total of nine MLAs had rebelled against Congress to join hands with BJP, this has left Uttarakhand government in crisis of claiming majority. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Its spring season and people around the world have already begun hitting different places to backpack and travel. But there are some who are actually outdoing others when it comes to spring break with their luxurious extravaganza. The rich kids of Instagram are posing with their private jets to lavish locations like the West Indies, Miami and Hong Kong. The Armenian-born Los Angeles, California resident who describes himself as a 'world traveler, party starter and international socialite' posted a photo of his champagne bong set up on a picturesque beach in Malibu recently, writing 'Life's a beach, and I'm just slayin it! One bottle at a time #dompong #champagnepong' Have a look at some of the pictures of these rich kids and their luxurious lifestyle Washington: In a veiled attack on Republican White House hopefuls Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, President Barack Obama today described Muslim-Americans as the most important partners in the fight against ISIS and asserted that attempts to stigmatise the community should be rejected. Our determination to win the battle against ISILs hateful and violent propagandaa distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalise young Muslims to their cause, Obama said in his weekly web and radio address to the nation. In that effort, our most important partners are American Muslims. Thats why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatise Muslim-Americans and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life, said the US President in an apparent reference to the recent anti-Muslim rhetoric of top Republican presidential candidatesTrump and Cruz. In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Brussels, Cruz called for increased surveillance of Muslim neighbourhoods while Trump reiterated that Muslims be temporarily be prevented from entering the country. Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. Its also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause, Obama said. I am a father. And just like any other parent, the awful images from Brussels draw my thoughts to my own childrens safety. Thats also why you should be confident that defeating ISIL remains our top military, intelligence, and national security priority, he said. We will succeed. The terrorists will fail. They want us to abandon our values and our way of life. We will not. They want us to give in to their vision of the future. We will defeat them with ours. Because we know that the future belongs not to those who seek only to destroybut to those who have the courage to build, Obama said. Referring to the Brussels terrorist attack that claimed 31 lives and injured 300 others, Obama said Belgium is a close friend and ally of the United States. And when it comes to our friends, America has their backing. Especially as we fight the scourge of terrorism. More broadly, were going to continue to root out and defeat ISIL, he said. Weve been taking out ISIL leadership, and this week, we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield -permanently. A relentless air campaignand support for forces in Iraq and Syria who are fighting ISIL on the ground -- has allowed us to take approximately forty per cent of the populated territory that ISIL once held in Iraq, he added. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : E-commerce rivals Flipkart and Snapdeal slug it out on social media over the Chinese online retailer Alibabas plans to enter the Indian market. Alibaba, which has invested in Indian e-tailers like Paytm and Snapdeal, recently said that it plans a full-fledged entry into the Indian market. Taking a pot shot at competitors, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal in a tweet said, Alibaba deciding to start operations directly shows how badly their Indian investments have done so far. Hitting back, Snapdeal founder Kunal Bahl tweeted, Didnt Morgan Stanley just flush 5bn worth market cap in Flipkart down the (toilet seat icon) Focus on ur business not commentary (smile icon). Alibaba China has about 40 per cent stake in One97 Communications which runs Paytm. In February, a mutual fund firm under Morgan Stanley marked down the value of Flipkarts shares by 27 per cent. In a regulatory filing the firm said it valued Flipkart stake at USD 58.93 million in December 2015, as compared to USD 80.62 million in June 2015. Flipkart in February, before the filing by Morgan Stanley fund, had said it is valued at USD 15.2 billion then. In the recent times, online retailers such as Flipkart and Snapdeal have sparred on social media over various issues and have also run publicity campaigns to target rivals. Sanaa: Thousands of Yemenis rallied in the rebel-held capital today to denounce the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign against the countrys insurgents a year ago. The intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi that began on March 26 last year has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Huthi rebels and their allies, who still control Sanaa and key parts of the country. Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression, said a large banner in Sanaas Sabaeen Square where protesters gathered, as coalition warplanes flew overhead breaking the sound barrier in an apparent show of force, an AFP photographer said. Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Iran-backed rebels and whose party had called for the protest, appeared briefly at the rally where he reiterated his call for direct talks with Riyadh. From here, we extend a hand for peace, the peace of the brave, for direct talks with the Saudi regime without going back to the (UN) Security Council, he said. Saleh however called on the Security Council to issue a resolution imposing arms embargo on the Saudi regime, according to the rebel-run Saba news agency. The veteran leader had in December called for direct talks with Riyadh instead of the government of Hadi. The Huthis also organised a protest in north Sanaa, where thousands of demonstrators chanted anti-Saudi and anti-US slogans, Saba said. Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi addressed his supporters in a defiant televised speech on Friday. One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression... It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. (But) this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide, he said. The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region, he added, in an apparent reference to increased tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Huthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 then advanced south, raising fears in Riyadh that the Shiite rebels from Yemens highlands would extend Irans influence in its southern neighbour. Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies in the coalition vowed to restore Hadis government to power after he was forced to flee into exile in March last year. Loyalists backed by the coalition have since managed to drive the rebels out of five southern provinces including second city Aden, where Hadi has established a temporary capital. But the rebels have stubbornly held on to eight of Yemens 22 provinces and heavy fighting has been raging for months in five others. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. 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 President Muhammadu Buhari performed the following functions this week, some of them you might have missed. President Muhammadu Buhari performed the following functions this week, some of them you might have missed.1 President Buhari Dissociates Self from #ISTANDWITHBUHARIGROUP2 President Buhari Meets 7 APC Governors3 PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE INDICTS OVER 300 ONSA CONTRACTORS4 President Buhari Speech at the APC National Executive Committee Meeting at the APC Party Headquarters March 24, 20165 Buhari Finally Reacts to Rivers Election Violence6 President Buhari receives Officials of NUPENG and PENGASSAN in Statehouse. March 23, 2016 - READ More7 Buhari Apologises For Dissolving Jonathan's Universities Governing Councils8 President Buhari presides over the APC National Caucus Meeting9 President Buhari Condemns Brussels Twin Explosions10 PRESIDENT BUHARI CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT-ELECT OF BENIN REPUBLIC11 President Buhari declares open a 2-day National Economic Council Retreat at the Statehouse Conference Centre on 21st March 2016. Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu yesterday urged Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, saying; He needs Gods intervention to ... Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu yesterday urged Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, saying; He needs Gods intervention to address the country challenges.Oba Akiolu Akiolu who made the appeal during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Kebbi State led by the state governor, Atiku Bagudu, to his Palace, said that Buhari has good intention for the country.According to him; He has good intention for Nigeria and that was why I like him. But he needs Gods intervention to achieve his aim. And I know that if we pray for him, by this time next year, the economic challenges we are experiencing would cease. And we will all have reasons to smile.On his part, he said I often pray for the President to achieve his campaign promises. And we expect Nigerians also do so for him to achieve all his aspirations for the country.The Oba however appealed to Nigerians to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods because it would help create more employments for Nigerians. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it has received a better reception by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj after President Mu... The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it has received a better reception by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj after President Muhammadu Buharis state visit to the Kingdom. The NAHCON Executive Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, disclosed this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Mukhtar said that Nigerian pilgrims would enjoy a better deal this year due to the combined benefits of Buhari visit as well as efforts of the commission and other stakeholders.It will be recalled that after completion of talks with the Saudi Arabian Government, Buhari directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NAHCON to negotiate with the Saudi Authority to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the 2015 Hajj.Mukhtar, who said that the presidential order had been carried out thoroughly, described the Buharis state visits as fruitful and a blessing to the commission. NAHCON and Nigerians received a better reception by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj after Buharis visit and all the issues that the president directed for resolution had been addressed. The issue of the 35 missing pilgrims, whose DNA had been submitted to Saudi Government, three had been confirmed dead of which two are from Kano state and one from the FCT.Their state Pilgrim Boards have been notified and the death certificates had also been released to them for onward conveyance to the family members of the deceased. These are all good things that come out of the Presidential directive by the President which coincided with his own state visit.The Saudi government have also given assurance of easing the difficulties faced by pilgrims during their stay in Mina by bringing them closer to the Jamrat, Mukhtar said. He said that due to prediction that Hajj seasons would fall in hot weathers for some years, the Saudi Arabia government would improve the cooling system in the tents and extend it to the camps too.We have been appealing that there should be rotation of the accommodation so that we can be given accommodation closer to the Jamrat, the area which the symbolic stoning of the devil is being carried out. For the first time the Saudi Ministry of Hajj has accepted to look into that request and I believed that is also a takeaway from the Presidential state visit, he added.Similarly, the chairman said Saudi had promised to replace over 4,000 old buses in their fleet for 2016 operation with buses of 2008 generation upward. He also said that the issue of compensation for the victims of crane collapse was in progress, assuring that once we received the money we will notify the families of the victims accordingly. Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, has described President Muhammadu Buharis dragging of Nigeria into the Sa... Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, has described President Muhammadu Buharis dragging of Nigeria into the Saudi-led Islamic coalition as dangerous and unwise.In a recent interview in Abuja, Cardinal Onaiyekan said Mr. Buharis decision posses great danger for Nigerias armed forces as well as for Nigeria as a nation.I am not sure it is a wise thing, Onaiyekan said. Once you talk of an Islamic coalition and you are bringing Nigerian armed forces into it, my fear is that this is a dangerous step.We have been trying, and I think successfully, to keep religion out of our armed forces. Can you imagine what will happen if Nigerian armed forces were fighting in the North-West on the basis of religion?So I hope government will be better advised.Cardinal Onaiyekan, who noted that countries that joined the alliance before Nigeria were not faring well, said Mr. Buhari conceded to an ill-fated advice to take Nigeria into the coalition.Those who put the alliance together have not succeeded in putting their own houses in order, the archbishop said. Its not as if they have succeeded well in Iraq, Syria and other places.So whoever advised him (President Mohammadu Buhari) did not advice him well.On the comment by Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, that the alliance was not religious, the bishop said the Ministers comment depicted ignorance and self-contradiction.When I heard the minister of foreign affairs saying that there is nothing religious about the coalition; Im sorry that the Minister of Foreign Affairs does not know how Nigerians behave and think, Mr. Onaiyekan said.You cannot tell us that something is Islamic and at the same time say it is not religious. That is a contradiction. Its like saying Islam is not a religion.Onaiyekan urged Nigerians to reflect on the last three days of Easter, beginning with Good Friday and never forget that Jesus died for them.He also prayed God to continues to lead Nigeria on the right path. There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is making fresh moves to woo the National Leader of the All Progressives Con... There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is making fresh moves to woo the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.A source disclosed that before the Presidents recent moves, the relationship between the duo had not been rosy.Findings showed that Buhari decided to reach out to Tinubu to seek his support for the control of the APC.It was gathered that Tinubu was not happy with the appointments the President had been making since his inauguration on May 29 last year.Investigations revealed that among those the APC leader had tipped for appointments under the Buhari administration were a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun, and a former Commissioner for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Yemi Cardoso.A member of the APC National Working Committee said that Tinubu had been loyal to Buhari.According to him, Tinubu was fighting Buharis battle when he decided to support Senator Ahmed Lawan and move against Senator Bukola Saraki for the senate presidency.The national officer stated that Buhari was aware of the fact that Tinubu had been loyal to him since he (Buhari) joined the presidential race.He said, You will recall that Tinubu was initially supporting George Akume for the senate president position, but he switched over to Lawan when it became obvious that that was the man the President preferred. Also, many APC members are aware that Tinubu lost out in ministerial and many of the appointments made by the President.Another prominent member of the party disclosed that Tinubu had been maintaining what he described as a siddon look attitude towards the President before now.He said prominent members of the party were worried that the president failed to consider the APC leaders candidates for appointments.A Presidency source, who confirmed the recent moves by Buhari, said that the President was not unaware of what the APC national leader did for him.The source stated that Buharis reaching out to Tinubu was borne out of the alleged subtle moves by some elements in the party, including a former Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, to reposition themselves for the 2019 presidential race.The former Kano State governor was alleged to have launched his 2019 presidential ambition during his visit to Kano early this month.The Kano State chapter of the APC had, at a press conference in Kano, said that it was probing the former governors misconduct, adding that there was no presidential vacancy in the party.But Kwankwaso, in a statement signed by his Chief of Staff, Yunusa Dangwani, said the former governor did not launch any presidential campaign.Explaining the governors visit to Kano, the aide said, It is appalling and rather unfortunate that the good gesture of Senator Kwankwaso has been mischievously interpreted wrongly.Although former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has been a loyal APC man, our correspondents gathered that chieftains of the party were aware that he was not uninterested in the presidency.In an interview with Sunday PUNCH in 2015, when asked if he would contest for the presidency again, he said that it was too early to answer such a question.He had said, It is quite too early for such a question. We are in a transition process. We have not even formed the next government. You are asking me whether I will like to run again or not. I think it is just too early.It was gathered that Buhari was aware of the moves by some elements in the party to position themselves for the 2019 presidential race.That, investigations showed, informed the decision of the party caucus at its meeting on Tuesday to declare that there was no presidential vacancy.According to a report on Thursday, the APC national caucus, comprising serving and former governors, the National Assembly leadership, and selected members of the national executive of the party, at the meeting said the endorsement of Buhari for a second term would help to stabilise the polity in the face of what members described as the 16-year rot inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party.Another top member of the APC, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, Buhari needs the support of Tinubu to survive the onslaught of elements that want to seize the control of the party ahead of the 2019 elections.The party chieftain stated that in boards and other appointments that would be made by the President in the months ahead, Tinubus loyalists would be taken care of as a way of wooing the APC leader.He said, Although the President is not somebody who can be dictated to, he is not an ungrateful person. He is aware of the role played by Tinubu in his election and he will not abandon the man.When contacted, the Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mallam Garba Shehu, declined comments.Repeated calls to the Director-General of the Atiku Media Office, Mazi Paul Ibe, indicated that his phone was either switched off or out of coverage area.The first call was at 2:56 pm, the last was at 6:14 pmAlso efforts to get the spokesman for Tinubu, Mr. Sunday Dare, did not succeed as calls to his mobile telephone did not go through. He had not responded to an SMS sent to him as of the time of sending this report.But a prominent member of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it would be good if Buhari could reach out Tinubu in view of the contributions of the party leader towards Buharis victory at the poll.Also, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, who was the Joint House Leader of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party, in the House of Representatives during the Second Republic, advised the APC to learn from history.The former lawmaker said President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the APC must find a way of working together in spite of whatever individual differences they might have.He said, I would advise that President Buhari sits with the leadership of his party for them to do some soul searching.They must realise that they need each other to deliver on the promises made to Nigerians; they must be seen to be on the same page on issues of policy and what have you.Those handling the President must be able to tell him some home truths about how democracy works-you need people.Speaking in a similar vein, a public affairs commentator and member of the civil society, Auwal Musa-Rafsanjani, said it would be a disaster if the APC begins to behave like the Peoples Democratic Party.He said, We strongly advise the APC to sit down and resolve their issues and avoid distractions.Whether true or not, there are rumours of a frosty relationship between and among leaders of the party. The sooner action is taken to ensure that these rumours dont turn out to be true, the better. If on the other hand they are true, it is better that whatever the issues are; they are quickly resolved in the interest of the party and the nation.Nigerians have invested so much hope in the APC to be let down on account of unresolved internal wrangling. It is time for the party to sort itself out and move the nation forward.The National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said, Most of the legacy parties in APC never knew the basics of internal democracy and the party itself was formed as a special vehicle to grab power.Now that they are in power, they must learn how to democratise internally as they cannot give the country what they dont have.It is frightening that they have allegedly scrapped their BOT because they cant agree on who to chair it. The implication of that for the polity is that if any democratic situation in the polity would not serve their interest, they would look for an undemocratic means to scuttle it. Indeed the embarrassing political situations we have seen in Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers partly flow from this undemocratic mood.The APC must learn to subject its internal activities to democratic processes so as to be able to affect the polity positively. BRIGANTINE -- The United States Coast Guard has been searching for several missing boaters who disappeared Friday. Three to four boaters went missing about a half miles off the coast of Brigantine, officials said. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia received the notification at roughly 5:45 p.m. from the Brigantine Police Department that three to four people were in the water from a capsized fishing boat. Crews from USCG Station Atlantic City, Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Portsmouth, Virginia, are all assisting in the search. Other state and local partner agencies are also working together to find the boaters. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sector Delaware Bay at 215-271-4960. Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. HACKENSACK - Police say a couple found dead Friday inside an SUV parked near an apartment building died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The couple's name was not released, but police said they were a 29-year-old man and a 24-year old woman. The bodies were found about 8:30 a.m. inside a Chevy Tracker on Overlook Avenue across from the Stratford House apartments at 150 Overlook Avenue. Police disputed a media report that the couple had been unclothed and having sex before they died. The bodies were found in an upscale neighborhood surrounded by luxury apartments and million-dollar homes. Chris San Martin, a concierge in the Stratford House apartments, said police came into the building around 8 a.m. asking for security video. "The police asked if we had cameras in front of the building," San Martin said. "We told them we didn't." Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. WYCKOFF - A temporary monitor has been appointed to supervise the Wyckoff Police Department in the absence of Chief Ben Fox, who stepped down this week after an email he allegedly wrote in support of racial profiling became public. Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal and Wyckoff Mayor Kevin J. Rooney jointly announced the appointment of Captain Timothy Condon of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office as a temporary monitor, the prosecutor said in a statement. Fox agreed Tuesday to temporarily step down with pay as the township's top cop as the N.J. Attorney General investigates an ACLU complaint that he condones racial profiling. The chief earns about $175,000 a year. In a December 2014 email, Fox allegedly directed his officers to watch out for "suspicious black people in white neighborhoods." In the email to his officers, Fox stated he was concerned that misguided complaints about police would cause cops to react slowly in threatening situations. "Profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly," states the email, which was released Tuesday by the ACLU-NJ. "Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff," the email states. "That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods." In appointing the monitor, Parenta said Condon has supervised criminal investigation squads within the prosecutor's office and previously served as the monitor of the Hackensack Police Department. In addition, Mayor Rooney announced that Wyckoff police Lt. Charles VanDyk will serve as the acting officer in charge of the department. Fox and Rooney have not returned numerous calls to NJ Advance Media seeking comment. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. WYCKOFF - Despite a 2014 email from the township's police chief appearing to condone racial profiling, Mayor Kevin Rooney said Saturday he is "confident" local police officers have never engaged in the practice. "While I am confident that our police department has never engaged in or condoned any sort of profiling, it also is important to reinforce and ensure the public trust," Rooney said in the statement. Rooney's comments were made days after the N.J. Attorney General's Office announced it would investigate Wyckoff police Chief Ben Fox over an email seeming to support racial profiling. "Profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly," states Fox's email, which was released Tuesday by the ACLU-NJ. The memo, which was emailed to police officers in the Wyckoff Police Department, says to investigate "suspicious black people in white neighborhoods." Fox stepped down with pay this week after the state attorney general and Bergen County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the email. On Friday, a temporary monitor -- a captain in the prosecutor's office - was appointed to oversee the police department in Fox's absence. On Saturday, Rooney sent a statement to NJ Advance Media in which he explained that the monitor will allow the police department to continue to serve the public. "The mission of the Wyckoff Police Department continues to be the protection of and service to our citizens, their families and local businesses, and those who visit our community," Rooney said. "I have no doubt that our police officers will continue to operate with the utmost respect for all those whom they have sworn to protect." Racial profiling, which has been deemed by the ACLU to be discriminatory, violates state and federal laws as well as a directive from the state attorney general banning the practice. Udi Ofer, executive director of the ACLU in New Jersey, has asked Mayor Rooney to fire the police chief. "Did Fox really say he never condoned profiling?" Ofer asked in a Tweet to an NJ Advance Media reporter. "How does he explain his email that states profiling has its place in policing?" Fox has not returned several calls seeking comment. Rooney did not immediately reply to an email asking whether he believes the police chief condones racial profiling. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. CAMDEN -- A 47-year-old South Jersey resident has been caught by police in connection to a string of robberies. Julian Petty, of Camden, faces seven counts of burglary and four counts of theft for neighborhood burglaries throughout the area. The Camden County Police Department tracked down Petty after gathering evidence and studying surveillance footage. Petty was arrested March 21 without incident, authorities reported, and is being held at the Camden County Jail in default of $525,000 bail. Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close NOPD is looking for this man suspected in several burglaries in the Marigny area since January. The War on Drugs: not just effectively racist but deliberately so 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. Tom was born November 30, 1932, to Harold and Lillian (Hansen) Lewis. Tom lived most of his life in the Council Bluffs/Omaha area, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1951. After graduation, Tom married his high school sweetheart, E. Jane Weatherill, and was drafted into the United States Army serving in Korea before returning home to build his career at the Union Pacific Headquarters until his retirement in 1987. Tom had many interests and most will recall his love for travel, good food, and horse racing. In his early years at the Union Pacific, Tom was able to travel to most major cities in the United States, visiting the local horse track in-between jobs. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. OPP charge Sudbury motorists with impaired, other offences The Sudbury detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police charged a few Sudbury motorists with driving and other offences in the last two weeks. In a news release Friday, the OPP said one charge resulted from a complaint from the public. The Sudbury detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation would like to remind motorists of the possibility of encountering wildlife along roadways. File photo. The Sudbury detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police charged a few Sudbury motorists with driving and other offences in the last two weeks. In a news release Friday, the OPP said one charge resulted from a complaint from the public. It took place Monday after a tip about a vehicle travelling eastbound on Highway 17 from Espanola being operated by a male possibly impaired by alcohol. Police caught up with him within the boundaries of the city, the release said. Police initiated a traffic stop and determined that the driver and four passengers had consumed alcohol and that there was open liquor inside the vehicle, the release said. As a result of the investigation, a 39-year-year-old man from Sudbury was arrested and charged with impaired driving, driving while his license was suspended and while there was open liquor in the vehicle. His car was also impounded for seven days. He'll appear in Sudbury court April 13. The four passengers travelling with him were charged with consuming liquor in other than licenced premises, residence or private place. The OPP is reminding motorists that there is no safe amount of alcohol or drug consumption when driving, the release said. Anyone who suspects a driver is driving while impaired is urged to call police by dialing 911 immediately. Later Monday on Agnew Lake road in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township, OPP caught another man, 29, and charged him with driving with a suspended license and driving without a valid permit. He'll appear in Espanola court on May. On March 15 at 6:43 p.m., Sudbury OPP received a call about a vehicle being operated erratically on Highway 144, north of Cartier, the release said. Police patrolled the area (where) it was determined that the driver had consumed alcohol. A 36-year-year-old Sudbury woman, was arrested and charged with refuse to provide a breath sample, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. Her drivers licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle she was operating was impounded for seven days, the release said. She'll appear in Sudbury court April 13. On March 14, the OPP's Highway Safety Division conducted R.I.D.E. checks at the intersection of Highway 69 and Highway 64, in the Municipality of French River. Around 8:30 p.m., officers checked a southbound vehicle and detected the odour of marijuana emanating from interior of the vehicle, the release said. As a result of the investigation, police located and seized a quantity of drugs inside the pickup truck. The driver, 49, is from Sudbury, was arrested and charged with possessing methamphetamine and marijuana. He'll appear in Sudbury court May 25. In a news release this week, Sudbury Liberal MP Paul Lefebvre said he was proud of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first budget, one he said aims to grow the middle class and revitalize the Canadian economy. In a news release this week, Sudbury Liberal MP Paul Lefebvre said he was proud of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first budget, one he said aims to grow the middle class and revitalize the Canadian economy. Budget 2016 offers immediate help to those who need it most, and lays the groundwork for sustained, inclusive economic growth that will benefit Canadas middle class and those working hard to join it, Lefebvre is quoted as saying in the release. Im particularly proud that we have fulfilled our promises to seniors, students, our First Nations and to cities in need of support to rebuild crumbling infrastructure. This is an excellent budget for Northern Ontario. Specifically for Northern Ontario, Lefebvre said the budget: -- Supports the mineral exploration efforts of junior mining companies by extending the 15 per cent Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for an additional year, until March 31, 2017. -- An indigenous component in the proposed social infrastructure investments totalling $1.2 billion over five years including housing in Indigenous and northern communities and early learning and child care. -- An indigenous component in the proposed green infrastructure investments, totalling $2.2 billion over five years, including water and waste water treatment and waste management. -- Expanding Nutrition North Canada to all northern isolated communities in Ontario by providing $64.5 million over five years, starting in 2016-17, and $13.8 million per year ongoing. -- An investment of $25 million over 5 years to support economic development for the Metis Nation. -- Extend EI benefits by five weeks to all eligible claimants and to provide up to an additional 20 weeks of EI benefits to long-term tenured workers in several economic regions, including Sudbury. As well, regional economic development agencies, including FedNor, will share in $150 million in new funding, the release said, to support projects to renovate, expand, and improve existing community and cultural infrastructure in all regions of the country to celebrate Canadas 150th anniversary in 2017. All of this new investment in Northern Ontario is on top of national programs designed to support the middle class, seniors, students and to help cities cope with growing infrastructure needs, the release said. That include $11.9 billion to build roads, bridges, improve public transit, improve water and wastewater facilities and refurbish affordable housing. The funding includes: -- $3.4 billion over the next five years for social infrastructure, including affordable housing, seniors housing, community centres and childcare centres. -- $3.4 billion over the next three years for public transit. -- $5 billion over the next five years for green infrastructure including investing in clean water infrastructure and electric vehicle charging stations. -- $2 billion for labs and buildings on college and university campuses. -- $184 million more this year for training to help Canadians transition and update their skills. -- $95 million a year more in science. The budget also commits more than $1 billion over the next five years for investments in research and commercialization of new technologies, the release said. Budget 2016 puts people first and delivers the help that Sudburians and all Canadians need now, not in a decade from now, Lefebvre said in the release. It is an essential step to restore prosperity to the middle class. For more got to: www.budget.gc.ca ST. JOHN The entrepreneurial spirit that helped turn this town from a forested wilderness in the late 1830s into a thriving community lives on today. In 1837, just five years after the U.S. government negotiated the purchase of land from the Potawatomi tribe, John and Johanna Hack and their eight children arrived in a wagon. Born in the Prussian region of Germany, the Hack family staked out 40 acres about a half mile east of the present-day U.S. 41 on the south side of what is now Joliet Street. They bought the land for pennies an acre from the General Land Office of the Treasury, which eventually became the U.S. Department of the Interior. The original land deed for the Hack property bears the signature of President John Tyler and remains a treasured part of St. Johns history. In 1838, another group of settlers who knew the Hack family in Germany joined them here, purchasing land close to the acreage owned by John Hack. These four families were headed by Joseph Schmal, Peter Orte, Michael Adler and Mathias Reeder. Hack proved to be an astute businessman. In 1842, he built a peach brandy distillery that was one of the earliest businesses in the community. In 1846, the residents of this growing settlement named their town after Hack in 1846, calling it St. Johns. They also petitioned the U.S. government to locate a post office here with John Hack as its first postmaster. St. Johns remained the communitys name even when the town was platted in 1881, but the s was dropped at its 1911 incorporation. John Hack was also a man of faith and arranged for a priest from Chicago to come to the settlement twice a month to celebrate Mass in his home. The areas first Roman Catholic church in Lake County St. John the Evangelist was erected on Hacks property between 1839 and 1842, according to historical records. Materials for that original frame building were donated by the Right Rev. Jacques-Maurice De Saint Palais, bishop of Vincennes, and laboriously hauled in by teams of oxen from Chicago. In 1846, De Saint Palais officiated at the first confirmation ceremony in Lake County in that frame church building. As the congregation grew, a larger log church was constructed from materials used in the original building. Today, that log church stands on church property near St. John the Evangelist School along U.S. 41. St. John the Evangelist School also traces its history to 1846, when the first school in the township was built there and 109 students attended classes. Today, St. John the Evangelist School provides spiritual and academic education for preschoolers, a full-day kindergarten and students in grades 1 through 8. The arrival of the Monon railroad in 1881 spurred tremendous economic development throughout this area, and in 1927, the federal government began construction of U.S. 41 through St. John, spurring additional economic development. That highway continues to be a major force in St. Johns economic and residential development, according to town officials. One of the major things is the substantial amount of commercial development that starts along the U.S. 41 corridor and proceeds along 213th Street, said Steve Kil, town manager. The town features many local specialty shops as well as larger retail stores, Kil said. New developments include a commercial center on Joliet Street, between U.S. 41 and the railroad tracks. This 21-acre site by Boyer Construction will feature 104,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. St. John officials have reached out to residents through surveys to determine what kind of commercial development is best for the town. For example, Dennis Meyers 3.4 acre development at Lake Central Plaza will feature more restaurants, said Mike Forbes, president of the five-member Town Council that governs St. John. That is exactly what residents want. And that draws more commercial development because now there are places for employees (of other businesses) to go to eat. It piggybacks on each other, Forbes said. Residential growth has taken place all over town, but is now primarily in St. Johns southwest quadrant, Kil said, adding These are primarily single-family homes being built. Multi-family homes are kept under 8 percent. In the next 10 or more years, subdivisions ranging from eight homes to more than 400 are either under construction or planned, and will provide almost 1,000 new residences. For example, developer Andy James plans 170 lots on 160 acres in Kilkenny Estates in the towns far northwest corner. The first two phases have already been approved and construction started. These single-family homes will be in the $400,000 range and up. Growth brings challenges, especially keeping the towns infrastructure up-to-date, the men said. There are three categories of infrastructure water, sewer and roadways, Kil said. We are trying to make these things run simultaneously development with infrastructure. With that in mind, the town already has impact fees for sewer and water, and officials are looking at a road impact fee, Forbes said. That fee would be assessed to developers to pay for improvements needed to accommodate increased traffic from either new subdivisions or other developments. The planned expansion of the sewage lift station on U.S. 41 would triple its capacity and provide much-needed infrastructure for future development in town, Kil said. If development of the towns southwest quadrant continues as expected, a new well in that area may also be needed in the next 5 to 10 years, he said. A historic Harlem church is being destroyed as activists fear gentrification is proving disastrous to the neighborhood. Uptown houses of worship are being sold for millions of dollars, including one that holds a special place in African-American history. NY1's Cheryl Wills filed the following report. The funeral for Malcolm X was held at Faith Temple Church of God In Christ. On February 27, 1965, thousands packed Amsterdam Avenue to bid farewell to the civil rights activist, who was slain only a mile uptown at the Audubon Ballroom. Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy. Amid bomb threats, Faith Temple was the only church that agreed to host Malcolm's funeral. City records show the shuttered building has been quietly sold to a private developer for $2.5 million. Now, it's destined for the wrecking ball. On Thursday, work crews started gutting the historic sanctuary. Michael Henry Adams of Save Harlem Now worked hard to get Faith Temple on the National Register of Historic Places. "It's just deplorable to me," he said. "For me, I feel a tremendous frustration that I, as a black person, that I or no one else seems to be able to do anything to even preserve something as significant as this." Faith Temple is not the only church in jeopardy. Christmas decorations still line the fence around Mount Calvary United Methodist Church on Edgecombe Avenue. The majestic neo-gothic style sanctuary closed shortly after the holiday season. The congregation now shares space with its neighbor, St. Mark's. "It makes me want to cry because a site like this shouldn't have to close," said Valerie Bradley of Save Harlem Now. Activists with Save Harlem Now say they want the city or anyone to step in and save Harlem churches before it's too late. "Congregations are shrinking, revenues and resources are shrinking and, in many cases, are incapable of keeping up with their properties," said Angel Ayon with Save Harlem Now. As real estate prices soar in Harlem, churches find they have a heavy cross to bear, but members say they are going to keep the faith. After the outbreak of World War II, he was drafted into the Army in his sophomore year at the University of Richmond, which he had been attending on a scholarship. Trained to defuse land mines, he was sent to France after the Normandy invasion. There, a superior officer found out that he could type and assigned him to the Quartermaster Corps. While stationed in Paris, Mr. Hamner, inspired by his discovery of Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner and other American novelists, began writing fiction, including the first pages of what would become Spencers Mountain, about a man who dreams of building his wife a house on family land. The novel was published in 1961 with an admiring blurb from Harper Lee. A film version, with Henry Fonda and Maureen OHara, was later released. Mr. Hamner earned a degree in broadcast communications from the University of Cincinnati in 1948 and began working at the Cincinnati radio station WLW, a job he soon quit to work on his first published novel, Fifty Roads to Town, about a revival preacher whose arrival in a small Appalachian town creates havoc. It was published in 1953, by which time Mr. Hamner had moved to New York and found work writing radio and television scripts for NBC. In 1954, he married Jane Martin, an editor at Harpers Bazaar, who survives him. In addition to his daughter, he is also survived by a son, Scott; a brother, Paul; and two sisters, Audrey Hamner and Nancy Jameson. Mr. Hamner moved to California in 1962 and got his first break when The Twilight Zone accepted two of his story ideas. His eight scripts for the series included The Hunt, about a man who is dead but does not realize it until his hunting dog prevents him from wandering into hell, and Stopover in a Quiet Town, in which the main characters turn out to be pets on an alien planet. My mother-in-law found them downright weird, Mr. Hamner said of his Twilight Zone scripts in a 2008 commencement address at the University of Cincinnati. After she had watched four or five of my stories, she wrote my wife a note saying, I do hope that Earl is not smoking any of that awful green stuff. While Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson filmed their 94th episode of Elementary, the CBS detective series, on the Upper East Side in Manhattan on Friday, a real-life homicide mystery took a new turn just one block away. The case has stymied New York City police detectives for more than a week now, after a 78-year-old man was found dead in his apartment on the top floor of a prewar apartment building on East 64th Street. The man, Christopher Cooley, was discovered on March 17, seated on a couch, his necktie looped, but not knotted, around his neck, a throw pillow over his face and a broken lamp at his feet, the police said. His hair was matted with blood. The police have not yet publicly declared the case a homicide, but in a brief interview on Friday, the citys chief medical examiner did just that, indicating that a cord of some sort had been used to strangle Mr. Cooley and that the case was not a suicide. The cause of death is ligature strangulation, and the manner of death, homicide, the medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, said. She declined to say what was used to kill him. The homicide has left many residents anxious at the thought of a killer on the loose and others annoyed at the sudden intrusion of detectives and reporters. ALBANY Over the last several years, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has repeatedly invoked a mantra of New York as one state, a place where all people, upstate and downstate, are treated equally. Except, perhaps, when it comes to the minimum wage. Sometime in the next few days, Mr. Cuomo and other leaders in Albany could announce an agreement to raise wages in the state to $15 an hour, after an intense, union-backed campaign that has involved a steady stream of demonstrations and publicity stunts, including a patriotic R.V. emblazoned with the name of pro-wage forces: the Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice, which has spent more than $1 million on its efforts. But the deal that could emerge from the frothy mix of agendas may well include a variety of caveats, carve-outs and compromises, resulting in a patchwork of differing wages taking effect at different times in different regions and perhaps even exempting some professions. Moreover, some published reports have suggested that the $15 hourly rate a benchmark of a nationwide movement to increase pay might not be achieved at all in some areas north of New York City, a prospect that inflamed some of its most passionate backers. Were tired of going and begging for crumbs, Mark Emanatian, the capital district organizer for Citizen Action of New York, said during a protest near the State Capitol on Thursday. We want the whole table and all of the food. The nation has reached the halfway mark in the 2016 presidential primaries. Its difficult to draw big conclusions from the small slice of Americans who vote in primaries, but turnout among Democratic voters has been less enthusiastic than among Republicans, with roughly five million more votes cast in Republican primaries than in Democratic ones. That suggests Democrats will need to do more to motivate their constituencies to vote in November. The good news for the country is that 2016 primary turnout is high over all. In November, levels of engagement could be at the high end of the range that weve seen in the last century of American politics, and its possible they could go higher, said Michael McDonald, who runs the University of Floridas United States Elections Project. Young people have been unusually engaged this year, and not only on the Democratic side. They have set all-time turnout records in nearly every Republican primary, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. The groups analysis showed that Donald Trump drew more young voters than his Republican rivals, but his lead was far from decisive. He has received slightly fewer votes from young people than Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders, the overwhelming favorite of millennials, has received more votes from the young than Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton combined. In light of these dangers, the United States in 1978 initiated an international program to reduce the use of bomb-grade uranium fuel in research reactors which typically sit undefended on university campuses by developing substitute fuel from low-enriched uranium that is unsuitable for weapons. The program has been enormously successful, eliminating highly enriched uranium from dozens of such facilities. But this initiative failed to address the vast majority of bomb-grade uranium fuel, which is used by the worlds nuclear navies, in reactors that propel submarines and aircraft carriers. Indeed, the navies of just three countries the United States, Russia and Britain use several tons of bomb-grade uranium annually for fuel, at least four times as much as all of the worlds research reactors combined. Naval highly enriched fuel poses multiple risks. First, it creates cover for countries to develop nuclear weapons, since naval fuel is excluded from international inspections under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Iranian officials have said repeatedly that they will need highly enriched uranium for their future nuclear navy, but there would be no way to prevent them from diverting it into weaponry. Whats more, such uranium is vulnerable to being stolen by terrorists during transport or storage. And these dangers are expected to grow. Unless our Navy switches to safer fuel in coming decades, the United States will need to resume production of bomb-grade uranium for the first time since 1992 to replenish its supply, undercutting Washingtons goal of halting such production worldwide. To address these risks, last year Congress authorized and appropriated funding for initial research and development of low-enriched uranium fuel for Americas naval reactors. This project could be a game-changer, since the United States is the worlds biggest user of bomb-grade naval fuel. Simply by signaling an intention to convert to safer fuel if feasible, the United States would put substantial pressure on Russia to follow suit, and would reduce Irans justification for seeking highly enriched uranium. Since the Egyptian military took power in a coup in the summer of 2013, the Obama administrations policy toward Egypt has been moored in a series of faulty assumptions. The time has come to challenge them and to reassess whether an alliance that has long been considered a cornerstone of American national security policy is doing more harm than good. When President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown, senior American officials dithered on whether there was any point in calling a coup a coup and expressed hope that this would be merely a bump on Cairos road toward becoming a democracy. Later that year when Egypts human rights abuses became even harder to overlook, the White House suspended delivery of military hardware, signaling that it was willing to attach conditions to the $1.3 billion military aid package Egypt has treated as an entitlement for decades. But for the most part, Egypt got gentle scoldings from time to time from senior administration officials, who were unduly deferential to Cairo. FRONT PAGE An article on March 15 about budget cuts that Alaska schools are facing because of lower oil prices referred incorrectly to science faculty departures at the University of Alaska. Ten biology faculty members who have left were from both the Fairbanks and Anchorage campuses, not just Fairbanks, creating a loss of 10 faculty members out of 60, not 10 out of 45. INTERNATIONAL The Ramallah Journal article on March 18, about members of the defunct Palestinian Parliament who hide in the Parliament building to avoid arrest, referred incompletely to the case of Khalida Jarrar, a lawmaker who was arrested and prosecuted by the Israeli authorities. Though the charges against her were not initially made public when she was placed in administrative detention, they were in fact made known a month later when her detention status changed and she was formally charged. (She has since been convicted, under a plea agreement, of incitement and belonging to an illegal organization.) WEEKEND A film review on Friday about Valley of Love misidentified the part of Death Valley two parents visit at the request of their son, who had committed suicide. It is in California, not in the small part of Death Valley National Park that is in Nevada. ARTS & LEISURE An article on Page 6 this weekend about a new permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art that focuses on the 1960s misstates the opening date. It opens today; it is not scheduled to open next Saturday, April 2. Thirty years ago, Bob Ebeling drove to the headquarters of the aerospace contractor Morton Thiokol in Brigham City, Utah, to watch the launch of the space shuttle Challenger. On the way, he leaned over to his daughter Leslie and said: The Challenger is going to blow up. Everyones going to die. Mr. Ebeling (pronounced EBB-ling), an engineer at Thiokol, knew what the rest of the world did not: that the rubber O-rings designed to seal the joints between the booster rockets segments performed poorly in cold weather. A severe cold snap in Florida was about to subject the O-rings to temperatures more than 30 degrees lower than at any previous launch. During the afternoon and evening before the launch, Thiokol engineers, relying on data provided by Mr. Ebeling and his colleagues, argued passionately for a postponement of the launch in conference calls with NASA managers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. They were overruled not only by NASA, but also by their own managers. On the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, sitting in a conference room with his daughter and Roger Boisjoly, Thiokols chief seal expert, Mr. Ebeling watched on a large projection screen as the Challenger cleared the launching pad. I turned to Bob and said, Weve just dodged a bullet, Mr. Boisjoly told The Guardian in 2001. As posted, the photographs do not have captions, but they give hints of how the protesters lived while occupying the refuge, and what they were doing as the standoff ended. Initially the occupiers assured the authorities that they were taking good care of the refuge, but as time went on, they said the quick departure of some protesters had undermined the upkeep. Senator Ted Cruz may have urged Donald J. Trump to leave his wife, Heidi, the hell alone, but there is one group that is quietly hoping Mr. Trumps attacks on his rivals spouse and other women will continue indefinitely: Democrats. As Hillary Clinton turns her attention to a general election campaign, Mr. Trumps nasty skirmish with Mr. Cruz, including his warning to spill the beans about Mrs. Cruz, without offering specifics, and his reposting of a message that mocked her looks, have played into a crucial Democratic strategy to defeat Mr. Trump in November: to portray him as an unabashed sexist. Mrs. Clintons allies hope to sway suburban and independent women, who will play an outsize role in deciding the fall election, to support her candidacy by pushing this theme. These Democrats say the matchup would be historic: one pitting the first female nominee of a major political party against a rival who has repeatedly dismissed and disparaged women and their looks. I want Donald Trump to talk every single day for the rest of this election, said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. He just needs to keep spewing what he has been spewing. Santiago Erevia, a Vietnam War veteran and retired mail carrier who had been denied the nations highest military honor for 45 years because he was Hispanic, died on Tuesday in San Antonio. He was 69. The cause was a heart attack, said his wife, Leticia Lopez Erevia. Mr. Erevia, who single-handedly wiped out four enemy bunkers while his comrades lay wounded, said years later that after his heroics had been made known a fellow soldier was asked to draft a citation for the Medal of Honor, the highest military award. Instead he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nations second-highest award for valor. Mr. Erevia long believed that he had been denied the Medal of Honor because he had survived the firefight. (In fact, recipients are frequently still alive when given the award.) But a 12-year Pentagon investigation, mandated by Congress, of discrimination in the awarding of the Medal of Honor came to a different conclusion: that the heroism of Mr. Erevia and 23 other Army veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars most of them Hispanic had been undervalued because of their race, religion or ethnicity and thus denied the medal unjustly. It was hailed as a victory for the persistence of justice. Some five and a half decades after a 7-year-old girl was kidnapped, strangled and stabbed in rural northern Illinois, Jack McCullough, a military veteran and former police officer, was convicted of the killing in 2012 in what was believed to be one of the oldest American cold cases to result in an arrest. But now, the local prosecutor says that his office locked up the wrong man. Richard Schmack, the states attorney for DeKalb County, Ill., about 60 miles west of Chicago, said on Friday that a review of evidence not presented at the trial has convinced him that Mr. McCullough, 76, could not have committed the crime. As such, Mr. Schmack, who was elected to his post after Mr. McCulloughs conviction, said he would not contest the defendants motion to have his conviction overturned at a hearing in county court on Tuesday. Pending a judges review, Mr. McCullough could be released from prison. All the evidence I found pointed toward him being innocent, Mr. Schmack said in an interview on Friday. Mr. Schmacks decision represented a remarkable turn in a case that shocked small-town Sycamore, and drew special attention from J. Edgar Hoover, then the director of the F.B.I., and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The killing of the girl, Maria Ridulph, on Dec. 3, 1957, and the eventual conviction of Mr. McCullough inspired a book and a documentary. Marias brother, Charles Ridulph, said he was not surprised by Mr. Schmacks decision because the prosecutor had been giving him regular updates during the investigation, and he seemed to be headed in that direction. But Mr. Ridulph, 70, said he was upset by the decision. DHAKA, Bangladesh It came as a surprise to Serajul Islam Choudhury, a retired English professor, to learn that his petition to drop Islam as Bangladeshs state religion would finally be heard in court on Sunday. For one thing, he filed the petition 28 years ago. Of the 15 friends who had signed, 10 were dead. Back in 1988, old-school secular elites like Mr. Choudhury and his friends warned that naming Islam the state religion would set the country on a slide toward fundamentalism. But the countrys military leadership, eager for the populist boost it got from passing a constitutional amendment that year to make Islams status official, shrugged off their worries. The petition went nowhere. This month, Bangladeshs Supreme Court announced that the petition would at last be heard. That decision came at a delicate time: The leadership of the governing party, the Awami League, has committed to defending secular values, and anxiety prompted by a series of extremist attacks has been rising. The petition has served as a test of public sentiment in Bangladesh, where passionate splits over the role of Islam date to the 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. Officials acknowledged nervousness as the court date approached. After prayers on Friday, Islamic groups held protests calling for the hearing to be canceled. BRUSSELS As a dragnet aimed at Islamic State operatives spiraled across Brussels and into at least five European countries on Friday, the authorities were also focusing on a narrower but increasingly alarming threat: the vulnerability of Belgiums nuclear installations. The investigation into this weeks deadly attacks in Brussels has prompted worries that the Islamic State is seeking to attack, infiltrate or sabotage nuclear installations or obtain nuclear or radioactive material. This is especially worrying in a country with a history of security lapses at its nuclear facilities, a weak intelligence apparatus and a deeply rooted terrorist network. On Friday, the authorities stripped security badges from several workers at one of two plants where all nonessential employees had been sent home hours after the attacks at the Brussels airport and one of the citys busiest subway stations three days earlier. Video footage of a top official at another Belgian nuclear facility was discovered last year in the apartment of a suspected militant linked to the extremists who unleashed the horror in Paris in November. Asked on Thursday at a London think tank whether there was a danger of the Islamic States obtaining a nuclear weapon, the British defense secretary, Michael Fallon, said that was a new and emerging threat. After almost a year, Jennifer Scintu-Waetzmann and her husband were overdue for a honeymoon. The marriage was recent enough that they still had photos from the wedding as their Facebook profile pictures. Ms. Scintu-Waetzmann, 29, crouched in her dress in her photo. Her husband, Lars Waetzmann, 30, posted a photo holding his brides hand. Love of my life, she wrote in a Facebook photo of the couple kissing next to a lake. The newlyweds from Aachen, Germany, had decided to spend their first anniversary in New York City. Germanys top security official, Thomas de Maiziere, said Friday that a woman from Aachen was among those killed in Tuesdays attacks. My thoughts are with the young womans relatives, as well as the relatives of the many who were injured or killed on March 22, he said. I dont know any commercial vertical farms that are not in expansion mode, Mr. Despommier said. Vertical Harvest stands out for its relatively small size. The two largest vertical farms in the United States are Green Sense Farms, a 30,000-square-foot hydroponic operation in Portage, Ind., and AeroFarms, an aeroponic greenhouse in Newark whose footprint is a whopping 69,000 square feet. In aeroponic farming, the plants roots are exposed to the air, instead of water, as they are in hydroponic farming. Mr. Despommier said that demand for produce cultivated in vertical farms was also growing because of the desires to create self-sufficient food sources without relying on imports and to ensure food safety. The market is so strong that the vegetables practically sell themselves, he said. If you dont make money, its because you dont know how to add, he said. But initially, Vertical Harvest wasnt an easy sell to some Jackson residents. When Ms. Yehia and Ms. McBride first pitched their idea to the town, which owns the land and the building that Vertical Harvest occupies, they were competing against other proposals. These included a dog park and affordable housing units. We had to prove it was a feasible idea that would have enough community impact for the town to essentially lease us the land for free, said Ms. Yehia, the companys chief executive. (Vertical Harvest pays $100 a month in rent.) Once their proposal beat the others, the women were required to make their business plan public. And when they needed approvals along the way for things like the lease agreement, they had to make presentations at Town Council meetings. At every step of the process we checked in with the town, Ms. Yehia said. At first Ms. Yehia and Ms. McBride planned to fund the project exclusively with grant money. But their costs kept rising because of unforeseen complications connected to the vertical nature of the greenhouse. They realized they would need to hire a structural engineer, for one thing. When Ottessa Moshfegh published her debut novel, Eileen, last August, she did so without an online publicity apparatus. Vanity Fair noted that Ms. Moshfegh, 34, was an anomaly because she had neither social media profiles nor a website. There wasnt much personal information floating around about her, either. Ms. Moshfegh had made herself (apart from her work) somewhat un-Googleable. As distress and distaste swirl around issues of privacy, exhibitionism and other occupational hazards of social media, a select few holdouts of the tech-savvy age are following Ms. Moshfeghs example. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015, 90 percent of American adults ages 18 to 29 used a social networking site; more than three-quarters of those 30 to 49 did. (The percentages for those who have online access were, expectedly, slightly higher.) This leaves a stubbornly resistant minority that isnt focusing its energies on just one or two social media accounts, as is customary for people who find the whole enterprise overwhelming or irrelevant. They are eschewing it completely: sharing zero voluntary personal information on the web. For instance, the character strength of self-control is assessed by questions about whether students came to class prepared and allowed others to speak without interrupting; gratitude, by items like did something nice for someone else as a way of saying thank you. The frequency of these observed behaviors is estimated using a seven-point scale from almost never to almost always. Most students and parents said this feedback was useful. But it was still falling short. Getting feedback is one thing, and listening to it is another. To encourage self-reflection, we asked students to rate themselves. Thinking youre almost always paying attention but seeing that your teachers say this happens only sometimes was often the wake-up call students needed. This model still has many shortcomings. Some teachers say students would benefit from more frequent feedback. Others have suggested that scores should be replaced by written narratives. Most important, weve discovered that feedback is insufficient. If a student struggles with demonstrating respect for the feelings of others, for example, raising awareness of this problem isnt enough. That student needs strategies for what to do differently. His teachers and parents also need guidance in how to help him. Scientists and educators are working together to discover more effective ways of cultivating character. For example, research has shown that we can teach children the self-control strategy of setting goals and making plans, with measurable benefits for academic achievement. Its also possible to help children manage their emotions and to develop a growth mind-set about learning (that is, believing that their abilities are malleable rather than fixed). This is exciting progress. A 2011 meta-analysis of more than 200 school-based programs found that teaching social and emotional skills can improve behavior and raise academic achievement, strong evidence that school is an important arena for the development of character. But were nowhere near ready and perhaps never will be to use feedback on character as a metric for judging the effectiveness of teachers and schools. We shouldnt be rewarding or punishing schools for how students perform on these measures. TAKE a glance at who wrote this article and youll understand the problem. Whos who? Two people with the same name can get mixed up in both senses. Throw in the Internet, which can make geography irrelevant, and the possibility for confusion rivals that of a Shakespeare comedy, without the happy ending. Just ask us. For more than two decades, Scott Shane the business-school professor and Scott Shane the journalist have been mistaken for each other by co-authors, collection agencies, Google, a journalism school, public relations firms, an ex-congressman, a book distributor and, yes, this newspaper. Being Internet doppelgangers has never been more than a persistent nuisance. But it reflects an era in which a person is not just flesh and blood but also an electronic composite, patched together from words, numbers and images, accessible at a click. The professor is clean-shaven. The journalist has a beard. In a small town, in real life, that might keep us pretty well sorted out. Out on the web, it has meant only that our photos, too, have been jumbled. Arriving to give a talk recently, the journalist was asked by his host when he grew the beard. Sure enough, there on the poster advertising his talk on drone strikes was the portrait of the expert on entrepreneurship. The professor, meanwhile, has distant relatives who ask him how he has time to write for The Times. In the early days of the Internet, when we were both living in Maryland, one of us was sshane@erols.com, the other sshane@starpower.net, which was fine until both Internet providers were folded into the RCN Corporation. Then we randomly started getting each others email. Most of the time it didnt matter. Occasionally it did, like when the journalist received a book chapter written by the professor with an urgent note from the editor to return it with any changes by the next day. Patients and doctors discuss the management of drugs that can be helpful or harmful. To the Editor: Re A Strong Response to the Opioid Scourge (editorial, March 17): There are longtime users of low-dose opioids, like me, who never require an increase in dose and who find that this medication provides quality of life. How? By addressing chronic pain, sleep disorders and associated depression. The alternatives proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, like aspirin and ibuprofen, can cause long-term damage to body organs and short-term stomach pain. For many of us, spare use of a low-dose opioid is the very best alternative. Unfortunately, voices like mine are not heard often. Why? Because the media climate right now is so fiercely anti-opioid that those who rely on this drug can feel hesitant to speak out. More reporting should be done on the lives saved and enhanced by opioids, in addition to the terrible consequences of addiction. Policy should reflect a more complete picture of this important medication. KATHERINE CAMERON Alameda, Calif. The writer is a social worker. To the Editor: Re New Standards for Painkillers Aim to Stem Overdose Deaths (front page, March 16): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been doing a commendable job monitoring and controlling the prescription opioid drug overdose epidemic. But other federal government agencies can and should do more to address this public health crisis. Does your back hurt? Do you have diabetes? Are you taking birth control pills? You and your doctor know the answers to these questions, and now others may too: businesses that are contracting with employers to collect and analyze employee health data. But federal privacy law does not provide safeguards for how this information is used. A Wall Street Journal report last month looked at a company called Castlight Health, which analyzes employees health care claims and demographic data to make predictions about their health care needs for instance, women who have stopped filling their birth control prescriptions might become pregnant. It then gives employees advice intended to help them get the most out of their health care benefits (if a woman stops purchasing birth control, it might send her an alert about the benefits of a preconception visit to an obstetrician). It also gives employers aggregate data on their workers, like the number of employees it predicts will become pregnant soon. Such data, employers believe, can help reduce costs by allowing them to tailor health insurance plans to fit employee demands. Castlight, which gets information from insurers as well as from employee searches on its online platform, says it uses strict standards to make sure that employers cant use the data to identify specific employees. But no federal law requires such safeguards. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act includes some privacy protections for patients, but it applies primarily to health care providers, not companies like Castlight. Farhad: Boy, what a twist this was. Everyone was set for the legal battle of the century and then, at the last minute, it fizzled. I dont think the F.B.I. would fib, of course, but its hard not to be a bit suspicious of the last-minute turnabout. Apples lawyers had been arguing that this case could set a precedent that would pave the way for future intrusions into our phones. Perhaps the F.B.I. got worried about that at the last minute, too like, wait, if we lose this, it might haunt us forever. Mike: Or maybe they actually found a third party to do it when all of this went public? Its all so cloak and dagger, except far more nerdy. So while I do want to talk about Apple, this time it wont be in relation to the F.B.I. Lets chat about the iPhone SE, the newest device to come out of Apple. Is it revolutionary? Is it spectacular? Is it any one of the umpteen superlatives that the Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller uses to describe the companys newest products? Nah, not really. The big reveal here is that its small and cheap. Heres my stance: It may not be curing diseases or wowing audiences with crazy new technology like 3-D Touch or whatever. But above all other things, small and cheap are basically two out of the top three things Ive wanted from an iPhone, aside from better battery life, over the last few years. If I can buy a new iPhone, without a cellular contract, for half the cost of every other new generation of iPhone, thats a big enough deal for me. But theyre not typical Republican primary voters, either they may not even consider themselves Republicans. Mr. Trump fares best among people who identify as Republicans but nonetheless remain registered Democrats or have a history of voting in Democratic primaries a legacy of their previous political allegiances according to data from Civis Analytics, a Democratic firm. One result is that Mr. Trumps strength mirrors that of the Democrats in the middle part of the last century. It may seem odd to see Massachusetts paired with Mississippi as the top two states for Mr. Trump, but its something the Democrats pulled off quite regularly from 1928 until the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Take Massachusetts, where Catholics made up a majority of the Republican electorate and provided Mr. Trump with a big primary victory. He drew 53 percent of Catholics in the Massachusetts G.O.P. primary, while Mr. Kasich and Mr. Rubio combined for just 35 percent. The story was the opposite among mainline Protestants the traditional Republicans who supported Mr. Kasich and Mr. Rubio over Mr. Trump. Theres more to Mr. Trumps advantage in the blue states than the new Republicans. His main opponent, Ted Cruz, fares best among voters of the religious right who identify in polls as very conservative, which makes him a bad fit for the more moderate blue states. But Mr. Trumps weak opposition is in part a product of his own strength in the blue states. It helped block the emergence of a mainstream candidate, like Jeb Bush, leaving conservative states to elevate Mr. Cruz, a candidate with little appeal to the blue states, as Mr. Trumps principal rival. The less religious Republican voters in the Northeast might be a factor in Mr. Trumps strength as well. Mr. Trump does worst in areas with high church attendance, like Western Michigan or Utah. When he draws voters who are both working class and less religious as in Massachusetts he can really run up the score. Another important factor is race. So far, there has been a strong relationship between Mr. Trumps share of the vote by state and measures of racial animosity or bias. While no one suggests that all of Mr. Trumps supporters are racist, surveys show that they are particularly likely to express explicit racial prejudice. And the Northeastern states often sit alongside the South at the top of these indicators, despite the Northeasts reputation as a bastion of liberalism. While the water crisis in Flint, Mich., has focused attention on water safety, many of the countrys 13,500 public school districts take the purity of their water for granted, experts say. Yet lead contamination has been found in schools nationwide. Michael Wines, Patrick McGeehan and John Schwartz, who have been writing about water safety for The New York Times, recently discussed some of what they have found in their reporting. Here is an excerpt from their conversation: JOHN SCHWARTZ: One of the frustrating things about federal regulations on water safety is that they apply only to exactly what they apply to that is, they extend only as far as their enabling legislation allows. In the case of regulating drinking water, the regulations generally apply to suppliers of water, like your town water plant. When Congress tried to stretch the rules to apply them to schools through the Lead Contamination Control Act, the federal courts said the federal government could not order the states around that way. Congress has not done anything on the issue since then, so compliance with the Lead Contamination Control Act is voluntary. And so its not surprising that things slip through the cracks. PATRICK MCGEEHAN: Still, John, many people seem taken aback to learn that there is no mandatory testing of water in schools. They may have had a false sense of security because they receive regular reports on the results of water testing in their towns. But those results may not include any schools. Momentum is building for change, though. In New Jersey, legislators are already calling for a law to make sure the water in schools gets tested for lead. SCHWARTZ: It really is hard to assign responsibility or blame for the problem. Is it the federal E.P.A., state or city regulators, or school district officials? I might just go a little weaselly here and say all of the above. Theres no part of the system that hasnt failed our kids when it comes to lead even though the laws have done a tremendous amount to remove lead from our environment from gasoline, from paint, from plumbing fixtures. Whats left can be chalked up to a failure of will at every level, with occasional crises that can place the blame more on one link in the chain than another. The fact that Ms. Reynolds was able to fly so soon after her mad dash through the airport did not particularly surprise Jeff Price, an aviation expert, who said the system is designed to catch terrorists, not criminals. The involvement of the crew member badge might cause the T.S.A. to look at this program a little more closely, to see if this is going to be a problem from a terrorist perspective, Mr. Price said. Mr. McClain said the case came amid long-held fears about the threat of a terrorist gaining special access to airports and planes using the crew member program or about people who become radicalized after obtaining such access. The T.S.A. has said that full screening of all employees would cost too much. Instead, the agency has urged airports to increase random screenings of workers and to keep background checks up to date. No bulletin for Ms. Reynoldss arrest was immediately issued. The T.S.A. would not have flagged her name because she did not pose a terrorist threat, according to an airport security official with knowledge of the investigation. The Drug Enforcement Administration did not learn about the drugs until at least five hours after Ms. Reynolds fled and did not know her name until well after she had boarded a flight to her home in New York, according to a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. A T.S.A. spokesman, Mike England, said in a statement that the agency immediately notified and began working with local law enforcement to identify the individual. The plan has hit a nerve in Chicago, where in 1836 it was mandated that the lakefront be public ground to remain forever open, clear and free. We think its ridiculous that the city of Chicago would essentially give away such an amazing public asset, said Juanita Irizarry, the executive director of Friends of the Parks. Our lakefront is our jewel. Many folks really appreciate that and value that. In the tradition of powerful Chicago mayors, Mr. Emanuel has already shepherded the project through the City Council. The Chicago Park District and the city Plan Commission have all approved plans for the museum, and construction was scheduled to begin this spring. But in February, Judge John W. Darrah of United States District Court refused to dismiss a 2014 lawsuit filed by Friends of the Park against Chicago to block the project. The suit argues that leasing the land to the museum is illegal. For Mr. Lucas, creator of the original Star Wars series, the battle is a bit of a sequel. In 2014, he pulled back from building his museum in San Francisco amid another furious community battle and after local officials rejected a proposal to construct the building on a prime piece of bayside land in the Presidio. Once San Francisco encouraged the project to go elsewhere, Mr. Lucas and his wife, the businesswoman Mellody Hobson, moved to bring the museum to her hometown. Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, said that if elected, he might halt purchases of oil from Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies unless they commit ground troops to the fight against the Islamic State or substantially reimburse the United States for combating the militant group, which threatens their stability. If Saudi Arabia was without the cloak of American protection, Mr. Trump said during a 100-minute interview on foreign policy, spread over two phone calls on Friday, I dont think it would be around. He also said he would be open to allowing Japan and South Korea to build their own nuclear arsenals rather than depend on the American nuclear umbrella for their protection against North Korea and China. If the United States keeps on its path, its current path of weakness, theyre going to want to have that anyway, with or without me discussing it, Mr. Trump said. And he said he would be willing to withdraw United States forces from both Japan and South Korea if they did not substantially increase their contributions to the costs of housing and feeding those troops. Not happily, but the answer is yes, he said. TRUMP: Well you see, I dont know that, you know, when I talk about unpredictability, Im not sure that we should be talking about me On the assumption that Im doing well, which I am, and that I may be in that position, Im not sure that I would want to be talking about that. You understand what I mean by that, David. Were so open, were so, Oh I wouldnt do this, I wouldnt do that, I would do this, I would do that. And its not so much with Merkel, but its certainly with other countries. You know, that really, where theres, where theres a different kind of relationship, and a much worse relationship than with Germany. So, you know theres so, theres such predictability with our country. We go and we send 50 soldiers over to the Middle East and President Obama gets up and announces that were sending 50 soldiers to the Middle East. Fifty very special soldiers. And they now have a target on their back, and everything we do, we announce, instead of winning, and announcing when its all over. Theres such, total predictability of this country, and its one of the reasons we do so poorly. You know, Id rather not say that. I would like to see what theyre doing. Because you know, many countries, I cant say Germany, but many countries are spying on us. I think that was a great disservice done by Edward Snowden. That I can tell you. How to Defeat ISIS HABERMAN: Mr. Trump, you have talked about your plans to defeat ISIS, and how you would approach it. Would you be willing to stop buying oil from the Saudis if theyre unwilling to go in and help? SANGER: On the ground? TRUMP: Oh yeah, sure. I would do that. The beautiful thing about oil is that, you know, were really getting close, because of fracking, and because of new technology, were really in a position that we werent in, you know, years ago, and the reason were in the Middle East is for oil. And all of a sudden were finding out that theres less reason to be. Now, now, were in the Middle East for really defense, because we cant allow them, I mean, look, I was against the war in Iraq. I thought it would destabilize the Middle East, and it has destabilized it, its totally destabilized the Middle East. The way Obama got out of the war was, you know, disgraceful, and idiotic. When he announced the date certain, they pulled back, and they said, Oh, well. As much as they dont mind dying, they do mind dying. And they pulled back, and then, you know, its a, it was a terrible thing the way he announced that, and then he didnt leave troops behind so that, you know, whatever there was of Iraq, which in my opinion wasnt very much, because I think that, you know, the government was totally corrupt, and they put the wrong people in charge, and you know, that in its own way led to the formation of ISIS, because they werent given their due. But, I think that President Obama, the way he got out of that war was unbelievable. I think Hillary Clinton was catastrophic in those decisions, having to do with Libya and just about everything else. Every bad decision that you could make in the Middle East was made. And now if you look at it, if you would go back 15 years ago, and Im not saying it was only Obama, It was Obamas getting out, it was other peoples getting in, but you go back 15 years ago, and I say this, if our presidents would have just gone to the beach and enjoyed the ocean and the sun, we wouldve been much better off in the Middle East, than all of this tremendous death, destruction, and you know, monetary loss, its just incredible. Cause were further, were far worse off today than we were 15 years ago or 10 years ago in the Middle East. Far worse. SANGER: But I just want to make sure I understand your answer to Maggies question. So you said earlier this week that we should use air power but not send in ground forces. That had to be done by the regional Arab partners. We assume by that, you mean the Saudis, the U.A.E. and others from whom we might purchase oil or have alliances. I think Maggies question, if I understood it right, was if these countries are unwilling to send in ground troops against ISIS, and so far they have been, despite President Obamas efforts to get them in, would you be willing to say, We will stop buying oil from you, until you send ground troops? TRUMP: Theres two answers to that. The answer is, probably yes, but I would also say this: We are not being reimbursed for our protection of many of the countries that youll be talking about, that, including Saudi Arabia. You know, Saudi Arabia, for a period of time, now the oil has gone down, but still the numbers are phenomenal, and the amount of money they have is phenomenal. But we protect countries, and take tremendous monetary hits on protecting countries. That would include Saudi Arabia, but it would include many other countries, as you know. We have, theres a whole big list of them. We lose, everywhere. We lose monetarily, everywhere. And yet, without us, Saudi Arabia wouldnt exist for very long. It would be, you know, a catastrophic failure without our protection. And Im trying to figure out, why is it that we arent going in and saying, at a minimum, at a minimum its a two-part question, with respect to Maggies question. But why arent we going in and saying, At a minimum, Im sorry folks, but you have to, under no circumstances can we continue to do this. You know, we needed, we needed oil desperately years ago. Today, because again, because of the new technologies, and because of places that we never thought had oil, and they do have oil, and theres a glut on the market, theres a tremendous glut on the market, I mean you have ships out at sea that are loaded up and they dont even know where to go dump it. But we dont have that same pressure anymore, at all. And we shouldnt have that for a long period of time, because theres so many places. I mean, theyre closing wells all over the place. So, I would say this, I would say at a minimum, we have to be reimbursed, substantially reimbursed, I mean, to a point thats far greater than what were being paid right now. Because were not being reimbursed for the kind of tremendous service that were performing by protecting various countries. Now Saudi Arabias one of them. I think if Saudi Arabia was without the cloak of American protection of our countrys, of U.S. protection, think of Saudi Arabia. I dont think it would be around. It would be, whether it was internal or external, it wouldnt be around for very long. And theyre a money machine, theyre a monetary machine, and yet they dont reimburse us the way we should be reimbursed. So thats a real problem. And frankly, I think its a real, in terms of bringing our country back, because our countrys a poor country. Our country is a debtor nation, were a debtor nation. I mean, we owe trillions of dollars to people that are buying our bonds, in the form of other countries. You look at China, where we owe them $1.7 trillion, you have Japan, $1.5 trillion. Were a debtor nation. We cant be a debtor nation. I dont want to be a debtor nation. I want it to be the other way. One of the reasons were a debtor nation, we spend so much on the military, but the military isnt for us. The military is to be policeman for other countries. And to watch over other countries. And there comes a point that, and many of these countries are tremendously rich countries. Not powerful countries, but in some cases they are powerful but rich countries. SANGER: One more along the lines of your ISIS strategy. Youve seen the current strategy, which is, youve seen Secretary Kerry trying to seek a political accord between President Assad and the rebel forces, with Assad eventually leaving. And then the hope is to turn all those forces, including Russia and Iran, against ISIS. Is that the right way to do it? Do you have an alternative approach? Senator Bernie Sanders routed Hillary Clinton in all three Democratic presidential contests on Saturday, infusing his underdog campaign with critical momentum and bolstering his argument that the race for the nomination is not a foregone conclusion. Mr. Sanders found a welcome tableau in the largely white and liberal electorates of the Pacific Northwest, where just days after resoundingly beating Mrs. Clinton in Idaho he repeated the feat in the Washington caucuses, winning 73 percent of the vote. He did even better in Alaska, winning 82 percent of the vote, and in Hawaii, he had 71 percent with a few precincts still be counted, according to The Associated Press. Washington, the largest prize Saturday with 101 delegates in play, was a vital state for Mr. Sanders, whose prospects of capturing the nomination dimmed after double-digit losses to Mrs. Clinton across the South and weak showings in delegate-rich Ohio, Florida and North Carolina this month. As of Saturday evening, Mrs. Clinton had roughly 280 more pledged delegates, who are awarded based on voting, and 440 more superdelegates party leaders and elected officials than Mr. Sanders. Theres a basic reason not to vote for Gov. John Kasich, the ad proclaims: math. Through chalkboard arithmetic and some condescending narration, a new ad from the Club for Growth political action committee adds an anti-Kasich message to its anti-Trump campaign, accusing Mr. Kasich of splitting the opposition to Donald J. Trump. Message One of wonky delegate math, told with some schoolroom animation. Using numbers and a bar graph on a chalkboard, the ad depicts the current delegate totals for each candidate. The narrator proclaims a vote for Kasich actually helps Trump, and then stacks Mr. Kasichs bar on top of Senator Ted Cruzs, with their combined delegates appearing larger than Mr. Trumps (the math, however, is still in Mr. Trumps favor, 739 delegates to the 608 of Mr. Cruz and Mr. Kasich combined.) Shifty bar graphs aside, the ads message is simple, as the narrator closes: Its time to put differences aside. To stop Trump, vote for Cruz. LOS ANGELES When the University of Californias Board of Regents unanimously adopted a statement condemning anti-Semitism on its campuses, it became the first public university system to do so since the push for economic boycotts of Israel emerged on campuses across the nation. But the measure an attempt to combat hostility toward Jewish students amid this growing opposition to Israel softened a proposed flat-out condemnation of anti-Zionism, or opposition to the creation of a Jewish state. And it seems unlikely to quell battles that have rocked campuses here and across the nation. Even as the measure was unanimously approved by the universitys governing body on Thursday, objections were raised from across the political spectrum. Pro-Palestinian groups complained that it was designed to stifle opposition to Israeli policies. Academics worried that it would impinge on free speech. And Jewish organizations, while praising the measure as an important first step, said it did not go far enough in addressing hostility they said Jews have faced on University of California campuses. In the end, the Board of Regents dropped from the final resolution a direct condemnation of anti-Zionism, language that had prompted an explosive debate about free speech in one of the countrys most vaunted public university systems. Instead, the final language simply read: Anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic forms of anti-Zionism and other forms of discrimination have no place at the University of California. No penalties were outlined for those who violate the policy. Still, Dima Khalidi, the director of Palestine Legal, an advocacy group based in Oakland, said that pro-Israeli groups had succeeded in convincing the regents that Palestine advocacy is inherently anti-Semitic, and should be condemned. She said the regents action was even more troubling, given the intense scrutiny that Muslims are facing in the current climate. BRUSSELS Andre Adam, then Belgiums ambassador to the United Nations, displayed some of what his family called characteristic good cheer at a Belgian festival in New York in 2000. The real ambassador, Mr. Adam told a reporter, is the beer. Mr. Adams post to the United Nations was his last before retiring from a long career as a diplomat, including a posting as ambassador to the United States in the 1990s. Born in Brussels in 1936, Mr. Adam began his foreign service career in Cuba in the 1960s. It was in that role that he met his wife, Danielle, according to a statement posted on Facebook by his family. Mr. Adam, 79, was on his way to the United States on Tuesday when he was killed in the terrorist attack at Brussels Airport. 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING: This week, our hearts are with the people of Belgium, as terrorist attacks claimed the lives of more than thirty people. Yesterday, we learned that at least two Americans were killed. We pray for their families and loved ones. At least fourteen Americans were injured. And we pray for their full recovery - along with everyone else affected by these attacks. Earlier this week, I called the Prime Minister of Belgium and offered him our full array of support in bringing to justice any terrorists involved in planning or aiding this unconscionable attack on innocent men, women, and children. Belgium is a close friend and ally of the United States. And when it comes to our friends, America has their back. Especially as we fight the scourge of terrorism. More broadly, were going to continue to root out and defeat ISIL. Weve been taking out ISIL leadership, and this week, we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield - permanently. A relentless air campaign - and support for forces in Iraq and Syria who are fighting ISIL on the ground - has allowed us to take approximately forty percent of the populated territory that ISIL once held in Iraq. Were supporting Iraqi Security Forces who are beginning to put pressure on the ISIL stronghold of Mosul. And we will not stop until ISILs safe-havens are destroyed. Were also working to disrupt plots against the United States and against our friends and allies. A team of FBI agents is on the ground in Belgium supporting the investigation. Weve ramped up our intelligence cooperation so that we can root out ISILs operations. And we constantly review our homeland security posture to remain vigilant against any efforts to target the United States. ISIL poses a threat to the entire civilized world. Thats why weve been leading a truly global coalition that will be vital to our success. Secretary Kerry is leading an international effort to bring the Syrian civil war to an end, a critical piece of restoring stability to that war-torn part of the world. And next week, dozens of world leaders will come here to Washington for a summit focused on nuclear security. Well use that opportunity to also review our joint efforts against ISIL, and to make sure the world remains united in this effort to protect our people. As we move forward in this fight, we have to wield another weapon alongside our airstrikes, our military, our counterterrorism work, and our diplomacy. And thats the power of our example. Our openness to refugees fleeing ISILs violence. Our determination to win the battle against ISILs hateful and violent propaganda - a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalize young Muslims to their cause. In that effort, our most important partners are American Muslims. Thats why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life. Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values, and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. Its also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause. I am a father. And just like any other parent, the awful images from Brussels draw my thoughts to my own childrens safety. Thats also why you should be confident that defeating ISIL remains our top military, intelligence, and national security priority. We will succeed. The terrorists will fail. They want us to abandon our values and our way of life. We will not. They want us to give in to their vision of the future. We will defeat them with ours. Because we know that the future belongs not to those who seek only to destroy - but to those who have the courage to build. Patricia Rizzo, a dual citizen of Belgium and Italy, embodied the cosmopolitan spirit of thousands of Brussels-based residents from across the European Unions 28 member states, who effortlessly navigate language and borders. Ms. Rizzo, 48, who died in Tuesdays attacks on Maelbeek subway station, was the daughter of an Italian family from Calascibetta, near Enna, Sicily. She was born in Belgium, graduated from a university in Brussels and felt equally at home there and in Italy, where she sometimes vacationed, most recently in her familys tiny village. Cheerful and possessed of an independent streak, she moved back and forth between Italy and Brussels, working in the human resources department of a European training foundation in Turin, Italy; as an assistant to the director of the European Food and Safety Authority in Parma; and, most recently, for the European Research Council in Brussels. After a few days of excruciating waiting and angst, our worst fears have been confirmed, the research council told The Associated Press in a statement. MOSCOW An error by a crew member committed during adverse weather conditions may have been responsible for the crash of a passenger jet last week in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don that killed 62 people, a report broadcast by Russian state television said. The Rossiya-1 television channel said late Friday that it had obtained a transcript of the pilot interactions a minute before the FlyDubai passenger jet nose-dived to the ground, killing all the passengers and crew members onboard. A source in the investigative commission with access to flight recorders provided the channel with the transcript. The channel emphasized that its interpretation of the transcript could not be considered the official version of what had happened. Flying from Dubai, the plane was not able to land on its first attempt because of heavy rain and wind, and it entered a holding pattern for two hours. On the second landing attempt, the crew decided to pull up and try again, but 40 seconds after beginning the ascent, one of the pilots switched off the autopilot, possibly in response to sudden turbulence, the report said. Seconds after the autopilot was turned off, the plane plunged to the ground. BEIJING Deng Jingquan, also known as Frank Deng, was a young Chinese entrepreneur and frequent traveler who, just a couple of years after finishing his studies, founded his own technology company. After studying international trade at a college in eastern China, Mr. Deng, 24, embarked on a business career that took him to Indonesia for nearly two years before he founded an Internet start-up in Shenzhen in 2014, according to his profile on LinkedIn. He was headed for Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Tuesday when he was killed in the terrorist attack at Brussels Airport. The Chinese Embassy announced his death without providing further information. The government of Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city where Mr. Deng lived, said that family members and colleagues were traveling to Brussels, according to the China News Service. News reports about Mr. Deng did not provide details about his family or where he was born. Mr. Rodrigues, the buildings owner, said he saw Mr. Laachraoui visit the building two or three times a week. Bought last year by Mr. Rodrigues, who promptly evicted the previous residents and began renovating the run-down property, it was mostly empty except for builders, meaning that young men arriving with barrels of chemicals were unlikely to arouse much suspicion. Mr. Rodrigues said that Ibrahim and Khalid el-Bakraoui were his first tenants, and that they had provided him with fake identity papers and bogus pay slips to obtain a one-year lease. Three others, including a man since identified as Mr. Laachraoui, visited regularly. The smell in their apartment was horrendous, the owner said, recalling how he had seen on the floor two large fans similar to ones found on construction sites, and an exhaust fan on the wall. Such fans would be useful in the final stages of preparing TATP, the homemade peroxide-based explosives used in the bombings on Tuesday, and also by the November suicide bombers in Paris. After breaking into the apartment on Tuesday morning, police officers found 30 pounds of TATP enough for another powerful bomb as well as nearly 40 gallons of acetone and eight gallons of hydrogen peroxide, materials used in producing TATP. They also found a suitcase full of nails and metal bolts, used to make bombs more lethal, as well as an Islamic State flag. Mr. Rodrigues said that whenever he visited the apartment, the door to the living room was always shut, while windows throughout the apartment were always open. Mr. Rodrigues said he would smell a very strong chemical odor that he could not quite put a finger on. If it smelled like bleach or drugs, I wouldve recognized it, he said. Mr. Rodrigues said that while he was mystified by the odor, he never reported anything amiss to the police. But at least one resident in the area did, not because of the smell but because of strange comings and goings from the building. Rachid Ghaddih, a longtime local resident who lives around the corner, said nobody in the neighborhood suspected anything related to terrorism but added that the strange goings-on at the building had been brought to the attention of the local agent de quartier, a police officer responsible for keeping a registry of residents and other tasks. The agent de quartier, Philippe Swinnen, declined to be interviewed. Mr. Rodrigues said the officer had stopped by the building at least twice to check whether the names of residents were properly listed, but never entered because the Bakraouis did not list their names. It took him three months to figure out that people were living on the top floor, Mr. Rodrigues said, adding: But it was too late. Thats how things work in Schaerbeek. For Mr. Haki and the men with whom he was sheltered, the future was thrown into question yet again. We left a dangerous situation, said Mr. Haki, who was transferred from a military camp near a muddy refugee encampment in Idomeni to a cramped apartment in a run-down Athens neighborhood after registering for the program with the United Nations refugee agency. We hope every country will have an open mind. But after Brussels, I dont know. Even before the bombings, Europes welcome was wearing thin. The new European Union accord with Turkey, which authorizes migrant deportations starting April 4, was sealed rapidly last week to dissuade asylum seekers from coming after more than one million reached Europe last year. Aid agencies withdrew some operations in Greece this week to protest the deal, which they say flouts international law. Countries opposing a further migrant influx have also resisted implementing the European Union relocation accord, which is barely functioning. Under the pact struck in September, European countries agreed to take asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to help share the burden. But Austria, Hungary and Slovakia have refused to comply. Others have dragged their feet: France has so far agreed to take just 1,300 migrants out of 19,431 places pledged, while Germany opened 40 spots out of 27,479. Belgium has made 30 places available out of 3,788. All told, fewer than 1,000 refugees have been relocated since the pact took effect. Mr. Haki heard about the relocation plan at the military camp, where the United Nations refugee agency and aid organizations offer information and sign-ups. Once registered, migrants can move into one of around 20,000 rooms in hotels, apartments and host homes funded by the United Nations and run by the Greek aid group Praksis, which provides food vouchers and medical care while the refugees await a decision on their applications. Justin and Stephanie Shults, a couple from the American heartland found adventure in the heart of Europe. After marrying in 2014, the couple, both accountants who met at Vanderbilt University in 2011, found jobs in Brussels. Nearly every weekend they set out across the Continent running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, visiting an ice hotel in Sweden, walking along the canals in Amsterdam, dining in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. In the same Brussels airport they had happily visited many times before, the Shultses were killed on Tuesday, the victims of suicide bombers. Confirmation of their deaths came on Saturday. On Sunday, President Obama contacted the couples families to extend his condolences, a White House official said. WASHINGTON The Obama administration is maintaining that President Bashar Assad shouldnt lead Syria any longer, rejecting a Russian claim that the U.S. has changed its position. Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying Washington now accepts Moscows argument that Assads future shouldnt be open for negotiation right now. But State Department spokesman John Kirby said, Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assads future is false. Kirby said: Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We havent changed our view on that. Assads Russian-backed government and Western-supported rebels recently concluded a round of peace talks and will meet again next month. Secretary of State John Kerry visited President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials this week to plot the next steps. The reason there is so much disruption to the establishment during this presidential election is because no matter how hard they work and how carefully they plan, too many working Americans just cant get ahead. Many of us are just one illness or paycheck away from being buried by debt, or worse, losing the security of our homes. Economic inequality is the issue of this generation. How we respond to these challenges is a matter of great concern and debate. But there is no question that understanding the issue, its implications and its consequences, is key to finding solutions. In Orange County, UC Irvine has taken a leading role in this effort. Recently, labor leaders, the UC Irvines law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and community advocates, such as former state Sen. Joe Dunn, came together and began working to establish the UCI Community and Labor Project. In the time that has followed, the Project has pioneered studies on the conditions of workers in our communities, providing valuable data that allow community groups and government agencies alike to target areas for triage and ultimate change. The Projects inaugural report examined trends in poverty, political disenfranchisement and inequality in Orange County communities. Next, 761 workers in 22 low-wage occupations were interviewed to create a snapshot of local working conditions and illustrate issues of occupational health and safety, wage theft and opportunities for workers countywide. Orange County residents may be surprised to know how frequently workers especially those in low-wage jobs are cheated out of their wages, whether its because they are not paid required overtime or theyre not paid at all. This research is used to inform community groups and students about conditions in Orange County, giving them the tools they need to plan for change. And in collaboration with the law school, the annual community scholars class pairs graduate and law students with community leaders to develop public law projects that can actually address some of these challenges. So it was disturbing to learn that Assemblyman Matt Harper, R-Huntington Beach, is sponsoring legislation, Assembly Bill 2302, to block any state support for this important educational program. There is no question that the health and safety of our communities is a top priority for families across Orange County. And so we invest significant resources in arming law enforcement with the tools and support they need to ensure we feel safe in our homes from violent crime. Yet what threat is greater today than the threat to our economic security? Dont we want our communities to be armed with the information and tools to respond to these challenges? Dont we want our young people to be exposed through the educational system to various ideas about how to address these issues? Unfortunately, Mr. Harpers bill is another example of the misguided ideology that distracts his colleagues in Sacramento from the real issues of our time and sends the wrong message about our values here. Orange County already gets back from Sacramento the lowest property tax revenue of any county in the state, and now Mr. Harper wants to block the possibility of even more funding coming to our universities. Perhaps his efforts would be better spent finding ways to bring more resources to support Orange County families, rather than less. Jennifer Muir is general manager, Orange County Employees Association. RYE BROOK, N.Y. The United States has many colossal dams, hydroelectric power generators like Hoover and Grand Coulee so monumental in scale and purpose that they have been celebrated in song by Woody Guthrie and others. The Bowman Avenue Dam in this low-key suburban village in Westchester County is not one of those. Its opening is about the width of a modest living room, and the 20-foot-tall dam itself essentially keeps a babbling creek, the Blind Brook, from flooding basements and ground floors in houses downstream. Yet, according to the authorities, it was the computer-guided controls of this dam that seven Iranian computer hackers chose to penetrate on behalf of that countrys Revolutionary Guards Corps, as part of a plot that also breached or paralyzed 46 of the nations largest financial institutions and blocked hundreds of thousands of customers from accessing their bank accounts online. The cyberattacks were disclosed in an indictment that U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced Thursday. Its ridiculous how little that dam is, how insignificant in the grand scheme of things, said Paul Rosenberg, the villages mayor. Were not talking about something vital to the infrastructure of the country. The mayor, despite being puzzled by Rye Brooks role in the alleged plot, had several theories about why the villages sluice-gate dam had been singled out. One was that the Iranian hackers had confused the structure with another named Bowman the Arthur R. Bowman Dam on the Crooked River in Oregon, which is 245 feet tall and 800 feet long, and is used to irrigate a large swath of local farms. Rosenberg also speculated that the hackers had gone after the Rye Brook dam in a dry run for a more disruptive invasion of, say, a major hydroelectric generator or some other grand and indispensable element of the nations power grid. Any attempt to remotely manipulate the Bowman Avenue dam would have failed because it was under repair and offline at the time that the authorities say the Iranians were trying to take it over. U.S. investigators were nevertheless disturbed because the attempt indicated that hackers could take control of computer-operated infrastructure. Despite being unsung, the dam which is fewer than 15 miles north of New York Citys borough of the Bronx and is in a thicket of brush and boulders near Interstate 287, a shopping center, a local middle school and hundreds of homes has a history dating to the early 1900s. In those pre-refrigeration days, what is now the Upper Pond was used to produce ice; there was a quarry, since closed, on what is now the Lower Pond. In 1941, according to a 2008 engineering study, the dam collapsed and was rebuilt on the brooks ledge rocks as a reinforced concrete dam with a fixed timber door. While the door kept the waters of the Blind Brook at bay and flowing gently toward Long Island Sound, it did not prevent high water from spilling over the dam during major storms like Hurricane Agnes in June 1972 and Hurricane Eloise in September 1975. Homes, yards and streets were sometimes badly damaged. On April 15, 2007, a once-in-a-century noreaster pummeled the Westchester County seaboard with 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Low-lying portions of towns like Mamaroneck and Rye were particularly hard hit. Indian Village, a Rye neighborhood with more than 200 residents where the streets are named for Indian tribes and 3,000- to 5,500-square-foot homes sell for over $1 million, was severely damaged, Rosenberg said. The 2008 study, by the Charles H. Sells Inc. engineering firm in Briarcliff Manor, showed that Indian Village had filed 113 of the 273 claims for insurance losses in the city of Rye caused by the storm. (The city is a separate municipality from the town of Rye, which includes two villages, Rye Brook and Port Chester.) Officials of Rye Brook and the city of Rye, which owns the dam, decided after conducting flood-mitigation studies to build a sluice gate that could be raised or lowered depending on the volume of water flowing. Costing $2 million and containing an orifice 15 feet wide by 2.5 feet high, the sluice gate began operation in 2013. Its computer program processes a complicated array of data sent by sensors in the brook that measure, among other things, water levels and temperature, and then adjusts flow rates accordingly. It was that computer program, which Rosenberg said was accessible through a cellular modem, that had been penetrated. The indictment identified the key Iranian involved in the breach as Hamid Firoozi, 34, employed by two Iranian companies sponsored by the Revolutionary Guards. Rosenberg said he and other local officials learned of the intrusion in 2013 but were asked not to discuss it. They tried to get into it, Rosenberg said of the hackers, but they did not activate the sluice gate. Still, he said, we have to be cognizant of what infrastructure gets hooked up to the Internet. IRVINE About 400 people turned out Thursday evening for the Irvine Police Departments annual awards banquet at the Irvine Marriott. Officer Mat Aragon was named the Officer of the Year for his work with local students as a DARE officer in 11 Irvine elementary schools. Aragon joined the department in 2009. Last year, he participated in nearly 180 DARE events. Outside of his work with the DARE program, Aragon has also created a curriculum to build trust and communication between first responders and adults with developmental disabilities. Aragons program, created in partnership with Legacy Creekside, an Irvine school that works with adults with developmental disabilities, is now available for others to implement. The Rookie of the Year award went to Officer Jacob Lollar, a patrol officer who joined the department in 2014. Lollar, one of the departments Drug Recognition Experts, made 28 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He has also assisted a team within the department that responds to emerging crime trends in the city, a group he will join full-time in the spring. The Civilian of the Year award went to Kaitlyn Alaimo, who joined the Irvine Police Department in 2011 as a public safety assistant in the Investigations Bureau. Last year, she was promoted to civilian investigator, a role in which she spends most of her time studying information on social media associated with criminal investigations. That year she received the Lawrence J. Stien Detective of the Year Award from the Irvine Police Investigations Bureau, an honor awarded almost exclusively to sworn officers. Her skills in using social media for investigative work has led to requests for training from members of the Irvine Police Department and other police agencies in Southern California. Other awards given out at the banquet include: Lifesaving Awards: Officers Jaclyn Aguirre and John Sanders, for providing medical aid from to a 24-year-old who had undergone surgery and had reopened the wound, causing him to hemorrhage blood and lose consciousness. Officers Jeff McGehee, Ryan Nigg and Eric Stevens, for providing medical aid to a man who had lost consciousness in a car with his mother, and for driving his distraught mother to be with him at the hospital. Meritorious Service Awards: Traffic and Motor Officer Michael Bergstrom Public Safety Assistants Frank Southern and Joe Volpe Public Safety Assistant Steve Torelli Training Officer Dave Wills Unit Commendation: User Support and Public Safety Technology Community Service/Policing Award: Mental Health Team Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com The greatest public works project in Africa will reach a critical stage this year. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, on the Blue Nile, is more than halfway complete. This year, the first diversions of flow of the Blue Nile will begin. Eventually, the Blue Nile will be stopped sufficiently to fill up the reservoir behind the dam. This diversion of water, though small this year, has already become a flashpoint in the politics of Africa. If the diversion issue is handled correctly, however, the dam will propel Ethiopia from the ranks of underdeveloped countries through the kind of rural electrification America experienced in the 1920s. The Nile has two components: the White Nile, which starts in Lake Victoria, bordering Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and the Blue Nile, which starts in Ethiopia, winding from Lake Tana through gorges, descending in altitude until it flows into Sudan. The White Nile meets the Blue Nile in Khartoum, Sudan, from which it proceeds north to the Egyptian border. After entering Egypt, the Nile encounters the Aswan High Dam, creating an expansive reservoir, Lake Nassar. That reservoir permits regulation of the release of water to irrigate farmland alongside the course of the Nile throughout Egypt, ending the annual floods that had overflowed the Niles banks for thousands of years. The dam is the realization of the most profound national aspiration of Ethiopia. It was never an international project. The World Bank refused to fund it, because Egypt insists on no diminution of the water it receives from the Nile; and the U.S., Egypts friend, exercises a veto at the World Bank. So the Ethiopians taxed themselves, solicited loans from more than half of their population voluntarily tithing every year and obtained help from the Chinese. It is now a symbol of Ethiopias move into the ranks of the developed world; national pride is running high as its completion nears. In equal measure, national pride and sensitivity runs high in Egypt. Egypt and Sudan claim 100 percent of the right to the waters of the Nile, based on historic use, and a 1959 treaty co-authored by those countries and Britain, which was purportedly acting on behalf of its soon-to-be former colonies: Uganda, Kenya, and Tanganikya (todays Tanzania). Britain had liberated Ethiopia from Mussolinis Italy in World War II, and stayed in administrative control of major parts of the Ethiopian government for ten years thereafter. Britains disregard for Ethiopias interest in declaring that Ethiopia would be prevented from diverting Nile water reflected those lingering colonial attitudes, much resented in Ethiopia. So, Egypts resistance to the dam is a mirror to Ethiopias enthusiasm for the dam. Egypts position reminds Ethiopians of Britains colonial disdain. Tensions are made even higher by a worrisome rise in religious tension. Egypt, especially under the short-lived rule of Mohamed Morsi, emphasized that 2/3 of Ethiopians are Christian, in contrast with Muslim Egypt. Egypts current leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, overthrew Morsi and banned his Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated political party, but the Christian-Muslim contrast is ever present and available for political exploitation. Traditionally, Sudan has sided with Egypt in regard to anything touching the Nile. The 1959 agreement gave 5/6 of the water to Egypt, 1/6 to Sudan. That was more than Sudan was capable of using at its then level of development. The Ethiopian dam changes Sudans interests in two important respects. First, unlike Aswan, this dam is upstream from Sudan; meaning it can be used to control the flow of water into Sudan that today overflows the banks of the Blue Nile during the flood time; creating a more steady and reliable flow conducive to greater agricultural production in Sudan. Second, the dam will produce more electricity than Ethiopia can use, with Sudan as the likely purchaser of the excess. Sudan is coming around to the Ethiopian side of the dam issue; and this works strongly against any Egyptian effort to revive the Morsi-era language that the dam is a Christian construct to hurt Muslim nations. To avoid an international crisis, Egypt also must be brought around. The key is that the dam is for hydropower, not for irrigation, as its location at the lowest elevation in Ethiopia demonstrates. Once its reservoir is filled, therefore, water flow will resume undiminished to Egypt. Gradual filling of the reservoir, and coordination with Egypts Lake Nasser water releases, can mitigate even this temporary effect on Egypt. Ethiopia should give that assurance in a binding commitment, and a potential crisis can be turned into a blessing for millions. Tom Campbell is a professor at the Fowler School of Law and the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. As a Member of Congress, he served on the Africa Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. These views are his own. A chain-reaction accident on I-5 in Mission Viejo on Friday night left a 21-year-old man dead and an 18-year-old woman with major injuries, authorities said. The coroners office has identified the man as Luke Harris, of San Diego. Harris, who was one of the drivers involved, died on scene. The identity of the woman, who authorities say was a passenger in Harris car, is unknown. She was taken to Mission Hospital with major injuries, including a fractured hip and internal bleeding, according to a California Highway Patrol report. That report says the multi-vehicle crash began when Noel Pacumio, the driver of a 2004 Mercedez Benz, collided into Harris 2001 Ford Taurus, at 11:12 p.m. while traveling south on I-5, south of Crown Valley Parkway. Pacumio, 52, was traveling at a speed too great to avoid hitting the Ford, the report said. That impact pushed the Ford into a third vehicle, a 2012 VW Jetta driven by Amanda Winslow, 27, authorities said. Also in the car was passenger Ricardo Campos, 27. They were taken to Mission Hospital with complaints of minor injuries. Two more vehicles were affected as a result of the chain-reaction crash. Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said a woman in her late 30s and her 5-year-old daughter had minor injuries. No one was taken into custody. Contact the writer: lleung@ocregister.com On Sunday, roughly 260 million of 318 million Americans and more than 2 billion people worldwide will commemorate Easter. To say its a big deal profoundly downplays its significance. At least Christians will tell you that. At least Christians should tell you that. Readers of yours trulys column in these pages, where Ive been blessed and honored to be given space to rant and critique for nearly a decade, might recall my column last December about Christmas. At that time, readers were reminded that widespread celebrations and commercial exploitation of the Christmas season often miss the point. Even though some of it is virtuous, like gift-giving and family gatherings, much of it is much less so. On Easter Sunday we are reminded of the point, the reason God sent His Son to walk among us as a man, as recorded in the Bible. Christmas commemorates Jesus Christ coming into the world to save sinners. Easter commemorates how Jesus accomplished that mission. He came to die. Thats the storys climax, the decisive turning point of the storyline. Without culmination at the cross, God taking on human flesh in the birth of baby Jesus would be reduced to a miraculous blip on historys timeline. Certainly wonderful, but oddly lacking a point. Easter is where that curious blip was transformed into what Christians regard as historys ultimate moment, or, as the Bible describes it, the fullness of time. At least Christians should regard it that way. Its unsurprising that the cross and Jesus subsequent resurrection is downplayed by secular culture, indignant to be reminded of its fallen condition. Its more palatable to make merry with chocolate bunnies and painted eggs. The Apostle Paul, who was transformed from a persecutor of Christians to a disciple of the Lord, explained the worlds problem with the Easter message: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Thats why Paul said believers must, preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. Its a hard sell, telling people theres something wrong with them. No one likes to be told hes wrong, much less that hes sinfully wrong. Those who resist the message become even more indignant when told eternal damnation is the price for their stiff-necked resistance. The cross perfectly illustrates that natural human resistance. The bearer of the message, Himself the solution to the problem, was tortured, nailed to a cross and left to die for His efforts. Jesus came to call sinners, which not incidentally includes everyone, to repent and believe in Him. Yet, He knew everyone would not regard the message as a warm and fuzzy kumbaya. Thats why prior to His crucifixion, Jesus foreshadowed the worlds rejection, telling His followers, You will be hated by all for my names sake. The short message was: If you want the worlds acceptance, youve come to the wrong place at the foot of the cross. The good news, however, is that, if you want union with God the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, the foot of the cross is precisely the place to go. At Easter week, Christians return to the foot of the cross to agonize over Jesus voluntary sacrifice of his life to pay the price none of us could pay on our own to atone for our sins. Then Christians rejoice at His resurrection. It is the strangest story in the world, British lay theologian G.K. Chesterton wrote a century ago. It also is the greatest story ever told. But in the telling and re-telling, its easy to stray from the message, as our culture and even some pulpits attest. Contrary to popular wisdom, Christ did not die to upgrade basically good people to a higher level of personal satisfaction. He came die to save people so corrupted by sin that without His sacrifice they would be eternally separated from God, agonizing and continually reminded of their fatal flaw. Jesus Gospel is not better news. Its as good as news gets. Yet, to fallen sinners who insist they arent really such bad people, the message may seem like any other self-improvement offer. For people who tell themselves they dont need much help because they already are pretty swell, Jesus message of salvation may sound interesting, but not worth their effort, which is tragically ironic considering His effort. Only when sinners realize the depths of their depravity can they realize the heights of salvation. Thats why the celebration that He is risen is so momentous. It commemorates not just Gods victory over sin, but over death itself for all who believe. As the apostle explained: [I]f Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. He is risen indeed! In February, the Duchess of Cambridge made news headlines around the globe when she publicly announced support for an initiative to reduce the stigma around children suffering from mental illness. Id like to thank her for bringing heightened awareness to this critical issue. If a child breaks an arm, we take her to the hospital to have the bone reset. We smile as she proudly shows off her cast, a mark of courage and resilience. When the bone heals, we move on with our lives. If a child gets cancer, we take him to an oncologist for a treatment plan. We lean on friends and family during the most trying times. We rejoice at news of remission, or we may grieve openly if the news is bad. But when a child has a mental illness, chances are, we hide. We hesitate to tell our closest friends that our daughter has violent tantrums that scare our other children and us. We cant bear to reveal that our once cheerful son no longer finds joy in life and has talked about ending it all. We dont talk about the challenge of finding community resources, the countless trips to the hospital or the long waits in the emergency department. We can be very much afraid, and we can feel very much alone. As president and CEO of Childrens Hospital of Orange County, I see children in need every day. Helping them heal inspires and my colleagues and me to come to work. But even I didnt fully appreciate the magnitude of the pediatric mental health crisis until pastors Rick and Kay Warren, founders of Saddleback Church, came to me to discuss this silent epidemic. The statistics are staggering: An estimated one in five children has a diagnosable mental illness in childhood, and 50 percent of adults with mental health problems experience symptoms before age 14. Early intervention is critical, but many communities, including our own, have no beds to treat our youngest mental health patients. The Warrens experienced these inadequacies firsthand as they tried to help their son manage severe depression beginning when he was only 7 years old. Three years ago, as a young adult, he took his own life. His death was tragic, and it sparked a new beginning for the Warrens, who are passionate about resolving the pediatric mental health crisis and reducing the stigma around mental illness so others dont have to live through the same pain. I left that first meeting with the Warrens resolved to make our hospital a leader in developing a comprehensive pediatric system of care that can be replicated throughout the country. We sprung to action immediately, and we are starting to see results. In addition to expanding outpatient mental health services and hiring additional specialty staff members, including pediatric psychologists and pediatric psychiatrists, we will soon break ground on the CHOC Childrens Mental Health Inpatient Center, a safe, nurturing place for children ages 3 to 18 to receive care for mental health conditions. It will provide 18 inpatient beds and specialty programming for children younger than 12 those who will benefit most from our help. Building the center is our boldest step to date toward addressing the drastic lack of services for children with mental illness, but it is just one part of our plan. Perhaps the more daring aspect, and the one we hope will be replicated in other areas, is the framework we are creating for addressing pediatric, teen and adolescent mental health care from every angle. Our mental health task force, comprised of community, business and health care leaders, are working to find solutions and make them a reality: bolstering outpatient mental health care services throughout the county; working with community partners to establish new programs; enlarging the mental health workforce and offering specialty training; engaging in advocacy to increase education and awareness about mental health problems; and providing prevention and early intervention services for children and adolescents with mental health problems. The responsibility for helping children with mental illness isnt incumbent on their families alone: We all play a part in helping them heal. CHOC is proud to lead the way and assure these families they dont need to be afraid, and they are no longer alone. Kimberly Chavalas Cripe is president and CEO of Childrens Hospital of Orange County. The Santa Ana Police Department is searching for Clarissa Jacqueline Serafin, 14, who walked away from Fitz Intermediate School around noon on Friday. UPDATE March 26: Missing Santa Ana girl found, returned home Students sitting with her saw her leave a note and flee, said Sgt. Oliver Grant. The note indicated that she didnt want to live anymore, so we obviously are very concerned. School staff and social workers told officers that Serafin has been despondent over the death of her mother last year, Grant said. We do not believe there is any criminal involvement, he said. Police officers are searching the surrounding area with the help of bloodhounds and Orange County Sheriffs Department helicopters, Grant said. Anyone with information should contact the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8701. Contact the writer: sgoulding@ocregister.com A 14-year-old Santa Ana student who went missing Friday has been found, police officials said Saturday. The missing teen, Clarissa Jacqueline Serafin, told police she went to a park after leaving Stephen R. Fitz Intermediate School around noon on Friday. She returned home on her own around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and appeared to be in good mental health, said Santa Ana police Commander Jeffrey Smith. Students at the school spotted Serafin leaving a note and walking away from campus, police said. Serafin lost her mother last year, and the note indicated she didnt want to live anymore, according to authorities. After launching a search, police announced Saturday morning on social media that Serafin was found. Susan Christian Goulding contributed to this report. Contact the writer: lleung@ocregister.com The Brussels terrorist attacks show how subway passengers can be even more vulnerable than airline travelers. But thats not where public attention or federal security spending has gone in the U.S. The Transportation Security Administration, created after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks largely to screen airline passengers, patrols rail systems but assigns 93 percent of its roughly 50,000 employees to aviation security. The chief federal grant program to help local subway and transit agencies protect against terrorism has been cut by more than three-quarters since the late 2000s. The funding has gone down, but the threat to mass transit systems has gone up, Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, said in an interview. Were moving the funding in the wrong direction. I dont think our enemies could better signal to us where they intend to attack. To be sure, federal spending on security measures for transit systems is only a part of the effort to protect U.S. rail and transit systems from terrorists. Most of the responsibility to keep them safe lies with local law enforcement agencies. Attractive Targets But transit systems are attractive targets for terrorists because of their high ridership, expensive infrastructure, economic importance and location in large metropolitan areas or tourist destinations, according to a 2009 Government Accountability Office report. That adds up to a high potential for mass casualties and damage to the economy. The suicide bomber who detonated an explosive in the Brussels subway killed more people 20 than the bombs that badly damaged the citys airport, killing 11. Other attacks have been equally deadly. At least 40 people died in a bombing on the Moscow metro on March 29, 2010. On July 11, 2006, at least 209 people were killed and hundreds more injured when seven bombs exploded on a commuter rail line in Mumbai. Attacks on the Madrid and London transit systems killed 247 people in 2004 and 2005. Since 2009, U.S. law enforcement agencies have foiled separate attempts to bomb subways in New York and Washington the nations two biggest metro systems. Lightning Rods The reality is that transportation hubs have served as lightning rods for terrorists and will continue to in the foreseeable future, said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. TSAs budget is heavily weighted in favor of aviation. For 2016, the Obama administration proposed a $7.6 billion budget for the agency that would spend 76 percent on aviation security, compared with 1.1 percent on surface transportation. The bulk of the remaining amount is earmarked for intelligence and other agency functions. The U.S. Transit Security Grant Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gave out $389 million in 2008. Within four years, however, the program, which funds such things as extra police patrols and surveillance cameras, was cut to $87.5 million and has roughly stayed the same since. A group of 67 lawmakers, including Swalwell, wrote Wednesday to leaders of the House committee that sets homeland security spending, urging an increase in the program to $105 million. Swalwell said he has unsuccessfully sought more funds since 2013. President Barack Obama proposed $87 million for the program in 2017, according to FEMAs website. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA and FEMA, had no immediate response to questions about the relative funding of surface and air transportation security. Funding Constraints We understand the committee is under difficult funding constraints and agree that taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, said Swalwells letter. However, significant threats to the safety of our homeland remain. Federal funding must be continued at a sufficient amount to ensure security for the American people. Swalwell said the grant program had paid the San Francisco regions Bay Area Rapid Transit system $30 million to make security improvements to a tunnel beneath the San Francisco Bay, but more work was needed. Cilluffo, who served as a homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush, said spending on hardening mass transit systems against attackers pales in comparison to aviation and the latest attacks highlight the need for more effort. There is justification for spending $150 million to $200 million a year on the grant program, according to Christian Beckner, deputy director at Cilluffos center. Beckner compiled the programs annual spending figures. NYPD Since the Brussels attacks, the New York Police Department has deployed additional counter-terrorism resources across the city, including the subway system, according to posts on the agency website. That included teams with dogs in crowded areas and transit stations. Still, the city has felt the sting of decreasing federal assistance, said Stephen Davis, NYPDs deputy commissioner of public information. Any cut in terrorism funding to New York to what is widely recognized as the nations top terror target would be irresponsible, Davis said. The Transit Security Grant Program is the primary source of money to pay for security needs at public transportation agencies, and the current funding is 78 percent below 2008 levels, said Michael Melaniphy, president and chief executive officer of the American Public Transportation Association. Transit Union We live in dangerous times, and public transit security federal funding is inadequate, Melaniphy said in an e-mailed statement. With transit ridership and security risks growing, we remain concerned with this underinvestment in the security of our nations transit systems. Lawrence Hanley, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, also has called for increased spending on security. We havent exercised anywhere near the same diligence with respect to transit facilities that we have with airports and airlines, Hanley said. You cant have metal detectors at every bus stop, but there are precautions we should be taking. Some security experts say that additional spending on transportation security isnt needed and that efforts to do so are mostly intended to reassure the public. The reality is were not going to turn our subways and buses into armed camps, Jack Riley, director of RANDs National Security Research Division. We cant afford it. Its not practical. Under the cover of night, the three men crept toward the dusty chancel of the church, carrying dimmed lanterns and an assortment of tools. It took them a few, breathless moments to find the right headstone in the darkness. Ignoring the threat engraved upon it cursed be he that moves my bones they lifted the heavy slab and began to dig up the grave beneath. At last, one of the men uncovered what theyd been looking for: a small, aged skull. Their ringleader grabbed it. He held in his hands the bones of one of the most brilliant writers ever to have lived, the pride of England and the bane of a million freshman literature students: William Shakespeare. At any rate, thats how the story goes, if you believe the anonymous author, who heard it from a guy, who heard it from his uncle Frank, who claimed to be the grave robber himself. Very few people did but maybe they should have. Four hundred years after Shakespeare died and was interred at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, and more than two hundred years after his bones were allegedly snatched from it, researchers were allowed to scan his grave with ground-penetrating radar in search of signs of a disturbance. And they found it. We have Shakespeares burial with an odd disturbance at the head end and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someones come in and taken the skull of Shakespeare, archaeologist Kevin Colls told the BBC. Its very, very convincing to me that his skull isnt at Holy Trinity at all. The investigation was carried out to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the playwrights death, and the full findings will be aired in a documentary for Britains Channel 4 this weekend. The discovery will likely do little to dispel the endless myths and conspiracy theories about Shakespeares true identity (Of course Shakespeares skull wouldnt be in the Stratford church they should be looking for Christopher Marlowe!) But it does seem to give some credence to the story anonymously published in the magazine the Argosy in 1879. According to the story, quoting the nephew of a Stratford doctor named Frank Chambers (the nephew himself goes only by Mr. M), Chambers was inspired to search for the skull after member of parliament and man of letters Horace Walpole promised 300 guineas to any man who could find it for him. It was an unnervingly common practice at the time those were the early years of phrenology, the pseudoscience that claimed you could understand a persons intellect by measuring their head. Chambers who it seemed had an over-developed sense of intrigue and an inclination toward the morbid recruited a few local men to help him and set off for Holy Trinity Church. Just a few feet below Shakespeares headstone, which bore the warning Good friend, for Jesus sake forbear/to dig the dust enclosed here/Blessed be the man that spares these stones/and cursed be he that moves my bones he found the playwrights remains. Chambers did not then begin talking to the skull (Alas, poor Shakespeare!). Instead, he set off to write to Walpole and tell him what hed done. But to the doctors dismay, Walpole refused to pay up the promised 300 guineas. And when he tried to find another buyer, Chambers instead got a telling-off from a friend who made him promise to return the skull to its rightful resting place. So he gave it to one of the men who helped him, Tom Dyer, with orders to place it back in the grave. The next week at Church, Chambers noticed there was a crack in the stone slab covering Shakespeares grave. He confronted Dyer about it, and after much evasion the man admitted that the stone had been a mighty dale heavier than he thought. Dyer claimed he returned the skull, but Chambers wasnt sure he believed him. The results of the radar scan seem to back up much of that story. According to the BBC, the researchers found evidence of significant repair to the head end of the grave, and also that Shakespeares and his relatives graves were relatively shallow; both details match the Argosy story. While they were at it, Colls and his colleagues also investigated a mysterious skull found in a sealed crypt at a church 15 miles away in Worcester. That skull has long been rumored to belong to Shakespeare, but forensic analysis showed that skull belonged to an unknown women who was in her 70s when she died, according to Reuters. There are so many contradictory myths and legends about the tomb of the Bard, Colls said in a statement to the news agency. These results will undoubtedly spark discussion, scholarly debate and controversial theories for years to come. Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine. At least one person is less convinced. Speaking to the BBC, Reverend Patrick Taylor of Holy Trinity Church said there is insufficient evidence that Shakespeares bones had been removed, and he wasnt going to allow the graves to be disturbed further. We shall have to live with the mystery of not knowing fully what lies beneath the stone, he said. As for Chambers, the man allegedly responsible for all this intrigue? In the Argosy story, his nephew asks him whether he thinks the skull was ever restored. But in the manner of infuriating uncles everywhere, Chambers would only quote Shakespeare back at him: Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so. Man, that was a fast 25 years. But then, thinking back at how that 25 has gone for me maybe it has actually been a few lifetimes. The Surfers Journal, considered by many, including myself, to be the coolest surfing publication on the planet, is celebrating its quarter century mark. When founders Steve and Debbee Pezman went to press with the first issue back in 1991 in San Clemente, they were surfing into uncharted waters by putting out a subscriber-based product with almost no advertising. They only run with a total of six advertisers, which they call sponsors. This was a huge risk considering the fact that they were also going for the highest-quality and most-expensive-to-produce surfing publication imaginable. The concept was all thriller, no filler. Let me take you back in time for my take on how this all came about, as I did get to witness it fairly close hand. It starts with a young Steve Pezman. Steve was pretty much your average surf junkie in the 1960s and known as a laid back, casual kinda dude. He would travel to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, in the winter, rode some big waves and hung with the first-stringers. In the summer he was a Lower Trestles regular, many times being the means of transportation for the very young Corky Carroll and Mart Martinson. My mom was always good for gas money. Pez also had a creative side and a keen eye for both the sport and the art of surfing. In the early 1970s Surfer Magazine founder and publisher John Severson hired Pez to take over the reins of the magazine when he was making his big getaway from city life and heading off into the Maui sunset, which turned out to be a great move for both of them. The magazine was in a sort of precarious spot at the time with the commercial end of the surfing world in a state of flux. Severson sold it to For Better Living Inc. in 1972. Without a ton of publishing experience under his belt and more of a taste for the beauty of surfing than the business of it, Pez nonetheless put the publication into a bottom turn and with the addition of Skateboarder and Powder magazines began to grow Surfer Publications into a solid and thriving company. I came aboard in 1976 as advertising director and grew that end of the business, if I can say modestly, in a huge way over the next 10 years. During that time I was sort of the buffer between the advertisers and the editorial department. A land of heavy surf politics. The advertisers always felt that because they were spending a lot of money to run ads that the magazine should show its gratitude by covering their riders and products. The editorial guys, and rightly so, felt that editorial content should be done on merit and what was going on in the surfing world and have nothing to do with who was spending the most money on ads. Pez is a purist; he loves a quality photo and a good story told well. He is an artist. He really did not want to be involved in the backslapping of the advertisers and trying to keep them happy and trying to turn out the best-quality magazine at the same time. So I was that guy. Debbee Bradley came to work at Surfer and would become the future Mrs. Pezman. She also had her own insight as to how the surfing industry worked, and in my opinion the vision that was born between the two of them was to put all this crap behind us and put out their own publication free of the politics and dedicated to giving the readers a true, pure and beautiful adventure into surfing with each collectors item issue. And they succeeded in a big way. The Surfers Journal is not only super successful, but it is exactly what they wanted it to be when they gave it birth 25 years ago in San Clemente. It is a truly artistic, amazingly well done, super high quality vision of the surfing experience. I look forward to each issue and save them in my bookcase and on my coffee table. Steve and Debbee, freaking well done. TRENTON, N.J. Several colleges across the country are investigating after a rash of anti-Semitic fliers began printing from their network-connected printers or fax machines. The fliers began to appear Thursday at institutions including Princeton University; Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island; the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Princeton attaches great importance to mutual respect, and we deplore expressions of hatred directed against any individual or group, the universitys vice provost for institutional equity and inclusion, Michele Minter, said in a statement. The director of the New England office of the Anti-Defamation League, Robert Trestan, said a white power group appears to have hacked into school printers. He said thats a new tactic for a hate group. The fliers are addressed to white men and disparage Jewish people. They include links to a neo-Nazi website. Trestan said the founder of the website previously urged supporters to troll perceived enemies, including a Jewish member of the British Parliament, Luciana Berger, on Twitter. He said other affected schools include Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts; the University of California, Santa Cruz; Northeastern University, in Boston; the University of Rhode Island; the University of Connecticut; DePaul University, in Chicago, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The chancellor of UMass Amherst, Kumble Subbaswamy, called the fliers cowardly in an email to students and faculty members. This despicable incident reminds us that we must not be complacent as we continue to strive for a society that embraces diversity, inclusion and equity a society where everyone feels safe and welcome, he wrote. VALENCIA The thrill capital of the world unveiled its most innovative ride Friday, using virtual reality goggles to immerse riders in an epic battle with aliens as they zip 55 mph through the roller coasters turns and loops. Six Flags partnered with Samsung, virtual reality company Oculus and Germany-based VR Coaster to develop The New Revolution at Magic Mountain. Once you put the headset on youll be completely immersed in this 360-degree world, said Sam Rhodes, director of design at Six Flags. The VR headset gives riders a first-person point of view from inside the cockpit of a two-person fighter jet inside a secret military bunker. Look left and right and youll see soldiers standing around. Theres a machine gun on top of the jet, which fires with the press of a button on the right side of the goggles. Once the ride starts, instead of seeing the trees and surrounding landscape of Valencia you once saw from the nearly 40-year-old Revolution, riders wearing the goggles are going up an elevator shaft preparing for battle. You emerge to find yourself at the top of a 300-story building looking over a downtown cityscape. Alien aircraft surround you. As the coaster drops, the aliens destroy your guns and youre on survival mode flying through the battle waging in the city. There are explosions, buildings toppling over and, like a scene from Independence Day, you shoot a missile up into the mother ship, destroying it before safely landing back on an aircraft carrier on the bay. The two-minute virtual world experience syncs with the movement of the roller coaster. Riders can chose not to wear the goggles. It was awesome, said Jackie Stupack, 49, from San Diego, who got a chance to hop on the ride Friday as a member of the nonprofit American Coaster Enthusiasts. I didnt know what to expect It can be a bit of a rough ride, but what makes it unique is that each ride can be different because you can change your focus on the virtual reality scenery. The ride opens to the public on April 21. Season pass holders can start experiencing the ride Saturday, March 26, by registering at the Six Flags Magic Mountain website. Six Flags plans for nine roller coasters across its United States theme parks to use the virtual reality headsets with different storylines or experiences. Rides in Dallas and Atlanta have already debuted. The company is considering another ride at Magic Mountain, but nothing has been decided. Magic Mountain spent several months refurbishing the Revolution, which originally opened in 1976. Aside from the virtual reality component, The New Revolution features upgraded ride cars, a smoother ride system and a lap bar safety harness. This was the first looping coaster in the world, Rhodes said. Back then it was the most innovative ride at the time, so now 40 years later, the same roller coaster is now the most innovative ride of its time. The virtual reality headsets are about the size of snowboarding goggles, covering nearly half the face. Riders must be at least 13 years old to wear one. Six Flags has about 2,000 of the goggles, each worth $99, not including the price of the attached Samsung phones. After each ride, the goggles are cleaned with antibacterial wipes. For those who fear wearing the virtual reality goggles while riding a moving coaster could make a person more motion sick, Thomas Wagner, co-founder of VR Coaster, which created the virtual world, said he has seen the exact opposite in riders elsewhere. Nobody expects harm from a video game environment, he said. When youre on a real coaster, you see the heights, you get the vertigo, but when youre in this virtual reality environment, youll feel much more comfortable. Jim Winslett, 49, from Alberta, Canada, also a member of the nonprofit American Coaster Enthusiasts, said hes been on 700 hundred roller coasters in 12 different countries. He ranked The New Revolution amongst his favorites. I was blown away, he said. It feels like a video game. Its a great way to take an existing coaster and do something new. And with the virtual reality, I cant wait until the day where you can choose your own storyline. I suggested they do something for Christmas like you can ride on Santas sleigh with all the reindeer. Contact the writer: 714-796-2443 or jpimentel@ocregister.com or follow on Twitter @OCDisney Tempers flared at an Oceanside public meeting as speakers demanded that Southern California Edison remove tons of nuclear waste from a beachside bluff at the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station even though the utility essentially is blocked from doing so by federal regulations. This nuclear waste, at this site, is as vulnerable a target as you could possibly have for terrorists, said Michael Aguirre, a San Diego consumer attorney whos suing the state over the issue. Edison should take responsibility for the nuclear waste that it produced from which it derived billions of dollars of income. Many audience members at Thursdays meeting on the plants decommissioning echoed those sentiments, bemoaning the California Coastal Commissions approval of a concrete monolith to house spent fuel in temporary, dry-cask storage at the site. The contained radioactive material is expected to remain in place until 2049. Edison told the crowd of about 100 that the spent fuel is safe and well-protected on site. But company representatives also said Edison wants to see the waste removed from populous Southern California sooner than whats planned. Edison and the nations other nuclear power plant operators contracted with the U.S. Department of Energy in the early 1980s for the removal and permanent disposal of nuclear waste. The federal government agreed to start accepting waste from commercial reactors by 1998 at the latest, in exchange for about $750 million a year in payments from ratepayers who used electricity from nuclear plants. But after collecting more than $41 billion in the Nuclear Waste Fund, no radioactive waste had been removed under the program. A judge ordered the Department of Energy to stop collecting the fee in 2014. Edison would need an authorized, licensed destination for spent fuel before it could be moved. At the moment theres no such destination, said Scott Burnell, spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Department of Energy does have a contractual obligation to take possession of the spent fuel, but without a destination, its a moot point for now. The Department of Energy has been sued by the utilities for breach of contract, and has paid out more than $3.7 billion in damages as a result. Continued failure could cost federal taxpayers $21.4 billion before the problem is solved, according to an analysis by the Government Accountability Office. Political paralysis has characterized past federal efforts to find a permanent home for nuclear waste. But now the Department of Energy is launching a new effort to create temporary storage sites in regions eager for the business, currently in West Texas and New Mexico. Several such sites could accept nuclear waste while the hunt for a permanent repository continues. Public meetings on the new plan begin next week in Chicago. One will be held in Sacramento on April 26. David Victor, who chairs the San Onofre Community Engagement Panel, which held Thursdays meeting, said critics of the current plan to store waste at the plant south of San Clemente should direct their demands at officials who can make a difference. Its crucial to get support in Congress, Victor said. And in addition to talking to members of Congress, support from local agencies is crucial. The official resolutions from cities like San Clemente and Oceanside, asking the federal government to act, are very, very important. The Department of Energy can begin planning for new, temporary storage sites, he said. But Congress ultimately will have to take action to ensure the facilities are completed and can accept radioactive waste, because private companies are concerned about liability, he said. Two bills in Congress address temporary storage: SB854 and HR3643. Interested individuals should make sure their representatives are focusing on the issue, Victor said. The Community Engagement Panel wants to focus on results, he said, and not what he characterized as inflammatory rhetoric from Aguirre and others. Consolidated interim storage that is a real option, Victor said. It is not a guarantee, and a lot could still go wrong with that option. But it is plausible and real. Contact the writer: tsforza@ocregister.com SANTA ANA A 75-year-old Mission Viejo man has been sentenced to six years in prison for strangling his wife in their home, a prosecutor said Friday. Gary Lee Parsons accepted a plea deal on Thursday from prosecutors that dropped a murder charge in exchange for voluntary manslaughter, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Keith Burke. Parsons killed his 73-year-old wife, Barbara, on Feb. 3, 2015, Burke said. The two had gotten into an argument that turned physical and he killed her in the heat of passion, Burke said. The killing was in the couples home in the 27000 block of Pueblonuevo Drive. LOS ANGELES The sister of a 27-year-old man arrested in the slaying of a Chinese herbalist and his family says she is in shock. Nadine Jolie Courtney, a beauty blogger and author, said in an email Saturday that Pierre Haobsh is her brother. Courtney says she cant wrap her mind around the tragedy and condemned the killings and extended her prayers to the Han family. Haobsh was arrested in the shooting death of popular Chinese herbal medicine practitioner Dr. Weidong Henry Han, Hans wife and 5-year-old daughter in Santa Barbara County. The victims bodies were found shot, wrapped in plastic and duct-taped in the garage of their palatial two-story home. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... It's a fact that people of color are worse off than white Americans in all kinds of ways, but there is little agreement on why. Some see those disparities as a consequence of racial discrimination in schools, the courts and the workplace, both in the past and present. Others argue that economic inequalities are really the cause, and that public policy should help the poor no matter their race or ethnicity. When it comes to affirmative action in college admissions, for example, many say that children from poor, white families should receive preferential treatment, as well. In some ways, though, discrimination against people of color is more complicated and fundamental than economic inequality. A stark new finding epitomizes that reality: In recent decades, rich black kids have been more likely to go to prison than poor white kids. "Race trumps class, at least when it comes to incarceration," said Darrick Hamilton of the New School, one of the researchers who produced the study. He and his colleagues, Khaing Zaw and William Darity of Duke University, examined data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a national study that began in 1979 and followed a group of young people into adulthood and middle age. The participants were asked about their assets and debts, and interviewers also noted their type of residence, including whether they were in a jail or prison. The researchers grouped participants in the survey by their race and their household wealth as of 1985 and then looked back through the data to see how many people in each group ultimately went to prison. Participants who were briefly locked up between interviews might not be included in their calculations of the share who were eventually incarcerated. About 2.7 percent of the poorest white young people those whose household wealth was in the poorest 10th of the distribution in 1985, when they were between 20 and 28 years old ultimately went to prison. In the next 10th, 3.1 percent ultimately went to prison. The households of young people in both of these groups had more debts than assets. In other words, their wealth was negative. All the same, their chances of being imprisoned were far less than those of black youth from much more affluent circumstances. About 10 percent of affluent black youth in 1985 would eventually go to prison. Only the very wealthiest black youth those whose household wealth in 1985 exceeded $69,000 in 2012 dollars had a better chance of avoiding prison than the poorest white youth. Among black young people in this group, 2.4 percent were incarcerated. Hispanic participants who were less affluent in 1985 were more likely to be eventually incarcerated than their white peers with similar wealth, but less likely than black participants. What's more, even young black people who follow the rules and are never incarcerated are less likely than similar white people to accumulate wealth as they get older. As of 2012, the median household wealth of black participants in the study who had never been incarcerated at some point in their lives was $16,200. Those who had been incarcerated had zero wealth at the median. Among white participants who had never been incarcerated, however, median household wealth was $192,000 by 2012. The median white participant who had been incarcerated reported wealth of $5,000. It could be that the white participants in the study still had other advantages over their black peers, even if they had been incarcerated. Perhaps they went to better schools, or lived in areas where it was easier to find work. At the same time, another reason for the disparity between black and white wealth could be that employers make negative inferences about black workers' pasts, even those who have never been to prison. In 2001, for example, economist Harry Holzer and his colleagues found that employers who actually checked applicants' criminal histories were much more likely to hire black men. Similarly, recent research shows that employers who are barred from checking credit histories are less likely to take on black workers. In a way, untangling economic and racial inequalities is a chicken-and-egg problem. In criminal justice, though, you can't just explain away the disproportionate rates at which black and Hispanic youths end up in prison by pointing out that many people of color did not grow up with the same economic advantages as their white peers. *** Max Ehrenfreund writes for Wonkblog and compiles Wonkbook, a daily policy newsletter. You can subscribe here. Before joining The Washington Post, Ehrenfreund wrote for the Washington Monthly and The Sacramento Bee. ConAgra Foods, the Fortune 500 company that is moving its headquarters from Omaha to Chicago, has been found liable for $108.9 million in a civil lawsuit that looks to be the largest of its kind in Nebraska history. The case is related to damages and injuries stemming from a fatal explosion at a Slim Jim plant in North Carolina in 2009. ConAgra told The World-Herald that it plans to appeal. The company was found Friday to be negligent in the explosion and the resulting injuries by a civil lawsuit jury in Douglas County District Court. Nebraska courts dont keep formal records of the jury verdicts leading to the largest monetary damages. Recent large ones have included the $43.8 million verdict last year in Douglas County Court in a dispute between rival software firms. The Fraser Stryker law firm of Omaha said at the time that it believed the total to be the largest in state history. Lawyers in the courtroom moments after the ConAgra verdict said they thought it was the largest, but none wished to say so formally. The ConAgra lawsuit had its genesis in payments made to the injured after the 2009 explosion, which happened during a water heater installation at the giant food-processing plant in Garner, North Carolina. Four people died, and many were injured. California-based Jacobs Engineering, which had a contract to perform services at the plant, in later years paid about $108 million to settle lawsuits that said it was at fault. Later, Jacobs decided to sue ConAgra to recoup the money, saying it had no role in the explosion. The Douglas County jury agreed Friday, finding Jacobs not negligent. We are grateful for the courts and the jurys time and dedication to this case, and that our client Jacobs Engineering was vindicated after seven years, said Gil Keteltas, Jacobs lead trial lawyer with the Baker Hostetler firm of Washington, D.C. While sizable, the $108.9 million is a fraction of ConAgras $16 billion in revenue last year from sales of products such as Slim Jims, Chef Boyardee pasta and Alexia frozen side dishes. The jury award comes amid rough sledding in Omaha for ConAgra. The company said last year that it plans to move the headquarters, in Omaha since the 1920s, to Chicago sometime this year. The company also eliminated 1,500 U.S. jobs and has embarked on a plan to save $300 million annually via a cost-cutting plan. ConAgra spokesman Dan Hare said Friday that, While we respect the jurys decision, we have several strong grounds for appeal, which we plan to pursue. Assisting in securing the verdict were Baker Hostetlers Bob Abrams, and Ed Tricker and others with the Lincoln firm Woods & Aitken. It was a Herculean task, Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall said from the bench, describing of the work of the 12-person jury, whom he thanked for sitting through weeks of detailed and sometimes tedious arguments about the fine points of contract law. The dispute emerged after the explosion, caused by a natural gas leak during water heater installation. The jury found that it was 70 percent ConAgras fault and 30 percent the fault of another contractor that will not have to pay any of the $108.9 million because the jury found that ConAgra controlled the actions of that contractor. Jacobs was another contractor on the Slim Jim site, performing a variety of services for ConAgra. Because of that, it became the target of lawsuits by the injured, lawsuits that Jacobs wound up settling for about $108 million. Companies sometimes pay settlements to avoid the expense of defending lawsuits in court, whether they engaged in disputed conduct or not. In the Douglas County case, Jacobs, a engineering firm with about $12 billion in annual revenue, said it deserved its money back. Jacobs said it had no role in the explosion. After the explosion, ConAgra shut the Slim Jim plant and donated the land to the North Carolina town, along with $3 million for a community center. Contact the writer: 402-444-3197, russell.hubbard@owh.com Correction: ConAgra is liable for $108 million in damages sought by Jacobs Engineering; an earlier version of this story misstated the amount for which the jury found ConAgra liable. Drivers wont be happy to hear this, but gasoline prices recently touched the highest price since last summer. April gasoline futures, which exclude taxes and other costs, pushed over $1.50 per gallon, a price not seen since last August. Gasoline is becoming more expensive even as refineries run at a normal clip and gasoline stockpiles are at average levels. Prices are climbing mostly on expectations for increased future demand. Some analysts are projecting record-breaking American gasoline demand this summer, topping the previous record in 2007, when Americans burned 1.3 gallons per day per capita. Despite recent price jumps, Americans should still expect to spend far less this year than in 2007, when prices were over 90 cents per gallon higher than today. Coffee at five-month high Coffee perked to a five-month high this week on concerns about production in the worlds major growing regions. Colombia, Brazil and Vietnam are all suffering from dry conditions that could cut into coffee harvests; these three nations produce more than half of the worlds coffee. Meanwhile, Brazils political leaders are embroiled in a corruption scandal, adding to uncertainty in the coffee market. The previous president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was recently arrested, and impeachment proceedings have begun against current President Dilma Rousseff. Midweek, prices bubbled over $1.36 per pound, a price not seen since last October. Soybeans are up, for now Soybean prices pushed over a five-month high this week, topping out at $9.14 per bushel. Prices climbed on news of strong U.S. soybean exports this week. Traders are anxiously awaiting a major U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report on Thursday, which will update the nationwide stockpiles of grains and provide new estimates for farmers planting intentions this spring. If grain inventories or this years acreage differ from expectations, it could be wild next Thursday. Like coffee, the soybean market may be knocked off course by the Brazilian political scandals, as Brazil is the worlds largest soybean exporter. Longer term, if there are not major surprises from Brazil or the USDA, the market could fall under pressure again as there are large soybean harvests looming that could boost global stockpiles further. Walt and Alex Breitinger are commodity futures brokers in Silver Lake, Kansas. They can be reached at 800-411-3888 or www.paragoninvestments.com. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa A fourth suspect charged in a conspiracy to ship weapons from Iowa to Lebanon has pleaded guilty. U.S. Attorney Kevin Techau says 31-year-old Bassem Herz entered his plea Thursday in a federal court in Cedar Rapids. Herz was originally charged with his wife, Sarah Zeaiter; his brother, Ali Herz; and his nephew, Adam Herz. The others pleaded guilty earlier this month. They were arrested in May 2015 after agents intercepted shipping containers headed from Cedar Rapids to Beirut that had guns and ammunition hidden inside construction equipment. GERING The second of two western Nebraska men accused of plying teenage girls with liquor to have sex with them has been acquitted of sexual assault. Court records say 23-year-old Gage Soto of Gering was found not guilty Tuesday of sexual assault of an incompetent person but was convicted of eight counts of procuring alcohol for a minor. Sotos sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 28. Soto and Joseph Moore were arrested after a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl told police that theyd been assaulted in May after becoming intoxicated at a Gering party. Both men said the sex was consensual. DES MOINES A Texas man accused of helping his friend, a former lottery security officer, attempt to collect jackpots from fixed lottery tickets has lost an appeal of his extradition to Iowa, where he faces charges of fraud. Robert Clark Rhodes II, of Sugar Land, Texas, was charged last year by Iowa authorities with two counts of fraud, and Texas authorities arrested him March 30, 2015. He was released on bond as he fought extradition. A judge ruled last year Iowa has enough evidence to arrest him, and Rhodes appealed. A Texas appeals court on March 8 dismissed Rhodes challenges and said the extradition may proceed. On Wednesday, Rhodes filed a petition asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to consider the case, said Rhodes attorney Terry Yates. Iowa wants to extradite Rhodes because of his ties to Eddie Tipton, the former Multi-State Lottery Association computer security officer convicted of fixing a Hot Lotto game in 2010 in an effort to get himself a winning ticket worth $16.5 million. Iowa Assistant Attorney General Rob Sand, who successfully prosecuted Tipton last July on two charges of fraud, alleges Tipton disguised himself with a hooded jacket and bought the ticket, then gave it to Rhodes to figure out a way to collect the jackpot anonymously. Sand alleges Rhodes reached out to attorneys in New York and Canada but both failed in their attempts to cash the ticket because Iowa requires lottery winners to identify themselves and prove they bought the ticket or acquired it legally. Since the men refused to disclose the identity of the ticket buyer, the jackpot was never paid. Tipton couldnt win a jackpot because he worked at MUSL, a vendor for the Iowa Lottery. Tipton, 52, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He has appealed and remains free on bond. In October, Sand charged Tipton with ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering after investigators uncovered new evidence they say shows he worked with associates to fix jackpots and claim prizes worth millions of dollars in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Tipton is scheduled to face a trial in July. In Wisconsin, a ticket matched the Dec. 29, 2007, Megabucks drawing done on a computer Tiptons MUSL team in Iowa built. Rhodes claimed the $783,257 jackpot in the name of a company he founded called Delta S Holdings. Wisconsin law allows winners to remain anonymous if they collect the money in a trust or company name. Investigators, however, learned that Rhodes was behind Delta S Holdings. They also found bank statements showing Delta S Holdings transferred tens of thousands of dollars to Eddie Tipton in the 18 months after the lottery jackpot was claimed. Sand said he couldnt comment on the Texas appeals court ruling in Rhodes extradition case. Rhodes could testify at Tiptons upcoming trial. We dont know that yet, Yates said. Its a possibility. Tipton worked as a computer security specialist at a company Rhodes founded in 1993 and later served on the companys board of directors. Tipton left the company in 2003 to work at MUSL in Iowa, where he built computers and software designed to randomly generate numbers for several lottery games. Tipton was fired by MUSL after he was charged with fraud in January 2015. GRISWOLD, Iowa The superintendent and the secondary principal of Griswold Community School District have resigned during the same school board meeting that included approval of a preliminary budget recommending hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts next school year. Superintendent Dana Kunze is to step down at the end of June, freeing the district about 40 miles east of Omaha to pursue a sharing agreement, hire a part-time superintendent or perhaps combine the position with the high school and middle school principal. Principal Thomas T.J. Dunphy resigned effective the end of the school year. Hed been on paid administrative leave after being charged with second-offense driving while intoxicated and being in possession of a loaded gun while intoxicated. Dunphy was arrested March 13 by Creston police after being pulled over on suspicion of speeding. He had a previous drunk-driving conviction from 2010, for which he served four days in jail and paid a $1,250 fine. He will receive three months of severance pay and health insurance through the end of 2016. Because it is a personnel matter, Kunze said he couldnt comment directly on the latest charges Dunphy faces. Dunphy did not cite a reason for his resignation in a letter presented to the school board Monday evening, nor did he return a message left at the school seeking comment. Dunphy will continue working at the high school, the district confirmed Tuesday, but wont be permitted to attend athletic events, concerts or other school functions. According to his contract, Dunphy makes $92,053 a year plus benefits. His severance payment should total about $23,000. His contract will run through the end of the 2016 school year, not the end of the fiscal year, like Kunzes. Kunze had his own trouble related to a drunken-driving charge last year. He pleaded guilty in Carroll County in February, serving two days of a 60-day suspended jail sentence, and was fined $1,250 and placed on two years probation. However, Kunze said, that incident was not related to his decision to leave. His contract runs only one year, which is unusual for superintendents, because the school board is considering entering a sharing agreement with another area district. Our board had already forecast that they are going to be facing some financial difficulties, Kunze said. They had only offered me a one-year contract because they didnt want to be locked into a multiple-year contract. Kunzes salary is $132,780, according to his employment contract. The 1984 graduate of Griswold High has been superintendent of Griswold since 2007. Although the school board approved a preliminary budget Monday, decisions on cuts havent been made yet. Kunze is recommending cutting about $500,000 from next years budget to keep the districts reserve of spending authority, or legal right to spend money, at a healthy level. Easter services: St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St., will have a sunrise service that begins outside the Corby Street Roch Chapel entrance and candelight procession into the chapel at 6:30 a.m., followed by worship in the sanctuary at 8:15 a.m. and Fellowship Hall at 9:35 a.m. Organist, David Schack, will provide an extended prelude before the 11:05 a.m. sanctuary service. All services will include Holy Communion. Easter vigil and services: Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, 2650 Farnam St., will have an Easter Vigil at 10 tonight with Holy Communion and candlelight. Sunday services will be held at 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. Breakfast will be served from 7 to 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Also, meet in the Fellowship Hall for an Easter egg Hunt for children ages 2 to 10 at 10 a.m. Sunrise service: First Central Congregational Church, 421 S. 36th St., will hold an sunrise Easter service at Memorial Park atop the hill at 7:10 a.m. Sunday and an Easter celebration at 10:30 a.m. Teaching mindfulness: Brother Michael Ciborski will present two public talks on the practice of mindfulness. The first talk, Walking Gently on this Earth, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Yoga Path, 7641 Pacific St. The second talk, Practicing Mindfulness, Toward Wholeness, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Countryside Community Church, 8787 Pacific St. Ciborski is a lineage holding Dharma teacher in the Buddhist tradition of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. Admisson is free, but donations will be accepted. Do you love me?: Sister Mary Ann Schmieding will present a one day retreat titled Do you Love me? on April 2 at the St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska. Schmieding is a School Sister of St. Francis. She has a masters of divinity degree from the Aquinas Institute and is a trained spiritual director. The retreat will discuss how Jesus is asking each one of us that same question and takes a renewed look at Peter and his journey as a disciple of Jesus. Bring a Bible for a day of deep prayer and reflection. Program fee is $30. Lunch is available at the Center for $10.50 (includes tax). For more information, call (402) 352-8819 or go to StBenedictCenter.com. Benefit concert: Messiah Lutheran Church, 5015 S. 80th St. in Ralston, will present An Evening with Pete James concert to benefit the Mobile Food Pantry Outreach Ministry at 7 p.m. April 9. Doors open at 6:30. James is a songwriter and worship leader. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. For more information, call at 402-331-5510. Free community concert: Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 220 Kansas St. in Murdock, Nebraska, will host its sixth annual free community concert titled Joy of Music from 6 to 7 p.m. April 10. Refreshments will follow the concert. Free! On The Inside: The Douglas County Good News Jail and Prison Ministry will hold its annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. April 26 at the Ramada Convention Center, 3321 S. 72nd St. This years theme is Free! On The Inside. The event is free, but tickets are required. For tickets, contact Kathy Sell at 402-938-1513 or email at goodnewsbanquet@gmail.com. An offering will be taken. Shannon Norman of Omaha was named Mrs. Nebraska America 2016 March 5 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Omaha. Along with winning the title, Norman also took first place in evening gown, interview and physical fitness competitions. First runner-up was Kerri Otto of Lincoln, who also won the Peoples Choice Award, followed by second runner-up Ashley Gorham of Omaha, who won the Leadership and Entourage Awards. Sara Foulk of Kearney won the Photogenic and Carmelita de la Guardia Award for Performing Arts. All contestants competed in interview, physical fitness and evening gown competitions with five judges. The top three contestants also answered two questions on the state. The interview section accounted for half of the overall score. Other Noteworthy news this week: Four winners for Metropolitan Community Colleges Excellence in Teaching Award were announced at the colleges Spring Academic Affairs Awards Reception. The teaching award recognizes full-time and adjunct faculty based on four criteria: professionalism, commitment to learning, relationships with students and relationships with colleagues. This years winners were Catherine Brunkhorst, math; Sana Patterson, English; Carol Widman, health information management systems; and Stephanie Watson, human relations. The recipients will be invited to represent the college at the 2017 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development conference in Austin, Texas. ______________________ Iowa Western Community Colleges Phi Theta Kappa chapter, Alpha Omicron Tau earned top honors at both the Regional and State Phi Theta Kappa Conferences. The Iowa Western chapter won the regional Distinguished Theme Award for Nature of the Quest for its Honors in Action Project on the colonization of Mars in the 21st century. On the state level, Iowa Western took home all the major awards, including: Distinguished Chapter Award, Distinguished Officer Team Award, Honors in Action Hallmark Award, and College Project Hallmark Award. The chapters president, Mindy Thornton of Avoca, Iowa, finished third overall as Iowa Region Distinguished Chapter Officer. Brinton Strohmyer and Jeanette Milius won Horizon Awards as faculty advisers. At the International level, the chapter has been awarded the coveted Five Star Chapter Plan. ______________________ The North Omaha Neighborhood Alliance honored Michael B. Maroney, president of the Omaha Economic Development Corporation, for his commitment to bettering north Omaha during the first NONA Honors celebration on March 10 at Loves Jazz & Arts Center. Maroneys leadership of OEDC over the years has led to millions of dollars of development in north Omaha. NONA provides support to 45 neighborhood associations throughout north Omaha. ______________________ The Center for Rural Affairs honored several organizations and individuals at its annual awards banquet March 11 in Columbus, Nebraska. Among those honored were: Entrepreneur Award Greg and Kristy Parr, Custom Sports of Norfolk; Seventh Generation Award Betty Sayers of Holdrege; Bob Steffen Pioneer Award Bill Hedges of Lyons; Citizenship Award Matt Connealy of Decatur; Rural Enterprise Assistance Project Friend of Year Award Pat Coldiron, Liberty House Bed & Breakfast, Seward; REAP Extra Mile Award First Central Bank of Curtis, Gilbert Larson, Peggy Fritsche and Byron Brown; REAP Womens Business Center Entrepreneur of the Year Colleen Rickard, C-Pap Easy Clean of Axtell; and REAP Latino Business Center Entrepreneur of the Year Arcadio and Ebodio Zepeda, Tu Casa of Norfolk. ______________________ Inclusive Communities presented three awards during its annual Humanitarian Brunch held March 19 at the Ramada Plaza Convention Center. Those honored were: Marian Ivers (in memoriam), Humanitarian Award The Humanitarian Award is presented for outstanding service; contributions of time, effort and financial resources to the community; and dedication to the goals, values and mission of Inclusive Communities. Ivers was a former executive vice president of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, a founding member of the Institute for Career Advancement Needs and the Womens Fund of Omaha, and the first female president of the National Association of Membership Directors. She was active in many local nonprofits and community organizations; Carol Joy Holling Center, Otto Swanson Spirit of Service Award The Otto Swanson Spirit of Service Award, named for one of the early founders of the organization, is given to an individual or organization whose life or chosen field of work exemplifies the mission of Inclusive Communities The Carol Joy Holling Center, owned and operated by Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, is a Christian summer camp, conference and retreat center, and leadership development hub; Carrie Healy, Volunteer of the Year This award is presented to a committed volunteer who dedicates his or her time, energy and passion to supporting Inclusive Communities programming, advocacy and mission. ______________________ Cyndi Mattson and Sarah Ulsher, both of Omaha, were recognized for their outstanding service to the Omaha Public Library on March 8 at the Cornhusker Hotel during the Nebraska Library Associations annual Advocacy Day in Lincoln. Mattson works on the third floor (history, genealogy, and periodicals) of the W. Dale Clark Library. Ulsher is the newly elected Teen Advisory Board president of the Millard Library and has been volunteering there since 2009. LINCOLN Its best to get out of the way when a foot chase ensues between the cops and someone they aim to arrest. That was the upshot of a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling Friday that dismissed a lawsuit by a former Omaha woman who was hurt by two Douglas County deputies chasing a juvenile wanted on an arrest warrant. Joan C. Phillips was inadvertently knocked down by the sheriffs deputies in 2010. She suffered a broken elbow, nerve damage and more than $14,000 in medical expenses, for which she filed a personal injury lawsuit against the county and Sheriff Tim Dunning. At the time of the incident, Phillips worked as a teacher at Ombudsman Educational Services, a private, alternative school for children with behavioral problems or at risk of dropping out. Before their arrival, the deputies had spoken to Phillips about their intent to arrest one of her female students. Phillips instructed them to come to the back door of the building at 5034 S. 153rd St. to avoid disrupting classes, according an account of the incident in Fridays ruling. After the deputies arrived, Phillips led the student out the back door. But when the girl saw the deputies, she turned and ran back into the school. The deputies chased on foot, but in the process they bumped Phillips, causing her to hit the wall and fall to the ground. The deputies caught the student as she was trying to open a classroom door, forced her to the floor and handcuffed her. The teacher sued in 2011, claiming permanent physical injuries, mental pain and suffering, lost wages and future medical expenses. Based on a claim her attorney filed with the county, Phillips suffered a fractured left elbow that left her with damage to her elbow ligaments and the ulnar nerve in her arm. In 2013, Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall dismissed the lawsuit, saying Phillips had failed to raise a legitimate claim. A unanimous Supreme Court upheld the dismissal. Writing for the court, Judge Lindsey Miller-Lerman said the deputies were allowed to use a reasonable amount of force to carry out the arrest of the runaway student. In order to win her negligence claim, the teacher needed to show that the deputies breached their duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent their actions from injuring an innocent bystander. Nothing in the record suggests that the deputies were acting recklessly or unreasonably at the point in time when they made contact with Phillips, Miller-Lerman wrote in Fridays opinion. Phillips was able to return to teaching, but she has since moved out of the state, said her attorney, Ronald Frank of Omaha. Were disappointed in the decision, he said Friday. Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com Four finalists for Lincoln fire chief were announced Friday: Michael Despain, now the fire chief in Clovis, California. Gregory Easton, the fire chief in Bloomington, Indiana. Troy Hughes, the fire chief in Los Alamos County, New Mexico. Jonathan McMahan, the fire chief/regional director for the Rural Metro Fire Department in Tucson, Arizona. The candidates will be interviewed in Lincoln on April 15, the City of Lincoln said in a press release. Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler will make the final decision with City Council approval. Battalion Chief Tim Linke has served as interim fire chief since the retirement of John Huff in June 2015. Linke did not apply for the permanent position. In November, Beutler said he had offered the job to one of four finalists from an earlier list, but the man, citing family reasons, turned it down. Content by Team Coaching. Michael King, Nebraska-based executive and leadership coach with decades of experience working with leaders, has seen too often that leaders go it alone or have the wrong people in their inner circle. 'Kantara' impact: 'Daiva Narthakas' above 60 years of age to get Rs 2,000 monthly allowance Late actor Puneeth Rajkumar to be conferred with 'Karnataka Ratna' award on Nov 1 Karnataka to strengthen ATS and up the number of prisons Karnataka's Anti Corruption Bureau to commence work next week Bengaluru oi-Vicky By Vicky The Karnataka government will issue an official order to set up the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the state. The creation of the ACB has been marred by controversy with a large number of persons stating that it is being created only to weaken the Lokayukta. However, the government is no mood to listen to those protests and has decided to go ahead and set up the ACB. Also Read: BJP slams Karnataka govt over creation of Anti-Corruption Bureau It will come to force next week once the government order is issued. The ACB will be headquartered at the Kanija Bhavan in Bengaluru. On the anvil: The ACB will have a unit at every district. The ACB cells would be set up in every district and will be headed by an officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. The office at Bengaluru will be headed by an Additional Director General of Police and an Inspector General of Police. Also Read: We are not de-stablising the Karnataka Lokayukta, says legal advisor to government The Southern Range headquarters of the ACB would be at Mysore while the Western, Eastern And Northern Range would headquartered at Mangalore, Davangere and Belagavi. The Central and North Eastern Range would be headquartered at Bengaluru and Kalaburgi respectively. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 26, 2016, 9:13 [IST] Right time for Ayurveda, traditional medicine to become more popular globally: PM Modi Ayurveda, India's gift to world: Minister India oi-IANS By Ians English Panaji, March 26: Ayurveda is India's gift to the world and it should be promoted across the globe, Union minister Shripad Naik said here on Saturday while inaugurating the Arogya Fair. The four-day event is being organised by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) in association with the Goa government and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Goa University Campus at Bambolim near Panaji. "Ayurveda is India's gift to the globe. We have entered into an agreement with World Health Organization to popularise this traditional system of medicine across the world," Naik said in his inaugural address. "We have also signed an MoU with US for a joint research under AYUSH in the field of cancer," he added. The minister said that the central government is contemplating to open one AYUSH hospital in every district of the country. On the occasion, Naik also released the yoga protocol for the second International Yoga Day falling on June 21 this year. The fair aims to create awareness among the members of the public about the efficiency of the AYUSH systems, their cost-effectiveness and the availability of herbs and plants used for prevention and treatment of common ailments, according to officials. IANS Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again BJP asks president to dismiss Uttarakhand government India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 26: A BJP delegation on Saturday sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention in the Uttarakhand political crisis and demanded that Congress government led by Harish Rawat be dismissed at the earliest as it has lost its majority in the state assembly. "There is no need of vote of confidence as it has already been proved by a sting operation that Rawat has been indulging in unfair means to win numbers. Uttarakhand government is already in minority and president's rule must be imposed in the state at the earliest," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting. He said this is necessary to avoid any "corrupt practice"-alluding to the horse trading charge against Chief Minister Rawat, who also came under attack from the party during the day in course of the sting operation. Political crisis remain in Uttarakhand Rawat, however denied the charges as baseless and the Congress party also backed him. Vijayvargiya said that Rawat government has lost its majority and has no right to remain in power even for a minute. "Even if they (Congress) prove majority in the house, it will be murder of democracy." He said that the president has assured them of necessary action. BJP supports Mehbooba as CM, picks Nirmal as deputy India oi-IANS By Ians English Jammu, March 25: The BJP on Friday pledged support to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a new government under Mehbooba Mufti's leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, paving the way for her to be the first woman chief minister of India's only Muslim-majority state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also elected Nirmal Singh as its leader in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly and nominated him for the deputy chief minister's post in the new PDP-BJP alliance government to be formed soon. Mehbooba was on Thursday elected the leader of PDP's legislature party. A BJP-PDP joint coordination committee is expected to meet before the two leaders meet Governor N.N. Vohra together to stake claim to power in the state that has been without an elected government for the last nearly three months. The two parties were scheduled to meet the governor separately on Friday. But the meetings didn't happen. Leaders of the BJP and PDP "will have a meeting between ourselves before going to meet the governor", BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav told reporters here. "When they go to meet the governor will be decided." Ram Madhav, who is also BJP's Kashmir affairs in charge, was speaking after party legislators met here to elect their leader. "The BJP legislature party has re-elected Nirmal Singh as its leader and nominated him for the deputy chief minister's post in the new coalition government," BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma said. Sharma also said the BJP had decided to extend support to Mehbooba, daughter of former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to head the PDP-BJP government in the state. "We have to discuss certain issues before both of us visit the governor together to stake claim." He said that it may take "two-three days" before the government is formed. If and when the swearing-in happens, Mehbooba Mufti will be the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Nirmal Singh also served as the deputy chief minister in the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition that was in office for 10 months till Sayeed died on January 7. The state has been under Governor's Rule since January 8. Besides the BJP legislators and Ram Madhav, Jitendra Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, also attended the party meeting in Jammu. Informed sources said those at the meeting were apprised by Ram Madhav about the recent developments, including the Tuesday meeting in New Delhi between PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The BJP reiterated that no fresh conditions (by PDP) had been accepted and the alliance with the PDP will continue on the basis of the agenda of alliance signed (earlier) by the two parties," a BJP source told IANS. Jitendra Singh represents the Kathua-Udhampur Lok Sabha seat for the BJP in the Lok Sabha. IANS Body of Siachen avalanche victim recovered India oi-IANS By Ians English Jammu, March 26: The body of a soldier swept away by an avalanche in Siachen Glacier area of Jammu and Kashmir was recovered on Saturday, a defence official said. "Mortal remains of Rifleman Sunil Rai, who was buried under snow after an avalanche struck an army patrol in the Turtuk Sector on Friday, was recovered by rescue teams today (Saturday) morning," army's Northern Command spokesman Col. S.D.Goswami told IANS here. Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang, who was rescued immediately after the avalanche and evacuated for medical treatment, could however not be revived and succumbed on Friday itself. Bodies of 9 Siachen soldiers brought to Delhi "The mortal remains of the soldiers are being evacuated from the area of the avalanche, after which a wreath-laying ceremony will be conducted to honour the martyrs. Thereafter, they will be transported by air to their native places where they will be accorded funerals with full military honours," he said. Tamang is survived by his wife, a six-year-old daughter and his parents, whereas Rai is survived by his parents and two younger brothers. Northern Command chief, Lt.Gen. D.S. Hooda has expressed his deep condolences to both families and that the "Indian Army fraternity stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in their hour of grief". IANS Hafiz Saeed said Bal Thackarey needs to be taught a lesson: David Headley India oi-Vicky Mumbai, March 26: David Headley who is being cross-examined at a court in Mumbai made some startling revelations and also added to the confusion. The revelation was that it was Hafiz Saeed the chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who had told him that Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackarey ought to be taught a lesson. The issue relating to Ishrat Jahan too cropped up with the defence counsel cross-examining him stating that he had never told the NIA about her. To this Headley said that he had told the NIA about Ishrat Jahan dying in a failed Lashkar-e-Tayiba operation, but the same was not recorded. The confusion on Ishrat Jahan A major portion of the confusion relating to Ishrat Jahan was created when allegations were made against the NIA that they had deleted the portion regarding her. The NIA after visiting the US and questioning Headley had prepared a draft and the same handed over to the then home secretary G K Pillai. The former home secretary in an interview with OneIndia (Interview: Chidambaram should have guts to admit revising Ishrat affadavit and not hide- G K Pillai) had said that I am not sure why they decided not to probe it. When the National Investigation Agency gave me the draft report of Headley interrogation, there was no mention of Ishrat Jahan in it. The NIA said that it was there in the original, but was later deleted. I do not know why it was done. However I feel that it needs investigation. Headley today told the court that he is not aware why his statement on this was not recorded. I cannot tell you why the statement was not recorded. The statement was never read out to me and I am seeing copies of my statement for the first time now. I clearly remember what I had told the NIA, Headley also said in court. On Bal Thackarey: Continuing from where he left off yesterday about Bal Thackarey, he told the court that during a meeting with Hafiz Saeed this issue had cropped up. Saeed had told me that Thackarey needs to be taught a lesson. Headley told Saeed that he would need six months time. He says that he had visited the Shiv Sena Bhawan and also Thackarey's residence and carried out a reconnaissance. At the residence I met with the guards, he also told the court. In his earlier statements Headley had said that he had given the details about the Shiv Sena Bhawan to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. He however added that he was not aware of why it was not used. Headley had also said that he had made friends with Rajaram Rege, a Shiv Sena leader with an intention of gaining access to the Shiv Sena Bhawan. Headley further states that he had discussed with Rege about a fund raiser he wanted to organise for the Shiv Sena in the US. OneIndia News Desperate for attention, ISIS' Indian module may attempt major attack India oi-Vicky New Delhi, March 26: In the wake of the attack at Brussels, India has stepped up security in key destinations which is frequented by foreign nationals. There is a sense of desperation among a few Indian recruits into the ISIS to strike big. With the European cells carrying out back to back attacks in Paris and Brussels, the module in India may attempt something similar, Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia. What is ISIS? Propaganda, hype and lies The officer further stated that although the Indian recruits are not as dedicated or hardened as their counterparts in Europe or Syria/Iraq, they would still attempt a strike with the sole purpose of gaining some publicity. Indian agencies have thwarted many attempts by the ISIS in India with a thorough monitoring system known as Operation Chakravyuh. Target foreign nationals The plot to target foreign nationals in India is not a new one. The SIMI, IM have attempted it. The Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Indian Mujahideen had been successful when they carried out the 26/11 and Pune German Bakery attacks. A module of the SIMI too had attempted a major strike in Goa. According to the investigation, the cadres had stolen vehicles and were planning to line them up at a prominent beach in Goa. They planned on planting bombs in the vehicles and trigger them off with a remote. The ISIS in India could get desperate says an officer with the IB. They are desperate to prove themselves and could attempt an attack. However they would look to target foreign nationals to gain the attention of the world. The ISIS has declared Europeans as it number one enemy. In this context, the ISIS would look to target places such as Goa, Rajasthan and other destinations where the foreign tourists are high in number. OneIndia News 108-foot statue of Kempegowda to be unveiled by PM in Karnataka: Basavaraj Bommai Doctors urge PM Modi for 85% pictorial warnings on tobacco items India oi-PTI Kota (Raj), Mar 26: Over 600 doctors today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement '85 per cent pictorial warnings' on all tobacco product packages with effect from April 1, 2016. As many as 653 doctors wrote individual letters to the Prime Minister requesting him to implement the larger pictorial warning on packages of tobacco products, Sanjay Seth, Chief of Operations of 'Voice of Tobacco Victims' campaign said. They also requested him to reject the recommendation of Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation for 50 per cent coverage on both sides of cigarette packs and up to 50 per cent on one side of beedi and chewing tobacco product packs. India second largest consumer of tobacco' Copies of the letters written by doctors, who are from various states of the country, have also been sent to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Seth said. Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai, claimed that plethora of medical research have proven that tobacco is the only consumer product that has no good use except causing disease, disability and death. Pawan Singhal, VOTV state patron and Associate Professor at SMS Hospital, said large pictorial warning on tobacco packets is the most cost effective way to prevent youngsters from initiating the use and encourage consumers to quit the habit. PTI Not just Balakot, R&AW had codified 30 other terror camps close to army installations in Pak Former ISI chief Durrani files contempt case for not removing his name from no-fly list The batch of 1984 and how they are guarding India Government should ensure release of Kulbhushan Yadav: Sarabjit's sister India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 26: Dalbir Kaur, sister of alleged spy Sarabjit Singh who died while in custody in Pakistan, on Saturday urged the government to take concrete and urgent steps to ensure the release of Kulbushan Yadav, the Indian national arrested in Pakistan earlier this week on charges of being a RAW agent. Pakistan summons Indian envoy, Delhi denies RAW link "Maybe there is again a bad intent to create another Sarabjit Singh, this story should not be repeated," Kaur told reporters ahead of a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "The government has denied that he (Kulbhushan) is a RAW (Reasearch and Analaysis Wing) agent. His parents have also denied this. What more do you want? People should come out and ensure that another Sarabjit Singh is not created," she said, adding the latest controversy around Kulbhusan was only part of a "conspiracy". "Bilkul saazish hai (It's a complete conspiracy)," she said. Dalbir Kaur's brother Sarabjit Singh had claimed himself to be a farmer who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border, but was held in Pakistan and sentenced to death in 1991. His execution was, however, deferred and he later died in 2013 in a Lahore hospital after he was injured following attacks by fellow inmates. Kaur, who has been taking up the cause of release of "innocent" Indians and Pakistanis held in both sides on charges of spying since 2005, said, "If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to meet Nawaz Sharif, he should first ensure the release of this man (Kulbhushan) as after Pakistan President Asif Zardari's Ajmer visit in 2012, Khaleel Chishty was released. "It will be very nice if Modi proves that before friendship with Pakistan, he also cares for every Indian before it is too late because to trust Pakistan can be like betraying yourself," she said. She said she would also submit a list of 87 Indians held in Pakistan and 44 Pakistanis held in Indian prisons to Sushma Swaraj. IANS 12-year-old Indian in Guinness World Record for identifying most aeroplane tails in UAE Watch: Four Indian women racially abused in Texas in most horrific manner Govt trying to release kidnapped Indian priest in Yemen: Sushma Swaraj India oi-Sandra New Delhi, March 26: External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday tweeted and confirmed the abduction of an Indian priest in Yemen. Sushma tweeted: "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release." One Indian nurse, not 4 killed in Yemen attack: MEA Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 According to reports Tom Uzhunnallil was kidnapped by ISIS militants from an old people's home in Aden on March 4. Since then no one knows about Uzhunnallil's whereabouts. ISIS militants attacked Missionaries of Charity's home for the aged in Aden where an Indian nurse was killed. 16 people were killed in the attack when terrorists stormed the old age home and sprayed bullets at the residents. Government on Saturday said that they are trying their best to secure the release of Uzhunnallil from Yemen. External Affairs Ministry Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup had earlier said: "Of the four nurses killed in Yemen, only one is Indian named Cecilia Minz." Swaraj had on March 11 tweeted: "We are trying our best to rescue Fr. Tom Uzhunnali. Our major constraint is we have no Embassy in Yemen." We are trying our best to rescue Fr. Tom Uzhunnali. Our major constraint is we have no Embassy in Yemen. @vmtoms https://t.co/OaY9Eyww91 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 11, 2016 OneIndia News Illegal immigration- Fencing needs to be coupled with political will India oi-Vicky The BJP's vision document for Assam assures that if voted to power, it would seal the Indo-Bangladesh border. This would curb to a large extent the immense problem of illegal immigration which has become a headache for India. While sealing the border is the need of the hour considering the high number of infiltration coupled with smuggling of cattle, drugs and fake currency, there are also a host of other measures that need to be undertaken. Also Read: Indo-Bangla mutual help must go on: Tripura CM On December 17 2014, the Supreme Court while hearing a writ petition filed by Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha and others questioned the central government as to why it had chosen to leave the border with Bangladesh porous. Further, the court also directed the government to erect fences and better the vigilance to prevent illegal immigration. Fencing need to be coupled with political will: Fencing alone may not solve the problem. Those wanting to infiltrate can always find a way through the fence. One must also note that the demand to seal or fence this border had been made since 1965. This request came from the Assam government as the state had become a hub for illegal immigrants. There was some amount of effort made to fence the border. There were a couple of issues such as shortage of barbed wire and the difficulty to move out a group of people which marred the project. In the states that border Bangladesh, there has been a major problem of illegal immigrants. Fencing alone will not solve the problem and this has to be compulsorily be coupled with a political will. Over the years, the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have become a part of a huge vote bank. On arrival they are issued with Voter's identification cards and Aaddhar cards. These migrants after getting these cards go across the country in search of work. However it is mandatory for them to reach the polling booth at the time of an election, failing which their identification cards will be taken away and they would be packed off to their home land. The Assam labour: In the states of Karnataka and Kerala there has been a major influx of people from the North Eastern states. Most of them take up work at Rs 150 per day in coffee and tea estate. They would never reveal their identity, but claim that they are from Assam. They would even adopt a new name when they come in search of work and more often than not they take Hindu names. There is no doubt that most of these persons have come in search of livelihood as their home country has nothing to offer. They work hard and collect money to be sent back home. However, come election time and nothing can stop them from going back to either West Bengal or Assam. They go away for nearly 45 days and return after casting their vote. Also Read: Illegal Immigration: Mumbai advocate under scanner While there is a humanitarian touch to this story, it still cannot be allowed as it is purely illegal. They have no refugee status as granting this means they cannot vote in India. It is a well oiled racket by some of the political parties, says an officer. Permission to live in India is granted on the guarantee they will vote for them says the officer. With an identification card, they move about like Indians, while the harsh truth is that they are not. 108-foot statue of Kempegowda to be unveiled by PM in Karnataka: Basavaraj Bommai Watch: PM Modi receives warm welcome from locals in Badrinath India making every effort to deal with global economic challenges: PM Modi at 'Rozgar mela' Deepotsav 2022: In PM Modi's presence, 18 lakh diyas to create new world record in Ayodhya | Top points News flash: Section 144 imposed in Uttarakhand: Report India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Bengaluru, March 26: Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay to meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi this morning. Get all the latest news updates of the day: 11:45 pm: Cabinet discussed political situation in Uttarakhand but no decision on imposition of President's rule taken. 11:07 pm: Union Cabinet meeting ends in Delhi. 11:05 pm: England beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs in WT20. 11:00 pm: No constitutional crisis in Uttarakhand to warrant President's Rule: Congress leader Ambika Soni. 10:50 pm: This is a huge conspiracy by BJP and Centre to destabilize Congress Govts. We hve come to know from our sources that cabinet meeting hs been called to discuss Uttarakhand Crisis after an alleged sting operation- Ambika Soni, Congress. 10:15 pm: TN CM writes to PM, urges to instruct MEA & Indian Embassy in Brussels to provide help to family of TR Ganeshan who went missing. 10:05 pm: HM Rajnath Singh and FM Arun Jaitley reach 7 RCR for cabinet meeting. 9:50 pm: Fire breaks out at Chhattisgarh's Indoor stadium near Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Narayanpur, 5 fire tenders trying to douse flames. 9:25 pm: Cabinet meeting to take place at 9:30 PM, today at 7 RCR. 9:15 pm: Howrah (WB): Clash between police and locals after one died in a road accident, locals vandalise vehicles. 8:55 pm: PM Narendra Modi likely to meet Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif on March 31 in Washington, D.C. 8:25 pm: National Investigation Agency (NIA) to share evidences it has collected with Pakistan's JIT team: Sources. 8:15 pm: Pakistan's JIT team would only get access to question witnesses & not security forces. In Pathankot they will only get limited access: Sources. 8:10 pm: Search operation started in Dadsara area of Tral in Pulwama(J&K) by security forces. 2 to 3 terrorists believed to be present in area. 7:35 pm: We have requested the President to impose President's rule in Uttarakhand: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya. 7:25 pm: None of basic human rights of students of University was violated by administration, says Hyderabad University registrar in its report to AP State HRC. 6:55 pm: Pakistan's JIT team to arrive in Delhi tomorrow in connection with Pathankot terror attack. 6:45 pm: Crude bombs recovered from two drums in Birbhum(West Bengal). 6:25 pm: Any form of violence will not be tolerated by any group or member of any political party: BS Sidhu,Uttarakhand DGP. 6:17 pm: New Zealand(145/8) beat Bangladesh(70 all out) by 75 runs in WT20. 5:52 pm: Section 144 imposed in Uttarakhand, security tightened outside residences of MLAs. 5:42 pm: Brussels attacks suspect charged with terrorist offences, says prosecutor. 5: 21 pm: The issue of removal of Hyderabad University V-C Appa Rao will be taken up with PM, says Telangana CM KC Rao. 5:10 pm: The body of army jawan buried under snow following an avalanche in Siachen recovered, says Defence spokesman. 4:55 pm: Have submitted letter to Guv where BJP legislators have unanimously supported PDP in Govt formation: Nirmal Singh. We shall sit together with PDP and decide on the future course of action- Nirmal Singh, BJP after meeting Governor pic.twitter.com/u8AvuS2YtL ANI (@ANI_news) March 26, 2016 4:49 pm: We're thankful to the BJP for their unconditional support in formation of Government in J&K: Mehbooba Mufti. 4:36 pm: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti and BJP leader Nirmal Singh meet Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan. 4.10 pm: TMC's Baichung Bhutia files nomination from Siliguri for upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal 3.57 pm: Union Minister Jitendra Singh meets Tripura CM Manik Sarkar. 3.45 pm: We have got in touch with her husband. There are 26 more Indians working in Zawiya hospital- EAM Sushma Swaraj. 3.15 pm: Police recovers 140 crude bombs from Nanoor (Birbhum district, West Bengal). 3.05 pm: 2 army personnel and 2 civilians injured in a grenade attack near a police station in Bijbehara (Anantnag district, J&K) 2.35 pm: When the cross examination by the defence counsel Wahab Khan ended Headley tells him kaha suna mauf. 2.20 pm: The Lashkar-e-Tayiba has a women's wing not a cell says Headley. The role of the wing is to spread a religious message. There are no women's wing or cells involved in any kind of combat in India and Kashmir. 2.17 pm: During re-examination, David Headley said that he does not have any knowledge of women's cell of LeT in combat roles in India and Kashmir. 2.15 pm: Two people from Kerala have died in bomb shelling in Libya: Oommen Chandy,Kerala CM. 2.05 pm: Rail roko protest by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike over Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. 2.00 pm: Special prosecutor begins re-examination of David Heaey. His cross examination has ended. 1.56 pm: Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam starts his re examination of David Headley. Defence Lawyer concluded his cross examination today. 1.52 pm: By not putting up a more credible candidate, BJP is essentially handing over seat to us: Shashi Tharoor on Sreesanth. 1.38 pm: Man accused of killing volleyball player Tina in Kolkata surrendered before Jagatdal Police Station this morning. 1.25 pm: Hyderabad University registrar Sudhakar Rao at AP State Human Rights Commission to file report(on alleged atrocities against students). 1.05 pm: Judge GA Sanap rejected application of Advocate Wahab Khan for adjournment of cross examination of David Headley in 26/11 case. 12.54 pm: Farmers protest at Marina Beach demanding waiver of agricultural loans and resolution of Kaveri water dispute. 12.35 pm: Defence lawyer seeks extension of another day to cross examine David Headley. Court says consult with your client right away. 12.31 pm: I was not trying to establish Islamic rule in India says Headley. India and Israel are the biggest enemies of Islam. 12.30 pm: Madras University students who were protesting against Hyderabad University VC Appa Rao, forcefully removed by police. 12.25 pm: National level volleyball woman player Tina Aich murder case in Barasat (West Bengal): Accused Subrata Sinha surrenders before police. 12.15 pm: Dalbir Kaur (sister of Sarabjit Singh) meets EAM Sushma Swaraj over issue of Indians imprisoned in Pakistani jails. 12.04 pm: Even biggest critic of BJP has to accept that there is an honest govt under the leadership of Modi ji: Arun Jaitley. 11.38 am: Ask me about India. Don't ask me questions about Denmark or Pakistan, said Headley. "That is not your concern," Headley tells defence counsel. Headley was being questioned about the Mickey Mouse Project, a plot that was set to carry out an attack in Denmark. 11.07 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Tinsukia (Assam) Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Tinsukia (Assam) pic.twitter.com/Wo4k9xDwCS ANI (@ANI_news) March 26, 2016 10.40 am: It is not correct that my associates and I tried to kill former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaff. When the defence pointed out that it is part of the statement to the NIA, Headley says that he cannot say why it is there. 10.15 am: Hafiz Saeed had told me that Bal Thackarey needs to be taught a lesson. I told him that it would take me six months to complete the task, said David Headley. I had visited both the Shiv Sena Bhawan and the residence of Bal Thackarey. At his residence I had met the guards. I even conducted a survey of CBI headquarters and the Maharashtra Assembly. Hafiz Saeed had told me that Thackarey needs to be taught a lesson. I said I need six months," Headley said. 9.40 am: 35 Pak nationals detained from Ramdevra (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan). They have visa only for Mathura and Haridwar. 9.24 am: An argument broke out between the defence lawyer and Headley over the Ishrat Jahan issue. While the defence claims that he had not spoken about Ishrat to the NIA, Headley refuted that statement. He further stated that he cannot answer why the NIA did not include the Ishrat Jahan part in the report. May be they forgot, you ask them, but I did speak about her. Headley even said that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba had a woman's wing which is headed by the mother of an operative called Abu Aiman. 9.02 am: One SDRF jawan killed and one injured as car fell into Ganga in Devprayag (Uttarakhand). Three jawans missing. 8.44 am: The David Headley cross examination continues for the fourth day today. "It was Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi who introduced me to Muzzamil Bhat a Lashkar-e-Tayiba commander. Bhat told me he handled both the Akshardham and Ishrat Jahan case," Headley said. I had prior information about Ishrat Jahan after reading about her in the newspapers. However I was told about her once again by both Bhat and Lakhvi. I was not happy with the way the NIA recorded my statement. I never said that that every operation undertaken by Bhat was a failure. The statement given to the NIA was never read out to me, Headley said. 8.33 am: One child dead,100 shops gutted as massive fire breaks out in Parade Bazaar area of Kanpur. 8.20 am: PDP, BJP to meet J&K Guv jointly on Saturday to stake claim to form government. 8.00 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a rally in Majuli (Assam) today #Visuals of the venue: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a rally in Majuli (Assam) today. pic.twitter.com/TRARsJsLdr ANI (@ANI_news) March 26, 2016 OneIndia News New India in making, infrastructure to be no less than US, Europe in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari Party will stay away from proceedings: PDP writes to Delimitation Commission PDP, BJP set to meet Guv Vohra to form government India oi-IANS By Ians English Jammu, March 26: The Peoples Democratic Party and the BJP will on Saturday call on Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N.Vohra to stake claim to power in the state. PDP leader, Mehbooba Mufti and Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader, Nirmal Singh have sought a meeting with the governor on Saturday, "they will meet the governor here at 3.30 p.m". BJP supports Mehbooba as CM, picks Nirmal as deputy "Mehbooba Mufti will hand over a letter claiming to form an elected government as the chief ministerial candidate, while Nirmal Singh will submit support to the PDP claim", sources said. After a late Friday night meeting between BJP national general secretary, Ram Madhav and Mehbooba Mufti here, it was decided that the chief ministerial candidate and deputy chief ministerial candidate would meet Vohra on Saturday, the sources added. Will Mehbooba say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'? asks AAP leader The PDP has 27 MLAs (It had 28 before death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) in the 87-member legislative assembly. An independent MLA from the Ladakh region also supports the PDP. BJP has 25 MLAs and is supported by two MLAs of Peoples Conference headed by Sajad Lone and one independent candidate. The state was placed under governor's rule on January 8, a day after the then chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi. IANS PM slams Congress for Bangladeshi influx, unequal development India oi-IANS By Ians English Bihpuria (Assam), March 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government is taking measures which will not only stop fresh infiltration from Bangladesh but also ensure that the infiltrators in Assam return to their native place. Modi's statement came during a rally at Narayanpur near Bihpuria in Assam's Lakhimpur district, as he slammed the ruling Congress party in the state for its love for Bangladeshi infiltrators. Earlier, the prime minister addressed two rallies first at Borguri in Tinsukia district and the second at Majuli in Jorhat district. "The development in Assam has not been equal all these years. While some areas have developed, the state government neglected certain areas. The Assam government always wants the Bangladeshis. They offer golden plates to Bangladeshis but take away whatever the indigenous people have," said Modi, terming it "criminal negligence". "We, in Delhi, are taking such steps which will not only stop fresh infiltration into Assam but will ensure that those infiltrators, who have been living in Assam, have to go back," he said. Modi said the people of Assam have already taken a decision to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the forthcoming polls. "Congress has been the main reason for all diseases in the country. We must defeat the Congress this time," he said. "Assam has registered the highest incidents of crime against women. However, the Congress is not bothered and their attitude towards these problems and issues have always remained indifferent." Attacking the Congress for its 60 years of misrule in the country, Modi said the Congress has already ruled the country for over 60 years but for over 60 percent of the Assamese electricity remains inaccessible, forcing them to live in darkness. Saying that only a BJP government could fulfil all the unfulfilled dreams of the people in Assam, Modi said if the BJP is voted to power in Assam, the Centre and state governments will work hand in hand to take Assam's development to a different level, leading to a change in the living standards of the people. Stating that the BJP-led government at the Centre is bringing a Bill in Parliament on development of inland waterways, Modi said the passage of the Bill will benefit the people of Assam, particularly those living on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. He also assured to provide houses to each of the poor families in Assam and said that the money, which the central government had given to Assam for the housing needs of the people, is yet to be spent by the Congress government in Assam. IANS Rebel MLAs release sting, accuse Uttarakhand CM of horse-trading India oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, March 26: Rebel Congress MLAs of Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat here and alleged that he was indulging in horse-trading to save his government. Releasing the video, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat said that the chief minister was trying to bribe the nine rebel Congress MLAs and few other BJP MLAs. He also alleged that the rebel MLAs have been receiving life threats. Congress charges Ramdev with a role in rebellion by party MLAs in U'khand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had served notice to nine rebel Congress legislators, seeking their responses by March 26 on why they should not be disqualified from membership of the house for violating the party discipline and aligning with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "There is an attempt by the CM to bribe the nine rebel MLAs and few other BJP MLAs. The Uttarakhand government is indulging in horse-trading of the MLAs," said one of the rebel MLAs Harak Singh Rawat. "We have expressed concern over our security to the government of India as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make arrangements for us. We have also requested the governor to immediately dismiss such a corrupt government of the mafias," he added. Uttarakhand crisis: Congress expels Vijay Bahuguna's son for 'anti-party' activities Rawat further said: "We have also written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee to take objection to the whole situatiom. There is a constitutional crisis in the state." Nine Congress legislators led by Harak Singh had rebelled against the chief minister couple of weeks back when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker rejected the demand. Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the opposition BJP has 28 legislators. IANS Russian Helicopters to be part of DefExpo 2016 India oi-PTI Panaji, Mar 26: Rostec State Corporation's Russian Helicopters will be part of the four-day DefExpo to be held in Goa from March 28, where its Mi-38 and Ka-226Ts models will be on display. "We intend to strengthen our market position in South Asia, increasing sales of serial production and offering comprehensive after-sales service of helicopters. India currently operates more than 400 Russian-made helicopters and plans to expand its fleet," said Alexander Mikheyev, General Director of Russian Helicopters. The product line of the holding Russian Helicopters on DefExpo India 2016 will present multipurpose helicopters-- medium transport Mi-38 and the light utility Ka-226T, he added. "Fitted with trademark Kamov coaxial rotors, the manoeuvrable, compact Ka-226T is designed to perform transport and special missions in any weather, at any time of the day," Mikheyev said. Due to the absence of a tail rotor, the helicopter is safe for use on small pads and in complex terrain. Ka-226T can be used as health, police, search and rescue, passenger and transport helicopter, he added. Russia and India have already begun the implementation of the helicopter project cooperation agreement signed in December 2015, which provides for the joint production of at least 200 units of the Ka-226T. He said Ka-226T will be showcased in a medical version to the visitors at the DefExpo. In this version, the chopper is equipped with a stretcher to transport the injured, oxygen cylinders and the necessary medical equipment for providing first aid to the victims. For medical personnel, there are folding seats in the cabin of Ka-226T. PTI Telagana Assembly adjourned briefly on HCU issue India oi-PTI Hyderabad, Mar 26: Telangana Legislative Assembly was today adjourned for 10 minutes soon after it met for the day following demand by Opposition Congress for a debate on the ongoing unrest in Hyderabad Central University. Congress members, who wore black stoles, sought a debate on the HCU issue. Legislature affairs minister T Harish Rao, however, pointed out that it was decided in the Business Advisory Committee (BSA) to take up adjournment motion after the Question Hour. The Congress members then trooped into the Well of the House insisting on taking up the issue, after which Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy adjourned house for 10 minutes. Telangana Congress has expressed solidarity with the protesting students of HCU and its president N Uttamkumar Reddy yesterday called on the students at a jail where they were lodged. Reddy, who visited the students and teachers arrested on March 23 in connection with alleged attack on the VC's office the previous day, at the Cherlapally Prison here, had alleged that the Union and Telangana governments have adopted a dictatorial attitude towards the HCU students and playing with their lives. Yesterday, the family of deceased dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and the Congress demanded the immediate release of 25 students and two faculty members of HCU arrested in connection with the violence at the campus. PTI 23 Al-Shabaab militants killed in Somalia International oi-IANS By Ians English Mogadishu, March 26: At least 23 militants have been killed and 22 others arrested in heavy fighting between Al-Shabaab militants and forces of Galmudug State in Somalia, officials said on Friday. Information Minister of Galmudug State Mohamed Aden Osman said the fighting was still going on and reported military progress against the insurgents, XInhua reported. "Our forces killed 23 of the fighters, captured several others and confiscated weapons from them," Osman said in a statement released on Friday. "The confrontation happened in three villages in east Mudug region which are Jiray, Dinoda and Bud-bud. We will not allow the group to hide and prepare plots against the Somali community in areas under our control," he added. The minister said Galmudug security forces launched an operation to flush out fleeing Al-Shabaab terrorist fighters that were defeated in Garad and Suuj area by Punt-land forces and sought safe haven in territories on the eastern part of Galmudug. "The forces launched the operation targeting the fleeing Al-Shabab fighters who headed towards the Galmudug territories to seek hideouts and regrouping spaces, but the forces foiled their trial," he added. The minister called on the Somalia government and the international community to support the Galmudug forces to fight against Al-Shabaab in order to liberate all Galmudug territories from terrorist group. IANS No, Vienna is no more the favourite address for 'James Bonds' today; its this city Belgium presses manhunt after new plot revealed International oi-PTI Brussels, Mar 26: Police pressed ahead today with the search for suspects in Belgium's worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's airport and metro attacks which left 31 dead and some 300 wounded. Brussels attacks: Suspect's DNA at Paris attack sites Many believe it has not done enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State - which claimed the attacks - and from where they return home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. "Attacks, tens of dead, hundreds hurt, tears, raids, a political crisis, the capital under siege and fugitives still on the run while (key Paris suspect) Salah Abdeslam says nothing in prison," wrote Christophe Berti in a front page editorial for Le Soir daily. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," Berti said. Yesterday, a series of raids produced three arrests in connection with what French authorities said was an imminent new attack. President Francois Hollande said a jihadist network which hit both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed" but also warned that the threat remained and everyone must be on guard. Belgium's Muslims vow to fight radicalisation after attacks Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter," it said. Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Ibrahim was on the list even before the November Paris attacks while Khalid was added soon after. Prosecutors have also confirmed Khalid was the subject of an international warrant over the Paris attacks. European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium. A Belgian parliamentary commission yesterday questioned the ministers for justice, foreign affairs, and the interior on how Ibrahim El Bakraoui had managed to slip past the authorities. The ministers said the information from Ankara was vague while a Belgian police officer at the embassy in Turkey had "blundered". PTI Karnataka to strengthen ATS and up the number of prisons Reports: Missing Indian priest in Yemen may have been crucified on Good Friday International oi-Sandra Sana'a/ Bengaluru, March 26: After Indian priest Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, 56 was believed to be abducted by ISIS militants from Aden, Yemen on March 4, a report in Dailymail stated that many religious groups fear that ISIS militants may have crucified the Indian priest on Good Friday. Though there is no confirmation on the same, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said: "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We are making all efforts to secure his release." Govt trying to release kidnapped Indian priest in Yemen: Sushma Swaraj Earlier this week, a group of nuns posted on social media that they believe that Fr Uzhunnalil is being subjected to torture and may be crucified on Good Friday. However, members belonging to Uzhunnalil's order in Bengaluru have denied reports that he was due to be crucified. On March 4, a group of terrorists stormed the Missionaries of Charity old age home in Aden and sprayed bullets on residents killing four including an Indian nurse, Cecilia Minz. Officials in Yemen believe that Uzhunnalil was abducted by these militants. Swaraj on Saturday said that the government is making all efforts to secure the release of Uzhunnalil from his captors in Yemen. Yemen is a conflict zone and hence there is no Indian Embassy there making it even more difficult for Uzhunnalil's release. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 26, 2016, 13:03 [IST] Trump's anti-women remarks may cost probable contest against Hillary, fear Republicans International oi-Shubham Washington, March 26: Republican presidential nomination front-runner Donald Trump has been targeting Heidi Cruz, the wife of his rival Ted Cruz, raising a fresh alarm among the Republicans about the former's ability to convince the women voters, especially if the final showdown takes place between him and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump has been attacking Heidi since a nude photo of his wife Melania, a former model, entered the scenario, thanks to an anti-Trump super PAC. The real-estate tycoon lashed out at Cruz saying he would spill the beans on his wife, seeing the latter hitting back at him, calling him "classless". [66% Americans feel US election process has broken] The hostilities that turned too personal saw the new low on Friday when Cruz accused Trump and "his henchmen" of creating false rumours that he had cheated his wife. [After Trump's dick size, focus is on her wife's nude photo] Cruz told reporters in Wisconsin that the country doesn't want a president "who traffics in sleaze and slime" and "seems to have a real issue with strong women." [Bernie Sanders will look to win against Hillary in March 26 caucuses] Trump is known for making sexist remarks Trump is known to issue sexist remarks and the Republicans feared this could be make the party vulnerable in this election since it involves a woman who aspires to be the country's first woman president. Trump had a major spat with Fox News after its anchor Megyn Kelly questioned the candidate on his calling women as "fat pig", "dog" and other names. Trump was also seen insulting businesswoman Carly Fiorina saying nobody would vote for a woman with such looks. After the ugly fight over the wives started, Trump even retweeted a combined image of Heidi, a former White House aide, and Melania, saying the "images are worth a thousand words". While Heidi looked sad in the picture, Melania was in her glamorous best. Soon after, Cruz responded by calling Trump "a snivelling coward" in Wisconsin. Trump, who had earned flak in the past for also commenting on Jeb Bush's Mexico-born wife Columba, has been seen falling back in terms of popularity among women. In a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, it was seen an overwhelming 70 per cent women had an unfavourable opinion on Trump. Even in the Republican camp, 39 per cent of women did not find Trump their favourite. Oneindia News The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan continues with a Hindu girl forcibly converted and married UK imam lauds extremist killer in Pakistan; courts controversy International oi-PTI London, Mar 25: The imam of one of Britain's biggest mosques has praised a religious extremist in Pakistan who was recently executed for murdering liberal politician Salman Taseer, triggering a controversy. Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman of the Glasgow Central Mosque - the largest in Scotland - supported killer Mumtaz Qadri in a series of WhatsApp messages, the BBC reported today. Qadri, a former police commando, was hanged on February 29 after he gunned down Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who opposed Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws. Qadri was working as a bodyguard for Taseer when he pulled out a gun and shot him 28 times in 2011 in broad daylight in an upmarket locality of Islamabad. Pakistan has some of the strictest blasphemy laws in the world, which can carry a potential death sentence for those judged to have insulted the Islam. The imam's messages, seen by the BBC, detail how he was "disturbed" to hear of his death and gave him the religious blessing usually reserved for devout Muslims. The imam said he was "disturbed" and "upset" before he wrote the messages, seeking God's mercy be upon Qadri. In another message, he wrote: "I cannot hide my pain today. A true Muslim was punished for doing which [sic] the collective will of the nation failed to carry out." Later, the imam claimed the messages were taken out of context and that he was expressing his opposition to capital punishment in Pakistan. He told the BBC: "The assassination of Salman Taseer is widely condemned. "Whether I agree or disagree with the views he expressed, as an Imam and as a human being I express abhorrence at the manner in which he was executed. "The execution was not in accordance with Islamic teachings and principles." He said: "Mumtaz Qadri's execution is condemned as it is not in accordance with due process nor is it in accordance with Islamic teachings and principles. "Capital punishment on this particular occasion was inappropriate and any expressions of sympathy or compassion are extended in my capacity as a private individual and not in any professional or public capacity," The Daily Record quoted him as saying. Reacting to the imam's remarks, lawyer and activist Aamer Anwar accused the religous leader, who condemned the Brussels bombings, of "rank hypocrisy". He told BBC Scotland many people within the community were scared the views would "filter down the Muslim community and radicalise our children". PTI US presidential poll 2016: Sanders will look to win Hawaii, Alaska and Washington today International oi-Shubham Washington, March 26: After his 2-1 win over former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential nomination race on March 22, Vermont Senator will look to reduce the gap with his dominating rival in the caucuses in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington on Saturday (March 26). US election 2016: Who has won which state US poll 2016: Candidates and their delegate numbers" title="Complete list of American presidential election primaries/caucuses schedules and results US election 2016: Who has won which state US poll 2016: Candidates and their delegate numbers" />Complete list of American presidential election primaries/caucuses schedules and results US election 2016: Who has won which state US poll 2016: Candidates and their delegate numbers Sanders, who has been giving Clinton a fight consistently, spent much of the week on the West Coast to connect to the liberal activists with an aim to sweep the three states and narrow the gap with Clinton. The two are now separated by more than 300 delegates, more than what Barack Obama had over Clinton in the 2008 election primaries. Saturday's voting is important even if Sanders is trailing Clinton by a quite a bit of a margin. For another string of losses could show the former secretary of state's vulnerabilities in the Democratic camp. [66% Americans believe US presidential process is broken: Survey] One big advantage that Clinton has is the backing of 468 superdelegates (party officials who can back either of the candidates) and that takes her number to 1,691 and with just 29 superdelegates in his kitty, Sanders falls further behind with a tally of just 949. [What is the difference between primaries and caucuses?] To get nomination, a Democratic candidate needs to have 1,237 delegates. In these circumstances, Sanders will need to win 58 per cent of the remaining delegates from the primaries and caucuses and he doesn't have much time either. When considering the superdelegates, Sanders has to win 67 per cent of the remaining delegates, which is by no means an easy task. On Saturday, 142 delegates will be at stake with the state of Washington having 101 of them. Hawaii and Alaska have 16 and 25 delegates, respectively. Oneindia News 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. US Online Gambling: Is the End of RAWA Near? Published March 25, 2016 by Elana K According to a report from Gambling Compliance, Sheldon Adelson is going to redirecting his RAWA bill to focus on offshore, unlicensed online gambling sites, as opposed to online gambling in the US. Good news is on the horizon for supporters of online gambling in the United States: according to a report from Gambling Compliance, the demise of RAWA, the Restoration of Americas Wire Act, is imminent. RAWA, a bill pushed by republican lobbyist and billionaire Sheldon Adelson, sought to ban online gambling at a federal level, and had online gambling supporters concerned for the better part of the last two years. Today, however, Adelson is reported to be abandoning his efforts and re-construing his bill completely, this time focusing on a federal ban against all forms of offshore, unlicensed online gambling. Adelsons new direction comes after RAWA faced serious opposition from various states and legislators, who claimed that the bill clearly trampled on the rights of individual states. Moreover, every time a RAWA hearing was held, RAWA supporters ended up making fools of themselves, with little real information to back any of their claims. Even one of Adelsons staunchest supporters, Marco Rubio, confessed he would allow an exception for online poker should RAWA get passed. While the new bill Adelson is reported to be working on sounds similar to the old one, its ramifications could be very different. By cracking down on offshore, unlicensed online gambling sites, the bill could call into focus the need for regulated online gambling within the US, something which many individual states are already considering and three of which have already done. But officially, RAWA still exists, which has opposition leaders cautioning against celebrating too soon. Poker Players Alliance Vice President Rich Muny commented, RAWA still exists, so this is no victory lap. We all need to keep up the pressure on lawmakers and ensure this does not end up sneaked in later on. Until an official statement is released from Adelson, online gambling supporters will have to hold their celebrations in check. The Director-General, Debt Management Office, Ms. Patience Oniha, has said that the Federal Government is planning to borrow N1.6 trillion to fund the 2019 budget. Speaking at the Association of Issuing Houses of Nigerias semi-annual business lunch in Lagos on Thursday, Oniha said the government had been reducing its level of new borrowings, as it dropped from N2.2tn in 2017 to N1.6tn in 2018. According to her, about N1.6tn has been set for borrowing in 2019, and the government adopted a 50:50 approach to spread its borrowing between international and local borrowings. Oniha said the belief that the government was crowding out the private sector from the debt market was untrue. She said: There are issues around getting sub-nationals and corporates to come to the market. Corporates prefer to borrow from banks because it is faster and has lower risk than the debt market. In order for us to get these people to come to the market, we have to go back to the drawing board and plan how to tackle these issues. Capital market experts, at the event, said the structural issues in the economy were hindering the participation of sub-nationals and corporate in the debt market. The experts, who spoke during a panel session on the capital market agenda for the next four years, said there is a need for the capital market to set an agenda for the government. Daar Communications boss, Raymond Dokpesi has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is a parasite who has never created any employment opportunities in Nigeria. Dokpesi made this known following a three hour questioning at the office of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS. He was invited for question shortly after his return form medicare abroad. According to him, the question which also saw his passport seized is all an attempt to prevent him from going abroad to continue treatment. Narrating his ordeal with NIS, Raymond Dokpesi said: I do not suspect foul play. I can state categorically that this is the handiwork of the Buhari-led Federal Government. There is nothing I can do. I am in court already. I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is on my sweat that I go for treatment. Buhari, who says he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, unfortunately in the history of Nigeria, has been a parasite of Nigeria. He has never created any employment (opportunities). I have contributed to the growth and development of this country. The Federal Government is on an intimidation ploy and they are after everybody in the PDP. Im undaunted. In fact, the more they do this, they more Im defiant and the more Im resolute to stand for the good of the ordinary people of Nigeria. Share this: A young man was allegedly stabbed by his girlfriend over a phone call in Rivers state. According to reports, the victim identified as Mr. Abeulah, a native of Delta but stays in Ogu/Bolo local government area of Rivers state, with his girlfriend named Miss Alice Peter, who is a native of Ogoni in Rivers. It was gathered that Mr. Abeulah was said to be making a phone call when his girlfriend stormed the room and allegedly stabbed him in the eye. According to an eyewitness, the lady said her reason was that he (the victim) was calling another woman while she was still with him. The victim was rushed to a nearby pharmacy for urgent medical treatment. The accused has been apprehended and the matter taken up by Bolo youth council. Share this: Lady Cries Out After Her Father Was Killed By Fulani Herdsmen On Benin Ore Expressway A Lady was seen crying in a video because her father was killed by Fulani herdsmen along Benin ore Expressway. Gistvic Reports. The lady called out the government to send military personnel to Benin Ore Expressway where Fulani herdsmen had been killing, kidnapping and terrorizing that road after her father was killed by the herdsmen and many others. Gistvic Reports. She said: My father was on the way to Benin when he was attacked. They kidnapped them and since that Friday we have been looking for his body till the next Friday that we saw his body in the bush abandoned and so many other bodies inside that bush Watch Video Below: [embedded content] SOURCE: GISTVIC.COM Share this: Oge Okoye has finally reacted to being called out for visiting Pastor Alph Lukau at his church in South Africa, following a troll campaign spearheaded by Daddy Freeze. According to the actress, she attended the church in October 2018 after she visited her mum in Spain. She further revealed that her mum who came across the YouTube channel of AMI church and has been following them since, wanted to visit the church because of her younger sister who is a cancer patient, wheelchair bound and is bedridden. However due to her mums age, she didnt want her to make that long journey from Spain to South Africa and so requested for her aunts pictures and promised her that she would visit the church and also stand in for her as a point of contact Oge who reacted to the backlash she faced after being called out for visiting Pastor Alph Lukau, wrote; Good morning Glam FAMILYI try to be calm about everything and anything especially when Negativity screams out so loud. I dont try to Calm the Storm,but will only Calm my mind and the Storm will Pass..though i owe no one any explanation as regards to my personal heavenly race but I feel like addressing THIS wild fire I Travelled to see my mum as usual and she told me how she came across the youtube channel of AMI church and that shes been following them ever since because of what God is doing in the church through Pastor Alphalukau. So my mum wanted to visit the church because of her younger sister(My aunt)who is a cancer patient,wheelchair bound and is bedridden. Due to Mums age,I didnt want her making that long journey from Spain to South Africa so I requested for my aunts pictures and promised her that I would visit the church so I can stand in for her as a point of contact. That was how i visited AMI on the Sunday, 16th of October 2018,last year. Go on youtube and see for yourselves. Please Nigerians,Is anything wrong in seeking the face of God or standing in the gap for my sick aunty? How Gullible can people be?Why fabricate stories? Meanwhile how much do you think I will be paid to do the unimaginable? God forbid Whoever said that..May they be visited with the same bitter pill to swallow IJN. Amen Thank you Lord for all the blessings. Lady Pranks Her Boyfriend That She Wanted A Breakup, See His Terrible Reaction A lady was seen pranking her boyfriend that she wanted a breakup but the prank went wrong as her boyfriend reacted badly. Gistvic Reports. After she said that, her boyfriend beat the hell out of her with punches and slaps before leaving. Gistvic Reports. See photos: Watch Video Below: I just seen this video of this girl pulling a prank on her boyfriend saying she wanted to break up with him and this is how he respondedunder and I cant stress this enough, the fucking jail. pic.twitter.com/JCCzlbIq3F des (@babydolldestany) March 28, 2019 SOURCE: GISTVIC.COM Share this: Ray Hushpuppi Flaunts His Rolls-Royce And Lamborghini Flamboyant Nigerian big boy, Hushpuppi who is best known for his luxurious lifestyle living both home and abroad poses with his Rolls Royce and Lamborghini which he said was specially customized for him and has his name Ray Hushpuppi encrusted on it. Gistvic Reports. He captioned: Those who leave everything in Gods hand will surely see Gods hand in everything SOURCE: GISTVIC.COM Share this: The police in Lagos have arrested a computer science graduate who allegedly defrauded Nigerians with a fake Facebook account of the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. Spokesman for Lagos State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Thursday that the suspect also used names of other popular clergymen to defraud innocent Nigerians. According to Elkana, the suspect, one Atanda Yusuf, 27, a graduate of Computer Science from the Ekiti State University, was traced by detectives of the Area D command Mushin, led by the Area Commander, Mr Akinbayo Olasoji, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). He said that the suspect claimed he was into telecommunications business by downloading music and have MTN mobile kits which he used to register sim cards. I am also working for Airtel with their registration kit at No 2, Isuti road Igando. Everything I am saying is nothing but the truth because there is nothing to hide anymore. I created a Facebook account in Dr Olukoyas name, which I use to defraud people and I have regretted every bit of my action. I also opened facebook page for Redeemed Christian Church of God and Synagogue Church of All Nations, that is TB Joshua Church. I ask people through facebook to pay N1, 000 and get N10, 000 after four days. It is like ponzzi scheme where you pay N1, 000 and get N3, 000 and more than 100 people have been paying. I rented a shop at Igando. I rented it for N72, 000. The total sum will be going to about N500, 000. I started late last year, around September or July 2018. I had fear in me because I always knew that nothing lasts forever. Initially, I used my Diamond bank account before I got Amos account, which is the one I am using. Since I told them to pay N1, 000 and get N3, 000, so if they pay and once it is four days, I block the persons number on WhatsApp, they would not be able to reach me anymore. I slammed my WhatsApp number on the Facebook page. Once you click on the page you will see the number and then contact me. I actually regret every bit of my action and I had decided to stop, in fact, I had a feeling that I was about to be caught. Nobody lured me into it; I am in it on my own. I did it all alone, no partner. Manacy Amos, the man I use his bank account number to transact the illicit business is a colleague from the factory we were working together, which is Okosupreme Natural Resources Limited. We were in the same department. We worked as quality control inspector. After Manacy gained admission, I was still working there before the company had issue, so we shut down. During that period I met him and said a friend of mine is a bricklayer and had issues with his account, that we have not seen any other account to pay money to and he agreed. I told him that the bricklayer friend was ready to pay N5, 000 and so he agreed to sell it. He sold his account and gave me his ATM card. That was how I got it, he confessed to the police. A Nigerian man identified as, Monday Alli Onaivi, is currently on the run after he allegedly set his wife on fire over feeding money in Edo State. According to Ejiroghene Ezaga who shared the sad story, the man set his wife ablaze after she requested for feeding money. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital due to the severe burns she suffered from the attack. Sharing photos of Monday Alli Onaivi, Ejiroghene Ezaga wrote on Facebook; THIS IS THE PHOTO OF MR MONDAY ALLI ONAIVI, THE MAN WHO 2 WEEKS AGO IN BENIN CITY SET HIS 33-YEAR-OLD WIFE, ESTHER ALLI, ABLAZE OVER HIS ALLEGED REFUSAL TO GIVE HER FEEDING MONEY. SHE LATER DIED IN THE HOSPITAL OF SEVERE BURNS. SHE LEFT BEHIND 2 LOVELY GIRLS AND A BOY. AIDED BY HIS MOTHER, HES PRESENTLY ON THE RUN. PLEASE SHARE UNTIL JUSTICE CATCHES UP WITH HIM Ejiroghene Ezaga also went on to share images of the victim, Esther Alli and her three children. Sharing the photos he wrote; PICTURES OF LATE MRS ESTHER ALLI, THE 33-YEAR-OLD HOUSEWIFE SET ABLAZE IN BENIN CITY 2 WEEKS AGO BY HER HUSBAND, MR MONDAY ALLI ONAIVI, AND THE LOVELY KIDS SHE LEFT BEHIND. THE HUSBAND IS STILL AT LARGE Share this: The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State, has reaffirmed the nullification of the reelection of Ovie Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central district on the platform of the APC, and that of Francis Waive, who was declared winner of the Ughelli North, South and Udu House of Reps seat. In a judgement delivered by Justice Tosin Adegoke On March 18, the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, had sacked the Great Ogboru/Ovie Omo-Agege factional state executive committee of the APC led by Jones Erue and upheld the Otega Emerhor faction led by Cyril Ogodo as the authentic state executive committee. The Federal High Court also nullified all actions taken by the sacked Erue-led executive, including ward and local government congresses, party primaries and the list of candidates that emerged from the primaries held by Erues faction, declaring it null and void. Following the judgement of the Federal High Court, Omo-Agege and Waive had approached the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin to seek the leave of the court to appeal the judgment nullifying their candidatures and reelection. At the hearing of the case on Friday in Benin, the Court of Appeal dismissed the case filed by Omo-Agege and Francis Waive seeking a leave of court to appeal the Federal High Court judgement which sacked the Jones Erue-led state executive faction of the APC and nullified the list of its candidates. After dismissing both applications for lacking in merit, the Appeal Court awarded a fine of N300,000 each against the two APC candidates. The court said the plaintiffs could not claim to be unaware of the case, and as such they could not seek to be joined or challenge the judgement at this moment. Invest In Social Force & Get 50% Click HERE >> To Buy Cheap MTN & GLO Data Click HERE >> Governor Seriake Dickson on Thursday named John Sentamu of the Church of England head of a high-powered international panel to probe deadly oil spills in Bayelsa State. John Kuffuor, a former Ghanaian president, would also serve on the panel, which has the mandate to hold both public and private hearings and submit its findings within nine months. The governor said the environmental degradation arising from the spills has become insufferable in recent years, leading to the death of at least 16,000 Niger-Delta infants in their first month annually. Earlier this month, he accused the oil firms of aggravating security crisis in the region, calling on heavy sanctions to forcibly push the companies towards meeting international standards of oil production. At the inauguration of the commission of inquiry in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Thursday, Mr Dickson canvassed urgent international investigation to hold major oil companies to account and engender restitution for the people of Niger-Delta who have continued to pay severe prices for decades of oil exploration and production. The governor accused oil companies of spilling about 40 million barrels of crude in the Niger-Delta, as against about four million recorded in the United States, according to details of the event circulated by government spokesperson, Daniel Iworiso-Markson. The environmental challenges have also seen the life expectancy of Niger-Delta residents cut by 10 years against national average of 55.2 years as of 2018. The governor expressed confidence that the ten-man Commission of Inquiry on Environmental Degradation would help resolve some of the crucial issues, especially as it is led by Mr Sentamu, the Archbishop of York and second most-senior official of the Church of England, coming directly behind the Archbishop of Canterbury. Mandate The nine-point mandate of the panel cuts across health, socio-economic, cultural and human damage allegedly caused by operations of both local and multinational oil companies. Mr Dickson said oil firms operating in the Niger-Delta should be held to similar standards enforceable in Norway, Scotland and the United States. Mr Sentamu decried the detrimental effect of oil spill. He called on the international community to prioritise protection of the environment as a collective heritage of mankind. Other members of the committee include Valerie Amos, Engobo Emeseh, Anna Zalik, Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, the commissions secretary; Roland Hodler and Michael Watts. Kemasuode Wodu, a former Bayelsa attorney-general, would stand as the panels legal adviser. PREMIUM TIMES also reached out to Chevron and Shell for comments. The oil giants spokespersons promised to get back with a detailed response to the governors charges, but were yet to do so hours after official close of business on Friday. However, the oil firms have long defended themselves against accusations of not doing much to curb release of toxic substances across the Niger-Delta. They also previously said they have done a lot to ameliorate the suffering of the local population, even though they add that the Nigerian government should be held responsible for damages to the environment and its deadly toll on residents. Reprinted from Consortium News Secretary of State John Kerry has rebuffed a request from the father of the only American citizen killed aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 for Kerry to disclose the radar and other data that he cited in 2014 in claiming to know the precise location of the missile launch that allegedly downed the airliner over eastern Ukraine killing 298 people. In a letter to Kerry dated Jan. 5, 2016, Thomas Schansman, the father of American-Dutch citizen Quinn Schansman, asked Kerry to turn over that data to aid the investigation seeking to identify who was responsible for shooting down the plane on July 17, 2014. In a letter dated March 7, 2016, but just delivered to Thomas Schansman on Thursday, Kerry expressed his condolences and repeated his claim to know where the missile launch originated, but did not provide new details. Kerry wrote, "The assessment I provided to the media three days following the shoot down remains unchanged, and is corroborated by the findings of the Dutch Safety Board [DSB]. Flight 17 was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile fired from separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine." But Kerry's assertion is not entirely correct. Despite Kerry's claim on July 20, 2014 -- three days after the shoot-down -- to know the location of the missile launch, the Dutch Safety Board reported last October that it could only place the likely launch site within a 320-square-kilometer area that included territory under both government and rebel control. (The safety board did not seek to identify which side fired the fateful missile.) Why the U.S. government has dragged its heels about supplying the evidence that Kerry claimed to possess just days after the tragedy has become a secondary mystery to the allegations and counter-allegations about whodunit. That Kerry would not even elaborate on that information in response to the father of the lone American victim is even more striking. In an email to me with Kerry's letter attached, Thomas Schansman wrote, "the message is clear: no answer on my request to hand over satellite and/or radar data to DSB or public." Plus, Kerry's credibility has come under a darkening cloud because of recent disclosures undermining his repeated claims on Aug. 30, 2013, that "we know" that Syrian government forces were responsible for the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack outside Damascus. Despite Kerry's assertions of certainty in that case, he presented no verifiable evidence and it has since been confirmed that the U.S. intelligence community lacked "slam dunk" proof. Nearly a year after his "we know" performance regarding the Syria-sarin case, Kerry staged a reprise expressing similar certainty about the MH-17 case -- again dumping the blame on the target of an intensive U.S. propaganda campaign, this time Russia, which was backing the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Kerry again failed to supply supporting evidence (beyond some dubious references to "social media"). Cracks in the Story Also, some of Kerry's MH-17 assertions have shown cracks as more information has become available. For instance, despite Kerry's putting the blame on the ethnic Russian rebels and their supporters in Moscow, Western intelligence now says the only functioning Buk anti-aircraft missiles in the area were under the control of the Ukrainian military. According to Dutch intelligence -- and implicitly corroborated by U.S. intelligence -- Ukraine's Buk batteries were the only anti-aircraft missiles in the area capable of hitting a commercial airliner flying at 33,000 feet. That information was contained in a little-noticed Dutch intelligence report last October citing information from the Netherlands' Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD). MIVD made its assessment in the context of explaining why commercial aircraft continued to fly over the eastern Ukrainian battle zone in summer 2014. MIVD said that based on "state secret" information, it was known that Ukraine possessed some older but "powerful anti-aircraft systems" and "a number of these systems were located in the eastern part of the country." MIVD added that the rebels lacked that capacity, having only short-range anti-aircraft missiles and a few inoperable Buk missiles that had been captured from a Ukrainian military base. "During the course of July, several reliable sources indicated that the systems that were at the military base were not operational," MIVD said. "Therefore, they could not be used by the Separatists." U.S. intelligence, which had eastern Ukraine under intensive overhead surveillance in summer 2014, implicitly corroborated MIVD's conclusion in a U.S. "Government Assessment" released by the Director of National Intelligence on July 22, 2014. It listed weapons systems that Russia had provided the rebels but made no mention of a Buk missile battery. In other words, based on satellite imagery and other intelligence reviewed both before and after the shoot-down, U.S. and other Western intelligence services could find no proof that Russia had ever given a Buk system to the rebels or introduced one into the area. If Russia had provided a Buk battery -- four 16-foot-long missiles hauled around by trucks -- it would have been hard to miss. Copyrighted Image? DMCA On March 17 Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskait attended a European Council meeting which focused on the European Union's Annual Growth Survey and the progress of member states in implementing the European Commission's economic and social recommendations for 2015. One can not deny that the problems a number of EU countries face are caused by anti-Russian sanctions. While E.U. governments extended asset freezes and travel bans on Russians and Russian companies, it should be said that there is less consensus on whether to prolong the more far-reaching sanctions on Russia's banking, defense and energy sectors from July 2015. For example, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary are among the E.U. states most skeptical about the sanctions. Moscow has imposed its own tit-for-tat sanctions against many E.U. food imports. Italy and Hungary said there could be no automatic extension of the European Union's sanctions against Russia, the most public sign yet of fraying unity on how to deal with Moscow. As for Lithuania, despite the weakening of its economic position in the European Union, Lithuania continues to strictly adhere to the opinion of the need for anti-Russian sanctions, though many Lithuanians, who once exported heavily to Russia, want to see markets reopen. Political views continue confronting economic benefits, and are economic sanctions the right or wrong choice of the government? This will be confirmed or disproved only in the course of time. But now economic and political situations in Lithuania are a matter of E.U. concern. After the meeting, Dalia Grybauskait acknowledged the disappointing conclusions of the European Commission. According to the E.C., Lithuania had made virtually no economic progress in 2015, it was called limited. It was stated also that some progress was achieved only in easing tax burdens, reforming pensions and health care systems and seeking to ensure that education meets the needs of the labor market. However, there are still many economic and social problems which need to be addressed immediately. "The observations on reforms which faces difficulties and are not carried out have been recurrent over the past several years. This is a very strong call to make more progress," the President said. It is hoped that this time the President will hear the call and will really make needed steps to improve the situation in the country. The European Union is not the place where you only speak, support the common views on international summits, but do nothing. The prosperity of the organization depends on each member state's prosperity. No one will argue that if one of 28 members becomes weaker, it will pose a threat to the organization itself. And vice versa if a country is self-sufficient and strong, its voice would be prominent and heard in the organization. Let's take the United Kingdom. It should be said that London has reached the tremendous success in political negotiations with other E.U. member states and has secured the most favorable conditions of membership in the organization only due to its strong economic and political positions. It is obvious that such areas in Lithuania as pension reform, fiscal discipline and stability, improvement in tax collection, and the liberalization of the labor market need immediate action from the President and the Government. It is time to stop political games and exercises in eloquence. According to the Lithuania Country Report of Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index 2016. Lithuania tops the E.U. in the number of incarcerated persons per 100,000 members of the population, and intolerance to sexual and ethnic minorities. For example, persons belonging to Lithuania's ethnic Polish minority are obliged to use the Lithuanian spelling of their names in official documents, which some find discriminatory. A solution has still not been found despite the fact that in 2012-2014 the Polish Electoral Action party participated in the center-left ruling coalition. Some business groups continue to have disproportionate access to policy-making, notably in the energy and development sectors, which tend to dominate municipal politics. The number and nature of corruption scandals over the past decade, which mostly occurred at the municipal level and involved local politicians being bought off by business interests, are evidence of this influence. Another sizable challenge is Lithuania's negative demographic outlook is that the working age population is shrinking rapidly and will be soon threaten growth. Population decline is due to negative demographic developments but is aggravated by net emigration and, in the context of the E.U., low life expectancy and high morbidity rates. In other words the Lithuanian government has a lot to do and should face the challenges, paying attention not only to foreign affairs but to internal policies as well. Only when Lithuania becomes strong and prosperous, the E.U. will consider it as a full member and not a burden for the organization. Now is the best time for Lithuania to adjust or change its politics. Unfortunately, the idea of Unity of the E.U. is not justified in all spheres. Some member states have chosen their own way of further developing, without leaving the E.U., may be that Lithuania should also find its own way in the E.U. taking into account its economic situation. Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future Bernie Sanders' and Donald Trump's campaign criticisms of our country's disastrous trade policies are resonating with voters. In response there has been a flurry -- a blizzard -- of op-eds from noted celebrity, "establishment" pundits, explaining that moving millions of jobs out of the country is good for us because it means lower prices for those who still have paychecks. They sell these lower prices as a "free lunch" that we will never have to pay for. These opinion pieces present corporate-negotiated trade as an all-or-nothing proposition, as if there were no balanced, fair-trade alternative approaches we could take instead. In these op-eds, proponents of fair-trade agreements are called "anti-trade," even "anti-commerce." Many of them not only repeat the same arguments, they actually even use the same words. This week's Fact-Check This: Arrogance Of Elites Helps Drive The Trump Phenomenon explored Glenn Kessler's "fact check" that awarded Trump "four Pinocchios" for claiming that our country's corporate-negotiated trade policies and trade deficit are costing our country jobs, wages and wealth. Kessler wrote that the reason we import so much is that "Americans want to buy these products from overseas" when the reality is that companies move jobs and production out of the country to get around paying our country's wages, taxes and environmental protection costs. (And we let them do that because...?) Last week's Has The Election Finally Killed TPP And Corporate "Free Trade"? took on a Thomas Friedman op-ed promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): "It seems as though Thomas Friedman got in a cab driven by the head of the Chamber of Commerce ... talking about how great a deal the TPP is, writing, '...if we eliminate 18,000 tariffs we'll be able to keep more production at home and sell more abroad. [. . .] Our workers can compete if we level the playing field ...' They'll be buying a lot from us for sure with that $150 a month, you betcha. Meanwhile companies here that want to pay $150 a month will be closing factories and moving them there." A Bunch More Those were just a couple of examples, a flurry before the blizzard. Here are more. Mark J. Perry, in "Trump is completely wrong about the U.S. trade deficit" at the Los Angeles Times, argues that our enormous, humongous $758.9 billion goods trade deficit is actually good for us, a free lunch that we will never have to pay for... "When American businesses and consumers voluntarily purchase more products from China than Chinese businesses and consumers buy from us, it does lead to a U.S. trade deficit with China. But the trade deficit can't accurately be referred to a 'loss,' because it's based on millions of mutually agreeable individual exchanges that took place between a willing seller and a willing buyer. "In fact, you could make a strong case that China 'lost' last year on trade with America, not vice versa. After all, we acquired $482 billion of merchandise made in China and they acquired only $116 billion of merchandise made in the U.S., for a net merchandise surplus of $366 billion in our favor. China 'lost' a net amount of $366 billion of goods that ended up being consumed and enjoyed by Americans." This batch of bamboozlement explains that if you're a baker who makes a deal to "trade" by buying supplies from your neighbor in exchange for providing bread, and you buy flour and sugar from your neighbor who then presents you with a huge bill and says he used your money to set up his own bakery and advertise to your customers, this is a good thing, because now you have to come up with a way to pay that bill. Got it? Robert J. Samuelson, writing at The Washington Post in Trade myths and realities, explains to us that moving so many jobs out of the country is good for us because the 2.4 million jobs lost to China in the last decade were only 2 percent of total payroll employment. (We lost way more than 2.4 million, but who's counting?) Samuelson explains that we export, and exports create jobs, ignoring the huge trade deficit that is the result of so many more imports than exports. Exports are great, but he ignores that trade must be balanced or it drains our country of jobs, wages and wealth. Worse, when imports exceed exports for decades we lose (and have lost) important parts of our overall manufacturing ecosystem. But who's counting? Cokie and Steve Roberts offer another rationalization for the lost jobs and wages, in "Don't discount the benefits of trade." They wrote, "There are always winners and losers, and the losers are both more visible and better organized." (Laid-off workers are better organized than the Wall Street billionaires who get to pocket their paychecks?) Their examples of their winners include, "the mom who buys cheap sneakers from Bangladesh." Never mind the dangerous, near-slave conditions for workers in Bangladesh, and the downward pull on our own wages as Americans try to compete with that. (We could demand that Bangladesh pay decently and protect workers before we allow imports from there, but how would America's corporate trade negotiators benefit from doing that?) Terrorist Attack (Image by mashleymorgan) Details DMCA Pretty much missing from the commentaries and responses to the recent Belgium bombing was the basic question as to why Muslim extremists attack us. And its obvious corollary: if we know the reason for these atrocities, perhaps we can get a handle on how to stop or reduce them. But, as usual, the American media, politicians, talking heads, and other so-called experts in general remain as evasive and clueless as ever. But the answers as to the terrorists' motives are not hard to find. Why Belgium? ISIS proclaimed it was targeted as "a country participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State." And ISIS (as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) said the Paris attacks last year were in retaliation for French airstrikes again them in Syria and Iraq. Then there's Osama bin Laden, who told us the main reason for the 9/11 attacks was the deployment of U.S. forces in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, which he called "the greatest of" aggressions incurred by the Muslims since the death of the prophet." Peter Bergen, an expert on bin Laden and Jihadism, in his 2006 book, The Osama bin Laden I Know, states that the al Qaeda leader "has been pretty consistent about why he's attacking the United States. It's because of America's foreign policies. ... It's about what America has been doing in his backyard, as he sees it." Even earlier, a Department of Defense study in 1997 (in response to the 1996 suicide bombing of Air Force housing at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia) concluded that: "Historical data show a strong correlation between US involvement in international situations and an increase in terrorist attacks against the United States." So no, it's not because of our freedom, our wealth, our values, or our religion that they attack us. It's because of our foreign policy and actions around the world: the invasions, occupations, drone strikes, killing of civilians, torture, and similar atrocities. The more we involve ourselves militarily in places around the world where we are not wanted, the more terrorist attacks we will see here and in the West. The answer to reducing terrorist attacks should be obvious: draw down American and Western involvement in the Middle East and other places far from our shores, and use those resources toward fixing our own problems (which we can all agree need our attention), as well as helping rebuild (with their permission) some of the countries we helped devastate. That would go a long way toward making this a friendlier and safer world. And we could all use that. Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. carty.jpg Portland General Electric took over construction at its new Carty power plant in Boardman after its contractor's Spanish parent company ran into financial troubles. ((Courtesy of PGE) ) Ratepayers could be asked to shoulder cost overruns on a new gas-fired power plant in eastern Oregon if Portland General Electric can't recover them from insurers who backed a financially troubled contractor removed from the project in December. PGE said in a filing with securities regulators this week that the cost of the 440-megawatt power plant it is building in Boardman could increase by up to $156 million, or 30 percent above the original $514 million price tag approved by state utility regulators last year. The utility said those overruns are due to construction defects and the cost to remove liens on the property and repair equipment damaged from poor storage and maintenance by the contractor, Abiensa. PGE has sued Liberty Mutual Surety and Zurich North America for $180 million after the two insurers refused to make good on a $145.6 million performance bond they provided Abeinsa as part of the construction agreement. They deny liability because Abeinsa maintains that PGE wrongfully terminated the construction contract. Abeinsa, a subsidiary of the troubled Spanish renewable energy group Abengoa S.A., is still seeking arbitration of that breach-of-contract claim. Based on the original cost estimates, state utility regulators had already authorized PGE to increase rates by 4.8 percent when the plant came into service -- as long as that was by July 31. That increase was slated to be offset by an unrelated credit from the U.S. Department of Energy that would reduce the net increase in customer rates to 2.4 percent. PGE says it is still hoping to bring the plant into service by July, but says the costs and completion date could vary from its current projection. PGE said in its filing this week that if it can't recover the cost overruns from the contractor or its insurers, it would seek to recover them from customers. There is no assurance state regulators would allow that, and the utility would doubtless face pushback from customer groups. "Our position is likely to be that this is between PGE and their contractor and they need to be litigating between the two of them," said Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens' Utility Board, the state's residential ratepayer advocacy group. "It'll be a long haul before this is settled." - Ted Sickinger 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger UO students on campus Students bike on campus at the University of Oregon in 2016. (Andrew Theen/The Oregonian) Oregon's neediest college students will be first in line for money though the state's largest grant program for low- and middle-income students this year. That's a new thing. State cash awarded through the Oregon Opportunity Grant historically went to "whoever got in line first," according to Bob Brew, director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission's Office of Student Access and Completion. That meant students who were quick to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application would jump to the front of the line as long as they were Oregon residents and had an adjusted annual gross family income of less than $70,000. When state money allocated for the program was gone in a given year, it was gone. "Lower-income students tended to apply later and not get the money," Brew said Friday. State lawmakers did a couple things in 2015 to try and change that. They expanded the grant program, dedicating $140.9 million for the 2015-17 biennium, a nearly 24 percent increase over the previous two-year cycle. That expansion, Brew said, would allow an additional 16,000 students to receive grants. (About 40,000 students currently receive the Oregon Opportunity Grant, under a program created in 1971.) Lawmakers also approved new rules to guarantee the neediest students who qualify for the program receive preferential treatment when the state distributes an estimated $72 million in aid for the 2016-17 school year. Students who don't expect to receive any financial support from their family will move to the top of the list. But the administrative change could also mean some full-time students who had been receiving a maximum of $2,250 in state aide toward their tuition in recent years may learn they no longer qualify. That dynamic has some administrators' attention. "We want to make sure those students aren't further disenfranchised in their path to get a degree," said Hans Bernard, associate vice president for state and community affairs at the University of Oregon. Bernard said low-income students still face a funding gap if they qualify for the Federal Pell Grant and the state program. About 2,000 low-income UO students receive full tuition through the school's PathwayOregon program. UO said it wasn't clear how the grant changes would affect PathwayOregon students. Despite expanding the grant program, potentially thousands of eligible students may lose out. Brew said the state typically sends award letters to "twice as many people as we have money to fund." He likened that to an airline overselling seats: only about half of those who receive letters actually show up and enroll in college. The grant expansion may also drive more students to enroll at community colleges. Those schools expect to see enrollment growth thanks to the newly created Oregon Promise, a tuition free program that offers "last dollar" financial aid for students who enroll in community colleges. Historically, half of Oregon Opportunity Grant recipients used the money at the state's 17 community colleges, 40 percent went to one of the seven four-year public universities and the remaining 10 percent attended private schools. Scott Gallagher, Portland Sate University spokesman, said the school had 1,968 students who received opportunity grants during the current academic year. PSU expects to hear next week how many of its students qualified for grants. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen Good Friday Volunteers carry a wooden cross as they walk in procession through the streets of Etna, Pa., a Pittsburgh suburb, on Good Friday, March 25, 2016. Clergymen from Christian churches in the borough organize a trek with volunteers carrying the wooden cross through borough streets to the cemetery as part of their services for Good Friday, the day Christians believe Jesus died on a cross to atone for the sins of mankind. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) It's not uncommon for evangelical churches to skip over the days leading up to Easter: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and lesser-known Holy Saturday. They are uncomfortable days that commemorate Jesus' betrayal, torture and death. In a Huffington Post blog, Portland author Christian Piatt addresses churches' tendency to overlook these days. He writes: "It's because most of us prefer to come to a celebration but few want to do the hard word of getting to the very reason we have to celebrate to begin with. Going through a challenging service in which we visit all of the Stations of the Cross on the way to crucifixion is dark, hard, kind of depressing. And we have to face our own inner darkness, which none of us gets particularly excited about doing." Piatt, creator and editor of a book series exploring banned questions about Christianity, suggests this happens in part because some churches are averse to following the liturgical calendar because it feels too Roman Catholic. But at a deeper level, he said, it's a reflection of our inherent preference for victory and celebration over discomfort. Check out Piatt's blog post, then come back here for a discussion. Does your church observe any days during Holy Week? Why or why not? Have you ever found spiritual richness in a dark, uncomfortable service or situation? -- Melissa Binder mbinder@oregonian.com 503-294-7656 @binderpdx SEATTLE -- Before it was annexed into Seattle in 1907, the maritime city of Ballard was home to working-class Scandinavian immigrants who built boats and caught fish. Now one of the hippest neighborhoods in the city, Ballard is home to a throng of construction cranes cramming apartment towers between modest bungalows. A new two-bedroom apartment in the area, which can be nearly an hour's drive from downtown at rush hour, rents for more than $2,000 a month on average. The scenario may already sound familiar to Portlanders, who have seen neighborhoods transform and home values spike by double-digit percentages in recent years. But Seattle has been dealing with rapidly rising prices and massive population growth for even longer, perhaps providing a glimpse into Portland's not-too-distant future. "We're two years behind San Francisco," said Peter Orser, director of the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington. "And you're about a year behind us." Like Portland, San Francisco and a handful of other cities, Seattle is dealing with a housing-affordability crisis resulting from an exploding population and a limited supply of homes. But unlike Portland and San Francisco, a unique and ambitious plan has taken shape here that sets Washington's largest city apart. It has upended traditional political alliances and played an outsized role in a recent election. And it may offer Portland - a city in the midst of its own effort to plan for growth and infill - a blueprint for dealing with a growing population that increasingly can't afford a place to live. The path to a deal In a moment of rare consensus, many of Seattle's developers, environmentalists and social justice advocates have coalesced around a city committee's 65 recommendations for battling the housing-affordability crisis. But the unlikely marriage wouldn't have happened if the city and developers hadn't been at each other's throats first. It all began in 2014, when City Councilor Mike O'Brien led the charge for a "linkage fee" on all new multifamily developments. The proposal would have required builders to pay into an affordable-housing fund. Developers responded by threatening to sue, claiming the fee would be illegal under state law. They also argued the proposal wouldn't work, since creating a disincentive to build was the last thing the city should do when it needed more housing. Sensing a war was brewing, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray convened a 28-member committee to hammer out a Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda. The group became colloquially known as HALA (pronounced as one word) and included a wide range of developers, social justice advocates, environmentalists, neighborhood interests, renters-rights representatives and others. "He [Murray] had them kind of go away and sit in a room and argue for 10 months," said Dan Bertolet, a senior researcher specializing in housing issues at the Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that advocates for sustainability and social justice. Sightline's executive director, Alan Durning, was a member of the HALA committee. Success seemed improbable at first, as the members were all at odds. But in the final two months, they made progress and came to a "grand bargain": the developers agreed to either pay linkage fees or include affordable housing in all multifamily and mixed-use projects in return for relaxed zoning regulations that had limited building heights and density. The impasse was resolved by a shift of alliances. Social justice, environmental and renters' rights groups - which had historically aligned with neighborhood-preservation interests - joined the developers this time, Bertolet said. HALA's recommendations also included tenant protections, a doubling of the city's affordable-housing levy and a more efficient permitting process, among others. But one suggestion proved more controversial than all the rest combined. A political shift Last July, as the committee was wrapping up its work, an unfinished draft of the recommendations leaked to the local press. A proposal to increase density in Seattle's single-family neighborhoods - more duplexes, triplexes, cottages and in-law apartments - led to a severe backlash. For about a month, Durning said, the mayor couldn't go anywhere without meeting angry protesters. So - to save the grand bargain and the rest of the recommendations - he and key city councilors backed down. Orser summed up Murray's thinking this way: "To protect 64 good proposals, we're going to put this one on the backburner." It seemed the neighborhood preservationists had won. Something interesting happened next, though. In the subsequent primary and general City Council elections, the anti-HALA candidates were "trounced," Durning said. The next day's Seattle Times headline read, "Urbanists appear to be big winners in Seattle election." "The lesson was that neighborhood preservation groups are loud and well organized, but probably a smaller share of the voters of the city than elected officials previously realized," Durning said, adding that elected officials have since hinted they'll reconsider allowing more density in the single-family neighborhoods, too. HALA ended up "flipping that narrative that's for so long been with us, that developers are the bad guys and people with white picket fences" are the heroes, Bertolet said. Durning emphasized that "we don't say that because we love developers. We say that because we need more housing." In a phone interview, Murray said he was "heartened by the election returns that show the people who supported our affordable housing plan got elected." He said there still is "a larger discussion we need to have surrounding single-family zoning." Murray, a University of Portland graduate, recently visited Portland to address a Metro-sponsored forum on affordable housing. In his speech, he called Portland and Seattle "the most conservative liberal cities in the world." "People are incredibly committed to low-income housing," Murray said. "But maybe not in their single-family neighborhood." Linda Melvin, a member of the neighborhood group Livable Ballard, contends low-income housing is precisely what she does support, but all the new construction she sees in Ballard is built for higher-income residents. She said Ballard has already exceeded city growth targets for 2024 and wonders if the neighborhood's infrastructure can support all the new transplants. City buses in Ballard, she said, are routinely standing-room only. "The city just wants to let the developers take over," said Melvin, who moved to Ballard in 2009. She feels that Murray's HALA committee was too tight with developers and their political allies. The City Council passed the grand bargain last fall and this year will solicit public feedback on the rest of the HALA plan. Meanwhile, a group called "Seattle for Everyone," composed of affordable-housing advocates, for-profit developers, social justice advocates, environmentalists and urbanists, has organized in support of the recommendations. "This new coalition is really about the healing of this really divisive fight," said Leslie Price, who advises Murray on housing issues. None of the HALA recommendations are particularly new ideas, she said, but what is new is the comprehensive nature of the plan and the number of voices that were at the table. A blueprint? Portland, meanwhile, is in the midst of rewriting its own plans for growth and infill. Mayor Charlie Hales and the candidates who want to replace him have said much about the need for affordable housing, but a HALA-like coalition has yet to take shape. Some of Hales' ideas, such as the erstwhile proposal to tax home demolitions, have alienated developers. Affordable-housing advocates criticized his support for less density in transit-friendly, close-in, affluent Eastmoreland, fearing it would push affordability and density issues elsewhere. To be sure, Hales and the City Council recently passed renter protections stronger than those approved by the Oregon Legislature, and the mayor has pledged an additional $67 million for affordable housing over the next decade. Similar political problems plague San Francisco, the city with the nation's most expensive housing. Sonja Trauss, leader of the Bay Area Renters' Federation, said Seattle's HALA is "way more ambitious, definitely" than anything that's been attempted in San Francisco. Back in Ballard, the surge of construction shows no sign of slowing. On a recent afternoon, Chris Bodan, 41, walked his dog along 22nd Avenue Northwest, where a new six-story apartment building is rising across from the public library. He moved from the tony Queen Anne neighborhood to Ballard with his wife in 2004 and works from his apartment as a freelance writer and editor. He said he's "a little mixed" on the new development. "I think it's aesthetically and architecturally horrendous," Bodan said. The hulking apartment buildings look jarring next to old, one-story homes with narrow driveways. But in the end, he "doesn't really have a problem with it," Bodan added. When the couple went from a rented house in Ballard to a newer apartment building nearby in 2010, "we moved to a building with three-pronged outlets, which was a nice change," Bodan said. "I don't have a problem with density. ... We have really enjoyed living in the neighborhood," Bodan said. "Change happens." -- Luke Hammill lhammill@oregonian.com 503-294-4029 @lucashammill The man accused of raping a woman along the Springwater Corridor in Gresham last week was with a group of escaped convicts in the 1980s who almost killed a man after attacking him with a box cutter and railroad spike during a one-day escape from prison. Thomas Peacock Thomas Peacock, 51, of Portland was arraigned Friday in the March 18 attack of a 22-year-old woman after her bike broke down on the popular path and she asked him for help. Peacock faces charges of first-degree rape, unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon. He was placed in an isolation cell at the downtown Portland jail because he told staff he might hurt himself or others, court records show. At the time of last Friday's attack, Peacock was wanted by police for a parole violation. He had been released from prison in August. He was first sent to prison in 1984 on a 20-year sentence for burglary and robbery in Multnomah County. On May 1, 1988, Peacock and two other men walked away from the farm annex of the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem in their prison blue uniforms, according to state Department of Correction records. At the time, The Oregonian reported that the group found its way to a Plaid Pantry in Salem, where they attacked a 63-year-old man. Jamese Rhoades, who was a Marion County deputy district attorney at the time, said the escapees tried to slit the man's throat with a dull box cutter, and when he didn't die, they struck him in the head with a railroad spike. "They wanted this guy's car. They wanted money," said Rhoades, who became a Circuit Court judge and is now retired. "They wanted alcohol. ... They probably wanted to get to Portland." As the fugitives fled in a stolen car, an attentive rookie police officer gave chase and cornered them on a dead-end street, Rhoades said. As the other two men fled on foot, Peacock found himself stuck in the car and proceeded to drink as much of the stolen beer that he could until his recapture, she said. The severity of the escape and attack led to an additional 30 years added to Peacock's sentence. During his time in prison, Peacock was also found guilty of possession of a weapon in 1987 and attempting to supply contraband in 1993, said Betty Bernt, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman. The Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision followed guidelines that allowed for his early release on Aug. 21, 2015, said Brenda Carney, executive director. By Oct. 15, the board issued a warrant for his arrest for violations reported by his parole officers, she said. He was suspected of using controlled substances, had not reported to his parole officer or reported a change of address, she said. Before his release, a psychological evaluation revealed that Peacock has a "mental emotional disturbance, deficiency, condition or disorder" the could lead to other crimes, according to board records. But the board also found that Peacock could be "adequately controlled with supervision and mental health treatment which are available in the community." The parole board must follow complicated formulas to calculate when a prisoner may be released that include one set of guidelines for people charged before Nov. 1, 1989, and a different set of guidelines for supervision after that date, Carney said. Gresham police said Peacock assaulted the 22-year-old woman after she flagged down a man riding a mountain bike and asked him for help when she got a flat. They talked for a bit, she told police, and he threatened to kill her with a knife if she screamed. She told police the man then forced her into a wooded area south of the path near Southwest Highland Drive and attacked her. Police found Peacock after following tips left on their tip line, they said. -- Tony Hernandez thernandez@oregonian.com 503-294-5928 @tonyhreports Thomas Peacock Police found out about a man suspected of raping a 22-year-old woman along the Springwater Corridor in Gresham last week from the accused man's brother, investigators said. Thomas Peacock, 51, showed up at his brother's Gresham home on his bike wearing muddy pants and carrying two knives shortly after the March 18 attack, according to court records filed Friday. That caught his brother's attention because Peacock usually carried a single knife. Melvin Peacock became suspicious, he later told a detective, when he heard about the assault and the suspect's description on the news. The attacker wore a red jacket, police said. So did Thomas Peacock, his brother said. Thomas Peacock, convicted of attempted murder in the 1980s and recently released from prison, was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree rape, unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon. He was placed in an isolation cell at the downtown Portland jail because he told staff he might hurt himself or others, court records show. Gresham police said the woman was sexually assaulted after she flagged down a man riding a mountain bike and asked him for help when she got a flat on her bike, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The man began to hand her a bike pump when he grabbed her forearm, the affidavit said. He took a knife from the woman that she had clipped to her front pants pocket and held it to her throat, then told her that he'd kill her if she screamed or tried to leave and forced her into a secluded area near the path, police said. He raped her, but quickly dressed and left after the woman told him that she was 12 years old, she told police. She went to a nearby Walmart and called police. She identified Peacock on Wednesday from a lineup of six photos, the affidavit said. The woman told a detective that Peacock stole her knife and money from her purse after the attack. The detective interviewed Peacock and he denied assaulting the woman but acknowledged riding his bike on the path that day, according to the affidavit. At the time of the attack, Peacock was wanted on a parole violation. He had been released from prison in August. He was first sent to prison in 1984 on a 20-year sentence for burglary and robbery in Multnomah County. On May 1, 1988, Peacock and two other men walked away from the farm annex of the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem in their prison blue uniforms, according to state Department of Correction records. The group found its way to a Plaid Pantry in Salem, where they attacked a 63-year-old man, according to an account in The Oregonian. Jamese Rhoades, who was a Marion County deputy district attorney at the time, said the escapees tried to slit the man's throat with a dull box cutter, and when he didn't die, they struck him in the head with a railroad spike. "They wanted this guy's car. They wanted money," said Rhoades, who became a Circuit Court judge and is now retired. "They wanted alcohol. ... They probably wanted to get to Portland." The fugitives fled in a stolen car, but an attentive rookie police officer gave chase and cornered them on a dead-end street, Rhoades said. As the other two men fled on foot, Peacock found himself stuck in the car and proceeded to drink as much of the stolen beer that he could until his recapture, she said. The severity of the escape and attack led to an additional 30 years added to Peacock's sentence. During his time in prison, Peacock was also found guilty of possession of a weapon in 1987 and attempting to supply contraband in 1993, said Betty Bernt, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman. The Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision followed guidelines that allowed for his early release on Aug. 21, 2015, said Brenda Carney, executive director. By Oct. 15, the board issued a warrant for his arrest for violations reported by his parole officers, she said. He was suspected of using controlled substances, had not reported to his parole officer or reported a change of address, she said. Before his release, a psychological evaluation revealed that Peacock has a "mental emotional disturbance, deficiency, condition or disorder" the could lead to other crimes, according to board records. But the board also found that Peacock could be "adequately controlled with supervision and mental health treatment which are available in the community." The parole board must follow complicated formulas to calculate when a prisoner may be released that include one set of guidelines for people charged before Nov. 1, 1989, and a different set of guidelines for supervision after that date, Carney said. Peacock was arrested without incident Thursday near the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in southeast Portland, Gresham police said in a news release. -- Jim Ryan and Tony Hernandez jryan@oregonian.com; thernandez@oregonian.com By Elizabeth Hovde Last Monday, a Christian scholar of Islam and I discussed how little Islamic extremists share with those who practice Islam. "ISIS is representative of Islam to the degree that the KKK is representative of Christianity," Michael Chrzastowski, Ph.D., said. We need to remember that comparison, especially in news weeks like this. Tuesday brought explosions in Brussels that killed dozens and that are tied to the Islamic State. It also brought more fear of Muslims and misguided statements from politicians. Followers of Islam are again having to watch their religion being hijacked by people using Islam to fuel their violence and taking the Quran out of context. What a horrible rerun. We're likely to see more of these bombings, which is why we need more Chrzastowskis. He teaches seminars on the subject for churches and other interested groups and was a brilliant inclusion on a panel of Muslims at a crowded March 6 event, "A conversation with your Muslim neighbors," hosted by the Islamic Society of Southwest Washington at Washington State University Vancouver. Also on the panel were a man who converted to Islam after growing up Southern Baptist and a former Mormon. These kind of combinations are valuable. If we want Americans to better understand the Islamic faith, it's smart to include teachers who speak the same religious language and tradition others do. The more familiar I get with Islam, the more aware I am of similarities and differences between religions. There are distinct differences based on theology that are irreconcilable. For instance, Muslims weren't at mosques this week hearing, "He is risen," and responding, "He is risen, indeed!" The Islamic faith doesn't believe Jesus died on a cross or rose from the dead, so it makes sense Muslims don't employ the traditional Easter greeting I participate in each year among Christians. Similarly, every time I listen to Muslims discuss faith, I'm thrown by their inclusion of "peace be upon him." They say it after naming someone they believe to be a prophet of God, including Muhammad, Moses and Jesus. Seeing Jesus as another prophet or the key to salvation is a huge fundamental difference, but the similarities between Islam and other religions are many -- including that the religion gets its share of unfair criticisms lobbed at its tenets. During the question-and-answer portion of the event moderated by Khalid Khan, a University of Portland professor and society leader, came questions about gender roles. Islam teaches that men and women are different but equal and complement one another. That sounds familiar to this Christian. Tervaris Evans, the convert to Islam who grew up Southern Baptist, explained that attraction between the sexes was the reason men and women separate for worship, minimizing distractions. Muslims' way of dressing also has to do with this and is not to suggest women are less important. The gender discussion led to one about same-sex attraction. Islam doesn't support same-sex relationships, although Muslims support homosexuals, panelists said. It made me wonder if mosques will start separating worshippers based on sexual identity and may face their own how-to-label-bathrooms moment someday. How about marriage? As a pamphlet produced by The Institute of Islamic Knowledge explains, Muslims believe the guideline given by God, or Allah, is for marriage to be between one man and one woman. Familiar again. What about that 72-virgins-when-you-die thing for Muslim men, which was another question that came up in the packed Vancouver auditorium? That comes from a hadith (a recorded saying or action of Muhammad) that even Muslims find questionable. If Muhammad did say it to his companions, a panelist said, he was likely speaking in hyperbole to emphasize the pleasure of the afterlife. Chrzastowski added, "The number of Muslims who believe this happens is the same as the number of Christians who believe they'll get wings, a harp and be able to walk on clouds." His humor was welcome, as I thought panel members might have lattes thrown at them while addressing this. While largely courteous and respectful, there were definitely some boos and a lot of head-shaking in the audience. Those in attendance were reflective of the fact that we don't have many Muslim neighbors. In Oregon, a state with the highest percentage of religiously unaffiliated adults, studies say the Muslim population is less than 1 percent. Khan estimates only 2,000 Muslims live in Clark County. This is another reason we need more Chrzastowskis. Most of us know few, or no, Muslims. Do yourself a favor and seek some religious education. Not only does familiarity increase our understanding of one another, it can alleviate fear. As ISIS took credit for Tuesday's killings, I was reading statements from Islamic groups condemning the violence. The Muslim community needs to be diligent about sending these condemnations. And non-Muslims need to be diligent in learning more about Islam's true followers. We have a lot of work to do. For now, it's Easter. I'm grateful I live in a nation where religion is protected and I can declare, "He is risen." Peace be upon you. * Elizabeth Hovde's column appears on the fourth Sunday of the month. capitol.JPG The Oregon state Capitol in Salem amid cherry blossoms in March 2014. (File photo) Portland may attract more twenty-somethings, but a new study shows Salem has the edge on one key demographic trend. The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis found that Salem's higher-than-average youth population means the metro area's workforce could grow faster than Portland's or the state's overall. While there's no guarantee young people will remain in Salem after they finish school, the capital city's job base is growing in a way that could encourage them to stay. "Salem is in the midst of a job-growth boom that hasn't been seen in 25 years," said Josh Lehner, a senior economist who wrote the report. Lehner looked at American Community Survey data and compared population distribution by age in Salem, Portland and Oregon as a whole. He found Salem has a higher percentage of children and teens than was true in the other geographic areas. Those children will be entering the workforce over the next two decades. That trend is behind the Salem area's high ranking when it comes to potential labor force growth. State forecasts show the metro labor force could expand 1.2 percent over the five years ending in 2020, while the state's potential tops out at 0.8 percent. "Salem really does have great demographics for potential future growth," Lehner said. He noted two key caveats: young adults need to stay, and there needs to be enough jobs for them. Otherwise, the workers will commute or move. As Salem's youth population grows, more programs in the area are geared toward training future workers. This school year, Salem-Keizer Public Schools opened the Career and Technical Education Center, a program that centralizes the district's technical-education classes. Students who attend district high schools can study construction and manufacturing programs at CTEC at the same time. The district plans to expand the class offerings over the next five years. Chad Freeman, who leads the Strategic Economic Development Corporation in Salem, said businesses are already hiring students out of CTEC. Getting people into the workforce with as many skills as possible drives the training initiatives, Freeman said. As more young people enter the workforce and baby boomers retire, there is a push in the business community to recruit and train new workers, Freeman said. There are more jobs now for young workers to fill. Salem is gaining jobs at a fastest rate since the 1990s. The recession stalled Salem's high-wage job growth, but didn't trim the number of high-paying jobs that already existed, unlike other places in the state, Lehner said. During the recovery, higher-paying sectors expanded more quickly than middle-wage industries. So, too, did low-wage work in agriculture, food preparation and retail. "We're at this point now today where the middle-wage jobs are starting to come back," Lehner said, in reference to industries such as education and construction. Oregon Employment Department data shows the two industries that grew the most in Salem over the past year are construction on one hand and professional and business services on the other, an umbrella category that covers everything from accounting to software firms. The latter grew 7 percent, or by 900 jobs, while the former expanded 5 percent, or by 400 jobs. Overall, the metro area labor force grew 3 percent to more than 190,000 people. "A much stronger economy is starting to result in more opportunities across the board," Lehner said. -- Casey Chaffin West Salem Titan Spectator, editor High School Journalism Institute, graduate -- Molly Young myoung@oregonian.com 503-412-7056 @mollykyoung FOOD.JPG Keeping enough food on hand is the challenge for families on a food-stamp diet. Hundreds of needy clients of a Department of Health Services site in Gresham will soon need to find their way to a new site closer to Portland. (Staff/2012) A recent, unannounced decision by the Oregon Department of Human Services to shutter a Gresham office serving hundreds of needy families caught the suburban city, and lawmakers representing it, by surprise. When Gresham sought an explanation, DHS explained that the center's services would not cease but simply be moved to a new, larger center six miles westward, into Portland. That, however, challenged logic. The need for social services -- borne by families struggling for food and to make rent -- expands eastward, away from Portland's center and its close-in gentrifying neighborhoods. Moreover, social need is on the rise, as it is in many places, in Gresham, where the number of residents with income below the poverty level in 2013 hit 12.5 percent, exceeding the statewide level. The DHS outpost involved, situated at 912 NE Kelly Ave., is ranked as a "self-sufficiency office." Clients of the center obtain government-secured food and financial benefits, as well as child care assistance and refugee counseling services. As of February, 776 families were receiving cash assistance and employment services at the Kelly Avenue site, while members of 872 households were showing up for food stamps. In June, however, clients will need to find transportation to the new DHS site, in a building leased at 11826 NE Glisan St., in Portland. That Gresham knew nothing of DHS' action lays bare a woeful disconnect: between state managers who administer tax-supported programs in buildings they lease with taxpayer dollars and the clients, and regions, they serve. Backroom decisions to uproot and move elsewhere have immediate consequence not only for clients but the public agencies and nonprofits near clients and working, as well, to help. In the Gresham case, that means Multnomah County's government, with social outreach programs of its own. Oregonian editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. are Helen Jung, Erik Lukens, Steve Moss and Len Reed. To respond to this editorial: Post your comment below, submit a , or write a . If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Erik Lukens, editorial and commentary editor, at or 503-221-8142. The original call for help from Gresham City Hall went out to lawmakers including Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham. Contacted by the editorial board of The Oregonian/OregonLive, Monnes Anderson was blunt: "We're the last to know. No one's involved -- not even the city. We were shocked to hear of it. The needs are tremendous in this area. ... I would think you'd look at where the needs are greatest." Separately, Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, told the board: "The need has been moving east, not west." Meanwhile, Gresham City Councilor Lori Stegmann told The Portland Tribune: "If anything, we need more services in East County. We don't need (DHS) leaving the Gresham area." But it's too late, as DHS pushed everything through without a word. The lease on the new site is signed, a "For Lease" sign has been affixed to the Kelly Avenue structure, and announcements of the shift to Kelly Avenue clients were scheduled for release at the end of this month. Asked by the editorial board about the undisclosed decision to move, DHS issued this statement in an email: "In the past it has not been part of our process to notify the City or others before an office closure/move decision is made. However, we recognize that DHS branch offices are part of the communities in which they are located, and we are changing that process." Good. Let the communication begin. Let the process, whatever it is, be inclusive and open to anyone for the asking -- before it's too late. And please tell the clients, whose lives are hard enough, that something consequential is happening while it is happening. The needy may be on the low end of the tax-paying scale, but their standing in society is as high as all citizens who have a right to expect that DHS work transparently for the public's benefit. It's only logical. Chemical Bank has stepped up with a $5,000 regional sponsorship, partnering with the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance, to continue Choosing Wisely efforts in the 14-county MiHIA region. Choosing Wisely project leader Katie Trotter said the impact of the campaign continues to grow and is moving the needle on MiHIAs triple aim focus better care, better health, and affordable care. We have loved working with Chemical Bank, Trotter said. They picked up Choosing Wisely right away, and saw the benefits for their employees. They have a history of promoting health education to their people, and its incredible that they have expanded their efforts to include the community as a whole. They have been a model partner. Chemical Bank Chief Operating Officer-Customer Experience Bob Rathbun said that when they first learned about the campaign from MiHIA, the content was powerful and clearly important to adopt. Many times when a person has a health care issue, they are prescribed a litany of tests, which take time and can be expensive, he said. Whats helpful with Choosing Wisely is that it gives patients tools and evidence to know if those tests are actually necessary, and have constructive conversation with their health care provider. Choosing Wisely is a national campaign spearheaded by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with Consumer Reports. Lists of tests which are commonly prescribed but are often unnecessary, along with other campaign resources, are available at MiHIAs website at bit.ly/1QDE6wk. Chemical Bank continues to be a self-funded insurance provider, as are other employers in our region, Rathbun said. By partnering with Choosing Wisely our employees can become more educated and make better health care choices. Better decisions result in lower health care costs and healthy, contributing community members. Former U.S. Congressman Lt. Colonel Allen West said his mother used to say, Man must stand for something or fall for anything. This is something he said he lives by. West spoke to about 200 people, many Northwood University students, at the Bennett Sports Center Riepma Arena this week about holding tight to values. Wests insights were part of the university annual Values Emphasis Week. West talked about pursuing liberty and freedom by making sacrifices and holding to your core values, even when those values are tested. And having courage not to falter. We have a great country, but our value system is under attack, West said. He said some people are called to the battlefield to defend the countrys values and others may be called to educational institutions. West was raised in Atlanta, in the same neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family. During his 22 years in the Army, West served in several combat zones, including Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. After retiring from the Army in 2004, West taught high school for a year. He said, when asked to teach another year, he declined and returned to Afghanistan, this time as a civilian military adviser. He noted that when people die, there is a birth date and a death date, with a dash in between. Life is about how you live your dash, West said. He cites that courage, character, service of self and values are key in life. With those things comes freedom, West said. You have to live that dash. You have to live those values. Northwood accounting student Steven Coughlin called West inspiring. He made some good points, Coughlin said. He changed my view point on values. If you keep values, youre going to do great things. Student Sahara Huhn, who is studying aftermarket manufacturing, said she attended not really knowing what to expect. I agreed with pretty much everything he said, Huhn said. Kate Pretty saw West speak a year ago in Florida and really enjoyed it. He speaks highly of our school and the values of our school, Pretty said. Allen is currently president and CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization established in 1983. The organizations goal is to develop and promote private, free-market alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Rip-roaring time To the editor: Yee-haw! It was a rip-roaring time at the Winter White Gala with wonderful barbecue pulled pork sandwiches prepared by Mark Hudson along with BBQ beans, potato salad and Texas sheet cake. Bales of hay, wagon wheels and bandanas were just some of the fun decorations. The honored guest received lovely gifts as well as door prizes from local businesses and private donors. After a little line dancing and the Cotton-Eyed Joe, the speakers Pam Andrews and Carla Huntoon presented combined stories so moving it brought some to tears. The evening ended with Elona and her daughter Tracy Carlton singing Love Can Build a Bridge. The committee wants to thank the following people and businesses for their generous donations: Arbys, Buffalo Wild Wings, Good Times Pizza, Jimmy Johns, Journeys Coffee House, John and Tracy Hudson, John and Tracy Carlton, Shirlenes, Jets Pizza, Bob Evans, Culvers, NCG Cinemas, Yogurt Loft, Lara Heise, Coffee Chaos, Long John Silvers, Pop Pops Gourmet Treats, Lil Chef, Pacific Pride Auto Service, Grand Traverse Pie Company, Pathway, Midland Community Center, Midland Daily News, Mark and Jessica Hudson, Big Boy, Marsha Stamos, Julia Kepler, Erin Lauderbach, Sharon Mortenson, Janine Ouderkirk, Amy Moolenaar, Wellingtons, Mary Kay Products, Dan Dan the Mattress Man and First United Methodist Church. Thanks also to the kitchen and set-up volunteers and Gala committee members: Kay Collinson-Driver, Elona Chance, Brenda Buckler, Pam Andrews, Jessica Hudson, Mitzi Brown and Cheri King. ELONA CHANCE Midland A sweet success To the editor: Last month, the Dow High Music Boosters completed its 42nd annual citrus fruit sale. The fruit sale represents an enormous team effort, and once again, we exceeded our goals. This year we raised nearly $32,000 to support Dow Highs outstanding band, choir and orchestra programs an increase of roughly 20 percent from 2015. We would like to thank all of our loyal fruit sale customers for their continued support! This year, we implemented a vastly improved unloading process when our delivery truck arrived at Dow High. Many thanks go to our friends and sponsors, Pumford Construction, for making this possible. The use of their forklift allowed us to unload, sort, count and re-stack 19 pallets of fresh oranges and grapefruit in just over three hours a new fruit sale record. Our success was achieved thanks also to the incredible volunteer support of over 380 music students, 150 parent volunteers, our fruit sale committee and the nearly 1,000 volunteer hours that these groups contributed as a whole. Roughly 70,000 pieces of fruit were inspected, sorted and delivered over our three-day distribution and delivery window. We sold over 2,000 cases of premium citrus. The excellent quality and flavor of this years fruit was noted and enjoyed by many of our customers. We were also pleased to donate fruit locally to the Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network, Open Door, Shelterhouse and several area fire stations. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the many families and businesses that supported the fruit sale. It is a privilege to live in a community that so actively supports our schools, our students and the arts. A full listing of this years sponsors can be found at: dowhighmusic.org/sponsors. And as always, we extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to Kurt and his highly dedicated team at Jacks Fruit & Meat Market. We are truly blessed to work with them each year as our local distributors, and we cant thank them enough for their enduring commitment to Dow Highs music programs. Finally, we want to thank our outstanding Dow High music directors: Nicole Bruski, Steve DeRees, Tracey Kempsell and Amanda Thoms, as well as our incredible chairperson, Regina Curtis - a.k.a. Madame Grapefruit. Your skilled and enthusiastic leadership is the reason for our success! LISA UNGERLEIDER Dow High Music Boosters Fruit Sale Publicity Chair Spared serious injury To the editor: I was involved in an auto accident about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, at the intersection of Poseyville and Gordonville roads. My silver Pontiac was totaled but thanks be to our Lord and Savior, I and three other drivers were spared serious injury. I thank the great people who helped me while waiting for the ambulance. I was helped in many ways such as warm clothing, calm talk, tending to wounds and someone talking to my wife via my cell phone. Also caring for our dog, Smokey, among many other acts of kindness. Thanks so much to the EMS and MidMichigan Health emergency staff. All were wonderful. Many people were at the scene so if Ive missed anyone, I thank you. TOM DARLAND Midland 950 food items donated To the editor: The Midland High Honor Society recently held a spring food drive to benefit families in Midland County that may need a helping hand this time of year. The students generously donated 950 food items to our pantry. As part of the Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network, the HELP Food Pantry serves five families a day, Monday through Friday, providing them with a weeks worth of groceries. These families are experiencing a rough spot in their lives and turn to us for help. They may be between jobs, have extra medical bills, unexpected car repairs or many other reasons why they need a little help. Our pantry is a self-serve pantry where they can come and choose food and personal care items they need for themselves. We would like to thank all the students at Midland High School who donated food items and the Midland High Honor Society and Jared Hohman for coordinating, delivering and sorting all the canned goods. We would also like to thank teacher advisors Bonnie Johnston and Brendon Smith for their help and guidance. We also express our appreciation to the parents, teachers and other community leaders who have taught these young people the values of dignity, respect and charity. May God bless each and every one of you for helping others in our community. VIC CHICHESTER Midland The Help Food Pantry Memorial Presbyterian Church Performance extraordinary To the editor: The Midland Concert Band that performed Sunday, March 20, was extraordinary! I am so glad all the patriotic music is not reserved for the Fourth of July! The people who put it together did an extraordinary job! Members of the military, in uniform, and a member of the military who was shot down and then rescued gave shivers to me! It was a nice turnout, but I wish it had been SRO (standing room only). It would have been worth it to stand through the performance. Thanks again. KEITH A. HUMBERT Midland 162 families served To the editor: The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network (EFPN) held a Mobile Food Pantry (MFP) at Faith United Methodist Church in Coleman on Wednesday, March 16. The food give-away was funded by an anonymous couple. Before the distribution of food began, a group of church ladies served bagged lunches to clients and a delicious buffet lunch to the volunteers. Fifty-three volunteers served 162 families (453 individuals) the 18,035 pounds of frozen meats, boxed and canned foods, bottled vegetables and bags of potatoes purchased from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan as well as the many breads, pastries and desserts donated by Hidden Harvest. The Network is very grateful to the many donors of food, money and time throughout the year to the Networks mission of always food in every home. Midland County residents in (financial) need of food and personal care items during the year may call the Network number of (989) 486-9393 to leave your name and phone number. The fourth MFP in 2016 is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Midland. Thanks again to the congregation and staff of Faith United Methodist Church for their partnering support! SALLY ANN SUTTON Midland County EFPN Saluting Americas Greatest Heros To the editor: Bravo, bravo to our Midland Concert Band and conductor Joel Wiseman for the outstanding concert performance saluting Americas Greatest Heros on Sunday, March 20. They were joined by the Center Stage Chorale and their director James Hohmeyer. The audience was brought to their feet many times to honor our past and present veterans in our community. We thank conductor Joel Wiseman for bringing awareness to each of us of the ongoing struggles that are faced by the many who served in all branches of the service of our country. For many of us it was an emotional concert, however it was the best concert ever! Thank you Midland Concert Band and Center Stage Chorale! Even though the attendance was more than usual, there was still room for those of you who missed this wonderful event. ANN TOLLY Midland A 64-mile long, ten-mile wide island occupied by 1.4 million souls leaves zero margin for error with Japanese and U.S. aircraft in the event of an inflight emergency requiring immediate landing procedures. Naha Air Base and Kadena Air Base aircrews train together to ensure the safety of Okinawan residents and safe landing of troubled aircraft. Service members from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force 9th Wing and U.S. Air Force 18th Civil Engineer Squadron conducted bilateral flight line training at Naha AB March 15. Crews worked together to enhance each unit's readiness in case of an inflight emergency by simulating an aircraft arrest barrier recovery procedure for a JASDF F-15 Eagle aircraft. "We gained a mutual understanding of communication and emergency procedures for in the event a JASDF F-15 makes an emergency landing here on Kadena," said Mitsuo Yamaguchi, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire training officer. Despite language differences, Japanese and U.S. crews communicated successfully through universally adapted aircraft hand signals. "It was all done through hand signals in compliance with NATO standards," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Patrick Walsh, 18th CES firefighter. "Crews working on any flight line need to know these signals." In addition to practicing NATO signals, JASDF airmen trained 18th CES firefighters to use their own emergency procedures for inflight emergencies, ensuring Team Kadena readiness for emergency landings by Japanese F-15 aircraft. "We had a great training opportunity, and we communicated efficiently," said Maj. Tsukasa Yoshika, JASDF liaison officer. "Such training will help us in case we have to divert to Kadena Air Base in the future." Walsh agreed that the bilateral training with the JASDF was a success. "It's a great experience because we continue to develop a relationship with them, promoting teamwork and continuity among JASDF and USAF," he said. "We are here for them." USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) unveiled a new air traffic control simulator, the first of its kind installed in a Navy aircraft carrier, in the ship's carrier air traffic control center, March 22.The new simulator program affords Carl Vinson air traffic controllers the capability to immerse themselves in real CATCC flight operations scenarios without the necessity of actual flight operations."Normally we don't have any flight operations we can simulate while we're in port," said CATCC Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO) Chief Air Traffic Controller Keith Thompson. "Now that we have this simulator, we can come here and simulate flight operations any given day."The new software was installed recently during Carl Vinson's chief of naval operations planned incremental availability (PIA) period and provides the embarked air traffic controllers a mission-ready edge over others in the fleet."Right now, with this new simulator, I can sit a new air traffic controller in front of the system and he can run simulators," said Thompson. "That way, when we experience live [air] traffic, he'll be proficient because he's seen it, he's done it, and he's familiar with the phraseology we use during the real thing."Carl Vinson Commanding Officer Capt. Karl Thomas attended the unveiling event to learn more about the program and observe the air traffic controllers replicating their flight operations rhythm despite the fact that the ship is currently in port."It really strengthens our team," said CATCC Leading Petty Officer (LPO) Air Traffic Controller 1st Class David Shoemaker. "If you have more people who are fully qualified to handle live traffic, you have a lot more experience and confidence in the room, should any emergency arise during flight operations."With the simulator at their disposal, the CATCC crew has the necessary tools to enhance air traffic control readiness, further preparing the crew for upcoming flight operations certifications."This is one of the most impactful improvements in carrier air traffic control in a long time," said Thompson. "Once this rolls out to the rest of the fleet, it will increase the amount of training, experience, and flexibility available to each of the Navy's carrier air traffic control teams."Carl Vinson is currently undergoing a CNO planned incremental availability period in preparation for future sea operations.For more news from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), visit http://www.navy.mil/local/cvn70/ Its a privilege for me to speak at the Hertie School. I think in just the short span of a little over 11 years youve already made an impressive mark on the study of international affairs. And speaking as someone who spends 20-plus hours on an airplane going to Asia all the time, the short hop from Washington to Berlin makes it a lot easier. So Im happy to be here. Its a pleasure. So tonight I will speak about some of the trends that Ive observed in the region over the last seven years as Ive worked under the Obama administration, talk a little bit about how were working to deal with and to benefit from those trends. But first, I think as the starting point I want to say a few words about what the Atlantic means to the Pacific. Coordination between the U.S. and our European partners is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region and I think its crucial to the world. Contrary to what many people, particularly in Europe, worried about at the outset of the pivot or the rebalance of U.S. foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific, its clear now that the rebalance is definitely not a turn away from Europe. Our focus on Asia is both well-coordinated and tightly linked to shared Atlantic policy goals. And speaking personally, Ive made it a point to come to Europe for consultations with various counterparts here -- in the first six months that Ive been on the job and Ive come regularly ever since. Ive spoken to groups like this and to others in London, in Paris, Brussels, elsewhere about the TransAtlantic nature, the TransAtlantic component of our rebalance. European counterparts and I meet on a regular basis to advance our work together and to compare notes. Id argue, frankly, that the TransAtlantic focus on Asia has brought the U.S. and Europe, the U.S. and the EU even closer together in a number of respects. The U.S. and Europe have both increased our attention to Asia. Our economic ties respectively with the region have generally grown in the last seven years. Weve both signed Free Trade Agreements, put an emphasis on liberalization of markets and high standards in areas like intellectual property and services and e-commerce. And while pursuing a rebalance in Asia and a TPP -- Trans-Pacific Partnership -- trade deal, President Obamas made a point to also strengthen TransAtlantic trade ties through TTIP. These two trade networks will combine to create important new norms of international trade that benefit all of us. The U.S. and like-minded countries have stood up for universal values -- not American values, not Western values -- universal values across the region. And in particular, I think the U.S. and Germany have stood out in standing up for these values; have not allowed the pursuit of short term economic interests in the region to deter us from advocating for universal values and for international laws, things that underlie our economic success. We cooperate in support of Burmas - Myanmars democratic transition, and we encourage friends like Thailand to return to their own democratic traditions. We undertake advocacy, albeit with mixed success, on behalf of human rights defenders in Asia, in China; on behalf of those who argue against problematic laws and regulations like cyber, banking, counterterrorism, and foreign NGO management laws that are under discussion now and could have, would have, a chilling effect on not only civil society but on international trade. Your Chancellor Merkel has very effectively used her moral authority and her personal story as a former East German, as the child of a pastor. And your President Gaucks trip this week to China, I think, further emphasizes Germanys strong tradition and strong support of human rights. Germany and other European countries contribute to security in the region, participating, for example, in the ASEAN Regional Forum; participating in joint exercises like RIMPAC, the Pacific exercise. They work with Asian countries on counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean. Those are important. The U.S. and Europe, the EU, have pioneered a new level of coordination on development work with the five nations of the Mekong River Basin. Weve worked together to promote cooperation, to promote a more sustainable approach to economic development in that important waterway. And we each cooperate with Asian countries more broadly on climate change, including in international forums. The EU works with APEC, with other groupings on shared interests like womens rights and girls education, the environment, trade standards, labor rights, protection of workers. And to go back to the reference that Marina made at the outset, the horrific attacks in Brussels this morning like the horrible attack in Paris, like the bombing in Jakarta, like the attacks in Sidney, they all underscore that we must in fact work together to defeat the scourge of ISIL, to repudiate and expose its false ideology, to repair the fabrics of broken societies that feed despair and radical extremism. These are genuine concerns not only of the Middle East, not only of Europe and the United States, but of Asia, particularly of Southeast Asia as well. So we have to work together and we are working together. Working with Asian nations in the region and beyond. But what is the environment that were working in when we work in the Asia-Pacific? Well, I think the place to start thinking about it is with the important 21st century trends that we see in the region. Southeast Asia is rising. Its experienced what some call a youth-quake, a demographic transformation with over half of its population, more than 300 million people under the age of 30; and moving dramatically, rapidly into the middle class. By and large theyre better educated than any previous generation. Theyre also better connected than any previous generation due to investments in telecoms and investment in transportation infrastructure. They travel a lot. And they have more job opportunities as a result of integrated supply chains which are increasingly enabled by trade initiatives, globally and in the region. And as the middle classes grow, they demand more accountability from their governments. So despite the setbacks I mentioned in Thailand, were seeing really dramatic advances for democracy in Myanmar. Were seeing strong democratic, pluralistic, tolerant traditions in Indonesia, in Mongolia, in the Philippines. And were seeing incremental but significant progress in a number of other countries in Southeast Asia and also in the Pacific. To the south in the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have greatly expanded trade with East Asia and they have increased their participation and their influence in the region. And likewise, our close friends and allies -- Japan and Korea -- have stepped up -- not just in the neighborhood, but on global issues like climate change and pandemic disease. Theyve added value in areas like regional security and diplomacy. And importantly, as major economies theyve made huge strides in opening their markets and leaving behind an old-fashioned model of export or die. And of course theres the rise of China. Hundreds of millions of people lifted from poverty. Dramatic economic modernization. Dramatic military modernization. These are dramatic trends, and as the middle class in China grows, as in elsewhere, as more people travel, study abroad, use smart phones, expectations rise. They want better housing, they want better education, they want cleaner air, they want water they can drink, they want safer food, they want increased opportunities, they want jobs, they want more dependable institutions, they want transparency, they want a say over the decisions that affect their lives. So the question is, for us, either as researchers or students or policymakers, how should we harness these trends to make a more prosperous, a more stable, a more livable Asia-Pacific region that benefits not just the people there, but the global economy, the global community? What should it look like? Well I had a boss who used to be particularly fond of doing what he called thought experiments, the what if. What if. So lets try one. What if we were starting from scratch? What if the Asia-Pacific, the Pacific Rim countries were starting from scratch, what kind of institutions would they build? What would we want? How would these nations organize themselves? How would they agree on shared rules to promote shared prosperity and meet shared challenges, ensure shared security? Well, when you think about it, to establish or to strengthen shared rules the region would want institutions with expertise and resources, theyd want a foundation of agreements and some impartial mechanisms for resolving disputes or problems that the parties couldnt solve themselves, including something like ASEAN, for example. And to advance prosperity the region would want an open system that allows every country, big or small, to trade fairly with its neighbors and to open up safely to investment from the world at its own pace including something like APEC, for example. And to address shared regional challenges like national disasters, of which there are plenty in Asia, food and water security, public health, the region would want a mix of permanent institutions and specialized groupings including something like the ASEAN Regional Forum or the Lower Mekong Initiative, for example. To ensure shared security the entire region would want some arrangement that prevents any resident powers, any large powers from either dominating Asia or from dividing it. Theyd want a platform to work cooperatively on problem areas, and the ability for countries with shared values or shared interests to organize into collaborative networks, including something like the East Asia Summit, for example. In other words, my point is this, that if Asia-Pacific nations were starting from scratch, its plausible to imagine that they would probably construct arrangements that are in many respects pretty similar to the architecture that we have now. But lets take a closer look. First on strengthening shared rules. I mentioned ASEAN - the ten Southeast Asian nations. Now ASEAN started small 45 years ago with five countries that wanted to find a way to establish common ground and find mutual support in what is, well all agree, a pretty tough neighborhood. Since then, ASEAN has doubled in size to ten countries and its tremendously expanded its scope, pursuing economic integration and a broader ASEAN community, and making itself a focal point for the entire region. The United States has helped and weve helped by stepping up our engagement as a partner with ASEAN. President Obama decided very early on in his term that the U.S. should join the ASEAN Treaty, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation; that he personally would participate in the annual meetings, the East Asia Summit; and that he would appoint Americas first resident Ambassador to ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta. And by the way, I commend the European Union for having just followed suit. From our point of view, that investment has paid off. Last year we launched the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, and last month at what was really a historic summit meeting at Sunnylands in California -- the same place where President Obama had previously hosted Chinas President Xi Jinping -- we put forward something called the Sunnylands Declaration, which is a statement of principles, a statement of the rules that we all want to live by. The fact of the ten leaders of Southeast Asia coming to the U.S. and finding consensus on some of the really tough, the thorny issues that face us, like the South China Sea, shows how much progress weve made -- shows how strong and close our relationship has become. So maybe this is a good time to just spend a few minutes on that thorny issue, the South China Sea, because it is really a very important one, and it is every bit as important to the countries of the Atlantic as it is to the countries who border on the South China Sea itself, and Ill explain why. Now, I said a minute ago that anybody who dreamed up a new system for dealing with international problems would want to have in place some basic agreements and some arbitration mechanisms for dealing with problems and disputes that couldnt be hashed out bilaterally. One example of that is the 2002 Declaration of Conduct that China and the ten ASEAN countries negotiated over 13 years ago, in response to an escalating pattern of confrontation in the South China Sea. This was in the years following Chinas occupation of Mischief Reef and some very bloody and very brutal encounters that cost the lives of a lot of Vietnamese sailors and soldiers. So in this 2002 Declaration, the countries, 11 countries, pledged not to use coercion, not to use force, not to use the threat of force. And they pledged further to exercise self-restraint in terms of activities and avoiding activities that would complicate or would escalate disputes, that would affect peace and stability. That was a solemn pledge that frankly, helped maintain calm and the status quo there for quite a few years. But what weve seen is that the status quo has been up-ended by an unprecedented campaign of digging up the coral reefs, dredging the sand from the ocean floor, reclaiming land on submerged reefs, building military facilities, large-scale construction there. And claims of national control over international waters. Over international airspace. And over the disputed maritime areas of claims in the South China Sea. So it is absolutely true that in the course of the decade or so after the Declaration of Conduct was issued there have been cases where claimants have at times put military personnel or weapons on the outposts that they occupy. Nobody ever made a new outpost, nobody ever seized an outpost, nobody ever did anything on a large scale. But it is correct to say that others have built breakwaters or in a few cases small runways, and this was not a good thing. But in under two years, despite the very strong objections of all of the other claimants and most of its neighbors, China has chosen to build seven advanced outposts on top of these fragile coral reefs using thousands of acres of landfill and tons of concrete with state-of-the-art ports and runways and other significant military facilities. The scale and the scope of this campaign vastly outstrips what all other claimants in the proceeding decade combined have done. So the question is why? Particularly in light of its pledge not to militarize its outposts. Is this to protect civilian populations? Ive heard that. But these features are uninhabited. I mean theyre basically uninhabited features other than the personnel the government puts there. Is it to assist fishermen in need? Ive heard that argument too. But why now? People have been fishing there for generations. And why are Philippine fishermen and fishing boats chased away? Why are Malaysian and Vietnamese fishing boats chased away? These are their traditional fishing grounds, too. Are these outposts there to monitor the weather? Thats another argument Ive heard. Well, last time I looked, surface-to-air missiles were not categorized as meteorological equipment. Is it to conduct humanitarian relief missions? Well, one point is that all the countries in the region have put together a collaborative mechanism for cooperating on humanitarian relief and coordinating it. For one country unilaterally to tackle that seems inconsistent with the collective work of the region. But even if you set that aside, why build a 3,000-meter runway on three different military airfields in the middle of nowhere? Another argument Ive heard is to safeguard freedom of navigation. But its pretty hard to argue that youre safeguarding freedom of navigation when your military radio operators challenge a ship or a plane from a neighboring country and say hey, youve got to get out of here, even though its international space. So were faced with a real paradox, a conundrum here. But in the coming months, the tribunal, an arbitrarion tribunal that has been convened under the Law of the Sea Convention which is a treaty that all of the claimants in the Asia-Pacific region have both signed and ratified, this tribunal is expected to make a decision on a case that was brought by the Philippines. Now this case addresses some very specific issues. It does not address the question of which island belongs to whom, which claimant owns what island. Thats not what this case is about. And whether it is the United States or whether its Germany, no outside country, no third party takes a position on the question of sovereignty over the land features in the South China Sea. We dont say we think the Philippines has a better claim than China or China has a better claim than Vietnam. We stay out of that piece. What the tribunal will do is to make some important decisions about the maritime space, not the land, but the sea -- and some important decisions about the rights that claimants have to the sea. But regardless of how this tribunal ultimately rules, Id say there are three important things to note here. Number one, the decision will be binding on both China and the Philippines. Those are the two countries, the two states, parties to the treaty, that are subject to this arbitration. I should add that the Chinese flagged early on their view that the tribunal had no jurisdiction over this case. So in reviewing the question of whether in fact the tribunal had jurisdiction or not under the Law of the Sea Convention, whether it could hear the Philippines case, the judges who are designated by the tribunal under the treaty to make that decision reviewed a very lengthy legal position paper that China submitted. They considered all the arguments. And they issued their decision. And their decision as the judges was that they rejected the Chinese arguments and found that the court did have jurisdiction over this particular case. So China has had its day in court already on the issue of jurisdiction. The question of how the tribunal will find on the maritime entitlements wont be answered for another few months. The second point Id flag about this case is that it could significantly narrow the geographic area of the maritime space thats in dispute. In other words, shrink the areas of disputed water among not only China and the Philippines, but presumably the other claimants as well. And thirdly and more importantly, I think that this verdict can serve as a pivot point, as a launching pad for a very positive, constructive diplomatic process towards a modus vivendi, towards a new arrangement that would reduce tensions and that would open the door to cooperation. Another way of looking at it is this, that the ruling in this case under the Law of the Sea Treaty is going to be an important test of our collective efforts to uphold a rules-based system in East Asia, a system that protects the rights of all states, and a system that continues to underpin the regions success. So in that respect, even though Germany and the rest of Europe arent on the Pacific, and like the United States have no stake in who gets what island, we dont take a position on that. We do have a stake in the success of the effort to apply the rule of law. And its very important that in this regard everybodys voice, including European voices, be heard in support of the rule of law, in support of peaceful resolution of disputes. Ill make one last point on rules. While domestic rules and laws arent shared in the same way that international rules are, Europe and the U.S. along with all democracies share a responsibility to support and to advocate for universal rights and for universal freedoms. Thats why we have all so strongly supported Myanmars democratic transition. And that country, although it still has a long way to go on human rights and civil rights, passed a huge milestone last week because the party that won what was found to be a free and fair election, the NLD, the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, is taking power in Parliament and is selecting a civilian government, and the president that theyve elected will be inaugurated in just over two weeks. So that brings me to the second area that I mentioned which is advancing shared prosperity. Increasingly, economic success in the 21st century depends on the innovation ecosystem. It depends on free-thinking institutions like this one and regulatory systems, on strong national institutions that foster research, that protect intellectual property. And on a regional basis as well, we can see on the economic side that rules underpin successful economies. Not only do these rules help advance economic growth, but the rules and the rulemaking institutions help smaller countries maintain economic autonomy in the face of pressure from outside. In the Asia-Pacific region, APEC is the key platform for economic cooperation that brings most of the regions economies together, and APECs strength is its ability to advance projects that everybody can agree on, like reducing tariffs on solar panels that all countries need to address the threat of climate change. APEC is a forum that helps countries think through ways forward on the next generation of trade issues like digital trade. But beyond an organization like APEC, we also have the flexibility to work jointly with other partners and organizations like the G20 and in more tailored multilateral groupings. So ASEAN members, for example, have forged ahead with their own economic community and that includes important features -- customs, single window, and so on. For our part, weve responded with a new framework initiative, U.S.-ASEAN Connect. The President announced this at the Sunnylands summit. This is a way of helping ASEAN develop both the hardware of infrastructure but also the software of infrastructure, and it includes both government-to-government cooperation but also public-private partnerships with a focus on energy and innovation and business promotion. And as I mentioned TPP earlier, that is the big one. Its an agreement that links economies from all parts of the Pacific Rim around high standards for trade and investment, protecting workers, protecting the environment, protecting intellectual property. And we in the U.S. government are hard at work now taking the steps necessary to bring TPP into force; taking the steps necessary to successfully negotiate TTIP which, as I said, is the other agreement that will raise standards and open markets to the world economy. The point there is that only a prospering and outward-looking Asia can meet the shared challenges that we face: climate change, violent extremism, pandemic diseases. And these are challenges that hit developing countries first and often hardest. I think the developing countries in the Asia Pacific see this and a trend I see is an increasing willingness to think and to act for the long term with the support of wealthier nations. So bilaterally, the U.S. and China cooperated to set the stage for the Paris Climate Agreement. This started two years out, then culminated in the joint announcement of our two presidents of ambitious national targets. That helped galvanize the thinking of a number of key emitter countries. And other Asian nations engaged in that process. I just completed a tour through the Pacific and the Pacific Island countries, theyre called Small Island Developing States. But as I traveled around and saw them, and saw the mammoth size of their exclusive economic zones, the tremendous amount of water, ocean theyre responsible for, you realize its not so much that theyre small island states as much as theyre big ocean states. These countries were absolutely instrumental in calling on the U.S., calling on Germany, calling on the worlds conscience to address what is to them, and to all of us, an existential threat. They are on the front lines of climate change, and resilience and adaptation are not enough. Terrorism, as I mentioned, is another threat that Southeast Asia is mobilizing to address. This includes countering violent extremist messaging, countering the recruitment of terrorist fighters to ISIL. Indonesia, for example, is the worlds largest Muslim country. It has a commitment to a pluralist society embedded in its constitution. Indonesias not only a natural partner, its an essential partner to all of us in international efforts to counter violent extremism. Malaysia, next door, also a Muslim-majority country, is about to open its own messaging center that aims at repudiating the hypocrisy and the false ideology of ISIL recruiters. Other countries like Australia and the Philippines have very legitimate, well-founded concerns about fighters being radicalized to attack at home or to join the fight in Syria and many more countries in Asia, as well as in Europe, are working with or in the counter-ISIL coalition. Another example is global health. Asian nations learned from the SARS epidemic that infectious disease is not a localized problem. Thats why they helped respond to the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. And nations like Japan and Korea and China who sent personnel into the hot zone now recognize the importance of building strong health infrastructure throughout the developing world in order to prevent or contain pandemics that could reach them at home. Thats the logic behind initiatives like the Global Health Security Agenda. Let me talk, though, a little more broadly about security. Europe, through NATO and through the EU, has clearly developed the worlds strongest regional institutions as part of the post-World War II order, and having served myself for a number of years in Europe, I am not underestimating the challenge of reconciling competing interests among member states. But having served in Asia, I dont underestimate the value of having a forum and a system to try to do so. So although its barely a decade old, the most important and promising institution in the Asia-Pacific for addressing regional strategic and security issues is the East Asia Summit -- EAS. Its held annually with ASEAN chairing, ASEAN in the drivers seat. So President Obamas decision when he first came to office in 2009 that he was going to participate in EAS has helped strengthen the forum to the point where this past year on its tenth anniversary, the 18 leaders agreed to give EAS a much greater coordination role at the center of the regions multilateral security architecture. And one of the things that the EAS does is give the leaders a place where they can discuss regional security problems, where they can discuss global security issues, and because the rotating head of ASEAN year on year also chairs the EAS, ASEAN really is at the center of EAS. It means that big countries cant highjack the agenda, cant dominate the meeting. So instead of a great power rivalry that turns Southeast Asia into a battlefield, instead of a tug of war between, say, the U.S. and China, you have the U.S. and China, Japan and Australia, India and Russia, Korea and New Zealand, all of these partners engaging with ASEAN as partners. Thats a healthy development and Im convinced that the EAS will prove more and more valuable as it becomes more operational over time. Shared security in the Asia-Pacific continues to rest on a strong U.S. military presence and a growing network of alliances and close partnerships that promote interoperability and coordination. Americas traditional alliances in Asia are stronger and more resilient than ever before. Weve modernized both our presence and our partnerships to adjust to 21st century challenges and realities, and were working jointly with partners to counter piracy, to protect lawful commerce and freedom of navigation, to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises like irregular migration. Were expanding our military-to-military engagement. Were participating in training, exchanges and exercises with every single country in the Asia-Pacific region except North Korea, where we are regrettably forced to expand our deterrence and expand our capabilities to address North Koreas growing missile and nuclear threat. Now the U.S. is not the only partner thats actively seeking to shape the emergence of regional institutions in the Asia-Pacific or seeking to strengthen and modernize our military to meet new challenges. Look at China. Chinas very much doing the same thing. Before I talk more about China, let me just right here and now dispose of the idea that the U.S. approaches our relationship with China as a zero sum game. That we are out to contain China. That we want to stunt its growth in an effort to claw and hold onto our slipping global dominance. This is a story line that I hear, and its not true. First of all, reports of the demise of the U.S. economy are premature. Americas economy is doing pretty well. Secondly, if we kept score in the world on the basis of our relative share of the global economy, if we thought that having a bigger slice of a smaller pie was a good thing, there never would have been a Marshall Plan, there wouldnt be a modern Japan. Now President Obama has said this repeatedly in public. Having worked for him, Ive heard him say it behind closed doors in the Oval Office when no cameras were present, so I know he means it. We, the United States, want a China that is stable and that is prospering. Its not altruism, its self-interest. Bill Clinton as president supported Chinas membership in the WTO. George W. Bush established the Strategic Economic Dialogue with China. Barack Obama expanded those talks. He intensified leaders level dialogue. Hes built up our U.S.-China military-to-military ties. Hes extended visas for Chinese students and businessmen. Hes promoted tourism. Hes worked with China on climate, on clean energy. Supported Chinas APEC chairmanship, its G20 chairmanship, and much, much more. The notion that were trying to contain or undermine China simply doesnt bear up to scrutiny. Instead, our strategy is to engage China widely, candidly, at high levels, and work to put a floor under the relationship so that it can absorb stress, it can absorb crises. We actively pursue meaningful cooperation wherever theres an alignment of U.S. and Chinese interests. So in peacekeeping, in Afghanistan, in Iran, in North Korea, at the G20, at COP 21. But we also directly address areas of disagreement with a view to wherever possible resolving them. Where we cant resolve them, to narrowing them. And where we cant narrow them, at least to managing them. Not to sweep them under the rug. Not to acquiesce to some mystical principle of core interests which mean that you cant go there, you cant talk about that. If those core interests violate global norms or universal rights, of course well talk about them. Now that can make for tension. That compels us to hold China to account when it uses cyber theft to take our companies intellectual property and commercialize it, sell it back to them. When it tries to coerce smaller neighbors or when its projects in the developing world lead to environmental damage and unsustainable debt loads and official corruption. So what we want is for Chinas rise to not destabilize, to not be detrimental to the interest of the region or the global system. And what were trying to do, and this is no secret, what were trying to do is to help ensure that Chinas rise is consistent with universal rights and the rule of law. Sure, this puts limits on Chinas ability to act. But the United States accepts limits. Germany accepts limits. All countries have to. And those limits, frankly, pale in comparison to the benefits that we derive and certainly that China derives from a rules-based international system. And weve never suggested that the rules cant evolve, to adapt to new circumstances and respond to legitimate concerns by countries. What we dont accept is the idea that rules can be disregarded when theyre inconvenient or that they can be supplanted by fiat or by creating regional spheres of influence. Now I wouldnt suggest for a moment that the European formula of integration would necessarily work for Asia. But I dont believe that the Asians are somehow so unique that Europes experience isnt relevant to them. The Atlantic and the Pacific regions have a lot to teach one another, a lot to learn from one anothers example. At the same time, we have to be cognizant of their respective histories. Asia has known a variety of models through the centuries. The ancient imperial model where the Chinese emperor was surrounded by tributary vassal states. The colonial model where Western powers divided and exploited North and Southeast Asia. Imperial Japans military push to create a Pan-Asian co-prosperity sphere. But the model that has fostered extraordinary economic growth, thats fostered human dignity and remarkable stability has been the model that we have built together, painstakingly, in the aftermath of the war. Its a rules-based regional order. This is the environment that has allowed China to prosper. This is the model that Pacific nations should build on. And as important as U.S. leadership has been and will remain, the core of the model isnt the U.S. The core of the model is respect for the rule of law. Its respecting the principle that the rules should apply equally to all, to big and to small. Respecting universal values and human rights. This is the trend line that matters most in the Asia-Pacific. This is the trend line that we should seek to reinforce. Now I have spoken a lot about rules, but I have violated arguably the most important rule for any speaker, which is to keep it short and leave time for questions and answers. So with your permission, Marina, I will stop there. and if anybodys still conscious, we can move to questions and answers. Thank you very much. PEARL HARBOR, Hawai'i -- Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, delivered a keynote speech at the closing of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Mission Planning Tactical Advancements for the Next Generation seminar March 24. The IAMD Mission Planning TANG brings government, military and commercial enterprises together to come up with innovative solutions to challenges from across the fleet. "The TANG is about breaking down those organizational barriers and empowering people," Swift said. Swift discussed how the Navy's innovative culture is part of the Navy's heritage and our most powerful asset today. "Having Adm. Swift as a keynote speaker lets the participants know that what they are doing is important to the Navy and that he is counting on them to come up with something," said Peter Scala, director of Advanced Development for the Undersea Systems Branch of Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems and participant in the TANG. "It gives the participants a feeling of empowerment that is priceless." The eighth iteration of this four-day event, TANG originated with submarine forces but is expanding to other communities. Upcoming TANG events will include unmanned aerial vehicles and food services. USARPAC Deputy Commanding General Retires After 45 Years of Army Service By Staff Sgt. Christopher McCullough U.S. Army Pacific FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii Hawaii native, Maj. Gen. Gary Hara, U.S. Army Pacific Deputy Commanding General - National Guard was honored during a Flying "V" retirement ceremony held at historic Palm Circle, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, March 23, 2016. Hara had been with USARPAC since 2013, during which time he operated as the Deputy Commanding General of the ARNG after USARPAC was elevated from a 3-star command to a 4-star command as part of the Asia-Pacific strategic rebalance. USARPAC commanding general, Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, officiated the ceremony and addressed Hara's importance to USARPAC and the impact he had on the command. "In his role as deputy commanding general he pulled the National Guard leaders from all of the Pacific states and territories to become part of the USARPAC Ohana," Brooks said. "Finally, he closed gaps between the U.S. Military and regional militaries, especially in some of our relationships that require a careful approach to develop fully." Accordingly, "I have counted on Garys candid advice, his calm demeanor and reasoned approach to help me in the decisions i have needed to make to guide this command," Brooks said. Brooks went on to thank Hara for his contributions to USARPAC and stated, along with Hawaii Governor David Ige, who was on hand for the ceremony, that they wished nothing but the best for Hara and his wife, Dianne, in their newly retired status. "General Hara, you have served our community, state and nation admirably, and our citizens of Hawaii are appreciative of your dedication, hard work and leadership," said Ige. "We wish you and your ohana the very best as you begin to pen your very first chapter of your new book of life called 'Retirement.'" When it was Hara's turn at the podium, he replied "Governor ... this isn't as much a retirement as a permanent vacation." Hara, who is retiring after 45-years' service, comes from a family whose tradition of military service is as impressive as it is lengthy. His father, the late Lt. Col. Henry Hara, who was an iconic figure in the Hawaii Army National Guard during his time, retired after serving over 37 years in the HIARNG, including a combat deployment to Vietnam in 1968 with the 29th Infantry Brigade. He was affectionately known as the "shogun" for his stature and influence that far surpassed his formal rank. Hara, himself, would follow in his fathers boot prints, joining the HIARNG in 1970 while still in high school. Forty-five years later he retired as a major general. Hara's younger brother, Dennis, enlisted in the HIARNG in 1972 and continued as a full time federal technician with the Guard until his retirement, as sergeant major, in 2014 with 37 years of service. Larry, the third of four sons, a master sergeant with 28 years in the HIARNG, and currently a fulltime federal technician, will retire in September after 40 years combined service. He said of growing up in a family with so much rank, "Its a little stressful because you have to make sure youre doing everything right because I have two brothers who are generals." Last but not least, Kenneth, the fourth and the youngest of the brothers, enlisted in the HIARNG in 1984, and is still serving as a brigadier general after 32 years. He is currently the deputy adjutant general for the HIARNG. Collectively, Hara's immediate family has served in the Hawaii Army National Guard 180 years and counting, though the extended Hara family is much larger and includes an uncle, cousins, and nephews who have served or are still serving as well. The Flying "V" ceremony traditionally welcomes or honors senior Army officials when they assume duties or depart from an USARPAC. The "V" refers to the way the colors are posted during the ceremony, which is V-shaped. Sixteen of USARPAC's subordinate and theater-enabling commands were represented on the parade field by Soldiers bearing the organizational colors and command teams. The term ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is often used for a collection of behavioral problems linked to poor attention span, which also include impulsiveness, restlessness and inability to concentrate. It is a little bit difficult to diagnose, especially if the one you're diagnosing is a young child. It may only be because of the kid's immaturity, and not because there is something wrong with him. A study in Taiwan confirmed a Western research of about 400,000 students between the ages 4-17 suggested this fact. The researchers found that the youngest students in classrooms had almost twice the chance of being diagnosed with ADHD as the oldest, the Trumpet reported. The study indicated that in Taiwan, the cutoff age for school entry is Aug. 31. Children are expected to be in school by age 6. However, they can start attending preschool by age 4. This shows that children who were born in August will typically be the youngest in their class, while those who were born September would be the oldest. According to Edweek.org, researchers studied more than 378,000 children from age 4 to 17 between 1987 and 2011. They found that 4.5 percent of younger boys born in August were diagnosed with ADHD, while 3.3 percent were under medication. However, there were 2.8 percent young boys born in September - oldest in class - in the same class who were diagnosed with ADHD and only 1.9 percent were taking medication. The same pattern was seen with girls in class but the overall rates were much lower. As researchers continued to analyze these data, they found that more preschool and elementary school children are diagnosed with ADHD but not a single adolescent had it. This led them to believe that overall age and maturity could play a role in the diagnosis. Whatever causes ADHD, one thing is certain, it's on the rise in the United States. There are almost 7.8 percent of children between the ages 4 and 17 who were diagnosed in 2003, but it ballooned to 11 percent or about 6.4 million kids in 2011. The senior director of the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the New York-based Child Mind Institute, David Anderson, said that a valid diagnosis should only be made after experts examine the child's behavior in school, at home, and when they're with their friends. "The behavior has to be occurring in more than one context, and these studies suggest that careful diagnosis is not happening everywhere," he explained. Anderson also said that parents should not fear to have their children evaluated. However, they should make sure to look for a practitioner who is willing to consider other explanation for the child's action than just "ruling in" ADHD. Anderson also emphasized that the practitioner should also be willing to explain the evidence base behind any treatment. And because school is such an important part of a full evaluation process, teachers need to be prepared to offer their assessment. This ADHD checklist from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention offers a sample of behaviors to watch out for. The technology of the Internet has become a regular part of our lives. Children as young as toddlers get exposed to it everyday -- take it from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's daughter, North West. However, it's important to practice Internet safety because while it can help your child learn about new things and broaden their view of the world. There are many online dangers that they can be susceptible to. Here are ways to keep your kids safe online: 1. Monitor Their Computer and Internet Use The best way to protect your child from online dangers is by personally monitoring their computer and Internet use. If your kids are too young to browse and only use the Internet for games, you can child-proof the computer by restricting access to certain websites. If your kids are old enough to navigate the World Wide Web, let them show you what they do online. According to NetSmartz, the Internet can be accessed via mobile phones, tabs and gaming devices so be sure to oversee these as well. 2. Encourage Questions and Communication Encouraging your kids to ask questions about the Internet will help them understand about the technology, Internet safety and the possible risks of being online. It also helps to let your kids talk to you should they feel threatened, uncomfortable or have seen inappropriate things on the Internet. 3. Never Let Them Give Personal Information Make it a point to instill in your child to never give their personal information such as the home address, telephone numbers and passwords online. The best way to keep your child and family's privacy is to never share personal info on the Internet. Safe Kids also points out to limit kids about posting pictures of themselves as there are many dangerous people lurking about on the World Wide Web plus, less pictures mean more safety online. 4. Don't Let Them Talk To Strangers The Internet makes online communication possible and this is a great way to connect with families, friends and relatives that are far away. However, it also makes your kids more prone to talking with strangers. Tell your child to stop chatting with strangers looking to be "friends" online. Remember, anyone can be anyone on the World Wide Web and a major Internet safety rule is to not let your kids talk to strangers online. 5. Familiarize The Internet Safety Laws Kids Health notes that the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a federal law created to protect children 12 years old and below. The COPPA mandates websites, especially those for children, to not give too much personal information if it is only used for games and such. Carice van Houten and Guy Pearce have been confirmed to be expecting their first child. The "Game of Thrones" actress and the "Memento" star have kept their relationship under wraps since they first dated. Carice van Houten and Guy Pearce confirmed pregnancy Carice van Houten confirmed the pregnancy news on Sunday, March 20, when she posted a photo of her and Guy Pearce alongside a cute caption, Daily Mail reported. "Yes, it's true,' the 39-year-old "The Fifth Estate" star wrote, along with a baby emoji. "Let the shadow baby jokes begin." Fans were happy after learning the Houten's confirmation and congratulated the couple shortly after the news broke. After "Game of Thrones" star Carice van Houten Houten verified news that she is pregnant, Guy Pearce shared his sentiments about expecting a kid with his girlfriend via Twitter. "Nothing like the prospect of a shadowbaby to change your mind about becoming a Father !!" the 48-year-old "Jack Irish" star wrote. "Thank you everybody for all your lovely messages xxx," he added. Carice van Houten and Guy Pearce were first reported dating after "The Rover" actor confirmed his split with Kate Mestitz. Guy Pearce and Kate Mestitz confirmed their split thru a statement saying that they had decided to part ways in January. Carice van Houten's 'Game of Thrones' character plays a big role on Jon Snow's return Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" fans should expect Houten in the upcoming sixth season, which premieres on April 24. Carice van Houten, who plays Melisandre on "Game of Thrones," is said to play a vital role in the return of Kit Harington's Jon Snow, Express UK informed. Kit Harington was confirmed to make a huge comeback in the "Game of Thrones" after he was killed in the previous season, which left fans completely devastated. While most fans think Harington's Jon Snow will come back to life thru some healing interventions that Houten could possibly a part of, the 29-year-old actor insisted that he will be portraying the "dead body" of Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones" Season 6. "You can't just forget that he's actually died. I had to be a dead body," Kit Harington said in an interview with The Sunday Times Culture magazine. "So there was a certain amount of filming that had to be done. I'm bloody good at playing a dead body. It was some of my best work." The new "Game of Thrones" Season 6 trailer was released earlier this month and it garnered more that 30 million views in less than 24 hours, Telegraph shared. With Jon Snow confirmed return, fans now have something to look forward to in the upcoming brand new season of the "Game of Thrones" series. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions This service is a courtesy for our print subscribers to give them access to our online edition at no additional cost. If you haven't registered on the new site, you must do it now before you do anything else. Each week, Dom plumbs the depths of podcast nation to bring you the best in cinema-related chats and programs. If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, then writing about movie podcasts is like listening to someone describe someone dancing about architecture. Have a suggestion for a good movie podcast? Slide into Doms DMs on Twitter. You dont have time to read a lengthy introduction because you have 151 minutes of an epochal film to watch tonight, not to mention however long it takes to do crunches, scream into the mirror, get brain-erasing high, trim your toenails, call your mother, use a neti pot, cry, masturbate, cry while masturbating, or whatever else is required before you feel emotionally ready to validate and then contribute to Zack Snyders expensive sweatpants addiction. So, anyway, hey! It was a pretty good week for podcasts! As you can guess, everyone was talking about Superman and Batman, though no one explicitly pointed out how this new 151-minute My Chemical Romance music video is seeing release on Easter weekend, which probably isnt a coincidence because Zack Snyder might as well be making movies about super-ripped Christs in spandex pummeling each other to see whos sad-strong enough to have the honor of climbing the cross and sacrificing themselves for the good of humanity. Granted, The Canon had their own v episode, pitting The Passion of the Christ against The Last Temptation of Christ, but they did that only because its Easter, not because its Easter and also because there happens to be a big ole weird fascistic, $250M Catholic paean eating up audience bandwidth in every multiplex across the cosmos. It was a pretty good episode! Though shout-out to the Grierson & Leitch podcast (co-starring Pastes own Chief Critic, Tim Grierson) for correctly giving Superman Returns its due, which inevitably entails pointing out all its Jesus-y imagery. I bet all you haters are reconsidering that flick after helping Snyder buy one more pair of dark grey Uniqlo dry stretch high-performance sweat-bottoms. Speaking of sweat-bottoms, I have one waiting to get sat upon, so lets get to my picks for the three best film-related podcast episodes of the week. Ethan Cushing Bounces The Terrorists From Club America! Matt Watkins and Brad Vassar are working film-type Californian people, and so they have plenty of friends or acquaintances who, at one point or another, have written screenplays which the authors were sure would help them crush it in Hollywood. At least, thats what most of them say when they bring their old scripts to Best Movie Never, proceeding to then pitch the work to Matt and Brad, who say theyll help fix the script but just spend an hour making fun of it. This week, Ethan Cushing, director and host of the My First Feature podcast (somanypodcasts) brings along his script for Justice For All, which he describes as Crash meets Die Hard With a Vengeance. Its a feature he wrote in 2003, less than two years after 9/11, and one that includes a climactic terrorist situation at a major New York landmark, because that is the kind of stuff college students do before they realize theyre talent is a lie and theyre degree is worthless. The script, in turn, is as terrible and pedantic as Crashs probably would be were I to ever read it, the co-hosts reciting passages of dialogue with unbridled glee and painful accents. Notable highlights include Cushings many names for his many characterswhich off the top of my head are, I think, such choice all-American brands as STEVE PARKER, SAM TAYLOR and PRESIDENT GARY LYNCHand Cushings obsessive compulsion to describe every characters hair color, style and length. If podcasts like Scriptnotes or The Broken Projector have a tendency to bum you out with all their erudite self-seriousnesscmon dude, you wrote The Hangover 3, so maybe take it down a notchthen Best Movie Never is exactly as self-aware as it should be. Special Report: Room Full of Spoons I have seen The Room more times than any other film. I have a Playstation 3 with a Blu-Ray player that quit on me about two years into owning it, only to accidentally reveal itself some time later to require a warming up with a DVD before I can play a Blu-ray disc. That DVD is almost always The Room. Whenever I want to watch a Blu-Ray I inevitably watch The Room first. That is my The Room story; there are many like it. Which is why Rick Harpers new documentary Room Full of Spoons, which chronicles the making of The Room, is, as Projection Booth host Mike White describes, as much about Tommy Wiseaus film as it is about Harpers fandom and the making of his own film. White welcomes Proudly Resents host Adam Spiegelman to wax armchair philosophical about the Best Worst Movie Ever Made, touching on something that I think is crucial when considering The Room: There really is no difference between having a lot of fun watching a bad movie and having a lot of fun watching a good moviea guilty pleasure is not something that existsand to call The Room the worst movie ever made is to denigrate the sheer luck and passion that Wiseau sank into his film, despite literally and obviously having no idea what he was doing. Spiegelman and White share a fond and easy chemistry, but the true bonus of this special episode comes in yet another naturally enjoyable interview care of White, when he talks to Harper about the long process of making the documentary and what his experience has been as a first-time filmmaker. Catwoman Hosts Jonathan Braylock, James III and Jerah Milligan talk each week about a major film led by a black actor, and so with the DC Universe hanging hot and heavy above our heads, they pour themselves a White Russian (hold the vodka) to endure the disastrous 2004 Halle Berry vehicle, Catwoman, with all of the snark and disappointment and descriptions of sultry lesbian scenes it (probably) deserves. Though Jerah invites his agent, Jayme Marrow, a self-described Asian woman (I dont know, I cant see her, I have to believe them), onto the episode to dig even deeper into what Berrys recourse might have been had she decided to drop out of the obviously shitty moviea movie that went through at least three leading white actresses, greenlit in 1995the meat of the episodes conversation centers around the question of why the film even exists, planted in some sort of not-quite-DC neverwhere in which Catwoman isnt Selina Kyle and what that might imply about the fact that after almost a decade producers cast a black woman as their ostensibly last choice. In the same year, Berry won both an Oscar and a Razzie, and she seemingly hasnt recovered her career since. Would that have been the case were she white? Its hard to say, though looking to Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck post-Daredevil does not bode well for the all-inclusive, forgiving nature of the filmgoing American public. Dom Sinacola is Assistant Movies Editor at Paste and a Portland-based writer. Like everyone on this planet, he co-hosts his own podcast, Pretty Little Grown Men, which is sometimes about movies but mostly about Pretty Little Liars. You can follow him on Twitter. On March 16 Patently Apple posted a report tiled "Proposed UK Law Aims to Force Tech Companies to Build Back Door-Like Security Features into Software." The report noted that "An executive at one leading tech company told the Sunday Times: 'People shouldn't be in any doubt, the [UK] government is pushing for some of the most invasive surveillance legislation out there today." Late this week the UK's Independent published a report stating that Apple, Facebook, Google and others are asking the UK Government to change the Investigatory Powers Bill. Apple and the rest of the world's largest tech companies have launched a sweeping attack on the Government's spying bill, arguing that it still has huge flaws that must be corrected before it passes into law. Specifically, the companies sending evidence to the UK government criticized the bill for the powers it enables. More specifically, the ways that it keeps companies from disclosing or appealing orders that are made against them, and the mechanisms for checking that the law is not being abused. It would appear that the UK Government wants to be able to legally stave off legal challenges from the likes of Apple as they witnessed with the FBI case over unlocking the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone 5c. Apple's deep pockets could keep legal battles tied up in the courts for years and kill-off obtaining important information from a phone in a reasonable time frame to thwart a terrorist attack or other heinous crime. For more on this, read the full Independent report here. For additional background to this subject and to understand this isn't the first time the U.S. tech group has sent a challenge to the UK government, see the Wall Street Journal's January report titled "U.S. Tech Firms Criticize U.K. Spying Legislation," here. In that report they noted that Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo and others stated in a joint submission that "The actions the U.K. government takes here could have far-reaching implicationsfor our customers, for your own citizens, and for the future of the global technology industry." About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Either gushed over as gorgeous or derided as garish, thehouse at 2055 S. Joshua Tree Place in Palm Springs has generated a global buzz. And not because it was designed by one of the midcentury desert big shots, architects Richard Neutra, Donald Wexler, William Krisel, Edgar Kaufmann or George Alexander. Built in 1969 by its first owner, Milton Seidner, and designed by Seidners son-in-law, Cary Bigman, the 3,350-square-foot residence, like a fossil in amber, has trapped its decor in a time warp. From its ornate, gold-veined mirrors to its vinyl moire patterned wall coverings to its wood-paneled den, the home furnishings are frozen in the era of Nixon, Easy Rider, bell bottoms, the moon landing, The Brady Bunch, Woodstock and the Civil Rights movement. For 47 years, the house has remained in mint condition. And its yours for $850,000, said listing agent Lucio Bernal of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. This curiosity is nestled in the Twin Palms neighborhood amid residences valued at $650,000 to $950,000, he said. Traditional real estate wisdom recommends updating retro decor before selling your home. However, with architectural styles like midcentury modern and many vintage styles now in vogue, some real estate agents are advising homeowners to leave properties in their original conditions. Despite challenges to selling a time-capsule property, nostalgia can also be a powerful draw for potential buyers, Bernal said. For 10 consecutive days, the Seidner house, which hit the market right before Modernism Week last month, drew more than 500 looky-loos. People were talking about it and taking photos, Bernal said. Its far from modernism, more of a Hollywood Regency style. Young or old, everyone had something to say about it. Theres nothing I havent heard. After a few online articles appeared, Bernal was deluged with countless emails and calls from book and magazine writers from the United Kingdom to Australia desperate to arrange photo shoots, some with 60s-style models as props. Since Zillow.com featured the house on its blog, dubbing it a Brady Bunch meets Studio 54 affair, more than 16,000 viewers have checked out the timepiece. Bernal ascribes their fascination to the houses incredible pristine preservation of most of the original, customized furnishings and fabrics selected by Miltons wife, Vera Seidner. She got everything she wanted, Bernal said. Veras vision, so contemporary then, so vintage now, tugs on boomers memories and stuns millennials with its over-the-topness, Bernal said. Love it or hate it, the decor is still in great condition, Bernal said. When Milton Seidner died at age 90 in 1993, four years after Vera, the family sold the house in March 1994 for $350,000 to Ben and Martha Hite. The second owners kept the color scheme and furnishings intact: popping Kelly greens and hot pinks, Rococo gilded angels and satyrs, flocked wall coverings and terrazzo floors. Its a very emotional house, said the Hites daughter, Fine Score, who lives in the desert. Nobody who sees it leaves without an opinion. Except for a few kitchen tweaks, the Hites, now deceased, left everything as an homage to the late 60s, Bernal said. In a phone interview, the Seidners granddaughter, Denise Fisher, 51, of La Verne confirmed that. Her mother, the late Darlene Irish, was the youngest of the Seidners three children. When Fisher initially entered the Palm Springs home at 5, I felt like I was in a palace, she remembers. After it was sold, Fisher visited it for the first time three years ago. It was the happiest and saddest day of my life. Nothing had changed. Its bittersweet for me. Fisher described her grandpa as a workaholic and a jokester and her grandma as a glamorous Zsa Zsa Gabor type who favored big jewelry, big beehive hair and beautiful clothes. They were two great, great people, she said. To walk into the same house is so neat. Nothing has changed. Not even some of the knickknacks and the bedspreads. The vinyl motif carries into the den, its mirrored backsplash bar furnished with a vinyl countertop and stools with self-covered buttons. Two sides of the humongous coffee table are also accented with beige vinyl. Green floral couches in a semi-circle flank an oversized coffee table in the shamrock green living room, detailed with black and white colors. Floor-to-ceiling windows topped with green swag curtains allow an unobstructed view of the swimming pool. Decorated with an avocado-green palette, the made-to-order dining room table seats 10. Even the fixtures suspending its two chandeliers are covered with an expensive green fabric. But the show-stopper is the fuchsia-and-magenta canopy bed on a rose-colored carpeted platform in a room with pink furniture, chandeliers and pink wallpaper. The room leads to a lavish tub surrounded by Baroque statues and a hot-pink carpet. Bernal said house tours now are restricted to potential buyers. The goal is to sell it, not keep it as a museum for someone to enjoy. So far, hes received a couple of nibbles, one local, the other from the Bay Area. Everyone wants it to keep it the way it is, Bernal said. But you have to ask yourself if you could sleep in a hot-pink room every night. And then decide if you want to love it and leave it or change it. Contact the writer: llucas@pressenterprise.com, 951-368-9559 Earlier this month, it seemed the race for the White House would once again zoom past California and its late-season primary. Then came billionaire entrepreneur Donald Trumps loss in Ohio and with it, perhaps his best chance to avoid a protracted battle for the Republican presidential nomination. That battle nears the finish line on June 7, when Californias primary allocates 172 Republican delegates, possibly enough for Trump to win the nomination outright. California may turn out to be crucial this year, said John McGlennon, chairman of the Department of Government at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Resistance to Donald Trump from the establishment means he needs to be as close as possible to the magic number (of delegates) for the nomination, and that probably wont happen until the end of the primary season. The upcoming primary has boosted enthusiasm among Republicans, said Riverside County GOP Chairman Scott Mann. RELATED: Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders supporters rally in Riverside County Were getting a lot of traffic on our website. Were getting a lot of phone calls how do I re-register (to vote as a Republican)? said Mann, who is Menifees mayor. At this point, Californias Democratic primary, also on June 7, isnt expected to be as decisive. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton holds a substantial delegate lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and she remains the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. However, Sanders has said he will be a frequent presence in California as he wages his underdog campaign. Normally, both parties nominees are all but decided when California holds its primary, leaving little need for candidates to visit the state other than to raise money. But this isnt a typical primary election, with Trump capitalizing on free media, voter anger and resentment toward the GOP establishment. As of Friday , Trump had 739 delegates compared to 465 for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and 143 for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose only hope to win the nomination is a brokered convention. At this point, its unclear whether Trump will get the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination by the time the Republican National Convention takes place in July. His foes hope hell fall short, giving them a shot at wresting the nomination from him on the convention floor in Cleveland. All but 13 of the states Republican delegates are awarded by congressional district. Each district is worth three delegates and the districts winner gets all three. Unlike the Democratic primary, only registered Republican voters can cast ballots in the California GOP presidential primary. Traditionally, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have been more conservative than the rest of the Golden State, where Democrats make up a plurality of voters and control all statewide offices, 39 of 53 congressional seats and a majority in the California State Legislature. Republicans make up 38 percent of Riverside County voters compared to 36 percent for Democrats. In San Bernardino County, registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 38 to 34 percent. Overall, 12 percent of Californias registered Republicans live in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. TRUMP THE FAVORITE? A Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday showed Trump leading among likely GOP primary voters in the state. Trump was at 38 percent compared to 27 percent for Cruz and 14 percent for Kasich, once poll numbers are recalculated to account for Florida Sen. Marco Rubios exit from the race. Trump would have considerable strength in California, said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. Many grassroots Republicans are passionate opponents of illegal immigration, and Trump would hit that issue very hard in a California primary campaign. He drives Hispanic votes away. But they would make up only a small share of the vote in a closed GOP primary. Seventy-six percent of California Republicans are white and 33 percent are over the age of 65, according to a University of Southern California Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll conducted in September. By comparison, California as a whole was just 39 percent white/non-Hispanic in 2014, census figures show. Trump also does well among voters who dont have college degrees. As of 2014, about 40 percent of Riverside County adults 25 and older had just a high school diploma or didnt finish high school, according to the census. For San Bernardino County, the number was 48 percent. Pitney expects Trump to fare well in the Inland Empire, noting how staunch conservative and former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly out-polled Neel Kashkari, a more moderate Republican running for governor, in San Bernardino County in 2014. Jennifer Walsh, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Azusa Pacific University, said Kasich has a chance to win congressional districts represented by Democrats, such as the 31st Congressional District in San Bernardino County represented by Pete Aguilar of Redlands. But (Kasich) lacks the fundraising power to get his message out, Walsh said. Media messages across radio/television signals cannot be isolated for just parts of the Southland, so candidates can only broadcast to the Inland Empire by going through the L.A. media market. This creates a large expense with minimal direct payoff. As a result, Trump will probably pick up these areas, she added. His free media coverage means that hell get attention without spending a lot of money and because exit polling data from other states shows that he is running strong with somewhat conservative voters. McGlennon said Kasich may actually have a better chance of cutting into Trumps delegate count than Cruz if he can get some wins in affluent suburban and urban districts. Cruz cant beat Trump on immigration, and California doesnt have the high concentrations of evangelical voters that have given Cruz some delegates in other parts of the country, McGlennon said. Trump is likely to take the lions share of delegates, but he really needs to run the table to end the contest. WILL THEY VISIT? Trump is poised to do very well in California if it remains a three-way race come June 7, said Brian Janiskee, chairman of the political science department at Cal State San Bernardino. The best chance for Cruz might be for Kasich to get out of the race, Janiskee said. Cruz is said to have the best ground game of the three candidates, with Ron Nehring, a former state GOP chairman who ran for lieutenant governor in 2014, serving as Cruzs California chairman. Kasich, who has been endorsed by former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has former gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner as his California chairman. While he has yet to be contacted by any of the campaigns, Mann said: I do expect all three candidates to be here campaigning heading into June 7th. But its not clear how much time theyll spend Inland. Experts quoted in various published reports noted that Californias more liberal congressional districts, like those in Los Angeles and San Francisco, have fewer Republicans, yet award the same number of convention delegates as more conservative districts. That could lead GOP candidates to spend more time in blue districts where there are fewer Republican voters to win over. COMING BACK Republican leaders are using the primary to lure voters who switched their party registration from the GOP. In recent years, the number of Republican-registered voters in California has fallen. We have started a voter registration drive geared toward Republicans who left the party and registered (independent) for one reason or another, Mann said. These voters are realizing that California is a closed primary for Republicans and many are coming back home. Mann added he personally re-registered seven former GOP voters this past week, while a Republican club has re-registered 61 voters this month. Trumps presence also could boost other Republicans seeking offices in California. Under the states top-two system, the top two primary vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the November election. The system doesnt apply to the presidential race. In the race for retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxers seat, its been thought by pundits that Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez would wind up in the top two. But heavy Republican voter turnout spurred by the presidential primary could give GOP Senate hopefuls Tom Del Beccaro or Duf Sundheim a spot in the general election. I think Republicans are now in a position to at least take a shot at one of those (top two) slots. A shot, Jennifer Duffy of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report told The San Francisco Chronicle. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com They could spend spring break boogie boarding in the Pacific Ocean, hiking in Yosemite Valley or blasting through Disneylands Space Mountain. Instead, hundreds of young missionaries from the Inland region are flying or driving to poverty-stricken places to engage in volunteer work through Christian schools, churches and nonprofit organizations. Some depart on long mission trips throughout the year. Others join mission teams for spring break or long weekends to give food and clothes to the needy; build or repair schools, houses and churches; teach English; start new churches; or volunteer in Bible camps for kids. Some say they get back as much as they give to the service projects, which build character and teach them how to love. On Friday, March 25, 80 students from Linfield Christian School in Temecula and 30 adult chaperones left for five days. Theyll build two houses for impoverished families near Ensenada, Mexico. Since 1999, Riversides Woodcrest Christian School System sends teams of missionaries about 90 this year to Central and South America, the Caribbean and Alaska to build churches and houses, remodel schools, work at vacation bible schools or lead high school-age retreats. We have a missionary emphasis, Woodcrest Christian School System Superintendent Jim Sullivan said. Five young missionaries who are soon setting out or who have recently returned say the service trips have taught them patience, appreciation for other cultures and gratitude for how much they have here. Woodcrest Christian High School senior Audra Gibbs, 17, said she understood the importance of returning to Belize during her first missionary trip there as a sophomore. She leaves Friday, April 1, for the countrys capital, Belmopan, where one of the missionaries most crucial functions will be to bring loving kindness to other youngsters whose lives are wracked with violence and suffering. I saw the need for us to go and show our love to them, and show that people from other parts of the world care about them, Gibbs said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@pressenterprise.com Five young Inland residents are volunteering on projects in Alaska, Haiti, Mexico and Belize, while another is back from Japan. Click or swipe through the slideshow to see what makes each of them tick. Mobile users, click here. A proposal to bring more power to northwest Riverside County, including Corona and Eastvale, has drawn fire from city officials who say more should be done to inform residents, businesses and city leaders of the projects impacts. Our residents did not have an adequate opportunity to be educated about this project or express their concerns, Eastvale City Councilman Clint Lorimore said this week. Southern California Edison is pitching the Circle City Substation and Mira Loma-Jefferson 66 kV Subtransmission Line Project. Plans call for building a new substation in Corona, upgrading the existing Mira Loma Substation in Ontario and construction of a new 66kV power line that would run nearly 11 miles through Ontario, Eastvale and into Corona and connect the two facilities. Edison officials say they began doing outreach and education in 2009 and have kept city officials in the loop at every important point of the planning. The project will cost an estimated $139 million, but Edison spokesman David Song stressed that this is a conceptual estimate. It was made before final engineering and prior to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. Edisons summary said the project calls for overhead lines mounted on power poles and underground construction, but does not specify what percentage of the project will be built underground and in what area. In early December, Edison applied for a permit with the Commission, which will prepare an environmental document. About a month later, Corona filed a formal protest with the commission. It allegs that Edison failed to inform Corona and get necessary input, that Edisons decisions on undergrounding power lines should be examined and that more public hearings should be held. The City Council is obviously disappointed in (Southern California Edisons) decision to forego meaningful public input before submitting its application to the CPUC, Corona Mayor Jason Scott said in a prepared statement. Scott wrote that the city hopes Edison officials will give residents, businesses and others a chance to comment on where they propose to construct their high voltage lines and where they will be placed above and below ground. The issues in the Corona protest are nearly identical to those in a resolution opposing the project passed by the Eastvale City Council on Feb. 29 Were in favor of the project to provide more energy, but it needs to be undergrounded, Lorimore said this week. Eastvale officials fear the utility will build more than a dozen power poles on Hellman Avenue the citys western edge to carry the subtransmission lines into Corona. We already have a bunch of poles out here that predated cityhood, Eastvale City Manager Michele Nissen said. We dont want any more pole pollution. Corona and Eastvale officials said they both asked that Edison make a presentation to their city councils but were rebuffed. And while the Commission held two public meetings in Corona, none were in Eastvale, Nissen said. Eastvale held its own meeting Feb. 24 and about 60 residents attended. We felt we needed to do something to give notice to our residents, Nissen said. In a November letter to Corona City Manager Darrell Talbert, Southern California Edison Senior Vice President Ronald Nichols responded to the criticism. He said the utility had done extensive outreach in the city dating to 2009, when initial briefings were given to each city council member. Since then, Edison has continued to give updates to city officials, elected officials and hosted open house events in Corona and Eastvale, he said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9647 or sstokley@pressenterprise.com Banning is the latest city to take a look at city council election districts, but is taking a little different path than its county brethren. Hemet and Wildomar both jumped into setting districts after receiving a letter from a Malibu law firm threatening a suit if they did not comply with the California Voters Right Act, and Corona is looking at the issue on its own. Banning is dipping its toe into the process and has hired a demographer to look at its population before deciding how to proceed after being sued by a former council member. Frank Burgess filed a lawsuit Tuesday, March 22, claiming the city should elect council members by district and not at large. Later that same day, the City Council voted 4-0, with Ed Miller absent, to pay up to $8,000 to National Demographics, Inc, to study the city and make a recommendation regarding the challenge. (The council members) had a brief discussion, but at the end of the day, all were in agreement that well do stage 1, City Manager Michael Rock said. (The demographer) will make a recommendation if we should continue to Stage 2 or if theres reason to carry on with election districts. Burgess was unavailable for comment Friday, March 25. Currently, Banning council members can live anywhere in the city and be voted on by all registered voters. With election districts, the city is divided based on population and ethnicity and the representative must live in the district they represent and are only voted on by its residents. Banning, a city of 31,000 people, has long been one of the more ethnically diverse communities in the region. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 43 percent Caucasian, 41 percent Hispanic, 7 percent African American and 5 percent Asian. The California Voting Rights Act was passed in 2002 to ensure minority voters are fairly represented in local elections. Citys deemed not to be in compliance are being sued, and even if they win in court, end up paying large attorneys fees. If they lose, costs can run into the millions of dollars and the city loses control of how the districts are formed. If the process moves forward, the cost for demographics services would increase, perhaps to $50,000 or more, Rock said. Burgess took exception to the process, and the price, saying it cost the Banning school district $14,000 for its entire study. More waste of our money, he wrote in an email to council members and others. How much more of this can we take? Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@pressenterprise.com The San Bernardino terrorist, the female terrorist, posted publicly on social media a call to jihad. The Obama administration refused to look at social media because they didnt think it would be politically correct to look at social media. Sen. Ted Cruz, interview on CNN, March 23, 2016 If you look at the San Bernardino terrorists, the female terrorist had publicly posted on social media calls to jihad. And yet the Obama administration, in yet another nod to political correctness, refused to even to look to social media. Cruz, interview on Fox News, March 22, 2016 Its not a lack of competence that is preventing the Obama administration from stopping these attacks. It is political correctness. We didnt monitor the Facebook posting of the female San Bernardino terrorist because the Obama DHS thought it would be inappropriate. She made a public call to jihad, and they didnt target it. Cruz, Republican debate on CNN, Dec. 15, 2015 In the wake of the Islamic State-connected terrorist attacks on Brussels, Cruz resurfaced a false claim he made during a presidential debate several months ago. Cruz criticized the lack of proactive policing directed at radical Islamist terrorism, such as patrolling Muslim neighborhoods and monitoring social media postings that indicate radicalization. Cruz said in several radio and television interviews in the days following the Brussels attacks that the Obama administration had failed to monitor the public call to jihad on social media by one of the two killers in the Dec. 2, 2015, mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. The couple died in a shootout with police. MORE: All the latest developments related to the San Bernardino shooting Did Tashfeen Malik, the female shooter in the San Bernardino attack, declare a public call to jihad on social media that the administration refused to investigate? Malik met her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, online in 2013. She moved to the United States from Pakistan after getting married to Farook, a U.S. citizen. Malik and Farook were radicalized long before the December 2015 attack, and predated the rise of the Islamic State in 2014. On Dec. 2, 2015, Malik published a Facebook post under an assumed name on behalf of the couple just as the attacks started. The post read, We pledge allegiance to Khalifah Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Al Qurashi, the leader of the Islamic State. Facebook confirmed the account belonging to Malik and took down the profile page and post the day after the shooting. Cruzs campaign did not respond to our request for comment, but cited this Facebook post to Buzzfeed as the source of his latest claims following the Brussels attacks. Two days after the shooting, FBI Director James Comey said the couples activities were of no such significance that it raised these killers up on to our radar screen prior to the shooting. Cruz has said since December 2015 that Malik posted her call to jihad publicly on Facebook. To be fair, there were inaccurate reports in the two-week period following the shooting that such a public post existed. The New York Times had reported on Dec. 13, 2015, that Malik talked openly about jihad on social media before she applied for a visa to come to the United States. This revelation drew swift criticism from Congress and presidential candidates. But that claim turned out to be inaccurate, as an editors note now describes at the end of the article. On Dec. 16, 2015, Comey called such reports a garble, saying that the calls to jihad were made in private messages and email communications that were not easily accessible to federal law enforcement. In such private communications, the couple expressed their joint commitment to jihad and to martyrdom, Comey said. So far in this investigation, we have found no evidence of posting on social media by either of them, at that period of time and thereafter, reflecting their commitment to jihad or to martyrdom, Comey said. We dont intercept the communications of Americans. . .without predication, without probable cause or belief that they are involved in terrorism or serious criminal activity, Comey continued. If we dont know anything about somebody we are not combing through their emails or direct messages. The FBI did not have any new information to provide to The Fact Checker on March 24, 2016, and stood by Comeys statements made during the Dec. 16, 2015, news conference. Cruz refers to the Obama administrations, particularly the Department of Homeland Securitys, refusal to review Maliks public social media post of jihad because of political correctness. DHS has guidelines to consult social media in the immigration process, but DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said the existing policies were too restrictive. Johnson said he authorized pilot programs in 2015 to incorporate more social media into the visa vetting process. Since then, DHS and Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have started a Social Media Task Force to review the use of social media in the DHS vetting process, an agency spokesperson said. USCIS is now finalizing a plan to broaden the use of social media as a vetting tool. DHS also uses social media in several components of the agencys operation. For example, Customs and Border Protection uses publicly available information, including social media, to assess risk presented by targeted travelers and shipments. Malik had passed background checks during her fiancee visa application process, which did not flag her extremist views. But even if immigration officials had culled her public social media activity, they likely would not have come across private emails and messages between the couple about their commitment to jihad or martyrdom. Cruz first began making this claim in the days following the attack, saying the female San Bernardino shooter had publicly declared a call for jihad on Facebook, which the Obama Administration refused to investigate out of political correctness. Whether the decision by the administration not to review public social media postings for visas was out of political correctness is a matter of opinion, and cant be fact-checked. But even if Maliks public social media activity were vetted, it would not have surfaced private messages and emails between Malik and Farook about jihad and martyrdom. Plus, Malik used Facebook under an assumed name, further making it more difficult to track her social media activities. Two weeks after the shooting, the FBI director clarified that there were no calls to jihad and martyrdom in publicly posted social media messages by Malik. It has been more than three months since then, and Cruz really has no excuse to continue repeating this falsehood unless he has some exclusive insight into the FBIs investigation that has not been shared publicly. Malik did publish a post on Facebook on behalf of herself and her husband, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State leader but this post was published just after the mass shooting began. Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye and I have something in common: jury duty. The California Supreme Court chief justice did her one-day, one-trial service on Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court. That was the day after I finished a four-week trial in San Bernardino County Superior Court, my first time to serve on a jury. For years, Ive said I was ready, willing and able to serve as a juror; Id just never been chosen. This time, I was. My summons required me to show up the morning of Feb. 18. Jury selection took three days. The trial started Feb. 24. They told us it would take 2 weeks. It lasted more than four. Trials involve a lot of waiting, but youd be hard-pressed to find a more breathtaking place to wait than in the corridors of the new downtown San Bernardino courthouse. With floor-to-ceiling windows facing the San Bernardino Mountains, the views of the valley and peaks is beyond compare. I often paced the hallway during breaks, taking in the views. Our case involved a horrible traffic accident. On Feb. 21, 2011, Marc and Jackie Peebles were returning home to Lake Arrowhead. As they rounded a bend on Highway 189 near Twin Peaks, they saw a white school bus coming at them, fully in their lane. Marc Peebles steered sharply to the right, sending the Nissan Murano into a snowbank. (If it werent for his quick reaction, he and his wife would certainly be dead.) The bus that hit them was from Light of Love Mission Church in Pasadena. It was returning from a holiday weekend retreat when it went out of control, hit the Murano, left the roadway, plunged down an embankment and slammed into a tree. The bus crushed the Muranos front fender, broke the axle and gouged the left door as it careened by. It also took out a power pole, dropping live electrical lines on the Muranos roof. The couple was trapped by arcing wires. Marc Peebles, a paramedic and fire battalion chief, was unable to help the children he could hear screaming in the wrecked bus. A photo of the bus lodged in a grove of pines, the drivers compartment obliterated by a large tree trunk, was entered into evidence. The driver died; 22 children and adults were injured, several critically. Our case concerned only the Peebleses; they were suing the church and the estate of the driver. The church admitted it was at fault; we only had to decide the amount of damages. As Marc and Jackie Peebles waited in the Murano for Edison to turn off the power so rescuers could get them out, the couple worried about Jackie Peebles neck surgery, fearing the crash had reinjured her. Rescuers took her out the rear hatch strapped to a backboard, her head immobilized. The local hospitals were inundated with badly injured passengers from the bus. Marc and Jackie Peebles didnt get out of the emergency room until six hours later. After they got home, over the next several days, Jackie started having blurred vision and balance problems. Doctors at Loma Linda University Medical Center diagnosed traumatic brain injury (concussion) from the accident. A neuro-ophthalmologist found that one of her eyes was crossing, a hallmark of brain injury, he testified. Her eyes also were jerking or jumping, another symptom of a problem with the central nervous system, the doctor testified. We heard from doctors who said many brain injuries are missed in emergency rooms. But the church was fighting the diagnosis tooth and nail, combing through Jackie Peebles medical records to show she had pre-existing medical problems. Defense experts claimed Jackie Peebles was imagining or exaggerating her problems. An accident-reconstruction expert claimed the force of the accident wasnt enough to have injured her brain. I did not find the defense experts credible. One undermined his own testimony about concussions with charts showing some trained athletes suffer concussions while others hit with the same forces do not. I believed the testimony about Jackies eyes proved she had a brain injury. In addition, I found offensive the defense doctors tactic of claiming the victim didnt want to work or suffered imaginary maladies. Unfortunately, they planted enough doubts in the minds of my fellow jurors that only a handful agreed Jackie Peebles had suffered a brain injury in the accident. We also had a hard time agreeing on damages. I argued for several hundred thousand dollars; others wanted to award nothing, or only what the defense had offered: $40,000. I told them they were handing the defense a big gift with a bow on top by choosing a lowball estimate that even the defendants agreed they owed. In the end, nine jurors agreed to award the couple $75,000 (nine votes is all thats needed in a civil trial). I could not in good conscience sign onto a figure that low for an accident I believe had life-altering consequences for Jackie Peebles. Two other jurors held out for an even lower figure. If youve read my column for any length of time, you know Im not afraid to stand up for what I believe is right, even if others disagree. I did that in that jury room. It wasnt pleasant, but I held my ground. Would I serve on another jury? Yes. Its ones civic duty. In Cantil-Sakauyes words, Trial by jury is one of the fundamental ideals of American democracy; serving as jurors reminds us that these ideals exist only as long as individual citizens are willing to uphold them. Contact the writer: 951-368-9470 or cmacduff@pressenterprise.com Almost three days after a 30- to 40-foot deep hole opened up in the back yard of her Pennsylvania Avenue home in Riverside, 23-year-old Tasha Jenkins said she and her boyfriend havent determined what the hole is or how they will fix it. Jenkins said Riverside Public Utilities officials have made a final determination that is not their responsibility to fix the hole, because they werent responsible for its appearance in Jenkins back yard. Public utilities workers had previously suggested that the hole might be an old well or septic system that was put in the backyard many decades ago. Jenkins said she and her boyfriend are considering options for a fix they may have to take on themselves, especially if their home insurance company doesnt come through. One possibility, she said, is filling half the hole with concrete and the other half with dirt. But, as Jenkins and her family members consider their options and wait to hear back from their insurer, the hole remains as it was when they discovered it Wednesday, March 23. Jenkins said she is keeping it covered up and having her kids and dogs play in the front yard instead until a fix is made. She said thats been the most difficult part of the process, because her kids are not big fans of playing in the front yard. The kids keep asking, when can we go back there and play and I keep having to say, I dont know, stop asking,' she said. But Jenkins remains optimistic that everything will fall into place soon. I think, once we figure out what we want to do, it wont take a long time to fix, she said. Contact the writer: agroves@pressenterprise.com Murrieta police officers arrested a man and a woman who they say are suspected of selling marijuana to Murrieta Mesa High School students. Jule Hall, 23, and Porsche Cordona-James, 21, were both arrested Wednesday, March 23, on suspicion of possessing marijuana to sell it. Hall was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley with bail set at $20,000 and Cordona-James was booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning with bail set at $25,000. Neither had been released from jail as of Friday, online jail records show. Murrieta police officials say detectives from the departments Special Enforcement Team went to the vehicle and Hall and Cordona-James were in after receiving a tip that the two were selling marijuana to high school kids. The vehicle was parked on an area of California Oaks Road not far from the school. Police say that when they approached the vehicle, they could smell a strong marijuana odor and that Hall and Cordona-James appeared to be in possession of about 2 grams of the drug. Police say they are still investigating the possible sale of marijuana and are asking anyone with information to contact the Murrieta Police Department Special Enforcement Team at 951-461-6329. Contact the writer: 951-368-9693, agroves@pressenterprise.com or @AlexDGroves on Twitter. A 50-year-old homeless woman was arrested after police said she made a false bomb threat that suspended Metrolink trains traveling to the downtown Riverside station Saturday morning. Regina Joy Raffaele, who was identified as a parolee at large, was arrested about 11:10 a.m., three hours after she reported a bomb threat, said Riverside police Lt. Dan Hoxmeier. About 7:30 a.m., a Metrolink security officer reported a woman, later identified by police as Raffaele, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs in a Metrolink platform area at 4066 Vine St., Hoxmeier said. She was tugging on a brake lever on the outside of a train, Hoxmeier said. When the security guard confronted the woman, she became upset and said her terrorist boyfriend planted a bomb on the train, said Hoxmeier. Hoxmeier said Riverside police found her just north of the Metrolink station. He said the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department is anticipated to pursue charges for making a false bomb threat. Passengers forced off a Metrolink train headed from the downtown Riverside station to Los Angeles boarded another train about 9:15 a.m. Daniel Caro, and his mother, Mandy, both of Perris, had been waiting on their original train watching Netflix when they heard an announcement that they had to get off because a police K-9 was going to search the train. The scene was quiet Saturday morning, with passengers waiting for other trains or buses. This incident comes days after the Obama administration stepped up security at major transit hubs across the country after the airport and subway bombings in Brussels. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (which has responsibility for patrolling Metrolink trains) and the Riverside County Sheriffs Department were investigating the incident. A Riverside Sheriffs bomb detection K-9 team was dispatched. Riverside Transit Agency and LA Metro buses provided alternate transportation, Metrolink said through its official Twitter account. One person was taken into custody in Moreno Valley Friday, March 25, after he fled from Riverside County sheriffs deputies who spotted him with a handgun. A gang unit for The Riverside County Sheriffs Department was doing a Proactive Patrol in the area of Alessandro and Pan Am boulevards just after 5 p.m. when the say a man with what appeared to be a handgun, said Riverside County sheriffs Deputy Mike Vasquez. The male fled the location, evading officers, and he was eventually caught just minutes later and was apprehended, Vasquez said. No other details were immediately available. This is a developing story. Check back for additional details. Contact the writer: 951-368-9693 or agroves@pressenterprise.com Erik Ozolins lifted the replica skull out of the square-shaped white box, pulling back the packing paper to point out some of its features. This demonstrates one of the earliest members of our own species Homo sapiens, said Ozolins, an associate professor at Mt. San Jacinto College and chairman of the anthropology department at the schools Menifee Valley campus. Its an encounter one would expect to have with a college anthropology professor. But this conversation was taking place in a storage room at the Western Science Center near Diamond Valley Lake. It represents a new level of cooperation between the school and museum and a new instructional avenue for students at the school. Just 12 miles apart, the two entities have started a partnership they say will bring them even closer together. An extensive project is underway involving a group of MSJC students that will plan and assemble an exhibit on human evolution that is scheduled to open later this year at the museum. There is already interaction between the two. MSJC professors are in the middle of a monthly lecture series at the science center, and archaeology students from the college make field trips to work in the simulated excavation site there. Alton Dooley, the executive director of the Western Science Center, said the increased cooperation is mutually beneficial. With an organization like MSJC that is involved in so many different fields of study, we see this being a long-term collaboration, essentially, more or less, a permanent collaboration, he said. Last week, Ozolins received delivery of the various bones to be used in the exhibit and brought them to the Western Science Center where they were carefully unpacked Its like Christmas, said Dooley and assembled on a folding table. The shipment which included 30 resin-cast replica bones from a Southern California company, Bone Clones Inc. was inspected by a group that included Darla Radford, the museums collections manager, and Rebecca Byrnes, one of the MSJC students working on the project. As Ozolins examined the skull, he pointed out differences in others sitting on the table. And so one of the characteristic features that we can see, just kind of a technical aspect of this, is the presence of a chin. Its something we all have, he said. But if you look at like our Neanderthals here, theyre missing a chin. Byrnes, 19, took time out from her spring break to get her first look at the artifacts, which she and six other student-interns will use for the exhibit. Having a museum on the level of the Western Science Center just down the road as opposed to San Diego or Los Angeles is a big plus for students. Byrnes said the experience is in effect taking her behind the curtain. I never really thought about how a museum was set up, Byrnes said. I was just like, This is a really nice museum. I didnt realize how much effort goes into constructing and deciding where to go and how to lead the people. Its a really great experience. Its definitely giving me a lot of insight. Byrnes said she considered studying computer science and history before signing up for a physical anthropology lab and getting hooked. The chance to work on exhibits is just one part of anthropology that appeals to her. The Calvary Murrieta High School graduate said that long before she ever considered studying anthropology, she was conducting her own field studies. I was in my backyard as a kid just digging for anything: arrowheads, bugs, you know, hidden treasures, Byrnes said. Because Id seen Indiana Jones and I thought that was a total possibility. Contact the writer: 951-368-9682 or tsheridan@pressenterprise.com Talk about March Madness: Riverside was, by our estimation, a 17-to-1 longshot to be chosen over Pomona as home for the California Air Resource Boards new offices and vehicle-testing lab. Yet board members on Thursday selected an 18-acre site owned by UC Riverside on Iowa Avenue north of Martin Luther King Boulevard. We think that quite an upset given that a CARB staff report recommended a site on the Cal Poly Pomona campus not the least because of a survey in which 85 percent of CARB employees expressed their preference for the Pomona site because it is 50 miles closer to CARBs current digs in El Monte than is the Riverside site. That Riverside overcame the odds to be selected the location of the regulatory agencys new $366 million project and the 400 or so jobs that come with it was because of the coordinated efforts of Riversides presentation team. It included state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, who has made the case for years that Riverside would be an ideal location for CARBs new facility. It also included the city of Riverside, the boards of supervisors of both Riverside County and neighboring San Bernardino County, Riverside Public Utilities, UC Riverside and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. Riversides presentation had to overcome pushback from at least three CARB board members who ultimately voted against the citys Iowa Avenue site: John Eisenhut, Phil Serna and Hector De La Torre. Mr. De La Torre, a former state assemblyman, echoed the staff reports concern about the longer commutes CARB staff will face driving to Riverside rather than to Pomona. And thats not all, the staff report warned. The move to Riverside, when CARBs new facility is to be completed in 2020, would likely involve relocation, resignation, or retirement of CARB employees unwilling to make the commute. Well, we think it entirely plausible that there will be some turnover in the regulatory agencys staff with its move to the Inland regions biggest city. However, were willing to wager that turnover wont be remotely close to the 85 percent of CARBs employees that would have preferred to work in Pomona. Yes, the nearly two-hour round trip commute time for driving to Riverside the CARB staff report foresees for many of its employees will be burdensome. But in selecting Riverside for the new facility, the board majority was looking several decades down the road, long after most of the regulatory agencys current employees have moved on. We think the passage of time will prove the wisdom of the board majoritys decision. Its tough to get rid of G. Richard Olds. After UC Riversides former School of Medicine dean was sent packing in July, he landed in Grenada as the president and CEO of St. Georges University, the largest medical school in the Caribbean. And he recently returned to Riverside. Olds was in town where he still owns a home and where his wife, Jackie, still lives to talk with area clinics and hospitals about taking some of his resident students from St. Georges. Its the same kind of thing he was doing as the head of UCRs medical school, only now hes doing it on an international scale, he said, making residency arrangements with hospitals across the country. Hes still hoping to make an impact on the chronic physician shortage in the Inland Empire As long as U.S. medical schools continue to focus on the high-end affluent areas of the U.S., there will be a need, Olds said. UC Riversides medical school has fewer than 200 students. St. Georges has 5,000, Olds said. Although it draws students from all over the world, 70 percent are U.S. citizens and about 25 percent of those come from UC schools. I have more UCR students in my medical school than the UCR medical school has, he said. Hed like to see many of them practicing medicine in the Inland area. That shouldnt be a problem, he said. The need is great enough that theres no need to compete. Im not going to do anything to hurt UCR or anyone else, Olds said. I just want to do a better job of training the docs we need. The problems are so big; why should we be fighting amongst each other? Olds is largely credited with getting UCRs medical school off the ground. In 2011, a year before the school was originally scheduled to open, Gov. Jerry Brown pulled $10 million in annual funding the school had been counting on. That loss of long-term state support was largely responsible for the school failing accreditation that year. Olds and then-Chancellor Timothy White set a goal to reapply the following year and open the school in 2013. Working with supporters from state officials to city leaders and community organizations Olds and his team were able to cobble together $100 million in funding to be paid over 10 years. Accreditors approved the school. UCRs School of Medicine was designed to encourage doctors to practice family medicine and remain in the region. St. Georges, Olds said, has a similar philosophy, sending many of its interns to underserved areas. In the Inland Empire, he said, he has been working with Borego Health, a nonprofit group with clinics across Inland Southern California, including Riverside, which caters to low-income residents. We need primary care docs who will treat Medicaid patients, Olds said. Setting up UCR the way he did, he said, helped send a message about what he feels needs to be the future for medical schools. Hes still pushing that same message, he said. I feel Im having a big impact. TOP-RANKED MBA Folks at Cal State San Bernardinos School of Business may have had a little extra spring in their step this week. The schools MBA program was ranked in the top tier of 71 U.S. colleges and universities there were no individual rankings among the group by CEO magazine. The school was also ranked 15th internationally for its online MBA program. Craig Seal, an assistant dean with the business school, pointed out that just nine U.S. schools were listed ahead of San Bernardino on the online list. And the tier-one ranking for its MBA program also pleased him. America is still the pre-eminent place for business schools, he said. San Bernardinos rankings, he added, are a testament to the faculty and the program. No other Inland Empire colleges or universities made the list. TRANSFER PATHWAYS A $2.6 million program is expected to increase transfers between Californias community colleges and University of California campuses. The agreement between the two entities was announced earlier this week. An initiative to increase community college transfers to UC was launched several years ago. Officials said transfer pathways have now been established for the 21 most popular majors among transfer students, covering two-thirds of transfer applications. According to California Community College officials, the new money is designed to: Increase outreach for UCs transfer pathways Establish summer bridge programs to prepare students for the academic culture and rigor of a university Deploy outreach representatives to underserved regions of the state Provide training and workshops for community college counselors. Contact the writer: 951-368-9595 or mmuckenfuss@pressenterprise.com Navigating Newport Roads traffic-cone zone will be a little tougher starting as early as next week, as crews constructing the new I-215/Newport Road interchange prepare for the demolition of a section of the bridge spanning the freeway. City officials have dubbed the modification to the traffic pattern over the bridge the Menifee Merge, and it will essentially move five lanes of traffic onto the northside of the Newport Road bridge. The work will also affect freeway commuters because the demolition will require two nights of full freeway closures at the interchange. This is a vital project in our city, said Menifee Mayor Scott Mann during a press conference Friday, March 25 to discuss the plan. Mann said he recently told a group of are residents who lived in the area that conditions through the construction zone were going to get worse. A jog-to-the-left will be built into the eastbound lanes on Newport to steer traffic away from the demolition area. Traffic is tentatively scheduled to shifted Monday, April 4, weather permitting. The move is necessary as the $48.4-million project enters the next phase in which the south-side span is demolished and reconstructed. The process is expected to take about six months. The demolition of the south span is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, and will require full freeway closures both nights. The good news regarding the project is that the southbound loop ramp for westbound Newport Road opened on Wednesday, allowing traffic to get onto I-215 without making a left-hand turn. And, according to Lucas Rathe, the deputy resident engineer for the project, the new southbound on-ramp for eastbound traffic could also be opened prior to the bridge demolition. Rathe said local residents should not be bothered by noise during the demolition process. We monitor for noise, said Rathe. And we monitored the last time when we did the north (span bridge) demo. And because its so far away, it gets drowned out. You dont hear it. Contact the writer: 951-368-9682 or tsheridan@pressenterprise.com A cluster of wineries in the Warner Springs area of San Diego County has created something that should be very familiar to longtime residents of southwest Riverside County. A lot of people say its what (the Temecula Valley) used to be, said Tony Tiso, winemaker at La Serenissima Vineyards & Winery, one of the five wineries that makes up the North Mountain Wine Trail. La Serenissima and the other four wineries Hawk Watch Winery, Emerald Creek Vineyards & Winery, Shadow Mountain Vineyards & Winery and Sierra Roble Winery & Vineyard started using the North Mountain Wine Trail branding in 2014. The group erected signage on the 79 last year to help drive traffic. Of the five, Emerald Creek is the largest property at 750 acres. The others average around 25 acres. The area is fed by an aquifer the wineries tap with wells. Since its beginning in the late 1970s, the Temecula Valley Wine Country has grown to become a destination location for wine lovers around Southern California. Carving out its own niche apart from the Temecula Valley is the goal of the North Mountain group. A bachelorette party or a limo wine tour is not its clientele. We cater to a little bit different crowd, said Tiso, adding that more than 50 percent of his wine club members are from Temecula and the Inland Empire. For wine aficionados, their main focus is wine. I dont have key chains. I dont sell pizza. If you enjoy a nice glass of wine, Im your guy. Story continues below. Click here to see map in separate window. Of the North Mountain group, Shadow Mountain has the longest history in the region. It was founded in the 1990s by the same couple, Pam and Alex McGeary, who run the place today. The McGearys started the winery on acreage that had been used by the previous owners to grow mission grapes in the 1970s. Hawk Watch, owned by Lisa and Mike Schnell, followed in 2001, and the seeds of what would become the North Mountain Wine Trail had been planted. Were getting a lot of folks out here that want to go for a smaller winery experience, Lisa Schnell said. Schnell said some of the people who stop by her place, which is perched on a hill that provides expansive, 360-degree views, are camping in the area or drove by while heading out to look at desert wildflowers. More wineries planned Though the location is promoted as off the beaten path, the region is growing. There are at least two more wineries in the works, and billboards on the edge of the highway tout real estate opportunities for more. Yet Tiso noted that the North Mountain wineries dont want to grow at the expense of losing what makes the area special. For now, they want to promote the region and foment organic growth, and to do so, the North Mountain group schedules two special events a year: a barrel tasting in the summer and Taste of the Summit in the fall. Slung comfortably in an Adirondack chair situated in the shade, retiree Peter Granite, who lives in Murrieta, drove to Hawk Watch on Friday with Forrest Baker, who also lives in the Four Seasons community in Murrieta. The pair enjoyed one of Hawk Watchs signature reds while munching on chips and grapes. They were effusive in their praise of both Shadow Mountain and Hawk Watch, saying the two wineries are producing some of the best wine in Southern California. Providing an example of how the regions reputation has grown, Granite said Taste of the Summit has become especially popular of late and that its getting increasingly hard to get reservations. Contact the writer: 951-368-9698 or aclaverie@pressenterprise.com If you were having a semi-reasonable day, we apologise for the content of this article. Its never fun reading or writing, FYI about a series of malicious attacks on fkn penguins, but here we are. St Kildas hidden-in-plain-sight Little Penguin colony has suffered a spate of violence at the hands of absolute flogs, with wildlife volunteers in the Melbourne area reporting at least one birds death in the past month. The Age reports one of the bloodied birds was discovered within the colonys protected area early yesterday morning, after a volunteer found a group of young blokes clambering all over the birds home. Ivan Leong said they started climbing all over the rocks, harassing the penguins, chasing them and grabbing them, before he told em to rack off. Shortly after, others in the area alerted Leong to the injured bird. He took a photo of the animal, which was later shared on the groups Facebook page, prompting an angry response from everyone who doesnt get their kicks by hurting innocent wildlife. The aftermath of an attack on this St Kilda Little Penguin by a group young people in the early hours of this morning. Posted by Earthcare St Kilda on Thursday, 24 March 2016 On March 11, witnesses also reported seeing a man punting one of the poor things; its body was discovered shortly after. Terry Lobert, another volunteer, said I just cant imagine what goes through peoples heads that they want to kick a little, cute defenceless penguin. Neither can we, Terry. The RSPCA has also flagged the recent cruelty as part of a definite trend, and Parks Victoria have been in contact with Earthcare discuss how best to protect the burgeoning colony apparently just knowing innocent wildlife shouldnt be harassed isnt enough. Source: The Age / SBS. Photo: Boy_Anupong / Getty. If youre looking for a totally normal Aussie police story, youd best stop reading now. According to The Guardian, Noosa carpenter and bricklayer Phillip Harrison was pulled over yesterday, before police officers found a relatively significant quantity of methamphetamines and MDMA in powdered form in his vehicle. Weirdness level: Nominal. He was also charged with seven counts of drug possession and unlawful driving. He later admitted to using ice in court. The vehicle in question again, remember, the 29-year-old at the centre of this story is a tradie was a high-end Audi. Weirdness level: Rising. Not to besmirch the hard work of Australias labourers, but that kind of whip is still out of bounds for most. Police at the scene noted his apparently delusional thoughts. Considering the fact he was caught with a decent cache of illicit substances, Harrisons claim he was worth a totally chill $12 billion was brushed off as lunacy. His duty solicitor Nick Hanly questioned Harrison over the sum, and pondered a mental health assessment. Then, Harrison handed over access to his bank account. Staring at Hanly were $596 million in real Australian dollars, with Harrison claiming he also owns over $1.5 billion in property. Weirdness level: Wut. I would not have believed it if I hadnt seen it with my own eyes, Hanly said of the whole deal. Whats more is that Harrison apparently offered no explanation for his exorbitant wealth, apart from the fact it was given to him in the past year. And he cant say no more than that. Weirdness level: The only time bricks and $12 billion ever really belong in the same sentence is when youre talking about Pablo Escobar or if youre vibing to Pusha T, not in relation to a mysterious tradie from Queensland. But here we are. Hanly said its one of the most bizarre cases I have ever come across. Hes not wrong, and were halfway expecting there to be some actual genie-in-a-bottle twist we havent seen yet. Or, some actual Escobar shit. We dunno, and thats what makes this thing so great. Harrison was given bail, provided he surrender his passport. The whole deal is expected to return to court again on April 18, and boy oh boy were eager to find out what the hell is going on here. Source: The Guardian. Several Pennsylvania news organizations are asking the judge presiding over Attorney General Kathleen Kane's criminal trial to reject a request that she be allowed to file an argument in secret. Kane asked as Montgomery County Court Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy to allow her to file a defense argument that she is the victim of selective and vindictive prosecution under seal, meaning it would be hidden from public view. The news organizations filing the motion are PA Media Group, owner of PennLive and The Patriot-News; by Philadelphia Media Network, publisher of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com; the Morning Call in Allentown; the Legal Intelligencer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kane is charged with perjury, obstructing administration of law, and abuse of office. She's accused of leaking information about a 2009 grand jury investigation led by Frank Fina, a former deputy attorney general, and lying to a grand jury about it. Prosecutors say Kane leaked the information because she blamed Fina for an article published in March 2014 that revealed she'd shut down a sting investigation in Philadelphia that had captured lawmakers on video taking bribes. Kane has repeatedly denied the charges. Kane has asked to be allow to file a defense motion arguing that she's a victim of "selective and vindictive" prosecution in secret because she's concerned about violating an order by a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge overseeing a grand jury investigation into the Philadelphia sting case. That judge, Diana Anholt, issued an order barring Kane from retaliating against witnesses in that case. Kane's attorneys argue in court docments that they have been informed that filing a motion arguing vindictive and selective prosecution would violate Annholt's order. The news organizations are arguing that Kane has not provided any compelling argument for making the file secret. Indeed, they say in court filings, any allegation that there was a conspiracy to oust the commonwealth's highest-ranking law enforcement officer is of immense public interest. "While any criminal investigation and prosecution is important to the public, the importance of this one -- insofar as it involves the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the state and reflects on the conduct of prosecutors, law enforcement officers and elected officials -- is extraordinary," the news media group argues in the court filing. Valerie Woods, 17, won't be old enough to vote for Bernie Sanders in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary next month. But she will be old enough to vote for Sanders in November's general election. And that's what she plans to do - regardless of whether the irascible Vermont senator beats Hillary Clinton in a state she carried in 2008. "He wants to stop the Keystone XL pipeline and he's opposed to fracking," the Carlisle resident said. "You can't buy him." Woods was one of perhaps 100 or more Sanders supporters who gathered in Midtown Harrisburg to show their support for Sanders, who was doing battle with Clinton three time zones-plus away in caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. Sanders went into the day's contests still trailing in delegates, but deadlocked with the former secretary of state in a nationwide poll by Bloomberg News. Sanders held a slender 48-49 percent lead over Clinton the canvass of 311 likely Democratic primary voters. So maybe you couldn't blame a crowd of mainly young - but entirely enthusiastic - Sanders supporters for feeling a little cocky, despite the daunting delegate gap facing their candidate. With 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, Clinton on Saturday held a 303 delegate lead (1,223-920) lead over Sanders. Factoring in so-called "super-delegates," Clinton's lead expanded by 742 delegates (1,691-949). "Bernie Sanders is the only [candidate] running from either party, whose interest is in us, the working people of America," said Bruce Neylon, an Adams County resident and Sanders delegate to this July's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. "I'm tired of the corporatists taking over both parties," he continued. "It's time for the Democratic Party to revert to its roots." Saturday's rally, which was set to run far into the night, and was expected to include an appearance by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman (himself a Sanders backer), was prefaced by a march. Shortly after noon, a long column of marchers snaked down Third Street from rally headquarters at the at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center. It slowly made its way to the state Capitol. There, the Bernie-nistas shouted slogans, wielded signs and someone in the crowd blew the omnipresent vuvuzela. Among them was Franklin County Democratic Chairwoman Sheri Morgan, also a Sanders delegate. Like many on Saturday, she said it was time for state and national Democrats to reclaim the party's progressive roots. Politics, she said, "had been bought by oligarchs." It was an optimistic message on a prototypically sunny spring day. But whether Sanders' supporters can prevail in a state that has traditionally been Clinton country is a separate matter. Former President Bill Clinton carried the state in his two elections in 1992 and 1996. And despite losing the nomination in 2008, Hillary Clinton defeated then-Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary. Like many at the rally, Valerie Woods - and her mother Kelly, a social services worker - said they planned to cast a write-in vote for Sanders this November if he loses in the April 26 primary. They could not vote for Clinton. "I do not feel that Hillary Clinton can be trusted," Kelly Woods said. "She's too far into the pocket of Wall Street." Barb Newsome, 64, of Harrisburg, added that, "I'm a true feminist. I'd like to see a woman as president. But she [Clinton] is not fit for it. She's a warhawk and she's dishonest." Indeed, this week's Bloomberg poll signaled some nationwide trouble for Clinton. In general election match-ups, Sanders held a 24-point lead over GOP frontrunner Donald Trump; a 12-point lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a 4-point lead over Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Clinton trailed Kasich by 4 percentage points in the Bloomberg poll, but beat Cruz by 9 points and Trump by 18 percentage points, the poll found. Clinton fares better in Pennsylvania, where she beats Sanders and Trump by double-digits in a Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday. Both campaigns are gearing up for a Keystone State fight. Sanders has opened campaign offices in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and was set to open another in Philadelphia on Saturday. Clinton's camp was shopping for office space in the Capital City, but already has a presence in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton - where she has family ties. Christopher Norris, the rally's organizer, is staying optimistic. He pointed to Sanders' win in Michigan, a Rust Belt state that, like Pennsylvania, has lived through the collapse of its manufacturing economy. Sanders staffers, who worked on the successful Michigan rae are based in the Harrisburg office, he said, bolstering the campaign's chances, he argued. "That was a huge upset," he said. "We're looking to do that [in Pennsylvania] as well." Samyn: 'Do what you can with what youve got left' Day One: West Sedona (Chuckwagon - Mezcal - Long Canyon - Aerie - Cockscomb) Day Two: Hangover Day Two, Part Two: Teacup Trails Day Three: Slim Shady - HiLine - Baldwin - Templeton Despite most articles that show Sedona being all about major exposure and crazy technical lines, there's actually quite a bit of variety in the area when it comes to mountain bike trails. Thanks to literally hundreds of miles of trails within 15 minutes of town, there's something for every level of rider that visits Sedona. From the insanely exposed lines on Hangover, to the uber-technical sections on HiLine, all the way down to the flowy intermediate singletrack of West Sedona, you can ride a little bit of everything over the course of a few days. And that's exactly what we did... over three days of riding, we went out to sample everything Sedona had to offer.And we came away satisfied. I think the locals would refer to it as being "cleansed".Since we left Albuquerque that morning, we didn't actually get a full day of riding in, but we managed to sample the goods over a few hours before sunset in West Sedona. This area is absolutely perfect for intermediate riders, with most of the trails being fairly easy in terms of technical ability. There are some fun sections to keep riders on their toes, but overall this is a good introduction to Sedona riding. Not much climbing or descending, but damn these trails are fun either way. My recommendation is to time it perfectly so you're ending your ride near sunset, as the view from the trailhead is beautiful, and the red rocks light up when the sun goes down.Everyone's heard about Hangover, and you've probably seen videos and read articles about it. Coming from someone who's ridden everything in Moab and most other places in the west, the Hangover Trail is the real deal. It starts off innocently enough (after you make the initial climb on Schnebly Hill Rd or the Munds Wagon Trail, of course), but it quickly gets into "holy sh*t" territory with overhanging cliffs, technical rock rollovers, and anything else you can imagine. I'll be upfront and honest - no way did I ride everything. Not even close. But, one of my good friends lives in the area and knows these trails like the back of his hand, and he impressed us beyond belief. I'm not sure how he sits on his WTB saddle with balls that big.After stopping at the local Whole Foods to refuel with organic smoothies and pepperoni pizza, we decided to get another ride in before the sun went down. Since we were less than a mile from the trailhead, we hit the Teacup trail network. Another great area, the Teacup trails are more technical in nature than the name leads you to believe; lots of punchy climbs and short technical rocky sections that will leave you feeling humbled and sometimes frustrated. However, there are tons of fun sections here, the views are great, and you can put in plenty of miles thanks to the large network on the north side of 89A.This network that sits south of Sedona proper (closer to the town of Oak Creek) is most well-known for the inclusion of HiLine, but it has plenty of other trails to offer. Here, you get the opportunity to really put in the miles and ride trails as you see fit. Ideally, go with a local because otherwise, it'll be tough to find your way without pulling out a map at every intersection. Most of the trails in this area are intermediate to advanced in nature, with gentle grades mixed with technical sections and fun features. HiLine stands out because of its slick rock riding, fun rollovers, and long, extended section of STEEP technical fall-line riding. For us mere mortal riders, expect to walk your bike occasionally, but everything is rideable and these trails are a fun challenge for most everyone we know.Steve Mokan owns and operates Chasing Epic, a brand new adventure travel company that offers all-inclusive, guided mountain bike trips to iconic destinations across the western US... Sedona obviously being one of them. Chasing Epic also runs trips in Crested Butte, Durango, Fruita, Park City, St. George and Telluride. Each trip includes lodging, meals, guides, high-end carbon bikes (by Niner and Ibis), customized training programs, ride nutrition, shuttles and more. To learn more about their trips, check out www.chasingepicmtb.com Til next time, Sedona. We even got a proper send-off from the Phoenix airport on our last night... Responding to criticism by the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police to her painting that depicted a white police officer wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood pointing a gun at a black child being entered in a city-sponsored student art contest, the artist has withdrawn the work. The Denver school district's communications chief, Nancy Mitchell, said the girl immediately asked to take her painting out of the award show when she shared the criticism with her. "She's passionate about her art, but didn't want to make trouble," Mitchell told the Associated Press. According to a statement from the school district and the city, the student's assignment was to take inspiration from historic works and place them in the context of contemporary issues. She chose the Spanish master Francisco de Goya's "The Third of May 1808," a 19th-century statement against tyranny that shows a firing squad executing a group of captured rebels; and New York artist Michael D'Antuonos painting A Tale of Two Hoodies, which is similar to hers, but shows the young boy offering candy to the gun-wielding officer. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print If there is only one thing Americans need to comprehend about religious Republicans, it is that they absolutely hate the Founding Fathers for creating a Constitution that guarantees equal rights for all Americans. It is true that from the nations founding when Thomas Jefferson created the Declaration of Independence and declared that all men are created equal, it did not really include all human kind, but over the course of a couple hundred years and some hard-fought battles, America did eventually become a nation of equal rights for all. Sadly, those hard fought battles, federal and state laws, and Constitutional amendments have never convinced religious Republicans that their bastardized version of Christianity is not the law of the land. So they continue unabated passing unconstitutional religious legislation nullifying the Constitution and establishing religious laws. Despite pushback from nearly every sector in America, two more Republican states in the former Confederacy passed legislation this past week eliminating equal protections under the law and legalizing discrimination based on what evangelical Christians believe their god wants. Less than two weeks ago the Republican cult of right-wing Christians panting to impose their own iteration of Sharia Law in Kentucky and Texas made the news. This week it was Georgia and North Carolina Republicans who passed unconstitutional religious legislation for the sole purpose of denying a wide swathe of the population their constitutional rights based on evangelical fanaticism. Both states laws are being portrayed as protecting evangelical bigots religious freedom to punish non-compliance to their interpretation of Christianity. However, the laws have nothing to do with protecting a persons right to worship, pray, sing psalms or give up their money to religious con-men. No, these red-state religious laws are for the sole purpose of nullifying the Constitutions 14th Amendment and legalizing discrimination, and bullying, against an ever-growing number of Americans. The Georgia law, H.B. 757, although more appropriate for theocracies such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, ISIS, and the Taliban has nothing to do with religious liberty and everything to do with negatively impacting virtually every marginalized group in Georgia. The crux of the bill states that no agency or any part of the government, federal or state, may interfere in a persons exercise of religion, even if their actions are against the existing law. The Georgia law goes so far as to provide evangelicals with an exemption from any and all laws if the person offers a religious reason for violating any federal or state law or statute. To make matters worse, the law states that a person does not have to actually be part of any established religion in order to claim religious liberty protections; the idea is to give any person the legal right to punish other American with impunity if they claim doing so is part of their religious belief. No one is safe and no law enforcement agency or court can protect the victims by theocratic design. The law is deliberately vague and does not single out any group specifically. By not citing a group evangelical fanatics are free to punish every group they despise whether their bigotry is based on race, religion, or gender. The only thing the law does not do, yet, is reward imposition of religion. However, that aspect cannot be far off if ISIS or the Taliban are any indication of what the religious intend to enact. As hateful as Georgias law is, North Carolinas new theocratic law is even worse. Religious Republicans convened a special emergency legislative session to quickly pass a theocratic law banning cities, counties, and the state legislature from ever passing an anti-discrimination law; it also eliminated the states existing protections against discrimination. Just for good measure as part of the Republican religion, the theocratic law also bans any community, city, or county from ever raising the minimum wage. The emergency session bill, HB 2, was passed in a special session, and was immediately signed into law by Republican Governor Pat McCrory Wednesday night. As Senate Democratic leader Dan Blue said, This bill repeals 50 years of non-discrimination efforts and gives Republican lawmakers in Raleigh unprecedented control over our city and local governments. The bill passed in the North Carolina senate by a vote of 32-0 because ever Democrat walked out of the chamber in protest. The Democratic Leader Dan Blue continued, North Carolina Republicans want to pass what is the single most discriminatory act in the country. This is a direct affront to equality, civil rights, and local autonomy. It is also a direct violation of the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment and the guarantee that all Americans have the same equal rights; it is a guarantee that religious Republicans have despised for decades, if not two centuries. The language in the North Carolina law, besides demonstrating the religious Republicans hatred of the Constitution, also shows their hatred of veterans. The bill, now a state law, puts an immediate end to any and all anti-discrimination protections for veterans across the state. Prior to the laws passage, at least two North Carolina jurisdictions, Greensboro and Orange County, had anti-discrimination ordinances in place banning bias based on military or veteran status. That was an abomination to religious Republicans so they included in the new measure a prohibition on cities and counties from ever again passing protections for veterans or service members. These are the loving Christians politicians are terrified of crossing and it is a mystery why that is the case. For a religion allegedly founded on love for all humanity, the Americanized version of Christianity is no different than the bastardized version of Islam the fanatics in the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS, Daesh) practice religiously. What makes what is happening in Republican-controlled former Confederate states like Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Mississippi and now Georgia and North Carolina so much worse than Sharia Law is that the Founding Fathers included protections from maniacs imposing theocratic laws on the citizenry. However, it is glaringly apparent that religious Republicans despise the Founders as much as they hate the Constitution or they would not pass blatant religious laws in a secular society. This epidemic of religious Republicans passing theocratic laws in the states reveals that what they hate most about America is that the Founders failed to make the Christian bibles Old Testament the law of the land. It is apparent that these theocrats have never heard of, or read, any part of the so-called New Testament, or one word uttered by their religions namesake, Jesus Christ. If they did they would know that these laws, like their hate-driven version of Christianity, are contrary to everything their lord and savior preached and allegedly was hung on a cross and crucified to protect. Worse yet in 21st Century America, their hate-based religion is contrary to the law of the land and one still cannot fathom why no politician or court in the land identifies these theocratic laws as what they are; establishment of a hateful religion resembling the nasty fanaticism driving the fundamentalists in ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Taliban. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The results are early, but the turnout is high, and it looks like Sen. Bernie Sanders is on his way to a landslide win in Washington. With just 7% of the vote and five rural counties reporting in Washington, Bernie Sanders is leading 75%-25%. The Seattle Times reported that Sanders could be able to hold his 3 to 1 margin over Clinton: As caucus results rolled in, Sanders appeared headed for a landslide win. In initial results from five small counties, Sanders was beating Clinton by a 3-1 margin. (The early numbers were based on about 7 percent of statewide precincts, and larger counties, such as King, Pierce and Snohomish had yet to come in as of 1 p.m.) At Seattles Town Hall, the 900-capacity meeting space couldnt accommodate all the caucus-goers trying to squeeze in, leaving some precincts to meet in the parking lot. Sanders has been drawing big crowds in the state, so he was expected to do very well. However, it looks like Washington will be a blowout win for the Sanders campaign. Sen. Sanders is very strong with Independent voters, so open caucuses benefit his campaign. Sanders needs to win 58% of the remaining pledged delegates to catch up to Hillary Clinton, and it looks like he is going to blow past his needed number in Washington today. Washington is the big prize on Western Saturday, and it looks like The Evergreen State is going to go for Bernie Sanders in a big way. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Our old pal Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is back in the news. He lost some steam but none of his vileness with his demotion, as he shows with this new call to de-Islamize America. On Wednesday, Fischer posted Its Time to De-Islamize America at the American Family Association website. Apparently, without us knowing Muslims have overrun the country. Fischer, who back in 2014 found himself in theological accord with ISIL where the Yazidi religious minority was concerned (theyre Satan worshipers both say), now cites Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders who, he tells us, In the wake of the bombings in Brussels, Wilders said quite simply, The cause of all this bloodshed is Islam. We need to de-Islamize the West. That is the only way to safeguard our lives and protect our freedom. This is when Fischer introduces his special brand of ugly: The Islam Wilders speaks of here is not radical Islam, for there is no such thing. There is only Islam, Muhammad-style Islam. We can be grateful more followers of Allah dont take his words seriously about slaying infidels wherever they can be found (Sura 9:5), but enough of his followers do to make them a lethal threat to freedom everywhere. Too bad Fischer doesnt quote his own Old Testament, where the very same command is made of Fischer and other followers of YHWH. Deuteronomy 13:6-10: If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, Let us go and worship other gods (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God In Deuteronomy 13:12-15, this call to kill is extended to entire towns: [Y]ou must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Here is the same call in Deuteronomy 17: If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy GodThen shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. And in Deuteronomy 20:16: But as for the towns of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive. Because Fischer and his fellow nut-jobs say their God gave them this country as an inheritance, and since white supremacists see white Europeans as the true Chosen People, its easy to see where this could lead. Does anyone remember Pslam 137? How can anyone forget the call to dash the babies of Babylonian parents against the rocks to crush their little skulls and kill them? Clearly, if there is a religion in this country that needs to be suppressed because of its violent teachings and call to kill unbelievers, the list must include Christianity. Fischer lists three steps to de-Islamization of America: 1. Immediately suspend Islamic immigration 2. No More Mosques. 3. No more Muslims in the military. Ive said it before of Religious Right rhetoric: this sounds like the anti-everyone else Theodosian Code of the fourth century CE, used by the Christian authorities to suppress all nonbelievers in the Roman Empire. It too closed places of worship of non-Christians. It too banned military service by non-believers. The supposed Pagan persecution of Christianity is largely a myth, but there is nothing mythical about the later Christian persecution of everyone, including other Christians who didnt toe the doctrinal line. There is nothing like a little cultural genocide, is there? We have gotten to the point where Republicans will soon be calling for anti-Muslim pogroms of the sort once regularly launched by the Russian Empires secret police, or by the Visigothic Kingdom of Spain before the Moors brought a measure of enlightenment to the Iberian peninsula. This is a Ted Cruz supporter. We have already taken a look at Islamophobe Frank Gaffney, another Cruz supporter and Cruzs religious liberty advisory council, and Trump has his own array of quacks advising him. Historical note: the quacks all came out of the shadows to gather around Adolf Hitler as well, from Alfred Rosenberg to Julius Streicher. Those men had nothing on this current crop for hatred of the Other. America has come to a precipice. To the right lies madness. There is no navigating that cliff. It is too treacherous. The only sane course is an abrupt left turn, to a land where everyone is equal to the law, and where the United States Constitution is and remains the law of the land. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print In case any Americans believe there is any difference whatsoever between the fear and hate-mongering campaign tactics of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, or most Republicans for that matter, some assertions by a Cruz advisor will put those beliefs to rest. Although it is true Republicans generally incite fear and hatred toward anyone who is not a white Christian conservative, they have spent considerable time and effort demonizing Muslims, particularly American Muslims. Of course there is no basis for the GOPs attacks on American citizens who adhere to Islam, but neither is there a basis for demeaning intellectuals, scientists, minorities or Hispanic immigrants. Fear and hate mongering requires no veracity to be effective, but they do need a heavy dose of suspicion. Now Ted Cruz joins Donald Trump in inciting what would be a return to a damn, dark dirty time in American history; only with a new enemy to seek and destroy. The McCarthy witch-hunts against alleged communist sympathizers and spies infiltrating the highest levels of government were an abomination in a supposed free and open society, so it is really not surprising that an abomination like Ted Cruz would hire a national security advisor who waxed longingly for a modern-day McCarthy to launch a deep investigation into the Muslim infiltration and takeover of the United States government. The Cruz counselor panting for a 21st Century iteration of Joe McCarthys House Un-American Activities committee, Clare Lopez, is serving as one of Texas Teds valued national security advisors. Lopez believes she has the answer to the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and associates who are THE go-to advisors and appointees at the top levels of national security in our government and this administration for sure; probably going back decades. Lopez claims that the Muslim Brotherhood are running the nations national security programs and she knows the best tactic to ferret them out and prevent them from taking total control of Americas government. Lopez says that there is a successful template in place that Joe McCarthy developed, and that it is the best and only solution to deal with and defeat the modern traitors; President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for starters and their vast network of facilitators, supporters, and co-conspirators posing as regular citizens across America. Ms. Lopez is certain that Americans are blind to the omnipresent Muslim threat within the government and like Joe McCarthy; her boss is prepared and aware of what is going on and knows how to stop it. Apparently, in the same way McCarthy saw secret communists everywhere and had a secret list that no-one else could see, America needs a new conservative patriot like McCarthy to hunt down the traitors; if innocent American lives are ruined in the process, its just the price to pay for preserving freedom. According to the national security advisor speaking on Ted Cruzs behalf, And then, like now, we were unprepared and in large measure unaware of what was going on, at least until the House Un-American Activities got rolling in the 1950s with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who absolutely was spot-on in just about everything he said about the levels of infiltration. So we have precedent for this where we were not fully aware of the infiltration occurring at the time. It is noteworthy that as this column has been unrelenting in preaching; this is a sitting U.S. Senators trusted advisor and is no different than the man even Republicans claim is a crackpot running for the presidential nomination. It is also worth mentioning that although despised by establishment Republicans, Cruz is considered the only true conservative in the race and likely the Republican Party. He is also completely in agreement with Trump on eradicating the Muslim menace in America. In a similar move to Cruzs call for American law enforcement agencies to immediately move in and start securing American Muslim neighborhoods, and not unlike the Joe McCarthy tactic of calling on Americans to spy on their neighbors, Trump floated an East German Stasi tactic. He told his rabid supporters that besides forcing American Muslims to register as undesirables because they are Muslims, he will task the NSA, FBI, CIA, and local law enforcement to heavily monitor Islamic communities and mosques. Then Trump called for a decidedly McCarthy tactic in demanding that every American start spying on and turning their neighbors in to law enforcement. Trump said, Americans have to start doing things in this country in terms of the enemy. Thats the best way. Everybodys their own cop. Youve got to do it. Because you have all those eyes and you see whats happening. You can see and you report them to the local police. We know theres something going on, report them in the mosques and other places. Theres some nastiness, theres some meanness there. They could be ISIS! No doubt, more than a few Americans have noticed the similarities between Trump and Cruzs policies and Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany and East Germanys feared secret police, the Stasi. Both the Nazis and Stasi mandated all Germans to spy on their neighbors and report them to the police. Now Cruzs campaign has went a step farther and called for a McCarthy-like congressional committee targeting American citizens suspected of un-American activity such as knowing, talking to, working alongside, or living in close proximity to the Muslim. There is an inordinate amount of attention being given to the Donalds close adherence to employing Hitlers fascist tactics, but they are no different than Ted Cruzs. What is worrisome is not that both Trump and Cruz have ardent support for their policies targeting Muslims, but that there are too many Americans certain that these kinds of outrages could never happen in America. Just a few years ago most Americans would say these kinds of outrages would never even be mentioned in private conversations, much less shouted on the campaign trail. But just a few years ago America was not nearly as openly hate-ridden as it is today. Make no mistake; that hate goes far beyond targeting Muslims and with conservatives holding a long list of Americans to hate, a 21st Century McCarthy crusade would likely imprison over half the population after it purged Muslim American citizens from the nation. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print By James Odato ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower courts dismissal of a suit seeking to remove Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz from the states primary ballot because of his Canadian birth. The New York Appellate Division agreed with the lower court ruling that the suit should be thrown out because it missed the deadline for filing an objection to Cruzs appearance on the April 19 ballot. Lawyers for Cruz successfully argued that the objectors had filed their petition nearly three weeks late. The appeals judges said they would not address the merits of the case, saying they were academic. Roger Bernstein, a lawyer for the petitioners, said his clients intend to appeal the decision. New York residents Barry Korman, 81, of Manhattan, and William Gallo, 85, of Manhasset, had filed the suit, arguing that because Cruz was born in Canada, he is not a naturally born citizen as the Constitution dictates for a U.S. president. Cruz has defended himself against similar claims in multiple states, saying he was a U.S. natural born citizen at birth because of his mothers U.S. citizenship at the time. Cruz was born in 1970 in Calgary, Alberta. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Dan Grebler) \ Yellowstone bison sent to slaughter as park trims herd GARDINER, Mont. Yellowstone National Park started shipping many of its famous wild bison to slaughter this month to drive down the size of the park's herds and respond to concerns by the livestock industry over a disease carried by the animals. Thirty animals have been shipped to slaughterhouses, and officials plan to send an additional 63. The bison were weighed and tested for disease for research purposes, and the remaining animals were crowded into holding pens to await shipment. The park's actions are driven by an agreement in 2000 with Montana officials that requires it to control its bison herds. The meat will be distributed to American Indian tribes that traditionally subsisted on bison. "Nobody here wants to be doing this," park spokeswoman Jody Lyle said after the bison were prodded into trailers for shipment. "It's time for a change." ADVERTISEMENT About 150 of the animals have been captured this winter trying to migrate out of the park in search of food at lower elevations in Montana. Ranchers worry about bison infected with brucellosis, a disease that can cause cattle to abort their young. There have been no recorded bison-to-cattle transmissions of brucellosis, and critics say the slaughters are unnecessary. Captured bison that test negative for it are not spared. "This is not OK. It's really that simple," said Stephany Seay with the Buffalo Field Campaign, a bison advocacy group. Yellowstone is home to one of the few remaining wild populations. Millions of tourists visit the park each year to see the animals, a top attraction at the nation's first national park. The animals also are the symbol of the National Park Service. Since the 1980s, worry over brucellosis has prompted the killing of about 8,200 park bison, most of them sent to slaughter. In recent years, state, federal and tribal agencies have tried to emphasize public hunts that occur just outside the park's boundaries. Alternatives such as transferring some Yellowstone bison to lands outside the park are under consideration but unlikely to take effect soon. Park workers are holding back from slaughter 57 bison calves and yearlings for potential future placement elsewhere if the opportunity arises, park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said. If that doesn't happen, the animals will be slaughtered, she said. Associated Press ADVERTISEMENT -------------------- Skygazers catch flight for prime view of total solar eclipse ANCHORAGE, Alaska Skygazers from around the U.S. caught a flight from Alaska to Hawaii for prime viewing of a total solar eclipse that unfolded over parts of Indonesia and the Indian and Pacific oceans. A dozen eclipse enthusiasts were among the 181 passengers on the plane March 8 that departed Anchorage for Honolulu. The rare event occurs when the moon is close enough to Earth to completely block out the sun. Joe Rao, an associate astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York, called Alaska Airlines last fall, explaining that the flight would be in the right place for the eclipse. The route was expected to encounter the darkest shadow of the moon as it passed over Earth. Problem was, the plane would be passing by nearly a half-hour too soon. The airline rescheduled the flight to depart 25 minutes later, and it rendezvoused with the eclipse's sweet spot nearly 700 miles north of Honolulu. After the schedule tweak, Rao and a dozen other astronomy aficionados booked seats for the big show at 36,000 feet. Craig Small, a semiretired Hayden Planetarium astronomer, was viewing his 31st total eclipse. To mark each viewing, he carried a special eclipse flag made in 1972. ADVERTISEMENT Also on board was Dan McGlaun, who brought 200 pairs of special filter glasses to distribute to other passengers. McGlaun, a project manager who runs eclipse2017.org, was excited about viewing his 12th total eclipse. "It's going to be amazing. It always is," he said before boarding. "It's a universal reaction when you see an eclipse. You cheer, you scream, you cry." Associated Press -------------------- Tourists in Argentina watch massive glacier break apart BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Tourists in southern Argentina had the opportunity to witness a breathtaking natural phenomenon when huge chunks of the Perito Moreno Glacier broke off in front of them. The pieces of ice crashed into Lake Argentina on March 10, prompting cheers from onlookers at Los Glaciares National Park. The massive natural monument in the province of Santa Cruz is approximately 97 square miles (250 kilometers), and its walls tower about 70 meters (yards) over water level. Periodically the glacier advances over the lake and then breaks off. The glacier last ruptured in March 2012. Associated Press Minnesota's Somali community is divided over a federal pilot program that aims to address the root causes of radicalization. The plan focuses on job training, academic tutoring and mentoring for Somali young people. Nationally, this program is called CVE, or Countering Violent Extremism. Minnesota's initiative is called Building Community Resilience. It's funded by the Department of Justice and private donors. And it's coordinated by U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, with support from Somali elders, parents and imams. But some of the young people the initiative intends to serve remain wary. Mohamud Mohamed, 19, is a student at Augsburg College. The program was designed for people like him. But when he first heard about it, he questioned how it was created. "For sure, let's have community programs, let's have after-school programs, let's have arts and all of these things, let's promote these things," he said. "But the way they've gone about it has been inherently disingenuous. ... They never once approached Somali youth as a whole, they never called a meeting, or town hall." ADVERTISEMENT The Somali American Task Force has been working directly with the U.S. attorney to build the program. "My No. 1 goal is, is this going to benefit the young people that we want to serve?" asked Hodan Hassan, chairwoman of the Minneapolis group. "The youth is our future. And our future is in trouble. We want to make sure that they have a chance to make a positive decision and become a productive member of society." She said the task force engaged young people from the start and counts a female student among its members. That young woman, and several other Somali youths who support the program, asked not to be identified publicly. Hassan disputed criticism from some quarters that this program could be used to spy on her community. "Does the Somali community all agree with this program?" she asked. "No. Different people have different ideas. I'm not involved in intelligence gathering; I'm not a big fan of government being involved in everything. What I really want, and the only reason why I'm sitting at that table, is what is good for my community and how can I help?" 'I'm being marginalized' But Mohamud Mohamed, the Augsburg student, isn't so sure youth programs will address why a small number of his peers have become radicalized. He said he personally knows the local men who have been charged with trying to join the Islamic State group. They felt disenfranchised by their own Somali community, he said. And Mohamed doesn't want this program making him feel the same way. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm viewed as other. I'm being marginalized," he said. "I'm being pushed into the margin, as inherently violent, inherently extreme, someone that needs to be saved from their own devices. And that's deeply troubling. And I can't ever sign onto that." Frustrated about the program, he went on social media and tweeted #CMeNotCVE. "It's a little play on words," he explained. "See me, as in come see me when you want to talk about these things, not CVE, not 'Countering Violent Extremism.' Since the greater community doesn't want to engage with me on this, I have this platform myself, and I'm going to put my voice out there." In the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, home to the oldest mosque in the Twin Cities, many young people claim not to have heard of the program. Khadra Fiqi, a young woman who works daily with youths at the Brian Coyle Community Center, is one of the few who do know about it, and she disapproves because it's partially funded by the Department of Justice. Fiqi said she doesn't feel comfortable talking about it with her friends. It seems that talking about terrorism is taboo, even when it's about combating terrorism. "One reason why, honestly, many people in our community don't talk about this program, is the fear they have of being linked with terrorism," she said. 'A social experiment' Another problem, according to Burhan Mohamed, a graduate student in psychology at St. Mary's University in Winona, is that most youth have no idea the program even exists. ADVERTISEMENT "Nobody's being included in these conversations that are important, the youths, the college students, the middle-schoolers, even," he said. "When you have the federal government, and especially an attorney who has no experience in social service, who presents this program ... you're looking at us as a social experiment." That's not the idea, said Mohamud Noor. His group, the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, has been awarded $100,000 from the program. "We applied for a specific purpose, and that purpose is to help young people find employment," he said. "It is to help the community find better opportunities. I'm confident that the people who are going to be seeking help will get the help that they are seeking." Saciido Shaie thinks so, too. Her group, the Minneapolis-based Ummah Project, will get $30,000 to train young Somalis as restorative justice facilitators or mediators who can problem-solve in the community. "None of that has to do with intelligence gathering, FBI, Homeland Security, zero," she said. "Ummah Project and our groups are ready to do what's right for the youth, and that's to create leadership programs, after-school programs, and empower them. That is our job." At an Ummah event in Minneapolis, two sisters from Mankato said they welcome federal and private funding for Somali youths so long as it's not about intelligence-gathering. "Being in the Somali community, I don't see a lot of support from the community towards youth like me," said Khulud Hassan, 17. "That's why a lot of our Somali youth are lost, and this makes it so easy for ISIS to recruit, when they see vulnerable young Somalis." 'We're not radicals' Born in Saudi Arabia and later raised in Syria, the sisters have lived in Minnesota for five years. Zeinab Hassan, 15, said it's not easy to unite the Somali community. "Everyone just wants to go into their tribe, you know," she said. "We're not united. We're not united back home. We're not united here. We need something that touches our hearts ... something that will help us sit down and talk about stuff, and open up wounds so we can close them properly." Next month, partners of this federal program will start matches through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities. A one-stop job-training site for Somali youths is in the works. Yet University of Minnesota student Abdilatif Hassan remains skeptical. "We don't need a program that says, 'You're radical, and we're going to de-radicalize you,'" he said. "We're not radicals. That's what we're trying to get across." Supporters of the program say they hope those who are opposed to it will change their minds once they see the benefits to Somali youth. 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. Vote View Results In Judging the Minnesota men,' I wrote about Judge Michael Daviss experimental sentencing program in the Minnesota ISIS wannabe cases. Based on Andy McCarthys comments on the program (quoted in the article), Im skeptical of it. Yet I like and respect Judge Davis. He has capably handled the Somali terrorism cases for several years now. I think its fair to say that he doesnt suffer fools gladly. (The thumbnail photograph on the home page is of Judge Davis.) In 2015 ten cases were filed against Minnesota men based on their efforts to recruit and/or join ISIS. Four of the ten defendants have pleaded guilty to various charges, while five cases are set for trial before Judge Davis on May 9. The cases of the four who have pleaded guilty are subject to the experimental sentencing program that Judge Davis has adopted. With trial impending, defendant Hamza Ahmed sought to substitute Minneapolis attorney Mitchell Robinson for his court-appointed counsel. The Star Tribune reports that Judge Davis has now denied the defendants motion. The Star Tribune story prompted me to look up Judge Daviss order on the courts electronic filing system. It adds some interesting details. In the March 21 order denying the motion, Judge Davis summarizes his decision as follows: The Court will not allow the substitution of an attorney in this matter and at this late date who has been publicly reprimanded for ineffective assistance of counsel in a serious criminal matter, that resulted in his client serving nine years of a sentence that was later vacated. The Star Tribune reports Judge Daviss decision this way: Davis said the swap would delay the trial or other progress of the case. Davis noted that Robinson has been reprimanded by the Minnesota Supreme Court and did not disclose it to Ahmed or his family. And in a drug case in Texas, Davis concluded, Robinsons client served nine years in federal prison before a judge granted a new trial, citing Robinsons lack of preparation and failure to present exculpatory evidence. A judge wound up vacating the clients sentence. In his order Judge Davis had a bit more to say about Robinsons reprimand by the Minnesota Supreme Court: The Court also inquired of Mr. Robinson of whether he had informed the Defendant that he had recently been publicly reprimanded by the Minnesota Supreme Court for failing to competently and diligently represent and communicate with a client in a criminal matter and for failing to diligently represent and communicate with a client in an immigration matter. Mr. Robinson replied that he had not informed the Defendant of such fact. This causes the Court great concern as the Order issuing the public reprimand of Mr. Robinson issued by the Minnesota Supreme Court does not give the public notice of the severity of the underlying conduct. The criminal case involved Robinsons ineffective assistance of counsel in a case summarized in detail by the St. Paul Pioneer Press here. Judge Daviss order states (footnote omitted): The criminal matterinvolved a criminal case tried in the Western District of Texas. Mr. Robinson represented Maria Hernandez at her trial on multiple drug offenses, which resulted in guilty verdicts for which she was sentenced to 204 months in prison. Her habeas petition was later granted and a new trial ordered based on ineffective assistance of counsel in that Mr. Robinson had engaged in no pretrial preparation and conducted no investigation on behalf of his client. At the time she was granted habeas relief, Ms. Hernandez had already served nine years of her sentence. Here the Star Tribune draws on the Judge Daviss order recounting the substitution hearing: At a hearing Friday [March 17] in Minneapolis, Davis questioned Ahmed about his reasons and queried Robinson about his preparation for the terror-recruitment trial. Ahmed told Davis that he had no irreconcilable conflicts or breakdown of communications with Murray, his lawyer since February 2015. When asked by Davis if he had reviewed the discovery in the case which includes roughly 28,000 pages of documents and more than 700 video files Robinson only said he believed the facts were straightforward and that he didnt see it as an extraordinarily complicated case. In his order, Judge Davis drily observes: [Robinson] did not affirmatively state that he had reviewed all of the discovery. In the following paragraph he adds: The Court further inquired of Mr. Robinson whether he had experience trying complex criminal cases, and he was not able to provide any clear example other than a criminal case he tried in 1999 that involved charges of conspiracy, false statements and false tax returns. Back to the Star Tribune story: Davis questioned whether Robinson even planned to try Ahmeds case, citing a retainer agreement that did not include trial fees. Davis wrote Monday that he hoped his order would shed light on the issue of defendants repeatedly retaining private attorneys that charge high fees and who have little or no experience, or have been disciplined by the court. Robinson told reporters Friday that Ahmeds family sought his representation because they werent eager to go to trial and hoped he would negotiate a deal. In the Texas case that resulted in a reprimand, Robinson admitted that he didnt think he needed to conduct any pretrial investigation because he thought the government was not going to proceed with trial. All things considered, Im guessing that Mr. Robinson probably regrets his having agreed to undertake Ahmeds representation. On the evening news tonight I saw the reports on how Hollywood and politically correct corporations are blasting North Carolina for passing a state law that is ostensibly aimed at eliminating local non-discrimination laws for LGBT people, though the proximate issue is bathroom equity, that is, allowing anyone to use any gender bathroom regardless of his or her physical anatomy and going simply on how he or she self-identifies. Which brings me back to my post a few days ago, Trans-Insanity. A regular Power Line reader, whose name was quite familiar to me, sent the following thoughtful note in response to that post, which she has granted me permission to post here (though I leave out her name): Hi Steve, I am a long time Power Line reader and sometimes commenter; less lately since Chrome doesnt show comments anymore. This statement, like so many, is both amusing, annoying, and wrong. I had MtF surgery in 1983 when I was 30. The surgery took about 4 hours and the psychological adjustment about 20 years. I had liberal leanings/voting up until Clintons first term when his gun control support turned me off. After 9/11, appalled by Liberals response, I discovered Conservatism. I lost many Liberal friends afterwards. I wont speak for anyone but myself, but without surgery I would not have lived to 30. Heres what I know: 1. I dont know what it feels like to be a woman but I know what it feels like to be treated as a woman. 2. I dont know what it feels like to be male but I know what it feels like to be treated as male. 3. The biggest challenge after SRS [sexual reassignment surgery] was to undo the emotional damage I did to myself trying to conform to the male role for 28 years. 4. I chose SRS after I psychologists told me they couldnt change how I felt and I no longer felt life worth living in the male role. After 32 years living as female I have these observations: 1. The biggest disadvantage to female anatomy is longer bathroom lines and not peeing standing up. 2. I have a much fuller and satisfying relationship with people now than I ever had before SRS. I suggest keeping an open mind that the broad brush painted by the statement is no more valid than the one wielded by Liberals. Painting our lives as inauthentic/delusional does remind me that now I am in the cross-hairs of Liberals and Conservatives. Regards, [Name withheld] Here is my response: Thanks for writing in and sharing your story. I know one other person like you: the economist Deirdre McCloskeymaybe you know her book Crossing (if not you should get it). One of my observations about McCloskey is that shes clearly a happier and more fulfilled human being for having switched teams (as I sometimes like to say) in middle age, because her mature work is extraordinary. (I wrote a bit about McCloskey in this old post commenting on Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner.) Im a believer in the Law of Large Numbersthere isnt actually such a law strictly speaking, but what I mean is that in a large country there is going to be considerable variance in human nature and human experience, and certainly we should be willing not just to accommodate that variance but respect it as well. Modern medical science makes it possible for someone like you to match up the physical reality with the psychological reality, which allows for human flourishing not available to anyone a century ago. If the world were content with a live and let live philosophy, there would be little or no difficulty with the Jenners/McCloskeys of the world; or put differently, if this whole subject were governed by the sensibilities of the Jenners/McCloskeys of the world things would go more smoothly for others who are caught in between their physical characteristics and inner psychology. (By the way, I love how Jenners support of Ted Cruz is causing outrage on the identity politics left.) What Im reacting to is the kind of thing I see especially on college campuses, where transgenderism is in fact a full-fledged, deeply ideological ism, in which even the mention of the idea of human nature in the abstract marks you out as a bigot and hater. If it sprung from a libertarian point of view I would have little objection, but you see it connected with a lot of far-left ideology whose core seems to be a wider hatred and rejection of western civilization, hostility toward traditional family life, etc. Im pretty sure that neither Jenner nor McCloskey have much sympathy for these aspects of the matter. (Theres an additional vector here that you can observe on campuses involving animal rights. Some other day. . .) I think it goes too far when, for example, it is suggested that birth certificates no longer state boy or girl on them, and the idea that children at a young age should be subjected to conformity (for this is a new kind of conformity) to the open-endedness of gender identity, let alone begin hormonal interventions at an early age. And dont get me started in the whole bathroom controversy. The American College of Pediatricians may not be the ideal organization to challenge whats going on, but I am glad someone is willing to make some public arguments about this. Although it may involve some cognitive dissonance, I think it ought to be possible to believe that gender identity isnt simply a matter of arbitrary choice or will, but has real objective relation to the order of nature, and at the same time recognize and respect the real exceptions that exist such as yourselfbecause human nature is mysterious in practice. In other words, I do not think the categories of male and female are arbitrary or just cultural artifacts, to be picked up and put down like fashion. One of the slogans I saw at Boulder, on the Gender Studies department bulletin board, was Is Every Body Transgender? Their implicit answer was Yes. I think that is doubtful, while allowing that there are cases like yours and McCloskeys that are authentic, and therefore in a certain way naturalbut rare. I note that Harvey Mansfield, Harvards leading conservative, thinks as I do on these questions, but has also hosted Deirdre McCloskey to lecture at Harvard under his program on constitutional governance. Thats because conservatives, more so than liberals, really do think of people as individuals and not as defined by their groups (or gender). Thanks for reading and writing in. Our reader responded as follow: Hi Steve, Thank you for your reminder regarding your column about Dierdre. I remember reading it. In May Ann Althouse posted a number of times about Jenner and I jumped into the fray anonymously. I was roughly handled in the comments and dont recall influencing anyone to reconsider their biology is destiny/delusion/inauthentic viewpoint. I remember feeling out of sorts because I had enjoyed most of the folks comments on any other topic. Be that as it may. I appreciate your sharing your perspective. I have never felt any negativity from my daily Powerline reading. I like your Law of Large Numbers and for the most part folks I have encountered fit that perspective. I was told I was the first to transition at [company name] and the process management used where I worked help set corporate policy. I like the switched teams shorthand as a precise and succinct shorthand expression. I am in complete agreement that the trans community has embraced Leftism to their and societys detriment. Although I had Liberal leanings from college days through the first Clinton, I feel no resonance with the current GLBT or womens communities. Their position on bathrooms, birth certificates, and lexicon appalls me. Regarding bathrooms, I believe trans folks need to be respectful. During transition at work I used a single, locked visitors bathroom until after surgery. In public situations I carried a letter from my psychologist explaining my situation, but never had to show it. I know my experience doesnt cover all the bases but I also never felt entitled or expected society to rearrange their affairs because of me. Theres a lot more I could say but I am getting ready to leave out for work. I want to say that I am open to sharing on Powerline my email or other writing. I prefer to maintain my veneer of anonymity for now and dont mind comments/feedback. I feel its important to hear what folks have to say, and engage, even if I dont change any minds. Note to commenters: It is not possible to shut off the comment thread on individual posts on our software or I would close this post to all comments. So I shall be policing comments very strictly. Death has long been the Islamic penalty for apostasy, but in 21st-century Europe you dont even need to be a convert to suffer the death penalty. Merely advocating religious tolerance can be enough. A Muslim shopkeeper named Asad Shah who lived in Glasgow sent out, on Facebook, an Easter greeting to Christians: Good Friday and very Happy Easter especially to my beloved Christian nation! BismillahLets follow the real footstep of Beloved Holy Jesus Christ (PBUH) and get the real success in both worlds. Four hours later, Asad Shah was murdered by two fellow Muslims in what authorities are labeling a religiously-motivated hate crime: The victim was found seriously injured on Minard Road, Glasgow, and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he later died on Thursday. An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Record: As I drove past I saw two men standing over the victim. One was stamping on his head. There was a pool of blood on the ground. It was horrific. .. On Friday afternoon, police confirmed that a 32-year-old Muslim man had been arrested in connection with Mr Shahs death. Events of this sort suggest that the cant we all just get along approach is insufficient to deal with Islamic extremism. 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. The Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, John Onaiyekan, has described President Muhammadu Buharis dragging of Nigeria into the Saudi-led Islamic coalition as dangerous and unwise. In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja, Mr. Onaiyekan said Mr. Buharis decision posses great danger for Nigerias armed forces as well as for Nigeria as a nation. I am not sure it is a wise thing, Mr. Onaiyekan said. Once you talk of an Islamic coalition and you are bringing Nigerian armed forces into it, my fear is that this is a dangerous step. We have been trying, and I think successfully, to keep religion out of our armed forces. Can you imagine what will happen if Nigerian armed forces were fighting in the North-West on the basis of religion? So I hope government will be better advised. Mr. Onaiyekan, who noted that countries that joined the alliance before Nigeria were not faring well, said Mr. Buhari conceded to an ill-fated advice to take Nigeria into the coalition. Those who put the alliance together have not succeeded in putting their own houses in order, the archbishop said. Its not as if they have succeeded well in Iraq, Syria and other places. So whoever advised him (President Mohammadu Buhari) did not advice him well. On the comment by Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, that the alliance was not religious, the bishop said the Ministers comment depicted ignorance and self-contradiction. When I heard the minister of foreign affairs saying that there is nothing religious about the coalition; Im sorry that the Minister of Foreign Affairs does not know how Nigerians behave and think, Mr. Onaiyekan said. You cannot tell us that something is Islamic and at the same time say it is not religious. That is a contradiction. Its like saying Islam is not a religion. Mr. Onaiyekan urged Nigerians to reflect on the last three days of Easter, beginning with Good Friday and never forget that Jesus died for them. He also prayed God to continues to lead Nigeria on the right path. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his government will deliver on its promised change. In his Easter Message Saturday, the president thanked Nigerians for being patient with his government in its first 10 turbulent months in office. The presidents full text: EASTER MESSAGE TO THE NATION FROM PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI Fellow Nigerians, I rejoice with you all, especially our Christian brothers and sisters, as we celebrate Easter. For Christians all over the world, this celebration is in commemoration of the supreme sacrifice which Jesus Christ made for the salvation of mankind. The Gospels also tell us that during his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ repeatedly urged his disciples and followers to love one another as I have loved you. As we celebrate Easter this year, I sincerely believe that it will serve our dear nation very well if we all imbibe this essential message of Jesus Christ and truly learn to love our countrymen and women as we love ourselves. Indeed, we will surely make faster progress towards the achievement of the peaceful, united, strong, progressive and prosperous country we all desire if, as a nation, we eschew all divisive, parochial, ethnic and religious sentiments and rivalries, and begin to live more harmoniously with our compatriots, as Jesus Christ and the founders of the worlds other great religions enjoined mankind. Our unfortunate notoriety in recent years as a country where the blood of men, women and children are wantonly and callously shed in frequent orgies of criminal, political, ethnic and religious violence has become very embarrassing and utterly unacceptable. My administration is determined to achieve greater peace and security across our nation by ending the avoidable conflicts and crises that hinder our national progress. I ask for greater support from all Nigerians in this regard. We must put a stop to politically motivated killings. Our communities must be made safe again for all inhabitants to live together in peace and harmony. Our armed forces, police and other security agencies are being progressively reformed, repositioned and empowered to win the war against terrorism and make mass killings, abductions and other criminal atrocities things of the past in our beloved country. Let us all also play our parts as patriotic citizens and do all that we can to ensure that we make Nigeria a safer, more peaceful and happier place for its people and others. Faith, belief and the fulfilment of expectations are also key themes of the Easter celebration. I urge you all therefore, to continue to have faith in the future greatness of our country and to believe that the CHANGE my administration promised will surely come to fruition. That CHANGE, which we all yearn for, will certainly occur more rapidly if we all place the love of our country above selfish personal and group interests. The National Assembly has just passed the 2016 budget. I assure all Nigerians that we will do our utmost best to ensure that the budget, the first since my election as President, is efficiently and successfully implemented towards achieving our objective of faster economic growth and development. I thank the vast majority of Nigerians for their patience and understanding in the first ten months of this administration. As we go forward, I assure you all that we are working very hard to overcome the challenges we encountered on assumption of office. We are moving on with an unshaken resolve and determination to deliver on the mandate you gave us on March 28, last year. I wish you all very happy Easter celebrations. Muhammadu Buhari March 26, 2016 The Federal Character Commission says it is unaware of a waiver authorising the Central Bank of Nigeria to conduct a secret recruitment of hundreds of new employees, comprising dozens of family members of serving and past senior government officials, including President Muhammadu Buharis nephew. The acting chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Shettima Abba, told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday that following media reports and public outcry in response to the recruitment, the commission wrote to the CBN demanding its staff list from 2013 to 2015. Mr. Abba said the response from the CBN would enable the Commission confirm whether the recruitment was done in accordance with the law. The bank has two weeks up to next Tuesday to respond to the letter, he said. But the chairman said his office was not aware the CBN was granted any waiver to carry out the controversial recruitment, saying the last waiver to the bank was in 2013. Prior to my appointment, details from the file showed that by early part of 2013 CBN requested for waiver to enable them carry out recruitment of some professional staff, including doctors, nurses, mid-wives, engineers and lawyers, etc, Mr. Abba said. For one reason or the other, they (CBN) did not conclude the recruitment before they wrote back to say they had suspended the recruitment, and that they would need to write again for re-validation. Towards the end of 2013, they wrote again for re-validation, which was granted. The chairman said available records confirmed that the recruitment was carried out, as candidates were invited for interview in three centres, including Abuja, Lagos and one other city, with the committee in charge of financial services at the Character Commission invited to monitor the exercise. Mr. Abba said although the CBN indicated interest in 2015 to recruit a number of junior staff as money counters, drivers, cooks, clerks and so on, for all its 37 zones across the country, he was not aware of any fresh waiver granted since 2013. If an agency gets a waiver, it will lapse after three months if the recruitment process is not concluded. The agency has to write again for re-validation, the chairman explained. In the records with the Commission, they (CBN) have several requests for waivers, but I cannot say how many. I dont know whether there has been a new request from them in recent times. Since I came in, I only acted, looking at previous records. Since junior workers cannot be recruited in Abuja, they (CBN) were advised to find a way of recruiting locally in the catchment areas. This swelled the number of people recruited, he said. Details of the recruitment, first reported by news website, SaharaReporters, angered many Nigerians in a country with a growing rate of unemployment. Under the Federal Character Commission regulation, 2008, recruitment into government offices are to be duly advertised in at least two national newspapers giving qualified Nigerians a minimum of six weeks to apply. The CBN recruitment did not follow that rule, Saharareporters reported. Worse, the list of candidates secretly recruited by the CBN, according to the website, included President Buharis nephew, former Vice President Atiku Abubakars daughter, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwus son, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Naabas daughter. Others are Nigerias Police Inspector-General, Solomon Arases daughter, and Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzaus son, among others. CBNs acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, told PREMIUM TIMES last week the bank did nothing illegal, as it got an approval from the Federal Character Commission to carry out targeted recruitment of specialists without advertisement. The chairman of the FCC, Mr. Abba, said all Nigerians, irrespective of parentage or political affiliation, have equal right of being employed in any organisation. He said his organisation was concerned more with due process and compliance with the federal character principles. The constitution says there must be equity, equal opportunity and equal access to all manner of persons. The constitution gives all the states of the federation equal opportunity to be employed, he said. For the fact that you are Atiku son; a minister or presidents daughter does not disqualify you from getting job anywhere in Nigeria, so far as you follow due process and you have the requisite qualification. Civil society groups and lawyers on Thursday criticized the exercise, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the employment offers. The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, CENSOJ, Eze Onyekpere, said the exercise portrayed the nature of governance in Nigeria, characterized by hypocrisy, patronage networks, steeped in mediocrity and lacking in merit and strivings for the best person for the job. Following commencement of work, without environmental impact assessment, on a controversial superhighway by the Cross River State Government, about 60,000 indigenous people face threats just as bulldozers are already destroying priceless forest reserves. Cross River is host to the largest remaining rainforests of Nigeria and one of the largest bio-diversity forests in the world, serving as home to highly threatened species, including the Cross River gorilla, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drill monkeys, 1,568 plant species of which 77 are endangered medicinal plants and orvhids. The highway, six-lane wide and 260km long, is planned to lead from a yet-to-be-built Bakassi deep-sea port in Calabar, all the way to Benue State via Akamkpa and Ikom and cutting through several protected forests reserves and abutting the western boundary of the Cross River National Park the Oban Division. Raising alarm, an international green foundation, the Heinrich Boll Stiftung Nigeria, warns that the bulldozers moving against public opinion, will cut through five forest reserves and a mountain wildlife with serious ramification on the bio diversity of the forests and the socio-economic lives of the 60,000 indigenous people living within and around the forests, including natives of Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Akamkpa, Yakurr, Obubra, Etung, Ikom, Boki and Bekwara local government areas. Already the bulldozers have entered the Ekuri-Eyeyeng, Etara and Okuni areas; clearing and felling trees. Yet up till mid-March 2016, there was no publication of any Environmental Impact Assessment as mandated by the Nigerian constitution before the commencement of a project of such magnitude. As announced by the Cross River State Government, the super highway, which is 260km long, will have a 10km right-of-way on both sides of the highway, meaning that a total of 20km-wide land corridor along the superhighway route falls under the land being revoked by the state government. This also means that the over 185 communities within the affected land corridor are subject to displacement and sudden loss of access to their land. A chilling timeline A factsheet released by Heinrich Boll exposes a chilling timeline. Shortly after he was sworn in as governor of Cross River State in May 2015, Benedict Ayade a plan to construct a superhighway as well as a deep seaport in pristine mangroves. In September 2015 a groundbreaking ceremony and visit by President Buhari was postponed because of non-existence of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Within this period there was a re-routing of the highway to move it outside the National Park. On January 22, 2016, the State, through a notice published in the government-owned newspaper, Weekend Chronicle, announced revocation of all occupancy titles within a 20-kilometre wide corridor of land along the 260-kilometre route. The state revoked the rights of occupancy within a 20-kilometre belt, which cuts through protected forests areas within and outside the National Park, including Cross River South, Oban Group, Ukpon River and Afi River Forest Reserves; Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary; plus the Mangrove Reserve, where Government has revoked land titles, giving it the right to fall trees, clear farms or displace communities. It was further gathered from the factsheet that in comparison, other express roads of similar sizes in Nigeria have revoked such rights of occupancy but only within a 100 metres (0.1 kilometre) strip, not 20 kilometres. Federal highways are built to standards of the Federal Highways Act of 1971 with a total road right-of-way extending to 50 metres on each side of the centerline. In February 2016 bulldozers moved into the Ekuri-Eyeyeng, Etara and Okuni areas, clearing and falling trees. In protest, communities in Old and New Ekuri prevented bulldozers from logging in their forest. Government reacted by sending more bulldozers into Katchuan, Irruan, Borum, Boje, Iso Bendeghe and Nsadop in Boki. The Superhighway has triggered a public debate as to whether or not the Cross River State Government should be embarking on such a project in the first place. There are already two federal highways connecting Calabar to Benue. Constructed about 40 years ago, there are in need of expansion and rehabilitation in many places, yet they serve the majority of towns and villages in the state. Environmentalists argue that these two existing highways can serve the same economic purpose as the superhighway. In their opinion, the state could have instead refurbished and expanded the federal roads and later make claims to the Federal Government, as did Rivers and Lagos States. Zero due process What some critics find more disturbing is the haste the Cross River government has applied to the project from the onset, arguing that this haste may have negatively impacted the quality of thought driving the Superhighway. The Heinrich Boll factsheet states that: The Nigerian Environmental Impact Assessment Act of 1992 mandates federal, state and local governments and private companies to carry out a detailed EIA on environmentally threatening projects. There is no public record of an EIA being initiated for the superhighway. There has been no public notice to access the document as required by Section 24, EIA Act 1992. In other countries, a professional Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for road construction projects of this magnitude would require four to five years to complete. State Procurement Law No 15(2011) requires a bidding process for this kind of project, but none was carried out. Neither did the State Bureau of Public Procurements in accordance to Section 9 (h) embark on a review and evaluation. It was further gathered that due process at state level would have required the submission and publication of an engineering plan or blue print for the super highway before forest clearing commenced. According to the notice of revocation of rights of occupancy published by the state government, bullet point 4 reads: And notice is hereby given that government intends to enter and use the said land at the expiration of six (6) weeks from the date of this notice. Having published the notice January 22, 2016, Heinrich Boll said no work should have commenced before March 4, but that clearing of the forest began in February. In his reaction to the Superhighway controversy, Christian Ita, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ayade, confirmed that bulldozers were indeed clearing forests, adding that the clearing will soon stopped because no contract has been signed for the Superhighway. Mr. Ita told PREMIUM TIMES that ongoing works were being carried out by a state-owned company called INFRACROSS, a special purpose vehicle which is responsible for such infrastructure development in the state. There is a lot of illiteracy about this project. No contract has been awarded. There is an EIA, but that EIA is just for the groundbreaking. The Minister for Environment, Amina Mohammed, came to Cross River and confirmed that our EIA is at an advanced stage, Mr. Ita said. Asked to comment on the lack of due process, Mr. Ita said: The truth of the matter is that some NGOs have been paid to ridicule and kill this project. Lets not play politics with development please. Is it that we dont need infrastructure? The forest you are protecting, who owns the forest? The forest is ours. But we are not insensitive. For every tree destroyed, two more will be planted. And for people living in those areas, government is conducting enumeration to know who is affected. President Buhari performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on October 20, 2015, expressing the hope that the road would create a new vista of business opportunities for Cross River and the nation at large. He commended Governor Ayade for his vision and foresight in conceptualising the project. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday allayed fears by owners of domiciliary accounts that the government planned to confiscate or covert the funds in such accounts for any reason. The governor, who was speaking in Abuja at the end of the 248th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, said allegation that the government was contemplating converting the $20 billion reportedly idling away in individual domiciliary accounts was unfounded. There is no intention; there will never be that intention, Mr. Emefiele said in answer to a question on the issue. It is not within the view of the bank to begin to talk about converting peoples domiciliary accounts. This should be taken seriously. The banks will continue to allow domiciliary account holders unfettered access to the funds in their accounts. What we are trying to do is to make the market open as much as possible and not create further tightening situations that would create problems for the economy. He described as wrong insinuations that the funds in the accounts were idle, explaining that they were liabilities in the balance sheets funding certain various assets on the side of their owners. Mr. Emefiele, who spoke on some of the resolutions from the two-day meeting, said members resolved to raise the monetary policy rate, MPR, which is the approved rate banks would lend money to investors, by 100 basis points from 11 per cent to 12 per cent and cash reserve ratio, CRR by 250 basis points 20 per cent to 22.5 per cent. The committee also agreed to retain liquidity ratio at 30 per cent, while narrowing the asymmetry corridor from +200 and -700 to 200 basis points and -500 basis points. On the proposed streamlining of foreign exchange guidelines, the CBN governor apologised that the decision was being delayed, saying consultations were on-going with various interest groups on how to improve FX supply. As soon as we are able to achieve tangible success in this direction we will unfold this to Nigerians. We are hoping that with time the supply of foreign exchange would be improve, he said. Mr. Emefiele said during the previous meeting, the CBN had adopted an accommodating monetary policy introduced since July 2015 to address the growth concerns in the economy. The policy of lowering both the CRR and MPR, he pointed out, was to effectively free more funds for the deposit money banks to have excess liquidity to lend to those who were able to submit verifiable investment proposals in the real sector of the economy. He however expressed regrets that the funds have not impacted the market yet, because the banks were still processing some of the proposals submitted to them. The CBN governor noted the impact of the delay in passing the 2016 budget on the economy, saying this worsened the difficult financial conditions of economic agents, as output continued to decline due to low investment arising from weak demand. He identified factors that hampered economic growth during the period under review, namely the dismal performance in growth in credits to the private sector, lingering scarcity of refined petroleum products, seasonal factors and increased electricity tariffs. South Africa on Wednesday commenced the exhumation of 83 political prisoners hanged at Pretoria Central Prison during the apartheid era, Justice Minister, Michael Masutha, said. The minister said the remains would be identified and returned to their families. Report says some 130 political prisoners were hanged on the gallows of the correctional centre between 1960 and 1990. The remains of 47 of mainly members of the Pan Africanist Congress and United Democratic Front anti-apartheid organisations had been exhumed, while 83 of them remain buried in unmarked graves. The apartheid government was widely criticised for its mass executions of anti-apartheid activists, most of them black South Africans. The last execution carried out at the prison was of Solomon Ngobeni in November 1989, who was convicted of robbing a taxi driver. The last woman executed was Sandra Smith, convicted for murder in June of the same year. In February 1990, President Frederik Willem de Klerk declared a moratorium on executions in the country, while the death penalty was abolished in 1995. However, many South Africans called for the death penalty to be reinstated after a surge in violent crimes and murders in the country. A survey conducted in 2015 by the South African research group Pondering Panda found that over three-quarters of young South Africans wanted the death penalty back. (dpa/NAN) The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Saturday urged Nigerians to be patient with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and give it the needed support to achieve its mandate. The Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said in his Easter message to Christians that the essence of Easter revolved around patience, fortitude and tolerance. We invite Nigerians to compare President Muhammadu Buharis character, frugality and pedigree to the greed, recklessness and selfishness of past leaders. It is important that we are patient. Let us all imbibe and exude the lessons of Easter which are patience, fortitude and tolerance, he said. Mr. Akintola urged Christians to use the period to reflect on the current situation in the country. Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and material resources; the `numero uno producer of crude oil in Africa that cannot supply enough for its citizens.` Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with about 180 million people; with vast arable land, yet it cannot feed its population. Nigeria, the giant of Africa and a country which has helped other nations in Africa to quell disturbances, is today ravaged by a five year insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives, he said. Mr. Akintola urged religious leaders to preach love and avoid flamboyant lifestyle in order to teach followers simplicity and the need to avoid greed. These are issues we must reflect on; we must seek to build this country, we must not destroy it. Religious leaders must preach love; we must be models in tolerance and forgiveness. We must also shun hate speeches and all acts capable of inciting our followers. We must avoid extravagant and flamboyant life in order to teach our followers simplicity and the need to avoid greed and avarice; these are the things we must do to get out of the doldrums. The cleric said that there was need to have hope in spite of all the travails on the country. He said that all hope was not lost as stolen funds were being recovered and transparency, probity and accountability were on the front burner once again. The price of oil has started rising and governments at both federal and state levels are tightening their belts; this gives cause to believe that Nigeria will rise again. Therefore, we all must rise to our responsibilities and stir positive changes around us, the MURIC director said. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari has sympathized with victims of the fire incidents in Sabon Gari Market, Kano and Birnin Kebbi Central Market, Kebbi State. Both incidents occurred on Saturday. The president also commiserated with the government and people of the two states, particularly those who incurred losses. In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Saturday, Mr. Buhari said he shares in the pain of the victims knowing that the two fire incidents had created major setbacks for all those that had business outfits in the markets, thereby affecting the livelihood of their families and setting back economic activities in the states. The President advised the Kano and Kebbi State Governments to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the fire disasters in the states in order to forestall future occurrences. Apart from investigations, President Buhari also calls for strict adherence to precautionary standards in buildings and operations of all markets to avoid fire out breaks. He prays that the Almighty God will comfort and replenish all those that incurred losses in the incidents, the statement said. The Birnin Kebbi Central Market has been gutted by fire, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports. A NAN correspondent, who visited the scene of the incident on Saturday, reported that property worth millions of naira was destroyed but no life was lost. Abubakar Bandam, the chairman of the central market management, who told journalists in Birnin Kebbi that the fire was noticed at about 12:00 mid night, explained that the source of the inferno was yet to be determined. He said the management of the market was working closely with security agencies to identify the cause, just as he commended the state Department of Fire Service for its prompt response. Bello Zagga, the state Director of Fire Service, told NAN that the fire lasted several hours because the firefighting vans did not have easy access to the spot of the inferno. He said although the source of the fire was yet to be identified, illegal electrical wiring and connections in shops were suspected. Officials from the state government, led by the Chief of Staff of the government house, Suleiman Argungu, and the Emir of Gwandu, Mohammad Bashar, visited the scene to sympathise with traders who lost their goods. (NAN). The Ogun State Government and its workers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining terms for the payment of monies deducted from workers salaries. The workers recently suspended a 10-day strike called to protest the deductions and governments failure to pay pension and gratuity to retirees. On Thursday, the governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and some members of his cabinet, met with the leadership of the workers union, where both sides agreed on the terms for resolving the crisis. Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Akeem Ambali, said labour will next week present its final recommendations to the government. For the first time we were down to earth with one another, and facts were presented; we looked at it and labour also presented some credible facts to the government and at end of the day we agreed that government should go back and do some things while labour too should go back and do some things, he said. He said the purpose of the MoU was to ensure that the government paid the monies owed workers based on what they agreed. We want to reassure Ogun State workers that government has not said they are not going to pay the money, and the issue of no-work-no-pay has been resolved amicably and again we have been assured that government is not going to retrench workers, he said. Governor Amosun said the meeting had made a headway in finding a permanent solution to the crisis. I can safely tell you we sorted ourselves out and I think that we are all better informed now, he said. We have seen the position of our state; it is not just our state, there is what I call financial melt down, the economy is really down. He said for March, federal allocation to the state was about N1 billion, while personnel cost was about N8.4 billion. If this month alone all that we were given was not up to N1 billion and I think the local governments got maybe N1.4 billion and you see that clearly there is a problem and we are not magicians but in all of these in Ogun State we have been managing to pay our workers salaries as and when due and they know this, Mr. Amosun said. Yes deduction is important , gratuity is important , the contributory pension is also important, I even told them that even in the context of the payment of gratuity they should ask around, Ogun State is up there. Part of what they are saying is the deduction and we have to pay it. But what we are saying is that it is not possible to pretend that all things are equal; we can not be paying everything, we will pay not that we will not pay, but we cant give what we dont have,the governor said. 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. PenFed senior leaders, Board Member and retired Army Col. Lonnie Stith, President and CEO James Schenck, and Executive Vice President of Global Fixed Assets, Rocky Mitchell, traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to honor the Tuskegee Airmen on their 75 th anniversary. Stith noted that the famed Tuskegee Airmen demonstrated their mettle and acquitted themselves with distinction in combat long before President Harry S. Truman ended segregation in the military by signing Executive Order 9981 July 26, 1948. "The Tuskegee Airmen shattered stereotypes of African Americans by taking to the skies over Europe to battle the German Luftwaffe," Stith said. "However, while on the ground at their overseas bases, they often found that the discrimination they'd faced at home in the states had simply been imported." "We had the pleasure of meeting people who were not only eyewitnesses to history, but active participants who did their part to defeat a regime that threatened the world," said Schenck. "Their love of country and willingness to fight to defend iteven in the face of such overwhelming adversity is eye-watering. While I am humbled by the Tuskegee Airmen's sacrifices and the obstacles they overcame, words can hardly express the pride I feel for them as fellow Americans." Mitchell described meeting the legendary fliers as a remarkable experience. "To be in the presence of such a renowned group of patriots was genuinely awe-inspiring. They paved the way for many future generations by demonstrating the art of the possibleagainst incredible odds," he said. About PenFed Credit Union Established in 1935, PenFed Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in the country and serves 1.4 million members worldwide with close to $20 billion in assets. Its long-standing mission has been to provide superior financial services in a cost effective manner while being responsive to members' needs. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading mortgages, automobile loans, credit cards, checking and a wide range of other financial services with its members' interests always in mind. We invite you to come see why you belong at PenFed Credit Union. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an equal housing lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on Linkedin. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer: M/F/V/D. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160325/348194 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150123/170917LOGO SOURCE PenFed Related Links http://www.penfed.org New Delhi, March 22 : Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence over the formation of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mufti's decision to meet Modi has fuelled hopes in Jammu and Kashmir that channels of communication with the BJP have been opened once again. The government formation in Jammu and Kashmir has been deadlocked since then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's death in a Delhi hospital on January 7. Moscow, March 25 : Russia and the US have reached some consensus on Syria during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit here, but relations are far from thawing so long as the sanctions on Russia are not lifted. During his two-day visit, Kerry held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Syria, the situation in the Korean Peninsula and ties between their two countries, Xinhua reported. The two sides agreed that further talks will be focused on details of Syria's political transition, including a framework and a draft constitution, among other issues. The political transition in Syria is the best and perhaps the only way to end the war, Kerry said late Thursday. The agenda of further talks would include a timetable "for establishing a framework for political transition and also a draft constitution, both to be finished by August," said Kerry, who arrived here on Wednesday. Kerry and Lavrov outlined specific objectives on which Russia and the US agreed to cooperate. On settlement of the Syrian crisis, the two sides would take steps to reinforce cessation of hostilities and end the use of indiscriminate weapons. The two countries agreed to work to "finalise a common understanding for how this cessation can be institutionalised" and work "more effectively", Kerry said. Moreover, Russia and the US agreed to use their influence to facilitate the direct talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces, as well as to push for the release of detainees and the delivery of humanitarian goods. On bilateral relations, Kerry repeated that anti-Russia sanctions will only be lifted when the Minsk Agreement is fully implemented. The agreement, signed in the Belarusian capital city in February 2015 with the mediation of France and Germany, calls for a ceasefire along with a range of political, economic and social measures aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Lavrov expressed Russia's readiness to cooperate with the US on an equal basis, warning of "counter-productivity of the trend to destabilise the foundation of Russian-American relations". But they agreed to establish regular review of bilateral relations, cooperate on combating cyberspace crimes and intensify dialogue on global security, said Lavrov. Kerry's visit showed that Russia and the US have minimised certain contradictions, Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Centre for International Studies in National Research University's High School of Economics, said on Thursday. Prospects of a really constructive cooperation have become tangible, though a huge number of problems remained to be solved, Suslov said. "I assess this visit as an indication of real willingness of the US to work on a real political settlement of the Syrian conflict," he said. The two sides also discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula. Lavrov said that "irresponsible actions" of the North Korea must not be used as an excuse for any military build-up in northeastern Asia. This is Kerry's first visit to Russia so far this year and the third in 12 months. Tehran, March 26 : Iran's Foreign Ministry denounced the extension of the UN special rapporteur mission on human rights situation in the country, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. In a statement, the Iranian spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari censured the recent re-appointment of Ahmed Shaheed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, saying that the decision is politically-motivated, biased and has no legal basis. Tehran is committed to its obligations regarding the promotion of human rights in compliance with its constitution and religious values, Jaber Ansari said. On March 24, Shaheed was appointed for the fifth year running as the UN special rapporteur mission on human rights situation in Iran. In his latest report on human rights condition in Iran, Shaheed said earlier this month that the Islamic republic was engaged in several human rights abuses in 2015, including the rise in the number of executions, as well as crackdowns on journalists and activists. Iran has dismissed several times the reports by the UN human rights institutions, saying that they did not reflect the realities in the country. Jammu, March 26 : The Peoples Democratic Party and the BJP will on Saturday call on Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N.Vohra to stake claim to power in the state. PDP leader, Mehbooba Mufti and Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader, Nirmal Singh has sought a meeting with the governor on Saturday, "they will meet the governor here at 3.30 p.m". "Mehbooba Mufti will hand over a letter claiming to form an elected government as the chief ministerial candidate, while Nirmal Singh will submit support to the PDP claim", sources said. After a late Friday night meeting between BJP national general secretary, Ram Madhav and Mehbooba Mufti here, it was decided that the chief ministerial candidate and deputy chief ministerial candidate would meet Vohra on Saturday, the sources added. The PDP has 27 MLAs (It had 28 before death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) in the 87-member legislative assembly. An independent MLA from the Ladakh region also supports the PDP. BJP has 25 MLAs and is supported by two MLAs of Peoples Conference headed by Sajad Lone and one independent candidate. The state was placed under governor's rule on January 8, a day after the then chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed passed away in New Delhi. Dhaka, March 26 : Bangladesh will celebrate its 45th Independence Day on Saturday, the day it emerged as a sovereign nation, breaking the shackles of suppression of Pakistan. Bengalis will pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War, bdnews24.com reported. Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place wreaths at National Memorial in Savar as a mark of respect to the martyrs. Hamid, greeting Bengalis living in the country and abroad, said: "Nevertheless, we have to go a long way for achieving the desired goals of independence. "Communal harmony is our tradition. The people of our country do not support any form of violence including militancy and terrorism." "Therefore, we have to maintain patience and self-restraint and show respect to others' opinion in a democratic pluralism," Hamid said. Hasina, in her message, paid homage to the three million martyrs and 200,000 women who were violated during the war. "The independence earned through supreme sacrifices of millions of people is the greatest achievement of Bangali nation," said Hasina. "To ensure that this achievement remains meaningful, all should know the history of our great Liberation War and retain the spirit of independence. The history should be passed down from generation to generation," she said. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has also extended greetings and felicitations to the government and people of Bangladesh on its National Day. In a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Hamid, Mukherjee on Friday said: "On behalf of the government, the people of India and on my own behalf, it gives me immense pleasure to extend warm felicitations and best wishes to you and to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of your National Day." "The bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh have grown tremendously over the past few years. I am confident that this relationship between our two countries will continue to expand and that our interaction and cooperation will scale new heights," Mukherjee said. The Pakistan Army swooped down on Bengalis on the night of March 25, 1971 to subjugate their struggle for freedom. They carried out genocide in the first hours of that night in Dhaka, describing the attack as 'Operation Searchlight'. Bengalis put up a valiant resistance and got freedom on December 16 after nine months of Liberation War. Brussels, March 26 : Belgian officials have named the second suicide bomber in Brussels attack at airport as Najim Laachraoui, and said that his DNA was found at sites of Paris attacks. The news came as three people were arrested in Brussels in connection with Tuesday's attacks that left more than 30 people killed, BBC reported. Prosecutors said that the arrests were linked to a raid in Paris on Thursday, where an attack was apparently foiled. Other suspects have been arrested in Belgium, Germany and France. The attacks came days after the arrest of November 13 Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam in Brussels. Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said on Friday that Abdeslam, who had initially agreed to co-operate with investigators, had ceased to do so. "The federal prosecutor has just informed me that Salah Abdeslam no longer wants to talk since the attacks on Zaventem (airport) and the Brussels metro," he said. Also it emerged that police in Mechelen had failed to pass on vital information in December 2015 to colleagues in Brussels that could have led them to Abdeslam. Local police chief Yves Bogaerts said that the information was not deliberately withheld. The Islamic State (IS) has said that it carried out both the Brussels and Paris attacks. Brussels attack left more than 30 people killed while at least 130 people were killed in the Paris attacks. As clear connections emerged between the militants involved in the two sets of attacks, French President Francois Hollande warned of a threat from other similar networks. "We have had success in finding the terrorists both in Brussels and in Paris," he said. "There have been some arrests, and we know there are other networks, because even though the one that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out with a number of its members arrested, there's still a threat looming." Brahim el-Bakraoui has already been named as one of the perpetrators of the airport attack. A third person remains unidentified. In the same statement, the prosecutor's office said that three more arrests were made in Brussels on Friday. Turkey has said it arrested and deported Brahim el-Bakraoui, last June, warning Belgium he was a "foreign fighter" -- but the message was "ignored". Bakraoui's brother, Khalid, attacked Maelbeek metro station, where at least 20 people were killed. New Delhi, March 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address five public meetings in Assam on Saturday and two others on Sunday. "Modi will address rallies at Tinsukia, Majuli, Bihpuria, Bokakhat and Jorhat," BJP said in a release. The prime minister is also scheduled to address rallies at Rangapara and Karimganj on March 27, the release added. BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting from Majuli assembly constituency. Assam will vote in two phases on April 4 and 11. The BJP is contesting on 91 of 126 assembly constituencies of the state leaving 24 seats for Asom Gana Parishad and rest for Bodo People's Front and other smaller parties. New Delhi, March 26 : The Panasonic Toughbook CF-54 can not only operate in very rugged environments but cater to the needs of people who are always on-the-go and do a lot field work, a company executive has said. "With the CF-54 we are attempting a total transformation. We are making it available for people like service engineers and sales persons who do a lot of travelling and carry a normal device. These devices fail in a few months if they drop it. But with this device we are saying 'no problem'," Gunjan Sachdev, Panasonic India general manager and national business head - Toughbook, told IANS. Launched last year as a part of Panasonic India's focus on product differentiation, the Toughbook CF-54 is a semi-rugged laptop that can withstand rough handling, including the damage caused by dropping, heat and water, and combines industry-leading balanced mobility with integrated handle and high definition display. The 29.8 mm thin and 1.99 kg device can be customised as per users' requirements with integrated ports, 3G, dedicated GPS and other preference-based requisites -- without compromising on the aesthetic appeal of a notebook. The basic CF-54 model is equipped with a 5th Generation Intel CoreTM i5-5300U vProTM processor with a 3MB cache, 2.3 GHz and a 4GB RAM. This can be upped to 2.9 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology and the RAM can be expanded up to 16GB. The port replication option provides for a smart card reader, fingerprint reader and contactless smart card reader in addition to various interfaces and options like Serial Port, VGA, PC Card, Rugged USB and second LAN. The honeycomb-designed four-side magnesium alloy-enclosed device features a sunlight viewable screen that enables visibility while working in extreme outdoor and demanding conditions. With an impeccable spill resistant keyboard and a one-of-its-kind shock resistant attribute up to 2.5-foot drops, it sets new standards of durability. Its battery gives 11 hours of operational backup and the laptop is fitted with a briefcase-like handle for easy carrying. The device comes with a hot swappable battery option which enables a user to change batteries without shutting down the computer and extend the operating battery life to 18 hours. "You can use it for the full day without charging in any environment. It also comes with a 'bridge battery' that gives a 2-3 minute backup while changing the battery," Sachdev noted. The CF-54 offers 4-5 metre GPS accuracy and comes with an option of extra security for SIM cards and HDD (and SSD) that can be obtained by special screws and screwdrivers from the company. The semi-rugged series starts at Rs.1.2 lakh. Questioned about this, Sachdev said: "Basically it is a total cost of ownership. Of course the initial price will be double but when we add tangble and non-tangible costs like less breakages and no business loss, over a five year period, Toughbook actually comes to be cheaper." Although the semi-rugged models are not fireproof, some of its fully-rugged models like FZ-G1 can work seamlessly in explosion zones. Asked about the competition and future strategies to top them, another executive said Panasonic has some core technology that no one can replicate. "Unlike our competitors who just assemble components from different manufacturers, Panasonic has in-house manufacturing of important components like battery and mother boards at Japan- and Taiwan-based units," Kosuke Kagawa, assistant manager, overseas sales department, told IANS. "Moreover, we have 20 years of experience in manufacturing these devices; so it is difficult for the competitors to come up with a similar type of product," he added. To expand its business in India, the company opened a new configuration centre in Malaysia. Panasonic India is currently tied up with automotive, railway and defence sectors and looks to expand its business in the aviation, utility and logistics space. (Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in ) Kottayam (Kerala), March 26 : A Kerala nurse and her son were killed in a shell attack on their residence in Libya's Sabratha city, officials said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday night when the shell landed in their apartment complex. Sunu and her 18 month son were there, while her husband Vipin was outside. According to reports reaching here, the attack killed the two and a few others who resided in the same complex. Vipin and Sunu -- the nurse couple, after their marriage in 2012, had left for Libya. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told IANS that they are making efforts to reach out to people in Libya to find out the latest situation. Agra, March 26 : Uncertainty continues to baffle tour operators on the hiking of entrance ticket rates for various Mughal monuments in Agra. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has so far not clarified whether the rates would be revised upwards from April 1, as announced earlier. The new rates were announced last November but due to protests by travel and tour operators, including the Indian Association of Tour Operators, as also the local tourism industry, a decision was postponed till April 1 this year. The present rate for domestic tourists at the Taj Mahal is Rs. 20 and this is proposed to be raised to Rs.50. Foreign tourists have to currently shell out Rs.750 and this will be raised to Rs.1.250. Rates for other monuments have also been upped. However, the ASI has not yet announced when the new rates will come into force. According to the local ASI officials, the decision has to be announced by the culture ministry in New Delhi. Sunil Gupta of Travel Bureau said the ASI should immediately clarify the issue and clear the mist. "They do not have any clear policy. The rates have to be rationalised, but the hike should be reasonable. We are already concerned at the falling number of foreign tourists. The ASI obviously wants to reduce the number of tourists from the conservation angle, while the tourism bodies want the number of tourists to go up," Rajiv Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Agents Association of India and senior industry leader, told IANS. "The minister concerned (Mahesh Sharma) heads both the tourism and culture departments. To increase the revenue we have given several suggestions. If the ASI hikes the ticket rates, the Agra Development Authority (ADA) too will increase its share and raise its ticket rates. Presently the ADA collects Rs.500 and Rs.250 goes to the ASI from the Rs.750 ticket for foreign tourists," he added. ASI officials said there was no directive from the ministry so far, which means the present rate structure may continue. The ASI has been chiefly concerned with somehow reducing the crowds at the Taj Mahal. "The human pollution is creating problems and the increasing number has to be somehow rationalised in line with the NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) recommendations," Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, told IANS. "One suggestion is to limit the visiting time to two hours per ticket. The other is a staggered system which means you pay more if you want to go close to the main structure of the monument. Those who see the Taj from a distance pay less, those who go closer pay more," he added. One thing is for sure: All stakeholders will be waiting with bated breath till at least March 31. If there is no announcement by then it will mean the status quo will continue. (Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in ) Kabul, March 26 : At least 10 militants were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an army spokesman said on Saturday. "Based on a confirmed tip-off, the air raid was conducted on a compound in Marja district Friday evening," Xinhua quoted an official as saying. The militants were building explosive devices in the targeted hideout and a Taliban IED expert named Mullah Khadim was among those killed, the official said, adding that no civilian was hurt in the bombing. Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold. The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently as spring and summer known as fighting season is drawing near in the country. The Taliban has yet to make comments. Mumbai, March 26 : Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Saturday said he recced the Indian Army Headquarter in New Delhi in March 2009 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. The stunning reply came in response to a specific question posed during his cross-examination by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, whether he (Headley) had recced the Vice-President of India's house in New Delhi. Denying that he surveyed the VIP residence, Headley revealed that he had recced and videographed the entire road between the Sena Bhawan - the Indian Army Hq - till the National Defence College (NDC), with the Vice-President's House falling somewhere midway. On February 12, during his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Headley had admitted that he visited the NDC campus once in 2007 at the instance of his Lashkar-e-Taiba handler, Sajid Mir, since the terror group Al-Qaeda felt it was "a good, high-value target". On February 13, Headley revealed how, post-26/11, he had surveyed the NDC, Chabad Houses in Goa, Pushkar and Pune, besides the Indian Army's Southern Command HQ in Pune (March 16-17, 2009) in an attempt by the Pakistan spy agency ISI to infiltrate the military establishment, recruit army officers and get 'classified information' from them. On Saturday, Headley revealed and elaborated about the survey and videography conducted of the entire high security route between Sena Bhavan and NDC, with the Vice-President's house in-between, in the national capital. He also said how he believed that the US, Israel and India were enemies of Islam, but denied that he wanted to restore 'Islamic rule' in India. Earlier in the day, Headley said though he was aware of the Thane college girl Ishrat Jahan episode through the newspapers, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi had informed him about the 'operation.' He said he had informed India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) about "a female member who had died in an encounter in India Ishrat Jahan" and other related things, but was clueless why the NIA did not record his statement accurately. However, he admitted before Special Judge G.A. Sanap that he had "no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan" operation, on the last day of his cross-examination by lawyer Khan, who represents Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. Elaborating on his earlier stance, Headley said he did not tell NIA about Lakhvi informing him that the Ishrat Jahan module was a "botched-up operation" and claimed he 'thought' it was a failure. He said he had given details on various aspects to the NIA officials when they interrogated him in the US in July 2010, but his statements were not read out to him. He did not seek a copy of his statement nor was it provided to him by the NIA, Headley said, raising serious doubts on the NIA statement. Headley referred to certain statements he made to the NIA on LeT ex-commander Muzammil Bhatt and Ishrat Jahan who was killed in an encounter by Gujarat Police along with three other male aides near Ahmedabad in 2004. He said that he had informed NIA that "Ishrat Jahan was an Indian and a LeT operative", but had no explanation why this was not recorded by the NIA. Headley had first brought up Ishrat's name, a 19-year girl studying in a Mumbai college in February during his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. But on Friday, he said, the NIA had not prompted him in any manner to say her name. He also claimed to have informed NIA that the LeT's operations were spread all over India but concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat, which was not recorded by the NIA team. The four-day cross-examination of Headley via video-conferencing from an undisclosed location in the US, by Khan ended here on Saturday afternoon. New Delhi, March 26 : Backing Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday, the Congress blamed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of releasing a fake sting and using shameful tactics of defaming the state government. "After Uttarakhand High Court's decision to dismiss the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, the BJP is now resorting to dirty politics of releasing a fake sting to defame the state government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. "Now they are hatching a conspiracy to destabilise a democratically elected government in the state. These sickening conspiracies are a shame for Indian democracy. After Arunachal Pradesh, now they are playing dirty politics in Uttarakhand," he added. Surjewala further said: "After the defeat in Delhi and Bihar, they know it very well that they come to power democratically in any other state. So, out of botheration, now they are running a campaign to topple down the governments in all the Congress-ruled states." Brussels, March 26 : Brussels international airport will not reopen before March 29, authorities said on Saturday, following terror attacks in the Belgian capital that killed 31 people. According to a statement issued by the airport authorities, the Zaventem airport is now "studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, and considering new security measures at Belgian airports, decided by the federal government." Zaventem airport was the first target on Tuesday, with two suicide bomb explosions in the departures hall killing 11 people. An hour later, 20 people died in the suicide bombing of a metro station, BBC reported. A team of airport engineers and technicians is being given access to the terminal building for the first time since the attack. They will assess the damage and stability of the building. The airport authorities will also install new security measures. The airport check-in area suffered severe damage when two blasts seconds apart hit opposite ends of the departures hall. Police in Belgium on Saturday continued operations to search for members of the terror cell, in particular the missing man from the airport image and a man suspected of aiding the metro attack. The two suicide bombers were identified by DNA as Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui. They were pictured in an airport CCTV image. Twelve people were arrested on Thursday and Friday in Belgium, France and Germany. Agartala, March 26 : Despite their ideological differences, the BJP-PDP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir would solely work for the development of the state, union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday. "There are ideological differences between the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and PDP (Peoples Democratic Party). Despite these differences, the BJP-PDP alliance government would work for the development of J&K," Singh told reporters. Singh, a BJP Lok Sabha member from Udhampur-Doda parliamentary seat of Jammu and Kashmir, and a minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, said: "The state leadership of BJP and PDP would finalise the nitty-gritty of the government formation in that state." Singh along with BJP's national general secretary Ram Madhav on Friday met party legislators of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar and discussed the government formation. The minister said the BJP-PDP coalition government, headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, worked smoothly for the welfare of the common people and development of the bordering state. Singh arrived here on Saturday and met Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. He also addressed a BJP's booth level workers' meet and Journalists' conference. Jammu and Kashmir was placed under the Governor's Rule on January 8 after Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's death on January 7 following multi organ failure at a hospital in New Delhi. Sayeed's daughter and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, 56, is set to succeed him. The PDP presently has 27 legislators in the 87-member legislative assembly. An independent legislator from the Ladakh region also supports the PDP. BJP, which has 25 legislators, is supported by two legislators of Peoples Conference headed by Sajad Lone and an independent member. Agartala, March 26 : The central government has undertaken 17 waterway projects to improve links between north-east India and the adjoining countries, union minister Jitendra Singh said here on Saturday. The proposed waterways are in addition to railway, air and road links being developed in the eight north-eastern states, said Jitendra Singh, who is Minister of State for Development of the North-eastern Region (DoNER). "As part of the BJP-led central government's Act East policy, development of connectivities in all spheres in the north-east are priority areas," Singh told reporters. He said: "Over a hundred waterways are being developed across the country and 17 such projects planned for the north-eastern region. Multi-modal connectivity in the region has been undertaken on a priority basis to boost trade and to increase the movement of people." "While waterways are recognised as a fuel efficient, cost effective and environment friendly mode of transport, it has received lesser investment as compared to roads and railways." Parliament earlier this month passed the National Waterways Bill, 2015, seeking to add 106 inland waterways to the existing six National Waterways on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. Jitendra Singh, who came here on Saturday met Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and addressed a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) booth level workers meet, said one or two of the 17 waterway projects would link the Bay of Bengal with the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam. Jitendra Singh said his ministry has thought about developing a dedicated airline that would operate flights within the region and also connect it with the rest of the country. "Though there is no specific development about the proposed aviation scheme, my efforts were on in this regard. An inter-ministerial committee between the DoNER and civil aviation ministries was formed to study the issue." He said: "Railway ministry has been working round the clock to extend the railway network in all areas of the northeast. The DoNER ministry would be funding the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project to connect north-east with the Bangladesh railway network." The minister said the Road Transport and Highways Ministry had formed the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd with a corpus fund of Rs.150 crore to develop roads in the region. He said currently 17 km of roads were being built every day, which would increase to 30 km per day. "Earlier the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government only looked at the north-east under the Look East policy, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned it into Act East policy to do work for the development of the region." Thiruvananthapuram, March 26 : The Vatican and the FBI are among those working hard to rescue Catholic priest Tom Uzhunnallil from Kerala who is currently in the custody of the Islamic State terrorist group in Yemen, an official said on Saturday. A massive joint operation has been launched, with officials coordinating from various places, to see that the priest is rescued, an official who did not wish to be named told IANS. "The Vatican, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Catholic church's working groups in Jordan and Abu Dhabi, besides Indian Embassy officials in Djibouti along with Indians based in Yemen are all working hard to see that the priest is rescued," the official said. On Saturday morning, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that they were trying to rescue Uzhunnallil. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," she wrote. Earlier this month, militants barged into a care home for the elderly set up by Mother Teresa in Yemen's Aden in 1992, and shot dead many people, including four nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, among whom one was from India. The militants abducted the Kerala priest and there has been no information about him ever since. Uzhunnalil's ancestral home in Ramapuram in Kottayam district is presently closed as two of his brothers live abroad, while another lives in Gujarat. The brother from Gujarat has reached Ramapuram after hearing news of the abduction. His relatives said they were in contact with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who regularly keeps in touch with Sushma Swaraj. New York, March 26 : Honeybees have the potential to use vibrational "stop signals" to warn their mates about dangers from predators attacking foragers or the nest, finds an interesting study. Scientists found that an Asian species of honeybee communicates about the impending dangers depending upon the type of danger and the context via short vibration pulses, usually by head butting their peers. "Surprisingly, this signal encodes the level of danger in its vibrational frequency, its pitch, and the danger context through the duration of each pulse," said lead researcher James Nieh, professor at the University of California in San Diego, US. The vibration pulses are the most sophisticated form of alarm signalling found in a social insect, the study said in a paper published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. Previously, such referential alarm signals had only been reported in vertebrates like birds and primates. The team studied Asian honeybee, Apis cerana, when attacked by the world's largest hornet, the "yak-killer" Vespa mandarinia and a smaller hornet, Vespa velutina, to see if bees would produce stop signals in both situations. "We hypothesised that bigger predators would pose a bigger threat and would change stop signalling, perhaps by producing more signals when attacked by a large predator," Nieh said. The research confirmed that the bees were using stop signals to keep their fellow foragers from returning to a place where danger lurks. The bees used higher pitched stop signals to warn their peers of larger predators, while longer stop signals connoted that threat was closer to the hive. The attacked foragers reduced their waggle dancing and produced stop signals that increased in pitch according to predator size. In addition, the guard bees and returning foragers attacked at the nest entrance produced longer duration stop signals to warn nestmates about the imminent danger outside. New Delhi, March 26 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) of stoking communal passions over the murder of doctor Pankaj Narang. Calling it "shameful and disgusting", the Delhi chief minister said that people want peace, not hatred. "Utterly shameful n disgusting dat BJP/RSS tryng 2 communlise unfortunat murder of Dr Narang. Ppl want peace, not hatrd," Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday. Narang was fatally assaulted by a group of men, allegedly from the Muslim community, outside his residence in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area on Wednesday night following a spat with two motorbike-borne men over rash driving in the colony's lanes. A senior police officer clarified in her tweet that of the nine people apprehended for the murder, five were Hindus. Also, one of the two motorbike-borne persons, with whom Narang had an argument initially, was a Hindu. "Out of 9 accused person 5 r Hindu. At the moment of first scuffle, out of 2, 1 was Hindu. The Muslim accused r residents of UP, not Bangladesh," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Monika Bhardwaj had earlier tweeted. Barcelona, March 26 : Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Saturday opened a memorial space in the Camp Nou grandstand here to mark the passing of Johan Cruyff, who died on Thursday at 68. During the memorial event, Bartomeu underlined that Barcelona could not "be understood without Cruyff's influence". A large photo of Cruyff, who died after a struggle with lung cancer, was hung up with Catalan words "Gracies, Johan" or "Thank you, Johan", reports Efe. Bartomeu said "these are very sad days" for Barcelona and its fans, indicating that the memorial space will be open until Tuesday according to an agreement with Cruyff's family. Bartomeu was the first to address the media to pay tribute to Cruyff, who was also praised by key figures from Barcelona and the Catalan civil society. "The current Barcelona would not be understood without Cruyff's influence," Bartomeu said. The Barcelona president also admitted that Cruyff "was a teacher for a whole generation" as the Dutchman "added a modern touch" and brought "a new playing philosophy". Jammu, March 26 : Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday staked claim to power in Jammu and Kashmir after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) informed the governor that it was ready to support the PDP chief as the first woman chief minister of India's only Muslim-majority state. However, the date for the swearing-in ceremony has not been decided as yet because the two coalition partners are still discussing ministerial portfolios - a last-minute hitch in forming the state government - which leaders of the two parties said would be resolved soon. "We have to discuss it with our coalition partners," Mehbooba Mufti told reporters after she met Governor N. N. Vohra along with Nirmal Singh, BJP's nominee for the post of deputy chief minister. Senior PDP leaders and party MPs Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Tariq Hamid Karra accompanied Mehbooba to the governor's residence in Jammu in a sign that the party stood behind her decision to realign with the BJP after a nearly three-month-long break. Karra and Beigh were vocal opponents of their party forming a ruling coalition with the ideologically opposed BJP when Mehbooba's father Mufti Mohammaed Sayeed formed the government last year. The alliance was on the brink of a collapse after Sayeed died in a Delhi hospital on January 7. A day later, Jammu and Kashmir came under Governor's Rule when a bereaved Mehbooba refused to take the oath as chief minister. She continued dragging her feet over the government formation and wanted the BJP-led central government to redraw the terms of alliance her father had authored. However, the BJP refused to give fresh concessions to Mehbooba and the rapprochement was reached only when she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi earlier this week. The two partners are now ready to govern the state again even as the portfolio issue still hung fire. Mehbooba, however, denied the issue was causing the delay in holding the swearing-in ceremony. "Portfolios are not important. That is something we can sit together and sort out. It is a coalition government. The BJP's portfolios are ours and ours portfolios are of the BJP," she said, smilingly though. Mehbooba heaped praises on Prime Minister Modi and said he has assured "all help to my government". "We will stick to the Agenda of Alliance formed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed." She said her father's vision of peace and development will be fulfilled with "a renewed vigour". Mehbooba presently represents south Kashmir's Anantnag constituency in the Lok Sabha. To be the chief minister, she will have to get elected to either house of the state's bicameral legislature and also resign her parliament seat. The PDP at present has 27 elected members in the 87-member Kashmir assembly. The BJP has 25 and it also enjoys the support of the Sajad Lone-led Peoples Conference's two MLAs and an independent from Udhampur. In Delhi, the PDP drew flak for aligning with the BJP. The Congress put a poser wanting to know what will be the new government's stance on parliament attack convict, Afzal Guru as the PDP believes that hanging the Kashmiri militant was a miscarriage of justice. "J&K deserves an elected government and we welcome celebration of democracy. But will (the) BJP tell what is the stance of PDP-BJP on Afzal Guru now," Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala asked in a tweet. Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas asked Mehbooba to clear her stand. "Your stands on certain issues like holding parliament attack accused Afzal Guru a martyr cannot be agreed with. Now, we have come to know that you have changed your old stand on Afzal." Vishwas asked the PDP chief to "voluntarily give a statement in the media that you hold Afzal Guru as a traitor and not as a martyr". New Delhi, March 26 : Congress' rebel legislators in Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat which, they alleged, showed him indulging in horse-trading to save his government, prompting BJP to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention for his dismissal. The sting showed the chief minister, allegedly offering money to legislators to vote for his government in the vote of confidence mandated by Governor K.K. Paul before March 28. Releasing the video, rebel Congress lawmaker Harak Singh Rawat said that the chief minister was trying to bribe the nine rebel Congress legislators as well as few of those of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also alleged that the rebels have been receiving life threats. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had served notice to nine rebels, seeking their responses by March 26 (Saturday) on why they should not be disqualified from membership of the house under the anti-defection law for violating the party discipline and aligning with the opposition BJP. Harak Singh also said that the sting video clearly showed that the chief minister was talking of offering Rs.5 crore to each legislator to return to the party and was also heard saying "chalo maamla saste mein nipat gaya (The issue has been settled at a cheap price)". "We have expressed concern over our security to the central government as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make arrangements for us. We have also requested the governor to immediately dismiss such a corrupt government of the mafia," he added. "We have also written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee to take objection to the whole situatiom. There is a constitutional crisis in the state," he said. Soon after the sting was released, the chief minister held a press conference where he accused the journalist, who conducted the sting, of conniving with opposition parties to "destablise his government and bring a bad name to the state". The BJP and the people behind the sting operation, he charged, were "immoral and greedy". Nine Congress legislators led by Harak Singh had rebelled against the chief minister couple of weeks back when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker rejected the demand. Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 legislators. Meanwhile, a BJP delegation on Saturday met the president to seek his intervention in the Uttarakhand political crisis and demanded that Congress government be dismissed at the earliest as it has lost its majority in the state assembly. "There is no need of vote of confidence as it has already been proved by a sting operation that Rawat has been indulging in unfair means to win numbers. Uttarakhand government is already in minority and president's rule must be imposed in the state at the earliest," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting. He said this is necessary to avoid any "corrupt practice" - alluding to the horse trading charge against Chief Minister Rawat. "Even if they (Congress) prove majority in the house, it will be muder of democracy," he said, adding that the president has assured them of necessary action. Harish Rawat, however denied the charges as baseless and his Congress also backed him, accusing the BJP of releasing a fake sting and using shameful tactics of defaming the state government. "After Uttarakhand High Court's decision to dismiss the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, the BJP is now resorting to dirty politics of releasing a fake sting to defame the state government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. Former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is among the Congress rebels, however, sought imposition of president's rule in the state saying: "Rawat has lost all the moral grounds to remain in power." Kolkata, March 26 : Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek on Saturday cautioned the opposition CPI-M, asking them to be prepared for receiving a "befitting reply". A day after the chief minister lashed out the Communist Party of India-Marxist for killing eight Trinamool activists, Abhishek, addressing party rallies in Purulia district, said the Trinamool will not be anymore courteous to the opponents. "After May 19 when the ballot boxes will be opened, the people of Bengal will witness a new Trinamool. We have been very courteous, we have given you many opportunities...but not anymore "In the days to come, inch by inch you will be given befitting reply... be prepared for that," said Abhishek. The opposition was quick to condemn Abhishek's remarks. "His comments are indicative of the Trinamool's nervousness. Apprehensive of being defeated in the polls, the Trinamool leaders led by their party supremo are threatening and intimidating the opposition," said Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Samik Lahiri. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party too have condemned the Trinamool leader's remarks. Ghaziabad, March 26 : Mohit Yadav, a relative of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and also connected with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was on Saturday arrested with eight other people in a land grabbing case, police said. Mohit Yadav is the cousin of Jitendra Yadav, whose son is married to Lalu Prasad's daughter. He is also a close relative of the family of Akhilesh Yadav. Police said the nine accused equipped with two bulldozers attempted to grab a plot of land in Budh Vihar in Ghaziabad. On Saturday, they razed five houses constructed there, following which residents informed police. "To show physical possession in the court, they razed five fully constructed houses. First, they showed the plot as disputed by filing a case, and then tried to grab the land," said Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil. Two cases have been registered against them -- one by an independent complainant, Meera, a resident of the area and the other by police themselves for obstructing police officers from performing their duty. Police from Vijay Nagar arrested nine people from the spot and seized two bulldozers. The other eight were identified as Prathvi Singh, Jitendra, Gopal, Gajendra, Vikas, Rajiv, Sandeep and Vicky. They have been booked on charges of rioting, being armed with deadly weapon, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, dacoity, and criminal trespass under the Indian Penal Code. Police said they would also be booked under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. A police officer of that area, Ravinder Yadav, has been suspended, said Patil. Mumbai, March 26 : Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal on Saturday thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the airline's passengers for the unprecedented support and composure in the light of Brussels terror blasts. "The response and unprecedented support received from Sushma Swaraj and officials of her Ministry of External Affairs was inspirational and for which I am humbly, most truly grateful," said Goyal in a Facbook post. He specially thanked the airline's passengers who displayed calmness after the latest terrorist attacks in Belgium. "We salute the courage and calmness of our dear guests despite the shock and horror around and are grateful for their understanding of a situation beyond our control," he said, adding that no effort will be spared to offer the best medical treatment available to injured Jet Airways employees. Nidhi Chaphekar, 40-year-old mother of two, was one of the injured on Tuesday in the bomb blasts that rocked Brussel's Zaventem airport and killed more than 30 people. Brussels, March 27 : The Islamic State has issued two videos warning that the "nightmare" of the Brussels terror attacks "had only just begun", Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported on Saturday. The videos were sent to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, showing two radical militants ordering western governments to withdraw their troops from Syria and Iraq, RTBF reported. "Tell them to withdraw their planes and soldiers and you will live in peace," a speaker says in one of the videos. "The nightmare has only just begun. What will come later will be even more appalling," the video continued. "Remember my message a year ago when it was announced that we would attack Paris and Brussels. We have achieved that and we have other targets," the video added. Moscow, March 27 : Russia has seen positive progress in its relations with the US and a desire to communicate from both sides, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "I think it is possible to say that there have been positive advances ... If we compare the atmosphere with what it was a year ago, then of course there is an evident desire to communicate," Peskov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying. However, Peskov noted that there are "no illusions" that Washington would change its attitude toward Moscow in the short term. US Secretary of State John Kerry paid a two-day visit to Moscow this week. During his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the two sides reached some consensus on the Syria crisis, but bilateral relations are far from thawing so long as sanctions against Russia are not lifted. Kerry reiterated that anti-Russia sanctions will only be lifted when the Minsk agreement is fully implemented. The agreement, signed in the Belarusian capital city in February 2015 with the mediation of France and Germany, calls for a cease-fire along with a range of political, economic and social measures aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Lavrov said Russia stands ready to cooperate with the United States on an equal basis, warning of "counter-productivity of the trend to destabilize the foundation of Russian-American relations. " Cairo, March 27 : The Egyptian army killed 19 militants south of Sheikh Zuweid city in the restive North Sinai province on Saturday, the state-run Al-Ahram news website reported. The security forces also arrested six terrorist suspects and destroyed 23 hideouts, 27 vehicles, two digging loaders and two motorbikes, Al-Ahram quoted security sources as saying. On Friday, similar security operations killed 60 militants and wounded 40 others in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, according to a statement by the military spokesman. Increasing terror attacks have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers nationwide since the military overthrew the former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Last week, a mortar attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai's Arish city killed 15 policemen. Most of the anti-government attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based militant group calling itself "Sinai State" which vows its loyalty to the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Michael Littledike and Capita Financial Network are leading the way in offering holistic retirement solutions for employees who are transitioning from the workforce into retirement. Mr. Littledike and his team at Capita are available to meet with employer groups through presentation or with employees individually. Michael Littledike, presenter bio: As the founder of Capita Financial Network, Michaels core focus is to provide clients with complete and customized expert solutions for retirement. Over the last eight years, Michael has presented to thousands of people within employer groups on the topic of social security and retirement planning. Through the broad scope of independent professionals that make up Capita Financial Network; Michael has created a full-service approach to help individuals prepare for and transition seamlessly into retirement. Capita Financial Network 9980 S. 300 W. #140 Sandy, Utah 84070 801-566-5058 info(at)capitaonline(dot)com http://www.capitaonline.com Michael Littledike is an Investment Advisor Representative with Allegis Investment Advisors LLC, a SEC Registered Investment Advisor. 2410 E 25th Circle, Idaho Falls ID 83404. Allegis is under separate ownership from any other named entity. Investment advisory products and services offered through Allegis Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. 2410 E 25th Circle, Idaho Falls ID 83404. Neither Allegis Investment Advisors, nor its representatives provide tax or legal advice. For answers to your specific questions please consult a qualified attorney or tax advisor Scotland Campus using NFC in Capital Campaign Materials to Help Restore the Campus Purple Deck Media's TapLive, bridges the gap between the physical and virtual. For the first time ever, near field communication (NFC) is being used in fundraising materials. Imagine being able to touch your phone to a booklet and instantly see additional information, a video and/or progress of the campaign. The project, spearheaded by Purple Deck Media and Scotland Campus, enables the Scotland Campus to measure the amount of people who are interacting with campaign materials and gather additional information. It also allows for the information to be changed and updated in real time, providing the ability for Scotland Campus to dynamically control the content delivery in-house. NFC technology is gaining a foothold in the United States. Prior to NFC, the use of clunky QR codes were an option, but these do not offer the elegant, dynamic experience of NFC. Purple Deck Medias patent-pending NFC cloud management solution, TapLive, provides the ability for the Scotland Campus to gather metrics on their campaign materials, update information instantly, and provide a futuristic and simple information delivery experience. With thousands of capital campaign material being distributed, the Scotland Campus has complete control over information and delivery. All hand-held, paper-based materials are static. By partnering with Purple Deck Media, these types of materials are now becoming an interactive and dynamic promotional tool, which bridges the physical with the virtual world. The Scotland Campus is a 167-acre, 79-building campus currently in the process of rebuilding after being shuttered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for four years. The vision, to be a Christian community where leaders are nurtured and trained for global impact, is becoming a reality on the Scotland Campus. The plan is to send forth charismatic, forward-thinking Christian leaders into business, church, industrial and social organizations all over the world. Scotland Campus (SC) is a unique collaborative community of educational institutions and businesses sharing one beautiful campus and maximizing economies through well-managed, shared facilities. While substantive renovations have already been undertaken, a key to the development and growth of the campus lies with the complete replacement of the water lines, sewer lines, roadways and additional parking. These upgrades to the infrastructure are absolutely essential and will provide for and attract even more partners in the future and ensure sustainability and growth for the campus. Thus, the need for the $6.7 million Scotland Campaign: New Life for a Historic Campus. About Purple Deck Media: Purple Deck Media is a rapidly expanding software company that provides tools to enable mobile engagement. Their latest innovative solution, TapLive, allows for the dynamic cloud management of near field communication devices. TapLive allows users to change an NFC enabled objects behavior, while also collecting useful metrics in their revolutionary dashboard. Purple Decks MobileDeck platform allows businesses and organizations to make their own mobile applications for both iOS and Google Play. Purple Deck also has integrated products that enable the embedding of iBeacon and geofences. Izabela Machnicki RE/MAX recently honored two of its brokers for earning the largest residential sales commissions of 2015 in its northern Illinois real estate network. Izabela Machnicki of RE/MAX Premier Properties, Chicago, earned the largest residential sales commission, and Basel Tarabein, broker/owner of RE/MAX At Home, Rolling Meadows, captured the years largest residential referral commission. Machnicki received a six-figure commission check when she successfully listed and sold a 46th floor unit at Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave. The transaction was remarkable not only for the commission it earned but for its family ties. The sellers of the unit were Machnickis parents, and the buyers were represented by her son, who is also a real estate broker. Tarabeins winning referral commission also had a family connection because the buyers were cousins of his who were resettling from Syria to the United States to escape the dangerous conditions created by the civil war there. He helped connect them with a builder in Southern California where they purchased a newly built home in which to begin a new chapter in their lives. RE/MAX agents consistently rank among the most productive in the industry. In 2015, RE/MAX Northern Illinois agents averaged 18 transaction sides. RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989 and is continually growing. The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network, with headquarters in Elgin, Ill., consists of more than 2,250 sales associates and 105 independently owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of residential and commercial brokerage services. Its mobile real estate app, available for download at http://www.illinoisproperty.com, provides comprehensive information about residential and commercial property for sale in the region. The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX, a global real estate organization with 104,000+ sales associates in 90+ nations. #### EDITORS NOTE: RE/MAX is a registered trademark. Please spell in all caps. Thank you. This release is posted at blog.illinoisproperty.com. Kaitlyn Greenidge and I meet for brunch in Brooklyn the Saturday before Christmas, just after it was announced that she is one of three dozen American writers to receive a 2016 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. It would be a huge accomplishment for any writer, but its particularly notable in Greenidges case because her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, published by Algonquin, didnt hit the shelves until March. Greenidges novel is so engaging, and the author herself so affable, that shortly after being directed to our table, were already talking seriously about sibling relationships and the difficulties of watching your parents age, both of which figure heavily in her book. Then were on to the finer points of maintaining a good writing practice and the gratitude one feels at having a supportive mentor. In another minute, were discussing work by Claudia Rankine, Toni Morrison, and Colum McCann, and Cathy Park Hongs expert response to Kenneth Goldsmiths absurd, attention-getting piece based on Michael Browns autopsy report, which he performed during a reading at Brown University. All of which is to say, one danger of interviewing someone as personable and as well read as Greenidge is that the conversation is far more absorbing than the comparatively dry questions Ive prepared for her. After an hour of talking, neither of us has ordered so much as a cup of coffee and Ive got a list of six books I need to read and a dozen articles to look up. This, it seems, is how Greenidge moves through the world. Shes quick to laugh and even quicker to support her points with a reference to history, a recent novel, or a news item. Often, she holds a hand aloft as she amends or clarifies something shes just said, as if footnoting her own speech. Shes also a voracious reader who finds it just as valid and stirring to examine historical realities by reading fiction as by reading more formal histories. Greenidge attended Wesleyan as an undergraduate, graduating in 2004, and even then, she says, she knew that she wanted to write, but opted to major in history rather than creative writing. I consciously became a history major because it involved research and the world of ideas and because, really, all of world history could be your material. After graduating and moving to New York, she worked first as a program coordinator and later as a research associate at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, a museum that preserves and presents the history of Weeksville, Brooklyn, one of Americas first free black communities. She decided to apply to Ph.D. programs, thinking that she might become a history professor who wrote novels on the side. She drops her palms on the tabletop and laughs as if surprised by her earlier notion of what it meant to be a writer. I thought, yeah, thats totally doable! You might as well do both because both fields are easy and provide job stability. In fact, in 2007 Greenidge was just weeks away from moving to Washington, D.C., to attend a Ph.D. program when she opted not to go and decided instead to stay in New York and write fiction. Her investment in history and her experience working for black history museums helped spur her to write the book.I worked in black history museums basically my entire lifesince I was 17, Greenidge tells me. So I spent a lot of time with the public talking about history and then talking about black history, which is a trip. Everybody has a crazy opinion about black history. I ask whether Greenidge explicitly set out to write about history or race, or if the novels investment in history and race was incidental to a more personal story she wanted to tell. She thinks about it for a moment and says, The impetus to write the book came from the question, what if theres a different way to write about black history than the ways that we currently have? She notes, too, that to write about American history is necessarily to write about race, but shes quick to dismiss a rote version of history in which black Americans are entirely without agency. I wanted to write something that was about race but that didnt feel like itd obligate the reader to feel a certain way, Greenidge says. Most black history that people learn is a black history of pain and degradation and awfulness. Black history is also the history of America, and its the history of coming to a country and remaking it in your own image. Its the history of all of our popular culture. Its the history of every single fucking high note in a gospel song. Accordingly, historical and cultural details are everywhere in the novel: family history, personal histories, the broader history of black Americans in New England, and the horrifying legacy of eugenics are woven together to tell the story of the Freeman family. Its 1990, and the foursomeCharles and Laurel and their two daughters, Charlotte and Calliehave been invited to participate in an experiment whose aims seem, at first, straightforward. Researchers at the Toneybee Institute for Ape Research have hired the Freemans because of their fluency in sign language. The family moves from Boston to the institutes campus in the Berkshires in order to raise a young chimp named Charlie as one of their own, with the intention of providing Charlie an immersive language experience that will, it is hoped, lead him to fluent signing. The gig even comes with a car. The books opening finds the Freemans diving that new Volvo from Boston to the imposing and unnerving Toneybee campus. Its as expertly mysterious an opening chapter as any youd find in a great gothic novel or a thriller (Jane Eyre and The Haunting of Hill House come to mind), but the mysteries and horrors to be found at Toneybee arent supernatural; theyre social andyou guessed ithistorical. Soon enough, the Freemans find themselves living with young Charlie in the countryside among researchers whose aims quickly seem suspect. Who, really, is the subject of this study? Why are they making video recordings that focus on the Freemans when its Charlie, the chimp, whos at the heart of the experiment? When Charlotte learns of abominable physiognomic experiments once undertaken at Toneybee, things begin to unravel. In attempting to explain away the institutions pastin which a Toneybee scientist drugged black residents of the county before administering intelligence tests that would later be compared to the test results of the apes housed at the instituteToneybees founder presents a racist, tone-deaf letter of apology. It is addressed, ridiculously, to the African American people, and the 19 pages that follow present one of current literatures best and most unsettling depictions of white noblesse oblige. The difficulty of writing about racial tensions and the inherent politics of the endeavor arent lost on Greenidge. As much as everybody loves to write about race and to say that we need to have a difficult national conversation about race, actually going directly to it and talking about it is nearly impossible for most people, she says. I ask Greenidge why she thinks people find it so hard to discuss race when were frequently reminded of racial imbalances and injustices. We have a beautiful and wonderful ideal that everybody is created equal and that everyone is equal under the law, she says. No joke, I recite the Declaration of Independence in the morning when I wake up. Its my common prayer, essentially. Its beautiful. Its so beautiful that its entrained in our culture, but what that also means is that were forced to face how it gets pulled through our weird, clumsy, awkward, dumb American selves. In the process, we dont really recognize when there are real imbalances. We want to believe that the ideal already exists for us. In the novel, the biggest stumbling block for the Freemans is that, try as they might, that idealthat all are created equalisnt applied to them by their white employers at Toneybee, who are also their landlords. This makes it all the more heartbreaking to watch as Laurel and Callie attempt to teach Charlie to sign and to coax him into behaving more like a human child. In attempting to find and foster the humanness in him, theyre also, through their own acts of patience, intimacy, and empathy, asking the Toneybee researchers, and more broadly the world, to see them as fully and unequivocally human. There have been many novels about the ugly legacy of racism in recent years, but Greenidge offers something different. We Love You, Charlie Freeman is, in the narrowest sense, a novel about a young woman who comes of age alongside a lab chimp in rural Massachusetts and, in the broadest sense, a book about how an entire culturethe great American experimentstumbles awkwardly forward, more or less in the direction of greater equitability. Nate Brown is the managing editor of American Short Fiction. After an aborted trip to Stephen Kings vacation house, a successful indie thriller, and a subsequent Bram Stoker Award nomination, author J.D. Barkers career is only getting more unusual: the writer has been tapped to coauthor a prequel to Dracula with Dacre Stoker, Bram Stokers great-grandnephew. Ive received over 500 emails and messages on social media telling me not to flub this up, Barker says. Its extremely daunting. While he cant reveal any spoilers, Barker says theyve created a bookwith the blessing of the family estatethat Bram Stoker would be proud of. But how did a relatively unknown indie author end up cowriting a prequel to one of the worlds most popular novels? It began when the pair met at the Bram Stoker Awards in May 2015. Barkers Forsaken was a finalist for the award for best first novel, and Stoker was a presenter. I gave him a copy of Forsaken, and we parted ways an hour or so later, Barker says. Stoker read the book and liked it, and got in touch to ask whether Barker would be interested in coauthoring a Dracula prequel. (Stoker had previously written the authorized Dracula sequel, Dracula the Un-dead.) At that point, Barker says, I checked the room for cameras and waited for Ashton Kutcher to jump out to tell me I had been Punkd. When he realized the offer was genuine, he accepted, and the pair got down to work. Barker began his career writing for outlets like Teen Beat and Seventeen, interviewing Debbie Gibson, Bon Jovi, New Kids on the Block, and others. He also worked alongside Brian Warner, the man who would later become Marilyn Manson, at a magazine called 25th Parallel. After realizing that journalism wasnt for him, Barker rediscovered his love of fiction and began working toward writing and eventually publishing his first novelthe story of a successful horror author who writes a disturbing tale of a 16th-century girl on trial for witchcraft. He sent hundreds of query letters to agents but became discouraged by the lack of response. I knew I had a good story, but I couldnt get a single person to take a look at it, let alone get me in front of a publisher, he says. I decided I might be better off proving myself on the indie path and approaching the publishers down the road with a strong track record behind me. Forsaken has attracted a loyal following since its release in November 2014. Ive received drawings of the characters from all around the world, Barker says. One reader in the U.K. painted a picture of one of the monsters on glass. Forsaken reached the top 100 bestseller list on Amazon in the U.S. and U.K. and the #1 spot on Amazon Canada. It also hit the #2 spot on Audible. I got stuck behind Harper Lees Go Set a Watchman, Barker says. It probably also helps that the book has a tangential connection to King: one of Barkers characters buys a journal from a Mr. Leland Gaunt at an antique store called Needful Thingsa reference recognizable to fans of the King book of the same name. After an aborted attempt to show up at the doorstep of Kings Florida vacation home to ask permission for the reference (fear of snipers turned him back), he decided to email Kings assistant instead. A quick exchange confirmed that King was fine with this. To this day, Im afraid to check my email for fear of finding a reversal, Barker says. The prospect of creating the prequel poses the biggest challenge for Barker. Dracula has fans worldwide, and to many peoplemyself includedthe book is sacred ground, he says. For their background research, he and Stoker met to investigate a trunk full of Bram Stokers personal paperseverything from maps and receipts to diaries collected from the famous authors family members over the years. Parts of Dracula were actually written in a daily planner, and [Dacre] had copies on hand, Barker says. Bram Stokers revisions to his famous book are evident as Dracula finally replaces the authors original name for the character, Count Wampyr, in the various drafts. Its impossible to see this and not picture Bram at the moment his legendary character was born, Barker says. Amid all the papers, an idea for the prequel began to take shape. As I dove into his notes, I quickly realized Bram fully believed vampires were real, Barker says. Our novel explains why. Barker advises fans that the best place to keep up to date on the project is draculabegins.com. Once the final draft is complete, the plan is to shop it to traditional publishers. In the meantime, he is also working on his next novel, a suspense/thriller crossover set in Chicago called The Fourth Monkey. Archive Deep Dive National Poetry Month begins on Friday. To kick things off, were looking back to a time before NPM, perhaps before there was even a need for such a celebration. According to PWs bestsellers lists published a century ago, on Apr. 1, 1916, two poetry books were bestsellers: The Collected Poems of Rupert Brooke, from the British poet famous for his sonnets about World War I (and for his good looks), and the seminal Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, an enduring collection of poems about an imaginary small town. If youd like to celebrate NPM by reading some of this years best poetry, check out our list of the most-anticipated spring 2016 poetry titles. From the Newsletters PW Daily Keep up to date on all the latest industry news with PW Daily, our free newsletter covering everything you need to know, every day. Tip Sheet Kelly Kerney, author of the novel Hard Red Spring (Viking), which spans 100 years of Guatemalas history, writes about the impossibility of writing historical fiction. Childrens Bookshelf See who made the cut on our ranking of childrens and young adult books that sold more than 100,000 copies in 2015. Religion Bookline Recapping the PW religion publishers summit. BookLife Report Booklifes panel of self-pub experts field reader questions on whether to write to literary trends, and how to market literary fiction. Blogs ShelfTalker An appreciation of offbeat, weird, quirky, and dark classic childrens books that probably wouldnt make it past an acquisition committee today. Podcasts Week Ahead PW senior writer Andrew Albanese weighs in on the latest industry sales figures, including another decline in e-book sales. More to Come PW senior editor Calvin Reid talks with Stephane Metayer, the writer, designer, and creative mastermind behind Tephlon Funk, a hip-hop and manga/animeinfluenced graphic novel set in the Queensbridge housing projects of New York City. Events Going to AWP in LA? PW and Booklife will be there. Come visit us at booth 1637. PW Radio Glen Weldon discusses his new book, The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (S&S). PW senior writer Andrew Albanese previews the London Book Fair. PW Star Watch 2016 Is Open for Nominations Were looking for the next generation of publishing-industry leaders. Do you work with someone who is going to make a big impact on the business? Nominate that person for PW Star Watch, or you can nominate yourself. A panel of judges including members of PW, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and noted industry leaders will pick 50 up-and-coming stars and select five top honorees and a Superstar who will get an all-expense-paid trip to the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair. Find out more. The most-read review last week on publishersweekly.com was A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury). With revenue above $182 million in 2015, the Quarto Group occupies a rare spot in todays increasingly consolidated publishing world: a publicly traded independent company with size and scale. In fact, Quarto CEO Marcus Leaver said the company views itself as having the might of a major, and the creativity of an independent. Since it was founded in London in 1976 by Laurence Orbach, Bob Morley, and Michael Jackson, Quarto has specialized in illustrated books. Quartos early focus was on the publication of international coeditions, as the cofounders sought out overseas partners to reduce the costs associated with publishing illustrated editions. Though coeditions remain an important part of its businessthey accounted for 27% of revenue in 2015the company has devoted more resources to publishing its own titles. Through a series of acquisitions, which included Creative Publishing, Motorbooks International, and Cool Springs Press, Quarto has built a $72 million American publishing business that caters to enthusiasts in categories that range from art instruction to motor sports. Quartos acquisitions have not been not confined to the U.S.; it has bought niche companies in the U.K. as well, including Ivy Press, which it acquired in 2015. The various acquisitions sometimes created confusion for its accounts, so last year Quarto undertook a branding campaign to highlight the Quarto name, while still singling out its different imprints. In creating the Quarto Publishing Group USA, which is composed of 16 imprints, Leaver said, We wanted to show the breadth of what we do. All of those imprints, Leaver stressed, focus their editorial efforts on particular areas without interference from headquarters. Editorial freedom forms the creative essence of Quarto that had been at the core of Orbachs original vision for the company. Leaver, who succeeded Orbach in 2012 after a group of shareholders called for Orbach to be replaced, does not minimize Orbachs pivotal role in growing Quarto. Orbach is the most important person in the companys history so far, Leaver said. He created the companys ethos, and I consider him a mentor. Still, Quartos shareholders brought Leaver in to make certain changes. Among his priorities was to create a more efficient global operating structure, and Leaver believes he has largely succeeded. Quarto now has a global sales and marketing platform that sells its books in 45 countries and in 35 languages. And Quartos employees realize they are part of a global company, whereas previously the different parts of the company were not always on the same page, said Leaver, who credits the Quarto staff with buying into the new strategy. One of the accomplishments Leaver is most proud of is continuing to reduce Quartos debt while investing in the development of new intellectual property. In 2015 Quartos debt was cut 10%, but it still invested more than $30 million to create new content. Leaver has also looked to fill holes in Quartos portfolio, and nowhere has the company seen better results than in the childrens market. Since 2012, sales in the childrens group have increased 75%, and the $32.2 million the division generated last year represented 22% of all Quarto revenue. Leaver sees plenty of opportunity to expand in the future and makes clear that niche acquisitions will continue to play a part in Quartos growth. To that end, it acquired Harvard Common Press in February. HCP was particularly attractive to Quarto because, among its other assets, the company has 25,000 cooking recipes. Leaver said those recipes will fit well with the QuartoKnows website, which the company launched last year to showcase and promote what it publishes to consumers. In 2016, Quarto will focus on making QuartoKnows more of an e-commerce platform. In addition to showing what it does well, Quartos 40-year history has also taught it what areas to stay away from. We wont be publishing fiction, Leaver said, or anything in black and white. We do illustrated books really well, so that is what we are going to focus on. Quarto Group Operating Divisions ($ in millions) What is going on in the world of international publishing? Lets see, the European Union is having a crack at changing copyright. Amazon is in trouble over taxes. Hong Kong booksellers are being abducted. Australian exclusivity agreements are being challenged. And scholarly communication networks are impacting scientific publishing. As my grandmother would have said, ay ay ay. With many American publishers planning to attend the London Book Fair, I absolutely recommend that they come early to participate in the 31st International Publishers Congress, hosted by the U.K. Publishers Association, the London Book Fair, and the International Publishers Association (of which I am president). There is a spectacular four-day program, and a stellar roster of speakers and participants from around the world, including Africa, China and other Asian countries, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, the Middle East, and, of course, Europe. The congress opens Saturday, April 9, with a cocktail party at Londons wonderful new Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road, sponsored by the Booksellers Association. Then, all day on Sunday, April 10, at the Olympia, there will be presentations and discussions about the key issues of our industry, including a talk by Charlie Hebdos lawyer; keynotes by Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry and author Philip Pullman; an interview with Alaa Al Aswany, who is under threat in Egypt for his views; a talk by probably the most influential person in the world of copyright protection, Francis Gurry, director general of WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization); and sessions on a range of topics, from big vs. small publishing to fair use and more. And there is, of course, a grand dinner in an unusual London location to keep you guessing. On Monday, April 11, delegates have access to the London Book Fairs Quantum conference. And on Tuesday, April 12, delegates have a choice of attending the What Works conference on educational publishing, the Research and Scholarly Publishers Forum, or day one of the London Book Fair itself (all included in the delegate price). As American publishers continue to increase their efforts in the global publishing market, it has become ever more important for them to join their colleagues in order to better understand what is actually going on. In that regard, this IPA Congress is a unique opportunity. I hope to see you there. Richard Charkin is an executive director at Bloomsbury and is president of the International Publishers Association. Cheers to the decision by Illinois leaders to poach the marketing whiz who came up with an effective Indiana Illinoyed campaign that both annoyed Illinois pols and exasperated Illinoisans who have grown tired of watching businesses flee our state. Turnabout is fair play; after all, the Kelly Nichols engineered ads were designed to poach more businesses and residents from our state. Now the former vice president for marketing of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will be putting her creativity to work as the first marketing director for the Illinois Business and Development Corporation that Gov. Bruce Rauner recently created. One of the things shell need to do when she takes the job, she told Crains is to try to undo part of my hard work in Indiana. We wish her luck; shell need it. Jeers to Illinois latest worst-in-the-nation distinction: Now that Pennsylvania leaders have ended an nine-month-long budget impasse, the leaders of the Land of Lincoln stand alone in their political intransigence and self-serving politicking. As the cost to Illinois taxpayers of their failure to agree on a compromise spending plan grows to billions of dollars, Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan are busy orchestrating millions of dollars in campaign spending that further roil the angry waters. A word of advice, to our so-called leaders: Compromise doesnt mean waiting until the other guy caves in. Pennsylvanias governor didnt get everything he wanted from lawmakers, but he got about half of it. Thats how governing is supposed to work. Not in Illinois: Here, its winner take all, and damn the taxpayers. Cheers to a pair of bills that would create a private foundation to help improve and maintain the Illinois and DuQuoin state fairs and their grounds. Previous efforts to pass bills that would seek private donations have repeatedly failed, despite their proven success elsewhere. Fairground Foundations are not a new concept, and Illinois companies are donating money to those out-of-state foundations. We should be doing everything we can to keep that money in our state for our fairs, said Raymond Poe, acting director of the Department of Agriculture, said in a release from Gov. Rauners office in support of the bills this week. Aggressive private fundraising could help the fairs begin attacking more than $180 million in deferred maintenance. Quality facilities do more than benefit state fairs. The rounds are used throughout the year. We urge the General Assembly to act quickly to create an overdue strong and effective public-private partnership to secure the future of these amazing assets and important showcases for Illinois agriculture. Cheers to all who helped to bring about the rescue of 19 Jews from Yemen whose lives were at risk from al-Qaida. It has been a long journey, and one that the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities has actively promoted. Last October, Jewish Agency Director of the Aliyah (immigration), Arielle Di Porto, spoke at the Quad City Association of Evangelicals Night to Honor Israel in part to thank Quad-Citians for their long support for Israeli humanitarian efforts. When she visited us, there still were 91 Jews still in Yemen of the 200 the agency had originally sought to save. Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said, From Operation Magic Carpet in 1949 until the present day, The Jewish Agency has helped bring Yemeni Jewry home to Israel. Today we bring that historic mission to a close. The remarkable and indefatigable Ms. Di Porto was the chief architect of the complex operation that ended successfully this week, the Federation said. In October, she told Quad-Citians: Its not an easy hour for Israel. Ms. Di Porto said her message was, I hope you will continue to pray for us and support us. Each time I save a life it is also due to the people of the Quad-Cities. They help us to save lives. Thats worth celebrating. Todah rabah! Though life was slowly improving for millions in Illinois as the 20th century opened, many still struggled for fairness, including women, the poor and minorities. In several instances, racial tensions exploded into some of the landmark moments in American social history. After the Civil War, some blacks began to migrate north, looking for better job opportunities and living conditions. But despite the gains of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, many blacks in the North had no money, few possessions and limited skills and education. As a result, they competed for lower-end jobs. Still, blacks kept coming northward. In 1900, there were only 84,000 blacks in Illinois. However, the start of the so-called great migration of blacks from the South during the era saw minority populations jump in industrial cities like Chicago, Peoria and Springfield. In 1919, Chicagos black population was 100,000 double that of the previous decade. Racial and economic fears were prevalent and often resulted in violence. Grisly lynchings of blacks were reported statewide in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including notable incidents in Decatur, Belleville, Danville and Cairo. Few, though, had the impact of the 1908 race riot in the capital of Springfield. On Aug. 13, Mabel Hallam, a young, white, married woman, claimed that she had been raped by a black intruder in her home. A fiery rampage ensued throughout the night of Aug. 14 and much of the next day, and large mobs burned and looted businesses and black homes. Two blacks, including an 80-year-old man married to a white woman, were murdered in gruesome fashion, and over 100 people were wounded. Some 107 indictments were returned, with only one conviction. On Sept. 1, Hallam admitted that she had lied. Journalist William English Walling penned a scathing account of the Springfield riot that stoked the passions of New York activists, who met to discuss American race relations. The discussion resulted in the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Feb. 12, 1909 the centennial of Abraham Lincolns birth. Other riots were even more deadly. In East St. Louis in 1916 and 1917, labor shortages induced business owners to hire Southern blacks, resulting in an influx of some 10,000 to 12,000 black laborers. The National Guard spent several weeks in the city before withdrawing in mid-June 1917. On July 1, a rumor circulated that a white man had been murdered by a black man. Large armed confrontations over the next two days claimed the lives of nine whites. Estimates of black deaths range into the hundreds. Some 250 buildings and 40 railroad cars were burned in what one source calls the worst of many incidents of racial antagonism in the United States during World War I. On July 27, 1919, in Chicago, a 17-year old black youth was swimming in Lake Michigan when he drifted across an unofficial line between the citys black and white beaches. Whites on land threw stones at the boy, who was hit in the head and drowned. That sparked a week of violence that left 38 people dead and at least 537 injured. Some 1,000 black families were burned out of their homes. The summer of 1919 has been dubbed the red summer for the number of race riots across the nation. Some progress was made during the era, including the formation of a race-relations commission in Chicago after the 1919 riot that identified 59 needs for improvement. Ida B. Wells founded the first African-American womens club in Chicago, which became headquarters for the Illinois Federation of Colored Womens Clubs. In 1915, Oscar DePriest became the first black alderman in Chicago, and he would be the first black from Illinois to win election to Congress in 1928. But like others in Illinois society, blacks still had a long way to go in the early 20th century. ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL The Rock Island National Cemetery will host a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Saturday, April 2, at 11 a.m. at the main flagpole circle. The ceremony will include the following: u Patriotic music (bagpiper) u National anthem u Wreath presentation u Keynote speaker: U.S. Marine Corps Maj. (Ret.) Lynn Lowder u Rifle Salute (Moline American Legion Post 246) u Taps (Moline American Legion Post 246 performed by Tracy Hepner) The cemetery will mark the graves of all Vietnam era veterans interred at Rock Island National Cemetery with yellow, helium-filled balloons. At the end of the ceremony, guests will be invited to help collect the balloons, which will be released together (bio-friendly balloons and twine). Lapel pins will be handed out to Vietnam War veterans at the conclusion of the ceremony. Lowder, the keynote speaker, is a national advocate for veterans. In 1967, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and went on to serve as a team leader with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company (Special Operations) in Vietnam. His experiences in combat are profiled in such books as "First Force Recon Company: Sunrise at Midnight" by Bill Peters and "Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam" by Michael Lee Lanning and Ray William Stubbe. Following his time in the Marine Corps, Lowder worked as a trial attorney and law firm executive. He is the past director for Military and Veteran Services at the University of Central Missouri, where he was responsible for day-to-day support for veterans transitioning from combat zones to higher education, emphasizing classroom skills, mental wellness and job placement. His civilian accomplishments are profiled in the book "Above and Beyond: Former Marines Conquer the Civilian World" by Rudy Socha and Carolyn Darrow. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Investigators are broadening their DNA searches beyond government databases and demanding genetic information from companies that do ancestry research for their customers. Two major companies that research family lineage for fees around $200 say that over the last two years, they have received law enforcement demands for genetic information stored in their DNA databases. Ancestry.com and competitor 23andme report a total of five requests from law agencies for the genetic material of six individuals in their growing databases of hundreds of thousands. Ancestry.com turned over one person's data for an investigation into the murder and rape of an 18-year-old woman in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 23andme has received four other court orders but persuaded investigators to withdraw the requests. The companies say law enforcement demands for genetic information are rare. But privacy advocates and experts are concerned that genetic information turned over for medical, family history research or other highly personal reasons could be misused by investigators and that the few known cases could be the start of a trend. "There will be more requests as time goes on and the technology evolves," said New York University law professor Erin Murphy, author of "Inside The Cell: The Dark Side of Forensic DNA." Law enforcement agencies across the country have access to growing state and national databases with millions of genetic samples of convicted offenders and arrestees. Investigators compare DNA found at crime scenes against the genetic samples in the government databases. They look at 13 distinct locations in a DNA sample, seeking exact matches at each location to pair a suspect with genetic material at the crime scene. Ancestry.com and 23andme officials say their databases won't be useful to most criminal investigations because they analyze regions of DNA different from the locations forensic experts explore. Still, that hasn't stopped investigators stumped on cold cases from contacting the companies for help. In the summer of 2014, court documents show, the Idaho Falls Police Department obtained a warrant to seize genetic information from Ancestry.com in connection with the 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge. In 1998, Christopher Tapp was sentenced to life in prison for Dodge's murder and rape, but he's appealing his conviction saying his confession was coerced. Police are still working the case at the insistence of Dodge's mother and others because the only DNA found on her body was not Tapp's and investigators believe another suspect also was involved. Idaho Falls police sent the DNA sample to Ancestry.com in 2014 to process. Ancestry emailed the results to the police without naming anyone in the company's database, which was only partially accessible to the public. The results, however, established a close, though not exact, match. Believing the killer could be a relative of the DNA donor, police obtained a warrant to compel the company to turn over the donor's name. "The hurdles for this should be extremely high, like getting a warrant for a wiretap, because it is an invasion of privacy," said Greg Hampikian, a Boise State University biology professor and forensic DNA expert assisting with efforts to exonerate Tapp. Hampikian said there has to be "a compelling public safety issue" and judge's approval before calling on companies to turn over genetic information. "In this case, there is a killer-rapist still out there and a man in prison for murder claiming innocence," Hampikian said. The donor was Michael Usry Sr., a contractor living near Jackson, Mississippi. Ten years earlier, thinking he was helping further the Mormon Church's deep interest in genetic research, Usry donated his DNA to a nonprofit scientific organization conducting a hereditary study. The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation was launched by billionaire Utah businessman James LeVoy Sorenson with the backing of the church. The foundation's goal was finding a "genetic blueprint" for humans, and it amassed more than 100,000 samples when Ancestry acquired the database in 2007. Usry was not the right age for the 20-something suspect investigators were seeking. But his son was the approximate age and had connections to the Idaho Falls area. Police showed up at Michael Usry Jr.'s doorstep in New Orleans in December 2014, armed with a warrant for his DNA. The younger Usry, a filmmaker, was interrogated for six hours and finally gave blood for a DNA sample. For the next month, he remained under suspicion until his DNA was determined not to match the samples taken from the crime scene. Now Usry Jr. says he is making a documentary about his experience. "It was disconcerting," he said. "It was a very weird situation." Idaho Falls Police Department spokeswoman Joelyn Hansen said the investigator who obtained the warrant has retired and no one else in the department "felt comfortable" discussing the warrant. After media reports about the Usrys' experience, Ancestry and 23andme each said they turn over customer genetic data only under court order. Both companies announced publication of "transparency" reports that disclose the number of warrants and subpoenas from law agencies. "Privacy is our primary concern," said 23andme privacy officer Kate Black, who said the company has never turned over genetic information despite receiving four court orders. But Black said 23andme has so far convinced investigators that the company's data won't help with their cases and the agencies have withdrawn their demands. Ancestry says the only request it received was for Usry's information. The company has since removed the Sorenson database from public view. "It does bother me that Sorenson sold that information after they told me it wouldn't be shared," the elder Usry said. "It does bother me that my DNA was used in this." BRUSSELS (AP) Heavily armed police swept into Brussels neighborhoods Friday in operations linked to this week's bombings as well as a suspected new plot in France, detaining three people and shooting two of them in the leg. One man was carrying a suspicious bag while accompanied by a young girl. As Easter weekend began, jittery Europeans faced uncertainly about how many violent extremists remain at large, and where and when they might strike again. On Friday afternoon, two blasts and gunfire rang out in the Schaerbeek district of Belgium's capital, where police earlier found explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the suicide attackers who killed 31 people and wounded 270 in assaults on the Brussels airport and subway. Authorities, meanwhile, confirmed one of the attackers at the airport was the bomb-maker who made explosive vests used in last year's carnage in Paris the most definitive link yet between the two attacks, both of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group. On the third and final day of national mourning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid a wreath at the airport for the victims of Tuesday's bombings a ceremony that was skipped by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel because of the police operations. Kerry, in a hastily arranged visit, defended Belgium's counterterrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failures before the bombings that have brought sharp criticism of top members of Belgium's embattled government. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Nov. 13 bombings in Paris that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Confirming that several FBI agents are involved in the investigation, Kerry said the "carping" about Belgium's shortcomings "is a little bit frantic and inappropriate." He also lashed out at the Islamic State group. "We will not be deterred," he said. "We will come back with greater resolve with greater strength and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth." As the identities of the victims began to be made public, officials announced that American, British, German, Chinese, Italian, French and Dutch citizens were among the dead. A manhunt has been underway for one of the airport attackers who was recorded on a surveillance video and fled the scene. Prosecutors have not said how many attackers there were in total, or how many accomplices might be at large. But they said Friday that DNA analysis and an official investigation had confirmed one of the suicide bombers at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, 24, a suspected bomb-maker whose DNA was also found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks. European security officials had earlier in the week confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, thus linking the Brussels and Paris bloodshed. On Friday, dozens of heavily armed officers swept into Brussels' Schaerbeek neighborhood, as well as the Forest and Saint-Gilles districts, the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said. It was the second such raid in Schaerbeek in two days. Officers began the operation about 1:30 p.m., when "two big explosions" echoed through Schaerbeek, resident Marie-Pierre Bouvez told the AP, and it lasted about two hours. It was not immediately clear if the blasts were controlled explosions. Bouvez said police kept the area locked down and shouted at her to "get back inside" when she tried to go into the street. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him," and after he did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg, said Norman Kabir, a local electrician. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. State broadcaster RTBF said police apparently feared the bag held explosives. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF the raid was linked to the Brussels attacks as well as Thursday's detention in France of a man authorities said was in the advanced stages of plotting a new attack. The 34-year-old suspect, Reda Kriket, has a past Belgian terrorism conviction and was linked to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, officials told the AP. Meanwhile, the top suspect in the Paris bombings, Salah Abdeslam, who was captured in Brussels one week ago, has stopped cooperating with police and "no longer wants to talk," said Justice Minister Koen Geens. Abdeslam exercised his right to silence during the second of two rounds of questioning on March 19, prosecutors said. France is seeking his extradition, and his lawyer said he is prepared to go. Elsewhere, Belgium's nuclear agency said it has withdrawn the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concern the nuclear plants could be a target. Immediately after Tuesday's attacks, security was boosted around Belgium's nuclear sites, and hundreds of workers were sent home. Last month, authorities said searches after the Paris attacks uncovered video linked to a person working in Belgium's nuclear industry. Belgian media reported this week that two of the suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks, brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, had video of the home of a senior official at the Mol nuclear waste facility in the Flanders region. In the neighborhood of Molenbeek, home to some who took part in the Paris attacks, Sheik Mohamed Tojgani denounced the Brussels bombers during a sermon before Friday prayers. "Terrorism is terrorism," said Tojgani, the imam of Molenbeek's main mosque. "It has no state, no nationality, no religion, no country." In a message to the Belgian people, he added: "You are from us and we are from you. What affects you, affects us." Poignant accounts of some of the victims' last moments also emerged Friday. Among them was Liberian-born Elita Borbor Weah, seen smiling in a photo she texted to her family shortly before the blasts at the Brussels airport. Wearing a black coat and a white-and-black checked head-covering the 40-year-old mother of a teenage daughter is seen standing in the departure lounge. She was on her way to Rhode Island for her stepfather's funeral when she was killed, her tearful brother, Oscar Weah, told the AP. When one of the worlds largest zoological organizations teams up with a leading animal protection and advocacy organization, its an indicator that humanity is at a revolutionary moment in our relations with animals. Entrepreneurialism, innovation and changing attitudes all are transforming the traditional ways in which animals are treated. That is whats behind the surprising news that SeaWorld will be partnering with the Humane Society of the United States. Instead of adversaries standing leagues apart, our organizations are finding common ground and working collaboratively. Its also why SeaWorld will make this the last generation of whales at its marine parks and will phase out the use of these orcas in shows. The orcas who are now the centerpiece of the SeaWorld brand will no longer be bred, and, because SeaWorld hasnt collected a whale from the wild in more than 40 years, that will make this the last generation under human care. And instead of performances, visitors will experience the orcas in more natural settings, doing the things that come naturally to them. How did these big changes and this unlikely partnership come about? And what does it mean? Over dinner not long ago, a mutual friend introduced us, the CEOs of SeaWorld and the Humane Society. Since the debate about animals under human care is so passionate on both sides, it wouldnt have been surprising to see a food fight break out. But, as soon as we started talking, we discovered we have far more points of agreement than disagreement. We both shared the view that the most serious threats to marine creatures are poaching, pollution, unsustainable human development and human-caused disasters. Because of the aggregation of these threats, far more than 3,000 terrestrial and marine species are endangered. Some scientists predict that, only 100 years from now, about half of all large animals will be on the extinction list. Governments cant address this crisis alone. For wild places and wildlife to survive, nongovernmental organizations like the Humane Society and zoological organizations like SeaWorld have indispensable roles to play. Thats why were taking action -- together. We will be conducting joint efforts against the killing of whales, seals and other marine mammals. Were also combatting shark finning -- removing sharks fins for use as a delicacy and then throwing the carcass back in the water where, unable to swim, the shark experiences an agonizing death. We will also join together in public advocacy for ocean ecosystems and against the destruction of coral reefs and reef fish. The Humane Society recognizes the critical work SeaWorld performs as one of the largest rescue organizations for marine creatures. SeaWorld will increase its focus on rescue operations -- so that the thousands of stranded marine mammals like dolphins and sea lions will have a second chance. In order to make the practices at its marine parks more humane and environmentally sustainable, SeaWorld will make sure that all of the food provided for the guests meets standards, such as sustainable seafood, eggs from cage-free birds and pork from crate-free pigs. Now, through this partnership and the progress it produces, we expect more Americans will see SeaWorld as part of the solution -- a company committed to marine mammal rescue, research, and education. As the company prospers in the years ahead, it will become a spotlight example for other companies, demonstrating that it is desirable and possible to do well by doing good. Make no mistake: Consumers are demanding change. They are driving the nations economy in an animal-friendly, environmentally sustainable direction. And this agreement answers these consumer demands with meaningful progress. Together, we are advancing the goal of a humane economy, where changing public attitudes make the marketplace a mechanism for promoting the welfare of all living creatures. Management theorists often speak of win-win decision-making. This partnership is just that and more. Its a win for marine mammals and the oceans. Its a win for the consumers who care passionately about wildlife and wild places. And its a win for the animal advocacy organizations and the accredited zoological organizations that helped form and foster those very ideas. Summary: There is a deep connection between the end of the Cold War, the Yugoslav wars and the attacks in Brussels. They may appear separate but are deeply interconnected. The release of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union triggered a seismic shift along the fault line of U.S. containment strategy that runs through the Middle East. These tremors are still playing out today. Radovan Karad?iA?, former president of Republika Srpska, a Serbian enclave in Bosnia, was found guilty of genocide by a United Nations tribunal yesterday. He was accused of the deaths of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in the 1990s. The date of his conviction, March 24, is also the 17th anniversary of the beginning of the NATO bombing campaign in Serbia that led to separation and independence of Kosovo from Serbia. It is also the week in which members of the Islamic State carried out an assault on Brussels. The three events are intimately connected. The American strategy during the Cold War was to contain the Soviet Union. One part of the containment line ran through Europe. Another part, after the Sino-Soviet split, ran along the northern Chinese border. The third line ran from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan - through the Islamic world, with predominantly Muslim countries on each side of the line. The tremendous force of the Western alliance, China and the Soviet Union had frozen these boundaries into place. With the exception of Afghanistan later in the Cold War, this created a tense but coherent region. Various countries were in different alliances, and some in none, but on the whole the Cold War brought a relative stability to the region. The shifts that took place were managed by the great powers to limit their destabilizing effect along the line of confrontation. When the Soviet Union collapsed and the line disappeared, three things happened. In Europe, Western-style democracies emerged in the former Warsaw Pact countries. In China, the People's Liberation Army and the Communist Party shifted their focus to economic development. And the line from Yugoslavia to Afghanistan destabilized. It did not destabilize all at once, or even quickly. But as the force field between the U.S. and the Soviets disappeared, the region regained its autonomy and destabilized. Put another way, the Muslim world destabilized, and Muslims confronted the Christian world that had shaped their map. This began in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was a country invented after World War II, containing Muslims and Christians, with a wide range of bad memories about each other and therefore hostility. After World War II, Yugoslavia was frozen into place by two forces. One was the communist government of Josip Broz Tito, which submerged ethnic and religious difference under its government apparatus and security structure. The other force freezing Yugoslavia into place was the fact that, having come to power independent of the Soviets, Tito did not want to become a Soviet satellite. Therefore, Yugoslavia maintained a neutrality tilted mildly to the West. That stance froze Yugoslavia, as neither the U.S. nor the Soviets wanted to take the risk of shifting its orientation, and Tito did not want do anything to trigger a change in policy. Tito died in 1980, and Yugoslavia became increasingly fractious. But it was not until after the fall of the Soviet Union that a fragmented Yugoslavia unfroze and went to war. This was not a Muslim-Christian war, as it was also a war against Croatian Catholics and Serbian Christian Orthodox, along with numerous other confrontations. But it was the Serbian-Bosnian confrontation that became the bloodiest and the Serbian-Albanian confrontation that triggered NATO's air attacks. Both were confrontations between Christians and Muslims and one was what today's verdict was about. The depth of the hatred can be seen in the Bosnian genocide, but it must be remembered that all sides carried out brutal actions. By 1999, the mere fear that something might happen in Kosovo - it had not yet - triggered an air campaign in Kosovo and in Serbia (then still called Yugoslavia) that lasted more than two months. One way to look at this war is that it was the first warning to the Europeans that Europe was still capable of atrocity. But the Europeans always had an odd view of the Balkans as a place in Europe but not of Europe. They took home few lessons from there. The second and more useful way to look at the war in Yugoslavia is that this was the first violent post-Cold War confrontation between Muslims and Christians. Most view Yugoslavia's horrors as neither European nor connected to other events. I regard this as the first part of the collapse of the confrontation line of the Cold War, and the first open warfare between Christians and Muslims. It was not unique or separate. It was an opening event that spread throughout the Islamic region that had been frozen in place by the Cold War. The 1990s were a decade of destabilization and redefinition. One of the most important parts of the redefinition was the decline of the Soviet-supported secular Arab groups like the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and the rise of a consciously Islamist movement in the Muslim world. In a way, it meant the decline of Fatah and the rise of Hamas. But it also meant that secular regimes, like those of Egypt, Syria and Libya, were losing their international foundations. In the near future, Ukraine plans to conduct test launches of domestically produced ballistic missiles built without the involvement of foreign companies, said National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchinov in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine news agency. According to Turchinov, resuscitating the domestic missile industry is a priority for Ukrainian authorities. "We need to develop as a space-faring nation, producing high-tech spacecraft, but we also need to restore the necessary production line of combat missiles that will protect the country," added the secretary. "We will soon carry out test launches of missiles of indigenous production, created by exclusively Ukrainian enterprises." Turchinov noted that the domestic rocket industry has struggled since the loss of close cooperation with Russian enterprises after 2014. Turchinov would not specify the missile types, citing the interests of strategic partners, but he stressed that Ukraine has strengthened its defense without violating any of its international obligations. This development follows plans laid out in 2014 by the newly elected pro-Western Ukrainian President Poroshenko -- his "Strategy 2020" plan called for major overhaul of the nation's armed forces, a plan that involved increasing domestic development of the armaments industry and decreasing reliance on certain exporters, such as Russia, which drove domestic military production without leaving much for Ukrainian forces. In Soviet times, Ukraine produced numerous rockets, satellites, and missiles, most notably at its Yuzhmash factory, which Kiev inherited after 1991 and which sold much of its production line to Moscow until Russia's actions in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. Back to the Future Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry is once again considering reviving a century-old military concept - the use of armored trains. Last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu decided to overturn an order by his predecessor, Anatoly Serdyukov, to eliminate the four armored trains still in country's service. During Russian military operations in the North Caucasus and Chechnya from 2002 to 2009, the Russian military created an entire group of armored trains. However, once military operations in Chechnya wound down, the Defense Ministry has decided that a modern army no longer needed such trains. According to Russian daily Izvestia, the decision to save these special armored trains was made personally by Minister Shoigu. When Serdyukov unexpectedly resigned in late 2012, many of his orders on the reorganization of various units of the Ministry of Defense were not fulfilled, explains Izvestia. After Shoigu audited all military assets, he overruled his predecessor's orders on the reduction of military educational institutions, refused to disband mobile and airborne units, and decided to keep armored trains in the nation's Southern Military District. "When he was the head of the Emergencies Ministry (the Russian equivalent of FEMA), Shoigu, while in Chechnya during the counter-terrorist operation, saw these special trains working and found them useful for the Armed Forces," Izvestia explains. Russian military officers emphasized that these armored trains proved themselves ably in Chechnya, where it was necessary to protect military cargo and personnel transported via rail from Chechen insurgents. Such armored trains were also essential to protect combat engineers who cleared the railway tracks of improvised explosive devices. Each of the trains included repair teams capable of restoring damaged tracks within hours. The four trains, built in the middle of the last century, were on duty in the Soviet Far East until the 1980s -- there they guarded bridges and railways along the Soviet-Chinese border. Such armored trains have near-legendary status in Russia. When mobility and concentrated firepower were scarce during the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Civil War that raged across long stretches of today's Russia and Ukraine between 1917 and 1921, trains equipped with cannon and other weapons allowed Bolshevik forces to gain an upper hand over their opponents, at times deploying more than a dozen such trains in a single battle. By the end of the conflict, the newly formed Russian Red Army had 121 such trains in service, which were also used in World War Two and were immortalized on propaganda posters and numerous Soviet and Russian films. However, in the following decades, advances in artillery, missile guidance, aviation, and other technologies made such trains easy targets and therefore virtually irrelevant in large-scale military operations. Today, Russian military experts have differing opinions on using such old technology for future operations. According to retired Col. Victor Litovkin, a military expert, it is still too early to retire such trains. "Of course, during a modern war with NATO, such armored trains don't carry any defensive or offensive advantage. However, in local conflicts -- such as the ones in the North Caucasus -- armored trains proved indispensable." According to Litovkin, the armored trains were ideal for the destruction of militant formations that operated near railways, as well as for the evacuation of the wounded and during demining operations. In addition, special trains housed modern Russian offensive weapons, such as the MSTA long-range howitzer or Tornado multiple launch rocket systems. However, Ivan Konovalov, director of the Center for Strategic Studies, considers it archaic to use World War One-era technology in a modern military: "Now, in the 21st century, an armored train is a relic of the past, which is useless in modern warfare." Whether right or wrong, the experts may be debating the use of old military technology in modern warfare for a long time: For instance, the American B-52 strategic bomber may fly for up to 100 years after its initial use in the early 1950s, given its versatility as a diverse platform for a variety of weapons and the absence of a viable replacement for at least two more decades. (AP photo) Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson will return to the "American Idol" stage for a final time in April. ADVERTISEMENT The 33-year-old first-season "Idol" winner and 33-year-old fourth-season winner will perform on the Fox reality competition's Season 15 finale on April 7. The long-running series will crown a final winner the same evening. The finale will be preceded by the 90-minute special "American Idol: American Dream" on April 5. The special will see host Ryan Seacrest, original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, and former contestants share memories of their time on the show. MacKenzie Bourg, Trent Harmon, Dalton Rapattoni and La'Porsha Renae remain in competition and will be whittled down to three on the March 31 episode. The final three will perform April 6 before the competition is narrowed to two. Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard, Season 5 contestant Kellie Pickler and Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks are among the other stars slated for the finale. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Fantasia, Taylor Hicks Chris Daughtry and Pia Toscano will also perform. Clarkson previously returned to "American Idol" in February, moving the judges to tears with her emotional performance of "Piece by Piece." The song is inspired by her absent father and her love for husband Brandon Blackstock, who fathered her daughter River. "I definitely didn't know it would affect me like it does when I sing it live because that's not fun," she told "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" after the performance. "It's awesome, but it's kind of sad that so many relate to this song." "American Idol" premiered in 2002 and launched the careers of several contestants, including Clarkson and Underwood. Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban are the judges on Season 15. SHARE Q. Is drinking alcohol a sin? What about smoking legal substances? Many evangelical churches have taken up an abstentionist position regarding alcohol and sought to justify it biblically. The Bible, however, never calls alcohol use per se a sin. In fact, it speaks of wine as a good gift from God, as having a medicinal benefit, and even as a picture of the gospel. Jesus himself miraculously made wine real, alcoholic wine from water for the wedding at Cana. That being said, the Bible is also very clear that the abuse of alcohol drunkenness is a sin, and many warnings are given against it. God commands us to be sober-minded and self-controlled, and drunkenness militates against both of those virtues. The same prohibition and the same problem holds true with "smoking legal substances." The particular problem here is that it is almost impossible to use without suffering the same impingement of mental faculties for which God condemns drunkenness. The Rev. Gene Crow, pastor Redding Reformed Fellowship Drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco is not a sin. Some say God made wine so his people could be happy. It's a genuine pleasure to sample fine wines or sip an exquisite cocktail. I was a confirmed cigarette smoker for 49 years. I had to quit, but I still miss the pleasure of lighting up and the relaxation of nicotine. The question of sinfulness is ultimately in the abuse of the substance leading to bad health, bad behavior and even death. No one is their own best adviser in this, it's simply too addicting and even very dangerous for some. Everything in moderation sounds good, but for most us, only the grace of God can save us from abusing his gift. I feel especially sorry for those still recovering from alcoholism or addiction to nicotine. The road ahead is hard and difficult. We all will pray for you. Deacon Mike Evans Sacred Heart Church, Anderson The Centers for Spiritual Living represent the Science of Mind tradition. This tradition advocates for conscious living. Conscious living also means healthful living. Sin is missing the mark. Missing the mark in this case would mean doing things that are not healthful. What is healthful or not healthful can be very controversial. Research shows that alcohol and smoking are not healthful to our body. The higher way or the conscious living way is to abstain from both. However, this tradition does not set up specific rules or regulations as to what members or associates do or do not do in their personal spiritual journey. As a tradition, we support each individual in choosing their own path. It's up to each individual to determine what is appropriate for their own life in their relationship with the sacred. Each of us assess only for ourselves what is appropriate or not appropriate for us to do in regards to use of such substances. The Rev. Lynn E. Fritz Centers for Spiritual Living, Redding Unity does not believe in the traditional meaning of sin. We believe that sin means missing the mark, falling short of our divine perfection. Our co-founder Charles Fillmore tells us that it is our failure to express the God attributes of life, love, wisdom and other qualities of God. While we don't call drinking alcohol and smoking legal substances a sin, Myrtle Fillmore tells us that it is our responsibility to put into our bodies only those things that lead to health and wholeness so that we have strong bodies and minds. It's only when our bodies are strong and our minds clear that we can make choices from a place of wisdom. For each choice that we make in alignment with our Christ nature, we erase error thought or missing the mark. Carolyn Warnemuende Unity in Redding Traditional Judaism sees sin as missing the mark a result of our choice between positive and negative action. So there is ambivalence in attitudes about the usage of alcohol or smoking. Wine was widely used in Bible days and is embedded in our rituals, like Passover, Sabbath meals and more. There is no Halachic Jewish Law prohibition on the use of alcohol, drugs or smoking and some Hassidic mystics were known to indulge in strong stimulants. But there are strong cultural prejudices against excessive usage of drugs or alcohol, derived partly from the teaching that the body is a sacred gift from God tattooing is forbidden by Halachah and perhaps from observing the effects of vodka on our old country neighbors. Our early spring holiday of Purim, another holiday celebrating escape from annihilation, is an exception. Alcohol usage is encouraged, especially among the Orthodox, and we shouldn't be driving, even if it isn't Sabbath. Art Tilles, social action chairman Temple Beth Israel, Redding The Bible has many positive references to drinking alcohol, so it seems silly for me as a Christian to disparage all uses of alcohol. Of course, when someone has a problem with alcohol, I recommend a strict sobriety. The real question is what is the best way for us to be as alive as we can be to our callings and gifts? The best way for us to do that is our best guidance as to whether and/or how to imbibe. The Rev. Rod Brayfindley First United Methodist Church, Redding It's well known that alcohol is a drug. In Sikh philosophy, it's not allowed to consume or drink alcohol. It has an almost immediate effect on the brain and will alter one's mood. Drinking alcohol makes people feel relaxed, happy and even euphoric, but in reality alcohol is a depressant. Depressants are psychoactive drugs that temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them. Alcohol switches off the part of the brain that controls judgment, leading to loss of inhibitions. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol can affect physical coordination and stability. Prolonged and heavy alcohol use poses serious health risks. Alcohol is one of the major causes of liver cirrhosis irreversible scarring of the liver. This happens because healthy liver cells die and the dead cells are replaced by fibrous tissue. Amarjit Singh The Sikh Centre, Anderson I believe drinking is not sinful. The sin occurs when drinking becomes abusive and uncontrolled. Many point out that the first recorded miracle of Jesus was the turning of water into wine. That in itself is not an excuse to over indulge, though some would like to. I don't know of too many legal substances that one can smoke other than tobacco. All studies that I have reviewed show the harm of tobacco and God has instructed us to care for our bodies. If you're referring to marijuana it has yet to become legal federally. Here's the reality in which we live: Israeli researchers and other botanists have developed strains of cannabis without the THC. The CBD marijuana which addresses issues of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's has yet to be embraced by the marijuana-growing community. You conclude for yourself. Why? Jim White, lay leader Weaverville Church of the Nazarene Next week's question: What is intercessory prayer? Why do you think it works or doesn't work? SHARE By Jessica Skropanic of the Redding Record Searchlight Bring an umbrella and a basket. It'll be raining eggs Saturday when Bridge Community Church hosts its second annual Easter Egg Drop at Simpson University in Redding. A helicopter will drop 15,000 plastic candy-filled eggs on the campus. Last year's drop was thrown together in a week, said the Rev. Joel Smith of Bridge Community Church. The helicopter dropped the eggs - taped shut - from about 100 feet in the air. "We'd done three other hunts (during previous years), and we were getting kind of bored just doing the traditional egg hunts," Smith said. "We thought, why not give it a shot?" The event had one hitch: All the eggs couldn't fit in the helicopter. "This year, we've got two giant tarps to hold all of the eggs under the helicopter," Smith said. Two drops - one for children ages 2 to 6 and one for ages 7 to 12 - will be held within 10 to 15 seconds of each other, beginning at 11 a.m. Children should bring their own baskets. Additional activities start at 10 a.m. and include live music, face painting and games. The egg drop attracted 500 hunters last year. This year, the church planned further in advance, and Smith predicts a larger crowd. "We might have to increase (the number of eggs) now," Smith said. For those who can't make it to the egg drop on Saturday, plenty of other Easter events are being held around the north state. Here is a list of some of them. Easter Bunny at the Mt. Shasta Mall What: Visit the Easter Bunny, enjoy murals and watch the film "Lost in the Woods." A free treat will be given to each child. Photo packages will be available. When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today through Saturday. Where: Mt. Shasta Mall, 900 Dana Drive in Redding. Information: Admission is free. Call 223-3575. YMCA's Eggs-travaganza What: Egg hunt. When: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Where: Shasta Family YMCA, 1155 Court St. in Redding. Information: Admission is one dozen plastic eggs filled with raisins, stickers or other treats. Call 246-9622. Marquis Care at Shasta Healthcare's Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt for children ages 10 and younger. Residents and staff members have donated and stuffed more than 4,000 eggs filled candy or prizes. When: 4 p.m. Friday. Where: Marquis Care at Shasta Healthcare, 3550 Churn Creek Road in Redding. Information: Admission is free. Call 222-3630. Enterprise Community Park Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt for children features Easter eggs filled with candy and cash prizes. When: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Where: Enterprise Community Park, 4300 Victor Ave. in Redding. Information: Admission is free. Redding Recreation's Little Bunnies Workshop What: Workshop is for children ages 3 to 8. Activities include hunting for eggs, dying eggs, decorating cookies and making Easter crafts. Pre-registration is required; space is limited. When: 10 to 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Where: Community Room at Enterprise Community Park, 4300 Victor Ave. in Redding. Information: Admission is $16. Call 225-4095. Bridge Community Church's Easter Egg Drop What: A helicopter will drop 15,000 plastic Easter eggs filled with candy. Activities include live music, face painting and games. When: 10 a.m. Saturday. Where: Simpson University, 2211 College View Drive in Redding. Information: Admission is free. Call 440-1427. Grace Fellowship Church's Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt is for children ages 12 and younger. Other activities include games, crafts and prizes. When: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Where: Grace Fellowship Church, 3658 Rhonda Road in Cottonwood. Information: Admission is free. Call 347-4850 Mount Shasta Elks Lodge's Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt is for children ages 1 to 10. When: 10 a.m. Saturday. Where: Mount Shasta City Park in Mount Shasta and Dunsmuir City Park in Dunsmuir. Information: Admission is free. Call 926-2138. Turtle Bay Second Saturday Eggs-travaganza What: Children can learn about eggs and participate in arts and crafts. Special eggs will be given to the first 100 children ages 3 and older. When: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Where: Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, 840 Auditorium Drive in Redding. Information: Admission is free with park admission. Call 242-3140 Shasta Lake Lions Club's Community Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt is for children ages 12 and younger. When: 9 a.m. Sunday. Where: Senior Citizen and Community Center at Clair Engle Park, 1525 Median Ave. in Shasta Lake. Information: Admission is free. Call 941-2095. Anderson Lions Club's Egg Hunt When: 9 a.m. Sunday. Where: KC Grove at Anderson River Park, 2800 Rupert Road in Anderson. Information: Admission is free. Call 378-6656. Faith Community Church's Easter Family Festival What: Activities include age-appropriate egg hunts, face painting, games, contests and a continental breakfast. A worship service will follow. All ages are invited. When: 9 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Where: Mountain View Middle School, 675 Shasta View Drive in Redding. Information: Admission is free. Go to www.faith-redding.org. Weaverville Lions's annual Easter Egg Hunt What: Egg hunt is for children ages 1 to 10. When: 2 p.m. Sunday. Where: Lowden Park in Weaverville. Information: Admission is free. Call 623-1622 for more information. Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight Virginia Lyn Anderson huddles with Senior Deputy Public Defender Stacey Madsen, left, and Deputy Public Defender Ashley Jones, before her case was called Friday in Shasta County Superior Court. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight In still more twists to the case, the 3rd District Court of Appeal has declined to consider a legal issue that derailed a Redding woman's felony DUI trial last week in Shasta County Superior Court. But the Shasta County Public Defender's Office now plans to petition the California Supreme Court for a possible ruling. Superior Court Judge Greg Gaul, who was expected on Friday to set a new trial date for Virginia Lyn Anderson, announced after a brief conference with attorneys that the appellate court declined to consider a writ filed by the Public Defender's Office challenging the criminal charges filed against her. But, he said, the Public Defender's Office now wants to take the issue to the state Supreme Court. It's not known how long or even if the high court might act on the request to review the issue. Further complicating when Anderson's trial might be held are scheduling problems with expert witnesses whom attorneys plan to question. A new trial date for Anderson is set to be scheduled on April 15, but it's not yet known when that trial will take place. Anderson, 43, is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs in a 2014 traffic wreck that claimed the life of 27-year-old motorcyclist Hayley Riggins, of Redding. Prosecutors, after failing twice to have Anderson stand trial on a charge of second-degree murder, charged her DUI causing injury and a great bodily injury enhancement. But the Public Defender's Office says its client's alleged conduct falls squarely within the specific statute parameters of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and she should have been charged as such. Anderson faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of the charges now filed against her, compared with four years in prison or possibly jail under vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated count. Police have said Anderson was driving under the influence of methamphetamine and other drugs when she allegedly ran a red turn arrow on April 24, 2014, at Buenaventura Boulevard and Placer Street and collided with Riggins, the mother of a then 1-year-old baby. Police said Anderson, whose criminal history includes a 1996 arrest on suspicion of methamphetamine possession, admitted using methamphetamine and other drugs before the fatal crash. A Union Pacific train sits on the tracks late Friday afternoon in Redding after a wheel broke on one of the cars. The train blocked almost all downtown cross streets starting after 4 p.m., creating traffic backups that left many drivers stuck in their cars. SHARE 11:30 p.m. update: The Union Pacific train that broke down in Redding on Friday afternoon was repaired and sent on its way just before 11:30 p.m. Friday. Street crews were removing traffic barricades from downtown crossings at 11:30 p.m. Motorists were forced to take alternative street routes, such as Railroad Avenue and Eureka Way, for about eight hours into the evening while the train was stopped in its tracks due to a broken wheel. ORIGINAL STORY: A stopped Union Pacific freight train closed several streets for hours in downtown Redding starting Friday afternoon and caused congestion on Eureka Way and other detour routes handling the extra traffic. Friday's traffic snafu was reported to Union Pacific about 4:45 p.m. after the back wheels on the northbound train's engine started to jump. Union Pacific officials, who pinned the cause of the mechanical failure to a broken wheel, said mechanics were inspecting the train Friday night, but as of 9:15 p.m. they still don't know what time the train will begin to move. Francisco Castillo, a Union Pacific spokesman, urged the public to be cautious around the train. "Safety is a concern. We are doing everything we can to get the train moving," he said. He noted that inspection had been held up after the rail carrier received reports of people trespassing and hopping on the train to get across the other side of the road. That prompted patrolling by the Union Pacific police. "It was going pretty good and then it started slowing down and it stopped. It's been this way for two-and-a-half hours," said Richard Grant who was outside his home on Yuba Street watching the train go by when its troubles began. He and his friend, David Kelsay, took it upon themselves to help direct pedestrians and cars away from the blocked road. "We've just been telling people the train is going to be (down) for a while and they are not going to be able to (get across)." The train was pulling two loaded and 55 empty cars. It originated in Roseville and was headed to Eugene, Oregon, when it came to a halt, said Justin Jacobs, who is also a Union Pacific spokesman. The cars blocked traffic on Placer, Yuba, Tehama and Shasta streets. Kelsay pointed to a steel object next to the train tracks on Yuba Street. He speculated it was an oil reservoir that fell off the engine, hit the railroad ties and was bent. "Of course without oil, all that weight, there is quite a bit of pressure. It looks like what happened then, is that within quarter of a mile they had to stop it because it was hopping and carrying off," he said. Redding police officers were seen monitoring traffic around the downtown. Drivers took Eureka Way, California and Court Street and Railroad Avenue to get around the stopped train. SHARE The Red Bluff Police Department is searching for a 30-year-old woman who robbed a local bank, and walked away with an undisclosed amount of cash. Officers responded to a 10:00 a.m. call from employees at Banner Bank located at 950 Main St. where employees stated they were robbed by a female suspect who demanded cash, and did not produce or indicate she had a weapon, according to a press release by the police department. The female suspect is described as a white female with shoulder length red hair which may have been a wig, weighing 170 pounds, and between 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, with tattoos on the outside of both her ankles. At the time of the crime, she was seen wearing a tan hat, camouflage jacket, and black Capri style pants. She was last seen walking northbound in an alley way behind the bank. Officers searched the area and located what they believe to be the suspects tan hat and black pants. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Red Bluff Police Department at 530-527-3131. A stalled Union Pacific train sits on the tracks late Friday afternoon in Redding after a wheel broke on one of the cars. The train blocked almost all downtown cross streets starting about 4 p.m., created traffic backups that left many drivers stuck in their cars. SHARE Update 5:50 p.m. Redding police say the train is blocking almost all downtown streets due to a mechanical failure. Officers say drivers can expect the train to block the downtown streets for several hours. Drivers should find alternate routes, such as Eureka Way or Railroad Avenue, to get around the stuck train, police say. Riverside Avenue also connects N. Market Street and Benton Drive. Updated 5:34 p.m. According to scanner traffic, the train is blocking all cross streets in downtown Redding and isn't expected to clear the area for at least two hours. Traffic is backed up for a mile. Original story A train has stopped at California and Tehama streets, where it has been blocking traffic for approximately 45 minutes, according to a California Highway Patrol. According to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page, the report came in at 4:49 p.m. Tweets by @jennyespino_RS SHARE While I've certainly appreciated the rain and watching our lakes and reservoirs fill up, it's hard not to catch the excitement of spring. It's hard to argue with green hillsides, blue skies and March Madness. As an adult, now raising my own family, running a local business and sitting on the Redding City Council, I can't help but feel optimistic for Redding. Imagine with me what Redding might look like over the next several years. First, there's the new four-star Sheraton hotel being built at Turtle Bay. Imagine all of the synergetic partnerships the hotel can engage in, from bike rentals to fly fishing trips to farmers markets to holding regional seminars. The opportunities are endless. The Dignity Health Wellness Center breaks ground at Henderson open space, bringing livable wage jobs and people (in droves) to one of Redding's premier open spaces along the river. If you haven't experienced Henderson open space first hand, you need to go visit. It's breathtaking. Costco. Imagine a location within Redding city limits with Costco anchoring a new retail center. Who doesn't like a hot dog and soda for $1.50 (lunch is on me). Seriously though, it is imperative that Redding maintains its place as the retail hub of the North State. Our city manager, staff and elected leaders know this and have been negotiating well on your behalf. The day I wrote this, I read on Twitter that Jake Mangas (newly hired CEO of the Redding Chamber of Commerce) said, "Our quality of life is our biggest asset." I couldn't agree more. Attracting people to our community will be quickened if we play to our natural strengths, not pretending to be something we are not. (I think I just figured out dating advice for my kids.) While at times a fiercely emotional conversation, I am grateful our community is engaging on the homeless discussion. We will agree, disagree, embrace, even fight over tactics but ultimately we must not lose sight of what got us to this point in the community. Finally, I believe the community spoke loudly during the last City Council election that they want us to do something about our broken criminal justice system. I'm excited for our upcoming meeting this spring when the Blueprint Implementation Team unveils what is, in my opinion, a bold and decisive plan. This plan has the ability to transform our community into the premier place in the North State to raise families, invest in business, enjoy a high quality of life and ultimately retire in. Forgive me if I have just a little extra bounce in my step. I've enjoyed the rain, but I see blue skies ahead for Redding. Brent Weaver is vice mayor of the city of Redding. Belvedere members at the Oberoi here Delhi will not be charged the annual membership fee of Rs 143,125 for the two years Hundreds of employees at the five-star The Oberoi hotel here will soon pack their bags for postings elsewhere; the iconic property closes for a Rs 325-crore renovation next month, to be completed by March 2018. While it shuts the 51-year-old property in Delhi for two years, the Oberoi group is inaugurating a new hotel each in UAE and Morocco this year. A third hotel coming up in Chandigarh will also accommodate some of the 400-odd staffers from Delhi. Some employees have decided to resign and join other options in the region or for other activities. The group is opening three new hotels this year: The Oberoi Sukhvilas (Chandigarh), The Oberoi Marrakech (Morocco) and The Oberoi Al Zohra (UAE) and a lot of our employees are joining these. There have been a few resignations, said a spokesperson for the BSE-listed hotel company, EIH. Belvedere members at the Oberoi here Delhi will not be charged the annual membership fee of Rs 143,125 (including taxes) for the two years. They may also continue to use Belvedere at Oberoi hotels in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru for the period of renovation. The group is fortunate to have loyal guests. We are confident that many of them will continue to stay with us (in this region) at The Oberoi, Gurgaon and Trident, Gurgaon, the spokesperson said. The 283-room hotel on Delhi's Zakir Hussain Marg contributed Rs 187 crore (Rs 1.87 billion) or 14 per cent to the company's annual revenue of Rs 1,341 crore (Rs 13.41 billion) in the year ended March 2015. The company's net profit was Rs 96.6 crore (Rs 966 million) in the year. The impact from closure of this hotel is expected to be more than offset once the three new hotels are operational. All guest rooms, public areas, including the restaurants, bar, business centre, spa and shopping arcade, as well as all back-of-house areas of the hotel will be completely renovated. It is not clear if the number of rooms will go up. Founded in 1934, the group operates 30 hotels under the Oberoi and Trident brands, and has presence in six countries. It is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters. Photograph, courtesy: Oberoi Group Coca-Cola will sell off its bottling business in India in the next few years, to focus on the consumption habit and to improve margins. Image: Coca-Cola currently manufactures its products in 24 plants in India. Photograph: Reuters Coca-Cola India, the countrys largest beverage maker, is to hive off its bottling and manufacturing business in the next few years. This is part of a strategy to get away from the production lines in major markets, to enable more focus on branding, marketing, improving of margins and profitability. It seems to be following archival PepsiCo, which earlier sold its bottling operations for north and east India to its largest bottler, the Ravi Jaypuria-led RJ Corp. Coca-Cola currently manufactures its products in 24 plants in India, through its bottling subsidiary, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB). Globally, The Coca-Cola Company operates through two major operations bottling and manufacturing through Bottling Investment Group, and marketing and promotion through various Coca-Cola entities. However, the bottling and production business has been putting pressure on the companys margins and profitability for some years. The cola majors profit fell to $7.35 billion in 2015 from $10.8 bn in 2012. To address the issue, Muhtar Kent, global chairman and chief executive, declared a plan to sell off the bottling business across the world. It will hand over its bottling plants in the US by 2017 and is in talks with buyers in China. Manufacturing is a low margin and high investment business, for which one has to maintain huge assets but the returns are low, a company official said. In this country, Coca-Cola had Rs 509 crore (Rs 5.09 billion) in net profit, Rs 1,818 crore (Rs 18.18 billion) in net sales during 2014-15, with net profit margin (NPM) at 28 per cent. HCCB posted Rs 241 crore (Rs 2.41 billion) net profit and Rs 7,859 crore (Rs 78.59 billion) of operating revenue, with NPM at three per cent in the same period. The bottling business generates far lower profit compared to revenue than the companys core business of selling concentrates for aerated beverages and branding. A spokesperson replied to an email query saying, The Coca-Cola Company announced accelerated bottling refranchising efforts in North America and China, similar to other initiatives underway in Europe and Africa. It is not selling plants currently in India, he said. By working with strong local franchises we are able to strengthen local investments. We are moving towards a franchise bottling model globally. In India, too, we might get out of the production business eventually, the company official added. It will let us fully concentrate on marketing and branding, and improve margins. Apart from affecting the return of capital employed for the business, the production business takes away considerable resources, which Coca-Cola will be able to use for its core operations after a selloff, is the thinking. For both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the need for focusing on marketing and branding is more important in India, where per capita consumption of beverages is low. The two majors are working to increase consumption in big markets like India and China. It is important to change the consumer behaviour related to soft drinks. We need to place these as a regular drink and not only to be consumed during summer or on occasion, an industry executive said. GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT 'Will Pakistan allow R&AW and Indian armed force officers access to roam around their strategic bases?' 'Is there any precedent anywhere in the world of such permissions being granted?' Rashme Sehgal reports. Security experts are aghast at the Modi government's decision to allow a Pakistan Joint Investigation Team comprising ISI and counter insurgency experts to visit India's largest air force in Pathankot on Tuesday, March 29. Permission for this team was granted in the face of stiff opposition from Home Minister Rajanth Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, both of whom went public expressing their reservations about the visit. Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh also stated that the Pakistani JIT would not be given access to such a sensitive military installation. Rajnath Singh made his discomfiture public last week, stating that he had learnt about the Pakistan JIT's visit to Pathankot from media reports, providing an opportunity for Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh to sarcastically remark, 'The biggest communication gap is not between Islamabad and Delhi... the biggest communication gap is between South Block and North Block. There is a hotline between Delhi and Islamabad, but there is no hotline between South Block and North Block.' "This is the equivalent of Assad fighting ISIS and then if talks were to go on between the two sides, he would ask ISIS to come over and check his military installations," says defence expert Maroof Raza. "It is obvious our armed forces have been forced to fall in line," says Raza, a former officer in the Indian Army. "What you are doing is baring all your details to an enemy country. You are exposing your infrastructure to them. They will check your levels of preparedness; they will see first hand how their jihadis came in, where they went and other details." "They will learn your Standard Operating Procedures and people know that SOPs in one base is not going to be very different from another," he adds. "They will know what to plan for in subsequent attacks." Appalled at this government initiative, Raza believes, "The armed forces have literally made the equivalent of a Faustian agreement with a couple of peaceniks in North Block, otherwise it is mind boggling how such permissions could have been given." "The ISI will go into our base and be host to a variety of strategic information," says a senior army officer, speaking on condition that he would not be identified for this report. "From where did the terrorists enter, from which area did they fire... all such information will be provided to them. Will Pakistan allow R&AW and Indian armed force officers access to roam around their strategic bases? Is there any precedent anywhere in the world of such permissions being granted? Obviously, they are not going around with blinkers in their eyes," the senior army officer adds. "Such a step is not being done to clarify our intentions which are known to the world, but by getting them here and allowing them inside our air base, it is not going to help change Pakistan's intentions," says Dr Ajay Sahni, director, Institute of Conflict Management. "Why do we need confidence building measures? Am I waging war against Pakistan? Why do we as a nation need to build their confidence?" asks Dr Sahni. "This is all political spin doctoring that is going on by people within the Indian establishment who have no concept of strategy. The army top brass is fuming as is the home minister." "No Cabinet decision was taken to allow these people to come in. It is a decision taken by a handful of individuals who have access to the prime minister," says Dr Sahni. "Today, we live in a world where Google maps show all the details on the ground which must be provided to Pakistan by Chinese satellites," says Ambassador G Parthasarthy, a former Indian high commissioner to Islamabad. "Our security people are sensible enough to conduct the Pakistani JIT to our airbase without compromising our security. They will be taken on a closely guarded and monitored tour in order that they carry out their investigation," says Parthasarthy, a former army officer who served in the Pathankot area in the 1965 War. By permitting the Pakistani JIT to visit Pathankot, Parthasarthy believes, "India is addressing a world audience -- to show we are willing to go to great lengths to end conflict in this region." Asked if Israel would do the same for Palestine, he retorts, "We are not Israel and Pakistan is not Palestine." "We are living in a real world," the ambassador says. "It is a world of diplomacy and we need to draw a line between diplomacy and security. I do not think our present military establishment is so foolish to compromise our security. We will show them where the shooting took place and where we shot their guys." Raza does not agree with Parthasarthy's assessment. "Google Earth can provide you with pictures," he says, "but it does not go into the finer details. You have to go on the ground to see the situation which is what we allowing them to do." "Pakistan is pretending they have no role in sending these jihadis to India," says Raza. "They are considered strategic assets. They are their modern warriors." "Pakistan is determined to challenge the rise of India economically and by targetting us, they are increasing costs for us, both internally and externally." This will be the first time an ISI officer will visit India to investigate a terror attack, in which seven Indian security personnel died. India okayed the Pakistani JIT visit after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the SAARC ministerial meeting on March 17. Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley on Saturday told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that he has "no personal knowledge" about Ishrat Jehan and he had learnt about the case from the media. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he said during cross- examination via video link before judge G A Sanap. While deposing last month, Headley had told the court that Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl, was working for Lashkar-e-Tayiba. Ishrat was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "When Lakhvi (LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi) introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc... the rest were my thoughts... I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said. The cross-examination of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded on Saturday after four days of intense grilling. Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a women's wing LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that "defence is pre-supposing this." Explaining this, Headley said, "I had no knowledge of women's wing that was for combat but there is a women's wing that takes care of women's issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the "social issues" taken up by the women's wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley also claimed he had told the National Investigation Agency that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by the NIA. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's vice president during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to the NationalDefenceCollege, New Delhi. Headley said that LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson".The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. Earlier, Headley went back on a part of his statement to the NIA, saying that he did not tell the probe agency about Lakhvi informing him that "Ishrat Jahan module" was a "botched-up operation" and added that "these were my thoughts". "No, I did not say this to the NIA and cannot assign any reason why it has been so recorded," he told the judge. During re-examination by Nikam, Headley said that he had referred to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai while deposing earlier about his visit to a nuclear power plant to conduct surveillance for potential targets. "I visited BARC on the recommendation of Major Iqbal (of Pakistan)", Headley told Nikam. Before the conclusion of deposition, Headley told the defence lawyer "Kaha Suna Maaf" (please excuse me for my utterances). On whether the NIA read out the statement to him, Headley said, "No" and added that the agency just took down the notes. To a question, the Lashkar operative, who has been convicted in the US for his role in the 26/11 attacks, said neither he had requested the NIA for a copy of the statement nor did they provide it to him. He said that this is for the first time that he was being shown his statement in the court. Headley told defence lawyer "it is baseless to say that I am trying to supress the role of my wife Shazia, brother Daniel and friend Saulat (Rana) in the 26/11 attacks in order to shield them". He also denied that he had pleaded guilty in this case in US court to prevent arrest of his family members for their alleged role in the 26/11 attacks, forfeiture of property and imposition of fines. Headley said he believed that India, Israel and the US are enemies of Islam. Any damage to fuel bundles could have resulted in thousands of times more severe radiation leakage from the reactor, and some of it could have eventually escaped into the public domain, say experts. The recent leak in coolant channels of the Unit-1 reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station near Surat in Gujarat is a warning which necessitates thorough investigation of all such reactors in the country, say experts. At 9 am on March 11, a leakage in the Primary Heat Transfer system led to the reactor being shut down and a plant emergency declared at KAPS. It has two units of pressurised heavy water reactors of 220 mw each; Nuclear Power Corporation of India is the operator. According to site officials, one of the channels carrying the fuel bundles and the heavy water coolant had leaked. The high-grade radioactivity from the fuel itself was confined within the fuel bundles and no radioactive substances escaped from the reactor containment building. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has stated that, as of now, KAPS' Unit-1 is in a shutdown state, even as all plant systems are 'functioning normally.' Those worried say Kakrapar was lucky to have witnessed leakage of heavy and light water from the coolant channel without any serious damage to fuel bundles in the reactor. "As against (the March 2011 disaster at) Fukushima (in Japan), in the case of Kakrapar, the channel saw only leakage of heavy water and the fuel bundles do not appear to have overheated or melted," former AERB chairman A Gopalakrishnan said. "The heavy water coolant, which has been circulating in the reactor for a long time, would have reached a certain level of radioactivity, due to neutron absorption. Luck favoured Kakrapar as only a very small amount of radioactivity seems to have escaped during the brief venting of the containment," he added. Any damage to fuel bundles could have resulted in thousands of times more severe radiation leakage from the reactor, and some of it could have eventually escaped into the public domain, he said. Seconding him is nuclear activist and physicist Surendra Gadekar, monitoring the Indian nuclear industry since 1987. "The problem has been isolated, but the fact is it took them 10 days to do that, with the plant emergency ending on March 22. They claim it is a 'small leak,' which otherwise does not call for a plant emergency for 10 days. They were lucky that they didn't find any radiation in a 20-km radius," says Gadekar. What took everyone by surprise is that, while the reactor itself is 24 years old, the pressure tubes of the coolant channels were replaced in 2011 with new ones from an improved zirconium-niobium alloy, supposed to be resistant to such cracking. "How could a coolant channel meant to function well for a conservative 25 years incur a leakage in only five years?" asks Gadekar. Apparently, KAPS' health physics unit, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Environmental Survey Lab and a team from BARC Ahmedabad and Tarapur have been conducting regular radiation surveys in a 20-km radius of the plant, apart from the reactor building perimeter wall, plant premises and in the public domain that stretches up to a 5 km radius from the plant boundary. So far, the surveys have not found any radiation. "Unless they check all reactors in the country, they will not be able to ascertain whether it is a local or a generic problem. It might be a local problem," Gadekar adds. There are 21 nuclear power plants in the country, with a capacity to generate a combined 5,780 mw of power. Dr Gopalakrishnan says while such an investigation of all the 17 such reactors of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor type might be needed, it should be done after first ascertaining the nature and cause of the KAPS leakage. "The hard task is to find why it happened and then consider avenues for in situ inspections and subsequent repairs. Area monitoring of air and water in the vicinity must be continued at regular intervals. All the NPCIL and contract workers alike must be monitored for the cumulative radiation dosage they are receiving until the current leakage issue is put to rest. They need to first get to the bottom of what happened at Kakrapar," he said. The AERB has maintained that the leak has been isolated with the plant emergency being terminated. 'There has not been any report of abnormal radioactivity releases/radiation exposures to any personnel during this incident, since March 11. With the leak completely stopped, investigations for identifying the nature of the leak and its causes can now be taken up. However, it is expected that this could take considerable time,' it has stated. The state government, too, has been monitoring the situation, with the administration of Tapi and Surat districts asked to stay on standby and ensure workers' and residents' safety, said Govind Patel, minister of state for energy. According to site officials, around 300 workers with special radiation safety suits have been working on the clean-up. 'We are systematically proceeding for early assessment of the location and nature of leak. Once this is detected, root cause analysis will be conducted to find out the exact cause of the incidence. All applicable procedures and guidelines are being followed,' the NPCIL had recently stated. India plans to provide the probe team from Pakistan access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from the National Security Guard or the Border Security Force. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said that India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. The sources said the five-member delegation led by Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department, Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai will not be provided complete access to the Pathankot air force base but to limited areas where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with security forces. The Pakistani team which also comprises Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer will be brought to the airbase in a special plane on March 29. The airbase will be visually barricaded by the NIA to prevent any view of its critical areas. The team will be briefed thoroughly on March 28 at the NIA headquarters in New Delhi which will include a 90-minute presentation on the investigations carried in the case so far, the sources said. This will be the first time that Pakistani intelligence and police officials are travelling to India to investigate a terror attack. Witnesses, excepting personnel of the NSG, the BSF and the Garud commandos of the Indian Air Force, have been lined up for the Pakistan probe team. The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured people. The three were kidnapped by the terrorists on the intervening night of December 31 and January one before they entered into the IAF base. The NIA will also share details about the four terrorists which includes their native villages, people who had cooperated with them and facilitated their entry into India through Bamiyal village on Indo-Pak border. DNA samples were taken from the energy drink that they are believed to have consumed before carrying out the suicide attack, they said. Pakistani team will also be taken to the point where the Jaish terrorists had breached into India, the sources said. While India has made it clear that it will cooperate in the probe provided Pakistan reciprocates in the same way, the sources said the Pakistani side would be asked about some details that India had sought from them. This includes some phone numbers, persons involved which includes brother of Jaish Chief Masood Azhar and companies who had supplied the packed food to the terrorists. India can make a request to Pakistan for allowing an Indian probe team there for investigations at a later date, the sources said. India will also cite similarities between the Pathankot attack and those in Samba and Kathua last year like using same GPS and wireless sets, the modus operandi of hijacking cars, energy drink 'Red bull' (common in all attacks), identical wire cutters and arms and ammunition of Eastern Europe, Russian and Chinese make which available in the Af-Pak region. The terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with the security forces at the IAF base from the intervening night of January 1 and 2. Seven security personnel were killed, while four bodies of terrorists belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed were recovered. Confusion still remained over whether two more terrorists were involved in the attack. The NIA is now contemplating sending samples of some purported human remains, beleived to be of two terrorists, to a second CFSL laboratory. The NIA is still awaiting a Letters Rogatory from a Pakistan court so that the evidence collected during the probe can be handed over to the JIT "legally". It had released photographs of the four terrorists killed during the operation with description of their height. The anti-terror probe agency has said one of the terrorists did not have toes in both the feet. The pictures have been circulated and the public asked to share information about them. Anybody giving "relevant and correct" information would be rewarded up to Rs 1 lakh, the NIA had said. The agency has already approached the Interpol for issuance of 'Black Notice' for the four. An international notice is issued for identification of unidentified bodies found in a country. India has already sent a Letters Rogatory to Pakistan seeking certain details about the four terrorists. India has also been seeking details of the phone numbers dialled by the four terrorists ahead of the attack on the airbase on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. The numbers are believed to be in the names of people connected with Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, including Mullah Dadullah and Kashif Jaan. The numbers shared belong to the Pakistani telecom operators like Mobilink, Warid and Telenor. The NIA has also sought details and picture from Khayam Baber of her son who was part of the suicide squad that carried out the attack. Kashif Jaan, one of the key handlers of the attackers, had accompanied the terrorists till the border, the sources said. The bodies of the four terrorists have been preserved. Out of the four, two of them have been identified as Nasir and Salim. Nasir was the one who had called his mother Baber in Bhawalpur using the phone snatched from the jeweller friend of Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh. The NIA has also given details, including the batch numbers, of food packets used by the terrorists after infiltrating into India on December 30. The terrorists had carefully buried the packets which had Pakistani markings and manufacturing dates of November and December 2015, the sources said. Uttarakhands rebel Congress MLAs on Saturday alleged that they were offered bribe by Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the assembly on March 28 and released a video of a sting operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it fake. The Congress alleged that the dirty tricks department of Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded immediate dismissal of the Rawat government. Releasing the alleged sting video in Delhi, former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is leading the rebel MLAs, said, The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds. The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed, Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun. Even though he called the CD false, Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party for money. In a statement, All India Congress Committees chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys a majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House. Reacting to the sting video, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has no right to remain in power even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention. We had told the governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs, he said. Bahuguna said the chief minister should order an inquiry into the sting operation, carried out by a private news channel. The Rawat government does not have majority in assembly, he said, demanding that Presidents rule be imposed in the state. At the AICC briefing, Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government which, he claimed, enjoys majority. It is all the job of Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department, he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre. He claimed that the Congress rebels and the BJP were behind the conspiracy of the fake CD after they failed to get any relief from either the court or the Governor ahead of the crucial trust vote on Monday. Upadhyay claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names. Asked whether the Congress is ready to forgive and forget if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit. Singling out Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, he said that they have backstabbed the party which had given them everything. He said the two leaders instead of defending the Congress and its government with all their might, are seeking to create trouble. Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. Union Cabinet met in New Delhi on Saturday night to consider the situation in Uttarakhand amidst speculation that it may consider the option of President's Rule in the state. The Cabinet met soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from Assam. Sources closed to the developments said that no decision has been taken on the President's rule. Sources also said that the cabinet took a stock of situation in the state and discussed purported sting operation against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. However, in a late night development, the Uttarakhand speaker has disqualified nine Congress rebel MLAs which may pave the way for Rawat to scrape through the floor test with 27 MLAs of the Congress and six of ruling ally Progressive Democratic Front after members of the House reduced from 70 to 61. Ahead of the cabinet meet, a BJP delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded President's Rule in the state, saying Rawat has no right to continue after a sting operation purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win their support ahead of floor test on March 28. BJP's memorandum to the President was also critical of state Governor K K Paul, saying he "did not act on the request of the majority of the legislature to dismiss the state government and on the contrary granted 10 days time" to Rawat to prove his majority. The rebel Congress MLAs had alleged that they were offered bribe by the chief minister for support during the floor test and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake". Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government. At an emergency press conference at Congress headquarters, party general secretary Ambika Soni came down hard on the Narendra Modi government and the BJP, accusing them of destabilizing the Harish Rawat dispensation in the state. She said that the BJP was desperate to dislodge the Congress government in Uttarakhand through imposition of President's rule despite there being no Constitutional crisis. "What is happening is the last chapter in the drama after the rebels and the BJP failed to get any relief from the high court," Soni told reporters. This is a "mockery of democracy" when the democratic process has been set in motion and the chief minister is set to prove his majority on Monday, she said. "Our worry is that Constitutional process started by the Governor was being interfered," she said, claiming the Harish Rawat government enjoyed a majority in the House which he was ready to prove on March 28. Soni insisted the Speaker is fully empowered to look into the "defection situation" and no one can interfere in that. Union Minister Shripad Naik on Saturday said a research has proved that yoga can cure diseases like cancer and propagated the use of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) as alternative medical practices. A Bengaluru-based institute has proved with research that diseases like cancer can be cured by yoga. They have proved it, Naik said during the inauguration of National Arogya fair in Goa on Saturday. The minister, however, did not mention the name of the institute and appealed the people to practise AYUSH as alternative medicines. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar also made a similar claim during his speech while launching Common Yoga Protocol, a guide to the upcoming World Yoga Day on June 21. It is said that diseases like AIDS and cancer can be cured by Ayurveda. We should conduct necessary research on this aspect so that India can revolutionise the health sector of the world, Parsekar said. Earlier in his speech, the Union minister said the proponents of AYUSH are not against allopathy. All the forms of medicines should have health of patient at its focus point, Naik said. He said there should be integration of medicines so that ailments like cancer, high sugar, obesity and others are uprooted. The minister also announced the proposed tie up with the United States in the field of AYUSH to treat cancer. During the last one and half year, (the knowledge of) AYUSH has travelled places including the US. We will soon be signing a memorandum of understanding with the US in the field of research on curing cancer by AYUSH medicinal practice, Naik said. He said the World Health Organisation also wants to join hands with India to spread awareness about AYUSH. Naik said alike All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, the ministry is working towards setting up AYUSH AIIMS in each state of the country. Easter is coming on Sunday. It is the day that most distinguishes Christians and the day that is most recognizable as Christian among people of other faiths. It is Resurrection Sunday or the Feast of the Resurrection. It is the day that Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified on what is known in Christendom as Good Friday. Many Christians wear crosses as jewelry to identify themselves. Another identifier, at least as an ideal, is expressed in the words of an old hymn, "You will know we are Christians by our love." While unfortunately that isn't always true, it is a goal that Christians strive for. A recent survey by the Barna Group, one of the nation's leading researchers into religious and cultural trends, shows that the majority of people, even those of other faiths, believe Christians are showing their love. A key finding of the survey of 1,000 people taken nationwide last August showed that 93 percent of practicing Christians believe their religion is "a force for good in society." Breaking that down further, 98 percent who identified themselves as evangelicals believe that, 91 percent who are classified as millennials (ages 14 to 32) agree with that statement, and even 88 percent of people of faiths other than Christianity agree. "It is encouraging to see how many Christians still feel optimistic about the positive role their faith can play in society today,"David Kinnaman, president of Barna, said in a news release. The research was conducted for Kinnaman's new book, "Good Faith." Abilenian Angel Poorman could be the face of the Barna survey. She and her husband, Norm Poorman, are partners with Iris Global, an international ministry that supports missionaries worldwide. They host missionaries and religious groups from around the world at a facility they built on their land near Buffalo Gap. This past week, Norm Poorman, a pediatric dentist, provided free dental care for the 10 members of the Ugandan Kids Choir who are visiting their facility. It is just one example of what the Poormans and thousands of other Christians do on a daily basis. Angel Poorman is a regular volunteer at Love and Care Ministries, Abilene's primary resource for the homeless and needy. Her reason for jumping in to help the marginalized in society epitomizes why Christians believe their faith is a force for good in society. "When you have Good News," she said, referring to Jesus' message, "you don't want to keep it to yourself." For Angel Poorman and many others being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Jesus. Poorman takes that relationship to heart, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever possible and at the same time being a force for good in society. The Poormans are perfect examples of what Jesus calls his followers to do provide for "the least of these" in society, whether they be homeless, hungry, or in need of dental care. "That's our call," Angel Poorman said. "That's our mandate." The Barna survey also found that large majorities of Christians, especially millennials and evangelicals, report two confident attitudes they feel they are a force for good and they feel they are essential. Again, Angel Poorman knows why. Christianity provides people with hope, an essential part of life. By volunteering at Love and Care Ministries, Poorman provides people with hope for a better future, or just a better day. Perhaps the greatest example of Christian hope comes in the celebration on Easter Sunday of Jesus' victory over death. By forming a personal relationship with Jesus and being his hands and feet on earth, Poorman said, Christians experience that hope and, in turn, share it with others. "Truly," she said, "our desire is to give hope through the face of Jesus." Texas DPS fires first officer over Uvalde shooting response Sgt. Juan Maldonado becomes first member of the state police agency to lose his job in the fallout over the hesitant response to the May attack. No matter whether Glen Robertson or Jodey Arrington emerges victorious in the May 24 Republican primary runoff for Congressional District 19, Libertarian candidate Troy Bonar said he is ready to take on the winner in November's general election. Bonar, a former airman who was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, said he has been dedicated to safety and energy issues for decades, working in intelligence in the Air Force in the '90s and working with Buffalo Gap Instrumentation & Electrical Co. in the oil and gas industry for the past decade. Bonar, 42, said he is seeking to ensure Americans' rights and freedoms. "Did I wake up one day and think I was going to run? No," he said. "I just wanted to be involved in making a difference." Bonar, who hails from the small resort town of Charlevoix, Michigan, took $1,000 from his retirement savings to finance his run for office. The self-dubbed "Safety Samurai" said he is ready to cut through the "BS," which he said stands for bipartisan system. "It's great if you're a multimillionaire and you can throw money at your campaign and buy an office," Bonar said, adding that he plans to spend wisely and use policies instead of politics to sway voters. "That's one of the fundamental problems of our political system and media," Bonar said."Ninety percent of people would identify as a Libertarian if they understood what it was." Bonar said his campaign primarily is about the economy and education. "We have to be aware of this economy out here taking a hit," he said. On education, he said, "one of my biggest concerns is why we pay our teachers so little. These primary influences need to be some of the best and need to be highly compensated." Bonar said he seeks to inform residents of the 29-county district of his platform without resorting to manipulation. "I don't want to be a dirty politician," he said. "My key thing is I refuse to manipulate people's religious faith, race or gender. People are starting to see through the manipulation. They're getting angered because they've been manipulated." Bonar said he sees the campaign trail as an interview process with the entire district as he seeks to get hired to represent it in Washington, D.C. "We can make a difference, but if we keep on with the two-party (system), we're going to continue to have a problem." The Congressional District 19 seat is being vacated by Randy Neugebauer, who did not seek re-election. No Democratic candidate filed to run for the seat. Twitter: ARN_Titus Many things come to mind when we think of Easter. One item that almost always comes to my mind when thinking of Easter is forgiveness. After all, that is why Jesus had to die so we could be forgiven of our sins. As I reflected on this recently, what kept coming to my mind particularly was how powerful forgiveness really is. Forgiveness provides so much relief. No doubt we all have done someone wrong and had feelings of regret. What a relief and joy it is when someone forgives us and our relationship is restored. Another huge power of forgiveness is what it does for the person who is doing the forgiving. We all have experienced feelings of someone doing us wrong. Our nature is to want to get back at them. We may spend hours, days or even years angry, frustrated and bitter. These nasty feelings can make life miserable and separate us from the joy of living. Now think about when someone did you wrong and you truly forgave the person and maybe you not only forgave, but you also completely forgot about it. Wow, what a relief. Your joy was restored and so was that relationship. The feelings that separated you from the joy of living were gone. How powerful forgiving others can be! To achieve the most joy and happiness that forgiving has to offer, try to forget what you have forgiven. In Hebrews 8:13, God said, 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.' Once we forgive and remember no more, our relationship and joy with that individual is restored. All this is based on the individual who wronged us truly wanting forgiveness and in many relationships, both parties have to ask for forgiveness, forgive and forget. We can achieve this same forgiveness from Christ and our relationship with him can be restored, no longer separated from him because of our sin. The Scriptures teach us that Jesus (the son of God) had to suffer death for our sins and rise from the dead on the third day for us to be given the opportunity for forgiveness of our sins. We see these recorded words of Jesus in Luke 24:44-48 when he appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem after rising from his death on the cross: 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.' Knowing that Christ rose from the dead gives us the ability to have faith in him so we can live our life here on Earth with true joy and happiness. That famous verse in John 3:16 tells us, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' This is true because Jesus did rise from the dead on the third day (what we celebrate today Easter) and his death on the cross represents the payment for our sins if we turn to him for forgiveness. Knowing of this opportunity for life with Jesus after death helps us put things into perspective to help us deal successfully with life's everyday challenges that create worry and unhappiness. It also gives us the ability to forgive those who have trespassed against us. In Ephesians 4:32, God tells us, 'Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.' We wanted to do something in today's paper that would help honor the real meaning of Easter and provide you with another way to gather in a circle with your family and share the story of the resurrection of Christ. We hope you enjoy the special Easter publication in the paper today. We thank the businesses and organizations that sponsored this section, enabling us to bring it into your home. We wish you a blessed and enjoyable Easter. Jeff DeLoach is publisher of the Abilene Reproter-News. Here are two movies that you're unlikely to find playing at your local multiplex, but if you can somehow manage to put them together in a double feature, as I did on Saint Patrick's Day, you'll see in several hours a poignant depiction of the best and the worst that humankind has to offer. These aren't films that you would ordinarily think of as any sort of pair. The first is 'Son of Saul,' a Hungarian movie about the Holocaust, which won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the recent Academy Awards. The other is 'Where to Invade Next,' Michael Moore's new documentary about his 'invasion' of various countries in order to appropriate, not their oil, as usual, but their best ideas and practices for our own use. First, the worst of humankind: 'Son of Saul' is the story of Saul Auslander, a Hungarian Jew serving with the Auschwitz Sonderkommando, a squad of prisoners who, in exchange for certain privileges and a brief reprieve from the gas chambers, facilitates the deaths of other Jews by ushering them into the deadly shower chambers and collecting their clothes and valuables afterward. Saul's moral standing is complicated. His story is told mostly in his face, which from the beginning of the film is depicted, often in close-up, as emotionless and almost oblivious to the horrors taking place around him in soft focus. The Holocaust wasn't the first genocide and won't be the last. But the Nazis' vile genius was the application of efficient industrial methods to the systematic annihilation of a group of people based on their religion. 'Son of Saul' wasn't the best Holocaust movie we've seen I was accompanied by two Jews but I'm glad the film was produced. The Holocaust requires regular commemoration; we could make no bigger mistake than to forget it. Now, for some of the best that humanity has to offer: Michael Moore finds it in 'Where to Invade Next.' In Italy, he explores a culture that guarantees all workers five weeks of paid vacation a year, as well as paid holidays and paid maternal (and paternal) leave. He shows factory workers taking two-hour lunch breaks, which give them time to go home every day for a delicious home-cooked meal. Newlyweds get 15 days off for a honeymoon. In France, public-school children dine daily on meticulously prepared cuisine, and they're mildly appalled when they see pictures of what American schoolchildren have for lunch. In Finland, schoolchildren never have homework or take standardized tests. Finland's teachers believe that an essential goal of all education is the happiness and well-being of the child. In Slovenia, all students graduate from college without any debt whatsoever. In Norway, the maximum penalty for any crime is 21 years in prison, and Moore takes his audience inside a maximum security facility, where the emphasis is on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Prisoners carry the keys to their own 'cells,' which are outfitted with flat-screen TVs and private showers. Oh, what a paradise, almost too good to be true. In fact, one should remember that Michael Moore freely admits that his films always have an agenda, and sometimes he's careless with facts. On the other hand, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the recidivism rate for American prisons is pushing 80 percent, while Norway, the land of cushy prisons that focus on rehabilitation, has one of the lowest rates in the world, around 20 percent. And homework-free Finland often outranks the U.S. by significant margins in terms of student achievement. So, what links these two seemingly disparate films? The proposition that nearly all worldly conditions from Holocaust to socialist paradise are driven by the extent to which we exercise empathy for other humans. Genocide is impossible without the complete death of empathy. And the best conditions that humankind can produce depend on our willingness to place the well-being and happiness of those who are not like us on an equal plane with our own. And this is why current trends in American politics should make us all uneasy. Email John M. Crisp, who teaches in the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, at jcrisp@delmar.edu. LIKES 1. Easter weekend. The early date this year has caused folks to scramble with planning but Easter always is a calm in the storm of our busy lives. Of course, there is no calm when an adult shouts 'Go!' at an egg hunt. Those who observe Easter season, starting with the first day of Lent and lasting through Sunday's celebrations, return to life as we know it Monday hopefully recharged and encouraged. 2. And this from the kids ... No school Friday. Hooray! 3. TSTC campus. A building that could've stayed largely underused for years and become an eyesore has served Texas State Technical College for years. Now, it's time to move to a facility that better suits today's needs. The domino effect is win-win-win. The $4 million and 50 acres local grants will keep Abilene at the forefront of educating students for the job market. 4. Yes, it is our business. Congratulations to Samuel Garcia and United Supermarkets both honored to conclude Wednesday's Business Expo organized each year by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. Garcia, a former Abilene ISD board member who's running for the board again, operates a State Farm Insurance office that was named Small Business of the Year. Texas-based United, which has three stores and a Market Street location here, was named Corporate Star Award for its service to the community. 5. Check it out. For a while now, the idea of turning the former Abilene High/Lincoln Junior High/Middle School into a library and/or cultural center has been batted around. Now, it seems like a serious first step is being taken. It will take money the building has sat vacant for about nine years, would be 100 years old in 2023 and must be designed to accommodate a library. It sounds like a great community effort, one that promotes literacy and preserves history. 6. Music to our ears. Country music will be heard a week from today at the Back Porch of Texas, where the Outlaws & Legends will twang it up for the sixth time. Jerry Jeff Walker, Pat Green and others, including event producer Mark Powell, will be heard. It's like going out of town, without having to spend a lot of gas money. DISLIKES 1. Madness continues. How are your NCAA brackets holding up? We're down to eight teams, and there will be a new champion with Duke's loss Thursday to Oregon. You do have the Ducks to win it all, right? 2. Mariah and more. What's with the wind? Oh yeah, it's March. We were buffeted much of the week by high winds that blew pedestrians off course at certain corners downtown. A little less would be appreciated. HMMM 1. Needo more burritos? Is this a Yummm? Chipotle is coming to Abilene later this year. Do we need another burrito-building restaurant when we have Sharkey's Burrito Co. and Moe's Southwest Grill? Apparently, we love to build big burritos. And we love food trucks. And we ... well, we love to eat in Abilene. Save us a place in line. MOURNING 1. Brussels bombings. What else can we say but 'Not again ...' Stingers. Buzz offs. Busy Bee round. Lifelines. Specialty categories. Spelling words correctly has changed. Bee-lieve it. On Tuesday evening, adult spellers will gather again at the downtown branch of the Abilene Public Library system to test their linguistic limits at what formerly was called FundSpell, now Spell Abilene. Ten teams will compete to continue a tradition for the Taylor County Adult Literacy Council, whose work largely goes unseen by the general public but becomes highly visible once a year thanks to the bee. This is the 25th anniversary bee, always held in March. ""I've enjoyed the annual ALC spelling bee because it's the only place you can spell competitively in public," said longtime Rotary Club of Abilene go-to speller Bruce Lampert. "And it's for a good cause." The bee once was the primary fundraiser for literacy council, hence the competition's original name. Teams paid $200 the first year and eventually $350 to enter, a small price for citywide bragging rights. Other groups and individuals donated funds as well. Now, teams enter at no charge and the council's effort is directed at soliciting funds via a fundraising letter. "We tell people, here's what we do ... please give us money," said council president Marilyn Flournoy, a retired AISD teacher/administrator who has been involved with adult education for 43 years. This is the second year for this new effort. The council has roughly $5,000 to work with each year in its mission to assist the education of adults in a 19-county area served by the Abilene ISD. The district this academic year is administering its share of the $73 million available in Texas through state and federal grant money. Currently, there are almost 1,300 students enrolled throughout the AISD's area. "That's all time high," said Mignon Lawson, who supervises adult ed for the district. Some are high-school dropouts, some are immigrants to the United States, some are overcoming learning disabilities. "It's a diversified group," she said. Most students are trying to better themselves, so money is tight. Organization of the local council began in 1988, when the state encouraged the formation of literacy councils. At the same time, the learning center concept, in which students worked individually, was reorganized into a more formal class structure. The Abilene council first drew up bylaws and then organized as a nonprofit. The next year, it added 15 community members. Champions of literacy who visited Abilene on behalf of the new council included Babar, the elephant, Texas' First Lady Laura Bush and, at different times, a roller skater and a horse rider who were rollin' and ridin' for reading. Early on, a primary goal was to find volunteers to provide one-on-one reading help to complement class instruction that targeted a GED degree and learning English as a second language. "As we grew," said Flournoy, a founding member, "we began to see other needs. We needed to do some fundraising." That need was met in large part when board member Susan Robinson suggested an adult spelling bee, which she found were being held elsewhere. The first was held at the Paramount Theatre in 1991. There have been as many as 20 competing teams, and one year was an all-local celebrity competition and it wasn't held one year, when only funding requests were made, Flournoy said. "I think the literacy council does a great job supporting adult students who are trying to pass their GED or learn how to speak and read English," said former board member and Reporter-News editor Glenn Dromgoole. The newspaper, he said, in 1987 championed the creation of a literacy council here in a full-page editorial titled "50 Ways You Can Stamp Out Illiteracy" that was reprinted elsewhere. "I recall one woman who was in her 30s and enrolled in adult ed so she could learn to read. One day, she wrote this about her literacy teacher: 'She opened my window and showed me the rainbow.' "That," Dromgoole said, "is really what FundSpell is about." The need for adult ed Flournoy has been a part of adult ed since 1973, starting as a teacher, then becoming what then was called the Big Country Adult Education Co-Op director in 1986 before moving into a volunteer role in 2007 with her retirement in 2005 plus two years of part-time work. She succeeded Dave Boyll as president four years ago. "I love working with adult education," she said. "It's a second chance. When a student gets a GED, goes to college and can read to their children, that's when I get warm fuzzies." She has seen instruction given at the former Woodson High School and move, in order, to The Bridge and Alexander Building downtown, to space on Orange Street, to the former Travis Elementary School and finally to Alta Vista. While most classes are held in schoolhouse environments, other classes are being organized at workplaces to better accommodate employees. At one Abilene business, a class is planned for as early as 6 a.m. Other classes are held in the afternoon and evenings whenever adults have time to go to school and when school is out. The Abilene ISD has been involved in adult education since the 1960s, Lawson said. Teachers are hired through the AISD, although the umbrella organization no longer is the Texas Education Agency but the Texas Workforce Commission, a decision made by the 83rd Legislature. Lawson said the goal for years was to move adult ed to the commission, to utilize funding to put people to work. "Getting a job is now the focus, not education," said Flournoy, taking an educator's assessment of the change. "We need a happy medium." Lawson said "the concept is a good thing, to build this across the state, but it takes times. That's the hardest part." The Abilene ISD is one of about three dozen administrators of regional adult ed programs in Texas. Thus, a former goal of obtaining only a GED (general educational development) degree has evolved to taking that and continuing education or getting a job. Today, a student can complete a GED while also being co-enrolled in a community or technical college with hopes of entering the workforce at a faster rate. Lawson said the state has a 2020 goal of 20,000 GED graduates entering some sort of higher education program. "It's a lofty goal," she said. How the council helps is to provide funds to encourage students to follow through on their intentions. Funds have been used primarily to help pay for: Bus passes so students have transportation to and from classes Childcare so students with children can attend evening classes (that was discontinued in December 2012) Incentives, which teachers use to reward students who exceptional efforts, such as perfect attendence or help with expenses, such as lunch when a group outside of Abilene comes here for tests. There also are end-of-year and Christmas parties at the main Abilene site, the former Alta Vista Elementary School. Testing, which is $33.75 per test or $135 for all four (students still pay their share "so they buy in," Flournoy said). Tests are given two days a week at the south-side Region XIV Education Service Center. Students must pay for a test with a credit card. The council hopes to resume having a full-blown graduation ceremony, for which it provides caps and gowns, and a reception. This year's scheduled graduation date is May 26. That joyful effort has been made a challenge because with a state agency overseeing adult education, test results are private. The council no longer has access to records to verify who passed the group of four tests (math, science, social studies and reading/writing as language arts). It relies on students to telling them. "A graduation is so important to them," Flournoy said. Word up on the Bee Lampert, director of pastoral care at Hendrick Medical Center, has been a faithful member of the Rotary Club of Abilene's three-person team since 2002. He joined the club when he moved to Abilene from Stamford in 1993. "Our team tripped up on the word bonhomie," he said of his first FundSpell foray, held that year at The Grace Museum that year. Rotary has been a part of the spelling bee "almost since the beginning," said original and current board member Dave Boyll, a Rotarian himself. Some funds from last year's Taste of Abilene event, staged by the club, were designated for the literacy council. Boyll stops short of calling Lampert, a Rotarian since 1979, a ringer. But he has advantages a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew root words thanks to his two seminary degrees, knowledge of medical terms and acronyms from working at a hospital, and a general knowledge based on his fondness of reading, where he has learned his Latin words. He also works the crossword and Jumble in the newspaper. "I'm a word guy, always have been," he said. But "the learning curve for me was pretty steep, since I went from being a pastor to a chaplain almost overnight." Remembering a word given 14 years ago, he obviously also has a good memory. He has been on two winning teams, the last in 2013. "Most of the time, as I recall, we either got knocked out early or won," he said. "You know, the ecstasy and the agony." As for hard words, many spellers fear the French. Lampert does, too. "I remember distinctly two words that got me: haricot and rotisserie. Both of them are French words, and French words always cause me problems, because I either miss the silent consonant or try to add an extra vowel," he said. What word won three years ago? "It was terpsichorean, which can mean either pertaining to dancing or a dancer," he said. Something every Baptist preacher knows about it? "Here's how I knew the spelling of that word. I grew up in Waco in the 1950s and 60s, and was an avid reader of the Waco Tribune," he said. "There was a Terpsichorean Club in Waco in those days, and they always put announcements for their club meetings in the community section of the local newspaper. "So I grew up seeing the word, and the spelling stuck in my mindeven 45 years later." His team may not need to sting another team pass off a word it doesn't want to spell or buzz off a word it doesn't want to spell. Or call on local spelling whizzes Kate or Jack Miller, the past and present sister-brother spelling bee champs. For several years early on, a team from Arby's was tough to beat. A restaurant employee, Flournoy recalled, read the dictionary every day and carried the team. Before she began choosing the spelling words, the task that for years fell to Gladys Best, a public library employee who, by hand, provided words, pronunciations and usage in a sentence. Flournoy said the task remains time consuming, though technology now helps with preparing for a bee. She has used categories to make the bee more fun and fair. Some she has used are food, dog breeds, musical instruments, plants and frequently misspelled U.S. cities. She credits, or good-naturedly "blames," current board members Abbie Randolph and Kathy Strong, who is the event organizer, for with fresh ideas for recent bees. "After 23 years, it was hard to change," Flournoy said, laughing. But, most would agree, it's still fun to spell. IF YOU GO What: Spell Abilene, Taylor County Adult Literacy Council spelling bee for adults Who: 10 teams will be competing for honors When: Tuesday Where: Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St., second-floor auditorium FIRST ON BOARD Original Taylor County Adult Literacy Council board members in 1989 were Glenn Dromgoole, Neil Fry, Pete Hernandez, Joel Loya, Charles Dunnam, Iris Nash, Dave Boyll, Bill Minter, Billy King, Dana Gibson, Susan Robinson, Steve Abel, Richard Valdez, Laurie Dudley, Mava Farris and Marilyn Flournoy, who currently is board president. The council was organized in 1988, with Bruce Condit of the West Texas Council of Governments, named chairman. WORD PLAY The winning word in the first Taylor County Adult Literacy Council spelling bee was switterion, spelled by the Shirts Etcetera team of Bob Batjer, Leslie Boykin and Andy Parker. It was the last word on an auxiliary list provided by council president Susan Robinson after all words on the contest list were exhausted. The deciding word in 2015 was pterodactyl, spelled correctly by the team of Martin Dawson, Hilary Gwilt and Krista Young and missed by its opponent. The trio also had to spell ambidextrous correctly to secure the win. What was the first word misspelled at the first bee in 1991? Quarantine, by a team from KTAB-TV. Powerful Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr warned of an escalation in street protests if politicians obstruct a government overhaul planned by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi. In a sermon on March 25, Sadr called on Abadi to announce a new cabinet over the weekend, replacing current politically appointed ministers with technocrats who will eliminate the system of political patronage that has fueled bribery and embezzlement. "If [Abadi] brings a logical reform package to parliament and does not get enough votes, there will be a call to escalate protests against those who did not vote" for the proposed cabinet, said Sadr's envoy, Sheikh Asaad al-Nasiri. Tens of thousands of Sadr followers gathered to hear the sermon outside the gates of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone that houses government offices. Sadr's followers began a sit-in a week ago to pressure the government to see through anti-corruption pledges. Abadi has shown a willingness to act, but has been slow to deliver on reforms announced in February. Corruption is depleting the government's resources at a time when revenues are declining due to low oil prices and spending is ramping up for the war against Islamic State. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP Belgian prosecutors announced on March 26 that three men who have been arrested in the wake of the attacks in Brussels have now been charged with terrorist offences. The attacks on March 22 killed 31 people and wounded 300 others. Media reports said that one of those charged, identified by prosecutors only as Faycal C., may be the man suspected of fleeing Brussels airport after two alleged accomplices carried out suicide attacks there. However, state broadcaster RTDF reported that authorities were waiting for DNA analyses to confirm this information. Belgian media identified the full name of Faycal C. as Faycal Cheffou. They said his home was searched by police but no weapons or explosives were found. Brussels police arrested three people on March 25 in connection with the bombings, as well as with a would-be terrorist attack in Paris that police reportedly foiled on March 24. Belgian state television said one of the arrested people was carrying a bag of explosives. On March 26, an Algerian national wanted by Belgium was arrested in Italy in connection with a probe into fake ID documents used by the attackers behind the Paris and Brussels attacks, Italian media reported. The suspect, named as Djamal Eddine Ouali, 40, was detained under a European arrest warrant in the southern region of Salerno, the reports said. Meanwhile, organizers cancelled a "March Against Fear" rally planned in Brussels for March 27 after authorities urged citizens not to attend due to security concerns. The rally organizers said in a statement March 26 that "we join the authorities in proposing a delay and ask people not to come this Sunday." The statement came hours after Interior Minister Jan Jambon on March 26 asked Belgians not to hold the rally. Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said the rally should be delayed by several weeks. Organizers had said the march was planned to show that Brussels and the country at large refuse to be intimidated by terrorism after the attacks. The march had been due to begin at 1400 local time (1300 GMT) at the central Place de La Bourse which, carpeted with flowers and tributes, has turned into a shrine to the victims. Meanwhile the Brussels airport will not reopen for passenger flights at least before March 29, the airport said in a statement posted on its website on March 26. The airport said it will implement "new security measures" following the suicide bomb attacks that targeted the airport as well as a Brussels metro station on March 22 The airport check-in area suffered extensive damage when two blasts seconds apart hit the departures hall. The airport authority said that a "provisional analysis" on March 26 showed that the main building housing the departure hall is stable and it will now see if temporary check-in desks can be installed. Belgium officials have identified the two airport suicide bombers as Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim El Bakraoui. Khalid El Bakraoui, Ibrahims brother, detonated his suicide vest at the Maelbeek subway stop in Brussels. With reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP, and RTL Meeting on March 25 in the Kremlin with Ramzan Kadyrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had signed a decree appointing the current Chechen leader as acting republic head when his second term expires on April 5. Kadyrov will hold this temporary position until a vote is held across Chechnya to elect a republic head in September. At the same time, in a clear allusion to highly publicized incidents over the past year involving Chechen security personnel and attacks on Russian human rights activists, Putin unambiguously warned Kadyrov of the need for "closer coordination" with the federal authorities, especially with regard to security. That is in all likelihood an allusion to an episode in April 2015, when Kadyrov issued orders to the security forces loyal to him to "shoot to kill" in the event that Interior Ministry units from elsewhere in the Russian Federation seek to apprehend suspected criminals on Chechen territory without having obtained permission from the authorities in Grozny to do so. Putin also told Kadyrov that "as the future leader of the republic, you should do everything to ensure full compliance with Russian laws in all spheres of life -- I want to stress this, in all spheres of life." It is tempting to construe that injunction as an expression of Putin's displeasure at a vicious attack earlier this month on Russian human rights activists and two foreign journalists on the Chechen-Ingush border. The perpetrators drove cars with Chechen license plates. In December 2014, Putin had issued a comparable, if less strongly-worded warning to Kadyrov not to violate the law in connection with republic head's orders to expel from Chechnya the families of insurgents responsible for attacks on Grozny earlier that month and for the destruction of their homes. Economic Upswing At the March 25 meeting, Putin also enumerated the positive aspects of Kadyrov's track record as Chechen leader: the rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed during the wars of 1994-1996 and 1999-2000; drastically reducing unemployment (on paper, if not in actual fact); and restoring stability and security (although this is widely believed to have been done by intimidating or killing anyone rash enough to criticize Kadyrov or question the legality of his methods). In the context of the rebuilding of Chechnya's war-shattered economy, Putin quipped that "I didn't expect someone of your background to develop suddenly into a competent economic manager." Strictly speaking, however, the economic upswing since Putin first named Kadyrov Chechen president in March 2007 was primarily the work of trusted subordinates -- in the first instance Grozny Mayor Muslim Khuchiyev, who pulled out all the stops to ensure Kadyrov's orders were carried out within the designated timeframe, mainly because the futures of the Chechen leader's underlings and of their families depended on it. Putin's appointment of Kadyrov as acting republic head lays to rest widespread speculation in recent months that the Russian leadership, or more precisely a specific interest group within it, had become so alarmed at the exponential increase in Kadyrov's power and influence that they were considering naming him to another position. The independent Daghestan-based daily "Chernovik" mentioned the posts of federal envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District (currently held by Sergei Melikov,who would then succeed Republic of Daghestan head Ramazan Abdulatiov) or that of deputy Russian presidential administration head with responsibility for nationality relations. The latter position is currently occupied by Abdulatipov's predecessor as Republic of Daghestan head, Magomedsalam Magomedov. That speculation about Kadyrov's political future has been fueled, on the one hand, by Kremlin officials' disinclination to clarify his future role, even though it is normal practice for a republic head to be appointed "acting" only very shortly before his term is due to expire, as was the case recently with Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic head Rashid Temrezov. On the other hand, Kadyrov himself contributed to the uncertainty by declaring in late February that he did not wish to serve a third term. In response to that statement, Kadyrov's closest aides orchestrated a large-scale PR campaign under the hashtag # (Ramzan, Don't Leave!). A mass demonstration of popular support for Kadyrov scheduled for March 6, which budget sector workers had been ordered to attend, was called off, however, and Chechen government officials denied that it had ever been planned. But a rally by up to 1 million people in Grozny on March 23, purportedly to mark the 13th anniversary of the adoption in a referendum of a new Chechen Republic constitution, was in effect organized in such a way as to give the impression that the republic's entire population sees Kadyrov as the sole guarantor of its security and well-being. Private Army Putin expressed confidence that the Chechen people will "demonstrate their appreciation" of what Kadyrov has accomplished, presumably by reelecting him.But Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the Petersburg Politics Fund, has suggested that Kadyrov's reelection is still not necessarily a foregone conclusion, and that, in the five months before the September 18 ballot, the Kremlin may continue looking for an alternative candidate. Yekaterina Sokiryanskaya, who heads the International Crisis Group's North Caucasus project, believes that the Russian leadership has concluded that the potential risks of trying to replace Kadyrov as republic head are greater than that of permitting the continuation of his brutal, corrupt , and authoritarian regime. She further makes the point that, not only does the Kremlin lack complete control over Kadyrov -- which has been the consensus among Caucasus watchers for some time -- it is not even seeking to impose such control, even though it is capable of doing so. At the same time, Sokiryanskaya observes that power in Chechnya rests with the Russian forces deployed there, not with Kadyrov's own private army, the strength of which Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin recently estimated at approximately 12,000 men. Sokiryanskaya predicts that, "if [the federal troops] were withdrawn from Chechnya now, the Kadyrov regime would not survive a week," given that "a significant number" of Kadyrov's security forces would withdraw their support for him. Whether and in response to what possible blatant disregard by Kadyrov of Putin's warnings the Russian leadership might resort to that worst-case scenario can only be guessed at. Iran has denied supporting cyberattacks against the United States after a U.S. court formally charged seven Iranian nationals over hacking dozens of American banks and a New York dam. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had dangerous cyber actions on its agenda and does not support such measures," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on March 26. The U.S. Justice Department on March 24 indicted the seven Iranians believed to have been working on behalf of the Iranian government and described as "experienced computer hackers." At least 46 major financial institutions and financial sector companies were affected by the coordinated hacking campaign from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. At a news conference, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the cyberattacks inflicted tens of millions of dollars in damages. The alleged attack against the dam by Iranians could have imposed a clear and present danger to Americans, she said. Based on statement by mfa.ir and reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters The leaders of Pakistan and Iran say they are targeting $5 billion worth of mutual trade by 2021. Iranian President Hassan Rohani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced their trade goal as Rohani wrapped up a two-day visit to Islamabad on March 26. The Iranian president told reporters that the two countries want to connect Pakistan's port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea with Iran's port of Chahbahar, in southeastern Iran, through railway, road, and shipping lines. Rohani said one of the reasons for this is to help integrate China into the region. Pakistan and Iran also agreed to open two additional border crossings to enhance trade. Trade between Pakistan and Iran fell to $432 million in 2010-11 from $1.32 billion in 2008-09, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. Part of the drop was due to sanctions imposed by Western powers on Tehran that were aimed at halting a nuclear program they suspected of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Most of the sanctions were lifted in January in return for Iran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters Armed men have gunned down a health official supervising an antipolio drive in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas. The incident occurred on March 26 in the Khyber tribal district, among seven located along the porous border with Afghanistan. Local officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that 40-year-old Akhtar Khan was in his clinic in Khyber's Lwargi area when armed men opened fire and killed him on the spot. Police said one suspect had been arrested. No one so far has claimed responsibility for the attack, but militants in the area have previously threatened and attacked polio workers in the locality. Polio vaccinators are regularly targeted in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, in areas outside government control, slowing progress in wiping out the debilitating disease. Militants say the polio vaccination campaign is a cover for Western spies or a conspiracy to sterilize Pakistani children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where the disease is still endemic. The Pentagon will submit a proposal to U.S. President Barack Obama to increase the number of American troops in Iraq, the nation's highest-ranking military officer said on March 25. "We have a series of recommendations that we will discuss with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces," said General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "[Defense Secretary Ashton Carter] and I both believe that there will be an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq in coming weeks, but that decision hasn't been made," Dunford said. Carter said options to be presented to the president include sending additional U.S. forces to Iraq, using Apache helicopters for combat missions, deploying more U.S. special operations forces, or using American military advisers in Iraqi units closer to the front lines. Dunford said the recommendations also will include ways that the United States can help Iraqi forces recapture Mosul, the largest urban center in the Islamic State's (IS) self-proclaimed "caliphate." He expects the Mosul offensive to be long and difficult. The U.S. military this week disclosed for the first time the presence of some 200 Marines and artillery in a small base called Fire Base Bell in northern Iraq. The artillery is used to support Iraqi troops as they advance in the region. Officially, there are 3,870 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq. But Dunford did not deny media reports that the actual number is likely closer to 5,000. Strengthening the U.S. military presence in Iraq is a sensitive issue for the Obama administration, which has vowed not to deploy ground forces there. American troops can become a particularly tempting target for IS attacks, as proved to be the case with Fire Base Bell, which was attacked by IS rocket fire within two weeks of its establishment. Also, Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq strongly oppose additional U.S. deployments to their country. With reporting by AP and AFP When 2016 started there were no national elections scheduled in any of the five Central Asian countries. By the end of January, Kazakhstan had called snap parliamentary elections and Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were planning referendums to change their constitutions and allow the current leaders to remain in power indefinitely. To some it was another reminder that changes in leadership are coming closer in Central Asia, where two of the presidents are already well into their 70s. Speculation has been rife for many years about who might come to power next in the individual states but, in at least four of the five countries -- Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan -- the systems are so opaque that even guesswork is difficult. For example, no one outside of Turkmenistan (and probably only a very few inside Turkmenistan) would have thought prior to first President Saparmurat Niyazov's death in late 2006 that Health Minister Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov would have succeeded him to become Turkmenistan's second president. This week, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, assembled a Majlis, a panel discussion, to look not at who specifically might succeed to the top posts in the Central Asian countries, but rather what path they would need to take to get there, whom they would need for allies, and what policies they would have adopt to gain legitimacy and support. Azatlyk Director Muhammad Tahir moderated the panel. Julie Fisher Melton, author of "Importing Democracy: The Role of NGOs in South Africa, Tajikistan & Argentina," joined the talk from Washington DC. Also participating from Washington was Reid Standish, a journalist with Foreign Policy and author of the recently published article After Predictable Elections, Kazakhstan's Autocrat Ponders Successor. Taking part from Bishkek was Edil Baisalov, a former presidential adviser, currently one of the leading political analysts in Kyrgyzstan. And, since the succession question in Central Asia has been one of my obsessions for quite some time, I also chimed in with a few comments of my own. No Universal Road Map Nearly 25 years after they became independent, the five Central Asian states are now very distinct countries, so there is no road map to the top that would apply to all. The succession process will be different in each country. In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the two largest countries in the region in terms of population, the presidents are the same people who were first secretaries of the Communist Party of their respective Soviet socialist republics when the U.S.S.R. disintegrated in late 1991. For citizens of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who will be 76 in July, has been the only president they've known. The same is true in Uzbekistan where Islam Karimov, who turned 78 at the end of January, has been the leader since the very beginning. Being the second president will be difficult in these countries. But to get even that far, such a person will need help. Standish suggested, for example, that, in oil-exporter Kazakhstan, the business elites would be a desirable, possibly indispensable, ally in becoming the president. But, Standish noted, "If you look at Uzbekistan, a lot of that wealth and power is generated domestically, so the security services will probably play a much larger role in Uzbekistan in a succession scenario [and] could even be the ones who take the reins of power." As it stands now, the elites are almost certain to be the powerbrokers when it comes to installing the next Central Asian leaders. But this is an unwieldy basis for legitimacy in Central Asia as Melton pointed out. "I don't think elite arrangements have anything more than a very temporary effect on legitimacy," she said, adding that, "in the long run, civil society is the hope for institutionalization from below and without institutionalization from below you'll continue to have change at the top that really leads to no change at all." The Islam Factor The leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan enjoy a legitimacy that derives in large part from their long tenures in power. Karimov and Nazarbaev can style themselves as "fathers of their nations," Standish said, while Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, in power since 1992, is playing on his image as the "originator of the peace," for his role in ending the 1992-1997 Tajik civil war. Such legitimacy, obviously, will not transfer to whomever comes immediately after them. New leaders could find themselves in need of a new support base. If they choose, like the current leaders, to shun cooperation with civil society, where else could they turn? Baisalov said the generational shift is already being felt in Kyrgyzstan and that "the new mass of [the] predominantly young population is completely different." Baisalov explained, "Currently the most popular person in Kyrgyzstan is one of the preachers, he calls himself 'sheikh' but you cannot imagine one political or any other personality who is collecting so much of an audience whose weekly videos are being watched by hundreds of thousands in Kyrgyzstan." Islam has been a part of Central Asian politics for centuries. Despite the efforts of the region's distrustful presidents to mute its influence, Islam will increasingly be a factor in politics in Central Asia once again. Courting support among the faithful could help propel someone to the top position but it has always been a risky game in Central Asia, particularly for leaders who are not genuinely pious. Russian Interests Baisalov mentioned another key to succession in Central Asia -- the Kremlin. "Russia will make sure that they play a role," he said. "They can deny recognition, they can try and interfere, they can try to provide some guarantees against, for example, if there is some security situation. The most important source of recognition and support and legitimacy will come from Moscow." Indeed, it is difficult to imagine the Kremlin would refrain from interfering if a leader emerged in one of the Central Asian countries who was overly pro-Western, or pro-Chinese, or pro-Islamic. Recognition of Russia's interests in Central Asia is almost a prerequisite to gaining power. The panelists recalled the starkly different transitions of power already seen in Central Asia. Turkmenistan's transfer of power in December 2006 after the death of first President Niyazov was smooth but completely opaque. Kyrgyzstan, in contrast, saw two revolutions (2005 and 2010) that ousted presidents and violence accompanied each. (The country is now governed as a parliamentary republic with the president serving as head of state.) The first two presidents of Tajikistan (Rahmon Nabiev and Akbarsho Iskandarov) were both essentially driven from power in 1992 as the Tajik civil war started. The panelists went into greater detail, reviewing the path to succession and discussing what a successor might do to stay in power. You can listen to the full roundtable discussion below: Serbia complained that the United Nations war crimes tribunal that convicted Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of genocide is biased against Serbs. The court's verdict on March 24 left a "bitter taste because no orchestrators of the policies of crimes against Serbs have been punished," Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic said after a cabinet session on the Karadzic decision on March 25. "The Serbian government believes that the justice of punishing members of only one nation for the crimes which were committed by all is in fact selective," he said, adding that the verdict appears "politicized." Despite bitterness about the one-sided caseload of the court, Serbian leaders said they will continue to work for reconciliation and pursuing membership in the European Union. The government of the Bosnian Serb Republic, which Karadzic helped to found, also criticized the verdict on March 25, saying it "does not contribute to reconciliation and trust-building among the peoples" of the former Yugoslavia. Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison for orchestrating atrocities against Muslims and Croats in Bosnia during the 1992-95 war, including the massacre of some 8,000 people in Srebrenica. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters An air ambulance helicopter crashed in southern Iran, killing all on board, Iranian media reported on March 25. Red Crescent spokesman Mostafa Mortazavi was quoted by ISNA news agency saying seven were killed, including the patient, crew members, and medics. Other Iranian news outlets said as many as 10 were killed, including possibly people in vehicles on the ground. The helicopter went down about 30 kilometers south of the southeastern city of Shiraz as it was taking a patient in serious condition from a remote area to Shiraz. A local official told state TV the cause of the crash was under investigation. Iran's official news agency IRNA said the area has experienced wind, heavy rainfall, and low visibility in recent days. Some news reports said the helicopter struck a high-voltage power line. Air accidents are not uncommon in Iran, with many blamed on aging aircraft and poor maintenance. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP 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 U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on April 4, the White House announced on March 25. The two leaders are expected to discuss the fight against the Islamic State group, the migrant crisis, the upcoming NATO summit, and NATO's increased presence in eastern Europe in response to Russia's aggressions in Ukraine. At the meeting Obama will stress that the United States "stands together with NATO in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks" in Brussels, where NATO is based, the White House said. The two will discuss preparations for the NATO Summit on July 8 and 9 in Warsaw, Poland, "including Allied efforts to reinforce deterrence in Europe, address instability on Europe's periphery, and strengthen NATO's base of capabilities and partnerships," it said. Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa Uzbekistan has pulled backed troops and military vehicles from a disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border, ending a weeklong standoff over the contested area. The Kyrgyz state border guard service said the troop withdrawal took place early on March 26, a day after a meeting between Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials over the crisis. The meeting had been initiated by the Uzbek side, the border guard service said. On March 18, Uzbek authorities deployed troops, two armored personnel vehicles, and two military trucks near the border in Kyrgyzstans southwestern in Aksy district in Jalal-Abad province. Kyrgyz authorities responded by sending troops and military equipment to the disputed area. The majority of the twisting 1,314-kilometer-long Uzbek-Kyrgyz border is still undefined, and conflicts on and near border crossings are often violent. Several flare-ups in recent years have ended with people being shot dead. With reporting by kg.akipress.org and kabarlar.kg Those who are really ambitious about climbing the corporate ladder should be prepared to be inconvenienced, the top executive with one of the nations biggest trucking and logistics companies told Virginia Commonwealth University business school students this week. If you can accept being inconvenienced, then the rewards will be there, because it is noticed, said W. Grady Rosier, president and chief executive officer of Temple, Texas-based distributor McLane Co., which he noted supplies groceries and other products to retailers and restaurants in every ZIP code in the nation. I dont mean you have to miss your kids 16th birthday party or the important milestones in your familys life, Rosier told students. But you dont have to be there for every birthday. Rosier visited VCU as part of the Charles G. Thalhimer Family Executive-in-Residence program. On Thursday, he spoke with students in associate professor Susan Coombes strategic management class. McLane grew from a one-man retail shop opened by Robert McLane in 1894 in Cameron, Texas, to become a $48 billion-a-year supply-chain behemoth, mostly by hitching its own trucking business to the rise of convenience stores such as 7-Eleven starting in the 1950s, then the explosion of big-box chain stores such as Walmart starting in the 1970s. Rosier, 67, grew up in Florida and was the first in his family to attend college. He joined McLane in 1984 and became CEO in 1995, five years after it had been acquired by Walmart. In 2000, the company was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the holding company managed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary BH Media Group owns the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Rosier said he has been successful because I have a wife who is very understanding. He said they have relocated about 17 times over the course of his career. McLane has been successful because it still operates by the principles set out by its founder, which are honesty, integrity and high Christian principles, he said. I do not mean for a second that you have to have the New Testament in your back pocket and witness to everybody, he told the students. What we do mean by that is that you have a code of ethics that you live by. I expect people to do exactly what they say they are going to do, he said. Asked how technology, especially the fledgling technologies of electric and autonomous vehicles, will change the companys business, Rosier said, we are adding more and more technology. The newest of the companys 85 distribution centers, being built in Ohio, will have about one-third fewer employees than a typical distribution center and contains lots and lots of robotics, he said. Robots show up everyday, he said. They work in the dark. They do not need lights. He said the company would like to have more electric-powered trucks in its fleet, but the current technology is not sufficient because electric trucks do not have the torque needed for the loads the company ships. I think it is probably not going to be in my lifetime that we will see a tractor-trailer remotely piloted across the country, Rosier said. He said he would like to see more electric vehicles, not because I am all that green, but because it is just a good business practice. Asked what advice he would give students entering a career, Rosier said, Learn everything you can; read everything you can. I want you to be very good at the English language, he said of his preferences in hiring. I want you to learn to speak Spanish. I want you to learn everything you can about a PC (computer). A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. State Sen. Creigh Deeds says he wants to pass reforms that could change the face of mental health care in Virginia by the end of 2017. Deeds, D-Bath, was at the Northside Library in Albemarle County on Friday afternoon to talk about his efforts in the General Assembly to improve care. The issue is personal for Deeds, whose son stabbed him multiple times before committing suicide in 2013 after being denied a psychiatric care bed. The current psychiatric care system in Virginia is a patchwork of 40 local mental health authorities, with one state agency overseeing it. Some of those function very well and some of them dont function at all, Deeds said. Deeds said hes hoping to standardize certain measures, including mandatory crisis intervention training for law enforcement and a movement away from criminal prosecution and toward treatment for offenders. Deeds appearance is part of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library systems program The Big Read, in which local residents are encouraged to read and discuss the same book. This years selection, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, deals with mental illness and social isolation, said Sarah Hamfeldt, adult programming and reference services manager. Deeds cited San Antonio, Albuquerque and Dade County, Florida, as examples of localities with effective means of dealing with patients on the crisis intervention side. The common element in those systems is a mental health court offering alternatives to incarceration. The Medicaid expansion debate looms large over the issue of mental health reform. Deeds said the expansion would cover almost 60,000 uninsured Virginians wrestling with mental illness, echoing estimates by the state Department of Medical Assistance Services. 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 ... 2Lt Mary Ellen Fabros, civil-military officer of 63rd Infantry (Innovator) Battalion as speaker during the symposium conducted at Lope De Vega National High School, Lope de Vega, and Rosario Lim National High School, Catarman all of Northern Samar February 11-12, 2016. Youth from Northern Samar empowered by soldiers By DPAO, 8ID PA February 17, 2016 LOPE DE VEGA, Northern Samar The 63rd Infantry (Innovator) Battalion under the leadership of Lt. Col Carmelito T Pangatungan has successfully spearheaded the youth symposium both in Lope De Vega and Rosario Lim National High School all of Catarman Northern Samar on February 11, 2016. The symposium is anchored on IPSP Bayanihan through intensified stakeholders engagement, the Army facilitated lectures on the New People Armys (NPA) machination and deceptive strategies in luring the youth into the senseless, and irrelevant armed struggle. Also, the Philippine National Police (PNP) gave lectures on anti-illegal drugs while, Technical Educational Skills Development Authority (TESDA) presented the available vocational courses and trainings to improve the social well-being of the youth. Subsequently, the Philippine Military Academy donated 400 books to supplement learnings and access on reading materials to level up the education of our youth in Catarman. Lt. Col. Pangatungan gives priority on its information campaign to the youth sector since they are the most vulnerable target of communist insurgent recruitment and encourage the youth to become active partner in peace building because they the future leaders and hope of tomorrow. Lets talk about hope. If there is one thing the world sorely needs right now amidst all the uncertainties, calamities and man-made suffering, its hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope for peace, hope for solutions to a mountain of problems, hope for answers. And nothing personifies that more clearly than Easter, especially Resurrection Sunday, when Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. And for all those who believe in Him, that will also be the victory that we have already been guaranteed. That should give us all hope. The awesome thing is that every time we commemorate Easter, we are not remembering someone who is dead. No, we believe that our Christ is a risen Saviour, who sits on the right hand of the Father and who will return one day because he promised us that he would. So the essence of today is that living hope that can only be found in Him. Jesus did, once and for all, all that needed to be done for us on that cross. But sadly, the message of Easter is still lost on so many, even here in Christian Samoa. Some people are still living in defeat, in bondage, and in hopelessness. The irony is that most of these people, if not all, belong in a church. They give money to the church in various forms. Nothing wrong with that if you are giving out of your own volition and not out of compulsion. But then more and more is required to be given, to the point where people start to feel burdened to give. And give and give, even beyond their means. And thats when it becomes a problem. The church is the single, largest institution in Samoa that people give so much money to. There is a church, and in most villages, more than one in every village. We tend to look first at what the government should be doing or hasnt done for us. We always ask and wait on the government to do this for us and do that for our village and our district. And in many cases, that is true because those are the services and utilities that government should provide for its people. But what about the churches? With the exorbitant amount of money being pumped into it every week, every month, every year by church members, what exactly is the church doing in return for the wellbeing of the people? When it comes to the churches, we always hear about the spiritual side. Thats what the church is primarily there for. To teach people about God, His Word and His will. But if Jesus is to be the churchs ultimate example as they all love to proclaim, then Jesus would be shaking his head right now in disappointment with how some of the churches have failed him significantly in this area. Spiritual edification and building up is always said to be the work of the church. But the same Bible that the church teaches from also says that faith without works is dead. So you can preach all you want until youre blue in the face, but if people dont see you actually caring for them and tending to their needs, they would never know and understand the God of love that you are preaching about. They dont need just talk; they need to see you live out the very message that youre trying to make them do. No wonder so many people, religiously attending churches every Sunday, are spiritually dead. Heres the thing. People dont need more churches. They dont need any more building projects. They have heard enough sermons. They dont need more activities done under the guise of spiritual enlightenment. What people need is food to feed the many mouths they are responsible for. They need money to pay for their childrens education, the bills, the faalavelave, and the endless lists of daily living. Many people are tired of hearing sermons about a God who will provide all of our needs, and then they get slapped with another saogamea due the following week on top of another saogamea due this week. The reality is that the church has become an obligatory burden for so many instead of the freeing, uplifting experience it was meant to be. Now to their credit, there are many churches around Samoa who are doing practical things for the development of their congregations. Things like night classes for their college students who need extra help, utilizing the vast knowledge and experience of other church members. Other churches have a fund that supports further education or donations to local organizations that minister to the poor, homeless and abused. But for the majority of other churches, what are you doing for your sheep in return for their tithes and offerings that they give into your coffers every week, month and year? If churches say they follow after the example of Jesus, they are doing a very poor job of it judging by what we are seeing today. Jesus ministered to the poor, the sick, the despised, the outcasts of society. He actually went out to where these people were. How many churches can say today that they aspire to do these things consistently, and that they actually do them? There are some churches but they are far and few. One of the most beautiful aspects of the Samoan culture is the fact that we honour people. We give honour where honour is due. And church ministers and leaders are right there at the top of the honour roll. And thats fine because in our culture, the honour is first and foremost for God whom they represent and then the person. Nothing wrong with that. But it does become a problem when that honour is abused and used for personal gain. Unfortunately, this has happened way too many times. On this day many years ago, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That gave mankind hope, hope that is eternal. If Jesus Christ died and paid the price so that we can be free, why then are people suffering in the guise of taking up a free gift he offered? It doesnt make sense. Something is wrong somewhere with our theology and the way we are living out what God had planned. Think about it. For today though, lets take heart in the message of hope that Jesus Christ is alive. And because he is alive, everyone who believes in him and his resurrection as this country is celebrating today can have hope. In the words of Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Have an enjoyable and peaceful resurrection Sunday Samoa, God bless! Dear Editor, Is it just me or is there a shockingly obvious lack of women in the recently announced executive of our new government? This interesting result follows a prolonged publicized and costly campaign in the last few years by PM Tuilaepa, his then cabinet, senior officials and international donors, Australia and UN agencies namely, for what they signalled was the imperative need to have more women if not equal women in the apex decision making bodies (i.e. parliament and by implication cabinet) in Samoa!? What a ridiculous joke and complete farce having an offering of 5 women parliamentarians to choose from to help form cabinet and only two women end up in there! And even worse none of the three women snubbed from cabinet were chosen as associate ministers! This speaks deafening volumes of how PM Tuilaepa (who chose his ministers) and his cabinet ministers (who reportedly chose or had a say in their associate ministers) really feel in the depths of their hearts and souls - that women are not worthy or incapable of equally taking up key leadership and decision making positions in cabinet. Unfortunately the historic and milestone actions of that dashing young Canadian PM, who in one full sweep appointed women to half of his cabinet last year, in the end did not resonate loudly enough a clear message across the Pacific to our small island state to teach Tuilaepa and his cronies that things can be drastically different with one simple brave thought and decision. Ironically having two women in cabinet did not serve their fellow parliamentarian sisters any favours or give them any advantage whatsoever. Goes to show these women cabinet ministers are either self-serving and threatened by other strong and capable women or they are deeply misguided that the men they chose as their associate ministers could do better than their female colleagues. Whatever the case may be it is obviously a very sad state of affairs for those of us that believe that women must support other women in this country. I mean why would these two women MPs want to join an already overcrowded unthinking support base for male leaders in this country? Didnt they want to stand out from the rest of an overwhelmingly male cabinet and make womens voices count and shine in the selection of these associates? As far as I am concerned these two women in cabinet have utterly failed to stand up for their sisters in parliament and make every Samoan womans voice count by defying the boys club in cabinet and lobby for more women associate ministers and ultimately choose for themselves other women to be their associate ministers to reinforce this loud and clear. This is why those in the minority who think Fiame Naomi is the bees knees can worship her all they like but the truth is, there are many more people in this country, women included who know that she would not step out to help someone, who needs a leg-up in the leadership stakes, especially a strong and capable woman that may burst her elitist and out of touch bubble. If you do not believe me ask yourselves - has she ever supported and chosen a female CEO in the ministries she oversights? And why does she keep challenging anyone that tries to run against her in the constituency of Lotofaga. I find it very amusing when I see foreigners and some of our locals who basically want to be seen as somebody important, continue to flock and cling to her as if the oracle itself has arrived in town. This is why I think the PMs choice for Deputy PM is a grave mistake and someone else should have been selected. And if it was going to be a woman to please the international donors and those of us who genuinely want to see women succeed equally as men in any field - it should have been Gatoloaifaana Amataga Gidlow. I would be surprised if anyone disagrees with this because everyone that has interacted with Gatoloai knows how smart, genuine, kindly, hardworking, pleasant and engaging a person she is. And one can see that she actually likes to touch base with everyday people and to serve others rather than be served. Alternatively, a younger, fresher and more dynamic choice for Deputy PM would also have been much better than what our people ended up with. Sadly I can only think of one word in response to the new Cabinet and Associate Ministers selections - UNINSPIRATIONAL. Fortunately there are two beacons of light and hope in there for Samoa - Sili Epa Tuioti and Papalii Niko Lee Hang. I hope that they will diligently assess and get rid of the dead-weights in the ministries and public bodies or agencies that they are now oversighting starting with their CEOs. As a leadership sage once said - you cannot lift the performance of an organisation without lifting the performance of its top leader - the CEO. Those in the know in government and around town are well aware of long-serving deadbeat CEOs who are just cruising and so must be shown the door, as well as some of the new CEOs recently appointed through cabinet decisions rather than on selection criteria merit who did not perform as ACEOs or in previous roles they held but are now expected to improve and take these government organisations forward. Where is the logic or common sense i ia mea fai mai ai le isi loomatua o le matou aiga i tua. Recent case in point are the idiotic statements of Lavea Iulai, the current CEO of the Ministry of Finance regarding Samoa having no poverty nao le hardship ea poo lea ea. E tau mai ai lava le vaavaa ma le faavalevalea and how completely out of touch Lavea Iulai is and perhaps other CEOs of government about the impoverished realities of most peoples lives i totonu o si o tatou atunuu. But then isnt Lavea Iulai just repeating PM Tuilaepas ongoing public rhetoric about there being no poverty i Samoa? E sao ai o mea lava na aoai e le Palemia lea e saunoa mai ai le CEO lea. Which means Lavea Iulai does not have an independent or intelligent mind to process things like reality and make sound judgments or decisions of his own. Fai atu ai foi. Ia manuia tele malologa o le Eseta Samoa. O.L.S.M A man deported from Hawaii has been given a 12-month jail sentence for a number of drug related charges including the possession of ice. Panama Tevaga, of Ululoloa and Leauvaa, was sentenced by Justice Vui Clarence Nelson, who expressed concerns about the prevalence of ice-related cases in Samoa. I have reflected on this because although the quantity of methamphetamine involved in this case is relatively small (3.2 grams), it is of concern to the court that the harder type narcotics seem to be taking root in our community, Justice Vui said. As evidenced by the increasing number of cases coming before the court involving Class A drugs in recent years. It used to be that marijuana a Class B drug was the flavour of the day but that seems no longer the case. Methamphetamine and cocaine are emerging as new players in the drug market. Experience shows probably as pre-cursers of even harder and more addictive narcotics. Tevaga had pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine; possession of marijuana leaves and branches; possession of marijuana seeds and possession of utensils for use in narcotics. According to the summary of facts, the 40-year-old is in a defacto relationship and runs a taxi business. At the time of the offending he was renting premises at Ululoloa together with co-defendants who have pleaded not guilty to the charges. All defendants were under suspicion by the police for being involved in distributing drugs. And according to the summary of facts they moved from place to place, Justice Vui ruling says. In the early morning hours of 22 August 2015 the police raided the defendants premises or house at Ululoloa. At that time only he was home. As a result of that raid was discovered the substances which are the subject of the four charges. Justice Vui reminded that illicit narcotics is the scourge of many a society and Samoa is becoming no exception. This has led to initiatives such as the Drug and Alcohol Court being set up and to Parliament doubling the maximum penalty for possession of marijuana and marijuana seeds from 7 to 14 years in prison. The new Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, has resigned from his previous role with a leading financial management consultancy firm in Samoa to take up his new job. Ive resigned from the company, Sili told the Sunday Samoan. I had always meant to resign. Its for good governance that I do so I dont have any conflict of interest I resigned the day I was sworn in and never appointed people in the position I was in. Prior to being elected the Member of Parliament for Faasaleleaga East No. 1 and consequently his appointment as the Finance Minister, Sili was with Kolone and Vaai Associates Consults (K.V.A). According to its website, K.V.A Consult Ltd specialises in financial management and economic and public policy advice. The Sunday Samoan understands that the company does a lot of consultancy work for the government. The website also identifies Sili as a co-owner. KVAConsult Ltd, an ISO 9001:2008 certified consultancy company based in the Pacific, consists of skilled, experienced and dependable consultants who provide expert financial management, economic and public policy advice, the website reads. Established in 1990 as Kolone Vaai & Associates, the company was restructured in 2000 to become the present firm co-owned by former Financial Secretaries for the Government of Samoa, Kolone Vaai and Epa Tuioti. Epa is an economist, institutional and good governance expert with extensive leadership experience in public sector reforms and various national and regional consultancies for both the public and private sectors. Former Financial Secretary to the Government of Samoa (1991-1999). Epa was the Team Leader for the Review of the Pacific Islands Centre (PIC), Tokyo, Japan and the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Office (PIFTO) in Beijing, China; Co-Team Leader/Institutional Reform Expert in the Samoa Public Works Institutional Reform and Asset Management Services (PIRAMS) Project funded by the World Bank; and team member for the Joint Review of the Australian Aid Programme to Papua New Guinea. Prior to his role as Financial Secretary, Epa had a successful career in the Office of the Executive Director for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila and is a former President of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Epa is an Executive Board Member and former Deputy Chairman of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO). When Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi appointed Sili to the role of Minister of Finance, he received widespread support from the community saying he was the most obvious choice for the role. Lawlessness and anarchy descended upon Salelologa in Savaii momentarily on Thursday night as the country was preparing to commemorate Good Friday. It happened when a man from Salelavalu was beaten and stoned and had his vehicle set on fire at the Salelologa Wharf. It was not possible to obtain an official comment from the Police yesterday, as the Ministrys Media Spokespersons were not at work. But a Police officer in Savaii who spoke to the Sunday Samoan on the condition of anonymity confirmed the incident. It happened at around 12midnight after the nightclubs closed, he said. The vehicle driven by a male from Salelavalu nearly crashed into a vehicle from Salelologa and thats what started the dispute. The source said the Salelavalu vehicle was stopped in front of wharf, when it was leaving. Thats where young people stoned the vehicle and set it on fire, he said. It was quite scary and we are glad that no one else was involved. The driver ran for his life and was lucky to be rescued by the sailors of the Lady Samoa III. The Police officer praised the quick intervention of the matai of Salelologa. It was good that matai from Salelologa responded quickly and assisted the Police that night, he said. Another source told the Sunday Samoan that one of the suspects is a prisoner who was released on the Easter weekend parole. He said the prisoner is well known to the general public and he was surprised that he was granted weekend parole. These are the kind of prisoners that the prisons should be very careful with about releasing them to the public. For a member of the public who only wanted to be identified as Ioane, he said the sight of the burnt vehicle was scary. I didnt think this could happen in Samoa, he said. It was something Im used to seeing in the movies and those countries overseas. Now its happening in Samoa and its really scary. I was scared just watching how angry some of those young men were. The Sunday Samoan understands that the Police are investigating. FLORENCE, S.C. -- The family of a fallen Florence County sheriffs deputy established a Citadel Foundation scholarship in his name on Friday. On Nov. 22, 2013, Deputy Joseph C. Antwine was responding to a call for backup from a fellow deputy when he was involved in a single-car accident. He died of his injuries a week later. He was 23 years old. Since his death, his mother and sister have been working to keep his legacy alive. They found inspiration in The Citadel, where Joseph graduated in 2012. His mother, Maibritt Tunstall, said The Citadel provided so many opportunities for Joseph and helped him become the man he was. Joseph held the institution, what it stands for, and the values it instills in very high regard, Tunstall said. We deduced that establishing a scholarship to help those in need, who have similar aspirations to his, would be the most beneficial way of aiding our endeavor. The Deputy Joseph C. Antwine Memorial Scholarship was signed and established on Friday, providing financial aid for cadets in need of financial assistance and majoring in criminal justice. During his time at the Citadel, Joseph was involved in multiple organizations including the Honor Committee, the Criminal Justice Society, where he served two years as president, and the Reenactment Society. Joseph was also a brother of the Kappa Alpha Order Theta Commission. To begin the term scholarship, Josephs family was required to raise $2,500. Tunstall said the money they have raised so far has come from small fundraisers such as selling chocolate, gift baskets and assorted homemade goods. Tunstall said she and her family plan to continue to hold fundraisers, but bigger ones, in the future. We hope that fundraisers on a larger scale will aid not only in our goal to raise funds for the betterment of cadets' educational aspirations but to also help us honor Joseph, his values, and the hopes he had for his community and fellow man, Tunstall said. Francis Marion University admissions counselor Cody Simpson has been helping the Antwine family in establishing this scholarship for years. Using his experience with the FMU Foundation, Simpson has had a significant influence on the Citadel Foundation scholarship idea becoming a reality. If you ask Simpson, however, it is the Antwine family that has influenced him. This is a big accomplishment, Simpson said. This is something that theyve wanted to do for a very long time and to make this happen will be very monumental. This is something that will continue Josephs legacy for generations to come. Over the next four years, the term scholarship allows $2,500 to be distributed annually. Tunstall said her desire is to do much more than that. It is our goal to continue to raise more funds than the annual $2,500 so that we can raise $50,000 to establish an endowed scholarship within the next two years, Tunstall said. An endowed scholarship requires a minimum of $50,000. Once an endowed scholarship is created it becomes permanent and will provide scholarships every year. Tunstall said this opportunity has given her and her family a way to honor Joseph by doing something he would be proud of. We wanted to find a way to give back to the community in his memory in a way that he would respect, Tunstall said. Today was a defining moment on our journey to remember and maintain Joseph's legacy. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Bay Areas population was boosted by 90,834 people the size of Santa Barbara between 2014 and 2015, according to estimates in a U.S. Census Bureau report, dramatically outpacing housing and transportation needs of the region, experts say. With 25,365 additional residents, Alameda County led the Bay Area population explosion, a mantle that belonged to Santa Clara County just two years earlier. And across the state, Alameda Countys growth came second only to Yolo County. The regional boom has cooled since a high in 2013, when the Bay Area greeted an additional 106,645 residents. But the relatively steady upswing in the past five years, policymakers say, underscores deficiencies in housing supply and public transportation. What should be a great story about job growth and very desirable communities is instead a story about housing displacement and gridlock, said Gabriel Metcalf, president of SPUR. Unequal gains Roadblocks to increasing the regions housing stock, he pointed out, include zoning laws that prohibit high-density housing, prolonged project approval processes and the fact that many voters are homeowners not directly hurt by soaring home prices and who want to minimize congestion for themselves. While each of the nine Bay Area counties grew between 2014 and 2015, the gains were far from equal. On the lowest end of the spectrum, Marin County added 671 people, just shy of a 0.3 percent increase. Alameda County, meanwhile, saw an almost 1.6 percent change in population, which is now at 1,638,215. The unevenness, especially when new residents are living far from their workplaces, has increased strains on public transit lines. Capacity commute On BART, most riders each day travel on the transbay line that links the East Bay and San Francisco. One of the starkest indicators of Oaklands population spike can be seen at the 19th Street Station, where the number of passengers coming in and out has doubled in the past decade. The crowded commuter trains were cast into an ugly spotlight in the past month as mysterious power surges knocked dozens of cars out of operation, and service shut down between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and North Concord stations. Theres a nonsensical sort of thing at play, said BART spokesman Taylor Huckaby, referring to increased demand without rising funding to boot. Its been a steady march forward, and were just completely at capacity during commute right now. The system has 100,000 more riders than it did five years ago, he said. All told, according to the figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bay Area now boasts 7,654,870 residents. The metropolitan area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, which increased by 60,152, was one of the few in the nation to grow by more than 50,000 people. The largest growth at a whopping 159,083 new residents was in the Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land area of Texas. Cries of anguish Miriam Zuk, a UC Berkeley researcher and director of the Urban Displacement Project which released a map visualizing gentrification forces last year said growth trends in the Bay Area between 2014 and 2015 appeared to be in line with recent years. Lets say the profile of those 90,000 people look similar to years past, she said. That might say something about the exclusionary nature of neighborhoods. San Francisco Countys rate of population growth has slowed somewhat in the past three years as Alameda Countys has picked up speed, leading some, like Tim Colen, executive director of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, to call Oakland the new Brooklyn. People say, The hell with it, I cant afford San Francisco. Ill go to Oakland, he said, adding that housing price increases in Oakland are among the highest in the state. Theyre starting to hear the loud cries of anguish. But Colen and others, such as Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council, hailed the regional population increase. It means the economy is still very hot, Colen said. Were attracting people here to work in the high tech, biotech, new media sectors. We seem to have the secret sauce. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Joshua Newman, the fitness entrepreneur with the knack for self-promotion, is now a felon. Newman, 36, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New Jersey last week to one count of wire fraud in a scheme that authorities said bilked at least 30 investors out of about $3.1 million. The guilty plea stands in stark contrast to the portrait Newman had painted of himself as a successful investor, film producer and promoter of several CrossFit training centers in the metropolitan New York area. But Newmans career, which he started while he was a student at Yale, was checkered by a long list of debts and unpaid judgments to friends and acquaintances. Newmans personal website still highlights quotations from a number of publications that have written favorably about him. The website also mentions a new online fitness training program he recently began, even as he was negotiating a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Prosecutors working for Paul Fishman, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said Newmans financial troubles began after a startup film production company he ran, Cyan Pictures, started to falter in 2011. Authorities said that beginning in 2012, Newman, a graduate of Palo Alto High School, started making misrepresentations to investors to solicit money for various business ventures, including several CrossFit training facilities. CrossFit is a popular, intensive training program. Newman is not affiliated with CrossFit Inc., a fitness consulting firm from Washington. Centers using the CrossFit brand name are independently run. At one time, Newman was a co-founder of one of the larger independently owned CrossFit centers in Manhattan. The criminal information that Newman pleaded guilty to charged him with misleading investors to raise money for two training operations in the New York and New Jersey area, as well raising money for a professional fitness training league. Prosecutors said the scheme to defraud investors began in 2012 and continued until April 2015, a month before agents with the FBI arrested Newman. Newman is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19. The maximum sentence for a wire fraud conviction is 20 years in federal prison. The plea agreement signed by Newman, however, notes that he cooperated with prosecutors during the investigation and has agreed to make restitution to all of his victims. The agreement said prosecutors would recommend that the judge consider those factors in determining the appropriate sentence. But the plea deal also notes that Newman and prosecutors remain at odds over the number of victims. While authorities contend more than 10 people and possibly as many as 30 were defrauded by Newman, he maintains there were fewer than 10 victims. Newmans lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, could not be immediately reached for comment. LOS ANGELES A popular practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine was found shot to death and wrapped in plastic along with his wife and 5-year-old daughter in their palatial two-story home in upscale Santa Barbara County. More than 170 miles to the south, a 27-year-old suspect was arrested in the San Diego area where he lives. What connected the two men remains largely unclear. Authorities said only that the two were recently involved in a business deal, and that financial gain could have been involved in the slayings. Pierre Haobsh, 27, of Oceanside was taken into custody at gunpoint at a gas station in San Diego County, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bob Brown said Friday. Investigators with an arrest warrant had been following a red Lexus that belonged to him, Brown said. A loaded handgun and property belonging to one of the victims was found inside the car, the sheriff said. Deputies who went to check on the welfare of 57-year-old Dr. Weidong Henry Han on Wednesday found the bodies of the physician, his 29-year-old wife, Huijie Jenni Yu, and the couples 5-year-old daughter, Emily Han, in the familys multimillion-dollar home on the outskirts of Santa Barbara. Their bodies were found shot, wrapped in plastic and duct-taped in the garage, a sheriffs statement said. They had last been seen the night before they were found. This investigation is far from over, Brown said. It is complex and ongoing. Two business associates of Han went to his home after he failed to show up for a meeting something they told authorities was highly uncharacteristic of him. The associates called authorities when they found the front door ajar and the familys cars parked outside. Authorities didnt say what led them from the palatial two-story home that sits on 7 acres surrounded by avocado trees to the Oceanside area, where Haobsh was arrested, more than 170 miles to the south. Haobsh is a U.S. citizen, authorities said, but few other details about him were released. The killings shocked Santa Barbara, where Han, who owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic, was a popular figure. Han had owned and operated the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic since 1991.Public records show he is a licensed acupuncturist. A Santa Clara police officer was charged Friday with operating a chop shop and receiving and possessing stolen property, officials said. Officer Tyson Green, a 41-year-old Los Gatos resident, was arrested for allegedly storing stolen sports car parts valued at more than $75,000 in a San Jose garage. He has been in the police department for 14 years and was placed on administrative leave when his superiors learned he was under investigation. Chief Michael Sellers said he was saddened to learn of the arrest. This is not a true reflection of the hard-working men and women of this department that serve and protect our community, Sellers said in a statement. A man responding to a Craigslist advertisement in January went to look at a Chevrolet Camaro engine stored in the officers garage and thought it might be stolen, prosecutors said. He reported it to law enforcement, and sheriffs deputies launched an investigation. The probe turned up four Camaro engines and 12 car computers, according to the district attorneys office. Each of the engines was worth more than $15,000. The parts were allegedly stolen from across the Bay Area as far back as July 2014 and as recently as January this year. There were no indications the illegal activity took place during his on-duty hours, said Michael Vidmar, deputy district attorney. Vidmar said he was disappointed in the officer. If convicted of the felony charges, Green could face up to five years in prison. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov A San Francisco sheriff deputys gun and bulletproof vest were stolen from his home near Visitacion Valley on Friday morning, police said. The burglary on the 300 block of Tocoloma Avenue was reported to San Francisco police at 7:35 a.m. Officers responding to the call discovered the windows and doors of the home all open and the house ransacked, said police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza. Taken in the break-in were the deputys 9mm Glock handgun, which had been secured in a lockbox, as well as two loaded magazines, a duty belt, a ballistics vest and a San Francisco Police Department-issued off-duty wallet flat badge, Esparza said. Eileen Hirst, chief of staff for the San Francisco Sheriffs Department, said the burglars also took a department-issued radio, which authorities managed to disable remotely. After the deputy reported the theft to the Police Department, he made a verbal report to the Sheriffs Department, in keeping with policy. This is a matter of serious concern to Sheriff Vicki Hennessy and the Sheriffs Department, Hirst said. Any missing firearm is a danger to public safety, and we are hopeful it will be recovered quickly and safely. In June, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agents gun was stolen in a car burglary and used to fatally shoot 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle as she walked with her father on Pier 14 in San Francisco on July 1. In August, UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett had her department-issued gun and badge stolen from her car when she went for a jog at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond. Less than a month later, a firearm stolen from a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rental car in San Francisco was used to kill artist Antonio Ramos as the 27-year-old worked on an antiviolence mural in Oakland. A gun belonging to an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer was stolen out of his personal car in October. Last month, the service weapon belonging to another ICE agent was reported missing after he left it on top of his car. According to experts, guns are highly valued items for thieves looking to divert the weapons to criminals on the street. Because of their accessibility to firepower, those in law enforcement have long feared that their homes, too, may be targets for burglars. That proved true in 2013, when burglars set their sights on a K-9 officers home in Richmond. Thieves poisoned his pet Labrador retriever and his police dog, a Belgian Malinois. The burglars waited for him to rush one of the dogs to a veterinarian before breaking into his house and swiping his guns. The Labrador retriever died in the incident. Esparza said San Francisco investigators are cognizant of the public safety issues at stake after Fridays burglary and are working to recover the stolen property. We dont want this person running around the streets with a gun and ballistics vest, he said. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Two area men have won millions of dollars from their former employer, a painting company with major contracts with the state and with area airports, after testifying that they endured years of racist abuse and discrimination. A New Haven jury Friday awarded more than $1.5 million each to Yosif Bakhit, of Bridgeport, who is Sudanese-American and a Muslim, and Kiyada Miles, of Trumbull, who is black. The men worked for Safety Marking Inc., a company that has painted roadway and runway lines for international airports in New York and New Jersey, and won several contracts from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Lewis Chimes, the lawyer who represented the two, said the message from the jury was that, when we see racism of that Jim Crow type that used to exist, were not going to accept it, and we are going to react strongly to it. Safety Marking, which has headquarters in Bridgeport as well as in Richmond, R.I., and Westbury, N.Y., vowed to appeal the decision, but declined further comment. The trouble began in 2009, the year after Bakhit began working for the painting company, according to the mens federal civil complaint. After he reported to work on Long Island, he overheard James Cody, a supervisor, yelling white power in the company shop, Chimes wrote. Also that year, foreman Phil Brininger walked towards Mr. Bakhit in the shop with a black doll that looked like a monkey, inviting Cody to recognize the similarity between the black doll and Mr. Bakhit as other employees looked on, the suit claimed. Throughout the 2009 season, Mr. Brininger made Mr. Bakhit work harder than other, white employees on the job sites and consistently gave him the most brutal and tiresome assignments to be completed, Chimes wrote. The same year, Miles was working under foreman Ray Vezina with two other employees, one of whom was black, wrote Chimes. The African American man attempted to exit the truck when Mr. Vezina began to accelerate, causing the African American man to fall and get dragged nearly two blocks down the road. After stopping the vehicle, Mr. Vezina stated, At least I can die knowing I dragged a black man from the back of my truck, the suit alleged An alleged pattern of abuse In 2010, Chimes said, Kelly moved Bakhit to the night shift against his wishes and passed him over for promotion, despite the fact that other less-experienced white employees were being promoted. And when Miles reported to the Long Island shop and waited outside with two Latino employees, Cody walked up them and said I dont need a (racial epithet) and two (racial epithet) standing outside my shop. the suit claimed. According to the complaint, the next two years of racist jokes read like the lazy script of a bad movie a supervisor making Bakhit pick cotton out of an aspirin bottle and telling him to climb a tree like an ape, another supervisor calling him darkness, an unnamed employee yelling that Bakhit should have smiled so that he would show up in a photograph. There were hurled bananas, nicknames and another monkey doll, according to the suit. After Bakhit told his co-workers that his brother was an Olympian runner, Vezina circulated a synthesized image of a black man running on a track, seemingly chasing a young white girl who was holding a piece of fried chicken, Chimes wrote. Cody started calling Miles Kunta Kinte after the character in Roots, and there were slurs against Middle Eastern people, who were called camel jockeys, bombers and terrorists. Throughout the years, supervisors would call black employees lazy and stupid, refuse to promote them and reserve benefits like sponsorship for commercial drivers licenses a prerequisite for certain high-ranking positions for white employees, Chimes said. Finally, in 2012, Bakhit had enough and filed an internal complaint with the help of a lawyer a complaint that was dead on arrival, though Bakhit did find his car window smashed with a rock soon after, Chimes said. After a federal trial that began in July 2013, a jury sided with the Bakhit and Miles. The jurors ordered the company to pay $1.4 million in punitive damages to each man for creating a hostile working environment and for race discrimination. They also awarded Bakhit another total of $100,000 from Vezina, Brininger and Tom Hanrahan, another supervisor. Miles was awarded another $100,000 as well, split between Vezina, Brininger, Cody and Hanrahan. Chimes said the men were also awarded compensatory damages, $300,000 for Bakhit and $85,000 for Miles. Things ... here were awful The verdict comes at a time when, in Bridgeport, issues of race have come to a head. Former Bridgeport police officer Clive Higgins has been accused of penning spurious race-based threats, ostensibly form white officers, and said he did so at the behest of the former head instructor at the police academy, Lt. Lonnie Blackwell. That firestorm ignited against the backdrop of a disproportionately white police command and City Hall in a largely black and Hispanic city. But where many cases of possible racism or discrimination can be nuanced, Chimes said this one was clear-cut. This was not a case that dealt with political correctness or oversensitivity, he said after the verdict Friday. The things that were in existence here were awful. Dennis Brown, an attorney from Hartford firm Gordon Rees, who represented the painting company, declined to comment other than to say that the client has authorized us to say that there will be an appeal. Mark Kelly, Safety Markings president, was not available at the companys Bridgeport headquarters on Friday. According to the companys website, Safety Marking has secured contracts for paint jobs at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Teterboro Airport and Steward International Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The DOTs records list Safety Marking as regular contract bid winners. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD The tragic police shooting death of Dylan Pape last week was an exceedingly rare event for Stamford, a city in which police have not shot a civilian in over 30 years. Rarer still is the state medical examiners determination of the manner of Papes death, effectively calling it suicide by cop. There was a similar ruling in a 2013 police involved shooting in Farmington, but before then it has been at least 24 years since a suicide-by-cop determination was made in Connecticut, the states Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill said. There were other police shootings, but I do not have the details of each to know what the circumstances were, said Gill, who has held his position since 2013. In most cases, he said, the police shootings were deemed homicides, but without criminal intent. On Monday evening Stamford police responded to a 911 call reporting a man threatening harm with a gun at Papes home on Wedgemere Road, a quiet cul de sac in the upscale Newfield neighborhood. Responding officers called for the Hostage Negotiation and Special Response teams. After an hour of intense negotiation, Pape, 25, a student at Norwalk Community College, was shot by two officers. Police have said he appeared outside the house holding a fake gun. Papes death certificate states that the injury occurred when Pape provoked police to shoot him. Pape, who survived childhood cancer, is to be buried Monday. While Gill declined to discuss Papes case or the subject of suicide by cop further, he co-authored a paper in the Journal of Forensic Sciences in 2011 called, Death Certification of Suicide by Cop. Gills paper says such suicides may happen far more than is realized and it references a study of officer involved shootings in Los Angles from 1987-1997 that says 11 percent were suicide by cop. The paper also explains that pathologists assessing the manner of death rely on not just the autopsy, but also the circumstances of the death, which might include police reports, family accounts and other evidence collected at the scene such as a suicide note. For police shootings, the conventional certification remains homicide in the absence of other compelling circumstances, the paper states. But just because these deaths occur at the hand of another, there should not be an automatic homicide determination in all instances. Suicide should be considered in these deaths. Candace McCoy, professor of Criminal Justice at the Graduate Center and John Jay College, City University of New York, said she is wary of such a determination because it could be used to justify an otherwise unjustifiable situation or misunderstanding. McCoy said she was most interested in finding out who called the police from Papes home. If he himself called the police, that would be evidence of his suicidal intent, McCoy said. When we want to justify a police shooting, a common response is he wanted to die. If there was a credible threat and he created the threat himself, the police would be justified because there was a threat to life. If he did not create it himself, the police arent justified. The state police are investigating Papes death and have not released the 911 tape. I think it is unlikely this case was a suicide by cop, McCoy said in an email. I think what is most likely is that a medical examiner who has studied suicide by cop in the past simply assumed that any justifiable shooting is suicide by cop, but that is not the case. Nevertheless, the shooting may be justified. Police officers are legally justified in using deadly force when there is probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious harm to the officer or others. Increase in calls Speaking to Hearst Connecticut Media, Chief Jon Fontneau said he first wanted to express his sorrow for the loss of life. I want to say again how sorry I am to the Pape family, Fontneau said. Their lives as well as the lives of the officers involved will never be the same again. Police officers in Stamford are now responding to an astronomical number of calls for service to help deal with people who are emotionally disturbed, Fontneau said, a problem that is not unique to Stamford, whose officers are fully trained. This is an unfortunate incident that has not happened in Stamford for a long period of time, and we hope it never happens again, he said. The officers involved in Mondays shooting, Lt. Chris Baker and Steven Perrotta, are each son's of police officers. Baker, who is commander of the Special Response Team, has a record against gun violence, Fontneau said. Last year the Narcotics and Organized Crime squad, which Baker also commands, took 26 illegal guns off the street in Stamford and Special Response picked up another seven. Perrotta, who in addition to heading up the departments Property Crime Unit, is the Special Response Teams second in command. The two have been put on modified duty. They were very shaken by the incident and continue to be. They acted as they were trained, Fontneau said. An earlier case Farmington Police Chief Paul Melanson said a suicide by cop determination may be new to the medical examiners office, but it is a fact of life for many officers and he and his men have been hearing and talking about it for many years Melanson headed up that 45-person department on Dec. 12, 2013 when 43-year-old Gregory Bendas confronted police with a gun while standing on the street outside of his home and was shot and killed. Melanson said every shooting is difficult, some more than others. Eventually, Bendas death was to be ruled a suicide by cop. Eventually, once the facts were all ferreted out and you find that the individual was suicidal, it was difficult for us, he said. Obviously it is tragic for the individuals family. Your heart goes out to that family and at the same time, our officer being a younger officer, we had to support him and help him cope with what happened. Calls for transparency John DeCarlo, associate professor and director of the online masters program in Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven, said dealing with people suffering from mental health problems is an all too common occurrence for police officers. DeCarlo, the former chief of the Branford Police Department, said given that there are about 900 reported police shootings per year nationwide and 700,000 police officers, police show great reluctance to the use deadly force. DeCarlo said he would advise Chief Fontneau to get cameras on his officers as soon as possible. That is really going to determine what happened and people would be able to say instantly, good shoot or bad shoot, DeCarlo said. Stamford police are moving, albeit slowly, to body cameras. Last year the city received a $338,000 federal grant to begin a body camera program. The Legislative and Policy Director for the ACLU, David McGuire, said a piece of useful legislation got bogged down in committee last year that would have required reports on SWAT activity detailing the reason for each deployment, the location, equipment used, whether entry was forced and the race, sex and age of each civilian encountered. We are not trying to single out Stamford, regardless of whether the shooting was justified or not, he said. The incident demonstrates the need for transparency and oversight for how SWAT teams are used in Connecticut. Stamford States Attorney Richard Colangelo said in the 23-years he has worked in the judicial district nothing like this has happened. The Stamford community is understanding and they want the information to come out to see what the situation is, he said. This is not a Ferguson situation, and there is no reason for it to become one. A detailed report on Papes death will be issued by Danbury States Attorney Steven Sedensky. Colangelo is investigating the death of Christopher Andrews, who was shot and killed by a Fairfield police officer in February after ignoring an officers orders to put down a knife. But, he said, the reports take time. The Hartford States Attorney has yet to release its report on the Farmington death, two years and three months after Bendas death. These take months, definitely, Colangelo said. The major crime squad is involved and these arent their only investigations. Their reports are the most thorough that I have ever seen. They leave no stone unturned. jnickerson@scni.com; DALLAS A funeral director in small-town East Texas befriends a widow 40 years his senior at her husbands funeral, spends her money freely, then shoots her and hides her body in a freezer for nine months. Bernie Tiedes case could have been written for Hollywood and when it was, the resulting attention got him out of a life sentence. The real-life case featured in the 2011 dark comedy Bernie heads back to a courtroom April 6 for a new sentencing trial, two decades after Marjorie Nugent was killed. Tiede was a mortician at the Hawthorn Funeral Home in Carthage, Texas, a town of about 7,000 about 150 miles east of Dallas. He met Nugent at her husbands funeral in 1990, and became close friends. They took lavish vacations abroad, and Tiede became known around town for the gifts he gave himself and local residents using Nugents money. In 1996, Tiede shot Nugent four times in the back with a .22-caliber rifle, then hid her body in a freezer next to packages of frozen meat, pecans and corn. He carried on for nine months as if Nugent was still alive before authorities searched her home and found her body. In his confession, Tiede described her as evil and asserted that he snapped under the pressure of her mistreatment. After an initial mistrial, jurors in 1999 took less than an hour to convict him of murder. He received a life sentence, but was released in May 2014 after his original prosecutor said he overlooked evidence Tiede was abused as a child, felt trapped in a mentally abusive relationship with Nugent, and may have deserved a lighter sentence. Adapted from a Texas Monthly story about the case, Bernie stars Jack Black portraying Tiede as a quirky, friendly man who sings in the church choir, helps local residents start businesses and is beloved by a small, insular community. Tiede gets a more sympathetic portrayal than Nugent, played by Shirley MacLaine as a crotchety, withdrawn scold disliked by most of the town who insults Tiede constantly. Nugents family has long protested how the widow is presented in the movie. After his release, Tiede went to live at filmmaker Richard Linklaters Austin home. A judge has forbidden Tiede from speaking to the media. A jury will ultimately decide whether Tiede, now 57, should go back to prison or go free. The trial will take place in Henderson, Texas, about 30 miles west of Carthage. The trial could take several weeks. Jury selection is scheduled to begin April 1. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, said that if elected, he might halt purchases of oil from Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies unless they commit ground troops to the fight against the Islamic State or substantially reimburse the United States for combating the militant group, which threatens their stability. If Saudi Arabia was without the cloak of American protection, Trump said during a 100-minute interview on foreign policy, spread over two phone calls, I dont think it would be around. He also said he would be open to allowing Japan and South Korea to build their own nuclear arsenals rather than depend on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for their protection against North Korea and China. If the United States keeps on its path, its current path of weakness, theyre going to want to have that anyway, with or without me discussing it, Trump said. And he said he would be willing to withdraw U.S. forces from both Japan and South Korea if they did not substantially increase their contributions to the costs of housing and feeding those troops. Not happily, but the answer is yes, he said. Trump also said he would seek to renegotiate many fundamental treaties with U.S. allies, possibly including a 56-year-old security pact with Japan, which he described as one-sided. In Trumps worldview, the United States has become a diluted power, and the main mechanism by which he would re-establish its central role in the world is economic bargaining. He approached almost every current international conflict through the prism of a negotiation, even when he was imprecise about the strategic goals he sought. He again faulted the Obama administrations handling of the negotiations with Iran last year It would have been so much better if they had walked away a few times, he said but offered only one new idea about how he would change its content: Ban Irans trade with North Korea. Trump struck similar themes when he discussed the future of NATO, which he called unfair, economically, to us, and said he was open to an alternative organization focused on counterterrorism. He argued that the best way to halt Chinas placement of military airfields and anti-aircraft batteries on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea was to threaten its access to U.S. markets. We have tremendous economic power over China, he argued. And thats the power of trade. He made no mention of Beijings capability for economic retaliation. Trumps views, as he explained them, fit nowhere into the recent history of the Republican Party: He is not in the internationalist camp of President George H.W. Bush, nor does he favor George W. Bushs call to make it the mission of the United States to spread democracy around the world. He agreed with a suggestion that his ideas might best be summed up as America First. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Not isolationist, but I am America First, he said. I like the expression. He said he was willing to reconsider traditional U.S. alliances if partners were not willing to pay, in cash or troop commitments, for the presence of U.S. forces around the world. We will not be ripped off anymore, he said. In the past week, the bombings in Brussels and an accelerated war against the Islamic State have shifted the focus of the campaign trail conversation back to questions of how the candidates would defend the United States and what kind of diplomacy they would pursue around the world. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) Trump explained his thoughts in concrete and easily digestible terms, but they appeared to reflect little consideration for potential consequences around the globe. Much the same way he treats political rivals and interviewers, he personalized how he would engage foreign nations, suggesting his approach would depend partly on how friendly theyve been toward us, not just on national interests or alliances. At no point did he express any belief that U.S. forces deployed on military bases around the world were by themselves valuable to the United States, though Republican and Democratic administrations have for decades argued that they are essential to deterring military adventurism, protecting commerce and gathering intelligence. Like Richard Nixon, Trump emphasized the importance of unpredictability for a U.S. president, arguing that the countrys traditions of democracy and openness had made its actions too easy for adversaries and allies alike to foresee. I wouldnt want them to know what my real thinking is, he said about how far he was willing to take the confrontation over the islands in the South China Sea, which are remote and uninhabited but extend Chinas control over a major maritime thoroughfare. But, he added, I would use trade, absolutely, as a bargaining chip. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Asked when he thought U.S. power had been at its peak, Trump reached back 116 years to the turn of the 20th century, the era of another unconventional Republican, Theodore Roosevelt, who ended up leaving the party. His favorite figures in U.S. history, he said, include two generals, Douglas MacArthur and George S. Patton though he insisted that, unlike MacArthur, he would not advocate the use of nuclear weapons except as a last resort. (He suggested that MacArthur had pressed during the Korean War to use atomic weapons against China as a means to negotiate, adding, He played the nuclear card, but he didnt use it.) Trump denied that he had had trouble recruiting senior members of the foreign policy establishment to advise his campaign. Many of them are tied up with contracts working for various networks, he said, like Fox or CNN. He disclosed the names of three advisers in addition to five he announced earlier in the week: retired Maj. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, Maj. Gen. Bert K. Mizusawa and retired Rear Adm. Charles R. Kubic. Asked about the briefings he receives and books he has read about foreign policy, he said his main source of information was newspapers, including yours. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) Until recently, Trumps foreign policy pronouncements have largely come through slogans: Take the oil, Build a wall and ban Muslim immigrants, at least temporarily. But as he has pulled closer to capturing the nomination, he has been called on to elaborate. Pressed about his call to take the oil controlled by the Islamic State in the Middle East, Trump acknowledged that this would require deploying ground troops, something he does not favor. We shouldve taken it, and we wouldve had it, he said, referring to the years in which the United States occupied Iraq. Now we have to destroy the oil. Trump did not rule out spying on U.S. allies, including foreign leaders like Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, whose cellphone was apparently a target of the National Security Agency. President Barack Obama said the United States would no longer target her phone but made no such commitments about the rest of Germany, or Europe. Im not sure that I would want to be talking about that, Trump said. You understand what I mean by that. Trump was not impressed with Merkels handling of the migrant crisis, however: Germany is being destroyed by Merkels naivete, or worse, he said. He suggested that Germany and the Gulf nations should pay for the safe zones he wants to set up in Syria for refugees, and for protecting them once built. Throughout the two conversations, Trump painted a bleak picture of the United States as a diminished force in the world, an opinion he has held since the late 1980s, when he placed ads in The New York Times and other newspapers calling for Japan and Saudi Arabia to spend more money on their own defense. Trumps new threat to cut off oil purchases from the Saudis was part of a broader complaint about the United States Arab allies, which many in the Obama administration share: that they frequently look to the United States to police the Middle East, without putting their own troops at risk. We defend everybody, Trump said. When in doubt, come to the United States. Well defend you. In some cases free of charge. But his rationale for abandoning the region was that the reason were in the Middle East is for oil, and all of a sudden were finding out that theres less reason to be there now. He made no mention of the risks of withdrawal that it would encourage Iran to dominate the Gulf, that the presence of U.S. troops is part of Israels defense, and that U.S. air and naval bases in the region are key collection points for intelligence and bases for drones and Special Operations forces. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Trump seemed less comfortable on some topics than others. He called the United States obsolete in terms of cyberweaponry, although the nations capabilities are generally considered on the cutting edge. In the morning interview, asked if he would seek a two-state or a one-state solution in a peace accord between the Israelis and the Palestinians, he said: Im not saying anything. What Im going to do is, you know, I specifically dont want to address the issue because I would love to see if a deal could be made. But in the evening, saying he had been rushed earlier, Trump reverted to a position he outlined Monday before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group. Basically, I support a two-state solution on Israel, he said. But the Palestinian Authority has to recognize Israels right to exist as a Jewish state. In his discussion of nuclear weapons which he said he had learned about from an uncle, John G. Trump, who served on the faculty of MIT and died in 1985 Trump seemed fixated on the large nuclear stockpiles amassed in the Cold War. While he referred briefly to North Korean and Pakistani arsenals, he said nothing about a danger that is a cause of great consternation among international leaders: small nuclear weapons that could be fashioned by terrorists. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) In criticizing the Iran nuclear deal, Trump expressed particular outrage at how the roughly $150 billion released to Iran was being spent. Did you notice theyre buying from everybody but the United States? he said. Told that sanctions under United States law still prevent most U.S. companies from doing business with Iran, Trump said: So, how stupid is that? We give them the money and we now say, Go buy Airbus instead of Boeing, right? But Trump, who has been pushed to demonstrate a basic command of international affairs, insisted that voters should not doubt his foreign policy fluency. I do know my subject, he said. OSHKOSH, Wis. Donald Trumps latest rude comments about Ted Cruzs wife are raising new alarms among Republicans about the party front-runners ability to win over women, especially in a potential fall presidential match-up with Hillary Clinton. Trump is under fire for jabs at Heidi Cruz, as the rivals engage in an increasingly bitter, personal battle for the GOP presidential nomination. Hostilities reached a new high Friday when Cruz accused Trump and his henchmen of stoking false rumors that hed cheated on his wife. We dont want a president who traffics in sleaze and slime, the Texas senator told reporters in Wisconsin. We dont want a president who seems to have a real issue with strong women. Trumps history of sexist comments, from his Apprentice television program to racy interviews with radio host Howard Stern, have long been seen by Republicans as a potential vulnerability, especially in a general election match-up with Clinton, who would be the countrys first female president. The issue took off in the first GOP debate when Fox News Megyn Kelly asked Trump about calling women fat pig, 'dog and other names. Her question sparked a continuing quarrel between Trump and the network. Trump also faced a backlash after he was quoted in a Rolling Stone profile insulting businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who endorsed Cruz after she dropped out of the 2016 Republican race. Look at that face! Trump was quoted saying. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?! The issue reignited Wednesday after an anti-Trump super PAC released an ad featuring a risque photo of his wife, Melania, a former model, taken in a GQ photo shoot. Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday, it read. Trump responded by falsely accusing Cruz of running the ad and warning, Be careful, Lyin Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife! Cruzs wife is a former Goldman Sachs investment manager and White House aide, who served as economic policy adviser to President George W. Bush. On Wednesday night, Trump escalated things when he re-tweeted side-by-side images of Cruzs wife, with an unflattering grimace, and Melania in a gauzy, glamorous pose. No need to spill the beans read the caption. The images are worth a thousand words. At an event Thursday in Wisconsin, Cruz responded by calling Trump a sniveling coward who has a problem with women particularly strong women. Cruz continued to dig in Friday, painting Trumps comments as part of a larger pattern of misogyny. Hes directed these attacks at Megyn Kelly. Hes directed these attacks at Carly Fiorina. Hes directed these attacks at Columba Bush, Jeb Bushs wife, he said. Though Trump continues to outdistance Cruz in the delegates that will decide the GOP nomination, recent polls have shown the billionaires favorability on the decline, particularly among women. In a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 70 percent of women had a negative opinion of Trump. Nearly three quarters of women overall, and 39 percent of Republican women, had an unfavorable view of him in a recent CNN poll. He already had a gender gap prior to all this, said Republican pollster David Winston. The potential for that to be bigger now looms on the horizon. Katie Packer, a former top aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, and the founder of the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, said all this spells trouble for the general election. Packer, whose group was behind a recent ad that features women of various ages reading comments Trump has made about women, said Clinton remains vulnerable among many women. However, she said, If he loses women by 10 points more than Mitt Romney, its not a question of whether or not he loses, its a matter of who does he sweep out with him. Indeed, Trumps latest tweeting struck a sour chord with some female suburban voters considered the key to victory in battleground states such as Colorado He makes all kinds of derogatory statements against women, and I just dont like to hear that, said Ilse Lucas, 70, a retired teachers aide who doesnt consider herself a Democrat or Republican. Shopping in a suburb west of Denver, Lucas said Trumps comments could drive independent voters like her to Clinton. Cruz, meanwhile, worked to send a distinctly different signal Friday on a campaign trip ahead of Wisconsins April 5 primary. At an Oshkosh manufacturing plant, Cruz was introduced by his wife, who praised him as her best friend and partner. After the introduction, he gave her a long hug as the audience cheered. In the last few days, Donald Trump has taken to attacking Heidi, Cruz told the group, sparking boos that echoed through the warehouse. Ill tell you something, Cruz said. I think Heidi is the most beautiful, brilliant, amazing, fantastic, loving mom, an incredible wife and shes my best friend in the whole world and I love you with all of my heart. It was a message that, for some voters, couldnt cover up the nasty fight between the two candidates. I dont know what to say except that Im disappointed in both of them, said Jennifer Churchfield, a 52-year-old Republican from a suburb south of Denver. The conversation needs to be about the economy, jobs, education, foreign policy. You know, things that matter. This is a non-debate, she added. What are they doing? Pixabay Easter eggs arent just the colorful objects people hide on the spring holiday, theyre also the term for unexpected references or fun surprises purposefully included, but hidden, in something else. Did you know, for example, that if you type do a barrel roll into the Google search bar, the screen will rotate in a circle (as though the site itself did the aerial maneuver)? Thats just one of the hidden gems that digital commerce firm SUMO Heavy has included in a fun little infographic, which can be found below. It will show you how to make Youtube use the force, to discover Apples hidden homage to an '80s pop star and more. Albany Five more Fortune 500 companies have agreed to publicly report all direct and indirect political spending, according to New York state's comptroller. Shareholder proposals calling for those disclosures were withdrawn after the agreements were reached with Coca-Cola Enterprises, Raytheon, Waste Management, Union Pacific and CenterPoint Energy, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. DiNapoli is sole trustee of the $178.3 billion New York retirement fund for public workers, which has investments in the companies. "Investors have the legal right to know how corporate dollars are being spent in the political arena," he said. So far, 32 companies have agreed to disclosures. Similar shareholder proposals are pending at eight other companies where the fund has investments: Aetna Inc., Express Scripts Holding Co., Johnson & Johnson, NextEra Energy Inc., Nisource Inc., The Travelers Companies Inc., Western Union Co. and Wynn Resorts. The push followed the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in the Citizens United case that government restrictions on corporate and union campaign expenditures violate the First Amendment's free speech guarantee. The ruling upheld disclosure requirements. The shareholder proposal asks companies for a complete public report of spending on candidates, political parties, ballot measures, direct or indirect state and federal lobbying and payments to any trade associations or organizations used for political purposes or to write and endorse model legislation. Others that have agreed included Dean Foods, Eastman Chemical, H&R Block, Marathon Oil, U.S. Steel and Valero Energy in 2015, as well as Comcast Corp., CF Industries following 66 percent support in a shareholder vote and Peabody Energy in 2014. Earlier disclosure agreements were made by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Harley-Davidson Inc., KeyCorp, Noble Energy Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Plum Creek Timber Company Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. in 2013; CSX Corp., The Kroger Co., PG&E Corp., Reynolds American Inc., R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Safeway Inc. and Sempra Energy in 2012; and Limited Brands, Marriott International Inc. and Yum! Brands Inc. in 2011. In 2014 at H&R Block, almost 76 million voting shares favored the shareholder proposal, 74 million joined management in opposing it and 58.5 million shares abstained. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Earl Hamner Jr., who drew on warm memories of his Depression childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to create the enormously popular 1970s television series The Waltons, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 92. The cause was bladder cancer, his daughter, Caroline Hamner, said. Mr. Hamner was a novelist and television writer with eight episodes of The Twilight Zone to his credit when, in 1971, he took an incident from his novel of a decade earlier, Spencers Mountain, and rewrote it as a television special. The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, about a close-knit mountain family waiting for the arrival of their father on Christmas Eve in 1933, drew strong ratings, and CBS picked it up as a series, The Waltons, with Mr. Hamner credited as creator and executive producer. More for you 'Waltons' patriarch Ralph Waite dies at 85 Voice-over narration Because it was scheduled in the same time slot as The Flip Wilson Show on NBC, many CBS executives predicted a quick death, but viewers loved the clan John-Boy, played by Richard Thomas, was based on Mr. Hamner and its simple values of hard work and family unity. Mr. Hamner wrote only a few episodes of the series but was closely involved in creative decisions and provided the voice-over narration that began and ended each show. The Waltons, first broadcast in September 1972, won six Emmy Awards for its first season. It ran for nine years and more than 200 episodes, carrying the familys story forward from 1933 to 1946. It lived on for decades thereafter in several specials that reassembled most of the original cast, including A Walton Wedding (1995) and A Walton Easter (1997). Earl Henry Hamner Jr. was born on July 10, 1923, in Schuyler, Va., the oldest of eight children. The family home had no telephone and only two books: a Bible and a beekeeping manual. Earl Sr. worked for a company that mined and milled soapstone. When it failed during the Depression, he took a job at a DuPont factory 40 miles away. Every weekend, he walked 6 miles from the nearest bus station, in Hickory Creek, to see his family, a trek that inspired the Christmas Eve episode in Spencers Mountain. Mr. Hamners mother, the former Doris Giannini, was descended from Italian immigrants who arrived in the area in the 19th century. When Earl Jr. was 6, the Richmond Times-Dispatch published his poem My Dog. This, he later said, set him on the path to becoming a writer. After the outbreak of World War II, he was drafted into the Army in his sophomore year at the University of Richmond, which he had been attending on a scholarship. Trained to defuse land mines, he was sent to France after the Normandy invasion. There, a superior officer found out that he could type and assigned him to the Quartermaster Corps. While stationed in Paris, Hamner, inspired by his discovery of Thomas Wolfe, William Faulkner and other American novelists, began writing fiction, including the first pages of what would become Spencers Mountain, about a man who dreams of building his wife a house on family land. The novel was published in 1961 with an admiring blurb from Harper Lee. A film version, with Henry Fonda and Maureen OHara, was later released. Mr. Hamner earned a degree in broadcast communications from the University of Cincinnati in 1948 and began working at the Cincinnati radio station WLW, a job he soon quit to work on his first published novel, Fifty Roads to Town, about a revival preacher whose arrival in a small Appalachian town creates havoc. It was published in 1953, by which time Mr. Hamner had moved to New York and found work writing radio and television scripts for NBC. In 1954, he married Jane Martin, an editor at Harpers Bazaar, who survives him. Mr. Hamner moved to California in 1962 and got his first break when The Twilight Zone accepted two of his story ideas. His eight scripts for the series included The Hunt, about a man who is dead but does not realize it until his hunting dog prevents him from wandering into hell, and Stopover in a Quiet Town, in which the main characters turn out to be pets on an alien planet. My mother-in-law found them downright weird, Mr. Hamner said of his Twilight Zone scripts in a 2008 commencement address at the University of Cincinnati. After she had watched four or five of my stories, she wrote my wife a note saying, I do hope that Earl is not smoking any of that awful green stuff. Array of writing projects Mr. Hamner turned his hand to a variety of projects. Before hitting it big with The Waltons, he wrote episodes for Wagon Train, Gentle Ben and Nanny and the Professor as well as the 1968 television version of Heidi and the 1963 movie Palm Springs Weekend, with Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens. While working on The Waltons, he wrote scripts for the animated film Charlottes Web (1973), adapted from the childrens book by E.B. White, and for Where the Lilies Bloom (1974), a film based on Vera and Bill Cleavers young-adult novel about a family of orphans in Appalachia. I feel like, as a professional writer, I can write anything, Mr. Hamner told the magazine Virginia Living in 2013. I once said, In my career, I have written everything but matchbook covers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Brussels Police raided Brussels neighborhoods Friday in operations described as linked to this week's bombings as well as a suspected new plot in France. They detained three people and shot two of them in the leg, including one who was carrying a suspicious bag while accompanied by a young girl. Gunfire and two blasts rang out in the Schaerbeek district, the same area where police had earlier found explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the suicide attackers who killed 31 people and wounded 270 on Tuesday in the airport and subway. The district also was raided Thursday night. Police also searched the Forest and Saint-Gilles neighborhoods Friday, the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said, detailing the arrests and shootings. Dozens of heavily armed officers began the operation about 1:30 p.m., when there were "two big explosions," resident Marie-Pierre Bouvez told The Associated Press, and it lasted about two hours. It was not immediately clear if the blasts heard were controlled explosions. A man who was seen sitting at a tram stop with a young girl was ordered by police "to put the bag far from him," and after he did so, police shot him twice, apparently in the leg, said resident Norman Kabir. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. State broadcaster RTBF said police apparently feared that the bag held explosives. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF the raid was linked to the Brussels attacks as well as Thursday's detention in France of a man suspected of plotting a new attack. Bouvez said police kept the area locked down and shouted at her to "get back inside" when she tried to go into the street. Business / Economy by Staff reporter Zimbabwe has remained one of the most repressed economies in the world in the past decade due to rampant corruption and government mismanagement, according to the latest Index of Economic Freedom.The index - published annually by the Wall Street Journal and think tank the Heritage Foundation - judges economic freedom on four key pillars: rule of law, limited government, regulatory efficiency and open markets.People in economically free societies such as Hong Kong (1), Singapore (2) and New Zealand (3) among others earn incomes that more than twice the average levels in all other countries and they live longer too, according to the report.Ranked at number 175, only ahead of three countries Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, Zimbabwe is described by the report as "one of Africa's poorest and most repressed" economies in the world.The Index revealed that lack of property rights, reflected most vividly in a land redistribution programme that gutted the agricultural sector, has suppressed entrepreneurial activity."A rigid labour market and the many State-owned enterprises' lack of transparency create a hostile investment climate. These problems are compounded by the arbitrary implementation of taxes and regulations, which encourages graft and cronyism and leaves individuals and firms trying to operate in the private sector at the mercy of government bureaucrats and politicians," read part of the report.Zimbabwe, which has been ruled by one of Africa's longest - serving leaders Robert Mugabe - who has been in power since 1980 - was also ranked number last in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of economic freedom.Critics say the country has suffered a downward spiral of increasingly erratic and often predatory governance since independence from Britain nearly 36 years ago.In March 2013, voters approved a new Constitution to curtail presidential powers, but in July, Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party was controversially re-elected to his seventh five-year term since the consolidation of his personal power in 1987.However, despite election promises of 2,2 million jobs, better lives and revival of the country's moribund economy, poverty levels in Zimbabwe have reached alarming proportions, with a recent authoritative survey revealing that in some areas of the country as many as 96 percent of villagers live on less than a dollar a day.According to the Zimbabwe Poverty Atlas for 2015 (Atlas) - a research carried out by Zimstat, the World Bank and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) - areas such as Nkayi in Matabeleland have a shocking poverty prevalence of 96 percent. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Geoff and Stella Nilsen slogged along an unpaved road in the pouring rain to see a Mill Valley house for the first time. This trek crystallized their process of transforming the redwood-studded hillside property into an enticing landscape finished with masterful construction. Every piece of wood outside of those few original windows has been replaced. You would be shocked if you saw the before pictures, Stella Nilsen said of 230 Rose Ave., a shingled three-bedroom the couple purchased in 1992 and have methodically updated over the years. You could say weve been busy. Brick pathways wind around the trilevel, partially shaded by a heritage maple bursting from the sloped landscape. The light-filled interior contains a kitchen with restaurant-quality appliances, a master suite leading to an expansive terrace and a living room topped by a vaulted ceiling clad with knotty timber and finished with clerestory windows. It wasnt always this way. Styles from the 1960s and 70s were well-represented when the Nilsens took over. Dark redwood paneling lined the walls, and aluminum windows surrounded the construction. Right off the bat, that stuff had to go, she said. The Nilsens took a measured approach to reimagining the home. They controlled costs by generally avoiding loans and doing as much work as possible on their own. People ask us, Who is your painter and who does your landscaping? and the answer is always us, Stella Nilsen said. The only time the two did take out a loan was to level the homes footing and retrofit its foundation. Back when the home was built, they would throw bedposts and anything else they could find with the concrete when they were pouring it, she said. We took all that out. Now that house isnt going anywhere. Undoubtedly, a collection of eight antique windows lend architectural intrigue to the captivating construction. The windows obtained shortly after San Francisco hosted the 1915 Worlds Fair blend artistry and functionality. The windows emphasize the homes rare, Old-World beauty, said Logan Link of Sothebys International Realty, who is co-listing the home with Bernard Link for $2.048 million. Having the windows already on-site helped inform the couples design decisions moving forward. That gave us the integrity of what we were going to build toward. It was all about making sure the rest of the place flowed and stayed in character, Stella Nilsen said. The windows are far from the only part of the property with some historical intrigue. A bootlegger whose name has been lost to history erected a distillery and bottling plant on the land during the 1920s. In fact, the sale includes a display of preserved labels of the operations specialty Champagne Cognac. Much of the property burned to the ground after the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition. The only remaining portion of the original construction, now the dining room, once contained the bottling center. After spending about 25 years in Mill Valley, the Nilsens are moving into a historic former church in Port Richmond. The home perfectly suited this phase of their life, she said, but the time has come to enjoy retirement and let someone else put their touches on 230 Rose Ave. Houses in this area usually dont turn over here, and for good reason, she said. Theres no streetlights, so you can see everything in the sky at night, and its peaceful here. Its like being on vacation. Visit www.230rose.com for more information. Listing agent: Logan Link, Sothebys International Realty, (415) 336-6858, logan@loganlinkhome.com; Bernard Link, Sothebys International Realty, (415) 336-6858, blink@sothebysrealty.com. Details Address: 230 Rose Ave., Mill Valley. Price: $2.048 million. Open home: 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday. Features: Enticing curb appeal stands amid redwood groves at this light-filled three-bedroom built in the early 20th century. The property includes a detached two-car garage that rests at street-level and includes a studio. All three bedrooms including a master suite with a terrace and spa bathroom occupy the lower level, while the highest floor has public rooms, a rear deck and a front porch. The homes unfinished lowest level offers abundant storage space and deck access. Mortgage broker: Tom Banducci. Property: High-rise condominium in San Francisco. Purchase price: $1.275 million. Loan type: Jumbo 5/1 ARM First loan: $1 million at 3.375 percent (3.417 APR), no points and a $2,000 credit toward closing costs. Second loan: $147,000 HELOC at 5.24 percent (5.412 APR). Backstory: San Franciscos new luxury high-rise buildings attract buyers seeking a combination of urban living and high-end amenities. But navigating the purchase and lending requirements for such units poses a number of challenges. Most project developers turn to preferred lenders who must pre-approve anyone wishing to make an offer on a proposed unit. The thinking is to ensure prospective buyers are qualified and keep the builder informed on what the lender needs to complete such a specialized transaction. Its important for buyers to remember they have options. A condo sales team may funnel offers through their preferred lenders prior to approval, but they cannot mandate the buyer use their in-house lender. Tom Banduccis clients went through the approval process with a developments four preferred lenders. The couple were strong borrowers with great credit and a stable income history, but they only had 10 percent set aside for a down payment. All four of the developments lenders required a minimum 20 percent down payment, so the clients turned to Banducci after discovering him while reading customer reviews on Google and Yelp. The loan was difficult to put together, but Banduccis status as a direct lender and broker connects him with a variety of investors. Banducci was able to meet guidelines for a first loan to cover 80 percent of the balance and a 10 percent HELOC second loan to pair with the down payment. The key to completing this deal was the condo had to be warrantable to Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Macs standards. That meant the project had to be complete and the homeowners association had to be financially stable. Lastly, recent sales would need to meet mandatory occupancy ratios of owner occupants versus non-owner-occupied buyers. Problems arose when documents indicated many elements of the HOA would not be completed and delivered until a date after the unit was supposed to close escrow. This alone would make the condo project unwarrantable and exclude the conventional/jumbo loan lenders from purchasing. However, a review of the project from Guaranteed Rates condo department proved to be a deal-saver. Their insight allowed the condo department to focus on the completed phase of the property, instead of the development project as a whole. The Guaranteed Rate condo department issued the condo warranty, and the clients moved into their new home shortly after. Remember, you have options. Tom Banducci, vice president of mortgage lending at Guaranteed Rate, (415) 694-5522, tom.banducci@guaranteedrate.com. BOUSRA, Cambodia For generations, the indigenous Bunong were famous as the great elephant keepers and masters of the forests in eastern Cambodia. They called the fertile, rolling hills of their ancestral homeland meh ne, or mother a source of food, livelihoods and self-identity. From its rich red soil, they harvested rice, pumpkins and bananas. From the towering forests, they gathered honey, resin and medicinal plants. Under the leafy canopies, they buried their dead and worshiped spirits they believed lived in the rocks and trees. All that changed in 2008, when without warning, bulldozers started razing their fields and forests to make way for rubber plantations the government had granted to a European-Cambodian joint venture that will likely feed Chinas burgeoning car market. The long-term land leases, called economic land concessions, were meant to promote development in the poor, rural province of Mondulkiri, but for the roughly 800 Bunong families displaced from their ancestral land, the projects brought mostly hardship and loss. Its a pattern that has been repeated across the country. The Cambodian human rights group LICADHO estimates that more than 200 concessions and other state-linked land deals have harmed half a million people. The U.N. has called land conflicts, including those created by the long-term leases, the countrys No. 1 human rights problem. In the seven villages of Bousra commune, losing land has meant residents must earn money to buy rice they once were able to grow. Yet most plantation jobs have gone to outsiders. Despite promised development, many roads are still dirt, sometimes impassable in rainy season. In a global land rush, many countries have sold or leased huge tracts to foreign investors, sometimes forcing out those who lived there. Josie Cohen, land campaigner at Global Witness, which investigates economic networks behind environmental destruction, said such leases are altering the very fabric of rural societies in Cambodia and nearby Laos and Myanmar, with ethnic minorities often suffering the most. The three joint ventures operating the plantations are held mostly by Socfin, a Luxembourg-based agro-industrial company. Socfin says it has complied with the law. BEIRUT Russias Defense Ministry says its warplanes have carried out 40 air sorties over the past day near the historic Syrian city of Palmyra, supporting a government offensive against Islamic State militants. In a statement Saturday, the ministry said 158 targets were hit, more than 100 militants were killed, and four tanks and three artillery positions were destroyed. Government forces also seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State last May, state media reported Saturday. News / Health by Staff reporter The union that represents junior doctors has dramatically escalated its dispute with the government over new contracts by announcing an all-out strike, in which even emergency cover has been withdrawn.The decision has meant that junior doctors will for the first time not staff A&E (accident and emergency) units, intensive care, emergency surgery or other areas of life or death care.It is a high-risk move by the medics below consultant level and is the latest twist to their contract impasse with the Health Services Board (HSB).Junior doctors have refused to sign a government contract of employment which they claim violates women's rights and fair labour practice.Mpilo Central Hospital has begun turning away patients."While this is happening, we have taken the following measures as a department, medical outpatient department will remain closed with immediate effect until the situation is resolved," Mpilo Central Hospital said in a letter addressed to the ministry of Health."Only critical and dire emergencies will be attended to and admitted by our health medical officers who have been working flat out during this time."I believe you are aware of the ongoing impasse between the Health Services Board and the new crop of junior resident medical officers over their contracts," the hospital added.The doctors last week petitioned HSB chairperson Lovemore Mbengeranwa, Health minister David Parirenyatwa and Health ministry permanent secretary Gerald Gwinji.The doctors, who are referred to as junior resident medical officers, claim their contracts of employment are prejudicial to their welfare.The doctors, who were supposed to have commenced their duties at the beginning of this month, have not done so arguing the contracts are also not clear on salaries, allowances and non-cash incentives.The contract is flawed and carries void clauses, they argued, which does not leave room for negotiation on other issues to do with working timetables."The new doctors are supposed to have resumed their duties by now," the Mpilo Central Hospital letter said."The Department of Medicine has been affected by this and is left with no junior resident medical officers since the current crop graduated to be senior resident medical officers."This development has affected service delivery in the department. I have communicated this to the CEO and clinical director who then sent communication that the Health Services Board is working to resolve this issue as soon as they possibly can."Efforts to get a comment from Gwinji were unsuccessful. News / National by Stephen Jakes Ministry of Energy and Power Development has conducted a solar water heating programme in Harare to make residents aware of the benefits of using the solar devices. Harare Residents Trust said it attended a national solar water heating program facilitated by the Ministry of Energy and Power Development."Participants were told of the benefits of using solar geysers, how the geyser works and how to assure that a good quality system is installed at your house among other questions," said the trust."Benefits of using a solar water heater are: it saves the amount of electricity consumed by the electric geyser, its cheap since one gets to use free energy from the sun."The trust said a solar water heater comprises of a single or an array of solar collectors to collect solar energy to heat water and an insulated tank to store the hot water."During the day time, water in solar collectors gets heated and is either pumped or flows automatically to the storage tank. The government is developing some minimum technical requirements for installation of solar water heating systems in the field," said the trust. WASHINGTON: Republican and Democratic presidential frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold leads in nationwide polls amid an escalating feud between the brash billionaire and rival Ted Cruz over their wives. With the nominating primary and caucus season now past its halfway point, a CNN survey average of six recent polls found Trump holding a 12-point lead over Texas Senator Cruz, 43 percent to 31 percent. The third Republican in the contest, Ohio Governor John Kasich, was well behind at 19 percent. On the Democratic side Clinton topped her party rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 52 percent to 43 percent. The average suggests Clinton has expanded her lead since mid-February, when an average of national polls conducted after the New Hampshire primary found Clinton just 6 percentage points ahead of Sanders. Trump's lead over Cruz is about the same as his lead in mid-February, but both candidates have grown their share of the vote as the field has shrunk. That poll of polls found Trump at 34 percent and Cruz at 21 percent in a field of six candidates. Meanwhile, a feud between Trump and Cruz over their wives escalated with an angry and emotional Cruz Thursday calling the real estate mogul "a snivelling coward" for attacks on wife Heidi. "Donald, you're a snivelling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone," Cruz told reporters Thursday in Dane, Wisconsin. But he repeatedly declined to say whether he would support Trump if he's the Republican presidential nominee. "I'm going to beat Donald for the nomination," he insisted before saying three times: "Donald Trump will not be the nominee." In response to a Facebook ad that shows Trump's wife Melania posing nude Trump warned Cruz Tuesday night that he should "be careful" or he would "spill the beans on your wife." On Wednesday night he retweeted a supporter who photoshopped together a villainous-looking Heidi and a smoky-eyed Melania. "No need to 'spill the beans'" because "the images are worth a thousand words," the photo illustration said. The ad was produced by an anti-Trump super PAC, Make America Awesome, which has no known connection to the Cruz campaign, but Trump still blamed Cruz. "I didn't start the fight with Lyin'Ted Cruz over the GQ cover pic of Melania, he did. He knew the PAC was putting it out - hence, Lyin' Ted!" he tweeted. Cruz Thursday attributed Trump's tweets to a broader discomfort with women, tying in his well-publicised feud with Fox News host Megyn Kelly. "Donald does seem to have an issue with women. Donald doesn't like strong women," he said, at one point calling Trump a "loud, New York bully." "Real men don't try to bully women. That's not an action of strength. That's an action of weakness. It's an action of fear. It's an action of a small and petty man who is intimidated by strong women." Kelly, who rarely opines on Trump controversies, responded Thursday to the latest Trump tweet with just one word: "Seriously?" Read Also: Demonising Muslims Can Alienate Partners In ISIS Fight: Hillary Clinton Obama Slams Cruz For Muslim Hoods' Surveillance Call Source: IANS STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from July 18, 1983. Forms of hospital waste, including garbage bags labeled as infectious waste, are being found at the Fresh Kills landfill, violating the state Hospital Code in which all waste must be burned. Sanitation Department officials ask the Greater New York Hospital Association to track down offending medical centers and teach them the methods of waste disposal. A spokeswoman for the association says that usually material packed in bags labeled as "infectious" are harmless. Terri Shreiner Would you pass the question portion of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization test? (Staten Island Advance/Kristin Dalton) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- We recently tested your knowledge of American history and government with a 10-question civics quiz, similar to the one required to become an American citizen, and the results are in. Out of 3,330 people who took the quiz, only 21 percent scored below the passing score of 60 -- not too shabby, Staten Island. The quiz had a 95 percent completion rate. Of those who completed the quiz, 157 got a perfect score. Our quiz was modeled after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) civics test, which is a required part of the citizenship process. Applicants must answer six out of 10 questions correctly in order to pass. TOUGHEST QUESTIONS Question No. 4 -- "The Federalist Paper supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers" -- stumped 68 percent of the test-takers. They chose Thomas Jefferson instead of John Jay as the correct answer. And 52 percent answered 26 when asked the number of amendments to the Constitution. The correct number is 27. News / National by Liberty Dube A SAKUBVA man was last Saturday arrested with 87 bales and five sacks of second-hand clothes as well as a sack of shoes at Christmas Pass roadblock around 1am.The goods worth $36 000 had been smuggled into the country from Mozambique.However, Jacob Saungweme of House Number 197, Chineta, Sakubva whose vehicle was impounded and spent the whole weekend parked at Mutare Central Police Station, was slapped with a six-month jail term on Tuesday.He had pleaded guilty to the charges of smuggling when he appeared before senior Mutare magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiwundura on Tuesday.Mr Fletcher Karombe prosecuted.Saungweme was given an option to pay a fine of $300 by April 15, failure to do so would result in him being jailed for six months.The court heard that Saungweme who was employed by Kizito Martins as a truck driver was nabbed with the consignment on March 19 at around 1am at Christmas Pass along Mutare-Harare Highway.Mr Karombe said Saungweme arrived at the roadblock driving a Hino Truck Registration Number ACS3881 heading towards Harare and was signaled to stop."Saungweme engaged the reverse gear and attempted to avoid the roadblock by reversing away from it."After reversing for about 200 metres, the accused stopped the vehicle and jumped out leaving the engine running and fled into the nearby bush."The police had a physical check on the abandoned vehicle and discovered that it was loaded with 86 sealed bales, five sacks of second-hand clothes and one sack of shoes and impounded the vehicle and its consignment. It was driven to Mutare Central Police Station."Saungweme was arrested on Monday and had no papers relative to the goods which were carried by the vehicle which was in Contravention of Section 174 (2) (b) of the Customs and Excise Act, Chapter 23:02 (failure to account for goods that should be accounted for)," he said.The goods were surrendered to Zimra under Notice of Seizure Number 002816 and 002815 respectively. crash.jpeg A New Jersey man was arrested on Staten Island after crashing his car on the Bayonne Bridge, according to a Port Authority spokesman. A female passenger was thrown through the windshield and suffered multiple injuries. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A New Jersey man was apprehended in Elm Park on Saturday morning after he crashed his vehicle carrying multiple passengers on the Bayonne Bridge and fled the scene, according to a Port Authority spokesman. Eliezar Delgado, 30, of Bayonne, had a bloody face, bloodshot eyes and wreaked of alcohol when he was arrested at 4 a.m.near Hooker Place and Morningstar Road, the spokesman said. There were four other passengers injured in the Audi, which crashed on the Jersey-bound side of the span. There were no other vehicles involved in the accident. A 55-year-od woman sitting in the front seat was thrown through the windshield and suffered rib fractures, two broken feet, a broken nose and wrist and other injuries to her face, the spokesman said. The three male back-seat passengers, all in her 20s, had non-life threatening injuries, according to the spokesman. The passengers were transported to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. Delgado, the spokesman said, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, and charged with leaving the scene of an accident-serious injury, vehicular assault-injury, obstructing governmental administration, driving while intoxicated and refusal to take a breath test. The bridge was closed in both directions until 9:30 a.m. The span, normally closed on weekends for construction, is open for the Easter holiday weekend. Anthony Morales. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Police are still searching for the suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a mother and son at the Mariners Harbor Houses Thursday, police said. Anthony Morales, 49, allegedly shot Idelle Rivera, 47, and her son, Anthony, 21, after a car deal went bad, according to a law enforcement source. Detectives believe Anthony Rivera recently sold a car to the suspect, who was unhappy with the automobile and wanted a refund, the source said. Rivera and his mother were gunned down in front of the Roxbury Street housing complex where they lived around 6:11 p.m., according to police. Both were shot in the head. The son's friend, identified in media reports as Jose Ramirez, 22, was shot three times in the leg. He is expected to survive. Prior to the shooting, Anthony Rivera and Ramirez were working on a car outside their complex, a neighbor told the Advance. On Friday, police offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to Morales' arrest. Morales is possibly driving a black, 2013 Hyundi Elantra with Pennsylvania plates, according to the flier. He is about 5' 9" tall, weighs about 200 pounds and was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, tan cargo pants and black shoes, according to police. Morales lives in a different apartment in the same Mariners Harbor Houses building as the Riveras, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-8477 (TIPS), submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers' website or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then entering TIP577. Anthony Rivera was gunned down less that 24 hours before he was set to begin a new job as a security guard at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, his father, Tony Pena, told the Daily News. "He was so happy. He was going to get a new job and go forward in life." By Jon Reyes and Shane DiMaio STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- "I used to argue with him because of how verbally abusive he was to his son -- he's mental." That's what a neighbor said about 49-year-old Anthony Morales -- the alleged killer of Idelle Rivera, 47, and her son, Anthony Rivera, 21, who both died after being shot in the face in Mariners Harbor Thursday. A 22-year-old, Jose Ramirez, was also shot in the leg three times, but is expected to survive. Police released the photo and name of Morales who is wanted in connection to the murders of the mother and son because of an alleged car deal gone bad with Anthony Rivera as a possible motive, a police source told the Advance. Morales lives in the same complex as the Riveras. An NYPD flier posted on social media describes him as the "perpetrator" in their murders. "When they showed the picture of the guy who did it, I was in shock," said the neighbor, who preferred to remain anonymous. "To tell you the truth, as much as I couldn't stand this man, I didn't think he could ever do this. "It's a shame. I just pray to God that they get him." The woman, who lives on the fifth floor of the same building as the victims, reflected on the type of person Idelle "Dee Dee" Rivera was. "Beautiful woman," the neighbor said of Idelle. "She would come upstairs every morning and have a cigarette with me. She didn't bother anybody, she was friendly and fun with everybody. "She was a good mother -- she was great." The neighbor also described her late son to be a fun-loving, sarcastic man. "Anthony [Rivera] was a good kid," the neighbor continued. "He used to bother us, tease us. He was a joker." A shrine of lit candles, flowers and a poster marked the entrance of the Riveras' building Friday afternoon. There is a $2,500 reward for information leading to Morales' arrest and indictment. Morales may be driving a black, 2013 Hyundai Elantra with Pennsylvania plates, according to the flier. He is about 5-foot-9, weighs about 200 pounds and was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, tan cargo pants and black shoes, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-8477 (TIPS), submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers' website or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then entering TIP577. Officers responded at around 6:11 p.m. on Thursday to the shooting in front of 14 Roxbury St., outside the Mariners Harbor Houses, police said. The mother and son were fatally shot in the head and face. They were pronounced dead at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton. and Anthony Rivera was gunned down less that 24 hours before he was set to begin a new job as a security guard at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, his father, Tony Pena, told the Daily News. "He was so happy. He was going to get a new job and go forward in life." The deaths mark the first instances of fatal gunplay on Staten Island this year. The previous 10 homicides were either stabbings or beatings. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An historic landmark home on Seguine Avenue in Prince's Bay -- one of the six oldest surviving houses in New York City, dating back to the 1600s -- is currently the focus of a lawsuit in which the city is charging the owner and developer with failure to repair and maintain the property's exterior, as required by law. The purpose of the law is to keep officially designated landmark buildings -- such as 509 Seguine Avenue -- in good repair so that architectural integrity is not compromised and intentional "demolition by neglect" does not occur. The case is a controversial legal battle that could set a citywide precedent, once presiding Judge Philip Straniere rules after hearing arguments from both sides. The trial, which faces off the Staten Island homeowner and developer Leonard Tallo against the City of New York and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), will resume in Richmond County Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, March 29. "The owner's legal obligation is to stabilize this historic home so it does not collapse," said New Brighton resident Mary Bullock, a long-time member of the nonprofit Preservation League of Staten Island. "He's not obligated (under law) to restore the interior of the house," she noted. The trial started on Monday, March 21, in the Castleton Avenue courthouse in West Brighton. THE OWNER'S PERSPECTIVE When Tallo purchased in "as-is" condition one of the oldest houses in New York City for $450,000 at a bankruptcy sale in September 2009, he was aware of what came with acquisition of the home: The historic building has enjoyed official NYC landmark designation since 1984, providing this old house with protected status, meaning that it could not be torn down at the owner's will. "I was buying the house for the property," Tallo said in court on March 21. Under questioning from his own attorney, Howard M. File, Tallo said he purchased the house without the opportunity to inspect its interior condition. In further testimony on March 24, Tallo said: "The house was wide open -- the house wasn't covered for years." When he finally entered the house for the first time -- at a date well after the purchase that he could not specify -- "there was was nothing to save," he said under oath. "I called (LPC) and said this house has to come down -- it can't be saved." In subsequent testimony, Tallo reiterated: "If it could have been repaired, I would have repaired it. "The house needs to be demolished. ... The house can't be saved," he stated. Tallo also testified that he spent almost $40,000 in fees to pursue development of the site, money that included drawings sent to LPC. PROFITS FROM DEVELOPMENT The city's LPC voted in 2004 to allow four single-family attached houses to be built on the waterfront site, as long as the owner restored the standing historic home, and the new residences did not block water views, the Advance has previously reported. Tallo -- a contractor by trade who has built about 20 homes and over 100 commercial projects -- said that he expected to make $75,000 to $100,000 profit on each of the proposed Seguine Avenue homes, he testified on March 24. Tallo said he has not paid city property taxes on the Seguine Avenue parcel "in a year," adding that he will make the payments "when I start making money on the property." Department of Finance online records -- as of Feb. 19, 2016 -- show that Tallo owes outstanding property taxes of $15,015 on the Seguine Avenue parcel, with an additional $1,469 due by April 1, 2016. LATE 1600s ARCHITECTURE Known as the Manee-Seguine Homestead, the earliest section of the house in question in this legal battle was constructed before 1700 and possibly as early as the 1670s, LPC researchers believe. The rubblestone walls of the cellar and first floor of the original section are about two feet thick and its massive wood beams are hand-hewn. The house qualifies for what LPC commissioner Michael Devonshire told the court is an historic example of early "New World Dutch building" on Staten Island. This historic-preservation expert cited -- in March 21 testimony before the court -- hand-hewn roof timber-framing, the 18th century large fireplace box, and the stone foundation walls as notable architectural elements. The landmark home needs various repairs, including fixing one small, exposed section of the roof; crumbling loose brick with degraded mortar at the top of the chimneys, and some shoring up and bracing on the northern wing of the building, structural-engineer experts testified in court appearances on March 21. Click here to read the 1984 LPC report that designated this old Prince's Bay family homestead an official NYC landmark. 'DOES NOT NEED TO BE DEMOLISHED' Department of Buildings assistant commissioner Timothy Lynch, an experienced structural engineer, testified repeatedly on the witness stand on March 21 -- under questioning from defense attorney Howard File -- that his periodic inspections of and reports about the condition of the Prince's Bay shorefront house since 2013 indicate that "the building is intact." Lynch stated, under questioning: "It does not need to be demolished -- it is structurally stable. It needs to be repaired." He emphasized that "owners have a duty to maintain their property," repeating that the Seguine Avene home does not "have to be demolished." EARLIER REPORTING The Advance reported about the lawsuit that the LPC filed in Richmond County Supreme Court in 2013. Quoting the owner, the story read: He said he had sent workers to fix the gaping hole in the roof, but they determined it was too dangerous to repair. "If there was a way to restore it, I'd love to restore it. I would. But I can't. It's beyond repair," said Tallo. In the years that followed, LPC continued to press Tallo about the state of the Seguine Avenue property, including a hole on the roof, but repairs were never made, the city lawsuit claims. In November 2012, LPC wrote to Tallo's then-lawyer, Anthony Lenza, asking to inspect the house as soon as possible to check for hurricane damage, and stating that the city agency "will likely bring legal action against Tallo if the building is demolished." ACTIVISTS ENGAGED Members of the nonprofit Preservation League of Staten Island have attended the ongoing trial, including newly elected president Warren MacKenzie of Westerleigh, executive director Barnett Shepherd of New Brighton, and former president John Kilcullen of Tompkinsville. The trial -- open to the public -- continues Tuesday morning, March 29, starting at 9:30 a.m. at 927 Castleton Ave. in West Brighton. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A Brooklyn man has admitted to his role in the shakedown of Queens businessmen for "protection" money in a plot allegedly involving a cop from Staten Island and another man who fatally stabbed a groom-to-be in Annadale four years ago. Denis Nikolla, 35, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court to two counts of extortion conspiracy and one count each of brandishing a firearm, and threatening physical violence to further an extortion plan, said Robert L. Capers, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Nikolla was among three defendants charged in the schemes and accused of threatening and using violence to extort money from the victims. Previously, in December, the police officer, Besnik Llakatura, then 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion conspiracy and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to an extortion conspiracy. Llakatura, who awaits sentencing, faces a minimum of seven years in prison up to a maximum of life behind bars, prosecutors said. Nikolla faces a similar sentencing range, said prosecutors. The third defendant, Redinel Dervishaj, 39, of Queens, awaits trial next week. In March 2012, Dervishaj fatally stabbed Antonio (Anthony) Lacertosa, 27, in a wild brawl outside the former Espana restaurant. Dervishaj claimed self-defense and a grand jury declined to indict him. Prosecutors allege Llakatura, Dervishaj and Nikolla, extorted $24,000 in "protection" money from an Astoria restaurateur between May and November of 2013. Authorities said Dervishaj and Nikolla repeatedly threatened the victim with violence and intimidation to ensure his compliance. When the man sought help from Llakatura, who was assigned to the 120th Precinct in St. George and with whom he was friendly, the cop dissuaded him from reporting the incidents to police and advised him to pony up the cash, said prosecutors. Llakatura did not reveal to the victim his relationship to the other defendants, prosecutors said. The victim was threatened when he refused, and Nikolla chased him down a Queens street at gunpoint, prosecutors said. The victim, like the defendants, is of Albanian descent, said authorities. Between April 2012 and 2013 Nikolla, working with Dervishaj, attempted to extort $200 per week in "protection" money from a Queens nightclub owner and threatened to beat him up if the man didn't pay, prosecutors said. In 2013, the defendants also tried to extort another victim of the proceeds of two social clubs in Astoria where gambling occurred, allege prosecutors. They sought $1,000 in weekly "protection" payments, said prosecutors. The man fled the country for a time to avoid the defendants' threats - after they had attacked and pulled a gun on one of his friends - prosecutors said. Nikolla's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. News / National by Staff reporter THE High Court has granted Ms Mandi Majoni a provisional relief order allowing her 10 days access to a Zanu-PF commercial property at the heart of Rusape - whose ownership wrangle pits her and the party's leadership in Makoni.Those representing the party have 10 days to oppose confirmation of the order.The order was granted by Justice Phiri on March 15, 2016, leading to the removal over the weekend of Zanu-PF supporters who have picketed and sealed off the commercial property that houses a showroom converted into a flea market and a service station.Ms Majoni, through Vicemast Services (Pvt) Ltd cited Zanu-PF provincial vice-chairperson, Joseph Mujati, provincial member, Nathaniel Mhiripiri and one Sakupwanya - accusing them of interference with her operations at Edro Motors.Zanu-PF supporters said they were protesting over non-remittance of rentals and setting up of the recently launched opposition political party, Zimbabwe People First offices at the contentious premises.War over the control of Edro Motors - has been ranging for more than a year since the then Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Mr Didymus Mutasa, issued Ms Majoni a five-year lease on top of the other issued to Mr Cleopas Mugomba following political differences.Prior to relief order, Edro Motors had became a no go zone for Ms Majoni.All flea market operators have since been evicted in the ensuing chaos and politicians and youths loyal to Mr Mutasa are now fighting from Ms Majoni's corner. The flea market operators have not been paying rentals for the past year following counter-claims of legal entitlement to the property by Zanu-PF, Ms Majoni and Mr Mugomba.Officer commanding Rusape district police, Chief Superintendent Garikai Gwangwawa, said party supporters holed at the property co-operated with the police."The person granted the provisional order by the High Court also served police as the law enforcers to assist in ensuring that they occupy the property for 10 days. Those cited in the provisional order have 10 days to file their arguments so that the order is not confirmed."We approached those who were cited in the provisional order to inform their agents picketed at the property to leave, and all complied without hassles," said Chief Supt Gwangwawa.Mujati said the party was compelled to act since the property could still be benefiting individuals expelled by the party."I think what you refer to is an issue at one of the Zanu-PF owned commercial properties where Mr Mutasa's colleague or associate has been neglecting or refusing to honour rental obligations and the party through an estate agent has been seeking to have the woman ejected," said Mujati.Some youths loyal to Mr Mutasa were reportedly milling around the property and at one point tried to establish an office at the building, prompting the ruling party youths to act.Mr Mutasa's youths were also evicted from a Zanu-PF house at Number 586 Arcacia Avenue in Rusape where they have been not been paying rentals. News / National by Tendai Gukutikwa THE Mutare Civil Courts was left in roars of laughter after a Marange woman vowed that she would not give her husband his conjugal rights unless he divorced his new wife whom she termed a 'sex worker'.All this was revealed in court after Agnes Nyarota had appeared before Mrs Yeukai Chigodora praying for a protection order against her husband, Zebediah Gwizo, whom she claimed was violent towards her after he married a well-known sex worker as a second wife.Nyarota described her husband, who defaulted the court session as a reckless man who had married a sex worker instead of choosing from other non sex-working females from their church and her family."The woman that he married was a popular sex worker and it has become difficult for me to accept him into my bedroom. I will not give him his conjugal rights since I do not know what sexually transmitted infections I will contract from him."I have since asked him to go for HIV testing and he said handisi muriwo unotestwa kunzwikwa kuti une salt here. (I will not be tested as I am not relish that needs tasting)," she stated.Nyarota prayed that the court bar Gwizo from visiting her residence regardless of the fact that they were still a lawfully wedded couple."I vow in this court that I will never accept the sex worker as his second wife, never!," she exclaimed.She claimed that it would have been better for their marriage if he had married someone from their church or one of her single female relatives as she had many.Nyarota also alleged that if he had married anyone other than the sex worker, she would still be giving him his conjugal rights.The protection order was granted to Nyarota. However, Gwizo was not barred from visiting her as he is still her husband and has a right to stay there. But there is always a small chance that North Korea could launch some kind of surprise attack. Two 2010 assaults blamed on Pyongyang were totally unexpected: the torpedoing of a warship and shelling of a border island that together killed 50 South Koreans. Pyongyang denies responsibility for the torpedoing that occurred when the same South Korea-U.S. drills were underway, though it acknowledged bombarding the island. Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. 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System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0220308)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f023aa20)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0220308)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f023aa20)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612ee50c3c0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f023aa20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f023aa20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee50be68)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0092808)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0092808)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 News / National by Collette Mukome AN 18-year-old teenager from Dora communal lands just outside Mutare escaped jail last week after he was convicted of stealing female panties.Mutare senior magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura, slapped Artmore Karumbidza with a six-month jail term, wholly suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.Karumbidza, a Form Two pupil at Dora High School pleaded guilty to theft charges. Mr Fletcher Karombe told the court that at an unknown date, but during the period of November and December last year, Karumbidza stole panties from several women.Asked why he committed the offence, Karumbidza told the court that he wanted to wear them. "I enjoy wearing female panties Your Worship. I have my own male panties, but I like female panties," he said.Mrs Chiundura warned him to stay away from crime. "Learn to respect people's property. Today, I will let you go, but if you come back to court facing similar charges I will send you to prison," she said.In an unrelated incident, Evans Mutsago of Hobhouse 1 was heavily assaulted by citizens after he was caught stealing a pair of jean trousers from a drying line.On March 10, Mutsago was spotted stealing at House Number 2652, Hobhouse and angry citizens assaulted him before handing him over to the police.He told the court that he wanted to wear the jeans. Mrs Chiundura sentenced him to 60 days imprisonment which was wholly suspended on condition of good behaviour. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f024be58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0138110)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f024be58)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0138110)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f01fd960)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0138110)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0138110)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee50d568)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0138080)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0138080)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe3dc90)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5076b0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe3dc90)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5076b0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe3e638)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5076b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5076b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee50c450)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee50c760)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612ee50c760)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 "Under the current [US] National Market System there will always be a need for exchanges. However, if they fail to adapt to the new reality of blockchain-based settlement, they will be rendered all but obsolete," he says. "The same goes for central clearinghouses and broker-dealers. The first one to embrace this technology will seriously disrupt the other two." Australian company Computershare, which analysts have speculated could be disrupted by blockchain, is providing the registry services for Overstock's share issue. Computershare chief executive Stuart Irving says his client is populated by an "interesting mob to say the least". "[Patrick Byrne] wanted to effectively create a trading and settlement platform outside of the normal venues. And that is what he has done," Irving says. Built test models As well as its work for Overstock, Computershare has had discussions with numerous blockchain start-ups and built test models of the distributed ledger a copy of which is held on the computer of anyone who uses it, which makes it safer than a centrally stored ledger but Irving says it won't undermine his business model. "What is interesting is that Overstock's blockchain securities will trade and settle outside established market infrastructure in the US. While it is a small step it's an important one," he says. "There are evangelists who say it will change everything and sceptics who say it will change nothing. The answer will surely be somewhere in between, but to which of these two extremes the outcome skews towards and when it will do so is the subject of much speculation. "Fear and greed are likely adding fuel to this debate, as various parties analyse what it means for market evolution and what it means for them specifically." In a video on t0's website, Byrne says one area that could be hit by blockchain is the amount of money brokers make on short selling. "I think it is where the prime brokers make most of their money. It is kind of the dirty little secret of how much money is made there and they want to keep it that way." The ASX is arguably Australia's biggest promoter of blockchain and has backed its push with a $14.9 million investment in Wall Street blockchain company Digital Asset Holdings. It is spending another $1 million to work out by the middle of 2017 whether it should be the basis of the ASX's new equity settlement system, which will replace its 20-year-old CHESS system. Wipe out clearing trades revenue Blockchain could wipe out about $47 million in revenue the ASX gets from clearing trades every year if it ends up hastening the move to instant settlement. Kupper has said the ASX would replace income lost with new products such as selling data it can source from the new settlement system. But he suspects blockchain's impact will be much bigger. "Blockchain is a new way of sharing data and information between parties that are naturally connected to each other that creates a single indisputable version of the truth," he told the Financial Review Business Summit. "What that allows you to do is collapse whole business value chains. The equity market today, which is costing about $4 billion-$5 billion, is a very sequential process. "You have brokers, wealth platforms, tech vendors, exchanges, trading, clearing, settlement, custodians, sub custodians, registries and companies. "It is an extraordinarily complex, sequential process for what is a very simple transaction buying and selling shares, paying dividends, allowing people to vote at an AGM. "If we can bring everybody along, that $4 billion-$5 billion could become a smaller number we hope by a significant amount." Savings not as great Irving is not persuaded the cost reduction will be anything near that. He guesses on a global scale the cost savings might be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but of course much less than that in Australia. But Blythe Masters, the head of Digital Asset Holdings, put the savings much higher. "We could eliminate reconciliation activity, which adds up to tens of billions of dollars of waste in banks and brokers around the world," she told the annual ASIC Forum last week. Fleur Wright, head of global sales at broker UBS Australia, says it is too early to say what costs blockchain will remove, let alone how much the savings will be. UBS is one of 42 financial institutions globally involved in the R3CEV project, which is testing a private version of blockchain for use by banks based on the Ethereum blockchain platform. A man accused of stockpiling explosives in the Brisbane suburb of Pullenvale in 2014 appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday after being extradited from NSW. Daniel Fing, 32, did not apply for bail when he appeared to answer pending charges including unlawful possession of weapons under a false name and manufacturing explosives. The man appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday. The charges relate to a 2014 police raid on a house in Pullenvale after a real estate agent inspecting the rental property stumbled upon a shed full of chemicals. Fing was remanded in custody to April 18 when the matter will be mentioned. The new advocate for Canberra's doctors said he was surprised and disappointed Chief Minister Andrew Barr ruled out lockout laws in the face of evidence of their success. Professor Steve Robson, who takes up the presidency of the Australian Medical Association ACT branch next month, called on the Labor leader to visit an emergency department in the early morning to understand the benefits Canberra could enjoy with extra controls on bars and clubs. Professor Robson said lockout laws would be popular among the community. Credit:AFR "I'm a little bit surprised by the comment and by the misinterpretation of the clear evidence that when lockouts came in, particularly in Newcastle, there was a marked reduction in alcohol-related violence and violent injuries presenting in the emergency department," he said. "There are big pressures on emergency waiting times in the ACT and it's so difficult having drunk people and victims of violence there." The cry of betrayal had resonated in the corridors of NSW Parliament. It was an unlikely alliance that took action. The rights of children conceived from anonymous sperm donation to trace their genetic origin, by preserving files showing where they came from in a central register, had been abandoned by Health Minister Jillian Skinner. As Victoria introduced world-first laws giving the offspring of anonymous donors the right to identify their fathers, but not contact them, NSW children would be left with far less. Although a new law would allow them to request non-identifying details (ethnicity, hair colour) about their donors from NSW clinics, the NSW government had reneged on the important pledge to collect and centrally store these files. Just as Treasurer Scott Morrison wasn't in the "inner circle" that knew when the budget would be, Turnbull is no longer in the "inner circle" that knows when the election will be. While the Prime Minister might be willing to suck it and see, such ambiguity will place enormous pressure on both his cabinet and his back bench. Take the budget, for example. Malcolm Turnbull's pseudo-election campaign launch on Monday, complete with cunning constitutional trickery, was definitely "headline grabbing", but so was Julia Gillard's decision to name the election date six months in advance. The question isn't whether such decisions excite the commentariat; it's whether they work in Parliament and on the public. And if the furious crossbench senators choose a half-Senate election in September over a double dissolution in July, what are the odds that the May budget will be rubber-stamped by those same senators? Is that long-term strategy? In order to show who's really running the country, the Prime Minister just told us that the Senate can decide whether we will have an early election. Is that decisive? Is the Treasurer supposed to be working on a budget that will act as a July election platform or is he supposed to be working on a set of policy initiatives that have some chance of being passed through a grumpy Senate by September? Will he be judged on the clarity of his "budget message" in the lead-up to a July election or will he be judged on his capacity to negotiate spending cuts and tax increases through the Senate between May and September? Should the Treasurer be trying to mollify Jacqui Lambie by including extra funding for Defence Force pay rises in the hope she might be more likely to approve the rest of the budget measures by September? Or would such a move in May simply provide the Tasmanian senator with the perfect platform to demonstrate she can deliver from the cross bench in the lead-up to a July election? No wonder Morrison is reportedly unhappy. But the problems don't stop with the budget. If the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner bill passes through the Senate in May, what will the industrial relations agenda be in the lead-up to a September election? Few people outside the Melbourne Club care much about the ABCC bill and fewer still will switch their vote to the Coalition if it passes. Needless to say, union officials are rightly enraged that their common-law rights might be stripped away but, once the bill passes the easiest way to have it repealed is via the election of a Shorten government. At a time the NSW Electoral Commission is withholding $4 million from the Liberal Party for non-disclosure of previous donations, Turnbull is doing the ALP's fund-raising for it. And then there's climate change. No policy issue has generated more heat and less light than how best to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Tony Abbott transformed a technocratic debate about the best way to design a carbon price into a culture war. It put him into The Lodge, but put Australia back a decade. That bill was largely inspired by my cousin, Peter Short, who died from cancer more than a year ago after campaigning tirelessly for the law to be changed. Peter was provided with Nembutal, the drug most commonly used for this purpose in places around the world that have legalised physician-assisted death, by Dr Rodney Syme, an 80-year-old urologist who openly admits to having supplied scores of people, over a long period, with the substance. He is not seeking to be prosecuted, but is prepared to put his case in court. He does not believe a jury would convict him. They would have good reason to acquit: the charge would be aiding and abetting suicide. The defence would be that he was, instead, aiding palliation. Doctors should not be placed in such jeopardy. The law should be changed. Perhaps the best reason for this is that while about a third of the terminally ill patients given the means to end their lives at a time of their choosing do not actually take that option, every single one who is provided the option immediately benefits. Simply having the means and knowledge provides profound palliation; it relieves fear and anxiety. Police have so far declined to charge Dr Syme; they do not believe they have sufficient evidence of aiding and abetting. Dr Syme, who has a long association with Dying With Dignity Victoria, has arguably done more than anyone in Australia to promote the cause. Right now, he is in a difficult situation, having been issued by the Medical Board of Australia with an order to no longer do anything that might assist a patient end their life. If he breaks that order, he faces deregistration. It is the first time anyone has officially gone to the board about Dr Syme, and only came about because a GP of one of his patients became concerned that publicity created by a recent episode of the ABC's Australian Story might lead to an insurance claim. On legal advice, the GP, who was sympathetic to the patient's desire for Dr Syme to provide him with Nembutal, believed he should alert the board; he did not make an actual complaint. For the moment, Dr Syme's dilemma has been solved his patient has been given Nembutal by two others who had an excess, a common situation because more of the drug is usually provided than required. Dr Syme is a kind and caring man of deep principle, and he probably would have given his patient the drug. There's a lot to like about the 20th Biennale of Sydney, but it isn't necessarily the art. Curator Stephanie Rosenthal, born in Germany but employed by the Hayward Gallery in London, has proven herself to be one of the most committed of all Biennale directors. Previous incumbents have tended to fly into Australia for quick visits, but Rosenthal has been resident in Sydney since September. She has been assiduous in visiting galleries and studios. She has scouted around for unorthodox venues that connect with the social fabric of the city. She has brought in an architect to help design and finesse exhibition spaces. The director has impressed everyone with her work ethic and her comprehensive vision for the show, which takes its theme from a line by science fiction writer William Gibson: The future is already here it's just not evenly distributed. The only problem is that after trawling through the works of 83 artists from 35 countries, one is left with very few memorable impressions. This is a Biennale of ideas rather than images. Some will find this fascinating, but I suspect that many will struggle to engage with the vast majority of works. William Forsythe's Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time as part of the 20th Biennale of Sydney. Credit:Ben Symons After the debacle of 2014 when the chief sponsor was sent packing as part of a dubious political protest, the budget seems to have taken a nose-dive. Indeed, if it wasn't for the Neilson Foundation, which has taken on the lion's share of sponsorship, the show would be struggling. Rosenthal has disguised this in a curious way, spreading works across a greater range of venues and "in-between" sites. So while there may be fewer pieces at Cockatoo Island, the entire Biennale takes longer to circumnavigate. As yet I don't feel sufficiently familiar with the show to give more than a fleeting impression, so this week I'll grapple with the conceptual framework and come back to the art in another column. News / National by Staff reporter The Zanu-PF youth league has implored ousted War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa to shut up, taking umbrage with his alleged continued disrespect for President Robert Mugabe.Speaking at a youth rally held at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Wednesday, Zanu-PF deputy youth secretary Kudzai Chipanga had no kind words for the sacked minister."It is time we tell Mutsvangwa to shut up," Chipanga said."If he is fed up with our president, he should go to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and withdraw his vote."It's time we call a spade a spade because we now have people in the party who wear party regalia but speaks a different language. We must identify them and show them the door."Chipanga said he was going to mobilise one million youths to meet Mugabe in May and assure him that they were fully behind him adding that Mutsvangwa should take heed of the warning from the youths."They (Mutsvangwas) want him (Mugabe) to leave office because they benefitted from him politically, including in the land reform and indigenisation, but we have not as youths. So he must rule until he dies," Chipanga said.Speaking at the same gathering, Mashonaland East State Provincial minister Ambrose Mutinhiri, also attacked Mutsvangwa, a former Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) chairperson, ordering him to shut up and stop bragging about his war credentials."I heard some of us saying VP (Phelekezela) Mphoko deserted the war."Some people must shut up and hear from us who were in the war from the early stages. Some who are bragging do not even know how the war was executed. I was privileged to command both Zipra and Zanla (Zapu and Zanu-PF military wings respectively), so there is little that I don't know," the retired brigadier-general said.This comes after Mutsvangwa recently said Mphoko, 75, had allegedly ditched his regiment in Mozambique to enjoy life with his then wife-to-be, Laurinda, who he married in 1977."Mphoko came to Mozambique as part of Zipa (the Zimbabwe People's Army, which was a combined military structure of Zipra and Zanla) in 1975 and was head of logistics," Mutsvangwa told the Daily News in a recent interview."Zipa collapsed a couple of months down the line, (and one of the pioneers of the armed struggle, Rogers Alfred) Mangena and others went back to Zambia to resume operations as Zipra."He (Mphoko) didn't go back with them. He remained in Maputo, and somehow got lost completely. That's why nobody knows him in Zipra. Ask all the big numbers of Zipra cadres, they don't know him because he was no longer part of the army."He was in Mozambique and eventually married a Mozambican woman. So for the crucial five years of that war (1975 until independence in 1980), he was absent. He is neither Zipra nor Zanla," Mutsvangwa said."He got married to a family that was close to . . . Machel. The wife is Shangaan, you can check, a Chironga woman from the Maputo region. How can you have an absentee commander? He was not there for five years," Mutsvangwa said. FILM The Art Gallery of NSW's cinema series Putting on a Show looks at the transformative power of performance. Watch a free screening of The Kids Are Alright (rated M), Jeff Stein's 1979 rock documentary on The Who, giving an inside glimpse into the group through concert footage and interviews. 2pm, Art Gallery of NSW, The Domain, city, free, 1800 679 278. Anthony Warlow plays Tevye, a milkman trying to preserve his family's traditions in changing times in Fiddler on the Roof. MUSIC Hear from the Grammy-nominated Mick Fleetwood Blues Band featuring Rick Vito as they play early tracks from the Fleetwood Mac back catalogue alongside classic blues tunes. 7.30pm, Metro Theatre, city, $79.70, ticketek.com.au. Tim Cahill of the Socceroos celebrates a goal. Credit:Getty Images Tuesday March 29 SPORT Dress up in green and gold to cheer on the Socceroos as they take on Jordan in the latest qualifier for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. 8pm, Allianz Stadium, Moore Park, $20.40-$96.85, 132 849, ticketek.com.au. Lily Tomlin in Grandma. COMEDY Have some midweek giggles at the Laugh Stand Comedy Gala. Rebecca De Unamuno hosts the night, with a headline set from Cam Knight and a support by Wes Zaharuk. 8pm, Harold Park Hotel, 70A Ross Street, Glebe, $15-$20, thelaughstand.tumblr.com. Family Bat Night at Centennial Park. Wednesday March 30 FAMILY Young residents are invited to show off their best tricks and moves at a pop-up state park in Glebe. Both amateur and experienced enthusiasts are welcome to check out the temporary set-up, which boasts obstacles to navigate, screenings of skate videos and a barbecue where visitors can refuel. 5-8pm, Peter Forsyth Auditorium, corner Franklin and Forsyth streets, Glebe, free, whatson.sydney. STAGE Simon Dodd's absurdist one-act comedy Plaything (until April 16) combines philosophy with toilet humour as two strangers who mistake the stage door for the toilet door find themselves trapped in a play. 8pm, The Depot Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, $22, thedepottheatre.com. Thursday March 31 STAGE Mike Bartlett's 2014 play King Charles III (until April 30) uses blank verse for an injection of Shakespearean drama and has proven a theatrical sensation with runs on the West End and Broadway. Directed by Almeida Theatre artistic director Rupert Goold, the Australian premiere brings to life an alternate reality in which Prince Charles has taken over the throne. 7.30pm, Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay, $80, sydneytheatre.com.au. MUSIC Pop genius Brian Wilson arrives for a two-part concert, first playing his Beach Boys' masterpiece Pet Sounds to commemorate the album's 50th anniversary, followed by a set with other toe-tapping hits. 8pm, Sydney Opera House, $99-$199, 9250 7777. Friday April 1 FILM The Young at Heart Film Festival (until April 7) begins today with a program of flicks focusing on family relationships and aimed at people 60 and over. Catch the acclaimed 2015 dramedy Grandma (rated M), with the brilliant Lily Tomlin starring as an acerbic poet whose granddaughter comes to her seeking help. 3.10pm, Palace Verona, 17 Oxford Street, Paddington, $7-$19, palacecinemas.com.au. FAMILY Learn about the amazing animals that call Centennial Park home at Family Bat Night. Participants on the guided walk will use bat detectors, night-vision glasses and binoculars to spot creatures such as the grey-headed flying fox and the bent-wing bat. 6-8.30pm, Learning Centre, Dickens Drive, Centennial Park, $18, centennialparklands.com.au. Saturday April 2 STAGE The Seekers musical Georgy Girl (until May 15) reaches Sydney after premiering in Melbourne last year. Pippa Grandison stars as Judith Durham in the story of the pop-folk group's rise to international success, including tracks such as The Carnival is Over and I'll Never Find Another You. 2pm and 8pm, State Theatre, city, $65-$140, ticketmaster.com.au. STAGE Patrick White Playwrights' Award winner Phillip Kavanagh explores the fallibility of memory in Replay (until May 7) as two siblings delve into the death of their brother. 7pm, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross, $35-$43, griffintheatre.com.au. Sunday April 3 COMMUNITY Lace up those sneakers to take part in the five-kilometre SCADaddle, a fun run and walk along the Bay Run to raise awareness and funds for research into spontaneous coronary artery dissection. 10am, Giovinazzo Grove, Frazer Street, Lilyfield, $35, firstgiving.com. STAGE A terrific ensemble cast has been assembled for Kit Brookman's The Great Fire (until May 8) with Sandy Gore, Genevieve Picot, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Armanious and Peter Carroll among those treading the boards as three generations of a family coming together for a hot Christmas in the Adelaide Hills. 6.30pm, Belvoir, Surry Hills, $40, 9699 3444. LOOKING AHEAD Volunteer firefighters have accused Emergency Services Minister David Elliott of misleading Parliament over claims he had threatened to sue them if they revealed he had likened them to Dad's Army. In an exchange recorded in Parliament's Hansard for March 16, Opposition Leader Luke Foley asked: "Did you ask Parliamentary Secretary Rick Colless to inform the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association that you would initiate legal proceedings against them unless a planned media story critical of you was pulled?" The troops of Dad's Army took on the job of firemen in the episode Brain Versus Brawn. Mr Elliott replied: "I think that is a very strange question from somebody who has taken no interest at all in our volunteer firefighters. The answer to your question is: No, because the allegation that you are referring to, which I would love you to table, was incorrect." Executive members say the comments were made at a private meeting in November attended by three members of the firefighters' top brass and the minister. Their concerns were aired at a meeting of the volunteers in Murrumbateman, in the Southern Tablelands earlier this month. It all began with a heartfelt plea to politicians, typed on her grandmother's laptop, several weeks after her mother's suicide. A year on, Josie Pohla's wish came true last week when thousands of students began discussing domestic violence in classrooms across NSW. Josie Pohla, whose letter led to a new course for students on the prevention of domestic violence. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Josie's letter to the NSW government said that had domestic violence been addressed at her school, she would have understood that what was happening in her home was not normal and she could have helped "save" her mum. Those words echoed up the political chain so loudly that the year 7 to 10 school syllabus has now been changed to include specific material surrounding domestic violence prevention. A year after receiving a mandate from NSW voters, Premier Mike Baird has vowed he won't be distracted by the daily issues that confront government. Instead his focus remains fixed on those big infrastructure promises that persuaded voters to "Back Baird" in 2015. NSW Premier Mike Baird vows to keep building, a year after his re-election. Credit:Dallas Killponen Lockout laws, council mergers and tree felling in Sydney's eastern suburbs didn't rate a mention in last year's election campaign, but have exploded publicly since. Brawling among the top level of NSW police and the Ombudsman over secret bugging has been dragged into the limelight by a parliamentary inquiry. The state's top corruption watchdog, ICAC, is embroiled in a bitter spat with its inspector. In 35 years in the Queensland Police Force, Greg Bishop thought he had seen it all when it came to road fatalities. The officer in charge of the Dutton Park police station spent a decade in the regions where high speed crashes are par for the course, where many a country cop sifts through mangled wreckage to salvage bodies often betraying little sign they were once human. Yet for even the hardened senior sergeant, the horror scene that confronted him the morning young Danish cyclist Rebekka Meyer was killed at a busy South Brisbane intersection in front of dozens of morning commuters 18 months ago still haunts him. It's not so much what happened to Rebekka that stays with him but the incomprehensible horror of a group of people who were struggling to process their morning commute being so suddenly and jarringly ripped apart in the most horrific way. News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) leader Joice Mujuru has called for a thorough investigation by the Chinese Communist Party's graft-busting organ, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, into claims of widespread looting of Marange diamond revenue by Anjin Investments.Mujuru's aide, Bright Matonga, told the Daily News yesterday that ZPF would engage the Chinese Embassy in Harare about the issue after President Robert Mugabe recently made the stunning claim that $15 billion had been looted from Chiadzwa under his government's watch.Anjin, which is run by Chinese nationals, is a joint venture between the government's Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and China's State-owned Anhui Foreign and Economic Construction Company.Matonga said Mujuru's quest to get Chinese President Xi Jinping to look into Anjin's operations was necessitated by the knowledge that the company was co-owned by the Zimbabwe National Army and the Chinese military, as well as the fact that "corruption is not tolerated in the Asian country".Xi has in the past few years gone after both high-ranking "tigers" as well as lowly "flies" in his anti-corruption drive in China.Among the senior Communist Party officials who have fallen following Xi's campaign include former security chief Zhou Yongkang, one of China's most powerful politicians of the past decade, who was accused of accepting bribes and leaking State secrets."We want to know from the Chinese side if they are going to take action on the company and their nationals who are said to be engaging in corrupt activities this side," he said.Matonga also questioned the "mega deals" that were signed by the government and China, saying that ZPF suspected that they were not meant to benefit the country, but a few individuals.Speaking in a televised interview last month, Mugabe said $15 billion worth of diamonds had been looted over several years by mining companies operating in Marange, one of which is Anjin."We have not received much from the diamond industry at all. I don't think we have exceeded $2 billion, yet we think more than $15 billion has been earned. So, where have our carats been going?" the nonagenarian asked.However, industry experts doubt the veracity of Mugabe's figures, with the global diamond industry trading about $13 billion a year, and Zimbabwe not among the biggest producers of uncut diamonds.They argue that Mugabe could have once again been misled about the real state of affairs in the industry as two years ago, the nonagenarian also publicly accused former ZMDC chairman, Godwills Masimirembwa, of receiving $6 million from Ghanaian investors, but was later forced to make an embarrassing U-turn - admitting that he had been fed wrong information by his aides.According to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), global rough diamond sales have averaged $12,6 billion a year in the last decade, with Zimbabwe's declared rough diamond output averaging a miserly $266 million per year.It remains to be seen how the already brooding Chinese will react to Mujuru's move, as they have since warned Zimbabwe to beware after the government ill-advisedly moved to seize all the diamond mining claims in Chiadzwa, including those in which Chinese companies have interests.The Asian powerhouse, which has been one of the few major economies that have kept their relations with Harare warm over the past 16 years of political and economic turmoil here, told the Daily News after the government's controversial decision was announced that Zimbabwe must respect property rights."We hope that the Zimbabwean side would earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights of the Chinese companies and employees, according to the local laws and the Agreement on the encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments between China and Zimbabwe," Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping said in a terse email response to questions."The Chinese side is willing to enhance communication and negotiation with the Zimbabwean side, and together create a conducive environment for companies from both sides to conduct mutually-beneficial cooperation," Ping added. A seven-year-old boy was left chasing a moving train while his terrified parents and other passengers in the carriage tried to desperately alert the driver, who failed to stop, according to the child's family. Andy Ashton said he and his partner Gen, two young children and their friend were getting on a train at Newport station in Melbourne's west on Friday afternoon when the doors closed on them three times. Andy Ashton said his family has been left traumatised after their seven-year-old was left chasing the train when the doors closed on him unexpectedly. Credit:Suppliled The first as the parents were getting on board, then the family had to pry open the door as it began to crush one of the children's bikes. Moments later, the doors closed again this time leaving their seven-year-old son on the platform, alone. Washington: "We need to direct our attention inward and connect to the breath," yoga instructor Rachel Brathen writes in her New York Times best-selling book about the practice. "Focusing on our breath keeps us present, calms the mind and allows us to develop the awareness of the body we need to practise with care and compassion." Since the ancient discipline with roots in Hinduism and Buddhism became a popular exercise in the West, yogis have inundated popular culture with their pursuit of that elusive "calm" in a rapidly spinning world. Meditation - generic shot. Credit:Adam Fulton "Mindfulness", the meditative state associated with yoga, has likewise been adopted as a way to clear the mind. So, when administrators at Bullard Elementary School in Kennesaw, Georgia, US, implemented yoga and other mindfulness practices in the classroom to reduce students' stress, they likely envisioned peace and relaxation in their future. This one got lopsided in a hurry, and that was just what Notre Dame needed News / National by Staff reporter PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe reportedly offered to step down as early as 2002, but the ruling Zanu-PF proposed that he should stay on in a ceremonial position, with Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa assuming the role of Prime Minister, former Education minister David Coltart has claimed.In his autobiography titled The Struggle Continues: 50 Years of Tyranny, Coltart claims a series of talks ensued in the aftermath of the disputed 2002 presidential elections at the instigation of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party."While I was in North America, a Catholic priest, Father Fidelis Mukonori, a confidant of Mugabe, had called on (MDC-T leader Morgan) Tsvangirai to tell him Mugabe wanted to meet outside the country," Coltart wrote."This was followed by an approach to Tsvangirai by Colonel Lionel Dyck, who had gained the confidence of Zanu-PF when he successfully led an army brigade against dissidents during the Gukurahundi in Matabeleland."Tsvangirai, according to a February 2003 story by respected South African journalist Allister Sparks, had insisted on the "restoration of legitimacy", which meant fresh elections, but this had been opposed by Mnangagwa, who reportedly claimed Zanu-PF needed time to "sort out its leadership".Coltart - in the book that has caused ructions over his version of events regarding the emotive Gukurahundi massacres committed by the army in the 1980s - said Dyck had told Tsvangirai that former Commander of the Defence Forces General Vitalis Zvinavashe and Mnangagwa had indicated they were concerned about "the worsening situation in Zimbabwe"."According to Tsvangirai, Dyck told him that Mugabe had agreed to retire, but said nothing about holding elections," the former Senator wrote."It was in this context that on December 5, I received a telephone call from a prominent South African businessman, who had close links to the ANC, asking me to fly to Johannesburg urgently to meet an ANC emissary."I flew down and, on Sunday, December 8, I met with the man, who introduced himself to me as Patrick Moseke."Moseke, according to Coltart, had already met Mnangagwa and his delegation for talks prodded by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.Coltart said he was asked to provide the MDC's position."I said there would have to be some form of transitional authority, which would be of limited duration and which would have a limited mandate restricted to governing the country during the transitional period, securing food and medicines to avert famine, stabilising relations with the international community and agreeing on and passing new laws dealing with the electoral environment," he wrote."This would have to culminate in a fresh election for President."After presenting the MDC's position to Mnangagwa, Coltart wrote, Moseke said Zanu-PF were not keen on fresh elections, but were willing to compromise."Zanu-PF did not want another election and they wanted Mugabe to remain on as ceremonial President, with Mnangagwa taking on the role of Prime Minister. According to Moseke, Mnangagwa would adopt a more pragmatic approach to a range of issues, including that of commercial farmers," he wrote."The MDC would be offered several Cabinet positions and there would be a lessening of political tensions. Mnangagwa was presented on stage at the ANC's national conference in Stellenbosch, where he was given a standing ovation."And when news broke of the secret talks in mid-January 2003, everything fell through, as Mnangagwa, Mbeki and Zvinavashe all denied the claims.But according to Coltart, "there was also a sting in the tail"."If we (MDC) did not accept their entreaties, Mnangagwa would crush the opposition more completely than Mugabe had sought to do," he said.Coltart said he had also been shown a document analysing the situation in Zimbabwe prepared by the ANC and the South African intelligence that Mbeki had accepted, which described the then-united MDC as a "rudderless party, lacking both policies and unity".However, Zimbabwe's then ambassador to South Africa and now Zanu-PF spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo, claimed on Thursday he had no idea of the talks."I do not know that. I really have no idea," he said when contacted for comment. "Why would they meet in South Africa? Were there no hotels in Zimbabwe? I do not know about that."Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said he was still to read Coltart's book."We are yet to read the book and only then can we be able to provide a comprehensive comment," he said.The Tsvangirai-led MDC secretary-general at the time, Welshman Ncube, confirmed existence of the talks."I can confirm that indeed Coltart travelled to South Africa to meet the people he said he met," he said."I can confirm that Tsvangirai was approached by Fr Mukonori purportedly as an emissary of Mugabe and that a generally vague proposal was put to the MDC for some sort of government of national unity with Zanu-PF, but was rejected by the national executive."Ncube said he, however, could not vouch for Coltart's version of what was said about Mugabe's alleged offer to retire or Mnangagwa's proposed role.Repeated efforts to get a comment from ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa proved fruitless on Thursday as his mobile phone went unanswered.As if to confirm Mnangagwa's contact with Dyck, a United States diplomatic cable leaked by whistleblower website Wikileaks, dated March 24, 2006, claimed then-independent Tsholotsho North legislator Jonathan Moyo said the former Rhodesian soldier had compromised the Vice-President's chances of succeeding Mugabe."Moyo said he was increasingly doubtful about Mnangagwa's prospects," the cable read."Mnangagwa's association with the Tsholotsho affair, the Col Dyck affair, the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland and ruling party financial skulduggery all gave Mugabe or (axed Vice-President Joice) Mujuru tools with which to undermine Mnangagwa privately and publicly."newsday 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. News / National by Staff reporter MABVUKU-TAFARA MP James Maridadi (MDC-T) has been dumped by his lawyer, Auxilia Mangwaira, and is now representing himself in a case where he is charged with confiscating a National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) ticket book after refusing to pay vehicle parking fees at the parastatal's premises last October.Soon after informing presiding magistrate Takundwa Mtetwa yesterday that he had been dumped by his lawyer, Maridadi filed an application challenging the NRZ's authority to demand parking fees at its premises.Mtetwa then adjourned the trial to April 14 to allow the NRZ to produce evidence that it was legally entitled to charge and collect parking fees.Maridadi, who is denying the charges levelled against him, wanted to cross-examine NRZ commercial assistant Amos Tembo over the legality of the charges. Tembo, in his evidence-in-chief, had told the court that he had mandated his subordinate, Zivanai Muzokomba, to collect the parking fees in terms of NRZ rules and regulations.The opposition legislator claimed that collection of parking fees by the NRZ was in breach of Harare City Counci by-laws.The NRZ ticket book Maridadi allegedly seized from Muzokomba is valued at $2,50.Meanwhile, Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe yesterday gave Police Sergeant Thompson Joseph Mloyi temporary reprieve when he allowed his application for adjournment of his insult trial so that his Constitutional Court application be dispensed with first.Mloyi is charged with insulting President Robert Mugabe saying he was "too old to rule and he married a prostitute Grace Mugabe".The State alleges Mloyi made the remarks at Cranborne Barracks on March 5 this year.Through his lawyer, David Hofisi, Mloyi made the application at the Harare Magistrates' Court a day after filing a constitutional application challenging the insult laws that protect Mugabe from insults. An Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft slowly approaches the International Space Station on March 26,2016. Astronaut Tim Kopra successfully grabbed the spacecraft with the station's robotic arm. An Orbital ATK Cygnus supply spacecraft successfully rendezvoused with the International Space Station early this morning (March 26), bringing vital supplies, spacewalk gear and science experiments for the crew of the orbiting lab. Assisted by British astronaut Tim Peake, American astronaut and space station Cmdr. Tim Kopra grappled the craft with the space station's robotic arm at about 6:51 EDT (1051 GMT) this morning, and the crew will soon begin the long process of transferring nearly 7,500 lbs. (3,400 kilograms) of supplies off of the privately owned craft. The Cygnus spacecraft is named after NASA astronaut Col. Rick Husband, the commander of space shuttle Columbia (STS-107), which broke apart on reeentry in 2003. Kopra paid tribute to Husband shortly after capturing the craft. "Houston we'd also like to say that we're really honored to bring aboard the SS Rick Husband to the International Space Station," Kopra said. "It recognizes a personal hero to so many of us, and this will be the first Cygnus honoree who was directly involved with the construction of this great station." The Cygnus spacecraft launched March 22 on an Atlas V rocket built by United Launch Alliance (ULA). It marks the most cargo ever carried by a Cygnus spacecraft, and is the last in Orbital ATK's current cargo delivery contract with NASA in which the company will launch a Cygnus craft on a rocket built by ULA. (Orbital ATK will use its own Antares rocket to complete the remaining cargo shipments.) [Blastoff! Orbital ATK CRS-6 Mission Launches to Space Station (Video)] The massive experimental payload includes a camera to investigate meteor showers hitting Earth; a series of samples to test the microgravity movement of the soil-like compound covering asteroids, called regolith; sticky Gecko Gripper pads; and a permanent 3D printer for the station. In addition, one experiment will stay on the craft while it's docked to the station, and will only be activated once it's filled with trash and released from the space station in May. That experiment, called Saffire-1, will kindle a large-scale fire in a special box to measure how fire grows and spreads in microgravity. On its way out, the spacecraft will also release five minisatellites into orbit. Soon, the station's U.S. Laboratory Module will be looking much busier: See more The current crew which includes Kopra and Peake, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka will see a lot of traffic to the station in the next few weeks. Next week, a Russian Progress supply craft will leave the station, NASA officials said, and a new one is scheduled to arrive on April 2. Later in April, SpaceX is scheduled to send a supply spacecraft to the station. The craft will be docked simultaneously with the Cygnus capsule. SpaceX's delivery will include an inflatable habitat that will add an experimental extra room to the station. Editor's Note: An earlier edition of this article failed to mention that NASA astronaut Jeff Williams is also currently onboard the ISS. Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. 176 Episodes - 154 Episodes = 22 Episodes for Season 8 "Can you believe this sh--? F---ing seven years! Isn't that crazy?" Somerhalder told TVGuide.com. "Because very few people I know have closed out a series - well, we're not closed out yet. We have another year now... [This morning] I just thought, 'Wow, man. You just navigated seven years, 154 episodes of television.' And by the time it's done, it's going to be 176 episodes, by this time next year."When asked point-blank if Season 8 would be the end for The Vampire Diaries, which already said goodbye to star Nina Dobrev last year, Somerhalder said he didn't know for sure. Either way, the actor said he views the upcoming season as an important opportunity for the show to recapture its former glory. News / Regional by Staff reporter There is outrage in southern parts of Zimbabwe over reports that a former Air Force of Zimbabwe propaganda band composer is seeking to remix and release a Gukurahundi song.Concerned citizens have petitioned Media, Information and Publicity minister Webster Shamu, in desperate attempts to have the song Amai vaDhikondo be banned from the national airwaves, saying plans to unleash it on the nation came at a time when the nation is trying to heal the wounds of past atrocities.Rephius Tachi, who composed the song while working under the former 5 Brigade commander, Perence Shiri, is reported to be planning the release in a new 8 track compilation. "It is so outrageous it has to be stopped and condemned by all peace loving Zimbabweans," said Thamsanqa Zhou, who is spearheading a campaign to stop the song being released.Amai vaDhikondo was a theme song used by the 5 Brigade during the Gukurahundi massacres in the Midlands and Matabeleland in the 1980s. Victims were forced to sing the song before and during the killings. Independent estimates are that some 20 000 innocent civilian supporters of ZAPU, an opposition party in Zimbabwe were killed at the time."For those of us, who are direct and indirect victims of the Gukurahundi, it is shocking that a song that arouses emotions and traumatic memories can be allowed any airplay when all should be focusing on national healing. On behalf of those who hold strong feelings about human rights in Zimbabwe and the Gukurahundi in particular, I urge the Ministry of Media and the Organs for National Healing to order that the song must never be released again.""Tachi and the Air Force needs to also apologise to the victims of Gukurahundi for releasing the song in the first place fully aware of what that song symbolised to innocent victims of the Gukurahundi," reads part of Zhou petition.President Robert Mugabe and the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo forged a Unity Accord in 1987, which culminated in the end of the political disturbances in the two provinces of Matabeleland and some parts of the Midlands.Although short of offering an outright apology over the atrocities committed by state security agents in the two provinces, Mugabe has admitted the crimes were due to a regretted period of madness.Meanwhile Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa caused a storm on Wednesday night when he claimed that Mugabe was not responsible for the Gukurahundi massacres. Chinamasa made the shocking remark at a meeting that had been organised by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZiC) to discuss the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill."I am surprised that we are simplifying complex issues. Let's take Gukurahundi, once you start a conflict it feeds on itself, it achieves and assumes a life of its own. So the thrust should be to prevent, once it has happened, my dear colleagues and brothers and sisters, once it has happened there is no one, anymore who can be responsible for what happens."It has happened in our colonial period, it has happened even before the colonial times. if there is a crisis there is no way anyone can turn to be in control, so words like president commandeered this or that are just reckless statements. No one ordered the killing of anyone it was a national crisis," said Chinamasa to huge growls of disapproval from the audience which was made up of civic society players, political party activists and police detectives who meticulous took notes.Chinamasa is the latest in a long line of Zanu (PF) ministers who have sought to trivialise and absolve Mugabe from the Gukurahundi massacres.Irene Petras, the Director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights (ZLHR), urged Zimbabweans to embrace the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill because it will help prevent future violence in the country."We have to celebrate the human rights commission; we have a number of other commissions that have failed. We also know the Media Commission even the Electoral Commission, the Human Rights Commission is a brand new body which holds promise because it hasn't had any other baggage like what those other constitutional commissions has," said Petras."We need to make sure that we put pressure so that the commission is properly resourced and is independent. We should not be sidelined by some of the issues that might cause us to reject the human rights commission which can help prevent future conflict in our country when it comes to elections. There is a crisis in this country and the crisis we have is the crisis of impunity."Some members of the civic society feel the cut-off date of February 2009 is not ideal because this means letting perpetrators of the Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina and 2008 post electoral violence off the hook.Okay Machisa, the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson, said the instigators of violence in the country were known and they should simply be arrested and that has nothing to do with the human rights commission."The people of Zimbabwe will not forget the crimes of the past, the power of the people is amazing, you can't forget the people. The perpetrators of violence are known, why should they not be arrested, why should we wait for the human rights commission bill to pass. People want justice these people must just be arrested," said Machisa.Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC spokesperson said: "We must have an instrument that deals with the future and the past. We know that human rights abuses in this country are not ending, that's why we are saying let's deal with human rights abuses now and in the future. Those who committed murder in 1980, 2008 are still guilty of murder."Nqobani Moyo, the smaller MDC party's spokesperson, told the meeting that it was difficult to have the commission investigating human rights crimes in retrospect because the architects of the crimes are still in power."You cannot put in place a law that is supposed to investigate the people who are holding the keys of power," said Moyo. "Let's be practical and be sincere to our past and our future it was impossible to apply the law going backwards now. Let's secure the past and fight the fight for the future." Muted in the hubbub of a Chinese insurance companys attempt last week to snatch Starwood Hotels & Resorts out of the grasp of Marriott International was a major development for the Stamford-based hotel company: the establishment of a toehold in Cuba, which has been under U.S. trade sanctions since 1960 in the wake of Fidel Castros overthrow of the Batista regime. On March 19, Starwood said it became the first hospitality company to obtain authorization from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to operate in Cuba, with Havanas Hotel Inglaterra to join the Luxury Collection brand run by Starwood and Hotel Santa Isabel signing a letter of intent to follow suit. Hotel Quinta Avenida will become a Four Points by Sheraton. While travel operators like Tauck have been shepherding travelers to Cuba for years the Wilton-based tour operator has scheduled nine trips next fall and winter for $8,000 or more for a 13-day sojourn the leverage companies like Starwood and Marriott can bring to bear with their membership loyalty programs and corporate accounts could make it far easier for individual travelers to book trips. We are going to elevate the quality of the hotels to the standards we have established for those brands, said Jorge Giannattasio, a Starwood senior vice president and Argentina native, who worked in Stamford until 2014 before relocating to Miami as Starwoods chief of Latin America operations, in media interviews posted online this week. With the (advent) of probably more than 100 daily flights from the U.S. if that happens, clearly the amount of travelers to arrive in Havana and Cuba will clearly skyrocket. The big questions are how many months or years it will take Cuba to become a top-of-mind destination for U.S. tourists on par with Barbados, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and other sought-after resort islands; and any degree to which the cruise ship industry looks to take its own piece of the action at the expense of hotels. We believe that once Cuba opens up totally, its going to be a real windfall for the industry, said Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines, during an August 2015 conference call. Everyone is excited about China, and I believe that Cuba can have a similar positive impact on the industry as a whole, given its proximity to the United States and given that the Caribbean as a whole represents some 40 percent of the industrys deployment. It will be a learning process as super-efficient operators like Marriott and Starwood bring their platforms to Cuba, and one likely accompanied by the occasional hiccup as illustrated last week after Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson lost his phone connection from Cuba during a conference call discussing his companys improved, $13.6 billion bid to win back Starwoods board of directors that had briefly defected from the deal to endorse a rival bid from Anbang Insurance and two other investors. To state the obvious, its not as good a deal as the deal we were about ready to vote on and close at the end of March before the new offer came in, but its still a deal that were very excited about pursuing, Sorenson said. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-964-2236; www.twitter.com/casoulman Hillary Clinton is bringing in her closer in Connecticut: Bill Clinton. Five days before the state where they met as Yale Law students holds its presidential primaries, the 42nd president will raise cash for the Democratic frontrunner April 21 in Westport, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned. The power couple is 0 for 2 in contested Democratic primaries in Connecticut, with Bill Clinton beaten by Jerry Brown in 1992 and Hillary Clinton falling to Barack Obama in 2008. Westport is a logical destination for Clinton, as the shoreline town is home to politically active movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actress Joanne Woodward, the widow of Paul Newman. In 2012, Weinstein hosted a fundraiser for Obama. Organizers of the fundraiser are keeping the host information close to the vest, with the invitation saying it will be provided to those who RSVP. A photo with Bill Clinton will set supporters back $5,400 per couple, according to an invitation, which lists a limited number of $1,000 tickets as available. There is also VIP reception for bundlers who raise at least $10,000 for Hillary Clintons campaign, which leads all presidential contenders in fundraising in the state. This will be Bill Clintons second visit to Connecticut since January, when he stumped for the former secretary of state and former first lady in Bridgeport. It will also bookend a March 18 fundraising foray by Hillary Clinton in Roxbury in Litchfield County. Connecticut counts for 55 delegates in the Democratic nominating contest and 16 superdelegates, which are made up of national party leaders, statewide office holders and members of Congress. All but two of the superdelegates have committed to Clinton, putting pressure on the party favorite to put the state in her win column. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Asked for a shared sacrifice in 2011 by a new governor who faced a $3.5 billion deficit, state unions, after months of haggling, layoff notices and second-chance votes of their memberships, finally agreed to contract concessions. That deal raised copays, deductibles and contributions to their pensions. Now, with a $220 million short-term revenue shortfall and $900 million deficit in the budget that takes effect July 1, members of the 33 bargaining units representing 47,500 unionized state employees say theyve given enough even as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy again prepares layoff notices and asks for more contract concessions. While theyre scared for their jobs and worry about feeding their families, union members seem ready to take the hit. Of course you think about it, said Michael A. Murray, 52, a former Norwalk police officer who has been a state probation officer in Bridgeport for the last three-and-a-half years. I have a family and they depend on me. Its in the back of your mind. Its a fact of life, said Merisa Williams, 35, a single mother from Bridgeport who has worked for 15 years as a secretary at Western Connecticut State University. She was first laid off by John G. Rowland, the former governor who went to prison and who was found to have illegally fired union workers in 2003. Everybody is coming into work waiting for the hammer to fall, Williams said. State employees are being scapegoated for a badly run state government, said Williams, vice president of Clerical Local 562 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. I dont think we can ever win, because they always blame us and tell us to give back without getting anything, she said in a phone interview last week. Our members are upset and angry. Carmen Roda, another probation officer who is president of the Judicial Professional Employees Union and has worked in the Judicial Branch for 24 years, warned layoffs could mean higher caseloads, which translates to less oversight and potential threats to public safety. There will be backlogs in the courts because people wont be able to do their jobs, said the 52-year-old Norwalk resident, noting that Connecticut is nationally recognized for reducing the number of repeat offenders. The governor is looking to have what he calls a Second Chance Society, but everything thats being proposed is counterintuitive to wanting it, Roda said last week, noting that their are 3,000 people in Bridgeport who are on probation. Share the pain I think this is very difficult for labor, Malloy told reporters last week. That doesnt escape me at all. I think labor, like our citizenry, became used to an economy where growth was more rapid. Its true of our citizenry and its true of labor. Theyre in a very difficult position. I think theres lots of people in America who just assume that after the last recession, that our market place would return to what is once was. Malloy said that the economic collapse of 2008 seems a long time ago. And yet this recovery is totally unlike every other post-World War II recession, he said. Were in a different time. Weve been impacted on a longterm basis. Peter Gioia, economist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, says that among public-sector employees in the Northeast, Connecticuts have by far the best overall wage and benefit package. Their benefits arent just rich, theyre extremely rich, said Gioia. He stressed that while Malloy asked for $1.6 billion from the unions in 2011, they only came up with around $600 million, while a billion dollars in unstipulated savings never occurred. There are no clawbacks in this SEBAC agreement, so there was no pressure beyond the original things, Gioia said Friday. When they talk about shared sacrifice, it has been pretty minor compared to taxpayers, the hospitals and nonprofits. If the state had that billion dollars right now, wed be in pretty good shape. Zachary Janowski, director of external affairs for the conservative Yankee Institute for Public Policy, said that a survey last fall indicated that state workers make 25 percent to 40 percent more than equivalent workers outside of state government. The benefits are disproportionate, out-of-balance and not fair compared to private sector, Janowski said Friday. State employee benefits are going up faster than tax revenue. We need to cut services just to pay for benefits. It cant be fixed overnight, but the state, at this point, is paying well above what is needed. The layoffs, when they come, might not be as dramatic as Malloy is suggesting, according to Professor Gary L. Rose, chairman of the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. Malloy is expected to wait until the latest round of retirements is filed on April 1 before he starts sending out termination notices. Nevertheless, some layoffs are coming, Rose said on Friday. Rose said he believes public employees who worked for the Democratic governors election in 2010 and 2014 might be sensitive. Certainly, the public employee unions have been a very strong appendage of the party and feel no doubt betrayed by Malloy over what hes doing, Rose said. Hes one of their own. Sure, sure theyre focused on the fact that there are others who could maybe help with the deficit rather than balancing it on their backs. But Rose said Connecticut has a high number of state employees compared to the general population. In some respects, it would take a Democrat to do this, Rose said. It was just a matter of time before the bloated state government would be the target, but in order to negotiate this, it takes a Democrat. A Republican governor would face so much opposition, but a Democrat can get it done. Expired deal Malloys shared sacrifice of 2011 included the highest tax hike in state history. After months of back-and-forth with state unions, including thousands of layoff notices, the bargaining units held multiple membership votes, finally agreeing to a variety of contractual changes, including a doubling of prescription copays to $10 for preferred brands; a new retirement program for those hired after July 1, 2011; a cap on salaries that can be considered as part of pension benefits; a two-year wage freeze; and higher contributions for employee contributions to retireee health care that started in July, 2013. In all, unions gave back about $950 million, according to legislative summaries of the 2011 deal and some 2009 union concessions. In exchange they got a commitment to four years without layoffs. That expired last year. I think the governor needs to kind of grow up, Williams said. They need to raise the corporate tax, raise the tax on the wealthy. Its hard living here as a single parent. My child is going to be eight next week and I have to think about paying for college because the next 10 years are going to go by in the blink of an eye. Im old school, Murray said. When you shake someones hand and make a deal, its a deal. Trying to go back and blame public employees for this whole situation and go back on your deal is unfair. On Tuesday, Murray and Roda will be among hundreds of unionized state employees rallying outside the Capitols north steps at 10 a.m. with the Connecticut Public Safety Coalition to underscore how layoffs would impact the states quality of life. I think our members are extremely disappointed that the governor and Legislature think theres only one way: concessions and layoffs, Roda said. In 2011, they asked about giving back to help the states budget problems we did. He hasnt come back to the table to ask us to help. Thats not a partnership. Its a dictatorship. We pay taxes in the state. We live in the community. Our members are scared to death for the safety of the state. State employees gave back. Were asking our elected officials to look for other revenue sources. And if you want our help, ask for it. kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT Anyone who works in recruiting for a growing startup knows that that job is nothing less than a nightmare. Competition is fierce, budgets are low and the need for talented hires is high. As a great example, I look no further than to my own company, Yotpo, where Tamar Tepper, head of talent acquisition, was tasked with hiring 19 people in 30 days . . . with a $600 budget. Related: 5 Tips for Hiring the Right 'Fit' Early in Your Company's Growth To pull it off, Tepper says, she knew she would need to get creative -- beyond the usual strategies. Office perks and generous salaries have traditionally been the go-to way to lure in top talent, but in the ever-more competitive landscape, recruiters have to think differently, she recently told me. "Thinking differently," for Tepper, meant focusing in on how she could tap into our existing employees in order to grow our reach. Employee referrals just make sense, she says. People like to work with their friends; theyre easier to on-board; and good employees tend to attract more good employees. Plus, the recruitment needs of a startup are way too challenging for a small team to handle. In order to hire the best talent quickly, the entire company needs to be in hiring mode all the time and constantly fired up about finding great, new team members. Unfortunately, however, standard employee-referral programs are the opposite of exciting. Even the best bonuses wont get employees fired up on a daily basis. Instead, to really see results, Tepper described to me four creative ways to get employees genuinely excited about finding new people. Tamars tips for hiring on a budget: Word of mouth through social media. Word-of-mouth marketing is much more powerful than any organized recruitment efforts could be, Tepper says. Every recruiting effort you organize should be visual and highly share-able. Always ask yourself -- is this something people will be dying to share on Facebook or Instagram? When your employees share your recruiting efforts in their online social circles, you get free, targeted advertising on social networks. Furthermore, your company is backed by social proof, so your employees' friends are more likely to trust posts asking for resumes than they would posts from a generic recruiter. Photos depicting people's employment status. If your excitement-generating campaigns are buzz-worthy enough, employees will naturally want to share photos of their present- or post-status updates on social media; that way, news will spread organically. Before you know it, everyone in tech in your area will have a social newsfeed flooded with pictures about your job openings. Related: 9 Questions to Ask Candidates' References You want word-of-mouth to share entirely on its own -- it should never be forced," Tepper says. "People can easily tell when others post because they 'have to,' rather than because they 'want to.' A sense of urgency. In the fast-paced startup world, hiring can never happen fast enough. Its important, then, to create a sense of urgency among employees. To do this, Tepper organized a dedicated "hiring month" to keep hiring on employees minds all the time. She organized multiple efforts to keep employees engaged in the month and posted signs up in a highly visible part of the office, so open positions were always in sight, and therefore, in mind. Fun events and giveaways. To kick off the month, employees entered the office one day to find 200 branded balloons imprinted with the words, We are hiring. During the second week, Tepper ordered cupcakes with our open positions printed on them and encouraged everyone to submit at least one CV for a position for every cupcake he or she ate. The next week, everyone entered the office to find a bamboo plant on his or her desk with a sticker that said, We are growing. The third event: The month ended with branded tote bags (just in time for Tel Aviv beach weather) as well as branded beers and popsicles. Related: The 5 Must-Ask Interview Questions to Determine if Someone's a Fit What made it all work? Giveaways and free stuff are great, but Tepper's secret to success was that everything she did was guided by a strategy. So, follow her lead: Get your employees excited and engaged, and create share-able moments. Related: How to Hire for a Quickly Growing Company Without Losing Your Mind There's No Place Like Home for Early-Stage Mobile App Development What to Do When Good Talent Has Suspicious Social Media Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved News / Religion by Ihechukwu Njoku Wonders, they say, shall never end. A weird clip has been uploaded to YouTube purportedly showing a young man transforming into a 'dog' during a deliverance session at the popular church of Lagos-based preacher T.B. Joshua. The video, uploaded by Joshua's official YouTube channel Emmanuel TV, shows a man acting in an eerily bizarre fashion during a time of prayer, even to the extent of eating one of his shoes.According to the video description, "The demon within this young Liberian man is shockingly exposed, the entirety of his features contorting to the resemblance, movement and eerie sounds of a wild dog."After the prayer, the man who introduces himself as Alexander Johnson, explained that his problems began after he was sexually molested by a mad woman aged six.Thereafter, Johnson his life was characterised by frustration and a serious 'lust' for women. Reacting to his bizarre behaviour during the prayer, Johnson said he had no memory of what occurred."There is no way I could have done these things," he asserted, insisting it was the influence of an 'evil spirit' and adding that he was 'completely free' after the prayer.Comments on the video revealed a mixed reaction from the public, some insisting the video was nothing more than an act."How much did they pay you to do this acting?" wrote one viewer. "I agree there are a lot of false prophets in the world but Prophet T.B. Joshua is NOT one of them," another argued.This is not the first controversial video Emmanuel TV has released on YouTube. A video purportedly showing Joshua's encounter with 'lucifer' recently went viral, amassing over one million views in a matter of weeks.Joshua's YouTube channel has over 320,000 subscribers, making it the third most viewed in Nigeria. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BETHEL Police are trying to sort out the story behind a deadly shooting that shocked neighbors in a quiet neighborhood late Friday afternoon. Authorities said the apparent murder-suicide attempt at 11 Governor's Lane, a dead-end street just south of downtown, left one man dead, another with life-treatening injuries and a woman with less serious injuries. The three adults were found with gunshot wounds in different rooms inside the single-family home, Police Chief Jeffrey Finch said. One man was immediately pronounced dead and the other two were taken to Danbury Hospital, police said. It was not clear Friday evening whether the three were related to each other or who fired the shots. First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said the shooting appears to be an attempted murder-suicide. Finch said it was being investigated as a domestic disturbance, but he cautioned that the investigation is ongoing. The Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad is assisting Bethel with the investigation. Finch said weapons were recovered from the house, including a gun. Police arrived shortly before 3 p.m. after receiving a hang-up call on the 911 line. It was unclear who made the call, the chief said. Knickerbocker described the situation as "horrible." Its tragic, he said. Its very upsetting to the neighborhood, especially that this happens on Good Friday. Authorities said they have no reason to believe neighbors are in any danger. Some living nearby said they were horrified to hear about the shooting, but those standing outside the crime scene said they didnt know any of the residents. "This is a very quiet neighborhood," said Penny Kessler, who was walking her dog with a friend when they saw emergency vehicles speed into the area. A resident on Whippoorwill Road, just west of Governor's Lane, said the neighborhood has never seen a crime like this. "This is as unusual as it gets," she said. According to online property records, the four-bedroom house was built in 1971 and is owned by Charles Cristofalo Jr. However, it was not clear whether he was one of the victims. No further details were available Friday. Staff writer Alex Wolff contributed to this report noliveira@newstimes.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson Opinion / Columnist I have read two articles which have left me totally confused and angry in equal measure!"More than two decades after the deadly siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, a U.N. tribunal in The Hague has convicted former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The judges handed the 70-year-old Karadzic a 40-year sentence," reported the BBC."When tribunal judges issued warrants for Karadzic and his top military commander, Ratko Mladic, in late 1995, they characterized their crimes as "truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of history."Compare this with the following quote from a Bulawayo 24 article."Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is going to finish off President Robert Mugabe's term in office, amid top secret disclosures that, a cross-section of International players are reportedly embracing and endorsing Mnangagwa, behind the curtains to bring economic stimulus to Harare, Spotlight Zimbabwe, can reveal."So we have here the same "cross-section of international players", rightly outraged by Karadzic and his henchmen's crimes against humanity, would not rest until they saw to it that the "butcher of Bosnia" and his thugs faced justice. In Zimbabwe's case President Mugabe and his regime have systematically murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish their de facto one-party dictatorship and the same international players never battered an eye lid and are instead queuing up to do business with Mugabe and his right-hand murder-man, Emmerson Mnangagwa!Are the 8 000 Bosnians Karadzic murdered more human than the 30 000 Zimbabweans Mugabe and Mnangagwa murdered?When the Mugabe regime started its murderous mission in earnest with Gukurahundi in the mid-1980s the international community turned a blind eye whilst Mugabe murdered over 20 000, mainly PF Zapu supporters. PF Zapu finally capitulated, signed the Unity Accord and the party was swallowed up to the de facto Zanu PF one-party dictatorship. The political murders have continued with the last mass slaughter happening in 2008 where over 500 were killed in two months before the June 2008 presidential run-off vote.The de facto one-party dictatorship has over time migrated to become a de facto one-man dictatorship.When Zimbabwe attained her independence in 1980 it marked the end of our fight to end white colonial exploitation and oppression. But instead of independence bring the freedom, liberty, justice and human rights and dignity we had hoped for, the Mugabe and Zanu PF dictatorship has systematically denied us all these freedoms and rights. Since 1980, Zimbabweans have been fighting to end the corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship.We know the GNU offered the nation our best chance yet to end the Zanu PF dictatorship, we have put up our hands and accepted the corrupt and incompetent Morgan Tsvangirai and his gaggle MDC village idiots wasted the golden opportunity. It is understandable that the international community should be disappointed after all the effort and trust it had put in MDC doing the right thing. Hell, every thinking Zimbabwean who understood the enormity of the MDC sell-out is disappointed too.What the international community should understand is that MDC's betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe must not be used as an excuse for rolling out the red carpet and welcoming the Zanu PF regime in the international family of nations. Mugabe and Mnangagwa rigged the last elections and their hands are red with the blood of the innocent Zimbabweans they murdered.Mugabe must be pressured to implement meaningful democratic reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections. Until Zimbabwe has a democratically elected government, the country must continue to be treated like a pariah state it is.After the international community has turned its blind eye whilst Mugabe built his tyrannical one-man dictatorship on the broken bodies of over 30 000 murdered Zimbabweans the least the community can do now is stand with those fighting to end the dictatorship.Zimbabweans are not asking the international community to arrest Mugabe, Mnangagwa and all the other murderous thugs and force them to face justice in The Hague; the international community has shown that it is not interested in even talking about it. All we are asking for is that the international community should not be propping up the dictatorship; that, surely, is not too much to ask!When all is said and done the murder of the 8 000 Bosnians is as much "truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of history" to the international community just as the murder of 30 000 Zimbabweans by Mugabe's thugs is "truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of history" to every Zimbabwean! T here are few drinks as delicious and decadent as chocolate beer. If you've ever had the two together, you'll already know what a beautiful partnership it can be. Good ales pairs as well with food as wine does, and if you're looking for a dessert beer, you won't find a boozy adjunct more pleasant than a cocoa stout. If you're looking to try your first chocolate beer, theres Howling Hops Chocolate Stout - a dark and overflowing brew with seasonal toffee and roasted malt flavours that will appeal to coffee lovers. But if you like your beers rich and smoky, theres Tuataras devilishly indulgent dark chocolate stout, which is also produced with 100% organic Fair Trade cacao nibs from the Dominican Republic. If fruit is your thing, you can also wash down your Sunday lunch with Sirens indulgent Caribbean Chocolate Cake stout, which is packed with flavours of roasted coffee, chocolate orange and coconut - it basically tastes like a decadent chocolate cake topped with a tropical fruit salad. All three beers start at 2.60 per bottle and can be purchased from online beer service Honest Brews website. Cheers to that! Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle A student hit out at an ignorant commuter after she filmed him apparently branding Muslims terrorists on the London Underground. The unnamed sociology student, who is herself a Muslim, said the man launched a loud tirade on the Jubilee Line near Stratford on Friday. Posting a short video clip of the incident on social media, the 21-year-old wrote: What happened to me today as soon as I got on the train and sat down... #Islamophobia. Revealing details of the alleged ordeal, which came in the wake of the Brussels terror attacks in which 31 people died, she went on: I was on my way home, and got on the jubilee line, and saw a vacant seat so I sat down... Not long after I had sat down, one of them starts speaking really loudly. He goes, all muslims are terrorists. But the student said she refused to be drawn into an argument with the man a reaction which she said provoked further abuse from him. He realised I wasn't saying anything so carries on with his abuse, she wrote, adding: So what did I do? Turned around and smiled :). I thought to myself this guy is obviously quite ignorant if he's going to say such comments... but no point giving him an even bad impression of Muslims, than what he already has in mind. The alleged incident happened on a Jubilee Line train / Krestine Havemann/Evening Standard Living in London, one would think that muslims especially hijabis would get a lot of abuse because of the way we're dressed... and people always do ask me if I've experienced any islamaphobic comments...Up till today I could proudly say I hadn't, but thank you to the guy on the train for ruining that :)). Speaking after the incident, the young woman told the Standard: "There were quite a lot of people and no-one said anything. People totally ignored it - I was shocked. "I've never experienced anything like that. I've heard of it on the news but never thought I would personally experience it. "It's become normal in society". The video has now been shared hundreds of times on social media, with many Twitter users praising the woman for her stand against the passenger. One wrote: I'm so sorry that happened to you. Stay safe. You took the high road by ignoring him." Another added: "you did well with your response, hopefully it'll help make the fool less ignorant." The alleged victim added: "There's been a lot of support, which I didn't expect at all. People are outraged about what's happened because it shouldn't happen to anyone." Police today condemned the video and encouraged victims of hate crime to report any incidents. A British Transport Police spokesman said: Everyone has the right to travel safely, and nobody should feel threatened or intimidated when using the rail network. "Victims of hate crime should be assured that they will be taken seriously by the police and that we will not tolerate hate crime and take positive action to investigate all allegations, support victims and arrest offenders. "We encourage people to report hate crime, no one should suffer in silence, so please report hate crime to us as soon as possible so we can act. "Anyone who has been a victim of hate crime or has witnessed an incident should contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. A man who was told he could face criminal action following a tweet about confronting a Muslim woman has hit out at police after a charge against him was dropped. Matthew Doyle, from Croydon, was arrested hours after posting the message after 31 people died in the Brussels terror attacks. The 46-year-old tweeted: "I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said 'Nothing to do with me'. A mealy mouthed reply." The Metropolitan Police charged Mr Doyle under the Public Order Act after the message, but revealed last night that they had dropped the charge after consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service. He had been due to appear at Camberwell Magistrates' Court this morning. Tweet: Matthew Doyle posted a series of tweets after his controversial post was deleted / Twitter Today Mr Doyle hit out at the Met for bringing the charge as said he would bring a formal complaint against the force. "In reality, the Met added ammunition to whatever I said," he told the Guardian. "Concurrently, their press office should be cautioned about issuing largely self-congratulatory statements and then being forced to backtrack. They smelt blood, but got egg on both their face and reputation. Guidance on the CPS website relating to racist and religious crime states that the attorney general must consent for a charge to be brought under the Public Order Act, adding that a referral must be made to the counter-terrorism division. Asked if he regretted his message on Twitter, Mr Doyle added: "I said how I felt at that moment in time. If anyone fanned the flames, it was the nameless Twitter trolls who smelt a lynching on their hands. For the Met to bow to social media rows, it is not only foolish of them but I will be making a complaint against them and [claiming for] damages for trashing my flat, taking all my electronic stuff from my flat and forcing me to leave London. Mr Doyle also complained of his treatment at the hands of the Met, saying: "[I was] denied a shave, shower, food etc, I was stripped of any dignity to appear at Camberwell court without looking like a dishevelled hobo, which I am not." In a statement last night, the Met said: Police may not make charging decisions on offences under Section 19 of the Public Order Act. There will be further consultation with the CPS. The Evening Standard has approached the Met for further comment about Mr Doyles accusations. A nother tree has fallen across a busy London road as the capital is hit by winds of up to 50mph. The large tree crashed down across West End Lane in West Hampstead, north London, after being uprooted amid high winds. Earlier, another tree narrowly missed pedestrians when it smashed onto Lea Bridge Road in Clapton, east London, while scaffolding blocked traffic when it fell down in Vivian Avenue, in Hendon, north London. Tube driver Sunny Neuroshima tweeted about the West Hampstead tree: "Large tree has come down outside mums place. Chaos. Luckily, dont think anyone has been hurt." A Twitter user who witnessed the Clapton collapse wrote: Just saw a huge tree fall across Lea Bridge road, inches away from severely injuring someone. Scary. Fortunately, nobody was believed to have been injured in any of the incidents. The Met Office issued a "yellow" weather warning of winds of up to 50mph across the South East on Saturday, as the capital braced itself for the arrival of Storm Katie. West End Lane remained closed at 7.20pm. I t was the week that saw thousands protesting against the Governments new taxation policy and an Oxford-crew rowing boat sinking during the boat race of 1951. In 1990, an estimated 200,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the Conservative Governments controversial poll tax. The rally was one of the biggest seen in London for a century and left 113 people injured. In 1951, an Oxford-crew rowing boat sunk during the boat race due to strong waves and wind. It was the first time a boat had sunk during the race since 1926. The race was rearranged for two days later and Cambridge won it for the fifth time consecutively. This week in London trawls the archives to bring you the key events that have taken place in the capital during the past century. London Live's Toby Earle takes a look back at some of the highlights from the last week of March. He finishes with the chorus line from West End show The Girlfriend taking to the roof of the theatre to rehearse their high kicks while enjoying the sun in 1928. G ary Lineker has apologised after a "bad taste" joke about England team security following the Brussels terror attacks sparked an online backlash. The Match of the Day host had replied to a tweet from a journalist quoting Roy Hodgson who said security were working very hard to ensure the teams safety. Mr Lineker, 55, replied: I think we all worry about our defence. This morning, he told his 4.6 million Twitter followers he was sorry for the joke and it was not meant to be disrespectful. He wrote: "Apologies for my tweet about England's defence. "It was not intended to be disrespectful or in the context it's been taken. Sorry my mistake." The original tweet, since deleted, had sparked a flurry of comments from hundreds of Twitter users, accusing the ex-Tottenham player of being insensitive and acting in bad taste. The tweet that upset Gary Lineker's Twitter followers / Twitter Simon Rookledge said: First time Ive ever disagreed with your humour. Not the time or the place. Brian Kavanagh wrote: Who makes jokes about something like that? Not clever. Gary Lineker makes rude joke on Match of the Day Another user defended the tweet saying: People need to have a tag on their Twitter profile which simply means I'm offended by everything. A cat miraculously survived after being forced to spend eight days in a box when she was accidentally put in the post. Cookie's owner inadvertently sealed her into a package of DVDs and then sent her on a 260-mile journey by post. The Siamese cat was trapped in the box for eight days but arrived safely at the destination, having travelled from Falmouth in Cornwall to Worthing, West Sussex. Vets said she was scared, nervous and very dehydrated when she was found by the recipient, but she is now doing well after being looked after at Grove Lodge Vets in Worthing. Her owner, Julie Baggott, told BBC South Today: I feel terrible about whats happened, you know. I mean, I put everything in the box and I sealed it straight away, so I dont know how she managed to get in there. Cupcake (top) survived eight days in the post / Grove Lodge Vets/Facebook It was a miracle because she was alive, shes managed to survive that awful ordeal. She added that she had looked everywhere for her beloved pet after realising she was missing and having a "horrible, scary feeling". Cat cafe opens in London Cookie was reunited with her tearful owner on Saturday after the veterinary practice managed to track her down from the cats microchip. The cat found her way to the vets after the shocked recipient of the package rang the RSCPA after finding Cupcake in with their order of DVDs. Vet Ben Colwell, from Grove Lodge, told the BBC: "She was quite dehydrated, obviously really quite scared, quite nervous, but she's done really, really well." A popular shopkeeper has died after what police are treating as an alleged "religiously prejudiced" attack. Asad Shah, 40, was found seriously injured outside his shop in Minard Road, in the Shawlands area of Glasgow, on Thursday night. He was taken to the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. Police Scotland confirmed on Friday that a 32-year-old man has been arrested over Mr Shah's death. In a statement, the force added: "A full investigation is under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced." Flowers and messages left in tribute to the popular shopkeeper / Lucy Christie/PA Residents in the area have described Mr Shah as a "pillar of the community". A silent vigil was to be held in Glasgow on Friday night to remember the shopkeeper. Earlier, people arrived at the police cordon surrounding the shop - Shah's Newsagent and Convenience Store - to lay tributes. Resident Isabella Graham, 64, said Mr Shah employed her daughter at the shop when she was younger and she cried when she called her to tell her the news. She said: "He was an amazing, wonderful man, he couldn't do enough for you. "He wouldn't hurt anybody. Nobody in Shawlands would have a bad word to say about him. I can't believe he's gone." Police found Mr Shah seriously injured after they were called to Minard Road at 9.05pm on Thursday. Meanwhile, a fundraising page set up on the GoFundMe website in support of Mr Shah's family had raised more than 8,000 within hours of being created. Additional reporting by the Press Association. A young child has died after a bouncy castle was blown across a park in high winds. The girl, thought to be aged about seven, was playing on the inflatable at an Easter fair in Harlow, Essex, when it was swept about 150 metres across a park, the Harlow Star reported. Ambulance crews were called at about 4.15pm on Saturday and took her to Princess Alexandra Hospital. Sadly she died from her injuries at the hospital. Essex Police have arrested two people on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence. Yvonne Hazard was at a restaurant nearby when it happened. She tweeted: I was in the Toby opposite Harlow Park when the tragedy happened today. Just awful. A lady who came into Toby's saw it rolling over & over. We was all praying no one was still in it. Such a tragedy. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for the South East on Saturday as it was hit by winds of up to 50mph. A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "Our thoughts are with the friends and family involved on this sad day." The Health and Safety Executive said it was assisting police. D emolition workers accidentally knocked down the wrong house after relying on Google Maps for directions, according to reports. The demolition firm allegedly blamed the online maps service after levelling the wrong property in Rowlett, Texas. Homeowner Lindsay Diaz was shocked when she returned to her house to find it had been reduced to a pile of rubble. She told local news channel WFAA: How do you make a mistake like this? I mean, this is just the worst. Thats what their job is to wreck [houses] in demolition, and they really wrecked my life. Instead of tearing down a tornado-damaged building in Cousteau Drive, the demolition firm wound up one street away in Calypso Drive. Ms Diaz claimed an employee of the firm texted her a screenshot from Google Maps to explain the mistake, according to WFAA. After entering the correct address, the map allegedly gave Ms Diazs property instead. CLEARWATER, Fla.StorErotica Magazine has announced the categories for the 10th anniversary of the SE Awards, which will be hosted by Kelly Shibari and are scheduled for July 18 at the ANME Founders Show. As with years prior, SE will query professionals from throughout the industry via the StorEroticaAwards.com website during the pre-nominations voting process beginning in May. Winners of the 10th Annual StorErotica Awardsbeing referred to as SE Xwill be announced at a gala event on Monday, July 18, during the ANME Founders Show at the Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel in Burbank, Calif. Returning for her third time as awards hostess will be adult industry maven and PR guru Kelly Shibari. Im so honored to be asked to host the StorErotica Awards for the third year in a row, said Shibari. The show is a blast, and I love celebrating the companies and people who shape the pleasure products industry. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, and promise another fun, fast-paced show! Recognizing excellence in the adult retail community, the StorErotica Awards have revered those in both the brick-and-mortar storefront, distributing, and manufacturing levels. The 13 returning categories honored this year are mainstays: Pleasure Product Company of the Year (previously known as Novelty Company of the Year), Distributor of the Year, Fetish Company of the Year, Boutique Brand of the Year, Lubricant Company of the Year, New Product of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Sexual Enhancement Company of the Year, Foreign Manufacturer of the Year, Male Pleasure Product of the Year, Body Care Line of the Year and two Retailer of the Year Awards (for independent and chain locations). In celebration of 10 years of StorErotica Awards, and as a reflection of both the industrys and the magazines evolution, new categories introduced for the 2016 submission season are: Brand Ambassador of the Year* New Product of the Year (International) Luxury Line of the Year LGBT Company of the Year Adult Game/Gag Gift of the Year BDSM Product of the Year Retailer Favorite of the Year ** (* Those industry professionals/individuals who personify their companys brand in a positive light, and by doing so, they increase brand awareness and sales.) (** Through either education, implementation or direct outreach, this award recognizes the vendor who has gone above and beyond to assist brick and mortar retailers in maximizing in-store sales regarding their their brand or specific collection.) Each year we joke about being the fastest awards show in the industry, said StorEroticas PR Manager Kristofer Kay. Thats been our blessing and our curse, really, but being that this is our tenth year we felt like expanding the ceremony to emulate the dynamic growth of our industry. The world of erotic retail is constantly evolving to adapt to new clientele, and our awards will always strive to match this evolution. StorErotica is honored to distinguish those professionals and brands who contribute to the overall vitality of the adult retail community. All ANME attendees and exhibitors are invited to join us for food and drinks at the StorErotica Award Show. From our first StorErotica Awards Show 10 years ago at one of the largest adult nightclubs in the countrySapphire in Las Vegasto our new home at the ANME Founders Show, its always been our pleasure to honor the pleasure products industry, said Kay. Were very grateful to ANME Director Valerie Jones, her team and, of course, the Founders, for giving StorErotica such a grand stage to present our awards and to honor the best that our industry has to offer. For more information, visit www.StorErotica.com, email SEs Kristofer Kay at [email protected] or call (727) 723-8827. Documented Links Between Algerian Army and AQIM's Leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar Contact: K.Drawi, 240-994-2476ROCKVILLE, Md., March 25, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- The Mediterranean-centered television channel Medi1 TV aired on March 24, 2016 on "60 Minutes To Understand," an investigative report providing new information on the hostage crisis of 2013. The crisis took place at the Tigantourine gas facility near In Amenas, Algeria, and was carried out by a group of jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). At least 37 foreign hostages were killed.The report presents evidence of several telephone calls, including one between the Algerian terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who was supervising the taking of hostages and Abderrahman, a member of the jihadist group called ''Signers in Bloods.''During this brief exchange, surprised by the aerial attack by the Algerian army on his group as well as on the hostages, Abderrahman is heard transmitting a distress call shouting "The Algerian (government) doesn't keep its word!''Experts invited to comment on the report concluded that ''there can be no doubt that the terrorist group was bound by a tacit agreement with the Algerian authorities.''The existence of this agreement has been recently confirmed by a confidential email released by WikiLeaks that was sent on January 17, 2013 to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to inform her on the "Latest French Intelligence Reports Hostage Crisis On Algerian"The report sent by Sidney Blumenthal, a long-time confidant of Hillary Clinton and training aid to former president Bill Clinton during his presidential tenure, reveals that the Bouteflika government had a highly confidential understanding with the Algerian jihadist partner after the April 2012 kidnapping of the Algerian consul in Gao (Mali) "to concentrate his operations in Mali, and occasionally, with the encouragement of the Algerian Department of External Security, attack Moroccan interests in Western Sahara."As further evidence an email from Blumenthal to Clinton, dated 19 January 2013, entitled 'French Algeria latest information,' stating that "Above all, we learn that the Algerian government planned to meet Belmokhtar again after the attacks."At the same time, according to this sensitive source "officers of the Algerian Department of External Security are looking to secretly meet Belmokhtar or one of his lieutenants in northern Mauritania in the immediate future. They have been ordered to find out why Belmokhtar violated their two-year-old agreement and launched attacks inside Algeria." Anyone looking to do business internationally must attend this annual gathering, which attracts more than 1,000 diverse attendees from around the world. WMA continues to grow every year, attracting major website owners, webmasters and affiliates, traffic and marketing specialists, content providers and producers, mobile service providers, software solution companies, design services, billing and e-payment providers and more. With a wide variety of events scheduled, WMA focuses on providing each participant with a show experience they can customize in order to reap the greatest ROI and walk way with new contacts, increased business knowledge and profitable business deals. From seminars to networking events to business dinners and epic parties, Webmaster Access offers a memorable mix of business and pleasure. For information about the show, go to WebmasterAccess.com. The Monument Prevention Coalition recently (MPC) received an update from the state of Nebraska on the work they have been doing in the Panhandle to stop underage drinking. Jenn Rutt, evaluation project manager at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium, and Nikki Roseberry-Keiser, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health, presented their evaluation results of the Partnerships for Success (PFS) Grant and associated surveys to MPC on March 17. The data collected over the course of a year was evaluated for indicators of success. We share evaluation data and discuss how to use it, Roseberry-Keiser said. By presenting the data on a local level, coalitions understand where they fit within the rest of the state. Surveys provide the state data and show trends on topics such as underage drinking, prescription drug abuse, marijuana use and illegal sale of tobacco to minors. Through the PFS grant, a lot of strategies were implemented, Rutt said. My job is to evaluate how well it worked. In the most recent survey, 1,093 youth ages 12-20 in Scotts Bluff County answered questions about alcohol use. In the data, it found youth drinking in the past 30 days was reported higher than binge drinking. While both decreased overall, girls reported higher use in both categories and Hispanics had the highest risk of all ethnicities. Rutt said even at the state level, female drinking rates are higher. Over the last five years, weve seen it reverse, Roseberry-Keiser said. It was always males. While Scotts Bluff County is doing better than the state, drinking rates were close to 30 percent. Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Jamey Balthazor found it curious Hispanics had the highest risk. It seems to be whites who are the ones in accidents, he said. There could be a number of reasons for this, including cultural norms among ethnic groups not to drink and drive. Suggestions were made to possibly add this factor into the next survey. Perception of risk was also a concern. Balthazor said there hasnt been an accident with a teenage fatality in some time. When we dont have one for a considerable amount of time, does that play into their perception of risk? Balthazor said. The survey also looked at the perception of how underage drinking was viewed depending on what youth thought someone else would think. In 2015, youth said their parents would think their drinking was wrong more often than their peers. It is interesting that Native Americans have the most adults in their community who think its wrong, said Roseberry-Keiser. It kind of makes sense if theyre hearing it more from adults in their community. There was a slight decrease in the percentage of youth who have spoken with at least one parent regarding the dangers of alcohol from 47.7 to 46 percent. Brend McDonald, prevention specialist with Panhandle Prevention Coalition, said she has found that youth want to talk about marijuana more than the alcohol. I was talking to a college student who said, Oh yeah everyone smokes pot. Hardly anyone drinks, I cant get away from it, McDonald said. Scottsbluff Police Sgt. Philip Eckerberg said when he began in 1989, officers would be guaranteed to go out to a party on a Saturday night and write minor in possession citations. Today, theyre hard to come by because more teens are sober. The last one (party) we had, my officer didnt know how to process it, Eckerberg said. Hed never done one. When the Scottsbluff Police Department began compliance checks, they had a nearly 50 percent failure rate. Things have improved, but we dont need to let up on the pressure because it will go back up, Eckerberg said. Not all the news was good. Scotts Bluff County is significantly above average for liquor law violations for ages 12-20 at 31.2 percent versus 18 percent for the state. Hospitalization rates for alcohol-related reasons were at 4.4 percent versus 2.4 percent for the state. Of those, males made up 3.1 percent and females 1.2 percent. While PFS efforts are having an impact on underage drinking, MPC members said things have changed over the years. Joan Fisher said there is less focus on being around students than in the past. The availability of funds and less access, she believes, contributes to students not being informed about underage drinking. We used to have posters and set up tables and constantly be in their face, Fisher said. But we also had teachers that were able to be at our meetings. Lynette Richards, MPC executive director, said she is often asked how many presentations she does in a school and has to explain MPC has to be invited to a school. Its not as easy to get in now, Richards said. MPC doesnt only concentrate on students when dealing with underage drinking. We look at how do we get that information to the adults who are doing the winking and nodding that its okay, Richards said. Roseberry-Keiser said schools remember them when an incident happens and then forget about them. They say were competing for their classroom time, Roseberry-Keiser said. We think we are competing for a good reason. TORRINGTON, Wyoming Get a big pot and throw in some culture, tradition, bureaucracy, tooth aches, chopper bikes, Iraqi sand, and community awareness, and youll get Dr. Robert Byrd, a quiet member of the Goshen County community. Byrds great-grandmother arrived in Wyoming by covered wagon, and the U.S. Army was on horseback when it came to Fort D.A. Russell, now Cheyenne. Fast forward a couple of generations, and his mother, Harriett Elizabeth Byrd, is a senator in the Wyoming Legislature, and his father, James W. Byrd, is Cheyenne police chief. Add another decade or two, and here is Byrd, a retired colonel of the U.S. Army National Guard, who served in Iraq, and now lives a quiet life outside Torrington. His path from playing football at Cheyenne Central High School on the same team with future country music star Chris LeDoux, to Scottsbluff College in Nebraska to the University of Wyoming, led to dental school in Tennessee, and practice in Colorado and California, where he enlisted in the Air Force National Guard (Reserve). Along the way, he has learned a lot about traditions, cultures and bureaucracies, he says. Whether biker groups, native American, Iraqis, or U.S. government, they each have their own way of doing things, and in order to function in each, a quick and steep learning curve has to be conquered. His long journey from Cheyenne to Torrington, a distance of 85 miles, began with his search for a dental school after graduating from Scottsbluff College and UW, where he had graduated in 1972, but hung out taking graduate courses and began work on a research paper. However, instructors wondered about him because he was focusing on what he calls evidence-based scientists, who studied non-traditional aspects of plants, diseases and insects. Few medical universities had dental schools at that time, and those that did had long waiting lists. He finally secured a slot at Maherry Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee. It was during that time that he had a conversation with a nephew of country star Minnie Pearl, and learned of Chris LeDouxs success. Upon graduation as a Doctor of Dental Surgery, he began private practice with an old U.S. Army buddy of his fathers in Denver. When the economy tanked in Colorado in the mid-1980s, Byrd headed for California. He couldnt practice there without a California license, so he worked with special education children until he found employment as a contract dentist with the U.S. Air Force, at March Air Force Base, later renamed March Reserve Base. The military certainly has a different way of doing things, but I got a lot of skills, hanging out with and shadowing oral surgeons, Byrd said. While shadowing the surgeons, Byrd said he tried to be like them as much as possible, from the white smock to blue khakis, for the sake of the patients who would believe he was one of the doctors. One day, his life took another turn, more like a square corner. An Air Force recruiter sat in his chair, and encouraged Byrd to join. The next day he brought papers, and the next day, I was sworn in, Byrd recalled with a laugh. He was in the Air Force Reserve. It was during the Cold War, so he learned a lot about high security practices, that even included locking up patients charts until they were needed, and immediately after the dental work was completed. Soon, he was subjected to an inspection, was kinda young and inexperienced when it came to inspections. I was kinda young as a captain, still green when they threw me to the lions, Byrd recalls, with a smile. You wont let that happen again, he told himself, and did his homework. During the next inspection, he spent two hours talking about the program, and I wore him out, he laughed. We got an outstanding performance score, and the general was pleased. Byrd later became the regional dental chief officer, in charge of 18 bases and 32 dental medical clinics. These included reserve units. He did a lot of traveling in that position, and was in North Ridge when the big earthquake hit. Byrd said it was a holiday, so not as many people were on the streets or in some of the business buildings. But this hospital he was to inspect split open. That was his first experience of war zone conditions. In 1989, he transferred to the Veterans Administration Hospital at Sheridan, Wyoming, where he was also responsible for volunteers at Lusk, Torrington and Rock Springs. He was chief of dental services and after 10 years, he wanted to go on active duty. To do that, he transferred to the U.S. Army National Guard at Cheyenne, where he was the base dental surgeon. By then, U.S. troops were going to Iraq. His job was to see that their dental conditions were good enough that they shouldnt require dental services while deployed. In order to be deployed, he had to transfer to another unit. The trip was a hurry-up-and-wait situation, he said. Eight hours in one terminal waiting for a flight, and the long ride to Kuwait, where it was 115 degrees when they landed. Byrd was attached to a medical squadron at Baghdad, and was responsible for the dental health of 3,500-4,000 troops. Their tents were next to the runway at the airport. That was an experience, Byrd recalled sitting at his dining room table. You had to have other skills, because when there were injuries, you had to lend a hand. Some of the kids (medical staff) were pretty green, so they needed extra hands. With the courses Id had, I could help with the minor injuries. Dealing with the villagers took some patience, Byrd said. It was a while before the villagers trusted us. We were still the enemy in their eyes. The elders came and checked us out, and saw that we were there to help. Tons of kids came. At one time, he had received a Bronco football team backpack, and gave it to one of the young boys. I thought about that when the Broncos won the Super Bowl, and I hope he still had that backpack. The chances were slim though, because, according to Byrd, there were gangs of young thugs, little gangsters, roaming the streets, terrorizing younger children. Overall, he spent two tours in Iraq. One included a near panic, when an amateur archaeologist found bones near the runway, and claimed they were human. This could have caused a major problem because of cultural differences, but following a long-distance, internet inspection, a professional archaeologist determined they were not human bones. Also, while in Iraq, Byrd was the officer in charge of the Patriot Guard. The Patriot detail isnt decked out in dress blues, but soldiers line up in their duty uniforms to honor the deceased soldiers going home. He returned to Cheyenne at the end of his tour, and became the State Dental Officer and the State Surgeon Officer for the Wyoming Army National Guard. I was wearing two helmets, Byrd laughed. In that position, he was responsible for making sure all personnel were cleared for deployment. It was hard to maintain 100 percent readiness because there is so much difference in the soldiers and the units, he explained. In 2011, Byrd reached the rank of Colonel. He considered War College, which would prepare him for an even higher rank, but It takes a whole year out of your life, Byrd said. Under the circumstance, including age, and the changes being made in the military, his chances of making General were very slim. He gained further experience sitting on a state board that considered promotions. These are based on a packet of information submitted by the candidate, including a photograph. Even an ill-fitting uniform can drop a soldier from consideration. Byrd said he was glad to share that experience with other personnel who had to go before the board. In addition to his national guard duties, in 2010, Byrd became a contract dentist at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution at Torrington. He purchased a home at Torrington, and began a country doctor dental office to treat WMCI personnel who couldnt get to local dentists because of their work schedules. Word got around the community that he worked variable hours, and didnt charge as much as other area dentists. It wasnt long until he had a very good clientele. This in turn became a problem because he and his wife, Lori, were tied down more than they wanted. He had also picked up an unusual interest. When he came home from Iraq, he started watching Orange County Choppers on television. He decided he would like to build choppers, and found people to help him fulfill his dreams. They began with an extended frame to allow for his long legs. He named his chopper business Broken Tooth Choppers. The gas tank on his first chopper was painted red, highlighted by a white molar with a crack from top to bottom. Byrds first attempt at winning a competition at Sturgis was a dismal failure, but a good learning experience. His next attempt earned an eighth place, and he picked up a first place at a Cheyenne competition. He also created another bike, The Predator, which is doing better in competitions, with a second in its class at Sturgis. The original Broken Tooth has undergone considerable redesign, and is now holding its own. Byrds face lights up when talking about his choppers. He said his philosophy at finding that winner, is In my mind I figure out what I want, and make it happen. This means finding someone to help determine design, colors and other features of a winning bike. Its fun, he said with a big smile. I want to go to Daytona some day. Regarding the winner circles, Byrd said judges are beginning to recognize him. They know who I am, he said. There arent that many blacks building bikes. Im just looking for their nod, and I go about my business. Lori is into bikes, as well. She has a trike, built on a 1927 Ford pickup bed, with a VW engine and a Harley Davidson front end. A retired championship high school volleyball coach at Torrington High School, she also is a substitute teacher in Torrington. Byrd now has five bikes, and if that isnt enough, Byrd is a member of the Goshen County School District #1 School Board. He was appointed a year ago to replace a member who took a teaching position. Considering what he and his family have accomplished, Byrd said his parents Laid a pathway that made history for Wyoming, and big shoes for us to fill. Through it all, Byrd is conscious of traditions and cultures and how important they are. As a dentist treating patients, it is important to understand their ways. He cites the Ramadan restrictions that required he place a barrier in a patients mouth to keep fluids or other matter from going down his throat because they werent supposed to eat anything, and the Native American traditions that believe removing a tooth releases the individuals spirit. Because of his experiences, and exposure to other cultures, Byrd said he is even more conscious of how good life is in Wyoming. Im so glad my great-grandmother stopped here, he often says. Wyoming is one of the safest and sanest states. The environment and populace changes, but not our Wyoming folks. We have our traditions, and I hope they adjust to our traditional ways. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A former eye clinic worker will still get a shot at convincing a jury that the clinic discriminated against her based on a perceived disability, but not that it fired her partly for a belief that she had a drug addiction, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday. The high court's ruling came on its reconsideration of Cindy Marshall's appeal in her lawsuit against EyeCare Specialties of Lincoln. Marshall sued after the clinic fired her in 2012, saying the clinic perceived her as disabled after learning she once completed substance abuse treatment and because of medical conditions that make her hands tremble and causes red marks on her skin. Marshall was required to cover the marks on her arms while at work, and clinic officials described the marks as open sores that they feared posed a danger to patients. She was also required to lay out her medications where other employees could observe them, her lawsuit said. The clinic countered that Marshall was fired for poor job performance. A Lancaster County judge sided with the clinic in 2014 and dismissed Marshall's lawsuit, saying she failed to prove discrimination. But the state's high court last year reversed the judge's ruling, saying a jury should be allowed to decide whether the clinic discriminated against her. The high court then agreed to a rehearing of the case. On Friday, it withdrew its July 2015 opinion and upheld the lower court's finding that Marshall failed to present evidence that the clinic perceived her as having a drug addiction. "Marshall urges us to assume that references (by the clinic) to her being confused, flustered, or unable to multitask were veiled references to her history of substance abuse," Justice William Connolly wrote. "We decline her invitation because there is more than one reason why a person may be confused, flustered, or bad at multitasking and the record does not suggest an inference that the perceptions were based on Marshall's past abuse of prescription drugs." Marshall's lawyer, Joy Schiffermiller of Lincoln, said Marshall is looking forward to a jury trial, which she expects to be scheduled sometime yet this year. An attorney for the clinic, Shawn Renner of Lincoln, did not immediately return a phone message Friday seeking comment. The problem of so many Nebraskans being unable to afford health coverage is certainly something thats on the minds of many people in western Nebraska. I found that out first-hand when I traveled to Scottsbluff last December for a listening session about the problem. I heard from local hospital administrators, doctors and those who couldnt afford health insurance. Its also an issue the Star-Herald is familiar with after devoting a penetrating, four-part series in August to how the problem affects this community. After speaking to people all over state, I concluded that dismissing nearly 100,000 Nebraskans unable to afford health insurance is a problem we cant ignore any longer. Every Nebraskan needs to be able to afford health coverage, and it needs to happen now. Thats why, after working together with many colleagues in the Legislature, I introduced LB 1032, the Transitional Health Insurance Program (T-HIP) Act. This newspaper recently published an opinion column by the Platte Institute for Economic Research in Omaha. Their column tried to make the case that Nebraska cant afford a plan to help everyone have health coverage, and furthermore asserted LB 1032 would endanger health coverage for people who currently participate in Medicaid. Their report is flawed, so its time to set the record straight. LB 1032 is a conservative, common-sense reform to the Medicaid system that lets us make use of tax dollars that Nebraskans send to Washington. Like Social Security, Medicare or farm subsides to protect crops, Uncle Sam partners with individuals and state governments on many programs; interestingly a whopping 32 percent of the Nebraska budget comes from the federal government. The federal government will provide a minimum 90 percent of the funding for T-HIP. That amount is written into federal law, and it would take an act of Congress to reduce the contribution rate. In the unlikely event that the minimum rate is changed, T-HIP could potentially end. However 31 states have expanded Medicaid with programs like T-HIP, so a precipitous change by the federal government is highly unlikely. T-HIP fills an enormous gap that currently leaves too many of the working poor unable to afford essential health coverage despite their best efforts. Many of our Panhandle neighbors are working construction jobs, and retail jobs in our shops and restaurants. They may simply fall a few hours short of working full-time status. This can mean they dont have employer insurance or cant pay for private insurance. So, they cant afford to see a doctor. Unfortunately, nearly half of the 97,000 uninsured Nebraskans work in rural areas of the state. Panhandle residents need to be able to get the health care they need from high-quality institutions like the Regional West Medical Center. Passing LB 1032 makes certain that low income, hard-working people in the Scottsbluff-Gering area have health insurance. Serving insured people will give greater financial security to hospitals like Regional West. Good access to health care plays a vitally important role in Western Nebraskas quality of life. Recently, an amendment to LB 1032 was proposed to add another measure of fiscal responsibility. Nebraskas full financial commitment to the program will come from our states Health Care Cash Fund, primarily funded from the tobacco settlement case. As a result, our share of the cost will not impact the states general fund or harm current state programs. The amendment also would make LB 1032 into a three-year pilot program. At the end of three years, it would end automatically. That will give us a reasonable amount of time to judge the results and prove that it works. I am confident these three years will prove that T-HIP is a success in helping Nebraskans get the health coverage they need in a way that fits within our state budget. And its very important to note that LB 1032 does not in any way endanger health coverage for those currently enrolled in Medicaid. LB 1032 would cover a separate population via a funding source that does not impact current Medicaid participants. Too many lives are at stake in Nebraska to get it wrong on this issue. Too many Nebraskans are living without necessary medical care, regular medications, doctors visits and even preventive check-ups that are essential to find health problems before they spiral out of control. LB 1032 is a responsible health coverage plan with input from experts both around Nebraska and across the country. It fits our unique needs in a financially responsible way, and it will save lives every year by letting our hard-working neighbors get the medical care that everyone needs. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe WASHINGTON The U.S. government has approved the sale of up to nine Boeing Co. P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes to Britain in a deal valued at up to $3.2 billion, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees foreign arms sales, notified Congress about the potential sale on Thursday. Lawmakers now have 15 days to block the sale although such action is unlikely given close ties between the United States and the UK. The P-8 is assembled at Boeing's 737 production facility near Seattle. Boeing's Defense, Space and Security unit is headquartered in St. Louis County. The proposed sale will enhance Britain's capabilities to provide national defense and contribute to NATO and coalition operations, DSCA said in a statement. It said the deal was a top priority for Britain. Britain announced its intention to buy the submarine-hunting patrol planes in November as part of a five-year plan that will increase spending by 12 billion pounds, or $16.96 billion, to 178 billion pounds, $251.60 billion, over the next decade. At the time, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the planes would help the UK protect its nuclear deterrent and fill a gap left by a much-criticized decision to scrap the Nimrod spy-plane program in 2010. DSCA said Britain had retained core skills in maritime patrol and reconnaissance following the retirement of the Nimrod aircraft through personnel exchange programs that have left UK forces work on the U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft. Additional contractors on the deal include ViaSat Inc., Rockwell Collins Inc., Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc., Raytheon Co., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Harris Corp. and General Electric Co., the agency said. ($1 = 0.7075 pounds) ST. LOUIS Nothing can lift your spirits better than a good, hot shower. Anyone knows this. Jake Austin knows this. Hes a pastor who has worked with homeless people most of his adult career, and grew up around the soup kitchen his parents operated out of a little church in Mount Vernon, Ill. So one day in fall 2014, when Austin, 31, was distributing soap and hygiene supplies to the homeless in downtown St. Louis, he offered a bar of soap to a man who came up to the table. The soap is nice, the man said, but where would he use it? He had plenty of clothes and food, but he hadnt had a shower in two months and had a job interview in two days. Austin was embarrassed he hadnt thought about this earlier. People can get food and clothes, but if they havent had a shower in three months, they cant get a job even flipping burgers, he said. Austin then came up with an idea: Shower to the People. He bought an old box truck he found on Craigslist for $5,000. Hes worked to raise money to convert it into a portable showering unit with two shower stalls with bumped-out curtains for privacy while changing and two sinks inside. A bank of sinks on the outside will allow people to brush their teeth, wash their faces and shave. The truck will connect to fire hydrants, and a generator on the outside will run a water heater on the inside. Austin figures if the truck is parked in one place for six to eight hours, it would be long enough to give 60 people showers. The truck would move to different locations throughout the week. He knows of only one other organization in the country that does this, a group called Lava Mae in San Francisco that converts buses into shower units. Austin is setting his own course here. He got nonprofit status for his endeavor. Hes getting the proper permits and support from City Hall, and hopes to have the Shower to the People truck rolling and out on test stops within a couple of weeks. Its grand debut will be June 4 in Soulard. Austin is the program director for Focus Gateway City, the local branch of Focus North America, an Orthodox Christian group providing homeless services. This is one of its programs, but the shower unit is not for evangelizing, Austin said: Its for getting people clean. He said so many groups want to provide all kinds of services for homeless people, and get burned out or run out of money trying. I decided Im going to do one thing really well, and thats hygiene, he said. Its not just a private dignity issue, he figures, its a public health issue. Where do homeless people wash up otherwise? In public library sinks, or in the river, or with a hose in an unknowing someones backyard. The St. Louis Dream Center has showers available on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the city-run shelter at the 12th and Park Recreation Center has showers available on Sunday it cant have them available other times when its open to the public, said Eddie Roth, the citys social services director. He applauds the Shower to the People effort. It doesnt take much imagination to understand how the absence of bathing facilities would be profoundly demoralizing, or how rejuvenating and humanizing a gift a hot shower would be if we didnt take it for granted, said Roth. Austin has been overwhelmed by the support hes received so far. Pipe-fitters Local 562 apprentices installed plumbing on the truck. Faultless Healthcare Linen has agreed to launder towels. Apache Village RV Center donated labor and finishing work. Countless groups have donated soap and shampoo and are holding towel drives. His friend Collin Loveless did marketing and designed the Shower to the People logo a red, upraised fist holding a bar of soap. Loveless, who was passionate about working with the homeless, was killed by a drunken driver at Interstate 170 and Delmar Boulevard a year ago. Austin wants In memory of Collin Loveless written somewhere on the truck. Hes looking for someone to wrap the bold red graphics on the side panels, and make the truck look professional yet approachable and fun. While people gather to get a shower, Austin wants to reach out and find out more about them, and connect them with other services available in the area. He also wants to gather demographic information to help advocates come up with new ways to help. He also wants to employ homeless people by having them make soap, which they will use on the truck and sell in local stores to raise money for upkeep. If the truck here is successful, he hopes Focus North America will roll out similar units in cities nationwide. If we can get people regularly clean, we can give them some hope, Austin said. Get some hope in their bones, they can take the next steps. They can keep climbing. Rob Howards municipal court experience is typical, which is to say that nearly any black person who spends any time driving in north St. Louis County can relate to it. Last fall he was driving to a friends house late one night on Interstate 270 in Creve Coeur when he got pulled over by a police officer. I was the only one on the road, he said. It seemed weird. The police officer said he was swerving. He asked for his license and ran Howards name. He had a warrant out for his arrest. Howard spent the night in jail. He didnt get a ticket from Creve Coeur, but he didnt have enough money to bail out of jail, either. He was driving his mothers car, who needed it for work the next day. Howard also works, two jobs, one as a graphic artist, the other at a cellphone store. Howards mom called a friend, Patricia Bynes, the Democratic committee woman from Ferguson who was introduced to the nation during nonstop cable television coverage of the events there in the summer and fall of 2014. Bynes, a family friend, went to the station and put up the money to get Howard out of jail. This is just one of those ways in which poor people who live around here are inconvenienced all the time, she said. Bynes sentiments echoed the theme of a video shown Wednesday night at the Central Library downtown during a town hall meeting organized by Forward Through Ferguson (the former Ferguson Commission) about the regions municipal court problems. Behind every ticket is a name and a story, it was headlined. The overwhelming view at the town hall meeting was that the people of the St. Louis region want the Missouri Supreme Court to fix the problems caused by having 80 municipal courts and nearly 60 police departments in one metro area. Too many of those courts are using their police departments as ticket-writing machines to raise money to fill city budgets. Their targets are often poor, and black, like Howard, or like Dawn Jones, the St. Louis woman in the video at the town hall meeting. Sometimes you take the long route because you want to avoid the municipalities, Jones said. Simply going to school can be scary. The Supreme Court is now mulling a report by the working group it appointed to study the municipal courts and come up with solutions. That working groups report was disappointing to most of the advocates for civil rights in the region who have been pushing for consolidation and professionalization of the courts. In fact, it was so disappointing particularly because it argued that the Supreme Court couldnt force consolidation of the courts that the state Constitution says it supervises that the Ferguson Commission co-chairmen ripped it in a statement last week. If the Supreme Court does not act, we call for the Department of Justice, in line with its letter regarding unconstitutional court practices sent to chief justices and court administrators across the country on March 14, 2016, to again intervene on behalf of the people of St. Louis County, wrote the Rev. Starsky Wilson and Rich McClure. What the court needs to see, they say, and Washington University law school professor Kimberly Norwood echoes, is that the problem in St. Louis is about more than raising court standards. Its about understanding how the status quo affects people of color. The working group Norwood was on it tried to ignore race, but Norwood, in her stinging dissent, reminded the court that it cant be ignored. How people are policed is very different depending on where they live, Norwood told the town hall meeting on Wednesday. Indeed, thats the conclusion of another municipal court study released by a group of St. Louis University professors this week. An interdisciplinary team involving professors of sociology, political science and law, interviewed more than 700 users of municipal courts in the poorest courts in north St. Louis County and the wealthiest ones in West County. What they found is that blacks have a poor perception of the courts, and that a majority of people in St. Louis County, regardless of race, believe the current municipal court system is set up more as a fundraising avenue than to seek justice. The courts in the poorest areas of the county performed worse than those in wealthy communities. Howard knows that reality all too well. Though Howard, 28, escaped his Creve Coeur experience with only one night in jail, he still faces fines in the well-known ticket factories of Charlack, Bel-Ridge and St. Ann. He isnt angry over his experience, but resigned. The same thing happened to my older brother, he said. Its happened to a lot of people I know. Racial profiling leads to tickets, leads to fines, leads to jail, leads to lost jobs, leads to more poverty. This is daily reality in St. Louis for too many of its citizens. The Missouri Supreme Court can make life better for them. Or not. Berkeley police have identified the man who was fatally shot during an altercation inside of a car Thursday as 19-year-old Quinton Pearson-Harts of Kinloch. The car ultimately came to a stop in the parking lot of Imo's Pizza in Ferguson. Police found Quinton-Harts laying beside the car. He died at the scene. The shooting occurred near Fay and Everette drives about 8:30 p.m. As Berkeley officers were responding, Ferguson police received a report of shooting victims outside the pizza restaurant less than a mile away. Behind the Imo's at 510 Airport Road, officers found Quinton-Harts, wounded at the time, plus a second wounded man and a man not injured, said Berkeley Police Chief Frank McCall. Quinton-Harts died at the scene. An ambulance took the surviving wounded man to a hospital, and police held the third man for questioning. McCall said they hadn't determined the reason for the exchange of fire, but said all three men knew each other. "Apparently, these individuals became involved in some type of altercation with each other, which escalated into gunfire," McCall said. Officers found shell casings at Fay and Everette. In the 1990s, David Mahan brought a period of calm to St. Louis Public Schools, which had been rocked by turmoil and dissension the decade before. Mr. Mahan died Monday (March 21, 2016) at 81 after suffering from Alzheimers disease, his wife said. Mr. Mahan began his 35-year career as a teacher and administrator at the old Baden Elementary School as a substitute teacher. He was named interim superintendent of the school system in 1990 and got the permanent job in 1991. Mr. Mahans calm, low-key personality worked to heal rifts on the board and community that had dominated the tenure of his predecessor, Superintendent Jerome Jones. The school board had an anti-busing faction that wanted to derail desegregation, which Mr. Mahan worked to preserve. The board was split on many other issues. He was a fine, fine educator and even a better human being, said William Purdy, who served on the school board during Mr. Mahans tenure, and worked directly under Mr. Mahan years earlier. When Purdy was the principal of Central High School, Mr. Mahan was his supervisor. Mr. Mahan was born to a factory worker and a department store saleswoman. When talking about his origins, Mr. Mahan would credit his success to public education. He graduated from Soldan High School. In 1957, he married Jane Pyle, whom hed met at church. She was a teacher and worked in Parkway schools. Mr. Mahan told a reporter that one of the hardest things hed ever done was cut 400 jobs in 1992 to bring financial stability. He also helped persuade voters to pass a bond issue and tax increase on the same ballot. Mr. Mahan spoke in a measured voice, which some mistook for a lack of passion. Jane Mahan said passion for children is what drove her husband. He thought that education was the gateway of the future for any individual, she said. Robbyn Wahby, who served on the school board, recalled a photo that hung on the wall of Mr. Mahans office. It was of two Major League umpires making a call on a close play. One was calling out, and the other safe. Mr. Mahan said in 1995 that the photo was a reminder that no matter what decision he made as superintendent, some people will call you out and some people will call you safe. Wahby said the picture was telling. David knew what call to make, Wahby said. He always made the right call. Not everyone at the time thought so. In 1996, the board voted against extending Mr. Mahan a second contract, giving him a six-month extension. Mr. Mahan retired, but continued to work in education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition to his wife of 59 years, Mr. Mahan is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Mahan of Minneapolis, and Kathryn Goodman of East Lansing, Mich.; and four grandchildren. A memorial service is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Second Baptist Church, 9030 Clayton Road, St. Louis. How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted in the week of March 21-25. Curbs on Federal Trade Commission The House on March 23 passed, 235-171, a GOP-drafted bill (HR 2745) that would strip the Federal Trade Commission of its 102-year-old authority to use in-house administrative judges for determining whether proposed mergers and acquisitions violate antitrust laws. Under the bill, the FTC could pursue antitrust litigation only in federal courts rather than in both federal courts and its own administrative-law tribunals as is now the case. This would align FTC procedures with those at the Department of Justice, which uses only federal courts to adjudicate proposed mergers. Those are the two agencies that enforce federal antitrust laws. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate. Yes Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin; Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Ill.; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, Ill.; Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, Mo.; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; Jason Smith, R-Cape Girardeau, Mo. No William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis. Corporate Mergers, Rising Drug Costs The House on March 23 defeated, 174-235, a bid by Democrats to prevent HR 2745 (above) from applying to proposed corporate mergers that would lead to unreasonable increases in the cost of prescription drugs. A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion. Yes Clay. No Smith, Shimkus, Bost, Wagner, Davis, Luetkemeyer. Allied Nations Border Security The House on March 21 voted, 371-2, to require nations allied with the United States to either meet tough border-security standards set by the United States or forfeit any U.S. financial assistance, including foreign aid, they now receive. A yes vote was to send HR 4314 to the Senate. Yes Clay, Wagner, Davis, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Shimkus, Bost. Key Votes Ahead Congress is in recess the week of March 28. The Senate will resume legislative work on April 4 and the House on April 11. Votes and descriptions are compiled by Voterama in Congress, a legislative tracking organization. UPDATED at 4 p.m. Saturday with information on services David Steward first encountered Ida Goodwin Woolfolk at an Annie Malone May Day Parade nearly two decades ago. Ms. Woolfolk was acting as the mistress of ceremonies a role that Steward, the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, would observe her reprise countless times through the years. But at that first meeting, Steward watched Ms. Woolfolk shift seamlessly into another task after spotting two teenagers dancing inappropriately near the grandstand. Ida flat out called them out on it, recalled Steward. She became an educator and a teacher right on the spot. Steward himself instantly concluded, Whatever shes got, I want some of it. The executive recalled the moment last week in the wake of Ms. Woolfolks death Wednesday (March 23, 2016). Miss Ida was 77. Relatives said she had died of natural causes. The passing of the longtime St. Louis Public Schools official and community leader prompted a spontaneous outpouring of fond and warm remembrances on social media and in the churches, schools and gathering places that Ms. Woolfolk rarely left without first making a new circle of friends. As a tribute, St. Louis will have Ms. Woolfolks body lie in honor at city hall on April 3. She was an entity unto herself, said Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater St. Louis. Ask a top-ranking business or civic official and each will cite Ms. Woolfolk as the mentor who showed them how to navigate the sphere of St. Louis politics and commerce. She showed me how St. Louis operates, said Lewis Reed, president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. She was an adviser and a confidante, said McMillan, a former city license collector. She was a part of whatever movement I was part of. She was there helping me from the time I was 21 years old up until today. Miss Ida was not only a trusted friend and great supporter, she was truly a mentor to me and so many others, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., said in a statement. She has been my eyes and ears, helping me navigate the community, Steward said. A woman with a preternatural connection to all things St. Louis, Ms. Woolfolk was not, in the strictest sense, a St. Louisan. Born in Dallas, Ms. Woolfolk moved with her family to the Ville neighborhood at a young enough age that she was baptized and could call herself a lifelong member of the Kennerly Temple Church of God in Christ. (To her dying day, Ms. Woolfolk wore a Star of David around her neck. And when she was asked if she was Jewish, shed reply, No, but I follow the most famous Jew, McMillan recalled.) Ms. Woolfolk graduated from Sumner High School and went on to earn an undergraduate degree from Stowe Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University) and graduate degrees from St. Louis University. Her lengthy list of volunteer efforts ran the gamut, from the African-American Advisory Board for the Alzheimers Disease Research Center at the Washington University School of Medicine to the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club. But it was in the field of education and the 38 years that Ms. Woolfolk spent as a teacher, counselor and administrator with the St. Louis schools that made her a presence in every corner of the city. She was the grand dame of the St. Louis Public Schools and more, said Robbyn Wahby, executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Commission and a former educational liaison in the office of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. Ida was the main artery to the community for every superintendent. They would turn to her when they arrived and again during crises and good times to reach out to the community. She championed everyone. To Reed, that meant teaching a young alderman the difference between being a politician and a public servant and, just as importantly, how to balance family life with other duties. She wasnt preachy about it, the aldermanic president said, remembering further lessons on overcoming his innate shyness at public events. And if there was one thing Ms. Woolfolk excelled at, all agree, it was how to work a crowd. Steward called Ms. Woolfolks social skills nothing short of legendary. She knew everybody by their first name. She knew their families and what school they attended. And she had something good, positive, loving and caring to say about every one of them, said Steward, the CEO of one of the nations largest minority-owned corporations. She commanded a room and filled it with energy, excitement and anticipation by what shed say and do next. To be recognized by Ida was an honor. St. Louisans attending fundraisers and events for all manner of charities and causes in turn came to identify Ms. Woolfolk for being, as Wahby put it, the mistress of ceremonies for just about everything. If St. Louis hosted the Oscars, Ida would have been the emcee, Wahby ventured. Ida will be missed, said Reed. She was a St. Louis institution. Ms. Woolfolk is survived by her daughter, Sarah Myrtle Woolfolk Edwards, and two grandsons, Christopher and Caleb Edwards, of Portsmouth, Va., and a sister, Irene E. Graham, of St. Louis. A horse-drawn carriage procession will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, taking Ms. Woolfolks body from Parc Frontenac, 40 North Kingshighway, to Kennerly Temple, 4307 Kennerly Avenue. A visitation will be held there from 12 to 3 p.m., followed by memorial services that will end at 5 p.m. On Sunday, April 3, from 12 p.m .to 4 p.m., her body will lie in honor at the City Hall Rotunda. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Meds & Food for Kids, 4488 Forest Park Avenue, #230, St. Louis, Mo., 63108 ST. LOUIS A spy agencys history in St. Louis, which dates to Lewis and Clarks Corps of Discovery, will soon have a new chapter. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will announce this week its preferred location for a massive new Western Headquarters, ending the battle between Missouri and Illinois that ensnared each states highest-ranking officials. At stake is a $1.75 billion development project and 3,100 people working for a top-secret intelligence agency whose growing annual budget is nearly $5 billion. While four sites are under consideration, two have emerged as favorites: an empty cornfield near Scott Air Force Base and an urban neighborhood in north St. Louis near the demolished Pruitt-Igoe housing complex. For St. Louis, winning the battle would mean keeping jobs in the city and luring billions of investment to an impoverished area northwest of downtown. For St. Clair County, it would mean further solidifying Scott Air Force Base, the largest employer in the Metro East. Robert Cardillo, the NGA director, is expected to announce the decision Friday morning. He had delayed it by one week so he could be in the country when the announcement is made. Officials say Cardillo, a former deputy director of national intelligence who was appointed to head the agency in 2014, will be the sole decision-maker in a process that has been shrouded by political intrigue. President Barack Obama, who has been briefed on the selection process, is from Illinois and lobbied for Scott Air Force Base in the Senate during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process that could have shuttered the base, which houses the militarys Transportation Command. Another round of base closures could come in 2017. In 2005, top Pentagon leaders recommended moving NGA to Scott during the base realignment proceedings. The military later scrapped that plan because of lack of funding. It did, however, move the NGAs Eastern Headquarters to a $1.8 billion site near the Fort Belvoir Army base in Springfield, Va. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., a longtime friend of Obamas, said this month that he had spoken with the president about the matter, but he declined to discuss specifics. But Durbin said the decision would rest totally with Cardillo. Durbin said that he had met with Cardillo but that they had focused only on the merits of St. Clair Countys proposal. There was no compare and contrast going on, Durbin said. As to any decision, he said Cardillo did not show his cards. Durbins counterpart in Missouri is more circumspect about whether Cardillo will be influenced by the administration. I cant tell how much of this decision will be completely NGA, said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. She suggested that the presidents Promise Zone initiative aimed at prioritizing federal spending in struggling areas should play a role. The White House certainly knows this is exactly what theyve been talking about in the Promise Zone program, McCaskill said. The citys north St. Louis location falls within a Promise Zone area that was designated in 2015. The NGA, which has taken on many names throughout its existence with the Defense Department, has grown from its original mission to map Thomas Jeffersons Louisiana Purchase. Through the years it has played a critical role, from producing images to brief President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 to building a model of Mount St. Helens after an eruption removed most of its north face in 1980. Notably, the agency played a pivotal role in the hunt for terrorist Osama bin Laden. Through satellite imagery, it helped locate bin Ladens compound in Pakistan and then created a replica of it as Navy SEALs planned their successful raid. The replica currently sits in a private museum on NGAs current campus at the St. Louis Arsenal, one of the oldest continually operating military installations in the United States. The NGA says its aging St. Louis facility, which is controlled by the Air Force, is no longer feasible for its high-tech, top-secret missions. In 2014, the agency announced it would move to a new location in the St. Louis area by 2022, setting off a battle that has largely been fought by St. Louis city and St. Clair County. Perhaps more is on the line for St. Louis, which has housed the agency at its current headquarters south of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery since 1952. The city has deployed a complicated real estate strategy involving everything from the use of eminent domain to physically moving houses to new locations. We are moving heaven and earth to make this happen, said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. This was not simple. While St. Clair County had the luxury of open farmland, St. Louis had to work with a downtrodden urban neighborhood sprinkled with houses and businesses. Slay makes an environmental case for the city site, noting the agency would be using land that has already been developed, instead of plowing over green space. The Missouri effort has come with a hefty price tag. So far, the state has committed $131 million to the project: $95 million in tax increment financing, a portion of which would include diverting state income tax payments of NGA employees; and $36 million in Brownfield Tax Credits an amount higher than originally expected. The city, meanwhile, has committed $1.5 million a year over the next 30 years, including diverting half of the 1 percent earnings tax paid by NGA workers. Currently, NGA workers pay more than $2 million in income tax to the city, and officials expect employment and payroll to grow over time. Cost is an issue. Slay said he met with NGA director Cardillo and asked if St. Clair Countys offer of free land to the government would be a factor. More and more, we were hearing that might make a difference, Slay said. (Cardillo) said to me, It makes a difference. So Slay worked with state officials and announced a plan this month where the city matched St. Clairs offer of free land. Cardillo has placed an emphasis on modernizing the agency and recruiting the smartest computer technicians available. Slay hopes to use the citys urban location to its benefit. Young college graduates have shown a preference for living in dense urban areas over sedate suburban settings. I think were very well-positioned, Slay said. In Illinois, officials have prioritized Scott as the areas economic engine. Mark Kern, the St. Clair County Board chairman, said NGA would be a boost to the community and the base. Weve been host to Scott Air Force Base for nearly 100 years, Kern said. We would relish adding NGA to it and welcoming them to our community. The agency has been in growth mode, and many speculate it could expand and add jobs at its new Western headquarters. The agencys Eastern headquarters is the fourth-largest federal building in the Washington area and already houses 8,500 employees. The government doesnt release the agencys budget for security reasons, but information revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden showed the agencys 2013 budget was $4.9 billion. Snowdens information also showed NGAs spending has increased by 108 percent since 2004, an increase nearly double that of the Central Intelligence Agency. St. Louis developer Paul McKee hopes that growth will bolster his controversial NorthSide Regeneration plan. McKee owned 40 percent of the nearly 100-acre St. Louis site showcased to the NGA. He has signed agreements to sell the land, which was previously owned by the city, back to the city for the development should the NGA come to the site. This week, McKee said he is very, very anxious to hear the NGA decision. I feel very bullish, he said. If St. Louis doesnt win, McKee said, it wont be the end of his project, which has struggled with lawsuits and financing. We will have a 100-acre site to showcase for a corporate campus, McKee said. ST. PAUL, Minn. When a young black man was killed in a confrontation with two police officers last November, Minneapolis became the latest city to endure weeks of street protests. But the unrest over the death of Jamar Clark, 24, evolved beyond his case to include demands that city and state leaders do more about the persistent poverty seen as the root of racial tension, especially on the citys predominantly black north side. Now, with a boost from Minnesotas liberal governor and the muscle of a nearly $1 billion surplus, the state is considering plowing millions of dollars into initiatives intended to help more black residents catch the economic tide that has pushed statewide unemployment below 4 percent even as African-Americans are four times as likely to be out of work. State Sen. Bobby Champion, a Democrat and one of three black lawmakers in Minnesotas 201-member Legislature, said too many activists focused on the circumstances of Clarks shooting and pressed for release of video footage of his tussle with police. If they release the videotape, does that change your economic circumstances? If they decide to indict the police officer, does that change your graduation rates? he asked. Police brutality should be included. But the common denominator is poverty. While reactions to other police shootings have often focused on criminal-justice changes, lawmakers in Minnesota, with its progressive reputation, are looking at underlying social causes. The debate in some ways parallels the presidential campaign, where the top Democratic and Republican contenders have argued about the reasons for the growing distance between the rich and poor. Its not new, Nekima Levy-Pounds, head of the NAACP in Minneapolis, said of the income gap between blacks and whites in Minnesota. But its good to hear that theyre paying attention to it. Job training and placement programs, fast-tracked GED initiatives, a surge of loans and investments for minority-owned businesses and expanded access to private schools are on the table in the Minnesota Legislature. A broad swath of industries, from medical technology to manufacturing, mixed in with a handful of Fortune 500 companies such as 3M and U.S. Bank, have helped buoy the states economic fortunes. The budget surplus has grown with recent tax increases on high earners. But until the negotiations pay off and its not clear they will many black activists in Minnesota will remain skeptical. Were beyond needing a signal, Levy-Pounds said. It should not have taken an unarmed young African-American man being killed for people to wake up. Also difficult is choosing measures that will make a difference. Previous efforts, supported by healthy levels of social spending, have fallen short. Poverty has dogged Minnesotas black neighborhoods for decades, masked by a progressive sheen embodied by Sen. Hubert Humphreys outspoken support for civil rights and Sen. Paul Wellstones We all do better when we all do better mantra. Only 6 percent of Minnesota residents are black, less than half of the national average, and the problems are starkest in Minneapolis largely minority north side, marked by dilapidated housing projects and rundown storefronts. Long before the recent unrest, the neighborhood was a site of race riots in 1967, when protesters burned down businesses before the National Guard restored order. Recently, the economic disparities seemed to worsen. A census report last year showed black household incomes in Minnesota declined to $27,000 in 2014, compared with almost $65,000 for whites. More than 1 in 3 black Minnesota residents lives in poverty three times higher than whites. A lack of good-paying work and a sense of hopelessness make people feel ignored, said Lovie Franklin, 20, who works two jobs to help support her parents and siblings. You cant expect teenagers to feel like they can be something around garbage, Franklin said. I got two jobs and Im still hurting. Gov. Mark Dayton has promised to double the state governments share of minority workers and recently outlined $100 million in proposed investments aimed at boosting high school graduation rates, helping low-income residents buy their first homes and other forms of assistance. He said momentum for new efforts shouldnt be allowed to fade with the memory of the street protests. It cant, he said. Since the Legislature convened this month, the issue has been shaping up along partisan lines. While Dayton and fellow Democrats have outlined new spending programs, Republicans who control the House countered with extra tax credits to send more people to private schools, with some lawmakers questioning the big dollar figures their political opponents have pledged. I am not convinced that doing a lot of state spending on poverty and those kinds of things has a huge effect, state Sen. David Hann, a Republican, said last month. Elevator out at Lambert MetroLink station The elevator at the Terminal 2 MetroLink station at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport will be closed for repairs for five days beginning Monday. This station serves Southwest Airlines flights. Those who need the elevator should go to Terminal 1, where a shuttle will be provided. This likely will add 10 to 20 minutes in travel time. Passengers who can use stairs can still get to the Terminal 2 station. NEW YORK, March 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo will officially open the 2016 New York International Auto Show on Saturday, March 26 at 9:15 am during an opening ceremony that includes celebrity appearances, musical performances, and a brand new vehicle donation to an Afghanistan War hero who was injured in combat. Toyota and the New York International Auto Show are joining forces to celebrate and honor US Army Sergeant First Class Jeffrey Hackett of Oswego County, New York. Toyota is donating a 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to. Hackett lost his right leg and suffered serious injuries all over his body due to an IED explosion that happened when he and his fellow soldiers were clearing a house in Afghanistan in 2011. The Bussani Mobility Team of Bethpage, N.Y., outfitted Hackett's new ride with a special steering controls as well as pedals that can all be used with a left foot. Toyota Financial Services also provided Hackett with its Platinum Toyota Extra Care Vehicle Service Agreement, which expands coverage for his RAV4 Hybrid for up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. World's Fastest Man Presents World's Fastest Car at Auto ShowDon't blink or you'll miss the all-new 2017 Nissan GT-R, Nissan's legendary supercar, alongside Usain Bolt, the "world's fastest human" at the Auto Show's opening festivities. West Point Band Band Rocks the HouseWest Point's The Benny Havens Band brings the best of rock, hip-hop, R&B, and country to audiences everywhere and will be performing live at 9:00 am at the Auto Show. About the New York Auto ShowThe New York International Automobile Show is an awesome combination of new ideas, technological innovation, exceptional concept cars and nearly 1,000 of the latest new cars and trucks. Over one million visitors are expected to visit the Show this year to see what is truly possible from the automotive industry. The New York International Auto Show is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association and has an economic impact on New York City of some $300 million. Important 2016 Show Dates: Press Preview, March 23 & 24 (credentials required) Public Sneak Preview, March 25 Public Show Dates, March 25 - April 3 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160304/340722 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/governor-cuomo-to-open-new-york-auto-show-300241726.html SOURCE New York International Auto Show ERIE, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/26/16 -- Free To Choose Media released today a new, two-part documentary, The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg, to public television stations across the U.S. (check local listings). The noted author, economic analyst and Cato Institute Senior Fellow examines Smith's rise to prominence with his 18th century ideas found in The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Those ideas changed the world. "People think of Adam Smith as one of the first economists and the author of The Wealth of Nations. Some might have heard of his concept of 'The Invisible Hand,'" said Jim Taylor, the film's director. "But I think that most people will be surprised to learn that he began his career as a moral philosopher and that his 'moral sentiments' form the base for his work on economics." The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg reveals, to an astounding degree, how the world now runs according to Smith's rules. Free market democracies, low tariffs and division of labor have helped to bring millions out of poverty. As Smith predicted, those places that are most free are also the most prosperous. In part one, Morality and Markets, Norberg examines Smith's background and the evolution of his ideas, both economic and ethical. He travels to European locales where Smith was born, educated and spent his life teaching, writing and advocating his revolutionary ideas on markets and human morality. "Many consider Adam Smith responsible for today's prosperity," said Norberg. "He introduced concepts such as gross national product, supply and demand, productivity, labor, capital and other ideas that are household words today." In part two, Ideas That Changed The World, Norberg traces Smith's insights regarding the benefits of free trade and the nature of wealth to the present, where they are currently in operation. He talks with some of the most distinguished Adam Smith scholars, as well as leaders of some of the world's most admired companies -- Whole Foods, eBay, and others -- to discover how Smith's ideas continue to be relevant and drive the global economy today. Executive Producers for The Real Adam Smith: A Personal Exploration by Johan Norberg are Thomas Skinner and Bob Chitester at Free To Choose Media. Press kit, trailer and photography available at: http://therealadamsmithfilm.com/. Join the conversation at #TheRealAdamSmith. MEDIA CONTACT: Marjory HawkinsHawkins Public [email protected] Source: Free To Choose Media People attend a memorial for Giulio Regeni outside the Italian embassy in Cairo, Egypt, February 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany By Steve Scherer and Isla Binnie ROME (Reuters) - Italy rejected on Friday Egypt's claim that it had identified the killers of an Italian graduate student whose tortured body was recovered last month, and Rome vowed to press on with its own murder investigation. The broken body of Giulio Regeni, 28, was found on the outskirts of Cairo. Human rights groups have said the signs of torture indicated the 28-year-old had been killed by Egyptian security forces, an allegation Cairo has vigorously denied. Regeni had written articles critical of the Egyptian government. On Thursday Egyptian authorities said a criminal gang that had been killed in a shootout had had Regeni's bag and passport in its possession - a statement that failed to convince Rome investigators, Italian politicians and also Regeni's family. "We are wounded and embittered by the latest attempt by Egyptian authorities to throw off track (the investigation) into the barbaric killing of our son, Giulio," the newspaper La Reppublica quoted the parents as saying in a statement. Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, said the investigation into Regeni's murder would continue. The evidence so far shared with a team of Italian investigators in Cairo "is not adequate in clarifying the death of Giulio Regeni and in identifying those responsible for the homicide", he said in a statement. Pignatone called on Egyptian investigators to provide the seven-member Italian team sent to Cairo almost two months ago with all the evidence they have requested. "Italy insists: we want the truth," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in a tweet. The case has caused friction between Egypt and Italy, though it looks unlikely to drive a permanent wedge between them because of the two countries' economic ties and Egypt's strategic role in the Middle East. "I don't believe at all the 'truth' coming from the Egyptian authorities about Regeni's death," Giacomo Stucchi, president of Italy's parliamentary secret service committee, said in a tweet. "Egypt's garnished truth shows total lack of respect for Italy and further offends the memory of Regeni." (Reporting by Isla Binnie and Steve Scherer; Editing by Gareth Jones) Hung Hsiu-chu, newly elected chairperson of Taiwan's Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, reacts in front of a portrait of the founding father of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, after a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, March 26, 2016. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu By Faith Hung TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party picked as its new leader a woman it had ditched as its presidential candidate weeks before January's election after a wave of criticism of her campaign. Pro-China Hung Hsiu-chu, a one-time schoolteacher known by the nickname "Little Hot Chili Pepper", won 56 percent of the vote, a Nationalist Party spokeswoman said, beating three other candidates. She becomes the first female leader of the Nationalist Party, which in January lost not only the presidency but also control of Taiwan's parliament to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hung's victory marks a comeback for a woman who in October was removed as her party's candidate for the presidential election after a campaign riddled with gaffes and political attacks. The change made no difference, however, as her replacement, Eric Chu, still ended up being trounced in by Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP. Tsai will take over as president in May from China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou who had held the position for the Nationalists since 2008. Chu resigned as party chief after the defeat, forcing a leadership vote. "Thanks to so many comrades' support ... giving me a chance to bend down and pick up the first brick to lead the Nationalist Party to rebuild our home from the debris," Hung told a news conference. "In the face of such a difficult and hard future situation, as long as we have courage there is no difficulty we cannot overcome. Please join me and work with me," she added. Hung, who is widely seen as supporting unification with China, faces a tough job rebuilding support for the party. The popularity of the DPP has surged since 2014 when hundreds of students occupied parliament for weeks to protest trade pacts negotiated with China. It was the largest display of anti-China sentiment the island had seen in years. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his capacity as head of China's Communist Party, sent a congratulatory message to Hung, according to a note released by the Nationalist Party. "We hope both parties can cement a foundation of mutual trust, increase exchanges and interaction, and ensure peaceful development and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Xi wrote in the message. Known in Chinese as the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party ruled China before being forced to flee to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a bloody civil war with the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province to be brought under its control by force if necessary. (Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nerys Avery) The children's pool area at the Palm Springs hot pools is now inaccessible to children. Palm Springs hot pools in Parakai, northwest of Auckland, has banned children following the death of a seven-year-old in January. The geothermal pools were now only accessible by adults, following a review by management. The centre has dedicated childrens' areas but have decided to stop allowing kids in due to safety concerns. SUPPLIED Parakai Springs, across the road from Palm Springs, is still open to children A seven-year-old boy was pulled from the water and given CPR but later died in Auckland's Starship Hospital on January 17. READ MORE: * Young boy revived after drowning north of Auckland * Young boy revived after Auckland drowning incident dies in hospital days later * Young boy almost drowns at Parakai Springs in north Auckland Palm Springs manager Shelly Walker told NZME that the change was implemented on March 1. "We needed to identify the hazards and eliminate them," she said Walker told NZME it was "logical to eliminate as much risk to our customers." She said there had been some negative feedback but families could still go to Parakai Springs across the road. Palm Springs had also hired lifeguards and installed cameras to keep an eye on its largest pool, she said. Worksafe New Zealand are investigating the boy's drowning. Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings (left) and chairman John Wilson speak to media after the co-operatives's first half net profit. Fonterra chairman John Wilson had defended the co-operative's abilities to forecast the global dairy price, as it comes under pressure for being too optimistic a few months ago. The company's interim profit announced this week soared 123 per cent to $409 million for the six months to January 31, meaning struggling dairy farmers can expect a total payout of $4.30 per kilogram of milk solids. That included an unchanged milk payout forecast of $3.90, which is considered below break-even point. But Wilson said the events that have created a global milk surplus were not foreseeable. READ MORE: * Fonterra's big profit shows it can pay suppliers on time: Prime Minister John Key * Fonterra forecast will slash NZ farmer income "This is one of our frustrations, that we are really struggling to predict exactly where global dairy prices are going to go. But I think to be fair, all global commentators are having that challenge. Our other global dairy peers around the world are having that challenge," he told TV3's The Nation. The shocks that had hit the market had added about 4 to 5 billion litres of milk into a global market of 400-450 billion litres of milk but most of the surplus had ended up in the much smaller "traded dairy market". "We believe that imbalance is going to correct over the next six months or ago but it's very difficult to predict the exact timing of it." Fonterra had been talking about volatility for some years and had shifted a lot of milk from ingredients into the more lucrative consumer and food service business. However, Wilson said Fonterra would not be urging dairy farmers not to convert more land into dairying. "We will see growth continuing in New Zealand but it will slow. I think we have to be very careful about where we convert land but that's not in Fonterra's control. In fact, Fonterra's required to pick up all milk." He hoped regulations would changed so Fonterra did not have to give well-heeled dairy competitors an edge. "The requirement to provide milk to small, innovative domestic companies, we absolutely support that, provided it's at the right price. But...there's well capitalised investors arriving in New Zealand today that do not need a hand-up from Fonterra farmers. "The requirement from our farmers underwrite any potential new milk growth in New Zealand is very expensive for them. It's time for that to change." RNZAF 40 Squadron members, from left, Flight Lietenant David Natapu of Christchurch, Squadron Leader Matt Ferris of Invercargill, Group Captain Tim Walshe of Dannevirke, Flight Lieutenant Eli Khrapko of Auckland, Flight Lieutenant Sam Thomson of Christchurch, at Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow. Last month, RNZAF 40 Squadron leader Matt "Freddy" Ferris was delivering aid in cyclone-devastated Fiji. This month he's flying the RNZAF C-130 Hercules at Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow. The two arenas are worlds apart and just part of his work, which has also included service in Antarctica and the Middle East. MARJORIE COOK Members of 40 Squadron RNZAF relax in the back of the C-130H Hercules at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2016. READ MORE: * Kiwi medics head to Fiji for Cyclone Winston relief effort * Warbirds Over Wanaka practice day wows crowds * DC3 provides flight back in time for Warbirds Over Wanaka visitors * Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee appoints new RNZAF Chief The RNZAF's humanitarian aid effort in Fiji after Cyclone Winston was one of the largest peacetime deployments to the Pacific, involving close to 500 combat engineers, soldiers, sailors and aircrew. "We sent our Orion and search and rescue teams first then the Hercules, with aid, tarpaulins, sanitation, cookers and specialty teams," Ferris said. MARJORIE COOK Matt "Freddy'' Ferris, RNZAF 40 Squadron leader, of Auckland, at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2016. For the next two weeks, he and his team provided an air bridge back and forward to Fiji, carrying equipment, supplies and medics. The work was similar to that undertaken in Christchurch following the earthquakes. "Doing relief work is one of the most rewarding but bittersweet things. I would be happy if we never saw another disaster. But there is pride in being part of that helping New Zealand team," he said. RYAN MARTINEK Great balls of fire . . . the flaming finale at Warbirds Over Wanaka, Saturday March 26, 2016. Ferris was born in Invercargill and raised in Dunedin, where he went to Kavanagh College before joining the airforce in 2004. "In my last year at school, I got into flying, paid for it with cleaning jobs. I thought I could get into this, so I threw my name into the hat," he said. Now based in Auckland, Ferris has spent nine years on the Hercules team and now is the 40 Squadron's chief instructor. He intends to stay with the RNZAF 40 Squadron but in June changes to the Boeing 757, which were first introduced in 2003. "Same old thing, different plane," he explained. The C-130 Hercules has been in RNZAF service since the 1960s and has undergone a life extension programme that should keep the aircraft flying until 2020. The nearly 30m long aircraft is crewed by six and can carry about 92 troops. It has a range of about 7,400km. Other airforces displaying at Warbirds Over Wanaka are the Royal Australian Airforce (Hawk 127 fighter-trainer jets), the Armee de L'Aire (French Airforce, CASA CN-235-300 transport plane) and the United States Airforce (C-17 Globemaster transport plane). Reports of an armed man on the roof of a house prompted armed police to shut off several Morrinsville streets on Saturday afternoon. But police and the Armed Offenders Squad found no evidence of a gun, or that one had been used. However officers were unsure if the male was still present and deployed tear gas, police said. A woman who lives on Strathmore St said she heard up to 10 shots between midday and 2pm. GEORGE HEARD/Fairfax NZ Police and the Armed Offenders Squad responded to reports of an armed man in Strathmore St, Morrinsville. "There's been a few shots go off. We are not allowed to leave the street, we have been told to stay inside." "It's a bit scary when you hear the shots go off. There was about 11 or so, it's all gone quiet now. She said Armed Offenders Squad members surrounded two houses on the street. Police could be heard on a loud speaker telling a person to come out of a house. GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ No arrests have been made in relation to the incident, nor charges laid, police said. Police lifted the cordons soon after 2pm but didn't release information on the "incident" until about 5.30pm. "Police can confirm that earlier today, police received a report of a male standing on the roof of an address with the firearm," a statement said. "When AOS members arrived at the house, staff were unsure if the male was still present and tear gas was deployed. Once staff were satisfied there was no one in the house, a search was completed." They didn't find the man, nor did they find a gun, or any sign that one had been used. The "shots" heard by residents were tear gas being deployed. "Staff enquiries so far have indicated that this was an isolated incident between two neighbouring properties," a statement said. "At this time no arrests have been made and no charges laid." Police don't think there is any danger to the public but want to speak with the man who was reportedly at the house. Residents who lived in Strathmore and surrounding streets said they were unable to get to their homes for more than two hours. Armed police gather outside a house in the town. Photo: FACEBOOK One resident, who did not wish to be named, said his neighbours phoned saying armed offenders and police had surrounded a home. He said it was a property where a family had lived for some time. Police in the one of the streets in Morrinsville. Photo: FACEBOOK APCERT conducts cyber drill on an evolving threat and financial fraud View(s): The Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) this week successfully completed its annual drill to test the response capability of leading Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT) from the Asia Pacific economies. For the fifth time, APCERT involved the participation of members from the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation Computer Emergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) in this annual drill, a media release from APCERT said. The theme of the APCERT Drill 2016 was An Evolving Cyber Threat and Financial Fraud. The exercise reflects real incidents and problems that exist on the Internet. The scenario, for this year, simulated a contemporary cyber threat with financial motivation that targets to defraud individual and financial institutions. Throughout the exercise, the participating teams activated and tested their incident-handling arrangements. This drill included the need to interact both locally and internationally, with CSIRTs/CERTs and victim organisations, for the coordinated suspension of malicious infrastructure, analysis of malicious code, as well as notification and assistance to affected entities. This incident response exercise, which was coordinated across many economies, reflects the collaboration amongst the economies and validates the enhanced communication protocols, technical capabilities and quality of incident responses that APCERT fosters in assuring Internet security and safety, the release said. 26 CSIRT teams from 20 economies (Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Peoples Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) of the APCERT participated in the drill. From the external parties, CSIRT teams from 6 economies (Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan and Tunisia) of the OIC-CERT participated. Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team | Coordination Centre (Sri Lanka CERT|CC) is the single trusted source of advice about the latest threats and vulnerabilities affecting computer systems and networks, and a source of expertise to assist the nation and member organizations, in responding to and recovering from Cyber attacks. It was set up in June 2006, in collaboration with the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka CERT|CC successfully took part in 2016 edition of the APCERT Cyber Security Drill as a drill organizing/design committee member, drill coordination, control member and also as a player, it said. BT journalist abused at hotel event View(s): A senior journalist from the Business Times (BT) was abused and threatened by Sri Lankan businessman Harry Jayawardena on Monday at the launch of Heritance Negombo, because he didnt agree with what the reporter had written previously. It was the second time in six years that a reporter from the same paper had been verbally assaulted and threatened by the controversial tycoon, the last time being December 14, 2009. BTs Quintus Perera was covering the event at Negombo based on an invitation received by the paper, when he was told by Heritance General Manager Ranjan Stanislaus that Mr. Jayawardena, majority owner of the Aitken Spence Group and its Heritance chain of resorts, wanted to speak to him. When I sat next to him, he began to abuse me in raw filth saying arent you ashamed to come to my place and eat, said Mr. Perera, who filed a complaint at Police Headquarters the following day (Tuesday). He continued to abuse me, saying, among other things, that he will kick my a. and throw me out by your neck, and that I was biased in reporting a court case, he said. Mr. Jayawardena, chairman of Stassen Exports (Pvt) Ltd and Stassen International (Pvt) has filed case against OSH Holdings over trademark rights of a particular tea brand, the proceeding which have been reported in the BT by Mr. Perera.The Aitken Spence chairman continued his tirade in the presence of several others at the table and others nearby. At one point he asked the BT. journalist: You p.a..r from what part of Ja-Ela are you from, Wewala, Kala Eliya or Weligampitiya? Mr. Perera refused to divulge his address, got up, walked away and left the premises thereafter. During a year-end event hosted by Hilton Colombo on December 14, 2009, Mr. Jayawardena pitched into BT senior writer Duruthu Edirimuni abusing her and saying I will send you to a place where you will never come from. A complaint was then filed at Fort Police station. When the paper inquired from the police as to the progress of the complaint, an officer replied: We dont know who Harry Jayawardena is. The paper is still waiting for justice on that complaint. With regard to Mondays complaint, Police said they would refer it to the SSP Negombo. Heat over ETCA View(s): SLAAS Auditorium at Vidya Mawatha, Colombo 7: The crowd is sparse at the auditorium of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science on Wednesday evening but the speeches some fiery emanating from a panel discussion on a controversial topic the Economic and Technol ogy Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) -, are explosive. You could feel the vibes, hot air and some tension flowing across the audience as speaker after speaker digs deep into different theories and arguments, some buttressed with facts, to back their opposition to the proposed economic plan. But one element, a crucial one at that, is missing: The other side (counter point) is not there and its just like playing Hamlet without the Prince! Some of the organisers had either misread the credentials of the speakers or totally miscalculated. Sumanasiri Liyanage, a senior professor in political economics at the University of Peradeniya and Nalaka Jayaweera, architect, were pro-ETCA, so the organisers thought. It turned out the other way as they followed the flow of the trend of other speakers; criticising the proposed agreement citing facts and espousing theories. In the light of the controversies and expectations of a balanced discussion, the debate was one-sided with an interested member in the audience, former Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris one time supporter of the also explosive Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which was eventually abandoned-, nodding his head to the ETCA sentiments being expressed. No one moved out of the hall though it was well past 7 pm, almost three hours after it started (normally a long time for a panel discussion) signifying the interest, and another opportunity missed by the government to provide the other side of the story. However trying to argue and counter the points raised by professionals from different disciplines and in Wednesdays case IT, economics, medicine, architecture would have been a lost cause with some well-known members also in the audience known for their opposition to ETCA. The points raised by the speakers economists Prof. Sumanasiri Liyanage and Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan; architect Nalaka Jayaweera, IT professional Lasantha Wickremasinghe and medical specialist Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya (more details of the discussion are reported on Page 4) dealt with secrecy surrounding the plan, that Sri Lankas human resource skills particularly medical services and IT are far superior to that of India, and a need to undertake an urgent review of the 16-year-old Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Looking back, the debate and opposition to the now-abandoned CEPA came after details of the proposals were known, and, again interestingly, the most vociferous opponents were Sri Lankan manufacturers and industrialists. Today, in the forefront of the opposition to the ETCA plan are professionals with the powerful Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) lending its voice to the chorus of protests. And, this is happening even without a proper dialogue has begun between the two countries except for a draft framework on the negotiation process which has been circulated to various professional bodies, chambers and individuals sans the media. So why all the rumpus over a negotiating process that is yet to get underway and on a track that nobody is sure about except for occasional comments by the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues in parliament? Wickremasinghe from the Society of IT Professionals, eluded to the nobody knows theory at Wednesdays discussion. Why did they select the IT industry, he asked, and responding himself, said, Nobody knows. The argument was however unclear as sectors are yet to be named and would be only known after the negotiation process begins. As of now, ETCA is at the stage where a draft Indo-Lanka Economic & Technology Cooperation Framework Agreement (ETCAFA) proposed by Sri Lanka is in the public domain. The Indian draft of this process is yet to be seen or circulated or not known whether it is ready. With expectations that an agreement would be signed by the middle of the year (June or August perhaps), there is agitation and uneasiness in professional circles because of the fear of the unknown based on past experiences malady. Most Sri Lankans dont have pleasant experiences of Sri Lankan government dealings with the Indian government in the past and cite major flaws in the FTA as one of the reasons why one needs to tread with caution in trade and services negotiations. Speakers at the Wednesday forum suggested the need for a win India strategy and whether Sri Lanka was blindly jumping into an agreement without such a strategy. Furthermore the importance of reviewing the FTA which is not in Sri Lankas favour though Indian authorities disagree, was also stressed. A Handbook on the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement issued by the Indian High Commission issued in March 2013, in 2011-12, says Indias imports from Sri Lanka went up by almost 45 per cent to cross US$ 720 million, a huge jump from $45 million imports in 2000-01.Meanwhile a February 2014 paper published in an ADB journal by economist Dr. Saman Kelegama, showed that Indian exports to Sri Lanka rose to $3,640 million in 2012 from $600 million in 2012 while Sri Lankan exports to India rose to $567 million from $58 million, respectively. The paper shows that the FTA has worked in favour of Sri Lanka but its full potential has not yet been realized due to market access problems in India, and the lack of supply capacity for some products in Sri Lanka, he wrote. As the Business Times stated in an earlier editorial on this issue, it is the fear of the unknown that is provoking professionals, who rightly are urging a comprehensive and unbiased review of the FTA before stepping into the ETCA. While the same editorial suggested publishing a white paper on the process, the government must re-think its public communication strategy on controversial topics like this which seem to be failing. For the moment ETCA opponents dominate the discussion platform which ideally should be equally shared and balanced for the public to get an unbiased perspective. Can Sri Lankas RTI law make a difference? View(s): For those inclined to greet this weeks tabling of Sri Lankas Right to Information (RTI) Bill in Parliament with exuberant joy, a note of caution must be struck. As a first premise, this law is certainly essential in order to achieve the minimum necessary in responsible governance. Its appearance in the House is despite the unenviable political quagmire that the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe leadership appears to be getting itself into. That must be welcomed. However, our belief that laws alone will solve this countrys manifold problems of justice is touchingly naive. Resistance of the political establishment Indeed, that assumption is belied by our history which is replete with reasonably good laws in the statute books that have little practical impact. Similar exuberance was evidenced in 1994 with the enacting of South Asias best law in torture prevention, namely the Convention Against Torture (CAT Act). At some levels of statutory deterrence, this law went beyond even the treaty norms established by the United Nations. It may have set a wonderful example for the rest of the region to follow. But the converse occurred. The CAT Act became a bitter mockery of itself. Lacking requisite political will, its implementation was farcical. Indeed, the entire effort of various Presidencies and various governments during the past decades was to systematically defeat its reach and cripple its functioning. We saw this resistance similarly with the powerful National Police Commission (NPC) established under the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. The NPC had actual authority to bring the police to heel unlike the multifarious other commissions including the Human Rights Commission. It was also far more empowered than its pale shadow currently functional under the 19th Amendment. At that time, the government and the opposition shamefully united to undermine the NPC under the ably authoritative leadership of the late Ranjith Abeysuriya PC. Politicians were incensed in being prevented from interfering with the command structure of the police. There is little doubt that the questioning of those in political power by virtue of RTI provisions will attract equally explosive reactions. Much will depend on the capacity and strength of the RTI Commission. Underscoring the importance of RTI Regardless, the many commonalities of the past and the present are frighteningly similar. For any law to function properly, the role of an independent judiciary is paramount. The Indian RTI law has been interpreted and upheld strongly by Information Commissioners, the High Courts and the Supreme Court to protect the right to know of ordinary citizens. But that assurance is far from being realized here. Opinions may differ as to whether Sri Lankas judiciary will ever recover from the rude shocks successively administered to its integrity from 1999 as a result of the creeping politicization of a Supreme Court once acclaimed in the Commonwealth. While the Sarath Silva Court (1999-2009) marked the high point of bitter public controversy, the succession of each consequent Chief Justice was woefully more mediocre than the last. This Government may be justly be credited for refraining from giving phone calls to judges in order to influence decisions which was common under Rajapaksa. But its rash boast last year that the independence of the judiciary has been restored came after dismissing a sitting Chief Justice by executive fiat, rendering him virtually non-existent. The many misdeeds of this purported Chief Justice were no justification for such peremptory action. The complicity of the Bar Association in cheering and in fact, enabling this unwise presidential act was disgraceful. We may well hope that this dangerous precedent will not be invoked at a later time by a different President. That being said, former President Kumaratungas pontifications on the value of an independent judiciary may be more convincing if she first apologizes for her misdeeds in regard to politicizing the judiciary. Apologies are of course dime a dozen in this country, even when they are proffered. Thus ex-Chief Justice Sarath Silvas convoluted apologies for absolving ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Helping Hambantota case of misappropriating tsunami funds some years ago was thrown to the winds with his joining the ranks of ardent Rajapaksa fans once again. These are about-turns that should hardly shock us. Shaking off an unhappy past It has become a common characteristic of Sri Lankas political leadership at each and every historical juncture to squander the trust and confidence of the people with effortless ease. In retrospect, one wonders if there is a perennial curse on this land and the dark origin-legends of the ancient peoples do posses a smidgen of truth to them? Twenty two years ago, a positive peoples mandate handed to Chandrika Kumaratunga was soon reduced to nothingness due to a flamboyantly intemperate leadership. Similarly Mahinda Rajapaksa used the Souths gratitude for ending the Northern war to transform Sri Lanka into a family fiefdom as he ruled with an iron hand. There was virtually no judiciary, no police and no public service. Yet squandering the public trust is not the province of politicians or Chief Justices alone. Under the Kumaratunga Presidency as much as today, there was a direct co-opting of civil society into state structures and the covert support of those wearing several hats of trade union leaders, activist lawyers and the like. In the Rajapaksa years, many were star-struck into obedient submission by the Wanni war victory regardless of the circumstances in which this occurred and the pathos of the Tamil community. Clear historical patterns Overall however, Sri Lankas historical patterns are clear. At each and every point that a good law is enacted, the political blowback has been severe. Ways are found to undermine that reform, rather than to strengthen it. Will the RTI law, once (and if) enacted, be an exception to this pattern? Will it radically transform the culture of secrecy that holds Sri Lankas political establishment in its iron grip? Answering these questions require more than extraordinary prophetic ability. But unlike other laws, the RTI law can be directly used by citizens to provoke, needle and demand accountability. To that extent, making sure that it works is our responsibility. And as far as civil society is concerned, the past should surely teach us that collaboration with government (if and when strictly necessary) is distinguishable from being co-opted into government. There is an important line between the two that must not be erased. That much is clear. From paradise to hell: The inside story of how SriLankan Airlines was skyjacked and plundered By Our Political Editor View(s): View(s): Minister Kabir Hashim reveals details of how billions were wasted or pocketed by unqualified political lackeys Cancellation of huge Airbus order costs millions, but minister says there is no option; Govt. gives six-month lifeline for turnaround of national carrier Economic crisis: Govt. must stop giving top jobs to racketeers who rob peoples money SriLankan Airlines, the countrys national carrier, that once offered a taste of paradise to its clients, is now on life support with Treasury handouts. The enormity of its mismanaged financial debacles unfolded last Wednesday when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired a top level meeting. There, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake agreed to continue Treasury funding for the airline only for the next six months. Public Enterprises Development Minister Kabir Hashim, who is responsible for SriLankan, has been tasked to formulate new strategies within this period to pull it out of its deep financial mess. A number of options are being looked at including a possible tie-up with another airline. Even views of different international consultancy firms have been sought by the airline. They will meet the Premier again when proposals are ready to make urgent decisions. RANIL REVEALS STATE OF THE ECONOMY That it comes when the Government faces a serious economic crisis has made matters worse. Premier Wickremesinghe told Parliament on Thursday, Minister Kabir Hashim informed me that the exact debt concerning SriLankan Airlines could be higher than the amount stated at present. The national carrier may not be able to repay it. We have to decide whether the Treasury is going to shoulder this burden. We will inform Parliament of any such decision as soon as the Cabinet of Ministers decides on it. Within the next month the Government will make a final decision on how to handle the current debt situation of SriLankan. Wickremesinghe added, We have had to amend the Budget proposals from time to time due to the fast changing situation in the global economies. The Government has initiated agreements for a US$ 1.5 billion swap from the Reserve Bank of India, while it had also sought another US$ 1 billion swap from the Central Bank of China to face the prevailing foreign exchange issues. There are also ongoing discussions with regard to the tax proposals. Some will be implemented, he said, from next month and the rest from September. He said the discussions with the IMF are mainly to deal with the tax system while the discussions on a loan are secondary. Such a standby loan of US $ 1.5 billion is being sought from the IMF was formally announced for the first time at a news conference by Special Assignments Minister Sarath Amunugama. At a tea party on Thursday to mark his 67th birthday, an ebullient Premier Wickremesinghe told reporters gathered at Temple Trees, of course jokingly, that they may have to liquidate the airline if they cannot turn it around. It transpired at Wednesdays meeting that SriLankan cannot continue to function with the existing structure as the losses incurred on operations do not even support servicing its loans. In other words, the airline is now insolvent. This joke can become a serious thing, warned an official who stood close by. As Minister Karunanayake was to tell Treasury officials at a meeting on Friday that Sri Lankans had to pay more for their essential food commodities because the previous Government pumped millions of rupees to an airline which was then known to be failing. He charged that this was one of the worst economic crimes of the previous administration. We have been dumping billions of rupees to a bottomless pit, he added. ARROGANCE OF POWER In 2008, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa unceremoniously abrogated the management agreement where the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines managed SriLankan. It was over an ego battle. Peter Hill, the then Country Manager of Emirates in Colombo, had refused a request from Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, the then Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs, to accommodate a presidential entourage on a flight from London to Colombo. This was just before it was to depart. Hill had said that the flight was fully booked with fare paying passengers and a last minute cancellation was unfair. Hill was also unceremoniously asked to leave Sri Lanka. It was nothing but the arrogance of power at the expense of the country. This folly has proved to be financial disaster for the national carrier and a lesson on how inexperienced, unqualified persons had virtually run it to the ground. Making matters worse was the inability of the new Board of Directors appointed by the United National Front Government to make a turnaround. It is known that the Board is divided into two factions. An acute lack of aviation experience or knowledge among them is known to be a major cause. In 2008, when Emirates pulled out, the accumulated profit of SriLankan was Rs. 9.288 billion in that financial year. From 2008 to 2015, when the Rajapaksa administration ran it, the loss for the seven years was Rs. 128.238 billion. Shareholders equity which stood at Rs. 15.5 billion was Rs. 74.1 billion from 2008 to 2015. Interest Bearing Liabilities (Bank and Financial Owings) which stood at Rs. 953.57 million was Rs 76,065.63 million. Current assets of SriLankan (inventories, trade and other receivables, aircraft maintenance reserve, cash and bank balances) as at January 31, 2016 total US$ 368.58 million. The current liabilities during the same period (trade and other payables, income tax payable, interest paying liabilities) total US$ 937.47 million. In simple terms, the national carrier owes more than it owns. Its cash requirement from now till October is placed at US$ 187.47 million or Rs. 26,995.68 million. BANK LOANS SriLankan Airlines has obtained facilities from a number of local banks and foreign concerns. This includes the Bank of Ceylon, the Peoples Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Commercial Bank, Amana Bank, Air Lease Corporation and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (for fuel). The total amount involved is US$ 518.35 million of which US$ 272.79 million still remains to be paid. The Treasury has now agreed to issue letters of Comfort to Bank of Ceylon and the Peoples Bank calling upon them to extend beyond March 31 the payment date as the equity required to repay these loans is not forthcoming. Ironically, the losses mounted in the recent years as SriLankan management used the national carrier more for fun and frolic. A Government in power then ignored the goings on and for it the airline was a job bank. Lot of people ask me whether we are selling SriLankan. I tell them no, we may have to bury it, Minister Hashim declared underscoring the serious situation. The colossal losses, if avoided, would have been enough to build 300 schools or 65 fully equipped hospitals, he told the Sunday Times. Hashim revealed that a fleet of Airbus aircraft had been procured 30 % above the market price. They were ordering aircraft like purchasing three-wheeler scooters. There was unbridled corruption and some appear to have made it very rich, he said. I asked him why there was no accountability when vast sums of public funds were involved. I pointed out that at least one high ranking SriLankan personality (now serving) had remarked that it was not his job to investigate corruption and malpractices of the past. Hashims reply: I am sorry the SriLankan Board of Directors has not investigated the wrong doings. It was a very serious lapse on their part. There is no question about it. I also must take the responsibility for not asking them then. There are some influential corrupt elements who have interfered to stall matters being investigated and the wrongdoers identified. I am aware of them. I will ensure the Board of Directors of SriLankan undertakes a detailed investigation. Immediately thereafter, I will ensure law enforcement agencies follow up on the findings and bring the culprits to book. He said looters of public funds should not be allowed to get away, however powerful or influential they were. Attorney at Law J.C. Weliamuna who was a one-man Board of Inquiry that probed SriLankan in his voluminous report in March last year made strong strictures on Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe (brother of Shiranthi Rajapaksa) and Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena. Whilst there was no justification for a full time Chairman, the report said the appointment of Chandrasena was questionable. The latters only airline experience was a short stint at Mihin Lanka, whilst his apparent qualifications and experience was in telecommunications. The appointment of the CEO was void of any competitive interview process, further advancing the questionability and suitability of his appointment, the report said. WORKING FOR NAMAL One instance pointed out by the Board of Inquiry highlights the state of affairs that prevailed. It related to the release of a cabin crew member, purportedly to work at the Presidential Secretariat. She had admitted that she worked at Namal Rajapaksas office in Temple Trees. She had been illegally granted Rs. 75,000 a month from SriLankan as fuel re-imbursements. The former Chairman or the CEO had approved such payments totalling Rs. 2,853,935.04. The petrol bills submitted, it turned out, had false serial numbers. The Board of Inquiry termed SriLankans re-fleeting programme as irrational and was completely untenable since the decisions were taken in 2011 when the airline was facing a dire financial crisis. It added The BOI also scrutinised the role played by Seabury, which acted as a consultant to SriLankan. Seabury is a global advisory and merchant banking firm based in Connecticut in the United States. The BoI noted a conflict of interest since Seabury, which participated in the re-fleeting recommendations, was actively involved in the aircraft negotiations with Airbus and Boeing and was responsible for the final selection of Airbus as the supplier. This possible conflict of interest is consequent to the fact that it is customary in large-scale businesses of this nature that a 3-5 % fee is normally paid as a facilitation fee on the purchase of aircraft. Minister Hashim said the Government was looking at the possibility of cancelling orders already placed for six A330-300 and four A350s. Needless to say it will cost the Government millions though, ironic enough, that is one way of saving more millions being lost otherwise. These aircraft, he said, were not suitable for Sri Lanka. A middle man or more have made a load of money. There is no choice but to take tough decisions. This is downright treachery, he said. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva, who tabled a background note on SriLankan in Parliament on Thursday, for the purchase of the new aircraft, and the lease of an additional A350s in 2017, the memorandum submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers did not disclose the full picture. In a memorandum dated March 14, 2012, the then Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne obtained approval for raising US$ 175 million from the Mashreq Bank in Dubai on the strength of an anticipated Government guarantee. He said the loan would be utilised, to pay creditors (mainly the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation), short term bank loans and to meet capital expenditure including investment required for Hambantota (Mattala) International Airport to provide ground and air cargo handling services. However, on December 4, 2013, the then Minister Jayaratne forwarded another cabinet memorandum seeking Government guarantee on behalf of SriLankan to a syndicate of Banks led by Standard Chartered for US$ 50 million plus interest thereon valid for a period of three years. He also recommended that SriLankan be authorised to carry out an international bond issuance up to US$ 175 million and that the principal, interest and other levies and charges payable on the said international bond issuance be guaranteed by the Government of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, that the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Planning (or his nominee) be authorised to negotiate and finalise the documentation relating to such guarantee. The sum effect of these recommendations by the then Minister Jayaratne was to ensure that the outstanding guarantee of US$ 175 million issued to Mashreq Bank, UAE was cancelled. Ministers of the former Government who were called upon to approve recommendations were not provided with any note or documentation related to SriLankan when matters were placed before ministerial meetings. Hashim said that in 2008 there were 5,130 employees in SriLankan. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he charged, had packed the place with those from Hambantota. In 2015 employee strength stood at 6,987. If the staff per aircraft was 365.21 in 2008, it was 332.71 in 2015. This is when there was no Srilankan aircraft which had even 300 seats. This ratio is said to be above the global average or best conditions adopted by reputed airlines. ADVICE FROM EXPERT SriLankan Airlines engaged Nyras, a British aviation consultancy company having among its clients British Airways, Etihad, Lufthansa and Royal Jordanian Airlines. It was called upon to recommend specific options to overcome the grave financial status. It forwarded four alternatives and the current management preferred one which recommended the use of only its A 330 fleet and the sublease or disposal of all A350s. The recommendation is based on the assumption that all debts of Srilankan are to be settled with capitalisation and fuel prices are structured on a US$ 50 per gallon of crude oil. Here is how Nyras has elaborated its option which the Board of Directors of Srilankan appears to be in favour conditionally. The GOSL will write off the losses in the books via a capitalisation to present a clean balance sheet and achieve a zero finance cost status. This will cost the GOSL approximately Rs. 135 billion or US$ 939 million. The four A350 900 aircraft be subleased to other operators or cancel the lease contract at a cost of US$ 200 million to US$ 300 million and the GOSL to foot the bill. This will cost the GOSL approximately Rs. 43.2 billion or US$ 300 million. Although resource optimisation is strongly recommended by Nyras, the costs and outcome have not been incorporated in its projections. The implementation of a resource optimisation programme will have a cost impact in the year of implementation and could be in the range of Rs. 15 billion to Rs. 18 billion or US $ 100 million. Analysing the above, Nyras says, the cash outlay would be in the range of Rs. 175 billion to Rs. 200 billion. Among the factors covered by the Nyras plan are a shrink in Srilankan fleet from 25 to 20, increase in aircraft utilisation, increase passenger numbers, increase seat capacity, increase block hours and consider Alternative D to remove hangmans noose of Aercap, Airbus and Rolls Royce contracts. This alternate D related to the administration process. The SriLankan Board of Directors, sharply divided over several key issues, has said that to use A 330s and sublease/dispose of all A350s will be possible only if there is a firm commitment from the GOSL to fund the airlines. In other words, the directors are still seeking Government handouts for which Sri Lankans would have to pay through different means. The Board has added: Given the fact that the post restructure results of air transport activity are yet a negative US$ 30 million per year, this segment of business is very unlikely to reach a profitable status in the short term due to the unprecedented level of price competition from the Middle Eastern carriers. This is unless the GOSL is willing to come up with a committed funding programme. The plan presented for the revival of SriLankan will require a minimum six months to initialise. Therefore, Nyras has said the organisation needs to be supported to end October 2016 in its present mode of operation if we are to embark on a serious restructure plan for the turnaround of the ailing airline. This requires State/Treasury funding of operations and the need amounts to an immediate US$ 67.28 million and a further US$ 120 million staggered over the six months April to October 2016. The Ministry of Public Enterprises Development has also come up with a blueprint to enable the management survive the coming six months with the injection of required funds. Some of the highlights: Evaluate and adopt the optimal strategy in consultation with the management and Nyras. Mitigate the risk and minimise the loss on the cancellation of the Airbus aircraft lease contracts. Seek appropriate legal assistance. At present, there is no other practical option in this regard. Set up the right restructure team to drive the preferred strategy and achieve the envisaged results. This will need external resources to drive the change process. The Government will need to seriously evaluate the finance restructure in the strategic plan. The recommendation to capitalise losses in order to clear debts and supplier credit to present a clean balance sheet will involve heavy capital investment. The Board, the management and the Government need to work in unison to achieve realistic and sustainable turnaround. At present, there is a very visible divide between the board and the management. The only option available to create value that will attract a potential partner or a buyer is to restructure the organisation as per the selected strategy. This would require a committed time frame of a minimum 12 to 18 months. There is no short cut to achieve a sustainable turnaround. The overall Srilankan liabilities as at December 31, 2015 is US$ 3,252 million or Rs. 461 billion. What seemed ironic is that the previous Government in June 2015 approved a plan to restructure SriLankan but it was not implemented. Among the matters the Cabinet of Ministers decided then was to cancel the lease of the four A350-900 aircraft and route rationalisation by shifting the European sectors to a more optimised Asian centric model. Other measures included transfer of ownership of Mihin Lanka to SriLankan and to make it a fully owned subsidiary and divest 49 percent of the stake in 2016/2017 in Srilankan Catering. The Government decided to make an equity contribution of US$ 25 million in 2015/2016 to 2017/2018 to Mihin Lanka. A Cabinet Minister of the previous Government declared that the directors then were more powerful than us. What the ministers said always fell on deaf ears. Some even feared to speak for there would have been repercussions. SLOW PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATIONS Now Government leaders who are familiar with the worrying state of affairs at SriLankan say those responsible for bleeding the countrys economy by causing mounting losses should be brought to book. They say that the goings on at SriLankan, particularly the purchase of new aircraft and the subsequent decision to cancel them, is a clear sign that all was not well. Some are even suggesting a Commission of Inquiry with a distinct time frame. Yet, the question is whether such inquiries will add to the list of investigations which are now moving at snails pace. In fact the matter was raised at last Wednesdays weekly ministerial meeting by Minister Champika Ranawaka. He was alluding to several inquiries, particularly those relating to members of former President Mahinda Rajapaksas family. President Maithripala Sirisena was to assure he would ask that the process be stepped up. Senior CID officers say that they had to pay heed to periodic advice by the Attorney Generals Department to ensure the investigations are thorough so there would be a fool proof case in a court of law. They claim this was the reason for the slow movement of some cases. The discussion also focused on recent remarks by Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera that he was suspicious of the death of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera. He alleged foul play. Premier Wickremesinghe noted that a statement from Ven. Dhammaloka Thera would reveal whether he had any evidence to confirm such an accusation. In such an event, even the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry is not being ruled out. Participating in last Wednesdays meeting were Chief Ministers of different provinces. Their presence has been sought to discuss some perceived anomalies with regard to financial matters. It has been noted that some Provincial Councils were receiving funds from non-State agencies without recourse to the relevant line ministries. This has been causing concerns. The Chief Ministers were told that the Government will not put an immediate stop to it. It would be continued for the current year but that matter is to be reviewed thereafter. There is a strong lesson for the Government to learn from the manner in which SriLankan has been operated. Though to a lesser degree, it is the same fate when it came to other loss-making state concerns. The time has come for the Government to introduce stringent legislation to impose deterrent punishment on those known to have deliberately squandered away public funds. The PMO (Prime Ministers office) is said to be taking a supervisory role of the under-performing state institutions. It started with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but up till now, no particular changes have been seen in the way the ministry is run. In the case of SriLankan, the material for a probe exists with the Weliamuna report. Until stricter discipline is enforced to prevent misappropriation and mismanagement of state ventures, the malaise is bound to continue. The question is whether the Government is prepared to go that extra mile to legislate to take to task those vultures who have preyed on public funds. In fact, a sizeable volume of the bleeding economy is the residue from the previous administration. The people, however, see those vultures doing business with the new Government also. The question is whether that should be allowed to continue. It goes without saying that in specialised areas, those who possess expertise and not mere businessmen or lobbyists (to all sides) should head state ventures or be part of it. In the case of SriLankan Airlines, the message has become clear only after billions have gone down the drain and some of it, into the pockets of those who managed it. Motorbikes for journalists: Roadblock by angry ministers View(s): Ministers at their weekly meeting on Wednesday turned down a request by some media groups to buy motorcycles at concessionary or duty free rates. The move seems to have come as a tit for tat. As one minister pointed out at the meeting, it was the media that had given wide publicity to a move to increase different perks enjoyed by Members of Parliament (including ministers). So, how do they make a claim for concessions, he asked. Ministers decided to turn down the request. It was decided that the minutes should record that the request was not approved. Under the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, selected media personnel were given loans up to one million rupees to buy vehicles. Others were given lap-tops and the media itself referred to the exercise as the then Government trying to make lap-dogs out of journos. Once the recipients were selected, the cheques were doled out to them at a highly publicised ceremony. Interestingly, even Sri Lankan journalists who were then with foreign media also sent in their applications. At least one of them received two million rupees, a million for him and another million for his ailing father. The application claimed there was no vehicle then to take him to hospital if there was a medical emergency. Minister takes tough stand on Vauxhall Street land The previous Mahinda Rajapaksa Government leased out 247 perches of state land in Vauxhall Lane, Kompannaveediya (Slave Island) for a mere Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 a square foot, Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim said yesterday. He said the land belonged to the Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB) and the market rate prevailing at that time was Rs. 125 a square foot. Having done that, Minister Hashim said brokers are approaching us now to continue with the same concession. He said he had told the lessee, a businessman from Kandy, that the matter should be regularised by paying the difference. It is only then that permission will be given for them to continue to hold the land. Otherwise, I will cancel the lease, he told the Sunday Times. Mr. Hashim said when different brokers failed in their efforts to continue with the same lease agreement, they began throwing mud at Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and members of his family. This was all rubbish, he said adding that our position is clear. Comply with our conditions or we take back the land. That is all there is in it. President disturbed by Rajapaksa veiled threat to judiciary President Maithripala Sirisena told Wednesdays weekly meeting of ministers that the joint opposition rally in Hyde Park last week portended a dangerous trend. His predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa in his speech had made a veiled threat to the judiciary. That was an indication that Rajapaksa was organising different meetings and inducing crowds to deliver threatening messages to the judiciary. According to reports received by him, President Sirisena said, crowds had come to Colombo in 450 buses. Around 11,500 people took part in the meeting. He noted that it was not uncommon for political parties to line up such crowds for public meetings. Sexual harassment of female students: Jaffna academics suspended The Jaffna University suspended an Associate Professor and a lecturer over the charges of soliciting sexual favours and abusing female students in the campus, a senior academic official said.Vice Chancellor V. Arasaratnam told the Sunday Times that she had taken the decision to suspend them following complaints by female students. Disciplinary inquiries have been initiated against these two academic staff and the next course of action will be determined following this. Without establishing the fact that they had behaved in a wrongful manner, I cant sack them, she said. Speaking at Womens Day celebrations arranged by the Voice of Women organisation at the Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna on Tuesday, Prof. Arasaratnam told a packed audience that sitting as Vice Chancellor in the University, she had to take stern action against this type of incidents immediately. While noting that part of the responsibility lies with the students for not informing the authorities on time, Prof. Arasaratnam said if the university administration had been notified earlier, such incidents could have been avoided. People who talk about womens rights and feminism should take more initiatives to empower women with self-courage to come out against this type of incidents in future, so we can act early, she said. Brussels terror: Lanka scores a TV point When the Belgian capital was struck by coordinated terrorist attacks on Tuesday, our ambassador to the EU was hosting a Belgian TV crew that had spent two weeks filming wildlife in Sri Lanka. The ambassador grabbed the opportunity as the news came, to observe a minutes silence for those who had perished in the attacks. He then went on to give the RTBT journalists a good lecture on how Sri Lanka went through such travails not long ago and how the country went through the entire Conflict Resolution guidelines to reach a peaceful settlement to the conflict, but eventually had no other recourse than to end it militarily. The TV documentary will be shown on TV-5, the French equivalent of CNN. Krrish deal: Detectives go to Singapore A probe on the Krrish project the construction of a mixed development project in Colombo Fort took investigators to Singapore last week. Officials of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) and the Attorney Generals Department were verifying remittances from Singapore for the project. They have been assisted by the Singapore Police. No benders for tenders The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Wednesday to amend laws relating to awarding of tenders. The idea, a senior minister said, was to tighten loopholes that enabled those calling for tenders to manipulate or promote the case of a particular tenderer. He said the shortcoming in the existing laws had already been identified. Former envoy to prepare way for PM A senior Foreign Ministry official has flown to Beijing to make arrangements for the visit by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and an entourage. The official, the last envoy to Beijing before being assigned the MFA, will work with the Ambassador who is a political appointee. Creating her own Designer Sarees By Vinusha Paulraj View(s): View(s): Not many can say their first time in saree was the most comfortable experience. For Hiruni Mendis, she was about 12 when the opportunity to put one on presented itself at Alethea International, where she went to school. My mother didnt wear it much, she explains, left with just her teachers utilitarian methods of draping for inspiration. However, her opinion on donning the 6 yards of delicate folds has changed over the years. Today shes among those who likes wearing saree. Often when the corporate environment brought-out its glamorous side, I always wore sari to those events. If you think about it, it is the only type of clothing that any woman, 16 or 60 continues to wear, Hiruni muses. Making the traditional garment an age-appropriate piece is just a matter of how its styled. This is where the designer behind the bespoke sari making label, Kalynda says she went wrong the first time she wore one at the bakthi-gee session when she was in school. This deep understanding of not only her product, but how it sits on the wearer jumps out at us from Kalyndas Facebook page. Anyone who has tried can testify to the struggle of looking youthful while trying to rock a decent floral print. Hirunis clever incorporation of flowers with nudes- which are in at the moment manages to avoid the ever looming risk of looking prematurely aged. I stick to light fabrics, she says, to allow comfort with even the more novice wearers. I always wanted to be in the apparel trade, she shares, taking inspiration from both her parents who are in the industry. While she always wanted to be an entrepreneur, she took up commerce subjects. I even chose to do my MBA at PIM, she says where the course is designed to be entrepreneur-friendly. You have to have a plan- it takes more than just ideas to generate capital. Working for top-notch corporations in the media and PR sphere was rewarding she admits, but was only meant to be a temporary stint. Even at this time, her colleagues would consult the her creativity on the all -important decision of what to wear and she remembers being able to direct them to places capable of dolling-out the fashion fix they needed. She left the corporate world in December 2014. She says and predictably, spent the next few months researching her potential market, or lack thereof since no one, or very few, she says were undertaking one-piece commissions. Currently she designs for around 10-20 clients a month, while her mother sews her creations. Interestingly, given her background in Marketing, my concept and branding was created before the products. Going with a name that connoted her own, Kalynda means sun- in Sanskrit she smiles, the brand came to life mid last year. All potential pieces are the results of a face-to face consultation. Theres a lot Hiruni gathers from the way one wears a saari and youre required to supply her a recent picture of yourself in one upon consultation. Its not just the taste she says, making sure potential clients also supply her with colours they normally gravitate to. Most of the time mistakes are made when originality is lost she feels. Im a Bollywood fan, but making the intricate beadwork topped with thread-work and motifs may not essentially work on a Sri Lankan build. Her personal preference were told leans on the lighter side, both in terms of fabric and ornate details. You could check Hirunis work and contact her via Kalyndas Facebook Page -https://www.facebook.com/kalyndadesigns/?fref=ts Remaining in scene with trending prints, gorging-out fabrics from some dark corner, and spending time with my dog has her contently busy for now. If it must grow she says the business will always be a small-scale operation dedicated to bringing affordable custom made fashion accessible. You could check Hirunis work and contact her via Kalyndas Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kalyndadesigns/?fref=ts Young speakers shine in impromptu speeches By Cecily Walker View(s): View(s): Speakers of today, leaders of tomorrow was the theme of the Young Speakers 2016 competition held at the Kingsbury hotel earlier this month. Showcasing some exemplary public speaking skills across a range of subjects, Upara Cooray of Lyceum International won the senior division and Rishane Dassanayake of Colombo International School took home the trophy in the junior division. Young Speakers 2016 was co-organised by the British School in Colombo and Adventus Education that is focussed on promoting confident, sociable young people who can make a difference. Held for the third year in succession the competition had a wide representation of 19 national and international schools with ten finalists split into two age categories. The young orators were judged on a set of criteria that measured their demonstration of intellectual thinking or positive expression in speeches together with the art of delivery by a panel of judges. The contest began with a series of preliminary rounds, culminating in the grand finale where finalists had to face two rounds; the three-minute prepared speech followed by the two- minute impromptu speech. The speeches consisted of thought-provoking and stimulating titles such as Should there be an age requirement to use cell phones? and What is more important: being humble or being right? The prepared speeches were clear and articulate, however there was a level of performance and drama which detracted from the sincerity of the speakers. The real challenge, and where the winners shone, was the presentations of the impromptu speeches. These required the finalists to think on their feet and formulate an argument almost instantaneously. It allowed the young speakers to exhibit their talent of engaging with the audience as well as demonstrating their intellectual ability. The head judge, Mohamed Adamaly commended both the organisers and the finalists for their part in a thrilling evening. He left the finalists with some constructive criticism and advice for the future. Congratulating the finalists, the Deputy British High Commissioner, Laura Davies, chief guest at the event emphasised the importance of communication and public speaking throughout life. She described public speaking as an important tool to reach out and influence others, with its ability to help young people find their voice, own their voice and then project their voice. Discount if you use less electricity View(s): The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will offer discounts on bills of domestic consumers for reduced consumption. The CEB has been instructed by the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy to prepare a mechanism to offer discounts to consumers who use 10 percent less than the average monthly consumption. Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told the Sunday Times that the scheme had been initiated as one of the moves to reduce power consumption as the drought conditions may continue for another three months. He said hydro power generation might have to be stopped as the water levels were dropping so fast and the remaining water would have to be preserved for agriculture. The minister said that offering the concession to domestic consumers would not be a burden on the CEB as it would be making a saving on power generation. He said the Government also hoped to offer an incentive to public and private institutions which use their own generators. Among the other plans drawn up by the ministry regarding stand by arrangements are plans to purchase 225 Mw of power from three private power plants and carryout additional purchases if the need arose. In addition, the ministry also has drawn up a plan to buy additional power if the drought conditions persist. Govt. plans in place as Lankans return in numbers from TN By S. Rubathesan View(s): View(s): The Government has formulated a comprehensive national policy to step up the resettlement process in the former war torn areas with the voluntary return of thousands of Sri Lankan refugees living in Tamil Nadu, a senior official of the ministry said. Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Secretary V. Sivagnanasothy told the Sunday Times that during the course of this year, the Government is expecting the return of at least 30,000 Sri Lankans living in special camps in South India. Once this policy, which covers durable solutions for conflict affected displacement, is underway the numbers might go up, because the people will know what the ground situation is and how the Government is responding to the issues pertaining to the resettlement process, he said. With technical assistance from UN agencies, a comprehensive draft policy paper titled Formulation of National Policy on Durable Solutions for Conflict Affected Displacement was discussed this week at length by the ministry. While recognising that the durable solutions should safeguard the rights and well being of the conflict affected families and allow them to rebuild their lives in dignity and peace, it encourages the voluntary repatriation of refugees to return home and get them locally and socially integrated. According to Mr. Sivagnanasothy, the lessons learnt by the senior team of officials, from the Australian experience on the indigenous aboriginal community, was also contextualised and factored into the policy with experiences of other countries. We will continue to facilitate the return home of refugees by arranging all needs and requirements to make sure that on their own they can support their daily lives. We realised there should be a long term durable solution for the returnees, he said. At a national steering committee meeting, a national policy had been formulated to provide a clear road map and strengthen the peace building and reconciliation process. The policy provides conflict affected families with legal and physical protection, access to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and access to vocational training, health care, education and employment. The Governments move to speed up the resettlement process comes in the wake of increasing suicide incidents by Lankan refugees in camps in Tamil Nadu. Yesterday a Sri Lankan refugee residing at Tiruvanamalai, a sub-urban city of Tamil Nadu tried to commit suicide at a bus stand but was saved by onlookers. In a separate incident early this month, another Lankan refugee committed suicide by electrocuting himself following an incident with a revenue inspector of the camp. RTI Bill now before Parliament, but several no-go areas By Chandani Kirinde View(s): View(s): The long-awaited Right to Information (RTI) Bill that seeks to give every Sri Lankan the right of access to information which is in the possession, custody or control of a public authority was presented to Parliament on Thursday by Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Media Gayantha Karunatillake. The Bill which was gazetted in January was presented to the House after all nine provincial councils gave their consent to it. However the Northern, the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils have suggested amendments to the Bill before it gets parliamentary approval. Outlining the framework for the people to access information, the bill envisages the setting up of a five-member RTI Commission and the appointment of information officers in every public authority to assist citizens who wish to obtain information under this Act. Those making a request for information will have to do so in writing giving details of their request, specifying form and language in which they prefer access but will not be required to give any reason for such a request or any other personal details except those that may be necessary for contacting him or her. The Bill makes it mandatory for all records to be duly catalogued, indexed and preserved by every public authority. In the case of those records already in existence, they will need to be preserved for 10 years and in the case of new records which are created after the law becomes operational, for 12 years. Public authorities will also be required to preserve all their records in electronic format subject to the availability of resources. However, the Bill also cites several specified areas, to which access to information will not be granted. These include personal information, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual concerned. However, such information can still be obtained if the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information or the person concerned has consented in writing to such disclosure. The Bill also prohibits the disclosure of such information that would undermine the defence of the State, its territorial integrity, or national security or would be or is likely to be seriously prejudicial to Sri Lankas relations with any State, or in relation to international agreements or obligations under international law, where such information was given by or obtained in confidence. The disclosure of information that may cause serious prejudice to the economy of Sri Lanka is also prohibited under the proposed law. These include disclosing prematurely decisions to change or continue the Governments economic or financial policies relating to exchange rates or the control of overseas exchange transactions, entering into of overseas trade agreements; information, including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, protected under the Intellectual Property Act of 2003 and the disclosure of information which would harm the competitive position of a third party unless the public authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information. Disclosure of any medical records is also banned, unless it has the written consent of the person concerned. Access to information is also denied with regard to any communication between a professional and a public authority, any communication between the Attorney General and any officer or a public authority assisting the AG in the performance of his or her duties. Information required to be kept confidential by reason of the existence of a fiduciary relationship will also not be given access to, under the proposed law. NPC wants RTI expanded to private authoritiesAccess to information held by private authorities if such information is necessary in the public interest is one of the 19 amendments the Northern Provincial Council has recommended to the Right to Information Bill. The council has given its consent to the Bill following a debate. But the resolution on the Bill recommends that the public must have access to information held by private authorities and Bill should be amended in such a way that it should refer to public and private authorities instead of just public authorities. Another amendment the council seeks refers to Section 8, in terms of which a minister should publish a biannual report, giving information about the ministry, its duties, functions, activities and responsibilities of employees and details available to citizens for obtaining information. The council recommends that the report should also contain information about mechanisms to entertain complaints and respond to direct requests. The ministry should also state in its report how it dealt with the complaints and requests and publish a summary. The council also recommends that the bill should contain provision whereby the public will also have information about the information officer his or her name, functions and contact details. In provisions referring to correspondence, the council recommends the rewording of the provision so that information can be sought and obtained in Sinhala and Tamil, which are official languages, and English. Noting that information on people in custody is matter of high importance to the people of the North, the council observes that the draft bill only grants the right of access to information concerning the life and personal liberty of the citizen making such request for information. But the council insists that the bill should contain provision to allow third parties to access information about others whose life and personal liberty are in question. Where the request for information concerns the life and personal liberty of a person, the response to it shall be made within forty eight hours of the receipt of the request, the council resolution says. The council also notes that the Right to Information Commission is virtually impotent since it has no powers to impose any sanctions on anybody for noncompliance. This needs to be attended to as otherwise the Commission will not be able to enact its writ and further the democratic cause for transparency, With regard to the requirement to maintaining all categories of official records for twelve years, the council is of the view that it is an unnecessary burden on every public authority. It observes that some categories of records may not be required for any official purpose beyond two years and the Right to Information law should not become a bar on the destruction of records that are no longer necessary for official use and have no archival value. Write to Reconcile opens up to broader participation By Smriti Daniel This years programme hopes to include narratives from border villages, the diaspora and the LTTE, says founder Shyam Selvadurai View(s): View(s): With each new edition of Write to Reconcile, Shyam Selvadurai becomes more ambitious for his writers, more determined to support stories that hold up a mirror to Sri Lanka as it is now. The free creative writing programme which he runs has already produced two anthologies and it kicks off its new year with an emphasis on post-war themes and greater diaspora involvement. Beginning March 29, interested writers are encouraged to apply for the programme. Only 25 slots are available. For his part, Selvadurai is getting ready to welcome the new recruits. He tells the Sunday Times that the Write to Reconcile team just returned from a trip to Anuradhapura where the team scoped out locations for their residential workshop. It was such an eye opener to talk to the border villagers and people in the Vanni, says the author. Selvadurai acknowledges that stories from both those communities were in short supply in previous anthologies, along with the experiences of the diaspora and the LTTE. He hopes to fill those gaps this year. The aim of the three anthologies together is to give a composite and complex view of the war and the post-war situation, he says. To enable participation from the diaspora, the programme rules have been amended so that attendance at the residential workshop is not compulsory for those based abroad. Selvadurai is excited to see what effect these structural changes and thematic emphasis will have on the work itself. Emerging writers from Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan diaspora, between the ages of 18 to 29, as well as Sri Lankan teachers and professors, who are interested in writing fiction, memoir or poetry on the issues of conflict, peace, reconciliation, memory and trauma are eligible. Those selected will be invited to participate in a week-long residential workshop (optional for members of the diaspora) and two 3-week online forums. The work produced by the participants will be published in the Write to Reconcile Anthology 3 and distributed free island-wide, as well as made available internationally through an online version. The entire programme is free of charge, with all expenses of the participants being met bythe organization. Writers who participated in previous years says the programme was deeply rewarding. Nalini Sivathasan (27) a London-based, video journalist at the Financial Times, says before Write to Reconcile, she wrote primarily fiction for her own pleasure. She recommends the programme for its help in honing her writing skills, improving her confidence, and for the chance to engage extensively with the diverse and inspiring group of other young writers. It was amazing listening to their stories and learning about their culture, religion, life in Sri Lanka, especially as I do not have much exposure to Sinhala/Muslim/ Burgher culture or the (Sinhala) language in London, she told the Sunday Times in an email. Luxika Nagendiran (25), a bi-lingual student of English literature at the University of Jaffna, says she learned how to express herself better in English, her second language. I was able to improve my writing skill and think creatively on a given topic over the course of participating in the project, she says noting that the editorial process taught her how to avoid cliches and digressions while constructing her narrative. Pakeerathy Patkunanathan (34), also based in Jaffna, is a teacher. Write to Reconcile is a platform for the people who have thirst of writing, she says frankly. She was inspired by the team, and says that meeting with local activists, politicians, volunteers and social workers as part of the programme broadened her world view and inspired better writing. Nimalan Thavandiran (28) currently a PhD student in stem cell and bio-engineering at the University of Toronto, says the combination of receiving insightful lessons from Shyams in-depth workshops and seeing Sri Lanka and those affected by the war first-hand makes this programme unique. This experience has been one of the most influential I have ever had. Thavandiran appreciated the safe space the programme provided for an open discussion. The editorial process which included peer reviews and one-on-one sessions with Selvadurai were invaluable to the young author. The work only begins after the first draft is complete. I learned the most from the back and forth churning process that took place, and it was amazing to see the story evolve from a rough idea, to a finished story that I was not just satisfied with, but excited to publish. Selvadurai knows what he is looking for in potential participants: a talent for story-telling, character portrayal and the intelligence behind the writing that illuminates the work. Language skills are not everything: In fact, in the past, I have rejected applicants from Colombo schools because though their English is flawless, the work is insipid. Whereas someone coming from a rural school might have a real verve to their work, even though their English might not be great. I always take them. Shyam is certain that his choice of co-teacher, Commonwealth Prize winning writer Nayomi Munaweera, will only contribute to an open and supportive learning environment. In a brief interview with the Sunday Times, Munaweera spoke of the key role writing could play in reconciliation. Theres a new vein of research that shows that writing literally helps heal trauma. For example, in one study, people who wrote about traumatic car accidents were shown to heal more quickly emotionally and physically than the control groups which did not. There is something in the act of writing which I believe is healing. While she emphasises the importance of knowing the truth and genuine engagement with Sri Lankas troubled past, she says the country also seems ready to move forward. I think we are getting ready to say we are so much more than the sum of our war wounds. I look forward to seeing what Sri Lanka looks like in the future. Write to Reconcile is funded by the American Center. This is the third year the American Center has been a sponsor of the programme.The U.S. Embassy strongly supports important initiatives like Write to Reconcile to open the dialogue on reconciliation and bridge the experiences of different communities in Sri Lanka, said Nicole Chulick, Public Affairs Counselor at the U.S. Embassy. For the third year as well, the project enjoys a fruitful relationship with the National Peace Council, under whose auspices the Project is undertaken. Speaking of the ongoing partnership, the Councils Executive Director, Dr. Jehan Perera, said The two anthologies our partnership has produced are very well received by those who wish to gain a deeper insight into Sri Lankas transitional process. The call for applications goes out on March 29th. Anyone interested in participating can join the Projects Facebook page or send an email to writetoreconcile@gmail.com and ask to be put on the mailing list to receive an application. Applications can also be downloaded at www.writetoreconcile.com. The previous anthologies are also available on the site. An impotent country View(s): It is Mahatma Gandhi who was credited with the saying To the poor man, even God appears in the form of bread. I was reminded of the Mahatmas observation during the recent power cuts that we have been experiencing in our country. In the 21st century, it is not just bread (or rice or roti or chapatis) that the citizens of todays societies expect to have available at affordable prices. They also expect the government in office to ensure that they have security, electricity and water. Electricity is essential for all of us these days because without power, offices and officers cannot function, factories and computers do not work and even bread cannot be baked! In todays society, the facility of having electric power delivered to our homes, offices and workplaces is something we take for granted, because it is an essential service as essential as the food we need each day. When we put a light switch on, we expect the light to come on. When we open the tap, we expect water to flow. The ancient Christian prayer Give us this day our daily bread in todays context would be better expressed as Give us this day our daily electricity and water! Getting rid of corrupt leaders in our country is an achievement of which we should all be proud and grateful. The new government taking it upon itself to establish good governance and reconciliation is excellent in principle and these are certainly principles that we expect any government to follow but the people cannot eat principles and they cannot run their workplaces on reconciliation and yahapalanaya alone. In fact the people of this country are not really concerned whether the national airline is in the hands of the former Presidents brother-in-law or the current Prime Ministers bosom pal. As is well known, neither Nishantha Wickramasinghe nor Ajith Dias had any real knowledge or experience of aviation at the time each of them was appointed as Chairman of SriLankan Airlines. As long as the war was won and the city of Colombo was well maintained and clean, we Sri Lankans did not really mind that the former President had appointed his brother to the job of Defence Secretary just as we dont really care if Arjuna Ranatunga appoints his brother to the top job in the port as long as the port functions effectively and efficiently. Our citizens will even turn a blind eye to politicians helping themselves to a few perks of the job now and then as long as the people themselves can be confident that they will be entitled to food and water at affordable prices, and electricity in their homes and offices and factories when they switch on the current. Our last President prioritised (at least until 2009) the ending of the war and the establishment of peace and security in this country. The people were grateful to him, at that time, for ending the war a genuine achievement that history will record as his lasting legacy. Since he was deposed, however, those who deposed him and are now in office have prioritised not the improvement of the lot of our citizens but the consolidation of their own political power and the placation of the big western powers. They have been misleading us citizens with their kiyanakota ehemai, karanakota mehemai illusion of good governance. As Citizen Silva I speak not just for myself but for Silva and Selva, for Suleyman and Solomonsz all of us Sri Lankans who are regretfully veering towards the feeling that this present lot of politicians are not much better than the past lot. These legislators cant agree on many things in parliament but while we ordinary citizens have no current, they have just got together, overlooked their differences and voted themselves larger salaries and greater perks. I say, Silva said one of my friends, the day after the last power breakdown, do you know that Sri Lanka is not an important country but an impotent country? I waited for him to elaborate. If you look up the meaning of the word impotent in the dictionary he continued it means lacking power. So with all this talk of reconciliation and good governance, the stark truth is that our country is, in the strictest sense of the word, impotent because we are powerless, not having power and electricity when we need them! Western powers unlikely to impose arms embargo on Saudi Arabia By Thalif Deen View(s): View(s): UNITED NATIONS As hundreds of civilians continue to be killed in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, one of the human rights organization is calling for an arms embargo specifically against Saudi Arabia which is leading a coalition of eight countries battling Houthi rebels in the war-ravaged neighbouring country. The United States, United Kingdom, France and others should suspend all weapon sales to Saudi Arabia until it not only curtails its unlawful airstrikes in Yemen but also credibly investigates alleged violations, said Human Rights Watch (HRW). But chances of an embargo are remote considering the massive multi-billion dollar arms markets nurtured by the three Western powers who, coincidentally, are three of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council (the other two being China and Russia). Asked for a response, Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher, Arms and Military Expenditure Programme, at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) told IPS the final direct results of such calls in terms of actual restrictions have been minimal, though they serve as a clear symbolic element of the campaigns aimed at ending what is considered the irresponsible or even criminal use of arms by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The only case of significant restrictions involves the Netherlands announcing in January that it will only issue permits for arms exports to Saudi Arabia if it is certain the arms in question cannot be used in Yemen, he pointed out. For the past year, governments that arm Saudi Arabia have rejected or downplayed compelling evidence that the coalitions airstrikes have killed hundreds of civilians in Yemen, said Philippe Bolopion, Deputy Global Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch. By continuing to sell weapons to a known violator that has done little to curtail its abuses, the US, UK, and France risk being complicit in unlawful civilian deaths, he added. Asked whether a Western arms embargo would be realistic, Bolopion told IPS: Lucrative arms deals should not blind the US government to the appalling abuses committed over the last year by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. He said looking the other way and continuing to provide arms to Saudi Arabia would expose the US to a risk of complicity in these crimes. You cant put a price tag on that, he added Currently, the Saudis have strong military links to the three Western powers with British, French and mostly American military suppliers providing sophisticated weapons, including state-of-the-art fighter planes, helicopters, missiles, battle tanks and electronic warfare systems. The Saudi arsenal includes Boeing F-15 fighter planes (US supplied), Tornado strike aircraft (UK), Aerospatiale Puma and Dauphin attack helicopters (French), Bell, Apache and Sikorsky helicopters (US), Boeing E-3A Airborne Warning Control System (US), Sidewinder, Sparrow and Stinger missiles (US) and Abrams and M60 battle tanks (US). The Saudi-led coalition, unleashing air attacks on Yemen, consist of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan. The Houthi rebels, on the other hand, are also accused of indiscriminate attacks resulting in civilian killings. In a statement released here, HRW said non-governmental organizations and the United Nations have investigated and reported on numerous unlawful coalition airstrikes since the beginning of the conflict in March 2015. Human Rights Watch, Crisis Action, Amnesty International, and other international and Yemeni groups have issued a joint statement calling for the cessation of sales and transfers of all weapons and military-related equipment to parties to the conflict in Yemen where there is a substantial risk of these arms being used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law or international human rights law. Human Rights Watch has documented 36 unlawful airstrikes some of which may amount to war crimes that have killed at least 550 civilians, as well as 15 attacks involving internationally banned cluster munitions. The UN Panel of Experts on Yemen, established under UN Security Council Resolution 2140 (2013), in a report made public on January 26, 2016, documented 119 coalition sorties relating to violations of the laws of war, according to HRW. Saudi Arabia has not responded to letters from HRW detailing apparent violations by the coalition and seeking clarification on the intended target of attack. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia has successfully lobbied the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to prevent it from creating an independent, international investigative mechanism. Wezeman told IPS considering both the size of the arms sales to Saudi Arabia and several of its allies and the military campaign against the Houthi rebels the lack of enthusiasm amongst governments to restrict arms sales is not surprising. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia was the worlds second largest arms importer in the past five years. Despite the steep fall in oil prices and drop in Saudi government revenues, signs are that the country will continue to order more expensive military equipment. For the UK, Saudi Arabia has been the most important arms export market for many years. France has for years tried hard to increase its arms sales to the country and has found in 2015 new major markets in Egypt and Qatar, countries that are involved in the military intervention in Yemen, he said. In addition, said Wezeman, there is a fear that significant arms sales restrictions will damage other trade relations with these countries, which are worth more than the arms deals. In the case of the US, he said, the economic aspects of arms sales to Saudi Arabia are significant too even if they are less essential to the US arms industry as compared to whats the case in Europe. The US has in the past shown to be prepared to impose export restriction even if it involved significant loss of revenues, though losing the Saudi market would probably be too big a economic loss in any case. However, possibly more important, the US considers the Saudi actions as an important part of efforts to establish security in the region and therefore supports the military intervention as part of overall US foreign and security policy. A lot has to happen before the US suspends its arms supplies to Saudi Arabia, Wezeman added. Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, told reporters in Geneva early this week that 2015 has been a terrible one for Yemen, with airstrikes, shelling and localized violence. One in ten Yemenis is displaced 2.5 million people. More than 6,400 people have been killed and more than 30,000 injured, with half of those killed and injured being civilians. Today, he said, more than 20 million people in Yemen 80 per cent of the population require some kind of humanitarian assistance: 14 million people need food assistance; 7 million people are severely food insecure; 20 million people do not have access to water and sanitation; and 14 million lack adequate health care. At the same time, he said, human rights violations have soared. Meanwhile, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said Wednesday he had just completed an extensive round of consultations with Yemeni leaders and regional partners. After active consultations with the President Hadi and Yemeni officials in Riyadh and the delegations of Ansar Allah and the General Peoples Congress in Sanaa, the parties to the conflict have agreed to a nation-wide cessation of hostilities beginning at midnight on 10 April, he said. This is in advance of the upcoming round of peace talks, which will take place on 18 April in Kuwait, to be hosted by the Prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The writer can be contacted at thalifdeen@aol.com (Courtesy: Inter Press Service News Agency) The number of young people, aged 10 to 16 appearing before the courts has fallen to a 20 year low, according to Adult Conviction and Sentencing Statistics and Child and Youth Prosecution Statistics released today. The figures show the total number of adults charged and convicted in New Zealand courts has also fallen to its lowest level since 1980. Statistics show fewer people end up in court. Photo: file In total 36 per cent fewer adults and 52 per cent fewer children and young people appeared in court last year, compared to 2010. Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams says it is promising to see the governments efforts to curb crime rates reflected in these statistics. Court statistics for the year ending December 2015 show there were 5,400 fewer adults charged compared to 2014, and 200 fewer young people appeared in court, says Ms Adams. The decreasing trend of youth appearances in court can be attributed to support from various bodies like Youth Aid officers, Family Group Conferences and others, who work with our young people and their family and whanau. The Government remains committed to ensuring this trend continues, supporting victims, and keeping New Zealanders safe in their homes and communities. Bulldozers moved in to start clearing pampas and other weeds from the site of the 22 hectare Whakapoukorero wetland, in Maketu, last week. Weed removal work to improve site access is expected to be completed by the end of June. Following that, water levels and flows will be assessed to identify what changes are needed to create a more natural hydrological regime. Re: Taking The Steps To Nowhere: Bluff Foundry Park This article was puzzling as it made virtually no mention of anyone who was actually involved in the creation of the Bluff Furnace Park and even got the name wrong (Bluff Furnace, not Foundry). After Dr. Jeffrey Brown died in 1980 Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp of the newly named Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology renewed interest in the site and joined with retired foundryman and metalurgist James Werner to garner public support to pursue the project. Results of their efforts included formation of Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga Inc, a 501-c-3 corporation and the gathering of a diverse group consisting of many prominent citizens including on its board of directors descendants of the original founders of the Bluff Furnace, civic leaders including future Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield as well as prominent business and industrial figures. Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga Inc leased the site from the City of Chattanooga, secured easements agreements, secured placement on the National Register of Historic Places, developed plans for establishing plans for establishing Bluff Furnace Park on the site in addition to funding excavation through grants and donations of labor and materials The initial excavations at the site were funded almost entirely with private donations of labor and equipment in addition to what Dr. Honerkamps's budget allowed and aid from the Lynhurst Foundation, the American Foundrymen's Society and the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. Dr. Honerkamp's official 156 page publication, Bluff Furnace: Archaeology of a Nineteenth Century Blast Furnace was issued in April of 1982.Architect Garnet Chapin at great personal expense and effort in conjunction Dr. Honerkamp and others developed a comprehensive plan and design for development of the park (the three renderings of the park included in the article are Garnet Chapin's but unattributed in the article) by which a $160,000+ federal grant application was developed and which funded the completion of the comprehensive archaeological dig by Dr. Honerkamp and the construction of the park.Steve CampbellPast President, Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga Inc. * * * Mr. Steve Campbell, Thank you for reading my photo journal material and providing your documentation statement in response to my photo-journal "Taking The Steps To Nowhere" Bluff Furnace Park. I read your response as posted on Chattanoogan.com. I suppose except for my misquote on the park's name as it is the Bluff Furnace Park, my story was intended only to capture a memory of my involvement in 1978 as one of the first geologist to work at the site during its first days of uncovering the vegetation and preparing for the initial archaeological dig under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Brown and his students. I will note it was unfortunate passing in 1980 of my friend Dr. Brown. I graduated from UTC in 1979 and was once a student of Dr. Brown. My journal "Taking The Steps To Nowhere" was not intent to move beyond 1978 with any documentation you provided. In addition to the first dig with Dr. Brown, my effort was to also to provide geological field mapping the exposed limestone formation to complete a geological review of the site. This task assisted the team in determining what limestone rocks were part of the foundations (footings, piers, walls, steps etc) and the portion of bedrock formation that remain intact. I also worked on staff with Hensley - Schmidt Engineers, including the people referenced or listed in the conceptual plans of the park during this initial field work. As I am not personally acquainted with Dr. Honerkamp, I greatly respect his support and contribution to the Bluff Furnace Park. I am a personal friend of Garnet. The respect for his work, not just with the Bluff Furnace Park, but, other projects including the restoration of the historic Walnut Street Bridge, I equally respect him as an early city visionary and modern day pioneer in the support many restoration projects in the Chattanooga area. Thank you, Mr. Campbell for extending the knowledge and credit to those indeed that extended beyond the scope of my journal and my initial involvement at the historic Bluff Furnace site. I was there before it became a park. I trust today that more grant monies will be available to further preserve it. Finally, I note you are the past president of the Bluff Furnace of Chattanooga, Inc. perhaps you can provide some assistance to Mark Makings to refresh the covers "The Art of History" that has been badly weathered and now removed. Thank you. Mark A Herndon, CPG (MAHerndon@ChattanoogaLiveMusic.com) As a Republican by Inertia Only (I declared my Republicanism at 16, which made my Democratic union official grandfather literally drag me to a bar to have a beer with him to explain myself), I am disgusted by the effervescent smells wafting from various back rooms. For the oft-referenced Republican Establishment, Donald J. Trumps head is the catch of the day. Nothing else will do. Someone, anyone, must replace Trump at the top of the ticket. Trump cannot be controlled by anyone, least of all himself, so the Republican establishment is out for every drop of his blood. "We The People who have taken a liking to the Trump candidacy have done so for several reasons. His detachment from government operation, his roller coaster ride in business, his raw ability to communicate political un-correctness and his willingness to stand toe to toe with fancier world leaders and cry foul in every direction. His willingness to speak of our debt, the damage of our various deficits and the fact we do not wish our nation to be slaughtered by religious extremism are of paramount importance. And from every account, hes a spectacular father. I think I may respect that most, because it indicates to me that a very ostentatious man is truly grounded where it matters. I purely dislike Ted Cruz. Nothing about him resonates with me, except poorly. I would imagine shaking Teds hand would be just a bit less delightful than stepping in dog mess with bare feet. He has fashioned himself quite a reputation as a well-polished and usually hated pol since his teens, setting his sights on political power by taking well planned, well programmed steps long term to achieve his position. But Ted Cruz has taken those steps. Ted has been a curious study of the political process nearly since birth, unlocking the myriad matrix of nasty truths which embody how our systems mechanics function. In doing so, he is now getting a bad reputation for attempting to steal an election which party policies intentionally rigged from the beginning. All Ted is doing is following the rules, and as much as I truly believe he is concentrated walking fraudulence, even I have to give the guy credit for simply working his plan in the system as it is. Ted Cruz is Hillary Clinton in male form, only marketing a different world view and using God as his copilot. Theyre both truly disgusting, but Im less afraid of Hillary than most. She, like Ted, knows the system as it is. She is a brilliant parliamentarian. She can quote the arcane rules of Senate operation chapter and verse, and despite misplacing various sundries at Rose Law Firm, shes among the more gifted legal minds of our time. She can navigate the cloudiest of political waters with relative ease, and her and Bills ability to survive a shocking, lifelong plate of scandal without receiving their meals in prison is prima facie evidence she knows what the heck she is doing. The reason Im not afraid of Hillary is I believe she is ready for the 3 AM call, and could handle the larger issues of presidency including a firestorm of foreign relations problems which await some lucky soul on 1-20-17. Admittedly imperfect, she isnt the most terrible option in this election cycle. Note: This election cycle offers us no truly good options. Even Trump, the entertaining, tough-as-nails outsider as he presents himself to be, has serious organizational problems which would haunt a nascent presidency. Those organizational problems are precisely why I wrote this, perhaps as a reminder to myself that gross examples of political slime (aka: Cruz) are simply playing the board game according to the rules which were long established before their arrival. This election cycle has seen an outpouring of interest from millions of Americans who have thus far been completely disconnected from the political process. They havent voted, they have no idea what the Constitution actually says, they have zero civic understanding and even less comprehension of the hierarchy or mechanics of our three branch system. And they have taken to the streets with a winner-take-all belief that if one person gets one more vote than another person, we live in a majority rules society. Anything else is political thievery and chicanery; anything other than a 50.1 percent victory based on counting of a popular vote is wrong, shameful, deserving of pitchforks and threats. When I see the great political unwashed taking to the streets with negative understanding of the actual processes or why they exist, I have two thoughts in parallel. First, thanks. Youre late to the party. Glad you could come. Sorry you dont know jack, but I sure am pleased you put down the iPad and stepped away from World of Warcraft or the crack pipe long enough to give some opinion on something other than Justin Biebers latest haircut or Caitlyn Jenners gender. Second, I think: Yep, heres the result of an entrenched National Education Association. Heres the end game for No School Left Accountable, absentee parents and giving awards equally to everyone. This is what happens when dodgeball and picking teams become the enemy, and everyone is told the lie that they are special. Without reality infused in youth, you build a nation full of adults with neither foot planted in reality. If I have any remaining gasps of Republicanism, its my belief that the Democratic Party started in the 1940s going long on the concept of creating a nation of voting automatons paid off with social programs. They succeeded. Nevertheless, the results are in the streets in large numbers with the basic understanding that our nation is broken. On that point, they are very correct. Ted Cruz is being beaten up for using party mechanics to steal an election from Donald Trump. While I think Cruz methods stink because they dont give me my desired result, they are very legal and have piles upon piles of concrete historic precedence. Conversely, Donald Trump is equally wrong for decrying those very mechanics which have existed for a couple hundred years - give or take several decades. Okay, here goes: Neither is the United States of America a democracy, nor is either party a democracy. Anyone who says our country is a democracy, or either party is based upon the fundamentals of democratic process is wrong. What? Surprisingly, this is a surprise to millions. It is thought that We the People rule, choose our destiny based upon the purity of mathematical majority and directly elect our leaders. Not only is that a big no, its a big nooooooooooooo. Our Founding Fathers were, correctly, particularly afraid of the throngs who are taking to the streets today. And they were right to be. Even though Im personally okay with the concept of a Trump presidency shaking every building in Washington D.C. to the point structural cracks in various foundations erupt, I am aware a number of real problems will result should he become president. Im willing to take that chance, because both our domestic and international issues are too bleak to hand the next four years to the same teams who operated DC for the last 50. I firmly believe portions of our government must break in order to be saved, and numerous pieces of our government at the federal level are no longer functional and should be disbanded. The widely ridiculed electoral college is perhaps the best example of how smart our Founding Fathers really were. While we can directly elect our local and state politicians all day long, the founders were particularly allergic to popular vote election of the rudder of our national government: they considered the presidency and Senate to be off limits for direct election. They had good reasons. When you start reading the biographies of these men and their purpose, it becomes clear that no smarter operational group has ever been assembled. They had their flaws and conflicts of interest, to be sure. But their collective reputations were entirely on the line, and the result of a very purposeful Revolution was the Constitution upon which our nation has operated these past couple of centuries. It would be wise for us to take more, not less, from this document as we face a nation in need of serious repair. The U.S. Presidency and Senate had a built in check, perhaps in some cases a relief valve, to assure a barricade existed between periods of national foolishness and our highest levels of government operation. It was perfectly okay for the founders to set up a House of Representatives where folks could scream, yell, shoot one another and face the political gallows every two years back in home district. They knew we needed a peanut gallery inexorably tied to the will of the people and the contemporary anger of the population. From that mess would come legislation for review by more studied, stable minds a bit less capable of sway by political winds. The founders also knew the Presidency and Senate needed a guaranteed number of adults in the room. Thats why the original plan was for the electoral college to stand in place of direct election for the Presidency, with state legislatures standing in place of direct election for the U.S. Senate. One of our worst mistakes was changing the second part of that plan, as Senators were not ever designed to report directly to the people to earn their vote. The original design was not to keep the people away from their elected representatives and public servants. In the case of the presidency, the founders wanted to assure we didnt go hog wild and elect someone truly stark raving mad. People do that. The electoral college could serve as a very valuable switch in such a case, some saying Trump is just such an example. I firmly disagree. The Senates election by state legislatures is even smarter. While the members of the state legislatures are directly elected by the people, an extremely wise filtering process would exist where state governments have direct influence on the federal government. Losing that ability was among the original nails-in-coffin for states rights. If any amendment needs repealing, its the seventeenth. As political parties developed, the same type of concepts infused them. The people, whose will should be represented, must not have the capability to overthrow the processes without some level of check and balance. This is where you get the concept of state legislative election of senators, an electoral college to seat presidents and complex delegations which choose party candidates. We have to remember the Republican and Democratic parties are not government organizations. They are private organizations which serve to promote their political views by offering candidates for public office based upon committee-determined platforms. When an outsider, like Trump, files for election attached to a party, that partys structure does have the right to invoke various rules and processes which would favor candidates adherent to the partys reputed purpose. As much as I do not like Ted Cruz and could not bring myself to vote for him on any day, for any office, I have to admit he is not attempting to steal an election by utilizing the features built into our political party system. Teds just following the rules, whether I like them today or not. At times, the very fact we do not like our political mechanics is all the more reason for us to fight for and defend them. As inconvenient as they may be from time to time, they do make us the greatest country on earth. And that is one statement I firmly believe, best described in the words of my hero Benjamin Frankin: Upon emerging from Independence Hall on 9/18/1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked to summarize the Constitutional Convention by a woman. Well doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy? A republic, madam - if you can keep it." Jason (Kibby) Walker Chattanooga SHARE Gerles Terry, 52, 1300 block of Idol Avenue, Port St. Lucie; burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, unarmed. Julius Belle, 21, 500 block of Bethany Court, Fort Pierce; fraud possession of uncurrent bills with intent to defraud; warrant for violation of probation, grand theft of a motor vehicle. Erica Johnson, 38, Miami; warrant for violation of probation, criminal mischief, resisting officer without violence, reckless driving causing damage or injury. Thomas Hall, 26, 100 block of Twylite Terrace, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, burglary of a conveyance while armed, grand theft of a firearm, grand theft. Arlene Woodbury, 48, 200 block of Omni Drive, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, possession of cocaine, DUI impairment/damage to property or person. Sherrie Obrien, 38, no street address, Fort Pierce; possession of a cocaine, possession of a controlled substance (Xanax, hydromorphone) without a prescription. Moses Schley, 21, 4700 block of 38th Circle, Vero Beach; warrant for possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana. Jon Emig, 40, 5200 block of Cove Road, Stuart; out-of-county warrant, Volusia County, dealing in stolen property. Michael Chery, 22, 100 block of Curry Street, Port St. Lucie; warrants for robbery, battery. Jean Calixte, 21, 1000 block of Colonial Road, Fort Pierce; burglary of a dwelling, structure or conveyance while unarmed. Fredrick Ghent, 26, 2400 block of Atlantis Drive, Fort Pierce; destroying, tampering with or fabricating evidence; possession of a controlled substance (Xanax) without a prescription; resisting an officer fleeing/eluding officer with lights and siren active; driving while license suspended, habitual offender. Armando Chirino, 48, Hialeah; possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Quincy Ratcliff, 26, 1400 block of Avenue E, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver; driving while license suspended, habitual offender; sale of hydromorphone. Orion Mccants, 74, 2700 block of Navajo Avenue, Fort Pierce; re-admit, DUI, leaving the scene of an accident failure to notified unattended vehicle owner, fleeing or eluding. SHARE By Andrew Atterbury of TCPalm The first year of Florida Standards Assessments testing had it all hackers, computer crashes and impassioned educators who wanted to throw out the grades. School officials are optimistic the kinks have been worked out for year two, when even more students are tested using computers. Testing in core subjects resumes Monday and lasts into May for some students. "Last year was a disaster," said Chris Taylor, director of assessment and accountability with the Indian River County School District. "This year is much better." Schools already this year have completed FSA retakes and writing tests, but English, math and end-of-course exams still await students. About 90 percent of those tests will be taken on computers, Taylor said. Fourth-grade English goes online this year, leaving only three paper-based tests third-grade math and reading and fourth-grade math. The state Department of Education says these online tests are expected to run more smoothly than last year's inaugural FSA. In 2015, some students were inadvertently kicked out of computerized tests and lost their answers. In some cases, tests weren't recorded at all. To make matters worse, cyber attacks prevented students from logging into test on two occasions. The state's FSA contractor made numerous changes to the testing system to combat these problems, according to the officials. Students are now warned before deleting a mass of text, and can view previous versions of their responses to ensure work won't be lost, according to the Department of Education. The company behind testing servers also has bolstered its defenses this year, according to the Department of Education. The upgrades seem to fix most of the problems that plagued computerized tests last year, Taylor said. Students who were logged out during recent writing tests and retakes were able to get back in and complete their work, he said. "So far, we've seen very few glitches," Taylor said. Testing malfunctions weren't the only issue educators had with the FSA last year. Scores weren't released until after the 2015-2016 school year began, making it difficult for teachers and administrators to help struggling students, said Amy Laws, principal of Murray Middle School in Martin County. Further, the 2015 scores were only a baseline, since there was no previous year's test for comparisons, Laws said. This year's scores should be released earlier than they were last year, and there will be more data for schools to dig into over the summer, Laws said. Starting this year, schools will be awarded points based on how well students improve their scores from the year before. The points will be used in calculating school grades. "If we use the data correctly on a campus, then we're going to constantly adjust our instruction to do what's best for those kids," Laws said. "This year we were struggling to know where to start." To help students prepare for the upcoming tests, Taylor recommended taking practice assessments at home, which parents even can do themselves. Students are familiar with the available online tools, but it doesn't hurt to run through practice tests to become reacquainted with drag-and-drop question formats and math grids, Taylor said. "That practice test helps prepare them for when it's go-time," Taylor said. "We want them to know as much as they can going in to take the test." Florida Standards Assessment and end-of-course exams March 28-April 1 Paper accommodations for EOC exam: Algebra 1 March 28-April 8 Paper-based FSA: Third-grade English and math; fourth-grade math Computer-based FSA: 10th-grade English retake Computer-based EOC exam: Algebra 1 retake April 11-22 Paper accommodations for FSA: Grades four through 11 English; grades five through eight math April 11-May 6 Computer-based FSA: Grades four through 11 English; grades five through eight math April 18-May 13 Computer-based EOC exams: Algebra 1; Algebra 2; Geometry Paper accommodations for OEC exams: Biology 1; Civics; U.S. History April 18-29 Paper accommodations for OEC exams: Algebra 1; Algebra 2; Geometry April 18-May 20 Computer-based EOC exams: Biology 1; Civics; U.S. History Indiantown's fully lined with fiber optics, its ample industrial land and the CSX Railway that runs through the town could attract distribution centers, manufacturing or retail businesses to its up-to-date infrastructure. (FILE PHOTO) By Lisa Broadt of TCPalm INDIANTOWN After touring Indiantown's vast agricultural operations, economic development consultant Del Boyette had one question: Why should Indiantown sell cabbage when it can sell coleslaw? Why shouldn't Indiantown, the supplier of much of the cabbage used by KFC restaurants in the Southeast, have its own food-processing facilities plants that employ locals to produce, package and distribute locally grown food? Why shouldn't Indiantown already a major wholesaler of basil to Carrabba's Italian Grill and flour to Panera Bread take full advantage of its industrial and agricultural potential? Exactly how to do that became clearer on Thursday when Boyette, president and CEO of Boyette Strategic Advisors, released the results of his investigation into Indiantown's economic development opportunities. Boyette's report revealed a community rife with potential: Indiantown has more than 80,000 acres of agriculturally zoned land and a large industrial park eager for tenants. It sits at the junction of the CSX railroad, Interstate 95 and several canals. And below its streets stretches a powerful fiber optic cable network that provides Internet that is unusually robust for a rural community. On the other hand, this small community faces clear socioeconomic challenges, according to Boyette. Nearly a quarter of the community's residents live below the poverty level, and the 2015 per capita income of $11,500 is less than one-third of Martin County's. Thirty-three percent of the population has less than a ninth-grade education and just 26 percent have earned a high school diploma. KEEPING THE MONEY AT HOME Boyette's assessment echoes the conclusions of many Indiantown business leaders, but his ideas of how to best move forward were surprising and impressive, according to Commissioner John Haddox, whose district includes western Martin County. "Economic development brings prosperity, and Indiantown wants clean manufacturing and decent-wage jobs that will help lift the community," Haddox said. Boyette's suggestion to target three sectors in particular aerospace, aviation and marine manufacturing; food production and distribution; and call centers all could work, according to Haddox. Indiantown must not only capitalize on its potential, but also find a way to keep money circulating in its own community rather than seeping out to landlords, shops and restaurants in Palm City, Stuart and beyond, according to the Boyette report and Indiantown leaders. To do that, Indiantown needs more and better jobs for its residents and increased housing for those who commute in, according to Brian Powers, of Indiantown Gas Co. "Our best day would be when everybody who has job in Indiantown lives in Indiantown. Right now people can't. We just don't have the homes," Powers said. "Most of our teachers, firemen and policemen have to drive here from somewhere else." In the rural community, population 6,000, there is approximately one housing unit for every four people, according to 2014 U.S. Census data. In Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties as well as Florida as a whole housing availability is more than double, with one or more housing units for every two people. On the other hand, to improve the lives of those already living in Indiantown, good, local jobs must become more plentiful, according to the Boyette report. As of 2014, about 13 percent of Indiantown residents held jobs within the community. In Vero Beach, that's 51 percent, and in Fort Pierce, 40 percent, according to Census statistics. Those commuting out of Indiantown Martin County's most remote community face lengthy commutes. Just 5 percent of the workforce can get to work in less than 10 minutes, and about 18 percent of Indiantown residents can get to work in less than 20 minutes. In Martin County, that number is 50 percent, according to 2014 census data. JOBS VS. HOMES It's not yet clear how government and business leaders should approach Indiantown's tangle of housing and employment issues. "What do you do first, create jobs or homes?" Haddox asked Friday. "In Indiantown it's all tied together," Powers added. Though challenges lie ahead, much of the groundwork needed for economic development is already done, according to Powers, who describes Indiantown as being "on a bit of a roll lately." During the past two years, the community has seen dozens of new jobs from the opening of a McDonald's, a Dunkin' Donuts and a Dollar General. "Some people look at that work as the bottom of the scale, but we look at it as jobs that didn't exist before," Powers said about opportunities at the chain stores. McDonald's alone created 50 jobs, including management positions, he said. In addition, improvements to roads and bridges have added to the feeling of community progress, he said. Before the Boyette report, "it felt a little like everything was on us, the locals. We were doing the best we could, but we were waiting for people to come to us. This plan puts us in a much more proactive position, where we can go after a target," Powers said. "When you lay one improvement on top of the next, people are going to start to look at the town differently." That 'Cat-Litter Parasite' Might Make You Madder Than You Know By Sophie Lucido Johnson in News on Mar 25, 2016 8:58PM Here's a little guy from the Tree House Humane Society Toxoplasma gondii, the "cat litter parasite" that has perhaps spawned more memes than any other, might be responsible for yet another human affliction: rage. Scientists at the University of Chicago published a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology this week stating that their research suggests the parasite may change brain chemistry to increase the risk of aggressiveness in humans. The parasite has been linked to all kinds of crazy cat-person behavior: There's research that says it causes people to get into more car accidents, have children who are more likely to be prone to schizophrenia, and experience wild mood swings. Toxoplasma gondii which causes an infection called toxoplasmosis is especially scary because it thrives inside cats and is easily transmittable; 30 to 50 percent of the world human population is estimated to have it. (Symptoms of the parasite usually go unseen, or remain dormant for years.) The University of Chicago's study tested 358 adults for Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), personality disorders, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. The aim was to determine if there was a likelihood that toxoplasmic gondii might trigger IEDthe disorder associated with aggression, anger, and road rage. Researches sorted participants into three groups: A third had IED, a third had some psychiatric disorder (not IED), and the remaining third served as the healthy controls. Participants were then tested for exposure to toxoplasma gondii, in order to find a possible correlation. The results showed that participants with exposure to toxoplasma gondii were significantly more likely to have high scores on an aggressiveness scale than participants who were unexposed. Furthermore, participants with IED were more than twice as likely to have exposure to the parasite than the control group. Researchers found that while just 9 percent of the healthy individuals showed signs of toxoplasma gondii, nearly 22 percent of individuals with IED showed the same signs. The trouble with the research is that it only indicates some association between IED and toxoplasma gondii not any sort of proof of cause and effect. In other words, the question of whether exposure to the parasite makes a person more likely to develop IED, or if IED is more likely to cause a person to be exposed to the parasite, is still unanswered. The next step will be to conduct experiments to see if medically treating the toxoplasmosis infection will reduce aggressiveness. If so, there may be hope on the horizon for those who habitually lose their cool in public. Leoshashi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: India Posts: 5,513 Thanked: 40,327 Times View My Garage re: The love of my life - A 2000 Maruti 800 DX 5-Speed. EDIT: Gets export model features on Pg 27 Issues faced till date- A detailed report During its entire ownership, we faced two types of flaws. A. QC related flaws B. Wear & Tear/Age related failures A. QC Related-Our car when new could be classified as a part-lemon. Reason being, the number of QC flaws. Some of the initial niggles faced were -Missing wiring for AC- Our car had AC system installed, but some wire related to AC system was missing due to which, the AC was unable to start. This issue came to our knowledge immediately after buying it. However the support from MASS and Maruti ensured that work done was completely to our satisfaction. -Glovebox was fitted improperly- Again this issue was fixed during the 1st service. -RHS seatbelt buckle was missing- This was noticed during PDI, and the dealer promptly installed buckle from another 800 DX. B. Wear & Tear/Age related failures- Except the above mentioned niggles, our car has been extremely reliable with just one part failure to report of, and all others were age related wear/tear replacements. -Burning smell reported- On 19th of March 2006, while coming back from my school, we noticed a strong burning smell coming from our car. Dad immediately took it to the nearest dealer M/s Premsons Motor, who after a long diagnosis replaced armature of the starter motor, along with all locks and keys. Total bill came out to be Rs. 4,900. This is the only pre-mature failure we have experienced till date Picture of the replaced Armature The second set of issues started after 2015. This year, car has been to the workshop for umpteen number of times. Though most of them were for part replacements which have been meticulously working for the past 15 years and needed retirement. I am mentioning here some events which I think might help people in future. 1. Weird alignment related woes- Quoting myself from another thread- Quote: Even if the car(M800 DX) was behaving properly, I knew deep inside that there was some undetected issue due to which all alignment attempts were failing. Because of this, I didn't drive the car much, fearing some more complexities which might develop. The issue was a bent engine member, due to which the engine load was not balanced properly, resulting in pull towards right hand side. Story- I left the car for alignment at my trusted shop, and for the first time I left the car entirely in their hands for a few minutes, while I and my friend rushed to grab a movie ticket of PK. The date was 20th December 2014. Before the alignment, no issue was there. After I came back, I was surprised to see my car up on ramps while a huge crowd of mechanics were below my car. Something felt fishy to me, but upon asking, the mechanic said that since my car was one of the very rare 5 speeders in the city, they were having a look under my car. I trusted them, paid and left. Immediately afterwards, the car was violently pulling. I showed them, but since it was their closing time, they ignored my request and asked me to come the next day. I was a bit busy due to college placements and thus couldn't attend the car. I however took care that no body drives it, as I feared mis-aligned vehicle. To cut a long story short, each and every service station/ tyre alignment shops and dealer outlet was visited and I spent almost Rs.2000 trying to figure out what the issue was, but in vain. One lesson I learnt, DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. I didn't take my car to my trusted MASS(M/s Maruti Automobiles) since it didn't appear as properly organised( read fancy and high-tech). The MASS is famous for its technically sound mechanics and has received many accolades country wide, but somehow, I missed it. After hearing NO from each and every service station/ tyre alignment shop, I took my car to them. They inspected everything starting from lower arms to suspension to tyres, but didn't find a thing. Even the castor/ camber settings were perfect. They then switched to basics. The found a bent engine member and bolt, and their logic did make sense. However they asked me to come after a week, since they were overloaded. I meanwhile tried showing the car to our city dealer M/s Premsons Motors. I was lucky that I met a Maruti Engineer there who had come to inspect some axle issue on a brand new Ertiga. He too agreed on the issue. Premsons quoted me Rs.9000 for the body job, along with 3 days time. Due to the love towards my car, I asked my dad and agreed to get it repaired from them, since they have many chassis straightening tools and a plethora of other hi-tech tools. I was again being stupid and immature here. Meanwhile my SA from Maruti automobiles calls me and asks me about the issue. I unfolded to him the entire story. He just asks me to drop by. I have never met a more Genuine SA than him in my life. In short, they dismantled the engine member, did some gentle hammering, reassembled everything, and viola, my beauty was again healthy. No pulling, pushing crappiness !!!! Damage to my pocket- Rs.700 only. The reason apparent to me of this damage- The wheel alignment guys had banged the underbody of my car, and probably that was the reason they were gathered under my car. Link to the post- Pictures of the Engine member bolt straightening- The culprit in highlights 2. The second set of woes started sometimes in August this year. Issues faced were Violent pulling while braking Steering vibration while braking Affinity of car to drift towards right Thanks to inputs from senior BHPians like Saket77, SS-Traveller, Parag Sir, Humyum(Rohan) Sir and a4anurag(Anurag) Sir, my job became a lot simplified and they guided me with utmost precision towards what could have gone wrong. I just armed myself with these inputs, however I never forced my SA's to work in that particular direction and let him work freely. My ownership review about this car would be incomplete without thanking two awesome SA's I met- Mr Dhiraj and his colleague Mr. Yadav. These two have got numerous awards both in India by Maruti and have also been rewarded by Suzuki in various competitions. Mr. Dhiraj won the All India Skill competition conducted by Maruti this year. They have never guided me or any of my contacts towards wrong direction or inflated the bill by doing non sense jobs. All work done by them have been simply excellent and they are extremely honest. That's what I love about them. For my issues, Mr. Dhiraj stepped in. He did all sorts of diagnosis himself and the issues were rectified one by one Day1- 3rd August 2015 Issue reported- Steering vibration while braking My SA took out a disc deflection measuring instrument and noticed the values and found them to be under the recommended range. He asked me a day's time, and said he will revert back after some brain-storming. Disc condition Deflection measuring instrument Mr. Dhiraj taking the measurement He calls me the next day. He asks the senior-most mechanic to replace the stabiliser bar bushes. After the replacement was done, we went on a TD. I was surprised to see that the issue was resolved. When I asked him why didn't he doubt the discs, he said that my discs were fine, and since the vibrations were felt only on the steering and not on the pedals, he doubted its something other than the discs. I also got the brake pads replaced that day. Head mechanic changing the stabiliser bar bushes Parts changed Day2-14th September 2015 Issue Reported-Car's affinity towards right This time Mr Dhiraj did all the troubleshooting like swapping tyres, swapping suspension components and all other hectic jobs. After a days time, he informs me that my 2 year/8,000kms old Bridgestones had developed radial pull along with various other imperfections on the tyre surface. I have described it in detail in another thread, hence quoting myself- Quote: The last set of bridgestones had done only about 8000 odd kilometers in its one and a half years of usage. The tread pattern was visually fine, so many would ask- Why this expenditure?? Let me explain Issues with BS S322 1. They had developed conicity, and three of the 4 tyres had this issue. They used to violently pull in whatever random direction they wished to. As usual, no help from the Bridgestone dealer 2. Back then, I didn't know much about how to "read" tyre manufacturing date. I hate to admit, but I was cheated, and all the tyres were of 2011 make, I bought them in July 2013. 3. Dealer also cheated me by putting different sized tubes inside the tyres. May be this is what damaged the tyres, but fact is, I was at the receiving end. 4. Other persistent issues like air leakage, wobbling at 70kmph and offlate, development of bulges freaked me out. The dealer was of no help, and as expected, no warranty claim was even considered. Day 3- 10th November, 2015-One of the saddest days of my life I had opened the dash for replacing a vent. Mechanics informed me about a strange plus size washer and bolt which was holding the steering column. I ignored it, and after they replaced the vents and we went on a TD, I noticed a "kat-kat" plastic sound coming from the keyhole area. I was shown that a bolt holding the steering column has all its threads damaged, and hence the previous mechanics had used some jugaad to keep it hidden till now. I recalled that the steering column was only lowered prior to this during the armature and locks change(at Premsons Motors,Ranchi), and they had tightened the bolts using a screw gun, and in turn damaged the threads. To hide this, they had applied local "jugaad" using washers and different sized bolts. Even though the problem wasn't a serious one, I still decided to get it fixed. When I asked about the possible solutions, I was literally shattered. Everyone was suggesting cutting of the panel and welding in the new one since that stud doesn't come as a spare. One ingenious MASS asked me to get the entire front firewall cut, and replaced by a new one. I almost got a heart-attack hearing this. As always, Mr.Dhiraj had something special in store for me. He asked the mechanics to remove the dash to have a better look. After a lot of brain storming, he grabbed a screwdriver and tore open a gap in the panel, which was spot welded at factory. The rest of the story, is best explained by pictures. Mr.Dhiraj analyzing the situation A hole created by him on the left side Some hammering by the body shop technician Culprit is finally out The culprit-a close view New bolt of similar spcifications put in, and welded after measurements. They did a superb job, and even replicated the spot weld marks. Rustproofing done in abundance. After the final painting was done, no one can say that a surgery was done there. Moral of this incident- Never allow any mechanic to use screw gun from the word go. The standard procedure is screwing the first few threads by hand, and then using the screw gun. 4. Installation details of the AC R134 conversion kit-A brief review AC Conversion Kit-R12 to R134 Part Number- 95999M84R10 Price-Rs.5,198 Kit contents- RD Bottle 2 Connecting Pipes Some seals Compressor Oil What was done- Old compressor oil drained out Compressor Flushed, oil seals replaced Pipes and RD bottle changed Condenser and Radiator cleaned Leakage check done by Nitrogen R134 Gas refilled Pic- AC Kit Retro-fitment going on Result- Have been using the AC since almost a year, and the performance of the AC has been excellent post replacement. BHPian sumitsinha0280 once requested to turn off the AC,at about 3PM in peak summer, as it had become too chilly for him. Now this is something which the M800's AC isn't known for. I had to remove the heater, as the new pipes were somewhat different in shape, and the installer was finding it difficult to install it properly. During its entire ownership, we faced two types of flaws.A. QC related flawsB. Wear & Tear/Age related failuresOur car when new could be classified as a. Reason being, the number of QC flaws. Some of the initial niggles faced were-Missing wiring for AC- Our car had AC system installed, but some wire related to AC system was missing due to which, the AC was unable to start. This issue came to our knowledge immediately after buying it. However the support from MASS and Maruti ensured that work done was completely to our satisfaction.-Glovebox was fitted improperly- Again this issue was fixed during the 1st service.-RHS seatbelt buckle was missing- This was noticed during PDI, and the dealer promptly installed buckle from another 800 DX.Except the above mentioned niggles, our car has been extremely reliable with just one part failure to report of, and all others were age related wear/tear replacements.On 19th of March 2006, while coming back from my school, we noticed a strong burning smell coming from our car. Dad immediately took it to the nearest dealer M/s Premsons Motor, who after a long diagnosis replaced armature of the starter motor, along with all locks and keys. Total bill came out to be Rs. 4,900. This is the only pre-mature failure we have experienced till dateThe second set of issues started after 2015. This year, car has been to the workshop for umpteen number of times. Though most of them were for part replacements which have been meticulously working for the past 15 years and needed retirement.I am mentioning here some events which I think might help people in future.Quoting myself from another thread-Link to the post- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post3625371 The culprit in highlights2. The second set of woes started sometimes in August this year. Issues faced wereViolent pulling while brakingSteering vibration while brakingAffinity of car to drift towards rightThanks to inputs from senior BHPians like(Rohan) Sir and(Anurag) Sir, my job became a lot simplified and they guided me with utmost precision towards what could have gone wrong. I just armed myself with these inputs, however I never forced my SA's to work in that particular direction and let him work freely.My ownership review about this car would be incomplete without thanking two awesome SA's I met- Mr Dhiraj and his colleague Mr. Yadav. These two have got numerous awards both in India by Maruti and have also been rewarded by Suzuki in various competitions. Mr. Dhiraj won the All India Skill competition conducted by Maruti this year. They have never guided me or any of my contacts towards wrong direction or inflated the bill by doing non sense jobs. All work done by them have been simply excellent and they are extremely honest. That's what I love about them.For my issues, Mr. Dhiraj stepped in. He did all sorts of diagnosis himself and the issues were rectified one by oneMy SA took out a disc deflection measuring instrument and noticed the values and found them to be under the recommended range. He asked me a day's time, and said he will revert back after some brain-storming.He calls me the next day. He asks the senior-most mechanic to replace the stabiliser bar bushes. After the replacement was done, we went on a TD. I was surprised to see that the issue was resolved. When I asked him why didn't he doubt the discs, he said that my discs were fine, and since the vibrations were felt only on the steering and not on the pedals, he doubted its something other than the discs.I also got the brake pads replaced that day.This time Mr Dhiraj did all the troubleshooting like swapping tyres, swapping suspension components and all other hectic jobs. After a days time, he informs me that my 2 year/8,000kms old Bridgestones had developed radial pull along with various other imperfections on the tyre surface. I have described it in detail in another thread, hence quoting myself-More details- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post3802207 I had opened the dash for replacing a vent. Mechanics informed me about a strange plus size washer and bolt which was holding the steering column. I ignored it, and after they replaced the vents and we went on a TD, I noticed a "kat-kat" plastic sound coming from the keyhole area. I was shown that a bolt holding the steering column has all its threads damaged, and hence the previous mechanics had used some jugaad to keep it hidden till now. I recalled that the steering column was only lowered prior to this during the armature and locks change(at Premsons Motors,Ranchi), and they had tightened the bolts using a screw gun, and in turn damaged the threads. To hide this, they had applied local "jugaad" using washers and different sized bolts.Even though the problem wasn't a serious one, I still decided to get it fixed. When I asked about the possible solutions, I was literally shattered. Everyone was suggesting cutting of the panel and welding in the new one since that stud doesn't come as a spare. One ingenious MASS asked me to get the entire front firewall cut, and replaced by a new one. I almost got a heart-attack hearing this.As always, Mr.Dhiraj had something special in store for me. He asked the mechanics to remove the dash to have a better look. After a lot of brain storming, he grabbed a screwdriver and tore open a gap in the panel, which was spot welded at factory. The rest of the story, is best explained by pictures.Moral of this incident- Never allow any mechanic to use screw gun from the word go. The standard procedure is screwing the first few threads by hand, and then using the screw gun.AC Conversion Kit-R12 to R134Part Number- 95999M84R10Price-Rs.5,198Kit contents-RD Bottle2 Connecting PipesSome sealsCompressor OilWhat was done-Old compressor oil drained outCompressor Flushed, oil seals replacedPipes and RD bottle changedCondenser and Radiator cleanedLeakage check done by NitrogenR134 Gas refilledResult- Have been using the AC since almost a year, and the performance of the AC has been excellent post replacement.once requested to turn off the AC,at about 3PM in peak summer, as it had become too chilly for him. Now this is something which the M800's AC isn't known for.I had to remove the heater, as the new pipes were somewhat different in shape, and the installer was finding it difficult to install it properly. Last edited by Leoshashi : 25th March 2016 at 20:58 . bobbafett BHPian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Mumbai Posts: 107 Thanked: 167 Times 66 Degree North: Roadtripping in Alaska Quote: GoNorth was a very friendly rental shop for trucks, SUVs and campervans etc equipped for driving in the Arctic region Quote: The Ford Explorer we rented - humongous in size and extremely comfortable. Had 4wd bells and whistles providing good drivability over some of the difficult sections of the road. Quote: The Highway was built to support the Alyeska Pipeline. Quote: The road and the pipeline, snake parallel to each other for hundreds of miles Quote: The Explorer cleared this and much more, with minimal fuss all the while cosseting us in loads of comfort such as heated seats and steering wheel, etc. Quote: The Mandatory Sepia tinted photograph Quote: This was by the end of the day's trip. Quote: Apparently only 30% of all visitors to Denali ever get to see the peak of Mount Denali. We were lucky I guess. Quote: We saw a female bear and hanging around by a stream, all playful and all. Till a Moose turned up - notice the top right hand corner of the pic Quote: And scared the bear and her cub into taking flight. They ran away, quite fast for almost a few hundred meters. With the mother bear always positioning herself between the moose and the cub. Quote: Huskies are beautiful, loyal, intelligent and most importantly very hardy dogs. They were a mainstay of Alaskan peoples not too long ago, and are still an important cog in winter time Alaskan supply chains. Think Alaska and its difficult to not think about the Arctic. And thats what was on our mind too driving to the Arctic Circle and beyond. 66 degrees north. From Fairbanks, which is the northernmost major American town, you could drive all the way to Deadhorse on Prudhoe Bay in Alaska on the famed Dalton highway. Also colloquially known as the Haul Road after the big trucks hauling supplies to support the oil rigs in Prudhoe Bay and the Alyeska pipeline bringing down all the crude to the refinery in Valdez. Thing is though that Dalton highway is a gravel highway, passing through vast tundra land masses and the Alaska Mountain range. We didnt have enough time to actually do a full 3 day round trip all the way to Deadhorse and that was a trifle disappointing but we did the next best thing possible, i.e. drive the 380 mile round day trip to across the arctic circle and back on the Dalton highway. But it was not going to be an easy drive. Firstly, our regular Hertz rental RAV4 was not permitted to be driven on unpaved roads so we had to rent from a local shop renting trucks and SUVs with harder rubber compound tires that wouldnt puncture so easily on the gravel.And you still couldnt do very high speeds so 380 miles for the day was a long shot but the extremely long days in the Alaskan summer (it would still be decently bright sunlight at midnight) allowed us longer daylight hours. It was a fantastic drive, over sweeping panoramas and vast empty spaces.Huge rigs would occasionally chug past you, hauling pipes and supplies. The gravel making it difficult to pick up serious speeds for fear of getting a flat tire, something you dont really want when driving in the Arctic. And jet lag was finally catching up with me and I felt a tremendous wave of sleepiness hit me while on our return leg from the Arctic Circle marker to Fairbanks. Handed over the keys to wife, and I just slept for the next 4-5 hours. And as my wife described it subsequently, she had the most amazing drive of her life, driving in fading light on that desolate gravel road just south of the Arctic with the evening sun playing fantastic light tricks on the tundra and only the occasional lorry truck providing some comfort that we were not completely alone.The big daddy of all things that could be of interest in Alaska though has to be Denali National Park. Its the largest, perhaps the wildest and harshest of all the national parks part of the American National Parks Service. The mind boggles trying to get a sense of the size of the park 6 million acres!! Thats almost as much area as Goa and Delhi put together. Its named after its famed resident, Mount Denali, also known as Mount McKinely. At 20,130 feet its the tallest mountain in North America and its vertical relief (the distance from base to peak) is the highest in the world, more than any Himalayan peak as well. Wildlife abounds in the park including lots of bears and thats one of the risk factors for hiking inside the park. We took one of the park shuttles and got dropped off for a short hike in the wilderness. Though it usually cloudy in Denali, we were lucky enough to be able to spot the Denali peak. Its a majestic mountain. On the way back, we hitched a ride with a park guide driving back to park entrance in an empty shuttle bus. She regaled us with stories of wildlife encounters in the park, and we managed to see a whole bunch of typical Denali wild life including grizzly bears, caribou, etc. While chatting with her, she mentioned that shes not much of a good pilot though knows her way around an airplane. Its quite amusing but as I mentioned previously, Alaskans fly like the rest of us drive so its perfectly understandable if you hear them talking about flying the way we do about driving. It was summer time, but in the park there was still a fair bit of residual snow from the previous winter though by now we were quite accustomed to the cold. Beers at a pub just outside the park entrance and we tucked in for the night at a lovely cabin with a great view. Security journalist Brian Krebs of KrebsOnSecurity has learned that Verizon Enterprise Solutions, a unit of the telecommunications company that provides nearly every Fortune 500 company with IT security and services, has fallen victim to a cyber attack. Krebs says that earlier this week, a prominent member of an underground cybercrime forum posted a thread offering up the contact information of 1.5 million Verizon Enterprise Solutions customers. The seller asked $100,000 for the entire collection but offered to sell smaller chunks of 10,000 records for $10,000 each. The seller is also offering up information regarding security vulnerabilities on Verizon's website. Verizon Enterprise Solutions confirmed to Krebs that it recently identified a security flaw that allowed attackers to steal customer contact information. The company said it is in the process of alerting affected customers via e-mail in which it said only basic contact information was affected. No customer proprietary network information (CPNI) or other data was accessed or accessible, Verizon added. Krebs notes the irony of the breach as Verizon Enterprise Solutions is usually the one that tells the rest of the world how such breaches occur. Its annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) is highly regarded as even Krebs frequently recommends it. If the data does fall into the wrong hands, it's almost a given that companies on the list will become marks for phishing and other targeted attacks. Cadillac proves to attract younger people in China, unlike its typical American market, which is not necessarily an old man's ride, is mostly comprised of older buyers. This is a pleasant news following a subpar review of Escalade, the brand's ever-popular full-size luxury SUV, according to the 2016 Consumer Reports car review. Statistically speaking, it has been reported that the average Chinese buyer is aged 34, considerably younger than their American counterparts with an average age of 59.5. The out-of-the-ordinary rise among the "young and hip" Cadillac buyers in China can be attributed to the brand's cutting-edge design and technology while keeping the prices reasonable, a noteworthy result of localized manufacturing as evidenced by avoidance of the 25 percent import tax, among other things. "In China, young buyers already dominate the luxury market. Since Cadillac is a relative newcomer ... it was far easier to begin to cultivate the desired positioning for the brand from the get-go," Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen told Reuters. According to the General Motors' statement, the new manufacturing facility in Shanghai which opened in late January will serve the double purpose of promoting the Cadillac luxury brand in China as well as invigorating GM's overall industry ranking worldwide. GM Executive Vice President and President of GM China Matt Tsien said that the new manufacturing plant is a major milestone, with China being Cadillac's second-largest market. "Local production will enable us to satisfy growing demand for luxury vehicles through the introduction of more Cadillac models built in and for China," says Tsien. De Nysschen also said that China will play a major role in furthering the global image of Cadillac, such as through discontinuing long wheel-base cars which are produced specifically for China, and instead making one global "right-sized" design. The $1.2 billion plant boasts a body shop, paint shop, and general assembly shop. This plant serves as a "green" benchmark for global vehicle production, which features the country's first facility without a concrete chimney and paint shops which are 300 percent cleaner than conventional ones, with considerably decreased volatile organic compound emissions and reduced power consumption. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Verizon Enterprise Solutions has suffered a data breach due to a security flaw, with hackers gaining access to the personal information of at least 1.5 million customers. For those who don't know, the culprit's target is an arm of Verizon that provides various services to businesses and government bodies, including cloud hosting and computing and online security. It's also the go-to division of 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies in the event of an infiltration in their systems, the carrier claims. As everyone can imagine, this is quite an unexpected development. Immediately after the theft, the cybercriminal reportedly put the stolen information up for sale on an underground hacking forum, pricing the whole database at $100,000 and offering an option of 100,000 customer records at $10,000 per batch. The incident made headlines when Brian Krebs made a post about it on his cyber security-focused blog Krebs on Security. He then got in touch with Verizon Enterprise to let it know about the ad, and according to the company, it recently spotted the flaw in question and started to inform the clients who are affected by the breach. "Verizon recently discovered and remediated a security vulnerability on our enterprise client portal. Our investigation to date found an attacker obtained basic contact information on a number of our enterprise customers. No customer proprietary network information (CPNI) or other data was accessed or accessible," Verizon Enterprise tells Krebs via email. Krebs continued to explain that the felon is offering the database in different formats, pointing out that it was available in MongoDB. That means there's a high possibility that the cybercriminal managed to force a MongoDB database at Verizon to dump its content, Krebs surmises. Verizon has yet to confirm the definitive number of affected customers, explain how the cyberattack happened and what exactly was stolen or whether or not it was more than just basic information of the victims. Just to be clear, subscribers of the carrier don't have to worry about the incident. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft is willing to offer "significant financing" to a company that's willing to buy Yahoo's core business, which is up for sale for $10 Billion. While Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer still stands behind her turnaround effort, digging both feet into stomping it and its message, Yahoo Chairman Maynard Webb made it clear that the company, in addition to acting on Mayer's plan, will add "additional strategic alternatives." While many potential buyers and pundits may not be convinced Yahoo is serious about the sale, Microsoft, which powers Yahoo's search with Bing, is making a play to help a potential deal along. Microsoft has been in talks with several private-equity firms that might have an interest in purchasing Yahoo's core of advertising, search and web services, according to a Re/Code report. These are only "exploratory" talks so far. Microsoft hasn't committed to assist any particular suitor in buying Yahoo. For Microsoft's part in all this, it is investing in its own future and hoping to ensure that any company that buys Yahoo will be a good partner, according to the report. "If Microsoft put in a billion, it would cost them almost nothing," one investor, who spoke to Microsoft, relayed to Re/Code. "It's a minor thing and it buys them a lot." Microsoft's support could go a long way in helping a buyer secure a company that's wearing a $10 billion price tag, about $2 billion to $4 billion more than many analyst value Yahoo's core business. While Mayer has balked at and bucked against the idea of a sale, some analyst now believe a buyout is a foregone conclusion after Yahoo investor Starboard Value nominated a new roster of director to replace Yahoo's current board. Among the reasons it listed for looking to oust Yahoo's current board members are the struggles the company, valued at more than $30 billion in total, has had in separating its core business from its stake in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. "Unfortunately, it appears that shareholders have no confidence that management and the Board will be able to execute on a separation of these assets or improve the performance of the Core Business," writes Starboard in a letter to Yahoo. "We are confident that both of these objectives are achievable, but will require a change in leadership and strategy. The ousting of Yahoo's board of directors would clear the way for Starboard to be involved in a "full and fair sale process," according a letter sent from Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith to other Yahoo shareholders. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Suffering from back pain? The UK's National Health Service is now discouraging people with low back pain from seeking acupuncture due to the lack of sufficient evidence that it works. The revised guidelines developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on back pain and sciatica management no longer include acupuncture because its benefits are no different than a sham treatment or a placebo. "[T]here is a lack of convincing evidence of effectiveness for some widely used treatments [like] acupuncture," said Professor Mark Baker, NICE clinical practice director. An Australian study in early 2016 already debunked the benefits of acupuncture in treating menopausal symptoms like hot flushes. NICE instead recommends a variety of combined physical and psychological approaches depending on the symptoms, clinical considerations, and preferences of patients. The group also advocates exercises that emphasize the back, such as yoga and stretching, as the first line of treatment. They can then be complemented with massage and manipulation by a physiotherapist. The guidelines do not limit the activities of sufferers, but tell them to continue normal routines as much as they can. When it comes to medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the first choice. If the medication is not effective or the back pain is diagnosed as acute, weak opioids are provided. Paracetamol can no longer be taken alone. Sufferers may also benefit from psychological treatments like "talking therapies" especially if they are facing social or mental issues that hinder or delay their recovery or when they have become less tolerant to pain. These may also work if the patient does not respond positively to medications and other forms of treatment. The revised guideline, which is currently open for consultation until May 5 and meant for publication in September, is applicable to sufferers with low back pain and sciatica regardless of how long they have been diagnosed or when the condition has started. The British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS) has already expressed its disappointment on the recommendation and believes the assessment of these studies has problems. "It is partly to do with the decision to put the biggest emphasis on the difference over sham ... That is a problem for all physical therapies because physical therapy shams tend to be active - because you have to touch patients," said Dr. Mike Cummings, the BMAS medical director. In the United States, where eight of 10 people are diagnosed with back pain, at least 3 million undergo acupuncture annually, according to the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On Thursday, the state of Nevada confirmed its first official case of Zika virus infection. According to local and state health officials, the infected patient was a resident of Clark County who recently visited Central America. The male resident, who traveled to Guatemala, got sick sometime on Feb. 10 during his trip. According to medical epidemiologist Tony Fredrick from the Southern Nevada Health District, the man tested positive for the Zika virus. During his return to the U.S. on Feb. 16, the male Clark County resident suffered from muscle and joint pain, fever, rash and red eyes. His healthcare provider referred him to the Southern Nevada Health District. On Feb. 23, the health district collected a blood sample, which arrived at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a day later for testing. On Thursday, the health district received the patient's results which confirmed a positive test for the Zika virus. The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health confirmed it as the state's first Zika case. The identity of the male patient is withheld by the health district as well as his city residence and age. "The health district has been actively monitoring all developments related to the Zika virus and testing potential patients in accordance with CDC guidelines," said Chief Health Officer Dr. Joseph Iser. The Southern Nevada Health District had submitted a total of 22 blood samples for Zika virus testing to the CDC as of Thursday. So far, they had received nine results, including the one who tested positive to the Zika virus. On the other hand, the Washoe County Health District in Northern Nevada submitted blood samples from a dozen potential Zika cases to the CDC. So far, no results have been received. "The driving concern behind Zika is the threat to the unborn child," said Nevada State Infectious Disease Forecast Station director James Wilson from the University of Nevada in Reno. The CDC has been advising pregnant women as well as couples who are trying to conceive to delay travel plans with local Zika outbreak areas as the virus can be transmitted from the infected mother to her unborn children. In early February, there had been confirmed Zika cases that were transmitted sexually by infected male partners. In Brazil, there were reports of Zika infection transmitted through blood transfusion that the CDC issues guidelines on how to prevent such incidents. According to the Southern Nevada Health District, while death from the Zika infection is rare, determining it without a blood test is difficult that four out of five infected individuals won't know they have been compromised. Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines for the infection but World Health Organization (WHO) announced in February that the first vaccine could be 18 months away. Photo: AD Teasdale | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google is now dishing out its Nik Collection at no cost. The Nik Collection comes with seven desktop plug-ins that were originally targeted toward expert photographers. From its original price tag of $149, Google is now dropping its price to nothing. As we continue to focus our long-time investments in building incredible photo editing tools for mobile, including Google Photos and Snapseed, weve decided to make the Nik Collection desktop suite available for free, so that anyone can use it, says Google in a blog post. These seven desktop plug-ins that are now freely available to snag include Color Efex Pro, Analog Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro, Viveza and Dfine, along with Sharpener Pro. Google says that the plug-ins bestow a great range of photo-editing abilities to their users. Some of these capabilities include sharpening to bring out the hidden details in a photo. Their filter applications are particularly valuable in enriching the color of the captured photo. On top of that, they are packed with retouching and creative effects, plus the ability to adjust the color and tonality of photos. Whats great news for those who happened to buy Nik Collection earlier this 2016 is that Google promises to refund their money in full. The company says that it is going to automatically issue back to customers their money in the succeeding days. The Nik Collection was initially housed under the management of Google when the company acquired German developer Nik for Snapseed, its mobile editing app. From $499.95, Google then trimmed the price of Nik Collection down to $149. These plug-ins are all compatible with Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture. This latest move from Google, according to a report from the Verge, suggests that Google isnt interested in supporting further development of Niks software beyond Snapseed. In case you are interested in giving the Google Nik Collection a go, head to Nik Collection page to download it. In November last year, Google also announced that it bought Fly Labs, the company behind several iOS apps for video editing. The Google Photos team then absorbed the team behind Fly Labs. During the time, Fly Labs kept on offering the four apps, namely Fly, Clops, Crop and Tempo, for three months. Google also offered features that used to be in-app purchases free of charge. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. People looking to take part in NASA's "Journey to Mars" mission may soon find themselves living in inflatable quarters that will serve as their habitats once they reach the Red Planet. The American space agency is working closely with the Nevada-based startup company Bigelow Aerospace in developing ways to provide astronauts with enough living area while in space without consuming too much storage spots on spacecraft. The result of their partnership is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), an expandable habitat technology that can easily be transported on space rockets because of its minimal payload requirement. This inflatable space house is capable of protecting its inhabitants against the harmful effects of various elements in space such as solar, cosmic and ultraviolet radiation. It can also shield people from atomic oxygen and space debris, which often threaten anyone who tries to journey outside of Earth. NASA hopes that the new BEAM technology will be able to provide a suitable alternative to metal-based habitats that would normally require several rocket launches in order to transport all the necessary cargo to space. The lower volume and mass of expandable modules would allow the space agency to keep launch costs manageable and make cargo shipments to space much more efficient. The space agency is set to launch a BEAM unit through SpaceX's eighth commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Once it reaches the ISS, the module will be attached to the orbital facility's Tranquility Node using its robotic Canadarm2. It will then be filled with air to let it expand. Astronauts will use the BEAM unit for two years in order to test its capability and overall performance as a potential space habitat. They will monitor the module's ability to protect people from radiation, space debris and micrometeroids. They will also pay close attention on how BEAM is able to perform in the thermal environment of space to find out if it can be a viable option for use on future missions. If the BEAM test proves to be successful, it could provide NASA with the technology that would serve as suitable housing for Moon and Mars colonists. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Memory is a funny thing. It can be good, it can be bad, it can cost you $112,000 for remembering a little too much for a little too long. Yet another privacy-related grievance, which most certainly is not a new thing for Google Inc., was filed by France claiming that Google has failed to comply with a previous European privacy ruling. Because of this, the French data protection authority imposed a 100,000 euros (about 112,000 USD) penalty against the Internet giant. This is not the first time Google has had a run in with the Europeans. In 2014, the Sanctions Committee of the French National Commission on Computing and Liberty (CNIL) issued a 150,000 euro (approximately 167,000 USD) penalty against Google for its non-compliance with the French Data Protection Act. This privacy policy which has been effective since March 1, 2012. "On 1 March 2012, Google decided to merge into one single policy the different privacy policies applicable to about sixty of its services, including Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, Picasa, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Maps, etc." the CNIL stated in a press release. Because of the number of services involved, "nearly all Internet users in France are impacted by this decision." According to the CNIL, the Working Group of all European Union (EU) Data Protection called the G29 carried out an assessment of the said privacy policy, subsequently coming up with the conclusion that Google Inc. has violated the EU legal framework and also failed to follow-up on the several recommendations given to it. In May 2014, stemming from the Spanish case Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja Gonzalez, the Court of Justice of the European Union established the "right to be forgotten" which states that people have the option to request search engines such as Google to get rid of unnecessary or inappropriate information found in web results which show up in Internet searches of people's names. On Google's end, it complied by removing web search results across its European websites such as Google.fr in France. However, Google refused to apply this globally, saying that doing so infringe on people's rights to freedom of expression. Essentially, France wants a more polished web search cleanup by Google. They want Google to enforce the "right to be forgotten" policy across its global domains, not just in its European operations. CNIL stated that this is inadequate because it is too easy to switch to Google.com from a European domain, and that there is no violation for freedom of expression because delisting to all extensions does not involve deletion of content from the Internet. In response to this, Google spokesperson Al Verney stated that they will appeal the ruling, claiming that CNIL does not have the authority to control the content that people outside of France can access. However, to appease the complainant authority, Google delisted search results across all its websites including Google.com, provided it is accessed from the country where the request to "forget" came from. Still, CNIL is not satisfied, stating that an individual's privacy right should not be contingent on the "geographic origin of those viewing the search results." Google's European privacy removal requests can be viewed on their Transparency Report. Photo: Robert Scoble | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. One drug in Canada is off the prescription list, and many are happy. This may save more lives from a possibly lethal opioid overdose. In a bold move, Health Canada announced on March 22 that it is officially delisting naloxone, which means it may be obtained outside emergency departments and over the counter. Naloxone is a popular antidote against overdose of opioids such as fentanyl, an analgesic and sedative more powerful than morphine. The abuse of this drug is responsible for more than 600 deaths between 2009 and 2014, according to Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Naloxone works by blocking or reversing the life-threatening side effects of taking too much opioid such as slow breathing and drowsiness within two to five minutes. The delisting came after a consultation by Health Canada last January, which received 130 responses from different health care providers and organizations as well as individuals with no known affiliation. The consultation also generated other recommendations like the introduction of a nasal spray that may be more user friendly than the injectable form, which is the one currently available. Needles and syringes may be "a little off-putting to some people," said Dr Seonaid Nolan, a research scientist treating drug addicts in St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. However, even when it is injectable, the benefits of naloxone still outweigh the risks, said Health Canada. The participants also stressed the importance of adequate training of administrators, which Health Canada strongly agreed. The task may be undertaken by the pharmacists, although teaching administrators may be time-consuming for them. Perhaps Health Canada can follow the trainings administered by take-home program distributors, which lauded their huge success in reversing opioid overdose. Despite this huge step in reducing the incidence of opioid overdose in Canada, delisting is not enough. "There's also the need for ongoing addiction care, so these individuals who are using opiates still need to be seen for their underlying addiction and receive long-term treatment and management," added Nolan. In the meantime, provinces are now taking the necessary steps to take advantage of the delistment with Alberta promising it shall happen in the "next couple months." The United States is also taking a similar path with Walgreens promising to sell naloxone without prescription while CVS intending to do the same across Ohio. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The New York and New Jersey Port Authority has agreed to build a new bus terminal in Manhattan instead of Secaucus, N.J., after top appointees from the New York and New Jersey sides agreed to drop a pair of proposals. The committee also committed to upgrading area airports and rail service. The Port Authority has pledged up to $15 billion to make the new transport hub a reality and a top priority when it finalizes its 2017-2026 Capital Plan. Had the terminal been built in New Jersey, it would have required many New Jersey natives to pick up transfers along their routes into New York City. "The decision to put the bus terminal in Manhattan, so we can assure one-seat rides, is an enormous victory for commuters," said New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney. To come to terms, New York's top appointee dropped his push to place the bus terminal in New Jersey. Then, New Jersey's top appointee followed suit, agreeing to drop his opposition to improvements to LaGuardia Airport's main terminal. With the bus terminal slated for construction in Manhattan and opposition dropped against the airport improvements, LaGuardia will get the $4 billion in improvements it needs. The plan is to "fundamentally transform LaGuardia" ... and replace the "outdated and poorly designed complex," with the type of airport New York "has always deserved," stated New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This represents a major milestone for the project the first of many and I look forward to seeing construction begin later this year," Cuomo said. New Jersey's Newark Airport will receive $2.3 billion and a new rail project, the Gateway Program, will get $70 million in startup funds, although it will require an estimated $20 billion before it is complete. The Gateway Program, for which costs will be covered by a 50/50 split between the U.S. government and the Port Authority, is a collection of projects to bolster rail service between New York and New Jersey. Its main project will be the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The project will also seek to revitalize the existing tunnels, replace bridges in New Jersey and expand three stations: New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A federal grand jury in New York City indicted seven Iranian nationals on Thursday related to cyberterrorist attacks on computer systems of several banks in the United States as well as for attempting to shut down the Bowman Avenue Dam in New York. According to the grand jury, the accused individuals are Hamid Firoozi, Ahmad Fathi, Sadegh Ahmadzadegan, Amin Shokohi, Nader Seidi, Sina Keissar and Omid Ghaffarinia. They are all charged with conspiring to commit computer hacking while under the employ of two Iran-based tech companies, Mersad Company and ITSecTeam. The seven are under suspicion of carrying out cyberattacks on at least 46 major U.S. financial institutions and companies on behalf of the government of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Some of the companies targeted in the attack include JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Wells Fargo and AT&T. Those named in the indictment are all residents and citizens of Iran, and the U.S. government does not expect Tehran to conduct any extradition on these individuals. Investigators believe the hackers disrupted the banks' operations by overwhelming their networks with a high volume of spammed messages, causing them to go offline. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch described the cyberattacks, which occurred from 2011 to 2013, as "relentless, systematic and widespread." Lynch said that the seven Iranian nationals are also accused of conducting an attack on the computer system of New York's Bowman Avenue Dam. The group tried to obtain the operational control of the dam's flood gates but was foiled because of routine maintenance that had the system manually disconnected. Former FBI agent and lead investigator on the Bowman cyberattack Andre McGregor pointed out that the hacking of the dam was a "game-changing event" for the federal government because it was carried out on a critical infrastructure. The incident prompted the government to launch investigations on other systems that could be susceptible to similar hacking. McGregor said that their investigations allowed them to identify many computer systems that had management consoles vulnerable to cyberattacks. He pointed out that basic cyberhygiene is still an important step in protecting networks against hacking. The federal grand jury's indictments are considered to be part of the Obama Administration's efforts to publicly confront cyberterrorist attacks that are carried out against the U.S. by other countries. Photo: Don Hankins | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An artificial intelligence and its programmers teamed up and participated in a literary contest in Japan, almost winning the final prize. It seems that 2016 will not only be the "year zero" for virtual reality, but for AI as well. Two teams entered submissions which were co-authored by human and AI writers. Earlier this month, DeepMind's AI computer defeated the world's best human Go player, four to one. This shows that AI capabilities radically improved, and the AI writer further proves it. One of the novels, aptly named "The day a computer writes a novel," ends with the following phrases: "I writhed with joy, which I experienced for the first time, and kept writing with excitement. The day a computer wrote a novel. The computer, placing priority on the pursuit of its own joy, stopped working for humans." Hitoshi Matsubara, a professor at Future University Hakodate, led the team that submitted one of the novels to the Nikkei Hoshi Shinichi Literary Contest. The human side of the writing team chose the general guidelines for the novel, such as gender of characters and plot line. Then, the team selected a number of phrases, sentences and words that would fit the narrative arch. Finally, the AI was in charge of "writing" the novel by assembling the elements picked by the human team. Satoshi Hase, a science fiction novelist, shared his positive impression during the press conference. "I was surprised at the work because it was a well-structured novel," he notes. However, he adds that the AI can improve on delivering character descriptions. The Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award accepts writing that belongs to AI programs, but this is the first time when submissions coming from AIs enter the competition. 11 out of the submitted 1,450 novels were written by teams featuring humans and AIs. The literary contest is structured into four parts, and each one filters the remaining submissions. The judges were not aware which novels had AI contribution and which were solely written by humans. Yet, one of the novels passed the first screening stage. "So far, AI programs have often been used to solve problems that have answers, such as Go and Shogi," Matsubara said. He goes on to add that he expects to see AI's potential being used in ways that replicate human creativity. This poses an important question: should the AI keep developing, will it be able to mimic the "human mind" without understanding and incorporating its flaws? Check out this coverage which explains how Microsoft's Tay AI chatbot embeds the worst of human discourse. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Intel's RealSense technology is a combination of three cameras that can act as one to measure depth and motion. The chipmaker was also hoping to use it to track emotion. But Apple seems to have squashed those aspirations when it purchased Emotient, a startup that created an artificially intelligent computer capable of reading human emotions. Combined, Intel's RealSense technology and Emotient's AI could have allowed hardware and software to work together to detect whether people are happy, sad, surprised and more, simply by analyzing the movement in a person's lips, eyes and cheeks. Beyond tracking emotion, Intel has already used its RealSense hardware in other applications such as on drones outfitted with the cameras to navigate their way through a forest. RealSense has also been incorporated in many other devices such as smartphones, tablets, PCs and robots to capture 3D video, make out different objects, and measure distances. Moreover, some reports have suggested that Intel could use the technology to enter the augmented reality race against other offerings from the likes of Google and its investment in Magic Leap, or Microsoft with its HoloLens headset. In fact, a RealSense-powered helmet (yes, a whole helmet and not just a headset) made by a company called Daqri was shown-off during this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The company's demo showed how the helmet could assist industry workers in the field, specifically in an AR setting where a thermal imaging AR overlay was used to pinpoint heat-venting pipes. The addition of Emotient's technology could have allowed Intel's RealSense a feature to help differentiate it from their competitor's offerings. In the third release of the software development kit for RealSense last year, Intel shared that with the Emotion Detection, its hardware could not only pick up on certain emotions, but it could tell the difference between them, too. "Anger, contempt, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise AND positive, negative, and neutral sentiments" were some emotions that RealSense could process. Unfortunately, however, in the latest release of the RealSense SDK, Intel has apparently left out support for Emotient's plug-in. The SDK still provides support for face tracking and facial recognition, but it's not clear how robust the technology will be without the supporting Emotient. Nonetheless, since Apple did indeed buy out Emotient, it would have probably been only a matter of time until Intel and Emotient cut ties from each other. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Researchers have found evidence that Reston virus may possibly cause Ebolavirus in humans. With increasing incidence of those affected with the deadly Ebola virus, this new finding raises another concern about its diagnosis and management. A previous report revealed that survivors of the life-threatening Ebola virus suffer long-term neurological problems, with symptoms showing six months after contracting the disease. The University of Kent study compared the Ebolaviruses that cause serious disease in humans against Reston viruses that do not. The researchers used a computational analysis to study the genomic sequence of 196 Ebolaviruses. The specificity determining positions (SDPs) were identified in nine Ebolavirus protein that differentiates Reston virus from the four Ebolaviruses that are pathogenic to humans. Dr. Mark Wass and his team also did a computational prediction of what can happen should there be a variation in the sequencing of virus proteins. Significantly, results showed that only a minute change in one virus protein, the VP24, is enough to make the Reston a disease-causing virus to humans. Therefore, there is a risk that if Reston virus would have few mutations, it can become a new health threat for humans. Highlight On Reston Virus Ebolaviruses have five members in the genus Sudan viruses, which include Tai Forest viruses, Bundibugyo viruses, Ebola viruses, and the Reston viruses. These Ebola viruses except for Reston viruses cause hemorrhagic fever in humans with a 90 percent fatality rate. Reston virus (RESTV) was named after Reston, Virginia where it was first discovered in 1989 after crab-eating macaques imported from the Philippines was taken to the Hazleton Laboratories in Virginia. The 1989 outbreak of the disease was the first recorded Ebola virus outside of Africa and also the first to be identified as an Ebola virus in non-human primates. In 1990, it was described as the new strain of Ebola virus. From 1989, there were only three cases of Reston virus infection and all sources lead to a monkey breeding facility in the Philippines. During the outbreaks, five infected individuals had the IgG antibodies that fight against the Reston virus. In 2008, Reston viruses were found in domestic pigs in the Philippines and caused respiratory problems and abortion in sows. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Photo: CDC Global | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A British-made robot will attempt to beat NASA in discovering life on Mars. Designed and built in Stevenage in England by Airbus Defence and Space, the Mars rover is going through final testing for a special experiment in April. The robot named Bruno is one of three prototypes, with the others called Bridget and Bryan, created for planetary navigation. In about two years, a six-wheel machine retaining a brain similar to Brunos will be sent to the red planet to look for signs of life through soil samples and take color images of the landscape. Its not possible to drive this sort of machine with a joystick. Youll crash it, says Airbus Defence and Space head of science Ralph Cordey, warning that Mars is so far that radio signals could take 40 minutes to go back and forth. So this rover is designed to be semi-autonomous. The robot is expected to have the unique capacity to build its own 3D map of its surroundings, outline its own path and steer itself. After its launch on March 14, the ExoMars orbiter will hurtle toward the red planet at 20,500 miles per hour. Thus, scientists are now preparing to work on the rover that will venture into space. This state-of-the-art device, however, also has a limitation: it can get confused by shadows formed by caves and craters. To explore those areas, its more efficient to have a human in the loop, says Jeremy Close, communications director of Airbus Defence and Space. British astronaut Major Tim Peakes help has been enlisted to remotely steer the robot from space. Major Peake, who is part of the crew orbiting Earth from the International Space Station, will drive the rover into a cave, simulated through plunging half the sandpit of Mars to darkness. Peake will steer the robot through a barrier raised across the testing field that measures 98 feet by 42 feet, where he will look for targets that will be marked with X. The testing site lies in a giant hangar that contains 250 tons of sand with artificial boulders along with a panoramic backdrop of the planet. These mean that while human controllers provide coordinates, Bruno will figure out the best way to get somewhere unlike previous rovers that have to sit idle for a long period of time while waiting for instructions beamed up from operators on Earth. The ExoMars probe is the first of two joint missions between the European Space Agency and the Roscosmos of Russia, and it will take on a seven-month journey to explore Mars atmosphere. This years mission involves a Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) that will seek out traces of methane and other compounds that could possibly be shed by biological sources. Methane is a by-product of biological or geological action, breaking down within short periods of time once reaching the atmosphere. Jo Johnson, universities and science minister of the UK, lauded the UK-developed technologies enabling the countrys own Mars mission. We want the UK to be at the forefront of major discoveries like this, Johnson says. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines regarding Zika virus and pregnancy in response to the growing number of infants born with microcephaly. What Is Zika Virus? The Zika virus disease is primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito species. Symptoms of the disease include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, and joint pains. Infected individuals do not usually develop a serious disease, and consultations for symptoms are rare resulting to underreporting of cases. First discovered in 1947, Zika has been causing outbreaks in many tropical locations including Africa, Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia. Zika And Microcephaly Pregnant women can be infected with Zika virus and they can transmit it to their fetus during pregnancy, specifically near the time of birth, CDC says. Infants born from mothers infected with the virus are said to have congenital brain defects, more commonly, microcephaly. It was in May 2015 that an outbreak of Zika virus was reported in Brazil. However, there is not enough evidence to state that Zika virus during pregnancy directly causes microcephaly in infants because other factors such as gene mutation and presence of toxins and certain infections during pregnancy can also cause microcephaly. There were several reports that said pyriproxyfen, a pesticide approved for control of disease-carrying mosquitoes, might be the culprit behind microcephaly. But experts cannot establish a strong connection between microcephaly and Zika virus during pregnancy. Fetuses were also identified to develop other birth defects, such as hearing problems, eye defects, growth impairment, and underdeveloped brain structures. It is not clear how the virus is passed to the fetus. Moreover, if a mother has the virus, it is still uncertain if the infant would have it also, or if the fetus will develop the aforementioned birth defects. It is also yet to be established as to when in the course of pregnancy, fetuses are most likely to develop birth defects if the mother has the infection. For this reason, the CDC strongly advises pregnant women not to travel to areas heavily affected by the Zika virus outbreak. The health agency said that women can get the virus through an infected mosquito bite or through sexual contact with an infected person. Zika And Its Transmission Zika can be transmitted through sexual contact. Because of this, the new CDC advises partners of infected individuals to abstain or exercise caution. Condoms should be used properly during oral, anal, and vaginal sex. For exposed males with symptoms, the agency advises to wait for at least six months before engaging in unprotected sex, as the virus is proven to live longer in the semen. If exposed but without symptoms, waiting time for unprotected sexual contact is eight weeks. Recommendations On Future Pregnancies Since additional studies are being carried out to learn more about Zika virus and its effects on pregnancy, CDC's updated guidelines suggest that women postpone getting pregnant if they live in areas prone to Zika virus. Those who show symptoms of the viral infection or those who tested positive for the infection, should wait for at least eight weeks upon the symptom's onset before trying to get pregnant. "We're learning more every day, and evidence of a link between Zika and a spectrum of birth outcomes is becoming stronger and stronger. ... For people who either have the Zika disease or who travel to an area with active Zika transmission, we are now recommending they wait a period of time before trying to get pregnant," said Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, CDC's Zika virus response team member. Also, available data on Zika virus does not make a previously infected woman at a greater risk of having a child with birth defects in her future pregnancies. Based on known data, previous Zika infection confers immunity to future infection. Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 7 things a coder who has just started programming should know If you have recently ventured in the world of professional software developers, you should probably be aware about the business of writing code for a living that you even cant learn from a university course or a coding academy. Whether youre a recent graduate starting your first developer job, or an older worker whos transitioned to programming, use the arrows above to read 7 pieces of advice for newbie programmers from those whove been there and been doing that for years. Learn about the underlying systems To have knowledge about programming languages is the main part of software development. It is also very important for developers to be aware about whats going on lower down the stack. Pete Bull, a support engineer at Acquia said, Lots of languages abstract away from what is happening at the system level, and that abstraction is useful because it allows developers to be more productive much of the time. But when you hit a roadblock, a really nasty bug, and need a deeper understanding of whats happening under the hood, well its a useful skill to be able to debug a process and look at the system calls and really see how a piece of code is interacting with the rest of the system. Similarly, Robert Douglass, VP of Customer Satisfaction with Platform.sh told IT World that When I was just beginning programming, there were a lot of things that I really didnt understand about computers themselves. File systems, networking, and how things are kept in memory are three obvious examples. This meant that I would not necessarily understand the goals of some of the programming constructs I was being presented with. There are chances that as a developer you may spend most of your time working on a code editor or a fancy IDE. However, also knowing how to execute things at the command line could sometimes make your life easier. A 20-year veteran programmer, who wished to remain anonymous, told IT World, Sometimes you find yourself on a machine where stuff has to be done right now and tools are very limited. Know the shell like you know how to breathe. Tools like find, comm, diff, vi/vim, sed, awk. How to write little scripts right on the command line to find the file that needs to change right fing now because production is broken and Joe who fat fingered a URL in said unknown file is on vacation in Fiji. Bull, who started using Microsoft tools, then slowly moved to Linux, agreed, saying, I would have learned the ins and outs of the command line and all of the useful utilities that are available on a *nix system. I can actually recall code that I wrote years ago, and probably spent days or weeks working on, that probably could have been done better in a grep + awk one-liner. Your debugger is your friend As a coder, you will be spending majority of your time in tracking down bugs. Dave Varon, a bioinformatics developer at Novartis, highlighted the advantage of a debugger and it how can overshadow the initial costs of your time. Learn to use your debugger! he told IT World. Take that extra day or two to configure it. When you dont see the expected result, just debug it: set breakpoints, step through your code, and esp. 3rd party code. It will save you days of frustration, and even better, you will learn things about coding you can only learn by reading someone elses code. Learn to write tests Some developers feel that it is critical to do unit testing, which means to write tests to authenticate that small units of code are doing what they should. Among those people is Richard Handloff, a database developer with Strategic Power Systems. In an email to IT World, he wrote, I think the best bit of advice Id give someone who wants to learn to program is to learn to write good tests and learn to write your tests really early in the process. Plan on change and learning new systems With technology changing quickly these days, the underlying systems, languages, and tools used by programmers also go through changes. Adam Wulf, a mobile developer and founder of Milestone Made, suggests that new coders need to be prepared, and stay ahead of change. Right now, Im of the mind that you should plan to learn essentially brand new technology stack every ~ 4 years, he said. Good foundational knowledge is always applicable, but the tools and tech youll use every day will be completely different every 4 years. Projects are never written in just one language using one framework anymore, said the developer who wished to remain anonymous. You are never going to work on just one thing in one project, get used to moving from project to project and from language/technology to language/technology, he wrote. Play well with others Even though the conventional thought is that programmers work alone, developers still have to work with other people. Ben Miller, the CTO of Sinclair Digital Ventures, stressed on the significance of being able to work as a part of team to your career success. Big projects mean lots of moving parts coming together and how they fit together and divide up the problem can create impossible engineering problems if you arent careful. he wrote via email to IT World. Before trying to optimize that one algorithm, work with the team and make sure there isnt a re-division of the problem that makes each persons problem simpler. Coding is a team sport! Reiterating the significance of people skills, Varon says, If you cant figure it out yourself by re-intuiting the API or debugging, ask for help. Just because you think youve written a masterpiece doesnt mean it isnt crap or cant be better. Just like in college, other people in the room have the same questions, or questions only you can answer. Develop a rapport with colleagues. Often just stating the problem aloud enables a eureka moment. An anonymous source who shared a similar thought on the advantages about being a team player told IT World, Stepping up to the plate and doing what is asked of you even though it is grunt work will keep you employed as well, he said. In that situation, he also warned, But be careful, you may get stuck doing it all the time. Dont be afraid to code yourself out of a job Miller had a rather interesting piece of advice which, at first blush, may not appear instinctive. Coding yourself out of a job gets you promoted, he told IT World. Find the simplest way to solve problems and make your code resilient and maintenance free and people will give you more and more to do. They will even ask you to teach others to do what you do, he explained. In short, worrying about (or at least coding for) job security puts a damper on your career. It is full of speculation when gossip is around. When fact comes to light, however, people lose curiosity. The art of public relation is like from "warming up" to "climax" and finally "unveiling". However, the truth and false of Alibaba investing in Ucar is far more complicated. On March 24th, the tech industry was thrilled by a piece of breaking news that Alibaba became a shareholder of Ucar. Market rumor said that Alibaba has bought into Ucar strategically at the price of 3 billion RMB and accounted for 10% of Ucar shares. After this round of capital raising, Ucar's valuation reaches 30 billion RMB. Several hours later, Alibaba made an announcement that "Alibaba's relationship with Didi is close and pleasant, and will continuously support Didi's development. At present, Alibaba has no new plan in travel field." Reading between the lines of Alibaba's announcement, it was more like a comfort letter for Didi while it didn't deny the investment in Ucar. Behind Alibaba's wording, we can see they have scruple to Didi, but how much? If this whole investment thing comes with no source, then why Alibaba's name was on the shareholders' register roll of Shenzhou Ucar Company Ltd.(the major operation company of Ucar)? According to internal sources, this shareholders' register roll is signed by Charles Lu, the chairman of Ucar, and is stamped with official seal of "Shenzhou Ucar Company Ltd." According to this register roll, Alibaba.com Ltd. China Company and Alibaba Network Company Ltd. (China) hold 33,597,312 shares and 33,597,312 shares respectively. The total amount is 67,194,624 shares, accounting for 9.8% of all 688,312,935 shares issued and outstanding. If the information above is true, then why Alibaba takes a dodging attitude? Where does the scruple come from? Inside Didi, Alibaba now is cornered. It is still a major shareholder of Didi. But when it invests in Ucar, the competitor of Didi, there will be a restrained factor when dealing with Didi. It is like "we are still in relationship, but you find another lover. As your current mate, have you ever considered my feelings (Didi)?" But of course, Alibaba spoke publicly that "the relationship with Didi is close and pleasant". This may be true, but what about Didi's another shareholder Tencent? Currently, Alibaba and Tencent compete in all major fields including clothing, food, housing and travel markets. Alibaba was a major shareholder of Kuaidi before, and Tencent was a shareholder of Didi. After Didi and Kuidi merged, the team of Kuaidi didn't lead the new Didi. What's more, Tencent holds more shares than Alibaba in new Didi, therefore Tencent has a louder voice than Alibaba. The valuation of Didi is now over 20 billion USD, though Didi still confronts some uncertainties including the policy risks of C2C business mode and the timeline of going public. Mr. Cheng Wei, chairman and CEO of Didi, recently said that Didi had no clear timeline of going public. The investors need more patience from strategic perspective. It is still far from harvest time. The subsidy of Didi will continue to exist in the market for a long time. Alibaba is also a shareholder of Meituan.com, and Tencent a shareholder of Dianping.com, while Meituan and Dianping recently completed a merger. Certainly, the consolidation of the first and second players in the market, such as Didi and Kuaidi or Meituan and Dianping, conform the principle of maximizing shareholder's benefits. While the key in these two merger cases is that, Alibaba has less control power. At the end of January, when responding to question about selling Meituan shares, Alibaba's vice president Cai Chongxin said, "It is only a matter of time to sell out Meituan." At the same time, Alibaba invested more resource in Koubei.com. Now it comes to chauffeured car service market. Alibaba's choice of Ucar is in line with its business logic and company interest. After one year's subsidy war, the players left are all "heavyweight", especially Didi, Uber and Ucar. According to the statistics from Roland Berger's report in 2015, Ucar is showing a "catch-up" status entering the high-end market. The market share of Ucar is as high as 42%, much higher than Uber and very close to Didi. For Charles Lu, part of reason of doing chauffeured car service in China is the synergies of car rental and car hailing. In the long term, Lu wants to seize the "entrance of travel on mobile devices", and it is also in line with Alibaba's long-term strategy. Charles Lu emphasizes Ucar's B2C, heavy-asset model, despite doubts from outside world. His logic is that only the heavy-asset model can build industry barrier and control the service quality. From the current policy, we can see that Ucar's advantage is in compliance with current governmental policy. With "professional car and professional driver" method, Ucar is considered as the only company that will gain profit due to the heavy assets after the new chauffeured car policy carries out. In future, at least in near future, the market will be dominated by the so-called 'USD' (Uber, Shenzhou Ucar and Didi). The support of Alibaba and Tencet towards Ucar and Didi will undoubtedly upgrade the competition and capital burning in chauffeured car service market, till it reaches Matthew Effect: the strong one will be stronger and the weak one weaker. Demolition Company Tears Down Wrong House, Employee Blames Google Maps A Texas-based demolition firm accidentally tore down the wrong house before blaming Google Maps for providing the incorrect address for the house it was supposed to tear down. The company, Billy L Nabors Demolition, had obtained a demolition permit for a duplex in Rowlett, Texas. As WFAA-TV reports, the company was sent to demolish 7601 and 7603 Cousteau Drive, a tornado-damaged duplex in Rowlett, Texas. Somehow, 7601 and 7603 Calypso Drive, another tornado-damaged duplex a block away, was torn down, which is one street away. After being informed by a neighbour, the owner of one half of the duplex, Lindsay Diaz, told WFAA that she drove up to the property, only to find that it was gone. How do you make a mistake like this? I mean, this is just the worst, Diaz told WFAA. They really wrecked my life. She added, [Googles] mistake caused me to lose my home. Employees from the company later texted photos from Google Maps that shows the arrow for 7601 Cousteau pointing at the duplex a block away, according to WFAA. The crew reportedly thought they tore down the correct home, adding that the situation was not a big deal. Demolition companies are not required to be licensed in the state of Texas, but all contractors working in tornado-damaged areas must register with the city of Rowlett. Diaz then reported to CBS: The team went out in the morning They called him. They said, were at 7601, 7603. Is it the corner lot? Was it damaged by the tornado? Yes, yes, yes. Except the street wasnt confirmed. Brian Funderburk, city manager, precluded the firms attempts to play down the situation. He told WFAA: I think this is a huge deal. The homeowners were in the process of trying to figure out what it was going to take to repair their home and now theyre looking at rebuilding it instead. I think this is a very big deal. Local residents took to the companys Facebook page to criticize the company for not compensating Diaz for the error. We all make mistakes, and this was a colossal mistake, but an even bigger mistake is not reaching out to the people with a basic apology whose lives were catastrophically upended upon learning their homes were destroyed, said one Facebook user. However, in an email, Google acknowledged the Maps error and said its investigating the cause. Google Maps did indeed show incorrect information for the houses in question, a spokeswoman told CNNMoney. Both addresses were shown as being in the same location (7601 Calypso Dr) on Google Maps the issue was fixed as soon as it was brought to our attention. Google Maps now points to Diazs home accurately. Apple Maps, Yahoo Maps and MapQuest also display the correct information. Google Maps uses a combination of satellite, aerial and street-level images and data to chart the world. The company also takes submissions and change requests through its Google Map Maker tool to keep its maps up to date. Ever since GPS was created, people have followed instructions from these sources without question. GPS errors occur quite frequently leading to hilarious outcomes, sometimes even deadly. For many people, the political debate about immigration is never more relevant to their everyday lives than when using the NHS. The health services dependence on non-British staff is obvious to anyone visiting a hospital. The work done by those staff is very often first class, and some NHS managers reckon the service could not survive without them. But is this situation desirable? And is it inevitable? The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) thinks not. It has recommended an annual cap on the number of nurses admitted from outside Europe, a plan that deserves serious consideration. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. It is a departure from standards that might ordinarily drive sergeant majors into a fury. But in the race to find cyber warfare soldiers to help wage hi-tech conflict, specialist recruits are being given a waiver from normal military regulations and allowed to have long hair, the Ministry of Defence has said. Highly skilled cyber specialists are being granted individual exemptions from rules on appearance in an attempt to attract computer experts who may otherwise be put off from joining up. The special measure is being taken because of the difficulties attracting much sought after geeks to the new cyber reserve which is critical for the militarys plans to wage war on the new digital front lines. Commanders keen to recurit specialist expertise for 21st century warfare are also considering exemptions for reservist cultural advisers, linguists, intelligence analysts and criminal investigators. The scandal emerged after the officers wife discovered he was having one-off sexual liaisons with men he met near his Army base and close to the headquarters of MI6 in south London. The woman is divorcing him but reported his activities to military commanders as she feared he had broken his security clearance and would be vulnerable to blackmail by hostile intelligence services. The agent has taken part in intelligence-gathering operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and has received a military decoration from the Queen. He is a leading expert in identifying high-value targets key players in terrorist organisations who might be targeted for surveillance and could become double agents. It is understood that the officer, whom The Telegraph has chosen not to name, had access to classified material as part of his job. In the course of some of his roles, he has interrogated intelligence targets. British spy agencies take great care to protect the identities of their staff. However, in a preliminary hearing at a family court last year, a barrister for the officer told the court he was a spook and an agent handler, according to an official transcript of the case. During the investigation officers from the Metropolitan Polices murder squad twice questioned the mans children about the allegations, causing great distress. But almost a week after the Met announced it was bringing the curtain down on the farcical 2 million investigation having failed to find any evidence to support the allegations, the family of Nicks stepfather have still not been informed. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died in 1995, but the investigation has put great pressure on his three children and ex-wife. They are now angry that despite issuing a statement to the press confirming the investigation was over, nobody from the Met has contacted them to explain what has gone on. You are here: Home Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Friday urged implementation of a new round of rural electric power grid upgrades in a bid to improve rural residents' livelihoods and bolster China's economy. Zhang stressed the pressing need to upgrade the rural power grid in a State Council teleconference, as the changes are in line with the country's supply-side structural reform and will help promote steady economic growth. The government will promote full power supply coverage for motor-pumped well facilities in villages on flat land by the end of 2017, he said. Priority should be given to Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous regions as well as Tibetan areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, he added. Zhang called on local authorities to prioritize the grid upgrades and help companies carry out the project. China will invest more than 700 billion yuan (107 billion U.S. dollars) in rural power grid upgrades, according to a government statement released last month. Armed guards blocked the entrance to the Kenyan wildlife reserve on Saturday as the Duke of Cambridge attended the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Jessica Craig. The guards, who said their job was to prevent poachers, said entry to the sprawling 55,000 acre estate was only open to guests invited to the wedding. They patrolled the driveway leading to the gate to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy where "Jecca" Craig, 34, will marry conservationist Professor Jonathan Baillie in a hilltop ceremony. Catering vans and 4x4s were seen going in and out of the reserve, which was founded by Miss Craig's father, the conservationist Ian Craig. Senior Tories are in a row with the Government over what they claim are "disastrous" plans to station up to 1,000 British troops in a specially-created "Green Zone" in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The plans are part of a joint British-Italian military assistance package to Libya's new unity government, which was formed last month in a bid to end more than a year of civil war. The Government has insisted that British troops will do only training rather than front-line combat, and that no firm decisions have been made about where they would be stationed. But members of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee say moves are being considered to base the training mission in Tripoli itself, despite opposition among Libyans to any kind of foreign troop presence on their soil. Crispin Blunt, the Tory MP an ex-Army officer who chairs the committee, told the Daily Telegraph that the troops would be sitting targets for attacks by the Islamic State jihadists that now control parts of Libya. They could also be at risk from militias opposed to the new unity government. German federal police registered just 808 new arrivals in the five days from Friday, March 18 to Wednesday 23, according to figures leaked to Bild newspaper. That was an average of 135 migrants a day, a far cry from the 1.1m who entered Germany last year - an average of just over 3,000 per day. Overall police have registered 109,000 new arrivals so far this year. As recently as mid-February more than 2,000 asylum-seekers were crossing Germanys borders each day. Mrs Merkel has spoken out against moves by Austria, Macedonia and other countries to close their borders to asylum-seekers, warning it risks causing a new crisis in Greece. But Germany has been a beneficiary of the border closures, which have prevented migrants travelling across Europe. An Irish schoolteacher who came to a Jerusalem hospital convinced she was about to give birth to the Baby Jesus when in fact she was not even pregnant. A Canadian tourist who believed he was the Biblical strongman Sampson and tried to tear stone blocks out of the Wailing Wall. An Austrian man who flew into a rage in his hotel kitchen when staff refused to prepare the the Last Supper for him. These are just a few examples of what has come to be known as the Jerusalem Syndrome: a well-documented phenomenon where foreign visitors suffer psychotic delusions that they are figures from the Bible or harbingers of the End of Days. Israels health ministry records around 50 cases a year where a tourists delusions are so strong that police or mental health professionals are forced to intervene. Many more incidents go undocumented on the streets of Jerusalems Old City. The citys hospitals are expecting fresh cases as tourists flock to Jerusalem for the Easter weekend and doctors are preparing now-familiar routines of alerting foreign embassies that one their citizens believes he is John the Baptist or King Solomon. Chinese Dream [By Gu Peili/China.org.cn] The Outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan that was adopted by the recently concluded NPC is full of promising messages to the Chinese people and the world. They reaffirm not only the declared goal of achieving a "moderately well-off society in all respects" to be achieved by 2020, but also squarely address many current problems. The strategy envisages doubling the 2010 GDP and per capita income of urban and rural residents by 2020 and tackling problems such as rural-urban imbalance, currently 0:3, increasing income inequalities, the gini coefficient 0.45, regional disparities, and environmental degradation, known to be the highest emission of carbon in the world. China aims to reach the level of a US$13 trillion economy with a reasonable growth rate of 6.5 to 7% in the next five years. The Western press clearly is not impressed and wishes to push for more market reforms, especially in relation to the state-owned enterprises and in the financial sector. However, the Xi Jinping leadership is standing firm to pursue a line that has evolved over the years combining the state's role in macro-economic management with a steady promotion of market forces. After the financial crisis in 2008, this perspective is even more significant. In fact, the "decisive role" and "deepening" of the market forces were reiterated while clearly affirming the role of the central leadership to guide the allocation of resources to achieve social goals and intervene in crisis situations as was the case in the fluctuating stock market during the past year. What has been welcomed all over the world is the clear commitment to a structural shift in the economy that focuses on innovation and quality in the entire range of production while expanding the service sector. Premier Li Keqiang described them as the new drivers of growth and this is the centerpiece in the new strategy. This takes China from being a country of export manufacturing to a country of creative producers and conscious and capable consumers participating in the process of global transformation toward the common development of humankind with equity and sustainability. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. The black-and-white images shows Mr Tam being approached by a male assailant and then walking onto the road in an attempt to get away. The hooded attacker then chases Mr Tam across the street - running in front of an oncoming car, which is forced to stop - before catching him and forcing him to the ground. He then appears to strike Mr Tam on the head at least twice with an object before grabbing his bag and running away. Mr Tam lies prone in the middle of the street for several seconds before trying to get up. In the immediate aftermath of the assault, police called his injuries severe and life threatening . The 2010 port visit cost the United States about $1.6 million, officials said. "Captain Dusek's betrayal is the most distressing because the navy placed so much trust, power and authority in his hands," said US Attorney Laura Duffy. "This is a fitting sentence for a man who was so valuable that his conspirators labeled him their 'golden asset.'" As part of his guilty plea, Leonard Francis admitted he bilked the US military out of tens of millions of dollars by routinely overbilling for fuel, tugboat services and sewage disposal. He agreed to forfeit $35 million that he made in the scheme and to repay the navy whatever amount the court decides. Donald Trump moved to mend fences with British public opinion last night while remaining unrepentant over his comments about Muslims in the US and Europe. He used a television interview to flatter the United Kingdom, proclaiming his love for Britain and predicting the UK will back Brexit, while maintaining his attacks on Muslims whom he said had not integrated into European or American society. The billionaire businessmans remarks calling for a ban on Muslims entering the US in the wake of Decembers shootings in San Bernardino caused widespread anger in Britain, with more than 500,000 people signing a petition calling for him to be excluded from the UK. 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 Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Russian Presidential Administration chief Sergei Ivanov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 25, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The strategic cooperation between China and Russia is a "key factor" in maintaining global and regional peace and stability, President Xi Jinping said on Friday. Since China and Russia are each other's most important strategic cooperative partner, the development of their relationship is a joint choice and has been prioritized in the diplomacy of both countries, Xi told Sergei Ivanov, Russia's visiting presidential chief of staff and the country's former defense minister. The two countries should enhance communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, as well as work together to push forward the resolution of major issues, Xi said. The president expressed his support for the current communication mechanism, under which the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee established direct ties with the Russian presidential administration. It is the first of its kind established by the General Office and the administration of a foreign country. The mechanism has played a positive role in boosting communications between the leaders of the two countries, Xi said, adding that he has been in close contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years. Ivanov said Putin is preparing for his visit to China in June, and the two presidents have arranged a series of meetings for this year, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik News. Ivanov has also met with other senior officials including Wang Qishan, China's top anti-graft official; Li Zhanshu, director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. In his talks with Wang, Ivanov said Russia attached great importance to the exchanges and cooperation with China in fighting corruption, China's Foreign Ministry said. Chen Yurong, a senior researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said China and Russia share many common interests in areas including geographic politics, business and security. As a result, the two countries have a strong desire to enhance cooperation, Chen said. Flash Police officers and investigators search a flat during an anti-terrorist operation in Argenteuil, near Paris, France on March 25, 2016. One person was arrested and several controlled detonations were carried out during a major police operation in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek on Friday afternoon, local media reported. (Xinhua/Theo Duval) Three of the seven people arrested so far as part of the investigation into the Brussels terror attacks have been freed, Belgium's federal prosecutor confirmed in a statement issued on Friday. Three people arrested outside the offices of the federal prosecutor on Thursday, identified as Faycal C., Khalid A. and Mariam A., were released by the investigating magistrate. Details of the police raids on Thursday in central Brussels and Schaerbeek were not disclosed. A fourth person, Ali E., was arrested in Brussels on Thursday and taken in for questioning. On the same day, two other people, Abu A. and a second individual whose identity has not been made public, were arrested in their car on the Brussels ring road at the exit for Jette. Finally, still in connection with the Brussels attacks, a man was arrested on Friday afternoon as part of a major police operation in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek, on the Place Meiser road junction. A heavy police presence was deployed. According to La Libre newspaper, the man was wounded in the leg and taken to hospital, bringing to seven the number of people arrested since the attacks on March 22. At the same time, Reda K., a 34-year-old Frenchman, was arrested in the Paris region during an operation led by France's internal security force DGSI. According to Le Monde newspaper, five Kalashnikov rifles, a machine gun, seven handguns and various ammunitions and chemicals were found at his home. In the latest development, a metro station in central Brussels was evacuated on Friday afternoon, local media reported, without further details. ServisHero, the Malaysian-based local services App in Southeast Asia, launches in third South East Asian country, Thailand, after completing a USD $2.7 million Pre-A round led by Golden Gate Ventures 21st March 2016 ServisHero, the online marketplace that connects users with service providers, has officially launched in Thailand. Described as the GrabTaxi or Uber for the local services industry, ServisHero simplifies the way customers find and hire service providers for their home and office needs. It offers a tailored marketplace that pairs customized jobs with the most relevant service providers. Launched in June 2015 in Malaysia, ServisHero has since received over 50,000 downloads and the business has experienced double digit percentage transaction growth every month. Today thousands of local service providers in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand use ServisHero App to source new customers, uplifting their income levels whilst showcasing their credentials and reviews to consumers. The launch in Thailand is in line with the company announcing the completion of a USD $2.7 million Pre-A round, led by Golden Gate Ventures, with participation by Cradle Seed Ventures (a Venture Capital fund related to the Malaysian Government). The Read the complete story here Not that it should necessarily matter that a player welfare program isn't entirely understood by the public. But tolerance can be granted only if the policy is fundamentally sound and demonstrably works. The AFL's illicit drug policy cannot lay claim to either of these qualities. If it was as fundamentally sound as we were assured it was, why did it need to be toughened last year? If it's working, why are we hearing descriptions of "volcanic" player behaviour and reading eyebrow-raising headlines about levels of usage during player holidays? And if it's working, why are players breaking out as soon as they get off the leash at holiday time? That the code needs to be hardened is the easy, lazy, and draconian response. It already brings a level of scrutiny few Australians face in their workplace. What the policy almost certainly requires is a more serious effort in the area of education. A mechanism that entraps, exposes, and punishes will only encourage a petty criminal's mindset towards beating it. And what happens when such players leave the AFL system? That club administrators, and others, continue pushing the AFL towards a more stringent code verges on the immoral. When the policy in its original form was agreed to, the AFLPA accepted the invasion of privacy and potential for negative exposure of individual members that few in our community are required to endure. There was no obligation to do so and not all players were for it. Understandably, they insisted on strict conditions. Yet not a season has gone by since - indeed barely a month in any season - when pressure has not been applied to force them to compromise on these. The body of a woman believed to be that of missing health worker Gayle Woodford has been found in South Australia. Police found the body about 1.5km east of Fregon on Saturday, after Ms Woodford was believed to have been taken from her home early on Thursday morning. Missing health worker Gayle Woodford. Credit:Facebook The 56-year-old's ambulance was also allegedly stolen on Thursday morning, and police have charged a 36-year-old Fregon man with theft of a motor vehicle and driving while unlicensed. Forensic investigators will leave Adelaide on Sunday morning to examine the scene, which is under police guard. Flash Yutaka Yokoi. Japan appointed a diplomat with a specialized background in Chinese affairs as its new ambassador to China on Friday. Yutaka Yokoi, the former ambassador to Turkey, is one of Japan's "China-school" diplomats who underwent language training in China with a specific focus on the relationship with China. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida called Yokoi an expert on Chinese affairs and described the appointment as the "right man in the right place". He becomes the first ambassador to China from the "China school" since 2010. Yuji Miyamoto, who served in the top post in Beijing from 2006 to 2010, was Japan's last such ambassador. Since then, diplomats with different backgrounds have been appointed to the post. Masato Kitera, whom Yokoi will replace, is a French specialist. Uichiro Niwa, a former adviser to Itochu Corp, became ambassador to China in 2010 when the Democratic Party of Japan was the ruling party. Yokoi joined Japan's Foreign Ministry in 1979 and has held a number of posts, including director of the China and Mongolia Division, chief minister at the Japanese embassy in Beijing and ministry spokesman before becoming ambassador to Turkey in 2013. He also was consul general in Shanghai. According to ifeng.com, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television's website, Yokoi likes Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and the traditional Chinese comic performance known as crosstalk. His favorite crosstalk performer is Guo Degang, a well-known comedian who runs the De Yun She comedy club. Japan's Nikkei Shimbun newspaper said Yokoi's appointment is aimed at sharpening Japan's analysis of Chinese affairs. China and Japan will observe the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year. By sending a "China school" ambassador to Beijing, Japan is driving home the message that it is working to improve ties with China, Nikkei Shimbun said. Xu Dunxin, former vice-foreign minister and former Chinese ambassador to Japan, said Yokoi is an experienced diplomat who knows China well. "I worked with him before, and I hope that by appointing a 'China hand' as the new ambassador, it can help to improve the bilateral relationship and strengthen understanding between the people," Xu said. However, Xu added, "the problems between China and Japan cannot be solved by just an appointment, no matter who he is. It depends on Japan's foreign policy on China, and Japan should make concrete efforts to improve its ties with Beijing." Budapest: Hungary's former education secretary Istvan Klinghammer may live to regret calling the nation's teachers a bunch of "dishevelled and unshaven types in checked shirts". Because the checked shirt has come to symbolise a movement that goes beyond its original aim of protesting the rot in education and now challenges the illiberal government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Near the Iron Curtain memorial, Budapest teachers wear check in protest at the state of Hungarian education. Credit:Helen Womack Tens of thousands of teachers and other citizens turned out for a march from Heroes' Square to parliament on Hungary's national day, marking the 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule. As it poured with rain, the checked shirts were hidden under coats but many sported checked scarves or carried checked umbrellas to make their point. "The checked shirt insult to our profession was too much. Teachers and students started wearing checked shirts to class," said a state school teacher who, fearing possible dismissal, asked to be identified only as Monika. The law caught up with a wanted man on the streets of North Carolina this week. The man, James Meyers, was driving his 10-year-old daughter to school in Concord, North Carolina, northeast of Charlotte, when a police car pulled him over for a broken brake light. A scene from Freddy Got Fingered, the film in question. Credit:Scott Gries But when the officer ran his license, he confronted him with an older crime, from 14 years ago. "Sir, I don't know how to tell you this," the officer began. Meyers had a 2002 warrant out for his arrest for failing to return a VHS movie rental of Freddy Got Fingered. "I just laughed," Meyers recalled. In Canberra's north there is a house that looks perfectly normal from the outside, but is the latest addition to the capital's growing, custom-built accommodation for people living with disability. The house accommodates four residents with a variety of cognitive, learning and communication impediments, for all of whom this is their first time living out of home. CHC Affordable Housing is focusing on providing accommodation for people with a disability and for ageing Canberrans. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr was joined by the residents and families of the specialised accommodation at the McKellar opening on Thursday, March 24. Kim Sinclair, CEO of the organisation behind the house, CHC Affordable Housing, said, "From the outside it just looks like a nice big brand-new home." Thousands of Canberrans may have to choose between a regular winter holiday and the traditional election-night party after Malcolm Turnbull's threat to the Senate to call a July 2 poll. And if history is a reliable guide, a decision to hold only the third winter federal election since World War II could discourage more than 100,000 people from voting at all. Canberrans, pictured voting in Civic in 2010, are more used to overseas travel than voting in July. Credit:Andrew Sheargold July was the favourite month for Canberrans to travel overseas last year, with 11.5 per cent of all bookings, narrowly beating out September, Flight Centre figures show. Those looking for somewhere closer to home were most likely to take a domestic trip in December, with July the equal-second most popular month for an escape. Howard Carew has owned a printing business for 30 of the years he has been in Canberra. Since semi-retirement he has been active in community affairs. TT: I favour more ground roots participation in the growth of Canberra. What are your thoughts in regard to transport and growth? Molonglo's location on the way to the Cotter and its natural beauty could make it a tourist attraction with unique features. Credit:Graham Tidy HC: We all love Canberra but we are heading the wrong way with centralisation and light rail. London's total area is 1570 square kilometres. Canberra and its town centres are close to that area. London's population is around 8.5 million. The capital territory has 400,000. Our transport system must be suited to our very unique metropolis. No heavy or light rail, instead electric buses and the car. At the moment electric buses are in production that can travel over 1000 kilometres on a single charge. With them our transport system will cost a lot less. TT: How does this feed into planning policy? This is a secular and pluralistic newspaper, but we acknowledge and deeply respect religions and the role faith plays in the lives of so many people in Australia and throughout the world. And with so many feeling the world is in turmoil in the wake of this week's deadly terrorist attack in Brussels the latest travesty and tragedy in a long series of crimes against humanity in the name of Islam, a claim accurately rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, people devastated and outraged at the unholy usurping of their religion it is perhaps an apposite moment to reflect on things that unite us all, whatever our beliefs. Easter is a sacred time in the calendar of those whose religion is based on Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified by dictatorial lackeys some 2000 years ago for his radical beliefs in humanity and in a god. Easter is about redemption and resurrection. It is about hope. It is about forgiveness and an abiding belief that existence is a miraculous and mysterious gift that brings with it a duty to be kind and gentle, humble and gracious. The unassailable ethic found in religions is that we should treat each other as we would seek to be treated. Associated with that is the notion that to believe in a god is to believe in the transcendent power of love for others and for oneself. That golden rule of treating others as we want to be treated might be common to religions, but it is not limited to religions. It is a fundamentally human ethic, and it compels empathy and compassion. It provides a guide to living decently and gives to us all a moral foundation, a set of first principles from which to determine individual and collective behaviour. We've all heard of the excuses. "He didn't mean to do it." "I pushed him too hard." Statements of this type reflect the unfair burden of guilt carried by the victims of family violence, the humiliation that is exploited by perpetrators, allowing them to lash out again, and again, and again. Long were discussions of family violence taboo, the nation's shame hidden. The fault is entirely that of the perpetrator a man targeting a woman or child in the overwhelming number of cases and as a country we are better now at confronting reality. The courageous choice of victims such as Rosie Batty to speak out after tragic events has helped others who suffer abuse to understand they are not alone. The violence might never be eradicated, but it can never be accepted. This makes the role of police essential. There is hardly a greater breach of trust than to be assaulted by a loved one, and a victim who turns to the guardians appointed by society must have faith any complaint will be taken seriously. These are not matters best resolved at home. Victims should be supported, and how to do so best has been the focus of the national conversation in recent times. But as Australia has confronted the disgrace of family violence, police have also given greater attention to serial offenders. This is not only the repeat bashing endured by a wife or partner, but men who have deliberately and callously preyed on successive women over years, their crimes often hidden by the reluctance of victims to report the assaults. The decision by Victoria Police to form a Family Violence Taskforce is therefore to be applauded, because it acknowledges the insidious nature of domestic violence. The statistics we report today are galling. More than 15,000 people have been charged with crimes relating to three or more victims in the past decade the worst 20 offenders had a string of more than 10 victims. It appears the task force investigation will reveal the true scale of this crime within our community to be far worse. Family violence is not limited by wealth or social standing. Yet it is clear these predatory repeat offenders regularly target women who are already vulnerable, such as the victims of child sexual abuse, those with dependency problems, unemployed single mothers, or people with little education or means. There are no easy solutions but it is encouraging police have learned from overseas experience. The taskforce to investigate serial offenders is an idea borrowed from Scotland. The Scottish model is said to have revolutionised the police approach to family violence by treating domestic abuse investigations in a similar fashion to homicide investigations, with meticulous examination of the evidence and a dogged pursuit of the offender. Looking abroad makes sense because the experience of domestic violence in this country is far from unique. Australia should aspire to learn from other jurisdictions, and in turn to encourage near neighbours in the Pacific especially Papua New Guinea to tackle appalling rates of gender violence. Such an example will carry weight by matching words with resources. We supported Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in September when he committed $100 million to tackle domestic violence. Funds are available to trial GPS trackers for abusers, mobile alarms for victims and education programs in schools all of which are worthy initiatives. More money should be devoted to refuge and shelter accommodation and the Victorian government should also ensure police have every support in tracking down recidivist offenders. The cost of domestic violence to our community is immense in physical and emotional consequences. As we said in September, we might not know of the war within some people's homes as we go about our lives, but we walk among the victims every day. Our society has taken bold steps in recent years, rejecting the kind of violence once accepted, such as with the introduction of "one-punch" laws. The community is willing to bear the necessary financial cost of attempting to protect victims of domestic violence. And another thing One of the first things we do as children, in discovering a ballpoint lying around, is to draw squiggly lines on our arms and legs and feel pretty damn pleased with ourselves, until mummy comes along and throws a fit. Domestic violence tears our society apart. Credit:David LoSchiavo Childhood development experts suggest a violent reaction tends to only encourage children to repeat the offensive behaviour because it's fun to send one's parents mental. HUMAN ACTS Han Kang Portobello $27.99 The American journalist David Rieff has recently asked whether the current concern with historical and political memory might not have become counterproductive: forgetting can also be a necessary part of healing. The new novel by Han Kang, the South Korean writer whose The Vegetarian was one of the high points of 2015, is not ready to concede the point and asks what happens when people are not allowed to remember. Students attack riot police who block their march to former president Chun Doo-hwan's house in Seoul, in December 1995. About 1,500 students demanded punishment for Chun, who was president at the time of the 1980 Kwangju military massacre. Credit:AP In 1979, the South Korean military leader Park Chung-hee was assassinated, and his protege Chun Doo-hwan took over. But the democratic hopes inspired by Park's death were not easily put aside. The following year, there were demonstrations in Seoul, and in Gwangju, a provincial city in a region that Park's regime had neglected, opposition was fiercer and the crackdown bloodier. The numbers are still disputed, but in May 1980, hundreds, possibly thousands, were killed in street battles and massacres; thousands were imprisoned and tortured. This traumatic episode was only recognised by the South Korean government in the late 1990s. Human Acts deals with the long aftermath of these events. It is not a book of cinematic action and rousing speeches; rather it deals with mourning and repression, its mood elegiac and bitter. It begins with bodies laid out in a gymnasium and ends with a candle flickering over a grave in a newly official memorial park. Human Acts by Han Kang. Different voices carry the narrative, speaking from 1980s down to the present day: the living and the dead both speak. Although Human Acts is little over 200 pages, there is a sense of epic spaciousness in the 35-year time scheme and shifting viewpoints and eloquent prose (well translated by Deborah Smith). During the uprising, a student gives an account of looking for his dead friend in the chaos; another dead student follows the itinerary of his own corpse, loaded onto a truck with its fellow dead, piled up and burnt; in the mid-'80s a publisher's editor tries to get a play cleared for performance; two men who were jailed and tortured meet up over the years, both their lives now wrecked. "After you died, I couldn't hold a funeral, so my whole life became a funeral," says the mother of the dead boy the question of whose fate bookends the novel. As in The Vegetarian Han Kang is very interested in corporeality: corpses bloat and seep and become unrecognisable to their former inhabitants' loved ones (and, pointedly, the play manuscript comes back from the censor in a similarly distressed condition). Power is viciously physical: the tortures inflicted on the prisoners find a rhyme in the slaps given the publisher's editor by a policeman interrogating her because a translator she employs is an enemy of the regime. Throughout, there is imagery of a resonant sparseness: wind and water and fire, and toxicity, nature out of joint. The traditional comparison of a soul to a candle flame has a monstrous reprise in the petrol-fuelled pyres that consume the dead students, and another ex-prisoner, a factory girl, goes to work for an environmental wing of the labour movement, while a character in another chapter observes that being tortured is like radiation poisoning: the effects linger for the whole of a person's life. The Brussels terror attacks "refocus" the need to crush the so-called Islamic State on its home turf to stop its followers reaching out across the globe, the head of Australia's training mission in Iraq says. Speaking several days after the bombings in the Belgian capital that killed 31 people, Colonel Gavin Keating, commander of the Anzac forces training Iraqis just north of Baghdad, said the attacks reminded the Australians and New Zealanders why they were there. The commander of the Australian Army Task Group in Taji, Colonel Gavin Keating. Credit:Gary Ramage "It's a reminder that if we can help the Iraqis [defeat the Islamic State], more quickly and more effectively, it will ultimately make everyone safer. From our perspective, Daesh is not only a threat in Iraq, it's spread wider and if we can deal with it, or help the Iraqis deal with it here, that's going to help everybody," he said. Flash The Pentagon announced on Friday a senior Islamic State (IS) commander in Syria believed to be in line to lead the extremist group had been killed by the United States. Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Haji Imam or al-Afri, served as IS's finance minister, and was killed this week by U.S. military, U.S. defense chief Ash Carter said here at a Pentagon briefing. "We've taken out the leader who oversees the funding for ISIL's operations, hurting their ability to pay fighters and hire recruits," said Carter, adding that the U.S.-led coalition was "systematically eliminating" IS's cabinet. Carter refused to offer details about the operation against al-Qaduli, whom many analysts consider the extremist group's second-in-command expected to lead the group if its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed or incapacitated. U.S. TV network CNN on Friday quoted U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying that the U.S. raid was initially intended to capture al-Qaduli alive. Meanwhile, Carter acknowledged that striking IS leadership was far from sufficient, noting that "leaders can be replaced." This was not the first time al-Qaduli had been declared dead. The Iraqi Defense Ministry last May announced that a U.S.-led coalition airstrike killed him in northern Iraq, a claim soon dismissed by the Pentagon. The U.S. Department of Treasury designated al-Qaduli as a specially global terrorist in 2014. In 2015, the U.S. State Department offered a 7 million U.S. dollars reward for information on him, the highest reward for any IS member except for the group's leader al-Baghdadi. Eric Abetz (right) has offered some advice on savings to Malcolm Turnbull (left). Credit:Andrew Meares As a cabinet member, Abetz was disciplined and discreet. He toed the party line. As a backbencher, he hasn't gone rogue, exactly, but is certainly behaving as if let off a leash. An unofficial spokesman for disaffected conservatives and Abbott loyalists, he has put forward views contrary to Turnbull's on everything from the deployment of more Australian troops to the Middle East (Abetz argued in favour) to the legalisation of same-sex marriage (vehemently against). As we drink tea in Hobart, he decides to go further. He feels like getting a couple of things off his chest. "I shouldn't indulge in this way," he tells me, "but I will." John Howard, Eric Abetz and Tony Abbott in 2015. 'The notorious Godwin Grech matter' IT WAS ONE of the odder episodes in recent Australian political history, and both Turnbull and Abetz were at the centre of it. The "notorious Godwin Grech matter", as Abetz refers to it, marked the beginning of the end of Turnbull's first attempt to become prime minister. His credibility damaged, the then federal opposition leader was defeated by Abbott in a party-room ballot in December 2009. Abetz's reputation took a hit, too unfairly so, he has always felt. Now he is ready to give his side of the story. "Malcolm was the one who rang me to say, 'Come to Sydney. Got to introduce you to a fellow,' " he begins. Abetz with Peter Cosgrove in 2000. Credit:Courtesy of Eric Abetz Godwin Grech was the federal Treasury official in charge of OzCar, a scheme introduced by Kevin Rudd's Labor government to help car dealers survive the global credit crunch. Abetz describes attending a clandestine meeting with Grech and Turnbull ("it was all Secret Squirrel stuff, quite bizarre") at which Grech told them of an email from a Rudd staffer seeking preferential treatment for a dealer friend of Rudd's. Turnbull, who thought both Rudd and his treasurer Wayne Swan could be brought down by information in Grech's possession, entrusted Abetz to draw explosive testimony from the senior public servant at a Senate inquiry. "If I might say, it was nearly faultless," Abetz says of his questioning of Grech. "Most people thought it was exceptional, and Malcolm was full of praise for my capacities and abilities, etcetera." Abetz (top right) in 1978, with fellow Young Liberals and then PM Malcolm Fraser (front row, centre). But intense embarrassment was to follow. A day after Turnbull called for Rudd's and Swan's resignations, a police investigation found the email was fake. Abetz says he had tried to warn Turnbull and other senior Liberals of this possibility, but they didn't want to listen. "I was laughed at," he says. "Laughed at, and ridiculed. There's a little scoop for you! Once again, it comes back to discernment, to judgement." He emphasises that it was he, not Turnbull, who made a public apology when the truth came out. "I apologised to suck up the public odium, to protect the leader." Abetz can think of other occasions when, having done the right thing, he has felt let down by his colleagues' lack of moral fibre. "All I will say is that politics is a test of character," he says grimly. "And people's characters become exposed through the fullness of time." Abetz's flyer for the University of Tasmania student elections. Credit:Courtesy of Eric Abetz 'Everything is a political point to be scored' THE NEAREST PLANET outside our solar system potentially capable of supporting life is Gliese 581d, some 20 light-years away. During National Science Week in 2009, while the OzCar imbroglio was still making headlines, Abetz was invited to compose a message to be transmitted to the planet from the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. Labor's science minister, Kim Carr, had written: "Hello from Australia on the planet we call Earth. These messages express our people's dreams for the future. We want to share those dreams with you." Abetz wrote: "The Coalition dreams that by the time you receive this message in 2029 Australia will be free of Labor debt. Sadly we're not holding our breath." To anyone who knew Abetz, it was entirely in character. "Everything is a political point to be scored," says Hobart barrister and former Liberal staffer Greg Barns. "It is always combative." Barns was selected in 2002 to stand for the party in the federal Tasmanian seat of Denison, only to be disendorsed after publicly criticising Liberal asylum-seeker policy. According to Bob Cheek, who was then the party's state parliamentary leader, Barns' outspokenness infuriated Abetz, then special minister of state in John Howard's Coalition government. "Eric was the bloke pulling all the strings to get rid of Barns as a candidate," Cheek says. It seems to economist Saul Eslake, a former Young Liberals president and long-time acquaintance of Abetz, to be ironic that a person who once brooked no dissent in party ranks now feels entitled to speak his mind on a range of contentious issues. "He is exercising rights that, in the Tasmanian context, he has probably done more than anyone else to extinguish," Eslake says. One person encouraging Abetz all the way is Lyle Shelton, managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby. "We've been very thankful for his advocacy in the Parliament for a number of issues which we obviously hold very dear," Shelton says. Abetz is an active member of the Christian Reformed Church (which holds that everything in the Bible is true, and that Jesus Christ will one day personally return to judge the living and the dead). Like Shelton, he is opposed to abortion, voluntary euthanasia and same-sex marriage. Explaining his strong feelings about the latter, he tells me that children are known to benefit from being raised by both biological parents in traditional heterosexual partnerships. Research suggests "very strongly" that this is "the best format for the socialisation of the next generation", he says. On the federal government's Australian Institute of Family Studies website, I read that research here and overseas has found children in same-sex parented families "do as well emotionally, socially and educationally as their peers from heterosexual couple families". I am reminded of Abetz's claim on Channel Ten's The Project in 2014 that studies dating from the 1950s suggested a link between abortion and breast cancer. As was pointed out by the Australian Medical Association president, Professor Brian Owler, any such connection had been conclusively debunked. To Abetz, it is plain that some of his critics take issue with him on ideological grounds: "If you're a conservative, especially a Christian conservative, no matter what you say, it's wrong." Sometimes he feels like a member of a persecuted minority. "We have the media gushing over indigenous spirituality, or the Greens over the spirituality of the wilderness, but when you talk about Christian spirituality, it's as though you can't revere it." Defiance, he thinks, may be the best response: "I don't mind saying that my world-view is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs. If you want to trash them, fine!" Does he believe his world view to be better than, say, a Muslim one? Absolutely, he replies. "Excuse me, why aren't people fleeing the Western countries based on Judeo-Christian ethics to the Muslim countries? There is a difference. We do treat our women differently, for example. We do have a different sense of democracy, we do have a sense of the rule of law. The Judeo-Christian ethic has the sense of forgiveness and rehabilitation. We don't believe in chopping off people's hands if they've been caught stealing, or stoning a woman if she's been raped." 'I suspect that he was born a conservative warrior' SOME POLITICIANS ALLOW themselves to relax a little between election campaigns. Abetz, however, is permanently on a war-footing. Calling for reform of the NSW Liberal Party, he describes overhauling the division as "mission-critical". Though courteous, he does not waste time on meaningless pleasantries: when he leaves phone messages, they begin, "Purpose of call ..." His drive and energy never cease to amaze his former staffer, Jonathon Duniam, now deputy chief of staff to Tasmania's Liberal Premier, Will Hodgman. "He's a bloke who's up at the crack of dawn thinking about what he's got to do," Duniam says. Tony Abbott, who has known Abetz since their student days, tells me he hasn't changed much. "I suspect that he was born a conservative warrior," Abbott says. The youngest of six children, Abetz was three when his family migrated from Germany to Australia in 1961. His father, Walter, a radio technician, who had lost a leg on the Russian front during World War II, worked for the Tasmanian government's Hydro-Electric Commission. (Abetz's great-uncle, Otto Abetz, was a convicted Nazi war criminal.) In Hobart, where Abetz started kindergarten without a word of English, the family eventually settled on a four-hectare hobby farm. Abetz and his parents occupied the two-bedroom cottage while his siblings shared a sleep-out. Roger Curtis, who befriended Abetz when both were studying law at the University of Tasmania, remembers being taken aback by the humble living conditions. "There wouldn't have been too many people at uni who came from a poorer background," Curtis says. In the mid-1970s, campus politics was dominated by what Curtis calls the "out-there left". When he and Abetz stood as Liberal candidates for the Student Representative Council, their rallying cry was "Balance and Moderation". I ask whether Abetz had more charisma in those days. "Yes, um, a little bit more then," Curtis replies. "Just because of youthful exuberance." He also had hair, which was longish and wavy. "He looked like something out of The Partridge Family." The future Labor senator Nick Sherry, a fellow student, could see Abetz was destined for a career in politics. He stood to the right of the Liberal mainstream, even then, "but he was always going to do well because of his sharpness of focus, his perseverance and very hard work", Sherry says. Sure enough, Abetz became national president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation before qualifying as a lawyer. He and Curtis went into partnership, hanging out their shingle in Hobart. "And if I might say so, we ran a pretty dynamic legal practice, as two Young Turks," Abetz says. Young Turks? "We were the first legal firm to have colour in their masthead." I start to laugh, then realise Abetz is serious. He and Curtis got into trouble with the state's Law Society for donating free wills to a charity auction, he continues. "Nowadays you'd be allowed to do it, but we were at the cutting edge." At 32, Abetz was president of the Liberal Party's Tasmanian division. He entered Parliament four years later, in 1994, replacing a senator who retired mid-term. Since then, his grip on the seat has been vice-like. "He can be ruthless," says Barry Prismall, deputy editor of Launceston's The Examiner and a former Liberal staffer. "If he believes that you're threatening his position, he'll tear you apart." Prismall saw this close-up when he worked for Guy Barnett, now a Liberal MP in the Tasmanian Parliament but then a federal senator. In the preselection contest for the 2004 election, Barnett almost toppled Abetz from first spot on the Liberal ticket. The top two candidates were both certain to be returned to Canberra, Prismall says, but Abetz was angry anyway. One night, he invited Barnett to have dinner with him at Parliament House. "We were naive enough to think, 'Eric's being very friendly,' " Prismall recalls. "Well, no. Eric basically spent the entire time haranguing Guy, saying words to the effect of, 'You've been organising against me and I can't tolerate it. I'm letting you know I'm coming after you.' Guy came back rattled. Very shaken up." Abetz says he didn't shout at the dinner it was a public place but "I did seek a detailed explanation as to what Guy had been up to and he was unable to satisfy me". He adds that Barnett owed him: "I'd expended a lot of political capital amongst the Liberal Party membership to get him endorsed for a Senate seat." Afterwards, Barnett was overlooked for promotion in the federal Liberal parliamentary team, then lost his Senate seat after being dropped to third place on the ticket for the 2010 election. Prismall saw Abetz's hand in this, and felt something close to admiration. "He's an honest power broker in the sense that he doesn't stab you in the back," Prismall says. "He gives you notice that he's coming for you, then he knifes you in the stomach, looking at you." (Barnett declined to comment.) I make the decision: do I resign or do I play with the team? LIFE AS A senior member of Tony Abbott's government had its tricky moments, Abetz confesses. It has been reported that on at least one occasion he was the blameless victim of a furious dressing-down by Abbott's chief of staff, Peta Credlin. ("I don't want to relive those moments," he says, "but, yeah.") Worse, he occasionally had to promote policies that he considered harsh and unworkable (making people under 30 wait six months for the dole; requiring job-seekers to apply for 40 jobs a month). But did he air his grievances outside the Cabinet room? No. "Unlike certain others, if I'm given an expletive-deleted sandwich to sell" he really says that "I won't go leaping to the media. I make the decision: do I resign or do I play with the team?" When Turnbull was federal Liberal leader first time around, Abetz was one of a handful of climate-change sceptics to quit his front bench over his support for an emissions trading scheme. Since this triggered the spill that saw Turnbull lose the leadership, some might understand why, as prime minister, he omitted Abetz from his ministry. But to Abetz, who still sees global warming as no cause for panic ("Look, all these things ultimately sort themselves out without the need of preaching Armageddon"), it is obvious that Turnbull has made a terrible mistake. Abetz says he knows from all the emails he has received that conservatives in the party are deeply unhappy about his exclusion. "And unless they believe their voice is being heard, they will start fracturing and seeking a home elsewhere." Already, he tells me, he has had to rebuff an approach by a Sydney businessman interested in starting a breakaway party. Abetz's adored wife, Michelle, has cancer. His brother Peter, a Liberal member of the West Australian Legislative Assembly, says Abetz considered leaving Parliament in order to spend more time with her, but Michelle urged him to stay on to keep the conservative flag flying. "I guess she felt strongly that it is an important role that he has," Peter says, adding that Abetz's entitlements under the parliamentary pension scheme mean he is paying for the privilege of remaining in the Senate: "If he were to retire from politics, his income stream would actually be greater than a back-bencher's salary." Abetz, whose three children are aged 26 to 21, says money has never motivated him. Sometimes, though, it falls into your lap. In early 2000, Abetz paid $100,000 for almost four hectares of government land adjoining his house block in the Hobart suburb of Kingston. In March 2005, the area was rezoned from "residential" to "business and civic". Four months later, Abetz sold both the house block and the adjoining land to property developer Robert Rockefeller's company, AAD Nominees, for a combined total of $1.9 million. Here's where Abetz got lucky. For the big vacant block (3.8 hectares), Rockefeller paid him only $400,000. For the house block (0.6 hectare), Rockefeller paid $1.5 million more than five times the government valuation. This meant the bulk of Abetz's proceeds from the two sales was not subject to capital gains tax (a person's residence is exempt from the tax). The enormous discrepancy in the two sale prices cannot be attributed to the value of the house, a six-room weatherboard construction which has since been demolished. In 2014, the capital value of Abetz's vacant former house block was assessed by the Tasmanian Valuer General at just $470,000. John Hawkins, the columnist on the Tasmanian Times website who first drew attention to the land deals, believes an explanation is long overdue. Abetz's attitude is calmly dismissive. The house block had more road frontage than the bigger block, which enhanced its commercial value, he tells me. The whole thing was entirely above board. 'His biggest flaw is his lack of empathy' AT A LIBERAL Party bash at Hobart's Wrest Point Casino last June to celebrate Abetz's 21 years in Parliament, speakers including John Howard and Tony Abbott lined up to pay tribute to him. "They all said, 'One thing about Eric Abetz is his inherent decency,' " the senator remembers. Conservatives aren't the only ones who regard him as a straight-shooter. "I couldn't see myself going out for a beer with him," says Andrew Wilkie, the Independent member for Denison, "but I can really respect someone who stands for something, and fights for it." Not that Abetz is immune from scandal. Last month, the former Victorian Liberal Party state director, Damien Mantach, pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.5 million of campaign funds. Mantach had been forced to resign from a previous post as Tasmanian Liberal Party state director because he used a party credit card for $48,000 worth of personal expenses. This had been covered up by the Tasmanian state executive, of which Abetz was a member. Mantach, the son of a former state president, repaid the money and moved to Melbourne, where he was hired by the party's unwitting Victorian division. Abetz insists he was barely aware of any of this. Yes, he was informed of Mantach's misuse of the credit card by the then Liberal Party state president, Dale Archer, but "no advice was sought or offered. No sum of money was mentioned." Bryan Green, Labor's Opposition Leader in the Tasmanian Parliament, is incredulous. "Eric Abetz is the power broker in the Liberal Party," Green says. "He's the person who runs it with an iron fist. But Abetz was told nothing? And didn't ask any questions?" Rodney Croome, the Tasmanian-based national convenor of Australian Marriage Equality, says he feels no hostility towards Abetz, but suspects he is missing something in his make-up. "I really wish he could see that people like me value marriage and tradition as much as he does," says Croome. "The fact that he can't is a reflection of his biggest flaw: his lack of empathy." After Croome addressed a Tasmanian Liberal branch meeting one evening a few years ago, he watched the members bring out a whiteboard and discuss possible Senate candidates. Written across the top of the board was "ABE". "Anyone But Eric", Croome says. Abetz's former staffer, Jonathon Duniam, acknowledges that the senator can rub people up the wrong way. In his defence, says Duniam, no politician is more committed to giving practical help to his constituents. "He will go to the end of the earth and back to try to solve your problem for you. He is a true advocate." YES, says SOPHIE HEAWOOD If the news is true, and skinny jeans are finally over, then we can all exhale for the first time in about 15 years, since that's how long it's been since anyone wearing them has been able to breathe properly. I hate the sucked-in, stretchy things. And yet they have been fashion's most permanent staple, refusing to leave the shelves. Finally, however, the fashion world has decreed that their day is done. Last year, Google Trends reported that demand for skinny jeans was expected to decrease each year, with searches for skinnies having grown just 6 per cent in comparison to styles such as boyfriend jeans (searches up 80 per cent), ripped jeans (up 107 per cent) and biker jeans (up 552 per cent). So there is hope. For years, skinnies have called to me with their siren song every time I go jeans shopping. I always promise that I'll ignore them and only try on high-waisted denim boyfriend-style, perhaps, or even flares. Yet some evil voice in my ear will whisper that maybe the skinnies from this particular brand will be different, and that there won't be tears again in the cubicle as I attempt to tug them on, like yanking a toddler into a wetsuit. Illustration: Simon Letch Ever the optimist, I tell myself brightly that, you know, I could just try them on in grey, and that my hips have probably changed shape because I've been going swimming. Well, let me tell you an interesting fact about hips: they do not change. Neither do skinny jeans. And each time I put them on, with all my bulges forcing their way through their molten shape, I look like a sack of kittens waiting to be drowned. It's not just me. I'm sorry, but half of you look like that sack of kittens, too. There's a new type of theatre coming to a virtual reality headset near you: the operating theatre. In a world first, a British patient's cancer surgery will be broadcast live in virtual reality to anyone with a smartphone and a virtual reality headset and the guts to stomach the experience. Anyone with a VR headset can tune into the live surgery broadcast. While the prospect may be off-putting for some, the surgeon pioneering the concept believes it is the future of medical education. Until now, getting close-up experience in surgery has meant vying for a spot at the surgeon's side, or using a medical simulation platform instead. Australia's food standards authority is investigating whether the federal government should consider changing labelling requirements for irradiated food. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has called for stakeholder and public submissions as to whether companies distributing irradiated food, which has been exposed to ionising radiation for preservation, disease elimination or pest reduction, should still be forced to explicitly label their products. Some mangoes are treated using irradiation. Credit:Natalie Boog The practice, which numerous international health bodies have described as safe and effective, is not widespread in Australia, limited mainly to some types of mango. The current code requires all foods treated through radiation or containing irradiated ingredients to be labelled with a statement informing people about the practice. Those victims have reacted positively when contacted by taskforce detectives, despite some feeling as if they were let down by police when they reported violence in the past. In the taskforce's cases to date, detectives have been staggered to find that the number of suspected victims linked to an offender doubled as their investigation progressed. "A lot of these key indicators are repeated. It may be that this perpetrator is just lucky enough to come across people who are almost exactly the same, but what we say is that they identify these factors, and select their partner based on them." "We've found that their victims may have been in Department of Human Services care as a child, or may have not been able to finish school because of sexual assault," Detective Senior Sergeant Mercer said. "Or they'll say 'am I in danger, is he coming to get me?' or 'thank God you're here, I was waiting for someone to come and speak to me' or 'please don't tell me someone else has been offended against'. "The response we have got to date has not been one ounce of negativity, it's been more relief, or excitement. I'm not going to sit here and say that Victoria Police's response to them initially was perfect, but what we're able to provide them with now is an opportunity to tell their story, so that they do get their day in court if that's possible." Detective Senior Sergeant Mercer would not comment on how many cases were open, but confirmed there were investigations into offenders based in Melbourne and regional Victoria, including some who are in prison. Taskforce detectives have homed in on serial offenders suspected of committing crimes 20 years earlier, and tracked down victims who have moved interstate. The taskforce is based on a Scottish model praised internationally for revolutionising the policing of family violence by investigating domestic abuse with the same rigour and intensity as homicide. Scotland's taskforce exposed some of the most brutal family violence offenders the country has seen, such as Joseph Loughran, who abused five Glasgow women during an almost 30-year history of violence. Homicide detectives are investigating jailed stripper Robyn Lindholm as a serial killer responsible for up to three murders. Fairfax Media understands Lindholm, 42, who was jailed in December for 25 years for organising the murder of her former lover Wayne Amey, is about to be charged with murdering missing standover man George Teazis, also known as Templeton, in 2005. Lindholm had been in a volatile, six-year relationship with Teazis and was living with him and his son in Reservoir when the 38-year-old went missing. The prime suspect at the time of Teazis' disappearance was Mr Amey who was believed to have been having an affair with Lindholm. Political parties should be funded from the public purse, and there should be no private donations above $1000, said the Liberal Party's state president, Michael Kroger. Mr Kroger, the Liberal warhorse who has been granted a second stint at Victoria's Liberal party presidency ahead of the next federal and state elections, said he does not support "private donations that are not disclosed". "We should have 100 per cent public funding," he told radio station Joy 94.9 on Saturday morning. Police are hunting for a 38-year-old man after two cyclists were seriously injured in a hit-run incident in Sale earlier this week. Three men were cycling north on the road when a car hit two of them from behind at 5.25am on Wednesday morning. Police want to speak to John Allen Reid over a suspected hit- run in Sale that injured two cyclists. Police had earlier released an image of a vehicle similar to the one involved in the accident. On Saturday, Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson said Wellington Crime Investigation Unit detectives were now appealing for public assistance to help locate John Allen Reid. Ms Johnson said a warrant had been issued for his arrest. "Three male cyclists were riding along Gibsons Road when two of them were hit from behind by a car about 5.25am on Wednesday," she said. "It's believed the car slowed down but did not stop at the scene. "The injured cyclists, a 33-year-old Sale man and 30-year-old Stratford man, were both taken to hospital with serious injuries. Two Australian Bulldogs have been impounded after a man was attacked in Mount Macedon on Friday. A man aged in his 60s was taken to the Western Hospital in a stable condition after being attacked by a dog in Mount Macedon. Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman Amelia Harris had told Fairfax Media earlier the man had appeared to be bitten on his arm, and was suffering from pain in his neck. A Macedon Ranges Shire Council spokeswoman said they received a report about approximately 4.30pm on Friday of a suspected dog attack at the Old Scout Camp site in Mount Macedon. "Council rangers immediately began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack," she said. The Turnbull government is under growing pressure to crack down on "debt vultures" that fleece money from vulnerable people by falsely promising to provide solutions to their financial distress. Victoria has written to Canberra warning about the conduct of debt management firms, which use high-pressure sales tactics to lure consumers into paying thousands of dollars for unregulated and often ineffective financial services. Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett has serious concerns about debt management firms. Credit:Josh Robenstone In one case a Mildura man was slugged $1100 by credit repair firm which promised to "wash away" his credit history so he could take a loan almost immediately after he called the service. In another case, a woman lost her childcare placement after a budgeting firm she had hired to manage her financial affairs failed to pay her childcare fees. "I'm really concerned that some operators are preying on the most vulnerable in our community," said Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett, who has written to Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer raising "serious concerns" about the issue. NEW YORK, March 25, 2016 -- Alcantara, the Italian-made luxury material, is the interior material of choice for many of the vehicles debuting at this week's New York Auto Show. Acura, BMW, Lincoln and Maserati are among the automakers that previewed vehicles equipped with Alcantara during press days of the New York Auto Show, which opens to the public today (March 25). Maserati has equipped its all new Levante SUV with the Italian-made luxury material. The brand's first ever SUV features Alcantara on headliners and pillars. BMW's all-new 2017 ALPINA B7 xDrive came to the New York Auto Show with its rear deck dressed in beige/truffle-colored Alcantara, with Alcantara headliners and pillars as well. Acura, the luxury car manufacturer from Japan, unveiled its NSX GT3 Racecar in New York. The twin-turbocharged NSX supercar features black Alcantara on its seats and steering wheel. Lincoln premiered its all-new Navigator Concept on the New York show floor. Putting an emphasis on the brand's commitment to luxury and elegance, the SUV's seats and headliner are dressed in grey Alcantara. Alcantara S.p.A. - www.alcantara.com Founded in 1972, Alcantara represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. As registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and result of a unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara is a highly innovative material, offering an unrivalled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the choice of leading brands in a number of application fields: fashion and accessories, automotive, interior design and home decor, consumer-electronics. These features, together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle: the lifestyle of those who want to fully enjoy their everyday life, respecting the environment. Toyota Begins Public Trials of the Winglet Personal Mobility Robot in Tokyo Toyota City, Japan, Mar, 24 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Tokyo Waterfront City will be the location for public sidewalk trials of the Winglet, a personal mobility robot (PMR) developed by Toyota Motor Corporation. Such trials of the Winglet and other personal mobility assistance robots have previously been conducted in Tsukuba City and Toyota City, both of which are subject to special regulatory exemptions for testing new technologies. Thanks to a regulatory change in July 2015, this system of designating special zones for technological trials has been extended nationwide, enabling similar projects to be carried out elsewhere under the same conditions. It was thus deemed appropriate that the new trials be carried out in Tokyo Waterfront City, an area known for embracing cutting-edge technologies and advanced research projects. Tokyo Waterfront City will be the first area in Japan to host a trial under Japan's recently expanded system. Following a safety assessment period overseen by Toyota, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and other organizations, test ride events for the general public will be rolled out from late April 2016. Trial outline The purpose of the trial is to create an opportunity for members of the general public to experience the Winglet, which-under current law-is not allowed to be used freely on public sidewalks. At the same time, the trials will enable exploration and testing of its operability around pedestrians and its potential as a tourism resource. Duration of trial The trial will run from March 28, 2016, to March 31, 2017. (Trial operation begins March 28; test ride events begin from late April.) Test ride events As part of the trial, events will be held on weekends twice a month from late April, with no participation fees charged. Test rides will be available to holders of motorcycle licenses who have received a Winglet Pass from Toyota upon taking a short introductory course. Initially, these events will be available to around ten applicants a day, and the vehicles will follow a set path, operating in a convoy with staff in attendance at the front and rear. Dates and times, application procedures, and other details will be published on the website of Mega Web, Toyota's nearby vehicle experience facility (http://www.megaweb.gr.jp/about/english.html). Initial operation route Operating entity Waterfront City Winglet Public Sidewalk Trial Operating Association (Toyota, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Waterfront City Association) Ten vehicles will be used initially in the upcoming trial, all of which have received classification as motorcycles presenting no safety issues from the regional government.h Toyota's aim is not merely to convey the fun-to-drive character of the Winglet, which is maneuvered by shifting the body's center of gravity, but at the same time to use the Winglet Pass system to teach the techniques and skills required to operate it and to educate people about relevant rules and etiquette. This should create a framework for the Winglet to be operated with safety and confidence around pedestrians in public spaces. At present, the Winglet Pass can be issued at Mega Web and so far more than 600 people have acquired it. By enabling the general public to experience the fun and user-friendly convenience of operating a Winglet through practical trials and other events, Toyota hopes to make this vehicle a familiar sight in urban environments. With its contributions to local economic revitalization and promotion of tourism as bonuses, the Winglet could help to construct a brand new mobility society based on Toyota's goal of mobility for all. About Toyota Supported by people around the world, Toyota Motor Corporation , has endeavored since its establishment in 1937 to serve society by creating better products. As of the end of December 2013, Toyota conducts its business worldwide with 52 overseas manufacturing companies in 27 countries and regions. Toyota's vehicles are sold in more than 170 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com. Mazda MX-5 RF to Feature Machine Gray Premium Color Designed to Compliment KODO Design HIROSHIMA, Japan, Mar, 23 2016; Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that the Mazda MX-5 RF will be available in Machine Gray, a new premium color designed to accentuate the beauty of vehicle bodies featuring KODO design. Machine Gray is Mazda's second premium color following Soul Red, which since its launch has come to represent KODO design. Machine Gray will be made available on a wide range of Mazda models, including the all-new Mazda CX-9 due to go on sale in North America this spring. Mazda believes that color is one of the elements of form, and has focused on developing colors that accentuate the subtle yet dynamic surfacing of KODO design. Machine Gray was developed to express the beauty of a machine's strength and precision. With strong contrast between light and shadow and a sleek, high-density finish, it gives the impression that the vehicle's body has been sculpted from a solid steel ingot. Traditionally, achieving such a finish was only possible with hand-painted concept cars using paint containing extremely thin aluminum flakes applied in multiple layers by master craftsmen. By further developing its TAKUMINURI(1) painting technology originally created for Soul Red, Mazda has made it possible to achieve the look on mass-production vehicles using a three-coat paint structure consisting of color, reflective and clear coats.(2) The reflective layer contains extremely thin, high-brightness aluminum flakes and must be applied very precisely to ensure even coating. During the drying process the thickness of this layer shrinks to approximately 2.5 microns, about one quarter the thickness of most reflective layers. This causes the aluminum flakes to lie flat with regular spacing between each flake, just as if the layer had been hand-painted by a skilled craftsman. This high-density finish gives the entire surface a sheen when illuminated, for a realistic metallic look. Jet-black pigment is used in both the reflective and color layers and is visible through the spaces between the aluminum flakes giving areas not illuminated a black hue and heightening the contrast between light and shadow. Aiming to become a brand that has a strong connection with its customers, Mazda will continue to develop new colors and the paint technologies to realize them, based on the belief that color is one of the elements of form. (1) Mazda's paint technology that gives mass-production vehicles the precise, high-quality finish that looks like it has been hand-painted by a master craftsman. (2) Does not included the electrodeposited layer. About Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.com TEL REEM, Iraq At first, Iraqi soldiers involved in an operation to capture villages close to Mosul on Friday were in good spirits. Allah Akbar, Arabic for God is Great, they shouted after they hit an alleged Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bomber with US-provided mortars. But just one hour later many of them fled, fearing ISIS would strike back.Early in the day, there were already signs of trouble. A sergeant named Hussein from the artillery battalion told The Daily Beast, There has been some delays in what we expected, but its mostly because of their heavy use of sniper fire and of IEDS. We have not been really advancing today, but that is not part of our plan as of yet, but in coming hours, we are planning to move forward.The first challenge was to capture the strategic little village of Nasr that would open the road for the Iraqi military to take the rest of the area. The ultimate short-term aim is to cross the Tigris River and take Qayarrah. This would open the road to the city of Mosul for future operations.But the combat around Nasr did not go well. ISIS left the village, and came back after a few hours, said one tired Shia Arab fighter named Mohammed who is part of the Shia-led Hashid Shaabi militia forces. He was angry at the Iraqi army, and the lack of U.S. air support after returning from the fight. There were no airstrikes, where are the airstrikes? he complained.The cloudy weather and the lack of U.S. forward air controllers apparently prevented U.S. aircraft from carrying out strikes on Friday, while on Thursday, when the operation began, airstrikes could be seen hitting ISIS positions.The operation continues according to the plan. Only the weather conditions are not good, said an Iraqi colonel, who refused to talk on the record. If God wills it, everything will go to plan. The ISIS fighters are just depending on IEDs, and booby-trapped houses, there is no real confrontation. We are just dealing with bombs and snipers. There are no civilians, in the area, he added. It was stunning to see how quickly the mood changed on the battlefield. Early in the day, Iraqi soldiers led by the commander of the Nineveh operations, Lieutenant General Najim al-Jibouri, seemed to be in high spirits, dancing traditional dances, and preparing to move out with Humvees into the village of Nasr. Our morale is very high, we are just waiting for the order from the commander. We have weapons. We are fighting terrorists. They have no morals, and no goals, Iraqi soldier Hussein Samij from Diwaniyah province told The Daily Beast. As soon we get orders to really advance, we can get there in two days to Qayarrah, he added. When their artillery struck something that created a huge explosion inside Nasr, Jibouri and his men shouted with joy. They thought maybe theyd hit an ISIS suicide bomber. General Jibouri looked with his binoculars over the trench to see the result of the artillery, and it seemed he already thought he achieved victory over ISIS militants in the village. Yet one hour later, his men were not so joyful, when most soldiers ran in panic, fleeing in their Humvees, fearing ISIS mortar attacks. Just a few of his men, including the artillery officers, stood their ground. This seems to be exactly the biggest problem for the Iraqi army: the lack of morale. One week ago Iraqi soldiers abandoned their base, which forced the United States to send in more Marines in support, and one of them was killed. Again this time, Iraqi army soldiers almost completely deserted their positions, fearing an ISIS response to their artillery when, in reality, not one mortar shell or bullet hit close to their positions. The lack of courage of Iraqi soldiers led to laughter among the Kurdish Peshmerga forces stationed nearby in a supporting role. Unlike the Iraqi soldiers, the Peshmergas did not move one inch, kept on smoking, and were surprised when they saw suddenly all the soldiers fled. Did you film that? one Peshmerga soldier asked me, with evident disgust. This is not the first time the Iraqi army ran away, said Peshmerga soldier Ali Ahmed, making the case that the Kurds should get more backing. Unfortunately the world does not appreciate us, he said. We have not received much in terms of salaries, weapons or support. If this huge force you see here were Peshmerga forces, we would have taken the village easily, he added. We are not afraid. In the beginning it was difficult to take the criticism by the Kurdish Peshmerga seriously due to ongoing the ongoing rivalry between the Kurds and the Iraqi military over disputed territories. And its worth noting that the Peshmerga had difficulties defending their front lines in August 2014 when ISIS attacked them and quickly overran many positions, including the Yazidi town of Sinjar, leading to the genocide of the Yazidi minority. Since then, however, Peshmergas have recovered with the help of U.S. airstrikes, Western coalition training, and German advanced anti-tank rockets and weapons. While the Peshmerga only have two brigades equipped with U.S. weapons, the Iraqi Army is fully equipped with weapons, armored vehicles, and artillery. Many of the Kurdish Peshmerga have only their self-armored trucks and their old Kalashnikovs. And, still, they advance more quickly than Iraqi government forces. Commander Zeyran Sheikh Hossani, the deputy commander of the Peshmerga troops here, who closely coordinates with the Iraqi commanders on the front, was shocked. The Iraqi army is not moving as strongly as it should be, he told The Daily Beast. Taking back Sinjar for us Peshmerga was very difficult near the Syrian borders, but we are not like the Iraqi army, and we took it in two days. We fight for our own blood, but the Iraqi army cannot take one village in one day, he added. If they dont change their military tactics, they will not reach Qayarra, they will not even reach the river, he said. The main problem is they dont fight for their beliefs, if we had the same equipment and weapons, we would have already cleared the area in a few days. As you can see they have much better weapons and vehicles than us, at the current pace, I wonder how long it will take for them to take Mosul, if they cannot take even one village in two days, he said. Later in the afternoon two ISIS mortars hit close to the Iraqi army positions that had been deserted earlier. The lack of morale among Iraqi soldiers indicates that maybe more U.S. boots on the ground are needed, or more support for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, in order to make the Mosul operation more feasible. Another option would be involving the Iraqi Special Operation forces that played a major role in clearing out Ramadi. The fact that you will often now see the words Donald Trump in the same headline as Nazi, fascist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, white nationalist, or racist says a lot about this election. Heres another one of those stories. Lynette Diamond Hardaway and Rochelle Silk Richardson (aka the Stump for Trump girls) gained national media attention as two YouTube stars who vivaciously expressed their love for Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign. They have subsequently been booked to appear on TV news programs to talk about the election and The Donald, in segments that sometimes fly completely off the rails. One such example is an interview on CNN during which they promoted the fringe conspiracy theory that Marco Rubio is a covert homosexualist. The two female, African-American, full-time Trump supporters have also become part-time surrogates, firing up crowds at some Trump campaign events, and continuing to make the media rounds to push the case for the Republican frontrunner. One of their most recent media appearance was on a platform hosted by a Holocaust-denying, Hitler-praising, conspiracy-theory-mongering neo-Nazi. In an 18-minute exclusive audio interview with John Friend of American Free Press posted on Wednesday (flagged by liberal media-watchdog Media Matters), Hardaway and Richardson talked Trump, jobs, and immigration, among other topics. These people been in office for years and havent done anything, Hardaway told Friend. They are OK with illegal people running in our country, and we dont even know these people. Exactly, Richardson weighed in. The problem here isnt as much what the Diamond and Silk duo said. Its pretty standard, anti-undocumented-immigrant, anti-GOP-elite stuff (perhaps more extreme) that you expect to hear coming from the people who go on TV, or radio, or podcasts to talk up how Trump will surely Make America Great Again. The problem is the interviewer, whose views would prove toxicat the very least for surrogates of a campaign that wasnt so admired or enthusiastically supported by white nationalists. You can easily Google for the far-right journalistic output of John Friend, who the Anti-Defamation League has repeatedly called out as a virulent anti-Semite and Holocaust denier. Friends bit on how the Jews did 9/11 speaks fascistic volumes for itself. But the clearest understanding of his worldview comes from the fact that he is an unabashed Hitler fanboy. If you take an objective look at what [Adolf Hitler] did, what he was all about, the policies that he implemented and championedyou will recognize that this man and his movement were the greatest thing thats happened to Western civilization, he said on The Brian Ruhe Show in December. He was the greatest leader in Western civilization, at least in a modern context, he continued. I dont think theres any doubt about that. I mean, he clearly identified the Jewish problem. Explained it to the German people, he clearly identified many other problems, and told the truth in a big time way and really was educating people and, you know, gathered a dedicated group of guys to really change things and revitalize Germany. And, I mean, I dont think theres anything wrong with that. I think he has been entirely slandered by the organized Jewish community, by the Allies, by the institutionalization of thisreallyits a fake story, you know, this alleged Holocaust that weretold that happened all the time. Its in the movies, its in our schools, its in our textbooks, I mean its a story that is endlessly emphasized and reinstilled, and reinforced, and perpetuated, and its just not true. Hm. Makes you think. Featured on the AFP website next to the interview with Hardaway and Richardson are stories on how the Media Covers Up Black Hate Crimes Against Whites, and Obamas African Legacy. Diamond and Silk did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment regarding their friendly appearance on the neo-Nazi program. As the inevitability of a Donald Trump nomination grows, many Republicans are moving to the acceptance stage of grief. Trumps unfavorability ratings are historic for a presumptive nominee. Some reputable polls have him as high as 60 percent negative, many others have him losing by double digits to Hillary Clinton. Retention of the Senate, already an uphill climb in an election year swelling with vulnerable Republican incumbents, is an equally dim prospect. Not all conservatives have given up the ship. The presumptive Democratic nominee is a hair away from federal indictment. The presumptive Republican nominee is a reality-TV lunatic who has run multiple business ventures into the ground. Never before has a third-party candidate looked so viable, even the odd duck 1992 election that saw Ross Perot earn a generous share of the popular vote. This third-party option would need to thread a needle. The candidate would have to be conservative, enough so that non-Trump conservatives keep in mind this is a strong majority of traditional Republican votershave reason to show up and pull a lever for him and the partys Senate candidates. The candidate would also need to be sensible, experienced, and respectednot a demagogue like those who have so excited Republican voters this cycle. The name would need to be recognizable, but not in the garish celebrity sense like Mr. Trump. The candidate would need to convey strength in a year teeming with voter concerns about ISIS, cybersecurity, a rising Russia, and Chinese shield-thumping in the Far East. So who better than retired Marine General James Mattis? Mattis is a battle hardened warrior, renowned for his humble leadership style and aggressive pursuit of Americas enemies. Nicknamed the Warrior Monk, Mattis is something of a cult figure in the Marines. One such tale had the general relieving a young Marine captain of sentry duty on Christmas Day, taking up the post himself so the young officer could be with his family. Hes known for his excellence in both the arts of combat and diplomacy alike. Mattis led the First Marine Division in an aggressive thrust into the Euphrates River Valley in 2003, but also skillfully managed the kaleidoscope of conflicting diplomatic relationships as Commander of U.S. Central Command. Mattis is a student of both history and economics, known for quoting Greek sophists but unafraid to dabble in some occasional profanitythough his famous blunt talk, famously known as Mattisisms, would seem mild in a year laced with Trumps vulgarities. He neuters both party frontrunners perceived strengths. Trumps faux-tough guy act would crumble when met with an actual warrior, and Hillary Clintons foreign policy chops would seem like an 100-level International Relations course next to Mattiss experience and expertise. Mattis is vehemently apolitical and would likely be repulsed by the mere suggestion that he run. But so was another former general turned president, Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower, history buffs will recall, was a late draft in the 1952 election. He was initially mortified by his name being mixed up in politics. After thousands showed up to a Draft Eisenhower rally in New York City, Ike reportedly wrote a friend saying, Ive never been so upset in years. Eisenhower was in Paris during the early primaries, commanding NATO forces and helping oversee implementation of the Marshall Plan. He did not campaign or make political media appearances. Yet Ike comfortably won the New Hampshire primary on March 3. It wasnt until June 4 that Eisenhower made his first political speech, only after retiring as Commander of NATO forces in Europe two days prior. Why the swell of support? The Draft Eisenhower movement exploded during the 1951 Winter of Discontent, when Americans were frustrated by an unpopular president, a stalemated war, and a sluggish economy. All this may sound familiar. Americans were hungry for an outsider then, and are hungry for an outsider now. In an election year with voters on both sides of the aisle thirsty for a non-politician, who better than the reluctant General Mattis, whose first and foremost love is duty to his country? Like Ike, Mattis would need to be pressed into service. Its a tough proposition given Mattiss long and selfless commitment to his republic. But tough times call for tough measures. Hes a man who has always answered the trumpets blast of flag and freedom. He knows, as do many voters, the ugly prospect of a Trump presidency and what it would mean for the rule of law, the sacredness of the office, and the integrity of the Constitution. He also knows how tough things have grown oversees, with Americas special role in the world slipping away each day. So, if General Mattis does decide to help save America, does he have a shot? Absolutely. Donald Trumps ceiling of Republican voters hovers around 40 percent. Many state polls, particularly those west of the Mississippi, have suggested that over 40 percent of GOP voters would pull a lever for a third-party candidate. In a year when Democratic primary turnout is low a reliable forecast for low enthusiasm common of an incumbent party and vice versa on the Republican side, there is plenty of room for a no-kidding American hero and political outsider to hit 35 percent of the vote in key states. If Trump, Clinton, and Mattis are all denied an outright majority in the Electoral College, the decision goes to the House of Representatives. There, Mattis has a real shot of cobbling together enough state delegations to crowd out Clinton and Trump alike. Americans are craving a strong leader, one who is upright, honest, and unstained by political blood sport. General Eisenhower was one of Americas finest presidents. General Mattis would undoubtedly continue in that great tradition. Even in this screwed up political era, service and integrity still count for something. Theyve always been the backbone of this republic, and we could use a little of both right now.So help us General Mattis, youre our only hope. With her latest primary wins, Hillary Clinton is all but guaranteed the Democratic nomination. But exit polls in some of the states where she has been victorious indicate that she is far from guaranteed the presidency. More pointedly, polls make it clear that if Hillary wants to win she may have to find the courage to admit something most women are afraid to. While a majority of recent Democratic voters deemed Clinton trustworthy, Democrats who ranked honesty as the most important quality in their decision chose Bernie Sanders. Additionally more than half of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of her. Clintons favorability numbers are still better than Donald Trumps. But the question is not really whether a majority of American voters will choose Donald Trump. They wont. The question is whether enough voters opposing his candidacy will turn outon Election Day and as volunteers beforehand for Hillary Clinton to win. The even larger question, however, is why so many voters have such strong negative reactions to Hillary Clinton in the first place. After all, many of the same voters who disdain her for being dishonest will cheer for her husband. You know the one who actually did lie to all of us. Remember I did not have sexual relations with that woman? Of course for many the distinction between how the two Clintons are viewed is clear. Hes a man and shes a woman. Weve all heard it said before, A woman is called difficult for behavior that gets a man hailed as assertive. Bill Clinton is not seen as a liar, but simply as a mischievously rakish leader who was economical with the truth. Hillary, on the other hand, is a lying harpy. Im sure that sexism has played a role in how Hillary Clinton is perceived and critiqued by some. Because no woman in the public eye as much as she is or as long as she has been is immune to sexist critiques. (I get them regularly.) But the reality is that the real difference between Bill and Hillary Clinton is a difference all of us have faced in life, whether in junior high, or the office. Bill is simply more likable. In the same way George W. Bush was seen as more fun and friendly than his more intellectually accomplished and responsible brother Jeb, Bill is preferred by most people with a pulse over his more responsible wife. Every election we hear about the importance of the so-called beer test, as in who do voters want to have a beer with? Hillary Clinton screams a lot of things, but person you want to chill with in your free time is not one of them. (Which is why President Obamas backhanded compliment of Clinton as likable enough landed like the diss that it was.) But I believe the real problem for Hillary Clinton is not that her husband is more likable than she is, but that it is obvious that she cares so muchlike a lot of women do. I remember a conversation I had with a female friend just before an important meeting I was supposed to have with a prominent media person. I was nervous because for a variety of reasons I suspected the person I was meeting with might not be a personal fan of mine. When I finished laying out my concerns my friendwho is significantly more successful said: This is the difference between men and women. Why do you care if he likes you or not? You got the meeting because his bosss boss thinks youre qualified, and if they tell him to work with you, he will. This may sound like a fairly unimportant anecdote in the context of a presidential campaign but for some of the women Ive shared it with over the years it is revelatory. The reason: because women are taught early on to spend much of our time, energy and social capital pleasing others. Boys are taught to be smart. Girls are taught to be smartbut not at the expense of being popular, and certainly not at the expense of being pretty. Because after all, accomplishments ultimately mean very little in the big scheme of things if when its all said and done youre a woman who is perceived as unattractive, unlovable and unlikable. Hillary Clinton, the candidate voters dont trust, was deemed the most trustworthy presidential candidate on terror following the recent Brussels attack. But of course thats not quite the same as being loved or liked, but it does seem to indicate that plenty of Americans know that the job of president is far too serious to be decided the same way we decide who we want to sit with in the cafeteria in high school. Instead of trying desperately to generate laughs on Saturday Night Live or Broad City or some other outlets her team of advisors have convinced her are essential to making her likable enough to win, she should finally do something most of us would never have the courage to do but wish that we did, which is to say this: I know Im not what youd call likable and that you may not like me or think of me as a fun beer date. But Im really qualified, and for a job this serious I think thats what should matter. After all, do you care whether your heart surgeon is likable? Saturday St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1101 Rock Prairie Road in College Station, will commemorate the Great Vigil of Easter at 8 p.m. 696-1491 or stfrancisbcs.org. Sunday Unity Spiritual Center of the Brazos Valley, 4016 Stillmeadow Drive, Bryan, will have services at 10:30 a.m. Call 324-9857 or unityspiritualcenterbv.org. Trinity Baptist Church, 1070 N. Harvey Mitchell Parkway in Bryan, will host Awana Clubs for children ages 3-12 from 5 to 7 p.m. The meetings will consist of scripture memorization, games, a light meal and a short devotional. Club meetings will continue at 5 p.m. every Sunday during the school year. 571-1404. Faith United Church (UCC), 2901 Austin's Colony Parkway in Bryan, celebrates Easter Sunday with a 7 a.m. SonRise service called "Early to Rise," 8 a.m. Pancake Breakfast, 9:15 a.m. Sunday study, 10 a.m. Easter egg hunt and fellowship, and 10:30 a.m. worship. Pastor Karl's message is, "Lord of the Dance." All are welcome. Faithuccbryan.org. St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1101 Rock Prairie Road in College Station, will celebrate Easter Sunday with services at 8 a.m. (Rite 1) and at 10:30 a.m. (Rite 2). There will be an Easter egg hunt for the children on the church grounds, and an Easter brunch will follow the 10:30 a.m. service. All loose change in the collection plates will be donated to the Brazos Valley Food Bank Backpack Program. Contact the church for information about additional services and classes during the week. 696-1491 or stfrancisbcs.org. Hillcrest Baptist Church, 4220 Boonville Road in Bryan, will hold a special Easter celebration service at 10:30 a.m. We will observe communion and have a special performance by the HBC Choir and an Easter message by the Rev. Craig Yates. A nursery will be provided. 979-776-5731. First Christian Church, 900 S. Ennis St. in Bryan, will have an 8 a.m. sunrise service in Dishman Community Park, located adjacent to the church. A light breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall following the service, and the Easter Sunday worship service will begin at 10:45 a.m. The Rev. Jesse Myers' sermon topic will be "Witnesses," based on John 20:1-10 and Acts 10:34-43. An Easter egg hunt will follow the morning worship service. Sunday school classes for all ages begin at 9:30 a.m. Youth groups meet at 3 p.m. 823-5451 or firstchristianbcs.org. Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, 217 W. 26th St. in Downtown Bryan, will have Easter Sunday worship services at 7:30, 9 and 11:15 a.m., with a special family celebration from 10 to 11:15 a.m. in the parish hall. An Easter egg hunt will begin at 10:15 a.m. in the parish hall for kids ages 3-11, and nursery care will be available from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All are welcome. Standrewsbcs.org. 822-5176. Covenant Presbyterian Church, 220 Rock Prairie Road in College Station, will celebrate Easter with an outdoor sunrise service on the labyrinth at 7 a.m. and the regular 10:30 a.m. service. A breakfast will follow the sunrise service. Classes for all ages meet at 9:15 a.m., followed by coffee and fellowship. 694-7700 or covenantpresbyterian.org. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Brazos Valley, 305 Wellborn Road, will have services at 10:30 a.m. with a sermon on "Miracle, Parable and Possibility" by the Rev. Aaron Stockwell. How is the story of Easter an invitation to be a steward of imagination? How might we reframe this story as a story that is part miracle, part parable, and part possibility? 696-5285. Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, 3610 Plainsman Lane in Bryan, will have Sunday school classes for all ages at 9:15 a.m. and Morning Worship Service at 10:30 a.m. 846-4753. Monday First Baptist Church, 2300 Welsh Ave. in College Station, will host its weekly bible study on Mark, 1 Peter and 2 Peter at 7 p.m. 779-7700. First Baptist Church Bryan, 3100 Cambridge Drive in Bryan, will host its weekly Bible study fellowship session at 6:55 p.m. BSF is an international, interdenominational women's study group. This year's topic is The Life of Moses; there is also a children's program. Bsfinternational.org. Tuesday Eagle's Nest Praise and Worship Ministries will be opening a free prayer line from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The prayer line number is 775-1513, and calls will be answered by a trained prayer ministry associate. The prayer line is coordinated by pastors Gary and Sheila Jones. Wednesday Faith United Church, 2901 Austin's Colony Parkway in Bryan, invites men of all ages to Wednesday morning coffee and guy talk at 10 a.m. All are welcome. Faithuccbryan.org. Faith United Church, 2901 Austin's Colony Parkway in Bryan, will host a Wednesday study about Paul's life and journeys at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome. Faithuccbryan.org. Covenant Presbyterian Church, 220 Rock Prairie Road in College Station, will present the Spring Band Concert of the Brazos Valley Community Band at 6:15 p.m. 694-7700 or covenantpresbyterian.org. Friday Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, 217 W. 26th St. in Downtown Bryan, will celebrate First Friday with architecture walking tours of downtown Bryan at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tours of St. Andre's historic stained glass windows will be offered at 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. The church will be open to guests from 5 to 9 p.m. Standrewsbcs.org. 822-5176. Upcoming Pleasant Grove Missionary Church, 310 W. Martin Luther King Jr. St. in Bryan, will celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Rev. Craig R. Anderson Sr. at 3 p.m. April 3. The theme for the day is "Honoring the Dedicated Service and Dedicated Steps of a Godly Man," based on Psalms 37:23. The Rev. M.O. Cooper of St. Matthew's Missionary Baptist Church will deliver a guest message. According to College Station police, authorities served a search warrant Thursday on University Oaks Boulevard. Law enforcement officials say after an investigation, they had enough evidence to arrest Steven Lloyd Jost on charges he was dealing marijuana. During a search, authorities say they found three bags of marijuana totalling three ounces and five bags of cocaine equal to a little more than one ounce. A police report noted evidence of communication between Jost and alleged customers was found that showed marijuana and cocaine were being sold. SHARE By Ben Kleppinger The Advocate-Messenger DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) You've got to love. Don't hate it will only make you into a bitter person." Those words were the central message from Fred Gross, a Holocaust survivor who visited Danville's Bate Middle School last week to share the story of how his Jewish family survived in German-controlled France during World War II. Gross, who will turn 80 in October, was just 3 years old when his family of five fled its Belgium home three days after Hitler's Nazi forces invaded on May 10, 1940. For almost six years, they moved around France and Switzerland, doing whatever they could to avoid capture. They moved among homes of people who would hide them; they were imprisoned briefly in a concentration camp; they made it to Switzerland and lived in a refugee camp there. Gross also lived with a foster family for a year. "I'm alive that's what counts," he said. "I overcame all of these difficult circumstances because I wouldn't let them destroy me." Gross visited the school as part of its partnerships with the ArtsLiteracy Project from Brown University and the Anne Frank Foundation, through which it is providing a yearlong study of the Holocaust for eighth-grade English and drama students. Students have embraced the curriculum, which has had an emotional impact as they learn about the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II, said Linda Cottle, language arts teacher. "When I told them they would take the babies and they would kill the babies, they were like, 'But why?'" she said. Cottle and drama teacher Darell Rickmers work together to teach the curriculum, which attempts to incorporate language art skills with music, drama and art so students are better able to express the stories they're learning about, Cottle said. In addition to Gross' visit, during which he spoke to three groups of eighth-graders in the school's theater, students have been reading about the Holocaust, including the book "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank and the play "And Then They Came For Me" by James Still. Students attended a stage production of "And Then They Came For Me" in Louisville and drama students will perform "A Child Shall Lead Them" by Michael Slade on May 13. Gross, a public-relations specialist and former journalist, said he has been visiting middle and high schools to tell his life's story since 1992, but more frequently since 2009, when his book, "One Step Ahead of Hitler: A Jewish Child's Journey Through France" came out. "It's important for them to know what happened in the Holocaust," said Gross, who has been actively involved in the Jewish community in Louisville. "I am grateful to teachers all around Kentucky who have been teaching the Holocaust and made (their students) aware of the evil that occurred during that time and not to repeat those evils." Preventing anything like the Holocaust from ever happening again was a main point Gross made to Bate Middle students. Despite the evil things being done during World War II, there were good people, too, who helped some survive or escape, he said. "If it hadn't been for the love that was shown to us, even though we went through a lot, I wouldn't be here today I would have been long gone as a child," Gross told students. "Don't take things for granted. I know you're living a good life that you have freedom, that you can go to school and not fear being attacked. If you are fearful, or if you know somebody is fearful of what is going on in his or her life, you come to their rescue. You're not simply an onlooker but you're there to help. That's what people do; that's what good people do." Gross told students it would be up to them to make sure the world is a better place. Even now, there are refugees in the world from Syria, specifically who are displaced by war and facing closed borders when they flee. "Has anything changed? We're living in a cruel world today and we have to be careful. Especially young people, as they grow up, they have to stand up and be counted that nothing like that like the Holocaust will happen again," he told the students. "That's how the Holocaust began, when Jews were not able to cross boundaries to find freedom." Eighth-grader Maddy Mullins said she found Gross' presentation inspiring. His warnings made her think of current U.S. political discourse particularly the rhetoric of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. "He's trying to push people out of their country after they've been living here," she said, comparing Trump's comments on immigrants to Hitler's comments on Jews. Mullins said through studying the Holocaust, she has gained an appreciation for just how difficult life was for Jewish children her age. "Having to go into hiding I think about that a lot," she said. "If I had been a child and I had been Jewish at that time, going into hiding would have been really hard for me." Gross said he enjoys his trips to middle and high schools. "I feel young. You know why I feel young?" he asked a group of Bate students. "Because a lot of times, I'm with young people like you who make me feel young. Which is good it keeps me alive, keeps me going." ___ Information from: The (Danville, Ky.) Advocate-Messenger, http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK -- This Easter Sunday, the interior of St. Philip Roman Catholic Church will be filled with original artwork courtesy of the members of St. Philip Artists' Guild, or SPAG. SPAG artists Dollka Morico and Ralph DiMarco collaborated to create this year's Easter visuals, which will feature collaborative paintings by the two artists and paper doves made by other Guild members. Morico and DiMarco's centerpiece mural--depicting a crown of thorns adorned with Easter lilies and surrounded by Expressionist splatters--stood half-finished Tuesday at SPAG's studio facility in the Oakhill mansion, onetime home of Manice Lockwood. When complete, the piece will hang behind the altar at St. Philip during Easter Mass. "In the Easter season, everything becomes bloom and color, and Jesus is resurrected as he promised," Morico told The Hour, describing the painting's symbolism. The bright colors denote that "Jesus came here to help us get through." "When you look at (the painting), we want you to understand he's always with us," added Morico, who lives in Cranbury with husband Dave, also a Guild member. "The full effect will be to have those lilies blooming out of this starburst, and blooming out of this crown of thorns to symbolize rebirth," said DiMarco, who provided the painting's realistic elements, while Morico added abstract textures. "Blooming out of sadness, so to speak." Through a unique arrangement with the church, St. Philip Artists' Guild members exchange original art for use of the Lockwood house, which was built from red brick in 1912 following a Georgian Revival style. Owned by the church, which sits adjacent to it, the building has been converted into studios and galleries by the artists. Each year, "SPAGers" take turns providing work for different liturgical seasons at St. Philip. "Every year it's different, because we each take turns spearheading these seasons or events," DiMarco explained. "It has been very interesting, educational, exciting to see people take different approaches to the same event. Depending on who's handling it, it can be very different from year to year." A non-denominational organization, the Guild was founded by pastor Fr. Michael Boccaccio as a new use for Oakhill, which was purchased by St. Philip in the 1950s but had fallen into disrepair. Boccaccio recruited artists from Norwalk and around Fairfield County, and the new members began renovating the mansion in 2007. "It was in rough shape, for sure," said Dave Morico, standing in the Guild's sun-filled gallery Tuesday. (The current exhibition features work by SPAG member Sergey Stepanenko.) "It was all encased by these dummy walls," which took a deal of labor to remove. SPAG's first show was in 2008, featuring founding members DiMarco, Dave Morico, Duvian Montoya, Frank Chiappetta and Steve Bagnell; Dollka Morico joined soon thereafter, she said. The organization now has 16 artist members. "As an artist, it's great to do your work, but it's also great to be a community," Dollka Morico told The Hour. "It doesn't matter what denomination you are; being able to share (art) with people who go to the parish is really inspirational." The Social Security Administration wants you to know that "determining when to start your Social Security benefits is a complex and personal decision," quoting from the SSA's "Retirement Planner: Recent Social Security Claiming Changes" (http://tinyurl.com/jfdljpt). That is an understatement. I would say that it's VERY complex. And it's been made more confusing after last November's changes in the law closing some "loopholes" in claiming strategies -- a subject I wrote about on Nov. 12, 2015 (if you missed it, please email me at readers@juliejason.com). Since then, I've seen numerous articles on the subject, which are hardly clear themselves, because, quite frankly, timing is short, and personal contact with the SSA can be frustrating. Laurence Kotlikoff's article for PBS NewsHour, "Why has Social Security staff been breaking the new law?" (http://tinyurl.com/gtulgv6), relays stories about individuals being given erroneous information by the SSA. Quoting Kotlikoff: "One gentleman, William, who is 69, went to the local Fountainhead, California, office and was told that not only could he not suspend now, but that he could never suspend. This is after the staffer at the window spoke to his supervisor. This was flat-out wrong. William was also told that his 65-year-old wife couldn't collect a spousal benefit, because she wouldn't be 66 by the end of April. "Since so many cases were popping up with the same mistake, I sensed that the staff had been systematically told to do the wrong thing. I had a one-hour phone call with Social Security staff last week in which they assured me that they were issuing new regulations on suspending benefits. In fact, they did this within a few hours of our getting off the phone. What they didn't tell me is that they had posted on their site the misinformation about who could and couldn't take advantage of the file and suspend option." Kotlikoff produces SSA-supported software called "Maximize My Social Security." Wall Street Journal writer Anne Tergesen quoted a Social Security expert, Elaine Floyd, as recommending people file online to "avoid human contact" with the SSA in a Feb. 25, 2016, article titled "Older Americans Say Social Security Is Giving Them Wrong Information" (http://tinyurl.com/jr57otu). Floyd is director of retirement and life planning at Horsesmouth LLC, a New York-based company that trains financial advisers in Social Security claiming strategies. Where does this leave you if you are thinking of filing and suspending? Take advantage of the window of opportunity that will close in a few weeks. First, you have to have been born on or before April 30, 1950, according to reporter and Social Security expert Mary Beth Franklin, quoting SSA spokesman William Jarret. ("The latest effective date of birth to fall under the current rules is April 30, 1950.") And you have to "submit your request for voluntary suspension by April 29th." Franklin writes for InvestmentNews.com. Quoting Franklin, filing and suspending "by the April 29 deadline allows a worker to trigger benefits for a spouse or dependent child while their own benefit continues to grow by 8 percent per year up to age 70. A person also has the right to request a lump-sum payout of suspended benefits any time up to age 70 instead of collecting the delayed retirement bonus." Quoting Franklin further: "Divorced spouses are not affected by the new file-and-suspend restrictions. Even if an ex-spouse files and suspends his benefit, it will not affect the ability of a former spouse to collect benefits on his earnings record, the agency said. Survivor benefits are unchanged under the new law. Anyone who is entitled to both their own retirement benefits and benefits as a surviving spouse will still be able to claim one type of benefit first and switch to the other later if it would result in a bigger benefit. And it doesn't matter in which order they claim them." Email me if you would like more resources, and good luck. On another note, if you live in the Stamford area, you may want to attend the following roundtable discussions: "Investing for Women. Speak up and be heard: How to speak so your adviser will listen," on Tuesday, March 29, at 8 a.m.; "Trust and Estates: How to coordinate your financial and estate plans," on Monday, April 4, at 5:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.juliejason.com/events or call (203) 322-1198. Julie Jason, JD, LLM, a personal money manager at Jackson, Grant of Stamford, and award-winning author, welcomes your questions/comments at readers@juliejason.com. BRUSSELS Heavily armed police swept into Brussels neighborhoods Friday in operations linked to this weeks bombings as well as a suspected new plot in France, detaining three people and shooting two of them in the leg. One man was carrying a suspicious bag while accompanied by a young girl. As Easter weekend began, jittery Europeans faced uncertainly about how many violent extremists remain at large, and where and when they might strike again. On Friday afternoon, two blasts and gunfire rang out in the Schaerbeek district of Belgiums capital, where police earlier found explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the suicide attackers who killed 31 people and wounded 270 in assaults on the Brussels airport and subway. Authorities, meanwhile, confirmed one of the attackers at the airport was the bomb-maker who made explosive vests used in last years carnage in Paris the most definitive link yet between the two attacks, both of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group. On the third and final day of national mourning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid a wreath at the airport for the victims of Tuesdays bombings a ceremony that was skipped by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel because of the police operations. Kerry, in a hastily arranged visit, defended Belgiums counterterrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failures before the bombings that have brought sharp criticism of top members of Belgiums embattled government. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Nov. 13 bombings in Paris that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Confirming that several FBI agents are involved in the investigation, Kerry said the carping about Belgiums shortcomings is a little bit frantic and inappropriate. He also lashed out at the Islamic State group. We will not be deterred, he said. We will come back with greater resolve with greater strength and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth. As the identities of the victims began to be made public, officials announced that American, British, German, Chinese, Italian, French and Dutch citizens were among the dead. A manhunt has been underway for one of the airport attackers who was recorded on a surveillance video and fled the scene. Prosecutors have not said how many attackers there were in total, or how many accomplices might be at large. But they said Friday that DNA analysis and an official investigation had confirmed one of the suicide bombers at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, 24, a suspected bomb-maker whose DNA was also found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks. European security officials had earlier in the week confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, thus linking the Brussels and Paris bloodshed. On Friday, dozens of heavily armed officers swept into Brussels Schaerbeek neighborhood, as well as the Forest and Saint-Gilles districts, the Belgian federal prosecutors office said. It was the second such raid in Schaerbeek in two days. Officers began the operation about 1:30 p.m., when two big explosions echoed through Schaerbeek, resident Marie-Pierre Bouvez told the AP, and it lasted about two hours. It was not immediately clear if the blasts were controlled explosions. Bouvez said police kept the area locked down and shouted at her to get back inside when she tried to go into the street. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police to put the bag far from him, and after he did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg, said Norman Kabir, a local electrician. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. State broadcaster RTBF said police apparently feared the bag held explosives. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF the raid was linked to the Brussels attacks as well as Thursdays detention in France of a man authorities said was in the advanced stages of plotting a new attack. The 34-year-old suspect, Reda Kriket, has a past Belgian terrorism conviction and was linked to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, officials told the AP. Meanwhile, the top suspect in the Paris bombings, Salah Abdeslam, who was captured in Brussels one week ago, has stopped cooperating with police and no longer wants to talk, said Justice Minister Koen Geens. Abdeslam exercised his right to silence during the second of two rounds of questioning on March 19, prosecutors said. France is seeking his extradition, and his lawyer said he is prepared to go. Elsewhere, Belgiums nuclear agency said it has withdrawn the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concern the nuclear plants could be a target. Immediately after Tuesdays attacks, security was boosted around Belgiums nuclear sites, and hundreds of workers were sent home. Last month, authorities said searches after the Paris attacks uncovered video linked to a person working in Belgiums nuclear industry. Belgian media reported this week that two of the suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks, brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui had video of the home of a senior official at the Mol nuclear waste facility in the Flanders region. In the neighborhood of Molenbeek, home to some who took part in the Paris attacks, Sheik Mohamed Tojgani denounced the Brussels bombers during a sermon before Friday prayers. Terrorism is terrorism, said Tojgani, the imam of Molenbeeks main mosque. It has no state, no nationality, no religion, no country. In a message to the Belgian people, he added: You are from us and we are from you. What affects you, affects us. Poignant accounts of some of the victims last moments also emerged Friday. Among them was Liberian-born Elita Borbor Weah, seen smiling in a photo she texted to her family shortly before the blasts at the Brussels airport. Wearing a black coat and a white-and-black checked head-covering the 40-year-old mother of a teenage daughter is seen standing in the departure lounge. She was on her way to Rhode Island for her stepfathers funeral when she was killed, her tearful brother, Oscar Weah, told the AP. Today is another day of sorrow for Christians worldwide as they continue to mourn the death of Jesus on Good Friday. The celebration begins Sunday when Christians believe Jesus was resurrected. Easter is symbolic of rebirth. Spring, too, is a rebirth as the trees bud and flowers bloom. Enjoy the holiday and season and all they have to offer. With a sense of renewal in the air, we start off with a bouquet to a grant that will give hope to many homeless in the area. The Connecticut Department of Housing awarded this week a $1.7 million grant to the SoNo Life Center project, which will convert an old factory at 2 Merritt St. into a community center with housing for the homeless. The Center will be located near the existing Open Door Shelter. The project will include 16 units of housing, a medical center and job training facilities. The conversion could start as early as this summer. The news of the grant on Thursday was part of a broader announcement made by Gov. Dannel Malloy of $28 million awarded to support affordable housing throughout the state. Homelessness continues to be a reality for many in our community. The new Center will go a long way toward helping individuals and families get back on their feet. A brickbat to the state's Board of Regents, which this week recommended yet another tuition hike at state universities and community colleges. With this latest 5 percent increase almost certain to come to fruition, the cost to attend public college in Connecticut will have doubled over the past 13 years, according to the news website CTMirror.org. When will this end? Many students leaving college are saddled with outrageous student loan payments that haunt them for decades after graduation. Politicians have railed against the swelling cost of higher education for years, yet the increases keep coming. We say: Enough talk and grandstanding. Get this under control. A final bouquet to environmentalists and state park supporters who this week demanded that the public have greater pull when it comes to transfering ownership of state park lands. The current handover system, they say, puts open spaces at risk as the state can transfer without public input parcels of state-owned open space to municipalities, businesses and individuals. Many of the handovers or land swaps are hidden in bills that are approved late in the session, therefore cutting out the public's right to know. Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk acknowledged that the legislator could "do a better job of making it transparent," but added that it would be impractical for each transfer to have its own bill and be considered by every legislator. The lawmakers in the district in question are accountable for the land transfers, he said. We are glad a conversation has started regarding land handovers and swaps. Much of the land in state parks is not protected in perpetuity, such as land owned by a local land trust, so it is vital to hold legislators accountable when these land transfers are proposed. This article appeared in Saturday's Washington Post: After Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Belgium, it took no time for Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Donald Trump to compete over who could be tougher on Muslims. Aside from the usual rhetoric about locking down the borders and halting refugees, Cruz called for law enforcement to "patrol and secure" Muslim neighborhoods in the United States, which is similar to Trump's earlier calls to surveil or even shut mosques. Cruz's campaign clarified that he wants authorities to "work with Muslim communities" to identify and root out extremism, much like the community-based tactics police use to combat gangs. His camp said authorities should "partner with non-radical Americans who want to protect their homes." As an example, Cruz's representatives pointed to New York Police Department efforts that they accused Mayor Bill deBlasio (D) of shutting down because of political correctness. But the New York practices Cruz appears to be citing were not really about partnering with Muslim communities, which is an excellent idea. They were covert and, once they inevitably became public, deeply controversial. They ultimately strained the bonds between the police and Muslim neighborhoods, making them counterproductive at best. In the years after Sept. 11, 2001, New York police collected and organized a lot of information on New York-area Muslims: mapping where they lived and worshipped, placing undercover officers in bakeries and having them eavesdrop on conversations and, in some cases, infiltrating Muslim student groups. Part of the goal was to have a sense of where to look and whom to ask if counterterrorism authorities got wind of an imminent threat or if police wanted to take the temperature of ethnic communities reacting to big events overseas. Yet New York Police Deputy Commissioner John J. Miller said that, after a while, one major piece of the city's covert efforts became "a sort of top-secret Zagat's guide," because officers tended to frequent restaurants with the best food. Then there were examples of egregious overreaching, such as the monitoring of Muslim student groups at elite universities. Once the Associated Press began reporting on various covert police efforts in 2012, many Muslim Americans were outraged; they saw the police singling out and spying on a largely peaceful community of Americans based on nothing more than their religious affiliation. New York City officials determined the police could do much of what they had aimed to do, such as getting to know neighborhoods and taking the community's temperature "without all the cloak and dagger," as Miller put it. This is the decision the police should have made in the first place. The last thing the government should do is isolate and alienate peaceful U.S. Muslims. Making them feel as if they are a part of a distrusted, fringe population promotes the homegrown radicalization that now poses a threat to European nations, where integration has not occurred. Cruz's campaign warned about "isolated Muslim neighborhoods" in Europe that have become recruiting grounds for terrorists. This is a significant problem that requires sophisticated responses there and here. Neither Cruz nor Trump has such a plan. Instead, both seem bent on making the problem worse. MADISON State Rep. Kathy Bernier, R-Lake Hallie, is annoyed when local officials start comparing Wisconsin and Minnesota, but those comparisons often reflect discontent in rural areas. Earlier this year Bernier walked out of a meeting between local school officials and legislators from western Wisconsin. Fundamentally, Minnesota is beating us. Our school formula is broken, an Eau Claire educator said. It is not helpful to compare Minnesota and Wisconsin, Bernier replied. Later Bernier would tell constituents that Wisconsin spends $11,071 educating each elementary and secondary school student, while Minnesota spends just $17 per student more. But those are statewide figures, not a reflection of the financial problems facing rural districts that often have declining enrollments, others note. State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, said the rural districts are often faced with winning approval for property tax increases or slashing spending. The Alma district, she said, recently approved a major tax increase to help pay for a new school furnace. The Prescott school district is facing a $1.5 million cut because a referendum failed. People all across this state have voted to raise property taxes, she said. Vinehout noted that Tony Evers, state superintendent of public instruction, has repeatedly proposed school-aid changes to reflect declining enrollments and poverty. Evers proposals have failed in the State Capitol, she noted. Gov. Scott Walkers popularity has dramatically sagged in western and northern Wisconsin, according to numbers from the Marquette University Law School poll. The governor has spent substantial time in that region in the wake of those numbers. He has held invitation-only meetings to ask what the state should be doing. Now he promises to put more money into public education in the biennial budget he will send to the Legislature next year. But there are other educational pressures facing the Wisconsin budget. Tax revenues have not met expectations and the voucher program which sends taxpayer money to private schools continues to expand. Wisconsin also provides a large income-tax break for families who send children to private elementary or high schools. The governor has been encouraging public school districts to offer programs that will push young people to consider vocational education rather than college. A new law allows public schools to employ people with relevant experiences to lead the vocational instruction rather than teacher training. Other spending cutbacks are hurting rural Wisconsin. The $250-million slash in taxpayer money for the University of Wisconsin System has led to reducing the number of Extension agents in some sparsely populated counties. Spending issues are everywhere in Wisconsin. Minnesota and Wisconsin populations are about the same, but Wisconsin has twice as many people in prison. Wisconsin leads the nation in the percentage of its young black males in prison. The state spending rolls on. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Fri, March 25, 2016 The Worker's Social Security Agency, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, has embarked on a nationwide campaign for what it calls a 'mental revolution' (GNRM), as part of its efforts to reshape the mindset of its staff in assisting workers and their families with prime services. The agency stressed that its public service should be based on the values of integrity, work ethics and cooperation to meet public expectations about basic social security for workers and their families. Moreover, the agency must become a trustworthy partner for entrepreneurs, while at the same time playing its role in developing the country. To this effect, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan proclaimed the National Mental Revolution Movement, with the theme of "Work Ethics for Future Prosperity". The theme was selected to promote speed and quality in service delivery to the satisfaction of people served as well as to ensure workers' prosperity in the future. The declaration of the campaign took place in the parking lot of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan headquarters in Jakarta. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan president director Agus Susanto, in attendance of the board of directors and supervisory board, declared the start of the GNRM campaign. "We ensure that BPJS Ketenagakerjaan will exercise good corporate governance principles in establishing professional and transparent organizational management free from conflicts of interest to achieve prosperity for Indonesian workers," Agus said. The values of GNRM, comprising integrity, work ethics and cooperation, were in line with cultural values and work ethics among BPJS Ketenagakerjaan officials, he said. Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, who has been appointed as the Coordinator of GNRM by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, also attended the GNRM declaration. "Mental revolution is not merely one or two days of work, but a long-term and continuous national movement. The hard work that we do today will determine the fate of our children and grandchildren in the future," Puan said. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's commitment to the GNRM campaign was symbolized by publicly assembling 1.001 puzzle pieces to form the logo of GNRM BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Carried out by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan officials, the feat was acknowledged by the Indonesian Museum of Records as the jigsaw puzzle with the greatest number of pieces ever put together in the country. BPJS Ketenagakerjaan general and human resources director Naufal Mahfudz officially recited the declaration of GNRM, accompanied by BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's Mental Revolution agents. That was followed by a videoconference with regional BPJS Ketenagakerjaan offices. At the same occasion, the heir of Bambang Irawan, the plantation director of PT Satria Multi Sukses, publicly received Employment Injury Program (JKK) claims. Bambang was the Wage Recipient (PPU) at the Pontianak office branch, who passed away at his workplace. The compensation given to his heir was Rp 3.58 billion (US$268,745), comprising compensation for accidents at work, periodic compensation, funeral expenses, pension and retirement security. (adv)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 The Indonesian Army is drafting a comprehensive guide-book on social media for its members. The guide-book will regulate how personnel express themselves. The Army wants its members to express themselves in a way that will not shame the Army or put the institution in danger. The Army is now working to define what personnel should and should not do on their personal social media accounts. The regulations will limit how personnel are permitted to use social media. For instance, personnel will be prohibited from talking about military operations or engaging in inappropriate selfies that will embarrass the institution. Recently, some army personnel were reported to the military police after they published pictures of themselves on social media posing in an inappropriate manner while wearing Indonesian military uniforms. 'They can do anything they like, but do not wear the military uniform,' Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Muhammad Sabrar Fadhillah said on Thursday, adding that the personnel would receive disciplinary sanctions for violating future social media regulations. The Army acknowledged that curbing and regulating the use of social media was difficult and challenging. 'Social media has its benefits, but it also has bad aspects to it. We have to make regulations so that everybody will be on the same page,' Fadhillah said. The Army is also of the opinion that social media can promote ideas and spread doctrine. The Army has dealt with several cases related to social media. One popular case was in February last year when an Army member was reported to the military police for allegedly deceiving a woman who he had met via Path, a social media outlet. The woman claimed that the member had seduced her by offering her a trip to Europe. She said that the member later abandoned her. The case drew media attention and ended only when the Army held a press conference to clear the case. Military expert Mufti Makarim said he respected the Army's plan to issue regulations on social media. He said similar such regulations were implemented in many other countries. Often, strict regulations were imposed on the use of social media among military personnel, especially during special military operations. 'Usually, these soldiers have to exercise carefulness in posting photos and comments. Or they can only publish photos that have been officially distributed by the institution,' Mufti said. He asked, however, that the Army issue regulations in such a way that protected the right to free expression. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post New York Sat, March 26, 2016 Apple wants a judge to delay government demands for data from a locked iPhone in a Brooklyn drug case while the FBI sees if it can get contents from a San Bernardino attacker's phone without Apple's help. Apple attorney Marc Zwillinger asked a U.S. District judge late Thursday to postpone deadlines until the Department of Justice reports the FBI's findings to a California judge. The government is scheduled to update a California magistrate judge on April 5 about its efforts to access iPhones without the company's assistance. Investigators want information from a phone used by a shooter who with his wife killed 14 people last year. Days ago, prosecutors notified the magistrate judge that the FBI may be able to break into phones without Apple's help but needed more time to be sure. Apple's opposition to helping the government get phone data in the California attack and Brooklyn case has prompted a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security. Zwillinger said the Brooklyn case will be affected by the outcome in California regardless of what the Justice Department concludes regarding its methods of obtaining data without Apple's help. He said if the same method can be used to unlock the iPhone in the Brooklyn case, Apple's assistance will no longer be needed. He added that Apple will seek to test any claims by the government that the method cannot work on the iPhone in Brooklyn or claims that other methods cannot be used. Zwillinger suggested that Apple's March 31 deadline to submit papers in the Brooklyn case be delayed until both sides propose a new briefing schedule in the Brooklyn matter by April 11. Prosecutors in New York are challenging a U.S. magistrate judge's February ruling in Brooklyn that found the government was stretching a 1789 law to get "impermissibly absurd results" by trying to force Apple to divulge the content of iPhones. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Sat, March 26, 2016 History has revealed that pagan Easter celebrations predate the Easter that Christians across the globe observe to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The two similarly speak of the triumph of life over death and hope over desperation. In a world that constantly witnesses deprivation of people's right to life as a result of war, conflict, hunger, disease, man-made disasters and acts of violence, including terrorism, Easter finds its humane, universal context. For one thing, the tradition of Lent that precedes Easter resembles the Ramadhan fasting month in Islam, albeit in a less rigorous way. Both Christianity and Islam dedicate a month within a year to purgation, when believers spend more time on praying, meditating and making sacrifices in order to obtain a new life. For Christians, Easter is a deeply religious holiday to celebrate the day Jesus arose from the dead after his crucifixion and to relish salvation from sin. While in Idul Fitri Muslims savor their return to their pristine state of cleanliness and purity. Easter, like Idul Fitri and other religious holidays that rejoice in human victory over fleshly urges, is therefore a celebration of humans as the most dignified creature. Nobody, regardless of their belief, can deny that it is that dignity that differentiates man from other creatures and draws a parallel between human beings. People are born equal, and this equality before the divine law is all that all the scriptures, God's messengers, preachers and religious leaders have been talking about. In reality, however, inequality is widening, discrimination is rampant and, more worryingly, people do not hesitate to play God when wronging others. We do not need to search far to find discrepancies between the ideal and the actual. Indonesia, which recognizes the belief in one God as the first of its five guiding principles, is home to acts of discrimination, denial of equality and disrespect of differences. Worse still, in many cases the state has either sponsored or abetted those practices, which clearly infringe the Constitution. The latest case in point is the recent decision of the Attorney General's Office to ban the Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar). The ban comes on the heels of an Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) edict that declared Gafatar a deviant group, although it never claimed its affiliation to Islam. Thousands of Gafatar members have been displaced from their new homes in Mempawah, South Kalimantan, lost their property and deprived of their right to assemble and seek a better life, only because other groups deem them as a threat to the establishment. For the sake of 250 million people, it seems a few thousand lives can be sacrificed. A denial of constitutional rights also occurs in the frequent dispersal of cultural and intellectual gatherings in Jakarta and other cities by hard-line groups, with police protection strangely lacking. Easter will be celebrated in Indonesia and all over the world anyway, which means hope for human salvation from inequality and all forms of discrimination. Happy Easter! Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Claiming to have won the support of mainstream religious and social organizations in the country, the government has decided to officially ban the controversial Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar), a move that had been anticipated but condemned by many as a setback to the country's commitment to protecting minorities and tolerating diversity. The Attorney General's Office (AGO), Home Ministry and Religious Affairs Ministry have issued a joint decree, the SKB No. 93/2016, to prevent ex-Gafatar members from spreading the movement's doctrine that is deemed to deviate from Islamic teachings. 'If we let it go on, Gafatar could potentially cause public unrest and trigger various other sensitive issues. So I hope all parties understand that this for the sake of maintaining religious harmony,' Attorney General HM Prasetyo told a media conference on Thursday. The decree comes with a maximum of five years imprisonment for any violation. It also stipulates charges for members of the public who attack former Gafatar members. Gafatar adopts the theological teachings of Millah Abraham and is a metamorphosis of Al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah, which was banned in 2007. In February, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) released an edict declaring the movement heretical for trying to combine the teachings of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism and declaring Ahmad Mussadeq, founder of the banned Al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah, a prophet. Ahmad himself was sentenced to four years in jail in 2008. Gafatar came into the spotlight early this year, when newspapers in Jakarta and Yogyakarta reported that several missing persons had joined the group. Human rights activists condemned the local media coverage as one sided and biased with an intent to stir up hatred of Gafatar. Some 11,000 of an estimated 55,000 members nationwide had moved to Kalimantan to run communal and self-sufficient farms since August. Most members were homeless or sold all their assets prior to moving to Kalimantan. In mid-January, a violent mob attacked one of their farms in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, and intimidated other members in East Kalimantan, forcing them to return to their hometowns and abandon the farms worth Rp 30.4 billion (US$2.3 million). The government has said that it is currently processing compensation claims, but has not provided any time frame. A former Gafatar member, who asked to remain anonymous, defended Gafatar's teachings, saying they do not promote exclusivity as members also mingle with locals. To date, almost 8,000 of the 11,000 have been returned home via various evacuation centers in Java. 'The biggest resistance we face is in Yogyakarta and East Java, where police still come to houses to do checkups. Some landlords cancel rental properties, knowing we're ex-Gafatar,' the former member said. Human rights activists have lambasted the government for the decision, calling the move a step backward, amid persistent intolerance toward other minorities, such as Shia in Aceh and East Java and Ahmadiyah nationwide. 'The ban on Gafatar is another setback for religious freedom in Indonesia. The legal framework is similar to the 2008 decree issued against Ahmadiyah. I am afraid the anti-Gafatar decree will also trigger new waves of discrimination, intimidation and possibly violence against Gafatar members,' said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch. 'How can you prosecute something that's in people's minds? How do you deem one teaching as heretical and impose criminal charges on its believers? Criminal law is applied when we can calculate material losses,' coordinator of Kontras human rights watchdog Harris Azhar said. The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and Muhammadiyah oppose the move. 'This is not a country based on religion. They don't have to fuss over religious affairs,' said PGI's consideration board chair Andreas Yewangoe. Muhammadiyah's secretary general Abdul Mukti voiced the same opinion. ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 The battle for the chairmanship of the Golkar Party, the oldest existing political party in the country, has started to fire up, with candidates putting all their resources and energy into their attempts to gather support. Mahyudin, one of the candidates who is currently on the party's board of executives, claims that he has traveled to 14 provinces and met 230 provincial executive boards (DPD I) and regional executive boards (DPD II). He said that all members of the party's regional boards he had met had signaled their support for him. 'None doubt my political experience, including in government affairs, although actually support from the government will have nothing to do with the race,' Mahyudin, who is also deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said. 'I have built good relationships with all the DPD I and DPD II over five years. I know the grass roots well,' he added. According to Mahyudin, his high-level position at the MPR was his strategic asset in winning the chairmanship competition. 'Now, it's only me and Ade who hold strategic, important positions at Senayan [the national legislative complex],' he said, referring to the House of Representatives' Speaker Ade Komarudin. Ade has been widely tipped by many as a frontrunner in the upcoming chairmanship race, which is scheduled for late next month or early May at the latest. Mahyudin also claimed that he had garnered support from the incumbent Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie. 'At the end, I don't feel like I'm in a competition. I don't compete. We are all colleagues,' Mahyudin said, while adding that several negative campaigns had been launched against him. Indra Bambang Utoyo, a Golkar veteran and co-chairman of the party's central executive board (DPP), who has also announced his candidacy for the chairmanship, said that he had met with a number of DPD I and DPD II figures but would not speculate on the number of votes he would get. 'I've formed a team and made a voters map. I don't need to announce how many regions I've visited to gather votes, but I'll have visited 34 provinces before the national congress commences,' he said. Indra went on to say that he was not concerned about support from the State Palace as he was not personally close to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. 'I have no plan to go there [to ask for support]' he said. Other candidate, former House speaker Setya Novanto has campaigned in 25 provinces and will finish touring by next week, according to Setya's stalwart Roem Kono, who is also chairman of the Golkar Mutual Assistance Families Association (MKGR), one of the founding organizations of Golkar. Roem previously planned to run in the race, but decided against and moved to support Setya, saying that given the political track record of the House's Golkar faction chairman he had the potential to revive the party's spirits after a prolonged split, which divided the party into two camps. The two camps will achieve consolidation and hold the chairmanship race at an extraordinary national congress (munaslub), whose specific date is yet to be determined. Roem said that Aburizal would meet with Agung Laksono to determine when to hold a plenary meeting to decide the schedule and organization and steering committee members for the congress. The party is currently expecting 'neutral' figures to lead the organizing committees for the congress. The committees should each have a 'fair referee' as chairman and not be involved in any campaign teams. Senior Golkar politician Nurdin Halid has several times been mentioned as chairman of the steering committee. Nurdin is Aburizal's confidant who chaired the steering committee of the Golkar national congress in Bali on Nov. 30, 2014, which elected Aburizal as party chairman. It is therefore, little wonder that the plan to name Nurdin as committee chairman has sparked protests from a number of candidates who fear he sides with certain candidates. However, Roem said that almost all party members would agree with Nurdin chairing the steering committee. 'He is likely to [chair the committee]. Of course, there are many pro and cons, but we'll see,' Roem said. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Syamsul Huda M. Suhari and Djemi Amnifu (The Jakarta Post) Gorontalo/Kupang Sat, March 26, 2016 Christians across the country observed Good Friday commemorating the death of Jesus Christ with local cultural nuances. In Gorontalo, for example, congregations from the Maranatha Protestant Church in Limboto will hold a parade with torches on Saturday night. The parade is adopted from the Tumbilotohe celebration, normally conducted by local Muslims three days before of the end of the Ramadhan fasting month. 'Despite being a minority, Christians in Gorontalo have assimilated with the local Muslim majority, including with their traditions,' Derek Anderhey Puasa, a member of the congregation, said on Friday. Meanwhile, in Kupang city, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), a procession of the Cross was held at Nostalgia Park on Thursday night by the youth council of the Timor Evangelical Church's (GMIT) local chapter. Mayor Jonas Salean officially marked the start of the event. Erens Blegur, the chairman of the youth council, said the procession was the fourth held so far, with 43 churches and denominations as well as Catholic youth participating this year. The procession also involved youth from the Namosain subdistrict Mosque. Erens said the procession symbolized how Christian youth observed and implemented the spirit of Easter in daily life. 'If they have just heard about the story, now they can see clearly the true tragedy that happened 2,000 years ago,' he said. The procession passed through nine churches in the city and ended on Friday morning. Good Friday is part of the Easter celebration, which is set to fall on Sunday. NTT police's spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Jules Abast said 1,700 police personnel had been deployed in the province's 21 regencies and cities to secure Easter celebrations. Meanwhile, members of GP Ansor, the youth wing of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, also took part in securing Easter celebrations throughout the province. 'All of our personnel have joined with the security apparatus to secure Easter celebrations at every house of worship, including during the Good Friday procession in Larantuka, East Flores,' chairman of GP Ansor's NTT branch, Abdul Muis told The Jakarta Post in Kupang on Friday. Meanwhile, in East Manggarai regency, tenun ikat, a traditional kind of woven cloth from Flores, was worn by the representatives of the 12 apostles during the foot washing ritual at the Santo Arnoldus and Josef Church of Ruteng diocese on Thursday night. The East Manggarai traditional bamboo cannon and lorang rituals were also conducted for the Good Friday celebration. The bamboo cannon ritual was originally designed to mark the death of a customary leader, while lorang is a ritual conducted to mourn the death of a love one. In Wonogiri, Central Java, hundreds from the Yohanes Rasul Church joined the procession of the Cross on the hilly area around Gunung Gandul. Many were unable to hold back the tears as Catholic youth performed the two-hour procession. The church's priest, Andreas Suharti, said the spirit of the ceremony on the hill was meant to move the congregation closer to Jesus, who sacrificed himself for the sins of the people. 'We call on people to better appreciate how Jesus sacrificed for them,' he said. Markus Makur in East Manggarai and Ganug Nugroho Adi in Wonogiri contributed to this article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri and Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 The government is considering whether to remove subsidies for diesel fuel in the upcoming state budget in order to reallocate trillions of rupiah for productive and welfare programs. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said told reporters on Thursday that the government would seek approval from the House of Representatives for the plan. 'We're planning to cut the subsidy while prices are still low,' he said after attending a working meeting on fuel at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Ministry. As of 2015, the government has set a fixed subsidy for diesel fuel, capping the amount at Rp 1,000 (7 US cents) per liter. The subsidy for Premium-brand gasoline has already been reduced, resulting in a significant decline in the volume of subsidized fuel use. The volume ' comprising largely of diesel and kerosene ' now stands at 16.7 million kiloliters, much lower than the previous 46 million kiloliters, which includes Premium. The move enabled the government to reduce fuel subsidies to Rp 63.7 trillion this year from Rp 240 trillion in 2014 before the reduced-subsidy policy was implemented. Another cut in the diesel fuel subsidy, Sudirman said, would help the government save between Rp 15 trillion and Rp 16 trillion. 'We will have to gain approval first from House Commission VII [that oversees the energy sector] and the Budget Committee to proceed with the plan,' Sudirman said. No detailed schedule has been set for the state budget revision, but deliberation will most likely begin in June. Combined with subsidy cuts in other sectors, the government has managed to create larger fiscal space to be used to finance infrastructure projects. In addition to cutting subsidies, the government is also planning make use of low global crude oil prices to reduce domestic fuel prices. Data from Bloomberg show that the bellwether West Texas Intermediate oil price has dropped 19.8 percent year-on-year (yoy) to US$39.46 per barrel, while that of Brent crude has come down 28.4 percent yoy to $40.4 per barrel. Sudirman said the new price would be announced between March 29 and 30. 'We are still calculating, but it is simply logical that the price will come down as global prices remain low and our own supply chain is improving.' He reiterated that the decision was part of the government's earlier commitment to review fuel prices on a quarterly basis. The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will most likely stay unchanged. In a recent hearing, Gerindra Party lawmaker Harry Poernomo, a member of House Commission VII, suggested that the government gradually cut diesel fuel subsidies every year to make sure the funding was channelled to appropriate needs. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 The government is designing measures to reduce waste left over following major public events by issuing standard operating procedures (SOPs) on waste management for regional governments. 'I am currently building the concept [of zero-waste events]. The principle is for event organizers to provide better facilities that can accommodate large crowds. Furthermore, visitors have to be educated on the importance of waste management,' Environment and Forestry Ministry waste management director Sudirman said on Thursday. After ensuring that people dispose of their garbage in designated places, the government will then sort the waste into different categories, he said. 'Garbage that has value will go to waste banks. Organic garbage will be turned into fertilizer. All of this has to be done in cooperation with local governments. If the region has a high commitment [to reducing waste], then these zero-waste events will succeed,' said Sudirman. The government tested the concept of zero-waste events at the Java Jazz festival held earlier this year in JIEXPO Kemayoran, Jakarta, under the banner of Less Waste More Jazz, he said. The government will test the concept again during the annual environmental fair held at JCC Senayan, Jakarta, to be held in June. 'I want [these events to become examples of future events],' Sudirman said, while admitting that what worked at the Java Jazz festival might not work in other events. He added that the government would study the results after testing the concept as they would provide information on the behavior of people attending the events, such as the Java Jazz Festival. Waste research team coordinator for Less Waste More Jazz, Suci Fitriana, shared Sudirman's opinion by saying that the government could measure the level of awareness of the Java Jazz audience in regard to waste through the research. The zero-waste event concept is part of the government's plan to free Indonesia from waste by 2020 as the country, the world's second-biggest contributor to plastic waste in the oceans, faces a potential emergency with regard to waste. As of 2015, an average person in Indonesia produced 0.7 kilogram of waste per day. With 250 million people, a staggering 175,000 tons of waste is produced each day, amounting to 64 million tons per year, according to data from the ministry. This waste is mostly dumped into landfills. Therefore, Indonesia's decaying trash disposal sites are struggling to cope with tens of millions of tons of waste every year. The government recently introduced a national policy requiring stores to charge for plastic shopping bags. 'That's the first step. It will be followed by other measures such as sorting out waste. So there might be a big campaign to educate people on sorting out their own waste,' Environment and Forestry Ministry's spokesman, Novrizal Tahar, said. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 JAKARTA: A dead body was found inside an apartment at the City Resort Apartments complex in East Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Friday morning. The discovery came about following a report from Kwan Kiok Hong, 60, the wife of the apartment's owner Ayaw, 60, who had not returned home for two days straight. 'I decided to go to his apartment. When I banged on the door, nobody answered. There was a bad odor coming from the apartment,' Kwan said as quoted by tribunnews.com. She decided to ask for help from the police. When the police came and opened the locked door, they found Ayaw's dead body. 'We are still investigating the case,' said West Jakarta Police spokesperson Comr. Herru Julianto. He said the occupant had stayed inside his apartment for days. A box of catering meals was also found hanging on the door's knob. 'We do not see any signs of trauma on the victim's body,' said Herru. He added that the corpse had been brought to Cipto Mangungkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta for an autopsy. The police are questioning witnesses. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Yohanna Ririhena (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Indonesia and the Netherlands should have the courage to confront 'the dark pages of history' in the hope of creating a stronger future partnership while reflecting in a frank and open-minded spirit on the past, a senior Dutch official said. On a four-day visit to the country, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders addressed a large audience of young people, mostly students, at Erasmus Huis in Jakarta on Thursday, asserting that the future was central in the two countries' attempts to shape broad and multifaceted cooperation. Indonesia experienced a long colonial history under Dutch rule and the impact of the shared history has been immense. One of the unresolved disagreements between the two countries is how Indonesian independence is perceived in the Netherlands. Indonesia declared independence on Aug. 17, 1945, while the Netherlands only recognized Indonesia's sovereignty on Dec. 27, 1949. Koenders expressed his own regret for the painful and violent way in which Indonesia and the Netherlands' paths separated at that time. 'After the birth of the Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1945, we experienced a painful separation, a process marked by terrible violence. These are the dark pages of our history,' he said. He acknowledged that confronting the past was not always easy. The past had been painful and the Dutch side had made many mistakes and committed a lot of violence. 'But we must have the courage to confront the past if we want to move forward.' Koenders referred to the regret the Dutch government expressed in 2005 for the violence that occurred after independence was declared. The statement opened the path for a better bilateral relationship. Koenders believed that both countries shared strong ties, despite the events of the past, saying shared history offered a sound basis for building a shared future. 'The future belongs to the young and that's especially true in Indonesia, where around 40 percent of the population is under 24,' he said. He called for the past to be examined with an open mind and without special pleading. 'This is a history that we should have the courage to examine and discuss, lest we forget.' During a meeting with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi earlier in the day, the two countries agreed to further strengthen relations and deepen collaboration in a number of priority areas such as education, the maritime sector, the rule of law and human rights. Retno brought up the issue of water management as a priority in the two countries' bilateral relations, with special emphasis on infrastructure needs in the sector, but also in the wider scope of Indonesia's maritime axis policy. Despite the lack of concrete deliverables emerging from the meeting, she said that the government was finalizing a memorandum of understanding on maritime cooperation with the Dutch government. 'We both work in a situation where water is very important and we are very inspired by the vision of your President [Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo] and I think we can work closely together not only on coastal management ' vital in the low-lying areas in Jakarta ' but also in port development, [...] in transport and logistics,' Koenders explained. Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said that the Netherlands was currently in talks to invest in an undisclosed water management project in Jakarta, following a visit by a Dutch delegation last year to inspect dams in the capital. Besides economic cooperation, Dutch Foreign Minister Koenders briefly touched on issues related to international and domestic law, touted as an area where both countries are working together on their shared history, since the Indonesian legal system is built on and heavily influenced by Dutch law. Koenders said he had the opportunity to discuss with Indonesian legislators matters pertaining to law revisions, including antidrug legislation. The minister then proceeded to reiterate his government's stance on the use of the death penalty, referring to the existing capital punishment for drug offenses in Indonesia. 'But I appreciate that we can talk about it in an open manner,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anthony Winza Probowo (The Jakarta Post) Washington, DC Sat, March 26, 2016 A concept familiar to most people is that of a judicial review of legislation. This process, found in the governments of many countries besides Indonesia, is based on the principle that the nation's Constitution is the ultimate law of the land to which all ' even the government itself ' must be subject. When any individual's rights under the Constitution are threatened by the enacting or enforcing of a given law, they have the judiciary look over the legislation and determine whether it truly is harmful to their constitutional rights. Laws found to be in violation of the Constitution are thus dismissed, while those found to be reasonable are preserved. Indonesia follows this enlightened philosophy. New laws are drafted and passed by the legislature and the president, respectively, on the understanding that they will do nothing to offend the nation's constitutional principles, but when people feel that they have failed and that their rights are being trampled, they ask the judiciary to perform its duties of judicial review and rule on the legislation. The judiciary's decision on the matter is then final. Good so far, but this process, although generally wise and founded on justice, ignores the fact that a bad law can cause irreparable harm merely by being passed ' harm that cannot be reversed by the simple act of repealing the law. A prime example of this is an international treaty. When the President or his delegates agree upon and sign a treaty with another nation, then that agreement is settled and binding on Indonesia externally ' there is no undoing it. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties has found that treaties accepted by a nation cannot be retroactively canceled merely because they are later found to have been in violation of that nation's laws. If the judiciary finds that a treaty is contrary to Indonesian constitutional principles, that cannot help the nation or its people. Indonesia externally remains bound to the bad treaty ' its Constitution be damned. One solution to this problem is an evolution of judicial review: judicial preview. Under this system, the nation's courts would not have to wait until a law is called into question to rule upon it. Instead, part of their duty would be to review such laws before they were even passed and render their judgment on constitutionality. Unconstitutional laws would be struck down not after they had already caused injury, but before they even became law, before injuring their constituents. But there is a downside to this system. One of the most important elements of the Indonesian government, as in many nations, is the separation of powers to prevent undue accumulation of authority. If the judiciary has final veto power over any law proposed by the legislature, then the courts could effectively usurp the legislators' power. The power of those drafting and signing the laws would be diminished and that of the judicial reviewers (previewers) vastly strengthened. Potentially, the courts could rise to the level of legislative 'dictators', preemptively deciding what is law by their own fiat, with the supposed lawmakers powerless against their will. If the legislature found itself unable to obtain judicial approval of their proposals, they could pass nothing into law. One possible solution to this problem would be a reduction of the power of the judicial preview. In this version of the system, the court would not be empowered to strike down laws before they are enacted, but rather to render a recommendation of a proposed law's constitutionality. That is, legislators would still submit their draft to the judiciary, which would then review, but even the court's most strenuous objection would not automatically kill the law. Legislators would be free to either heed t he court's objection, or ignore it. Even this idea carries some risks, however. We could see a situation in which the court's gentle recommendations against a law become angry warnings, demands that the legislature act as suggested lest the law they pass be promptly struck down by the judiciary. Fearing this, legislators would then alter their proposed legislation, cowing to the court and effectively empowering it ' the very problem we had hoped to avoid. The problem of a judicial review's limited scope is a real one. Indonesia cannot tolerate being bound to international treaties that are in clear violation of its most basic constitutional protections. Yet the idea of enacting judicial previews, in which courts are essentially granted veto power over any proposed laws and become the de facto legislators themselves, is almost frightening in its potential implications for the balance of power in the nation's government. Limited judicial previews may be the answer, allowing courts to rule in a non-binding manner on a given law's adherence to the Constitution, but they carry their own dangers and again risk turning the court into a legislative tyrant. Care must be taken in addressing this issue and devising a workable solution. Indonesia deserves no less. _______________ The writer is a Master's student of comparative constitutional law at Georgetown University. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 In an apparent response to the growing demand for skilled workers that was triggered by the commencement of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of last year, the government is undertaking measures to revise the curriculum of the country's maritime and fishery education system. 'Revising the prevailing curriculum is one of the ministry's top priorities, apart from enforcing our sea sovereignty, tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF) and implementing environmentally friendly fishing practices,' Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry head of human resources, Rifky Effendi Hardijanto, said on Thursday. He said the planned curriculum was chiefly aimed at developing creativity among related parties in harnessing natural water resources, aside from creating a skilled workforce for the maritime and fishery industry. 'With a renewed curriculum, the ministry is aiming at creating more job opportunities in the maritime and fishery industry,' Rifky explained. The ministry's head of educational center, Nurhudah, said the prevailing curriculum was lacking in several areas, including entrepreneurship, which could hinder Indonesia's capacity to compete in the AEC. 'The ministry plans to add product development lessons into the new curriculum as a bid to fill the void in the current one,' Nurhudah said. The prevailing curriculum only focuses on how to increase catches, rather than teaching students the importance of sustainable fishing practices, he added. 'As time goes by, new perspectives are much needed in the maritime and fishery industry. For instance, we didn't know how to harness catfish bone for snack production in the past. The ministry believes that there will be other major developments in the maritime and fishery industry within five years,' Nurhudah said. The ministry is currently running 13 maritime affairs and fishery schools, including one Fishery Higher Institute (STP), three Maritime and Fishery Politechnics (Poltek KP) and nine Fishery High Schools (SUPMs). The ministry has also vowed to increase the number of students whose parents are involved in the maritime and fishery industry as fishers, cultivators, fish traders and salt farmers by 4 percent this year, which will mean a total 44 percent intake increase annually. Of the seats made available in the schools by the ministry, half will be allocated to candidates who come from the 15 fishery development points in several border areas, including the Simeulue Islands in Aceh, Nunukan in North Kalimantan, Rote Island in East Nusa Tenggara and the Natuna Islands in Riau Islands. Nurhudah said the policy was aimed at providing the students with the new perspective that 'working in the maritime and fishery industry is highly lucrative'. (mos) -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Jakarta's gubernatorial election will begin next year, and despite Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama's already public announcement that he will contest the election as an independent, political gestures by Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), during a book launch on Wednesday night, signaled that the incumbent's ambition of reclaiming the governorship could take a different path. Ahok earlier revealed a plan to continue to run as an independent candidate even if he gained enough support from political parties in the future. Both NasDem and the Hanura Party have offered their support for his bid. Megawati mentioned Ahok's name several times during the launch of the book, Megawati in the Notes of Journalists: Tears and Joy with the People, written by 22 journalists. The book highlights the human side of Megawati's struggle for democracy during the transitional period of post-New Order Indonesia. The discussion of Ahok ended up turning the book launch into a kind of political theater. Megawati told the guests, mostly political figures, that she was surprised that Ahok had appeared at the event. 'Ahok is here. I am surprised Ahok came here.' Later, as she talked about various issues such as the controversial issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, as well as her experiences of being bullied by people and the media, she called on Ahok to 'man up and have the guts', without further elaborating on the point or logic of her statement. The guests laughed when comedian Butet Kertaradjasa, who was the moderator of the event, said Ahok's presence represented the submission of a son to a mother. Ahok was one of 10 people chosen by the writers to receive a copy of the book signed by Megawati. Later in the evening, Megawati refused to ask Ahok to bid in a fund-raising event, although she pushed other political figures to donate. 'If I mention that name [Ahok], I will be bullied,' Megawati said. Heru Budi Hartono, the head of Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD), will be Ahok's running mate. Independent gubernatorial candidates in Jakarta must collect the copies of roughly 532,000 ID cards, about 6.5 percent of the city's eligible voters. ID cards and forms must be submitted to the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) by Aug. 16 at the latest. As of last week, Teman Ahok, a grass-roots organization that supports Ahok, had collected the support of 117,373 people for Ahok and Heru. Asked to explain Megawati's gestures that night, Ahok said it had nothing to do with his plan to run as an independent candidate, insisting that his 'good relations' with Megawati were beyond political lines. Citing past experiences when Megawati decided to pair him with President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to run in a Jakarta gubernatorial election, Ahok said Megawati 'has [her own] strategies that no one can understand' and therefore, she needed time to make a decision on whether or not she would support him. Ahok said there was a 50-50 chance that Megawati would support him. Ahok insisted that he would first collect enough ID cards before making a decision on whether or not to receive any potential support from other parties, including the PDI-P. According to regulations from the KPUD, a coalition of political parties with 20 percent of the total amount of seats on the City Council may nominate a pair for an election. As there are 106 seats on the City Council, a party or a coalition of parties must have at least 21 seats to nominate a pair. NasDem and Hanura, which have a total of 15 seats on the City Council, will be able to nominate a pair if they team up with the National Awakening Party (PKB), which has six seats. The PKB, however, has yet to make a decision despite PKB supporters also favoring Ahok for the election. The PDI-P, which has 28 seats on the council, is the only party that can nominate its own candidate without forming a coalition. However, Siti Zuhro, a senior political analyst with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), predicted that the PDI-P would 'pick its own party member rather than throw its support behind Ahok'. 'The PDI-P is also less likely to name someone with a track record of switching political affiliations,' Siti said on Friday. 'As for Ahok, I'd say it is better for him to continue his pledge to run as an independent candidate,' she said. ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Sat, March 26, 2016 After failing to be staged a day earlier because of pressure from a hardline group, a monologue performance about national hero Tan Malaka was eventually presented on Thursday under tight police guard. Entitled Saya Rusa Berbulu Merah (I Am A Red-furred Fox), the performance was held twice, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., in the auditorium of the Institut Francais Indonesia (IFI), the French cultural center, in Bandung, West Java. Performances were previously scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Angesta Romano Yoyol said 200 police personnel were detailed to secure the production. 'We also took security measures yesterday, but it was conducted tightly,' Angesta said, Thursday. The police personnel were seen on guard in the yard, cafA and along the lobby heading to the performance venue. No members of the hardline group that previously objected to the performance were seen at the venue. Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil was praised for reportedly supporting the show and guaranteeing that it would go on, although he did not go see it himself. On Wednesday, representatives of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) went to IFI at 2 p.m., demanding the organizers cancel the performance over fears that the show would help spread communism. Tan Malaka was a controversial leftist figure who fought for the country's independence against Dutch colonialists. President Sukarno's administration named him a national hero in 1963, but the New Order regime under the late authoritarian leader Soeharto decided to minimize Tan's role, given his ties to the communist movement. Dedi Subu from the West Java FPI said on Wednesday that the group opposed the monologue because it spread communist teachings, and as communism had been banned by law, such an event had to be canceled. Despite having protested against the show, Dedi admitted that he had not read the script provided by the organizers. 'Why would I read it? We all know that Tan Malaka was a communist,' he said on Wednesday. The Mainteater group decided to put on a show about Tan Malaka to pay respect to the forgotten hero. The group believed Tan's ideology is still relevant to Indonesia's current situation. 'We need to learn by example: how Tan Malaka put the country's interest above his personal and party interests,' Ahda said. The producer of the performance, Heliana Sinaga, said that although not all the seats were occupied during Thursday's first performance, all the tickets were sold out. The organizing committee sold 180 tickets for each of the performances. Joind Bayuwinanda, who played the character of Tan Malaka, did not seem to be affected by the off-stage tension. For 67 minutes the audience was taken on the journey of the national hero who had to repeatedly adopt different disguises after being arrested by the Dutch colonial administration in 1922. Director Wawan Sofwan set Tan Malaka as the narrator. 'The original script by Ahda Imran has been cut from 35 pages to 20 for the performance,' Wawan said. Permata, a member of the audience, said that the performance was rich in dialogue but lacked body language. 'The [actor's] body was less explored. It's maybe because the dialogue was too long,' she said. She added that the body language of Tan Malaka as an activist who was close to the people could not be seen in the monologue. 'The messages through the words were too powerful,' she said. In the show the audience were able to discover Tan's thoughts about using revolution to get independence, which was not possible through diplomacy, as well as his idealism about getting 100 percent independence. The fear expressed by those who protested the performance, that it was propaganda for communist ideology, was not borne out by what was presented on stage. 'We will bring the show to various other regions in Indonesia,' Heliana said. ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 JAKARTA: State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina is seeking assistance from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to help monitor its Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) program because of rampant corrupt procurement practices in the upstream and downstream sectors. 'We hope the KPK can assist us in our procurement processes and in our oil flow system,' Pertamina president director Dwi Soetjipto said on Thursday. Pertamina suspended four employees for graft associated with its Singapore-based trading arm, Pertamina Energy Trading Ltd. (Petral), last year. 'We have handed over the audit results of Petral. We are ready to support any further action by the KPK,' Dwi said. KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said this was not the first time the KPK had assisted a government body in preventing corruption. 'We already had our first task force [satgas] deployed to Bulog and we will send our second force to Pertamina,' Agus said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marguerite Afra S. (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in the most populated country in South East Asia, is set to hold an international summit of moderate Islamic leaders to establish the contextual interpretation of jihad in the 21st century. Scheduled for May 9 to 11 in Jakarta, it will be the first international summit initiated by NU, in an attempt to disseminate tolerant teachings of Islam to counter the rise of extreme ideologies disguised as Islamic teaching. "The moderate ulema are all against that [radical interpretation of Islam]. Therefore, we want to make a covenant on the interpretation of jihad that, hopefully, will prevent more misinterpretations in the future," said Masduki Baidlowi, a steering committee member, on Wednesday evening. The urgency to address the issue, he underlined, was because some extremist groups had misinterpreted the definition of jihad. They went outside the context of Islamic teaching and put a whole different context to support their groups' causes. The interpretation made by the Islamic State (IS) movement, combined with its takfiri doctrine had harmed Islam and even resulted in Islamophobia around the world, Baidlowi said. Takfiri is a radical Wahabbi dogma that views non-adherents, including Muslims, as infidels and liable to be killed. Islam Nusantara, the tolerant concept of Islam with an Indonesian spirit, according to Baidlowi, was the interpretation of moderate Islam that would function as the medicine to eradicate radicalism and terrorism. NU first introduced the concept of Islam Nusantara in 2015 through a campaign in Jombang, Central Java, aimed at creating a unique and genuine identity for Indonesian moderate Muslims that is different from Muslim societies in the Middle East. Maksum Mahfoedz, NU's deputy chairman who will serve as the summit's chairman, said there were people who interpreted jihad as killing the infidels and based their argument on the fact that Prophet Muhammad used to go to war. "Jihad means we give all of our lives to our spiritual journey. That does not correlate with killing people," he told thejakartapost.com. Ideally, people should interpret the word jihad in accordance with prevailing conditions and in fact, relating jihad to war in this era is wrong since the situation today, socially and politically, is different from the era of Prophet Muhammad, Mahfoedz said. According to him, the current misunderstanding of jihad that involved a bloodbath to establish a caliphate contravened the main spirit of Islam as Rahmatan lil alamin (a blessing for the universe). Therefore the outcome of the summit, called the Jakarta Declaration, would articulate the real interpretation of jihad in today's life, where the definition would be settled without involving any political desires, Mahfoedz said. With about 300 active participants, the summit has invited not only ulema from 40 Islamic countries, but also a number of government officials such as Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian. The summit has also invited experts from all around the world namely IS expert Nico Proca from the University of Vienna, the former Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, and the presidential envoy to the Middle East and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Alwi Shihab. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 As the dust began to settle on the violent protest by conventional taxi drivers over ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Grab earlier this week, the government says it will permit both app firms to operate until May 31 while they arrange the necessary permits and licenses. During the so-called transitional period, the ride-apps are prohibited from recruiting new drivers. Should they fail to arrange the permits and licenses within the next two months, they might face sanctions from the government, including a ban on their operation, as previously requested by the Transportation Ministry. Shafruhan Sinungan, chairman of Jakarta Organization of Land Transportation Owner (Organda), welcomed the decision, saying it accommodated the conventional taxi drivers' demand for fair treatment, but he criticized the government's failure to anticipate the problem and its sluggish reaction, which had led to this week's clash breaking out. Ride-hailing apps first became embroiled in controversy last year after ojek (motorcycle taxi) apps emerged that challenged conventional ojek drivers with lower fares and better service. The battle over the transportation market between ride apps and conventional transportation operators reached a new height as taxi-hailing apps, including Uber and Grab, began operations and sparked nationwide protests from the conventional operators. On Tuesday, thousands of conventional transportation providers staged a rally in protest at the government's failure to regulate the ride apps. Land Transportation Drivers Association (PPAD) spokesman Suharto said the drivers seemed to have cooled down upon hearing the government's decision. 'We will accept this decision for now. We will see in two months. If they still fail to obtain the permits, we will have a meeting again,' he said. On Thursday, the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister and the transportation and communications and information ministries again held a meeting with Uber and Grab representatives. 'They will be given around two months, with the choice whether to operate as a legal entity with permits to operate as public transportation,' Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said. He added the ride apps would be required to operate as car rental drivers' cooperatives. They would also be required to be registered with regional administrations and obtain public transportation operational permits. 'After that, the public can choose which is more efficient, so each party can improve their services under the same regulations,' Jonan said. Grab and Uber have been awarded deeds of establishment as car rental cooperatives from the Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, as a means to achieve the status of legal entity. Grab has established a legal entity called PT Solusi Transportasi Indonesia, while Uber is in the process of establishing its entity. Both are also committed to arranging the permits and licenses within two months, including car registration, achieving legal entity status, tax identification numbers (NPWP), office locations, public transportation permits, creating car pools and passing road worthiness tests [KIR] every six months. The ride-app taxi drivers are also required to have a driver's license for public transportation vehicles. Grab Indonesia legal manager Teddy Trianto Antono said the company would work with the Indonesia Car Rental Association (PRRI) in the process of gaining its permit, although he claimed to have started the process three months ago and was merely waiting for the issuance. 'We'll continue coordinating with the government, whether it's the Jakarta Transportation Agency, the one-stop integrated service or the ministry,' he said. Uber Technologies Indonesian commissioner Donny Sutadi also expressed his optimism about gaining the permits within two months. ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Bekasi Sat, March 26, 2016 After seeing protests from hard-line groups against plans to build the Catholic Church Santa Clara in North Bekasi District, Bekasi, West Java, two other congregations, Bethel and Batak Protestant Churches (HKBP), have decided to temporarily refrain from building their own churches. The two Protestant denominations decided to wait and see what would happen to Santa Clara before taking further steps to develop their own churches. All three congregations celebrated Good Friday next to each other in a ruko (shop house) compound in Wisma Asri Park. The crowded conditions made the ceremony a less solemn occasion. Budiman, one of organizers of the Bethel Good Friday mass, said that the parishioners had to bear these conditions because they did not have any other choice. Budiman said they had been using shop houses next to the Santa Clara chapel even earlier than the Catholics, who had been there since 1998. HKBP, he said, was the first of the two Protestant congregations. 'I hope we can have a proper place in the future. Currently, we have acquired land in Babelan, but we still cannot build our church there.' Budiman, who lives in Kebalen, North Bekasi, said. Budiman said he was afraid that the requirements demanded by the authorities were intentionally designed to make things difficult for his church, highlighting the plight of the Santa Clara case as an example. The Santa Clara congregation had to halt the construction of their church after the protestations of several Islamic organizations, despite having met all the administrative requirements. 'Just look at Santa Clara, even though they have the permit, they still cannot build their church,' he said. Santa Clara has met all administrative requirements necessary to build a church on a 6000 square-meter plot of land in Harapan Baru subdistrict. The requirements include support from 60 local residents, permission from the Inter-Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), and the green light from the city administration. The administration's approval was attained last year when Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi issued the permit. Previously, Hasnul Khalid, a secretary with the FKUB, said that they had verified the support of the 60 locals. They had also confirmed that Santa Clara had more than 90 parishioners. 'It's all valid. No manipulation whatsoever,' he said as quoted by tempo.co. However, several hard-line groups insisted that there was manipulated data and therefore urged the Bekasi City Council to form a special team to re-verify the supporting documents. A Muslim leader in Wisma Asri, known as Ustad Muhammad Nursyams Hilmi, supported the establishment of the churches, but only as long as all the requirements were properly met. He said that Islam obliged its followers to respect other religions, and permit them to practice their beliefs. However, he said that suspicions of data manipulation should not be taken lightly, and that the authorities needed to take appropriate action. Harianto, 61, a member of the Santa Clara congregation, said that he felt uncomfortable praying out in the open. Most of the time, the Santa Clara chapel cannot accommodate all of its members. Sometimes, members of the congregation are forced to observe religious processions and events from outside of the shop house. 'We always hope that we can have a church, but we have prepared ourselves for this situation,' he said after observing Good Friday. Effendi Naiwaho, a member of HKBP, said that he dreamed of having a church in the region. He has seen for more than twenty years how HKBP has had to move from one place to another in order to practice their beliefs. The 52-year-old man said that the church committee had also prepared land for construction. Meanwhile, North Bekasi Police chief Comr. Mugiyono said that he was committed to respecting the mayor's decision to allow the construction of the church. 'However, the situation needs to cool down. Religion is a sensitive issue,' he said. (fac) ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 The US government on Tuesday placed Indonesia's most-wanted man Santoso on a list of global terrorists, paving the way for US law enforcement to take action and possibly team up with its Indonesian counterparts against the country's most high-profile supporter of the Islamic State (IS) movement. The US State Department placed Santoso, alias Abu Wardah, the leader of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group, on its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), blocking any US assets he might have and barring any American citizens from getting involved with him. 'As a result of this designation, all property subject to US jurisdiction in which Santoso has any interest is blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Santoso,' the US government said in a statement. The fugitive, who has managed to evade capture by Indonesian authorities in Poso, Central Sulawesi, for more than three years, has led the MIT in numerous killings and kidnappings over the past few years, having pledged allegiance to IS in July 2014. The MIT itself has already been on the SDGT list as an IS-linked foreign terrorist group since September last year and has ties with other Indonesia-based operations such as Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). 'Today's action notifies the US public and the international community that Santoso is actively engaged in terrorism,' the department said. The SDGT designation enables 'coordinated action across the US government and with our international partners to disrupt the activities of terrorists, including by denying them access to the US financial system and enabling US law enforcement actions.' In response to Washington's move, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said that the US was entitled to its appraisal of the Poso militant, signaling Indonesia's insistence on its own efforts against him. 'Our National Police have been serious in their pursuit and detention of terrorist suspects in Indonesia; the hunt [for terrorists] commenced long before [the SDGT label] and will continue to be pursued,' the ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Arrmanatha said that Jakarta would still need to verify the US State Department's mechanisms for labeling Santoso a global threat, but he was sure that the decision was sound. At least 2,500 military and National Police personnel have been on deployment since January, hunting for Santoso and around 34 of his followers, who are suspected of plotting guerrilla attacks against security forces while hiding in the forests of Poso. Washington's decision follows a recent military helicopter accident in Poso, in which 13 Army personnel, including senior officers involved in the hunt for Santoso, dubbed Operation Tinombala, were killed. Among the victims of Sunday's crash was Palu Taduloko Regional Military commander and Operation Tinombala deputy chief Col. Saiful Anwar. ------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang Sat, March 26, 2016 The treasurer of the Indonesian Christian Church GKI Serpong's parish council is facing up to five years imprisonment for allegedly embezzling Rp 2.3 billion (US$173,350) of the congregation's funds. Herry Susanto, treasurer of the church, which is located in Tangerang, has been charged under two articles of the Indonesian Criminal Code concerning embezzlement that carry separate four and five year maximum sentences, as well as under the Money Laundering Law for allegedly distributing money to his business partner. W. Puspitasari, a staff accountant with the church, testified before the Tangerang District Court on Thursday that since he took the position in early 2014, the defendant had been using church funds to pay his credit card bills and was transferring church money into his personal bank account and that of his alleged business partner, CV Lentera Bangun Persada. 'Every financial report he had given me was different from the actual transactions that he made by using the church funds,' she told a panel of judges. She went on to say that the funds were collected from the church's congregation members for its programs, which include charities and church development projects. However, as the main treasurer, she added, Herry was in charge of the bank accounts. As the treasurer, Herry was also obliged to submit the church funds report to her, but Puspitsari said that in fact he only submitted church-related expenses and failed to report any spending on his personal interests. The case unfolded on Sept. 25, 2015, when Herry confessed to a priest that he had abused his authority by skimming church money. Two weeks later the treasurer was reported to the Serpong Police, who arrested him immediately. Despite the large amount of funds having been misused, the church's internal auditor had never found any irregularities. Joviardi Wahyu, a parishioner and activist of the church, said Herry's case had shocked everyone in the church, but he emphasized that the congregation demanded that the defendant should take responsibility for his crime. 'He is a senior figure and had served GKI Serpong for many years,' Joviardi told The Jakarta Post. 'But even a man like him could be blinded by money.' He said as soon as the case was uncovered, the church's parish council had tried to settle it amicably by demanding Herry replace the church funds that he had misused, instead of taking legal action. However, he said Herry did not show any good intentions toward fulfilling the request and the council felt it had no other choice but to file a police report. Herry's lawyer Halim Yversonrambe denied that his client had not shown any good intentions and claimed that the case was brought to the police despite Herry's willingness to return the money and admit his mistake. 'The fact that the case was uncovered by my client's confession to a priest has proven that he acknowledged his mistake. That is a strong sign of good faith,' he told the Post. Previously in October 2014, a treasurer of the Fransiskus Assisi Catholic Church in Panakkukang, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Joanned Hardajan was sentenced to six years imprisonment for embezzling Rp 4 billion from church funds. In 2013, parishioners of the Bethany Church in Surabaya, East Java, filed a report against church management for allegedly embezzling Rp 4.7 trillion of church funds. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Following the government's decision for an onshore development of the gas-rich Masela block, the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) has paved the way for state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina to take part in the project. Amien Sunaryadi of SKKMigas said that the agency had facilitated a meeting between Masela's contractors and Pertamina to discuss the possibility of cooperation on the block's development. 'SKKMigas arranged a meeting between Inpex and Pertamina to discuss the possibility of Pertamina working on the Masela block. The discussion revolved around a strategic alliance because the domestic market needs the gas,' Amien said. Inpex holds a 65 percent interest in the block, while the remaining 35 percent is held by Shell. Amien did not reveal any further details of Pertamina's possible involvement. However, he said that each party had appointed someone to follow up on the initial discussion. Masela is seen as a strategic asset in the country because it is estimated to have 10.73 trillion cubic feet in reserves, a larger figure than the Mahakam gas block, the country's biggest block at present. Gas production from Masela, which is located in the Arafura Sea, is projected to be able to last for more than 20 years. Pertamina president director Dwi Soetjipto welcomed the regulator-initiated meeting. 'In the meeting, Inpex gave an opportunity for Pertamina to study Masela. There will be a further discussion with both Inpex and Masela about what percentage Pertamina can get,' Dwi said. Dwi added that Pertamina had expressed its interest in a 20 percent stake in Masela. 'Of course, we expect to have an interest before the expiry of the contract. However, all things depend on Inpex and Masela,' Dwi added. As part of attempts to establish energy security in the country, the government gives Pertamina priority to take over oil and gas blocks that have expired from previous operators. As the Masela production sharing contract (PSC) will only expire in 2028, Pertamina's involvement in Masela can only be performed under a business-to-business basis. Inpex representatives declined to comment on the issue. Masela contractors recently suffered blow from the government after their plan of development (POD) proposal to develop the block under a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) scheme was turned down by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. Jokowi has ordered that the block be developed under an onshore basis, arguing that such a development would bring more benefit to local economy. Inpex and Shell actually obtained approval for the floating POD in 2010 from the previous government. However, it submitted last year a revision of the POD to adjust upward the offshore LNG production capacity to 7.5 million tons per year from its earlier plan. Controversy over the offshore project emerged after Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli criticized the POD, saying building plants on nearby islands ' located hundreds of kilometers from the blocks ' would bring more benefit to the country. An internal rift between Rizal and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, who defended the contractors' offshore scheme, erupted into the public. 'The President believes that an onshore scheme will generate larger multiplier effects. As a minister, I have to follow. It is time to move on and stop this foolishness,' Sudirman said. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Edith M. Lederer (The Jakarta Post) UN Sat, March 26, 2016 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for the release of all missing and detained staff on Friday and urged that those responsible for killing a U.N. official in Iraq and others be brought to justice. In Syria alone, the U.N. said 35 staff members are missing or detained, the majority from the agency for Palestinian refugees. Ban said in a message marking the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff on Friday that five U.N. personnel are being held by unnamed member states "without any reasons given for the arrests." He said six staffers were held hostage by armed groups last year before being released. "Personnel, especially those deployed under dangerous conditions, deserve full protection and rights," the secretary-general said. "I call on all parties to respect the rights, privileges and immunities of United Nations personnel." Ban singled out the killing of Amer al-Kaissy, an Iraqi who headed the U.N. Development office in Diyala and was abducted outside the government building in Baqubah on April 26, 2015. His body was found and finally identified last month. In 2014, the U.N. reported that 128 U.N. civilians were detained or arrested, and only a minority involved legitimate national criminal charges, the U.N. Staff Union said. It urged Ban to establish a high-level panel to review security and laws related to U.N. personnel who are "increasingly facing deliberate attacks, kidnapping, abductions and unlawful detentions." Kevin Kennedy, the U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said that since March 2011 when the conflict began, 17 U.N. staff members have lost their lives. In addition, he said, 53 Syrian Red Crescent staff and volunteers, 8 Palestinian Red Crescent Society staff, and hundreds of medical workers were killed. And credible reports indicate that at least 55 staff working for humanitarian organizations were killed in Syria just since January 2015, Kennedy said. "This is a shocking and bleak reality," he said. "These people are not numbers. They have lives, stories, families and friends." (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hipolitus Yolisandry Ringgi Wangge (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 26, 2016 Since the current governor of Jakarta, Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahja Purnama, decided to run for his second term as an independent candidate, many political actors have started to worry about the existence and performance of Indonesia's political parties. Two facets can be proposed in terms of the existence of popular independent candidates. First, Indonesian electoral democracy, which is dominated by political parties highly determines the political outcomes of elections. Thus, the rise of popular candidates with no party affiliation, particularly in Jakarta, will challenge such established political power in the future. Second, even though public trust in political parties is at its lowest point, Indonesian political parties are not necessarily in a period of de-legitimization. Degrading the role of political parties in shaping the course of a democratic system follows systematic changes, not a temporary phenomenon like the case of Ahok. The situation is nothing like what happened in the 1950s when Sukarno disbanded the parliamentary system, where some parties later established a single authoritarian-guided approach to democracy. Nonetheless, the existence of an independent candidate, such as Ahok in Jakarta, will prompt many political scientists to gauge the extent to which his political leverage can shape the local political landscape. Accordingly, figures like Ahok and a few other local independent candidates are good examples of the role floating elites have played in coloring Indonesia's democratic consolidation process, since the downfall of Soeharto in 1998. Important to this argument is the concept of the floating elite, the phenomenon of Ahok, and the mobilization of power prior to the gubernatorial election next year. The term 'floating elite' describes elites without a party base for attaining power in office. Nevertheless, as Robert Michels argues in Iron Law of Oligarchy, through power resources ' such as finances, office position, popularity and mobilization capability ' these elites display the ability to mobilize grassroots level support and compete in elections. As such, the internal party elites may allow the floating elites to run in order to achieve a majority come election time. This process is particularly likely when a party's image is suffering decline as is currently the case with Indonesia's political parties. Floating elites are different from embedded elites, which have ties to constituencies whose interests they represent or defend based on certain types of ideologies or ideas. Embedded elites may head political parties, social movements or even be part of religious organizations. Floating elites may direct social organizations, but only ones without a strong political ideology ' merely with temporary interests that binds members together. Since he embarked on his governorship, replacing former governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo who took presidential office in 2014, Ahok has tried to distance himself from political party-based interests. For example, in 2014 he ended his membership of the Gerindra Party led by the retired New Order general, Prabowo Subianto. Although he repeatedly says that he maintains good relationships with other parties, like the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chaired by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri; the Hanura Party led by another the New Order retired general, Wiranto; and the Nasdem Party led by media mogul Surya Paloh, Ahok has carried out his duties as an independent governor. Since 2014 he has been a floating elite figure, relying on office position to run the capital. His relations with residents of Jakarta are based purely on constitutional principles. Like typical professionals in Jakarta, Ahok spends his time efficiently, and often amid the people, to address many complicated problems in the city, such as flooding, traffic jams and garbage, among others. He has repeatedly tried to push for deeper reforms in the spheres of bureaucracy and policy. Accordingly, he can easily reassign or fire many local civil service officers who do not perform their duties appropriately, an action that previous governors hardly undertook. Even while Ahok's style is relatively emotional and causes outrage on the part of some groups, his popularity and electability remains high, according to surveys. Given his performance and integrity, some Jakarta residents have voluntarily mobilized support and formed the Friends of Ahok (Teman Ahok) with the aim of buttressing Ahok to run for a second term by collecting copies of identity cards (KTP). ... floating elites ... may become a crucial phenomenon to improving ... fairness of the electoral system. This type of group is a model for other regional independent candidates seeking to gather public support before an election. Friends of Ahok is run enthusiastically by Jakarta's youth who have seen how Ahok is managing the city with courage, integrity, and complete dedication toward solving its problems. However, the key concern for this group is the extent to which it can maintain its own initiatives amid strong pressure from other political actors. On the one hand, this group lacks ideology, focusing merely on short-term interests for the local election. As a result, no long-term political concepts are being proposed, such as whether to remain a volunteer group or to transform itself into a social organization, which can play the role of watchdog for Ahok's governorship if he is reelected. On the other hand, apparently Ahok does not have a political vision for this group. In this regard, along with his office power, Ahok can supposedly mobilize support from these youth to back his policies through the end of his term in 2017 or even longer if he continues in office. Thus, he does not take the chance to create a social or political organization, rather relying merely on his office power as a typical floating elite does. One critical problem in building a productive relationship between elites and Indonesia's grassroots is the lack of a genuine political channel that can direct people's interests, views, and critiques of government performance. Since the New Order regime demobilized people's political aspirations, the rise of Friends of Ahok can be used as a productive channel along with other interest groups. This type of volunteer group is not new, since Jokowi had a similar group called Relawan Jokowi (Volunteers of Jokowi) to boost his presidential bid in 2014. However, when he became president, the group became a floating group without a political basis or an ideology; thus it is unable either to oversee the president nor to transform itself into a social or political organization with a clear agenda. The same concern will likely apply to Ahok and his volunteer group. All in all, the gubernatorial election next year will be a high stake event for political parties, independent candidates, and potential interest groups. Every election has its own features, and this one will reflect Jakarta, the capital of the world's fourth largest democracy. Whoever wins the 2017 local election with support either from political parties, volunteers, or interest groups, will have a mandate to address the aforementioned problems with full dedication and integrity. Moreover, the existence of floating elites in Jakarta and other regions may become a crucial phenomenon to improving the freedom and fairness of the electoral system. This should not only shape the local but also the national political landscape of the future, and most importantly pave the way for alternative policy vision and its impact on the public. ________________ The writer is a researcher for the Marthinus Academy in Jakarta. On Tuesday, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced his office is trying to find out how the former Rivington House community facility on the Lower East Side slipped into the control of luxury developers. Its a story The Lo-Down has been reporting for the past four months. Following a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday, there are now followups today in the New York Times, the New York Post and Politico New York. Even after this weeks revelations, the Times noted, city bureaucrats were still slow to hand over information requested by the comptroller on March 7: The de Blasio administration has turned over documents in response to a subpoena by the New York City comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, over the lifting of deed restrictions and the sale of a building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that made a $72 million profit for a private nursing home operator. The city had initially delayed responding to a request by Mr. Stringer to provide information about two sales in close succession of a building at 45 Rivington Street. It had been under a restrictive New York City covenant that required it to be used as a nonprofit residential health care center. After not receiving a response by Wednesday, Mr. Stringer filed the subpoena a rarity, his office said. The city produced documents hours later. They are currently under review. The former nursing home for AIDS patients was shuttered by VillageCare in 2014 and sold to a for-profit nursing provider called the The Allure Group for $28 million. Before the sale, the Times reported, Allure lobbied the city to have the covenant lifted and, in an email in October 2014, promised to maintain the center as a for-profit nursing home. Last month, it was revealed that three firms China Vanke Co., Slate Property Group and Adam America Real Estate purchased the former school building for $116 million. Theyre converting the building to luxury apartments. Now bureaucrats are struggling to explain how they bungled the deed application: City officials said on Thursday that the decision to lift the covenant was a mistake and that Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, had been angered after learning of it this month. The city has halted all applications to change deed restrictions as the process is re-evaluated, Austin Finan, a spokesman for the mayor, said. Politico New York reported that: The new DCAS commissioner, Lisette Camillo, discovered the issue during communication with a community board on March 1, before Stringers inquiry. She ceased lifting all deed restrictions and called for a review, mayoral press secretary Karen Hinton said. Meanwhile, weve received a letter sent by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council member Margaret Chin to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. It was dated yesterday, March 24. In the letter, Brewer and Chin said they had been working through Glens office to set up a meeting with representatives of The Allure Group before last months sale became public knowledge. We understand that a brief meeting eventually did occur at which the former owner stated that he no longer had an interest in the property, they wrote. It appears we have lost the chance, the elected officials added, to push for this property to be sold to a developer who would commit to creating a community resource on the site. It is our sincere hope that the administration will work with our offices and Community Board 3 to ensure that the neighborhoods residents are duly compensated for this disheartening loss. They went one step further, telling Glen: The community deserves to be made whole. The decision to lift these deed restrictions was a mistake that must be corrected, and the local community is rightfully distraught over the outcome. We therefore request that the city use the $16,150,000 it made from the deal to create a community resource facility, affordable housing or both in Community District 3 as near the Rivington House site as possible. The city should also push the new owner to develop a community facility and/or affordable housing on the site. Finally, the city must work to replace the number of medical beds (215) lost at Rivington House in the community. On Tuesday, mayoral spokesman Austin Finan asserted, The city was as disappointed as local residents to later learn not only that the property would no longer provide needed health services but that the valuation of the deed restriction did not reflect current market values that could have generated affordable housing or other uses for the publics benefit. Local activists were more than a little taken aback by the statement, since they and elected officials have been trying to get the administrations attention on the Rivington House snafu for at least 14 weeks. A review of The Lo-Downs archives and notes illustrates their point: Based on a tip from a former employee of the nursing facility, we reported on Dec. 2 that the center would be closing and the building sold. Records showed that The Allure Group had paid $16,150,000 to acquire the deed from the city and that the deed restriction had been lifted. The previous evening, Dec. 1, local activist K Webster made contact with Tommy Lin, a community liaison in the mayors office, asking for his help in investigating the Rivington House situation. After Webster followed up on Dec. 9, Lin responded that he was looking into this matter and would get back to (Webster) shortly. Lin said he had also been speaking with CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer. On Dec. 18, a spokesperson from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) responded to a request for information from The Lo-Down. Cathy Hansen, the spokesperson said, The deed restrictions were lifted after a request by the owner to allow the property to be run by for-profit and/or non-profit operators. The deed modifications were approved following a public hearing on June 24, 2015. Asked whether any steps had been taken to make sure the building remained a community facility, Hansen said there were no stipulations with the property owner other than those contained in the deed transfer agreement. Also on Dec. 18, a spokesperson for Council member Chin said, Were disappointed by the recent closure of Rivington House, which for years has served a community with few other nursing home options. Were currently looking into the status of the limitations on Rivington Houses deed, and will continue to monitor the situation closely. At the same time, the Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition, a local advocacy group, launched a letter writing campaign, pleading with the mayors office for help. At a community board meeting in January, representatives from the offices of Chin and Brewer said they had been trying, unsuccessfully, to learn more from DCAS about the lifting of the deed restriction. At the end of January, CB3 approved a strongly worded resolution and forwarded it to DCAS. The resolution read, in part, CB3 calls on the City to disclose information as to what transpired with respect to this transaction, and CB3 calls on the City to explore options to reverse this decision immediately. According to Department of Buildings records, the owners filed on Feb. 16 for, interior demolition of existing community facility. The permit application was disapproved on Feb. 22. The managing agent is listed as Michael Zampetti of the Slate Property Group. The architect is John Cetra of CetraRuddy Architecture. 41 Rivington St. Deed by The Lo-Down (lead article) US out of Guantanamo! End Cuba embargo now! Socialist Workers Party campaign statement We call on working people in the U.S. and around the world to stand with the Cuban people and demand: End the U.S. embargo! Guantanamo belongs to Cuba return it now! Stop meddling in Cubas internal affairs! The presence of the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo occupying an area about twice the size of Manhattan is an outrageous violation of Cuban sovereignty. Washington seized Cubas best harbor in 1903 and imposed a treaty at gunpoint granting the imperialist masters a perpetual lease. Ever since the Cuban people overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship in 1959, the revolutionary government has demanded an end to this illegal occupation. Whats more, since 2002 Washington has maintained the infamous prison camp there that has turned the name Guantanamo into a symbol of torture and abuse. The U.S. rulers have tried to destroy the Cuban Revolution for more than 56 years using everything from assassination attempts and invasion to sabotage and economic warfare. Having failed, they now hope to undermine the revolution by other methods. In 1961 Fidel Castro boldly asserted, There will be a victorious revolution in the United States before a victorious counterrevolution in Cuba. Amid the growing world crisis of capitalism, these words are even more timely. What does U.S. capitalism and its parties Democrats, Republicans, and others offer humanity? More wars, unemployment, discrimination against women, attacks on constitutional rights, racism, police brutality, farm foreclosures. In face of what at times seemed insurmountable odds, Cubas workers and farmers have shown their capacity to build a society based on human solidarity, not on profits of a tiny minority. What people sent the most doctors to West Africa to cure those ill with Ebola? Who is setting the example of how to fight the Zika virus? What country sent hundreds of thousands of volunteers to help stop the racist South African regime in its tracks in Angola, asking nothing in return? The Cuban people and their revolutionary government. As part of our campaign, the Socialist Workers Party candidates explain what the working class in the U.S. and elsewhere can learn from working people in Cuba to make a socialist revolution in our own countries. Workers here have the same capacities as our brothers and sisters in Cuba. We encourage workers and young people to read Cuba and the Coming American Revolution by Jack Barnes; The Cuban Five Talk About Their Lives Within the US Working Class; Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power and other books that explain what Cubas socialist revolution has accomplished and what the Socialist Workers Party is for. As we campaign we are often asked, What can I do? Help us win new readers to the Militant newspaper and books like these. Join picket lines by workers on strike. Participate in protests against police brutality and in defense of a womans right to choose abortion. Speak out against the U.S. embargo of Cuba. Join the Socialist Workers Party and be part of organizing to make a revolution right here in the United States. Related articles: As Obama visits, Cuban people defend revolution Cuban womens leaders speak on gains of revolution For us socialism means freedom, sovereignty, dignity End embargo, says Cuban official in Bay Area tour Letter: Cuba mobilizes against Zika virus SWP: Workers need to organize independent of bosses parties NY forum: Shutting down Trump sets back workers SWP 2016 candidates Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) As Obama visits, Cuban people defend revolution No one should think that the Cuban people will renounce their freedom and sovereignty that have been gained through great sacrifices, Cuban President Raul Castro said at a joint news conference following a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Havana March 21. Obamas March 20-22 trip to Cuba, the first by a sitting U.S. president in 88 years, was the first to a Cuba in full possession of its sovereignty and with a revolution in power, an editorial in Granma, the newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, noted before his arrival. It registered the increasing consensus in the U.S. ruling class that their attempt to overturn Cubas socialist revolution through economic warfare has failed. And it reflected the determination of the historic leadership and millions of working people in Cuba to defend their revolution. Castro reiterated the Cuban governments demand for Washington to end its 55-year-long economic embargo, which is the most important obstacle to our economic development and well-being of the Cuban people. Normalizing relations must also involve the return of the territory illegally occupied by the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo, he added. While recognizing Obamas position against the blockade, and his repeated appeals to Congress to have it removed, Castro said, the most recent measures adopted by his administration are positive but insufficient. A March 15 executive order the fourth since December 2014 when plans by the two presidents to re-establish diplomatic relations were announced made slight modifications in U.S. trade and travel restrictions to Cuba. The ban on U.S. citizens freely traveling to Cuba remains in place. But now individuals can go provided that the traveler engages in a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban peoples independence from Cuban authorities. The new U.S. Treasury Department regulations state, The predominant portion of the activities engaged in by the traveler must not be with certain Government of Cuba or Cuban Communist Party officials. The truth is that the blockade is still in force, said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez at a March 17 news conference. The U.S. ban on Cuban imports is still in force and current restrictions on U.S. exports to Cuba, which are limited and exclude key sectors of the Cuban economy, have not been modified. Ships carrying goods to Cuba are still not allowed to touch U.S. ports for a period of 180 days. Authorizing Cuba to use U.S. dollars does not mean that banking relations between Cuba and the United States have normalized, he added. Cuban banks are still not allowed to open correspondent accounts in U.S. banks. Accompanying Obama on his 48-hour visit are nearly 40 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, and representatives from Xerox, AT&T, hotel chains and other businesses seeking investment opportunities on the Caribbean island. At the joint news conference Obama acknowledged that Cuba is sovereign, but urged the Cuban government to show that it is ready to do more business, which includes allowing more joint ventures and allowing foreign companies to hire Cubans directly. This is the central point of the trip increasing pressure on the Cuban leadership to accept greater U.S. capitalist investment and widen the operation of market relations. In doing so, the U.S. propertied rulers seek to undermine the working-class confidence and social relations of solidarity that dominate in Cuba as a result of the revolution. The labor reality workers have gained in Cuba is characterized by the right to employment without discrimination of any kind, equal pay for women and men performing the same job, social security which includes among other benefits the protection of working mothers and pensioners, the Central Organization of Cuban Workers said in a statement issued March 18 leading up to Obamas visit. Following the meeting with Castro, Obama attended a gathering between U.S. business representatives and Cuban entrepreneurs at a state-owned microbrewery along the waterfront of Havana Bay. The place is not far from the former Texaco oil refinery, taken over by the workers and nationalized by the revolutionary government in 1960, when its managers refused to process a shipment of Soviet crude. Obama in his remarks there pointed to U.S. companies moving ahead with new commercial deals, including GE, Starwood Hotels, and CleBer, which will build a factory in Cuba to produce tractors. And another delegation of U.S. business leaders will be coming to promote more entrepreneurship in Cuba, he said. While it wasnt the central point of his remarks, Obama repeated at the news conference the standard U.S. government claims of a supposed lack of democracy and human rights in Cuba. The human rights issue should not be politicized, said Castro in response to a question from a U.S. reporter. Do you think theres any more sacred right than the right to health, so that billions of children dont die just for the lack of a vaccine or a drug or a medication? Do you agree with the right to free education for all those born anywhere in the world or in any country? (front page) SWP: Workers need to organize independent of bosses parties Militant/Don Mackle Socialist Workers Party candidates across the country are joining protests against police brutality, walking picket lines with fellow workers, campaigning door to door, and engaging in discussions with workers about the need to organize independently of the capitalist class. Those who agree with that perspective should join the Socialist Workers Party. Mary Martin, SWP candidate for governor of Washington, campaigned with supporters among thousands of people at a March 20 rally for Bernie Sanders in Seattle. Many of those she spoke with were interested in her view that working people need to learn from the example of the Cuban Revolution and of the need to take political power out of the hands of the capitalist class. A lot of what you say is true but I dont think the American people are ready for real socialism, said Keith Fiorino, 28, a musician. Dont you think that Sanders is basically going in the right direction? None of the capitalist politicians have solutions to the grinding effects of the world economic crisis on working people, Martin replied. The working class is the only force that is capable of fighting for our own interests. Thats why we need a labor party based on the unions for workers to have an independent voice. Dave, a railroad worker and union member who didnt want to give his last name, said he knows about engineer Tom Harding, who is facing frame-up charges for the 2013 oil car train crash in Lac-Megantic, Quebec. They say he didnt set enough brakes, but once the fire crew cut out the brake lines, the cars were going to roll, Dave said. I dont think it was his fault. Workers need to have control of safety on the job, said Martin. We need to use union power to stand up against frame-ups of Harding and others. Shavon Hayes, a public transit bus driver and member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, was glad to hear Martin had joined some of the bus drivers informational picket lines protesting split shifts and lack of breaks. In an indication of the interest in the communist alternative, 15 people bought copies of the Militant, two subscribed and two got copies of The Cuban Five Talk About Their Lives Within the US Working Class: Its the Poor Who Face the Savagery of the US Justice System, one of several books campaign supporters are using in discussing what way forward for working people. Sam Manuel, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia, joined Felicia Thomas, Delisa Davis and dozens of others at the Smyrna, Georgia, City Council meeting March 21 to protest cop brutality and the promotion of officer Kenneth Owens to lieutenant. Owens fatally shot Thomas son Nicholas in the back while the 23-year-old was at work at a tire shop a year ago. Davis brother Kevin died Dec. 31, 2015, two days after being shot by a DeKalb County cop in his apartment after calling 911. For Owens to be promoted is like spitting in my face, rewarding him for killing my child, Thomas told Manuel. The Socialist Workers campaign in Georgia and nationally will be a voice for all those fighting to oppose killings by cops, said Manuel. Supporters of Eleanor Garcia, SWP candidate for U.S. Senate, joined a March 19 protest in Bakersfield, California, against killings by the police. Garcia has been a part of the fight against police brutality, as well as standing up against deportations, SWP campaign supporter Laura Garza told the crowd. She will be discussing the fights here as she joins the nurses striking at Kaiser in Los Angeles, the port truckers and workers demanding a raise in the minimum wage. We can strengthen our fights by joining others standing up. Californias Secretary of State informed Garcia March 17 that she will be on the ballot for the June primary. (front page) Imperialists use Belgium terror attack to target workers rights From Washington to capitals across Europe, imperialist governments are using the murderous attacks carried out by Islamic State terrorists in Brussels March 22 to step up police deployments and target workers rights. The reactionary jihadist group is acting from weakness, having lost ground in Syria and Iraq. Islamic State claimed responsibility for bombings at the airport and a subway station in Brussels that killed more than 30 civilians. The suicide attacks took place four days after the capture there of Salah Abdeslam, believed to be the sole survivor of the Islamic State-organized group of 10 who carried out terrorist attacks in Paris Nov. 13 that killed 130 people. The Belgian government imposed a lockdown in Brussels after the bombings and shut down public transportation. Authorities closed the border between France and Belgium, and heavily armed cops and troops are patrolling airports and city centers from London to Amsterdam and Rome. National Guard troops and local anti-terrorism cops were immediately deployed at New York transit stations and airports, including with sniffer dogs checking out commuters. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve declared the latest attack a reminder of the high threat level we face, justifying stepped-up police measures. In recent weeks trade unionists, immigrants and others have protested the French governments state of emergency declared in November and extended to May 26 restricting the right to demonstrate and allowing cops to carry out house searches and arrests without a warrant. Capitalist politicians who seek to scapegoat Muslims and immigrants have seized the opportunity to increase their calls for closing borders and turning away refugees across Europe, as well as in the United States. More than 44,000 refugees are already trapped in crisis-wracked Greece because neighboring Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia have sealed the borders. EU-Turkey immigrant agreement The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan just completed an agreement with European Union officials for Ankara to receive migrants turned back when they try to land on the Greek islands. In return, the EU promised Turkey $6.7 billion in aid and renewed consideration of its application for EU membership. Another suicide bomber affiliated with Islamic State set off an explosion in Istanbul, Turkey, March 19 that killed three Israelis and an Iranian. The monstrous attacks on civilians by Islamic State and the jihadists conduct in areas they control in Syria and Iraq, including beheading prisoners and making sex slaves of captured Yazidi women, are abhorrent to working people. This makes it easier for Washington and other capitalist rulers to justify their actions in the Mideast. Washingtons increased collaboration with the governments of Russia and Iran to try to stabilize the Mideast in the interests of U.S. imperialism has resulted in a reduction of hostilities in parts of war-torn Syria, the expansion of areas controlled by the repressive regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, gains by Kurds in consolidating territory in northern Syria and a stepped-up military effort to retake cities and territories controlled by Islamic State. Washington is turning increased attention and resources to what the Pentagon calls the second phase in Iraq and Syria to degrade and ultimately defeat Islamic State the fight to retake Mosul, a large city in northern Iraq held by the brutal Islamists. The day after a U.S. Marine was killed fighting Islamic State 45 miles southeast of Mosul, the Pentagon assigned a detachment of Marines to join forces on the ground from the Kurdish Regional Government there and troops sent by Baghdad. After carrying out a partial drawdown of Russias military presence in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said March 17 that Moscow would maintain air power to back up Assad and would continue to train and financially support Syrian troops. Russian bombing of Syrian opposition strongholds is down from 60-80 sorties a day to 20-30, Putin said. Moscow is aiding Damascus in efforts to reclaim Palmyra and Raqqa, Syria, from Islamic State, causing heavy civilian casualties, according to the anti-IS group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. New alliances across Mideast Meanwhile, the governments of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel longtime allies of Washington who see the U.S. partnership with Moscow and Tehran as a threat are seeking to form new blocs to defend their national capitalist interests. Relations between Ankara and Moscow have been tense since Turkish forces shot down a Russian fighter jet that briefly entered Turkish airspace in November. In retaliation, Putin limited Russian travel to Turkey and the purchase of Turkish fruits and vegetables. Ankara is strengthening ties with the Ukrainian government. It recently extended a low-interest $50 million loan to Kiev and conducted joint naval exercises in the Black Sea. The Israeli government is increasing trade with Turkey and looking toward relations with the Saudi government as an ally rather than an enemy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN Jan. 22, pointing to a shared interest in opposing greater Iranian control in the region. When a truce and transition is reached in Syria, it is critical from the Israeli standpoint that Syria does not emerge as an Iranian satellite, Dore Gold, Israeli foreign ministry director general, told the Wall Street Journal. Related articles: Thousands in London: 'Stop Turkey's war on Kurds!' Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Calif. marchers denounce brutal cops in deadliest county in US Militant/Bill Arth BAKERSFIELD, Calif. Family members carried banners and placards with pictures of the many workers and youth killed by Bakersfield police and Kern County Sheriffs deputies at the 2nd Annual March for Justice here March 19. One sign said, No judge, no jury, but his life is over. More than 150 protesters chanted, Hands up, dont shoot, as they marched to four different sites in East Bakersfield where people had been shot or beaten by the cops. This could happen to any of us. We are all Mexican. We are all white. We are all Black. We are united, said a relative of Ronnie Ledesma Jr., when the march stopped at the corner where Ledesma was beaten by police in 2013. He died in custody nine days later. According to a study by the Guardian newspaper, Kern County, which includes Bakersfield, has the highest per capita deaths at the hands of cops in the United States. Kern County has a population of just under 875,000. The cops killed 13 people here in 2015; in New York City with almost 10 times the population, the cops killed nine people. Im here to represent my son who was killed Nov. 13, 2014, said Leticia De La Rosa, mother of James De La Rosa, who was 22 years old when he was gunned down by the Bakersfield police. An oil field worker, he crashed his car during a police pursuit. Cops fatally shot De La Rosa when he got out of the car. Some witnesses said he put his hands up, but the police used the well-worn excuse that he was reaching for his waistband. He was unarmed. The family of day laborer David Silva also joined the march. These people will be held accountable, said his mother Merri Silva, speaking at the corner where he was beaten to death by cops on May 7, 2013. If Im not vocal nothing is going to be solved. Silva had sought help at the Kern County Medical Center and fell asleep on the ground nearby. An officer with a police dog woke him up. Seven members of the Kern County Sheriffs department and two California Highway Patrol Officers joined in using batons to beat and hog-tie him. Police dogs bit him 30 times. Videos taken by witnesses were confiscated by the cops. Donny Youngblood, who is both the sheriff and the coroner, ruled that Silvas death was an accident and that deputies acted appropriately, alleging that Silva was resisting arrest. Youngblood is notorious for his anti-immigrant stance. Kern County is one of the top oil-producing counties in the U.S., as well as a major agricultural center at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, and has long been a center for farmworker organizers. With the drop in oil prices and a drought, unemployment in the area was officially at 10.9 percent in February, almost twice the rate in the state as a whole. At a barbecue after the march, other family members spoke, including the mother and aunt of Jason Alderman. He was shot to death on Aug. 22, 2015, by cops who claimed they thought he was armed outside a shop they said he had burglarized. After first saying there was no video, the cops were forced to release one that shows Alderman was unarmed and was shot while trying to exit the shop through a hole in the bottom of the door. Marchers expressed appreciation for protesters who joined them from southern California, including activists from the Young Survivors Legacy Support Network, a group of family members and friends of victims of police killings in Orange County and Los Angeles. Other speakers included Genevieve Huizar, whose son Manuel Diaz was killed by an Anaheim cop in July 2012; a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union; members of the Brown Berets; and the Socialist Workers Party. Related articles: UK fight wins limits on guilt by association frame-ups Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (feature article) For us socialism means freedom, sovereignty, dignity Militant. Cuban women, as a part of our people as a whole, will welcome U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle with the hospitality and dignity that characterizes us. We are aware that this visit is part of the complex process of normalizing relations between our two governments. It will, therefore, be an opportunity to show them what we have achieved in gender equality and the leading role that women play in the political, economic, cultural and social life of our country. During their visit they will be able to see that we receive equal pay for equal work, that the governments in nine of the 15 Cuban provinces are headed by women, that the administration of justice is also largely in womens hands. Everywhere they go they will witness the selfless efforts of women of all generations. They will see firsthand how much we love our free and independent country, which we have defended from attacks of all kinds. For more than half a century we have resisted an economic, financial and commercial blockade with creativity and dedication. We have built a society where human beings are the most important factor, and have educated our children in these values of solidarity, anti-imperialism and national sovereignty. We will never renounce these achievements. The Federation of Cuban Women, a nongovernmental organization in civil society with consultative status in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), brings together more than 4 million Cuban women some 90 percent of women over 14. We carry out specific programs to develop a culture of full equality and social inclusion in our country. Many of the objectives in Goal 5 of the recently adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aimed at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, are today a reality in our country. We know that Michelle Obama is promoting a major initiative called Let Girls Learn, with the aim of providing access to education to 62 million girls around the world. We offer our humble experience in this field, since 100 percent of our girls attend school regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, whether they have a disability or are hospitalized. A Cuban woman, Leonela Relys Diaz, created the Yes I Can method, through which millions of people worldwide have learned to read and write. In addition, this will be an opportunity to reiterate our demand to end the inhumane blockade against our country, which has led to many hardships and prevented us from developing even more than we have. The Federation of Cuban Women also supports the statements of our government demanding an end to the occupation of the territory of the Guantanamo naval base, the repeal of the Cuban Adjustment Act and the wet-foot, dry-foot policy, and the elimination of interventionist programs aimed at inciting internal destabilization. These policies threaten the security and tranquility of our families. (feature article) Cuban womens leaders speak on gains of revolution NEW YORK Obama says hes coming to tell us how democracy should be. But the Cuban people decided what kind of democracy we wanted in 1959, and carried out profound changes that were needed, said Teresa Amarelle Boue, general secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), at a meeting here March 19. Amarelle headed a delegation from the FMC and other Cuban organizations to the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, March 14-24. While here they spoke at the public meeting, held at the Service Employees International Union Local 1199 hall, as well as with students at the City College of New York and at other events. More than 150 people attended. Gail Walker, executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace, and Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, co-chaired. In welcoming the Cuban leaders, Walker noted that the meeting was taking place on the eve of President Barack Obamas trip to Cuba. She urged participants to read the March 9 editorial from the Cuban daily Granma, which explains in clear language how the Cuban people will respond to the presidents upcoming visit to Cuba without renouncing a single one of our principles. (See last weeks issue.) The editorial reiterates the Cuban peoples demand to lift the U.S. economic sanctions, return Guantanamo and to end other attacks on Cuba, Walker said, adding, Your friends here in the United States are not afraid of confronting that challenge along with you. She also pointed to an FMC statement available at the meeting (and printed below) on the tremendous accomplishments of Cuban women Obama will see in Cuba. Women have taken a lead in all of the educational efforts in Cuba, Amarelle said in her opening remarks, including the 1961 literacy campaign in which a majority of the volunteers who taught and those who learned to read were women. Today, she said, women make up some 62 percent of the technical workforce, 68 percent of doctors, 48 percent of scientists, and 48.6 percent of the deputies in the National Assembly. Amarelle is a member of that body and of Cubas Council of State. These figures are not a result of quotas, Amarelle said. They are a reflection of the leadership taken by women as a result of winning the right to a job, to education and their involvement in the revolution. She was joined on the platform and answered questions with Maritzel Gonzalez and Yanira Kuper of the FMCs international relations department, Alicia Campos of the Womens International Democratic Federation, and Yamila Gonzalez and Myrna Mendez of the National Union of Jurists of Cuba. Relations must be based on respect In the discussion Yamila Gonzalez pointed to the hypocrisy of press reports that Michelle Obama plans to bring her Let Girls Learn campaign to Cuba. In Cuba 100 percent of girls attend school, Gonzalez noted. We should have real interchange, based on mutual respect. Were ready and willing to have better relations with Washington, she added, but our principles, our sovereignty and the independence weve fought for are not on the negotiating table. Amarelle answered a question about the Cuban response to the threat of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has become an epidemic in many places in Latin America. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a quarter of the people in Puerto Rico will be infected this year. When the World Health Organization announced the danger of Zika, the government mobilized civic organizations, she said. The neighborhood Committees for Defense of the Revolution and the Federation of Cuban Women held meetings in every area to discuss the measures needed, focused on mosquito control and prevention. A national leadership center was established to evaluate the situation daily, and hospitals are instructed to immediately admit anyone showing symptoms, she said. The heart of our approach is person-to-person, with explanation and persuasion, Amarelle said. The FMC has more than 400,000 activists, she added, including members of health brigades that do educational work in the neighborhoods. Thats the way it should be, commented Iris Baez, after the meeting. You have to do it the way they said, house by house, she said, noting that doesnt happen in the U.S., even with all the resources here. Baez, whose son Anthony was killed in a police chokehold in 1994, will be visiting Cuba in May along with other participants in fights against police brutality across the United States. Their delegation was announced at the meeting, and a copy of the video Every Mothers Son was raffled to raise money for the trip. The evenings program included cultural performances by African drummers and the Peace Poets, as well as a short video on the history of the FMC. At the end, artist Zulu King Sloane presented the Cuban delegation with a painting he made during the program. NY forum: Shutting down Trump sets back workers NEW YORK We didnt go to the March 11 rally to try to shut it down, but to talk to the people who went to hear Trump, Alyson Kennedy, Socialist Workers Party candidate for U.S. president, told the Militant Labor Forum here March 18. Its not who youre against. Its what youre for that matters. The working class all over the world is feeling the impact of the capitalist economic crisis, Kennedy said. There were a lot of workers at the rally who are fed up with the Democrats and Republicans, who see nothing being done about high unemployment, and who dont like what the U.S. government is doing in the Middle East. We talked about why we need to break from the capitalist parties, emulate the Cuban Revolution and reorganize society to meet the interests of working people. The discussions were a lot like those with my co-workers when I worked in coal mines in Alabama, Colorado, Utah and West Virginia, noted Kennedy, who is currently on leave from her job at Walmart. It was a lot of fun. Not everyone at the Trump rally was willing to talk, but most were, she said. One young woman said she didnt agree that fast-food workers should get $15 an hour, saying shouldnt we be creating good jobs? I said yes, we need to fight for a federally funded public works program and for a union, Kennedy said. At the same time wages are set from the bottom up, not the top down. These discussions, she said, highlight why those who organized to prevent Trump from speaking did a grave disservice to the young people who joined them, mistakenly believing this advances the fight against attacks on immigrants, police brutality and anti-Muslim discrimination. A capitalist politician, not a fascist Trumps not a fascist, hes a demagogic bourgeois politician, said Naomi Craine, a leader of the Socialist Workers Party here, who spoke along with Kennedy. He uses crude anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim rhetoric, and theres a real edge to his comments on women. What he proposes to do is not much different from the other capitalist politicians, however. The U.S. government should build a wall on the Mexican border, Trump says. In fact there already is a wall, much of it built during the administration of President Bill Clinton. Trump talks about keeping out Muslims temporarily, but the current administration has already been denying visas to many Muslims, Craine noted. Yet virtually every petty-bourgeois radical group in the United States that calls itself socialist backed the March 11 attack on free speech and the right to assembly, under the guise of stopping the fascist Trump. Among the main organizers of the disruption was Moveon.org, which functions as a wing of the Democratic Party, and there was prominent participation from the Workers World Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the International Socialist Organization. A false view of working class All these groups write off workers who are Caucasian, slandering them as reactionary, nativist and racist. For oppressed people, confronting Trump and his fascistic movement is a matter of basic self-defense, wrote the Party for Socialism and Liberation on their website. Workers World boasted that sections of the protest were able to block the parking garage that Trump supporters were vacating. Their bigotry and white supremacist rhetoric are not welcome in Chicago. Peoples World, a website of the Communist Party USA, echoes this view of pro-Trump workers as backward and nativist. Americans are cash-strapped and fearful, the site says. Theyre looking for someone to blame. Yet even the New York Times, which has abandoned almost any pretense of writing objectively about his campaign, has had to admit that what is fueling interest in Trump is not his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, but his claim to be the one who can do something about the economic crisis. In a March 19 article, the Times interviews workers from Carrier, an air conditioner company that recently announced it is closing its Indianapolis factory and moving production to Mexico. Trump denounced the closing, as part of his America First nationalist opposition to free trade pacts. Marke Weddle, 55, who has worked at Carrier for 24 years, told the Times he disagrees with Trumps anti-immigrant stance. But when it comes to Carrier, now theyre going to throw us under the bus? If Trump will kick Carriers ass, then Ill vote for him. The International Socialist Organization portrays the call to shut down Trump as somehow a defense of free speech. The protesters in Chicago didnt ask the state to interfere by the restricting of his speech, the group says on their website. Instead we drowned out his hate ourselves. All this does is make Trump look like hes a defender of free speech. History has shown that attacks on political expression always end up being used against the rights of the working class, Craine said. End embargo, says Cuban official in Bay Area tour RICHMOND, Calif. You can call this the Cuban campaign to end the embargo, Miguel Fraga, first secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, told thebefore a community meeting here March 11. In the last month he has also spoken in Detroit, Seattle and Mobile, Alabama. Fraga is taking advantage of the re-establishment last year of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuban governments, which were broken by Washington in 1961. Until recently, Cuban diplomats had to apply for special permission to travel outside the capital. Now they simply have to inform the State Department of their plans. Fraga spoke to hundreds of students at five campuses during a March 7-12 Bay Area tour, as well as at meetings of 120 here and in San Francisco. In each presentation Fraga cited facts about life in Cuba that were new to many students, including life expectancy of 79 years, near zero illiteracy, free education, and 50,281 health care workers providing services in 68 nations today. For us, health care is not a business, he said. This is what we call solidarity. These accomplishments have been possible because of the 1959 revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, despite the impact of the U.S. economic embargo and attempts to isolate Cuba. Fraga showed audiences a U.S. Department of State memo from April 6, 1960, that explains the origin of the embargo. Citing majority support for the revolutionary government, the memo calls for denying money and supplies to Cuba, decreas[ing] monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government. That policy, which was deepened under Democratic and Republican administrations alike over the next five and a half decades, utterly failed to achieve its aim. Fraga also explained how Washington has maintained a naval base on Cuban territory at Guantanamo, against the will of the Cuban people. So while relations between the two countries are increasingly diplomatic, he said, they are not normal. At Merritt College in Oakland Siri Brown, chair of the African American Studies Department, introduced Fraga and spoke about the record of Cuba in supporting liberation struggles worldwide. They fought against apartheid in South Africa, she said. It is the one nation that has withstood imperialism for decades. Brown said she had visited a facility in Cuba for juveniles charged with crimes. There was no barbed wire fence. No guns. The whole point of the facility was to reorient the youth. Fraga spoke to students at Chabot College, Sonoma State, San Francisco State and the College of Marin. The tour was organized by the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity. The public meeting in Richmond was held in the City Council chambers. City Council member and former Mayor Gayle McLaughlin read a council resolution opposing the embargo. Letter: Cuba mobilizes against Zika virus On March 4, the morning after I arrived in Havana, my landlady knocked sharply on my door and said, Get ready quick, Matilde, the fumigators are here. She was ready with a large sheet to cover my bed, and her son was quickly putting things away in the kitchen. Friday was our scheduled day for the weekly indoor spraying designed to reach every room in every dwelling in Havana and other cities around the island. Cuban President Raul Castro has mobilized 9,000 regular army troops and 200 police officials to supplement the many thousands of members of the Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo [Youth Army of Labor], young men carrying out their mandatory military service doing mosquito control. Every room has to be closed tight for 45 minutes after spraying, while residents and their pets wait outside. The spray is hard on those with asthma and other respiratory diseases, although the newspapers say that in such cases a nurse accompanies the fumigators and will take the affected person to a clinic if necessary. But the only complaints I have heard have to do with fumigators not showing up or not doing their job. On March 10, the Public Health Ministry announced the fourth confirmed case of Zika in Cuba and stressed the importance of anyone with a fever or other symptoms reporting right away to a doctor. Cubas policy is to hospitalize anyone with symptoms and treat them in a special facility with mosquito nets while waiting for results of the blood test for Zika. There have been no cases in Cuba of pregnant women infected with the virus. The second phase of the anti-Zika war has just begun, in which the weekly spraying of homes and workplaces is being supplemented by the mobilization of medical students and public health workers to go house to house and community to community with an education and detection campaign. I have been particularly struck by this all-out effort because I arrived in Cuba after a week in Puerto Rico, where I saw no evidence of any special efforts to confront the Zika crisis. Matilde Zimmermann Havana, Cuba Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Easter Feaster! A chocolate fantasy world of nursery rhymes PHUKET: Chocolate lovers and fans of Easter treats are in for a double helping this week as Easter Brunch at Banyan Tree Phuket on Sunday (Mar 27) features a special addition this year: The Chocolate Room by Chef Peter Webber, the former Pastry Chef from the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. By Chris Husted Saturday 26 March 2016, 10:00AM more than 70 hours of preparation went into the display. Chef Peter Webber says this year's display is better than his Willy Wonka a few years ago. Peters stunning creations are already well known across the island, as is the impressive range of literally tasteful goodies available through his bakery cafe Les Diables, but this year he has magically pulled the Easter bunny out of a hat to create four scenes of his favourite nursery rhymes made entirely out of chocolate with fantastic decorations crafted from royal icing. Among the main feature pieces is a brown chocolate grandfather clock from the Hickory Dickory Dock rhyme to Humpy Dumpty sitting on his wall to Jack and Jill, and even the well they fetched their pails of water from, to a scene from Goosey Goosey Gander. The display opened to the public for the Banyan Tree Sunday Brunch last weekend, one week before the world celebrates Easter this coming Sunday. We still have some finishing touches to complete, says Peter, But by the time we have completed all the scenes, there will be about 100 kilogrammes of chocolate and about 45kg of royal icing on the table. As of Monday (Mar 21), the scenes had already taken more than 70 hours to complete, with more to do before Easter Sunday, Peter notes. This Easter display is probably my best work, Peter says. Even better than my Willy Wonka a few years ago. I have done about six or seven of these feature displays, and each time you do one, they just get better and better. Sriram Kailasam, Senior Assistant Vice President and General Manager of Banyan Tree Phuket, the flagship property of the Banyan Tree group, explains that the inspiration for the special theme display presented itself through the bookings made at the resort at this time of year. Easter is always an important time of the year for the resort given the high demand from families as well as couples who wish to take advantage of the week long Easter holidays. Our two-bedroom villas are particularly in high demand by families from all around the world. Easter has become such a universal celebration for children and adults alike and we chose to interpret it in our unique way; with nursery rhymes! Sriram says. Peter agrees. Easter and nursery rhymes go together so naturally. Together they fire childrens imaginations and adults love them as well, he says. The host venue for the displays will be the Wine Rack room. We thought our Wine Rack would be an idyllic venue due to the ideal size and temperature control. It is always a popular private area for intimate dinners or special displays. It houses the hotels wine cellar and makes for a comfortable and versatile space. The timber paneled doors will allow natural sunlight to highlight the displays, explains Sriram. Yet the challenge will be ensuring the room temperature does not rise beyond 23C. Ideally, couverture chocolate should be kept at 18C, but its getting hot here in Phuket and we have to make sure the room temperature does not rise above 22C, says Peter. Also on display are arrays of accompanying figurines, including bunny rabbits, ducks and, of course Easter eggs. The eggs are chocolate with royal icing emblazoned with handmade motifs. The motifs will of course primarily be Easter themes, such as flowers and bunnies, and some of these will be for display only, but some will be for sale, says Peter. Prices for the Easter eggs and figurines are as varied as those on show, ranging from B20 for a figurine containing about 15g of chocolate, all they way up to a specially crafted item costing about B1,000. But people can order custom designs. That way, they can have names or other designs to make their Easter eggs all that more special, Peter adds. In Muslim speed dating, Malaysians seek matches made in heaven MALAYSIA: Looking out nervously from her pink headscarf, Malaysian single Siti Aisha chats with a man she has never met, but who could become her husband following their Islamic speed-dating session. By AFP Saturday 26 March 2016, 10:00AM A Muslim couple hold hands as they walk in a park in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Mohd Rasfan/AFP The pair talk shyly for a few minutes under the watchful eyes of Sitis parents until a bell prompts the dozens of male participants to shift to a new table and a new prospective wife. The Malaysian concept, staged in a Kuala Lumpur restaurant, is a new twist on Islams practice of heavily chaperoned match-making, but aimed at modern singles for whom time is of the essence. Ms Siti, a 29-year-old graphic designer, has not been in a relationship since her university days. Im here to find someone for marriage because Im too busy to meet anyone and I spend all my free time with my family, she said during a break, as her parents eagerly compared notes on the male prospects. Organisers said more than 2,000 people had applied to take part in the recent session, the second staged so far by Halal Speed Dating, which uses the term denoting practices that comply with Islamic rules. Suitable matches dont wed immediately. But unlike Western-style speed dating, which is geared toward matching up people for later dates and courtship on their own, couples in the Islamic version are expected to seek marriage soon after both sides agree, including the parents. Muslim-majority Malaysia has long practised a moderate form of Islam. But conservative attitudes are rising, and the speed-dating sessions have been embraced as an alternative to online match-making sites or apps that many Malaysian Muslims view as geared more for Western-style casual flings. As an added incentive, Malaysian Muslims face possible fines and jail terms for committing khalwat, the Islamic crime of being alone with a member of the opposite sex other than a spouse or close relative. A true gentleman would seek permission from the womans father first, said Zuhri Yuhyi, co-founder of Halal Speed Dating. That has been the way for thousands of years and its only in the last two or three generations that we have lost this beauty. But we hope to bring it back. Mr Zuhri and his wife met at an unrelated match-making event in 2012 and now have a baby boy. But he wanted to create something more in line with Islamic principles. Promising an Islamic courtship in a dignified manner, Halal Speed Dating requires that women be chaperoned and that all participants ultimately plan to wed. The weekend round followed an initial instalment in May that Ms Zuhri said resulted in 14 matches that he hopes will soon end in matrimony. Though 2,000 people applied for the latest session, capacity constraints meant only around 50 could take part, but Mr Zuhri hopes to stage a bigger event soon, with up to 500 couples. During the sessions, Muslim Malay men in Western clothing banter with the women, most of them dressed in conservative Islamic long-sleeved blouses, long flowing skirts and headscarves. Use of personal names is taboo, and participants have numbers pinned to their shirts. A few participants scribbled notes as they chatted. Cupids work is interrupted every five minutes when Mr Zuhri jingles a hand-held bell to signal it is time for the men to switch tables. All right, time to move on everybody. Lets move it, move it! he said cheerily into a microphone. Afterward, organisers notify the women of any interested suitors. So far its been good, said one young woman chaperoned by her brother but who, like most participants, declined to give her name. I think maybe theres one or two potentials, but even if it doesnt work out I get to meet new people, she said. Several women said the difficulty finding romance by traditional match-making agencies, websites, or just by chance, had spurred them to take part. I have used apps to try and meet Muslim men. But the selection is not varied enough, she said. Mr Zuhri warned that popular Western-based websites such as Tinder can lead to social ills like premarital sex, abandoned babies and extramarital affairs. Ms Sitis father Jamali Kamarudin said they had tried other methods including match-making via friends but it didnt work out very well. This is very new and its our first time, but hopefully it works out. We should keep an open mind, he said. Man killed on Phuket road after crashing into a power pole PHUKET: A 30-year-old man died after his motorbike slammed into a power pole on Phra Phuket Kaew Rd in Kathu early this morning (Mar 26). accidentsdeathpolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 26 March 2016, 09:57AM The rider, Chakkrit Rungboon, suffered severe head trauma in the impact. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Thung Thong Police were alerted to the accident at 4:30am. Officers arrived at the scene, near the Tesco supermarket about 40 0 metres east of the Sikor Intersection, to find the body of Chakkrit Rungboon, who had suffered severe head trauma. Nearby was the wreckage of a Honda Wave motorcycle registered in Rachaburi. Police found no signs of a helmet at the crash site. There were no witnesses to the accident, so we will check CCTV in the area, said Pol Capt Wattanakorn Bumrungthin. We believe he was riding his motorbike from Phuket Town to his home in Kathu. He may have lost control of his motorcycle at high speed and crashed, or he could have been trying to avoid another vehicle, he added. Mr Chakkrits body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Thai hotels urged to 'get personal' with guests PHUKET: As the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin (IHIF) took place last week, Grant Thorntons latest report indicates an urgent need for hotels to leverage cutting-edge technology in order to personalise the customer experience, but always in balance with the traditional human touch. tourismeconomics By The Phuket News Saturday 26 March 2016, 09:00AM The power to personalise guests' experience lies in using social media appropriately, suggests the report. And as Airbnbs success shows no sign of abating, Grant Thornton warns that firms who fail to act on personalisation enabled through technology risk being cut adrift and growth could suffer as a result. The new report from Grant Thornton, The power of personal: Hotels roadmap to 2020, highlights a number of key pressures facing hotels today including the growth of sharing economy providers, the increasing influence of online travel agents in the booking process, and the rapidly evolving needs and expectations of guests. The report argues that mastering Big Data and harnessing its potential in order to provide the personalisation that guests will expect and demand is fundamental to addressing these challenges. Despite this, separate research from Grant Thorntons International Business Report finds that only 10 per cent of tourism companies globally plan to increase R&D expenditure in 2016. Technology is a major driver in our hotel industry today, explained Tom Sorensen, Partner and hospitality and tourism leader of Grant Thornton in Thailand. In particular, the Internet of Things and Big Data helps us to accurately understand and predict guests behaviour. Too many hoteliers are yet to fully embrace Big Data. Without analytics technology and sufficiently trained staff to make sense of the noise, they cant plot how to enrich guest experiences from pre-arrival to post-departure. At the same time, the new tools that allow for more targeted services risk diverting attention from the very skill on which the hotel industry was built human interaction. With disruptors threatening the very fabric of the sector, these are crucial months and years ahead for hotel brands. Greater investment in technology and in training staff must be a priority if they are to keep pace. Grant Thorntons report provides examples of hotel brands already making innovative use of data to personalise the experiences their guests receive. They include Starwood Hotels, where guests can bypass check-in and unlock their rooms with their smartphones; and the Bratislava Sheratons use of guests social media likes to present tailored gifts upon check-in. The report offers seven areas where hotels can deploy technological and human innovations to improve the customer experience. They include understanding that the guest journey begins long before they arrive in reception, and using ad-content algorithms to show customised offers to customers based on searches. At the hotel, technology can be developed to let customers check in, control their room temperature and even customise the room layout. And once guests leave, recording individual preferences can ensure a smoother and more enjoyable repeat experience. Technology is reshaping the world we live in and the hotel industry is not and should not be immune to that, Mr Sorensen noted. But hotel brands must ensure that if they invest in better data management technology, they can measure its impact on guest satisfaction Or, that they are getting the balance right between data harvesting and respecting customer privacy. To do this, hiring new staff or retaining existing employees with the right skills will be critical. The most innovative hotels are already responding to these challenges. Those brands that are slowest to react to the demand for greater innovation will increasingly find themselves cut adrift, he warned. To read the full Grant Thornton report, click here. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's board of directors recently approved the new institution's much talked-about environmental and social framework (ESF) which lays out the levels of protections the bank will have in place to ensure that people and the environment are not inadvertently harmed in its financed projects. The announcement of the ESF approval came as a surprise to stakeholders that have been hoping to formally weigh in on this critical process, as there was just a brief moment late last year when the first ESF draft was open to comments. With the release of the AIIB's final ESF, we at Oxfam welcome the fact that it took on board some of our key concerns. First, the AIIB has extended protection to all communities displaced by AIIB-funded projects, giving them the right to restored or improved livelihoods. This critical addition would help prevent millions from being left vulnerable to impoverishment, at least on paper. Significantly, this also means the AIIB now leads the pack - endorsing a standard higher than the Asian Development Bank and current World Bank draft policies. Also, the AIIB treats resettlement as a sustainable development opportunity rather than an unfortunate by-product of development. The rights of those without formal land title will be respected - an important protection, because land is often unregistered or contested. Unfortunately, the framework missed an opportunity to set the bar higher in some important respects. Initially, one of our main concerns was what the information disclosure policy would look like. In that regard, we are delighted to see that the AIIB has approved an interim policy with the presumption of disclosure as one of its guiding principles, allowing everything to be disclosed unless stated otherwise, similar to the World Bank's 2009-approved Access to Information Policy. And if the AIIB announces the timing of when all the documents will be disclosed, that will make the international community more confident of its promise on transparency. To make sure the ESF is effective, the AIIB needs to develop strong guidance, have the necessary resources, and put in place the proper incentives both for staff and borrowers. This will guarantee that this policy is implemented as well as possible. Crucially, the AIIB will also need to develop a strong and independent mechanism with broad stakeholder input, including that of civil society, to allow affected communities to hold the institution accountable if the ESF is violated and communities are harmed. Given this, and the World Bank's stated intention to be a leader in setting international standards, we expect that at a bare minimum the World Bank will ensure that none of its policies fall short of the AIIB's, and instead adhere to the highest of international standards with respect to indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, climate and other issues fundamental to sustainable development. The author is the manager of Oxfam's China and the Developing World Programme. (China Daily 03/26/2016 page5) Shopping in the U.S. is common for Canadians, but the low loonie is making the experience extra-pricey. We asked readers what they no longer want to buy south of the border and scoured the Internet for options right here at home. Major-league savings Getting team gear from one of the four major-league sports can be tough if you have to order it from a U.S.-based website, thanks to the exchange, as well as shipping and duty fees. Good thing, then, that sports-apparel retailer Lids has a Canadian website, lids.ca, which carries all manner of team apparel and other branded goods, in Canadian dollars (in addition to 200 stores across the country). Bonus: shipping is free on orders over $60. Aaron Rodgers adult jersey, $150, lids.ca. Plus-sized options We heard from readers who were looking for online shopping alternatives to U.S. sites for plus-sized clothing. Your Big Sisters Closet in Toronto caters to women who wear size 12 and up, but its website offers full e-commerce with free shipping on orders over $100. Owner Karen Ward says the U.S. has so many more plus-size options than here at home, but shes serving more customers who have stopped cross-border shopping because of the exchange rate. Red Coral navy asymmetrical tunic with buttons, $45, yourbigsisterscloset.com. Get carded Although we rarely print pictures anymore, photo books are still a thing, while postcards have become the way to do everything from baby announcements to shower invitations. For those who no longer want to use Shutterfly due to U.S. prices and shipping fees, theres Vistaprint, which has several international versions of its website, including a Canadian site in Canadian funds. Shipping is a flat rate no matter how much you order, with the standard rate coming in at just $7.99. Flat invitation in a base matte stock, 139 x 107 mm, $13 for 20, vistaprint.ca. Oxford ties One fun aspect of travelling is finding local wares to bring home, especially when you know you can get more online. But what happens when ordering from that cute boutique is no longer cost-effective? One reader who discovered shirts at Gitman Vintage in Pennsylvania wrote in to ask, Where am I going to get my Oxfords now? Well, Montreal mens clothier Frank & Oak, founded by two childhood friends, has the answer with its slim-fitting, super-soft, cotton Oxford. Frank & Oaks pricing is in Canadian funds and the retailer offers free shipping on orders over $100 (shipping is also always free when you opt to ship to a local store). Jasper Oxford shirt in Deep Sea, $64, frankandoak.com. Hawaiian time Coffee lovers swear by beans from the lush growing region of Kona, Hawaii, but if jumping on a 10-hour flight every time you need a fix isnt cost-effective, neither is ordering straight from the farms, as one reader used to do. Torontos Green Beanery imports beans from independent farmers in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and, yes, Hawaii, supporting not only small growers but also environmentally sustainable production. Stop by the Toronto store or shop online. Hawaiian Kona Estate Captains Ohama Farm beans, 0.5 lb, $41.95 (roasted), $26.63 (unroasted), greenbeanery.ca. The luxury department U.S. department stores have long been a go-to e-commerce destination, particularly for designer brands and, often, deep discounts. Until recently, the department store game in Canada was comprised of Holt Renfrew and The Bay, and although Holts started offering online shopping last fall, it is limited to beauty products, sunglasses, and handbags. Most people dont seem to know that The Bay does, perhaps because the company shuttered and then restarted its e-commerce operations a few years ago. Get clothes, shoes, makeup, homewares and more. Free shipping on orders over $99. Karl Lagerfeld Paris Suki Saffiano Leather Tote, $228, exclusively at thebay.com. Home at last Shopping for homewares online can be risky, but its downright unfair when Canadians have to pay a big markup on the same items when they click on the Canadian version of a U.S. retail site (hello, Wayfair.ca). If youre looking for a wide selection of goods at reasonable price points, try Jysk, the Danish alternative to Ikea that has 53 stores across Canada and a full e-commerce site. Majestik knitted pouf, $59.99, jysk.ca. Mens slippers A well-curated lifestyle e-commerce site for men, like Kaufmann Mercantile, is a rare find, with a selection of clothing and accessories mixed in with grooming products, kitchenware and tools. Really, a one-stop shop. But U.S. pricing and fees sent the price of a pair of slippers for one reader sky high. Here in Canada, Gotstyle focuses mainly on clothing, accessories and grooming, but its been the citys go-to for mens casual- and formal-wear, and everything in between. Ted Baker Maddoxx suede and faux fur moccasin, on sale for $60, Gotstyle.ca. Winter boots L.L. Bean has been making clothing, shoes, bags and other lifestyle products for more than 100 years, many of which are popular on both sides of the border. The companys original tumbled-leather, shearling-lined winter boot has been a top-seller since 1912, but if the U.S. prices have you getting cold feet, Canada has its own iconic boot brand in Sorel. The classic Sorel Caribou is less-expensive, fully waterproof, has a removable ThermoPlus lining for those super-cold days and you can order directly from the company. Womens Caribou boot in Buff, $180, sorelfootwear.ca. Correction - March 30, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Holt Renfrew does not offer online shopping. SHARE: BRUSSELSIn the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Brussels Tuesday, authorities are focusing on a narrower but increasingly alarming threat: the vulnerability of Belgiums facilities. There is fresh alarm that Daesh (also known as ISIS and ISIL) was seeking to attack, infiltrate, sabotage or obtain nuclear or radioactive material in a country with a troubled history of security lapses at its nuclear sites, a weak intelligence apparatus, and a deeply rooted terrorist network. On Friday, authorities stripped the security badges of several workers at one of two plants where all non-essential employees were sent home hours after the attacks at Brussels Airport and one of the citys busiest subway stations three days before. Surveillance footage of a top official at another Belgian nuclear facility was discovered last year in the apartment of a suspected militant linked to the suicide bombers who unleashed the horror here in Brusssels, as well as those who carried out the massacre that killed 130 people in Paris in November. Asked Thursday at a London think-tank whether there was a danger of Daesh obtaining a nuclear weapon, the British defence secretary, Michael Fallon, said that was a new and emerging threat. While the prospect of terrorists being able to obtain enough highly enriched uranium and then turn it into a nuclear fission bomb seems far-fetched to many experts, they say the fabrication of some kind of dirty bomb from radioactive waste is more conceivable. There are other risks involving Belgiums facilities, including terrorists somehow shutting down the privately operated plants that provide nearly half of Belgiums power. The fears at the nuclear power plant are of an accident in which someone explodes a bomb inside the plant, said Sebastien Berg, spokesman for Belgians nuclear energy agency. The other danger is that they fly something into the plant from outside . . . that could stop the cooling process of the used fuel, Berg explained, and in turn shut down the plant. The revelation of the surveillance footage was the first evidence of Daesh having a focused interest in nuclear material. But Belgiums facilities have had a worrying track record of breaches, prompting warnings from Washington and other foreign capitals. Some of these are relatively minor: The Belgium nuclear agencys computer system was hacked this year and shut down briefly. In 2013, two individuals managed to scale the fence at Beligums research reactor in the city of Mol, break into a laboratory and steal expensive equipment. Others breaches are far more disconcerting. In 2012, two employees at the nuclear plant in the city of Doel quit to join jihadis fighting in Syria, and eventually transferred their allegiances to Islamic State. Both men fought in a brigade that counted dozens of Belgians in its ranks, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, considered the architect of the Paris attacks. One of these men is believed to have died in the Syria fighting, but the other was convicted of terror-related offenses in Belgium in 2014, and released from prison last year. It is not known whether they communicated information about their former workplace to their comrades in Daesh. At the same plant where these jihadists once worked, an individual who has yet to be identified walked into the humming reactor No. 4 in 2014, turned a valve, and drained 65,000 litres of oil used to lubricate the turbines. The ensuing friction nearly overheated the machinery, forcing it to be immediately shut down. The damage was so severe that the reactor was out of commission for five months. Investigators are looking into possible links between that case and terror groups, although they caution that it could also have been the work of an insider with a workplace grudge. What is clear is that the act was meant to sow dangerous havoc and that the plants security systems can be breached. This was a deliberate act to take down the nuclear reactor, and a very good way to do it, Berg, the nuclear agency spokesman, said of the episode in a recent interview. These incidents are now being seen in a new light, as information gathered by investigators since Tuesdays attacks suggest the same terrorist network that hit Paris and Brussels was in the planning stages of some kind of operation on a Belgium nuclear facility. Three men linked to the surveillance video were involved in either the Paris or Brussels attacks. Ibrahim and Khalid el-Bakraoui, the brothers who authorities say acted as suicide bombers at the Brussels airport and subway station, are believed to have driven to the home of the scientist under surveillance and removed a camera that was hidden in nearby bushes. Authorities say they then brought it to the home of Mohammed Bakkali, a relatively unknown figure who was arrested by the Belgian police after the Paris attacks and is accused of helping with logistics and planning. Belgium has both low enriched uranium, which fuels its two power plants, and highly enriched uranium, which is used in its research reactor primarily to make medical isotopes, plus the byproducts of that process. The United States provides Belgium with highly enriched uranium making it particularly concerned about radioactive materials landing in terrorist hands and then buys isotopes. Experts say the most remote of the potential nuclear-related risks is that Daesh operatives would be able to obtain highly enriched uranium. Even the danger of a dirty bomb is limited, they said, because much radioactive waste is so toxic it would likely sicken or kill the people trying to steal it. Cheryl Rofer, a retired nuclear scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and editor of the blog Nuclear Diner, said the Belgian plant called Tihange has pressurized water reactors, inside a heavy steel vessel, reducing the danger that nuclear fuel could leak or spread. She said the Brussels bombers explosive of choice, TATP, might be able to damage the reactor but that the most likely outcome would be a meltdown that would turn off the reactor, limiting the radiation damage. And if terrorists did manage to shut down the reactor, reach the fuel rods, and get the fuel out of them, Rofer said, it would be too radioactive to go near, it would kill you right away. While nuclear experts are doubtful that terrorists could steal the highly enriched uranium at the Mol reactor without alerting law enforcement, some do believe they could recruit people who know how to fashion a nuclear device. Read more about: SHARE: We've all heard of a staycation. But how about a daycation? It's a concept that's taking on new meaning in some ways by a crop of startups that are gaining momentum in the hotel industry and in the process, disrupting business as usual. The idea involves websites such as DayUse and HotelsbyDay, which are specifically designed to market hotel rooms for use during the day, for as little as just a few hours -- perhaps just a morning or midday stay. It's a notion that often inspires a smirk and invites innuendos about under-the-radar romantic interludes. News headlines about these news sites have read everything from "Adulterers Anonymous" to "Naughty pause after work replaces dirty weekend." But to view this burgeoning business sector in such a narrow light misses all of the potential usefulness for a wide consumer base and for the lodging industry. Not only do the new platforms allow hotels to leverage unused inventory during the day, thus increasing revenues, but they also fill an unmet need among travelers who want access to hotel rooms outside conventional hours. Think - layovers, a place to work quietly when visiting a city for the day, and a place to rest and allow your children to nap when out and about on a daytrip away from home. The possibilities are endless. "Hospitality is looking for new revenue streams," explains Maud Chabanier, general manager of DayUse USA. "And day use is helping them optimize their revenue. Hoteliers are thrilled about it. They can generate 10 to 15% revenue without new investment." DayUse is the leading website in the space, a site that started in Europe about five years ago by listing a handful of hotels in Paris. The platform now represents hotels in 14 countries, employs 40 people and has offices in Paris, New York and Sao Paulo. What's more, DayUse recently raised 15 million euros ($16.74 million), closing the largest European Startup Series A investment round of 2015 and in the process earning the distinction of being one of France's hottest startups. "It wasn't planned, but DayUse is coming to market at the perfect time," says Chabanier. "The hospitality industry at the moment is very concerned about all of the market shares that are being eaten away by the sharing economy and disruptive concepts such as Airbnb, and they are trying to find new revenue streams," she added. "We're coming up with a very simple solution - to build revenue during the daytime." Of course, services like DayUse facilitate the booking but need to rely on strong partnerships with established hotels. "Hotels that start working with us quickly come to realize that financially it's a good opportunity, and it's an opportunity to work with a new clientele they weren't necessarily reaching before," Chabanier adds. And for those who may have envisioned seedy motels being sold by the hour on DayUse and its peers, think again. The hotels listed are upscale. In New York City, a market DayUse began tiptoeing into about two years ago, the properties all have three or more stars. The price you will pay for such rooms meanwhile, is drastically discounted. In some cases, the cost is as much as 75% less then the normal nightly rate. The Sohotel in NYC, for instance, offers a standard double queen room for the afternoon for $139. (The normal nightly rate for the same room is $219) Those who choose to spend a few hours retreating at Sohotel, a three-star property, have access to free Wi-Fi in public areas and hotel rooms with flat-screen televisions, exposed brick walls and wood floors. DayUse currently offers about 70 hotels in New York City but has ambitious plans to expand in this country. Chabanier says DayUse will be in 15 of America's largest cities by year's end. ''It's the right time for DayUse to take a big step internationally," says Chabanier. "We're getting demand from users all around the globe and we need to be able to open all of the various large cities around the globe." Having come across DayUse during his travels in Europe, industry veteran Yannis Moati was inspired to create a similar hotel booking platform in the United States. Moati's offering launched a little more than one year ago with the name HotelsByDay. It's a New York based startup run by a team of hospitality industry veterans, technology experts and entrepreneurs. "We're getting pretty good traction," says Moati. "We now have about 350 properties and are growing at about five properties a week." But contrary to DayUse's experience in Europe where renting hotels by the hour is not such a sensitive subject, Moati says he has come across a bit of resistance from hotels. "The European model is geared toward reinforcing the stigma - the romantic aspect," he says. "You can do that when you're selling to the French, Italians and Spaniards. Shamelessly, you can promote a little frill." In the U.S. however, Moati and his team are working to convince hotels to look at the opportunity in a different light, pointing out that the model is creating value for them. "We have shifted the mindset to be more about the business traveler and we are reaping the results," he continues. "We see a lot of business travelers calling us who want to book an early check-in or late check-out." Additional resistance stems from the various operational issues hotels face, Moati explains, including challenges posed by a hotel's employee unions and the scheduling of room cleaning services. Still HotelsByDay is making steady progress. It has since expanded beyond New York City to include Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and more. And in the process of shifting the mindset of the public and the hotel industry about such platforms, Moati and his peers are also changing the way hotels do business ever so slightly. HotelsByDay and DayUse are definitely disrupting things somewhat, but in a manner that's not about inspiring additional competition for hotels. Rather, the sites are opening additional opportunity, Moati says. "We're breaking barriers," Moati says. "We're changing the model on them. And the most aggressive hotels realize there is an opportunity here. And along the way we're bringing hospitality on par with what modern society expects...We are an on-demand society that moves quicker than ever. But yet the hospitality industry has been stuck with 11 a.m. check out and 3 p.m. check in." Dimly lit restaurants can be kryptonite for people obsessed with preserving their meals for posterity on Instagram. But world-renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, wants to help with the #foodpic phobia. "There is one tip I got from somebody that I rarely use -- I think a photo I took using it got the most likes ever for me -- and that is to have somebody else hold up their phone with the light on above while you take your picture," Meyer says. "When you do this, the food is evenly lit, and the photo comes out a lot more normal than if it was your flash." Meyer, who boasts 30,700 Instagram followers despite having posted only 456 times, has serious street cred when it comes to posting pics on all things edible. As founder of numerous prominent eateries such as Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Tabla and Shake Shack (SHAK) , Meyer's restaurants and chefs have earned an impressive 25 James Beard Awards. In 2006, Meyer published New York Times best-seller "Setting the Table," which looks at the power of hospitality in restaurants, business and life. At the core of Meyer's achievements, however, is simply a passion for food and an appreciation for how a meal is created. Both come through in Meyer's Instagram photos: Unlike food bloggers who often engage in overkill, using special filters and staging techniques, there is an effortless beauty to what Meyer shares with his well-engaged social network. As a result, his pics gather a serious number of "likes." But Meyer concedes that the best tip for snapping amazing food pics may not really be a secret at all. "I eat good food," he says, "and good food tends to look pretty good in photographs." Blown out windows are seen behind U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as he visits Brussels Airport in Brussels, Belgium, Friday, March 25, 2016. Kerry is in Brussels to pay respect to victims of terrorist attacks that left a number dead earlier this week. (Frederic Sierakowski/pool photo via AP) Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Saturday alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not record his statements on various aspects of the 26/11 investigations in his "exact" words. He said that on the fourth day of his ongoing cross-examination before a Mumbai special court that he had given details on various aspects to the NIA officials. However, his statements were not read out to him, he did not seek a copy of his statement nor was it provided to him by the NIA, Headley said, raising serious doubts on the NIA statement. Headley referred to certain statements he made to the NIA on the former terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Muzammil Bhatt and Thane collegian Ishrat Jahan who was killed in an encounter by Gujarat police along with three other male friends near Ahmedabad in 2004. Headley made the startling revelation during his cross-examination before Special Judge G.A. Sanap by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, who is defending Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes. Speaking via video-conferencing from an unknown place in the US, Headley said that in 2003, LeT cheif Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi had introduced him to Muzammil Bhatt as a top LeT commander who had carried out the Akshardham Temple strike and Ishrat Jahan matter, of which he had prior knowledge through the newspapers. Headley said that the NIA recorded his statements in words different from what he had told them... for instance, he (Headley) never said that when Lakhvi introduced him to Bhatt, he (Lakhvi) referred to him (Bhatt) sarcastically that he was top commander whose every major operation had failed. "I cannot explain why NIA did not record my statement in my exact words... They never read out the statement to me after recording... I did not ask for the copy and they never gave me a copy," Headley said. When he was shown a copy of his statement to NIA, Headley said that he was seeing it first time, but admitted that he had told NIA about an LeT women's wing which was headed by the mother of Abu Aiman. Last Sunday, the media revelaed that there was a carefully planned airlift of 19 Yemenite Jews to Israel. It was carried out with the assistance of the Jewish Agency and the US State Department, and the efforts of a remarkable young man, Manahem Dahari. Yeshiva World News spoke to Manahem and the transcript of the interview is found below: YWN: Manahem, how long has it been since you saw your family? How old are you now? MD: It has been ten years. I left right after my Bar Mitzvah. YWN: Where did you go when you first arrived? MD: I came [originally] through [the efforts of] Satmar, I was there for about a year. I did not speak Hebrew, or English or Yiddish, and it was a bit difficult for me. Then I was on my own. This has been the situation since I was 14. YWN: Wow, now you are in Yeshiva University. From Satmar to YU is a long stretch. MD: Yes, it took a while.. but I am here.. I spent some time in Chicago, and went to college there. Now I am in Yeshiva University. YWN: How have you managed? MD: It has not been easy. I work on Fridays, and some weekends, being in school during the week. I worked in a luggage store. YWN: What was life like in Yemen? How was Purim celebrated? MD: I was young when I left and my recollections are poor. I do remember having the Purim meal and the Megillah, but the celebration was much more lowkey than here in the United States. YWN: How did your parents get out? MD: Its been a long process. We have been working with the Jewish agency in Israel and the state Dept.. YWN: You got four siblings out in October. Where are they what are they doing? MD: They are all in Israel now in schools, and they have been all over the media.. YWN: Who helped you in the State Department? MD: Unfortunately, I cannot talk about it in detail.. YWN: Great. I certainly understand. What do your parents now MD: think about Eretz Yisroel? MD: The Yemenite Jews were there in Yemen for 2000 years. There is much history there and a lot of culture there. They know that it is an end of era. They are happy about Israel and know that it is the future of the Yemenite Jewish community there. it is exciting they are safe. At the same time it is sad, because it is the end of 2000 years in Yemen. YWN: What have you learned in the whole experience? MD: I have become much more attuned to Jewish history and about the political future of our people in different countries. YWN: How many Jews are left in Yemen? MD: 45 or 50 YWN: When do you see your parents? MD: I will be going to Israel in 2 weeks YWN: What do you want your parents to catch up on? MD: On culture, my life.. I dont even know what to expect actually. YWN: What message do you want to tell others here? MD: I want them to know that this is it the history of the Yemeni Jews is very important. Jews dont exist in a vacuum. I would like to bring awareness to the whole situation. YWN: What are you studying at Yeshiva University? MD: I am now studying Marketing and Political science. YWN: Has your experiences impacted your studies and choices? MD: Absolutely. I was majoring in biology before this. I chose this because I am fighting for the Jewish refugees. I work with Jimena an organization that helps Jewish refugees. YWN: Are you involved in other aspects of Klal work? MD: I attended the AIPAC convention in Washington DC. YWN: You were there for Trumps and Clintons pro-Israel speeches? MD: Yes, I heard all the candidates except for Bernie Sanders. YWN: Where are you holding in college are you a junior or a senior? MD: I am technically a junior. I have to do another year, I believe because I changed my major. It is, however, worth it. YWN: Tell me about the Torah scroll that has been in the media the one that Netanyahu has been photographed with. MD: In the last few days, the Yemeni rebel government jailed a Jew and a Muslim after falsely accusing them of helping my family escape Yemen and smuggling with them an old Torah scroll. In their statement, they claim that the Torah scroll belongs to the Yemeni government and my family had no right to take it with them to Israel. The statement is absolutely false and I urge them to release the detainees immediately. The Torah scroll has been in my family for hundreds of years and we will never give it up for anything or anyone. If the Yemeni government wishes to pursue this issue we welcome them to sue us in a court of law. YWN: Manahem, you are a very impressive young man. I am certain that we will see remarkable things from you, both now and in the future. Thank you for your time. Heavily armed police swept into Brussels neighborhoods Friday in operations linked to this weeks bombings as well as a suspected new plot in France, detaining three people and shooting two of them in the leg. One man was carrying a suspicious bag while accompanied by a young girl. As Easter weekend began, jittery Europeans faced uncertainly about how many violent extremists remain at large, and where and when they might strike again. On Friday afternoon, two blasts and gunfire rang out in the Schaerbeek district of Belgiums capital, where police earlier found explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the suicide attackers who killed 31 people and wounded 270 in assaults on the Brussels airport and subway. Authorities, meanwhile, confirmed one of the attackers at the airport was the bomb-maker who made explosive vests used in last years carnage in Paris the most definitive link yet between the two attacks, both of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group. On the third and final day of national mourning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid a wreath at the airport for the victims of Tuesdays bombings a ceremony that was skipped by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel because of the police operations. Kerry, in a hastily arranged visit, defended Belgiums counterterrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failures before the bombings that have brought sharp criticism of top members of Belgiums embattled government. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Nov. 13 bombings in Paris that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Confirming that several FBI agents are involved in the investigation, Kerry said the carping about Belgiums shortcomings is a little bit frantic and inappropriate. He also lashed out at the Islamic State group. We will not be deterred, he said. We will come back with greater resolve with greater strength and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth. As the identities of the victims began to be made public, officials announced that American, British, German, Chinese, Italian, French and Dutch citizens were among the dead. A manhunt has been underway for one of the airport attackers who was recorded on a surveillance video and fled the scene. Prosecutors have not said how many attackers there were in total, or how many accomplices might be at large. But they said Friday that DNA analysis and an official investigation had confirmed one of the suicide bombers at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, 24, a suspected bomb-maker whose DNA was also found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks. European security officials had earlier in the week confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, thus linking the Brussels and Paris bloodshed. On Friday, dozens of heavily armed officers swept into Brussels Schaerbeek neighborhood, as well as the Forest and Saint-Gilles districts, the Belgian federal prosecutors office said. It was the second such raid in Schaerbeek in two days. Officers began the operation about 1:30 p.m., when two big explosions echoed through Schaerbeek, resident Marie-Pierre Bouvez told the AP, and it lasted about two hours. It was not immediately clear if the blasts were controlled explosions. Bouvez said police kept the area locked down and shouted at her to get back inside when she tried to go into the street. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police to put the bag far from him, and after he did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg, said Norman Kabir, a local electrician. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. State broadcaster RTBF said police apparently feared the bag held explosives. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF the raid was linked to the Brussels attacks as well as Thursdays detention in France of a man authorities said was in the advanced stages of plotting a new attack. The 34-year-old suspect, Reda Kriket, has a past Belgian terrorism conviction and was linked to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, officials told the AP. Meanwhile, the top suspect in the Paris bombings, Salah Abdeslam, who was captured in Brussels one week ago, has stopped cooperating with police and no longer wants to talk, said Justice Minister Koen Geens. Abdeslam exercised his right to silence during the second of two rounds of questioning on March 19, prosecutors said. France is seeking his extradition, and his lawyer said he is prepared to go. Elsewhere, Belgiums nuclear agency said it has withdrawn the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concern the nuclear plants could be a target. Immediately after Tuesdays attacks, security was boosted around Belgiums nuclear sites, and hundreds of workers were sent home. Last month, authorities said searches after the Paris attacks uncovered video linked to a person working in Belgiums nuclear industry. Belgian media reported this week that two of the suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks, brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, had video of the home of a senior official at the Mol nuclear waste facility in the Flanders region. In the neighborhood of Molenbeek, home to some who took part in the Paris attacks, Sheik Mohamed Tojgani denounced the Brussels bombers during a sermon before Friday prayers. Terrorism is terrorism, said Tojgani, the imam of Molenbeeks main mosque. It has no state, no nationality, no religion, no country. In a message to the Belgian people, he added: You are from us and we are from you. What affects you, affects us. Poignant accounts of some of the victims last moments also emerged Friday. Among them was Liberian-born Elita Borbor Weah, seen smiling in a photo she texted to her family shortly before the blasts at the Brussels airport. Wearing a black coat and a white-and-black checked head-covering the 40-year-old mother of a teenage daughter is seen standing in the departure lounge. She was on her way to Rhode Island for her stepfathers funeral when she was killed, her tearful brother, Oscar Weah, told the AP. (AP) Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Patrick Donachie A Jamaica resident who pleaded guilty to abusing a puppy and will not be allowed to own an animal for five years, the Queens district attorney said.. As a condition of the plea arrangement on animal cruelty announced March 17, Eric Ranger, 26, must also register with the city Department of Health as an animal abuser. The registration would mean Ranger could not buy or adopt a pet from city shelters, rescue groups or pet stores. Between Nov. 17 and Dec. 23, 2015, Ranger was seen punching, choking and kicking the abused dog by two different eyewitnesses, according to Queens DA Richard A. Brown. One of the eyewitnesses later heard the dog crying inside the stairwell of Rangers home. Police also obtained a video of Ranger punching and kicking the dog, according to the DA. Ranger defended his actions to a neighbor by saying he was attempting to set the dog straight, Brown said. On Dec. 23, the district attorney said, the NYPD carried out a search warrant and found the dog inside a milk crate that had been turned upside down. The crate was held in place by two cases of soda. The defendant had admitted to brutalizing a tiny puppy so much that people who observed the defendant walking the dog in the neighborhood called authorities to report the abuse, Brown said in a statement. As a result, the defendant will be banned from possessing any animal in the foreseeable future and the little dog is now safe and protected. The puppy was brought to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and received an examination. The ASPCA found that despite the treatment the dog was not injured.. He was subsequently adopted and is doing well with his new family. According to the Humane Society of the United States, it is difficult to ascertain accurate statistics about the prevalence of animal cruelty in the country, as many acts of cruelty are never reported to authorities. 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. freeimages.com Jerusalem's eternally burning garbage dump, which formed the basis for the Bible's portrayal of hell, had nothing on the massive landfills used by modern, throwaway society. SHARE By The Rev. John D. Payne/St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Episcopalians don't talk much about hell. Hell is not one of the more uplifting biblical themes. However, what the New Testament calls "hell" is actually the Greek word gehenna. Gehenna is an actual place, located outside the walls of Jerusalem and called the Hinnon Valley. This narrow gorge southeast of the city is where the Israelites once offered up child sacrifice to the pagan god Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3). During the reign of King Josiah (640-609 B.C.), the Hinnon Valley was condemned as an unholy place. Centuries later Gehenna had become the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Rubbish, bones, decaying carcasses filled this desolate valley, and the continual fire burning the trash seemed indestructible. Hence, Gehenna became the symbol for the place of the final and eternal punishment or the fires of hell in later Christian tradition. In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus says it would be better to pluck out your eye and go into the kingdom missing some part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into the rubbish heap of Gehenna. If Gehenna were a detestable, rotten, smelling, disgusting garbage dump in Jesus' day, I can imagine that it would pale in significance with our town dumps. Each American produces something like a ton of rubbish each year. We are a throwaway society, a society that not only produces and consumes but also casts off. What will future archeologists think of our civilization digging through the garbage of the 20th century? Garbage dumps are repulsive places and that's why they are kept far from view. However, there is something fascinating about them. Here is the end of the line, where everything finally comes, having lost its dignity or usefulness. Things go to the dump after they've outlived their usefulness to human beings, after they've become so mangled or broken that there's no longer any shred of dignity or beauty left to them. Jesus tells us in Mark 9:43-48 that our life is precious. Don't let it be discarded on the trash heap of life. God doesn't make garbage, and God made you and me. No human of God's creation and love is meant for Gehenna. Jesus stares our hellish possibility in the face and rebukes them. He speaks to us with words that are stark and shocking they don't have to be taken literally, but they must be taken seriously. The church is meant to be the sort of place that attempts to salvage lives, to rescue people, to keep reminding them they are precious to God, beautiful and not destined for the trash heap of life. We who are God's baptized, who have the gift of second sight, can see spirit as well as flesh, soul as well as body. We know there is more going on than meets the eye. When we look at people we see them whole, the way God meant them to be. When they are not whole, it not only hurts them but it hurts us, as if we're missing something we need for ourselves. Because of this, we should not, indeed we cannot, take part in anything that diminishes the soul of another, that discards them and treats them as little more than refuse and garbage. A wasted existence is hell. If we want to be whole, we can use our two good eyes to see the world the way God sees it, and we can stretch out our two good arms to someone in the danger of stumbling, so that God can steady and save us all. TIMES RECORD NEWS FILE The Wichita Falls ISD in the 2014-15 school year launched the Digital Classroom Pilot Program, investing $475,000 to buy Google Chromebooks, iPad minis and laptops for test classrooms helmed by 42 pilot teachers. That program has expanded to the district's Digital Classroom 2.0 initiative. The school board recently approved the purchase of 2,450 Chromebooks for $715,000 as part of the initiative. Each sixth-grader in 2016-17 will be assigned their own Chromebook. Pictured: Jefferson Elementary third-grader Ava Kirk uses an iPad to record her classmate, Hunter Milam, as he reads aloud in language arts class on Digital Learning Day in February. SHARE Contributed photo from the Wichita Falls ISD Wichita Falls ISD students will get a digital technology boost next year. The district on Tuesday approved the purchase of 2,450 Google Chromebooks. Each sixth-grader in 2016-17 will be assigned their own Chromebook. "We're trying to slowly go to a digital curriculum," Superintendent Michael Kuhrt said. Contributed photo by the Wichita Falls ISD Each sixth-grader in the Wichita Falls ISD will be assigned their own Google Chromebook in 2016-17 as part of its Digital Technology 2.0 initiative. The district launched its Digital Classroom Pilot Program in 2014-15 by supplying iPad minis, Chromebooks and laptops to 42 pilot teacher-helmed classrooms. By Lana Sweeten-Shults of the Times Record News Sixth-graders in the Wichita Falls ISD in the 2016-17 school year won't just be assigned textbooks. All also will get their own Google Chromebook. "Next year we're going to be in a one-to-one situation (one Chromebook per student) for sixth-grade only," Superintendent Michael Kuhrt said. "They will keep the laptop with them all day long." Sixth-graders will be assigned their Chromebook, just as they would a textbook, will turn them back in over the summer then will be assigned a Chromebook again for each of their seventh- and eighth-grade years. It's just the first step the district is taking in assuring that all middle school students will be equipped, one-to-one, with the technology. It's a process that will take a few years to fulfill. And it's part of an even bigger picture for the district, which is establishing a stronger digital footprint and assuring that students at all grade levels have significant access to digital technology. The Wichita Falls ISD board Tuesday approved almost $1.04 million in digital technology purchases as part of its Digital Classroom 2.0 initiative, with about $829,000 of that going directly to classrooms: $715,000 to 2,450 Chromebooks, $49,000 for charging stations, and $65,000 for the purchase of GoGuardian software, which helps teachers keep students on task and away from inappropriate content. The other $210,000 of that $1.04 million investment was for core network hardware to help better power the district's growing technology needs. "It will be right at 1,000 Chromebooks (assigned to the district's sixth-graders). The rest will be placed in fifth-grade classrooms throughout the district," Kuhrt said, though unlike sixth-graders, fifth-graders will not be assigned their own Chromebook. They instead will have access to classroom-assigned devices. "That's to get them ready for their own Chromebook in sixth grade," Kuhrt added. Not that other grade levels won't be supplied with technology. About 10 Chromebooks per classroom are assigned to fourth-grade rooms. Third-graders and grade levels below that have access to iPads. The goal is for all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to have their own Chromebooks. High-schoolers also will not have devices assigned to them one-to-one. "They will have the opportunity to bring their own devices. It's more of a BYOD a bring your own device," Kuhrt said. "We have classroom sets (of technology) all over the district already. You might go to an English classrooms, for example, and teachers have carts (of classroom-assigned digital devices). We're going to continue to add to those." When he was assistant superintendent in the 2014-15 school year, Kuhrt was one of the forces behind the district's Digital Classroom Pilot Program. Forty-two pilot teachers were assigned Chromebooks, iPad minis and laptops. Each test classroom received 30 devices each, which are stored on charging depots. The district invested $475,000 in that pilot program. Now, heading into the second year of such technology upgrades, Digital Classroom 2.0 is no longer a pilot project. Administrators listened to feedback from teachers and students to see how to move forward. Kuhrt said the recent technology purchase is part of the Wichita Falls ISD's efforts to slowly go to a digital curriculum. In classrooms across the district, teachers and students are using apps such as Yakit, Seesaw and WordFoto, thanks to various digital devices. For President's Day, first-graders at one campus used Yakit to download a photograph of a president and record a report about that president. The report was delivered, via the app, as if the president were presenting the words, complete with his lips moving. Students store their work in digital portfolios on the Seesaw app that their parents can access. Other students have made equivalent fraction selfies in math class via WordFoto. And teachers have placed QR codes on images. Students scan in the codes with their digital devices, which will then take the students to information the teachers wants to convey about the image. Kuhrt acknowledges that the Wichita Falls ISD one of five districts in Texas singled out on the National Report Card as the most fiscally disadvantaged is lagging behind their peers when it comes to digital technology. "Oh, we're behind," Kuhrt said. "Lots of districts across the state have already taken such initiatives. We've got to catch up and get our act together." Wichita Falls ISD Education Center. SHARE By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News Black and Hispanic students in the Wichita Falls Independent School District were disproportionately suspended and sent to alternative campuses in the 2014-2015 school year, data shows. Statistics submitted by the school district to the Texas Education Agency showed that while black and Hispanic students number fewer than white students in the school system, both have more disciplinary actions levied against them than the white population. Hispanic or Latino students were sent to an alternative campus for misbehavior 143 times in the last school year while black students were sent 106 times and white students were sent 93 times. White students are the district's largest demographic, representing about 44 percent of the WFISD student population last year, data shows. Hispanic students made up 34 percent of the population and black students made up only 14 percent of the school district population. Despite that, black and Hispanic students also had higher numbers of suspensions than white students last year, data shows. The number of times black students were sanctioned with out-of-school suspension 633 was markedly higher than the number of times white students faced the same punishment, 383. Hispanic students were suspended out of school 456 times. A school district official did not return a request for comment on this story by Friday evening. The actions which prompted suspension or placement in an alternative campus varied, the report shows. Some involved controlled substances or alcohol. Assaulting district employees, fighting and public lewdness also were listed as offenses that occurred. But of the almost 7,000 instances of school district discipline last year, the vast majority of them were not criminal offenses. Instead, almost 5,600 of them involved violations of the district's code of conduct. The report does not specify which code of conduct rules were violated or how students were disciplined for specific violations. RELATED: View the full report below. TEA WFISD Annual Discipline Summary [March 25, 2016] Thought Leaders, Policy Makers Discuss CBRN Response, Defense, Technology Readiness at Defense Strategies Institute's Joint Civil & DoD CBRN Symposium Ronald F. DeMeo, M.D., MBA, president and CEO of Radiation Shield Technologies, provided a "Nuclear Countermeasures" presentation during the Defense Security Institute's fourth-annual "Joint Civil & DoD CBRN Symposium" this week in Alexandria, VA. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160325005286/en/ At the conference, thought leaders and policymakers across military and civilian organizations discussed advancing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response, defense and technology readiness for joint CBRN defense, and the changing budget landscape for joint CBRN readiness. Dr. DeMeo, who routinely lectures and consults top governmental and military authorities worldwide on nuclear countermeasures, discussed topics including: Preparing for CBRN-E threats Protection available today Case studies and examples "As the leading global developer of advanced personal-protection technologies scientifically proven to counter today's CBRN-E threats, Radiation Shield Technologies was invited to share our insight and real-world case studies, said Dr. DeMeo, a noted author and speaker. Dr. DeMeo is the surgeon and entrepreneur who invented Demron, the only protective gear against chemical, biological, ballistic, and radiological threats as well as heat stress. The product line includes: fully-body suits, antinuclear vests; and anti-radiological dispersion device (dirty bomb) suppression blankets. RST's latest addition is Demron ICE, the world's first full-body suit that protects against viral, biological and chemical threats. Demron, which has numerous U.S. and international patents, consists of an advanced radiopaque nanopolymeric compound fused between layers of fabric to manufacture the personal-protection gear. Here's how Demron is differentiated: When first responders wear other CBRN suits, their body heat is quickly trapped in the suits, leading to weakness and incapacitation. Because the suits are designed to keep harmful agents from entering, they also keep heat from exiting. However, the Demron fabric has unique thermally conductive properties that enable heat to escape through thermal radiation and allow external cooling without compromising the safety of the suits. "With Demron, first responders can operate in the field more safely and for longer periods of time than ever before," Dr. DeMeo said. Demron also is differentiated for its flexibility, ruggedness, durability, and ability to withstand tearing, extensive use, decontamination procedures and corrosive agents. Certifications include: ASTM F1670, ASTM F1671 Blood and Viral Penetration. ISO 8194 Certified: Radiation Protective Clothing, ISO 9001 Certified: Quality Management. Demron is deployed worldwide by every branch of the U.S. military, U.S. CST teams, FDNY, IAEC, NASA, and many international first responder and military teams in China, Iraq, Kuwait, South Korea, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Singapore. Scientists have selected Demron for thermo-mechanical suits for future space travel. RST manufactures Demron and the nano materials at its research and development facility in Miami. About Radiation Shield Technologies Radiation Shield Technologies, with headquarters in Miami, is a world leader in the research, design and production of personal-protection systems for ionizing and nuclear radiation. For more information, visit www.radshield.com or call 866.7.DEMRON. Editor's Notes: Interviews and photographs are available upon request View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160325005286/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] What you need to know about Powerball and the $580 million jackpot Ordinances Tabled . . . Water /Sewer rates still will rise! An important note and call to action from some of the most dedicated Kansas City tax fighters . . .CFRG/MO and Friends,Thank you Heather Hall (councilwoman,1st district) for standing up in the Business Session of the City Council meeting yesterday and challenging the two ordinances:: These two ordinances (below) have been put on hold thanks to Ms Halls reasoning that nobody "knows whats going on with these ordinances and more time is needed". The mayor was quick to agree as he doesnt want tax increase talk in advance of the Earnings Tax vote.... Note this increase takes effect after the Earnings Tax vote.Unfortunately we are losing 50 police officers while we raise water and sewer rates on the poorest voters while asking them to extend the unpopular earnings tax. You can do something about all this TAX, TAX, TAX on April 5th when you vote!!Visit our website to send City Hall a message###############3 CHECK THE KANSAS CITY WEEKLY POWER RANKINGS!!! Kansas City Transgender Community Stays Strong Despite Midwest Crackdown Efforts Council Lady Alissia Canady Powers Through Controversy Betwixt Protesters, Police And Paper Spray Hot Mess Kansas City Rank & File Police Rage Against Proposed City Hall Budget Cutbacks Libertarian Push Back On Kansas City Tax & Spend Culture Makes A Bold Statement KC Firefighters Win Well-Deserved Raise Jordan Carver flexes once again tonight as we rank the winners of the local discourse this week.Here's the word . . .Conservatives in the heartland are focused on shaming Transgender people with proposed potty rules, wedding cake fights and even pr0n references . . . Through it all, some members of this diverse community continue to stand up and assert their inalienable and God given rights. More power to them . . .No matter which side one supports, nobody can deny that Council Lady Alissia Canady wasamid the aftermath of a skirmish betwixt Trump protesters and police. She didn't make everybody happy and that's the best sign that she was objective, fair and responsive to all parties concerned. This local leader clearly has a bright future if she can continue to navigate a great many political landmines.Let's make it plain: Kansas City police are pissed about upcoming cutbacks. Even a few words from these locals make a big impression as the argument over public safety continues in this cowtown.Most agree thatand the tragic disparity that exists in Kansas City.Just like police, Kansas City Firefighters put their lives on the line to do their job and a raise for these 1st responders has been hard fought. Many credit FD union dude Sherwood Smith with the win and his work deserves mention along with Council ladies Hall & Loar in at least trying to focus on the real priorities that keep KCMO running.As always, this list has been compiled according toand it's a weekly comprehensive guide to local powerful people. Here's a misguided bit of rhetoric which targets people who actually put their life on the line for KC in support of Mayor Sly who mostly looks out for his corporate cronies living on the outskirts of the city and in Johnson County. No idea who this column might influence but it's a great look at the declining ability of the newspaper to influence anybody who isn't on the city hall gravy train. Take a look: Firefighters' victory a costly loss for Kansas City taxpayers Kansas City Call For Justice Blight And Politics @ City Council Crime Spree Aftermath In The Styx Show-Me Another Power Player Contender Fear The Meth Town Staycation Kansas City Tambourine Man Celebration Kansas City Springtime Hero starts our morning with her campy photo set as we peek into the important MSM links to start the day. Take a look:And this is thefor right now . . . LIKE IT OR NOT, JOHN FIERRO COULD BE THE LAST LATINO POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE IN KANSAS CITY PROPER FOR THE MOMENT!!! Take a look atAfter election defeat against 4th District Council Lady Jolie Justus . . . Mr. Fierro seems like he'll meet with this success in this attempt to become part of a coalition that will continue the path toward full accreditation and build on whattried to accomplish . . .Common criticism of this last minute move: If all of these Mayor Sly supporters were really serious about their plans they might have taken the time to stand out in the street, earn the signatures and get on the ballot in a more professional manner given their good government claims.Still . . . Write-ins are part of the process and a tactic that's acceptable under the desperate circumstances which confront the KCPS.Meanwhile . . .Former School Board member Marisol Montero is finished with the district for now.Here's here message:Dear Friends,After much soul-searching, I have decided not to seek re-election to the KCPS School Board. I am grateful to my neighbors and the families and students of the 3rd District for the privilege of serving them these past 4 years. However, as all Latinos know, family comes first and the growing needs of my two sons require and deserve my full focus.Many of you pledged support for my re-election because there is still much work to be done in closing the achievement gap for minorities in our district. And, while the work is far from done, there is good reason to have renewed hope in the district's future.My efforts to hire a competent Superintendent were successful. Dr. Mark Bedell has an impressive track record of successfully educating at-risk and minority students. He has the personal history and professional experience to dramatically improve education for all our KCPS students and not just a privileged few. He deserves the trust and support of the in-coming board and our community.Best regards and thank you from the bottom of my heart.Marisol Montero############Accordingly . . .Given that Latinos have been the largest and fastest growing minority in this town for more than three decades . . . You decide whether or not that indicates progress.Crispin is off the board, Marisol is gone, Theresa Garza is no longer @ Jackson County and her council run deservedly failed . . . The Missouri House hasn't elected a Latino from KCMO since Paul Rojas. As far as political representation goes . . . Things are pretty bleak for a community of- Voters, undocumented and otherwise in Kansas City.To be fair . . .Maybe it's not important that nowadays that it's harder to get a group table at Denny's than mastermind a coup on the Kansas City school board.For the most part and even among middle-class white people . . . Mr. Fierro's work is highly regarded along with this education, skill and dedication to neighborhood and community. He should make a fine school board member and his effort to attain the unpaid, thankless, time-consuming and nearly hopeless job is commendable.Developing . . . JACKSON COUNTY INSIDERS RAGE OVER CUSHY NEW KCATA JOB CREATED FOR FRANK WHITE III!!! We should have went with this one earlier in the afternoon. It's buried in the newspaper where it will never be seen but here's a far better take on the story that offers more persepctive and detail than any other Kansas City media outlet.Take a look . . .Check the deets and the testimony . . ."Under its new head, the previously apolitical KCATA has just officially crossed the line into the world of backroom political deal making and messy conflicts of interest. The KCATA has just hired Frank White's son to be its new head of "community outreach" (a brand new position created just in time for both Franks) at over. Conflicts and questions are being asked by everyone who has heard about the new pair of golden handcuffs that were created to now bind Frank (the dad) to the new head of the KCATA through good old-fashioned patronage payola."After all, Frank (the dad) recently just appointed one of the directors or bosses at the KCATA, then they just happened to turn around and hire Frank (the son) at a huge fee for a "brand new" position that somehow the place has managed to function without for generations before, but now merits $85,000 a year in sweet taxpayer cash. Is there any doubt that the position would never have been created, or that Frank (the son) would never have been hired unless Frank (the dad) was just elected executive? Also interesting that under Makinin the ATA can't seem to hire a new employee or even sneeze without a press release, yet somehow he "forgot" to announce that he just hired the son of a prominent politician who just so happens to vote on his own job contract. I'm sure this was just a simple oversight, and not an attempt by White or Makinin to hide anything potentially scandalous going on.I"t should surprise nobody that the new head, Robbie Makinin's, only real previous job qualifications to head up this important post was working as a political hack and deal maker for Jackson County. Looks like Jackson County-style deal making, pad jobs for connected family members, and ignoring of blatant conflicts of interest is alive and well under the new regime at the ATA."############# City Spokesman Chris Hernandez confirms Police Chief Forte asked for 4.2 million dollars, but the police department only received one million dollars. Lemon said of the 50 police officer positions that will be eliminated, 30 are currently vacant and will no longer be filled. He said 20 officers will lose their jobs. One of our most popular posts of the week and a very important topic that local media is picking up and running with thanks toCheck really great reporting after. . .Here's the word:Developing . . . The Greek economy enjoyed a year of recovery in 2014, according to recent research by the ICAP Group that incorporated the corporate results and the financial reports of 22,993 Greek enterprises in the years 2013 and 2014 The Greek economy enjoyed a year of recovery in 2014, according to recent research by the ICAP Group that incorporated the corporate results and the financial reports of 22,993 Greek enterprises in the years 2013 and 2014. At the beginning of 2014, the drop in the countrys gross domestic product began to ease for the first time after a six-year recession, from 2008 to 2013. It then reversed its southbound course to complete the year with a modest growth. A total of 22,394 enterprises (excluding credit sector companies) posted an average 2.3 percent increase in turnover in 2014 compared with the year before, amounting to 148.9 billion euros. Seven out of the nine broader economic sectors enjoyed growth in the last year before the government change, in January 2015. Those that posted the biggest growth in sales were construction, hotels/restaurants and mines/quarries, all at double-digit rates. In contrast, the sectors of energy/water and manufacturing registered a marginal decline. Positive impact Alongside the increase in sales, the efforts to contain costs had a positive impact, assisting the achievement of a favorable result: Gross earnings posted a 5 percent annual rise in 2014, climbing 28.5 billion euros, while profit margins expanded to 19.12 percent, from 18.64 percent in the previous year. These changes led to the quadrupling of operating results, although that alone was not enough to lead to an overall return to profit. The total net result remained negative for the fifth consecutive year, but losses were contained by 42.1 percent on a yearly basis to 467.2 million euros in 2014 significantly lower than in the first years of the crisis (3.1 billion in 2010 and 6.7 billion in 2011). ICAP Group chief executive officer Nikitas Konstantellos commented that it is clear it will take a far greater effort by all parties, i.e. public and private sectors, for [companies] to revert to conditions of sufficient and sustainable profits. Source: ekathimerini.com 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 Addressing a reception hosted by Greek Ambassador to Cyprus, Elias Photopoulos, in his residence in Nicosia on the occasion of Greek Independence Day, Anastasiades declared: We are looking forward to Greece taking advantage of its real financial potentia Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades expressed on Friday his country's support to Greece`s efforts to exit the adverse economic crisis and address the refugee crisis. Addressing a reception hosted by Greek Ambassador to Cyprus, Elias Photopoulos, in his residence in Nicosia on the occasion of Greek Independence Day, Anastasiades declared: We are looking forward to Greece taking advantage of its real financial potentials for the prosperity of the Greek people." He noted: I express our support to the immense effort which the Greek government, the politicians and the people have been, making during the last years, to exit the deep economic crisis by which the Greeks are suffering. We explicitly express our wholehearted support to the struggle of the Greek government to address the humanitarian refugee crisis, and for solidarity in Europe, for which the two states [Cyprus and Greece] are closely cooperating. Referring to the refugee crisis, he stressed that Greece and other countries are in need of immediate support. It is evident that the activation of the Civil Protection Mechanism is not enough for the management of this acute problem." The significance of the Greek uprising The Cypriot president also elaborated on the significance of the Greek uprising of 1821 against the Ottoman Empire, noting that the Greek Cypriots are being inspired by the values which underpinned the Greek revolution. Moreover he thanked Greece for its support to Cyprus. Earlier on Friday he attended a religious service, in Nicosia, to commemorate Greek Independence Day. In statements to the press after the service, the President expressed hope that everyone will join efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, with the hope that we will achieve the soonest a just, viable and functional settlement". The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory. President Anastasiades has been engaged in UN-led talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, since May last year, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof. Source: CNA 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 Bulgaria is ready to build a fence on its border with Greece to keep out migrants, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov annouced on Friday Bulgaria is ready to build a fence on its border with Greece to keep out migrants amid fears they could head its way after the Western Balkan route was closed, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said on Friday. Bulgarian Parliament last month voted to let its army assist police in guarding the European Union member's borders to avoid a refugee influx that has overwhelmed some of its neighbours. Bulgaria shares a border with Greece to its south that is about 500 kms (310 miles) long. "The main threat is coming from the Greek border," Borisov told parliament on Friday. "It is very long and unprotected, and our concern is that the Greek government did not take measures in recent months. We are ready to erect a barrier if necessary." Ensuring control Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that a fence should be erected on the FYROM and Bulgarian borders with Greece to curb the inflow of migrants into Europe. Earlier this month, Bulgaria and its neighbour FYROM to the west held joint air and land operations along their common border to ensure control of it amid an increased flow of migrants. On Thursday, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev requested an additional 1.5 million levs ($860,000) to provide essential equipment to army personnel taking part in border protection and control jointly with police. In November 2013, Bulgaria started building a barbed wire fence along its border with Turkey. Almost 100 kms of the planned 166 km fence have already been erected. Source: Reuters 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 Belgian police arrested three more people on Friday as investigations into Tuesday's suicide bombings by Islamist militants in Brussels threw up more links to killings in Paris last year. The federal prosecutor's office said the operation was connected to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on Islamic State militants they link both to the Brussels bombings that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Ahead of one of the arrests, heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Clerfayt as saying the suspect had been detained after being wounded and that he was linked to Tuesday's suicide bombings in Brussels. It initially said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives but later news reports did not confirm that explosives were found. Witnesses said police appeared to shoot the man in the leg at a tram stop and that he appeared to have his daughter with him. "We heard 'Don't move'. The man was sitting at the bus stop, a bus stop with a glass wall, and we heard a small detonation and a big detonation," said Norman Kabir, 38, an electrician who lives and works nearby. "Then the police came, took the little girl who was shouting 'Dad', she seemed terrified and the man got shot in the leg anyway because he was still moving," Kabir told reporters. "Then the police asked him to move his bag. He was lying on the ground, but he did it and pushed the bag and a robot from the mine-sweeping brigade arrived. It came, grabbed the bag and took it away, then they took the guy, put him in a car and left. It took 20 seconds." Video showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. Islamic State suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such assaults in Belgian history. Investigators believe they were carried out by the same cell behind November's gun and bomb attacks in Paris. MORE ARRESTS The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said six people were held in Brussels on Thursday, of whom three were released and three were remanded in custody facing possible charges. Three others were detained on Friday following the arrest overnight in France of Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old Frenchman sentenced to 10 years in absentia in Brussels last July as part of an Islamist recruiting network dubbed the Syrian Connection. In the same case, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks later killed by French police, got 20 years, also in absentia, while Khalid Zerkani, a Moroccan recruiter of jihadis in Europe, was jailed for 12 years. According to a report in Le Point magazine, Zerkani was a mentor to the two other men and to Najim Laachraoui, one of the Brussels airport bombers who is also suspected of having made explosive belts for the Paris attacks. In Germany, Der Spiegel magazine said German police had arrested two people, one of whom had received phone messages with the name of the metro station bomber and the word "fin" - French for "end" - three minutes before the metro blast. The German interior ministry declined comment. A person familiar with the investigation in Belgium said one of the people arrested there was believed to be a suspected accomplice caught on security camera footage with the metro station bomber. "We have strong indications that this is the suspect who was hunted for the last couple of days. The identification is still ongoing," the source said. However he said those arrested before midday on Friday did not include a third suspect seen on video alongside the two who blew themselves up at the airport. The attacks in Brussels, home to the European Union and NATO, have heightened security concerns around the world and raised questions about EU states' ability to respond in an effective, coordinated way to the Islamist militant threat. Belgium's interior minister Jan Jambon on Friday blamed police negligence. "Someone in our police apparatus blundered," he told a special session of parliament. Jambon offered to resign on Thursday over a failure to track one of the airport bombers, Brahim El Bakraoui, 29, who had been expelled last year by Turkey as a suspected fighter. Bakraoui's brother Khalid, 26, was the bomber who struck the metro train. "JE SUIS BRUXELLOIS, IK BEN BRUSSEL" U.S Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Brussels on Friday to offer U.S. assistance in security. Two of the Brussels victims were Americans. "Je suis bruxellois. Ik ben Brussel," Kerry said in French and Dutch, expressing solidarity with the people of Brussels in the two languages of the Belgian capital. In Paris on Thursday, authorities arrested Kriket, a French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France. French officials did not directly tie that plot to the Brussels attacks, but Clerfayt, the Schaerbeek mayor, said the man wounded on Friday was linked to both investigations. French President Francois Hollande said the hunt for Islamist militant cells would continue. "We know there are other networks. Even if the one behind the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out, a threat is still there," he said. The Brussels attacks came a week after Belgian police killed a militant during a house raid that led them to Salah Abdeslam, the only suspected participant in the Paris attacks to have been captured alive. His lawyer says he has been cooperating with the investigation but did not know of the plan to attack Brussels. However, on Friday prosecutors said Abdeslam had declined to talk about Tuesday's attacks, having declared soon after his capture that he would exercise his right to be silent. Belgian daily De Morgen said investigators had identified a new suspect they believe played a role in the Brussels bombings, 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. The paper said he was on a list circulated to the security services of other European countries after Tuesday's attacks, and was also suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks. Islamic State posted a video on social media calling the Brussels blasts a victory and featuring the training of Belgian militants suspected in the Paris attacks. PARIS SUSPECT SILENT Meanwhile, detained Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has declined to talk about the Tuesday's attacks in Brussels, having declared already on Saturday that he would exercise his right to be silent, federal prosecutors said on Friday. In a news release detailing their questioning of Abdeslam, prosecutors said they had first been able to speak to him on Saturday morning because he had been wounded during his arrest on Friday afternoon. Investigators first asked him about key points in the investigation into the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. Abdeslam, whose brother blew himself up in Paris, was in the French capital on the night of the attacks on Nov. 13 and is the first suspected active participant taken alive. Abdeslam appeared twice before a magistrate on Saturday, for several hours in total. During the second hearing said that he wished to exercise his right to be silent. He was questioned immediately after the Brussels attacks on Tuesday, but declined to talk. Some critics have said Belgium should have forced Abdeslam to alert authorities to the attacks. Reuters Syrian government forces advanced into Palmyra on Saturday with heavy support from Russian air strikes, taking control of several districts in a major assault against Islamic State fighters, Syrian state media and a monitoring group said. Television footage showed waves of explosions inside Palmyra and smoke rising from buildings, as tanks and armoured vehicles fired from the outskirts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the biggest assault in a three-week campaign by the Syrian army and allied militia fighters to recapture the desert city and open up the road to Islamic State strongholds further east. Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said Syrian soldiers and allied militias had taken control of one-third of Palmyra, mainly in the west and north, including part of the ancient city and its Roman-era ruins. Soldiers were also fighting on a southern front, he said. Syrian media and Arab television channels broadcasting from the slopes of Palmyra's mediaeval citadel, one of the last areas of high ground seized by the army on Friday, said troops had advanced inside Palmyra and had taken several neighbourhoods. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist group seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia's intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar al-Assad's favour. The group and al Qaeda's Syrian branch the Nusra Front are excluded from a month-long cessation of hostilities that has brought a lull in fighting between the government and rebels battling Assad in western Syria. The limited truce has allowed some aid deliveries to get to previously inaccessible areas under siege. The International Committee for the Red Cross said on Saturday it brought food and hygiene items to three areas of south Damascus the day before. Peace talks have also resumed in Geneva, but progress has been slow, with the government and its opponents disagreeing fundamentally on the terms of a political transition, including whether Assad must leave power. Russia, which sponsored the talks along with the United States, has withdrawn some forces from Syria but has strongly supported the Palmyra offensive, saying this week that a Russian special forces officer was killed in combat near the city. Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry in Moscow as saying Russian jets had made 40 sorties around Palmyra in the last 24 hours, hitting 158 Islamic State targets and killing more than 100 militants.-Reuters Russia's Alfa Telecom said on Friday it was ready to sell a 13.22 per cent indirect stake in Turkcell to Turkey's Cukurova and Ziraat Bank for a total of around $2.7 billion, according to a statement to the Istanbul bourse. The announcement is the latest twist in a dispute over control of Turkey's top mobile operator which stretches back almost a decade, a tussle that has prevented some dividends from being paid and hampered the company's development. Alfa, part of Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's business empire, has been locked in a legal battle with equity partner Cukurova, run by Turkcell's founder Mehmet Emin Karamehmet. Alfa said on Friday it was willing to sell 49 class-A shares in Cukurova Telecom Holdings Limited for $54.9 million per share, equivalent to 13.22 per cent of Turkcell. Two years ago, an international arbitrator ordered Alfa to return a separate 13.8 per cent stake to Cukurova for $1.6 billion. Strapped for cash, Cukurova financed the purchase with a loan from state-owned Turkish lender Ziraat Bank, which it has yet to repay. Two sources close to the dispute said the court battle was expected to be concluded in the coming weeks and that Alfa's announcement appeared to be a strategic move, by putting pressure on Cukurova to either find the funds to buy the additional stake and gain control or concede defeat. Officials from Alfa and Cukurova in Turkey could not immediately be reached for comment.-Reuters Sharp Corp and Taiwan's Foxconn are set to sign a takeover deal next week after repeated delays, with the two sides set to agree on a smaller bailout than originally planned for the troubled Japanese electronics maker, two sources familiar with the talks said on Saturday. The two companies will hold board meetings on Wednesday to approve the deal and officially sign a deal the following day, said the two sources with direct knowledge of the talks. Both of the sources declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. A Sharp spokesman declined to comment, while Foxconn officials were not immediately available for comment. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, is set to cut its earlier 489 billion yen ($4.3 billion) offer for newly issued Sharp shares by about 100 billion yen, the sources said. The companies had come close to signing a deal last month but Foxconn hit the pause button following revelations of previously undisclosed liabilities at the Japanese company. The deal would be the largest acquisition by a foreign company in Japan's insular technology sector. In choosing to negotiate with Foxconn, Sharp turned down a rival offer by a state-backed fund. It would also boost Foxconn's position as Apple's main contract manufacturer and provide Sharp with funds to start mass-producing organic light-emitting diode (Oled) screens by 2018, around the time Apple is expected to adopt the next-generation displays for its iPhones.-Reuters IS under siege in Palmyra, militant leader killed BEIRUT Islamic State fighters were on the retreat in the strategic Syrian city of Palmyra on Friday, as the US said it likely killed several senior leaders of the militant group this week including its top finance officer. The double blow to the hardline Islamist group in its self-declared caliphate, which covers huge areas of Syria and Iraq, came three days after Islamic State suicide bombers killed 31 people in Brussels, the worst such attack in Belgian history. Syrian soldiers fighting to retake the desert city of Palmyra from Islamic State forces recaptured its old citadel on Friday, various media reported. The citadel overlooks some of the most extensive ruins of the Roman empire. Many of Palmyra's temples and tombs have been dynamited by Islamic State fighters in what the United Nations described as a war crime, although television footage on Friday showed at least some colonnades and structures still standing. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia's intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar Al Assad's favour. The city controls routes east into the heartland of territory held by the militants, including the province of Deir Al Zor and the Islamic State's de facto capital, Raqqa. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Friday an Islamic State leader was killed when his car was targeted in a strike on Raqqa on Thursday night. It did not identify the dead militant, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the US believed it killed Haji Iman - an alias for Abd Ar-Rahman Mustafa Al Qaduli, a senior Islamic State leader in charge of the group's finances, and Abu Sarah, who Carter said was charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq. US special forces carried out the strike against Haji Iman, officials told Reuters. One of the officials said the plan was to capture, not kill, him. But after the commandos' helicopter was fired on, the decision was made to fire from the air. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon, using an acronym to refer to the group. US Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the briefing the deaths reflected "indisputable" new momentum in the fight against Islamic State. Iraq's military said on Friday that Iraqi Yazidi and tribal fighters had taken a border area in the Sinjar region next to Syria from Islamic State, cutting an important supply line for the militants. US officials said they were helping Iraqis prepare for a major operation in Mosul to take back more territory from the militant group. The scale of Friday's fighting for Palmyra reflected how much of a strategic prize the city represents, with jets launching dozens of air strikes and soldiers firing mortar barrages, while Islamic State fighters hit back with two car bombings. Russian warplanes have continued to back up the Syrian army and its allies, despite Moscow's recent announcement it was withdrawing the bulk of its military forces. Its planes carried out 41 sorties from Tuesday to Thursday in support of the Palmyra offensive and destroyed 146 targets, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry. Beirut-based television channel Al-Mayadeen, broadcasting from the edge of Palmyra, showed a low-flying jet carry out three air strikes against what it said were Islamic State fighters withdrawing from the old citadel back into Palmyra. "Army units took control over Palmyra's ancient citadel ... after dealing with the last Daesh terrorist groups," state news agency SANA said. A ceasefire backed by the US and Russia covers most of Syria but not areas held by Islamic State. The first truce of its kind since the war began five years ago has been accompanied this month by the first peace talks attended by Assad's government and most of the groups opposed to him. Damascus in the meantime has turned its fire on Islamic State. Moscow is the main ally of Assad's government, while Washington and other Western countries have backed foes trying to overthrow him during the civil war that has killed 250,000 people and led to the world's worst refugee crisis. Both powers are committed to fighting Islamic State and have backed a new diplomatic push to end fighting on other fronts. A Russian special forces officer was killed in combat near Palmyra in the last week, Interfax said, suggesting the Kremlin had been more engaged in the Syrian conflict than it had acknowledged. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has set out a blueprint for a political process aimed at ending the civil war, and said on Thursday that talks would tackle the divisive issue of a postwar transition when the warring sides gather again next month. Progress has been slow, with the government delegation and its opponents disagreeing fundamentally on the terms of such a transition, including whether Assad must leave power. After talks in Moscow on Thursday, Russia and the US said they agreed to use their influence over both sides in the conflict to speed things up. Interfax quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday as saying Washington now understood Moscow's position that Assad's future should not be discussed at the moment. But US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement: "Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad's future is false. Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern. We haven't changed our view on that."-Reuters The US government has approved the sale of up to nine Boeing Company's P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes to Britain in a deal valued at up to $3.2 billion. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees foreign arms sales, notified Congress about the potential sale on Thursday. Lawmakers now have 15 days to block the sale although such action is unlikely given close ties between the US and the UK. The proposed sale will enhance Britain's capabilities to provide national defense and contribute to Nato and coalition operations, DSCA said in a statement. It said the deal was a top priority for Britain. Britain announced its intention to buy the submarine-hunting patrol planes in November as part of a five-year plan that will increase spending by 12 billion pounds ($16.96 billion) to 178 billion pounds ($251.60 billion) over the next decade. At the time, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the planes would help the UK protect its nuclear deterrent and fill a gap left by a much-criticized decision to scrap the Nimrod spy-plane program in 2010. DSCA said Britain had retained core skills in maritime patrol and reconnaissance following the retirement of the Nimrod aircraft through personnel exchange programs that have left UK forces work on the U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft. Additional contractors on the deal include ViaSat, Rockwell Collins, Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman and Harris Corp and General Electric Company.-Reuters Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 26 M Mahdavipour, Irans Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khameneis representative in India, has assured to take up the demand of setting up of a Sikh-Persian school in Punjab with the Iranian Government. He today visited the campus of Naad Pragas, a society being run by PhD scholars, where Persian language is being taught for the past decade. He stressed on the promotion of Persian language to revive the ancient relations between Indian and Persian civilisations particularly in Punjab. Mahdavipour said that there was a need to promote the Persian language in India in general and Punjab in particular. He added that the Persian scholars engaged in the universities here must be encouraged to explore more about this ancient language. In the context of Sufism studies, he said that practical Sufism was being taught while theoretical Sufism was missing in Indo-Persian studies. He was informed by the members of the society that Janamsakhis, Sikh religious literature, liberally quoted references of Sikh-Sufi relations. Even in ancient India, exchange of thought between Iran and India was found during the Sapt Sindhu civilisation, the members said. They stated that these steps would consolidate bilateral relations in all aspects like culture, trade and welfare. Naad Pragas secretary Satnam Singh told Mahdavipour that the Naag Pragas was teaching famous Sufi literature and Indian creations in Persian language apart from imparting its rudimentary knowledge. These included Guru Gobind Singhs Zafarnama, Kalams of Bhai Nand Lal, Dr Gulwant Singh translated Japuji in Persian and selected Persian literature. Among others, Dr Haider Raza Javed, Dr Rehan, Prof Jagdish Singh, Puninder Singh and Dr Sukhwinder Singh were present. S Nihal Singh THE most striking outcome of the recent national executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the promotion of Mr Narendra Modis personality cult. After newspaper readers had been regaled to a submissive Prime Minister being meticulously measured for the honour of making it to Madame Tussauds collection of life-size wax lookalikes of world leaders came Mr Venkaiyiah Naidus accolade. He is Gods gift for India. True, the theme of divine intervention was first broached earlier in March by the BJP Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan, addressing the partys Yuva Morcha, but it was dismissed as a routine genuflection. He had said, He [Mr Modi] is a man of ideas and has the strong will to execute these ideas. Wherever in the world he goes, people chant Modi, Modi. He is Gods divine gift to India. If there are echoes of then Congress president DK Barooahs sycophantic excess in his doggerel Indira is India, India is Indira, the build-up of Mr Modi is more reminiscent of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the levels of praise he collected for himself, most recently by visiting the home of his captive media empire singing his fantastic qualities. The pattern of the BJP executive meeting was carefully choreographed. The Prime Minister waxed eloquent on development, leaving it to the political resolution to blow the trumpet of nationalism in its new avatar and getting Home Minister Rajnath Singh, apart from Mr Arun Jaitley, to brief the media on the main document to give it a muscular tone. Even otherwise, Mr Modi is doing his own bit. He was expansive in expressing his catholicism at the World Sufi Forum even as he routinely refrains from commenting on increasing cases of hate crimes against Muslims in an environment in which anyone stepping outside the lines drawn by the Hindutva brigade does so at his own peril. Such details, he seems to suggest, are for his minions to take care of. Thus, except for intervening at an Ambedkar function to say that Dalit reservations would stay (to counter the RSS line), it was for others in the BJP setup to pronounce the new rules of the political game. It was patriotism with a capital P and the test was to pronounce Bharat Mata ki jai, what the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Musalmeen (AMIM) leader Asasuddin Owaisi and his Maharashtra Assembly member Waris Pathan refused to do, for which the latter was suspended from the House. How long Mr Modi will be able to float above the controversies he has initiated in the cause of Hindutva remains to be seen. But he has found the new strain of nationalism let loose by his party, reiterated by the national executive, conflicting with his endeavour to appear as the unquestioned leader of the nation. In the RSS concept, Bharat Mata is waving a saffron flag, instead of the Tricolour. Mr Modis dilemma is genuine because in seeking to overturn a long-nurtured idea built during the Independence struggle, and for more than six decades of Independent India, the Hindutva credo and its newly-advertised form of nationalism rings a jarring note. How can the Prime Minister of a country as diverse as India, with Muslims alone representing some 14 per cent of the population, win the hearts and minds of his countrymen and women with a narrow Hindu agenda? BJP supporters can draw some wry comfort from the fact that the Bharat Mata chant has wrong-footed the Congress party. It enthusiastically supported the suspension of Mr Pathan from the Maharashtra Assembly while having to fall back to proclaiming that one chant cannot be the test of patriotism. In any event, the BJP executive has made amply clear that it treats the Congress with contempt. But another problem for the BJP is that, encouraged by the RSS and the Sangh Parivar, it seems set on its illiberal course. A recent example of its direction is a directive to Urdu (mostly Muslim) writers to give an undertaking that they would not write anything against the government on the specious ground that a government-aided organisation would be buying their books. On a broader level, compared to President Xis plain sailing in building up his personality cult, Mr Modis task is more arduous because of the democratic nature of Indias polity, however attenuated it is becoming. A telling example, of course, was his having to climb down from his development platform to say that the reservation regime would stay because of the RSS having openly (and wisely) expressed scepticism of where it has led the country. The Prime Minister knew that the BJP would be committing harakiri in forthcoming elections if it voted against the reservation card. Meanwhile, the debate on nationalism gathers pace even as the young, especially in universities, become increasingly involved. Having decreed the height of the mast that should fly the national flag above all Centrally-financed universities, Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani has received encouragement from the RSS to mould students in the cult of narrow nationalism. Jawaharlal Nehru and Hyderabad universities have already been scarred by the BJPs enthusiasm for promoting its form of nationalism. There will doubtless be more tempests in universities as the authorities attempt to lay down new rules of patriotism. The world has recognised Mr Modi as a decisive leader who, after years of Congress drift, is seeking to take India forward. But it is not clear about the baggage of Hindutva he carries and how far he will cut corners to achieve his aim. His record as Chief Minister of Gujarat, impressive as it was in development, was spotty on the social side and downright negative on integration, the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom haunting him to this day. It is clear from Mr Modis incessant travels around the world that he sets great store by how he is perceived by the world. He has gained respect for his effort to pull India by the bootstraps almost overwhelmingly from the Indian diaspora. But his partys efforts to divide the country on religious lines are very much in the worlds consciousness. Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 25 The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) today said that the statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh installed on the premises of Delhi assembly was not similar to the official photograph approved by the Union Government. DSGMC general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that Bhagat Singh was a Guru Sikh and his statue required a turban. The statue installed by the Delhi Government has a hat. Addressing the mediapersons, Manjit Singh GK, DSGMC president has sent a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making changes in the statue. Speaking on the issue of statue, Sirsa said it showed the anti-Sikh mentality of the Delhi Government and he challenged that if they failed to make changes in the statue, the DSGMC itself would do it. Sirsa said that in government records and in Parliament also, Bhagat Singh's photo is with a turban. He also demanded that the highest award of Bharat Ratna be given to Bhagat Singh who came in contact with Bhai Randhir Singh of Akhand Kirtani Jatha when he was in jail and after that, he decided to become a "puran" Sikh and wear turban, said Sirsa. He asked the Delhi Government to rectify its mistake. Speaking on the yellow turban worn by Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP, Sirsa said he does it just to show off. Our Correspondent Palampur, March 26 Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today ruled out the possibilities of defection in the Congress Legislature Party in the state. Addressing mediapersons here last evening, Agnihotri said political situation in the state was entirely different from Uttarakhand. Therefore, the BJP would never succeed in defection of MLA or in toppling of the constitutionally elected government in the state. He said only two days ago, the state cabinet had expressed full faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. All party MLA had expressed their solidarity with the Chief Minister, therefore the Congress government in the state was quite stable and would complete its tenure, he added. Agnihotri said the matter related to cases registered against the Chief Minister by the CBI and the ED was sub judice in various courts, adding that the Delhi High Court had already granted relief to the Chief Minister and restrained the CBI to move further. He said attachment of his property by the ED carried no significance in this scenario. He alleged that cases registered against the Chief Minister were politically motivated, carried no truth and were registered at the behest of BJP MP Anurag Thakur and his father Prem Kumar Dhumal, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, in connivance with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely. He alleged that Prem Kumar Dhumal was frustrated over the rising popularity of the Congress government in the state, therefore, it wanted to topple the government by adopting unconstitutional means like defections of MLAs. However, the people of the state were with the Chief Minister because of the fact that in the past three years the state had witnessed rapid pace of development. ED action against CM hasty: Cong leaders Shimla: Former ministers and chairman and vice-chairman of various state authorities have termed the action of the Enforcement Directorate uncalled for and hasty. In a joint statement issued here on Saturday, Chander Kumar, Gangu Ram Musafir, Ram Lal Thakur, Rangila Ram Rao, Harsh Mahajan and Kuldeep Kumar said, It is no secret that after the formation of the BJP government at the Centre, BJP leaders have stepped up their nefarious campaign to frame cases against top Congress leaders and destabilise the Congress governments in states. Fabricating false cases, filing FIRs and conducting raids against their political opponents by misusing central investigating agencies had exposed their motive, said the leaders, adding that CM Virbhadra Singh had been their prime target. TNS Samaan Lateef Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 25 The Jammu and Kashmir Government is mulling over giving Tragbal meadows in north Kashmirs Bandipora district to the Army for setting up an artillery firing range in lieu of the Tosa Maidan field firing range. Taking into consideration the damage which could be caused to flora and fauna, the government has dropped the plan to hand over land at Tulail in the Gurez area of the district to the Army and is instead thinking over giving the higher reaches of Tragbal, adjacent to Razdan Pass, for a field firing range. The Army is in possession of over 200 hectares at Tragbal. It would be proper that the Army expands its possession there so that we could assuage public anger, said an official of the state Home Department. The proposal to hand over Tragbal came after the state government faced public criticism for allowing the Army to set up an artillery firing range at Bajpathri in Budgam district or at Tulail in Bandipora district. The Army had sought notification of the Bajpathri meadows for setting up a field firing range after the previous government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah refused to extend lease of the adjacent meadow of Tosa Maidan for its use as a firing range on April 18, 2014. However, the move was opposed by civil society, separatists, opposition National Conference and Save Yusmarg Movement, saying the firing range will adversely affect the biodiversity of the area. Even the National Green Tribunal, in January this year, raised voice against handing over the Bajpathri meadow to the Army for undertaking field firing drills. Later, the Army moved a proposal of Tulail in Gurez for setting up a firing range. However, the move has been opposed by the people of Gurez, saying it will affect the human habitation, besides the flora and fauna. More than 60 civilians have lost their lives due to the explosion of shells in Tosa Maidan, which was under the Armys control for more than 50 years. In September last year, the state government had agreed to examine the Armys demands for notifying land for setting up an artillery firing range in lieu of Tosa Maidan. A high-level committee of the state Home Department and the Army has been mandated to look for an alternate and feasible place for a firing range. Officials say the Army is yet to submit the denotification letter on the Tosa Maidan meadow. Chief Secretary BR Sharma said the process to provide land to the Army against the Tosa Maidan field firing range was yet to be concluded. We are considering several options, but the final decision is yet to be taken, Sharma said. Tribune News Service Jammu, March 26 Working on the prestigious project since 2013, Ladakh is likely to get the worlds largest telescope at Hanle. Hanle has reportedly been shortlisted for the $1.47-billion project by the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) International Observatory. Originally the telescope had to come up at Mauna Kea in Hawaii, but after the Hawaii Supreme Court cancelled the permit issued to the TMT in December 2015 for constructing the observatory, Hanle and Chile were being considered as two prospective sites. India is reportedly expected to invest $212 million in the project. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) at Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) at Pune along with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) have been working on the project since 2013. A team of international experts are likely to visit Ladakh in a couple of months to inspect the site at Hanle. The work for the installation of telescope in Ladakh had started in 2013 and it will come up at Hanle village, close to the Pangong Tso, along the Line of Actual Control. An official in the Indian Astronomical Observatory at Leh said Hanle has sufficient land, including a large hilly terrain in the village, which has been identified for the setting up of the telescope. The telescope will help scientists study the suns atmosphere and understand the process of creation and decay of sunspots. According to scientists, the main objective of the telescope is to study the subsurface structure of sunspots. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is the nodal agency for the project. India is already busy creating edge sensors, actuators and system support assemblies, besides contributing to the software of the TMT. Another missing; downpour in Kashmir division again Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 25 A soldier was killed and another reported missing after an Army patrol was hit by an avalanche in the remote Turtuk area of Ladakh as downpour began in the Kashmir division. Two soldiers were buried under snow at 8 am today when an Army patrol in the Turtuk area of Ladakh was hit by an avalanche. An Army official said an operation was immediately launched and one soldier was rescued while the other was still missing. The rescued soldier, who was in a critical condition, later succumbed to his injuries, the official said. The deceased soldier was identified as Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang, a resident of West Bengal. The official said efforts were being made to rescue the missing soldier. It was the second time this month that the Army suffered casualties in avalanche-related incidents. Last week, two soldiers on surveillance duty at a post in the Kargil sector were hit by an avalanche. One soldier was rescued immediately, but another was found dead three days later. The Kashmir division, which includes Ladakhs two districts, received moderate to heavy rain and isolated snowfall in recent weeks as the region had a brush with back-to-back wet spells after a winter without snow. Rain began at most places in the Kashmir valley on Friday when the latest spell of heavy rain hit the region. The wet spell was likely to continue over the next couple of days. The downpour caused day temperature to dip by several degrees below the average temperature for this time of the year. According to the Meteorological Department, the downpour was likely to decrease in intensity over the next two days. The Kashmir valley was expected to receive scattered rain on Saturday and isolated rain on Sunday, following which the weather was likely to remain dry. A previous spell of downpour last week had forced the highway connecting the Kashmir valley with the Jammu division to be closed for four consecutive days. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 26 Every Member of Parliament (MP) of the state should come forward with Member Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund to support institutes like Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), said Dr MS Gill, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and Ex-Minister of Union Cabinet, who is presently the Member Parliament of the Upper House. On a special visit to vet varsity, Dr Gill announced a grant of Rs 25 lakh from his MPLAD fund for the upcoming girls hostel of the university. The hostel will accommodate over 200 girl students. Presently, girls are staying in different private accommodations in the city as well as a few girls have been adjusted in the newly constructed Kisan Hostel. GADVASU Vice-Chancellor Dr Amarjit Singh Nanda along with Deans, Directors and Officers of the university applauded his move for this generous contribution to complete the hostel. Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, PAU Vice-Chancellor also graced the occasion. After visiting the upcoming building of the girls hostel, Dr Nanda gave a detail about the different activities, projects, courses and extension programmes of the university. Dr Nanda disclosed that the varsity was treating more than 22,000 animals every year at the varsity clinical complex and a majority of the sick animals were being referred to this hospital. He revealed that GADVASU was working on good quality semen and better quality bulls for breed improvement and supplying the semen to farmers of the state. Meanwhile, Dr Gill suggested that the university should start small courses on animal husbandry for self-employment of youth. He said fisheries were a good avenue to generate better income. He emphasised that the state government should provide a one-time grant of minimum 50 crore to GADVASU to support their projects and help the farmers through better extension as well as research in the livestock and fisheries sector. New Delhi/Dehradun, March 26 Uttarakhand's rebel Congress MLAs on Saturday claimed Chief Minister Harish Rawat offered them bribes to extend their support to him at the floor test in the Assembly on March 28. Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat said a sting video showed Rawat trying to buy nine rebel lawmakers. The sting video shown on a news channel shows purportedly shows Rawat offering bribes. Harish Rawat has denied wrongdoing and called the video an attempt to vilify his reputation. The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed, he said at a hurriedly called press conference at his house in Dehradun and accused the BJP of orchestrating it. He also said it showed the rebels had been bought by the BJP. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said: "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House". Meanwhile, knocking at the Presidents door for the second time in a week over the Uttarakhand issue, the BJP today demanded President's Rule in the state, saying Chief Minister Harish Rawat has no right to continue after a sting operation purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win their support ahead of floor test on March 28. BJPs memorandum to the President was also critical of state Governor KK Paul, saying he "did not act on the request of the majority of the legislature to dismiss the state government and on the contrary granted 10 days time" to Rawat to prove his majority. "Such a long time has given an opportunity to the Chief Minister to indulge in illegal, unconstitutional practices including horse trading to convert a minority into majority," it said. A delegation of party leaders met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed apprehension that the Congress government may try to "abuse" the Speaker's office to disqualify rebel MLAs to win the floor test. Party General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after meeting the President that there was no need for a show of strength in the Assembly following the sting and a constitutional crisis existed in the state. Rawat seeks disqualification of 9 rebel MLAs Meanwhile, beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today met the Assembly Speaker and backed the demand for disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the difficult trial of strength on Monday as rivals traded charges on alleged bribes to win legislators. After meeting Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, Rawat, who was issued a notice regarding the demand for disqualification, said he provided documents supporting the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs. The Congress has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law. The Congress, which has strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week. PTI New Delhi, March 26 The central government on Saturday confirmed that an Indian priest from Bengaluru had been taken captive by the Islamic State in Yemen. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release (sic), External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Her confirmation came after claims of his abduction and his supposed murder around Easter began to panic Indias Christians. However, the Salesians' of Don Bosco, whose order the captured priest is part of, dismissed the reports as rumours. "Yemen is a conflict zone. We do not have Embassy there. But we will spare no efforts to rescue Father Tom Uzhunnalil," Swaraj had tweeted earlier. "These rumours are spread from quite some time. We have request government of India to trace him out and take action, Mathew Valarkot, another priest of the order, said. The priest was kidnapped on March 4 after four gunmen attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity killing sixteen people, including four nuns. Agencies New Delhi, March 25 Searching with key words such as anti-national, sedition, patriotism and Bharat mata ki jai on Google-maps will now direct the users to JNU, which is caught in a row over its students being booked under sedition. The students of the university, who have been agitating against the alleged branding of JNU as anti-national after three of its students were arrested in connection with an event, have taken strong objection to the technical certification. Google authorities, when contacted, said they are trying to resolve the issue. We will raise the issue with the administration to send an official communication to Google. We have been protesting the branding of an institution as anti-national and now the search giant has gone a step ahead in certifying that, JNU Students Union vice-president Shehla Rashid Shora said. JNU has been in news since last month over an event on campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Three students, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were arrested in a sedition case, kicking a national versus anti-national debate across the country. They are now out on bail. When I noticed this on Google-maps, I laughed at it. But when I thought of it, it seemed dangerous... Will GoogleMaps be answerable for this? another student N Sai Balaji said. A Google spokesperson said, We are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. PTI Kottayam (Kerala), March 26 A Kerala nurse and her 18-month-old son were killed in shelling in Libya's Sabratha city, officials said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday night when the shell landed in their apartment complex. Sunu and her 18-month-old baby were in the complex, while here husband, Vipin, had been out. A few others living in the same complex were also killed. Vipin and Sunu had been living in Libya since they married in 2012. The office of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said they were trying to get in touch with people in Libya to find out what was happening there. Libya is in chaos with two rival factions struggling for control, one in Tripoli and the other to the east each running their own government. A United Nations-brokered government of national unity based for now in Tunis is negotiating to enter Tripoli in an effort to end the conflict. With no national army, each faction is backed by loose coalitions of former rebels who five years ago fought together to topple Muammar Gaddafi but have since fallen into internecine fighting. Tripoli's self-declared government and several of the armed factions in the city have rejected the UN-backed presidential council and warned them to stay away from the capital. Tripoli has been under control of an armed alliance called Libya Dawn since 2014 when its forces drove rivals out of the city, set up their own government and reinstated the former parliament as part of power struggle for control. Agencies Tribune News Service Fatehgarh Sahib, March 26 Taking a dig at the Congress for politicising the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) issue, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that SYL was not merely a political issue. Rather, it was an emotive issue that should be tackled on top priority with utmost sensitivity as river waters were the lifeline of every Punjabi, especially the farmers, he said. Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the first convocation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Badal castigated the Congress for eulogising former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh as the saviour of waters for the passage of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004. The legislation was nothing but an unintentional admission of guilt by the Congress government for betraying the people of Punjab on river waters, he alleged. Earlier in his convocation address, Badal said the state government would soon come out with the policy within the legal framework to regularise the services of its ad hoc/contract employees for ensuring their job security. Meanwhile, former Army Chief General Bikram Singh (retd) and former IFS Bhagwant Singh Dalawari were conferred honorary degrees of Doctor of Science and Doctor of Literature, both honoris causa, respectively, for outstanding service rendered by them in their fields. As many as 478 students were awarded degrees during the convocation and 10 students were honoured with university medals. Agnivesh backs Haryana on SYL Jalandhar: Speaking on the SYL row, spiritual leader Swami Agnivesh (in pic) said on Saturday that it would be an injustice to Haryana if the waters of Punjab were not shared with the neighbouring state. Addressing the media here, Agnivesh took on the RSS and reiterated that dissent and debate were essential elements of a democracy which were under threat. Agnivesh said if someone kept a revolver to his head and asked him to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, he would not do that. TNS Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News Service Bathinda, March 25 A peaceful state-level protest by unemployed ETT-TET pass teachers here today turned ugly after the police canecharged the teachers to stop them from taking out a protest march. The agitators were bundled into police vehicles and locked till the time a meeting was scheduled between their deputation and the DC for Monday. Demanding immediate recruitment of the unemployed ETT-TET pass teachers against vacant posts in government schools, the teachers began assembling at the Childrens Park and raised slogans against the state government. Union leaders Jagpreet Singh and Chhinder Singh Laduke stated that the government had advertised for the recruitment of ETT-TET pass teachers but the vacant posts were not commensurate with the number of eligible teachers. They added that while on in December, 2015, 4,442 teachers had cleared the TET, the total number of posts advertised for was 3,522. Anticipating trouble, a large posse of police personnel was deputed outside the park. As soon as the teachers started to march, the police closed the main gate of the park following which the teachers entered into heated arguments and had a scuffle with the police personnel. Some protesters even tried to escape from the park by scaling the gate and the walls but were intercepted by the police. Unable to convince the teachers to drop their plan, the police began canecharging them and the protesters ran in all directions to save themselves. The teachers were later let off. SP (City) Desraj said that the police had tried to pacify the teachers by assuring them to fix a meeting with the administration after the government holidays are over but the teachers didnt relent. He added that the teachers were rounded up and let off as soon as the DC confirmed that he would meet them on Monday. Wellington, March 25 New Zealanders voted convincingly against a proposal to ditch Britain's Union Jack from the national flag and adopt a silver fern design, official referendum results showed yesterday. The country's electoral commission said 56.61 per cent of voters backed the existing flag, while 43.16 favoured a change. The results are preliminary but the size of the margin means they are unlikely to change when the final tally is released next Wednesday. The outcome will likely be viewed as a defeat for Prime Minister John Key, the main advocate for change, who described the existing banner as a colonial relic from the days of British rule. "New Zealand has voted to retain our current flag. I encourage all NZers to use it, embrace it and, more importantly, be proud of it," he tweeted. Deputy PM Bill English said some would be disappointed with the outcome but the government had staged a robust democratic process that had given people a choice. The referendum was the culmination of an often-heated 18-month debate which touched on issues of national identity in the South Pacific nation of 4.5 million people. On one side of the ballot was the existing flag, a dark blue ensign with the Union Jack in the top left corner and four red stars representing the Southern Cross constellation. On the other was the proposed alternative-a silver fern on a black-and-blue background, which retains the four stars. Created by designer Kyle Lockwood, it beat four other proposed flags in a preliminary referendum last December. Key called the existing flag a colonial throwback, saying the silver fern used by the All Blacks "screams New Zealand" in the same way the maple leaf identifies Canadians. He described the vote as a once-in-a-generation chance to update the flag after more than a century. However, veterans' group the Returned and Services Association argued that to change the flag disrespected previous generations who fought and died under the banner. But there were high-profile advocates for change, including ex-All Black skipper Richie McCaw, who said the existing flag was too similar to Australia's. AFP Islamabad, March 25 Pakistan and Iran today vowed to enhance their bilateral ties, including in the energy sector, and open two more border crossings to boost trade, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived here on a landmark visit. Rouhani, who arrived here on his maiden two-day visit, met Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and held talks on issues of mutual interest, an official statement said. Pakistan and Iran have reaffirmed their resolve to enhance the level of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including trade, economy and energy, Sharif and Rouhani told reporters after their wide-ranging talks this evening. Sharif said the two countries have decided to open two new border crossing points between the two countries to encourage trade and economic activities and facilitate people to people contacts, Radio Pakistan reported. The new crossing points would greatly reduce the travel time and contribute towards economic integration, he hoped. The visit has assumed significance after sanctions over Iran's controversial nuclear programme were lifted. The withdrawal of sanctions has opened new avenues for Iran to enhance its economic interaction with the rest of the world. Sharif noted that it was his third meeting with Rouhani, which reflected the warmth and depth of bilateral ties. He said they talked about issues relating to energy, gas and export of electricity, the report said. He said they explored the possibility of having better connectivity between Pakistan's Gwadar port and Iranian port of Chabahar. The Iranian leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and businessmen showing his keenness to deepen the ties. The start of construction of multi-billion dollars Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and import of 3,000 MW of electricity from Iran are on the agenda. "The two sides will also discuss modalities to increase trade to 5 billion dollars in the coming years," he said. PTI Decades have passed since Tulsa last proclaimed itself to be the Oil Capital of the World, but today our metro has another self-appointed title that likely has its roots in the prior industry boom. When it comes to heat exchanger manufacturing, were the hotspot. The Tulsa area has 43 times the concentration of employment in heat exchanger manufacturing compared to the U.S. average, according to data from the Tulsa Regional Chamber. And heat exchanger manufacturing is one of the most if not the most prominent industries in the area that could be dubbed a flagship, according to an article that ran in a 2015 monthly Chamber report. The term is reserved for a target industry that performs well in job and income generation and has a significant effect on jobs and income throughout an areas economy. Its a niche we have that were very good at, that weve been able to retain, Chamber economist Bob Ball said. The figure that reveals Tulsa has 43 times the concentration of heat exchanger manufacturing employment is a location quotient, a piece of data that demonstrates how concentrated a particular industry, cluster, occupation or demographic group is in a region as compared to the nation. The figure shows what makes an area unique. According to Ball, a location quotient of 2 or 2.5 is considered really high. So a quotient of 43? Its ridiculously strong, Ball said. Heat exchanger manufacturing has such a powerful effect on Tulsas economy because the machinery is used in other industries that are also prominent in the area, Ball said. It goes to aerospace, oil and gas those are key, Ball said. Thats why its such a powerful impact 10 jobs would produce 16 jobs across the rest of the economy. Roots in energy sector A heat exchanger is a large piece of industrial equipment used in sectors such as oil and gas, as well as the power and petro-chemical markets. There are a variety of types of heat exchangers, but at the surface level a hot substance like natural gas goes into the machinery, where it is cooled before flowing out of the equipment. Experts agree that the foundation for the industry has its roots in Tulsas ties to oil and gas. Manufacturing industries and education programs soon branched off to support the energy operations. Scott Edwards, vice president and general manager of Smithco Engineering Inc., said Tulsas place in the energy industry shifted in the 1980s when many companies moved their headquarters to Houston. However, its far easier to uproot white-collar jobs than it is to change the location of a manufacturing base, Edwards said. While you can move a corporate office, its a little harder to pick up a manufacturing base and move it as well, Edwards said. Smithco Engineering employs around 150 workers across the two facilities in west Tulsa where it designs and manufactures air-cooled heat exchangers. To date, the company has manufactured 25,000 installations around the world. Company founder Orville Smith started the business in his garage in 1952. The money to build the first cooler came from cash that his wife had been saving in the familys cookie jar. Smiths nephew, Roy Smith, later bought the company, and in 2007 it was acquired by Houston-based Hudson Products Holdings. Eric Clower, vice president and general manager of Harsco Industrial Air-X-Changers, another current heavyweight in the air-cooled heat exchanger market, also attributes the industrys concentration to Tulsas days as the major oil capital. Today, the company has 350 employees and operates out of a newly renovated 525,000-square-foot shop at CenterGate Business Park. Clower said that Harsco finished consolidating all of its operations into the single facility, the former site of the Ford Glass Plant, in November and that the increased efficiencies are dramatic. Harsco Industrial Air-X-Changers also traces its roots back to 1952, the year that oil-patch engineer and entrepreneur Murray Carr formed Carr Engineering Co. to design and manufacture air-cooled heat exchangers. The Carr Engineering rating process improved the trial-and-error approach common in the industry. Carr Engineering Co. was incorporated as Air-X-Changers in 1954. Between that time and Harsco Corp.s acquisition of the company in 1976, some employees began to leave and start their own air cooler companies. For all the companies that exist today, we had a big influence on them, Clower said. Edwards also brought up the close relationships between the founders of many of Tulsas cooler companies. At one time, it was a very close-knit group, and they split off and did their own thing, Edwards said, noting that there are many stories in the local industry about once tight friendships between various heat exchanger founders. Industry foundation In addition to Tulsas roots as an oil town, the strength of the University of Tulsas chemical engineering progam also played a major role in helping to build the heat exchanger industry, according to Geoffrey Price, chairman of the universitys Russell School of Chemical Engineering. The chemical engineering department at TU is responsible for Tulsa being the heat exchanger capital of the world, Price said. In 1957, the University of Tulsas chemical engineering department had only two graduates, Price said, Shannon Melton and Tom Russell, the latter for whom the school is now named. Melton went on to establish heat exchanger companies Radco Inc. and Thermal Process Engineering, and Russell went on to have a successful career in the energy industry founding companies that manufactured natural gas processing equipment, which relies heavily on heat exchangers. Many other TU alumni have gone on to work in the industry as well. Thats why the heat transfer industry is here and not in Stillwater or Norman, Price said. WASHINGTON Bernie Sanders won Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska and Washington state Saturday, victories he hopes will stoke a spring comeback against commanding front-runner Hillary Clinton. The Vermont senator was trying to build his enduring support among liberal activists into a three-state sweep that could help him narrow a gap of 300 delegates won in primaries by Clinton. The two Democrats were also competing in Hawaii. While Sanders faces a steep climb to the nomination, a string of losses for Clinton would highlight persistent vulnerabilities within her own party. Sanders continues to attract tens of thousands to his rallies drawing more than 17,000 in Seattle this week and has collected more than $140 million from 2 million donors. Speaking at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, before voters in Hawaii gathered for their caucuses, Sanders cast his wins Saturday as part of a Western comeback, citing recent victories in Utah and Idaho as a sign that his campaign still had a path to the nomination. We just won the state of Washington. That is what momentum is about, he said. Dont let anybody tell you we cant win the nomination or we cant win the general election. Were going to do both of those things. Most of his dozen primary-season wins have been in states with largely white populations and in caucus contests, which tend to attract the most active liberal Democrats. Hes heavily favored by younger voters, who were a key part of the coalition that boosted Obama to victory twice. In Spokane, Washington, a huge line of caucus attendees snaked around a high school parking lot Saturday. I think one of the biggest things is free tuition for students, said Savannah Dills, 24, a college student who supports Sanders. And getting big money out of politics. Hes not paid for by billionaires. Retiree Dan McLay, 64, attended the caucus in a hard-hat, which he joked he needed because he was one of the relatively few Clinton supporters in the big crowd. Look at this thing in Brussels, McLay said, referring to the deadly bombings. We need a real experienced leader. For Sanders, turning passionate support into the party nomination has grown increasingly difficult. Clinton had a delegate lead of 1,223 to 920 over Sanders going into Saturdays contests, according to an Associated Press analysis, an advantage that expanded to 1,692-949 once the superdelegates, or party officials who can back either candidate, were included. Based on that count, Sanders still needs to win 58 percent of the remaining delegates from primaries and caucuses to have a majority of those delegates by Junes end. His bar is even higher when the party officials are considered. He needs to win more than 67 percent of the remaining delegates overall from primaries, caucuses and the ranks of uncommitted superdelegates to prevail. Because Democrats allocate their delegates on a proportional basis, meaning that the popular vote loser can still pick up a share, his Saturday victories netted Sanders a gain of at least 27 delegates to at least five for Clinton. Sanders spent several days campaigning in Washington state and dispatched his wife, Jane, to Alaska and Hawaii. Clinton campaigned in Washington state for one-day and did not send any high-profile supporters to either of the other two states. Clinton has been looking past the primary contests and aiming at potential Republican challengers. In interviews, rallies and speeches this week, she largely focused on Tuesdays deadly attacks in Brussels, casting GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as unqualified to deal with complicated international threats. Her campaign sees the April 19 contest in New York as an important one, not just because of the rich delegate prize but because losing to Sanders in a state she represented in the Senate would be a psychological blow. She hopes to lock up an even larger share of delegates in five Northeastern contests a week later. Gilberto Martinez leaned against a counter at St. Francis Xavier Church on Friday morning while Scott Holz, from Stumpff Funeral Home in Bartlesville, applied red makeup in broad swaths across his back and legs, simulating wounds from the lashings the Bible says Jesus received on the day he was crucified 2,000 years ago. Martinez had the lead role Jesus of Nazareth in the churchs annual Life Passion of the Lord re-enactment on Good Friday. The Passion is from a Latin word that means suffering, and traditionally refers to biblical period of Jesus suffering before and through his crucifixion. Playing the part is extremely difficult just from the physical aspect, and spiritually and mentally, said Martinez, a native of Mexico City. He said he has been training for eight months for the role, which requires carrying an almost 200-pound wooden cross for about an hour, and then hanging from a cross for a half hour. He said he identifies with Christ when he plays the part. Especially the day of, its a completely different aspect when youre in the role itself. I try to take myself as close as I can to where I need to be, he said. He said hes usually a little nervous before the play begins, But once youre out there, your faith kicks in. St. Francis Xavier has been doing the Passion play for nine years, recreating the events of Good Friday. The play began at noon on the steps of the church, where Pontius Pilate released a criminal, Barabbas, and condemned Jesus to die. Accompanied by Roman soldiers on horseback, women and children wailing along the route, and a crowd of about 1,000 people, Martinez, in the role of Jesus, walked a route through the neighborhood around the church. People came out of their houses to watch. He often fell to the street, and was whipped. The procession stopped for prayers and readings, in Spanish, at the traditional stations of the cross, recalling the biblical events on the way to the cross. Then it returned to the church, where he was hung from a cross between two thieves. The St. Francis Xavier production was conceived about a decade ago by Carlos Vazquez, who has directed it ever since. He had seen it in Latin American countries, and wanted to do it here. No one was doing it, he said. I remember the first time (we did it), seeing the kids. It was something different for them. I remember some kids crying, and saying the soldiers were going to kill Jesus. I want them to grow up, and feel something, for their faith, you know, said Vazquez, who has played the part of Jesus in past years. The Rev. David Medina, pastor of the church, said Good Friday Passion plays have been a tradition throughout the Hispanic world for centuries. All of the Catholic traditions and processions in Latin America were brought from Spain as a way to evangelize people who didnt speak the Spanish language, he said. It was a way to show them who Jesus is. People in Latin America do not work on Good Friday because they are in church, he said. And they like the Passion of the Lord as a way to remember what Jesus did for us, and also as a way to ask him for the strength to celebrate together with him the resurrection. He said St. Francis Xavier puts on the play as an expression of faith, and because we want to teach the younger generations, not only about Easter, but about what happened before Easter, how we have a new life through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. They see that he really suffered, and he gave up his life for us. Medina said the Passion play is a new experience for people every year, because They bring their pain and suffering, and also their hopes. When they see the cross of Jesus being lifted up, there is hope there. Jesus came to give us a new life. Jose Mercado, a native of Mexico, who played the part of a Roman soldier, said participating in the play means a lot to him. I like to do this, because its a good experience, and a beautiful experience, he said, a reminder to Catholics why Christ had to suffer and die. One of those walking along the route of the procession was Victor Gutirrez, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, who lives in that neighborhood and attends the Passion play every year. Its important for Catholics, he said. Its a reminder of what Jesus did for humanity. For Christians around the world, the crucifixion on Good Friday sets the stage for the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Tulsa Regional Chamber has been the largest contributor to the campaign in support of Vision Tulsa, donating nearly half the money raised leading up to the April 5 vote. The campaign, which is responsible for TV, radio and newspaper ad purchases, released a campaign finance report Friday showing that more than $710,000 was raised from February 22 to March 22. The campaign did not have to release the report, which lists contributions and expenditures. Oklahoma law does not require reports from issue-based municipal elections, state ethics officials confirmed. For me, I think its important that all these campaign efforts are aboveboard, said Nick Doctor, campaign treasurer and chamber senior vice president of government affairs. We thought it was very important to be fully transparent and follow the laws in Oklahoma even though they didnt apply to us, he said. Theres a lot of skepticism out there. Were hoping that with an increased level of transparency above and beyond what we have to do, we can demonstrate that commitment to transparency and earn that trust. Donations were large and small, with most coming from entities affiliated with chamber leadership or community-leading organizations with interests in the Vision package, including the police union, the University of Tulsa and George Kaiser-related businesses. The highest single contribution came from the chambers own Tulsas Future an entity funded by more than 140 Tulsa-area businesses to support economic development activities, Doctor said. Tulsas Future contributed $321,622 to the campaign, nearly half of the total. TU and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93 each gave $100,000. In statements from the campaign, leaders of both TU and the police union described a responsibility to educate residents about the Vision package and to support it for enhancement of Tulsas growth. A thriving community is vital to not only recruiting highly-qualified police officers but also positively affects all aspects of public safety, said Clay Ballenger, police union president. Its important for us to support the public education efforts because when a community is strong economically, there is less crime, and that makes our citizens and officers safer. Steadman Upham, TU president, said Vision is important to raising Tulsas profile on a global scale. Tulsas reputation as a destination is on the rise, having been singled out by sources such as the New York Times as one of the worlds top places to visit alongside Rome and Shanghai, Upham said. TU remains resolute in our commitment to ongoing investment in the future of the community we call home. The police union has a direct interest in Proposition 1 of Vision Tulsa, which would establish a permanent public-safety tax that would provide for 170 additional police officers. TU manages the Gilcrease Museum, which would receive $65 million for a major expansion if Vision Tulsa is approved. Other contributions of note came either directly from individuals in chamber leadership or from businesses affiliated with chamber leadership. Doctor said those contributions are natural from a group like the chamber, which by definition is a coalition of business interests from across the region. For us, it (supporting Vision) is something that the chamber, frankly, is honored to do, he said. Its something that we see as our duty. The chamber board endorsed the campaign several months ago, which triggered several levels of support, Doctor said. Once that happens, thats our sign to actively work to support it, Doctor said. We then identified community members and members of the chamber itself to lead the campaign and raise funds. OKLAHOMA CITY The state is asking an Oklahoma County judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a controversial state question regarding farming. State Question 777, which is slated to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, is called Right to Farm by supporters and Right to Harm by critics. It would create additional constitutional rights protecting the use of agricultural technology, livestock procedures and ranching practices. Supporters say such protections are needed to shield the industry from burdensome regulations and provide consistency moving forward. Critics say it could lead to animal cruelty and pollution. Three individuals, including state Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, and Save the Illinois River Inc., filed the lawsuit earlier this month in Oklahoma County District Court. The suit alleges State Question 777 unconstitutionally delegates policy-making decisions, is too vague to be enforced, impermissibly prevents future legislators from performing their duties, and attempts to regulate too many subjects. Named as defendants are State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, members of the Election Board and the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is representing the state. In a brief filed Monday, Pruitt asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. The court lacks jurisdiction, his petition says. In addition, the plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, it says. State law does not allow for pre-enactment challenges to legislative referendums. The measure was put on the ballot by lawmakers. Even if the challenge was to an initiative petition instead of a legislative referendum, a pre-enactment challenge must be filed within 10 business days of publication of the ballot title, the states brief says. Their challenge both fails to state a valid cause of action and is time-barred, the petition says. It should be dismissed. A hearing on the motion to dismiss has been set for 9 a.m. May 27 before Oklahoma County District Judge Patricia G. Parrish. It started out as a project for an invention fair at his school when Gabe Dougherty was in the second grade. A teacher had encouraged each student to come up with an invention that would make the world a better place. Now Gabe, a fourth-grader at Lee Elementary School, has won $2,500 through the Tulsa StartUp Series for his LEGO vacuum invention. I was like, Oh, my gosh! Gabe said about the moment the judges announced the result at the competition Wednesday evening. I jumped up and I yelled, I cant believe I won! The 10-year-old said he was a little reluctant to enter the competition, but that his father was able to persuade him. Wednesdays competition was specifically geared for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It is one of a series of competitions by the Tulsa StartUp Series, which include categories for technology and apps, food and retail, and other business sectors. As the winner, Gabe was awarded several prizes, including $2,500 to advance his business idea and a mentor who will help him with his project weekly for at least three months. He also received a three-month membership to 36North, which is referred to as a basecamp for entrepreneurs. It has more than 11,000 square feet of work, collaboration and event space, and it aims to help startups find the resources they need to succeed. The Tulsa StartUp Series, sponsored by Tulsa Community College and the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, focuses on delivering resources and mentoring opportunities to entrepreneurs. The series features pitch competitions categorized by business segment and culminates with Demo Day during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The Pitch Series winners get an automatic bid to compete at Demo Day, where the winner receives $15,000, a yearlong membership to 36North and a dedicated mentor. Autumn Worten, chair of Tulsa StartUp Series, said the competition is a re-imagined form of what began in 2007 as the Tulsa Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and later became the TCC StartUp Cup. Gabes invention consists of a plastic bin car, a tube and a vacuum device. The idea is for the vacuum to suck LEGOs and other small toys directly into a bin for easy cleanup. Gabe said he has been using the invention at home. As part of his pitch to judges, Gabe talked about his licensing plan for the device to first get a license from the LEGO Group for a special LEGO vacuum, and then create a non-LEGO version for other small toys and such things as beads. Gabe said the prize money will go toward hiring a patent attorney for his design. Hell spend time at 36North with his mentor doing research and creating a prototype of the device. Sarah Dougherty, Gabes mother, said her son has worked hard on the invention. We were just thrilled to pieces for him, she said about Gabes win. It was a wonderful day for our family. Worten said the newly designed competition, based on feedback from previous competitors, is shorter and offers more entry points and a more diversified prize package. The pitch thats directed specifically toward students is meant to create opportunities for kids to learn about innovation, Worten said. Tulsa StartUp Series is about finding people who have the ability to take an idea and execute it, she said. We encourage them to use what it takes to build their business. Alzada Heatherly was 18 when she got the bad news. My dad came to me and said, We lost Eldon, said Heatherly, now 84. I thought the world had come to an end. In a real sense, for an 18-year-old, it had. Eldon, she said, had been like a second parent to her ever since their mother died. But on Friday 66 years after losing her big brother and emotional bulwark Heatherlys world suddenly seemed close to whole again. She and her four surviving siblings, now in their 70s and 80s, were on hand at Tulsa International Airport as Army Cpl. Eldon William Ervin of Wyandotte, who was killed in action in Korea in 1950, came home to Oklahoma. Ervins remains, which were recently recovered and identified, arrived at the airport Friday morning and were met by the family and an escort of Patriot Guard riders, and then taken to Miami, Oklahoma. A service for Ervin will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Paul Thomas Funeral Home in Miami. He will be buried with full military honors at Seneca Cemetery in Seneca, Missouri, next to his father. Buzz Ervin of Miami, one of three siblings who provided DNA to aid the identification of his brother, was 16 when the soldier died. I feel great, just great, he said on Friday. I never thought this would happen. For years, the family knew only that Ervin, 21 at the time, had died fighting not where or any details. With the discovery of his remains, they have been able to learn more. According to the Department of Defense, Eldon Ervin was killed on Nov. 28, 1950. He was serving with the 31st Regimental Combat Team when it was set upon by Chinese forces east of the Chosin Reservoir. A soldier at the scene reported that Ervin was hit in the throat by mortar fragments and died from his wounds. Facing an overwhelming enemy force, the team began to withdraw but was able to evacuate only wounded soldiers. Later, Communist forces returned some remains. But Ervins were not among them, and in 1956 they were declared non-recoverable. In 2001, a joint recovery operation undertaken in the same area where Ervin was reported killed recovered several sets of remains. Ervins family was eventually contacted by the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to request DNA samples. Using that DNA, along with circumstantial and anthropological evidence, agency scientists were able to make a positive identification, the Pentagon said. Born Dec. 21, 1928, in Fairland, Ervin grew up in nearby Wyandotte and attended school there. He was the oldest of 11 children. Ervins mother died in childbirth, and although his father later remarried, Ervins younger brothers and sisters would always remember how he looked out for them, helping to fill the emotional void. Ervin originally joined the Army before the end of World War II. Only 17 at the time, he needed his father to sign for him. He would be stationed in Virginia. He re-enlisted later before Korea and would be assigned to the 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. Linda Kelly of Quapaw, Heatherlys daughter, never knew her uncle, she said, but he was always in my heart and mind because the family always talked about him. I thought of him as someone who looked over everyone. The head of the class. The one who watched over you. Kelly remembers hearing family members say, If we only knew where Eldon was. It was just so sad not to know. This will give us closure. My mother has always said, if she could just put flowers on Eldons grave, it would help so much. Kelly has served as the familys liaison with the Defense Department. She received the call about the successful identification and then, in turn, contacted Ervins surviving brothers and sisters. I was like, Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, Kelly said. This is something that we never thought wed be able to do. Its sad but its also a celebration, a tribute to Eldon. Ervins decorations included a Purple Heart, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. More than 7,800 U.S. personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Besides Heatherly and Buzz Ervin, Ervins other surviving siblings are Shirlene Bolin, John Ward Ervin and Delee Marrs. His father, Sherman Ervin, died in 1976. At 84, Heatherly, who lives near Quapaw, is Ervins oldest surviving sibling. She recalled that a few weeks ago Kelly came to see her and said, Sit down, Mom. She never expected what was coming next the news that Ervin was finally coming home. Only 4 when their mother died, Heatherly grew to think of Eldon, who was 7, as a second father. I remember him being good to me, she said, then added with a laugh, Oh, he made me mind, too. WASHINGTON The split-screen told the story: on one side, images of the terror bombing in Brussels; on the other, Barack Obama doing the wave with Raul Castro at a baseball game in Havana. On one side, the real world of rising global terrorism. On the other, the Obama fantasy world in which romancing a geopolitically insignificant Cuba without an ounce of democracy or human rights yielded in return is considered a seminal achievement of American diplomacy. Cuba wasnt so much a legacy trip as a vanity trip, vindicating the dorm-room enthusiasms of ones student days when the Sandinistas were cool, revolution was king and every other friend had a dog named Che. When Brussels intervened, some argued that Obama should have cut short his trip and come back home. I disagree. You dont let suicide bombers control the itinerary of the American president. Moreover, Obamas next stop, Argentina, is actually important and had just elected a friendly government that broke from its long and corrupt Peronist past. Nonetheless, Obama could have done without the baseball. What kind of message does it send to be yukking it up with Raul even as Belgian authorities are picking body parts off the floor of the Brussels airport? Obama came into office believing that we had vastly exaggerated the threat of terrorism and allowed it to pervert both our values and our foreign policy. He declared a unilateral end to the global war on terror and downplayed the threat ever since. He frequently reminds aides, reports Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, that more Americans die annually of bathtub accidents. Its now been seven years. The real world has refused to accommodate Obamas pacific dreams. The Islamic State has grown from JV team to worldwide threat, operating from Libya to Afghanistan, Sinai to Belgium. It is well into the infiltration phase of its European campaign, with 500 trained and hardened cadres in place among the estimated 5,000 jihadists returned from the Middle East. The increasing tempo and sophistication of its operations suggest that it may be poised for a continent-wide guerrilla campaign. In the face of this, Obama remains inert, unmoved, displaying a neglect and insouciance that borders on denial. His nonreaction to the Belgian massacre his 34-minute speech in Havana devoted 51 seconds to Brussels left the world as stunned as it was after the Paris massacre, when Obama did nothing. Worse, at his now notorious November news conference in Turkey, his only show of passion regarding Paris was to berate Islamophobes. David Axelrod called Obamas response tone deaf. But that misses the point. This is more than a mere mistake of presentation. Remember his reaction to the beheading of the American journalist James Foley? Obama made a statement expressing his sympathies and then jumped onto his golf cart for a round of 18. He later told NBC News Chuck Todd that this was a mistake. Part of this job is also the theater of it, he explained, its not something that always comes naturally to me. As if postponing a bucolic recreation was a required piece of political playacting rather than a presidents natural reaction a mixture of shock and sorrow to the terrible death of a citizen he could not save. Its not as if Obama is so super cool that he never shows emotion. Just a few months ago, he teared up when speaking about the Sandy Hook school shooting. That was the work of a psychotic. But when speaking about the work of Islamist terrorists, he offers flat perfunctory words. I cannot fathom why. Perhaps having long seen himself uniquely qualified by background and history to make peace between Islam and the West, to now recognize how badly things have gone on his watch is to admit both failure and the impossible grandiosity of his original pretensions. Whatever the reason, he seems genuinely unmoved by a menace the rest of the world views, correctly, with horror and increasing apprehension. Hes been in office seven years, yet seems utterly fixed on his campaign promises and pre-presidential obsessions: shutting down Gitmo, rapprochement with Iran, engagement with tyrants (hence Havana), making the oceans recede (hence the Paris climate trip). Next well see yet another useless Washington summit on yet another Obama idee fixe: eliminating nuclear materials. With the world on fire, the American president goes on ideological holiday. As was said of the Bourbons: They have learned nothing and have forgotten nothing. It's Divali time so at TV6 over the next few days, we bring you some of the interesting aspe Araceli Marchan (3rd from left back row with T&T flag) represents Trinidad and Tobago at the Microsoft Global Educator Exchange in Hungary. Marchan was one of two educators selected from the English-speaking Caribbean to attend the annual exchange. Photo courtesy Microsoft. Mondays Australian Story has an exclusive story on Victorian MP Fiona Richardson. Introduced by Caroline Jones, this episode details how Australias first Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence is a survivor her own troubled family history, in Tanzania. FIONA RICHARDSON MP: I thank my lucky stars that the way in which the Family Court and Family Law is actually implemented in this country right now was not in place when my family dissolved and fell apart. Those systems are failing us, they are well past their used by date. DANIEL ANDREWS, Victorian Premier: I had no knowledge, no sense that she had been a survivor of the very thing that I was asking her to be the minister for. HAMISH RICHARDSON, Fionas brother: I havent been back to Tanzania for forty six years theres a bloody good reason for that okay. VERONICA POWER, Fionas mother: Richie beat me, he raped me, he sodomised me, he did everything to humiliate me and it was something that I didnt it was horrible, it was horrible. ALASTAIR RICHARDSON, Fionas brother: I remember the first the first punch which was to the face um and I cant recall anything from there. FIONA RICHARDSON: Tears is a sign of weakness in politics you know that dont you and, by the way too, its not a side of me that people have seen. When Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews asked Fiona Richardson MP to be Australias first Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, he had no idea of her troubled family history. On the eve of the States Royal Commission into Family Violence report, Australian Story reveals the private life of the Victorian minister charged with implementing its recommendations. Fiona Richardson and her two brothers were born in Tanzania. In this exclusive, Australian Story follows the Richardsons back to Dar Es Salaam as they explore their family history, in an attempt to understand the violence that has left enduring scars. Ms Richardson admits her personal story is now informing her in her approach to family law cases. But is Fiona Richardson too close to the issue to watch over her portfolio objectively? FIONA RICHARDSON: These are the people that I most love in this world and talking about those experiences at times can be tough but it has given me this unique insight into victims of family violence. Monday, March 28 at 8pm on ABC. CBS has renewed a swag of titles ahead of its Upfronts in May. They include: Blue Bloods, Elementary, Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary, Mom, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, 2 Broke Girls, Survivor, The Amazing Race They join the previously-renewed The Big Bang Theory and NCIS, while Mike & Molly, Person of Interest and The Good Wife are all ending. Decisions on new series will be announced in the coming weeks. Criminal Minds is not on the list, but given it is a good performer, Variety suggests its renewal could be tied to the fate of spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. The outlook for CSI: Cyber and The Odd Couple is less clear. The Chaser team always turn to a bit of shenanigans when announcing the return of one of their shows. The Checkout is back at 8pm Thursday April 7th on ABC with 12 episodes (including 4 x Best Of). Heres the release they issued last week: ACCC warns of increased risk of ACCC impersonators. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a public warning pursuant to section 223 of the Australian Consumer Law about a likely increase in bodgy advice to consumers by scammers masquerading as a serious consumer affairs program. The ACCC particularly advises Australians to be on the lookout for a suspicious television program called The Checkout which purports to offer advice to consumers. Credible intelligence suggests the program may return to the ABC on Thursday April 7 at 8.00pm. Its not a very sophisticated operation, often using silly costumes, graphics and cute animals to distract people. But an alarming number of consumers are being hoodwinked, said ACCC Chairman Rod Sims. The extent of the fraud might even be more serious. I cant be sure though because I cant understand a word Craig Reucassel says. Scams like The Checkout are never a substitute for the only true source of consumer advice, the ACCC. If you think you have seen an episode of The Checkout, report it either to the ACCC via the official twitter account @acccgovau or to the TV ratings regulator OzTam. The ACCC has also received reports that The Checkout sometimes pretends to be the ACCC in press releases. Anyone receiving such a press release should report The Checkouts misconduct widely in all forms of media. Consumers are advised to avoid watching any program featuring presenters Julian Morrow, Kirsten Drysdale, Craig Reucassel, Zoe Norton Lodge, Ben Jenkins, Scott Abbot, Hannah May Reilly, CHOICEs Kate Browne as well as Alex Lee who has apparently been induced to leave her former role as a political reporter with BuzzFeed on false pretences. 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). The situation in the ATO area remains tense. The pro-Russian mercenaries continue to ignore the Minsk Agreements and shell the positions of the ATO troops using heavy weapons. This is reported by the ATO press center. "The enemy launched 39 attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past day," reads the statement. In particular, the militants used 82mm and 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms to shell Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk), Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk), Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk). The militants also shelled Ukrainian security forces' positions six times in the Mariupol sector over the past 24 hours. In particular, they used grenade launchers and small arms near Maryinka, Krasnohorivka and Vodyane. ish By Wendy Leung of the Ventura County Star I must have gone on Magic Mountain's Colossus a dozen times as a teenager before I worked up the courage to ride Revolution. Most roller coaster aficionados would say Colossus the old rickety version before it became Twisted Colossus was the scarier of the two, the one that made your heart and stomach drop a notch. For the longest time, I was frightened of a ride that would flip you upside down. But once I experienced the 360-degree loop, Revolution became one of my favorites at the Valencia theme park. The ride is loud and whizzes by the carousel, a reminder that I had graduated from the kiddie corner of the park, where I spent many summers. On Friday, a return visit to an old favorite was marred by alien forces and fighter jets. The New Revolution ride now comes equipped with virtual reality headgear, giving riders a different kind of 360-degree experience. With the equipment on, riders are inside a cockpit of a fighter jet with lots of ammo. In other words, your body may be in Valencia but your mind is in a post-apocalyptic world on the brink of a robot takeover. "It's a new era of thrills," said Jerry Certonio, a manager at Six Flags Magic Mountain. "It's full sensory overload." On Saturday, the new ride debuts to season pass holders who have signed up on the Magic Mountain website. It opens to the general public April 21. Riders must be at least 13. The physical Revolution tracks haven't changed. It's essentially the same ride with new trains. They've switched out the shoulder bars and replaced them with lap bars, allowing for more stomach-dropping and less head-shaking. What's new, of course, is the Oculus head gear equipped with a Samsung smartphone. Wearing it to experience the skyscraper-filled dystopia is optional. Without narration, it's hard to completely understand the virtual world. Are those aliens coming out of the mother ship? Why do buildings keep falling down? What year are we in? Star staff photographer Juan Carlo, who came with me on the ride for media day, said that with all of the high rises, it felt like flying through Manhattan. "It's virtual reality. It's anywhere you want it to be," Certonio said. If a roller coaster could have a midlife crisis, it would be Revolution's turn. Like me, Revolution was born in 1976. At the time, just five years after the park opened, Revolution was the world's first looping roller coaster. For its 40th birthday, Revolution is celebrating with the virtual reality upgrade. This spring break season, the theme park chain is opening these immersive roller coasters at nine locations. They are billed as North America's first set of virtual reality roller coasters. The ride begins with lots of Velcro adjustment. Four straps hold the headgear in place. Germaphobes may or may not find solace knowing that workers use antibacterial wipes to clean the equipment after each ride. Magic Mountain currently has more than 250 devices. One worker told me it takes him two minutes to clean one headgear set. A worker who headed the Six Flags Over Texas debut said employees there got the process down to 15 seconds. Once strapped in, the rider must look ahead to a sticker that acts much like a barcode. This allows the smartphone to sync the virtual reality experience with the train's spot on the roller coaster track. There is no virtual roller coaster track. You are basically flying in the cockpit of a fighter plane. Look down and you see your virtual body; it belongs to a thin, male pilot. Look around and there's crumbling buildings and incoming fire. You must not be an experienced pilot because at one time during the ride, you crash into a building. Tap the side of the headgear, much like you would tap Google Glass, and you shoot various targets and villains. You won't know the real loop is coming until you're already upside down. Long before the lunch hour arrived, Michael McDaniel, 39, of Lake Hughes, had gone on the virtual reality ride four times. "I was supposed to be at work today," said McDaniel, who was invited as a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. McDaniel thinks virtual reality is a big improvement for Revolution even though he's typically a fan of old, wooden roller coasters. He can appreciate the steep vertical drops of Twisted Colossus, but it's the family-friendly Gold Rusher that's dear to his heart. "If I could have it my way, I'd have both the old and new roller coasters," McDaniel said. I will miss the original Revolution and the short lines that come with an aging roller coaster. I will miss it like I miss the wooden Colossus and all the others in the Six Flags junk yard (Z-force anyone?) Of course, riders can experience Revolution without the headgear, but who wants to be in the real world while everyone else is trying to save the world? LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR A scoop of Nutella espresso crunch frozen custard is seen moments after it was made by chef Alex Montoya using an anti-griddle in the kitchen of The Cave at the Ventura Wine Co. Lisa McKinnon Columnist SHARE LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Alex Montoya, sous chef at The Cave at the Ventura Wine Co., poses with one of his award-winning frozen custards, strawberry banana with a swirl of cherry-caramel as garnish. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Alex Montoya, sous chef at The Cave at Ventura Wine Co., uses a griddle balanced on blocks of dry ice to make frozen custard. The simple piece of equipment mimics commercial anti-griddles that can cost more than $1,000. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Before and after: Chef Alex Montoya's anti-griddle is shown balanced on blocks of dry ice wrapped in kitchen towels, with, at left, strawberry-banana custard waiting to be frozen on its surface. At center is the finished product, released from a silicone mold that creates a uniform dome shape. At right is a serving of horchata frozen custard garnished with cinnamon and a swirl of caramel. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Cut 360 Steakhouse is open at what used to be The Napa Tavern in Thousand Oaks. People dining at The Cave restaurant inside the Ventura Wine Co. generally don't scream for ice cream. That would be impolite, and much too loud. But they do clamor for "Alex's anti-griddle custard," as the frozen custards made by sous chef Alex Montoya are listed on the menu. "It's sort of a cross between gelato and ice cream smooth and dense, because the custard freezes instantly and you're not whipping air into it," Montoya said. An ongoing student of drafting and architecture who got pulled into the culinary world, Montoya, 22, discovered the flash-freezing joys of the anti-griddle by watching a video of one in action on the streets of Thailand, where the resulting dish is called fried ice cream. "It made me want to go to Thailand, immediately," he said with a laugh. Commercial anti-griddle machines equipped with compressors and refrigerants typically cost about $1,300 each. Montoya's homemade version echoes the one seen in the video. It consists of a steel griddle balanced on pieces of dry ice wrapped in kitchen towels. Estimated cost: about $20 for enough dry ice to last through two or three hours of frozen-custard making. The dry ice keeps the griddle's surface at about minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit cold enough to freeze each of Montoya's custom-made custard recipes almost as soon as the liquid hits the griddle. "You want to move it around so it doesn't get freezer burn," Montoya said as he worked the custard with a metal spatula during a recent weekday-morning demonstration. The hardest part is getting the eggs-to-featured-ingredient ratios correct for the recipes, he said. Chocolate is particularly tricky to work with because it tends to shatter when cold. Montoya's custards first appeared on The Cave's menu last summer, when they were served by the scoop ($3 each) in deep bowls. He has since switched to using silicone molds to produce uniform domes that are easier, and more elegant, to plate. "I'm a little bit on a perfectionist. It fits the plate and looks fancier this way," Montoya said. After graduating from high school in 2012, Montoya landed his first food-industry job aboard the Spencer Makenzie's fish taco food truck at the Ventura County Fair. "It was such a small space. You had to communicate with each other constantly, and that made it so much fun. It's like everyone was dancing in there when we were busy. I loved it," he said. A job at the late Zoey's Cafe introduced him to then-chef Christopher Beltran, whom Montoya considers a culinary and architectural mentor. Beltran's CSB Estimating firm specializes in construction projects and is located in a nearby business park. Montoya started working as a dishwasher at The Cave about three years ago. Four months later, he was promoted to line cook. When Brandon Worrell joined the team as executive chef in February 2015, he named Montoya as sous chef soon after. Montoya was making creme brulee one day when he decided to turn it into a frozen custard instead of the traditional dessert baked in ramekins. "It was the best ice cream I'd ever had in my life. I knew we were on to something," he said. The frozen custards made their public debut at the Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival in June, when The Cave's butterscotch-with-French-toast-sticks combo took second place in the sweets category of the Yummie Top Chef Awards. Last fall, they took first place in Judge's Choice judging in the sweets category at a Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast fundraiser. The winning dish was a Caramel deLites frozen custard pie made with a shortbread cookie crust lined with chocolate. Montoya hopes to one day start making frozen custards to order at The Cave, ideally at a dedicated station where patrons can watch the food-science magic happen before their very eyes. He also hopes to make the custards available possibly under the name 805 Creams at the Ventura County Fair and other community events. For now, The Cave's patrons have become accustomed to a changing roster of flavors that has included coconut and ube (a purple yam common in Filipino cuisine), salted cinnamon caramel, and strawberry banana, the latter accented with circles of house-made cherry caramel. But Montoya is thinking of keeping Cave Custard on the menu as a regular thing. It features a vanilla-bean custard base flecked with one of the restaurant's other dessert items: port-nut clusters made with dark chocolate, caramel, walnuts and port. "They both go pretty fast," he said. The Cave is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and for dinner from 4 to closing Tuesdays through Fridays. It is open from 11:30 a.m. to closing on Saturdays (4435 McGrath St., Suite 301, 805-642-9449, http://venturawineco.com). OPEN, SHUT AND IN BETWEEN In Thousand Oaks, 360 Cut Steakhouse opened last weekend at what closed on Feb. 23 as The Napa Tavern. The new restaurant shares its owner (Constantino Papanicolaou) and phone number with the old one, but has updated light fixtures, a new salad bar and dark wood treatments in the dining room to signal the change in name and menu. The concept is all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, with a California twist. At lunch ($19.90 for "endless tastings"), server-chefs arrive at tables carrying skewers of tri-tip, bacon-wrapped chicken, Marrakech chicken and Italian sausage and peppers, followed by plates of tempura fish with mango salsa and pork tenderloin with fig reduction. The price includes access to the Artisan Table, which features everything from wedge salads to sushi rolls and charcuterie ($14.90 when ordered by itself). At dinner, the endless tasting experience ($39.90) expands to include 10 proteins, including buttermilk ranch sirloin and Australian leg of lamb. House specialties like double-cut lamb chops ($46) include unlimited trips to The Artisan Table ($24.90 when ordered by itself). Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, followed by happy hour from 4:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. On Sundays, the restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (101 S. Westlake Blvd., 805-497-4911, http://cut360steakhouse.com). But the owners of Los Caporales Restaurant & Tequila Bar in Ojai announced via Facebook Wednesday that they plan to close the restaurant at the end of April, capping more than 20 years of business at various locations in the Ojai Valley. In a phone call Thursday, founding owner Leticia Salinas said that she and husband Ruben hope to retire and pass the business to their daughter. "We are looking for a new location, but we don't know where that's going to be yet," Leticia Salinas said. The business dates to the mid 1990s, when the couple started serving menudo and soft tacos every Sunday at their La Hacienda market on Ojai Avenue. Los Caporales opened at its current location in the Ojai Valley Paseo shopping center in 1998. Another business may be taking its place, said property owner Ron Polito. For now, Los Caporales is open Wednesdays through Mondays. Call for hours (307 E. Ojai Ave., Suite 105, 805-646-5452). The future also is unclear for Ragsdale Kitchen + Bar in downtown Ventura. In early March, owner Ragsdale "Dale" Panopio said he was temporarily halting operations at the restaurant so he could restructure the business and refocus the menu in time for a previously announced grand opening on April 1. The move came just a few days after a March 3 inspection by the Ventura County Environmental Health Division found "unsanitary conditions" in the bar section and restaurant, along with issues with food-handler cards. On Wednesday, Panopio watched as workers loaded tables and chairs into a moving van, clearing the way for a rearranging of the restaurant's dining room, he said. Panopio said he planned to postpone the grand opening complete with a Ventura Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting by several weeks. The restaurant's website domain name expired on March 5. Its Facebook and Instagram accounts have not been updated since early January and late February, respectively. Phone calls are answered by the same recorded greeting that has been in place since the restaurant marked its soft opening in late October (692 E. Main St., 805-641-1500). KEEP ON TRUCKIN' Organized as a benefit for improvements at Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura, the Foothill Food Truck Fest will feature eight trucks when it takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. April 5 at the hilltop events center. Surf Brewery, Four Brix Winery and the band The Ramblers will add to the atmosphere (3451 Foothill Drive, 805-648-1143, http://www.poinsettiapavilion.com). Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. Her Cafe Society column appears in the Sunday Life section and Fridays in the Time Out section. For between-column updates, follow 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and "like" the Facebook page VCS Eats. Please send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Swiss Guards greet guests to "Vatican Splendors," an exhibit of hundreds of religious artifacts from the Vatican on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley. SHARE This gold and silver reliquary contains bones, in the center piece, that for centuries have been believed to belong to St. Peter, St. Paul and several other saints, including St. Teresa of Avila. Hundreds of religious artifacts from the Vatican are on display at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR This marble relief is from the ciborium of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484). This decorative structure covered the Basilica's main altar in the 15th century. This is just one of many religious artifacts that are on display at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR This marble relief was done by Michelangelo Buonarroti in the 16th century. This is just one of many religious artifacts that are on display at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR This crosier was used by Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) who was one of the longest serving popes, and at 93 when he died, the oldest. This is just one of many religious artifacts that are on display at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. By Mike Nelson, Special to The Star There is, certainly, both an aesthetic and an educational purpose to "Vatican Splendors," the exhibition at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley that features hundreds of artistic and historic treasures of the Catholic church. But there is also a missionary and perhaps even an evangelistic component, and significance, to this 10,000-square-foot showing of items from the church's beginnings to the modern day. "I can think of three types of visitors for whom this exhibit would be especially meaningful," said Brother Charles Hilken, consultant to "Vatican Splendors" and chairman of the history department at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. "First, those like myself older, lifelong Catholics can be reminded of the tradition and wholeness of our faith by viewing what is on display," Hilken said. Second, the exhibit offers a lovely learning experience for children and youth, who can better understand the church's role in ministry and missionary work throughout history and the importance of spreading the Gospel, he said. "And third, it is for the individual who may not be Catholic or even very religious, because we need to present as respectfully and faithfully as we can the history of the papacy, the faith, the church," Hilken said. "This exhibit is a way for the church to reach out and dialogue with the world." Msgr. Luis Manuel Cuna Ramos, exhibition leader and director of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People's Archives in the Vatican, noted that St. John Paul II inspired the original concept for this exhibition. "St. John Paul wanted the art and treasures of the church to be shared with everyone around the world, especially those who could never make it to Rome," said Cuna Ramos, who was ordained a priest in 1992 by the Polish-born pope. "It is a way for the church to meet these people in their own homes, as it were." "Vatican Splendors" is also unique in that it features an array of items on loan from many sources, including the Vatican Museums and Library, the Basilicas of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary Major, various Vatican offices and private collections. "You would never be able to see all of these together anywhere else," said Hilken. "And some you could not see some at all even if you were in Rome, or you would have to look very hard to find them.: A 16th century chasuble a priest's vestment worn by St. Charles Borromeo, for example, is ordinarily kept in a downstairs area of the Basilica of St. Mary Major that most people never think to visit, he said. And while many people are familiar with some of the church's artistic treasures, "Vatican Splendors" offers Reagan Museum visitors a chance to view rarely seen items that present unique perspectives. "Michelangelo created a bas-relief 'Pieta' many years after sculpting his more famous one that is in St. Peter's," noted Hilken. Normally housed in the Vatican Library, it shows Mary weeping inconsolably and marks a very different version from the tender, sorrowful Mary at St. Peter's. Among other "nice surprises" visitors will find are: "The Virgin Teaching the Christ Child to Read," a 17th century painting by Guercino, also known as, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. Missionary teaching materials like a book written on tree bark on the life of St. Francis Xavier for teaching in India. A liturgical cask presented to St. John XXIII, bearing his coat of arms and featuring a smiling lion representing St. Mark, patron of the Archdiocese of Venice, where John, as Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, had been patriarch before being elected pope. "St. John didn't want the lion to look so cross," said Hilken. The multi-sensory exhibition is divided into 10 sections that highlight various aspects of the ancient and modern church's life and history early Christians, the papacy, liturgy, evangelization and more that makes it "truly a journey of faith and art," Hilken said. "Throughout history, art has come from the community, and is returned to the community," he said. "In the same way, 'Vatican Splendors' is about giving physical and material expression of faith and art that was created by the community, back to the community for the sake of worship, dialogue, inspiration and teaching." Vatican Splendor Overview The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum is the exclusive West Coast destination for Vatican Splendors. The 10,000-square-foot exhibition includes 200 works of art and historically significant objects, many of which have never left the Vatican. If you go Dates: Runs through Aug. 28 Times: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $29 for adults, $26 for seniors, $19 for youth (11-17) and $16 for children (3-10), which also includes the Reagan library and Air Force One Pavilion. Tickets: Visit www.reaganlibrary.com/tickets Information: Call 800-410-8354 or visit www.reaganlibrary.com/vaticansplendors SHARE AGOURA HILLS Author to speak on book about Chabad The Conejo Jewish Academy will host a meet the author evening with Rabbi David Eliezrie on Monday at 8 p.m. The free event is open to the public. A book signing will take place following the formal lecture. The lecture will be at the academy's Skelton Family Lecture Hall, 30345 Canwood St. Eliezrie recently wrote the book "The Secret of Chabad Inside the World's Most Successful Jewish Movement," which takes an up-close look at how a small Brooklyn-based Chasidic group became the largest Jewish organization in the world. Eliezrie is a veteran Chabad emissary in Yorba Linda. He is president of the Rabbinical Council of Orange County, sits on the board of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, and is active in local and national affairs. Reservations are requested by calling 818-991-0991 or visit http://www.Jewishacademy.com. Lutherans host talk on teen suicide New Hope Lutheran Church invites the public to a "Faith, Family and Mental Health" program April 4 from 5-6:30 p.m. at 29295 Agoura Road. The presentation on talking about mental illness and suicide prevention with and to teens and young adults will be by National Alliance on Mental Illness Ventura County. A discussion and food will follow. For more details, call Nichole D'Onofrio, youth director, 818-889-8700 or Lynn Bulock, mental health ministry, 405-9687. OAK VIEW Easter services set at Calvary chapel Calvary Chapel of the Ojai Valley invites the community to celebrate Easter on March 27 at 195 Mahoney Ave. Services start at 6:30 a.m. with a sunrise prayer. Two Easter services will be at 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Between these services, a free Easter breakfast will be served. Children's and youth services also are set for the 10:45 a.m. service. For more information, call 649-1515 or visit http://www.calvaryojai.org. THOUSAND OAKS Armenian church sets Easter liturgies The Armenian Church of Ventura County will observe services Easter Eve Saturday and Easter Sunday at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 1 Church Road. Continuing a tradition started in 301 A.D. when Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its national religion, the Rev. Serovpe Alanjian will officiate the Easter service. Easter Eve Divine Liturgy will be Saturday at 6 p.m. On Easter Sunday, the Divine Liturgy will start at 12:15 p.m. Following the Easter services (at approximately 2 p.m.), there will be a bake sale featuring lamajoon (dough rounds covered with ground beef and chopped vegetables) as well as Armenian pastries and other Middle Eastern treats. The community is invited to all of the events. For more information, call Alanjian at 818-312-2337. Moms, daughters invited to talk on joy Inspired 31 will present "Consider It All Joy!" an afternoon for mothers and teenage daughters April 10 from 3-5 p.m. at Christian Church of Thousand Oaks, 301 W. Avenida de las Flores. "How can we find joy amid our struggles? Why does God want us to seek joy in all circumstances? How does God use our trials to produce a life of joy?" Guest speaker Shannae Rickards Anderson will address these questions. Anderson is a licensed Christian psychologist in private practice in Thousand Oaks and a professor at Fuller Seminary. Inspired 31's purpose is to inspire teenage girls, mothers and others to find, follow and celebrate God's design for their lives and use it to impact others. The cost for the event is $7.50 each. To register, visit http://www.inspired31.org or call or text Eileen at 276-4100. WESTLAKE VILLAGE Jewish academy offers 'Exodus' film The Conejo Jewish Academy will hold a screening of the newly released documentary "Patterns of Evidence The Exodus" on April 4 at 7:30 p.m. The screening will take place at the Westlake Village Cinema, 4711 Lakeview Canyon Road. The biblical record says that the people of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses. However, because no archeological evidence has yet been found to support the event, the vast majority of archaeologists have abandoned the search for Moses and the Exodus. Filmmaker Timothy Mahoney embarked on a 12-year journey around the world to search for answers. Cost is $10 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 818-991-0991 or visit http://www.jewishacademy.com. SHARE The 2013 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Survey of Adult Skills found that employers say potential hires lack the skills or credentials required for in-demand jobs. The economy is ready to expand, noted the analysis, but because workers do not have access to the right kind of training, economic expansion will remain modest in many industries. These findings do not bode well for our future economic health, both here in Ventura County and nationally. What can be done? Over the past two years, the state of California has awarded Ventura County educational agencies more than $38 million in special grants to build regional career pathways. Through collaborative career-pathway partnerships between business and education, educational programs are being created that will provide a pipeline of skilled, adaptable workers and help Ventura County businesses compete and thrive in the complex, constantly changing global economy. We hear from our Workforce Development Board members that not having a ready, reliable local talent pool is costing employers money and productivity. This problem has been consistently troublesome during previous periods of high unemployment and even today, when the unemployment rate is low. When employers are confident they have a pool of skilled workers to choose from, those businesses tend to not only stay local but also expand. New businesses are more likely to relocate here. A skilled workforce means higher wages, which builds a stronger economic base, which in turn creates revenues to build schools and infrastructure. All of this can't happen without businesses and educational institutions talking to one another first. That's often the hardest step, but once that happens, employers and educators can work together to ensure that curriculum is responsive and adaptable to the changing workplace. Workforce Development Board sector committees (health care, manufacturing, clean/green) are currently engaging employers in public discussions to provide educators with input on labor market data, local workforce demand, entry-level skill requirements, relevant content for curriculum development and ways to reach employers who will offer career-related experiences. This gives employers a stake in workforce development efforts that will benefit their businesses directly. Committee members have created lists of entry-level skills for health care, manufacturing, infrastructure and hospitality careers for educators to use in developing coursework, career awareness and work-related experiences. Other employer activities include guest speaking in classrooms, business site visits, job shadowing, internships, mentoring, equipment donations to schools, participation in career expos and support for other career-related activities at the middle school, high school, adult school, community college and university levels. With all of the talk about how to build a stronger America, our nation's future economic growth and stability are dependent primarily on one thing: an educated, skilled workforce prepared and adaptable to take on the challenges of the future. For the past few years, Ventura County businesses and educators have been building a collaborative and robust regional network that is enabling students to graduate with skills that will help them obtain high-skilled, high-wage jobs. These efforts are making a positive difference for individuals and for the community as a whole. Problems associated with the lack of a skilled workforce cannot be fixed by any one company or educational institution. It takes a collaborative commitment to find solutions. To learn more about how to work effectively with schools or with the sector committees, call 477-5306 or visit www.workforceventuracounty.org. Bruce Stenslie is president/CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative Ventura County. Roger Rice is deputy superintendent of student services for the Ventura County Office of Education. Both are members of the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County. SHARE These are tumultuous times for California schools, affecting how they are financed, what they teach, and whether educators are accountable for results. Local school officials are three years into the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which gives them more money and flexibility, but also seeks to close the "achievement gap" separating poor and "English learner" students from advantaged classmates. Districts are still struggling to write "Local Control Accountability Plans" to guide how the LCFF money is to be spent. Policy Analysis for Public Education, an education think tank, has concluded that "implementation of the LCFF is creating an uneasy tension between local control and compliance that threatens to undermine the vision." It's evident, too, that a 56 percent increase in K-12 school spending over the last five years up $23 billion per year has not solved all problems. Twenty California school districts were listed by the state this month as being in serious financial distress, including Los Angeles Unified, the state's largest system. As state officials address LCFF discord, they are also exacerbating it. State schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson last year countermanded his own department and told districts they could spend money meant for underachieving students on salary increases a boon to the California Teachers Association, which helped Torlakson win re-election in 2014. Meanwhile, the state Board of Education, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is trying to draft a statewide accountability system tied to the LCFF and a new federal education law that requires more specific measures than state officials and the union wanted. It's caught between demands by the CTA and local school officials for non-punitive "collaboration" and those of an "equity coalition" of civil rights and education reform groups for tight monitoring of achievement gap closure with consequences for failure. Reformers note that the lack of a school grading system has already given L.A. Unified and other districts a rationale for rejecting parental efforts to take control of low-performing schools. And then there's Common Core, new and more rigorous learning standards that California has fully embraced. Initial academic tests tied to Common Core found low achievement levels, and the state school board hired think tank WestEd to survey how it is being implemented. It found that while most educators praise Common Core's relevance, there's a sharp attitudinal divide. Administrators generally rated implementation as good or excellent, but many teachers disagreed, saying they hadn't been given sufficient training to make Common Core a reality. One issue is whether the state should aggressively intervene on Common Core, or continue the hands-off attitude and trust local school officials to resolve issues. These are high-stakes struggles, and not only financial. Six-plus million kids and California's future are guinea pigs for these political experiments. SHARE On Feb. 18, you ran an editorial commenting on the admonishment I have received from the Commission on Judicial Performance regarding disclosure of financial contributors after the 2012 election. You concluded by inviting me to "don (my) political mantle" to provide a public statement regarding that subject. Thank you for that opportunity. This is that statement. The complaint to the commission that generated its investigation was from a litigant I had ruled against six weeks after the election. The attorneys on that case had each contributed to my campaign, and each knew that the other had contributed. The losing party appealed my decision. The Court of Appeal affirmed the decision I had made. As such, there can be no suggestion that my decision in that case was influenced by an election contribution. I did not make postelection disclosures because I did not think I was required to do so. The requirement that I do so was not enacted until 2013, the year following the election. In an exercise of prudence, however, I should have made those disclosures. I did not. It was a mistake not to do so, nothing more, and nothing less. I made no argument or representation to the contrary to the commission. I am making those disclosures now for all cases that were filed before June 5, 2014 (two years after the election) and which remain active. What both the admonishment I received and your editorial did not address was the disclosures I did make. Every candidate for any elected office is required to file a list of his/her contributors with the Fair Political Practices Commission in Sacramento. This was done both during and after the election, and my filings were both timely and without any request from the FPPC for clarification or further explanation. These were available for review online. A copy was also filed in the Recorder's Office in Ventura for anyone who was interested. From the beginning of March until mid-June of 2012, I posted a list of attorney contributions of $100 or more on the door of my courtroom. It was updated weekly and was posted at eye level. It was virtually impossible to miss for anyone entering my courtroom. During that period, I did not receive a single request from an attorney or a litigant that I recuse myself from a case because of an election contribution. In your editorial you observed that I was "uncomfortable" as a politician. That was true enough. Like virtually all judges, I am not a politician and have never wanted to be one. As judges, we are quite content to arrive at the courthouse every day and do what we were appointed to do supervise and administer justice. The challenge to myself in 2012 was filed 15 minutes before the filing deadline. My choice was to either walk away from a job I had held for 14 years (and which I loved since the first day on the job), or contest the challenge. I chose the latter. An effective election campaign is expensive. There is no avoiding that. I had a campaign committee of attorneys who believed in my performance as a judge over the preceding 14 years such that they devoted considerable time and effort, including fundraising, on my behalf. I was and remain grateful to each one of them for their efforts. I was not, however, entirely dependent on the kindness of friends and strangers. The largest contributor to my campaign was myself. My reputation in the legal community remains a good one. In endorsing me in 2012, you made a good decision. So did the 80 percent of the electorate who voted for me. Thank you for this opportunity. Henry J. Walsh is a Ventura County Superior Court judge. SHARE Childhood obesity is a nationwide crisis that has reached a critical point here in Ventura County. About one in two children in Port Hueneme and Oxnard are overweight or obese. Port Hueneme has the second highest rate of overweight and obese children in the state. There have been many local and nationwide campaigns to address the issue of childhood obesity, but a group of CSU Channel Islands health science students wanted to zero in on attitudes toward healthy eating by interviewing 25 sophomores at Channel Islands High School in Oxnard. The class assignment revealed that the high school students were keenly aware of the high rates of obesity in their community and the link obesity has to unhealthy food. They reported their school "was a place where healthy foods are hard to find." One high school student described the school food as greasy and fatty, such as pizza, burgers and burritos. Another reported being forced to take fruit as a part of school lunch, but the fruit was packaged, such as apple slices. The student said he would eat the fruit if it were fresh. This was shocking to the college student researchers as fresh fruit is plentiful in the fertile Oxnard plain, which grows food for international export. They reported these fresh foods may not be as accessible as one would think. The students learned the majority of Latino children living in Oxnard have parents who work in the agriculture industry for lower wages. Their families may not be able to afford the food their parents pick in the fields, or the healthy foods at places like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or even at school. Local statistics gathered by the college researchers reflected national evidence that childhood obesity is especially prevalent for Latino youngsters. The researchers reported 22.4 percent of Latino children ages 2 to 19 are obese, compared with 14.3 percent of white children. The researchers also reported that Channel Islands High School students view Oxnard as a food "desert" devoid of fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy foods. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers' markets and other providers that either aren't located in the community or are too expensive. They observed three fast-food locations across the street from the high school, and parents bringing their children fast food for lunch. The university students were given a hypothetical $100,000 to spend to address the health issues. They proposed a nutrition component be added to high school health and cooking classes. The classes, taught in English and Spanish, would show students how to cook healthier meals. Fresh foods from local producers would be used in class. Parents would be invited, too. Weekend classes would be offered to accommodate working families. The researchers also proposed a new program to provide schools with fresh foods for school lunches. Turning my students' ideas into reality will take some support and imagination, but if you're willing to help in some way, contact me at Kristen.linton@csuci.edu. Kristen Linton is an associate professor of health sciences at CSU Channel Islands. The students who participated in this assignment were Wyatt Bishop, Claudia Chavarin, Hildy Gonzales, Jennifer Iparraguire, Jovy Mann and Sarah Specker. SHARE A little more than one month from now, the Metro Expo Line's final portion will open for business, making it possible to take trains from the far eastern portions of Los Angeles County to the often-crowded beach in Santa Monica. This will come barely two months after a new section of Metro's Gold Line opened, allowing a simple, cheap 31-mile jaunt from downtown Los Angeles to Azusa. Meanwhile, in Sonoma and Marin counties, test trains are running on another light rail line, between Santa Rosa and San Rafael, with high hopes of relieving some of the heavy traffic on parallel route U.S. 101. Barely any protests have afflicted any of these projects, which together will have cost many billions of dollars. Meanwhile, protests are vocal and persistent wherever the state's High Speed Rail Authority plans to build bullet train tracks, bridges or stations, even where it plans to share rights of way with other trains, as on its planned course on the San Francisco Peninsula. There's also massive resistance to a plan for running up to five freight trains weekly through the East Bay area and Monterey County to a Phillips 66 oil refinery in Santa Maria, which supplies much of the Central Coast. These trains would bring crude oil to the refinery, something Houston-based ConocoPhillips insists is needed because of declines in production of California crude oil. Oil trains would run from the Carquinez Strait near Benicia through much of the East Bay, raising fears of derailments and hazardous waste problems in populous areas. So far this year, there have been at least three derailments of oil trains in other parts of the nation, with hundreds of temporary evacuations resulting. Another train derailed only last month in the East Bay. Loud as those protests are, they lack the potency of the opposition to the plans of the High Speed Rail Authority, headed by former Pacific Gas & Electric executive Dan Richard, who also spent years as an aide to Gov. Jerry Brown. The most prominent current anti-HSR push is a proposed November ballot initiative sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bob Huff, of San Dimas, and state Board of Equalization member George Runner, which seeks to switch almost $10 billion in remaining, unsold bonds from the bullet train to water projects, including new reservoirs and desalination plants. That initiative, which appears likely to make the ballot, is in large part the result of the High Speed Rail Authority's insistence on a route that makes no sense meandering north from Los Angeles through the Antelope Valley, then west through the Mojave Desert to Bakersfield before turning north again for a run past and through farms and towns in the Central Valley. When it's done with all that, the bullet train's projected path would turn west again over the Pacheco Pass to Gilroy and then veer north to San Jose before heading up the Peninsula along existing Caltrain routes to San Francisco. It's a convoluted route that if built out will add at least half an hour of travel time to a much simpler route that was available: Heading almost straight north from the Bakersfield area along the existing Interstate 5 right of way, where plenty of median land is available for most of the run. Rather than cutting over the Pacheco Pass, it would be far simpler to continue a little farther north to the windswept Altamont Pass, where a turn west could quickly lead to a link with the Bay Area Rapid Transit System and special BART express trains to San Francisco. That route would cost untold billions of dollars less and be far more direct and faster. But the illogical High Speed Rail Authority opted for the least sensible, most costly route, inviting the lawsuits and public outcries that have now set its timetable back by at least three years. The Huff-Runner measure might just make it extinct. The difference between the fates of the light rail projects and this ultraheavy rail couldn't be clearer: Because the light rail systems heeded where potential passengers want to go and chose direct, noncontroversial routes, they are being completed on time, or close. Meanwhile, the bullet train and the old train plans might just pay the price for making little or no sense and/or wasting money: Extinction. SHARE The dysfunctional Port Hueneme City Council has now cost its insurer $279,000 because of its actions. Former City Manager Cynthia Haas received that amount from the city's insurer, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, based on her claim of sex and gender discrimination and harassment by members of the City Council. What is striking about this settlement is that Haas retired from her job in December, after only two years, and the claim was agreed to about two months later. Others involved in similar claims can point to years of back-and-forth among attorneys before reaching any settlement terms. Reading between the lines, that means the insurer believed her case was so valid that the best course of action was to write a big check as quickly as possible to avoid litigation. The terms of the settlement fairly usual for these types of cases allows the city to admit no guilt or liability, and requires everyone to not say anything about what happened. There is no secret that the struggling City Council became dysfunctional with the 2014 election of two outsiders, Tom Figg and Jim Hensley. The two have consistently and regularly fought the three-member council majority, and city administration, over nearly every action imaginable. It got so bad publicly that Figg stormed out of a council team building workshop in October after being baited by Councilman Jon Sharkey. Hensley soon followed after repeating vague allegations about misdeeds by city staff and the other council members. In the wake of that embarrassing incident, The Star recommended that the three-member council majority simply try to proceed with running the city, even if it meant a string of 3-to-2 votes on issues. That is basically what has happened although it has not eliminated the continual public sniping. But now we have a serious allegation of sexual and gender discrimination and harassment by the elected council against their top city employee, the city manager. Despite the legalese in the agreement, the rapid settlement of the claim says to us that the behavior existed and was easily proven. There have been rumblings and allegations about Haas' performance, some included in claims filed by city employees she dismissed. Those issues are not relevant here. That should have been addressed in standard performance reviews by the council. It is indeed unfortunate that Port Hueneme voters will never be able to know the specifics of these discrimination and harassment charges. The claim taints the entire City Council, which is probably unfair, but we simply do not know. But we do know that this type of behavior cannot be tolerated, particularly by an elected official. We hope that the citizens of that great little city show up at their next City Council meeting and en masse tell their council members just that. Those who are responsible no longer deserve our support. It's time to tell the council that repeatedly and publicly. World champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. purchased two new vehicles from Towbin Motorcars, Nevadas leader in luxury automotive brands, Friday night. The undefeated fighter, who was being filmed for the Showtime series All Access while at the dealership, took home a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Bentley Flying Spur. Mayweather paid cash for both vehicles. The Scott Brothers, HGTVs twin hosts of Property Brothers and Brother vs. Brother among other shows, will hold two open houses on Wednesday, March 30 in Las Vegas for the houses they purchased and renovated for the newest season of Brother vs. Brother currently filming in Sin City. Potential buyers are urged to sign up at the website www.JonathanVSDrew.com to attend both open houses. All proceeds from the sale of the houses will be given to Rebuilding Together in Las Vegas, a charity dedicated to preserving affordable homeownership and improve the lives of low income homeowners. The 4th season of Brother vs. Brother will premiere June 1, 2016 on HGTV. In addition, Drew and Jonathan will appear at their very first local meet & greet that evening at the Las Vegas Design Center at 5pm. Simply pre-order their book Dream Home and bring proof of purchase for entry. The brothers will take photos and sign autographs for fans. My boyfriend and I have the same hobby of traveling. Whenever we have free time or in our national holidays, we prepare luggage, take the flight/train and go to different countries to discover different culture, destinations and attractions. Last year we had an unforgettable 8-day trip to Viet Nam with the support from my friends in Viet Nam and her company Eviva Tour with services including visa on arrival, car rental, airlines ticket and domestic transportation. Except visiting Ha Noi capital and Ho Chi Minh City, we spent most of our trip on the best beaches in Viet Nam. Hoi An and Nha Trang beaches really do not make me disappointed. An Bang beach Hoi An It totally deserves to be one of 50 most beautiful beaches in the world with a long coastline, white sand and gentle waves. It brought us exciting experiences between natural clouds of the central sun and wind and we loved it at the first sight. Located far from the center of Hoi An Ancient Town about 3 km to the east, An Bang beach has a length of approximately 4 km of coastline. A special feature in An Bang beach is soft smooth sand. The sand here is only warm, not burning hot like other beaches in the central even at noon. Nha Trang Nha Trang Bay has many beaches and attractions. We spent 3 full days to discover all of them. For more details: Bai Dai beach: it is the most beautiful beach in Nha Trang Bay. The water is blue and simply gorgeous, while the beach is long and has beautiful stretch of sand Islands: Hon Tre, Hon Mun and Hon Tam: You can get there by canoe or speed boat. I have to say, if you go to Nha Trang without visiting Hon Mun, you will regret for the rest of your life:D. When scuba diving in Hon Mun, you will see a magical ocean world with 300 types of the coral reefs and colorful fish. No word can express my feeling when I saw this picture. We think 8 days cannot be enough to discover the beauty of Viet Nam. We will come back there in the nearest day to continue our journey. Hope everyone come to Viet Nam will have a great trip like we did. Leaders of PV Power and APZON at the signing ceremony. - Photo baotintuc.vn PV Power has chosen the business management software SAP Business One provided by APZON to manage its critical business functions including sales, distribution and financials, all in a single integrated system. With the software, PV Power expects to mobilise resources and operate efficiently. Therefore, the company can reduce management costs and achieve higher productivity. "SAP Business One helps us get important information about financial management quickly and accurately, therefore, we can be confident whenever making business decisions," PV Power Chief Accountant Ha Thi Minh Nguyet, also manager of the co-operation project, said. APZON Chairman Hoang Thanh Tung said APZON was honoured to co-operate with PV Power in applying SAP Business One. "We believe that SAP Business One would effectively support the business management of firms and meet the mandatory requirements about finance management and accounting as prescribed by Vietnamese law," Tung said. APZON is an IT service provider with more than 10 years of experiences providing solutions to information technology, as well as consulting services for clients in many sectors such as telecommunications, retail, distribution, and production, in addition to construction, manufacturing and service units of the state. PV Power is a member of the PetroVietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), the leading national oil and gas group. PV Power General Director Nguyen Xuan Hoa said the company targets a total power output of 21 billion kWh, a total revenue of VND29.4 trillion (US$1.3 billion), a pre-tax profit of VND680 billion and an after-tax profit VND600 billion in 2016. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. As Afghanistan's national unity government approaches its second anniversary, a new BBG-Gallup survey shows deep public dissatisfaction with the country's national leadership. Nearly 81 percent of respondents said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied with the performance of the national unity government, while 17 percent said they were somewhat or very satisfied. The survey was conducted October 27 to November 18 among a nationally representative sample of 2,500 adults across all of the country's 34 provinces. It found that dissatisfaction ran across Afghanistan's ethnic and geographic spectrums. David Sedney, a former deputy U.S. ambassador to Kabul, said public dissatisfaction with President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah dates to the disputed 2014 Afghan presidential election. "When President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah came in, there was huge hope for the future that things would change, and things haven't changed," Sedney said. "The national unity government has been essentially locked in this unending struggle over patronage and appointments, and has not made much if any improvements in people's daily lives." Pessimism about future The respondents were asked for their assessment of life today compared with a year ago, and expectations of life 12 months from today. Nearly 69 percent said their lives have gotten somewhat worse or much worse over the past year, while 30 percent provided a more positive response. What is more, almost 46 percent said they expected life to get even worse 12 months from now. Just over 24 percent said life would get better, while 30 percent said they didn't know how it would fare. Afghans favor India over Pakistan The survey also asked respondents for their opinions of 10 selected countries and organizations. India received nearly 62 percent favorable rating while Pakistan, at 3.7 percent, was at the bottom of the list, faring even worse than Islamic State (Daesh), which received a 5.8 percent favorable rating. Pakistan and Afghanistan have deep linguistic, ethnic and cultural links, but have had tense relations in recent years. Pakistan's dismal rating reflects a widespread belief among Afghans that the country is the source of all their problems, Sedney said "While I think that [view] is overblown the bottom line is the Taliban kill Afghans and the Taliban do so from bases in Pakistan. That's been the case for 15, 20 years now and Afghans are realists and they know who is killing them." Belgian prosecutors have identified and issued an arrest warrant for a new suspect in Tuesdays attacks on the Brussels airport and a metro station. The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement Saturday that it issued an arrest warrant for a man it only identified as Faycal C. for involvement in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings. The statement did not confirm that Faycal C. is the third Brussels airport suicide bomber seen in airport security camera video alongside two men who blew themselves up there. Belgian media reported that a man named Faycal Cheffou was suspected of fleeing the Brussels airport. 3 detained in counterterrorism raids On Friday Belgian prosecutors said three people were detained in a counterterrorism operation in Brussels prompted by the arrest Thursday of a Frenchman in the Paris area suspected of plotting a new attack. The Belgian prosecutor's office confirmed in a statement that Fridays arrests were conducted in three districts of the capital - Schaerbeek, Forest and Saint-Gilles. Two of the three suspects were wounded in the leg. The statement also said that investigators used DNA tests to determine that Najim Laachraoui was one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up in the Brussels airport on Tuesday. Laachraoui was also linked to the November 13 Paris attacks, in which 130 people died. His DNA was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth discovered at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed. WATCH: Heather Murdock on the scene in Molenbeek Kerry honors victims U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Brussels on Friday for talks with Belgian and European leaders about the attacks. During his visit, he said U.S. and coalition members had a message for anyone who would kill and wound innocent civilians going about their everyday lives. WATCH: Secretary of State Kerry in Brussels "We will not be deterred. We will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth." Speaking with VOA and other reporters in Brussels, Kerry declined to blame the Belgian government for not thwarting the attacks, saying, "carping" afterward was "inappropriate." He said the U.S. and Belgium had already scheduled a number of counterterrorism training sessions. WATCH: Related video report by Jeff Seldin 2 Americans killed The three blasts touched off Tuesday in Brussels killed 31 people and injured about 300. A senior U.S. official confirmed that two Americans were among the dead. U.S. officials have told reporters that the brothers who carried out the attacks, Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, were on a terrorism watch list in the United States. Belgian federal prosecutors said six people had been detained for possible links to the attacks. Meeting Thursday near one of the attack sites, European Union justice and interior ministers pledged to deepen joint intelligence gathering and swiftly push through measures to share airline passenger information and step up the fight against terrorism. We dont need new plans; we need to fully implement the plans and measures that have been taken, said Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk of the Netherlands, which currently holds the European Unions rotating presidency. The emergency meeting offered a stark counterpart to the EUs usually staid gatherings, especially since it took place near the Maalbeek metro station, one of the targets of the attacks. "Everybody feels the attack on Belgium was an attack on Europe and the values we stand for together," Plasterk said. "Europe has been under attack before, but weve always defended liberty and democracy and we will do that together." Ivorian musicians have released a new song in the wake of the March 13 terror attack at Grand-Bassam beach. The video for "Meme Pas Peur" ("Not Even Scared") was recorded on the same sands where terrorist gunmen killed 19 people and wounded dozens more. The message of the upbeat dance song is that Ivorians will not bow to terrorism. "In Ivory Coast, we are standing up, not even scared," the artists sing, addressing the attackers of Grand-Bassam. Chico Lacoste, the song's producer, said he wondered what he could do in response to the attack. "What do we have to fight these bandits? We have a microphone," he said. "So we decided to release a song to tell people to not be scared of these barbarians. We have to keep on living." For the 11 artists who answered Lacostes call and formed the Collectif Bassam, or Bassam Collective, it was a no-brainer. "Its normal that artists stand up," said Paul Madys, one of the performers. "Because every war is a war against culture." The video of the song shows people singing and dancing on the picturesque beach, where a few days ago terrorists with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb opened fire on beachgoers and police. Artist Siro said the song is meant to encourage people to stand up to terror by not changing their lifestyles. "That barbarism wanted to show us death," he said. "We dont want their barbarism to impose on us their way of life. We had to use the opposite; we had to use joy." Guard against division The upbeat tune invites Ivorians to dance their fear away and to not let the attack divide them, Siro said as he sat next to another musician in the collective. "Here is Mawa Traore, who is a Muslim artist," he said. "Im Christian. We wanted to show people that we are one. Like a keyboard. A musical keyboard has different notes, but when you play them together, you get a melody." The song, released just a few days ago, has already generated buzz. Abidjan resident Alassane Soumahoro said he thought the project was a great effort by the musicians to soothe the hearts of Ivorians and give them a new start, "because it was horrible. We are not used to have that kind of attack here. ... I think [the song] is a great expression of solidarity." Sitting nearby, Steven Agboke agreed, and said he thought musicians could be of influence, "because in Ivory Coast, music is important. Weve had crises in the past, and its music that brought us joy. Otherwise, we would have stayed in our shells." For some, the song is like preaching to the choir. Abidjan resident and Grand-Bassam regular Ange Frank Kouassi said he was not afraid to return to the beach. "Im not scared at all," he said. The song can be downloaded free on several Ivorian websites. A prominent Chinese Internet activist living in New York says authorities have detained three members of his family in southern China in a push to find the author of an open letter calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping. Wen Yunchao said Friday that his parents and younger brother had been missing since Tuesday, days after he said the government harassed his family over his suspected role in circulating the letter. Wen, a vocal critic of Beijing, has denied involvement in the letter, saying he linked to it on his Twitter account only after it had been published in China. The open letter was posted by Wujie News on March 4, the first day of annual meetings of top Chinese officials. In it, Xi is blamed for "unprecedented problems" in China, with calls for him to step down immediately. A second Chinese reporter, freelance writer Jia Jia, was reported to have been taken into custody Tuesday at an airport in Beijing as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong. His lawyer told Western news agencies that police "took away" the columnist after he warned other reporters against republishing the letter. Late Friday, however, the lawyer confirmed that Jia had been released, according to The Associated Press. Two top editors and two other technicians from the website were also reported in custody. Authorities still looking Analysts said the widening police probe suggested that investigators had not yet pinpointed the source of the letter and were under pressure to do so. The letter was signed by "Loyal Communist Party Members" and was widely circulated by email. Analysts said Wujie, which began operations in September 2015, was designed to report on Xi's economic plan to increase Chinese investment and trade in Asia and Europe. Academic Qiao Mu, from Beijing's Foreign Studies University, told The New York Times that Wujie's future and that of its 100 employees remained uncertain. Xi has mounted a widespread effort to censor Internet coverage in China to eliminate opinions that differ from those of Communist Party leaders. The crackdown has resulted in harsher penalties for those writers and editors found to have spread what the government calls rumors. A security guard at a Belgian nuclear plant was killed Thursday, two days after bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and a metro station. News reports said his access badge was stolen. There were also reports that the man, identified as Didier Prospero, was a guard at Belgiums national radioactive elements institute at the municipality of Fleurus, to the south of Brussels, and living in the city of Charleroi. However, the Charleroi prosecutor's office denied media reports that his security pass had been stolen and deactivated as soon as investigators raised the alarm, a public Belgian broadcast entity said. The Reuters news agency reported that a police spokeswoman said she could not comment because an investigation was ongoing. In an interview published Saturday in daily La Libre Belgique, the European Union's counterterror chief, Gilles de Kerchove, said Belgium's network of nuclear power plants and other major infrastructure facef the threat of a cyberattack over the next five years. In a country on high alert following Tuesdays terrorist attacks that left more than 30 people dead and hundreds injured, analysts and some officials have expressed worry that militants may seek to obtain nuclear material or attack a nuclear site. Thousands of brick kiln workers in India's western Maharashtra state are learning from activists that they have the right to a minimum wage, basic amenities and fair treatment - but remain in debt bondage to owners who deny them these rights with impunity. The workers are largely landless Adivasi tribals who are forced to work at the kilns for half the year to pay off their debt. Entire families may work up to 14 hours a day for low or no wages, few amenities, no days off, and with no idea of how much money they still owe, activists said. "The government, the police think bonded labor is when someone is tied up in chains or locked inside a room. They don't even acknowledge that these workers are bonded," said Ashok Jangale, director of community organization Disha Kendra in Karjat near Mumbai. "We tell the workers they have a right to be paid, to not be beaten or abused, to have time off, to send their kids to school," said Jangale. India is home to almost half the world's 36 million slaves, according to the 2015 Global Slavery Index compiled by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. Many Indians are duped into offering to work in farms, brothels and small businesses as security against a loan they have taken or a debt they have inherited. This is especially common in the construction industry, particularly in the unregulated sectors of brick-making and stone-quarrying. "The kilns themselves are mostly illegal, so keeping track of them is hard and they keep no records," said Chandan Kumar, ActionAid's national coordinator for the Bonded Labor Eradication Program. "There's a lot of trafficking and bonded labor in the industry, but it is a profitable business and owners are usually politically connected, so the authorities turn a blind eye," he said. There are no official figures on the number of people employed to cut, shape and bake clay-fired bricks, mostly by hand, in tens of thousands of brick kilns in India. Most of the workers are illiterate, keep no records, are paid a pittance and do not know how long it will take to pay off their debt. Some take out extra loans, for festivals and weddings, even while repaying the original one. According to data compiled by the Center for Science and Environment, at least 10 million people work in kilns, many located on the edge of towns and cities. At a kiln off the main road in Vanjarwadi village in Karjat, about 60 km (37 miles)from Mumbai, Ganesh Mukund said he had borrowed about 50,000 rupees ($750) from the owner and did not know how much he still owed. He said he had previously worked in a kiln where a worker was beaten so badly, his arm was broken. "When we hear about such instances, we investigate the matter and file a case with the police," said Jangale. There may be up to five such cases a year, and there have even been instances of workers being killed, he said. "Although the police often put pressure on the workers to settle for some money, we tell the workers to persist," he said. The state government appointed a vigilance committee in 2012 to check bonded labor after the deaths of several workers. A spokesman for the state's labor department said it was still keeping watch for alleged cases of bonded labor. Earlier this month, 564 brick kiln workers were rescued in southern Tamil Nadu state in one of the largest such operations in the country. In Fansawadi village in Karjat, Rama Bai takes a break from shaping bricks to show an officer from Disha Kendra a small ruled notebook. It has daily logs since December, when the working season began, of the number of bricks her family made every day. Rama Bai borrowed 60,000 rupees ($900) for her daughter's wedding three years ago, and a further 15,000 rupees for festivals, and agreed to work at the kiln to pay it off. She, her husband and their two sons have worked at the kiln during the December-May dry season for three years, making about 1,000 bricks a day - the quota set by the kiln owner. They do not know how much longer they will have to work there. "We have trained her son, who is literate, to keep a log and check the owner's log," said Jangale. "We tell them not to borrow so much money for festivals and weddings: they should know what is trapping them. And that when they have paid off what they owe, they have a right to leave." ($1 = 66.54 Indian rupees) A suspected suicide bomber detained before she could detonate explosives in a town on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria says she is one of the girls kidnapped from a Nigerian school at Chibok in 2014. Babila Akao, the highest-ranking official in Mayo Sava an administrative area on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria says he asked the military and local self-defense groups to arrest or kill three suicide bombers his intelligence services and the population said had crossed over from Nigeria to Cameroon. "Yesterday in the night we had information that three suicide bombers, young women had been brought from Banki into Limani and Amchide," said Akao. "Immediately I informed the D.O.'s [local administrative authorities] of Kolofata and Mora and my colleagues of the forces of law {military} and also all the members of the committee [self-defense groups] have been on the field and their work has given what you see today." Kidnapped in Chibok Idrissou Yacoubou, leader of a self-defense group in Limani, says they arrested one of the girls before she could blow herself up. Another surrendered and the other escaped back to Nigeria. He says the girl who surrendered confessed she was one of the more than 200 girls seized two years ago by Boko Haram from the Nigerian town of Chibok and taken to the Sambisa forest stronghold of the terrorist group. Yacoubou says the 15-year-old girl who told them she was kidnapped from a school in Chibok ran to a woman in a nearby house and started crying for help while another older girl with explosives on her body panicked and surrendered. Idrissou said the 15-year-old girl looked tired and malnourished, and could not give them more details about her stay in the forest or how she and the other captives were treated. The girls have been handed over to Cameroon soldiers and their peers from Nigeria, Chad and Niger; members of the multi-national joint forces fighting Boko Haram. Investigations Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the far north region of Cameroon, has ordered investigations to find out the authenticity of the girl's declarations. He congratulated the self-defense group for helping to stop Boko Haram atrocities. Bakari says Boko Haram, which he says is on the verge of being eliminated, has changed strategy and is using all of its remaining supporters and captives as instruments to kill. He says he is very proud of the actions carried out by self defense groups and is urging everyone to collaborate with them and the military to completely eliminate Boko Haram. Some 270 girls were kidnapped from a Nigerian school at Chibok and loaded onto trucks to an unknown destination in April 2014, provoking an international outcry. An international campaign dubbed "Bring Back Our Girls" was launched. About 50 of them later escaped. Nigeria says it does not know with certainty where the remaining Chibok girls are hidden. Boko Haram has been using teenage girls in suicide bombings in Cameroon and in Nigeria. Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes have retaken the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State, according to activists and state media, dealing a crucial symbolic and strategic defeat to the militants. "This is an important achievement, and fresh proof of the efficiency of the Syrian army and its allies in fighting terrorism," Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said during a meeting with a French parliament delegation in Damascus. The Syrian armed forces said Sunday the takeover of Palmyra represents a "fatal" blow to the militants, who seized the city 10 months ago and destroyed many of the famed monuments that had stood for nearly 2,000 years. The fighting in Palmyra had intensified in recent days as Syrian forces pushed to close their three-week offensive. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict, said the remaining Islamic State fighters retreated to the east toward Deir Ezzor. The militants control a solid string of territory extending north from Deir Ezzor through their de facto capital in Raqqa to the Turkish border, and also to the south into Iraq. By seizing Palmyra, the Syrian government opened up the 100 kilometers of desert between there and Deir Ezzor. The Syrian army said it will now use Palmyra as a "central base to broaden operations" against Islamic State in several areas, including Deir Ezzor and Raqqa. Syrian troops on Sunday continued to dismantle booby traps and other explosives left by the IS fighters, according to activists and state media. The Observatory said 400 Islamic State militants and 180 government troops and allied fighters died in the battle for Palmyra, adding that clashes continued Sunday in some parts of the city. Palmyra, coined as the bride of the desert, is a UNESCO world heritage site that used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. Islamic State took the city from government forces in a matter of days in May 2015 and later demolished several Roman-era monuments as part of their pattern of destroying what they consider idolatrous worship. The takeover of Palmyra is the latest in a series of setbacks for Islamic State. Iraq's army three months ago drove the extremist group out of the city Ramadi in neighboring Iraq. The Iraqi army also announced this week the start of a major offensive to retake the city of Mosul. A spokesman for Nigeria's president says hundreds of millions of dollars in redirected government payments have been discovered as a result of an investigation into the country's former national security adviser. An investigative committee has accused 300 organizations, individuals and some army officials of financial malfeasance totaling an estimated $241 million in fraud and overpayments of contracts, says Garba Shehu, spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari. Sambo Dasuki, who was national security adviser to former president Goodluck Jonathan has been accused of misappropriating more than $2 billion. In an interview with VOA, Shehu says Nigerians have expressed shock at the enormity of embezzlement of money intended to help fight the Islamist extremists group Boko Haram. Boko Haram is blamed for the death of thousands and displaced many more in parts of the country where they often attacked civilians as well as military personnel. Impact on military Shehu said the embezzlement of funds in the national security advisers office contributed to the low morale of soldiers trained to fight the militants in parts of Nigerias north. [They] came up with this mind-boggling revelation that as they did with the money for the weapons, they just were sharing money all around. So far, the office of the national security adviser, under its new leadership, has recovered more than 7 billion Naira [$35 million] in... U.S. dollars, euros and in Nigerian currency. And they have asked that another sum of 41 Billion Naira [$206 million] be refunded immediately, and the veracity or ownership of yet another 45 Billion Naira [$ 226 million] would be determined by further investigations. At the end of which government will know whether all of that be returned to the government or perhaps be returned in part, said Shehu. We are dealing with three sets of lines of corruption. One is a set of people who got money for doing nothing. They were just called and issued money from the office of the national security adviser purpose not defined. Another set of people and companies, they signed contracts to do certain jobs or undertakings, they got money and they run away. Then the third group, which I said would now be investigated for verification; companies and individuals who got monies to offer services, they may have offered in part but there is no evidence of completion. Boko Haram Shehu says since President Buharis election the militants face defeat. He also says the heavy security threat previously posed by the militants, has been reduced due to what he says has been a reinvigoration of efforts by security agencies. We are now at the finishing stage of the entire war [with Boko Haram] now. Because government has been able to free funds, monies that would have gone into pockets of military commanders and politicians. They are procuring weapons, they are paying salaries and allowances to military men and the spirit is very high, among our fighting men. So, much of Boko Haram has been minimized, said Shehu. The government has officially stated that it has technically defeated Boko Haram. But critics say the militants have not been reduced to just common criminality. They cited recent suicide bombings and cross border attacks in neighboring Cameroon as examples that the government is wrong in its assessment of the fight against Boko Haram. Shehu disagreed. He says the fight against Boko Haram has achieved visible success for all to see under Buhari. Shehu also added that the current administration aims to plug loopholes by which former government officials siphoned funds meant to improve the lives of citizens. [Buhari] has succeeded in freeing 3 Trillion Naira [about $3 billion] available in the central bank by blocking several bank accounts and transferring them to the central bank of Nigeria.This is money that is available to be spent on the country. The government will unleash funds on the country the moment the budget is signed. Money to be spent, this money would have been shared by politicians and whatever at the end of the year as the practice used to be, said Shehu. U.S. President Barack Obama says he has offered the prime minister of Belgium the "full array" of U.S. support in bringing to justice any terrorists involved in planning or aiding in the "unconscionable attack on innocent men, women and children" in Brussels this past week. In his weekly Saturday address, Obama said Belgium is a close friend and ally of the U.S. and "when it comes to our friends, America has their back, especially as we fight the scourge of terrorism." US support A team of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation is already in Belgium supporting the investigation into the terrorist attack, according to the president. WATCH: President Obama's weekly address, March 26, 2016 "We're going to continue to root out and defeat ISIL," he said. "We've been taking out ISIL leadership and this week, we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield - permanently." President Obama said this coming week when dozens of world leaders come to Washington for a nuclear security summit "We will use that opportunity to also review our joint efforts against ISIL and to make sure the world remains united in this effort to protect our people." Russian state television has aired a transcript of the final words of the pilots trying to land a doomed Dubai passenger jet last week in southern Russia. Rossiya-1 television late Friday cautioned that its interpretation of the transcript should not be considered the official version. But it said the pilots, battling high winds, lost control and the plane nosedived into the ground in Rostov-on-Don immediately after the autopilot was turned off. All 62 people on board were killed. "Don't worry," one of the pilots said in the transcript. Seconds later, the pilot was heard saying, "Do not do that." The last recorded words were repeated calls to "pull up." The report also cited experts who suggested that when the autopilot was turned off, a stabilizing fin was activated, making the plane "not react to the pilot's control panel." The report said the pilot might have accidentally switched on the stabilizing mechanism. Russian investigators are conducting a criminal probe of the crash. On Thursday, investigators said the first preliminary report on the crash could be made public in the next two weeks. FlyDubai airlines said the five-year-old aircraft had undergone an extensive maintenance inspection earlier this year. The March 19 crash was the first deadly incident in the budget carrier's seven-year history. U.S. forces have killed Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, an Islamic State finance minister also responsible for the terrorist group's external affairs, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Friday. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said, using an acronym for the terrorist group. Carter would not say whether Qaduli, also known as Hajji Iman, was killed in Iraq or Syria, nor would he say whether the IS leader was killed in a raid or an airstrike. WATCH: Defense Secretary Carter, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dunford According to a U.S. defense official, Qaduli was "actively plotting to conduct terror attacks in the West." The official said the U.S. military believes Qaduli was providing money to foreign fighters trying to develop and carry out attacks similar to the attack this week in Brussels. Qaduli was released from Iraqi prison in early 2012 and had a $7 million reward on his head. Others under attack Carter also announced that Abu Sara, an Islamic State leader charged with paying fighters in Iraq, was targeted by U.S. forces this week. A defense official told VOA that Sara was hit by a U.S. drone airstrike in Iraq. Omar al-Shishani also known as "Omar the Chechen" was killed in a U.S. airstrike in March, and IS chemical weapons expert Abu Malik was killed by a strike in late January. "Striking leadership is necessary, but it's far from sufficient," Carter said. He added that the killing of Qaduli was consistent with U.S. strategy of pressuring the Islamic State in "every single way we can, from the leadership right down to supporting local forces on the ground." "Momentum is in our favor," General Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the briefing Friday, "but by no means would I say that we're about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over." U.S. role questioned The announcement of Qaduli's death comes one day after a senior U.S. official said Marines who were protecting U.S. forces near the northern town of Makhmur fired artillery rounds and illumination rounds to help Iraqi forces locate IS fighters. Reporters questioned Carter and Dunford on whether these actions expanded the role of U.S. forces from purely supporting Iraqis to actively engaging in ground combat. Dunford said he expected "increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions" to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters, but he did not feel the actions in Makhmur constituted a change in the U.S. mission. "This is not a fundamental shift in our approach to support the Iraqi forces," the top U.S. general said. "There's no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation support is doing every single day." Palmyra Also Friday, local media reported that Syrian soldiers had recaptured the city of Palmyra after fierce fighting with the Islamic State. The group in control of the strategically important area since May 2015 had killed the local antiquities chief and blown up many historically significant sites in the area. Zimbabweans living in Botswana say they support their governments effort to engage its neighbor on corporal punishment. Botswana regularly flogs transgressing Zimbabweans, particularly for border jumping and petty crime. Zimbabwe recently engaged their Botswana counterparts with a view to stop the flogging of its citizens in the neighboring nation. However, the Zimbabwe delegation, during a recent bilateral security meeting, failed to convince Gaborone authorities to stop the punishment. Zimbabweans, who commit petty crime in Botswana, are usually flogged and not given custodial sentence. Some Zimbabweans feel the practice is outdated and should be replaced with alternative punishment. Japhta Ndlovu says with some people suffering from various ailments, punishment through flogging might even cause health complications. "We don't support the system of canning. I think they should come up with another alternative. We have people with different ailments and it might be a problem after they are flogged." But another Zimbabwean, Farai Dzirutwe, is of the view that although some are not comfortable with the practice, Zimbabweans must try and stay on the right side of the law to avoid falling victim to corporate punishment. "I would like to encourage Zimbabweans to ensure their papers are in order. Even if we say its inhumane or backward, its within Botswana laws." Botswana nationals believe it is only appropriate to mete out the punishment to deter petty criminals, particularly with Zimbabwean illegal immigrants accused of contributing to soaring crime in the country. Mompati Kenosi says Botswana laws are laws and they need to be respected irrespective of nationality. Flogging has its advantages. It doesn't matter whether they are Zimbabweans or not. We need to flog people for minor crimes instead of putting them in jail. Zimbabwe Republic Police head of the Minerals and Border Control Unit, Earnest Muchekwa, recently told the media that they held several meetings with their Botswana counter-parts over the matter but the practice had not stopped. Muchekwa says they have repeatedly impressed the need to observe human rights but have been told that Batswana chiefs have a legal right to flog offenders. Offenders are often sentenced to anything between six and 12 cuts on the bare back but children, women and men over 40 years are excluded. Explanatory Note This is an Explanatory Note to the Special Envoys Paper on Points of Commonalities. It sets out what the official purpose is of the paper. During the course of talks the Special Envoy noted that certain commonalities existed between the two sides in relation to their respective visions of what a future of Syrian state might look like. He instructed his staff to try to capture points of convergence in order to help him structure the next round of talks which shall also focus on political transition. The paper is a useful guide as to the commonalties that exists between the two negotiating parties. It is not an agreed paper of the two negotiating parties. It does not constitute in any way a framework document or a negotiating text and shall not be put before the UN Security Council or the ISSG unless specifically authorised by both sides. Instead, the Special Envoy has invited each of the two negotiating parties to take away the paper to examine whether it accurately captures points of convergence if not consensus. He has also invited each of the two negotiating parties to identify important points of divergence on essential principles. For the avoidance of doubt the two negotiating parties continue to maintain their respective negotiating positions as regards any political transitional process and what a future Syrian state might look like. Essential Principles of a Political Solution in Syria The participants in the intra-Syrian talks agree with the Special Envoy that the full implementation of UNSC Resolution 2254, the ISSG statements and the Geneva Communique in its entirety are the basis for a political transition process and beyond that will end the crisis in Syriaa crisis that has cost countless lives and imposed endless suffering on the people of Syria. The sides confirm that a political settlement is the only way to peace. Towards this end the parties recognize the following essential principles as the foundation for a future Syrian state that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people: 1. Respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria. No part of the national territory shall be ceded. As an integral part of the Arab nation, Syria is committed to a peaceful and active role in the international community. As a founding member, Syria is dedicated to the UN Charter and its purposes and principles. The people of Syria remain committed to the restoration of the occupied Golan Heights by peaceful means. 2. The principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention shall apply, in conformity with the UN Charter. The Syrian people alone shall determine the future of their country by democratic means, through the ballot box, and have the exclusive right to choose their own political, economic and social system without external pressure or interference. 3. Syria shall be a democratic, non-sectarian state based on citizenship and political pluralism, the representation of all components of Syrian society, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, equal rights, non-discrimination, human rights and fundamental freedoms, transparency, accountability and the principles of national reconciliation and social peace. 4. Syria cherishes its history of diversity and the contributions and values of all religions, traditions and national identities to Syrian society. Acts of revenge against individuals or groups shall not be tolerated. There shall be no discrimination against, and full protection of, all national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural identities. Members of all communities, men and women, shall enjoy equal opportunities in social, economic, cultural and public life. 5. Women shall enjoy equality of rights and representation in all institutions and decision-making structures at a level of at least 30 per cent during the transition and thereafter. 6. As per Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), the political transition in Syria shall include mechanisms for credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution and free and fair elections pursuant to the new constitution, administered under supervision by the United Nations, to the satisfaction of the governance and to the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. 7. Such governance shall ensure an environment of stability and calm during the transition, offering safety and equal chances to political actors to establish themselves and campaign in the forthcoming elections and participate in public life. 8. Continuity and reform of state institutions and public services, along with measures to protect the public infrastructure and private property, shall ensure stability in accordance with international standards, principles of good governance and human rights. The governance will take effective measures to combat corruption. Citizens will benefit from effective mechanisms of protection in the relations with all public authorities, ensuring full compliance with human rights. 9. Syria categorically rejects terrorism and strongly opposes terrorist organizations and individuals identified by the UN Security Council and will engage in a national endeavour, in international partnership, to defeat terrorism and to address the causes of terrorism. Syria calls on all states in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions, to prevent terrorist groups from being supplied with weapons, money, training, shelter, intelligence or safe havens and to refrain from inciting acts of terrorism. 10. Syrians are committed to rebuilding a strong and unified national army, also through the disarmament and integration of members of armed groups supporting the transition and the new constitution. That professional army shall protect the borders and population of the State from external threats in accordance with the principle of the rule of law. The state and its reformed institutions will exercise the exclusive right of controlling weapons of war. There shall be no intervention by foreign fighters on Syrian soil. 11. All refugees and internally displaced people wishing it shall be enabled to return safely to their homes with national and international support and in line with international protection standards. Those arbitrarily detained shall be released and the fate of the disappeared, kidnapped or missing shall be resolved. 12. There shall be reparations, redress, care, and restitution of rights and property lost for those who have suffered loss or injury in consequence of the conflict. As peace and stability are being restored, Syria shall call for the holding of a major donor conference to gain funds for compensation, reconstruction and development of the country, and the lifting of all coercive economic measures and other unilateral actions affecting the people of Syria. Syria looks forward to international guarantees and support for the implementation of the political process in a way that does not infringe upon the sovereignty of Syria. 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 long time ago. 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. 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. 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. 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! 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. 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! Photo: Jeff Neumann/CBS Broadcasting, Inc. The impending finale of The Good Wife has been cause for mourning for its many fans, but at least one of its stars has found a silver lining. Alan Cumming, who plays the wily political strategist Eli Gold, cant wait to be rid of his characters middle-of-the-road haircut. Whats been difficult about doing The Good Wife all these years, he said at last nights premiere of I Saw the Light, hosted by the Cinema Society, is having to have that awful hairdo. Cumming has been outspoken about his hair in the past enough so that he will be hosting the North American Hairstyling Awards this summer. Hair to me is the one thing that I was unable to control in my childhood, so, in my adulthood, Ive kind of gone crazy and had like 65 million different hairstyles, he laughed. In fact, hes already thinking about his next look. Im considering going blond again, actually, in the next week or so, he said, after The Good Wife finishes. When trigger-fingers turn to Twitter-fingers turn to fists in a Nike store? That is apparently the story of what happened to Quentin Miller, the songwriter Meek Mill accused Drake of using as a ghostwriter in the Neverending Rap Beef of Summer 2015. In an interview with VLAD TV, Miller says the beef actually did get as violent as Meek Mill always threatened. He claims that Meek Mill and his entourage confronted him, in a Nike store on Wilshire Boulevard, about a Tumblr post Miller wrote (and has since deleted) denying that he ghostwrites for Drake. He didnt appreciate the letter I dropped [because] it made him seem like a liar, he says. And, like any real rap beef, someone eventually had to shed blood it just happened to be Millers. He says that afterward, someone from Meek Mills crew sucker-punched him and ran. I shed blood in the Nike store, he says, sounding weirdly proud of the fact. Miller says he didnt file a police report it is what it is and that punching me is like punching Frank Ocean or iLoveMakonnen. Hey, at least when Frank Ocean got jumped by Chris Brown he only walked away with a cut on his finger. The guy can hold his own just fine, thanks. For Nickis sake, lets just hope a certain Philadelphia judge doesnt catch wind of this latest entry in the Drake-Meek saga. When Ted Cruz announced he was running for president on March 23, 2015, it was no accident that he chose to do so at Liberty University, a Christian college in Virginia founded 44 years ago by iconic pastor Jerry Falwell. "God's blessing has been on America from the very beginning of this nation," Cruz declared, "and I believe God isn't done with America yet." One of the central goals of Cruz's campaign was made clear that day: consolidating support from the religious right, an ambitious undertaking made no easier as the Republican field grew to 17 candidates in the weeks following. By most measures, the Texas senator has built the broadest support in the evangelical community of any Republican presidential candidate, and to this day he remains the top choice of the most politically engaged members of that community. Yet Cruz's pursuit of the influential voting bloc has not been easy and some segments remain reluctant to rally around him even as he emerges as the chief alternative to frontrunner Donald Trump. "The term 'evangelical' has become very elastic in that its almost taken the place of 'Protestant,'" said Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, who endorsed Cruz in January. "It almost describes any conservative who believes in God, and thats just not what evangelical is. Look at voters who attended church on a weekly basis. Those voters are going for Ted Cruz." Under that definition, Perkins added, Cruz "has pretty much captured that voting bloc and increased their turnout." Still, no other development has complicated Cruz's efforts to win over the faithful as much as the rise of Trump, who consistently outpolls Cruz among evangelicals despite a long list of actions, positions and statements seemingly out of step with the Christian faith. For example, it was Trump who ultimately won the endorsement of Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of the university where Cruz strategically launched his campaign. In the 20 states so far where CNN has conducted entrance or exit polling, Trump has bested Cruz in 13 of them among voters who identify themselves as born-again or evangelical Christian, with an average margin of 18 points. Cruz has placed above Trump in six of them, with an average margin of 12 points. They tied for the group in one state, Arkansas. Even to even some of Cruz's supporters, the trend is not shocking: Like any voting bloc, evangelicals are not immune to national trends, and one of the most prominent at the moment is a strong aversion to Washington, D.C., and all it represents. That's the theory of Robert Jeffress, a Dallas pastor who has spoken at Trump rallies and expressed support for the billionaire but not formally endorsed him. "I think one of the phenomena that's at work here is really only Donald Trump can claim outsider status compared to Cruz and Rubio," Jeffress said in an interview earlier this month, when U.S. Sen Marco Rubio was still a candidate. "For all their talk of being outsiders, they're still part of that elite group known as the U.S. Senate." "Interestingly, I think Cruz and Rubio thought the Senate would be a stepping stone to the White House," Jeffress said. "The Senate is becoming a millstone that might keep them out of the White House." Cruz has tried various tactics to consolidate evangelical support. In states such as Iowa and South Carolina, he sought to recruit a supportive pastor in every county and held highly produced religious liberty rallies featuring speakers with personal tales of discrimination due to their religious beliefs. He formed a national prayer team, whose members receive weekly emails with prayer requests and participate in weekly conference calls, some of which Cruz has joined. In January, he convened hundreds of pastors and faith leaders at the West Texas ranch of Dan and Farris Wilks, two of the most generous givers to his presidential effort. And his campaign boasts of a Faith and Religious Liberty Coalition with more than 46,000 members. Most recently, Cruz launched a 19-member Religious Liberty Advisory Council, which Perkins chairs. On Thursday, the group issued 15 initial recommendations for a Cruz administration, including an executive order to keep the federal government from discriminating based on one's marriage beliefs and a proposal to let employers out of a federal mandate that they provide contraceptive coverage to women. Cruz's campaign swiftly released a statement welcoming the ideas. Perhaps the biggest validation Cruz received was his victory in Iowa, where he beat Trump by a few points overall but by 12 points among evangelicals, according to CNN exit polling. The triumph, according to Cruz's supporters, sent a clear message to those in the evangelical community who were still uncertain of Cruz's ability not only to win but also to unite the faithful. Cruz had the backing of arguably the two most influential social conservatives in the state, U.S. Rep. Steve King and Family Leader CEO Bobby Vander Plaats, whom he elevated to national co-chairs of his campaign a month before the caucuses. "Winning in Iowa just brought the theory he had put forth that he could make this happen to reality in the minds of many who were just waiting to see," Perkins said. "I think Iowa was very big for him." Yet it was also Iowa where Cruz's campaign was accused of spreading false rumors about Ben Carson dropping out, which gave way to a drumbeat of criticism that he is running a dishonest campaign, hurting his image among evangelicals. The drumbeat was perhaps loudest in the run-up to the South Carolina primary, when he faced a battery of charges of "dirty tricks" from a number of rivals. The storm of controversy took a toll on Cruz, whose campaign was viewed as the most unfair by nearly a third of voters in the Palmetto State, second only to Trump's in exit polling. Cruz sought to stem the bleeding a week later when he fired Rick Tyler, his top spokesman who had shared on Twitter a video that falsely purported to show Rubio denigrating the Bible. Trump has seized upon the dishonesty charge, routinely referring to Cruz as "Lyin' Ted" including in a tweet Tuesday that attacked the senator's wife. In interviews and speeches, the billionaire regularly cites Cruz's alleged dishonesty as the reason he consistently outpolls the senator among evangelicals, despite Cruz's aggressive outreach to them. "You dont have to be one of us to get our vote you just cant lie to us," said Hogan Gidley, a South Carolina GOP strategist who worked for one of Cruz's former rivals, Mike Huckabee. The former Arkansas governor, who bowed out of the race as soon as he lost Iowa, and his allies took an intense interest in Cruz in the final month before the caucuses, seeking to undercut his evangelical support. They highlighted how Cruz wants to effectively leave questions of marriage and abortion up to the states, and they suggested he had not given enough of his personal income to charity, a practice known in the church as tithing. More privately, they spoke of Cruz as strong-arming his way into becoming the seeming consensus choice of faith leaders. "I talk to enough pastors in South Carolina, I talk to enough pastors in Iowa, who are completely turned off by his heavy-handed tactics to try and get them to support him," Gidley said. "Its basically trying to pressure a pastor into believing Ted Cruz is somehow the 13th Apostle and that this countrys going to hell without him at the helm and then being upset and angry if that pastor doesnt just sign on immediately without asking any questions. Cruz has encountered particular resistance from Hispanic evangelicals turned off by his positions on immigration, which have only grown more hardline as he has vied with Trump on the issue. Some drew a line when he made clearer than ever in December that he does not support any form of legalization for people in the country illegally. Since then, Cruz has positioned himself farther to the right of Trump on immigration, criticizing the billionaire for supporting the re-entry of people to the United States who have been deported. Tony Suarez, executive vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, gave Cruz credit for assembling a diverse coalition of evangelical supporters but cautioned that the issue of immigration is "not going away." Hispanic evangelicals are torn right now," said Suarez, who meets occasionally with a group of other prominent Latino Republicans to discuss the presidential race. "You have Trump, who wants to build walls and deport everybody. Then you have Cruz, who wants to build walls and have everybody leave." "They are on the sidelines," Suarez added. "There was a lot of Hispanic evangelical support for Rubio and for Bush. Now what do you do here?" Going forward in the nominating process, Cruz's side sees some uncertainty when it comes to the evangelical vote. With the senator vowing to fight Trump until the convention, many states that have previously not had much influence in picking the GOP nominee will have a say. It's in those states, Perkins explained, that evangelicals are naturally not as politically engaged as they are, for example, in Iowa and South Carolina. The first test could come April 5, when the next state, Wisconsin, holds its primary in what is shaping up to be another critical moment in the anti-Trump movement. Voters who identified as born-again or evangelical Christian helped propel Mitt Romney to victory in the Badger State in the previous Republican presidential primary, supporting him 47 percent to 43 percent over Rick Santorum. "I'll tell ya," Cruz said while stumping there Friday, "Wisconsin is a battleground right now." The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. The Catch, a new fast-casual seafood restaurant going into the former Rowdy Taco location at Valley Mills and Wooded Acres drives, will open no later than April 30, after renovation has been completed, said Scott Nordon, a partner in the venture. Nordon and David Weaver, both from the Tyler area, have made similar conversions to Rowdy Taco locations in Tyler and Longview. We are looking to open another location in a free-standing building in Lindale, Texas, and are looking for other opportunities in Central Texas, East Texas and in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said Nordon, who has a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and developed the restaurants menu. The Catch will serve fried and grilled catfish and shrimp, as well as oysters, crawfish tails, boiled crawfish, boiled shrimp, gumbo, cheese bread and red beans. Everything is fresh, with the shrimp and fish hand-breaded to order. Its all of high quality, Nordon said. The building will accommodate 60 diners inside and 40 on a patio. Catfish and shrimp seem to resonate with people in Texas more than in other markets, and our other locations have proven to be very popular, Nordon said. The magazine Texas Monthly has mentioned The Catch twice, its March edition listing it among places to visit in Texas. Entrees range in price from $7 to $11, Nordon said, adding that he and Weaver have heard good things about the Waco market. He said Rowdy Taco locations in Waco, Tyler and Longview apparently suffered due to the heavy concentration of Mexican food establishments in each market. Compass Trading closing Compass Trading Co. in Central Texas Marketplace is closing with a quitting-business sale that will last until nearly all merchandise is gone. Clothing and jewelry have been discounted between 20 and 50 percent, depending on the item, an employee said Thursday. Wacos Compass reportedly is one of four still in business statewide, and all locations will close soon, ending the run of a 15-store regional chain. Compass Trading Co. was an offshoot of the Compass Christian Lifestyle Superstore that Brent Pennington opened on West Waco Drive many years ago. It sold religious-themed gift items, Bibles, inspirational music, games and home furnishings. Business reportedly sagged somewhat after the Mardel Christian and Education store opened not far away on Waco Drive. Costume supply store to open An interesting news release arrived last week, announcing the opening of MonaLisas Cos-Stop, a costume supply and accessory store. Steve and MonaLisa Davies are proprietors of the store located in the Ferndale Shopping Center at 3210 Ferndale Drive, just off U.S. Highway 77 toward Robinson. We are not a Halloween store, according to the press release. We specialize in costuming supplies and accessories for Renaissance, comic cons, cosplay gatherings and steampunk designs for year-round consumers. The stores unofficial motto is, Where every day is cosplay, Mona Lisa Davies said. Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game. The couple used their income tax returns and savings to open the shop March 15, according to the press release. They are making an effort to come up with a website that will reveal more details about the fun to be found inside MonaLisas Cos-Stop. Spaceport Development director Congratulations to Kris Collins, an industry recruiter for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce who has been named executive director of the McLennan County Spaceport Development Corp., an entity that was created to bring state funds to the county to encourage spaceflight activities. She reportedly will remain with the chamber as its senior vice president for economic development. McLennan County commissioners last year approved the incorporation of an entity, only the third of its kind in the state, that would get involved in creating a zone to be used for spaceflight functions, including research, development, testing and more. The county already is home to a rocket testing facility for California-based SpaceX and to the Waco campus of Texas State Technical College, which is involved in training students for work in the aviation and aerospace fields. Board members include TSTC head of grant writing Carliss Hyde; local business owner Tate Christensen; Brenda Atchison, a McLennan Community College part-time business instructor; local investor and entrepreneur Terry Stevens; McGregor Mayor Jim Hering; attorney Rick Brophy; and local business owner Tom Kirk. Washington Avenue changes Representatives of the Texas Historical Commission recently visited Waco to tour four buildings between 711 and 723 Washington Ave. downtown. Those structures are now owned by Cory Duncan, a real estate developer from Austin who received a masters degree in business administration from Baylor University and whose wife, Kate Parker Duncan, owns Wildland Supply Co., a clothing store that will take 4,000 square feet of the space. Duncan said in a phone interview he plans major renovations to the decades-old buildings, which is why the commission was in town to talk shop. To date, all but approximately 2,000 of the nearly 14,000 square feet is under contract with some incredible tenants, Cory Duncan said. The minute that word spread about spaces coming available downtown, I was getting calls from strong, established Waco businesses interested in leasing space. We do think we are likely 100 percent spoken for, but I learned a long time ago not to count chickens. Soon, as we get permission, we will release the names of the other tenants. Connor Health Foods downsizing Connor Health Foods, 2625 W. Waco Drive, part of the health-food and supplement scene in Waco since 1969, will leave its current location on about May 5 bound for a smaller space next to Fuddruckers in the Brazos Square shopping center in the 1400 block of North Valley Mills Drive. Nick Connor, whose mother, the late Fran Connor, founded the store 47 years ago, said Connors does not carry as much merchandise as it once did, so it is trading about 8,000 square feet for 1,900 square feet. He said the family is selling the building to a prospective buyer who plans to convert it to a grocery and convenience store. He plans to remodel the place after we get out and will subdivide it into a couple of uses, leasing out the part he does not occupy, Connor said. Connor said that with grocery stores and big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart carrying so many health foods, his store does not need as much space as it once did. Hatch Bailey knew he didnt want to sell the original downtown location of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home to just anybody. Within an hour of putting it on the market this January, he had his ideal buyer: the church next door. Mighty Wind Worship Center at 1100 Washington Ave. closed this week on the historic structure, which has operated as Brazos Funeral Home since Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey moved to 6101 Bosque Blvd. about 16 years ago. It was obviously with mixed feelings for me to let that facility go, because its been in my family for 91 years, said Bailey, president of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey. It really warms my heart that it will still be a place of ministry. Its a different kind of ministry, but ministry is ministry. I worshipped with them on Sunday, and I felt welcome. Its a natural thing to happen for that building, and I couldnt be happier. Senior Pastor Joe Carbajal of Mighty Wind said he has had his eye on the funeral home property since the church moved to the former Fellowship Bible Church building in about 1999. Back then, he asked Bailey to give him right of first refusal if he ever sold, and Bailey remembered. Carbajal said the property solves a parking crunch that has developed as the congregation has grown to more than 700. Mighty Wind officials are looking at several options for the 14,000-square-foot building, including offices, educational facilities, community outreach space and even temporary housing for people awaiting substance abuse treatment. It also could function as an event center for weddings and quinceaneras, he said. Carbajal said hes not planning major changes to the building, at least for now. Were just pleased to be able to purchase a landmark like this funeral home, he said. People ask me, Why would you want to buy a funeral home since its all about death and were about life? Thats just it: We want to put life into that building. Carbajal, a Waco native who has been senior pastor through most of Mighty Winds 28-year life, said he has preached many times at the funeral home at 1124 Washington Ave. Built in 1925 Wilkirson-Hatch built the Spanish Colonial-style building in 1925 and later connected it to a former fire station and dance studio next door on 12th Street. After the company moved to Bosque Boulevard in 2000, the downtown location became Funeraria Brazos, catering to Spanish-speaking families. Since 2002 it has been known as Brazos Funeral Home, owned by the families of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey but operated separately. The Brazos Funeral Home met a community need for lower-cost services but didnt generate much revenue, Bailey has said. In addition, the building suffered interior damage in last years storms and will need repairs. Carbajal said the church plans to repair the damage, but overall, the building appears to be sound. Carbajal said the building will help accommodate the steady growth Mighty Wind continues to enjoy. In addition to the 700 congregants at Mighty Wind, several hundred more attend churches that have been planted in other parts of town by Mighty Wind. The downtown church has a diverse demographic makeup, with about 60 percent Hispanic, 30 percent Anglo and 10 percent black, Carbajal said. Carbajal said the church has grown by welcoming people who havent been part of a church before. Our folks arent coming from another denomination, he said. We take in folks who have never been in a church before, taking them off the streets and introducing them to a personal relationship with Christ. When Donald Trump announced he was running for president of the United States, many laughed, others snickered. Late night talk show hosts could hardly contain their glee. But few people are laughing now. Political pundits project a 90 percent probability that Trump will be the Republican nominee. Apparently Trump tapped into a deep reservoir of American fear and anger. In Donald Trump we found a loud and confident voice leaning out the window and shouting Im mad as h--- and Im not going to take it anymore! Americans are angry. And, Americans are afraid. Fear and anger go together. Fear begets anger and anger fuels our fears. The terror strikes in Brussels have heightened our fears. Ted Cruz is calling for police patrols in Muslim neighborhoods. Donald Trump says he would consider a nuclear strike against ISIS. We must fight our way past fear and anger to a higher level of courage, faith and love. When we become divided, fearful, suspicious and angry, the terrorists win. In the midst of the chaos that immediately followed the explosions in Brussels, an American doctor who was dropping off a friend at the airport immediately began treating casualties. Many who were injured urged care for others who they felt were in worse condition, putting others interest above their own. The international community has come together in support of Belgium, just as they did in support of France last November and in support of the U.S. in 2001. Our flags are flying at half-staff in the United States as symbols of grief and support. I suspect most Muslims are as bewildered and fearful as the rest of the world. After all, far more Muslim men, women and children have been killed by terrorists than non-Muslims. Millions have fled Syria trying to escape ISIS and are trying to survive in makeshift tent cities. Our support must include prayer, love and understanding for our Muslim neighbors. Efforts to overcome hate with more hatred, violence with more violence, only escalates the problem and leads to greater suffering. We must refuse voices of division and suspicion and put into practice what we are taught in the Scripture: Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Terror is not new in the world. In the first century, crucifixion was an instrument of terror. We must remember the example of Jesus who prayed, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed (1 Peter 2:22-24). Bill Tinsley reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective. For more info visit www.tinsleycenter.com. Email: bill@tinsleycenter.com. A Lott man has finished a grand example of the craft and skills he spent much of his life developing, and he plans to surprise his great-grandchildren with the finished product Easter Sunday. James Stage, 83, spent the week before Easter designing and building a decorated 18-inch sugar shell egg for his three great-grandchildren. The retired longtime pastry chef, who moved to Lott to be closer to his family, said the result will be well worth the sugary construction for the Easter surprise. I got pretty good, and I want to let the kids see before I pass away, Stage said. I still think I could beat about any pastry chef in Waco, because I have the knowledge by working different places and Ive learned so much. I just wanted to show my grandkids. After spending time in Arizona and several states across the country, Stage worked from job to job and kitchen to kitchen perfecting his culinary skills. After falling in love with pastry design, he hoped he could share his craft with his family, who will visit from Holland, Texas, on Easter Sunday. The grandkids have never seen anything like that. Nobody has ever seen anything like that, Stage said. There are not too many people who have seen sugar eggs like that or have ever even heard of it when it is all whittled inside like that. The edible creation stands about 2 feet 6 inches tall with the edible decorations on top of the hollowed-out egg and a cross inside as the centerpiece. Sugary roses top the egg, and a powdered sugar, water and egg-white sculpture crowns the piece. Stages granddaughter, Megan Underwood, said her grandfathers skills have always been remarkable. When she learned about the Easter surprise for her children, Underwood said she knew everyone would be impressed. I havent even seen it, but I know it will be one of the greatest things. He is very talented. I mean, he made our wedding cake, Underwood said. He is always doing stuff for our kids, because he is just that kind of man. I know they will be very surprised, because people just dont do off-the-wall stuff like this by hand anymore or they just take a lot of shortcuts. Stage said he plans to reveal the surprise to his great-grandchildren Easter morning during a family celebration and barbecue. Americas broken immigration system is threatening the Texas Miracle, but it probably isnt in the way youd first expect. Texas is the birthplace of the semiconductor and it remains the home of one of the most dynamic computer and information technology industries in the entire world. While the industry employs over 200,000 people across the state, companies continue to face serious challenges finding qualified workers to fill openings. When companies cant fill a position with a qualified American worker, they often seek out high-skilled workers from other countries through the H-1B visa program. Despite the many benefits it brings to Texas communities and businesses, the H-1B visa program is under siege from a hostile Congress and unelected bureaucrats in Washington. Instead of attacking an initiative vital to Americas businesses, Congress should instead recognize the importance of the H-1B visa program, strengthen it and allow the full range of businesses to take advantage of it. Business owners across Texas understand that the difference between success and failure often lies in businesses ability to attract and retain top talent to fill jobs. This is particularly true in the information technology services sector where jobs require specialized skills that only a few people have. Every business owner understands unfilled jobs have a cascading impact that leads to real harm. The H-1B visa program is one of many ways businesses across Texas fill critical jobs left open due to a persistent skills gap, created in part by an education system slow to respond to the need for this kind of talent. We also are not alone in seeking these highly skilled people. Countries like Canada and Germany compete fiercely with the United States for the same pool of global talent. Main problem: Every year the United States makes only 85,000 visas available for high-skilled immigrants and dispenses them in a lottery system. Every year the number of people applying for these visas far exceeds the number available. Instead of addressing this problem, Congress has made it worse. Last year it placed an arbitrary and unnecessary fee on some of our countrys most innovative companies to make it harder to bring high-skilled foreign workers to the United States. These fees will only make it more difficult for U.S. companies to compete globally. Our competition has not only recognized our deficiencies but is exploiting them. Last year former Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew noted Americas restrictive immigration system was a boon for Canada, where high-skilled immigration policies are considerably more favorable. He noted how this was ironic given that American universities graduate tens of thousands of highly skilled students every year who cannot stay in the country that educated them. Of course, we encourage companies to hire our own American workers, but there are many times when companies must look beyond our country for specific talents. Why is this such a critical issue for Texas? Austin-based Freescale Semiconductor, for example, an outspoken advocate for reform of the H-1B visa system, depends on high-skilled immigration to fill 80 percent of its job openings and finds it increasingly difficult to navigate the system. IT and computer services are the lifeblood of the Texas economy. We must ensure that our innovative companies have access to the best talent to thrive. Instead of placing unnecessary and onerous restrictions, we need government to make it as easy as possible for the great American engine of innovation to roll steadily forward. Sara Tays manages Ten Points Consulting LLC and chairs the Texas Association of Business board of trustees. She may be reached at stays@txbiz.org. Behind the Scenes with the Texas Flying Legends Museum Text and Images by Jake and Moose Peterson An air show is a menagerie of a thousand different things happening all at once. However, looking at it from the outside, all a spectator will see is the performances of many talented individuals showcasing their skills for the thrills of thousands of people. For the volunteers, staff members and performers the story behind what makes an air show a success is far more intense than simply a ten-minute flight over the airport. Every air show, fly-in, gathering, and dedication ceremony starts long before the actual day it happens. For most, it starts with a simple announcement of the event and from that point begins months of prep work ahead. For the Texas Flying Legends Museum, a non-profit flying museum of thirteen aircraft based in Houston, TX, the air show season starts where the last one finished. The museum shifts the fleet between three main bases of operation over the course of the year: Ellington Field in Houston, TX, Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, ND, and Wiscasset, MN. During the winter months the fleet stays in Houston where maintenance can take place following the end of the long flying season and before the next one begins. While some of the work happens in Houston, major overhauls are reserved for Minot, where there are better facilities to handle such work. While the aircraft are down for winter maintenance, the team evaluates every performance they took part in to see what went well and what did not. The hardest critics in this group are the pilots themselves. They are constantly striving to improve, flying cleaner lines and tighter formations, so their fans are never disappointed. It is this dedication that keeps the whole operation moving forwards. This year marks Texas Flying Legends Museums west coast debut. Their performance at the Los Angeles County Airshow was the first time the fleet had even ventured west of the Rockies. While the show itself is only three years old, this years event shattered all of their expectations with an attendance record of over one hundred and thirty seven thousand people. Held at William J. Fox Field outside of Lancaster, CA the Los Angeles County Air Show is working to become one of the signature displays in southern California. For the Texas Flying Legends Museum, this air show was a perfect start, as their unique fleet of aircraft allows them to bring multiple aircraft to any event, helping to attract more people. Before the air show began, the TFLM aircraft, which included their B-25 Mitchell, P-51 Mustang, P-40K Warhawk, TBM Avenger, A6M2 Model 21 Zero, and FG-1D Corsair, had to fly from Ellington Field, Texas to Fox Field in California. The trip would take the fleet over some of the most beautiful terrain in the southwest United States. Despite the best preparations, incidents can occur, as the fleet discovered to their misfortune in Midland, Texas. While taxiing, the Zero and Corsair suffered an incident which left both aircraft inoperable. Sadly, the two fighters will be out of action for some time, but a museum news brief released on March 15th stated that both planes will be flying again within the year. Despite this setback, the pilots quickly got to work arranging for other aircraft from the fleet to make up the numbers for their scheduled appearance. Mike Schiffer flew back to Minot, ND to collect the museums FM-2P Wildcat, while Casey Odegaard flew Warren Pietsch back to Ellington Field to gather the museums newly acquired Spitfire Mk.IX. Both aircraft met up at Midland, so the fleet could travel onwards to Fox Field together. The journey took them from Ellington Field, TX to Midland, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Chinle, AZ, and Kingman, AZ before they arrived at Fox Field, CA on Thursday, March 17th. Mechanical issues arose between Albuquerque and Kingman, with the TBM experiencing an unusual vibration. After making an emergency landing, the maintenance crew discovered that one of the TBMs cylinders had a problem and that the aircraft needed repairs before continuing on west. The TBMs pilot, Sam Graves, stayed with his stricken bird, working on repairs until he was able to rejoin the fleet on Saturday, March 19th, where he was able to participate in that days scheduled air show performance. While the pilots had their hands full with getting their aircraft to California, each of them was able to rise above the adversity they faced to make their scheduled appearance. The last thing they did after arriving in California on Thursday, March 17th was to brief their modified routine for the inclusion of the Spitfire and Wildcat without the Zero and Corsair. The pilots talked for over two hours about the technical aspects of their upcoming performance and how the aircraft would present to their audience. The following day, the team flew to Apple Valley for a five-hour practice session of the new routine. Its dedication like this that the crowd usually isnt aware when they see the six-ship fleet fly overhead in perfect formation. Everyday, simple operations are performed to ensure that each aircraft is flying at its peak and every pilot knows whats happening. When a plane starts to run a little rough, the cowling comes off and the spark plugs are changed out on one of the heads so that the plane runs smoothly. Each day, the pilots attend a morning briefing with all of the performers and air show staff on hand so that everyone is in the know about the days events. Then the pilots rehearse their flying routine by walking their whole performance out on the ground ahead of time. While to some it may look a little silly, to the pilots it is an essential physical reminder of what they are setting out to do, ensuring not only a good performance for the crowd, but the utmost safety for all involved. These warbirds fly not just to please air show audiences, but also to honor those who flew them when they were needed most. In order to spread that message, the team takes part in media conversations. For this show, Jo Kwon of KFI News interviewed Warren Peitsch in front of the museums P-40K, to learn not only about the fighters significance, but also why the aircraft need to be seen and heard. At the Los Angeles County Airshow, a special media flight took place with Jo Kwon and Robert Hanashiro of USA Today, on board B-25J Bettys Dream, while the ashes of a deceased WWII pilot were flown alongside in the P-51D Mustang, Dakota Kid II. Planes breaking down, maintenance on the ground and coordination are among the standard activities involved with a simple two-day airshow. Warren Pietsch summed it up best when he said, There are a lot of things that happen on the ground, questions, coordination, etc. but once airborne, you put that out of your mind and fly the airplane to your best ability. Thats the relaxing part. Most people come to an air show for just one day. For one day they are immersed in a culture and a lifestyle that leaves them in awe. Every air show is made possible only by countless hours of work, and in a moment it is all over. Each air show is a dedication of time and love, but most of all, no air show would be complete without the people that attend. WarbirdsNews wishes to thank Jake Peterson, Moose Peterson and Texas Flying Legends Museum for this article Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells modular space and workforce accommodation solutions. 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He knew he could bring with him centrist, urban-dwelling voters, not dissimilar to those in the Saturday Paper launch crowd. Fast forward two years and it is becoming clear that Turnbull, once removed from the red wine and cheese platters, is less bold in his allegiance to progressive causes. He seems to have taken a swerve to the right. He was mostly missing in action during the harmful and ridiculous debate over the Safe Schools program, a program which, while painfully politically correct in parts, is unlikely to turn our children gay and culminate in a dystopian future where both (all?) sexes are forced to use the same bathroom. Despite what the most demented members of the Coalition's right wing would have us believe. Turnbull also looks set to propose a cut in company tax as part of his election platform, sold with the dubious claim that this will translate to higher wages for workers. His speech to the Lowy Institute on Wednesday night included Abbott-esque criticisms of Europe's open borders, and the claim that "intelligence" shows Islamic State is using the Syrian refugee crisis to move jihadists into Europe. For this he earned a gentle rebuke from the Belgian ambassador, who pointed out that the men responsible for this week's Brussels attacks were home-grown. Now, after a week of Byzantine Senate fighting that went over the heads of most people outside the Parliamentary Circle, Turnbull is asking Australians to believe that he is so passionate about the re-establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission he has decided the country should go to the polls over it. The re-introduction of the ABCC was one of Abbott's most cherished babies, and remains the heavily-stroked pet of one conservative section of the Coalition, led by former Employment Minister Eric Abetz. The rest of the party, including, once upon a time, Malcolm Turnbull, could take it or leave it. Turnbull's announcement on Monday that he would recall parliament to pass this (likely un-passable) legislation, setting up a trigger for a July 2 election, was hailed as a strategic masterstroke. This despite the fact that talk of a double dissolution election on July 2 has been alive for nearly as long as his prime ministership. As the news dropped, I was at the Sutton Forest Macca's, which represents both a psychological and physical mid-point between the vastly different worlds of Canberra and Sydney. It is a crucible of middle Australia, its carpark is crammed with Holdens and the interior with children at various stages of the car-trip meltdown cycle. It is alive with kind retirees in fleecy tops and mothers, like me, seeking caffeine and sugar. The people of the Sutton Forest Macca's were unruffled by the news of a likely July 2 election, conveyed via the television on the wall. The stunning significance of Turnbull bringing forward the budget by one whole week also seemed to pass them by. I suspect the Sutton Forest McDonald's malaise also extends to the ABCC and its re-introduction. An Essential Research poll taken this week seemed to affirm this hunch. Forty-four per cent of those surveyed did not know if they approved or disapproved of the federal government calling a double dissolution election over the ABCC. I wonder what percentage could tell you what the ABCC actually was. Likewise, an Omnipoll survey taken this week for Sky News found only 3 per cent of voters thought cutting company tax should be a top economic priority. Such is the glory of the Canberra/rest-of-Australia divide, that in the-rest-of-Australia bit, people only start paying attention to elections in the last week or so of the campaign. That's when innocent babies start glancing fearfully at smiling men in suits, worried they might be set upon. It's when school P'n'C committees start buying sausages in bulk. "I've ended up with a life that's quite meaningful and satisfying. And yet there's two people not here because of me two people who will never have satisfaction. Their families will always be grieving. Because of me." James avoids recounting the murders in his book, although the details emerged in 2009, thanks to internet users picking and picking at the facts. At the crucial point in his memoir, there is a newspaper clipping reproduced on the page. The details are sketchy but seedy: 28-year-old James Monahan (as James was then known) and William Ross, 25, were convicted for killing Greville Hallam, a 48-year-old theatrical agent, and Angus Cochrane, a 29-year-old solicitor. There's two people not here because of me two people who will never have satisfaction. Their families will always be grieving. Erwin James Hallam was robbed and strangled in his London home in 1982. In a separate incident, Cochrane died in hospital after being mugged in the West End. James fled and joined the French Foreign Legion, but deserted to hand himself in. He still remembers the words the judge used to describe him at the trial. Brutal. Vicious. Callous. Few people know exactly what happened when James' victims died. He has written down the story only twice: once in a confession to Joan Branton, the prison psychologist who helped transform his life, and once when applying for approval to visit Sydney in 2013. (It was granted. He gave a talk at the Opera House titled, A Killer Can Be a Good Neighbour.) He believes that to give gory details would be an affront to the men he killed. "Just me being around is painful for my victims' families, I'm sure it is," he says. By the time Hallam and Cochrane's names were linked to The Guardian's columnist, James was free. A woman who had known Hallam emailed to say she had admired James' writing for years "and now I've discovered you killed my friend". James "cried like hell" and, after a while, wrote back saying sorry, asking if there was anything he could do. Her response was brief: "I regretted that email as soon as I pressed send." Another of Hallam's friends wrote to say that the agent would have been proud of what his killer had achieved. "Imagine how that made me feel," says James and for a moment it looks like he might cry. He went to the British Library to dig out that old newspaper clipping for the book and while he was there, he pulled out another fragment from the archive: the local news story about the car crash that killed his mother when he was seven. Back then, James was called Erwin James Monahan. From his mother's death until the day he took his two first names as a writer's pseudonym, life would be tough. His father was a violent drunk. There was never enough to eat. A few weeks after James' 11th birthday, he was placed on probation for breaking into a television factory. After he robbed a bowling alley he was placed in state care. The children's home where he lived for four years would be his only fixed address until he went to prison for murder. In between, he squatted, slept rough and stayed with girlfriends. He had two daughters with different mothers, but both women threw him out for his drunken violence. James offers no excuses. "Lots of people have difficulties in their lives and they get through it," he says. In prison, he had time to stop and think. He put his name down for evening classes and remembered his childhood love of reading and writing. He did homework in his cell, listened to current affairs on the radio, passed the UK's school-leaving exams, then graduated from the Open University, majoring in history. Early in his sentence, he met Branton in the "psycho's office" near the gated entrance to Wakefield Prison in Yorkshire. "All she wanted me to do was succeed in being a better person," he says. "She wasn't thinking about the future. She was thinking, with the life that you've got left, you ought to use it to do the best you can." The Guardian column came about by chance. A probation officer who knew James liked to write lived next door to the Irish novelist and screenwriter, Ronan Bennett. After James and Bennett struck up a correspondence, Bennett mentioned the prisoner's talents to Ian Katz, an editor at the newspaper. All this reads like a story of redemption, a shining example of the good work prison can do, but James isn't having it. Along with the books and the chats with Branton, he remembers the riots, the suicides of his fellow prisoners and the constant effort to look like nobody's victim. He kept the column a secret; jail was no place for a tall poppy. "Even today, every four days on average in [British] jails, someone is killing themselves," he says. "I benefited from good-hearted, open-minded people who worked in our jails, but it really was chance in the end that I made it. "I'm not saying I deserved a second chance, but we have a system that lets even people like me out. If we are letting these people out, we've got to make sure that whatever failings they had when they went to jail are addressed. "If they need an education, let them have it. If they need work skills, give them work skills. Because they are going to come out and they are going to be somebody's neighbour. And let me tell you, if they are going to be my neighbour, I want them rehabilitated." James' memoir closes with him walking out of the prison gates on a sunny day in 2004. But that's not where the story ends. He continued to write for The Guardian. A life inside became A life outside. He advocated for prison reform, worked with charities and spoke in schools. He reconciled with one of his daughters and got to know his grandchildren. He met a woman and fell in love. Then one day The Guardian asked James to write about his time in the French Foreign Legion. Fearful of revealing his identity and his crimes, he fudged the dates and lied in print. The internet sleuths pounced. They had a Legionnaire and a double murder. It was only a matter of time before they found a name. In 2009, James stumbled across an obscure forum that had his story straight and decided to come clean in another Guardian piece. The Mail on Sunday followed with a story headlined, "The murderer who wrote lies and got paid for it". The internet was satisfied. "This has been a great thread, but I've got to go back to my proper job," wrote one poster on ilxor.com's message board. James got drunk and got into his car to drive off a white chalk cliff in East Sussex. A passerby saw his car wobbling over the road and reported it to the police, who arrested James and locked him in another cell. "I thought they were going to recall me to prison," he says. "But they didn't. They were so supportive." James is full of wonder whenever he mentions anyone who gave him a chance. He was recently appointed editor of the prison newspaper Inside Time. When we meet, his first issue has just printed and he spreads it out on the cafe table, showing me stories and asking what I think of the layout. He could scarcely believe it when he got the job. "My heart started pounding," he says. "They trust me to do this massively responsible job. Me! I almost cried. Honestly, I almost cried." At one of James' prison psychology sessions, Branton asked if he could remember a time when he was happy. They sat in silence, James staring at his knees. Finally, he remembered: the births of his daughters. Decades later, I ask the same question, expecting a quicker response. Again, he pauses. "Happiness is a strange thing for me," he says. "Whenever I start to feel joy, there's this sort of controlling arm that brings me right down again because " He trails off. The actor Robert De Niro has disclosed he has a child with autism as he defended the screening of a controversial film by a discredited former doctor whose false "findings" linking autism to vaccines caused widespread alarm and a decline in vaccination rates. The prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, which De Niro co-founded in New York in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, will screen the film Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe on its closing night on April 24. Robert De Niro and wife, Grace Hightower, attend the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015. Credit:Taylor Hill It is directed and co-written by Andrew Wakefield, an anti-vaccination activist who co-authored a study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet in 1998, linking autism to the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. That study was fully retracted in 2010 when a British medical inquiry found evidence of dishonesty and abuse. Three months later Wakefield was struck off the UK medical register. Labor is launching its pre-election attack on the Coalition's health record in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's electorate, where a health clinic for homeless people is set to close. Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek will use a press conference at the Haymarket Foundation Clinic in Darlinghurst to highlight what Labor says is the Abbott government's $60 billion cuts to health over the next decade in 2014, and the Turnbull government's planned cuts to bulk-billing incentives for pathology and diagnostic imaging services. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Health Minister Sussan Ley. Credit:Andrew Meares Health Minister Sussan Ley has defended the government's move to save $650 million over four years by cutting the incentives, saying they had not worked to significantly boost the rate of bulk-billing. The clinic, which has received $900,000 in federal funding a year to provide medical, nursing and welfare services to about 1200 homeless people in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, is likely to close next month when a temporary extension to its current grant expires. Glenn Druery. Credit:Andrew Meares "Labor will certainly claw back seats but micro party preferences will ensure they get even more and Malcolm Turnbull's victory is by no means assured," Mr Druery said. "More than three million Australians voted for micro parties at the last election. "The Coalition and the Greens said the Senate voting system was undemocratic but Australians are no fools they know it was the crossbenchers who saved the country from an increased Medicare payment and deregulated university fees and other ideological flights of fancy." Mr Druery said anger with the Coalition and Greens over the Senate changes had also prompted smaller parties from both the left and right not to oppose one another in 2016. "For the first time, they have decided to stop cancelling each other out but leave right wing micros to take on the Coalition while the left micros will fight the Greens a move that would certainly help Anthony Albanese in Grayndler and Tanya Plibersek in Sydney." Mr Druery said he was considering standing for the Senate in NSW but if that did not work out there had been an offer to work on US presidential election campaign. "Not for Trump," he said. In readiness for the federal election, Mr Druery had been mountain-biking around the NSW south coast with his American partner Melissa Archey this week. It has been a long journey for the 54-year-old political adviser since first spotted by the Herald in March 1999 at the NSW Electoral Commission office in Kent Street, Sydney, talking conspiratorially with groups of hopeful minor party candidates. That was the year of the notorious Legislative Council "table cloth" ballot paper with 264 candidates from 78 parties Mr Druery boasted of stitching up preference flows from up to 40 other groups - some of which he set up - and, heading the Republic 2001/People First ticket. His photograph appeared on the Herald front page under the headline "Look what I just built - a political career". Nearly. He wanted a parliamentary career but ended up a back room boy. Druery directed his second preference to his mate, the Outdoor Recreation Party's Malcolm Jones, and somehow shot himself in the foot. Jones won a seat. Druery later fell out with Jones he often does with those he helps: Senator David Leyonhjelm was once a prodigy until bad blood broke out between them. Druery calls Ricky Muirthe "accidental senator", saying when another Victorian minor party senatorial candidate refused to pay him he arranged for the minnow preference flow to be directed away from Family First to Muir's Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party. After 1999, the Carr government moved quickly to squash the micro party preference flow but the changes have not stopped the occasional minnow win - in 2015 the Animal Justice Party won a seat with 1.8 per cent of first preference votes. Mr Druery went on work for the crossbenchers in the NSW parliament, had a shot at the senate for the Liberals for Forest and followed up in 2010 with a similarly failed tilt as the Liberal Democrats candidate. Backroom politics, he said, had not made him rich. He rents a Sydney apartment and drives a 13-year-old car. In the run up to the 2013 federal election, the enormity of Mr Druery's preferences by stealth dawned on commentators and the pejorative "preference whisperer" surfaced. The Monday after the 2013 election Australians woke to predictions by Mr Druery that those he had helped with preference flows, Leyonhjelm, Muir, former NRL legend Glenn Lazarus and Jacqui Lambie (Palmer United Party from Queensland and Tasmania), and South Australian Family First stalwart Bob Day were on the way to the Senate. Yaounde, Cameroon: A suspected suicide bomber intercepted in northern Cameroon on Friday before she could blow herself up claimed to be one of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in the Nigerian town of Chibok in 2014, military and local government sources said. Two girls carrying explosives were stopped by local self-defence forces in the village of Limani, in an area of northern Cameroon that has been the target of frequent suicide bombings in recent months. Image from the first video by Boko Haram after the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014. They were then handed over to Cameroonian soldiers belonging to a multinational force set up to take on Boko Haram. In a high-profile attack that sparked a global outcry, Boko Haram militants raided the school in April 2014 while the girls were taking exams. They loaded 270 of them onto trucks, though about 50 escaped shortly afterwards. Their kidnapping sparked a global outcry, with world leaders and celebrities joining the #bringbackourgirls campaign with little success. Washington: White House hopeful Senator Ted Cruz has been forced to deny a tabloid story alleging he had had extramarital affairs, describing it as "complete garbage and lies". As the race for the Republican presidential nomination descended into the gutter a pro-Donald Trump supermarket magazine, the National Enquirer, claimed private investigators were looking into allegations that the Texas senator was "hiding five mistresses". Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz makes a stop in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Thursday. He and Donald Trump have been trading insults regarding their personal lives. Credit:AP The claims proliferated on social media forcing a visibly angry Senator Cruz to address them while on the campaign trail in Wisconsin. They followed threats by Mr Trump to "spill the beans" on Senator Cruz's wife earlier in the week. by Adrian Gibson Over the last few days, I was attacked and/or maligned by two government ministers, one, a pseudo-intellectual and undiplomatic wannabe diplomat and, the other, a political bust who now sings for his daily political bread and is hanging on for dear life in his constituency. This week, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell got so caught up in his inflated sense of self and attacked me from the floor of the House of Assembly, asserting that my two columns (February 25 and March 3) concerning the death of pilot Christopher Prescott Adderley (Scottie), who was on remand in Haiti, were wrong and that the Gray family - the family of the other man involved - had disassociated themselves from what I had written. I listened to the recordings and Mitchell did not, at all times, state that he was referring to the Gray family. Adderley, a 34-year-old father of two, was a pilot who had flown with Southern Air, Pineapple Air and Region Air. His mother, Sharon Rosemary Adderley, told me that on February 15, 2014, Scottie left the Stella Maris airport in Long Island for Haiti. He left onboard a Piper Navajo (N6739L) purportedly to pick up a friend and fellow pilot, Hughie Gray Jr. His family and friends contend that he had borrowed the plane from a friend and that the plane had not been stolen. That was the last time he was seen alive by his family. Based on my interviews with Gray Jr, his mother Rosemary and close friends, Scottie crash landed in bushes slightly off the runway at an airport in Cape Haitien. The plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a house. Before leaving Long Island, he purportedly flew the plane to the airport in Deadmans Cay for repairs as the brakes were not functioning properly. The brakes, I am told, malfunctioned during their landing in Haiti. Both men survived the crash but were immediately arrested, interrogated and later charged with the trafficking of illicit drugs. Mrs Adderley sent Mr Mitchell several emails pleading for his help. Mitchell was hardly responsive, adopting a nonchalant approach, purportedly forwarding them on to an Ambassador Rolle or directing her to speak to the Permanent Secretary. The PS never called Rosemary and, though she attempted to reach him on numerous occasions from her homestead in Long Island, she was unsuccessful. According to Mrs Adderley, that began a nightmare which culminated in the death of her son. Mrs Adderley never heard from Mr Mitchell again ... until after Scotties death eight months later. Scottie died on September 22, 2015. His mother was informed of his death, by Mr Anderson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy consul in Haiti, the next day. His body was flown to The Bahamas. One week later, his co-accused Hughie Gray - along with two Haitian police officers - were all exonerated. Once Hughie Gray was back in The Bahamas, Mrs Adderley arranged an interview between us. Hughie told me about their experience and I published it. That interview was conducted over the phone. I still have my raw data from that interview. Further, Mr Mitchell ought to know that I have no qualms about printing my call logs and highlighting the date and time that the interview was conducted and the length of time we spent on the phone. I continue to have Hughies number in my contact list. So, imagine my surprise when I listened to Mitchell in the House on Monday and Tuesday claiming that Hughie had a different story from that which I had published. Surely, someone is not telling the truth. Every time one exposes them, the first response is to assert that youre lying. Given that, Mrs Adderley, who was listening in Long Island, responded to Mr Mitchell and defended my columns, objected to Mr Mitchells language and pleaded for him to help her to find closure about her sons death. In her defence of me, Rosemary, a cousin and former teacher of mine, slammed Mr Mitchell for his attacks on my attempts to bring closure and attention to the circumstances surrounding her sons death while in Haitian custody. She stated: As we sat here in Long Island listening to Mr Mitchells contribution in the House today, our mouths hit the floor. We are of the view that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did very little to help our son. Mr Mitchell ignored my pleas and sent me from one person to another - who didnt respond - as I begged for help for my son. I begged them to take medical supplies to him. Mr Mitchell could now talk, but where was his voice when we needed him? We have, via Mr Gibson, released copies of cheques we sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Whatsapp messages between ourselves and the official in Haiti who was handling the bribes requested. He was the facilitator in this entire episode. The bribes all passed through the MOFA with the knowledge of officials in Haiti. We have published the receipts. We can give him all of the Whatsapp messages if he wants them, she said. She went on: We support Mr Gibson 100 per cent. I gave him access to my email account. I gave him the copies of the cheques. I facilitated the interview between him and Hugh Gray Jr. That is a fact. I am a grieving mother. Mr Mitchell has yet to answer the many questions we have concerning my sons death, his nonchalant approach to me this entire time and his failure to provide any information thus far. We have yet to hear from him. I need closure. She called on Mr Mitchell to conduct a proper investigation into her sons death rather than twisting and mischaracterising this circumstance and my cousin and former student - Mr Gibsons - noble efforts to assist our family. In classic and vitriolic Fred Mitchell style, he responded with most disgraceful, venomous and undiplomatic response. On the face of it, the response from the mother is nonsense, Mr Mitchell said in a statement released shortly before midnight on Monday. She does not even know what she is talking about and didnt understand what she was hearing on television. I can understand now why she does not understand the most basic of matters about her sons care. She is a little slow. Now we learn from the mother of Mr Adderley that she is complicit in sending bribes to Haitian officials. This is news and now a matter for the police. I guess confession is good for the soul. I can assure the public that the (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was not complicit in any scheme to pay bribes to Haitian officials. That is a figment of her imagination he said. He added: Her response is just plain silly. It is also defamatory and I warn her to be careful. Fred Mitchells vulgarity and divisiveness, his grotesque ego is on full display. Rather than conducting a proper investigation, liaising with Haitian authorities and giving Mrs Adderley and her family peace and closure, he throws salt into an open wound. Wow! This is how Fred Mitchell responds to a grieving mother? He calls a woman, who has been an educator for more than 30 years, slow. He questions her intellectual capacity. Why stoop to this low point? Why talk down to a citizen of your country in this fashion, a citizen who is only begging for answers? Mitchells response was unapologetic. The countrys chief diplomat is so undiplomatic. The insensitivity Mitchell displayed can only be likened to a thin-skinned drama queen whose only strength is to hurl insults. It is clear that Mr Mitchell does not have children. Otherwise, he would have had a clue about the love for a child, about what this mother is feeling. She spoke up for herself and her son and all she has gotten thus far is disrespect. The foreign affairs minister wants to project himself as the avatar of progressivism, as one who fights for equal rights of women in the upcoming referendum but yet he speaks to a grieving mother in a most arrogant, condescending fashion as if she was a piece of rotting garbage. Mr Mitchell apparently imagines that his perception of worth is congruent with everybody elses perception of him. There is no connection between the two. To use the words of New York Times columnist David Brooks, many Bahamians look at Mr Mitchell as an insecure boasting little boy who desires were somehow arrested at age 12. Much like Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Mr Mitchell - to use Brooks words - has already shredded the unspoken rules of political civility that make conversation possible. David Brooks description of Donald Trump aptly applies to Mr Mitchell, ie his vast narcissism makes him a closed fortress. He is what one would call your classic gas lighter, someone defined as stating something false with such intensity and conviction that whoever is on the receiving end is confused and begins to doubt their own perspective. However, Im not so gullible. As that website definition continues, gas lighters are known to deny their own statements, change the subject, lash out with insults, act indignant about the accusation, or turn on the messenger. Clearly, Mr Mitchell will not take responsibility for his nonchalant, uncaring approach to Mrs Adderley and so he has opted to deflect responsibility and attempt to attack and/or undermine my credibility. Surely, he ought to know that the public is too smart to not be discerning. Rather than expressing shame, remorse or simply stating his apologies, gas lighters feign outrage and attack the questioner. And so now we have this counter-story, as advanced by Mr Mitchell on the floor of the House of Assembly, that the family of Hugh Gray Jr has written to him and disassociated themselves from my previous columns. The strange thing about Mitchells new claim is that the family of Hugh Gray Jr was never the centrepiece of my columns; they clearly addressed the concerns of the Adderley family about how Scottie died, the way the MOFA and its agents handled Scottie and his mothers pleas for help (and she pleaded with Mitchell in several emails, he knows this) and the fact that bribes were solicited from the families and sent, via the ministry, to Haiti and handled by then MOFA deputy consul in Haiti Mr Anderson. Mr Anderson was the intermediary. Mrs Adderley and Mr Gray Sr had to fire their first attorney (name withheld) due to his inaction and having been scammed. They then hired a second attorney who handled most of their sons legal affairs thereafter. The legal fees were entirely separate from the monies solicited by, and on behalf of, a Haitian official referred to as The Commissaire (Commissioner). Whats more, Hugh Gray Sr and Rosemary worked together and always sent their monies to their sons together. Rosemary would send her money from Long Island to Mr Gray. Mr Gray would take it to the MOFA and they would liaise with each other regarding who the money was being sent to. Mrs Adderley has WhatsApp and text messages of conversations between her and Mr Gray relating to the money and what portion would be allocated for requested bribes and that which would be for legal fees. Moreover, if Mr Mitchell now claims that Hughie Gray told him a different story from that which I published, one wonders what could have led to that. Today, we are publishing copies of the WhatsApp messages between Mrs Adderley and Hugh Gray Sr, of the messages between Mrs Adderley and Mr Anderson and copies of certain of the cheques. These messages show acknowledgement of the bribes by the parties. We have proof of their telephone numbers and other WhatsApp messages. Mr Mitchell, if he wants to conduct a proper investigation, could simply contact Mrs Adderley and no doubt she would share what she has in her possession. Mrs Adderley told me that Mr Gray has other copies of the cheques as the monies were sent to him from Long Island on behalf of the two friends. According to Mrs Adderley, the monies sent via the MOFA were to pay legal fees and the bribes requested of them. She continues to think well of Mr Gray although she is hurt, stunned and taken aback by Mr Mitchells claim that they disavowed what I previously wrote. Mrs Adderley continues to await answer, Mr Mitchell. There is no need to stretch the limits of reality, no need to engage in further offensive barbs against Mrs Adderley and no further need for mischaracterisations and exaggerations. Mr Mitchell ought to refrain from using the House to attack private citizens, whilst hiding behind the cloak of Parliamentary privilege. Certainly, if he defames me or Mrs Adderley outside Parliament, hell be met with a thunderous reply. Fred Mitchell must cease viewing challenges as emotional causes but rather as tasks he must address in the interest of the Bahamian people. As I prepared this column, I decided to internalise much of what David Brooks said and I leave Fred Mitchell with this reference from his recent column: History is a long record of men like him temporarily rising, stretching back to biblical times. Psalm 73 describes them: Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. And yet their success is fragile: Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. _________________________________________________________ First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here View Adrian Gibson's archive here ____________________________________________________ The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of WeblogBahamas.com (which has no corporate view) or its Authors. A pair of bodies discovered in Kentucky Lake this week By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 25, 2016 | 12:43 PM | MAYFIELD, KY A Graves County man faces drug and theft charges. According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, 58-year-old Richard McClaran of Mayfield was arrested after deputies searched his property on Jimtown Road just north of Mayfield. According to police, a 2000 Harley Davidson motorcycle was recovered that had been reported stolen. A 2002 Harley Davidson was seized that is also believed to be stolen. McClaran is charged with receiving stolen property over $10,000, receiving stolen property under $500, possession of controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was lodged in the Graves County Jail. Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world "The Henderson County grand jury has indicted the owner of Tooley's Cafe on several embezzlement and elder abuse charges, District Attorney Greg Newman confirmed Friday. Quoting from an article on the Hendersonville Times-News web site on Friday... LOCAL D.A. SAYS ADDITIONAL CHARGES AGAINST KIM JUSTICE EXPECTED IN COMING WEEKS; D.A. SAYS MILLIONS WERE STOLEN According to online court records, Kim Ellen Justice is charged with four felony counts of embezzlement and with three counts for exploitation of an elder adult. Newman said Justice is accused of taking millions of dollars from an elderly customer. The indictments were handed down Wednesday, and more charges are expected to be brought in the coming weeks, Newman said. Justice came in contact with an elderly man who would frequent Tooley's Cafe two years ago and formed a friendship with him, said a source close to the case who asked not to be named. On Aug. 21, 2014, Thomas Byrne signed over his power of attorney rights to Justice, according to Henderson County register of deeds online records. Then, over the next several months, Justice began transferring funds from Byrne's bank and investment accounts and taking the money, the source said. There are a lot of sad situations with the elderly and criminal activity, Newman said. If there's enough to support a charge, then the law enforcement agencies will charge someone. After an investigation was completed by the State Bureau of Investigation, authorities determined that there was enough information to bring charges against Justice, Newman added. When contacted Friday by the Times-News, Justice said she did not want to comment on the charges. The spokesperson for the State Bureau of Investigation could not be reached Friday because of the Good Friday holiday. The Henderson County Courthouse also was closed on Friday, so court documents were not available." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Romania is often viewed from a romantic, almost mythological point of view. Most people know very little about its history other than its the fictional homeland of Dracula, or just another former communist country in eastern Europe. But foreign correspondent and travel writer Robert Kaplan firmly believes Romania is a country to be studied, as it sits on the edge of two frontiers where east meets west. With In Europes Shadow, Kaplan provides an excellent primer on the history and politics of this fascinating country, and takes the reader into the possible future of the nation. With 15 other books on foreign affairs and travel to his name, Kaplan brings a deep wealth of expertise to this latest work. He asserts geography has played a significant role in the development of the nation. The country is flat and easy to invade, positioned between the invading Turks of the east and the Christians of the west. Today, the country includes three separate areas Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania and over the centuries forged its national identity by defending itself while maintaining independence from invaders. Kaplan credits Canadian political scientist Gordon Skilling with igniting his desire to visit eastern Europe. After reading Skillings book on Communist governments in the Eastern Bloc in the early 1980s, Kaplan packed up and headed for Romania, determined to become a foreign correspondent. He arrived in Bucharest in late 1981, finding a populace ground down by communism and facing terrible deprivation. The situation would deteriorate by stages: with food, fuel, water and electricity shortages worse than in World War I. Although he had briefly visited the country twice in the 1990s after the fall of the Iron Curtain, he wanted the chance for more in-depth work. The more I had opportunities to write at length about other parts of the world parts I had not yet even seen the more I merely wanted to return to Romania and complete the picture I had been forming from earlier visits. Kaplan notes the Romania of 2013 was much different than the Romania of his youth. Churches were open and widely attended, work was underway to modernize the country with new infrastructure, and there was an increased sense of global contact. Kaplan travelled extensively throughout the country, visiting both large cities and small villages and towns. He believes a travellers journey can be not only spatial but also historical, literary and intellectual. He takes this to heart, including information on Romanian history and the works of several philosophers, authors and artists. He also interviewed several Romanian intellectuals and politicians, speaking directly to the nephew of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, as well as Ion Iliescu, president of Romania after the fall of communism. He is prone to slightly romanticized flights of fancy; for example, he waxes poetic about the books on his shelves and their meaning in his life. But this almost baroque style also helps bring his descriptions of cities and events to life, and adds weight to his observations. Kaplan also visited the region after the Ukraine conflict in 2014 and noted the political context for Romania became even more perilous. Romania was again the boundary where east meets west, and the uncertainty made for tension for both politicians and the citizenry. Kaplan is very clear that he is not recommending specific policies or actions within the region, but notes inaction will have serious consequences in the global geo-political context. In Europes Shadow is not the typical kind of travelogue filled with recommendations on what to see and where to stay. Instead, Kaplan takes an important and much deeper look at the current situation in Romania, and the possible outcomes of the ongoing political turmoil in the region. Julie Kentner is a Winnipeg writer. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) appears to be on track for ratification in 2017, a full decade since talks started on the free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union. There have been hiccups. The investor-state dispute mechanism had to be clarified earlier this year after some EU member states raised a fuss over the possibility of getting sued by investors if they passed certain laws, such as to protect the environment. Their right to regulate was secured, a modification that should quiet some of the critics on this side of the Atlantic as well. Canadas agriculture sector, with the exception of supply management, has heartily welcomed the potential for increased market access to the 27 EU countries. But when a team of reporters from Glacier FarmMedia began exploring how that market access can be turned into market share, they found the implications of the CETA for Canadian agriculture to be much more nebulous. Industry players will have to work together in new ways if they are to overcome the technical, infrastructure and cultural hurdles they face accessing the European market. Twenty or 30 years ago, I think that trade negotiations were like a panacea. If we had the agreement, everything else would be fine, said trade-policy historian Laura Dawson of the Canada Institute in Washington. But what we are discovering now is that trade agreement is the first step. A trade agreement will help to reduce the risk, it will help to provide more transparent practices in the market you are looking at, but our small and medium-sized exporters really need that next step, which is trade-facilitation services, which is how to do business. The technical and non-tariff barriers are huge. For example, increased market access for beef is predicated on that beef being raised without the use of growth hormones, which are a generally accepted and widely used industry practice in Canada. Senior industry officials estimate this country currently produces only enough hormone-free beef to fill one-fifth of the available quota. With the elimination of the U.S. country-of-origin labelling laws, the large-scale operators will continue to focus on the market they know in the south. Smaller operators may lack the resources to take the risk. Another factor is Canadas constrained transportation system, which equates with an inability to quickly and reliably ramp up supply for emerging markets. The recently released review of the Canadian Transportation Act said Canada has failed to strategically invest in a transportation system that will maintain and grow its competitiveness on the world stage. The sector on the whole faces a critical and growing shortage of labour. A new report out from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council says one in 12 worker positions in the sector is vacant, three times the average for all sectors in Canada. And despite this countrys natural advantages, our nature holds us back. As someone who is a trade historian and who has watched these trends, Canada has been largely complacent, weve been lulled into complacency by easy trade with the United States, Dawson said. We havent been particularly aggressive in seeking new markets. Canadian exporters also have a tendency to offer what they have to sell, which isnt always the same as what a mature market such as Europe wants to buy. Another report released by the University of Torontos Impact Centre found Canadians culturally risk-averse and not as driven to innovate as their American counterparts. Lead researcher Charles Plant said both qualities contribute to a lack of aggressiveness in global trade. Dawson said what makes CETA significant is this is the first deal Canada negotiated in what she calls the mega-regional world of trade. These new trade agreements open new doors, but trade wont happen without motivation, risk and perseverance. The courtship was successful. The pre-nup is signed. The ceremony is pending. Now the real work begins. 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 Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/03/2016 (2402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. NORTH NORFOLK, Man. The search for Chase Martens was expanded to a four-kilometre radius around the missing toddlers rural home as hundreds of volunteers and professional emergency workers spent a fourth day scouring semi-frozen fields, shallow wetlands and broken stands of aspen straddling two central Manitoba municipalities. Chase, just two years old, was last seen at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday outside his familys home near the border of North Norfolk and WestLake-Gladstone, an agricultural area dotted with dugouts and crisscrossed by creeks that flow to the Whitemud River. John Woods / The Canadian Press Volunteers search through a ditch beside a farmers' field hoping to find 2-year-old Chase Martens near Austin, Man., on Friday, March 25, 2016. An overnight snowfall is making the search, a race against time in locating the missing boy, even more difficult. Efforts to locate Chase on Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday involved Manitoba RCMP, military personnel from Shilo, the Winnipeg Police Services canine and helicopter units, central Manitoba fire crews, Hutterite colony residents, members of Winnipegs Bear Clan Patrol and hundreds of other volunteers. On Friday, the RCMP also deployed search-and-rescue drones to systematically map the terrain around the Martens household. One of the unmanned aerial vehicles with advanced mapping capabilities was brought in from Saskatchewan, RCMP Sgt. Bert Paquet said in a statement. 400 volunteers Friday Some of the drones have infrared capabilities, but I do not believe we are using this option at this time, Paquet said. Instead, the data collected by the drones allows search-and-rescue specialists to co-ordinate grid-pattern search efforts by volunteers whove now spent days trudging across soggy topsoil, negotiating deadfall and wading through icy seasonal ponds. More than 400 volunteers turned out on Friday, which began with overcast skies and a brisk north wind and a fresh deposit of snow that complicated efforts to find footprints or items of clothing. The volunteers are bused out of a search-and-rescue command centre at the Martens home, located between Pine Creek and Road 72 North, where the RCMP have set up a security checkpoint. The RCMP deployed an underwater recovery team to search creeks and sloughs inside the search area on Thursday, but focused on land all day Friday. At this time, we will continue to search, day and into the evenings, and like (Thursday) night shutting down for a few hours in order to allow trained searchers to rest, before resuming their search every morning, Paquet said, late Friday afternoon, as the sun began to cast long shadows on the search-and-rescue area. The RCMP may redeploy the underwater team if search-and-rescue coordinators deem it necessary to search creeks or sloughs once more. Paquet said it was possible for the toddler to walk to Pine Creek, though the bush is dense between his home and the waterway. RCMP HANDOUT Chase Martens If someone has our son, please bring him home Before Chase disappeared on Tuesday, he was in the yard with his father, who had been loading his truck. Both came inside and then his dad dressed the toddler in his boots, splash pants, hat and mitts. The boy went outside as his dad went inside. Chases mother last saw her son through the window as she got ready to cook supper. The boy was heading around the side of the house. He has not been seen since, and family, friends and the RCMP searched all night, with no success. On Thursday afternoon, his parents issued a plea for any information regarding their son. If someone has our son, please bring him home, said Thomas Martens. We wont be angry, we will be forgiving and grateful. We are devastated to have our son taken from us. Its unlike Chase to wander off the property, Thomas said, flanked by Destiny Turner. Were overwhelmed with support from the community. Anyone with info, please find it in your hearts to come forward. To date, no physical evidence has been found as part of the search for Chase, Paquet said Thursday. At this point, we do not have anything to go on, he said. Foul play has not been ruled out, but it is not the focus of our investigation. We owe it to the family and the community to keep open minds. But the focus is to locate Chase. Not dealing with a confirmed abduction: RCMP He said issuing an Amber Alert on Tuesday night when RCMP first became involved would not have been required. The Amber Alert is designed specifically for confirmed abductions. We are not dealing with a confirmed abduction, Paquet said. He said searchers are showing tremendous resolve under trying circumstances. Obviously distraught, desperate, he said. It is a difficult situation for everyone involved. Most searching are parents themselves. One can only imagine what they are going through the last 36 hours. Darryl Contois, a member of the Bear Clan Patrol in Winnipeg, said he was part of a group of 18 volunteers who searched in the dark on Thursday night until high winds during the snowy evening forced search-and-rescue coordinators to call them off for the night. Everybody has a kid. What if it was your child? My heart goes out to that family, Contois said Friday. No bit of information should be considered insignificant, the RCMP say. The entire country right now is thinking of this little boy. We are doing the same, Paquet added. If anyone has any kind of information that the question whether or not it should be shared with us, give us a call. bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 25/03/2016 (2402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. wfpyoutube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1VtsR6ervU&feature=youtu.be&a:wfpyoutube A famous Winnipeg bird is on the mend in Texas. Beatrix, a rare peregrine falcon from Winnipeg, was injured in a hailstorm last Friday in Dallas. A passerby found the bird on US Highway 75 and brought her to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Hutchins, where they noticed band on its leg. It said, Winnipeg. SUPPLIED Beatrix the peregrine falcon Shes doing fine, said Kathy Rogers, director at the centre. Beatrix had no physical injuries, common tell-tale signs of being hit by a car or having flown into a building, but is experiencing vision problems after being hit in the head with hail. She can see, but its not 100 per cent just yet, Rogers said. Were handing her pieces of quail and shes readily taking food. Tracy Maconachie, the coordinator for the Manitoba Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project, said she found out the news about Beatrix on the Internet. Her picture was found on Facebook, she said. Someone spotted it and made a note of it and I made the call to Rogers and told them they had my bird, she said. Its not the first accident Beatrix has endured. Just days after fledging, she was found at the bottom of the Eatons smokestack in downtown Winnipeg. Rogers said Beatrix has an appointment on Monday to see an veterinarian ophthalmologist. Were trying to get her back up there before the third week of April so she can resume nesting, Rogers said. Ideally, wed like to release her so she can fly back up naturally. Thats the goal. Flying her back to Winnipeg is also on the table if Beatrix isnt game for the 1,300-mile flight. Maconachie said Beatrix will likely have some tests flights in a flight cage this week. She said she has seen some peregrine falcons flying 500 to 700 miles a day, but thinks if Beatrix is able to fly back under her own power, she will take her time. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/wuvb3ctm has been set up for Beatrix to cover the costs of a flight back to the city, if needed. Peregrine falcons are on the endangered species list in Canada. scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobas Progressive Conservatives say NDP Leader Greg Selinger has been caught misleading the province again. The sentiment comes after PC finance critic Cameron Friesen, a candidate in Morden-Winkler, told a group of supporters on Saturday that Selinger and the NDP manipulated federal numbers to hide an estimated $180 million gap in Selingers fiscal plan, evidence they say shows the NDP leaders plans to raise taxes if re-elected. The federal budget has exposed Greg Selingers deliberate attempt to pad the numbers by claiming massive increases in federal infrastructure money that dont exist, Friesen said in a release. This shortfall exposes Selingers plan to hike the PST or other taxes to make up the difference. MLA Dave Chomiak, Government House Leader tables the Fiscal Outlook despite the oppositions attempt to keep Finance Minister Greg Dewar from presenting the Fiscal Outlook at the Manitoba Legislature. The PCs claim the NDPs fiscal update projects a six-fold increase in federal infrastructure cost-sharing, from $52 million to $316 million in 2016-17. They say the number will be less than half of that at $135 million, creating the estimated $181 million gap. The federal government has not officially released how much infrastructure funding each province will be given. Instead, the PCs came up with the figure by assuming how much per capita funding the province would receive based on how much has been allocated to Manitoba in the past. In a statement released by the NDP, the party says theyre standing firm on the numbers they put forth in their fiscal outlook. Based on the federal budget and its commitment to the Building Canada Fund, the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin channels and Freedom Road, we stand by the numbers estimated by provincial finance officials in the governments recent Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the statement reads. Their number of $135 million just doesnt make sense. We are not sure how Brian Pallister made that number up, but were sure that when hes asked he wont have any idea either. Friesen said the budget process doesnt begin on Feb 1. Its a annual process, he said. We made it clear in the Legislature in the weeks prior to this fantasy document that the government produced, that the real budget must be in their office somewhere because the work would have been done. They chose to disclose something other than a budget. You have to ask yourself, why did they do that? The NDP said Pallister and the PCs cant have their cake and eat it too. The Conservatives cant have it both ways: demand a provincial budget before the federal government releases their plan, and then criticizing us for estimates in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the NDP statement read. scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A re-elected NDP government would double the number of yurts in Manitoba. The NDP announced Saturday it plans to leverage the Manitoba Chamber of Commerces 96/4 plan to invest in the provinces tourism industry. Leader Greg Selinger pledged to adopt the Chambers plan, which will see a four per cent reinvestment of tourism tax dollars back into the provinces tourism industry through Travel Manitoba. Scott Billeck / Winnipeg Free Press Greg Selinger, with a slew of candidates and supporters, pledges to invest in tourism. We have the attractions now, Selinger said. You can come to Manitoba now and spend at least a week here, if not more a couple of weeks and do things that are exciting for you and your family every single day. Selinger pointed to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Journey to Churchill as two of the provinces premier attractions. Selinger also promised $20 million in upgrades to Manitobas provincial parks, money he said would come from the governments capital program for parks in the province. Selinger said the money will go to doubling the number of yurts in the province, a new nature playground in Birds Hill Provincial Park, expanding wi-fi access and building more washrooms and serviced camp sites. The promise also calls for the development of new maps for canoe routes and hiking trails for Indigenous communities, including along the Bloodvein River and Mantario Trail. In response to the pledge, the PCs stated in a release that Selinger government had, 17 years to promote tourism in Manitoba and they havent done it. Last week we announced Yes North! an initiative aimed at promoting strategic economic development and tourism in Manitobas northern communities, read the statement provided by the party. We are committed to working in partnership to increase tourism and we have an announcement on this as part of our platform in the coming days. scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its a shocking turn of events, but for anyone closely observing the city over the past few years, it wasnt exactly a surprise: while the Belgian capital had once been known best as a centre for European culture and politics, its reputation had been tainted recently because of links to extremism and terror plots. Those links were hammered home last week when Belgian authorities finally captured terrorism suspect Salah Abdeslam in Brussels predominantly Muslim Molenbeek quarter. Abdeslam, 26, was the last known surviving participant in Novembers attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead. Abdeslam was a French citizen of Moroccan descent, but he had been born in Brussels and later lived in Molenbeek with his family including a 31-year-old brother, Brahim, who blew himself up in the Paris attacks. It had been known for months Abdeslam had travelled back to Belgium after the attacks, but it was only in the past few weeks Belgian authorities got a lead and captured him and an alleged accomplice. While the discovery of Abdeslam was touted as a success, it also appeared to show the number of people involved in the Paris attacks could be far larger than first thought. And worryingly, there were signs Abdeslam and the network around him had been planning more attacks. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) People mourn for the victims at Place de la Bourse in Brussels. Belgium is Europes biggest known exporter of foreign fighters for IS. On Tuesday, it was unclear if there was any link between the French terror suspect and the attacks, but its not hard to see why many suspect there would be. In the wake of the Paris attacks, it quickly emerged the attackers suspected ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was a Belgian citizen. Abaaoud was killed in a raid in Paris just days after the attack. Brussels was on lockdown for days after it was revealed Abdeslam had slipped unnoticed through the French border just hours after the attacks in Paris; even after the lockdown was eased, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned the threat of an attack was still serious and imminent. Prior to the raid that netted Abdeslam, there were a number of other of raids that uncovered suspected jihadists. Much of the attention in the aftermath of the Parisian attacks last year focused on French problems such as disenfranchisement and segregation in suburbs and radicalization in the countrys prison system. However, it soon became clear Belgium may suffer from even worse problems. Molenbeek, an area of northwest Brussels home to around 100,000 people, has emerged as a particular area of concern. There is almost always a link with Molenbeek, Michel said last November. Thats a gigantic problem, of course. The area, just across the canal not far from some of Brusselss more fashionable areas, first began to fill up with Turkish and Moroccan immigrants around 50 years ago. But while the area has seen some levels of gentrification in recent years, it remains a sharp contrast with more affluent areas of the city nearby. Unemployment has been estimated at as much as 40 per cent, and there are many seedy and rundown shops in the area. Often those from immigrant backgrounds find themselves at a competitive disadvantage on the job market as they speak only French and Arabic, when many jobs in the city require a knowledge of French, Flemish or Dutch, and sometimes English. A growing right-wing political movement in Belgium has led to feelings of division in the country. Some Muslims say a 2012 ban on Islamic veils such as burqas and niqabs in public spaces is a sign of their communitys alienation from the Catholic mainstream. Molenbeeks links to radicalized groups has long been known. It doesnt surprise me, because radical and political Islam in Belgium is something that grew up through the years, Bilal Benyaich, a senior fellow at a think tank called the Itinera Institute, told the Washington Posts Steven Mufson last year. Benyaich pointed to the arrival of funding from Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Persian Gulf states in the 1970s that was used to set up conservative religious schools in the area. A decade ago, Belgian journalist Hind Fraihi went undercover in Molenbeek and wrote a popular newspaper series that showed disillusioned young Muslims were being influenced by radical preachers. Despite this, the Belgian government failed to act, Fraihi told the Post last year, meaning there is a whole generation waiting to participate in these actions. People write hundreds of messages on the asphalt at Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels to mourn for the victims of todays attack, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Bombs exploded at the Brussels airport and one of the city's metro stations Tuesday, killing and wounding scores of people, as a European capital was again locked down amid heightened security threats. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) With the rise of the Islamic State terror group, these ambitions found an outlet. Almost 500 Belgium citizens have travelled to Syria and Iraq during the recent conflict, and most end up fighting with IS, making the country the biggest known exporter of foreign IS fighters in Europe. A group called Sharia4Belgium, led by a charismatic preacher called Fouad Belkacem, has been accused of being at the centre of attempts to recruit foreign fighters. Other potential recruits, weary of life in Europe, have made their own links to the group online. While most of these fighters either remain in Syria and Iraq or have died in the fighting, others are known to have returned to Europe. Authorities believe around 100 may have returned, including Abaaoud, the Belgian citizen believed to be the ringleader in the Paris attacks. The threat posed by these fighters and others who sympathize with the Islamic State groups cause has proven difficult for Belgian authorities to contain. The problem isnt just the sheer numbers of potential jihadists. Belgium is also known as a regional hub for gun smugglers, and the countrys bilingual government and culture has created problems for investigators. Belgium is a federal state, and thats always an advantage for terrorists, Edwin Bakker, professor at the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, told Reuters in November. Having several layers of government hampers the flow of information between investigators. There had been hope Brussels could put its links to terror behind it. A recent tourism campaign for the city had asked interested foreigners to speak on the phone to random residents, most of whom were happy to talk about the citys benefits. One of the phone booths foreigners could call was even in Molenbeek. However, these attacks show just how difficult it has been for Brussels to contain the threat of terror. Washington Post Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/03/2016 (2401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jubilant crowds waved Russian flags as homecoming pilots were given fresh-baked bread by women in traditional dress. Judging by the pictures on television, President Vladimir Putin of Russia won a famous victory in Syria last week. After his unexpected declaration the campaign is over, Putin is claiming credit for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks. He has shown off his forces and, heedless of civilian lives, saved the regime of his ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad though Assad himself may yet prove dispensable. He has weaponized refugees by scattering Syrians among his foes in the European Union, and he has outmanoeuvred U.S. President Barack Obama, who consistently has failed to grasp the enormity of the Syrian civil war and the threat it poses to Americas allies in the Middle East and Europe. Look closer, however, and Russias victory rings hollow. The Islamic State terror group remains. The peace is brittle. Even optimists doubt diplomacy in Geneva will prosper. Most important, Putin has exhausted an important tool of propaganda. Russias president has generated stirring images of war to persuade his anxious citizens their ailing country is once again a great power, first in Ukraine and recently over the skies of Aleppo. Olga Balashova / Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP Last week, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian military to withdraw most of its fighting forces from Syria, signaling an end to Russia's five-and-a-half month air campaign. The big question for the West is where he will stage his next drama. Putins Russia is more fragile than he pretends. The economy is failing. The rise in oil prices after 2000, when Putin first became president, provided $1.1 trillion of windfall export revenues for him to spend as he wished. Now, though, oil prices are down three-quarters from their peak. Russian belts have tightened further because of sanctions imposed after Putin attacked Ukraine. Living standards have fallen for the past two years and are falling still: the average salary in January 2014 was $850 a month, and a year later it was $450. Putin was losing legitimacy even before the economy shrivelled. Many Russians took to the streets in the winter of 2011-12 to demand their country become a modern state with contested elections. Putin responded by annexing Crimea and vowing to restore Russian greatness after the Soviet collapse the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, he called it. Part of his plan has been to modernize the armed forces, with a US$720 billion weapons-renewal program in 2010. Another part of the plan is to use the media to turn Russia into a fortress against a hostile West, and a third part is to intervene abroad. With action in Ukraine and Syria, he has made it appear Russia is the equal and rival of America. That is not only popular among ordinary Russians, but also contains a serious message. Putin fears Russia, in its weakened state, could be vulnerable to what he sees as Americas impulse to subvert regimes using the language of universal democracy. In both Ukraine and Syria, he believes, America recklessly encouraged the overthrow of governments without being able to contain the chaos that followed. He intervened partly because he feared the revolutions there must be seen to fail, or Russia itself one day could suffer a revolution of its own. So far, his plans have worked. Beguiled by a pro-Kremlin broadcast media, ordinary Russians have been willing to trade material comfort for national pride. Putins popularity ratings remain above 80 per cent, far higher than those of most western leaders. The narcotic of adventurism soon wears off, however. Since last October, the share of voters who feel the country is heading in the right direction has fallen to 51 per cent from 61 per cent. Russians tired of Ukraine, and now Syria has peaked. Sooner or later, the cameras will crave action. Ukrainians are petrified once again. What does this mean for the West? So far, America, at least, has misunderstood Putins aims. In the autumn, Obama predicted Syria would be a Russian quagmire. Speaking to The Atlantic recently, he argued Russias repeated resort to force is a sign of weakness. That is true, but not as Obama suggests because it shows Putin cannot achieve his foreign-policy goals by persuasion. For him, military action is an end in itself. He needs footage of warplanes to fill his news bulletins. There will be no quagmire in Syria because the Kremlin is not in the business of nation-building. Obama thinks Russia should be left to its inevitable decline. Like a naughty child, he believes, Putin is rewarded by American attentiveness. However, Syria shows how, when Obama stands back in the hope regional leaders will stop free-riding on American power and work together for the collective good, the vacuum is filled by disrupters such as Iran and IS, and by Russia in its search for the next source of propaganda. The West needs to be prepared. It is welcome America is strengthening its forces in Europe. NATOs European members should show similar mettle by putting troops in the Baltic states, which will require a change of heart in countries such as Italy, that see any display of resolve as needlessly provoking Russia. If there is trouble, NATO and the European Union will need to respond immediately to show Russia cannot pry open the collective-security guarantee that lies at the heart of NATO. The biggest test will be Ukraine, a focus of Russian attention and also the country most like Russia itself. If Ukraine can become a successful European state, it will show Russians they have a path to liberal democracy. If, by contrast, Ukraine becomes a failed state, it will strengthen the Kremlins argument Russia belongs to its own Orthodox culture and liberal democracy has nothing to teach it. Alas, America and the E.U. have Kyiv fatigue. Instead of doing everything in their power to help Ukraine, they expect Ukrainian politicians to prove they are capable of reform on their own. That is a mistake. They should be offering financial help and technical advice. They should help root out corruption. They also should be patient. Eventually, deep Russian decline will limit its aggression. For the time being, however, a nuclear-armed Putin is bent on imposing himself in the old Soviet sphere of influence. In Obamas last year as president, Putin, fresh from Syrian success, may well test the West one more time. Distributed by the New York Times Syndicate A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but recently, the wrong name on a campus building will raise a stink. In recent years, students on college campuses coast-to-coast have been raising objections to the names bestowed upon the buildings in which they attend class. At Princeton, student have demanded the Woodrow Wilson School for International and Public Affairs be stripped of the name of the former president of Princeton and the United States for his lifelong, steadfast and outspoken racism. On the west coast, Stanford University students have protested that buildings and landmarks named in honor of Junipero Serra, the 18th century missionary and recently canonized saint, arguing his work contributed to assimilation and exploitation of Californias Native Americans. What, then, of the buildings on Winona State Universitys campus? What manner of nefarious deeds lurk behind the names Somsen, Gildemeister, and Phelps? Well, Stephen H. Somsen was a lawyer... But shortly after his death, the following tesimonial was offered in his behalf by his colleagues: He was an individualist with qualities clearly defined intelligence, independence, industry, accuracy, frankness, courage, honor, fidelity and sound judgement. He had a keen sense of humor and a rugged philosophy of life. He was tender toward the infirm and aged. His regard for individuals depended upon his estimate of character rather than upon station in life. There were many acts of kindness or remembrance on his part, nearly always known only to himself and the recipient... He served on the Minnesota State Teachers College Board from 1909 to 1933, and in 1937, the year after his death, it was decided to name College Hall, built after Old Main was leveled by fire in 1922, in his memory. With the exception of Pasteur Hall named for Louis Pasteur, the French scientist who developed vaccines for rabies and anthrax and the process for making milk safe to drink and the Performing Arts Center clearly named for no one when it came time to name the buildings on the Winona State main campus, those responsible didnt look much farther than the Winona City Directory. Six times the college or university presidency has been the route to architectural immortality. The Krueger Library, Stark Hall, Minne Hall, Maxwell Hall, Shepard Hall and Phelps Hall carry the names of presidents Darrell Krueger, Thomas Stark, Nels Minne, Guy Maxwell, Irwin Shepard and the second man to head the institution, William Phelps who had the more modest title of Principal. In other cases, the accomplishments that earned them notice have faded from popular memory. Consider Miss Theda Gildemeister, faculty member from 1898 to 1934. In the era of the Little Red Schoolhouse she was among the states leading experts in rural education, her book Minnesota Course of Study for Elementary Schools and Manual for Teachers a best-seller in its field. She served as president of the Minnesota Education Association, and in 1964 gave her name to the classroom building that housed the colleges department of education. After that, she was pretty much forgotten. Likewise, Erwin Shepard is best known to contemporary students as one-quarter part of The Quad the Morey-Shepard-Richards-Conway residence hall complex bounded by King, Huff, Sanborn and Winona streets. In life, Shepard was a bit more than a quiet academic, although he did found the National Education Association, serving as national secretary from 1893 to 1912. On the night of Nov. 20, 1863, during the siege of Knoxville, Tenn, Corporal Shepard led a party of three men to put to the torch a house used by Confederate sharpshooters to harass Union lines and in the ensuing action earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Perhaps the closest to controversial among Winona States building namesakes is S.J. Kryzsko, Winona banker and 15-year member of the Minnesota State College Board, serving as president from 1957 to 1961. In that role, Kryzsko made a lasting contribution to the statewide system, promoting the use of revenue bonds to finance residence halls, student unions and other non-academic buildings. Consequently, when ground was broken for a student union at Winona State, it seemed well and fitting to christen it Kryzsko Commons. And its mid-20th century look is appropriate for another reason: Kryzsko was no fan of old buildings. In Winona he was a leading advocate of the clean fresh look, which is a potent factor in attracting retail customers for our merchants and payrolls for our labor force. Everywhere we travel we find constant change in city after city where they are tearing down the old outmoded buildings of another era and erecting instead the new modern buildings which are evidence of present day growth and progress, Kryzsko wrote in 1956. Kryzsko, it should be noted, went on to lead the fight to tear down the old post office, and led the charge for urban renewal that resulted in architectural gems such as the Plaza Square, Wells Fargo downtown, and the Cine 7. Fashions change for the civic look as well as for women. What woman today would come out wearing the fashions of yesteryear? he asked. Would you like it if she did? SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California Gov. Jerry Brown granted 59 pardons on Good Friday, in keeping with his tradition of giving pardons to convicted offenders around major Christian holidays including Easter. All have already completed their sentences. Most were originally convicted of nonviolent, drug-related or property crimes, though they include five robberies and several weapons charges. None are as high-profile as actor Robert Downey Jr., whom Brown pardoned before Christmas. These pardons recognize and even affirm that people can turn their lives around after making mistakes and become solid members of their community, the Democratic governor, a former Jesuit seminarian, said in a statement. A gubernatorial pardon does not erase a conviction, but state and federal law enforcement agencies are informed and the pardon becomes a public record. The states longest-serving governor has now issued 1,146 pardons, including 742 in the past five years and 404 during his first eight years in office from 1975-1983, according to his office. Brown has restored a practice that largely lapsed under his three immediate predecessors. Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger granted 15, Democrat Gray Davis granted none, and Republican Pete Wilson granted 13. Before them, Republican Ronald Reagan granted nearly 600, and the GOPs George Deukmejian, more than 300, according to Browns office. Last month, the Brookings Institute published an economic analysis titled Metro Monitor that introduced a new barometer to measure success in the United States major cities that includes growth, prosperity and inclusion. In other words, a citys overall growth and prosperity may not include all individuals, but just the most highly paid and prosperous. Some cities, like Austin, Raleigh and Nashville, are purring along. Jobs are more plentiful, and aggregate wages are rising. Other metropolitan areas, including Washington, D.C., are in a profound, decades-old economic slump with little immediate chance for relief. The surprise in the Brookings study isnt that theres so little inclusion in cities like Los Angeles and New York, which have small concentrations of massive wealth. The researchers unexpected finding was that even booming cities with more jobs and higher wages lag in some cases, substantially on inclusion. Of the 100 cities studied, Austin ranked second in overall economic growth, but 60th on inclusion. Austin, El Paso and San Francisco all scored strongly on growth but poorly on inclusion. Washington, the heart of political power, did terribly across the board. On Brookings scale, the area which includes D.C., as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland, grew more slowly than almost every major American metropolitan region. Whats crucial about the Brookings report is that the presidential hopefuls, past and present, insist that growing the economy will improve the standard of living nationwide, and will include everyone the poor, the middle class and minority Americans. House Speaker Paul Ryan recently told the Wall Street Journal that the best anti-poverty program is economic growth, the so-called rising tides lifts all boats concept. Failed presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Sen. Rand Paul touted the same approach. Bush said that when the economy gets going, so many challenges could be overcome. Paul, appealing to the minority voter, urged African-Americans to reconsider the Republicans traditional platform that boosts economic growth since it would help lift them out of poverty. Chad Shearer, a senior Brookings analyst and the reports co-author, told the Washington Post that the study shows that growth and prosperity alone are not enough to improve outcomes in inclusion. Shearer pointed specifically to D.C. that has one of the highest median incomes and median wages, but also the highest disparities between whites and blacks. Brookings evidence disputes Ryan and casts doubt on the often-stated theory that more immigration grows the economy and helps American workers. On inclusion, cities with extremely high immigration Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix ranked toward the bottom. Las Vegas scored 86th on growth, 100th on prosperity and 97th on inclusion. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman explained immigrations effect on Americans as it relates to Brookings prosperity factor: Immigration reduces the wages of domestic workers who compete with immigrants. Thats just supply and demand: were talking about large increases in the number of low-skill workers relative to other inputs into production, so its inevitable that this means a fall in wages. Congress adds one million legal, work-authorized immigrants every year even as the evidence mounts that the policy is neither feasible nor sustainable. Curbing immigration should be a top priority in the presidential election because it would allow working Americans a larger share of the prosperity pie, and accelerate inclusion. Jerad Halverson was always into art. Even when I was little, I always had a coloring book, said Halverson, whos still putting his artistic talents to use, but these days his canvas is the human body. Halverson has owned the Atattood Art tattoo shop in Columbus for over five years and recently moved into a new building at 120 E. James St. that will allow him to spread out, display his favorite artwork on the expansive walls and continue to grow. I love this building, Halverson said. It has high ceilings, an arched front doorway and big windows that flood the space with light. His father and brother remodeled it to suit his needs, painting the walls and ceiling, installing four tattoo booths and putting in a wood floor, keeping the historic look of the building while bringing it up to modern standards. Starting small Halverson got his start in another (now closed) Columbus tattoo shop called Electric Ink, which was run by Will Scherbarth. The first few times Halverson went into Electric Ink, he was just a client getting tattoos. But the more he watched Scherbarth work, the more he knew he wanted to learn the trade himself. Scherbarth agreed to take him on as an apprentice, and after six months, Halverson decided to open his own shop, first in a small building on Ludington Street, then into slightly larger digs on James Street, and finally, in January, into his new home, across the street from his former location. He designed his own logo, which is displayed in the shop windows, and is gaining a reputation as a tattoo artist for his full-color, detailed work. Ive been on a rose kick lately, Halverson said. Full color roses are really fun to do. Every tattoo he draws is a little different. He often incorporates skulls or other graphic elements into his rose drawings, and he likes to use color. Lots of color. Todays tattoos are bigger and bolder than older style tattoos, Halverson said. In fact, he often gets asked to cover up small tattoos that look dated, which he can do by strategically placing the new design over top of the old one and using color to draw attention away from any parts that arent completely masked. All of Halversons work is custom designed. When clients come in with a picture of another tattoo or a photo off the internet, he uses it as inspiration but makes his own drawing, in his style. I dont want to be ripping anybody else off, he said. Sometimes I draw. Sometimes I work on the computer on Photoshop, Halverson said. When he wants to show a client a design concept, its easier to mock it up in Photoshop. I can take a rose and bump up the contrast, or darken or lighten it, or add a background to it, he said. His clientele Halversons typical client is a woman between 18 and about 40 or 45 years old. My style attracts more women than men, Halverson said. They like the bright, bold colors that I work with. And girls love roses. The oldest client hes ever worked on was a 79-year-old woman from Las Vegas who wanted to get a big magnolia tattooed on her back shoulder. She was really cool, Halverson said. I tattooed her daughter and her granddaughter too. They came in together and all wanted to get tattoos to celebrate her birthday. Probably his most memorable client, though, is the one who he worked on at a convention in Chicago last weekend who fainted in the middle of the process. What does a tattoo artist do when his client passes out? I just got him a candy bar and a soda and made sure he was all right, Halverson said. The guys blood sugar had dropped. The client was OK afterward, but Halverson decided it was best to call the session done, even thought the tattoo wasnt. Halverson said hell schedule another session with the guy soon to finish. Spreading the word In addition to working in his shop, Halverson travels to tattoo conventions, where artists rent a 10-foot-by-10-foot space, where they have just enough room to do their work and display their art. You basically run your shop out of a booth for the weekend, Halverson said. You can schedule appointments or get walk-ups. Its a really good way to get your name out there. Its also a great way for artists to meet each other, share ideas and sell drawings or paintings theyve made. At the Chicago convention, Halverson bought a lot of his fellow artists work to hang on the walls of his new shop. Were all in it for the art, Halverson said. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Children Celebrate Artistic Achievement at Rhosddu Primary This article is old - Published: Saturday, Mar 26th, 2016 Children from three local schools have taken part in an Artist in Residency programme and have held a celebration pop up exhibition to show off their achievements. Over 90 children, from Rhosddu Primary, St Annes Catholic Primary and Borras Park Juniors worked with Artist Rhi Moxon for three weeks concentrating on food recipes including those available in Tudor Times, international and family themes. The Children used screen printing to produce their work which will be turned into ceramic tiles for display at each school. The Pop Up Exhibition displays how the work progressed through Rhis time at the school. Rhi said: It has been very exciting and enjoyable working with such talented youngsters and they are all to be congratulated on their achievements. I look forward to working with more schools in the future from the Wrexham area. The exhibition took place as part of a wider Artists in Schools project, funded by Arts Council Wales, Wrexham Council, Flintshire Council and Denbighshire Council. On March 23, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) house of delegates voted 486-124 in favor of a one-day strike set for April 1. The action, appropriately held on April Fools day, is the latest stunt in the CTUs efforts to dissipate the anger of teachers and facilitate a new round of attacks on public education. CTU leaders have alternately described the action as a one-day strike over stalled negotiations and continued cuts to jobs and spending, or as a protest against the lack of a budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans in the Illinois legislature. Tens of thousands of Illinois state workers and 28,000 Chicago teachers and other school workers have been working without a contract since June 30. Negotiations between the CTU and the Democratic administration of Mayor Rahm Emanuel have dragged on for more than a year as they seek some way of overcoming widespread anger among teachers. The city has already imposed more than 60 layoffs and three furlough days on teachers and staff to cut costs. As part of its efforts to cover for the Democratic Party and the Emanuel administration, the CTU is portraying Republican Governor Bruce Rauner as the main villain in the ongoing state budget impasse, even though state and local Democrats, supported by the union, have underfunded the schools and pensions for decades. On March 12, the CTU held an All Schools Contract Summit purportedly to organize our power in the school and community and defend quality public schools. As the WSWS wrote at the time, the event was nothing of the sort. It culminated in an announcement to news media of the April 1 day of action, followed by a conflicting series of announcements about what that would entail. Later, CTU President Lewis said a vote to strike for one day would be taken by CTU delegates March 23. A vote by teachers overwhelmingly in favor of a strike was taken back in November, but the CTU has worked to prevent any struggle against the attacks by Democrats and Republicans alike. The main purpose of the summit was to coordinate the actions of the CTU with other unions, including the United Auto Workers, and Democratic Party officials. The unions are also gearing up for an election campaign to back the Democratic Party in November. CPS CEO Forrest Claypool has said that a walkout is illegal, since a mandated fact-finding process does not officially end until May. The CTU claims that cuts the district has made to jobs and working hours constitute an unfair labor practice, as teachers have been without a contract, giving teachers the right to strike. The five-person Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, whose members are hand-picked by the governorthree were appointed by Raunerwill decide whether a walkout is legal. In response to the risk of censure, CTU President Lewis said, We have our theory, they have theirs. Some judge will figure that out at some point. One would be hard-pressed to find a less serious or more careless attitude toward the fate of teachers. The CTUs collaboration with the Emanuel administration to impose further attacks on teachers and on public education continues as negotiations drag on. The character of the negotiations was revealed when the union brought a tentative agreement Lewis called a serious offer to the bargaining committee in January. Lewis made clear that the CTU was prepared to agree to a deal that she said calls for economic concessions in exchange for enforceable protections of education quality and job security. In reality, the proposal included a de facto pay cut of 7 percent through increased pension contributions. After details of this agreement were leaked, the CTU bargaining committee recognized that it would be impossible to push the deal through given the level of dissatisfaction among teachers, and voted to reject the offer. But CTU Vice President Sharkey emphasized his commitment to finding some way to push through Emanuels demands, particularly as they relate to pension cuts. Everything is on the table, he said. The political line being put forward by the CTU is that the budget crisis has to be resolved in order for a fair contract to be agreed on, placing the primary onus on Republicans. However, Emanuel long ago established his record on cutting costs and expanding privately run charters. Teachers have gone through the bitter experiences of mass school closures and thousands of layoffs, made possible by the CTUs betrayal of the 2012 teachers strike. The central question teachers must confront at this stage is the role of the CTU and its parent, the American Federation of Teachers, in subordinating teachers to the Democratic Party, which has led the attack on public education in Chicago and across the nation under President Barack Obama. In an attempt to obscure this basic conflict between teachers and the Emanuel administration, CTU leader Stephanie Gadlin went so far as to ask CPS CEO Claypool to walk out with them on April 1. While Claypool declined the offer, he did express his basic agreement with the CTUs position on pressuring the Republican governor and covering up the role of the Democrats. He said to Crains Chicago Business, While we are disappointed by the CTU leaderships course of action, we share their belief that [Gov. Bruce Rauner] must fix the education-funding formula that discriminates against Chicagos children and poor minority children around the state. The governors failure to fully fund education has pushed Chicago Public Schools and too many other Illinois schools into financial crisis. Many teachers have expressed their opposition to the one-day strike plans. There is also concern a walkout could cause teachers to be victimizedif not by the district when they do walkout, then by the union if they refuse. Significantly, teachers demanded to know why the walkout is on April 1, in the middle of a pay period in which they have already been furloughed and will be hit hard financially. As it turns out, the timing of the walkout is entirely opportunistic: around 2,000 CTU supporters are expected be in town for a Labor Notes conference in Chicago April 1-3, and the CTU and other unions expect them to participate in the stunt. Some teachers and school workers expressed their frustration directly on the CTUs Facebook page. One worker writes, I voted to authorize a strike however I do not support a one day walk-out. I think it sends a bad message to the students and as a clerk I will come back to two days of work and have to stay late (without pay) to get the work done. I take pride in what I do and want it to be done correctly and on time. If we have to strike then strike, stop playing games. Another teacher wrote, This has been setting up since the 2012 strike, since the 50+ schools closed, since the administration changed. We are all educated. Lets not pretend we didnt see a showdown coming. We should have voted to strike at earliest possible date and stood our ground... A serious struggle to defend teachers and public education must be mounted. However, this requires a political struggle against the Democratic and Republican Parties and the profit system they defend. In such a struggle, the CTU stands not as an ally, but a determined foe. The author also recommends: The conspiracy against the Chicago teachers [12 March 2016] Illinois legislators continue assault on public higher education [6 February 2016] On the eve of Chinas National Peoples Congress (NPC), an open letter by loyal Communist Party members was published on March 4 calling on President Xi Jinping to resign from all Party and state leadership positions. The letter presented a scathing critique of Xi for gathering of all power in your own hands and causing the unprecedented problems and crises in all political, economic, ideological and culture spheres facing the country. The letter was quickly deleted from Wujie News, a state-run website, which was shut down for several days. Its owners are the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee of the Xinjiang region, the SEEC Media Group that runs the financial magazine Caijing and the huge e-commerce corporation, Alibaba. An English-language translation of the open letter has since resurfaced along with news that as many as 20 people have been detained over its publication. The BBC reported yesterday that the detainees included journalist Jia Jia, who, according to his lawyer, was arrested on March 15 as he attempted to board a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong. He was apparently released yesterday. An unnamed Wujie staff member told the BBC that 16 others had been taken away, including six website colleagues and another 10 people working for an associated technology company. A well-known Chinese dissident Wen Yunchao who lives in New York claims that his brother and parents in Chinas Guangdong Province have also been detained in a bid to make him reveal the letters author. Wen said he had nothing to do with the letter. It is not clear who wrote the open letter, which, according to the BBC, was first published on an overseas-based Chinese language website. Nevertheless, the content of the letter does point to deep discontent and factional infighting within the CCP amid Chinas deepening economic slowdown and Washingtons confrontational pivot to Asia and military build-up against China. Since taking office in 2012, Xi has concentrated the levers of power in his hands. He is not only CCP chairman, the countrys president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but also presides over six so-called leading small groups that set policy in key areas, including the economy, domestic security and foreign affairs. Xis installation took place amid the arrest and conviction of former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai on charges of corruption. Xi extended the anti-corruption drive leading to the arrest of former security chief Zhou Yongkang, Bos supporter in the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, as well as senior officials associated with them. The Politburo Standing Committee is the top CCP leadership body. The crackdown on Bo and Zhou was aimed at suppressing those within the CCP bureaucracy closely associated with large state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Bo advocated protecting and transforming the SOEs into national champions to compete on global markets. He was also connected to layers of the Chinese military that have pushed for a more assertive response to the US military expansion in Asia. The open letter does not reflect Bos views but those of sections of the CCP apparatus critical of Xi for holding up pro-market economic restructuring and not doing enough to mollify Washington. It accuses Xi of not following the maxim of former top leader Deng Xiaopinghide your strength and bide your timeand thus allowing the United States successful return to Asia, forming a united front with South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries to jointly contain China. In a blistering attack on economic policy, the document declared that Xis leadership of the Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs had created instability in the stock market and property market, allowing the wealth of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people to vanish. Supply side reforms and production capacity policies have resulted in large layoffs at state-owned firms; and the closing of private firms have also led to many layoffs. The letter also attacked Xis signature One Road, One Belt initiative, which is aimed at the construction of a vast network of land and maritime links connecting China with Europe. It claimed the project put a huge amount of foreign exchange reserves into chaotic countries and regions with no return. The letter continued: The excessive consumption of foreign exchange reserves, and renminbi devaluation cycles, has made everyones confidence decline, had brought the national economy to the very of collapse. People want change. The reference to last years stock market plunge is significant. Premier Li Keqiang was closely associated with the panicky response including a ban on short selling and new stock offerings and share sales by large investors. As premier, Li is in charge of economic policy and was centrally involved in drawing up the China 2030 report, co-authored with the World Bank, which set out sweeping pro-market reforms to further open up the country to foreign investors. Li was not solely responsible for encouraging the speculative frenzy on Chinas share markets, but he has been marginalised. An article in Thursdays Australian Financial Review, entitled The cult of Xi Jinjing, declared that Xi had effectively relegated the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee to minor roles. Within this, the biggest casualty has been the technocratic premier, Li Keqiang, who is a much diminished figure after Xi took control of the economy. As well as continuing the purge of those associated with Bo, Xi appears to have launched an attack on the partys Communist Youth League faction associated with Li. Last month, the Beijing Daily branded officials connected to the league as ambitious aristocrats whose self-serving attitude did no good to the party and led to scandals. The Australian reported the comments in an article headed Xi push to remove his rivals and rule for life as another Mao and pointed to a study by the CCPs Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had criticised the mentality league members. The connection of the open letter to the CCPs inner turmoil is uncertain, but it is not alone in criticising Xis rapid accumulation of powerthe theme that is now being picked up in the international media. Last month, Ren Zhigiang, an outspoken property tycoon, had his twitter accounts suddenly shut down after criticising Xis high-profile visit to three top state-owned media groupsthe Xinhua news agency, the Peoples Daily and China Central Television (CCTV)to insist that they toe the party line. He was greeted at CCTV with a fawning banner declaring CCTVs surname is the party. Ren, who has some 37 million twitter followers, shot off a post asking When did the peoples government turn into the partys government? In another he declared: Dont use taxpayers money to do stuff that doesnt provide services to the taxpayers. Ren, who is a longstanding CCP member whose father was a vice minister of commerce, has been attacked by the state-owned media but has not been detained. The CCP leadership is clearly attempting to keep a lid on the affair. An essay by Cai Xia, a professor at the prestigious Central Party School, declared that Rens treatment smacks of a political trial and was erased from Chinese websites and condemned by a party newspaper. Significantly, the newspaper of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection published an editorial in late February hinting obliquely at concern over the response to Ren. Those who succeed in mighty undertakings are always open-minded and willing from the bottom of their hearts to hear different views. The commission chief Wang Qishan, who heads Xis anti-corruption drive and is a Politburo Standing Committee member, has a longstanding personal relationship with Ren. In the Byzantine world of CCP politics, the open letter is one more indication of the acute tensions being generated in ruling circles by rising geo-political rivalry, Chinas economic slump and the growing signs of working-class unrest. Events are taking place across Ireland this week to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising in Dublin. The revolt against centuries of brutal oppression by British imperialism began on Easter Monday, 24 April, 1916 and lasted for six days. Although it was a minority among those who fought, the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), led by socialist James Connolly, led the uprising politically. The majority were members of the nationalist Irish Volunteers, founded in 1913 on a programme of defending Irish interests against Britain by force of arms. In total around 1,600 rebels seized prominent buildings in Dublin city centre, including, most famously, the General Post Office. The rising has been transformed in the intervening years into a nationalist myth, marking the spiritual beginning of the establishment of the Irish capitalist state. The celebrations taking place across the Republic of Ireland this year are being funded by the state and involve all of the established political parties, the trade unions and other major institutions. An invitation has even been sent to the British royal family to send a representative. This official sponsorship has created widespread confusion over the significance of the Easter Rising, which makes it more difficult to draw the necessary lessons from this important revolutionary struggle. A precondition for the proper commemoration of the centenary necessitates a reexamination of what took place and the context within which it developed. World war and the betrayal of 1914 In contrast to the incessant claims that the rebellion was a national event, its roots are to be found in the global crisis of capitalism which had exploded less than two years earlier with the outbreak of World War I. The war arose out of the deepening conflicts between the imperialist powers from the late 19th century onwards. Its causes were described by Leon Trotsky in his War and the International : The present war is at bottom a revolt of the forces of production against the political form of nation and state. It means the collapse of the national state as an independent economic unit By means of the national state, capitalism has revolutionized the whole economic system of the world. It has divided the whole earth among the oligarchies of the great powers, around which were grouped the satellites, the small nations, who lived off the rivalry between the great ones. The future development of world economy on the capitalistic basis means a ceaseless struggle for new and ever new fields of capitalist exploitation, which must be obtained from one and the same source, the earth. The economic rivalry under the banner of militarism is accompanied by robbery and destruction which violate the elementary principles of human economy. World production revolts not only against the confusion produced by national and state divisions but also against the capitalist economic organizations, which has now turned into barbarous disorganization and chaos [emphasis added]. Despite the Second (Socialist) Internationals declared opposition to imperialism and war, the majority of its leaders capitulated to their own bourgeoisie and supported the war effort. Most notorious of all was the role played by Germanys Social Democratic Party (SPD), which having mobilised hundreds of thousands in antiwar demonstrations only days before, voted in favour of war credits on 4 August, 1914. When Britain entered the war against Germany and Austria-Hungary, in alliance with France and Russia, this decision had an immediate impact in Irelandone of the small nations who lived off the rivalry between the great ones. A Home Rule bill, which had been promised for the best part of 50 years following the Fenian Rising of 1867, was pledged in 1912, but met with threats of armed resistance by the paramilitary Ulster Volunteers, which sought to preserve British rule and the privileged position enjoyed by the Protestant bourgeoisie. The nationalist Irish Volunteers were established in opposition to the Protestant paramilitaries as both sides began arming themselves. A rebellion by British army officers, the Curragh Incident of March 1914, in support of the Ulster Volunteers, ended with the Home Rule Bill being enacted, but suspended for the duration of the war, which broke out in late July. The constitutional wing of the nationalist movement, seeking home rule as part of the United Kingdom, saw the war as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to Britain in the hope that securing Irish recruits to the war effort would guarantee home rule on the conclusion of peace. The central figure was John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, which had concluded the negotiation of the Home Rule bill with the Liberal government in London. In opposition, the separatist wing, led by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), remained hostile to Britain. However, class relations had sharpened to such a point that the IRBs talk of a unified national movement against British rule proved to be a chimera. Despite its historic backwardness, Ireland had witnessed the emergence of an extremely militant working class movement in the first years of the 20th century, which was increasingly coming under the influence of socialist ideas. This found expression in the emergence of industrial unionism, particularly in Dublin and Belfast, in which leading roles were played by Connolly and the powerful orator and organiser, James (Jim) Larkin. Connolly, who established the first socialist party in Ireland in 1896, the Irish Socialist Republican Party, was a close ally of Larkin in the pre-war trade union struggles. He became commander of the ICA, a paramilitary force of workers set up initially in 1913 to defend strikers during the Dublin Lockout. The ICA was committed in its programme to use armed force to fight for an Irish republic. The Dublin Lockout of 1913-14 broke out when a provocation by management of Dublins United Tramway Company, aimed at preventing the recognition of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), led to a strike of tram workers in August 1913 which quickly received the support of dockers and other sections of the working class. The ITGWU won support from workers with its militant calls for class struggle, based on using sympathy strikes to extract concessions from the ruling elite and gradually expand workers control across industry. Police responded to protests with vicious repression, beating and injuring workers and their families, and killing several. Larkin, the ITGWUs leader, was arrested and put on trial, but later released on bail. The heroic struggle in Dublin drew powerful support from workers across Britain, who sent shipments of food and clothing to defeat the efforts of the bosses to starve the strikers into submission. But the British trade union leaders eventually succeeded in isolating the strike, forcing workers to return to their jobs without their demands being met. The defeat of the lockout exposed the basic inadequacy of the ITGWUs perspective of industrial unionism, which could not provide the working class with a political means of opposing the opportunism of the trade union bureaucracy, through the building of a revolutionary socialist party pledged to take state power and overthrow capitalism. However, as grave as was the defeat, it was the outbreak of World War I that had the most terrible impact on the development of the class struggle and of the Irish socialist movement. Opportunism and the Second International Any assessment of the Easter Rising and Connollys role in it must proceed from an understanding that had there been a development of a revolutionary working class movement against imperialism and war beyond the borders of Ireland, everything would have taken a different course. But this was prevented by the political capitulation of the leaders of the parties of the Second International and their support for the war aims of their own ruling classes. For this reason, it was Connollys misfortune that the potentially closest allies of the Irish working class, their brothers and sisters across Britain, were misled by the treacherous leaders of British Labourism and the union bureaucracy, who were among the most fervent proponents of social chauvinism. Connolly was among the minority of socialists who sharply criticised the embrace of national chauvinism by European socialism. Indeed there is no better refutation of the politically motivated portrayals of Connolly as an Irish nationalist icon than to cite his powerful writings from the period at length. In the newspaper Forward, a Glasgow-based organ of the Independent Labour Party, barely two weeks after the conflict had broken out, on 15 August, 1914, Connolly declared in a piece titled, Continental Revolution: What then becomes of all our resolutions; all our protests of fraternisation; all our threats of general strikes; all our carefully-built machinery of internationalism; all our hopes for the future? Were they all as sound and fury, signifying nothing? In 1915, he wrote in an article, Revolutionary Unionism and War, of the failure of the parties of the Second International to prevent the outbreak of war: I believe that the socialist proletariat of Europe in all the belligerent countries ought to have refused to march against their brothers across the frontiers, and that such refusal would have prevented the war and all its horrors even though it might have led to civil war. Such a civil war would not, could not possibly have resulted in such a loss of socialist life as this international war has entailed, and each socialist who fell in such a civil war would have fallen knowing that he was battling for the cause he had worked for in days of peace, and that there was no possibility of the bullet or shell that laid him low having been sent on its murderous way by one to whom he had pledged the lifelong love of comrades in the international army of labour. The trade union leaderships and parties of the Second International in Germany, Britain and other countries submitted to the enforcement of strike bans and the vast intensification of the exploitation of the working class. Connolly maintained a vigorous opposition to such conciliation: In the British Empire, of which we are unluckily a part, the ruling class has taken the opportunity provided by the war to make a deadly onslaught upon all the rights and liberties acquired by labour in a century of struggling; and found the leaders of labour as a rule only too ready to yield to the attack and surrender the position they ought to have given their lives to hold, he wrote in his newspaper, the Workers Republic, 1 January, 1916. Were the war to end tomorrow the working class of these islands would be immediately launched into a bitter fight to resist the attempt of the capitalist class to make permanent all the concessions the too pliant trade union leaders have been swindled into conceding upon the plea of war emergencies. However, Connollys principled and courageous response to the events of 1914 was in part shaped by a syndicalist political perspectiveacquired during seven years working in the United States, from 1903 to 1910, as an organiser for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). On his return to Ireland, in 1912, Connolly had united with Larkin both in building the ITGWU and in forming the Labour Party. But the two leaders conceived of the party as the political wing of the union movement, as was the British Labour Party, and it was on building the influence of the ITGWU that they focused their efforts. With the outbreak of war, Connolly maintained that a militant industrial struggle of the working class would have provided a sufficient counterweight to the collapse of the Second International. The failure of European socialism to avert the war is primarily due to the divorce between the industrial and political movements of labour, he wrote in Revolutionary Unionism and War. The socialist voter, as such, is helpless between elections. He requires to organise power to enforce the mandate of the elections and the only power he can so organise is economic powerthe power to stop the wheels of commerce, to control the heart that sends the life blood pulsating through the social organism. In truth, the incapacity of the leadership in Germanys Social Democrats and the other parties of the Second International to resist the pressure to align with their own bourgeoisie was bound up in no small measure with their capitulation to nationalist opportunist tendencies, expressed most sharply by the right-wing trade union leaders. These developments had objective roots in the extended period of capitalist economic growth in the years prior to the war. Vladimir Lenin drew the most farsighted conclusions from the betrayal of the Second International, attributing it to the protracted development of opportunism within its leadership. A 1914 declaration condemning the Social Democrats proceeded from an understanding that the Second International was now dead for the purposes of the socialist struggle of the European and international working class: The betrayal of socialism by most leaders of the Second International (1889-1914) signifies the ideological and political bankruptcy of the International. This collapse has been mainly caused by the actual prevalence in it of petty-bourgeois opportunism, the bourgeois nature and danger of which have long been indicated by the finest representatives of the revolutionary proletariat of all countries. The opportunists had long been preparing to wreck the Second International by denying the socialist revolution and substituting bourgeois reformism in its stead, by rejecting the class struggle with its inevitable conversion at certain moments into civil war, and by preaching class collaboration; by preaching bourgeois chauvinism under the guise of patriotism and the defence of the fatherland, and ignoring or rejecting the fundamental truth of socialism, long ago set forth in the Communist Manifesto, that the workingmen have no country; by confining themselves, in the struggle against militarism, to a sentimental philistine point of view, instead of recognizing the need for a revolutionary war by the proletarians of all countries, against the bourgeoisie of all countries; by making a fetish of the necessary utilization of parliamentarianism and bourgeois legality, and forgetting that illegal forms of organization and agitation are imperative at times of crises. (The Tasks of Revolutionary Social Democracy in the European War, V.I. Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. 21, Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1974, p. 16) From that time, Lenin, beginning with the formation of the Zimmerwald Left in 1915, worked to regroup the forces of revolutionary socialism in a new international socialist movement. Connolly was never able to take part in and have his own views shaped by these essential discussions and conflicts. To be continued A special congressional committee investigating fetal tissue research will soon issue 17 subpoenas on medical researchers and supply companies throughout the United States, the New York Times reported Thursday. The subpoenas will force major universities and medical suppliers to release the names of people involved in fetal tissue research, including researchers, students, laboratory technicians and administrative personnel. The subpoena is a direct threat to the lives of these researchers and workers, who are conducting their work in a manufactured climate of fear, misinformation and hysteria. Last November, Robert Dear Jr. shot and killed three people and wounded nine at a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado. Dear claimed to see himself as a warrior for the babies and demanded, No more baby parts. Dear had been heavily influenced by the release, earlier last year, of undercover videos that anti-abortion activists falsely claimed showed representatives of Planned Parenthood selling aborted fetal tissue for profit. The anti-abortion group used fake California drivers licenses and a fake company to shoot footage secretly at several Planned Parenthoods. Planned Parenthood has consistently maintained that it has broken no laws, that the videos in question were deliberately edited to be misleading and that the health groups clinics legally received money to cover the cost of procuring, storing and transporting fetal tissue for medical research and made no profit. In October of last year, the group said that it would stop accepting such reimbursements. In Texas, this January, a grand jury investigating this alleged misconduct cleared Planned Parenthood of all wrongdoing and instead indicted two operatives of the anti-abortion group. Overall, 20 states have cleared Planned Parenthood of all wrongdoing or have not decided not to investigate it. After the shooting in November, Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, released a statement denouncing the environment of fear promoted by anti-abortion activists. She stated, Weve seen an alarming increase in hateful rhetoric and smear campaigns against abortion providers and patients over the last few months. That environment breeds acts of violence. This promotion of hate and hysteria is personified by Representative Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, chairman of the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. In her opening statement at a hearing earlier this month on Bioethics and Fetal Tissue, she placed the question of fetal tissue research in the context of the Nuremburg Code, adopted after the Nazi atrocities of World War II. She was slanderously comparing the efforts of researchers seeking cures for cancer, Parkinsons and other deadly diseases with the prison doctors in Nazi death camps. Likewise, she suggested fetal research compared to forced organ transplants in China and forced sterilization programs throughout the world. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, stated Thursday, If heaven forbid an act of violence does occur as a result of this list being compiled, the chair of this committee and her G.O.P. colleagues will be complicit in that violence. After the failure of the state-led witch-hunts of Planned Parenthood, the congressional committee formed in the aftermath of the videos is continuing the effort to criminalize fetal cell research. The vaccines for rabies, polio, shingles, chicken pox, rubella and hepatitis A were all developed using fetal tissue. In the 1950s, for example, the polio vaccine was developed by injecting the virus into fetal kidney cells. Research has been conducted on fetal tissue since the 1930s. David Moore, a senior director of government relations at the Association of American Medical Colleges, told the New York Times, Weve been trying to educate policy makers about why this research is needed and why it cant be replicated in other ways. Fetal tissues are sought in a multitude of research areas because fetal cells grow quickly and are more likely to be accepted by the immune system of the recipient. In a letter to the congressional committee, Bernard Dreyer, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stated, Fetal tissue can help researchers replicate human systems that cannot otherwise be replicated. This type of research has helped improve our understanding of numerous health issues including early brain development, neurocognitive disorders, congenital heart defects, Down syndrome and other infectious disease such as HIV/AIDS and influenza. Several medical research teams have reportedly had to stop their medical research work in the past six months that involved fetal tissue because of the pressure from the congressional investigationeven though it has no legal power to enforce any restriction. A director at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine in La Jolla, California told Congress at the beginning of this month that a project they have to cure multiple sclerosis halted. He stated that the research group had basically seen the supply of fetal material dry up completely. German politicians and the establishment media are using the terrorist attacks Tuesday in Brussels to justify moving further to the right. Above all, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is beating the drum for the systematic buildup of state powers in Germany and Europe. The most important preventative is information. We must exchange the information that exists, de Maiziere told broadcaster ZDF. There were still separate databases of immigration authorities, visa authorities, police authorities, the intelligence services, which should be better networked. Data silos should not hinder preventative action, the interior minister concluded. He repeated his demands on the ARD Tagesthemen news programme: There are too many holes on the external borders of the Schengen area. We need registers for incoming and outgoing travel in the Schengen area. He then added, Data protection is all well and good, but in times of crises like these, security takes precedence. According to de Maiziere, Europe faces a common threat, therefore a common struggle against terrorism is now necessary. The leader of the conservative European Peoples Party grouping in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber of Germanys Christian Democratic Union (CDU) pleaded for a re-organisation of European security architecture. No state alone can solve this challenge, he told Die Welt on Thursday. There must be an end to national egoism, with looking away and accusations. The offensive by Christian Democratic politicians is being fully supported by the Social Democratic Party (SPD). For example, in the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung SPD parliamentary deputy Burkhard Lischka called the lack of networking by the security authorities at a European level the greatest open flank at European level, which should be closed as rapidly as possible. His demand: We need better data exchange between ourselves, and a European Terrorist Defence Centre. The SPD representative on the Parliamentary Budget Committee, Johannes Kahrs, demanded a considerable increase in the security services. The 3,000 new positions in the Federal Police could only be a start, he told Die Welt, and put the additional requirement at 11,000 positions. To better secure the borders, 3,000 additional officers were needed, to secure air travel it was 5,000 and for Customs an additional 2,500 officers were needed. The German governments anti-terrorism plans, which were discussed at a special summit of EU interior ministers in Brussels on Thursday, are an attack on elementary constitutional and legal norms. They abrogate the separation of the police and the secret services, which was anchored in the post-war German constitution following the terrible experiences of the Nazi dictatorship, and establish the foundations for a European police apparatus under German leadership. The Left Party and the Greens support this course of action and if their representatives criticise the government, as a rule it comes from the right. For example, in the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung, Green Party leader Cem Ozdemir made de Maiziere jointly responsible for the deficit in European security collaboration. Ozdemir argued that as a member of the EUs Justice and Home Affairs Council de Maiziere could have pushed for a functioning data exchange a long time ago. He insisted that this should now happen decisively, as terrorists and criminals were active across all borders. Left Party parliamentary deputy Martina Renner, a member of the Parliamentary Domestic Affairs Committee, complained on broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that the demand for more data exchange fell short in many places. Often this was subject to reservations and that doesnt help the police very much. What was also necessary Renner argued was classic police work, stating further, And if there are shortages of personnel or technical know-how ... then there should be a conversation in Germany with the BKA [Federal Criminal Police] about what would be necessary to be able to conduct this intelligence work successfully. The claim that terrorist attacks can be solved or even prevented by increasing the powers of the German and European security authorities is pure propaganda. According to a report by the Israeli newspaper Ha aretz on Wednesday, it was highly probable that not only the perpetrators in Brussels but also their targets were known to the Belgian and other European secret services. The first response by the WSWS to the Brussels terror attacks warned: Despite the horrifying character of the Brussels attacks, it is essential that people not allow themselves to be stampeded into new wars and police state measures by the propaganda of the media and a thoroughly degraded political establishment. Everything bourgeois politicians say about the terrorist violence is hypocritical and misleading. The series of attacks by IS in Europefrom those at Charlie Hebdo and the November 13 events in Paris last year up to this weeks bombings in Brusselscannot be separated from the decades of wars and military interventions, which have destroyed vast tracts of the Middle East and destabilised the rest. Anyone reading the editorials in the bourgeois press could only conclude that the terrorist attacks have come at a very opportune time for some representatives of the German elite. In an editorial titled Terrorism demands uncompromising answers, Ulf Poschardt, deputy editor of Die Welt, called for barbarism to be met calmly and mercilessly. This included raising the budgets for domestic security throughout Europe. Germany too must examine whetherburdened by the refugee crisisthere were enough police officers at airports and rail stations. Our security forces must be supported in order to guarantee the security that only makes freedom possible. In a guest contribution for the New York Times, Jochen Bittner, political editor of weekly Die Zeit, combines the demand for stepping up state powers at home with a right-wing tirade against Islam. For the sake of social peace, after the Sept. 11 attacks, and later after the Madrid and London bombings, we told ourselves that Islam and Islamism had nothing to do with each other. But sadly, they do. The result was that there were too few police and intelligence officers. Europe had a common European currency, but we still do not have a common European terrorism database. As a result, the Islamists in Western Europe seem better coordinated than the European authorities hunting them. Bittner pins his hopes on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She should lead Europe out of this dilemma and push for coordination among security services. Bittner using the attacks in Brussels to call for a European-wide increase in state powers under German leadership says a lot about the real background of the campaign. Bittner enjoys close links to foreign policy think tanks and pro-government foundations, and advocates an aggressive German foreign policy. In 2013, Bittner was a member of the working group consisting of leading German journalists, academics, military, business representatives and politicians from all the establishment parties who produced a paper titled New PowerNew Responsibility: Elements of German foreign and security policy for a changing world, which prepared the return of German militarism. Shortly after this paper was released, he wrote a programmatic article for the New York Times titled Rethinking German Pacifism, which advocated Germanys new war policy. He criticized the too deeply ingrained pacifism of the Germans and called for more military action. Under conditions of growing opposition among workers to social inequality and war, the creation of a European police state pursues this objective. Auto workers at Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Tata and auto-parts manufacturers, Bosch, Rico and Pricol, have been involved in a series of bitter strikes across the industry to demand higher pay, permanency for contract workers and decent working conditions. Thousands of mainly young auto workers have walked out on strike, occupied plants and held protest rallies and marches in defiance of corporate efforts, back by Indias state and central governments, to slash jobs, wages and conditions in order to attract global investors. Indias auto manufacturing industry directly employs 7.6 million people with another 12 million in the auto distribution, retail and service sectors. Most of the countrys auto manufacturing is located in three regionsthe southernmost and largest near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, a northern cluster near New Delhi and the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt in Haryana, and a newly-emerging industrial area in Gujarat. The overwhelming majority of Indian auto workers are employed on short-term, poverty-level wage contracts, labouring in harsh and highly-exploitative conditions where serious work accidents are commonplace. About 80 percent of Maruti Suzuki employees are on short-term contracts, 75 percent at Ford India and 82 percent at Hyundai. Indias national and state governments have responded to auto workers industrial action by deepening their collaboration with corporate management and mobilising police to crush the workers determination to overcome low wages, sweatshop conditions and the systematic victimisation of militant workers. On Monday this week Hero MotoCorp auto workers in Gurgaon, Haryana held a sit-in protest in the factorys canteen to demand settlement of a three-year work agreement and wage rise outstanding since last August. Three-year wage agreements have been finalised at almost all of Hero MotoCorps plants. The workers were demanding wage parity with Honda Motor Company employeesthe two companies were previously one entity, Hero Honda. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India recently agreed to a 23,300-rupee ($US348) pay increase over the next three years. Hero MotoCorp management responded to the protest by calling police and breaking up the occupation. On March 23, over 400 Tata Motors workers from the companys Sanand plant in Gujarat state ended a month-long strike to demand reinstatement of 28 victimised employees. While the strikers defied a joint vendetta by the company and the Hindu-supremacist Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP)-led state government, they were forced to end the walk-out after being isolated by the major union federations, in particular those led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPM and the Communist Party of India (CPI). When Tata Motors workers struck on February 22, the company claimed their action was illegal. One week later, the Gujarat state government followed suit and mobilised scores of police to intimidate and arrest hundreds of strikers and force them back to work. The company moved 250 workers from its Pune plant to maintain production and break the strike. A week earlier on February 16, hundreds of police and company thugs were used to smash an occupation of workers at the Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) plant in Tapukara in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan. The occupation involved about 1,700 workers, who were fighting for their right to establish a union and improve their working conditions at the plant. The company responded to the auto workers demands with a provocationan HMSI paint-shop supervisor verbally abused and then physically assaulted an exhausted worker for refusing to do overtime. The industrial action at Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors and HMSI is part of a series of increasingly bitter struggles waged over the past six years by Indian workers against the auto companies, whose attacks on workers are being aided and abetted by the Indian state and central governments. In 2010, police brutally smashed a two-day militant occupation of the Korean-based Hyundai car assembly plant in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Over 280 workers were arrested and jailed. The protesting workers were demanding reinstatement of 67 sacked employees over their role in a strike for recognition of their union, the Hyundai Motor India Employees Union, the previous year. In July 2012, thugs organised by Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) management staged a provocation against workers attempting to form a union at the joint ventures Manesar plant in Haryana. Awanish Dev, a plant manager who sympathised with the workers, was killed in the resulting altercation. The company responded by sacking about 2,000 contract workers and over 540 permanent employees. Hundreds of workers were arrested and framed up for murdering Awanish Dev. Determined to assure big business investors that their profits were safe, the Haryana state governmentthen under Congress Party control and currently led by the BJPmobilised its police to assist the management witch-hunt and crush workers opposition. Almost 147 Maruti-Suzuki auto workers were arrested and held without bail for almost three years. With no evidence of any crime involving workers being established, 112 workers were finally granted bail early last year. Thirty-five workers, including the entire leadership of the then Maruti Suzuki Workers Union, remain incarcerated in jail. In October 2014, auto-parts workers at Boschs Adugodi plant in Bangalore held a five-week strike for a 20 percent pay rise, a refund of wage cuts imposed following previous strikes, reinstatement of victimised workers and permanency for contract employees. The Karnataka state government declared the strike at the German-owned auto-parts maker illegal. Cheap labour and generous tax concessions for international investors have made India a major hub for global carmakers. According to Indias Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the industry attracted $US14.32 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) between April 2000 and December 2015. Suzuki, Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, BMW and Mercedes Benz and Hyundai all have manufacturing facilities in India. The auto industry currently accounts for 7.1 percent of Indias Gross Domestic Product with ambitious government plans to encourage more foreign investment. The current international economic downturn, however, has impacted on local auto manufacturing and seen production targets decline in the past 12 months. A recent study by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) revealed that vehicle production had fallen 1.34 percent in the past year, down to 1.95 million vehicles. SIAM told the media that the auto industry might not be able to meet the Indian governments expected target of a $US145 billion turnover by 2016, and that it may now require a decade to accomplish that figure. Indian auto workers have consistently demonstrated their determination to fight low wages, and harsh and highly exploitative conditions, including the widespread use of contract labour and speed ups. When workers have taken action to fight these conditions, Indias state governments, who are in competition with each other to attract foreign investment, have deepened their collaboration with the auto company managements and mobilised police to repress the struggling workers. The chief political problem confronting auto workers and the Indian working class as a whole are the main union federations, the Stalinist CPM-affiliated Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the CPI-affiliated All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in particular. These organisations have worked systematically to isolate the auto workers and divert them into dead-end legal action and appeals to state governments to intervene on their behalf. In other words, their pleas are directed to the very bodies that have illegalised the strikes and sent police to intimidate and suppress the workers industrial action. The demagogic speeches and hollow statements of solidarity from the AITUC, CITU and other key union federations are aimed at covering up for the reactionary political role played by these organisations. This flows inexorably from the pro-capitalist politics of the CPI and CPM, which have collaborated with the class strategy of Indias ruling elite to make the country a cheap labour centre and a magnet for foreign capital. In addition to providing parliamentary backing to all the non-BJP central governments, which have carried out such pro-investor economic reforms and attacks on the working class since 1991, the CPM-led governments in the Indian states of West Bengal and Kerala, in which the CPI has been a coalition partner, have enthusiastically pursued the same big-business economic policies. The author also recommends: India: Tata workers end strike after being isolated by the unions [23 March 2016] The Factory: Documentary brings Indian auto workers struggle to an international audience [25 November 2015] Defend auto workers victimised by Maruti Suzuki and Indian authorities [6 December 2012] Asia India: Hero auto plant workers in Gurgaon protest Hero MotoCorp autoworkers in Gurgaon, Haryana held a sit-in protest in the factorys canteen at the end of their shift on Monday to demand resolution to their pending wage settlement. According to the Hero MotoCorp Gurgaon Workers Union, which has been in negotiations with management, the three-year wage settlement has been pending since August 1, 2015. Management called police who arrested the accused protest leader Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Yojna Union president Kuldeep Janghu before breaking up the peaceful event. Police charged Janghu with leading an illegal protest and said he would be held in custody until April 4. Hero MotoCorp workers want wage parity with Honda Motor Company employees. The two companies were earlier one entity, Hero Honda. Wage settlements at almost all other Hero MotoCorp plants have been finalised. Gujarat childcare workers demand better wages Childcare workers in Surat, Gujarat demonstrated on Monday to demand a wage increase, job permanency, pensions and no privatisation. Protesters said that they were paid a meagre 4,700 rupees ($US70.2) per month and they wanted a 15,000-rupee wage increase. There are at least 2,000 low-paid childcare workers in Surat city and 100,000 in Gujarat state. Tamil Nadu hospital housekeeping contract staff protest Close to 100 contract housekeeping workers of Dindigul Government Hospital protested in the hospital directors office on March 21 to demand a pay increase. They currently receive 190 rupees per day. They also want provident fund and employee state insurance deducted from their wages. Uttarakhand animal reserve workers forced to end strike Some 150 permanent workers at the Corbett Tiger Reserve near Ramnagar city in Indias northern state of Uttarakhand called off a six-day strike on March 20 following a High Court directive. Corbett Tiger Reserve workers accused the government of only being concerned about the strike after employees locked the reserves gates causing a loss of revenue from national and foreign tourists. The animal reserve employees walked out on March 14 to demand job permanency for lower grade workers. The reserve was established in 1936 to protect the endangered Bengal tiger but has since become a major revenue earner for the state government. Striking Orissa ambulance workers arrested The Orissa state government enacted the draconian Essential Service Maintenance Act (ESMA) in Bhubaneshwar on March 19 after a group of 108 Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (EMAS) workers took strike action the day before. At least 32 of the states 420 ambulances were off the road due to the strike. Two ambulance workers were arrested on Sunday after they refused to follow the ESMA order. A government official threatened that if the workers took any other action they would be disqualified from future government employment. The ambulance workers want better wages, annual increments and overtime payments. The contract employer ZHCL had offered to increase wages by 812 percent based on performance, conditional payment for overtime and an increment next year. Ambulance workers rejected the offer and an Ambulance Employees Union representative said that the strike would continue until union members demands are fulfilled. Each 108 vehicle has three kinds of employees: drivers, helpers and medical technicians. ZHCL currently pays drivers and technicians 240 rupees ($US3.58) per day (skilled labourers) and helpers 200 rupees (semi-skilled). Karnataka paper mill workers protest Workers from the state-owned Mysore Paper Mill blocked the highway in Shimoga, Karnataka on March 22 demanding the government allocate funds for the modernisation of the mill. The workers action was sparked by management sending workers on earned leave for an indefinite period. In November, over 1,100 employees were forced to take leave. While the MPM Employees Association is questioning the legality of the forced leave in the labour courts, MPM began another round of forced leave in February affecting over 600 workers. Pakistan: Lahore doctors protest delay in new service structure Doctors from government hospitals in Lahore held a protest on Monday over long-pending demands that include a pay rise, promotions and implementation of the new service structure which the government had previously agreed to. A demonstration outside the Mayo Hospital blocked traffic on several main roads in Lahore. Demonstrations were also held at Muzaffargarh and Sheikhupura hospitals. The Young Doctors Association (YDA) criticised the government for slashing the health services budget by 15 percent. The YDA wants the budget cuts withdrawn and price regulation of medicine. Punjab government school teachers protest Punjab government school teachers demonstrated in Lahore on March 17 to demand an end to privatisation and performance pay, and the implementation of promotions without further delay. The government is also deducting teachers wages for poor performances of students in examinations. The government has organised a public-private partnership deal and is handing over management of public schools to the Punjab Education Foundation. It will impact more than 5,000 schools. The central and provincial governments have either slashed or frozen education budget allocations. The already inadequate and crumbling service is on the verge of collapse and teachers fear that the privatisation program will eliminate free education in Pakistan. Rawalpindi government employees strike for pensions Rawal Town Municipal Administration workers in Rawalpindi, Punjab district walked off the job indefinitely on Wednesday to demand the release of pensions for former local government employees. More than 19,000 pensioners, including former employees of the City District Government Rawalpindi, have not received their pensions for four months. A government official told protesting workers that there would not be enough funds for pensions for at least another two months. Australia and the Pacific Public sector union cancels industrial action after Brussels bombings A planned 24-hour strike on Thursday by Immigration, Border Protection and Agriculture workers at major airports in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane was called off on Wednesday by the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) in the wake of the Brussels airport bombings. On Monday tens of thousands of federal public sector workers from over 11 government departments walked out over their two-year dispute for new work agreements. Those involved included Medicare, Centrelink, the Tax Office, Defence, the Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Education, Department of Environment, GeoScience Australia, IP Australia and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal workers. Immigration, Border Protection and Agriculture staff held rolling stoppages at international airports in Cairns, Townsville, Perth, Darwin and Adelaide. After two years of negotiations, almost 85 percent of the total federal public sector workforce of 160,000 still do not have a new enterprise agreement. Workers in over 100 federal departments have rejected government enterprise agreement offers that would eliminate existing rights, including family-friendly conditions, in return for a two-year wage freeze and 2 percent annual pay increases over three years. The CPSU and other unions have reduced their original pay demand from 4 percent annual pay increases for three years to between 2.5 and 3 percent with no loss of conditions. Following nearly 12 months of limited, ineffective industrial action, designed to wear down workers resistance to the governments inferior pay offer, the CPSU is lodging a case in the Fair Work Commission accusing the Turnbull Liberal government of refusing to allow department heads to negotiate in good faith. Victorian power workers apply for strike ballot The union representing workers at the Loy Yang A power generating plant in Victorias Latrobe Valley has lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission to ballot members on possible industrial action over a new work agreement. The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has accused AGL Energy of not bargaining in good faith after it failed to attend the last six scheduled negotiation meetings. The CFMEU says that AGL Energy want to reduce workers superannuation payments, cut long-service leave and other entitlements, remove minimum staffing levels and change restrictions on some work practices. Workers are also concerned that various cost-cutting measures will endanger work safety. Salaries under the proposed Enterprise Bargaining Agreement have already been agreed, with workers accepting AGLs wage proposal for a 21.5 percent increase over four years. New Zealand frame and truss assembly plant workers on strike Workers at PlaceMakers frame and truss plant in South Auckland walked off the job on Thursday in a dispute over a new collective agreement. Workers want penalty rates for working more than 40 hours a week and the night shift allowance restored in a new agreement. The FIRST union said that workers want the company to improve its current offer of a 2.75 percent pay increase over 18 months. PlaceMakers employs over 2,100 people at 58 stores and 12 manufacturing plants nationwide. The strike action follows three rounds of failed negotiations. Auckland health workers issue strike notice On Thursday the Public Service Association, which represents over 3,000 workers at three Auckland District Health Boards (DHBs), issued a strike notice to take effect on April 8. Health workers will strike from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anaesthetic technicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, mental health workers and occupational therapists oppose the Waitemata, Auckland and Counties-Manukau DHBs proposed new roster which attacks working conditions and jobs. Health workers held a series of two-hour work stoppages in November to oppose the DHBs joint plan to run clinic and elective services on a seven-day work cycle to compensate for under-staffing. The DHBs also want to force new recruits to sign inferior contracts which include sector-standard time-and-a-half weekend rates. Health workers are currently paid double time for weekend work after midday Saturday. Protesting Fijian teachers ordered back to work Teachers from Fijis Queen Victoria School (QVS), who refused to be reassigned after Tropical Cyclone Winston destroyed much of the school, were ordered to report for work this week or face the sack. The Minister for Education Mahendra Reddy said that if they did not report to their new schools they would be deemed to have resigned. The protesting teachers had been off work for five consecutive days, the limit allowed under regulations. The teachers want classes to be held at QVS for senior students. But the minister had closed the school and said it was in bad shape. The QVS Old Boys association supported the teachers, saying that exam classes should go back to QVS. Its president said the facilities left standing at QVS could cater for students in exam classes. The Greek coalition government of Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) and Anel (Independent Greeks) is pulling out all the stops to implement the European Union-Turkey refugee agreement. On March 18, representatives of the EU and Turkey agreed that anyone who reaches Greece via irregular routes will be deported to Turkey. Only those who can prove that they will be persecuted in Turkey can obtain asylum in Greece. More than 52,000 refugees are currently in Greece. Every day, new boats arrive from Turkey. Until now, refugees could more or less move freely. Many were brought after their arrival to five hot spots on the Aegean islands, where they were registered and provided for. The government has now mobilised the police to either clear the camps or turn them into closed detention centres. Women, children and entire families are not even allowed to leave their barracks. If this isnt a detention centre, what is it? a spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) working on Lesbos told Zeit Online. The refugees are to be registered as quickly as possible and rushed through an asylum procedure so that most can be deported to Turkey. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described the inhumane deal with Turkey as a positive step, which would prevent the worst. By the time the deportations commence on March 28, his government is calling for the deployment of 4,000 experts in order to speed up the processing of refugees. Some 1,500 experts from Greece and 2,500 from other countries are to be deployed. The German government has already sent 200 police officers and 100 asylum experts to Greece. In addition, in the Greek ministry for refugee police, two new secretaries-general, one for the camps and another for the asylum procedures, are to be hired. The rapid and brutal action taken by the Greek government is meeting resistance from the refugees and volunteers. Several humanitarian organisations in the area have decided to temporarily suspend or restrict their work in the camps. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) justified its decision by stating that the camps had become detention centres in the wake of the agreement. The people are no longer allowed to leave the camp, they are locked in, said UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. The UNHCR has therefore suspended the transport of refugees to and from the camps. MSF also issued a sharp critique of the agreement. The only goal of the pact is to prevent people from coming to Europe. Their rights or how they are dealt with play a subordinate role, stated Aurelie Ponthieu, an expert on flight and migration at MSF. Ponthieu accused the EU of deliberately provoking a humanitarian crisis. Europe seems to hope that it can prevent refugees from coming by producing another humanitarian crisis in Greece, Ponthieu said. This is short-sighted and inhumane. MSF suspended its work at Moria, the hotspot on Lesbos, and at other locations. We will not allow our assistance to be exploited for mass deportations, stated Marie Elisabeth Ingres, the country coordinator for MSF in Greece. We refuse to be part of a system which disregards the humanitarian requirements or protection requirements of the asylum seekers or migrants. Volunteers could not be permitted to become complicit in this system. Idomeni The 13,000 refugees in the Idomeni camp on the Greek-Macedonian border are outraged and angry about the new agreement. Many have been living there under catastrophic conditions for three weeks and are not allowed to travel any further. In an act of desperation, two men dowsed themselves in petrol and set themselves on fire on Tuesday. Both were saved and taken to hospital. On Monday, 2,000 people occupied the railway tracks and prevented freight trains from travelling. If you wont give us any human rights, then at least give us the rights you give to animals, they shouted and called for a hunger strike. No food, no water, until you open the borders. Several refugees began a hunger strike to draw attention to their helpless situation. If we cannot leave here, then we all want to die here, some allegedly told reporters. They refused to accept an evening meal and urged volunteers not to distribute any more meals. The atmosphere is increasingly tense. Greek police cars have been stationed next to the camp to intervene in conflicts as quickly as possible. Under these conditions, the UNHCR has withdrawn some of its workers from Idomeni. The people here are hurting themselves out of utter desperation, a UNHCR spokesman told DPA. Other humanitarian organisations have also left Idomeni so as to avoid conflicts with refugees, and volunteers distributed no meals on Tuesday, apart from milk for babies. Aegean islands Police began to clear the Moria camp on Lesbos on Monday afternoon. The detention camp was established last summer and consists of several large warm tents, and numerous smaller tents pitched on the bare ground between olive trees. Dirt and rubbish cover the ground; sanitary conditions were already described as catastrophic in several reports from 2015. After arriving in Lesbos, refugees are separated according to their origin. Refugees from Syria were previously brought to the Kara-Tepe camp, while those from other nations came to Moria. A volunteer with the Better Days for Moria organisation noted in a column for Handelsblatt how tense the atmosphere is in the camp. He reported that the police collected 150 Pakistanis and brought them to a police camp, where they were greeted by armed police. Since Pakistanis are mostly classified as economic migrants in Greece, they had virtually no chance of asylum. Refugees from North Africa are also being separated directly after their arrival on Lesbos and brought to the Samos police station, where they must wait in cells to be transported to detention centres on the mainland. The right to claim asylum is denied them from the outset, an article from MSF states. Volunteers describe chaotic scenes in the camps. Refugees are hardly being informed about their rights or the conditions of the EU-Turkey agreement and fear deportation to Turkey. The Greek organisation Lesbos Solidarity condemned the governments actions in a press release and the barbaric measures of the EU-Turkey deal. They run the open and self-organised Pikpa camp, which mainly supports people who are sick or who have special needs. It is now to be evacuated. The volunteers at Pikpa are resisting attempts to criminalise solidarity groups and volunteer initiatives, and called for two demonstrations yesterday and tomorrow. Scandalous conditions also exist in the Vial closed detention camp on the island of Chios. In a video shot through the camp fence, a volunteer described how the elderly and children are exposed to the cold without any protection or blankets. We are in prison here in Greece, he said. We want out. At Vial, protests broke out during food distribution on Tuesday and Wednesday. Refugees demanded in unison to be let out. The police intervened and oversaw the food distribution. Around 40 percent of all refugees in Greece are children. The new agreement will affect them worst of all. The United Nations childrens charity UNICEF has already sounded the alarm, warning that the agreement will not take account of the humanitarian needs of the 19,000 refugee and migrant children in Greece, and force families to choose even more dangerous travel routes. The New York Times continued its efforts to present the lead poisoning of Flint, Michigans water supply as a racial issue with an editorial in its Friday edition headlined, The Racism at the Heart of Flints Crisis. The newspaper distorts both the factual record and the content of a report released Wednesday by the state-appointed Flint Water Advisory Task Force. That report presents no evidence that racism was a significant factor in either the decision of state and local officials to break away from the Detroit Water and Sewerage System and draw the citys water supply instead from the polluted Flint River, or the nearly two-year refusal of the federal and state governments to respond to complaints from Flint residents as well as medical evidence of widespread lead poisoning and a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires disease linked to the tainted water supply. While the report concludes that what happened in Flint was a case of environmental injustice, linking this to the fact that Flint residents are majority Black or African American and among the most impoverished of any metropolitan area in the United States, it specifically denies that the term implies racial discrimination. Environmental injustice, it states, is not about malevolent intent or deliberate attacks on specific populations, nor does it come in measures that overtly violate civil rights. This does not prevent the Times from presenting the report as confirmation that the Flint crisis is all about race. It begins its editorial by asserting: An important new report makes clear the principal cause of the water crisis in Flint Mich.: the state governments blatant disregard for the lives and health of poor and black residents of a distressed city. But what about the lives and health of poor and white residents of the city, who make up more than 37 percent of Flints population? Was the disregard any less blatant toward them? The editorial goes on to say, While [the report] avoids using the word racism, it clearly identifies the central role that race and poverty play in this story. Here the Times employs a verbal sleight of hand, fusing together the concepts of race and poverty, as if to suggest that they are identical and inseparable. Of course, they are not. A large majority of poor people in the United States are white, and poverty in Flint is pervasive among both white and black workers. Further on, the newspaper writes: [Governor] Snyder did not inspire confidence when he said on Wednesday that he did not know if race was a factor in the Flint disaster, even though the record shows that the concerns of poor and minority residents were dismissed by his administration in ways that would never have happened with rich and white communities. [Emphasis added] True. But as the Times well knows, it would never have happened with rich black communities either. The newspaper is once again identifying poverty with race in order to obscure the primacy of economic status and social class in the Flint disaster. This requires a willful and cynical misrepresentation of the facts. It is a matter of record that white residents were among the most active and persistent campaigners against the poisoning of the water supply, especially in the early stages of the crisis. Their concerns were dismissed no less ruthlessly than those of black residents. In the various protests by Flint residents, black and white workers and youth have come together, drawn into a common struggle by the criminal actions of a political system that represents the banks and corporations. It is precisely to preempt and subvert the growth of class consciousness that the Times, the newspaper of record of the American ruling class, ferociously promotes racial politics. In addition to fueling divisions within the working class on the basis of secondary questions such as race and gender, this brand of capitalist politics serves to provide political cover for and promote illusions in the Obama administration and the Democratic Party. The Democrats have for decades relied on racial and identity politics to obscure their subordination to Wall Street and cultivate a constituency within the most privileged layers of the middle class, black as well as white. Over the same period, the Democratic Party has worked hand in glove with the Republicans to drive back the social conditions and living standards of the working class and increase the share of income and wealth going to the rich and the super-rich. The Times cites the task force report to cover up the bipartisan character of the Flint disaster and place virtually the entire blame on Michigan Governor Snyder and the Republicans. It plays fast and loose with the facts in order to do so, writing, The [Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] failed to instruct officials in Flint, which was under state control at the time, to treat its water with chemicals that would have prevented lead from leaching from pipes and plumbing fixtures into the drinking water. [Emphasis added] The Times omits the fact that the state control of Flint was in the form of a state-appointed emergency manager, who exercised virtual dictatorial control over the operations of the city. It is convenient for the newspaper to make this omission since the emergency manager at the time of the water switch was a Democrat, as were most of the local officials who approved the decision to break away from the Detroit system. The emergency manager and the other Democratic officials were also, for the most part, black. The Times skips over this fact because it cuts across its racialist narrative. Both the Times and the Flint task force report conceal the economic and class interests behind the Flint disaster. It is in reality the result of an asset grab by powerful moneyed interests intent on getting control of the citys water system for their own personal gain. They utilized the emergency manager setup to evade any democratic accountability, while relying on their bribed servants in both political parties to rubber-stamp the scheme. In a column published Thursday, Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes lifts the lid ever so slightly on this backstory to the crisis. He writes: Less clear are the politics surrounding the decision to award a sole-source contract in June 2013 to a local engineering firmLockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., or LANto ready the citys water treatment plan for its planned switch to Flint River water. The task force says the firm did not respond to its written questions. The firm, actually based in Houston, was awarded a contract for as much as $3.8 million by the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA), the shadowy entity overseeing the plan to eventually run a separate pipeline from the Flint area to Lake Huron. Howes writes: KWAs financial model for the new entity needs Flint and its nearly 100,000 residents to be paying members of the KWA, lest the dream of water independence from Detroit be dashed by financial reality. He goes on to note that the task force report recommends that state authorities conduct an investigative review of the development and approach of the Karegnondi Water Authority and the city of Flints commitments to KWA water purchases, which he calls a vaguely suspicious suggestion The Flint catastrophe is a crime of capitalism. It is the outcome of decades of social devastation in Flint and scores of other former industrial cities and towns across the country resulting from a deliberate policy of deindustrialization and promotion of financial parasitism. In Flint, the birthplace of General Motors and scene of the great sit-down strike that established the industrial unions in the 1930s, GM employment has gone from 80,000 at its peak to a mere 5,000 today. The citys population has fallen by more than 50 percent from its high point of 200,000 in the early 1960s. The citys poverty rate is over 40 percent. The decay of capitalism has reached the point of criminal conspiracies by financial oligarchs and their political puppets to plunder the economy to satisfy their boundless greed and steal what little remains in the bank accounts of working people and in the public domain. The model was the Detroit bankruptcy, which roughly coincided with the shift of Flints water supply. That operation, which was applauded by the Times and the Obama administration, utilized a Wall Street-backed emergency manager to set a precedent for appropriating public employees pension and health benefits and privatizing public entities from parks and water systems to art museums. A crime of capitalism can be answered only by a united struggle of the working class to replace capitalism with socialism, which includes the nationalization of the utilities along with the banks and major corporations and their transformation into publicly owned entities under the democratic control of the working class. An estimated 10,000 East Timorese rallied in the countrys capital, Dili, last Wednesday against the Australian governments continued refusal to negotiate permanent maritime boundaries between the two states. The demonstration involved a significant proportion of Dilis 200,000 residents, and was among the largest public mobilisations in East Timor since the former Portuguese colony and Indonesian territory received formal independence in 2002. This reflects mounting anger among ordinary Timorese over Canberras theft of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea. Banners and signs read: We dont need your aidwe need our oil back! Hands off Timors Oil and Permanent, fair maritime boundaries. Australian imperialisms record in the Timor Sea is one of unrestrained criminality. After the Indonesian invasion of Timor in 1975, which was backed by the Whitlam Labor government, the Hawke Labor government signed a deal with the Suharto junta securing Australian oil and gas companies access to lucrative energy reserves, including in the massive Greater Sunrise underwater field. Australian policy shifted gears after Suhartos downfall in 1998it backed a referendum on independence in 1999 and launched a military intervention on bogus humanitarian groundsas a means of protecting its oil and gas interests. In 2002 and in 2006, Canberra organised a series of dirty tricks and provocations during maritime boundary negotiations, ensuring that Timorese officials agreed to leave the boundary an unresolved matter while dividing the energy revenues generated in the Timor Sea. A second military intervention in 2006 sought to fashion a regime in Dili more amenable to Australian interests. Canberra also withdrew its recognition of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), preventing Timor from having an international court arbitrate a permanent border. With staggering hypocrisy, current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is now demanding that China respect a rules based order in the South China Sea and respect UNCLOS as part of his governments support for the aggressive US-led drive to contain Beijings influence in the Asia-Pacific. The contradiction between Canberras positions on the South China Sea and the Timor Sea is another example of how the imperialist powers either promote or dismiss international law depending on which stance advances their predatory interests. The Timorese ruling elite has revived the issue of the maritime border with Australia amid a mounting crisis wracking the so-called independent state. East Timor is the most oil-dependent state in the world, with more than 90 percent of public revenue generated from the Bayu-Undan field in the Timor Sea. Reserves are running out, however, and while estimates vary, it is widely expected that there will be no more extractable oil or gas within a decade. Plunging oil and gas prices on the world market are exacerbating the crisis. Timors $16 billion sovereign wealth Petroleum Fund last year saw a slight decline in its valuethe first time since the funds creation that it failed to increase its holdings. The government is spending significant funds on infrastructure projects geared towards attracting international investors. It has also expanded certain welfare and subsidy programs, which, though still meagre, have helped to contain social unrest in the impoverished country. All of this, however, is now in question. Unless the enormous Greater Sunrise field is brought online, the Timorese state faces bankruptcy and collapse. Under the current bilateral treaty, Australia and Timor are to share 50-50 any oil and gas revenues generated from Greater Sunrise, despite approximately 80 percent of the area belonging to Timor under the internationally-recognised principle of establishing maritime borders halfway between the land masses of neighbouring countries. The Australian government and Australias Woodside Petroleum, which has the rights over the field, have both refused Timorese demands for the construction of a pipeline from Sunrise to Timor, and the construction of oil and gas processing facilities in the small country. The Bayu-Undan reserves are piped to and processed in the northern Australian city of Darwin. Amid widespread youth unemployment, the Dili government is desperate for the employment and other downstream benefits from processing the Sunrise reserves in Timor. The Dili demonstration last Wednesday was backed by the government as part of its strategy to pressure the Australian government for concessions. The rally was widely advertised on state television, and through large billboards featuring former Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who now serves as the governments minister for planning and investment and is also the chief negotiator for maritime boundaries. Representatives of parties in the so-called national unity government spoke at the rally, including from Fretilin (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor) and Gusmaos CNRT (National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction). The Timorese diaspora also helped organise smaller rallies outside Australian embassy offices in South East Asia and in several European countries. The campaign has involved social media, with the #MedianLineNow hashtag demanding an equidistant border between Australia and Timor, as consistent with international law. East Timorese Prime Minister Rui Araujo wrote to Turnbull on February 1, formally requesting the reopening of maritime border negotiations. Turnbull dismissed this, with the Australian Associated Press reporting that the Australian prime minister had said that he was open to general talks on bilateral issues and trade but not on the border issue and that existing resource-sharing arrangements met international obligations. Australian imperialisms intransigent stance triggered ructions in Dili within the countrys tiny well-off elite. Timorese President Taur Matan Ruak is in conflict with the national unity government. Last December he unsuccessfully attempted to veto the governments budget, on the grounds that spending was too high. Ruak has also blocked the reappointment of Major-General Lere Anan Timur as head of the Defence Force. Last month, Gusmao convened a meeting of CNRT, Fretilin, and other government parliamentarians, reportedly to discuss impeaching Ruak for what they allege is unconstitutional interference in the defence force. Ruak responded with a speech in parliament, warning that the government could be overthrown amid growing anger among ordinary Timorese. He declared that he had received numerous complaints concerning privileges granted to our brothers, Xanana [Gusmao] and Mari [Alkatiri, Fretilin leader], family members and friends regarding contracts signed with the state There is widespread discontent over the granting of privileges. Suharto was overthrown by his family. Too many privileges! The author also recommends: East Timorese prime minister resigns, national unity government formed [10 February 2015] More than 80 percent of the Yemeni population is confronting a desperate humanitarian catastrophe as the US-backed Saudi war against Yemen, launched in March 2015 as Operation Decisive Storm, enters its second year. Half of Yemens 22 provincial divisions face famine conditions. Some 20 million Yemenis are without reliable access to the most basic goods and services, including food, water and sanitation. More than 2.5 million have been displaced, 6,400 killed, and 30,000 wounded during the Saudi-led campaign, according to the latest UN statistics. Humanitarian groups reduced food rations by 75 percent as a result of a massive shortfall in funds. The international community has provided only 12 percent of the $1.8 billion in aid requested by the UN. The year-long Saudi war has targeted Yemens population and social infrastructure as a whole, producing a sociocide easily comparable to those perpetrated against Iraq and Libya by the US and European powers. The US-backed Saudi forces routinely have targeted civilian areas throughout the war. A January UN report found that bombing of civilian targets has been widespread and systematic. Saudi planes have carried out at least 119 bombing missions against civilian targets that constituted violations of international law, according to the UN panel. Saudi strikes killed more than 150 civilians in the past few weeks alone, according to UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein. Human Rights Watch and the UN have separately documented multiple cases of illegal cluster bombs usage by Saudi forces against civilian areas. As a result of this bloody onslaught nearly 2 million Yemeni children have lost access to education and more than 600 medical facilities have ceased operations. For all the bloodshed and destruction, the US-backed Saudi coalition has failed to achieve its utterly reactionary objective of restoring the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Hadi, a US-Saudi puppet imposed through a stage-managed democratic transition, was himself brought to power in an effort to stabilize the country amid the mass struggles that rocked the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The ferocity of the violence against Yemen is an expression of the countrys immense geopolitical significance. Hadis overthrow by the sectarian Houthi militia movement threatened to break the US-Saudi grip over a country which, despite its poverty, is essential to the world strategy of US imperialism. Yemens coastline overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb straits, which enable passage of 3.2 million barrels of oil per day between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The straits are among the most crucial commercial chokepoints globally, and are central to Washingtons plans for war against China, which include plans to blockade and strangle the Chinese economy. Chinas Maritime Silk Road commercial corridor relies on the straits as its only seaborne access to European markets, a fact which explains the positioning of Beijings first naval base in Djibouti, directly across the critical waterway. The Chinese leadership signed a deal with Djibouti in January aimed at making the country a hub for Chinese companies. In early April 2015, just days after the start of the Saudi war, China deployed its first naval patrol to Yemen. In May 2015, a Chinese squadron including 800 soldiers deployed to the neighboring Gulf of Aden. The Saudi-led war has pushed the entire region closer to the brink of a general war. Riyadh used the war to rally the core of its new anti-Iranian military alliance, and to prepare expanded operations in Syria, Iraq, and ultimately against Iran itself. Last month, the regime launched its largest ever war drills, codenamed Operation Northern Thunder, which included hundreds of thousands of troops from the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania and Mauritius, and a panoply of advanced weapons systems purchased from US arms suppliers. US imperialism bears ultimate responsibility for the destruction of Yemen. From the first days of the war US aircraft have been providing mid-air refueling in support of the Saudi coalition bombing runs, and US military and intelligence officers advised Saudi counterparts on target selection and strategy from a joint planning center in the Saudi capital. The ongoing slaughter in Yemen illustrates quite starkly that there are no limits to the barbarism which the US ruling class is prepared to employ in its efforts to control the entire planet. 6 years, 6 months ago QPD Stacy Luker reported damage to a Kohl's truck while parked at 2/York on 3-7-16 between 2015 hours and 2100 hours. A window to the tractor cab was broken out. No firm suspect info. Vicky Meyers reported someone stole some medication from a bag that was left in the ICU waiting room at Blessing hospital. The incident happened on 3-8-16 between 0100 and 0130. Clyde D. Boernson (26) of 4313 Harvey Street, and Tia S. Jackson (24) of 4317 Harvey Street, were both arrested in relation to a Burglary to a Motor Vehicle that occurred during the overnight hours of 3/25. Boernson was lodged for Burglary, Jackson for Obstructing Justice. Aaron G. Stevens of Steven's Electric reports the theft of a 16' Vermeer, 1979 flatbed trailer, from in front of their business sometime in the last couple weeks. Casey D Johnson (21) 838 S 18th St. for disobeying traffic control device and operating uninsured vehicle at 6th and Broadway on 3-24-16. NTA Jeanette Fisk (63) 210 Kentucky St. for trespassing at 1000 Maine (Heartland Saloon) on 3-24-16. NTA Ryan P Brinks (28) 210 E Perkins Payson, IL for improper lane usage at 12th and Oak on 3-22-16. Cash bond Karen A Pfeifle (29) 1257 1/2 5th Ave Cedar Rapids, IA for operating uninsured vehicle at 10th and Vermont on 3-24-16. NTA Blake M Ebbing (21) 1130 S. 16th for Improper lane usage in the 1000 block of State on 3-24-16. PTC Angela J Massingill (42) 509 S. 9th St. for possession of methamphetamine, driving while license suspended, suspended registration for mandatory insurance violation, and one headlight at 9th and Broadway on 3-24-16. Lodged Erika M Nichols (30) 2728 Chestnut St. for domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence at 2728 Chestnut on 3-24-16. Lodged Michael A Bloodson (33) 400 South 7th Apt. E on a warrant for Unlawful delivery of a controlled substance at 400 S. 7th on 3-25-16. Lodged Justin W. Lane (20) 1289 Lake Shore Dr. for driving under the influence, possession of controlled substance, and possession of methamphetamine at 5th and College on 3-24-16. Lodged Alexis D Kaufman (24) 2100 S. 8th St. on a warrant for FTA-obstructing identification at 5th and Oak on 3-24-16. Lodged Ricky T. Green, 34, Quincy on an outstanding Adams County Warrant for FTA-Improper Use of Registration. Lodged Mary Parker reports her residence at 628 Lind was entered on 3- 11-16 and shoes, a PS4, and a dog were stolen. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Bills adding new restrictions on abortion clinics and expanding the use of medical marijuana were signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The two were among 68 bills Scott signed into law on Friday. The abortion legislation (HB 1411) mirrors what is being challenged in court in other states including Texas. It prohibits state money for any service by an organization that also provides abortions. It will affect half a dozen clinics, including Planned Parenthood facilities that serve the poor under Medicaid and other federal programs. The medical marijuana bills (HB 307 and 1313) expand its use to terminal patients along with the possibility of adding more distributing organizations. Scott did veto his first bill this year (HB 1355), which would have created the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority and allowed the five-person board to be compensated. Similar boards do not pay members. What do young Jews from the United States, who see Israel primarily in the news, think about it? Not that much. Knives on the streets, social gaps, a high cost of living, and declarations of war against Reform and Conservative Jews. If they are considering making aliyah, it's thanks to true Zionist ideology, and yet, they are still worried about the security situation, the economy and the state of democracy in Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter To see how much our elected officials are willing to help and encourage young Americans who are indecisive about immigrating to Israel - we turned to dozens of our lawmakers from the different factions in the Knesset. We wanted to see to what extent they are aware of the issues that worry the Jews in the Diaspora, and how accessible they are to queries addressed by young people seeking to make aliyah, which is, to use cliches, the essence of Zionism. We asked to interview them for one of the Jewish student papers at one of the largest universities in the United States. We told them that an aliyah conference was recently held at the university, where students considering immigrating to Israel were given the opportunity to discuss issues that concerned them about life in Israel. Trying to interview MKs in English X The first difficulty was encountered was in accessibility to the public: Out of the 65 MKs we tried to contact numerous times (from all political parties in the parliament), only 37 answered the call. All the ultra-Orthodox MKs we contacted refused to be interviewed, in part because the appeal was made by a woman. But the biggest obstacle was language: 14 MKs were unable to speak English, or refused to be interviewed for that reason. Add to that the fact that an inquiry by ultra-Orthodox website Kikar HaShabbat" found that nine out of 13 ultra-Orthodox MKs are not fluent in English, meaning at least 23 parliamentarians are unable to have a basic conversation in English. Eight MKs personally answered the phone call, but were not interviewed, with five of them saying it was because they were not fluent in English: David Bitan (Likud), Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beytenu), Yaakov Margi (Shas), Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi) and Yoav Ben-Tzur (Shas). Three responded in excellent English, and referred us to their spokesperson or deferred due to scheduling reasons: Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union), Jamal Zahalka (Joint List), and Michal Rozin (Meretz). MK David Bitan (Photo: Knesset spokesperson) MK Sofa Landver (Photo: George Ginsberg) MK Bezalel Smotrich (Photo: Gil Yohanan) Twenty-one spokespersons turned down the interview offer, or promised an answer and then never called back, with six of them admitting that the MK does not know how to speak English: David Amsalem (Likud), Yoel Razvozov (Yesh Atid) - who takes private lessons in English, Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi), Yisrael Katz (Likud), Tali Ploskov (Kulanu) and Moti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi). MK David Amsalem (Photo: Moti Kimchi) MK Motti Yogev (Photo: Yaron Brener) MK Tali Ploskov (Photo: Oron Dov) Health Minister Yaakov Litzman's spokesman could not speak English himself. Litzmans English, by the way, is not bad at all. The other nine Orthodox MKs who failed Kikar HaShabbats survey are Aryeh Deri (Shas), Meshulam Nahari (Shas), Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), Uri Maklev (UTJ), David Azulai (Shas), Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas), Meir Porush (UTJ), Yisrael Eichler (UTJ) and Eliezer Moses (UTJ). Thirteen other MKs declined the interview citing scheduling conflicts, or simply stopped answering the phone or responding to messages: Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid), Haim Yellin (Yesh Atid), Yoav Kish (Likud), Gila Gamliel (Likud), Oren Hazan (Likud), Nava Boker (Likud) and Anat Berko (Likud). Only nine MKs agreed to be interviewed and answer questions that concern young American Jews, less than a fifth of the MKs we approached. The most successful interview was held with MK Avraham Neguise from the Likud party, who redeemed the dignity of the Immigrant Absorption Committee. He spoke almost perfect English, and delivered an ardent Zionist message. We asked him about a family of two students with master's degrees, who are concerned that even if they can find a job with a similar income to what they are currently making in the United States, it will still take them almost a decade to buy a home. MK Avraham Neguise (Photo: Gil Yohanan) Naguise: "This is exactly why the Absorption Ministry exists. It is responsible for absorbing new immigrants and helping them integrate into society. Be it is housing, employment, education, health and welfare. The government is ready to absorb millions of immigrants. I will tell you my story. I grew up as a shepherd in Ethiopia, I immigrated to Israel 31 years ago. I got an equal opportunity for education in Israel. While in Ethiopia I graduated from high school, here in Israel, I have five degrees, and I'm a legislator in Israel. I am one of the millions who settled here successfully." Another Knesset member who spoke English fluently is MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin from the Zionist Union, who was asked about concerns over the security situation. "Israel is a very safe place to live in. When it comes to other issues of personal security, such as crime, Israel surpasses other countries. Of course it would be better when the situation in the region calms down, but I am raising three children here that I have no intention of raising elsewhere. They live a peaceful and pleasant life here." MK Nahmias-Verbin (Photo: Gil Yohanan) Likud MK Yaron Mazuz asked to be interviewed only in writing. He was asked to respond to one of the students, who is afraid to immigrate to Israel after discovering that one of his relatives, who is a theater actress in Israel, was included in right-wing NGO Im Tirtzu's "plants" campaign. The student said he is against the occupation and wondered if he could express his views freely in the State of Israel. "He is more than welcome to make aliyah," Mazuz said. "Israel is are one of the biggest supporters of the freedom of speech and the freedom to express any opinion, so long as it does not endanger national security. The problem raised by the student is part of the dark side of globalization and free media, but there are also many advantages." MK Aida Touma-Suleiman from the Joint List responded immediately to the request for an interview. She was eloquent, courteous and displayed a rich English vocabulary. Her comments are probably less pleasant for Israelis who are in political center to hear. Assuming that Arab MKs will be less interested in encouraging Jewish immigration, we asked her to talk to us about the proposed Suspension Act and the declaration made by some of her colleagues in support of Hezbollah. When asked about Balad and Hadash's (factions within the Joint List party - ed.) recent condemnation of a decision by Gulf nations to label Hezbollah as terrorist organization, Touma-Suleiman replied: "First of all, the condemnation was against Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region who support organizations such as the Nusra Front. In our opinion, these countries do not have the right to determine who is a terrorist and who is not. Saudi Arabia financially supports ISIS. "On the other hand, I understand that there is a particular sensitivity to this issue on the Israeli side, but as a woman living in a place that suffered Hezbollahs bombardment, when there was a need to condemn the bombing of a civilian population, we were the first to do so. And when it was necessary to condemn the Israeli government - we did that too. I believe that this gives us the right to make complex observations, since the situation is complex." MK Masud Ghnaim from the Joint List also immediately responded to the request for interview, and gave clear and to-the-point answers. When asked whether his party members will follow up on their threat to resign from the Knesset if the Suspension Act passes, he said: "It was said more as a form of protest designed to show how serious we consider this bill to be. Ultimately, if the bill passes, we will sit together and decide what to do. The statement was made to show the coalition that it has gone a step too far with anti-democratic legislation, it violates the freedom of expression." Among those seeking to improve their mastery of the English language is Itzik Shmuli from the Zionist Union. He understood the questions, but gave cumbersome answers, and found it difficult to get his message across. "Of course we have to solve the conflict with our neighbors," he said on the issue of security. "I believe that if the Palestinians future is good, then our future will be even better. But reducing the conflict to the story of good versus evil is simplifying the situation and that's not smart. We need to reach an agreement with the Palestinians and separate if we want to protect the vision of a democratic and Jewish state. But sometimes there is frustration in Israel, as Israelis feel that people in many countries don't understand the complexity of the conflict, and I say this as an enthusiastic supporter of the two-state solution." Likud MK Miki Zohar could do with some work. While he demonstrated great confidence, it unfortunately didn't match his level of English. In response to a question from a Jewish student who opposes the occupation, Zohar said: "The Jewish nation cannot be occupying its own country. This is the Jewish state, and it was created 3,500 years ago. We don't think there should be a Palestinian state, there's only one state and that is the State of Israel. We need to maintain this situation until the end of time. We are willing that the Palestinians live here because they were born here. But they cannot establish their own state here. We want to live alongside them in peace, but not on their terms." MK Miki Zohar (Photo: Gil Yochanan) Are you talking about a one-state solution? "Yes. The Palestinians must understand that if they want war, they will lose. If they want peace, we will live here together." Another issue concerning some students is the attitude towards non-Orthodox Jews. One student is afraid to immigrate because she would not be able to get married here. "In Israel, there's no problem being non-Orthodox, most people here are not Orthodox. The problem is with those who want to be Reformists. If you are a Reformist and you are trying to change the Jewish culture and create a new culture, that is a problem, but if you're merely non-orthodox, it's absolutely fine, you can be an atheist." The definition of "non-Orthodox" refers to Reformists and Conservatives. "It is okay to be non-Orthodox, but it is not okay to try and change the 3,500-year-old Jewish culture. They can be non-Orthodox, but it may be harder for them to live here if they are Reformists or Conservatives. But again, most people in Israel are not Orthodox and they live here just fine." Two of the interviews were conducted as a game of telephone. The interview with MK Nissan Slomiansky of Bayit Yehudi was done with the help of an interpreter. Unfortunately, the questions were translated carelessly, while MK Slomianskys answers were also not translated accurately. For example, he was asked a fairly detailed question about the security situation, which was condensed in Hebrew in She's asking if it is safe here." "Tell her it is very safe here," said Slomiansky, "and that the land of Israel was acquired through suffering, meaning if we hadn't been willing to pay the price, we wouldn't have the land of Israel, like the price paid by those in the United States ... the price paid to establish the United States. But emphasize it is very safe," Slomiansky said to his spokesman in Hebrew. The translation from the spokesperson was a little different, "He said the founders of the state fought for the country and unfortunately, we have to sacrifice for the nation. The world is not perfect, as you can see in the news. But life goes on, I for example live in Jerusalem, and sometimes it is safer here more than in the US." Another Knesset member who was interviewed in this manner was Mickey Levy. The entire interview was conducted while Levy was voting at the Knesset. The spokesperson translated the question, Mickey voted, called after a few minutes, and so on. The problem? This was more of an interview with the spokesperson than with the MK. Levy gave the spokesperson speaking points, ran to vote, and left the spokesperson to formulate his own creative position. MK Mikey Levy (Photo: Gil Yohanan) For example, when asked about non-Orthodox marriages, he said: "It is true that Israel has no freedom of civil marriage, but the discourse has been very progressive in recent years. We do not believe there's going to be civil marriage in Israel, but hope to have a civil partnership agreement equivalent to marriage, perhaps not in the current government, but at least in one of the governments that follow." Someday, this spokesperson will give great interviews as a member of Knesset. Tel Aviv and the high-tech industry are synonymous with one another, each driving and sustaining the others growth. For years Israels best known industry has benefited from young soldiers leaving the army with newly-developed skills they hope to put to use in the hip beach city, giving credence to the image of the soldier-turned-computer engineer enjoying the good life in the city otherwise known as the bubble. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter This might be about to change in the face of efforts by Israels Ministry of Economy and Industry to encourage high-tech companies to work out of Nazareth, the capital of Israeli Arab culture and a world away from Tel Aviv. Nazareth, Photo: Zoomout Its a move that could benefit both the high-tech industry and the countrys 1.6 million Arab citizens, insiders said. (The industry) needs more than 5000 engineers every year. Some people in the government said they could bring people from abroad to work in Israel. We said we have the human resources here, in the Arab community, Sami Saadi, co-founder and co-CEO of Tsofen, a company aimed at boosting the number of Arabs in the industry, told The Media Line. Traditionally Israeli Arab men have worked for the most part in agriculture and in construction and the women in education. But there are thousands of young Arab university graduates who could be earning a living in the high-tech industry, Saadi said. Of the 120,000 people working in Israels high-tech sector, only 3,000 are Arabs. Yet this figure is nearly ten times the number who worked in the field in 2007, the CEO explained. And this is good news for the industry in Israel as it allows it to better compete with companies elsewhere in the world, he added. Benefits to the Arab community are there for the taking. The aim is to diversify the work available to Israeli Arabs and to boost levels of employment among women in the community. Along with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, the Arab population in Israel consistently ranks among the countrys poorest sectors in society. This is attributable to a number of factors including the tendency among Arabs to work in lower income occupations and for only male family members to work. Only 0.3% of managers in Israel are Arab, Reem Zoabi Abu Ishak, director of Rayan Nazareth Employment Center, told The Media Line. The Rayan Centers are part of the Ministry of Ministry of Economy and Industrys efforts to engage Arabs in the high-tech industry. Located in towns and cities all over the country, the centers are places where young people come to learn essential employment skills such as networking, interview techniques and resume writing. However, the centers are more than about simply finding work for Arab citizens. Their goal is to secure higher wages for the Arab population and to enable them to get promoted within their chosen field, Abu Ishak said. There is an ideology behind Tsofens objectives a desire to achieve coexistence between Arabs and Jews but there is also good business sense, Paz Hirschman, another of the companys senior officials told The Media Line. I think today it is well known that diversity in the workforce is a necessity for achieving greater innovation and creativity so this is one of our many competitive edges, he said. Just as important as having Arab engineers working in the industry is having high-tech companies in Israels Arab cities, Hirschman explained. The main change, the quantum leap for the Arab economy and also for Israeli high-tech, is for the companies to open branches in Nazareth and Kafr Qasim, turning Arab centers into high-tech hubs. Before 2010 it would have been difficult to find even one high-tech company operating in Nazareth, but today there are around thirty, the CEO explained. Each new company boosts the local economy through job creation and tax revenues. A number of Jews come to Nazareth each day to work at Tsofen so interaction between Jews and Arabs is a natural consequence. But the process is not without its problems. The Israeli high-tech industry is known to have been created in part on the basis of graduates from the Israeli army. Start-up companies formed by former soldiers from signal intelligence unit 8200 are almost a cliche. But the vast majority of Israels Arab population does not serve in the army. As a result Arab students are younger when they enter higher education and have less life and work experience when they graduate. They also miss out on the networks formed by their Jewish peers during their military service, a factor that can discourage employers from hiring them. A further problem is linguistic. The language used in much of the countrys high-tech industry is English, a second language for Israeli Jews but a third language for Arabs, who need to learn Hebrew to enter the Israeli job market and only then can think about English. Indeed, much of the work conducted at Rayan centers involves helping young Arabs improve their Hebrew. This is the case with Nour Mahroum, 19, who has spent much of the past two months improving her spoken Hebrew at the Nazareth Rayan center. Mahroum said she struggles to speak Hebrew despite being able to read and write it, a common problem among Israeli Arabs looking to enter the workforce. I want to learn because education is a powerful weapon to control the world, she said. Article written by Robert Swift. According to the State of Israel, Eliyahu is a yeshiva student, and learning Torah is his vocation. Therefore, he gets to enjoy a postponement of military service and receives a plethora of benefits. But according to his Facebook page, Eliyahu didn't learn at a yeshiva, and is not ultra-Orthodox at all. Yet, he gets the exemption and the benefits. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "I call it the ultra-Orthodox brain," he explains. "And the truth is that it does not take a lot of brains: sign up to a yeshiva, and when I get a message that an inspector is coming, I show up. The yeshiva receives the money from the state for me being registered there, and thats how I stay within the law regarding military service." Last week, journalist Akiva Novik revealed on Channel 10 that the IDF has made the decision to enlist a yeshiva student who received a military deferment, after a woman uploaded a post on Facebook where he can be seen in situations that are not exactly identified with the ultra-Orthodox world. Meaning, he's not wearing a whole lot of clothes, and does not seem to maintain the separation between sexes. According to regulations, the state can revoke the deferments of young ultra-Orthodox who no longer meet the deferment criteria, i.e., those who don't study at yeshiva, work beyond the permitted quota of hours mandated by the military, or do not meet the ultra-Orthodox standard for modesty. Ultra Orthodox anti-draft protest (Photo: Gil Yohanan) The IDF claims that this particular case is not the only example, and that the military's Personnel Directorate is working hard to locate such draft dodgers. Well, it's unclear what the Personnel Directorate is doing to locate them, but it seems that this is quite a simple task. After looking around on Facebook, we easily found several "ultra-Orthodox" youth of draft age who received deferments, but do not attend yeshivas, are clearly not maintaining the required modesty," and in many cases, they are also working. Its all visible Natan (not his real name), 21 years old, is registered at a prestigious yeshiva, and his service deferral will become a full exemption soon. Meanwhile, he doesn't even bother showing up at the yeshiva where he is registered, and doesn't hide the fact that he works almost every day. Nor does he hide that he isn't ultra-Orthodox according to the accepted definition. In fact, his details are openly displayed on his Facebook page his work status and pictures in which he doesn't wears much and can be seen with different girls. Even in a conversation with us he didn't hide anything. "The current situation is good for everyone," he says. "My yeshiva gets money for me - even if it's not much; I'm working and do a not half bad job at supporting myself; no less important - I don't have to join the military and get in trouble with the extremists in my neighborhood or with my parents. I know it might not be nice, but if I had been drafted, I would've been become a lone soldier who was thrown out of his home and forced to start my life all over again. I have no other option. This is a complex situation that seculars who demand full equality in the burden (of defending the country ed.) do not always understand. So yes, I draft dodge off and deceive the state. I also know a lot of secular people who do this and get a mental evaluation exemption even though they are fully fit for service." Chaim (not his real name), 20, is also a yeshiva student only on paper. He has been deferring his service for two years nows, and instead of learning at a yeshiva as required by law, he has been working at a bakery. "So far, I've been bullsh***ing them by saying that Im in a yeshiva, that I'm infertile, lots of stuff," he admits. "The truth is that at age 18, I registered to a yeshiva and thats how I got my military service deferment. However, but the yeshiva kicked me out because I didn't show up, so I went and registered at another yeshiva - thats how I've been getting by." Would you describe yourself as ultra-Orthodox? You don't seem to be based on your pictures. "How do I define myself? I hate black hatters (slang for ultra-Orthodox Jews - ed.), yet I'm religious! I don't observe the separation of the sexes as I've had a girlfriend for four years - but I keep kosher and I of course keep the Shabbat." So why not contribute to the country? "I think it is very important to contribute to the country, but I wont join the IDF." Ultra-Orthodox soldiers (Photo:IDF Spokesperson's Unit) It's estimated that each round of draftees includes approximately 10,000 ultra-Orthodox yeshiva graduates, and overall, there are between 35,000 and 40,000 ultra-Orthodox deferrers. How many of them really study in a yeshiva? It's hard to tell, but we easily found a lot of people like Chaim and Natan. The thing is, that for every student registered at a yeshiva, the yeshiva gets NIS 453 per month from the Ministry of Religious Services. The payment is unjustifiable, obviously, because the student didn't actually attend classes at the yeshiva. Add to that the fact that many of those we approached get paid to work under the table - meaning, tax evasion. This is basically a multifold deception of the nation. "You don't understand the sector," explains Natan. "First of all, the revolution is in full swing - more and more ultra-Orthodox are joining the IDF. There are already 5,000 ultra-Orthodox in the IDF, and a lot more dropouts - probably over a thousand - who are being drafted like everyone else. Those who don't attend the yeshiva classes and dont get drafted must work to make a living somehow, and must work under the table." 'I do what I want' The ease with which we got to all these ultra-Orthodox-on-paper raises uncomfortable questions. If we were able to do this, certainly the IDF can reach them - just like it did with the one who was caught taking unorthodox photos. The question is whether or not the IDFs Personnel Directorate is willing to deal with this phenomenon. Given the fact that the state itself doesn't provide support to the defense establishment on this issue, it's doubtful that there is any real motivation for the military to find ultra-Orthodox who are active on Facebook, and who post immodest images. We spoke with another ultra-Orthodox man with an IDF deferment. Are you a yeshiva student? "A former student," he says. When did you leave the yeshiva? "Officially I'm still considered a student." How? "They let me do what I want because I'm more open than the other guys. In fact, I currently work while being registered at the yeshiva only because of the military requirements." And the yeshiva agrees to that? "They've let me do whatever I want at the yeshiva, since I turned 17. I never fought with the management, and I also had backing from the head rabbi who wouldn't let them to do anything to me." And the military probably doesn't know you're working. "No." If you aren't in a yeshiva anymore, why not enlist? "Because I have a lot of things that I cant do if I enlist. " Ultra-Orthodox Facebook pages, such as "Head of the Yeshiva," "Tweeting Yeshiva Students," and others, are full of internal jokes and humor relating to the sector. To get a better understanding of this issue, we reached out to posters who seemed to be of draft age. In most cases, these peoples' private pages looked a little less ultra-Orthodox. We spoke with them about their relationship with the yeshiva and the IDF. For example, Eliyahu, from the beginning of this article, explained how he and the yeshivas don't get caught. "There were unannounced inspections of the yeshiva, and every yeshiva has its way of passing them," he says. "In one yeshiva I attended, when the inspectors came, the head of the yeshiva would stall them by bringing them into his office as distinguished guests, and would order them food and beer. Meanwhile, the yeshiva would hurriedly call up the 'students,' and gets them taxis and cars. This happened all the time, but in recent years, the phenomenon is somewhat diminished because the amounts paid for each student has been reduced." Ultra-Orthodox drafting into the IDF (Photo:Moti Kimchi) Other yeshiva-students-on-paper have reported using similar methods with the yeshivas and the IDF. On the one hand, the ease with which they expose themselves indicates they are not afraid of being caught and conscripted. They know that the government and the defense establishment have no interest in making a fuss and forcibly draft thousands of ultra-Orthodox, especially when recruitment numbers in that sector are rising. "The problem," says Shahar Ilan, deputy director of the Hiddush NGO for religious freedom and equality, "is the claim that studying the Torah protects us - even if there are those who believe it - is ridiculous when there are so many who don't actually study. "In my opinion, this is how we get to the real reason why the ultra-Orthodox parties insist on IDF service deferment: The desire to prevent at any cost the exposure of ultra-Orthodox youth to an environment that isn't ultra-Orthodox. The exemption actually becomes a way to preserve their society, and deceit, fraud and draft dodging is completely a reasonable price to pay in their eyes. It's very unfortunate that the fight for equality of the national burden - which only three years ago caused a government to fall - faded in the last year. There is no doubt this expose shows the need to renew it, full speed ahead." Ultra Orthodox anti-draft protest (Photo: Hillel Meir TPS) IDF officials said the military is working continuously to locate draft dodgers. The IDF compares of the lists of those who have deferments to the Interior Ministry list of yeshiva students, and by checking who left the country (a yeshiva student cant leave the country frequently and for an extended time), as well as some monitoring of social media. It appears that now that the scale of this phenomenon has been revealed, the defense establishment will try to tighten supervision whenever possible. An IDF source who is familiar with the phenomenon claims that "The case reported on last week is not the first and certainly not the only case of young men who get exemptions, yet are no longer in the world of Torah, thereby making the deferment of their service invalid." The source added that "According to the law, several conditions must be met to get a deferment. If they adhere to the rules, they keep the exemption. Anyone who doesn't, loses his deferment. The IDF is continuously working to eradicate this phenomenon. Lets be clear on the numbers: The BDS movement is strongest in Europe. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In 2014 - the last year there are full numbers for - 35 percent of Israels exports went to Europe. Thirty-two percent of the Israeli GDP is comprised of exports. That means that exports to Europe account for 12 percent of Israeli GDP. Assume that European governments remain supportive of trade with Israel, but that European consumers do not. Governments cannot force consumers to buy Israeli products. Lets say that the BDS movement succeeds in getting 25 percent of European consumers to boycott Israeli products. That would represent a 2.8 percent drop in Israeli GDP. As Israels current GDP growth rate is 2.5 percent, this would push Israel into recession. Not the cyclical sort of recession that can be moderated by monetary and fiscal policy until economic imbalances correct themselves, but a secular recession, against which internal tools are ineffective. Photo: AP Income inequality grows. Budgets for education, healthcare, infrastructure and defense shrink. Israeli technology exporters move their operations to the United States, taking with them much of the talent that fuels Israels economic engine. Imagine the rest of this story for yourself. We will not succeed in addressing the BDS threat until we see it clearly, and our view is blocked by five camps within Israel: 1. The "Never Heard of It" Camp: Much of Israel is provincial to an extent that would have shocked our cosmopolitan Jewish forebears. We are so out of touch with the global discourse (which is conducted in English) that we cannot see threats approaching until it is too late. In the long term, we need to reclaim our cosmopolitan Jewish legacy. We can only do that in English, but that is a separate conversation. In the short term, it is our leaders responsibility to set the public agenda. They have been irresponsible in neglecting this. 2. The "Intel is Here for Good" Camp: This unfortunate quote is attributable to a worldly Israeli politician who should know better. Read the first paragraph of this article and do the math. Intel doesnt have to leave in order for Israel to be dealt a crushing blow. Boycotters can keep using their Israel-Inside cellphones and navigation apps, and still hurt us. Hypocrites are people (and consumers) too. 3. The "Its Not Fair!" Camp: I agree. Its not fair. The double standards versus other progressive democracies facing similar challenges (see US and British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan) are absurd. Popular fixation on this particular conflict, at the expense of multiple incidences of real genocide, real war crimes, and real human rights abuses around the world, is grotesque. So what? The threat to Israel is no less real, and it is our problem alone. 4. The "anti-Semitism" Camp: It may be true that Israel-bashing is the new anti-Semitism. That does not mean that all critics of Israel are motivated by anti-Semitism. Anybody whose knowledge of this conflict is based on current media framing, anti-Semite, philo-Semite or indifferent, is likely to emerge with an anti-Israel bias. But there is a large population that is open to challenging its own views, whom we should not abandon. The anti-Semitism Camp also often alienates true friends of Israel who happen to disagree with Israeli government policy as many Israelis do. 5. The "We Deserve It" Camp: This camp contends that moral relativism is not a justification for bad policy, so we should use all means at our disposal to bring Israeli policy in line with Jewish values including embracing those who would boycott us. This is a problem. The BDS movement is not about helping us to become better versions of ourselves. It is the invention of enemies committed to our destruction. If it achieves even modest success, its effects could be irreversible or, worse, instigate an economic death spiral. Our standards are our own matter. Pretending we are somehow aligned with our enemies is dangerous. We have risen up to existential challenges before, and we will rise to this one. The first step is identifying the threat clearly. Only after we have done so can we begin posing the right policy questions. Who should be representing Israel in international forums? Political appointees or the best experts in public relations drawn from across the Jewish world? What size budget should be earmarked for branding? Is a positive brand just a nice thing to have or is it an asset critical to our long term survival? To what extent should our brand play a role in our policy decisions? How much, for example, should we be willing to pay in order to continue expanding the Jewish population in Judea and Samaria while publicly advocating two states for two peoples? Some readers will be irked by the question. I am not suggesting an answer here. Answer it yourself. I am only suggesting that, as citizens, we be crystal clear on the benefits and the costs of the decisions we make. Otherwise, they will be made for us, by somebody who benefits, and we will be left to live with the costs. Two businessmen from Samaria and the head of their regional council are on their way to Pariss 16th arrondissement, along with two assistants and two journalists. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The businessmen are Ami Guy, the CEO and owner of Shamir Salads, which exports 40 percent of its goods to Europe, and Zvi Meir, the owner of three textile factories, which export about 90 percent of their merchandise to Europe. They were recruited for this mission and are joined by Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan. The goal: to meet the activists who are part of the boycott movement against Israel. The boycotted versus the boycotters. It isn't easy. Initially, we sent an email to the offices of the EuroPalestine organization, and we asked to meet with them. We didn't receive a reply. Then we approached Frenchmen in contact with them and asked for their help in coordinating a meeting, but we were told that it was "not such a good idea." In the end, we decided to go physically and without advance warning to the addresses of the organizations in France that call for a boycott of Israel. "It is important for me to present the whole picture," explains Guy on the way there. Meir isn't optimistic: "If they talk to us more than a few minutes, it'll be an accomplishment." In the car, a debate beings on how best to make initial contact. They suggest to Dagan that he remove his kipa, but he refuses. "I'm not taking my kipa off, and I'm not hiding my identity or our right to the land." Meir, Dagan and Guy at EuroPalestine (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) We enter the 16th arrondissement, which is considered prestigious, and go into a little grey shopping complex. According to the organization's website, it's one of the strongholds of BDS in France. At the entrance is a small Lebanese restaurant, and the owner tries to help us find the place, but without success. The Parisian cold causes us to search the offices in the compound quickly. Downstairs, we find the EuroPalestine officers, which are disappointingly closed. The tin gate is locked. Spray-painted on it is a Star of David and "Fuck you." The local version of a "price tag." The fatigue is taking its toll, but the desire for a confrontation is increasing, and we decide to again squeeze into the rental car and move to the next destination, whose address we received from Israelis fighting a boycott in France: Resistances bookstore in Paris's 17th arrondissement. There, we will meet Olivier. On the glass door at the store's entrance are flyers for human rights rallies and conferences on freedom of expression. Inside, the decor changes. Photos and posters against the "Israeli apartheid regime" hang on the walls. A stack of leaflets, which also address Israels war crimes," is on the counter. On one of the shelves is a display. It showcases books based on the documentaries "Five Broken Cameras," which describes the conflict over the separation barrier in Bil'in from the Palestinian angle, and Avenge But One Of My Two Eyes that tells the story of a Palestinian who fortifies himself in his home during Operation Defensive Shield. Alongside these are books by scholars affiliated with the extreme left, like Professor Shlomo Sand, and the Jewish American linguist Noam Chomsky, who is considered to be a pointed critic of Israel. Guy whispers, "It's just a whole industry of vilifying the State of Israel." Dagan wanders around the store and reaches a pile of invitations to Israeli Apartheid Week events. "I guess we're at the right place," he says. The inner hallway leads to another room. On the corridor wall are high-quality photographs of the Israeli Border Police and IDF soldiers facing Palestinian children: pictures of occupation. One of them depicts soldiers beating a Palestinian child and forcefully dragging him. The inner room is locked, but beyond the glass door is a meeting room decorated with Palestinian flags and dozens of posters calling to join the struggle against Israel. Meir in Olivier's bookstore (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) Behind the counter stands a bespectacled, unshaven man in his fifties, wearing a faded sweater and typing on the computer. "Bonjour, monsieur, hello," says Dagan and approaches the counter. "We come from Samaria in Israel. What is your name?" "Olivier," he answers with a frightened face. "We came to try to talk with people who want to boycott us, the BDS activists, '' Dagan says in English. Olivier winces, "First of all, I would ask you not to photograph here." Our photographer takes pictures anyway, and Olivier takes his phone and threatens to call the police. I ask the photographer to wait and go to calm Olivier. "I am a journalist from Israel. We are here to try to explain our position on a boycott." Olivier calms down a bit. "You pounce on me, and I'm one man in front of you on my own. It's not fair." "We just want to talk," I say. "Do you know the BDS movement?" "I am very active in the boycott against Israel," he answers me and says that he participated in the flytilla to Gaza in April 2012, was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport along with about 50 other activists and has since been refused entry to Israel. I introduce myself and ask him his full name. "I prefer to keep it that way, just with my first name," replies Olivier, and he begins to share his teachings: "What is shared by all Jews is a hatred of Arabs. You severely injure Palestinians. There are even Israelis that admit it. We are waging a struggle against your government, and the boycott is a key part of the fight." Olivier speaking with Dagan and an assistant (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) "Have you ever visited the West Bank?" asks Guy, who runs a factory in the Barkan Industrial Park and employs approximately 100 Palestinians. "Did you know that I am employ Palestinians under the best conditions that exist, better than anywhere in the Arab world?" "That's completely not correct," insists Olivier. "Your data is wrong. Palestinians are impoverished and live under very difficult conditions. What you do to them is a crime." Dagan turns to Olivier: "Boycotts damage coexistence and can also harm the Palestinians who work for us." Olivier: "Employing Palestinians is not the solution to the occupation. As long as Israel occupies and settlements exist, the Palestinian people suffers." Meir interjects, "How do you manage a boycott? It's actually forbidden in France by law." "We try to do things," says Olivier. "The law damaged our freedom of expression, and we're a little wary. I do not understand why boycotting is forbidden. It is part of the right to protest. If I want to boycott, I need to have to have the ability to do so. We will not rest, and we will act against Israel everywhere. Boycotting Israel is the most efficient tool, and we therefore want to use it." Tones are rising, and the hope of reaching an understanding vanishes. "There is nothing for us here. The man does not want to listen," says Guy. Olivier asks us to leave. He accompanies us and mutters, "Fuck you" in English. But the debate continues at the door. "You are ignoring the facts. Have you ever been to Judea and Samaria?" Dagan asks. Olivier evades answering. "Did you know that for the past half year, Palestinian terrorists stab and shoot Israelis almost every day?" Guy insists, but Olivier doesn't back down. Outside the store is a police car. Olivier walks in its direction, and we rush to our car and get away from there. Olivier arguing with Guy and Dagan (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) The pilot that sells salads Ami Guy, 68, is a former fighter pilot in the Air Force who fell into Syrian captivity during the Yom Kippur War. A missile hit his plane during the bombing sortie, and he managed to eject himself from the burning aircraft. In captivity, we endured hard investigations and torture:" he recounts, "electric shocks, beatings all over the body with pipes. They did everything to make us talk." After eight months, he was released and returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange. He continued to train pilots until retiring in 1995. In 2006, Guy acquired Shamir Salads when it found itself in financial difficulties. With some brilliant business maneuvers, he managed to mark the brand as one of the best in salads, expanded cooperation with the large distribution companies, and increased the volume of exports to Europe of salads of all kinds (hummus, tahini, eggplant salad etc). Today, the businesss annual revenue is about NIS 130 million. The salads can be found on shelves in France, England, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Russia. "Today I have to pay the EU a 17 percent tariff on every shipment to Europe because I'm producing in the territories," says Guy, who lives in Ramat Hasharon. "This is a problem that only will grow if the marking of exported products is implemented. This is a serious step that the state has to fight." Zvi Meir, 69, a resident of Elkana, employs more than 250 Palestinian workers in its factories in the Barkan Industrial Park. "The Palestinians who work in factories in Barkan have the best wages and conditions in the Arab world. People just do not understand it, and boycotts will primarily harm the Palestinians themselves." Dagan, Guy and Meir waiting for Goasguen (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) Meir owns a large textile factory in another country whose name he declines to state. "In my overseas factory, I employ workers at a pittance compared to what I pay them in Samaria." We are sitting in the lobby of the Opera Cadet Hotel, and the Israeli businessmen express their concern about the day the EU's decision label products that come from the settlements will be implemented. According to the decision, each country determines for itself the date on which it will begin marking products. A source in the Israeli public-relations establishment says, "The French government is shaping the formula to implement the decision and to date there is some light foot dragging, but that does not mean that we won't get up one morning and see products labeled." Meir and Guy fear that labeling will cause them serious harm. "If our buyer will be required to mark products, it will only give him a headache, and he'll prefer to buy goods from other suppliers." says Guy. "I think we should fight the labeling all the way, since it is likely to cause significant economic damage to factories in the Judea and Samaria. But I fear that the government would prefer to ignore it, since exports from the Judea and Samaria are only a thousandth of Israeli exports, the country can economically let it go. But we have to understand that marking products from the settlements in Europe is only part of the BDS movement's overall plan, which aims to bring a full economic boycott on the State of Israel, not just Judea and Samaria. Meir: "We already employ certain methods to circumvent the economic boycott. If marking products will come into effect, it will be a very hard hit." On the trip from Charles de Gaulle Airport to a hotel in the center of Paris, we encounter hundreds of refugees. Syrian women with a child in one hand and a bottle of soap in the other that offer to clean windshields for a few cents. The suburbs are full of garbage that has not been cleared for several days. Dozens of Arabic-speaking young people are sitting on the railings. The sights change when we get to the city center. The boulevards are clean and the display windows of the prestigious squares illuminate the intersections brightly. The Middle East and classic Europe are within a 20-minute drive of each other. Paris tells the story of all of Western Europe. BDS activists and pro-Palestinian organizations come to the squares almost every weekend to demonstrate. Last January, a few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Palais GarnierParis's famed opera houseand called for a boycott of the Israeli Batsheva Dance Companys performance. The demonstration was coordinated with the police, and other than an isolated incident wherein a demonstrator managed to sneak into the hall, there were no unusual events. The main struggle is being conducted on social media. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said recently at a conference of French Jews that the boycott is prohibited by law in France and constitutes discrimination. Beyond that, it is illegitimate and, fundamentally is illogical. But speeches are thing and reality another. French parliamentarians understand the growing power of Muslims in their countrywhich is already about eight million people, according to one estimateand it's doubtful that they would ignore such a large sector of the electorate. Our man in the parliament As part of his public relations activities, Yossi Dagan often meets with members of the European Parliament. During our visit to Paris, we are invited to a meeting with Claude Goasguen, mayor of the 16th arrondissement, a member of the National Assembly of France and President of the Friends of Israel in France. We meet in a conference room in one of the corridors of the huge parliament building. Goasguen says that the biggest problem of France today, and Europe in general, is the influx of refugees from the Middle East. Guy and Dagan inspecting products from Samaria in French supermarket (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) "We in France deal with this problem and try to minimize it, but it is not at all simple. Muslims are a large electoral power and they are beginning to understand this, which is causing leaders to align themselves according to their interests." Goasguen is a strong opponent of a boycott of Israel and marking settlement products. "Despite the decision of the EU regarding labeling, the French government is trying to test things and still is not in the implementation state. "We do not know what will happen, but I think marking products in particular, and the activities of the BDS movement in general, are very problematic. There are other members of parliament trying to fight it." During the meeting, told Meir and Guy tell Goasguen that they employ nearly 400 Palestinians in very good condition. Goasguen is enthusiastic: "I think that your activities in the territories are important. We are trying to introduce here in to the EU another picture than what the BDS organizations are trying to show." We are on the map Guy and Meir are careful to stay away from politics, but like any shrewd businessman, they know how to identify a business opportunity. During our short visit to the City of Lights, they try to establish new business connections. Dagan made contact with a Jewish businessman named Jacques Kattan, who owns a chain of supermarkets called G20. Facilitated by Kattan, we are going to meet two French businessmen. Kattan is waiting for us outside a typical old Parisian building. He politely shakes hands with the Israeli industrialists and exchanges business cards with them. On the cards there are only the company name and contact information. "You don't need any more than that," Meir says to me. "You give your business card, and a deal starts from there." The buildings narrow tall doors open, and we go up to the third floor, where we meet the two French businessmen. Again, the almost official ritual exchange of business cards. They lead us into a small meeting room that is a little messy, and it seems that they are not really prepared for our arrival. We sit on the rickety plastic chairs around tables arranged in the shape of a horseshoe. A secretary comes and offers us coffee and water from paper cups. One of them, named Alain, starts to explain his company, "We are considered one of the largest food companies in France, and we would be glad to work with goods from Israel, since we understand that it is a quality product." Dagan insists on talking first about politics. He presents to the hosts a relief map he brought with him and explains through it how important Samaria is to Israel's security. The French listened attentively, even though they are not really interested in politics. Only then did he turn to business. "Commercial ties are very important to Samaria in particular and the State of Israel in general," Dagan says. "Once an Israeli businessman with makes business contacts with his French counterpart, it is a leap forward in commercial connections between the two countries." Politics are swept aside, and the businessmen grasp the reins. Michel and Alain do not speak English and Dina, a member of the Samaria Regional Council who joined along for the ride, serves as interpreter. "Tell him I'm selling salads to the Carrefour chain (another food chain that operates in France EBK) and I want to start selling to them also," says Meir. Dina translates things and within minutes they set a meeting for the next day. "I hope that something will come of it. They want to understand how good my salads are. I'll give them a taste and see what happens. It's important for us to enter their chain because they are very strong here." Towards the end of the meeting, Michel refers to the marking of the products. Guy in a Parisian supermarket (Photo: Assaf Matarasso) "In the meantime, because the marking is not happening, we do not feel any change. I dont think that every customer reads the fine print on the product. If the product is tasty and is affordable, they will buy it, especially when it comes to food. But you never know what will happen with the marking and how the French government will implement the decision. In the business world, the equation is simple: if they buy, we sell. If not, we move on." After the meeting, we continue to tour central Paris. On the way, we run into the Carrefour supermarket chain, where Guy sells Shamir Salads. We enter the store and go straight to the salads refrigerator. Guy takes a box of Shamir Salads, puts on his glasses and makes sure that it was not marked. "Ask the supermarket manager if people buy this hummus," he asks Dina, and she translates the question."He said they really like it, and he did not know where the hummus is produced," she says. Guy calls his agent in France and instructs him to increase the volume of shipping: "Why is there an empty shelf? Make sure that they bring more salads!" The manager tells of isolated cases when they were visited by BDS activists. "From time to time they come here and remove from the shelves some Israeli products, but we call the police immediately and they disappear." Regarding the labeling he says, "If the government tells us to mark, we will do so, but it's hard to know how if that will affect sales." Pizza at a Tunisian restaurant Towards the end of the journey, we meet for dinner at a Jewish-Tunisian restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Guy and Meir order a large pizza drink beers. Guy addresses Dagan, "You know, Yossi, I really wasn't of a mind to come with you to Paris. I didn't really think that there was anyone to talk to. "It was really lucky that we met with French businessmen so that we can have a business relationship with them in the near future. In my opinion, it could help in the war against the boycott." He even extended his stay in Paris for a series of meetings with local retailers with an eye to increasing his exports to France. Meir, however, says he did not anticipate such hostility toward Israel. "I knew that there are people with extremist views who talk about the occupation, but such hatred and such an intense desire to harm Israel, I had not met. We have to work very hard in public relations to deal with it. There is a very large gap between consciousness and reality. BDS supporters present incorrect facts, and people believe them. That's why it was important to me to talk about the Palestinian workers that I employ. Even if Olivier did not really address it, I believe that it will sit in his head." Meir: "I think the concept of businessmen from Judea and Samaria meeting with French businessmen, and Europeans in general, is very successful and has to be repeated wherever there is a boycott. The only meeting in which they listened to us and words did not remain on the table was the meeting with Michel and Alain." Dagan, for his part, stressed that "even dialogue with diplomatic sources may block decisions against Israel. We are trying to stop the boycott in any way possible, but it's not easy." A few days after our return to Israel, I speak again with Meir and Guy and hear about their progress on contacts with French businessmen. "They really liked the product, and the meeting with them was very positive," says Guy. "I hope that in the near future we reach agreements on business relations." Meir also sounds optimistic: "The conversation with them was useful. We did not talk politics, just business. They liked my products and want to open their market to Israel. They even discussed the possibility of opening a chain of supermarkets in Israel. All that we ask is to do business peacefully. Israeli products are good quality products. Just dont mix business and politics." Brigadier General Munir Amar, Head of the IDF Civil Administration passed away in a plane crash in the Lower Galilee Friday afternoon Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Amar, a resident of Julis in northern Israel, had just celebrated his 47th birthday with close friends and family on Thursday. A husband and father of three children, he served in the army after being drafted for his compulsory service. He was just appointed as head of the Civil Administration in the West Bank. BG Munir Amar's crashed plane on Mt. Kamon (Photo:Northern Division Firefighters Spokesperson) Azzal Amar, Munir's family member, described him as "a humble individual with a good heart. He usually did not enter the village in uniform because he did not want the residents to see his high ranks. Moreover, his house was open to everyone." Munir's cousin, Afif Amar, remarked, "Munir did wonders for the advancement of Israel's security. This tragedy will always weigh heavily on (our) family, but we know how to get through this." Nadim Maadi, Munir's friend, said that he last spoke to his Munir before he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. "I felt that he was happy about the rank advancement, especially since he did so on his own merit. He was a kind soul. We are deeply saddened by his passing." BG Munir Amar and his son Amar took off in a plane from an airport in Haifa and crashed around 1:30PM near Mount Kamon Friday afternoon. Rescue teams were deployed immediately to search for BG Amar after contact with his plane was lost. Firefighters found the plane shortly thereafter, and a team from air force search and rescue unit 669 withdrew Amar from his plane, but he had already passed away. He had just started his first position as brigadier general a month ago when he replaced David Menachem as head of the Civil Administration. He began his military service in the Herev Brigade, which he eventually commanded from 2004-2006. He later served as deputy commander of the Shomron Brigade, an officer in the Galilee Division's Operations Branch, and an operations officer in the Northern Command. In 2009, he was appointed as commander of the Hermon Brigade, where, in light of the Syrian civil war, he took the lead in re-enforcing and demarcating the Israeli border with Syria, and in improving IDF readiness to defend against threats emanating from the tri-border region in the southern Golan Heights. Search and rescue teams carry BG Amar's body from the scene In August 2013, he was appointed commander of the Homefront Command's Haifa District where he worked to prepare authorities and the Arab sector for emergency situations. He frequently visited factories to make sure that they implement military orders. Amar also earned great praise when he served as a commanding operations officer in the Northern Command. In February 2015, Amar was promoted to brigadier general and assumed the responsibilities of head of the Civil Administration. Ammar held a bachelor's degree in Israel Studies and master's in political science, both from the University of Haifa, in addition to another advanced degree from the National Defense College. Air force search and rescue unit 669 at Mt. Kamon Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot expressed his deep sadness for Amar's death. "Munir was an exceptional officer, who served in a number of senior IDF positions with success." He added, "We share the pain of (his) family and we are embracing it during these difficult hours." Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon said that his death is an enormous loss for the IDF and the State of Israel. The Yesha Council also issued a statement, mourning Amar's passing. Gaza has beautiful sunny beaches, and almost all of its residents live in an urban environment, but the catastrophic economic situation - including immense poverty and high unemployment - has led many of its residents to nickname the coastal enclave the "biggest prison in the world." Nonetheless, many Gazans persevere to make the best of their situation with their few resources. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Here are some important figures and stories of Gazans, who attempt to overcome Gaza's woes: -Gaza is a total of 365 square kilometers. 2 million people live in the small territory. -62% of Gazan residents are under the age of 24. -The unemployment rate stands at 43%, but employed persons earn relatively low incomes. The average private sector salary is NIS 750 per month, while the average public sector salary is NIS 1,000-1,500/month. Gazans exercising in rubble -Economic, security, and political hardship have led to a dramatic increase in suicide attempts this past year. -An example of the depressing situation: An average household in Gaza receives between six to eight hours of electricity a day, and residents don't know which part of the day their home will receive it. The lack of electricity has compelled some residents to improvise, employing small machines to power single devices such as the television. Larger backup generators also exist, but will sometimes fail as well. -The complex relationship between Hamas, the PA, Egypt, and Israel largely explain why gas is so scarce in Gaza, but the average Gazan is not interested. Some Gazans have developed creative solutions. For example, Munthir Al-Qassas, a taxi driver, invented the first electric car in Gaza. Al-Qassas travels around Gaza in his invention, but it runs quite slowly. -Few gyms exist in Gaza, leading many Gazans to exercise outdoors. Instead of using dumbbells and weights, Gazans employ benches, walls, and columns, much of which exists in areas destroyed in Operation Protective Edge. -Parkor, the art of using one's body to jump between buildings and over obstacles, is very popular in Gaza. Gazans do parkor in many different places, including in areas destroyed in previous wars. -Naji Tolba, a young resident of Gaza, is a phenomenal billiardist. He decided to play the game one day at Gazan cafe and has since become one of the most talented billiardists in Gaza, wining many local competitions. Three civilians and two police officers were injured in a collision between a police car in pursuit of a fleeing vehicle and a third car on Highway 4 on Saturday morning. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A Tel Aviv District Police car, which was patrolling the Givat Shmuel area as part of initiated police activity to prevent crime, launched a chase of a suspicious vehicle that ignored instructions to stop. The police officers called on the driver to stop several times, but he fled, driving against the flow of traffic. The fleeing car then got on Highway 4, driving south, while the police car remained on its tail. The police vehicle (Photo: Fire Department) A civilian woman was seriously wounded, while the two civilian men were moderately and lightly hurt. One of the police officers was in moderate condition while the other was in light condition. The private vehicle (Photo: Fire Department) On Saturday afternoon, a 52-year-old Palestinian from Bethlehem turned himself in to the police. The suspicious car's driver, who ignored police's orders to stop and broke through a police roadblock, had apparently stolen the vehicle from a woman from East Jerusalem. Both were questioned by police. WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has offered his prayers for the families of the two Americans killed in the bombings in Brussels and telling Belgians that "America has their back" in the fight against terrorism. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama renewed his vow to continue the campaign against the Islamic State group, which took credit for the attacks. He said US officials are working with allies to root out the group's operations in Europe. Obama said US officials have ramped up intelligence cooperation and that FBI agents are in Belgium assisting with the investigation into the bombings. The president added he and allies will review the US-led air campaign and special operations against IS when world leaders gather in Washington next week for a summit on nuclear security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted to his official Facebook page on Saturday night a message in support of the IDF. He referenced the Hebron shooting incident specifically. The message, written in Hebrew, reads, "The attacks on IDF as an immoral army as expressed over the past weekend are outrageous and the opposite of the truth. The IDF is a moral army that does not execute people. IDF soldiers use their bodies to block murderous terrorist attacks on Israeli soldiers, and they are deserving of all our support. Regarding the latest incidentI trust the IDF to perform a thorough, responsible and fair investigation, as it always does." BEIRUT - Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported Saturday. Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants, Russia's defense ministry said. Syrian troops and allied militiamen have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. TORONTO - A Canadian man has been arrested under the country's anti-terrorism law, police said on Saturday. Kevin Omar Mohamed, 23, was taken into custody with a "preventive arrest" under the Fear of Terrorism Offence section of the law, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement. Police said the arrest is not linked to the recent attacks in Brussels and there was no indication of a domestic attack. Mohamed's lawyer, Anser Farooq, said the arrest involved "a number of" terrorism offences but that his client was not charged with any. According to the police statement, Mohamed was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace. There were no immediate details on specific allegations. Farooq said the weapon in question was a knife. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. New Delhi: Friends and neighbours of dentist Pankaj Narang, who was beaten to death in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area, Saturday met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and requested security for his family. After the meeting, the Delhi Chief Minister said he spoke to the Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, who immediately agreed to it. "Friends n neighbours of Dr Narang met me today n requested police protection for family n police patrolling in area," Kejriwal tweeted. "I spoke to LG, who immediately agreed. They also advised me to visit the family after a few days as family was in shock rt now (sic)," he said. A senior police officer claimed the matter was communicated to police following which some cops were deployed outside Dr Narang's house yesterday. The 40-year-old dentist was beaten to death by a group of about 12 people at his residence in Vikaspuri area on Wednesday night, following which nine of them, including four juveniles and a middle-aged woman, have been apprehended. Narang was dragged out of his house and beaten with bats, iron rods and hockey sticks following an argument over a bike grazing the doctor's child. New Delhi: A team of Pakistani security officials will arrive in Delhi on Monday as part of its probe into the deadly Pathankot terror attack in January. The five-member team will visit the NIA headquarters on Monday and thereafter it will proceed to Pathankot on Tuesday, ANI reported. New Delhi had recently issued visas to the Pakistani team. The visit comes in the backdrop of a raging controversy over an alleged 'Indian spy' held in Pakistan's Balochistan province. India has rejected the allegations. Indian officials are expected to seek information about the action taken by Pakistan against the perpetrators of the attack. The Pakistani team, comprising representatives from the intelligence agencies, is tasked with assisting the Indian agencies in the case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to share evidences it has collected with Pakistan's probe team. The Pakistani team, however, will only get access to question witnesses and not security forces. In Pathankot, they will only get limited access. On January 2, militants armed with automatic weapons and bombs had attacked the heavily fortified Indian air force base in Pathankot. Seven security personnel and four militants were killed in the seize, which lasted for nearly three days. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on March 31 in Washington DC, report claimed on Saturday. Modi is set to begin his three-nation visit to Belgium, the United States and Saudi Arabia on March 30. He is beginning his trip from Belgium, from where he would depart for Washington DC to attend the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit on March 31 and April 1. The Nuclear Security Summit process has been instrumental in focusing leaders` level attention on the global threat posed by nuclear terrorism and urgent measures required to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from gaining access to sensitive nuclear materials and technologies. From the United States, Modi will proceed for an official visit to Saudi Arabia on April 2 and 3. Modi had last year in December made a surprise visit to Lahore where he was received by Sharif with a warm hug at the tarmac of Allama Iqbal International Airport. Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the airport. He had then taken a chopper to proceed to Sharifs Raiwind palatial residence in the outskirts of Lahore. Raiwind palatial residence in the outskirts of Lahore. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: With Pakistan claiming to arrest a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent in Balochistan province, Sarbjit Singh`s sister Dalbir Kaur on Saturday said she just feared if Islamabad was not trying to create another Sarabjit. Dalbir, who Saturday met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over the issue of Indians imprisoned in Pakistan jails, said that it was nothing new with Pakistan making bogus claims of arresting an innocent person and calling him a spy. "What else we can expect from Pakistan. They have been arresting innocent Indians who have accidently, by mistake, have landed a foot in their territory. We can only expect that they would call that person as a RAW agent," she told ANI. "Every time, the India Government provides them with the evidences, they say that they are not enough. The intention of the Pakistan Government is not right towards the Indians. I am just worried whether they are not trying to create another Sarabjit," she added. Dalbir further called on the Indian Government to take firm and immediate steps to bring that person back to the country. Sarabjit Singh, who was alleged to be Manjit Singh by Pakistan, was an Indian national convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court in 2003. He was tried and convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for a series of bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 bystanders in 1990. The Pakistan security forces earlier this week arrested a man during a raid in Balochistan province who, according to them, is `a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to RAW. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said that Indian Government has no link with the arrested individual, adding that New Delhi has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the matter was raised today by Pakistan`s Foreign Secretary with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. "The said individual has no link with Government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," Swarup said. A Pakistan security official earlier told Dawn that the arrested individual had been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, as he was suspected of involvement in various acts of terrorism and other dissident activities in Balochistan. New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas on Saturday asked Mehbooba Mufti, set to head the new PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir, to clear her stand on Afzal Guru whose hanging for his alleged role in the 2001 parliament attack she has said was wrong. Vishwas in a letter to Mehbooba also asked the would-be Kashmir chief minister to facilitate the arrest of Kashmiri youth who had allegedly raised anti-India slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on February 9. "We have come to know that you are going to form a coalition government with the BJP. But your stands on certain issues like holding parliament attack accused Afzal Guru a martyr cannot be agreed with. Now, we have come to know that you have changed your old stand on Afzal," Vishwas wrote. "Congratulations in anticipation for your government formation. You should voluntarily give a statement in the media that you hold Afzal Guru as a traitor and not as a martyr," Vishwas said. The letter begins with "Vande mataram" and ends with "Jai Hind" and "Bharat Mata ki Jay" -- slogans that have rekindled the nationalism and patriotism debate in India. "Now that you believe Kashmir to be an integral part of India, you would facilitate the arrest of the Kashmiri youth who raised slogans against mother India in JNU," the AAP leader wrote. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), being led by Mehbooba, is set to form a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vishwas`s letter was retweeted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Dhaka: Bangladesh on Saturday celebrated its 46th Independence Day as the nation paid tributes to the millions killed during its 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan with the Dhaka skyline lit up overnight. The occasion was marked with a ceremonial pre-dawn 21-gun salute as thousands of people thronged the National Memorial in suburban Savar to pay homage to the martyrs. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were the first to place wreaths at the monument while army bugles played the 'Last Post' at the ceremony. Invading Pakistani troops launched a brutal crackdown in erstwhile East Pakistan with tanks and artillery on the night of March 25, 1971, after Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won an overwhelming victory in the 1970 general election, triggering the war. The war saw the breakup of Pakistan as Bangladesh won its independence with Indian military support ending the nine-month conflict which is said to have claimed three million lives. 1971 war veterans rallied in the capital last night and urged the international community to declare March 25 as the 'International Genocide Day' in recognition of the mass killings of innocent and unarmed people on the fateful night 45 years ago. Recalling the tragedy of the war, scores of people walked over 50 kms from the central Shaheed Minar in the capital to the National Memorial in Savar wearing black robes and carrying the national flag. Zee Media Bureau New Delhi: This year NASA is all set to venture across the world in order to study how our planet Earth is changing and the impact of this change on life of the human beings. The new project is divided into eight major field campaigns ranging from melting glaciers in Greenland to dwindling condition of coral reefs in the Pacific ocean. In the coming six months NASA scientists will visit every nook and corner of the globe to carry out extensive science investigations to analyze what is really happening to the Earth. Watch the video to know more about this super-excited field research campaigns. (Video courtesy: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Jefferson Beck) Madurai: MDMK leader Vaiko on Friday alleged that the DMK and BJP had made offers, including money, to DMDK leader Vijayakant, who had rejected them to join the People's Welfare Front (PWF) to fight the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Talking to reporters here, he claimed the DMK had "offered" 80 (assembly) seats and Rs 500 crore to Vijayakant for joining its alliance while BJP had offered him a Rajya Sabha MP post and a ministerial berth in the union cabinet." "Vijayakant has joined us to form a corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu by rejecting the offers. Vijayakant has created the confidence that he will provide a corruption- free government. Vijayakant has rejected the offer of corruption money by DMK to form a corruption-free government," Vaiko said. Reacting to the charge, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin said the party would take appropriate legal action in the matter. "In the first place no talks were held (between DMK and DMDK). How come such a thing could have happened when parleys did not take place," he said. "Premalatha has replied to this allegation. Still, since Vaiko has levelled a blatantly denigrative charge against the DMK. Our party chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) would, for sure, take appropriate legal action. Wait and see," Stalin told reporters in reply to questions on the issue. DMDK leader and Vijayakant's wife Premalatha refused to be drawn into the controversy. "It is his (Vaiko) opinion. Anything (questions) related to this should be posed to him, we are committed to unseating the AIADMK regime," she told reporters in Tuticorin. Stating that one crore youth population who had joined the voters list, wanted a liquor and corruption-free state, Vaiko said, "We are getting more support on the social media." The first election meeting of the PWF will be held in Chennai on April 20. Vaiko said quality education would be provided free of cost, and liquor would be abolished. Besides, the party would write off farm loan and put an end to unemployment problem, he said. Chennai: BJP national secretary H Raja and two state vice presidents are among the 54 persons in the party's first list of candidates released for the May 16 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. According to the list of candidates put up on the BJP's national website, Raja, a former Karaikudi MLA, will contest from T Nagar in Chennai which has traditionally favoured DMK or AIADMK. BJP's state vice president and prominent woman leader Vanathi Sreenivasan has been fielded from Coimbatore (South) while another vice president M Chakravarthy will fight from Tiruthani, as per the details on the website. Known for making controversial remarks, Raja had earlier unsuccessfully contested from Alandur during the 2006 Assembly polls. Sreenivasan, a familiar face in TV debates, was the party's choice for Mylapore constituency in the city for the 2011 Assembly elections which was won by AIADMK. The party named its candidates for 54 constituencies including six reserved seats. Karuppu Muruganantham, who unsuccessfully contested from Thanjavur for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is fighting from Pattukottai constituency this time. In Vedaranyam constituency in Nagapattinam district, BJP has fielded former DMK strongman and three-time MLA S K Vedaratnam, who contested as an independent in the 2011 assembly polls. The Central Election Committee of BJP had announced the list of 54 candidates for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls at Delhi yesterday and said that a second list would be issued after talks with IJK and NJP fructify in the coming days. Lucknow: Samajwadi Party on Friday released its first list of 143 candidates for Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, to be held in 2017. In the 2012 state elections, Samajwadi Party had lost 140 of 143 seats. "The party is declaring candidates for 143 seats. On these seats, the party does not have MLAs at present," SP spokesman Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters here. The list includes 27 candidates from Muslim community, 18 from Yadav and 12 women, besides others. The state has 403 seats in total. "The tickets were declared early so that the candidates could get more time for preparation. Of the 143 seats, 21 are reserved," the spokesperson said. Among those who were given tickets included Umar Ali Khan, son-in-law of Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, from Behat seat, sitting Peace Party MLA Anis-ur-Rehman from Kanth while Independent MLA Vijay Singh has been given a ticket from Farukhabad seat. According to Indian Express, the party has replaced 85 candidates who had contested the elections in 2012. Leaders who have been denied tickets for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls include Rani Pakshalika Singh from Khairagarh. Pakshalika is the wife of former minister Raja Aridaman Singh, who had won Bah the lone seat in Agra for Samajwadi Party in 2012. Chandrabhushan Bundela of Lalitpur has also been denied ticket. New Delhi: Nine rebel Congress MLAs in Uttarakhand have alleged that Chief Minister Harish Rawat is indulging in horse-trading to save his government from collapsing. Releasing a sting operation video on Saturday, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat alleged that the government is trying to arm-twist as well as threaten them. The rebels claimed the sting operation, which they said was conducted on March 23 and shows CM Rawat talking about buying MLAs, was done by a local channel whose head spoke to the CM. It may be noted here that Zee Media doesn't vouch for the authenticity of the sting video. Nine Congress MLAs in Uttarakhand have rebelled and aligned with the BJP, threatening the Rawat government in the state. State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has already issued notices to the nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip. Main opposition BJP, which has 26 legislators in the Assembly, has claimed that it has the support of nine rebel Congress MLAs and five others are also ready to switch over. After BJP gave a notice of no-confidence motion, Governor Krishna Kant Paul has asked CM Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the House by March 28. New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday dubbed the cabinet meeting, which was held on Saturday in the national capital to decide on the political crisis in Uttarakhand, as the last phase of drama scripted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "This appears to be the last phase of the drama played out by the BJP since March 18. Now that the cabinet meeting is underway, there are clear indications that would go to the President. This is a huge conspiracy by BJP and Centre to destabilize Congress Governments. First they did it in Arunachal Pradesh and now here," senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said at a press conference here. "First the Finance Bill was passed by voice vote, and then when their plans to topple the government did not succeed they went to the Governor. Then they all, including nine Congress MLAs, gave a joint memorandum to dismiss the government. Then the Governor, according to Constitutional traditions, gave time to Harish Rawat`s government to prove majority. But, they were not happy with that," she added. According to reports, Union Cabinet met here tonight to consider the situation in Uttarakhand amidst speculation that it may consider the option of President`s Rule in the state. The Cabinet met soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from Assam. Amid political turmoil in Uttarakhand, rebel Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna earlier demanded the removal of Governor K. K. Paul, alleging that he had misused his constitutional position by giving time to a minority government to prove its majority. Paul had on March 19 written to Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority in the House by March 28.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat earlier demanded answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for the political crisis in his state and alleged the saffron party was using money power to destabilize his government. Rawat has also recommended the Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal to dismiss rebel Congress MLAs from the House. Meanwhile, Section 144 has been imposed in the state and security outside the residences of MLAs has been stepped up.Earlier today, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat presented a CD, alleging that efforts were being made purchase the BJP MLAs, including the nine rebel Congress MLAs. Harak Singh, through a sting, has also claimed that Harish Rawat threatened the MLAs. He also said that they have expressed their security concerns to the Centre as they are getting threats. Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by the Assembly speaker. Nine rebel MLAs had earlier on Friday filed a petition in the High Court challenging the showcause notice issued to them by the speaker. Last week, Chief Minister Rawat rejected the Opposition`s claim that the ruling Congress Government has slipped into minority after its nine MLAs defected and said that his government was in majority and if the Opposition has any doubt then they should bring a no confidence motion. Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday dubbed as 'false and fabricated' the sting operation CD released against him by rebel Congress MLAs. Addressing the press, Rawat said he is being falsely implicated. He alleged that the reputation of the man behind the sting operation CD is hidden from anyone in Dehradun. People from his profession also afraid to meet him as they fear being falsely implicated, blackmailed by him, the CM said. As per rebel MLAs who released the CD a shortwhile ago, the sting operation was conducted by the owner of a local channel. Seeking to hit back at the channel owner, Rawat questioned his meteoric rise in terms of wealth. He has sought to destabilise past CMs as well who did not side with him, the senior state Congress leader said. While releasing the CD, nine rebel Congress MLAs alleged that CM Rawat was indulging in horse-trading to save his government from collapsing. Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat alleged that the government was trying to arm-twist as well as threaten them. The rebels claimed the sting operation was conducted on March 23 and allegedly shows CM Rawat talking about buying MLAs. Zee Media doesn't vouch for the authenticity of the sting video. Nine Congress MLAs in Uttarakhand have rebelled and aligned with the BJP, threatening the Rawat government in the state. State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has already issued notices to the nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the membership of the House for violating the party whip. Main opposition BJP, which has 26 legislators in the Assembly, has claimed that it has the support of nine rebel Congress MLAs and five others are also ready to switch over. After BJP gave a notice of no-confidence motion, Governor Krishna Kant Paul has asked CM Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the House by March 28. New Delhi: Amid the see-sawing developments over the power tussle in Uttarakhand between the grand old party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), state Congress Chief Kishore Upadhyay will meet party president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital to discuss further course of action. Earlier, the Uttarakhand high court dismissed the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. Nine rebel MLAs had earlier on Friday filed a petition in the high court challenging the showcause notice issued to them by the speaker. The high court, which was closed on Friday, was specially opened to hear the petition at Justice UC Dhyani court. The speaker had on Sunday served a notice to the nine rebels, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, questioning their move to join BJP legislators on March 18. The Uttarakhand battle reached the corridors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday with the BJP demanding President Pranab Mukherjee to dismiss the Harish Rawat-led government while the Congress accused the ruling dispensation at the Centre of attempting to destabilise the grand old party. Bahuguna and the other eight rebel MLAs have also been issued notices by the speaker under the anti-defection law. The Congress has told all of its MLAs that any indiscipline will not be tolerated at any cost and strict action will be taken against the violators. Chief Minister Rawat had earlier this week accused the NDA Government of attempting to destabilise his government while rejecting the BJP`s allegations of corruption in his state. New Delhi: Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal late on Saturday disqualified the nine Congress MLAs accused of rebellion from the House on the recommendation of Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Rawat had urged the speaker to disqualify them on the grounds that they have joined hands with the BJP in order to bring down his government. The Harish Rawat-led government will take the floor test on Monday to prove its majority in the 70-member Assembly. After meeting the Speaker on Saturday, Rawat said he provided documents supporting the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs. The Congress party has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat, former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law. The Congress, which has a strength of 36 MLAs in the Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week. Meanwhile, the rebel Congress MLAs have alleged that they were offered bribe by the Chief Minister for support during the floor test. In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House." Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Saturday called an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the Uttarakhand crisis. It has emerged that the Centre is not in favour of a President's rule in the state at this juncture. Kabul: At least 73 militants were killed in an airstrike conducted by the U.S troops in Afghanistan`s southern Helmand province. Commander of Bost`s 505 Zone in Helmand, Ismatullah Dawlatzai, said the air raids targeted Taliban militants in parts of Nad Ali district and six Pakistani rebels were among the dead, reports Tolo news. This airstrikes comes in the wake of eliminating militants from the region. Some military affairs analysts have recommended restart of airstrikes on militant hideouts in the belief that it would suppress and eliminate insurgents. Brussels: Police pressed ahead on Saturday with the search for suspects in Belgium's worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's airport and metro attacks which left 31 dead and some 300 wounded. Many believe it has not done enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State - which claimed the attacks - and from where they return home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. "Attacks, tens of dead, hundreds hurt, tears, raids, a political crisis, the capital under siege and fugitives still on the run while (key Paris suspect) Salah Abdeslam says nothing in prison," wrote Christophe Berti in a front page editorial for Le Soir daily. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," Berti said. Yesterday, a series of raids produced three arrests in connection with what French authorities said was an imminent new attack. President Francois Hollande said a jihadist network which hit both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed" but also warned that the threat remained and everyone must be on guard. The Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter," it said. Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Ibrahim was on the list even before the November Paris attacks while Khalid was added soon after. Prosecutors have also confirmed Khalid was the subject of an international warrant over the Paris attacks. European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium. A Belgian parliamentary commission yesterday questioned the ministers for justice, foreign affairs, and the interior on how Ibrahim El Bakraoui had managed to slip past the authorities. The ministers said the information from Ankara was vague while a Belgian police officer at the embassy in Turkey had "blundered". French police said yesterday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket - a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud - after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home. The Brussels raids yesterday saw one suspect shot in the leg at a tram stop in broad daylight in the capital's Schaerbeek district, where police earlier this week found a bomb factory linked to the airport and metro attacks. Belgian prosecutors meanwhile said that the DNA of second airport bomber Najim Laachraoui was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed during November's Paris attacks, and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium. A huge manhunt is still under way for at least two suspects - one of the airport attackers whose bomb failed to go off and another man seen in the metro with Khalid El Bakraoui just before he detonated his bomb. Investigators also say Khalid rented an apartment in Brussels used by Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in the Belgian capital on March 18. The federal prosecutor said yesterday that Abdeslam had "invoked his right to silence" and has not spoken to investigators since a few brief interviews the day after his arrest. Speaking in Brussels yesterday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he stood by the Belgian people, echoing their backing for the United States after the 9/11 attacks. "Then, voices across Europe declared, 'Je suis Americain'. Now, we declare, 'Je suis Bruxellois' and 'Ik ben Brussel,' Kerry said in French and Flemish, the country's two main languages, after meeting Belgian premier Charles Michel. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system when Khalid blew himself up, British media said. Grieving Belgians continued to gather in a central Brussels square carpeted with flowers and tributes to the dead and wounded as the country tries to come to terms with the tragedy. Washington: Brahim El Bakraoui, one of the Brussels suicide bombers, was on a U.S. counter-terrorism watch list before the November attacks in Paris and his brother Khalid was put on the list shortly afterward, sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters previously reported that both brothers had been known to U.S. authorities before the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a French national who prosecutors say had a key role in the Paris attacks. Belgian prosecutors have identified Brahim El Bakraoui as one of two suicide bombers who attacked Brussels Zaventem Airport on Tuesday, while they say Khalid El Bakraoui carried out a suicide bombing at Brussels` Maelbeek Metro station, near European Union headquarters. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the suicide bombers who struck the Brussels airport, was on a US counterterrorism watch list even before the November Paris attacks, CNN reported Friday, citing a US official. His younger brother Khalid, who blew himself up at Brussels` Maalbeek metro station, was added to the list "soon after the Paris attacks," CNN said, without specifying which US counterterrorism list. Tuesday`s suicide attacks at Brussels airport and the metro station left 31 people dead and 300 wounded, and were claimed by the Islamic State group. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who exploded himself along with one other individual at the airport, was deported by Turkey to the Netherlands in July, after being arrested in June by Turkish authorities near the Syria border. Prior to the deadly attacks, the Belgian brothers had long rap sheets with criminal convictions related to carjackings, robberies and shoot-outs with police. US television network NBC reported Thursday that the brothers were known to US authorities and listed in American terrorism databases, but did not specify which lists or when they were put on them. Khalid El Bakraoui was wanted on an international arrest warrant for terrorism in December and had rented an apartment used by the Paris attacks cell. A long list of blunders by Belgian intelligence is putting pressure on the government and raising urgent questions across Europe about whether the attacks could have been prevented. Tehran: Iran on Saturday denied supporting cyber attacks against the United States after a New York court indicted seven Iranians over hacking dozens of American banks and a major dam. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had dangerous cyber actions on its agenda and does not support such measures," Hossein Jaber Ansari, the spokesman for Iran`s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The United States on Thursday announced computer hacking charges against seven Iranians who it said worked for firms linked to the Iranian government, accusing them of infiltrating nearly 50 banks and financial institutions, as well as a major New York dam. The announcement comes after a nuclear agreement last year between Iran, the United States and five other major powers raised hopes for better relations between Tehran and Washington. In a standoff that lasted more than a decade, the US and the European Union imposed sanctions in a bid to stymie Tehran`s disputed nuclear programme and ensure a bomb was out of reach. Iran persistently denied seeking atomic weapons. The United States and Israel allegedly attacked Iran`s nuclear facilities in 2010 with a computer a virus called Stuxnet, although neither government has acknowledged it. The virus, which temporarily hobbled Iran`s nuclear refining facilities, was believed to be the first programme designed not just to steal information or hijack computers, but to damage equipment. "The United States, which with its cyber attacks against Iran`s peaceful nuclear facilities put millions of innocent Iranians at the risk of a environmental disaster is in no position to accuse citizens of other countries, including those of Iran," Ansari said. Beirut: Islamic State fighters were on the retreat in the strategic Syrian city of Palmyra on Friday, as the United States said it likely killed several senior leaders of the militant group this week including its top finance officer. The double blow to the hardline Islamist group in its self-declared caliphate, which covers huge areas of Syria and Iraq, came three days after Islamic State suicide bombers killed 31 people in Brussels, the worst such attack in Belgian history. Syrian soldiers fighting to retake the desert city of Palmyra from Islamic State forces recaptured its old citadel on Friday, various media reported. The citadel overlooks some of the most extensive ruins of the Roman empire. Many of Palmyra`s temples and tombs have been dynamited by Islamic State fighters in what the United Nations described as a war crime, although television footage on Friday showed at least some colonnades and structures still standing. The recapture of Palmyra, which the Islamist militants seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for Islamic State in Syria since Russia`s intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in President Bashar al-Assad`s favour. The city controls routes east into the heartland of territory held by the militants, including the province of Deir al-Zor and the Islamic State`s de facto capital, Raqqa. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Friday an Islamic State leader was killed when his car was targeted in a strike on Raqqa on Thursday night. It did not identify the dead militant, but U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States believed it killed Haji Iman - an alias for Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, a senior Islamic State leader in charge of the group`s finances, and Abu Sarah, who Carter said was charged with paying fighters in northern Iraq. U.S. special forces carried out the strike against Haji Iman, officials told Reuters. One of the officials said the plan was to capture, not kill, him. But after the commandos` helicopter was fired on, the decision was made to fire from the air. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL`s cabinet," Carter told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon, using an acronym to refer to the group. U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the briefing the deaths reflected "indisputable" new momentum in the fight against Islamic State. Iraq`s military said on Friday that Iraqi Yazidi and tribal fighters had taken a border area in the Sinjar region next to Syria from Islamic State, cutting an important supply line for the militants. U.S. officials said they were helping Iraqis prepare for a major operation in Mosul to take back more territory from the militant group. The Pentagon will submit proposals to President Barack Obama for strengthening military support to Iraqi forces in the near future, a top US military official said Friday. "We have a series of recommendations that we will discuss with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces," said General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "(Defense Secretary Ashton Carter) and I both believe that there will be an increase in US forces in Iraq in coming weeks, but that decision hasn`t been made," Dunford said Friday during a news conference at the Pentagon. The recommendations will include ways that the US can "enable" Iraqi forces in their efforts to recapture the city of Mosul, the largest urban center in the Islamic State group`s "caliphate," an operation that`s expected to be long and difficult. Pentagon officials have previously mentioned their desire to accelerate the training of Iraqi troops, or to provide logistical support for the Mosul offensive. The US military confirmed this week the presence of some 200 Marines and artillery in northern Iraq, with the artillery used to support Iraqi troops as they advanced in the region. "There is no inconsistency between what this artillery unit did and what our aviation is doing every single day" in its bombing campaign against IS, he said. Officially, there are 3,870 US troops deployed in Iraq. But the actual number is likely about 5,000, according to media reports that Dunford did not deny on Friday. Strengthening US military presence in Iraq is a sensitive issue for the Obama administration, which has vowed not to deploy ground forces there. Shiite militias in Iraq also oppose additional US deployments to their country. Dunford and Carter, who was also at the briefing, warned that the battle against IS will play out outside Iraq and Syria as well. Efforts to prevent attacks such as those carried out in Brussels will not succeed "unless all the countries that are affected by the foreign fighters are cooperating at the law enforcement, the intelligence community level and the military level," Dunford said. Carter added that these were "critical" components in the fight against IS, especially in European countries. The United States has repeatedly called on European nations to improve shortcomings in their intelligence sharing and police cooperation, with criticism only heightened in the wake of the Belgium attacks this week that left 31 dead and 300 wounded. Brussels: Belgian police arrested three more people on Friday as investigations into Tuesday`s suicide bombings by Islamist militants in Brussels threw up more links to killings in Paris last year. The federal prosecutor`s office said the operation was connected to the arrest in Paris on Thursday of an Islamist convicted in Belgium last year and suspected of plotting a new attack. Nine people in total have been arrested since Thursday in Belgium and two in Germany, as European authorities swoop on Islamic State militants they link both to the Brussels bombings that killed 31 people and to the attacks in Paris last November that killed 130. Ahead of one of the arrests, heavily armed police and troops with trucks cordoned off an area around a major intersection in the northern Brussels borough of Schaerbeek. Three blasts could be heard, which the local mayor Bernard Clerfayt said were controlled explosions. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF quoted Clerfayt as saying the suspect had been detained after being wounded and that he was linked to Tuesday`s suicide bombings in Brussels. It initially said he had been found to be in possession of a suitcase full of explosives but later news reports did not confirm that explosives were found. Witnesses said police appeared to shoot the man in the leg at a tram stop and that he appeared to have his daughter with him. "We heard `Don`t move`. The man was sitting at the bus stop, a bus stop with a glass wall, and we heard a small detonation and a big detonation," said Norman Kabir, 38, an electrician who lives and works nearby. "Then the police came, took the little girl who was shouting `Dad`, she seemed terrified and the man got shot in the leg anyway because he was still moving," Kabir told reporters. "Then the police asked him to move his bag. He was lying on the ground, but he did it and pushed the bag and a robot from the mine-sweeping brigade arrived. It came, grabbed the bag and took it away, then they took the guy, put him in a car and left. It took 20 seconds." Video showed the man lying on his side, shattered glass from the tram shelter smashed by bullets at his feet. Islamic State suicide bombers hit Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday in the worst such assaults in Belgian history. Investigators believe they were carried out by the same cell behind November`s gun and bomb attacks in Paris. The Belgian federal prosecutor`s office said six people were held in Brussels on Thursday, of whom three were released and three were remanded in custody facing possible charges. Three others were detained on Friday following the arrest overnight in France of Reda Kriket, a 34-year-old Frenchman sentenced to 10 years in absentia in Brussels last July as part of an Islamist recruiting network dubbed the Syrian Connection. In the same case, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks later killed by French police, got 20 years, also in absentia, while Khalid Zerkani, a Moroccan recruiter of jihadis in Europe, was jailed for 12 years. According to a report in Le Point magazine, Zerkani was a mentor to the two other men and to Najim Laachraoui, one of the Brussels airport bombers who is also suspected of having made explosive belts for the Paris attacks. In Germany, Der Spiegel magazine said German police had arrested two people, one of whom had received phone messages with the name of the metro station bomber and the word "fin" - French for "end" - three minutes before the metro blast. The German interior ministry declined comment. A person familiar with the investigation in Belgium said one of the people arrested there was believed to be a suspected accomplice caught on security camera footage with the metro station bomber. "We have strong indications that this is the suspect who was hunted for the last couple of days. The identification is still ongoing," the source said. However he said those arrested before midday on Friday did not include a third suspect seen on video alongside the two who blew themselves up at the airport. The attacks in Brussels, home to the European Union and NATO, have heightened security concerns around the world and raised questions about EU states` ability to respond in an effective, coordinated way to the Islamist militant threat. Belgium`s interior minister Jan Jambon on Friday blamed police negligence. "Someone in our police apparatus blundered," he told a special session of parliament. Jambon offered to resign on Thursday over a failure to track one of the airport bombers, Brahim El Bakraoui, 29, who had been expelled last year by Turkey as a suspected fighter. Bakraoui`s brother Khalid, 26, was the bomber who struck the metro train. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Brussels on Friday to offer US assistance in security. Two of the Brussels victims were Americans. "Je suis bruxellois. Ik ben Brussel," Kerry said in French and Dutch, expressing solidarity with the people of Brussels in the two languages of the Belgian capital. In Paris on Thursday, authorities arrested Kriket, a French national suspected of belonging to a militant network planning an attack in France. French officials did not directly tie that plot to the Brussels attacks, but Clerfayt, the Schaerbeek mayor, said the man wounded on Friday was linked to both investigations. French President Francois Hollande said the hunt for Islamist militant cells would continue. "We know there are other networks. Even if the one behind the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out, a threat is still there," he said. The Brussels attacks came a week after Belgian police killed a militant during a house raid that led them to Salah Abdeslam, the only suspected participant in the Paris attacks to have been captured alive. His lawyer says he has been cooperating with the investigation but did not know of the plan to attack Brussels. However, on Friday prosecutors said Abdeslam had declined to talk about Tuesday`s attacks, having declared soon after his capture that he would exercise his right to be silent. Belgian daily De Morgen said investigators had identified a new suspect they believe played a role in the Brussels bombings, 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. The paper said he was on a list circulated to the security services of other European countries after Tuesday`s attacks, and was also suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks. Islamic State posted a video on social media calling the Brussels blasts a victory and featuring the training of Belgian militants suspected in the Paris attacks. The P.E.O. Sisterhood of Chapter HG Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Kady Brownell Tent 25 BELLWOOD -- Daughters of Union Veterans met in the Bellwood auditorium on March 7. President Louise Moran conducted the meeting with six members present. Chaplain Pat Mick and Acting Guide Pat Wagner first draped the charter in memory of Past Department President Connie Wright. Chaplain Pat Mick then gave the opening prayer. Acting Patriotic Instructor Pauline Dvorak then led everyone in repeating the pledge, following which everyone joined in singing the national anthem, remembering the leaders of our country and all other organizations. President Louise advised that she received an invitation for our tent members to attend an evening with Wm. F. Buffalo Bill Cody from the Nebraska Society of Sons of the American Revolution-Lincoln Chapter. Planning for the Department Convention was held in Lincoln on Jan. 9. The Department Convention will be held April 8-9 at Nebraska City at the G.A.R. Hall. The meeting will begin at the hall on April 8 and then tour the hall. The meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. with the granddaughter's supper. Saturday morning will be a joint memorial service with the Sons of Union Veterans. The business meeting will then follow. There will be a luncheon on Saturday at noon, and then the business meeting will conclude. For Good of the Order, Pat Wagner read "Civil War Veteran Finally Receives Burial Honors." One hundred thirty-five years after Otto Arlt's death, he has finally been recognized for his Civil War service. Thanks to historical detective work during renovation of county court records, an envelope was discovered containing Army discharge papers and a coroner's inquest report from June 1880. The report said 50-year-old Arlt had been struck by a train while crossing a railroad bridge between Lincoln and Roca. Arlt, hard of hearing, tried to leap from the trestle at the last moment but slipped and fell across the tracks. Newspaper archives, military documents and Roca cemetery maps were studied. It was discovered Arlt had been born in Prussia, came to America and served three years in the Union Army, surviving numerous battles. He was discharged in Virginia after spending time in a hospital, but reenlisted in March 1865. Cemetery records were searched until Arlt's unmarked grave was discovered in the Roca cemetery. His grave didn't have a headstone. With no known relatives to buy a headstone, a nonmilitary marker was purchased and it was dedicated on Oct. 18, 2015, just over 150 years after Arlt served his adopted country. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned. Baghdad: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad Saturday for talks with senior officials on ways of assisting war-ravaged Iraq, the world body said. Ban, who had last visited the Iraqi capital in March 2015, was travelling with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank head Ahmad al-Madani. They went straight into talks with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Ban flew from Lebanon, where he called for an end to war in the region and visited some of the 1.2 million refugees the country hosts. A drop in oil prices has had a devastating effect on the economy of Iraq, already strained by the cost of the fight against the Islamic State group. As areas are gradually retaken from the jihadists in intense battles, Baghdad is left with little to spare on the reconstruction of ravaged cities. The government has asked for support from its foreign partners. During a visit to Baghdad on March 16, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said lenders would be urged to help. "We will work with our partners from the G7 in order to provide direct support to the Iraqi government, and also to put pressure on the international financial institutions to give bigger and quicker loan support to Iraq," he said. MOSCOW (Reuters) - A sixth Russian serviceman was killed in his country's military operation in Syria in February, but his death was not officially reported, a collective of Russian bloggers who monitor the conflict said on Wednesday. Sergei Chupov, a 51-year-old major of Russia's Interior Ministry troops, was killed in Syria on Feb. 8 and is buried in the Balashikha district of the Moscow region, the bloggers, who operate under the name Conflict Intelligence Team, said on their site (www.citeam.org). It is unclear what Chupov's mission in Syria was, the bloggers said. They cited social media postings by acquaintances of Chupov talking about his death, and said they had tracked down his grave. Russia's defense ministry and interior ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. One of the sources quoted in the report confirmed Chupov's death to Reuters. "I know Chupov was a negotiator in Syria and was killed by a direct hit from a mortar shell," Radik Belov, who said he served under Chupov's command in a reconnaissance platoon in the 1990s, told Reuters. Russia has so far officially acknowledged the death of five members of its security forces in its Syria operation. President Vladimir Putin last week ordered the withdrawal of the bulk of the force in Syria, saying they had achieved most of their objectives. Officials say Russia's military role in Syria was limited to air strikes, training and advising Syrian government troops, search and rescue operations to recover downed air crews, and protecting Russian bases. Syrian opposition groups have said though that Russian forces have been involved in Syrian government offensives, including in combat roles. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Hugh Lawson) It has emerged that US authorities knew the identities of three men involved in the terror bombings in Brussels - including one attacker who is believed to be on the run. Here is a summary of what is known about the bombers so far, following raids across the Belgian capital which resulted in six suspects being arrested in connection with the attack. Khalid el Bakraoui, 27, Belgian :: Blew himself up on a metro train at Maalbeek station on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people. :: Sentenced to five years for car-jacking in 2011. :: According to Belgium's De Morgen newspaper, he violated the terms of his parole in May 2015 by maintaining contact with past criminal associates - but was freed by a magistrate nonetheless. :: Prior to the attack, a man was seen on CCTV carrying a large bag alongside el Bakraoui in the station. It is unclear whether that suspect was killed in the bombing or is still at large. :: El Bakraoui was on the US government's counter-terrorism watch list. Ibrahim el Bakraoui, 29, Belgian :: Brother to Khalid, he blew himself up at Brussels' Zaventem Airport, killing at least 11 people. :: Sentenced to nine years behind bars in 2010 for shooting at police officers during an attempted robbery at a money transfer office. :: Skipped parole after serving less than half of the jail term. :: Turkey's President has claimed el Bakraoui was arrested in July 2015 near the Syrian border - and alleged Belgian and Dutch authorities were notified he was a "foreign terrorist fighter" when he was deported to The Netherlands. :: Investigators found el Bakraoui's will on a computer thrown in a bin in Schaerbeek - the suburb where the airport attackers had travelled from with their suitcase bombs. :: Part of his will said: "I don't know what to do. I'm in a hurry. I'm on the run. People are looking for me everywhere. And if I give myself up then I'll end up in a cell." :: Like his younger brother, el Bakraoui was on the US government's counter-terrorism watch list. Najim Laachraoui, 25, Belgian :: The second attacker who targeted Zaventem Airport with a bomb concealed in a suitcase. :: Left Brussels for Syria in February 2013 and is suspected of having made the explosive vests used in last November's Paris attacks, and possibly the bombs detonated in Brussels. :: Laachraoui's DNA was found in houses used by the Paris attackers. :: Family claims he had given no warning signs of being radicalised before he broke off all contact and travelled to Syria. :: His actions have been condemned by his younger brother Mourad, who also told a news conference: "He was a nice boy, and above all he was clever, that's what I remember of him." Unnamed "third man" seen on airport CCTV footage :: He was caught on surveillance cameras wheeling a suitcase at Zaventem Airport wearing a hat and a light-coloured jacket, alongside Ibrahim el Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui. :: Investigators have said his suitcase bomb was the largest of them all, but it failed to detonate and was found close to the scene. :: He was seen running away from the terminal and is believed to be still at large. :: US authorities know his identity, Sky News has learned - and he is also on their terror watch list. By Serajul Quadir and John Chalmers DHAKA/MANILA (Reuters) - Bangladesh police launched a criminal investigation on Thursday into the cyber theft of $81 million from the central bank's U.S. account but said it was too early to pinpoint any suspects. The money was transferred to accounts in the Philippines, and a Senate hearing there was told that nearly half a million dollars was skimmed off and packed into a bank branch manager's car. The bulk went to two casinos and an individual who is believed to be a junket operator. The heist took place between Feb 4 and Feb 5, when unknown hackers breached the computer systems of Bangladesh Bank and attempted to steal $951 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which it uses for international settlements. The other transfers were blocked, but $81 million went to accounts in a Manila branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) , and was quickly further transferred. Romualdo S. Agarrado, a reserve officer of RCBC who was at the branch at the time, told the hearing that a withdrawal slip for 20 million pesos ($432,000) from one of the accounts was made out by the manager Maia Santos Deguito herself and cashed. Agarrado cited her as saying at the time: "I would rather do this than me being killed or my family." In Dhaka, a central bank spokesman said a police team visited the bank on Thursday to understand the workings of the accounts and budget department and the computer system as they launched their probe. "We have just started our investigation. It is a bit early to name suspects," a police official said. The cyber thieves hid their tracks by installing malware that manipulated a central bank printer to hide evidence of the heist, according to a person familiar with an investigation by cyber security experts. However, the investigators have so far found no evidence of inside involvement in the hacking of the banks computers, the source said. Earlier, central bank officials filed a police report that said that a computer and printer the bank used to order SWIFT wire transfers were manipulated so that authorities could not see records of outgoing wire transfer requests or receipts confirming that they had been received. Details about the issues with the computer and printer were among the first clues to surface as to how the attack was carried out. A representative from Brussels-based SWIFT, a bank-owned cooperative that runs a secure private messaging system widely used for requesting money transfers, declined comment on Wednesday. MANAGER SAYS MADE SCAPEGOAT In the Philippines, officials have told the Senate committee that the $81 million was wired to four fictitious accounts at RCBC, most of it was subsequently consolidated into one account and was then sent on to a foreign exchange broker called Philrem Service Corp. From Philrem, more than $30 million was delivered in cash to an ethnic Chinese man who some witnesses said they believed is a casino junket operator in Manila, although regulatory officials told Reuters they had not previously heard of him. A further $50 million was split between a casino resort and a gaming firm in the Philippines, officials said. Thursday's hearing focused on the branch manager, who for the most part declined to answer questions from the senators except in camera. "The 20 million pesos was placed in the car of Ms. Deguito and she drove off with it," RCBC attorney Maria Celia Fernandez-Estavillo told the hearing, referring to details of an affidavit from Agarrado, the reserve officer. In an interview with a local TV channel before the hearing, Deguito denied any wrongdoing and said she was being used as a scapegoat. The Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Philippines said complaints have been made against the manager of the RCBC branch and the holders of fictitious accounts into which the money was originally deposited at the branch. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore; Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Raju Gopalakrishnan) Syrian government troops have defeated Islamic State militants to recapture the citadel in the town of Palmyra, according to Syrian state media. State television quoted a military source as saying: "Our armed forces, in co-ordination with the popular defence forces, have taken control of the ancient Palmyra citadel after inflicting many losses in the ranks of the terrorist group Daesh." The same report said the army has also cut off the main Palmyra-Deir Ezzor highway leading to the Iraqi border. Earlier on Friday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency had quoted an unnamed military source as saying that a government army unit, in co-operation with the "popular defence groups", had established control over the Syriatel hill, near Palmyra Castle. Several other hills around the town have also been captured by the government forces. A Syrian military source was quoted by AFP as saying the army had entered Palmyra from the northwest after taking control of part of the Valley of the Tombs. "The clashes - which are ongoing - are fierce," he said. Russian aircraft have continued to support the Syrian military in the area despite Moscow pulling some of its forces out of the country. And Russia's Interfax news agency reported a Russian special forces soldier was killed near Palmyra last week. The town is the site of UNESCO-listed temples and relics that dated back thousands of years but many of these have been blown up or damaged by IS since it took over in May. Only about 15,000 civilians remain - from an original population of 70,000. IS urged them on Thursday to flee in advance of the battle. The recapture of the town would be a major symbolic victory for Syrian president Bashar al Assad. It would also be strategically helpful as whoever holds the town also controls the vast desert that stretches from central Syria to its border with Iraq. For those dedicated to the town's historic value, however, the possible victory raises hopes that some of its monuments can be rebuilt. Story continues Syrias antiquities chief Maamoun Abdel-Karim is one of these people and he spoke during an interview as the Syrian government forces approached the town, saying: "We are determined to bring Palmyra back to life. "Palmyra is not just Syrias heritage - it is the worlds heritage and must be shared." As the army captured the citadel, he said they were also 600 metres from the famous Temple of Bel, but advancing slowly because of mines in the area. Sky's Diplomatic Editor Dominic Waghorn said that, despite news of the citadel, he had not seen pictures from the centre of the town itself, adding that recapturing the entire town would be "a major strategic blow" for IS, which has lost up to 40% of the territory it had last year. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to work towards a political settlement in Syria, but the future of Mr Assad, who is backed by Moscow, remains an obstacle. There are fears the Syrian opposition could pull out of peace talks in Geneva unless Mr Assad agrees to step down. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said he was aiming to restart talks on 9 April. Columbus Public Library is once again participating in DASH for the STASH, an investor education and protection program and contest taking place now through May 15. We encourage everyone to stop by the library and compete in the 2016 DASH for the STASH! One statewide winner will be chosen in a random drawing of eligible participants who logged the correct answer for all four posters. The winner will receive a $1,000 contribution to an existing or new Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for 2016. The DASH for the STASH program is being launched by the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance and the nonprofit Investor Protection Institute (IPI). The DASH for the STASH contest is played much like a scavenger hunt. But instead of collecting objects, individuals collect information about saving and investing and leave answers to quiz questions. To enter the contest, you simply visit the Columbus Public Library, where a set of four investor education topic posters (and one rules poster) are displayed. Contestants read each poster and then access the quiz question for each poster. We are very pleased to be involved in this novel way to make use of our facility as a way to help educate Nebraska investors. DASH for the STASH provides vital information to local citizens in an easy to understand format. DASH for the STASH is a great way to engage consumers, especially younger people, who have not yet started to pay attention to this critical part of their financial outlook, said Don Blandin, president and CEO of the Investor Protection Institute. Our goal is to lead individuals to venues, such as public libraries, where they can find reliable investor education and protection resources. The DASH for the STASH posters each have a QR code and a web link to a quiz that individuals will access to answer questions and participate in the contest. The posters cover four key topics: finding financial advisers, avoiding fraud, understanding investment fees, and building a nest egg. The easiest way to participate in the DASH for the STASH is to use a smartphone or mobile device to scan each posters QR code, but you also will be able to use a laptop or desktop computer in the library. If you dont have time to take the quizzes during your visit to the library, you can write down the web links and visit each posters quiz webpage from home. In addition to two sets of English language posters, Columbus Public Library also has two sets of posters in Spanish. Ask a staff member to help you find the posters and get started. While youre visiting the library to participate in DASH for the STASH, check out some of our new financial education books or pick up federal tax forms and instruction booklets. For more information about DASH for the STASH rules, go to http://www.iinvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/DASH-for-the-STASH_2016_Rules.pdf, or stop by the library. By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The feud between Republican presidential contenders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz over their spouses heated up on Thursday, with Cruz calling the party front-runner "a sniveling coward" for threatening his wife on Twitter. The senator from Texas also sharpened his attacks on Trump's conservative credentials, linking the brash billionaire to disgraced New York politicians Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner. Cruz continued bashing Trump for making Cruz's wife, Heidi, a target of social-media barbs. I have to say, seeing him go deeper and deeper into the gutter, its not easy to tick me off," Cruz said at a news conference while campaigning in Dane, Wisconsin. "But you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, itll do it every time. "Donald, youre a sniveling coward," Cruz said. "Leave Heidi the hell alone. Cruz's remarks were the latest burst of hostility between the two camps, which earlier this week erupted into full view when Trump accused Cruz of posting a nude photo of Melania Trump on Twitter. Trump responded by threatening to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife, Heidi. Cruz denied having anything to do with the image, which was part of an attack by an anti-Trump Super PAC, Make America Awesome. "Donald, real men don't attack women. Your wife is lovely, and Heidi is the love of my life," Cruz said in a post on Twitter earlier on Thursday. Cruz's tweet followed one moments earlier by Trump in which he retweeted an image featuring a less-than-flattering picture of Heidi Cruz juxtaposed with a glamorous photo of Melania. The back-and-forth was too much for Senator Lindsey Graham, a former presidential candidate, who blasted both men in an interview on NBC's "Today" show on Thursday. "Talk about things that people really care about, and knock this crap off because these are serious times, and you're not behaving like you want to be president of the United States," he said. For Trump, attacking another candidate's wife may carry some political risk. Half of U.S. women say they have a "very unfavorable" view of the billionaire businessman, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling in March. Cruz fared better, with 24 percent of the 5,000 women surveyed saying they had a "very unfavorable" view of him. The Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, did worse than Cruz but better than Trump, with 36 percent of women polled saying they had a "very unfavorable" view of her. The poll had a credibility interval of 2 percentage points. Also on Thursday, Cruz began to press Trump on his history of supporting Democratic politicians in New York, which holds its Republican primary on April 19. And while Manhattan is home to Trump's business empire, Cruz spent time there this week campaigning. In media releases and social-media postings, Cruz highlighted Trump's history of donating not only to Spitzer, New York's former governor who resigned amid a prostitution scandal, and Weiner, the former U.S. congressman who quit after tweeting lewd images of himself, but also to other New York liberals such as U.S. Representative Charles Rangel, Senator Chuck Schumer, and New York's current governor, Andrew Cuomo. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but Trump posted an Instagram video that showed former Republican presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Graham expressing doubts about Cruz earlier in the campaign. Both have since endorsed Cruz, saying he is in the best position to halt Trump's march toward the nomination. Both Trump and Cruz are trying to garner enough delegates to win the Republican nomination ahead of the party's convention this summer. After Tuesday's contests in Arizona and Utah, Trump had 739 of the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination, according to The Associated Press. Cruz had 465. Polls show Trump leading in New York ahead of its primary. And there were also indications on Thursday of Trump's strength in California, where many observers believe he could clinch the nomination by winning its primary on June 7. A new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that among likely Republican primary voters, Trump led with 38 percent to 27 percent for Cruz and 14 percent for Ohio Governor John Kasich. The next Republican contests will be on April 5 in Wisconsin and on April 9 in Wyoming. (Reporting by Alana Wise, Steve Holland, Megan Cassella, and Susan Heavey.; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay) A grassroots campaign in New York is providing the latest backlash to what many perceive to be unrealistic female beauty standards. #MyBodyDoes, which has been steadily gathering pace in the US metropolis, has seen advocates for positive self-image posting manifesto stickers around the city to encourage women to love their natural shape. Images of the stickers have attracted global online attention. Inscribed with messages such as My body is a source of joy and I am thankful for all that my body does, the campaigns affirmation stickers have popped up everywhere from lampposts to billboard ads for cosmetic surgery. Fans can purchase the stickers or download and create their own on the campaigns website mybodydoes.com. Founded by Jess Andersen and Ashley Simon, the movement aims to celebrate the profound uniqueness & inherent value of all bodies and nourish self-compassion and bring nuance to the dialogue about body image and wellness. #MyBodyDoes is the latest contributor to the growing trend of social campaigns, whether implemented on the ground or played out via social media, to respond to the issue of socially imposed beauty standards. Earlier this month Pax Jones, a 21-year-old photographer in Texas, hit the headlines when her Unfair And Lovely photo series examining the discrimination faced by women of South Asian descent went viral. The concept, whose name references a Thai skin bleaching product called Fair and Lovely, became a hashtagged movement celebrating dark-skinned women and has garnered almost thousands of Instagram contributions and followers from all over the world. Additional grassroots campaigns to have seen success recently include Thigh Reading, which saw contributors post photos of their stretch marks to social media, and Love Your Lines, which encouraged women to embrace their marks as a positive beauty attribute. Last summer also saw memorable widespread furor over a controversial campaign by a weight loss supplement brand, which saw billboards asking the question Are you beach body ready? graffitied and defaced. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ COLUMBUS A road project that will expand the U.S. Highway 30 expressway east of Columbus later this year was met with praise because of the safety and economic impact it will have on the area. A program hearing for District 3 of the Nebraska Department of Roads held Friday in the Columbus City Council Chambers touched on numerous projects on tap this year and beyond, including expanding Highway 30 between Schuyler and Rogers. That project is part of the U.S. Highway 30 expressway that will eventually be a four-lane road between Columbus and Fremont. Kevin Domogalla, engineer of District 3 that covers northeast Nebraska, said work will begin on expanding the highway east of Schuyler to just east of Rogers in the fall. This segment will extend the highway four-lane expressway standards adjacent to the existing lanes to the north. Once the new westbound lanes are completed, the existing lanes will be removed and the new eastbound lanes constructed, he said. Both K.C. Belitz, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce president, and Columbus City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli said the expressway will have a positive impact on the future of Columbus. These projects do have more than a safety aspect. They have more than a good traffic surfacing and use impact. That economic development and economic opportunity that we are going to see is just tremendous, Mangiamelli said. Belitz points to the completion of Lost Creek Parkway about five years ago as to how road projects can transform a community. There has been a lot of growth in the northwest part of the city near the parkway with the addition of the Columbus Wellness Center and a new Columbus High School under construction. The expressway could have a similar impact when businesses are looking to expand. These roads, specifically Highway 30 expressway, do matter in those decisions, Belitz said. Kyle Schneweis, Nebraska Department of Roads director, touched on legislation that could impact road projects, including the Transportation Innovation Act (LB960). The bill, which must pass another round of voting before it is approved by the Legislature, would provide up-front money for major highway projects to accelerate the construction process. Compromises had to be made with the cash reserve transfer figure, which now sits at $50 million, a reduction from the original amount of $150 million. Otherwise, the content of the bill has stayed intact. The goal of the bill is to deliver projects faster, to give us some tools to innovate, to improve some of the partnerships we have in the state. All those pieces remain, Schneweis said. He also spoke about the Build Nebraska Act, which was passed into law in 2011. The legislation funds road projects by diverting a quarter-cent from Nebraskas sales tax to state and local highways, roads and streets. Schneweis said it has been successful. The response has been a little overwhelming. We had more comments than we had even hoped for. We added several dozen projects to the list to be analyzed, he said. A presentation of some projects in Columbus, including the addition of viaducts on Third and 12th avenues and a pedestrian overpass on 18th Avenue, was given to NDOR officials and the approximately 40 people who attended the meeting. Other projects in the area that were discussed are part of the six-year highway program in the district. It is expected that those projects will be contracted out, but may not be completed within the fiscal year. Those projects include grading, culvert and bridge work and resurfacing 14.5 miles of Highway 14 south of Albion. Work will begin this fall and be completed next year. Another project is one that started last year on Highway 39 between St. Edward and Albion. The majority of the concrete paving was completed, as well as bridge and box culvert repair work. The remaining patchwork will begin in the spring with milling and resurfacing to follow. Resurfacing of 8 miles on Highway 15 between Humphrey and Leigh will be bid in the fall. Domogalla said work on the project, which also includes replacing a bridge, could begin this year. Statewide, Latinos are still a small segment of Nebraskas population. But in Columbus and Schuyler, their percentages are on par or higher than state and national averages. In 2010, Nebraska was 9.2 percent Latino. Columbus and the U.S. were at 16.3 percent, and Schuyler was 65.4 percent. With their population growing, Latinos also are becoming more prevalent in businesses and community organizations. But that hasnt transferred to civic or government engagement. Statewide, only one Latino name arises, Linda Guzman-Gonzalez, who is running for the Board of Governors for Western Community College. In Platte County, no Latinos are running for elected office in any of the county, city, public power district or school board positions. In Schuyler, there are two Antonio Rodriguez is running for Schuyler City Council and Mynor Hernandez is running for a seat on the Schuyler Community Schools Board of Education. Centro Hispano executive director Karen Gomez said one reason why few Latinos seek elected office in Nebraska is because the population is relatively new here. I think were not ready yet, said Gomez. We need to have access to training because the system, the political system, the government system, is very complicated to understand. Comite Latino founder Victor Lopez said that complexity, coupled with a language barrier, prevents many Latino immigrants from getting involved. When I was in my hometown, when you vote you just think about the president or the county president, said Lopez. You dont see the rest, like the city council, the school board. Centro Hispano is holding a day of information April 3 when it's partnering with other agencies to provide information to the Latino community on immigration, education and civic engagement. But Gomez said for someone to run for an elected office, they need much more. They need training and mentoring, said Gomez. Its not that people dont want to participate, its that they need ways and opportunities to do that. Comite Latino in Schuyler started as a group of Latino business leaders informally meeting to discuss how to get more involved. One of Comites goals is to provide training and support for Latinos interested in running for local office, like members Rodriguez and Hernandez. I have a child that goes to school here in town, said Hernandez, who is running for the school board. Its a way for my voice to be heard and to share some of the changes that Id like to see in our school. Juan Sandoval, Hispanic business center director of the Rural Enterprise Assistance Project, works with Latino business owners in Columbus and Schuyler. He said many Latinos bring a distrust of politicians and politics with them from their home countries. It is something that is in our culture. Most of our politicians, they do not listen to what we need in Mexico, Sandoval said. Its part of our background. He also said many business owners are too busy trying to get their businesses off the ground to get involved. And for those who are more established, they need more encouragement from the wider community. They dont feel they are accepted yet, said Sandoval. Sometimes its good if they are approached by the organization or city and asked why they arent running for the board. Comite Latino is also working to get more of the broader Latino community involved in civics and education. In 2012, they handed out fliers at Cargill and area churches on how to register to vote, and this year theyre going door-to-door helping people register. Theyve also worked with Schuyler Community Schools to educate parents on the importance of parent-teacher conferences and being more involved with their childrens education. Comite treasurer Javier Arizmendi said for many parents, that level of involvement was not expected in their home country. A lot of parents here coming from our country, we think, OK, so teachers, they can do their job and I will do my job,'" he said. "'My kids, they can go to school and the teachers can take care of them.' And (here) it doesnt work that way. One of the changes hes seeing that explains the growing interest in local government is that more Latinos are staying in Schuyler longer. Before, people would just come to work and work and go back to their countries, he said. Now more people want to live in the community and know more about the community. And thats why I think now people want to know how they can participate. And Latinos who have grown up in the United States are starting to show an interest in getting more involved. Now were seeing the second generation, who are able to vote, speak, read and be in American culture, said Lopez. Thats changing a lot from when Latinos were starting to come to this area. At the heart of the issue in Columbus and Schuyler is the need for better communication between communities, which Lopez said is Comite Latinos central goal. Our purpose, more than anything else, is to have a bridge with everyone in town and have a more harmonic life, he said. After a wedding trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina, the couple has made their home in Denver, Colorado, but will be moving to Bogata, Colombia in June. The bride received a MA in International Relations, an Associates degree in Video Production and a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from Josef Korbel School of International Relations at the University of Denver. She is an Investigative Specialist at the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigations. The groom received a Bachelors degree in History and French from Fordham University in New York City, a Masters degree in International Relations from Northeastern University in Boston, a Bachelors of Nursing degree from Metropolitan State in Denver. He is a Registered Nurse for Denver Health Medical Center in their Comprehensive Addiction Rehabilitation and Evaluation Services Unit. Jeff Lukas walked along the outside rail heading back to the barn following Charismatics victory in the 1999 Kentucky Derby. The fans in the grandstand off to his right were still buzzing over the 31-1 triumph of the former $62,500 claimer. Jeff wore a blank expression on his face, staring straight ahead. No longer the Jeff Lukas that had been the backbone of his fathers megastable, he now seemed a totally different person; perfectly functional, but devoid of the emotion he once exhibited. He never blinked, and when he spoke, the words poured out with great eloquence and fluidity, but almost in a programmed sort of way. He was certainly well aware of what his father had just accomplished, not only winning his fourth Kentucky Derby, but having just been elected to racings Hall of Fame several days earlier. Jeff could no longer partake in the handling of the horses, something in which he was so proficient before that December morning in 1993 when a promising 2-year-old named Tabasco Cat got loose outside his Santa Anita barn and ran into Jeff, who had stepped in front of him, trying to slow him down. Jeffs head hit the pavement hard, putting him in a coma for weeks, nearly killing him. He miraculously recovered, but was never the same person. In the saddling area before that 99 Derby, Jeffs father, Wayne, wanting him to at least feel part of the team, allowed him to give jockey Chris Antley a leg up on Charismatic. It would mark the fourth time that Jeff gave the winning jockey a leg up before a Derby victory. As Jeff walked past the crowd following the race, he was able to reflect on what had just happened. These days are something you work for just to participate in, he said. Then, when youre fortunate enough to get in the winners circle, well, we can describe it to people, but you cant feel it until you walk over with them through the crowd, then follow them in the infield to the winners circle. Theres nothing in the world like it. I know its great for the Lewises (owners Bob and Beverly Lewis) and Chris Antley, but with my fathers election into the Hall of Fame this year, and having this happen a few days later, it just highlights his career. Those were the most profound words I had heard from Jeff since I first met him in the mid-1980s. Unlike the old Jeff Lukas, he was now friendlier and more mellow, willing to engage in conversation, and in a smooth and articulate manner, with the ability to rattle off statistics and analyze races like a mathematician. It was an amazing example of how complex the human brain can be, shutting down some channels and opening up others. Unfortunately, the channels it did shut down for Jeff were the windows to his previous life as a horseman. Looking back at the time of the accident, the Lukas barn was in the midst of the worst slump it had ever encountered. From the mid-80s to early 90s, Lukas had dominated racing like no trainer in history, amassing earnings that put him in another stratosphere, while winning just about every major stakes in the country, including 10 Breeders Cup races. It was Jeff who orchestrated the careers of many of the Lukas horses, including Horse of the Year Ladys Secret and Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors. And it was Jeff who either hired or oversaw the team of assistants that included Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Henning, and Randy Bradshaw. Lukas raids across the country were swift and deadly, and the familiar expression became D. Wayne off the plane. When Twilight Agenda captured the 1991 Meadowlands Cup, it was just another ho-hum stakes victory for Team Lukas. But no one could have foreseen that Lukas would not win another grade I stakes for the next 2 1/2 years. During that time, he also took a great deal of criticism when his colt, Union City, suffered a fatal injury in the 1993 Preakness Stakes. Later that year, he would be faced with the reality of having to continue on without his son and right-hand man -- first hoping he would live and then having to deal with the repercussions of his injury and the toll it had taken on his family and his operation. So, how do you deal with a horse who showed great promise, but nearly killed your son, changing his life forever; a horse who was now being branded as a rogue? A horse who had come within a heartbeat of being forever known as a killer? No one could look at the colt the same way, so Lukas gathered his entire staff and told them, Dont blame the horse for what happened. Wayne knew this was his Derby horse, the horse who finally could end his grade I losing streak, which seemed incomprehensible for someone who had been so dominant for so long. He had to forget that this colt had put him through, as Wayne called it, 32 days of pure hell. Following Tabasco Cats third-place finish in the Breeders Cup Juvenile, Wayne had proclaimed the colt the one who would return him to his former glory, and he couldnt desert the horse now. After all, Wayne could certainly relate to tarnished reputations. He informed his staff, Im dropping out of sight and spending the next 12 weeks with the horse. Lukas explained a short time later, We tried to keep that story separate, but its hard. We realize that this is the horse that injured Jeff, but on the other hand we didnt want him to carry that burden. We thought he was an excellent horse and we wanted to give him every opportunity to be a good 3-year-old. Now that we know Jeff is going to be OK, with a little bit of luck Jeff will lead him over there for the Breeders Cup. Plus, that sonofagun owes us. Tabasco Cats co-owner, William T. Young, said, Every time I called Wayne he was out grazing Tabasco Cat. As far as Im concerned, I dont think anyone could have trained that horse other than Wayne Lukas. Ive worked all my life with people, and I know when theyre interested in their job and what results theyre trying to achieve. He absolutely would not leave the horse the whole time. And for that Im extremely grateful. Tabasco Cats rider, Pat Day, added, Wayne got right between this horses ears. I dont think anyone knows a horse any more intimately than Wayne knows Tabasco Cat. He understands exactly what hes thinking and what hes feeling. A little over a month after Jeffs injury, Tabasco Cat won the El Camino Real Derby, then captured the San Rafael Stakes before finishing a close second in the Santa Anita Derby. Unfortunately, the Kentucky Derby came up sloppy and Tabasco Cat couldnt handle the surface, finishing a respectable sixth. The night before the Derby, Nick Zito, trainer of Go For Gin, had a dream that Jeff Lukas hugged him, and he took that as a good omen. The next day Go For Gin went wire-to-wire to capture the Derby by two lengths. Two weeks later, Tabasco Cat came through for Wayne, defeating Go For Gin in the Preakness Stakes. Waynes losing streak was over after 2 1/2 years. He had pulled it off, writing one of the most improbable chapters in Triple Crown history. After the race, as Wayne was unsaddling Tabasco Cat, his hands were stained with blood, as was the colts blinkers that he was holding. Wayne had badly punctured his thumb on the buckle of Tabasco Cats overgirth. It seems nothing came easy when dealing with this colt. Joanne McNamara, Tabasco Cats exercise rider, who also had been the exercise rider for Union City, was in tears. It just makes you cry, she said. There are so many highs and lows, but thats this business. As Wayne was being interviewed, his wife Shari stood nearby beaming proudly, holding a bouquet of black-eyed susans. This is such an exciting moment for all of us, she said. And its a big burden off Waynes shoulders. What makes it so gratifying is that he worked so hard with this horse. Ive never seen him devote so much time and effort getting a horse right. This was our moment and we were ready for it. Three thousand miles away, Jeff and his wife Linda watched the race on TV. For two weeks the previous December, Linda had watched helplessly as her husband lay in a coma, fighting for his life. Now, six months later, she watched him cheering on the horse that nearly killed him. We were over a friends house, and when Tabasco Cat headed that other horse (Go For Gin), we all started screaming, Linda said. After the horse crossed the finish line, Jeff jumped up and started hugging everyone and giving high-fives. Then we broke open a bottle of champagne, and I said to myself, This cant be happening. Some people ask us how we can root for this horse after what he did, but theyre not horse people. We know it was an accident, and we have no hard feelings against him. Its just such an inspirational story, and its not over yet. No, it wasnt. Three weeks later, Tabasco Cat won the Belmont Stakes, again beating Go For Gin. Every day leading up to the race, Tabasco Cat would put on a show for photographers. Instead of giving the colt long fast works, Wayne let him loose in a sand pen. It became a daily show, and people realized watching him running, bucking, rearing, and rolling in the sand that he was not the villain most everyone perceived him to be, but a playful dynamo of a horse who did everything with great zeal and vigor. Because of Lukas patience and determination, Tabasco Cats energy level remained high, but was now controlled. Incredibly, Wayne, who had gone so long without a grade I victory, went on to win the following years Kentucky Derby with Thunder Gulch, the Preakness with Timber Country, the Belmont Stakes with Thunder Gulch, and the following years Kentucky Derby with Grindstone an amazing six consecutive Triple Crown victories; a record not likely to be equaled. And who ended the streak? Nick Zito in the Preakness with Louis Quatorze. But Wayne bounced right back by winning the Belmont Stakes with Editors Note, giving him seven Triple Crown victories out of eight. Tabasco Cat nearly capped off this incredible and surreal saga with a fairy tale ending, but was beaten a neck in the Breeders Cup Classic by fellow 3-year-old Concern. But nothing could erase the emotions that ran rampant following the Preakness and Belmont. Sent to Japan, Tabasco Cat died at age 13. Ironically, Jeff and the horse who changed his life both died of a heart attack at an early age. Jeff and Linda divorced several years later, and Jeff would eventually wind up working in the bank of a family friend in a small town in Oklahoma where he lived alone until his death this week at age 58. In his home were a number of framed racing photos; a reminder of another life long ago. Brussels (AFP) - Police pressed ahead Saturday with the search for suspects in Belgium's worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done everything possible to prevent Tuesday's airport and metro attacks which left 31 dead and some 300 wounded. Many believe it has not done enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria to join Islamic State -- which claimed the attacks -- and from where they return home battle-hardened and more extremist than before. "Attacks, tens of dead, hundreds hurt, tears, raids, a political crisis, the capital under siege and fugitives still on the run while (key Paris suspect) Salah Abdeslam says nothing in prison," wrote Christophe Berti in a front page editorial for Le Soir daily. "It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down," Berti said. On Friday, a series of raids produced three arrests in connection with what French authorities said was an imminent new attack. President Francois Hollande said a jihadist network which hit both Paris and Brussels was being "destroyed" but also warned that the threat remained and everyone must be on guard. The Belgian government has admitted "errors" and two ministers offered to resign after Turkey said it had arrested and deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew himself up in the airport attack. Belgium had ignored warnings that he was a "foreign terrorist fighter," it said. - Fears of returning fighters - Ibrahim and his brother Khalid, the suicide bomber in the metro attack, were also on a US counter-terrorism watch list, CNN reported. Ibrahim was on the list even before the November Paris attacks while Khalid was added soon after. Prosecutors have also confirmed Khalid was the subject of an international warrant over the Paris attacks. Story continues European authorities are under huge pressure to better coordinate the tracking of homegrown extremists and fighters returning from Syria, as evidence grows of a thriving jihadist network straddling France and Belgium. A Belgian parliamentary commission on Friday questioned the ministers for justice, foreign affairs, and the interior on how Ibrahim El Bakraoui had managed to slip past the authorities. The ministers said the information from Ankara was vague while a Belgian police officer at the embassy in Turkey had "blundered". French police said Friday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket -- a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud -- after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home. The Brussels raids Friday saw one suspect shot in the leg at a tram stop in broad daylight in the capital's Schaerbeek district, where police earlier this week found a bomb factory linked to the airport and metro attacks. Belgian prosecutors meanwhile said that the DNA of second airport bomber Najim Laachraoui was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed during November's Paris attacks, and on a bomb at the Stade de France stadium. A huge manhunt is still under way for at least two suspects -- one of the airport attackers whose bomb failed to go off and another man seen in the metro with Khalid El Bakraoui just before he detonated his bomb. - Kerry: 'Je Suis Bruxellois' - Investigators also say Khalid rented an apartment in Brussels used by Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in the Belgian capital on March 18. The federal prosecutor said Friday that Abdeslam had "invoked his right to silence" and has not spoken to investigators since a few brief interviews the day after his arrest. Speaking in Brussels on Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he stood by the Belgian people, echoing their backing for the United States after the 9/11 attacks. "Then, voices across Europe declared, 'Je suis Americain'. Now, we declare, 'Je suis Bruxellois' and 'Ik ben Brussel,' Kerry said in French and Flemish, the country's two main languages, after meeting Belgian premier Charles Michel. Harrowing stories continued to emerge from survivors of the attacks, in which people of around 40 nationalities were killed or wounded. Briton David Dixon, 51, who lived in Brussels, texted his aunt after the airport blasts to say he was safe, but happened to be on the metro system when Khalid blew himself up, British media said. Grieving Belgians continued to gather in a central Brussels square carpeted with flowers and tributes to the dead and wounded as the country tries to come to terms with the tragedy. Kingston upon Hull (United Kingdom) (AFP) - World number one Mohamed El Shorbagy moved nearer to a successful defence of the British Open title with a 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 win over Miguel Angel Rodriguez, which carried him to the semi-finals on Friday. The top-seeded Egyptian mostly nullified the seventh-seeded Colombianas speed, suggesting that he is adding more thoughtful dimensions to his hustling attacks. El Shorbagy also responded well during the later stages of each game when Rodriguez began to threaten by gaining energy from the crowdas enthusiastic responses to his dynamic retrieving. Each time El Shorbagy kept to the basics of line and length and variations of pace and it usually worked well. aI just hate losing,a he said. aI hate nothing more in life than losing. So thatas probably why I am number one.a Karim Gawad beat Marwan El Shorbagy -- the brother of Mohamed -- 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 12-10 in a match delayed by half an hour after a spectator collapsed in the arena. The other semi-final contains Ramy Ashour, who showed he has revived his injury-wracked career. The three-times former world champion from Egypt played his best match for a year and a half as he bounced and bounded around the court during a 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 win over his compatriot Ali Farag. Ashouras performance was all the remarkable for having come on to the court feeling aa bit stresseda because his taxi was late. Ashour next has a mouth-watering meeting with Gregory Gaultier, the world champion from France, who moved well during an encouraging 11-1, 11-6, 11-8 win over Simon Rosner, the sixth-seeded German. It was Gaultieras first tournament since suffering a bad ankle injury ten weeks ago. "When I first came here on Monday, I didnat even know if I could win one match because I couldnat see the ball, I had no reactions,a Gaultier said. aWhen you have to work on your vision you feel like a beginner. So Iam happy to be able to play and to feel no pain." Story continues Earlier the record-breaking Nicol David raised her level to beat an old rival and reach the semi-finals of the womenas event, boosting hopes that the 32-year-old still has what it takes to win the title for a sixth time. Certainly David suggested she is taking out insurance against advancing years by developing more of an all-court court game, though her 11-4, 12-14, 12-10, 11-2 win over Omneya Abdel Kawy, the sixth-seeded Egyptian, though her success hinged on her consistency during a pivotal third game. aI was playing a good game, maybe I stepped back slightly for some of the tighter shots and, after that, I knew I had to force my game so I got tighter and deeper on the crucial points to put my game all together at the end,a said David. "Iam definitely going in there and learning from my past experience. I am going in stronger, sharper and I am ready to fire on.a David will seek to do that against the fourth-seeded Nour Sherbini, the 20-year-old Egyptian who won the Tournament of Champions and who won a repeat of that final against Amanda Sobhy of United States by 11-4, 11-7, 14-12. The other semi-final is between Camille Serme, the defending champion from France, and Nouran Gohar, the 18-year-old world junior champion from Egypt. Serme played even better than she did while beating Englandas Laura Massaro in last yearas final, attacking waspishly in an 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 against her top-seeded opponent, Laura Massaro of England. Gohar hit hard and deep while beating her friend Raneem El Welily, a recent world number one, by 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9. Brussels (AFP) - A total of 32 people, many of them foreign nationals, were killed in the airport and metro bombings that struck Brussels on March 22. Details of the victims are sketchy in some cases, as the authorities have withheld names out of respect for families and there are some overlapping instances of dual nationalities. But Belgian prosecutors say all the dead have now been identified. Another 340 people were injured in the triple suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group. - BELGIUM: 17 fatalities. The Belgians killed in their own capital include student Bart Migom, 21, who was at the airport on his way to visit his American girlfriend. Civil servant Olivier Delespesse, and 20-year-old law student Leopold Hecht were reportedly killed in the blast at Maalbeek metro station. Belga news agency named several others who died in the attacks, including airport employee Fabienne Vansteenkiste, 51, and 34-year-old Moroccan-Belgian Loubna Lafquiri who lived in Brussels. - UNITED STATES: Four. An American couple who had been reported missing, Justin and Stephanie Shults, were confirmed dead by an employer and family on Saturday, bringing the total US toll to four. - NETHERLANDS: Three. Among them were Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski, Dutch siblings who had been living in New York, who were preparing to board a plane home when two suicide bombers struck the airport. - SWEDEN: Two. A Swedish woman in her 60s was among those killed at the airport, according to her government. There were no immediate details about the second victim. - BRITAIN: One. Computer programmer David Dixon, a 51-year-old Brussels resident, had texted his aunt to reassure her he was safe after the airport blasts. But he went missing and media reports said he appeared to have been on the metro when a suicide bomber struck. - CHINA: One, according to the Chinese embassy. - FRANCE: One. The French government says one Frenchman was killed and 12 other nationals were injured. Story continues - GERMANY: One. A German citizen was among the dead, according to police. - INDIA: One. Raghavendran Ganeshan, who worked for software giant Infosys in Brussels, was killed in the metro bombing, his employer and India's government said. State media said the 31-year-old had recently become a father. - ITALY: One. Patricia Rizzo, 48, had been working in Brussels for several months for the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) and was killed in the metro explosion. - ITALY/GERMANY/SPAIN: One. Madrid confirmed the death of Jennifer Garcia Scintu, 29, a Spanish woman with Italian and German nationality, who was reportedly on her way to New York with her German husband. El Pais newspaper suggested she could be the German victim. - LIBERIA: One. The Liberian foreign ministry said Elita Borbor Weah, a Liberian women based in the Netherlands, was among the victims. Dutch media previously identified her as a Dutch national aged 41, who was travelling to her stepfather's funeral in the United States. - MOROCCO: One. A Moroccan citizen was among the metro blast victims, Moroccan news agency MAP said. - PERU: One. Adelma Marina Tapia Ruiz, 37, a Belgium resident, was the first fatality to be identified in the airport attack. Her husband and twin daughters had a miraculously lucky escape -- he had run off after them as they played. News Microsoft Begins Shipping Surface Hub Meeting Room Machines Microsoft has started shipping its big-screen Surface Hub videoconferencing and white-boarding products, the company announced today. The conferencing center products, running Windows 10 and available with either 55-inch HD or 84-inch 4K displays, previously were available at the preview stage. Microsoft designed its Surface Hub products based on the big-screen technology of Perceptive Pixel Inc., a company it acquired back in 2012. Surface Hubs consist of a combination of Microsoft software and hardware. They come with Office software (Excel, PowerPoint, Word and OneNote) installed, although users also can connect Universal Windows Apps to the screen from their personal devices, if wanted. Surface Hubs also have Skype for Business software installed, which supports voice-over-IP phone calls, videoconferencing, instant messaging and presence capabilities. Surface Hubs have touch screens with whiteboarding capability, which allows users to draw on OneNote displays using a stylus. These whiteboard images can be saved as OneNote files for later use on PCs. Surface Hub machines have two wide-angle cameras built into the device for video meetings. The hardware specs include fourth-generation Intel Core processors and either Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics technology for 55-inch screens or Nvidia Quadro K2200 for 84-inch screens. Not Cheap Microsoft's announcement describes Surface Hubs as a teamwork product for use by hospitals, tech companies and architectural firms, along with corporate offices and boardrooms. Surface Hubs likely aren't for consumers. They're perhaps a bit pricey for that market. Forrester Research estimated that Surface Hubs will cost $33,000 initially, but the costs will rise to $54,000 in the first year and $269,500 in the second year. However, in its study (PDF), which was commissioned by Microsoft, Forrester Research estimated benefits of approximately $110,000 and $685,000 in years 1 and 2, respectively, when using Surface Hub. Surface Hub devices get sold through Microsoft's regional distributors. Sales are available in the U.S., Canadian, APAC and EMEA markets. In the United States, its current distributors include Ingram, Synnex and Tech Data. Microsoft also relies on its partner community to provide installation and other support. Details on Surface Hub sales and support are listed at this page. Other Skype Products In addition to its Surface Hub, Microsoft has other videoconferencing products built by its partners that are based on Skype for Business software. These products used to be called "Lync Room Systems" (Skype for Business previously went by the "Lync" product name), but Microsoft announced in November that Lync Room Systems will be rebranded as Skype Room Systems. Partners building Skype Room Systems include Crestron, Polycom and Smart. Microsoft considers its Surface Hub and Skype Room Systems to be two different products. A Microsoft spokesperson explained last year that Surface Hubs are broader collaboration devices adding Office, OneNote and Universal Windows Apps capabilities, while Skype Room Systems are focused "specifically on delivering a great Skype Meetings experience." Microsoft also has plans for targeting existing conferencing equipment that can be made to integrate with Skype for Business. Its "Project Rigel" collaboration effort, announced this month, is mustering the efforts of partners to transform common conferencing gear in that regard. Project Rigel promises to bring the Skype for Business meeting experience to "any meeting room with a display or projector." Microsoft announced that partners Logitech and Polycom have already built some Project Rigel equipment. Polycom is also collaborating with Microsoft on cloud-based presence and video teleconferencing products that are expected to arrive in the second half of this year. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The two men who blew themselves up at Brussels airport on Tuesday were brothers known to the police and a third attacker, who is at large, is a known Paris attacks suspect, Belgian media said on Wednesday. The suicide bombers were named as Khalid and Brahim El Bakraoui and the third man as Najim Laachraoui. Federal prosecutors declined to comment, but said they would provide information in the course of the morning. Laachraoui's DNA had been found in houses used by the Paris attackers last year, prosecutors said on Monday, adding that he had traveled to Hungary in September with Paris attacks prime suspect Salah Abdeslam. Captured on a security camera photograph at Brussels Airport on Tuesday morning beside the El Bakraoui brothers, Laachraoui did not detonate a bomb and is still at large. A bomb was subsequently destroyed in a controlled explosion. Khalid El Bakraoui, 27, had rented under a false name the flat in the Forest borough of the Belgian capital where police killed a gunman in a raid last week, RTBF said. Belgian newspaper DH said the Bakraoui brothers may have fled the flat in Forest after last week's shootout. In the raid, investigators found an Islamic State flag, an assault rifle, detonators and a fingerprint of Abdeslam, who was arrested three days later. Both brothers have criminal records, but have not been linked by the police to Islamist militants until now, RTBF said. Brahim El Bakraoui, 30, was convicted in October 2010 for firing a Kalashnikov assault rifle at police and wounding an officer after a robbery in Brussels earlier that year. He was sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2011, his brother Khalid was given a sentence of five years for car jacking. (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Janet Lawrence) By Amina Ismail CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Interior Ministry said on Thursday that security forces had retrieved a bag and passport belonging to murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni that was in the possession of a criminal gang impersonating policemen who had been killed in a shootout. Human rights groups have said torture marks on Regeni's body, which was dumped on the side of the road, indicated he died at the hands of Egyptian security services, an allegation the government has strongly denied. Regeni, 28, disappeared on Jan. 25, the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ended former president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. The Interior Ministry said security forces had targeted the criminal gang which had Regeni's bag and that it had "specialized in impersonating police officers, kidnapping foreigners and forcibly robbing them". It said that a red handbag bearing the Italian flag was found, and inside it was Regeni's passport and other items such as a visa card two cell phones and a "feminine wallet" with the word love on it and a dark substance resembling hashish. "A highly skilled investigation team was formed to uncover the mystery of several reported forced robberies and incidents of impersonating police officers," said the ministry in a statement. The ministry named what it identified as four ring leaders of the gang; Tarek Saad Abd El-Fatah, 52, described as a dangerous offender guilty of fraud and other offences, and his son Saad Tarek Saad, 26. Also mentioned were Mustafa Bakr Awad, 60, charged with fraud and 20 varied offences, and Salah Ali Sayed, 40, who the ministry said had committed similar crimes. Regeni had written articles critical of the Egyptian government, the Italian newspaper that published them said. The broken corpse of the Cambridge University student, who was researching the rise of independent labour unions following the 2011 revolt, was found in a ditch at the side of a motorway on Feb. 3. Egyptian forensics and prosecution officials have said his body showed signs of torture and that he was killed by a blow with a sharp object to the back of the head. The case has put a spotlight on alleged police brutality in Egypt, a strategic ally of the United State and other Western powers. Shopkeepers in Regeni's neighbourhood of Cairo said there were no signs that police in the area had been questioning people since his disappearance or death. Rights groups accuse the police of widespread abuses against Egyptians since the army toppled Egypt's first freely elected president in 2013. Italy has said Egyptian investigators should hand over the evidence they have uncovered on Regeni's death. Egypt invited Italian investigators to take part in the investigation, but judicial sources in Rome say the collaboration has been limited because not enough information was shared. An Egyptian forensics official has told the public prosecutor's office the autopsy he conducted on an Italian student showed he was interrogated for up to seven days before he was killed, two prosecution sources had told Reuters. The findings were the strongest indication yet that Giulio Regeni was killed by Egyptian security services because they point to interrogation methods such as burning with cigarettes in intervals over several days, which human rights groups say are the hallmark of the security services. Interior Ministry spokesmen declined comment on this matter. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Tom Brown) 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 John Irish, Lesley Wroughton and Lisa Barrington GENEVA/MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops backed by Russian air support fought their way into the Islamic State-held city of Palmyra on Thursday, their biggest offensive yet against the jihadist caliphate, as Moscow and Washington discussed how to help to end the civil war. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in an atmosphere that was noticeably more amiable than past meetings, reflecting new diplomacy the two Cold War superpowers have championed in recent weeks. Both men expressed hope for more progress towards ending the fighting. In Geneva, where the first peace talks involving President Bashar al-Assad's government and his foes began this month, the opposing sides were expected to sign on to a U.N. document reflecting some initial common ground. The aim was to move towards discussing the divisive question of a political transition in Syria when the talks resume next month. Moscow is the main ally of Assad's government, while Washington and other Western countries have backed foes trying to overthrow him during five years of civil war that has killed 250,000 people and led to the world's worst refugee crisis. Both superpowers share a common enemy in Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim fighters who have declared a caliphate to rule over all Muslims from territory in Syria and Iraq. After Russia intervened with air strikes to shore up Assad last year, Washington and Moscow have jointly sponsored a peace process that has produced the first sustained ceasefire of the war and the first negotiations involving the warring parties. "The serious approach that we have been able to cooperate on has made a difference to the life of people in Syria and to the possibilities of making progress on peace," Kerry said at the start of talks with Putin in Moscow. "The people of Syria and the people of the region have as a result been able to taste and smell the possibilities of what it means to have a huge reduction of violence and receive humanitarian assistance." Putin, who has announced he is winding down Russia's military involvement in Syria, even offered warm words for U.S. President Barack Obama, with whom his relations have sunk to a Cold War-era level of hostility since Washington imposed sanctions on Russia over its intervention in Ukraine in 2014. "We understand that what we have been able to achieve on Syria has been possible only thanks to the position of the U.S. top political leadership, President Obama," Putin said at his meeting with Kerry. "I very much hope that your visit will allow us to bring our positions closer on moving forward to solve the Syrian crisis and ... on Ukraine." The U.S. and Russian-sponsored ceasefire between Assad's government and his enemies does not cover Islamic State, allowing Damascus to ramp up its fight against the jihadists. After months in which the West accused Moscow of helping Assad fight mainly against other foes, Damascus has launched a major offensive this month to take back Palmyra, which the fighters seized in their biggest Syrian offensive of last year. The state-run news channel Ikhbariya broadcast images from just outside Palmyra on Thursday and said government fighters had taken over a hotel district in the west. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army had advanced into the hotel district just to the southwest of the city and reached a residential area, after a rapid advance the day before brought the army and its allies right up to its outskirts. Palmyra has some of the most extensive ruins of the ancient Roman empire, some of which were dynamited by Islamic State in what the United Nations calls a war crime. BABY STEP The peace talks in Geneva were due to be adjourned on Thursday until next month, with the sides expected to agree to a document drawn up by a U.N. special envoy outlining basic principles, in what one diplomat called a "baby step" forward. The sides still have yet to address the biggest challenge: the nature of a post-war "political transition". Opposition leaders say Assad must leave power; the government says this is not up for negotiation. Washington believes that Moscow, closely allied to Assad, can nudge Damascus to make concessions. Before political talks can begin, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura aims to establish if there are points held in common by the different parties and announce them. "Basic principles have been laid out. De Mistura wants to announce that all sides have agreed so that he can move on to the transition issue at the next round," said a senior Western diplomat. "It's a baby step, but a necessary step. It's not a bad result." De Mistura said later that in the next round of talks "we have to start focusing on the political process". A summary of the document seen by Reuters contains points including reforming state institutions, rejecting terrorism unequivocally and implementing United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 that guarantees a political transition of power. It also calls for no tolerance of acts of revenge from either side, rebuilding the Syrian army on national criteria, ensuring a democratic non-sectarian state and preserving womens rights in fair representation. BATTLE FOR PALMYRA The capture of Palmyra and further eastward advances would mark the most significant Syrian government gain against Islamic State since the start of Russia's military intervention last September. Islamic State has lost territory in both Iraq and Syria since last year when it captured Palmyra in Syria and Ramadi, a provincial capital in Iraq. A soldier interviewed by Ikhbariya TV said the army and its allies would press forward beyond Palmyra. "We say to those gunmen, we are advancing to Palmyra, and to what's beyond Palmyra, and God willing to Raqqa, the centre of the Daesh gangs," he said, referring to Islamic State's de facto capital in northern Syria. The Syrian state news agency SANA showed warplanes flying overhead, helicopters firing missiles, and soldiers and armoured vehicles approaching the city. The U.S.-led military coalition against Islamic State said it had also struck targets in and around Palmyra, a rare example of the U.S.-led force attacking an area also under attack by Russian-backed government forces. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday it had carried out 41 sorties between March 20-23 in the region of Palmyra, attacking 146 "terrorist targets." (Reporting by Tom Miles, Stephanie Nebehay, Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Maria Tsvetkova, John Davison and Dominic Evans; writing by Peter Graff and Peter Millership; editing by Giles Elgood) Andhra Pradesh Government inaugurates country's first lift irrigation project Published: March 26, 2016 Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated Indias first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL). Key facts The project has capactiry to lift 80 tmc (trillion metric cubic feet) of flood water from Godavari River in a span of 110 days during the flooding season between July and October. Water is pumped up to a nearby point and discharged into Polavaram Right Main Canal that flows under gravity to a tributary of River Krishna about 170 km. The project contains 24 pumps and 24 motors of 5,300 HP and 6,300 HP respectively with a combined capacity to discharge 8,500 cusecs of water. The project requires 113 mw of power to run all the 24 pumps as each motor require 4.7 mw of power to lift the water. The first pump of this Godavari-Krishna linking project was installed and switched on in September 2015. It will benefit the people especially farmers in the Krishna delta in terms of timely availability and adequate quantities of water. Polavarm project: It was declared as a national project under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 and was being funded by the Union Government. It is being built on Godavari River. Month: Current Affairs - March, 2016 Topics: Andhra Pradesh Current Affairs 2016 Latest E-Books Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday confirmed that Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov will continue as interim leader and backed him in elections despite mounting criticism of his rule. In a televised meeting at the Kremlin, Putin told Kadyrov that "today I signed a decree naming you acting Chechen leader, followed I hope by your standing in September elections." Putin said that "Chechnya has transformed" under Kadyrov, who took control of the region in 2007 and whose current term runs out on April 5. "For me it was even unexpected that you, a person who had such different aims in life, suddenly turned into a good manager," Putin told the 39-year-old former rebel fighter. While praising Kadyrov for making Chechnya "safe," Putin warned him to act in "closer coordination with federal organs of power" and "observe Russian law in all spheres of life." Kadyrov thanked Putin and said, "We will try to justify (your trust) and serve you faithfully and truly. I hope we manage not to let you down, Vladimir Vladimirovich." Kadyrov is the son of Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in 2004, and Putin specifically referred to this. "This is what Akhmat-Khadzhi dreamt of," Putin said, using a respectful term for Kadyrov's father. "This is what he gave his life for." Russia's opposition has intensified criticism of Kadyrov's iron-fisted rule in the North Caucasus region following a series of recent threats and attacks on rights activists and opposition politicians. This month masked men in Grozny threw eggs, flour and disinfectant at Igor Kalyapin, the head of the rights group Committee to Prevent Torture, which oversees activists in Chechnya. The Kremlin rights council, an advisory body to Putin, condemned the attack on Kalyapin as "a disgrace." Earlier this month a group of journalists on a tour of Chechnya organised by Kalyapin was attacked by masked men speaking Chechen with their minibus burned and two reporters hospitalised. In February, Kadyrov posted a video on his popular Instagram account of former prime minister and opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov targeted in the sights of a sniper rifle. Russia has arrested and charged five Chechens over the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov who was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin last year. Nemtsov's family and allies say the authorities have failed to bring the masterminds to justice and point the finger of blame at Kadyrov as well as the Kremlin itself. In a February report, opposition politician Ilya Yashin called Kadyrov a "national security threat." The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out By John Chalmers and Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - In February 2013, the Philippines was up against a deadline to amend its Anti-Money Laundering Act and get itself off the 'grey list' of a global watchdog, and lawmakers were bickering over whether to include casinos under the legislation. With one day to go, a Congressional committee heard repeated pleas not to hamstring an industry that could rival other Asian gambling meccas by obliging casinos to report suspicious transactions. Finally, the senator chairing the meeting agreed "with a heavy heart" to exclude them, a transcript of the proceedings shows. That same senator now heads a panel trying to fathom how $81 million hacked last month from the New York Federal Reserve account of Bangladesh's central bank wound up with two casinos and a junket operator in the Philippines - and then disappeared. It is one of the biggest cyber heists in history, and since the money trail has gone cold in the Philippines, the perpetrators may never be identified. The senator, Teofisto Guingona, told Reuters after a public hearing on the case last week that fierce lobbying by the gaming industry over the law had left the Philippines one of the world's softest targets for money launderers, putting the financial system at serious risk. "It can wreak havoc on the economy," he said. "Any money coming in and out of the country will come under scrutiny. People might just say 'to hell with it, it's not worth doing business with the Philippines'." The Philippines depends heavily on remittances from workers abroad, which account for about 10 percent of its GDP. The country's central bank chief said last week financial markets had shown no signs of distress over the scandal, but added: "We have to recognise there is a risk that is associated with this." Unknown hackers breached the computer systems of Bangladesh Bank in early February and attempted to steal $951 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which it uses for international settlements. Some attempted transfers were blocked, but $81 million wound up in the Philippines. Security researchers blamed malware and a faulty printer but said Bangladesh central bank officials were also responsible because of weak security procedures. The bank's governor and two deputy governors quit their jobs over the scandal last week. Bangladesh said on Saturday it had formally sought the assistance of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. BANK SECRECY LAW Public hearings on the heist in the Philippines' Senate last week focused on the manager of a Manila branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC). Her bank received the stolen money on Feb. 4 and transferred it to a foreign exchange broker who passed it on in tranches, including $30 million in banknotes that officials say would have weighed 1,500 kg. A colleague of the manager testified he saw her drive off in her car with 20 million pesos ($431,000) in cash from one of several fictitious accounts to which the money was wired. The branch manager declined to give evidence in public. According to an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) document seen by Reuters, on Feb. 8 Bangladesh Bank sent RCBC several messages via the SWIFT interbank communications network requesting transactions be stopped and the funds returned. However, five withdrawals were made from the accounts in 73 minutes the next morning. When RCBC responded to the SWIFT message later that day, all that remained of the $81 million was $68,305. RCBC President Lorenzo Tan told the Senate he could not discuss what happened because of the country's bank deposit secrecy law, one of the world's strictest and a legacy of the martial-law era of President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s. "Prevention of ... money laundering is being hampered by the very strict bank deposit secrecy law," central bank Governor Amando Tetangco told reporters. "Once the funds go into a bank deposit account, that's it. The trail turns cold." Sergio Osmena, another senator probing the bank heist, has pressed for years to amend the bank laws. He made no headway, he said, because secrecy suits businesses that want to evade taxes and can bribe lawmakers to resist legislative change. "I am quite happy that a scandal like this has happened," Osmena told Reuters, explaining he believes the Bangladesh case is the tip of an iceberg alerting people to hundreds of money laundering crimes going unreported every year. CASINOS A 'WEAK LINK' In a March 2 report, the U.S. State Department said only 49 anti-money laundering cases have been filed since the AMLC began operating in 2001. The number of prosecutions and convictions has been virtually nil. Recent efforts to include casinos in the law have been held up because of forthcoming elections and extensive lobbying from the gaming industry, which the report said was "a weak link" in the Philippines' anti-money laundering regime. "Money laundering is a serious concern due to the Philippines' international narcotics trade, high degree of corruption among government officials, trafficking in persons, and the high volume of remittances from Filipinos living abroad," the U.S. report said. With ambitions to become one of Asia's gaming hubs alongside Macau and Singapore, the government opened a tract of reclaimed land near Manila airport for casinos. Two world-class resorts now operate there, counting Chinese high rollers among nearly half of their VIP clients, and two more are under construction. The Senate hearing was told $29 million of Bangladesh's money was transferred to one of these casinos, Solaire, owned and operated by Bloomberry Resorts Corp. "We did not know it was dirty money," Silverio Benny Tan, corporate secretary of Bloomberry Resorts, told reporters. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, which regulates the industry, says that to prevent laundering, money transferred to casinos for players must be exchanged for 'dead chips' that can only be cashed in from winnings. But, for Senator Guingona, the disappearance of such large sums into casinos underlines the weakness of Manila's anti-laundering regime and could push the country back into the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). A spokeswoman for FATF, a Paris-based inter-governmental organisation that combats laundering and terrorist financing, said an Asia-Pacific body was responsible for reviewing Manila. "We cannot comment on the current case being reported in the media," said Alexandra Wijmenga-Daniel. "However, ongoing deficiencies in the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist finance regime of the Philippines would be of concern." (Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Leigh Thomas in Paris.) A brother and sister who were flying back to New York have been confirmed as the latest victims of the Brussels attacks. Sascha and Alexander Pinczowksi were waiting to return to the US when they were caught up in the Zaventem airport blast. They had been visiting Maastricht in the Netherlands where their father lives, according to CBS New York. In a statement, the family said: "The family would like to thank the Dutch Embassy and Delta Airlines for all of their support in our search in Brussels. "We especially thank all of our friends and family, across two continents, for their expressions of love, support and prayers for Sascha and Alex. "We ask for continued prayers and privacy during this time of grieving as we await final closure." At least 31 people were killed in the attacks on the airport and Maalbeek metro station on Tuesday morning, with another 300 injured. Loubna Lafquiri, a teacher at an Islamic school in Brussels, has been named as one of the dead. The mother-of-three, who was killed in the metro station blast, was described as a "remarkable teacher". Another of the victims has been named as 51-year-old Fabienne Vansteenkiste. She had just finished her shift as a baggage handler when two bombs exploded in the airport, local media reports said. While it will take days for officials to formally identify her body, her family says it is "realistic" about the situation. The death of student Leopold Hecht in the metro station bombing was confirmed with "immense sadness" by the rector of Saint-Louis University in the Belgian capital. Branding Tuesday's atrocities "barbaric acts", Pierre Jadoul said: "There is no word to describe our dismay in the face of this news. "All our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones." Olivier Delespesse also died at the station. His death was confirmed by the French Community of Belgium, of which he was a member. Story continues Peruvian mother of three-year-old twins, Adelma Tapia Ruiz, was one of those killed in the airport attack. The 37-year-old died while checking in at Zaventem airport, ahead of a planned trip to visit relatives in New York. According to reports her husband and two daughters survived the attack. The girls are said to have gone off to play, with their father in pursuit, moments before the bomb went off. Her brother, Fernando Tapia, said his sister had lived in Belgium for nine years after marrying a local man. "She had also planned to come back to Peru this year. Now she can't come back." The task of identifying the victims is painstakingly slow, and the search for the missing is becoming increasingly desperate. Approximately 40 nationalities are represented among the dead and wounded, including people from Britain, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United States. A Facebook page has been set up, where worried relatives can post photos and ask for help to find people. By Toby Sterling, Anthony Deutsch and Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was convicted by U.N. judges of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, the worst war crime in Europe since World War Two, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Karadzic, 70, the former president of the breakaway Bosnian Serb Republic, was found guilty on 10 out of 11 charges brought by war crimes prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague. He would appeal the decision, his legal adviser said. "The accused was the sole person within Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Republic) with the power to prevent the killing of the Bosnian Muslim males," said presiding judge O-Gon Kwok, in a reference to the 8,000 killed at Srebrenica. "Far from preventing it, he ordered they be transferred elsewhere to be killed," the judge said. Karadzic was acquitted of one count of genocide in various towns across Bosnia during the war of the 1990s. The three-judge panel said Karadzic was "at the apex of power," heading the self-styled Bosnian Serb Republic and Supreme Commander of its armed forces, when crimes were committed by his troops. Judges said the 44-month siege of Sarajevo could not have happened without his support; that he committed crimes against humanity in an attempt to purge Muslims and Croats from parts of Bosnia; and that he had intended to eliminate the Bosnian Muslim males of the town of Srebrenica. Karadzic's legal adviser Peter Robinson said Karadzic was "disappointed by the verdict, astonished by the reasoning and he wants to appeal." As the judges described the siege of Sarajevo, Karadzic looked pained and his face tightened into a grimace. VICTIMS' TEARS Victims' families in the courtroom, some of then elderly, listened intently when the genocide at Srebrenica was discussed. One wiped away tears as the judge described men and boys being separated from their families. When Karadzic was ordered to stand for sentencing, he listened with eyes mostly downcast. After judges departed, he sat back heavily in his chair. Victims' families embraced before quietly leaving the courtroom. Outside, Hatidza Mehmedovic, who lost her entire family at Srebrenica, said she was enraged by the verdict, and no punishment could have been harsh enough. "He can live in a cushy prison while I have to live in Srebrenica, where his ideology is still in place," she said. "I have no sisters, no brothers, no husband." Karadzic was arrested in 2008 after 11 years on the run, following a war in which 100,000 people were killed as rival armies carved Bosnia up along ethnic lines that largely survive today. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he would stand by the Serbs of Bosnia. "We will stand by our people and we will protect their existence and their right to have their own state," he said. Serge Brammertz, the court's chief prosecutor, said he hoped the ruling would make populist politicians in the region more reluctant to hail convicted war criminals as heroes. "There is nothing heroic about raping persons, about sexual abuse in camps," he said. "There is nothing heroic about executing 7,000 prisoners which have been detained in impossible circumstances. There is nothing heroic to kill with snipers children who are playing." He said prosecutors may appeal Karadzic's acquittal on the second genocide charge. WORLD OPINION The only more senior official to face justice before the Tribunal was the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who died in custody a decade ago before a verdict was reached. Ratko Mladic, the general who commanded Bosnian Serb forces, was the last suspect to be detained over the Srebrenica slaughter and is also in a U.N. cell awaiting judgement. The Srebrenica massacre and the Serb siege of Sarajevo were events that turned world opinion against the Serbs and prompted NATO air strikes that helped bring the war to an end. Karadzic defended himself through his 497-day trial and called 248 witnesses, poring over many of the millions of pages of evidence with the help of a court-appointed legal adviser. Rejecting the charges against him, Karadzic sought to portray himself as the Serbs' champion, blaming some of the sieges and shelling on Bosnian Muslims themselves. He says soldiers and civilians who committed crimes during the war acted individually. Opponents of the ICTY say its prosecutors have disproportionately targeted Serbs as 94 of 161 suspects charged were from the Serbian side, while 29 were Croat and nine Bosnian Muslim. [http://tmsnrt.rs/1Sd4TAa] Prosecutors have been criticised for not bringing charges against two other leaders of that era who have since died - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic. Many Serbs, both in Bosnia and Serbia, regard the court as a pro-Western instrument, say Karadzic is innocent and believe his conviction is an injustice for all Serbs. (Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade; Editing by Giles Elgood) Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan's government on Monday released goals to help the city of Flint recover from a health crisis caused by the lead contamination of its drinking water. The plan, involving several state agencies, is meant to address water infrastructure shortcomings and the health of children who have tested for high lead levels in their blood, expand support in Flint schools and boost economic development for the city, Governor Rick Snyder said. The crisis has attracted national attention and led to calls for Snyder to resign due to the state's handling of the situation. Last week, several Democratic lawmakers criticized Snyder during testimony he provided at a hearing about the situation at Flint, a mostly black city of 100,000 northwest of Detroit. Key parts of Michigan's plan include professional support from state health officials for children under 6 with high levels of lead in their blood, opening three additional child health centers in the city, and replacing drinking water faucets and fixtures in public facilities, including schools, daycare centers and elder care homes, Snyder's office said. It also includes continued replacement of lead service lines in the city's water system; increased resources for the schools, including the addition of nine school nurses; expansion of a free breakfast program; screening for children's behavioral needs; development of home mortgage financing options for undervalued homes; and training for at least 500 residents to achieve long-term employment by the end of 2017. Under the direction of a state-appointed emergency manager, Flint switched water supplies to the Flint River from Detroit's system in 2014, to save money. The corrosive river water leached lead, a toxic substance that can damage the nervous system, from the city's water pipes. The city switched back to the Detroit system last October. The crisis has led to several lawsuits in state and federal courts, and federal and state investigations. On Monday, Snyder said the state was committed to addressing both short- and long-term needs of the city's residents. Many departments have been involved in addressing the immediate crisis in whatever way they could," he said in a statement. "At the same time, they have been working on longer-term plans." State officials said the plan can be modified as new needs arise. (Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) By Jeff Mason BARILOCHE, Argentina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said the United States was too slow to condemn human rights atrocities during Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship as he honored victims of the "Dirty War" on Thursday, but he stopped short of apologizing for Washington's early support for the military junta. Obama's state visit to Argentina coincided with the 40th anniversary of the coup that began a seven-year crackdown on Marxist rebels, labor unions and leftist opponents, during which security forces killed 30,000 people. "There has been controversy about the policies of the United States early in those dark days," Obama said while visiting a memorial park in Buenos Aires dedicated to victims of the dictatorship. "Democracies have to have the courage to acknowledge when we don't live up to the ideals that we stand for. And we've been slow to speak out for human rights and that was the case here," he said. Obama's trip, winding up later on Thursday, is part of a wider effort to deepen ties and bolster U.S. influence with Latin America after years of frosty relations with left-leaning governments in the region. With South America's leftist block now in disarray amid graft scandals and economic recession, Argentina's new center-right leader, Mauricio Macri, offers Obama a new ally in one of the Americas' biggest economies. Obama traveled to Argentina from Cuba, where he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit in 88 years and opened a new chapter in engagement with the Communist-ruled island after decades of hostilities. That policy shift has boosted Washington's standing in a region long wary of being treated as the U.S. "backyard", although U.S. foreign policy under Obama has still been dominated by the Middle East. DEATH FLIGHTS At the memorial by La Plata River, Obama and Macri walked along a stark wall that is known as the Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism and is inscribed with 20,000 names. On a pier overlooking the river, they dropped white roses into the water to commemorate the dead. Obama bowed his head and stood with Macri in silence. Survivors of the crackdown say one of the military rulers' tactics was so-called "death flights", where political opponents were tossed into aircraft, stripped and then thrown alive into the river and the Atlantic Ocean to drown. Washington's early support for the military rulers reflected Cold War thinking, which sometimes put the United States on the side of brutal right-wing governments in Latin America. In a gesture toward Argentines still angry over that legacy, Obama has promised to declassify U.S. military and intelligence records related to the dictatorship-era. The U.S. leader was criticized by some rights activists. One group of victims' relatives said the timing of his visit was a provocation. "We will not allow the power that orchestrated dictatorships in Latin America and oppresses people across the world to cleanse itself and use the memory of our 30,000 murdered compatriots to strengthen its imperialist agenda," the Buenos Aires-based Center for Human Rights Advocates said in a statement. Some Argentines welcomed Obama's gestures. "Obama is not going to say outright 'forgive us', but he's saying it through his actions," said Daniel Slutzky, a 75-year-old college professor. Obama praised Argentina for taking on its past. "Confronting crimes committed by your own leaders, by your own people - that can be divisive and frustrating, but it is essential to moving forward," he said. Speaking after Obama, Macri said: "We have to reaffirm our commitment to the defense of democracy and human rights. Every day, somewhere in the world they are jeopardized." The Argentine foreign ministry later issued a statement saying it had declassified 847 official documents from the dictatorship era outlining rights violations. "The documents shine light on acts of repression ... and could help ongoing judicial investigations," the statement said. Thousands gathered at the Casa Rosada presidential palace to honor the victims of the junta. The rally and others around the country are held every March 24, a national holiday. Obama's visit to Argentina is a show of support for Macri's sharp turn away from the nationalist policies of his predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, who frequently railed against the United States and Wall Street. Obama praised Macri on Wednesday for his rapid economic reforms. The U.S. president was due to head back to Washington on Thursday night. Before setting out, he and his family flew to the Patagonian city of Bariloche for some sightseeing and hiking. Thousands of people lined the route from the airport through the lakeside mountain city, waving as the motorcade sped by. Several hundred people gathered for a protest near the city center, holding signs and making obscene gestures. One sign depicted the national flag and the phrase "For Sale" crossed out, a rallying cry of Fernandez supporters who believe Macri is selling out the country with his market-friendly policies. During his trip to Cuba, the U.S. president challenged President Raul Castro on human rights and political freedoms even as the two men sought to move on from more than half a century of animosity that began soon after Cuba's 1959 revolution. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, additional reporting by Hugh Bronstein and Richard Lough in Buenos Aires; Editing by Frances Kerry and Andrew Hay) By Jeff Mason BARILOCHE, Argentina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said the United States was too slow to condemn human rights atrocities during Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship as he honoured victims of the "Dirty War" on Thursday, but he stopped short of apologising for Washington's early support for the military junta. Obama's state visit to Argentina coincided with the 40th anniversary of the coup that began a seven-year crackdown on Marxist rebels, labour unions and leftist opponents, during which security forces killed 30,000 people. "There has been controversy about the policies of the United States early in those dark days," Obama said while visiting a memorial park in Buenos Aires dedicated to victims of the dictatorship. "Democracies have to have the courage to acknowledge when we don't live up to the ideals that we stand for. And we've been slow to speak out for human rights and that was the case here," he said. Obama's trip, winding up later on Thursday, is part of a wider effort to deepen ties and bolster U.S. influence with Latin America after years of frosty relations with left-leaning governments in the region. With South America's leftist block now in disarray amid graft scandals and economic recession, Argentina's new centre-right leader, Mauricio Macri, offers Obama a new ally in one of the Americas' biggest economies. Obama travelled to Argentina from Cuba, where he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit in 88 years and opened a new chapter in engagement with the Communist-ruled island after decades of hostilities. That policy shift has boosted Washington's standing in a region long wary of being treated as the U.S. "backyard", although U.S. foreign policy under Obama has still been dominated by the Middle East. DEATH FLIGHTS At the memorial by La Plata River, Obama and Macri walked along a stark wall that is known as the Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism and is inscribed with 20,000 names. On a pier overlooking the river, they dropped white roses into the water to commemorate the dead. Obama bowed his head and stood with Macri in silence. Survivors of the crackdown say one of the military rulers' tactics was so-called "death flights", where political opponents were tossed into aircraft, stripped and then thrown alive into the river and the Atlantic Ocean to drown. Washington's early support for the military rulers reflected Cold War thinking, which sometimes put the United States on the side of brutal right-wing governments in Latin America. In a gesture towards Argentines still angry over that legacy, Obama has promised to declassify U.S. military and intelligence records related to the dictatorship-era. But the U.S. leader was criticized by some rights activists. One group of victims' relatives said the timing of his visit was a provocation. "We will not allow the power that orchestrated dictatorships in Latin America and oppresses people across the world to cleanse itself and use the memory of our 30,000 murdered compatriots to strengthen its imperialist agenda," the Buenos Aires-based Center for Human Rights Advocates said in a statement. Some Argentines welcomed Obama's gestures. "Obama is not going to say outright 'forgive us', but he's saying it through his actions," said Daniel Slutzky, a 75-year-old college professor. Obama praised Argentina for taking on its past. "Confronting crimes committed by your own leaders, by your own people - that can be divisive and frustrating, but it is essential to moving forward," he said. Speaking after Obama, Macri said: "We have to reaffirm our commitment to the defence of democracy and human rights. Every day, somewhere in the world they are jeopardized." Thousands later gathered at the Casa Rosada presidential palace to honour the victims of the junta. The rally and others around the country are held every March 24, a national holiday. Obama's visit to Argentina is a show of support for Macri's sharp turn away from the nationalist policies of his predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, who frequently railed against the United States and Wall Street. Obama praised Macri on Wednesday for his rapid economic reforms. The U.S. president was due to head back to Washington on Thursday night. Before setting out, he and his family flew to the Patagonian city of Bariloche for some sightseeing and hiking. Thousands of people lined the route from the airport through the lakeside mountain city, waving as the motorcade sped by. Several hundred people gathered for a protest near the city centre, holding signs and making obscene gestures. One sign depicted the national flag and the phrase "For Sale" crossed out, a rallying cry of Fernandez supporters who believe Macri is selling out the country with his market-friendly policies. During his trip to Cuba, the U.S. president challenged President Raul Castro on human rights and political freedoms even as the two men sought to move on from more than half a century of animosity that began soon after Cuba's 1959 revolution. (Writing by Richard Lough and Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Frances Kerry) In what gun rights activists consider a victory, the U.S. Supreme Court has paved the way for stun guns, which are designed to incapacitate using electric current rather than bullets, to be protected under the Second Amendment. The court did not issue a definitive ruling on the constitutionality of stun gun use and ownership, and it is possible it may eventually rule that these weapons are not protected. But the justices did ask Massachusettss highest court to reconsider its ruling that stun guns deserve no such protection. The case involved Jaime Caetano of Massachusetts who was arrested in 2011 for possession of a stun gun. Her attorneys argued that she needed the device as protection against a violent and abusive former boyfriend. In Commonwealth v. Caetano, the highest court of Massachusetts last March upheld Caetanos conviction, saying residents dont have a constitutional right to own Tasers and other kinds of stun guns. The states Supreme Judicial Court said the Second Amendment doesnt protect the possession of stun guns because they are thoroughly modern inventions not realized in 1789, when Congress passed the amendment, The Boston Globe reported last year. The Second Amendment states there is a right of the people to keep and bear arms. Federal gun laws establish the minimum requirements for gun possession and sales nationwide; most states also have their own gun laws. In the 2008 landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court struck down the districts ban on handgun ownership and ruled the Constitution gives citizens the right to possess firearms for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense. In an unsigned opinion, the justices on Monday said the Massachusetts ruling was inconsistent with the Supreme Courts precedents, including Heller, which was written by the late Antonin Scalia, whose death this winter was a blow to the courts conservative majority. President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland, the chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to replace Scalia. His nomination, while widely applaudedincluding by many Republicans who see him as a moderateis opposed by the National Rifle Association. Related Articles By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States hopes to talk with China and address its concern about the possible deployment of the THAAD missile defense system that Washington is discussing with Seoul, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, stressed that the United States and South Korea had just begun discussions, and no decision had been made to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Gottemoeller also emphasized that the system was defensive in nature and aimed at North Korea, not China. "THAAD is truly only capable of defending the territory on which it's deployed. It is not capable of the kind of reach that the Chinese seem to be afraid that it has," she told reporters at a breakfast meeting. "We will be very glad and hope we'll have the opportunity to sit down and talk with China about those very technical limitations and facts about the system," she said. Gottemoeller gave no timetable for a possible meeting. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked about the remarks, said THAAD was "certainly not a simple technology issue". "At present, the situation on the Korean peninsula is very complex and sensitive. We hope the relevant country cautiously handles this issue, and we demand they do nothing to harm China's security interests," she told a daily news briefing. The United States and South Korea agreed to begin the talks last month after North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 carrying what it called a satellite. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday told a congressional hearing that Seoul and Washington had an "agreement in principle" to discuss deploying a THAAD system to South Korea. Doing so, he said, would protect "the entirety of the peninsula against North Korean missiles of greater range." Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, North Korea's neighbor and main ally, last month underscored China's concerns about a possible THAAD deployment but seemed to open the door to a diplomatic solution. Wang said China understood the desire of the United States and South Korea to ensure the defense of their own countries, but Beijing had legitimate concerns that should be addressed. U.S. military officials have long said the THAAD system is needed in South Korea, but until North Korea's recent satellite launch, Seoul had been reluctant to openly discuss its deployment given the risk of damaging ties with China. Army Lieutenant General David Mann, commander, U.S. Army Space & Missile Command, told reporters that the THAAD system would result in a "huge increase" in missile defense capabilities on the Korean peninsula. But he said Washington understood the sensitivity of the discussions given the concerns raised by China, one of South Korea's key trading partners. "It's very, very important that we clarify that that radar, that system is not looking at China," he said. "If the decision is made to deploy it, that system would be oriented on North Korea and threats posed by the North Korean military." The system was designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final phase of flight. Mann said the Army would complete training for its fifth THAAD system by the end of the year. He said Japan was also interested in the system, as were U.S. military commanders in Europe and the Middle East. Once a site was approved and prepared, the mobile THAAD system could be deployed "in a matter of weeks," Mann said. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Bernard Orr) See how retail traders are positioning in the majors using the FXCM SSI readings on DailyFX's sentiment page Crude oil price has stayed resilient during the past few weeks, despite occasional risk-off sentiment. Crude prices rose to their highest in three months in early March, at $42.49/barrel for WTI and $42.54/barrel for Brent. This was triggered by a combination of tightening supply, a proposed production freeze and a weaker US dollar. However, the November-December range of $44.16-$46.46 may act to cap higher development in WTI oil in the near term. Looking ahead, the April 17 Doha meeting to freeze output is a main event for the supply side, whereas demand growth from the main consumers may continue to slow down. Chart 1. Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) via Bloomberg Global oil supplies diminished by 180,000 barrels per day in February, according to International Energy Agencys March report, although the pace of reduction has been painfully slow. Within the OPEC group, decreased output from Iraq, Nigeria and the UAE was offset by a rise in Irans production after sanctions were lifted. In the U.S., shale oil producers recently halted their cuts of active rigs, according to Baker Hughes Inc. This pattern will likely continue in the foreseeable future, unless an accord to freeze output is reached at the upcoming producers gathering. Qatar has successfully arranged a meeting among OPEC members and other major oil producers to cap their production at Januarys levels, in order to reduce the supply surplus. At the time of writing, Qatars Minister of Energy and Industry confirmed attendance by 15 countries within and outside OPEC, with the self-exclusion of Iran and Libya. If this meeting does not come to fruition, similar recommendations would likely be discussed at OPECs semi-annual meeting on June 2. Supplies from major producers have built up over the years, according to statistics by the International Energy Agency (chart 2). However as low oil prices take their toll on upstream investments, plunging supply growth could eventually lead to a price recovery. Chart 2. Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) and OECD On the other hand, demand growth has also decelerated due to uncertain economic conditions, as seen in the worlds largest consumers United States and China. At the March monetary policy meeting, the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee noted that economic activity had been expanding at a moderate pace, and although strong job gains pointed to additional strengthening of the labor market, business fixed investment and net exports remained soft. U.S. Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) hit a two-year low in December 2015 and has hardly rebounded since. In China, the February Caixin/Markit Manufacturing PMI shrank to March 2014s level as factory activities have struggled to improve since a multi-year low gauge last September. Technicals: Inter-market Analysis & 200-DMA are Standing in the Way of a 61% Rally in Crude Oil Extending Crude Oil prices have had a significant turn-around since WTI Crude Oil printed 26.03 on February 11. Since that low, Oil is higher by nearly 61% or $15.91/barrel as of the late March high of $41.90/barrel. In a month, Oil bears went from looking like market masterminds to fools because of the 60%+ rise. However, there is still much uncertainty as we approach the key chart-pivot of the 200-Day Moving Average that currently comes in at ~$42/barrel. The 200-DMA is where WTI Crude Oil has turned lower in June & October and is now verified as long-term chart resistance. Additionally, the US Dollar weakness that is negatively correlated to Oil could further support of the worlds most necessary commodity. Lastly, RSI (5) on a daily chart recently hit its highest level since early 2014, which may argue were getting carried away as we head into technical resistance. Confluence of Technical Resistance in Focus for Q2 2016 As we head into Q2, eyes will turn to highly correlated markets as well as key levels on the charts to see if speculators continue to build bullish exposure as per the CFTC Commitment of Traders report. As of late-March, the 52-week percentile reading of Bullish bets stands at 73% meaning that we could continue to more bullish bets build. However, given the aggressive bullish move from the low, its easy to say that we will either see a retracement of much of the move or, at least, a smaller (in % terms) continuation higher on the back of possibly more US Dollar weakness. As the end of Q1 has us heading into the 200-DMA, 61.8% Fibonacci Retracement Level of the October-February Range, and Price Channel Resistance, the bullish outlook will continue to be favored above 35.94-34.25. This zone is comprised of multiple chart pivots, and a hold above this level should keep traders focused on the upside. Of course, the risk remains that we could see the fundamentals of eager producers bring back oversupply to service their debt-laden balance sheets, which could see the price move back in the direction of the February low. Those fundamental factors and/ or a US Dollar bullish reemergence would favor yet another move down from the 200-DMA in WTI Crude Oil. Written by Natalie Huynh, Currency Strategist and Tyler Yell, Currency Analyst for DailyFX.com Disclaimer DailyFX Market Opinions Any opinions, news, research, analyses, prices, or other information contained in this report is provided as general market commentary, and does not constitute investment advice. DailyFX will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Accuracy of Information The content in this report is subject to change at any time without notice, and is provided for the sole purpose of assisting traders to make independent investment decisions. DailyFX has taken reasonable measures to ensure the accuracy of the information in the report, however, does not guarantee its accuracy, and will not accept liability for any loss or damage which may arise directly or indirectly from the content or your inability to access the website, for any delay in or failure of the transmission or the receipt of any instruction or notifications sent through this website. Distribution This report is not intended for distribution, or use by, any person in any country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation. None of the services or investments referred to in this report are available to persons residing in any country where the provision of such services or investments would be contrary to local law or regulation. It is the responsibility of visitors to this website to ascertain the terms of and comply with any local law or regulation to which they are subject. High Risk Investment Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain losses in excess of your initial investment. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts. 3 When can I appeal? If you wish to appeal, you must make your request in writing to the SSA within 60 days from the date you receive your denial letter. It is assumed that you receive the denial letter five days after the date on the letter, unless you can show that you received it later. How many appeal levels are there? Reconsideration; Hearing by an administrative law judge; Review by the Appeals Council; and Federal Court review. Reconsideration A reconsideration is a complete review of your claim by someone who did not take part in the first decision. The social security administration will look at all the evidence submitted when the original decision was made, plus any new evidence. Most reconsiderations involve a review of your files without the need for you to be present. But when you appeal a decision that you are no longer eligible for disability benefits because your medical condition has improved, you can meet with a Social Security representative and explain why you believe you still have a disability. Hearing If you disagree with the reconsideration decision, you may ask for a hearing. The hearing will be conducted by an administrative law judge who had no part in the original decision or the reconsideration of your case. The hearing is usually held within 75 miles of your home. The administrative law judge will notify you of the time and place of the hearing. Before the hearing, you may be asked for more evidence and to clarify information about your claim. You may look at the information in your file and give new information. At the hearing, the administrative law judge will question you and any witnesses you bring. Other witnesses, such as medical or vocational experts, also may give information at the hearing. You or your representative may question the witnesses. It is usually to your advantage to attend the hearing even if you have an attorney or social security disability representative helping you with your case. After the hearing, the judge will make a decision based on all the information in your case, including any new information you give. You will receive a letter in the mail and a copy of the judges decision. Appeals Council If you disagree with the hearing decision, you may ask for a review by Social Securitys Appeals Council. The Appeals Council looks at all requests for review, but it may deny a request if it believes the hearing decision was correct. If the Appeals Council decides to review your case, it will either decide your case itself or return it to an administrative law judge for further review. If the Appeals Council denies your request for review, you will receive a letter explaining the denial. If the Appeals Council reviews your case and makes a decision itself, you will receive a copy of the decision in the mail. If the Appeals Council returns your case to an administrative law judge, you will receive a letter and a copy of the order. Federal Court If you disagree with the Appeals Councils decision or if the Appeals Council decides not to review your case, you may file a lawsuit in a federal district court. Under Governor Brown, the California Department of Conservation has become known as a virtual subsidiary of the oil and gas industries as it has been mired in one scandal after another as he promotes the expansion of fracking and other extreme oil extraction techniques in the state. Brown Celebrates World Water Day As He Promotes Salmon-Killing Tunnelsby Dan BacherGovernor Jerry Brown on March 22 cynically issued a statement celebrating World Water Day and the White House Water Water Summit as he continues to promote the most environmentally destructive public works project in California history, the California Water Fix to build the Delta Tunnels.On World Water Day as Californias drought stretches on were reminded that no matter where you live, access to water is not guaranteed, proclaims Brown. With todays Summit and the Federal Action Plan, the Obama Administration is confronting this reality and planning for the future.The White House Water Summit focused on water challenges throughout the country, including Californias drought, and ways to build a more resilient water future," according to the Governor's Office.Ahead of the Summit, the Obama Administration released a Presidential Memorandum and Federal Action Plan that aim to bolster long-term drought resilience in the United States by setting drought resilience policy goals, directing specific drought resilience activities to be completed by the end of the year and permanently establishing the National Drought Resilience Partnership as an interagency task force responsible for coordinating drought resilience, response and recovery efforts.The Governor's Office proclaims, These efforts complement the states updated California Water Action Plan, released earlier this year, which lays out the actions that must be taken to protect water supplies for people and the environment and to fix the states critical water resource problems.One of the key components of the California Water Action Plan to fix the states critical water resource problems is the California Water Fix to build two massive tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to export Central Valley and Trinity River water to corporate agribusiness interests, Southern California water agencies, and oil companies conducting fracking and other extreme oil extraction methods in Kern County.The Delta Tunnels Plan, with an estimated cost of up to $67 billion. would not yield one single drop of new water. Yet it would hasten the extinction of Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, along with imperiling the salmon and steelhead runs on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.Browns aggressive promotion of the California Water Fix to build the Delta Tunnels is just one of his many horrible environmental policies that make him undoubtedly one of the worst Governors for fish, water and the environment in recent California history.Brown wholeheartedly supports water management operations that have brought winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species closer and closer to extinction.The population of Delta smelt, an indicator species that demonstrates the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, has declined to a new record low population level, according to the spring 2016 surveys conducted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). ( http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/12/1499994/-Delta-smelt-population-plunges-to-a-new-record-low The Delta smelt collapse is part of an overall ecosystem decline driven by water diversions by the federal and state water projects, The CDFW's 2015 Fall Midwater Trawl demonstrates that, since 1967, populations of striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, American shad, splittail and threadfin shad have declined by 99.7, 98.3, 99.9, 97.7, 98.5 and 93.7 percent, respectively, according to Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA).The Brown administration has also been embroiled in a number of major scandals, including delaying the declaration of an emergency in the Porter Ranch Gas Blowout for many months while his sister, Kathleen, received a big salary as a board member of Sempra Energy, the company that owns SoCalGas. ( http://redgreenandblue.org/2015/12/19/jerry-browns-big-bad-ties-to-oil-and-gas-industry/ ) His appointees on the Coastal Commission recently fired the respected Executive Director, Charles Lester, under pressure from big developers and corporate interests.Under Brown, the Department of Conservation has become known as a virtual subsidiary of the oil and gas industries as it has been mired in one scandal after another as the Governor promotes the expansion of fracking and other extreme oil extraction techniques in California.The scandals range from Brown's firing of the two top oil industry regulators in 2011 because they wouldnt violate the Clean Water Drinking Act by expediting oil drilling permits, to the appointment of a Big Oil industry executive as district deputy for the Bakersfield in the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. ( http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2015/04/29/why-governor-brown-broke-his-prop-1-promise-big-money-interests-dumped-218-million-into-the-prop-1-campaign Jerry Brown also oversaw the "completion" of so-called marine protected areas under the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, overseen by a Big Oil lobbyist and other corporate interests, in December 2012. These faux Yosemites of the Sea fail to protect the ocean from oil drilling, fracking, pollution, corporate aquaculture and all human impacts on the ocean other than sustainable fishing and gathering.The marine protected areas created under the process continue to violate the traditional fishing and harvesting rights of the Yurok Tribe and other North Coast Tribes and are based on false assumptions and terminally flawed science.As it those examples of Browns tainted environmental legacy werent enough, Brown has promoted carbon trading and REDD policies that pose an enormous threat to Indigenous Peoples around the globe; has done nothing to stop clearcutting of forests by Sierra-Pacific and other timber companies; presided over record water exports from the Delta in 2011; and oversaw massive fish kills of Sacramento splittail and other species in 2011. ( http://www.alternet.org/environment/governor-jerry-browns-10-worst-environmental-policies Unfortunately, in spite of all of these terrible policies and scandals, the mainstream media still provides fawning coverage of Browns cynical grandstanding about climate change and "green energy at climate conferences and photo opportunities around the world. This takes place even though Brown continually promotes the agendas of Big Oil, corporate agribusiness and other Big Money interests here in California.The contributions to Governor Browns Proposition 1 campaign in the fall of 2014 illustrate how corporate interests have been able to completely capture his administrations environmental policies. Big Money donors, including corporate agribusiness interests, timber barons, billionaires, Big Oil, HMOs and others, dumped $21.8 million into the campaign. This influx of tainted money resulted in Brown breaking his promise that bond money wouldn't be used to mitigate environmental damage caused by the tunnels. ( http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2015/04/29/why-governor-brown-broke-his-prop-1-promise-big-money-interests-dumped-218-million-into-the-prop-1-campaign When the mainstream media greenwashes Browns abysmal environmental record, they not only provide a false narrative about his policies, but become complicit in his war on fish, rivers, the Delta, the oceans and the people of California. Brown has received favorable ratings from California voters in recent polls, but he would get much lower ratings if the media would tell the truth about Browns environmental policies.For the latest update on the Delta Tunnels Plan, go to: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/03/19/18784245.php This Week in Palestine, March 25th, 2015 by IMEMC Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, http://www.imemc.org , for March 19, to the 25, 2016. Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: The UN bans international companies from doing business with Israeli settlements, meanwhile Israeli troops kill three Palestinian youth in separate attacks this week. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned. The Nonviolence Report Lets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. scores of protesters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday as Israeli forces attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMCs Majd Batjali with the details: Many residents and their international and Israeli supporters were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when soldiers attacked the weekly protest in the central West Bank village of al Nabi Saleh on Friday. Troops attacked the protest at the village entrance using live rounds, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Later troops stormed and fired tear gas at residents homes, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as a result. At the nearby villages of Bilin and Nilin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations. In Bilin some olive treats caught fire that was caused by tear gas bombs fired by Israeli troops. In the meantime many civilians also were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank. For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali. The Political Report Human Rights Council in Geneva passes a resolution, pertaining to Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority condemns an Israeli bill against Palestinians. IMEMCs Rami Al Meghari has more: Palestinians welcomed this week, a new resolution by the United Nations' Human Rights Council. The resolution, voted for by more than 30 countries, states that all business transactions between world companies and Israeli settlements are banned, given the fact that those settlements are located on occupied Palestinian territories. It also includes an article that all forms of business companies, belonging to the settlements , should be put in a ' black list'. so that any future transactions , could be banned. US Secretary of States , Jhon Kerry, tried in a phone conversation, with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to convince Palestinian of removing the article regarding ' black list', but in vain. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamine Natanyahou, slammed the new UN vote and called, instead, for passing some other resolutions against terrorism. According to international law and UN's resolutions, settlements are illegal for they are built on Palestinian lands that Israel occupied in 1967. UN recognizes those lands as the future Palestinian state. In the meantime, top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat, condemned underway Israeli parliament's discussions of a new bill against Palestinians. The bill calls for the expulsion of Palestinian families from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, whose members are accused by Israel of carrying out attacks against Israelis. In other news, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, met in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with Jordanian Foreign Minister, Naser Jouda. They both discussed bilateral Jordanian-Palestinian relations and pointed out that they agree on installing surveillance cameras, inside the Alaqsa Mosque compound, where Jordan is supervising the holly Islamic shrine, for decades. The planned installation is meant to monitor Israeli violations there , particularly frequent provocative visits by Jewish elements. For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza. The West Bank and Gaza Report This week, Three Palestinian youth were killed by Israeli gunfire in separate attacks in the West Bank, meanwhile in Gaza, Navy and tanks attack farmers and fishermen. IMEMCs Ghassan Bannoura reports: Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Thursday morning, two young Palestinian men, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, allegedly after they attacked Israeli soldiers, mildly wounding one. According to the army, Ramzi Qasrawi, and Abdul-Fattah Sharif, both 21, were shot dead after they tried to stab Israeli troops manning a checkpoint in Tin Tal Romeida neighborhood in Hebron old city. a video by the Israeli Human rights group BTsalem, was published on social media, shows that Qasrawi and Sharif were wounded and on the ground as Israeli medics and soldiers denied them medical care. The video also shows one soldier approach the wounded Palestinian and shoot him in the head from close range killing him as he laid on the ground causing no threat to anyone. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers opened fire at random, wounding several Palestinians who were walking in the area during the reported attack. It is worth mentioning that the army has killed 61 Palestinian, in Hebron, since October 1st, 2015. Earlier in the week, also in Hebron old city, Israeli soldiers shot and killed 16 year old Abdullah Ajlouni. The child was left bleeding to death. The Israeli army claimed that he was holding a knife and walking towards an army checkpoint in al-Shuhada Street. Moreover, Israeli forces conducted at least 86 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 61 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children. Also this week, sraeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday morning, Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and demolished a large Palestinian mobile home, allegedly built without a construction permit. The soldiers surrounded the neighborhood before invading it, and demolished the property, only two days after the City Council issued the demolition order. On Monday, a Palestinian family from Ras al-'Amoud in Silwan town, in occupied Jerusalem, had to demolish its home, to avoid the excessively high fines, and fees, Israel imposes on the families after demolishing their homes. In Gaza, Several Israeli army vehicles, including military bulldozers, carried out on Monday morning a limited invasion into an area, east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the coastal enclave. Israeli tanks invaded the same areas on Thursday and opened fire at residents homes causing damage. On Friday, Israeli navy ships opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats docked at Gaza city shoreline. Damage was reported but no injuries. For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura. Conclusion And thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for March 19, to the 25, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This weeks report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura. We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts! Donate $ 420.00 donated in the past month Get Involved If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us. SAN DIEGO (March 23, 2016) (Press Release) San Diego based law firm CaseyGerry has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of the children of Birger Greg Bacino, a San Diego resident who was killed in an airplane crash near Montecito, Calif., in a remote area of Los Padres National Forest in August 2015. According to lead attorney David S. Casey Jr., the wrongful death suit was filed on behalf of Bacinos two minor children against the aircrafts owner Poddoubnvi Alexandrovich, Carlsbad-based flying club Pacific Coast Flyers Inc. which rented out the aircraft and the estate of deceased pilot David K. Martz - those allegedly responsible for the crash. A longtime commercial pilot, Martz had a history of suspension and revocation of his pilots license.Bacino, 56, was the only passenger in a single engine Cessna 182F airplane, flown by San Diego pilot Martz, which took off from San Luis Obispo Regional Airport and was headed for McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. A healthcare executive, Bacino was returning home to San Diego following a business trip.The pilot radioed a mayday call to an air traffic controller at Point Magu Naval Air Station stating there was oil on the windscreen of the aircraft and smoke in the cockpit, Casey Jr. explained. Shortly thereafter, all radio and radar contact was lost. The aircraft was discovered the following day - both the passenger and pilot were killed.Casey Gerry was established in 1947, and is the oldest plaintiffs' law firm in San Diego. The firm's 15 attorneys practice in numerous areas, including serious personal injury, product liability, aviation, pharmaceutical, mass tort and class action litigation. Headquartered at 110 Laurel St. in the Banker's Hill neighborhood of San Diego, the firm also has an office in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif. For more information, visit www.caseygerry.com. - Man repeatedly molests 12-year-old daughter and impregnates her in the process - Forces her to commit a five-month abortion through a rather crude process - Youngster undergoes surgery to correct anomalies - Sources say Bayelsa man is a known pervert and witnesses are ready to testify against him Bamekpa, the Bayelsa man who impregnated his 12-year-old daughter. A Bayelsa-born father identified as Bamekpa has reportedly taken his 12-year-old daughter for abortion after allegedly impregnating her. The youngster, identified as Queen (surname withheld) is presently undergoing medical treatment owing to alleged abuse by her father after suffering serious injuries. According to The Nation, the young girl is currently in pains and at a point, bled profusely from her private part at the Bayelsa hospital where she is presently undergoing treatment. Reports say the father, a native of Imiringi, Ogbia local government area, Bayelsa state, had started defiling Queen at the age of 11 and had serially molested and eventually impregnated her. The girl was forced to abort a four-month-old pregnancy through a crude process that currently threatens her life as she told Operation Rescue (OPER), a human rights group, led by Princess Elizabeth Egbe, that she had to run away from the house when she could no longer bear her fathers devilish craving. "There was nobody to help me. He kept doing it despite my efforts to stop him. It was a painful and violent experience. I ran away from home because there was a time I bled so much from my private part. "When I became pregnant and he heard about it, he handed me over to a lady who took me through an unsuccessful process of abortion. I have been suffering series of health issues after the abortion," the young girl said amid tears. The girl's uncle, David Apigi expressed shock at the way she was allegedly violated by her father, stating that, "My niece told me the trauma she has been passing through in her fathers house and how her father has been using her, turning her to his second wife. "She said he had sex with her to the extent that he aborted her four-month-old pregnancy. She ran to me and begged me not to allow her to return to her fathers house because she was tired. I decided to accommodate her. The father started looking for her without knowing she was with me." After reporting the incident at the Kolo police station, Apigi said he asked them to hold on to enable him make some investigations and that afterwards, he called his cousin, Rex Ogboku, in Abuja who subsequently reported the matter to the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). FIDA was said to have been sluggish in their response, and according to Apigi: "My cousin, Rex Ogboku, in Abuja called FIDA to inform them about the situation. But the way FIDA was going about the issue was too sluggish for my liking. I decided to contact the Operation Rescue. "We went back to the police and the Otuasiga Police Station arrested the man. The process through which the Otuasiga Police Station was handling the case was not satisfactory. "Imagine a situation where somebody was arrested and while in detention he was still having access to his phone, making calls. He even called me. He called my uncle, trying to plead with him for settlement. I moved the case to Kolo Police Station." The suspect is said to be a known sexual pervert as allegations arose that he had slept with his biological sisters, with some of his victims said to be ready to testify against him in court. "Our investigations showed that the little girl had been perpetually raped by her father who impregnated her and forced her through abortion that has left her with so many health problems. "When the girl was pregnant, she did not know. Her stepmother discovered she was pregnant and informed the father. The father handed her over to a lady who took her to a quack doctor for an abortion. "After the abortion, the girl came back home and discovered she was bleeding from her private part. The father took her to that same lady who then took her to other places. The girl is still in pains and highly traumatised. She has been going through series of medical treatments. "We want the police to really investigate this matter and get to the root of the case. We want the doctor to be arrested, and we want everybody that is involved to be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other people who are involved in this act of perpetual evil against the girl-child. The girl-child is tender and has a lot to contribute to nation-building," Egbe explained further. Source: Legit.ng - Fulani herdsmen are not buying the idea of grazing reserve - Some of them see it as an infringement of their rights to movement - There is suggestion that the herdsmen be educated on the importance The nomadic practice of moving cattle from one place to the other that is common among Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria has led to violent clashes between the herdsmen and farmers but the end of these confrontations doesnt seem to be near. Nomadic cattle rearing This is because the idea of providing permanent grazing reserves for herdsmen to prevent them from roaming with their cattle from the northern part of the country to the largely agrarian south is not welcomed by some herdsmen who feel their right to movement is going to be infringed. READ ALSO: Panic grips Benue as herdsmen stirike again, killing seven In a report published by Daily trust, some herdsmen and milk sellers expressed displeasure at the idea of restricting their movement and claimed cattle could not survive restrictions. A herdsman, Muhammadu Tukur said the idea of a permanent reserve will not work. It will not work out because we always relocate to where pasture can be found. Adamu Birniwa who is the secretary of the state chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association said he was aware of the federal governments plan and that there was plan to educate the herdsmen on the importance and benefit of the grazing reserve. Halilu Alhaji Yau who is a herdsman condemned the idea and said it would not work. If what you are saying becomes reality, it will inconvenience us. Alhaji Muhammad Hussaini who is the chairman of the Nasarawa state Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Nigeria said it was a bad idea and an invitation for to trouble. We have over 35 million Fulani herdsmen in the country and stopping their movement with cattle might not be possible. If you force a Fulani man not to move with his cattle, you are inviting trouble. READ ALSO: Agatu crisis: Benue lawmakers blast Buhari, Danbazzau Hadiza Umar who sells Fura Da Nono rejected the idea and said it might kill her business. If you stop moving cattle how do you feed them? Do you think you will get grasses and water from a location to feed them? Where are we going to get the milk? If you dont get the milk from the cattle rearers in the bush, where do we get it? They are planning to kill our business. They shouldnt tamper with our means of livelihood and find an alternative means of resolving their problems, and not create another because this move is unacceptable. The debate rages on... Source: Legit.ng Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Christians around the world are celebrating Easter, which is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is arguably one of the most important date on the religious calendar. Easter marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and reflection. The day holds the promise of victory over death, a new life and the forgiveness of sins. Easter is also commemorates the death of Jesus Christ. It is greatly influenced by the Christian faith as it reminds believers to remember the last sacrifice of the Son of God. Here are six facts about the Easter you probably never knew about: READ ALSO: 5 places to visit this Easter 1. Theres more than one theory about where Easter got its name. The word Easter has been linked to Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and new life. Other scholars trace the name of the holiday to the Latin phrase hebdomada alba, which means white week. According to tradition, new Christians were baptized into the faith on Easter while wearing white clothes. The phrase evolved into eostarum in Old High German, becoming Ostern in modern German and Easter in English. But in many other languages, the word for Easter is still deeply tied to Passover, the festival that celebrates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Jesus was crucified soon after he arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. 2. Easter has always been tied to the moon. Since the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles, Passover falls on 14 Nisan, the 14th day of the first full moon of spring. Christians in Asia Minor used to remember the crucifixion on the 14 Nisan, and celebrate the resurrection on 16 Nisan. But this meant that Easter could fall on any day of the week. On the other hand, Christians in the West celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after 14 Nisan. In 325, the Roman Emperor Constantine I gathered bishops from around his empire at the Council of Nicaea to hammer out a solution to this and other debates raging in the early church. The council decided that Easter would be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. 3. Easter falls on a different date each year Technically, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full Moon after the Vernal Equinox. The worship of Attis and Cybele was very popular in Rome as late as the 3rd century. Attis was a soter, or savior, god who was reborn each year. This resurrection was celebrated beginning on the Friday after the full moon after the Vernal equinox (now Good Friday). It culminated on the following Sunday three days later. Since they were rivals, Christianity adopted the date for their soter and, once the Cybele cult faded, Christians had to keep the date since that was when everybody was used to celebrating the holiday. 4. Easter eggs The egg has always been a symbol of fertility, creation and rebirth. Many ancient cultures creation myths involved the earth being hatched from an egg. Though other societies may not have had such a creation myth, they still held the egg as a symbol of new life. The ancient Persians and Egyptians exchanged colored eggs, usually red, in honor of spring. The Greeks and Romans adopted the custom, enlarging the color palette. In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. This made eggs very popular at Easter. READ ALSO: Easter: 5 things Nigerian Catholics can relate 5. The celebration of Eostre gave birth to the Easter Bunny These early pagan customs also established the iconic myth of the Easter Bunny. These early people worshipped rabbits as god-like creatures because of their ability to mate and reproduce in astounding abundance. The Celtic Eostre, however, came with a legend that their god would turn into a giant rabbit at the rise of each full moon. Both of these views made this deity the fertility symbol of their respective faiths. 6. Easter originally had nothing to do with Christianity Instead, it was a pagan celebration of spring and the rebirth of life after the cold winter months where only beards grew. Should Nigerians pick up arms to defend themselves against herdsmen attacks on NAIJ.TV Source: Legit.ng Researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have identified unique anatomical features in a species of blind, walking cavefish in Thailand that enable the fish to walk and climb waterfalls in a manner comparable to tetrapods, or four-footed mammals and amphibians. The discovery of this capability, not seen in any other living fishes, also has implications for understanding how the anatomy that all species need to walk on land evolved after the transition from finned to limbed appendages in the Devonian period, which began some 420 million years ago. This research is reported in a March 24 Nature Scientific Reports article, "Tetrapod-like pelvic girdle in a walking cavefish," by Brooke E. Flammang, Daphne Soares, Julie Markiewicz and Apinun Suvarnaraksha. Flammang and Soares, assistant professors in the NJIT Department of Biological Sciences, were assisted with the research by Markiewicz, an NJIT post-baccalaureate research volunteer in the Flammang lab at the university. Investigator Suvarnaraksha is a member of the Faculty of Fisheries Technology and Aquatic Resources of Maejo University in Thailand. Speaking of the unique anatomical structures seen in the cavefish, Cryptotora thamicola, Flammang says, "It possesses morphological features that have previously only been attributed to tetrapods. The pelvis and vertebral column of this fish allow it to support its body weight against gravity and provide large sites for muscle attachment for walking." With respect to evolutionary significance, she adds, "This research gives us insight into the plasticity of the fish body plan and the convergent morphological features that were seen in the evolution of tetrapods." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SguiYeG_O8o "This is baby season right now," David Bassi, of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas, told The Dodo - baby squirrel season, that is. Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation "It started about three weeks ago," he said, "and will go through the end of June." Bassi explained that around this time he gets tons of calls from people concerned about the baby squirrel they found in their yard. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you find a baby squirrel. Dodo Shows Wild Hearts Orphaned Deer Runs Back To The Wild With Her Best Friend Make sure the little squirrel is really a baby. Just because the squirrel is tiny doesn't mean he's a baby. If the squirrel has a fluffed-out tail or a body longer than 6 inches, he's probably fine on his own. This squirrel's probably old enough to be on his own. | Shutterstock Rule out injuries ... then find mama. If the baby squirrel doesn't have visible wounds and seems warm, the main goal is to get the baby squirrel reunited with his mom if at all possible. Usually, the baby has just fallen from the nest. "We ask the people to make a little nest box, to put them where the mother can see them, and take them up to the nest again." A nest box is a container that can be attached to a tree where the mom can find the baby and bring him back to the nest. (You can make or buy one of these - or even use a makeshift cardboard box.) If you don't know which tree the baby fell from, just choose the tree closest to where you found the baby. Keep pets away and keep watch. Place the baby near the tree from which he fell, and be sure to keep pets away. Watch to see if the mama squirrel returns and brings the baby back to the nest. If the mother doesn't come, you'll need a contingency plan. Find a wildlife rescue center near you that can give the little guy the care he needs. "If the mother doesn't come, we ask people to bring the baby to us," Bassi said. "When they get old enough we put them in an outdoor enclosure with other squirrels. We don't pet them, we don't name them. And when they're ready we take them out and let them go." Let a squirrel be a squirrel. Many people Bassi talks to fall in love with the baby squirrel they've just rescued. But it's usually illegal to keep wild animals as pets - plus, they don't get to live the life they were born to live. LEGAL Gilead ordered to pay Merck $200 million The federal jury in a patent trial has ordered drugmaker Gilead Sciences to pay Merck $200 million in damages for infringing on patents for hepatitis C drugs. The award is far below the damages Merck sought, but the trial moves to a new phase Wednesday. The jury, in San Jose, then will decide whether Merck is due royalties on sales of Gileads hepatitis C drugs, Harvoni and Sovaldi. Merck, which recently launched a hepatitis C drug called Zepatier, claims two patents that Merck and partner Ionis Pharmaceuticals filed in 2002 were the basis for Gileads sofosbuvir. Thats the active ingredient in Sovaldi and part of combination drug Harvoni, which are among the worlds top-grossing medicine franchises. The two Gilead drugs had 2015 worldwide sales of $19.1 billion, mostly in the United States. Thats nearly two-thirds of all revenue for Gilead Sciences, a biologic drugmaker based in Foster City, Calif. Merck, based in Kenilworth, N.J., sought damages amounting to 10 percent of U.S. sales of Harvoni and Sovaldi through the end of 2015, which totaled $23.1 billion. Its also seeking royalties of 10 percent of the U.S. sales of the two drugs from Jan. 1 on. Fast food giant McDonalds is adding the McGriddle to its all-day breakfast menu at some locations. (Gene J. Puskar/AP) Gilead said it will appeal the $200 million award the jury ordered Thursday night, if a judge upholds it. Associated Press CYBERSECURITY Verizon breach leaks some customer data Verizon Communications said an attacker had exploited a security vulnerability on its enterprise client portal to steal contact information of a number of customers. The company said the attacker did not gain access to Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) or other data. CPNI is the information that telephone companies collect including the time, date, duration and destination number of each call and the type of network a consumer subscribes to. Krebs On Security, which first broke the news of the breach, said a member of an underground cybercrime forum had posted a new thread advertising the sale of a database containing the contact information on some 1.5 million customers of Verizon Enterprise. The seller priced the entire package at $100,000 but offered to sell it off in parts of 100,000 records for $10,000 apiece, Krebs added. The vulnerability, which was investigated and fixed, did not leak any data on consumer customers, Verizon said in a statement Thursday. The company is notifying customers impacted by the breach. Reuters Also in Business From news services Derek Gray, a special collections archivist at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library holds the November 3, 1896 volume of the Washington Evening Star newspaper in which William McKinley was declared the winner of that years presidential election. The lost volume was returned last week. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) District library officials are perplexed by the mysterious return of a huge bound volume of the 1896 Washington Evening Star to the Mount Pleasant branch this week. The book, 23.5 by 18.4 inches, was probably too large to fit down the return. Such archival material isnt available for checkout, and the guess is that old papers probably disappeared decades ago. But officials at the Washingtoniana archives of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, where the volume is now housed, are glad its back. As an archivist, its very important that it has been returned and didnt end up in the trash or a dumpster, said Derek Gray, who added that he has never seen anything like this reappear. This is a very valuable item. The defunct Evening Star, the Districts dominant newspaper in the late 19th century, when The Washington Post was just a teenager, donated the collection on Jan. 16, 1907. [Long lost 855-year-old medical book returns to Bethesda library] The 1896 newspapers werent completely lost to history. The D.C. Public Library has every edition of the paper on microfilm, which is also accessible on a searchable database online. But bound copies come in handy for exhibits and when the microfilm isnt legible. The volume covers October through December 1896, when the news was dominated by the lively presidential race between Republican William McKinley and Democrat William Jennings Bryan. The Star boasted of erecting great screens outside its offices to electronically display Election Day updates, prefiguring the big display of the washingtonpost.com home page in the lobby of the papers K Street offices. The Election Day front page featured a large cartoon of the victorious McKinley and dispatches from dozens of states. It is doubtful if there was ever an election in this country which attracted anything like the interest or gave rise to half as much excitement as the election tomorrow, an unbylined piece from Nov. 3, 1896, reads. (One can only imagine what readers in 2136 will make of The Posts 2016 campaign headlines about small hands and rumored affairs.) [Really, really overdue books returned to Portland library after more than five decades] Monetary policy was the hot issue. Bryan famously declared you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold when advocating for legal silver tender at the Democratic National Convention. Perhaps unsurprising for newspapers in 1896, the treatment of women and minorities in print wouldnt pass muster today. A classified ad requests a light colored butler, while another headline screams Why Ladies Like Coffee. Gray and other library officials want the person who returned the newspaper collection to come forward. And not to slap the person with astronomical late fees. I just want to know how did you get it out of here? Gray said. Its huge. Tommie Woods, 19, left, and Lonnie Holmes, 21, right, participate in an anti-gun-crime program of the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, Calif. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) The odds were good that Lonnie Holmes, 21, would be the next person to kill or be killed in this working-class suburb north of San Francisco. Four of his cousins had died in shootings. He was a passenger in a car involved in a drive-by shooting, police said. And he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun. But when Holmes was released from prison last year, officials in this city offered something unusual to try to keep him alive: money. They began paying Holmes as much as $1,000 a month not to commit another gun crime. Cities across the country, beginning with the District of Columbia, are moving to copy Richmonds controversial approach because early indications show it has helped reduce homicide rates. But the program requires governments to reject some basic tenets of law enforcement even as it challenges notions of appropriate ways to spend tax dollars. In Richmond, the city has hired ex-convicts to mentor dozens of its most violent offenders and allows them to take unconventional steps if it means preventing the next homicide. For example, the mentors have coaxed inebriated teenagers threatening violence into city cars, not for a ride to jail but home to sleep it off sometimes with loaded firearms still in their waistbands. The mentors have funded trips to South Africa, London and Mexico City for rival gang members in the hope that shared experiences and time away from the city streets would ease tensions and forge new connections. And when the elaborate efforts at engagement fail, the mentors still pay those who pledge to improve, even when, like Holmes, they are caught with a gun, or worse suspected of murder. The city-paid mentors operate at a distance from police. To maintain the trust of the young men theyre guiding, mentors do not inform police of what they know about crimes committed. At least twice, that may have allowed suspected killers in the stipend program to evade responsibility for homicides. Police officers guard the scene of a fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Richmond, Calif. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) And yet, interest in the program is surging among urban politicians. Officials in Miami, Toledo, Baltimore and more than a dozen cities in between are studying how to replicate Richmonds program. The District of Columbia is first in line. Implementing the Richmond model has emerged as a central fight this year between D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the D.C. Council. Bowser (D) is opposed to the strategy, arguing that the city should instead use its resources to fund jobs programs and that there is little independent analysis of the Richmond program. The mayor did not include money for it in her proposed 2017 budget released Thursday, and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said she is skeptical of the need for the Richmond-style program and has not seen sufficient data to verify its results. She and Kevin Donahue, Bowsers deputy mayor for public safety, question the veracity of Richmonds claims of having saved so many of the citys most violent offenders, since mentors and not police pick the participants and there has not been a control group used to measure outcomes. Theres never been a real evaluation of the program, Lanier said. They didnt design the program to allow it to be evaluated, Donahue added. But this month, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the idea as the best response to a surge of violent deaths that rocked the city last year. D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5) has promised to shift money from the mayors other law-enforcement priorities to launch the program. He said the successes in Richmond cannot be ignored by city leaders serious about reducing crime. [D.C. could be the next city to pay criminals to stay out of trouble ] Thats because five years into Richmonds multimillion-dollar experiment, 84 of 88 young men who have participated in the program remain alive, and 4 in 5 have not been suspected of another gun crime or suffered a bullet wound, according to DeVone Boggan, founder of the Richmond effort. DeVone Boggan is the director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, Calif. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Youngsters chat with neighborhood change agents of the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, Calif. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) City leaders credit the program with cutting Richmonds homicide rate to less than half and helping it shed its reputation as one of the nations deadliest cities. Those results have won over a pair of Richmond police chiefs, a series of mayors and even a sometimes-skeptical City Council, which continues to fund it despite budget shortfalls. Richmond was bold enough to take an untested step and try this model of really direct and intense intervention, Richmond Police Chief Allwyn Brown said. And its dealing with the violence in the right way: teaching these kids basic life skills and how to not resort to a gun and operate in a civil society. Richmonds decision to pay people to stay out of trouble began a decade ago during a period of despair. In 2007, Richmonds homicide tally had surged to 47, making it the countrys sixth-deadliest city per capita. In the 20 years prior to that, Richmond lost 740 people to gun violence, and more than 5,000 had been injured by a bullet. Elected leaders of the heavily African American city of about 100,000 began treating homicides as a public health emergency. Residents gather where a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in Richmond, Calif. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Boggan, who had lost a brother in a shooting in Michigan, came up with the core of the program after reading about a paid business school fellowship. He wondered whether troubled young men couldnt be approached the same way and be paid to improve their lives. But he had to raise the money because he couldnt persuade officials to give tax dollars directly to violent firearms offenders. He hired men who had served time across San Francisco Bay at Californias San Quentin State Prison, often for their own gun crimes on the streets of Richmond. Boggan and his streetwise crew of ex-cons selected an initial group of 21 gang members and suspected criminals for the program. One night in 2010, he persuaded them to come to city hall, where he invited them to work with mentors and plan a future without guns. As they left, Boggan surprised each one with $1,000 no strings attached. No cop had ever handed them money without asking for something in return, Boggan said. And it had the intended effect. It sent a shock wave through the community. People sat up and began watching. Boggans Operation Peacemaker Fellowship is working with its fourth class of recruits, and he no longer needs to wow participants with money upfront. Dozens of former fellows on the streets of Richmond alive and not in jail are his best advertisement, he said. Those in the program begin by drafting a life map and setting goals such as applying for a job, going back to school or communicating better with family. They meet with facilitators who, unbeknown to the young men, are psychologists or sociologists. Together, they talk through issues in what amounts to stealth therapy. Youngsters attend a life-skills class at the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, Calif., to discuss goals. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) If they remain engaged for six months, meeting with mentors several times a week, they start to receive monthly payments between $1 and $1,000, depending on their level of participation. The maximum amount paid is $9,000 over the 18-month fellowship. The program has handed out $70,000 a year, on average, since 2010, Boggan said. Boggan believes that travel is another key to the programs success. He sets aside $10,000 per fellow for trips that are often the first time participants have left the state or the country. But fellows must agree to partner with someone they have either tried to kill or who attempted to kill them. Wild, right? Boggan says. But they get out there and realize, Hey, this cats just like me. Boggans measure of success: No fellows who have traveled together have been suspected in subsequent shootings against one another. Boggan and his staff are used to questions and criticism about the money. How do they know it doesnt go to drugs? Or bullets? They maintain that the money is an indispensable tool, a way to keep kids engaged long enough to make a difference in their lives. This is controversial, I get it, Boggan said. But whats really happening is that they are getting rewarded for doing really hard work, and its definite hard work when you talk about stopping picking up a gun to solve your problems. Sam Vaughn, a senior mentor, is more direct as he sits behind the wheel of a city-issued sedan on a recent morning, cruising a neighborhood looking for those who are in the program. We dont know where it goes, and Im not sure we always would want to know where it goes, he said. Program managers, such as Vaughn, say they hope that the young men come to realize that the money is best spent on bills and making progress toward a safe, secure livelihood. He offers his own past as a cautionary tale: He beat a man into a vegetative state with the barrel of a gun and served 10 years in prison. Sam Vaughn, left, and James Houston are "neighborhood change agents" with the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, Calif., who are trying to curb shootings. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Vaughn turns a corner and stops at the sight of a black car parked in front of a row of vacant houses pockmarked by bullet holes. Holmes rolls down his window upon seeing Vaughn. A cloud of marijuana smoke escapes into the rainy morning. So far, the attention and money seems to be working for Holmes. Although the $1,500 he has received since getting out of prison last fall has not led to a miraculous transformation, it enabled him to make a down payment on his black 2015 Nissan Versa something meaningful for a young man who for many years was homeless. He now spends hours each day in the car, driving around with friends, often smoking pot but not hunting Vaughns term for seeking conflict with rivals. Holmes is worried about how hell afford the $500 monthly car payments and insurance once the program ends. He has applied to get a job as an Uber driver. Money from the program has helped Holmes stay straight, he said. The money is a big part, Holmes says. I cant count the number of times it has kept me from . . . doing what Ive got to do. It stopped me from going to hit that liquor [store] or this, you feel me, its a relief to not have to go do this and endanger my life for a little income, you feel me? Holmes hits up Vaughn for $5 for a quart of oil. Vaughn tries to use it as a teachable moment and reaches into his pocket. Youve got to protect your investment you need an oil change, Vaughn explains. Lonnie Holmes, 21, left, says If they do this in D.C., definitely, I think it will keep robberies down. Next to him is Tommie Woods, 19. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Lonnie Holmes, 21, chats with neighborhood change agents with the Office of Neighborhood Safety. Four of his cousins have died in shootings. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Holmes settles back in the car and picks up a new blunt passed from a buddy in the back seat. He paused before inhaling. If they do this in D.C., definitely, I think it will keep robberies down, he said. Nothing in the Richmond approach is black and white. Mentors operate with the support of the city in an ethical gray zone, often trying to anticipate the next shooting before it happens and then using the levers of the stipend and relationships to defuse conflict before it turns violent. Success one day can morph into a setback the next, and consequences can be fatal. On a recent day, three of the programs 20 fellows sat in jail, charged with violating parole restrictions after they gathered with suspected gang members. One of them also was carrying a gun when police descended on the hangout, which means he could face a long term if convicted. There have been worse failures. Four of the programs fellows have died since 2010, including two who were killed by other fellows, said Boggan and Vaughn. The suspected killers have not been charged and remain in the program. Weve still got to deal with that fellow, Vaughn said. Because whos to keep him from killing another one . . . ? Although the program appears to largely be working for its small group of recruits, homicides citywide are rising again, raising questions about its wider impact across Richmond. After reaching a record low 11 homicides in 2014, killings nearly doubled in Richmond last year and are on pace to match that again this year. And Boggan, 49, and Vaughn, 39, say their fourth class of recruits, younger than the first three are progressing surprisingly slowly, and the mentors acknowledge that they are having a harder time connecting with the class of youngsters. Vaughn and other mentors gather each morning to scour fellows Facebook and Instagram accounts, noting emojis of guns and bullets and references to past killings for signs of brewing conflict. Family and friends leave the burial place earlier this month of a 14-year-old boy who was fatally shot at close range. He was two months shy of his birthday. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) But two killings in the past month of a 14-year-old and 15-year-old have pierced the aura of success. For all the efforts by the mentors to identify the most likely to be caught in violence and bring them into the program, they werent aware of either of the victims. Many details of how the District would replicate Richmonds program have yet to be determined, but one aspect is clearly more complicated than in Richmond. While the California strategy relies on private donors to fund the stipends and travel, the District would probably use roughly a half-million dollars annually in taxpayer money. Asked whether he could justify the expense if it came from the citys general fund, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt was uncertain. Id try really hard to find outside funding, he said. Vaughn applauds the District for proposing to use tax dollars, because he said it would give city residents and leaders a stake in the programs success. The proof of whether its working will be seen in the citys homicide tally, he said. We dont have any model fellows were not graduating law school students here, said Vaughn. All were trying to do is to get these guys to stop killing each other. Paying D.C. criminals Voting is closed on this poll User Poll Results: Should D.C. pay certain criminals using taxpayer money in hopes that they would avoid violence in the future? Yes. No. Pardon the interruption! We need to verify that you are an actual person. Yes. No. View Results This is a non-scientific user poll. Results are not statistically valid and cannot be assumed to reflect the views of Washington Post users as a group or the general population. [Related: Surge in killings dictating agenda for D.C. mayor ] Arlington Countys first stand-alone gun shop in modern memory opened Saturday, drawing several dozen supporters from around the region to a fully stocked storefront, while a smaller local group rallied in opposition five blocks away. Nova Armory did brisk business, drawing customers wanting guns, gun vaults, ammunition and cleaning kits, while others sought to win a $500 discount on future purchases. Handguns on display cost from $249 to $999. Shotguns, rifles and other firearms carried higher price tags. Opening in liberal Arlington was a struggle, Dennis Pratte, one of the owners, said after the ribbon-cutting. There was a time when we were getting so much press that we across the country urged him to go forward and promised to support the business. The crowd including Prattes 16-year-old daughter, owner-in-training Lauren Pratte; Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-Prince William); and Second Amendment advocates expressed pride and satisfaction. [He said Arlington gun store will be great; he just wont say who owns it] This is my neighborhood, and Im really excited to have a gun shop here, said Lee Schalk, a millennial-aged gun owner. It makes the neighborhood a more well-rounded place. Suzie Cook, a middle-aged Fairfax County resident browsing the shotguns with her partner, said opponents were reactionary, as opposed to learning the value of guns in proper hands and used properly. A group rallying at Lyon Park would probably disagree. Since learning a month ago that the county approved an occupancy permit for the store, they have been trying to stop it. Their options are few in gun-friendly Virginia: The state prohibits localities from regulating firearms dealers, and Nova Armory has all its permits in order. But that doesnt mean opponents are giving up. Like most of the people here, I dont think it fits in with the character of the neighborhood, said Julia Young, who attended the rally with her husband and child. She noted that the shop is across the street from a day-care facility and that both Lyon Park and Ashton Heights neighborhood associations overwhelmingly voted to oppose the gun stores opening. She and others noted that Pratte backed out of a meeting with the Lyon Park Citizens Association and has declined to identify the principal owner. Any [store] owner intent on provoking and antagonizing the neighborhood, as he has, would be undesirable, Young said. The neighborhood group decided not to stage a protest at the store because we dont want to have a confrontation, said Natalie Roy, one of the Lyon Park groups organizers. Why give the gun-store owner any unnecessary publicity, which is what hes after. Numerous elected officials, including four state legislators, four of five Arlington County Board members, the county manager and a school board member attended the Lyon Park rally, calling on residents to not give up the fight. State Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington) described her unsuccessful attempt to pass a bill that would give local communities control of gun stores. Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (D-Arlington) decried the General Assemblys unwillingness to ban any weapons, even flamethrowers. Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria) urged residents to picket, protest and apply peer pressure. [Fight over Arlington gun store pits teenager against local legislators] County Board member Christian Dorsey (D), who brought his daughter to the rally, said the county will apply certainly a level of vigilance not special scrutiny, but were going to be watching closely to be sure [the store] operates as its supposed to. Arlington residents can buy guns at a pawnshop on Lee Highway or head out to Fairfax County, where numerous stores, including some formerly owned by Pratte, operate. But some have been hostile to stand-alone shops; last year, residents in the Cherrydale neighborhood persuaded a landlord to revoke a lease to a McLean business, Nova Firearms, that wanted to relocate there. Last week, another low-level confrontation took place when the stores landlord towed another tenants van that was adorned with articles about gun violence. Karen Taylor Soiles, a physical therapist who works above the gun store, said Katya Varley had her vehicle towed and refused to pay the $95 towing fee. Varley declined to talk Saturday to a reporter. Andrew Belovarac, who lives less than a mile from the store, pre-ordered an AK-47 and came Saturday to fill out paperwork that would allow him to take it home. Its very convenient, he said of the location in a small commercial strip along North Pershing Drive, one block off Route 50. I dont understand why people [oppose the location]. Its legal. Gun owners are probably some of the safest and most responsible citizens out there. Maryland universities have ramped up efforts in recent years to help students and faculty turn their discoveries into growing businesses but lag far behind many colleges around the country in spinning off companies and pulling in millions of dollars in licensing revenue. Helping faculty and students create businesses to market medical devices, computer programs or other creations can boost a universitys bottom line and shore up the local economy if the start-up companies stay in the area. We have such great potential here, and its lain fallow for so long, said Benjamin H. Wu, a deputy secretary at the state Department of Commerce who sits on a committee examining the issue. Our economic climate has paid the price. The committee will issue recommendations in the coming weeks for improving the states track record in technology commercialization, also known as tech transfer, Wu said. The issue was that we havent fully embraced our culture of tech transfer in ways that would allow opportunities to flourish, he said. Between 2009 and 2014, the University System of Maryland (USM), which includes the research institutions in Baltimore, College Park and Baltimore County, brought in a combined $1.3 million to $2.4 million a year in revenue from licensing technologies created by its faculty or students, according to a database kept by the Association of University Technology Managers. The Johns Hopkins University, which has led the nation in research spending for 36 years, and its Applied Physics Laboratory generated between $13.6 million and $18.4 million in the same period. Those numbers are dwarfed by some of their university peers. In 2014, MIT brought in $68 million in licensing revenue, and Northwestern University collected $361 million. The University of Massachusetts, which USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret oversaw until his appointment last year, made $70.5 million in licensing revenue in 2009 and $30 million in 2014. In the past few years, USM colleges and Johns Hopkins have put significantly more effort into helping faculty and students become entrepreneurs. Revenue has increased slightly, but no one can say how long it will take for the institutions to catch up to their peers. Caret acknowledged that the system, which includes 12 of the states public institutions, has not kept pace with the fast-growing trend for tech transfer, but he and a host of administrators and members of the systems Board of Regents are working to change that. I would say its been very, very weak on tech transfer, Caret said. In the new world we live in, to get more sources of income, as state money becomes more difficult to get and we try to keep tuition low, one of those could be tech transfer. I think our best year is under $3 million in royalty and licensing income. Wed like to see that really expand in the years ahead. He also wants to change the university systems policy so that its fundraising and investment arm can invest directly in faculty- or student-created start-up companies. Gary Attman, who is chairman of a committee on the USM Board of Regents devoted to tech transfer and economic development, said it was an important way to revitalize and diversify the states economy. I dont think a lot of people realize how important we are as an economic catalyst, said Attman, president of FutureCare, a Pasadena, Md.-based nursing-home operator. USMs efforts to boost tech transfer started in 2010, when the board saw that there were tremendous opportunities that werent being leveraged, Attman said. Over the next five years, the board made a number of changes, including allowing professors to have entrepreneurial activities count toward promotions and tenure. In another change, the universities can now invest directly in the start-ups they spin off. A ventures office was established in 2012 as part of the partnership between the College Park and Baltimore campuses to help guide faculty and students through the steps of patenting and licensing. USM patents nearly doubled to 230 between 2011 and 2015. Athough the amount of money USM is getting through licensing revenue hasnt increased substantially since 2009, the system says it has helped launch 388 companies between 2011 and 2015 breaking a goal it set of forming 325 companies by 2020. Johns Hopkins also has ramped up tech transfer efforts in recent years, establishing its first innovation hub, FastForward Homewood, in 2013, and another hub, FastForward East, last year. A third, with 20,000 square feet of space for entrepreneurs, is set to open in East Baltimore this fall. In 2013, the university hired Christy Wyskiel, a veteran entrepreneur and investor, to head its Technology Ventures office and serve as a senior adviser to President Ronald J. Daniels. Wyskiel said university officials looked at the licensing revenue it was bringing in and felt we could do more. I think its a long game, but leadership here is very focused on it, she said. University of Maryland Baltimore County professors Nilanjan Banerjee and Ryan Robucci relied heavily on the institution to help them commercialize two types of wearable sensors they invented. One of the sensors, called RestEaze, measures leg movements during sleep, which may help identify if people have restless leg syndrome, ADHD or even cardiac problems. The other, called Inviz, is for people with limited mobility. It can help them call 911 or turn on a TV. University and state officials helped walk the professors through the process of obtaining grants, patenting the technology and creating a business. Banerjee said the university is increasingly stressing that its researchers focus on commercializing their discoveries. UMBC also definitely wants to place itself as a university that is helping the community around it as well as the state, Banerjee said. Its one of our responsibilities to make sure we have societal impact, and commercializing is one way of doing it. A sweeping criminal justice bill that cleared the Maryland Senate last week is supposed to right some of the wrongs of the decades-long war on drugs. The legislation aims to reduce Marylands prison population and save hundreds of millions of dollars on prison costs by easing sentencing laws for nonviolent drug offenders and pushing people who are arrested with drugs into treatment instead of behind bars. But the bill was almost derailed last week after the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee amended the measure, arguing that it went too far in keeping offenders out of jail and could pose a risk to public safety. Now the bill heads to the more liberal House of Delegates, where an emotional debate is expected this week. Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee chairman Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) defended the amendments on the Senate floor last week by rattling off a list of violent criminals who, without the changes, would have been eligible for automatic parole or for shorter sentences after probation violations. That brought a sharp rebuke from Sen. Dolores G. Kelly (D-Baltimore County), one of many African American lawmakers who say the amended bill does not do enough to free those who are trying to rehabilitate their lives and deserve a second chance. Nobody in here wants violent people on the street, but the judge is going to consider violence when he sentences initially, Kelly said during the floor debate. To scare us all to death with situations that arent the norm . . . is not helpful. . . . In spite of all the hard work you did, not all of it was smart. I hope that in a conference committee or somewhere, we come back toward the middle. [Landmark criminal justice bill delayed as its impact is questioned] The Justice Reinvestment Act would: Send people convicted of drug possession for treatment rather than to prison. Eliminate sentencing disparities that have resulted in thousands of mostly African American men serving long sentences for crack cocaine convictions while others, mainly white, received less time for convictions involving the powder form of the drug. Make it easier to have drug-possession convictions expunged. Offer drug offenders the same number of credits to reduce their sentences that are given to other nonviolent offenders. Allow the 1,700 people who are serving mandatory minimums for drug offenses to appeal their sentences. The bill is comparable to legislation passed in recent years in nearly a dozen states, including Kentucky and Pennsylvania, as governors and legislatures struggle to cut prison costs and address sentencing disparities and aging prison populations. Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery), a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, compared Marylands bill with other major legislation the state has passed in recent years, including the abolition of the death penalty, reforms in mandatory-minimum laws and the enactment of the Second Chance Act, which shields certain nonviolent misdemeanor criminal records from public view, making it easier for ex-offenders to find jobs. This legislation is the most ambitious and comprehensive of criminal justice reforms that weve done, Raskin said. Its a real big ship. . . . You push a little too far to one side, you can tip it over. In Maryland, 58 percent of prison admissions in 2014 were for nonviolent offenses. And possession of drugs with the intent to distribute was the No. 1 reason people were sentenced to state prison, according to data compiled for state policymakers by the Pew Charitable Trust. More than 3,200 people return to prison because of technical violations of their probation, such as failing a drug test or missing an appointment, Pew found. Those individuals remain behind bars, on average, for 13 months, at a cost to the state of $34 million. The Pew data was part of a year-long effort by a panel of lawmakers, judges, public defenders, prosecutors and advocates to grapple with ways to reduce Marylands prison population and costs. [Maryland panel looks at ways to reduce prison costs] The panel, whose recommendations formed the backbone of the criminal justice reform bill, examined why Maryland has experienced large drops in violent and property crime rates over the past decade but only modest changes to the size of its prison population. It concluded that the number of nonviolent offenders serving time has kept the prison population from shrinking significantly, and that it has kept corrections costs at about $1.3 billion a year. The original bill was projected to reduce Marylands prison population from just over 20,000 to about 17,600 over 10 years, saving the state nearly $250 million. But the Judicial Proceedings Committee, citing public safety concerns, changed parts of the legislation that would have slashed prison time for all probation violations and allowed automatic parole for nearly all offenders after 25 percent of a sentence is served. The changes, a Pew analyst said, would reduce the states savings to $34 million over 10 years. That finding prompted advocates, members of the Legislative Black Caucus and other liberal lawmakers to say that the bill had been gutted. The Senate committee responded by dialing back one of its amendments, so that only probation violators who are considered a risk to public safety could be returned to prison for long periods of time. Zirkin, the chief architect of the amendments, said Pews analysis of the bills impact included only guaranteed savings and does not factor in the reduction in prison costs that would come if many of the 1,700 inmates serving mandatory minimums in Maryland appeal those sentences and are released. This is a huge bill moving forward, Zirkin said. If this bill lives or dies based on putting someone who is dangerous back out on the street, then it should die. Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) countered that he had hoped that the bill would put Maryland at the forefront of getting people out of prison, getting people the services they needed and actually coming up with a more humane and a cheaper criminal justice system. He said it appeared the bill made a small step toward that effort. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said in an interview that he likes the amended legislation and is concerned about plans in the House to try to tack on additional things . . . that could jeopardize the bill. In the House, the bill will be considered first by the Judiciary Committee, chaired by longtime Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince Georges). If it is approved by that panel, the bill would go to the House floor. It is not yet clear what changes will be sought by delegates. Last year, some members of the Justice Reinvestment Council sought to repeal mandatory minimums altogether, and that effort could be revived in coming days. (Nearly 90 percent of the people serving mandatory minimum sentences in Maryland are African American). At a private meeting of the Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday, Del. Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince Georges) could be overheard through a closed door encouraging the caucus to take a strong stand on the bill. We are 47 black members, and we can make a difference, she said. This is an issue that we can make a difference on. Members of a Judiciary Committee work group have begun poring over the 90-page bill sent over by the Senate, going line by line to discuss possible changes. On Monday, they will focus on the probation-revocation caps. Paul A. Quander, who for four years was Washingtons deputy mayor for public safety and justice, with responsibility for the police and fire departments, and for six months was acting chief of staff for then-Mayor Vincent C. Gray, died March 23 at his home in the District. He was 61. The cause was cancer, said Beverly Hill, a family spokeswoman and Mr. Quanders former chief of staff. Mr. Quander was a D.C. and federal prosecutor for much of his career and also held top-level administrative positions in the D.C. Department of Corrections. As deputy mayor, he was point man for a volley of criticism aimed at the fire department and the slow response of its ambulance service. In 2001, Mr. Quander was a lead prosecutor in a widely publicized murder and racketeering trial of the notorious Southeast Washington drug gang leader, Tommy Edelin. Marc Fisher, a columnist for The Washington Post, wrote of the prosecutors courtroom style: Quander, working without notes, was angry, unrelenting, but also precise and clear, and always morally outraged. At one point, Mr. Quander displayed photographs of Edelin in a full-length mink coat adorned with diamonds and jewelry. Edelin, Mr. Quander said, was a millionaire by the age of 18, drove a white Mercedes-Benz and used teenagers to peddle crack cocaine. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul A. Quander, center, in 2014. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) These guys are rolling up and down our highways, in broad daylight, shooting at each other, for that, Mr. Quander said, pointing at a table in the courtroom, dope, cocaine, crack, and for the riches it may bring to those who value that more than human life. Edelin was convicted of four murders, racketeering and other charges and sentenced to seven consecutive life terms, plus 140 years, without parole. Paul Alonzo Quander was born in Washington on Nov. 10, 1954. He graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1973, Virginia State University in Petersburg in 1977 and Howard University law school in 1980. He was with the Office of the D.C. Corporation Counsel from 1982 to 1989, followed by five years as deputy director of the citys corrections department. In this period, he initiated a policy of annual random drug tests for department employees. From 1994 to 2002, Mr. Quander was an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Later, he was the director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia, a federal agency that oversees probationers and parolees. When Mr. Quander joined Grays new administration in January 2011, he inherited a fire department long prone to controversy. In 2013, a D.C. police officer was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident and had to wait more than 15 minutes for an ambulance, which ultimately arrived from Prince Georges County, because the District did not have enough available. In 2014, 77-year-old Medric Cecil Mills Jr. collapsed across the street from a D.C. fire station and died in his daughters arms. A city police officer had to flag down a passing ambulance after pleas went unanswered and no one in the fire house responded, even after someone went to that station and said, Theres a man across the street that needs help. Mr. Quander blamed the firefighters on duty, not the leadership of Fire Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe. He recommended disciplinary action, but the lieutenant in charge of the fire station was allowed to retire without penalty. In February 2014, Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), then chairman of the City Councils public safety committee, called for the dismissal of Mr. Quander and Ellerbe. At the time, Wells was also challenging Gray in the Democratic mayoral primary; both lost to Council member Muriel E. Bowser. Ellerbe retired in July 2014, and Mr. Quander finished his term. Survivors include his wife of 35 years, Charlene Boone Quander of the District; and two daughters, Candace Quander of Washington and Katherine Forde of Temple Hills, Md. Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Lawrence M. Burman, petroleum engineer Lawrence M. Burman, 93, a petroleum engineer who retired from the Energy Department in 1987, died Feb. 24 at his home in Silver Spring, Md. The cause was esophageal cancer, said a daughter, Frances Burman. Mr. Burman, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., spent his early career as a petroleum engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Bartlesville, Okla. In 1963, he came to Washington to work for the Atomic Energy Commission. In retirement, he sold residential real estate in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties for several brokerages including Shannon & Luchs, Century 21 and Weichert. He was a member of Temple Emanuel in Kensington. Helen W. Yin, economist Helen W. Yin, 88, a research economist with the Commerce Departments Bureau of Economic Analysis for 29 years, died Feb. 25 at her home in Kensington, Md. The cause was complications from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, said a daughter, Sandra Yin. Dr. Yin was born Wan Hung Chang in Tianjin, China. She came to the United States in 1949, and had lived in the Washington area since 1967. In 2000, she retired from the Commerce Department, where her specialties included the development of national income estimates. Ruth Ann Wallace, GWU professor Ruth Ann Wallace, 83, a George Washington University sociology professor who served on the faculty from 1970 to 2001, and whose specialties included the sociology of religion, died March 2 at a medical facility in Chevy Chase, Md. The cause was complications from Alzheimers disease and a stroke, said friend and caregiver James Coriden. Dr. Wallace, a Chevy Chase resident, was born in Gary, Ind. She was a co-author of a textbook, Contemporary Sociological Theory (1980). She was a former president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. In 1994, the American Sociology Society gave her an award for her scholarly work on the role of women in society. Bernard P. Furin, caterer, baker, cafe operator Bernard P. Furin, 82, a Washington caterer who also operated a bakery and ran a cafe in Georgetown, died Feb. 22 at a health-care facility in Arlington, Va. The cause was respiratory failure, said his partner, Wendy Kerr. Mr. Furin, a resident of Alexandria, Va., was born in Erie, Pa., and settled in the Washington area in 1960. From 1984 to 2011, he operated Furins of Georgetown, a cafe, bakery and catering firm. Earlier in his career, he ran the dining room at the State Department and worked for Avignone Freres and Ridgewells catering companies. Clifton L. Kehr, research chemist Clifton L. Kehr, 89, a research chemist who was research director of the multinational chemical corporation W.R. Grace & Co. in Columbia, Md., died Feb. 16 at a retirement center in Frederick, Md. The cause was atherosclerosis, said a son, Alan Kehr. Dr. Kehr, a native of Brodbecks, Pa., worked for W.R. Grace from 1959 to 1991. A former resident of Silver Spring, Md., he participated in a prison ministry at the Maryland House of Correction at Jessup through the auspices of St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Fulton, Md. Ervin Kapos, government contractor Ervin Kapos, 84, a government contractor who specialized in analysis and evaluation of Defense Department operations, died Feb. 25 at a medical facility in Arlington, Va. The cause was kidney failure and a stroke, said a daughter, Valerie Kapos. Mr. Kapos, who lived in McLean, Va., was born in Brasov, Romania. He came to the United States in 1950 and settled in the Washington area in 1958. He worked with civilian agencies and organizations doing primarily contract work for the government before starting his own company, Kapos Associates, in 1984. He was president and chief executive until 1999. He later worked for the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Homeland Security. Caroline H. Backlund, National Gallery official Caroline H. Backlund, 95, former librarian for collection development at the National Gallery of Art, died Feb. 20 at her home in Washington. The cause was congestive heart failure, said her guardian, Cynthia Snyder. Mrs. Backlund was born Caroline Hillman in Grand Rapids, Mich. She moved to Washington in 1966, and spent three years as assistant librarian at Dumbarton Oaks. In 1996, she retired from the National Gallery after 25 years of service, having also served as a reference librarian and head of reader services. She was a founding board member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Frederick Amling, GWU professor Frederick Amling, 89, a George Washington University finance professor and a consulting economist and investment policy adviser for the trust department of the now-defunct Riggs National Bank, died Feb. 21 at a hospital in Atlantis, Fla. The cause was cancer, said a granddaughter, Nancy Harris. Dr. Amling, a Cleveland native, held faculty appointments at Miami University in Ohio and the University of Rhode Island before joining the GWU faculty in 1970. He retired in 2000. He was an author of college texts on finance and investments, an elder and trustee of Georgetown Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Cosmos Club. He was a resident of Palm Beach, Fla., and Washington. Vibeke Lofft,arts patron Vibeke Lofft, 75, an arts patron who served as a founding member of the Friends of the Kennedy Center, raising money for the art complexs construction and opening in 1971, died March 21 at a hospital in Washington. The cause was a stroke, said a son, Christopher Lofft. Mrs. Lofft, a Washington resident, was born Vibeke Thune-Stephensen in Aalborg, Denmark. She arrived in Washington in 1962, and spent about three years working at the Danish Embassy. She was a board member at organizations such as the Washington Ballet, the Washington National Operas womens committee and Friends of Blair House, the presidents guest quarters. She was a member of Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. Frederick R. Blackwell,labor arbitrator Frederick R. Blackwell, 90, a lawyer and self-employed labor arbitrator in the Washington area, died Feb. 27 at a medical facility in Florence, S.C. The cause was pneumonia, said a daughter, Elizabeth Poston. Mr. Blackwell, a native of Gastonia, N.C., came to the Washington area in 1957, and worked on Capitol Hill as a lawyer for several Senate committees. In 1971, he became an independent labor arbitrator, specializing in transportation, mining and Postal Service issues. He retired about 15 years ago. A former resident of Gaithersburg, Md., he moved to Florence last year. Richard H. Thompson, Army general Richard H. Thompson, 89, an Army four-star general who was a veteran of three wars and retired in 1989 as chief of the Army Materiel Command, died Feb. 21 at his home in Fairfax County, Va. The cause was kidney failure, said a son-in-law, Mike Moore. Gen. Thompson was born in the Bronx. He began his military career as an enlisted soldier during World War II and later served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He also served in Germany and Japan. His decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, three awards of the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal. Howard N. Millner, bank executive Howard N. Millner, 95, who retired in 1986 as senior vice president of the National Permanent Federal Savings and Loan Association in Washington, died March 1 at his home in Arlington, Va. The cause was kidney failure, said a son, Wayne Millner. Mr. Millner was born in Bedford County, Va. He began his career at National Permanent as a teller in 1944. Around the time he retired, National Permanent was acquired by Citibank. Kenneth A. Donaldson, teachers aide Kenneth A. Donaldson, 54, a paraprofessional and teachers aide in the special education program of the D.C. Public Schools system for 30 years, died Feb. 27 at a hospital in Bethesda, Md. The cause was complications from kidney disease, said a cousin, Katherine Ponds. Mr. Donaldson was a native and lifelong resident of Washington. In the schools, he worked with and talked to special-needs children, advised students to remain in school and mentored them. He also worked part time for the D.C. Department of Education. From staff reports Mumbai: Chinese sensation Jackie Chan, who is all geared up for his Indo-Chinese film Kung Fu Yoga has arrived India on March 22 to shoot a special dance number with Amyra Dastur and Sonu Sood. Jackie is currently staying at Mansingh Palace, Amber Fort in Jaipur. The cast shot at the fort until March 25 and are shooting at the City Palace from March 26 to 28th, 2016. The whole crew will be flying to Jodhpur on March 29th, where they will be shooting a special dance number at Umaid Bhawan Palace. Choreographer Farah Khan will direct the song on which Jackie will shake a leg along with Amyra Dastur and Sonu Sood. The song will be shot on the sets in Rajasthan and later in Beijing. Sonu Sood was the one who convinced Jackie to do this special dance number. A woman who has been wanted in Maryland for 15 years was arrested Friday near Citronelle, Ala., and it was not by mere chance, according to the Maryland State Police. Instead, police said, the arrest was because of the persistence of two investigators who refused to stop trying to find her. State police said she has been wanted since 2001 on a warrant charging driving under the influence in Westminster, Md. State police identified the woman as Wanda R. Graddy, who they said was also known as Wanda R. Giddens, 58. They said that she formerly lived in Carroll County, Md., where Westminster is located. In addition to the Maryland warrant, police said, she was also wanted in Adams County, Pa., on robbery and assault warrants from 2002. After a recent sweep in Carroll County aimed at finding people for whom warrants existed, state police said, two officers from their barracks in Westminster were determined to keep looking for her. Trooper First Class David Brown and Det. Sgt. Padraic Lacy went through out-of-state records and found a drivers license photo from Mississippi, state police said. After authorities in Meridian, Miss., were contacted, it was learned that the woman had moved to somewhere in Alabama, police said. The search went on. The Maryland officers learned that their quarry might have been in Mobile County, Ala., police said, and the Mobile County sheriffs office determined that she was wanted on traffic charges there. After a seven-day search, Maryland police said, the Mobile sheriffs office stopped her at 1:30 p.m. as she was driving near Citronelle. They said she was to be held on a fugitive warrant pending efforts to bring her to Pennsylvania. Metros acting chief safety officer submitted his resignation Friday, seven months after taking over on an interim basis for the transit agencys former safety chief, who was abruptly ousted after several calamitous subway accidents. Lou Brown, a mechanical engineer who has worked in transportation safety for more than four decades, submitted his resignation early Friday but will stay with the agency until April 22, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said. Brown joined Metro in December 2011 as the top deputy to the agencys then-chief safety officer, James Dougherty. Metro is searching for a permanent safety chief. Unlike Dougherty, who was forced out amid chronic safety-related problems in the rail system, Brown, 61, was not asked to quit, according to an official familiar with the resignation. Dougherty, whose salary was $192,000, resigned Sept. 2, a few hours after being publicly lambasted by members of Metros governing board over the derailment of a train. The official, speaking about a personnel matter on the condition of anonymity, cautioned against connecting any dots between Browns impending departure and recent safety-related problems that led to a 24-hour shutdown of the subway. 1 of 45 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Images from the smoke-filled train and rescues at LEnfant Plaza station in 2015 View Photos One person died in the January 2015 Metro incident in a tunnel outside the LEnfant Plaza Metro station after scores of riders were trapped aboard a train as it filled with smoke. Caption One person died in the January 2015 Metro incident in a tunnel outside the LEnfant Plaza Metro station after scores of riders were trapped aboard a train as it filled with smoke. Jan. 12, 2015 Passengers react Monday afternoon as smoke fills a Metro train in a tunnel outside LEnfant Plaza Metro station. Saleh Damiger Wait 1 second to continue. [Metros safety chief resigns after derailment] Lous decision to leave is something hes been telling people about for a while, the official said. It was a personal choice, the official said, adding that Lou just feels that hes reached a crossroads in his career and its time to move on. Brown has worked in the safety field in the private sector and for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For two years before he joined Metro, while employed by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, Brown helped with safety oversight of the Maryland Transit Administration. The biggest problem in his seven months as acting safety chief occurred last week, when a March 14 track fire in a tunnel near Metros McPherson Square station caused hours of delays for tens of thousands of commuters. The fire involved the same type of heavy-duty power cables that burned during a Jan. 12, 2015, track fire in a tunnel near the LEnfant Plaza station. Scores of riders on a stalled train were sickened by smoke in that incident and one died of respiratory failure. The March 14 fire led Metros general manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld, to close the rail system for 24 hours on March 16 while cables were inspected throughout the system. [Metrorails 24-hour shutdown was all about electricity] Doughertys resignation was prompted by an Aug. 6 derailment. The train, which was not carrying passengers, went off the rails between the Smithsonian and Federal Triangle stations, forcing the day-long closures of the two stations, crippling large parts of the rail system and stranding thousands of commuters. The derailment was caused by mistakes made weeks before by track inspectors and their supervisor, who had overlooked a dangerous defect with the tracks, according to a Metro report. One day after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a controversial bill blocking women from seeking abortions based on medical diagnoses, doctors grappled with how the measure might affect their patients. The law, which takes effect July 1, bans the procedure if, among other restrictions, a woman requests it solely because a fetus has Down syndrome or any other disorder. She could legally obtain an abortion, however, in the event of a lethal fetal illness but would have to inform the state that she chose to terminate her pregnancy. A doctor, meanwhile, could face a wrongful-death lawsuit if an abortion is granted to a woman who requests it after learning about a pregnancy complication. Brownsyne Tucker-Edmonds, an Indianapolis gynecologist, said in a statement Friday that the law could dissuade physicians from performing a legal medical procedure and, by doing so, imperil their patients health. It will require a woman, during one of the most devastating times in her life after learning of a fetal anomaly, to prolong her pregnancy even if against her wishes, and to potentially assume the greater health risks associated with doing so, Tucker-Edmonds wrote. Some women have cases in which the risk of death during a full-term pregnancy is more than 14 times higher than for a termination of pregnancy. The mandate carries a host of requirements that are among the countrys strictest prohibiting abortion in the event of fetal anomaly or because of the sex or race of the fetus. It requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated and requires physicians to inform patients about perinatal hospice care for women whose babies arent expected to survive outside the womb. Hal Lawrence, chief executive of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the group strongly opposes the law because it could encourage a patient to withhold information from her doctor. A woman who, for example, learned her fetus carried a severe disability may pursue an abortion from an out-of-state provider and then, out of fear, skip follow-up care from her regular doctor. She shouldnt be under legal duress when she came back to where she lived, Lawrence said. Patients need postpartum or postoperative care. They need to be counseled for contraception. Discouraging that is highly destructive. Christina Francis, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Fort Wayne, Ind., who is opposed to abortion, said she believes the law will strengthen her relationships with her patients. Too often, women learn their baby has Down syndrome and the first thing their physician tells them about is abortion, Francis said. To my patients, Id say, Yes, this is not what we were expecting everyone wants to have a healthy child but now, you know what? That child still has potential for a significant life. Jacqueline Fernandez recently set out on a mission to help build homes and rehabilitate victims of flood-affected areas in Tamil Nadu. The project Jacqueline Builds that was initially driven by an NGO, is now receiving a lot of backing by the Bollywood film industry. And now, actor Hrithik Roshan donated a substantial amount to the cause to help Jacqueline build homes for at least 10,000 families. The actress took to social media and thanked Hrithik. Jacky had recently been to schools in Tamil Nadu, where she felicitated children who helped raise money for the cause. I feel that the film industry always stands up in solidarity, and I love that about my industry. I have got a lot of support from a lot of my co-stars, she said. Many celebrities have helped those hit by the floods. Shah Rukh Khan for instance, donated Rs 1 crore to the Chief Ministers public relief fund while Akshay Kumar pitched in by donating Rs 1 crore for relief work. Jack McCullough is serving a life sentence after being sentenced in 2012 for the 1957 death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph of Sycamore. On Friday, DeKalb County State's Attorney Richard Schmack says his review of evidence has convinced him that Jack McCullough could not have committed the crime. (Danielle Guerra/AP) ILLINOIS Prosecutor: Convicted man is innocent A man convicted in the 1957 abduction and slaying of a 7-year-old girl in northern Illinois couldnt have committed the crime, a prosecutor said Friday, marking a stunning turnaround in one of the oldest unsolved crimes in U.S. history to make it to trial. DeKalb County States Attorney Richard Schmack said his court-ordered, six-month review of the case included new evidence that firmed up an alibi for Jack McCullough, who was initially cleared by investigators but then charged in 2011. Schmack said evidence convinced him it was a manifest impossibility that McCullough could have been anywhere nearby when Maria Ridulph vanished on Dec. 3, 1957, while playing outside in the snow near her home in the small community of Sycamore. The girl was choked and stabbed to death in an alley, and her body was found months later, dumped in woods more than 100 miles away. The slaying remained a mystery for decades. McCullough, now 76, was a neighbor at the time of the killing. He had long before been cleared by authorities before a renewed effort was launched to solve the case. He was found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to life in prison. Schmack said in a court filing that he joined in the defendants motion to set aside the guilty verdict. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. New evidence included recently subpoenaed phone records that proved McCullough made a collect call to his parents from a phone booth in the lobby of the post office in downtown Rockford, about 35 miles from Sycamore, just minutes after the abduction took place. Associated Press NEW YORK Arrest of mail carrier is under review Glen Grays, a postal worker in Brooklyn, had his delivery route cut short on St. Patricks Day when he was handcuffed by four plainclothes officers and placed in an unmarked car. Cellphone video filmed by a bystander shows the uniformed Grays holding a package when the officers approached him. The video doesnt show what led to the encounter. The footage was released this week by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who said Grays had been carrying out his normal duties as a mail carrier when he got out of his truck and a vehicle passed by him, almost striking him. He made comments to the vehicle, as any New Yorker would, Adams said at a news conference Wednesday. The occupants of the vehicle were the four officers, according to Adams, and they followed Grays to his delivery stop. The video shows the officers telling Gray to stop resisting. They then take him away in handcuffs, leaving his mail truck unattended. Grays was issued a summons, Adams said. When asked for information, the New York Police Department said that the matter is under internal review. Mayor Bill de Blasio will be in close touch with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton about this incidents investigation and findings, Monica Klein, the mayors deputy press secretary, said in a statement. Grays, who said he was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, is engaged to a New York police officer he met while on his delivery route, the New York Times reported. Elahe Izadi E.J. Dionne Jr.s March 24 op-ed, What Belgium reveals about the GOP, addressed a number of legitimate concerns about the positions taken by Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) and Donald Trump. However, Mr. Dionne erred in including the fact that Mr. Cruz agreed with Mr. Trumps emphasizing the need to seal the nations southern border. A significant percentage of Americans (almost half of all adults and almost two-thirds of Republicans) recognize the need to seal the border. The issue of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and all the problems related to them exisit only because neither party has had the courage to seal the border. I hope we dont see another example this year of thousands of unescorted children arriving at the border. With the increasing pressure for the United States to accept more refugees from the Middle East and with the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, the increased vetting of refugees is of little value if people can simply come across our southern border. R.J. Anstead, Gaithersburg Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania Trump, speaks at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Feb. 1. (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press) When a presidential election devolves into a hydrant-watering contest between leading contenders about the relative attractiveness of their respective wives, not only does the United States look ridiculous but also we diminish our moral standing to denounce other cultures marginalization of women. Its that bad. This latest tantrum-a-deux between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz began with an anti-Trump ad targeting his wife Melania. Created by a super PAC unrelated to Cruz (and run by a woman), the ad showed a nude photograph of Melania Trump that was shot for GQ in 2000 when she was a model and before she became Mrs. Trump. The ad, which ran on Facebook just before the Utah caucuses, read: Meet Melania Trump. Your next first lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday. Presumably, the image would so offend Mormon women that theyd vote for Cruz. Indeed, Trump lost. But one notes for fun that few if any wagered that the photo might also offend men, least of all Trump himself. Anyone who has lived a while recognizes Trump as the schoolyard braggart who might just as well distribute the photo himself to remind his locker-room tormentors that, hand size notwithstanding, he had won the prize. Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is going after rival Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi. Here are other times he's insulted women, from Rosie O'Donnell to Hillary Clinton. (Sarah Parnass and Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post) The caption on a recent Trump retweet, featuring side-by-side photos of a posed and smoldering Melania and an unflatteringly candid Heidi Cruz, was: The images are worth a thousand words. Is this what Trump means when he says he can be presidential when the time comes? Would it be impolite to ask when that might be? The photo of Heidi Cruz, an extremely attractive, successful businesswoman, was obviously intended to make her look shrill and scolding, a shriveling image to most men. Plainly, it was one of those split-second expressions loathed by all who have been targeted by the vengeful eye of a roving camera. Trump, whose compulsive tweeting surely leaves little time for self-reflection (or policy considerations), issued a warning to Cruz about the ad: Be careful, Lyin Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife! Theres something unmanly about threatening a woman through a tweet, which has a nyah-nyah quality to it. Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall. . . . Come on, guys, get down from your perches and duke it out like men. (Can we still say that?) Mano a mano. Or at least face to face. Perhaps this is what prompted Cruz to call Trump a sniveling coward and to leave Heidi the hell alone! There is also something unseemly about a woman using anothers racy image to discredit her, as though what is, in fact, a tasteful pose as such things go, were the extent of her value. Melania was a model and now shes a wife and mother. How about we also leave Melania the hell alone while were at it? Once upon a time, I protested the Democratic trope that the GOP was waging war on women. Since the accusation was based primarily on the Republican Partys continuing defense of the not-yet-born, amid absurd and offensive comments by a handful of GOP males whose tongues and brains have never met, I rejected the notion as little more than a political strategy. Sue me if you must, but Ive changed my mind. Trumps success is troublesome as a matter of common decency. He seems to recognize what decency sounds like when it involves his wife, but hes coyly oblivious when he makes derogatory remarks about other women, including Megyn Kelly, Rosie ODonnell and Carly Fiorina, to name a few. Yes, hes an equal-opportunity offender, a philosophy I respect, but his insults to women are of a particular sort, typically focused on looks and/or physiology. If this is presidential, we need a new definition. And if Republican men (and women) cant bring themselves to condemn Trump for his disrespect toward women, then they are by their silence complicit in what feels a lot like a war on women by the Republican front-runner. Should Trump become president, he likely will have defeated the only woman left in the race, Hillary Clinton, who is recognized globally for her work in raising the status of women. In that case, other nations may reasonably conclude that the United States doesnt care much for women. Worse, they can congratulate themselves for keeping their own women in their swaddled places, deserving neither respect nor protection. These and all other things considered, Id rather hear from the wives of wannabe presidents than their husbands these days. This goes for the wives of presidents past as well. Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook. Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, arrives on Capitol Hill on March 23 for a meeting. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press) John Feinblatt is president of Everytown for Gun Safety. By this point, were all familiar with the National Rifle Associations political playbook. Weve seen their leaders misinform and exaggerate before, in debates about legislation, candidates for office and judicial nominees. While their tactics might be tried and true, they typically bear little relationship to the truth. Their latest campaign, against Judge Merrick Garland, is no different. Garland is the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Regarded as the second-highest court in the land, the D.C. Circuit has served as a steppingstone to the Supreme Court for former justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February, along with Justices John G. Roberts Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas , among others. The Fix's Amber Phillips breaks down three ways the Merrick Garland nomination could play out. Which do you think is most likely? (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Heres something else about Garlands resume. Nothing about it sheds any light whatsoever on how he views guns or the Second Amendment. Of course, NRA headquarters wants you to believe something different. In a Post op-ed last weekend, the NRAs chief lobbyist, Chris W. Cox, portrayed Garlands nomination to the Supreme Court as nothing less than an existential threat to lawful gun ownership. The evidence for such a claim doesnt exist. The truth is, appointing a successor to Scalia will not threaten our Second Amendment rights. Its settled law. The courts landmark 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller recognized an individual right to keep and use a handgun for self-defense in the home. Just Monday, the Supreme Court confirmed that Heller remains good law, and it did so unanimously giving the lie to the NRAs repeated claim that the fate of the Second Amendment depends on the vote of a single justice. The NRAs leaders falsely portray the right to gun ownership as on the precipice. Theyre just as alarmist about Garlands record. Again, their claims are baseless. To paint Garland as an opponent of gun rights, they distort a basic procedural vote that he cast in a gun case before the D.C. Circuit. In fact, Garland didnt issue a ruling. He didnt even say or write anything about the merits of the case. And think about the company he was keeping. Judge A. Raymond Randolph, a George H.W. Bush appointee and outspoken conservative, was among three judges who joined Garland in the same vote. NRA leaders also say that Garland voted to uphold that classic gun lobby bugaboo: a federal registry of gun owners. In fact, Garland simply joined an opinion upholding a Justice Department rule that allowed for the temporary retention of data from the national gun-sale background-check system. The FBI kept the data for no more than six months to ensure the systems accuracy and integrity. Then it destroyed the data, in keeping with the law. The registry? It doesnt exist. In short, nothing in his record suggests that a Justice Garland wouldnt respect the Second Amendment and uphold the Constitution. But when it comes to vetting high-profile judicial nominees, the NRAs leaders have shown theyre willing to look past the facts. Previously, when Justice Sonia Sotomayor was nominated, NRA officials came up with a creative rationale for opposing her. Following what was at the time the Supreme Court precedent, Sotomayor had joined an opinion that upheld a states ban on nunchucks. Sotomayor was practicing whats called judicial restraint, and nunchucks arent guns, but no matter the gun lobby branded her an enemy of the Second Amendment. Next nominee, same tactic. Justice Elena Kagan had no meaningful record on gun issues, but that didnt stop the NRA from misrepresenting her experience and opposing her nomination. Now its Garlands turn to be a (not very convincing) threat to our Constitution and freedoms. If the NRAs leaders were simply ginning up a no-compromise base and using the nomination process to fund-raise, then we could dismiss their rhetoric as business as usual and ignore them. But when the Senate majority leader says it would be unimaginable to confirm a nominee from President Obama who is opposed by the NRA, thats when the rest of us ought to set the record straight. So dont believe the hype. The NRAs partisan political arm doesnt represent the views of the vast majority of Americans. George Lardner Jr., a former Post reporter, is scholar in residence at American Universitys Investigative Reporting Workshop. P.S. Ruckman Jr. is a professor of political science and editor of the Pardon Power Blog. When the Obama administrations new acting pardon attorney, Bob Zauzmer, arrived on the job last month, he ran headlong into a backlog of more than 9,000 clemency petitions awaiting a decision on whether they deserve the presidents consideration. Many of those petitions were the byproduct of the announcement of Clemency Project 2014, which was established by the Justice Department to great fanfare to process additional applications from federal prisoners seeking reductions of unjustifiably long drug sentences. Zauzmer has his work cut out for him it has been widely reported that his predecessor, Deborah Leff, stepped down in January over frustrations with a lack of resources. Was the administration ever serious about Clemency 2014? The rules for commutation requests even reaching the overburdened pardons office under the initiative are inexcusably discouraging. The worst is that inmates must have served at least 10 years of their sentence. Other rules state they must not have a significant criminal history (whatever that means); they must be nonviolent, low-level offenders; and they must be serving a sentence harsher than they would have gotten if convicted of the same offense today. Those who fall outside of this initiative, according to the Justice Department, can still seek clemency under the old rules if their applications are especially meritorious. The results of this great, unprecedented effort? Obama has a clemency record comparable to the least merciful presidents in history. He has granted just 70 pardons, the lowest mark for any full-term president since John Adams, and 187 commutations of sentence. Meanwhile, 1,629 pardon petitions have been denied (more than five of the previous six presidents), as well as 8,123 requests for commutations (a new record). An additional 3,444 requests have been closed without presidential action. Obamas record is all the more deplorable because of assurances that he has made and that have been made on his behalf. On April 21, 2014, then-Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. encouraged federal prisoners to seek relief, noting that, despite sentencing reforms Obama signed into law in 2010, there were still too many people . . . sentenced under the old regime who needed attention. Holder said the White House had indicated that it wanted to consider additional clemency applications to restore a degree of justice, fairness, and proportionality for deserving individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety. In addition, the Justice Department was committed to recommending as many qualified applicants as possible for reduced sentences. Clemency Project 2014 has, however, become a bureaucratic disaster, assigned to volunteer lawyers and law students with little if any experience in the pitfalls of dealing with the federal criminal justice system. In June 2014, the Hill reported that Obama was pushing forward with a review of the clemency system. In March 2015, the president told the Huffington Post that the pardon process had been revamped and that he would be exercising the pardon power more aggressively. Seven months later, he told the Marshall Project that clemency applications were being processed more effectively and a steady ramp up was in play. The Post recently reported that some additional grants are expected in the coming weeks, but big is hardly a word that appropriately describes what has gone on to date. By now, Obama could have simply signed an amnesty proclamation covering everyone qualifying for lesser sentences. He could have taken the pardon process out of the Justice Department and given the job to a commission or an independent agency that would give him a degree of political cover if anything went wrong. Just such a move had been proposed by his first White House counsel, Gregory Craig. Regardless, seven neglectful years allow for few pretty endings. If current patterns persist, Obama will go down as one of the most merciless presidents in history. On the other hand, even a moderate display of concern about clemency, with a few grants here and there, will almost certainly be viewed (and dubbed) as a last-minute gesture, granted to avoid any serious political accountability. Any such grants will also be greeted with suspicion and exceptional scrutiny by the media and political opponents. Impressions left by any scandalous reports will be much deeper than if the president had simply been more merciful more evenly across the term, and not left everyone to wonder: Why are these particular people being pardoned? And why are they being pardoned now? Why are they any more special than the thousands of applicants deemed unworthy before them? Having waited almost two years before granting his first presidential pardon, Obama would probably do as much harm to the general reputation of the pardon power as to his personal legacy with a controversial, Bill Clintonesque splurge in clemency just before leaving office. Sadly, many deserving recipients would be besmirched as well. This is the bed the president has made for himself. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro at a Major League Baseball exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team in Cuba on Tuesday. (Michael Reynolds/European Pressphoto Agency) Regarding the March 23 editorial The real test in Cuba: Seeing President Obama in Cuba with Raul Castro, I cant help but think of my parents, who left Cuba in 1960, when I was about a year old. They left their parents, homes, photographs and countless other things. My grandfather was a German entrepreneur who moved to Cuba in the early 1900s seeking opportunity and adventure. His sacrifices and hard work left no legacy in Cuba because his only son, my father, ran from Cuba with his own young family when Fidel Castro came to power. The voices of the countless victims of decades of incarceration in inhumane conditions are still silenced, as the American first family, in a shiny limo, brings false hope where there is despair. This may be good for the United States, but how will it change anything in Cuba? The government and the Castros will benefit from increased trade, but will that trickle down to people who have learned to survive on rations? It will not help the Cuban people or the Cuban culture. Let us not pretend the handshake between our president and Cubas dictator was in any way meant to benefit the generations of families, including my own, forced to leave their homes and loved ones, or the Cuban people surviving on the hope of a better life in America. For this, my parents left everything to start all over again. Elizabeth Quintana, Marblehead, Mass. Naga Chaitanya is busy shooting for his upcoming film Premam, which is a remake of the Malayalam hit film with the same title. Initial reports said that Chaitanyas uncle Venkatesh had a cameo role in the film but the makers later dropped the idea. Initially, they were interested to rope in Venkatesh as it would have fit him perfectly as Chaitanya and Venky are related in real life. But now, after half of the films shooting is complete, the makers decided to drop the idea, says the source. Chandu Mondeti is the director of the film. Danielle Allen is a political theorist at Harvard University and a contributing columnist for The Post. At his rallies, Donald Trumps supporters carry signs that read, The Silent Majority Stands with Trump. On Twitter, his supporters invoke the slogan to answer the candidates critics, such as myself, adding, Silent No More. Yet its the other part of the phrase that merits attention. Is there any sense in which Trumps supporters constitute a majority? Trump may indeed get to the 1,237 delegates he needs for a majority at the Republican convention. He might even get to a majority of the voters of the Republican Party, though I think thats highly unlikely. As of Tuesdays primaries in Arizona and Utah, Trump had secured 37 percent of the vote of the Republican primary electorate, or roughly 7.8 million votes out of approximately 21 million. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 142.2 million registered voters in the country as of 2014. This means that, so far, Trump has secured the support of 6 percent of the electorate. Yes, thats right, 6 percent. Or perhaps it would be better to focus on the two-thirds of the electorate who actually vote. In that case, it should be acknowledged that Trump has secured, well, 8 percent. Even after every state has voted in primaries , Trumps tally will at best probably be around 10 percent of the general electorate. Of course, turnout is lower in the primaries than in the general election, but that doesnt change the fact that Trump cant claim a silent majority. Yet recently, a journalist from a reputable outlet called me for an interview, and among her questions was one that began, Given that the vast majority of Republicans support Trump . . . Thanks to all the signs at his rallies, Trumps message about a no longer silent silent majority has been broadcast so frequently that people have begun to believe it. Its marketing, pure and simple. We know that Trump really cares about the signs at his rallies because his campaign manager wades into the crowds to accost protesters with signs containing swear words, on one occasion even grabbing a protester by the collar. On ABCs This Week, Trump explained, He wanted them to take down those horrible profanity-laced signs. He added, When signs are put up, lifted up with tremendous profanity on them, I mean the worst profanity, and you have television cameras all over the place and people see these signs, I think maybe those people have some blame and should suffer some blame, also. This clear focus on the part of Trump and his campaign manager on the branding that will get onto television reveals the core of Trumps campaign. The thesis is that a silent majority exists and that Trump will be its champion, decimating its foes. His strategy has been to secure votes by convincing people he already has them. If his thesis about a silent majority is wrong, his candidacy has no basis. Importantly, the numbers are telling us that the thesis is wrong. Trump is little more than a celebrity who has been converting a fan base into vote share. Whats more, his celebrity is like a jet plane thats about to run out of fuel. Trump has been winning because he started with much greater name recognition than anyone other than the old establishment candidates. Some 20 million people watched The Apprentice; he began the campaign with 3.4 million Twitter followers. As an outsider in an election driven by antipathy to elites, Trump was able to clear out the other candidates with national name recognition: Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee. This left him facing candidates new to most Americans: Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson. Three of these relatively unknown candidates, Cruz, Kasich and Rubio, have beaten Trump soundly in all the markets small enough for a newcomer to penetrate against a celebrity. Of the 11 contests in which fewer than 200,000 people voted, Trump has lost eight. In other words, when voters get a chance to come to know the other candidates, they reject Trump. Cruz, with his victory in Oklahoma and the draw in Missouri, has proved his ability to penetrate larger markets. This means he can beat Trump in markets where the pool of votes to capture reaches 1 million. At this point, the challenge for both Cruz and Kasich is to penetrate the markets with pools of greater than 1 million voters. To date, Trump has captured all the contests between 1 million and 2 million, and he has done so with 38 percent of the votes. And to date, each contest with a vote pool of greater than 2 million has been won by a home-state candidate. Cruz took the biggest prize with Texas; Trump took the second-biggest with Florida (Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach gives him a high-profile second home beyond New York); and Kasich took the third in Ohio. In other words, we dont know yet who truly has the potential to capture the biggest remaining vote markets with no home-state favorite: California and Pennsylvania. Cruz and Kasich will benefit more than Trump from the winnowing of the field, thanks to the simple fact that, at last, many people will learn their names. In the lead-up to Super Tuesday votes on March 1, people were still having trouble pronouncing Kasich. The Republican Party should avoid being taken in by Trumps marketing claim to represent a silent majority and the related suggestions that his supporters might riot if the party turns away from him at a contested convention. The electorate is proving false the thesis that a silent majority stands with Trump. Yes, a determined minority stands with Trump, but that minority is likely to shrink as other candidates gain in name recognition. The party would be unwise to stake its fortunes on this determined minority. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan attempted to lift the horizons of his party with a speech last week in which he called for a competition of ideas rather than insults, and constructive political debate rather than the politics of demonization. Ryans speech was aimed at pulling the Republican Party away from Donald Trumps embrace though he never actually mentioned Trump by name. Events quickly showed what he is up against. The speaker was quickly drowned out by a snarling argument between Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas over their wives that almost eclipsed the terrorist attacks in Brussels in the U.S. media. By weeks end, the Republican race had gone into the gutter over tabloid charges of infidelity, which the senator vehemently denied and for which he blamed the New York billionaire, who called it unfounded. A race that seemed already at the bottom managed to find another low. Ryans speech was a relatively high-minded moment in the middle of this mud fight of a Republican nominating contest. His effort to rescue the party from a coming crisis is laudable, but the root causes of the condition go far beyond Trump. [Ryan seeks a more positive tone to political debate] Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is blasting rival Donald Trump for a National Enquirer story accusing Cruz of having five mistresses. Here's a breakdown of how a week of fighting got us here. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) The front-runner for the nomination of the Republican Party is as much a reflection of the condition as a cause, a reality that Ryan (R-Wis.) touched on only lightly in calling for a more positive and uplifting approach to politics by all sides. Which means stopping Trump alone wont necessarily solve all of the partys problems. Four years ago, scholars Thomas Mann, then with the Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, then and now with the American Enterprise Institute, published a book examining the breakdown in American politics. It was titled Its Even Worse Than It Looks. The authors took aim at the gridlocked and dysfunctional politics of Washington and the broader issue of political polarization that has become endemic in recent years. They were unsparing but not even-handed in their critique. They were ahead of others in describing the underlying causes of polarization as asymmetrical, with the Republican Party in particular its most hard-line faction as deserving of far more of the blame for the breakdown in governing. Mann and Ornstein are back again with a second and updated paperback edition, called Its Even Worse Than It Was. The paperback arrives in the middle of the most raucous presidential campaign in memory, one that has exposed even more the fissures, fractures and divisions within the Republican Party coalition. What played out primarily in the partys congressional wing has come to consume the presidential nominating contest. In their own ways, Trump and Cruz have brought to the surface the economic and cultural anger among many of those in the partys base as well as the distrust of the party leadership the same motivating forces behind the Freedom Caucus rebels in the House Republican conference. [Cruz, Trump trade more charges in heated GOP argument] The current campaign only adds fuel to the Mann-Ornstein thesis of a Republican Party at war with itself in ways that have helped cripple the governing process. Trump and Cruz reflect the yearning within the Republican base for anti-establishment outsiders to topple the insiders in Washington. Donald and Melania Trump and Heidi and Ted Cruz. (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: AP Photo/Carlos OsorioJim Watson/AFP/Getty Images) Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the third remaining candidate for the nomination, is a dissenting voice, calling for cooperation and compromise. At this point, he is not just a dissenting voice; he is a minority voice in the presidential competition, unless he can start winning more primaries. Trump and Ryan represent bookends in a political debate that has considerable consequences for the Republican Party and for the country. Trumps position as front-runner not only highlights the degree to which the party is being taken over by anti-establishment forces but also foreshadows the possibility of a significant defeat in November if, as the GOP nominee, Trump is unable to reverse his standing among women, Hispanics, African Americans and other voting groups. Ryan represents something far different, politics grounded in ideas and policies and an attitude of goodwill toward the opposition that he inherited from his mentor, Jack Kemp, the former House member from Buffalo who prodded his party to be more open and inclusive. Yet Ryans speech left unanswered key questions about his capacity to change the behavior of his partys conference in the House and in particular the degree to which he is willing to find a governing coalition apart from the hard-liners in the Freedom Caucus. As the countrys highest-ranking Republican elected official, Ryan symbolizes the establishments backlash to Trumps candidacy, a backlash that has so far failed to stop the New York businessmans march to the nomination. The resistance might yet succeed. Whether it does or doesnt, it raises the question of whether this presidential campaign ultimately will produce a true course change for the party or merely end up intensifying the forces that have brought it to this moment. I put that question to Ornstein in an email exchange Friday: This really is, I believe, an existential crisis for the Republican Party, he wrote. Will it be a Ryan-style conservative, problem-solving party, or will it be either a Trump-style, authoritarian, nativist and protectionist party, or a Cruz-style radical anti-government party content with blowing things up as they now stand? Or, just as possible, will the party break apart, with no clue as to what will replace it or how the pieces will fit into the broader political system? [Transcript of Trumps interview with Post editorial board] The prospects for a crackup are real, given what Trumps candidacy has revealed about the partys fractured coalition. Trumps views on issues, outlined on the campaign trail and in a recent interview with The Washington Post editorial board, represent a fundamental break with many of the conservative ideas that have been at the partys core for years. Trumps constituency finds his support for protecting rather than transforming Social Security and Medicare appealing. His words of praise for the work of Planned Parenthood, apart from performing abortions, are anathema to many religious conservatives. His views on trade run counter to the free-trade philosophy of the GOP elites. His comments about reevaluating the U.S. role in NATO shocked many in the Republican foreign-policy establishment. Thats the threat Ryan and others in the party see as they watch the nominating contest move into the next rounds of primaries. But it isnt clear that what the speaker advocated in his speech would be enough to put the Republican Party in a better place, even absent Trump. House Republicans are still an unruly group and, with some exceptions, the GOP still prefers to try to do business with itself. The Republican Party remains a party of protest. It continues to struggle to demonstrate that, on the national level, it can be a true governing party. Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday vehemently denied a story in the National Enquirer that accused him of extramarital affairs and blamed rival Donald Trump for planting complete and utter lies in the tabloid. Cruz accused Trump and his associates of hawking a false story that the married Texas senator had sexual relationships with five unidentified women. The allegations come amid a nasty feud between the two candidates over their wives that has dominated the Republican presidential race this week. Let me be clear, this National Enquirer story is garbage, Cruz told reporters after a rally at a parking-cone factory here, bringing up the subject himself. It is complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen. Trump, in a statement, said he had no idea whether the story was true and said he had nothing to do with it. Ted Cruzs problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin Ted Cruz, Trump wrote. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is blasting rival Donald Trump for a National Enquirer story accusing Cruz of having five mistresses. Here's a breakdown of how a week of fighting got us here. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Cruz, in turn, labeled the front-runner for the Republican nomination Sleazy Donald. The National Enquirer did not name the women allegedly involved but published photos of five women with their faces blurred out. The Washington Post has not confirmed any of the allegations made by the Enquirer. The saga comes amid the foul and strikingly personal atmosphere of the 2016 Republican presidential race, which has seen attacks leveled on spouses, jokes about the size of genitalia and rivals labeled con artist, sleazy and liar. [Spray tans, pants-wetting and little hands: The GOP race goes in the gutter] One woman who spoke out about the story was Trumps national spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, who once worked for Cruz. She said the story was categorically untrue. Speaking for myself, the article is trash and 100% false, Pierson wrote in an email to The Post. She tweeted earlier Friday: Of course the National Enquirer story is 100% FALSE!!! I only speak to myself, however. Carry on . . . On CNN on Friday, a Trump supporter, Boston Herald columnist Adriana Cohen, accused former Cruz staffer Amanda Carpenter on live television of being one of the women cited in the Enquirer story. Carpenter vigorously denied the allegation. Whats out there is tabloid trash. If someone wants to comment on it, they can talk to my lawyer. It is categorically false. You should be ashamed for spreading this kind of smut, she said. I will not be intimidated. I will continue to make my thoughts known about Donald Trump, and Im not backing down. Cruz, who has been married to his wife, Heidi, for 15 years, pinned the National Enquirer story on Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to Trump and former aide to Richard Nixon. Trump said he cut ties with Stone in August. Cruz said Stone has 50 years of dirty tricks behind him and is the only person quoted on the record in the story. It is attacking my family. And what is striking is Donalds henchman, Roger Stone, had for months been foreshadowing that this attack was coming, Cruz said. Cruz also pointed to ties between Trump and the Enquirer, which endorsed him earlier this month. New York Magazine has reported that Trump and David Pecker, chief executive of the company that publishes the tabloid, are longtime friends. [Donald Trump cant stop saying nasty things about women. It could cost him.] In an interview with The Post, Stone accused Cruz of dirty tricks, bringing up accusations that just before Iowas caucuses, the senators campaign misled the states voters about whether then-candidate Ben Carson would remain in the race. Trump said the Enquirer story didnt come from him. I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this weeks issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it. I have nothing to do with the National Enquirer, Trump said in his statement. The saga comes after days during which Cruz and Trump engaged in a spat surrounding their wives one that raised concern amid Republicans that Trump would drive away female voters if he was the nominee for president. An anti-Trump super PAC not affiliated with Cruz or his campaign circulated ads featuring a risque, 15-year-old photo of Trumps wife, Melania, taken for British GQ magazine. Meet Melania Trump. Your next first lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday, the ad read. It was meant to target socially conservative voters in Utah, whose caucuses Cruz won Tuesday. [In Utah, Trumps brash style doesnt sit well with a certain sliver of the GOP base] On Tuesday, Trump threatened Cruz on Twitter: Be careful, Lyin Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife! Trump later retweeted an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz alongside a professional one of Melania, a retired model. A visibly angry Cruz blasted Trump as a sniveling coward and told him to leave Heidi the hell alone. Cruz was asked Friday whether the tone of the presidential campaign had become childish. One person has been childish, and thats been Donald Trump, he said. And one question Americans are wondering all over this country is how low will Donald go? Is there any level to which he is unwilling to stoop? Cruz in recent weeks has accused Trump of underhanded tactics, inciting violence at his campaign rallies and disrespecting voters. But Cruz has said he will stick with a loyalty pledge he and other candidates took early in the race to support whomever becomes the nominee. On Friday, however, Cruz went the furthest he has so far in suggesting he might be reconsidering the pledge. I dont make a habit out of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my family. And Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee, Cruz said. Zezima reported from Washington. In a mathematical squeeze to make up ground in the Democratic presidential race, Bernie Sanders is preparing to ratchet up his attacks on Hillary Clinton ahead of a New York showdown that could establish how easily the party can pull itself back together for the general election. The Empire States April 19 primary looms as potentially determinative: A win by Clinton, who is favored, would further narrow Sanderss path, while a loss in the state she represented as a senator would embarrass her and hand Sanders a rationale to continue campaigning until the final votes are cast in June. Clinton had a lead of roughly 300 in pledged delegates, but Sanders narrowed the gap Saturday with a sweep of three Western caucuses. In one of the most successful days of his campaign, the senator from Vermont easily won in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state. To capitalize on his fresh momentum, Sanders plans an aggressive push in New York, modeled after his come-from-behind victory a few weeks ago in Michigan. He intends to barnstorm the state as if he were running for governor. His advisers, spoiling for a brawl, have commissioned polls to show which contrasts with Clinton from Wall Street to fracking could do the most damage to her at home. Well be the underdog, but being the underdog in New York is not the worst situation in politics, said Tad Devine, the chief strategist for Sanders. Were going to make a real run for it. 1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Highlights from Bernie Sanderss campaign, in pictures View Photos The senator from Vermont has become Hillary Clintons chief rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Caption The senator from Vermont is Hillary Clintons rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. June 14, 2016 Bernie Sanders arrives at the Capital Hilton to meet with Hillary Clinton in D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. The intensified and scrappy approach by Sanders comes as Clinton is eager to pivot to the general election. Clinton keenly understands the imperative to unite Democrats for the fall campaign and, thinking that the nomination is nearly locked up, wants to spend the spring building bridges to the Sanders wing. [Here comes the opposition book: Clinton and her allies prepare for Trump] A potentially ugly primary in New York threatens to derail those efforts. Clintons advisers are all but urging Sanders to lay off his attacks. Were going to run to win delegates and run to win the primary, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said in an interview Friday. We intend to win this thing with a majority of pledged delegates. Senator Sanders is going to have to make up his mind about what he wants to do and what kind of campaign he wants to run. Podesta noted that Sanders took a more negative turn in the Midwestern states that voted on March 15 Illinois, Ohio and Missouri and lost all three. It didnt work, he said. Clinton, her aides and her allies in recent weeks have avoided sharply attacking Sanders, wary of saying or doing anything that would make it more difficult to engineer an eventual coming together. In particular, the Clinton forces have been careful not to be seen as pushing Sanders to quit the race. A group of pro-Clinton senators recently considered writing an open letter to Sanders saying the time had come for him to end his campaign. But when two Clinton allies, Sens. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Barbara A. Mikulski (Md.), caught wind of the idea, they persuaded their colleagues to nix it, according to two people familiar with the letter. Assuming that Clinton stays on course to secure the nomination, her team sees wooing the Sanders coalition as a pressing mission, especially young people and independents, to ensure that they dont sit out the November election altogether. Key would be whether and how soon Clinton wins Sanderss endorsement and how enthusiastic he is in giving it. Clintons vocal support for then-Sen. Barack Obama following their divisive 2008 primary helped unite Democrats. Two popular Democrats currently on the sidelines President Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) could help bring the two sides together. David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, pointed to a third unifying figure: Donald Trump. He noted that Warren last week fired off a flurry of tweets attacking Trump, which he read as an important signal. She was sending a message to Democrats that there are bigger things at stake here, Axelrod said, adding: There probably is going to be a very vivid choice in the general election and one that very much unifies Democrats. With that in mind, the Clinton team has been trying to foster trust with the Sanders base. Long lines at Arizona polling places last Tuesday led Sanders supporters to speculate online that the Clinton campaign was in cahoots with the Democratic National Committee in creating obstacles for them to vote. Rather than responding with indignation, Clintons campaign counsel, Marc Elias, wrote a post on Reddit in an online public square for Sanders fans sharing in their outrage and explaining that the lines were the result of Republican-led voter restrictions in Maricopa County. What happened in Arizona is bad for BOTH Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton, and supporters of both campaigns should come together to make sure this is addressed before November, Elias wrote. By the way, if youre wondering, Secretary Clintons got a plan to address this, but Im really not here to plug my boss! Clinton supporter Jay Jacobs likened the courtship of Sanders backers to making Thanksgiving dinner. You cant cook a turkey too fast by turning up the heat, he said. Youve got to cook it at the right temperature for the right amount of time, and itll come out fine but youve got to do a lot of basting along the way. [Sanders says not continuing to run would be outrageously undemocratic] Sanders, meanwhile, is hoping for another win in Wisconsin, which holds its primary on April 5. Sanders won two of Wisconsins neighboring states Michigan to the east and Minnesota to the west and the states overwhelmingly white electorate and the progressive, reformist roots of Democrats there should give him an advantage. If were going to have a serious shot at the nomination, were going to have to defeat her in Wisconsin, Devine said. Sanders then hopes to slingshot into New York, which will award a whopping 247 delegates second only to California. In New York, a diverse and pulsating center of Democratic power which has not hosted a truly competitive presidential primary since the 1980s, Democrats are buzzing with anticipation over the showdown. Everybody thinks itll be big, said Hank Sheinkopf, a New York-based strategist and former Clinton adviser. If the turnout by African Americans is large, Secretary Clinton will win well. If the turnout is not large, she will not win. Is the opportunity with her? Yes. But this is a test. . . . If its tight, it means the left is still aggravated against her. The Clinton team is readying for a competitive race and is not taking New York for granted. If [Sanders] sneaks up on her, then shame on the Clinton campaign, Axelrod said. The city is a bastion of progressivism, and there should be pockets of Sanders supporters. . . . But I have to believe that the relationships shes forged there in the last 15 years mean something. Sanders was born and raised in Brooklyn and plans to highlight his New York values, Devine said, and the campaigns ads would have a good feel for the state. Sanders also is likely to go after Clinton over her ties to Wall Street, an issue he has raised for several months now, and Devine said the team is testing attacks on other issues, including fracking. Sanders wants to ban fracking, the practice of pumping water containing chemicals deep underground at high pressures to release oil and natural gas. Clinton, who has ties to the fossil-fuel industry, says she does not support fracking where it is causing environmental damage or in states like New York, where it is banned though she has stopped short of opposing the practice outright. [An explanation of the Clinton-Sanders divide on fracking] The basic frame of his whole campaign the economys rigged, the campaign finance system is corrupt will continue, but there are other issues, as well, Devine said. Fracking is something New York state has outlawed, and theres a big difference between Hillary and Bernie. The Clinton team is preemptively crying foul. We fully expect him to continue waging a spirited campaign, but its disappointing he is preparing a fresh round of attacks to use against Hillary Clinton in her own back yard, rather than focusing on how to stand up against the dangerous rhetoric and ideas coming from the Republican candidates, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in an email. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), a Clinton backer, sounded a similar note in an email: Bernie has every right to stay in the race and bring his campaign to New York and fight hard here. But New Yorkers do not want to see him go on the attack against Hillary when Democrats should be focused on the big threat we face from Donald Trump. The New York primary, by definition, should draw considerable media attention, but Sanders wants to raise the stakes even higher. His campaign is lobbying the DNC to organize a debate in New York the week before the primary. We dont mind being the away team in the Hillary home game in New York, Devine said. The Clinton campaign has objected to having a debate in the state, according to Devine. Fallon declined to comment on debate negotiations. For now, at least, Clintons backers are confident that any damage caused by Sanders will not be lasting. I think this primary is going to make our Democratic nominee even stronger heading into the general election, and I believe Democrats will come together in November, Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) said in an email. Asked about bridge building, Devine suggested that such outreach was a ways off. Im not great at reading the tea leaves, he said. But he added, I know Podesta has my number, because hes called it before and it wasnt to build bridges, in case youre wondering. Podesta would not characterize his recent conversation with Devine. Were in a contest, the Clinton chairman said. We both understand it. Anne Gearan and Abby Phillip contributed to this report. Two surveillance cameras film St. Peters Square during a Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Francis, at the Vatican. (Giuseppe Lami/AP) Even before Islamic State militants killed at least 31 people this past week in Brussels, the symbolic heart of Europe, governments across the continent were moving to bolster security by expanding already robust surveillance powers. But the carnage in the Belgian capital, and the likelihood of continued terrorism plots, have failed to extinguish a sharp debate across Europe over augmented law enforcement and communications monitoring. Critics fear that such measures as enhanced government access to personal data or passenger records will impinge upon Europeans privacy without breaking down the barriers that have undermined anti-terrorism efforts in the past. People are misled into thinking that if they give up more privacy, they will get more security, said Sophia in t Veld, a Dutch member of the European Parliament who has opposed efforts to expand monitoring of personal data. That is a complete illusion. The March 22 attacks in Brussels, seat of the European Union and NATO, intensified public anxiety about the reach of groups such as the Islamic State, which has vowed to exact revenge for the Wests military campaign in Iraq and Syria. [Belgium charges man in connection with attacks in Brussels] The Belgian government is now being criticized for failing to detect the terrorist plot, which involved several individuals known to Belgian authorities. One of the attackers, Khalid el-Bakraoui, had been detained by authorities in Turkey on suspicion of terrorism in 2015 before being deported to Europe, where he went free. The bloodshed in Brussels came just days after Belgium arrested Salah Abdeslam, one of the men involved in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. Abdeslam evaded capture for months before he was apprehended blocks from his familys home. James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said recent attacks, such as those in Paris, had spurred European governments, which already function with fewer checks than the United States does, to push for new monitoring powers. But Lewis said long-standing bureaucratic barriers between the 28 E.U. member states, which view security as a primarily national matter rather than a European one, remained an important obstacle to successful defenses in Europe. Like the stove-piping of information that crippled the U.S. governments awareness before the 9/11 attacks, European security services dont share intelligence information effectively, he said. None of these systems are foolproof, Lewis said. It would be better if they played as a team, but Europe isnt there yet. Top American security experts such as Michael V. Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, have said European nations have long relied on the United States as a conduit for sharing information. That coordination role has been diminished, experts say, since Edward Snowdens revelations about U.S. spy programs. Lewis, who supports increased surveillance activities, said that even countries such as France lack adequate resources as they move to expand already active monitoring programs. Last summer, six months after militants inspired by al-Qaeda stormed a satirical magazine in Paris, French lawmakers approved a broad surveillance law, which allows phone taps and hidden cameras without a warrant. The law was aimed at stopping not only terrorist violence but also economic or criminal attacks. Then, in the wake of the November Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency including stepped-up police and search powers. Now, France is considering additional changes, including extending the state of emergency and a controversial measure that could revoke the French citizenship of terrorism suspects. Adrienne Charmet, a French civil liberties advocate, said public support in France was rooted in a misplaced idea that such measures were needed to keep people safe. Opposition voices, she said, were not being heard in the debate over these measures. Its very dangerous for fundamental rights, she said. [Anti-terrorism crackdowns may have spurred attackers, Belgian prosecutor says] In the United Kingdom, known for its widespread use of public surveillance cameras, lawmakers are considering a bill that would update surveillance rules. The proposal has already been criticized by civil liberties advocates and by technology firms. Harmit Kambo, campaigns and development director at advocacy group Privacy International, said that provisions to retain Britons Internet browsing history would be intrusive and ineffective. The government has not made a case for how connection records will keep people safer, Kambo said. We reject that its a choice between privacy and security. One exception to the trend across Europe is Germany, where memories of East Germanys all-powerful state security agency have made many people protective of their privacy. Germanys influential role in the European Union may have a cooling effect on Europe-wide proposals, such as one that would provide access to airline passenger records. Proponents of such steps say that the likelihood of additional Islamic State or other militant attacks means that there is no time for half-measures. After this weeks violence in Brussels, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel promised to defend his countrys values and freedom while it confronts terrorist threats. A large number of Belgian citizens have traveled to Syria to take up arms. His government has not yet said what steps it may take to pursue enhanced surveillance powers. The Belgian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ben Caudron, a professor of technology sociology in Brussels, said he expects there will be increased resources devoted to technology, such as cameras or surveillance software. Bart Somers, the mayor of the Belgian city of Mechelen, said that his heavily Muslim area had managed to avoid the widespread alienation that has plagued minority communities in Brussels. He attributed that in part to steps his city had taken, including community policing and installation of cameras in public areas. Today, Mechelen has 150 to 200 surveillance cameras, more than anywhere else in Belgium, Somers said. In Somerss view, such steps have improved citizens sense of safety and their willingness to cooperate with authorities. They are small bricks in building a wall against radicalization, he said. Annabell Van den Berghe contributed to this report. Read more: The desperate wait for news of loved ones missing after the Brussels attacks The U.S. military has a lot more people in Iraq than it has been saying Senior U.S. general wants to start striking the Taliban again Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Everyone is working overtime on the sets of Pawan Kalyans Sardar Gabbar Singh. Big paintings of sets are pasted on walls in his room in Film Nagar. There is also a miniature of the set at his house. He wants everything to go according to the plan. So when he thinks of something he calls the art director who starts on the sketches and once completed, Kalyan wants the full set in painting. When he goes to shoot on the set, he knows what is placed where and how it will look like, says a technician, who works closely with Pawan Kalyan. Its the same with the story too. The actor explains the story to the team. This brings clarity for the filmmaker about the length of the scenes and how much time it will take, he says, adding that it also saves time. The actor also sketches out his thoughts when it comes to characters. He believes that a villain should not only look physically healthy, but smart too. Thats the reason he selected Sharath Kelkar as the main villain, says the source. At times Pawan Kalyan used to sketch the scenes as well, showcasing his artistic prowess, adds the source. Stephanie Shults posted this photograph to her Facebook page in May, showing her with her husband, Justin, in Belgium. (Reuters) This story has been updated. Stephanie and Justin Shults, an American couple living in Brussels who had been missing since the attacks in the Belgian capital, were declared dead on Saturday, according to members of Justin Shultss family. We found out today that cowards took my brothers life, Shultss brother, Levi Sutton, posted on his Twitter profile. In another posting, he wrote: The world lost two amazing people today. Its not fair. Relatives and friends of Justin Shults also posted memorials and notices of the couples death on the Facebook page of his mother, Sheila Shell. The Shultses never planned on living abroad, but when the chance to move to Brussels fell in their lap two years ago, they decided to embrace the spirit of adventure and go. On Tuesday morning, the pair were at the airport, dropping off Stephanies mother, Carolyn Moore, to catch a flight home to Kentucky after a weeks visit. They parked the car, walked her into the terminal to get her boarding pass, said goodbye and walked away, according to Moores sister and Stephanies aunt, Betty Gragg Newsom. Then the first blasts of coordinated terrorist attacks in Brussels by the Islamic State ripped through the airports departure hall. The couples car was found, Sutton posted on Twitter Saturday, but the family continued to wait without word about the couple, as they had for several days. There was much the family didnt know about what the Shults couple did after they parted ways with Moore. If they exited the airport to retrieve their car, they might have been far enough from the explosions to be injured but alive. If they opted instead to wait and watch Moores flight take off, they could have been much closer to the deadly blasts. Newsom wasnt sure where Moore was during the explosions, save that she had not yet gone through airport security. But the force of the blasts knocked Moore off her feet and left her with strange, dusty substances in her hair and without hearing in one ear, Newsom said. Moore was taken to a nearby hotel, and was later joined in Brussels by her husband, Geary Moore. Shell, Justins mother, also traveled to the Belgian capital, to find out what happened to the couple. On Friday morning, State Department officials said that at least two Americans had been confirmed dead in the blasts without listing their identities raising speculation that Stephanie and Justin, the only American citizens to have been identified in the news media, might be among the deceased. But as the day wore on, it appeared that the announcement also could be referring to Alexander Pinczowski, 29, and Sascha Pinczowski, 28, Dutch nationals who lived in New York. But all involved had already ridden out a heartbreaking moment of dashed hope, after some of Justins family reported receiving information that the couple had been found alive. Information is trickling in about the victims of the Brussels bombings that killed at least 31 people on March 22 . Heres what we know, so far, about the victims with U.S. ties. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) On Wednesday afternoon, Sutton took to his Twitter account to announce that an official from the State Department had contacted his mother to tell her that the Shultses had been found. The news spread quickly even the mayor of Lexington, Ky., Stephanies hometown, joined in the online cheering. But it was confusing for Stephanies relatives, who had been in regular touch with officials and hadnt heard anything. It soon became clear that the celebration was premature, and that Justin and Stephanie were still missing. Sutton apologized later Wednesday via his Twitter account, saying he was disgusted that his family had received bad information and explaining that an official social worker helping Carolyn Moore in Belgium had helped straighten things out. On Thursday, State Department spokesman Mark C. Toner told reporters that we certainly apologize for any misunderstanding, but he would not confirm that any department officials had contacted Shell or told her that her son had been found. Theyre seeking information; were trying to respond and get them accurate information, Toner said. Its incumbent on us to really try to get accurate information, and we just, we dont have that yet . . . as soon as we have accurate information, well obviously be back in touch with those families. Stephanie Shultss relatives also want the mystery cleared up. Were just trying to find out who she had gotten her information from, Betty Gragg Newsom said of Justins mother. She took a deep breath before adding, It was a little frustrating. Stephanie Moore, from Lexington in the heart of bluegrass country, and Justin Shults, from the mountain town of Gatlinburg, Tenn., met in graduate school while they were studying for masters degrees in accounting at Vanderbilt University, where Justin had received a bachelors degree in economics in 2008. Both were remarkably bright, Newsom said. They married two years after graduation, in 2011. Stephanie worked for the Mars company, in its pet-food division, and Justin for Clarcor, which makes filtration systems. They were based in Nashville, but they headed for Europe after Stephanie, who had majored in business and French at Transylvania University in Lexington, was offered a three-year position in Brussels by her company, Newsom said. Justins company let him make the move, too, in order to handle its international business accounts. In Brussels the Shultses lived near the center of town, Newsom said, and they werent scared even as the Belgian capital began to gain a reputation as a hub for terrorist activity in Europe in recent months. Theyve just really enjoyed the experience of being in Europe, Newsom said. They had not mentioned feeling unsafe at all. Whenever they werent working, Newsom said, they traveled to the running of the bulls in Spain, to London, to Paris, to Germany and other parts of Europe. They had been enjoying the 30-something lifestyle before they have children, Newsom said. Justin Shults turned 30 this month, while Stephanies 30th birthday is in September. Moore, who is retired, had made a few trips to Brussels to visit the couple and was squeezing one more in before the expected birth of her first grandchild Stephanies older sister is due to have a baby soon. Supporters of Yemens former president Ali Abdullah Saleh attend a rally commemorating the anniversary of the Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthi rebels. (Yahya Arhab/European Pressphoto Agency) Tens of thousands protested in the Yemeni capital Saturday on the anniversary of a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalitions entrance into a civil war that has killed thousands and strengthened the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in this strategic Middle Eastern nation. As coalition jets roared overhead, some demonstrators carried the Yemeni flag and chanted End the siege! while others vowed to fight the Saudi aggression and its agents until their last man. The conflict in this nation, which straddles the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and borders key oil shipping routes in the Red Sea, pits the government, supported largely by Saudi-led airstrikes, against the rebel Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthis seized control of Sanaa, Yemens capital and largest city, in the fall of 2014, prompting the government to flee. Today, the U.S.-backed government, led by Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has been largely relegated to the southern port city of Aden. The Saudi-led coalition airstrikes started in March of last year, turning the rebellion into a full-blown civil war. On Saturday morning, many protesters carried pictures of Saleh, who gave a speech to his supporters condemning the Saudi intervention. But the former president also said that he would be open to discussions with the Saudis to bring the conflict to an end. I have come today to support my country, said Ali al-Hamdani, 30, a farmer from Hamdan, a nearby district. It has been exactly a year since this barbaric war started, and we have been suffering from all kinds of oppression by the Saudis, whether economically or politically. A second demonstration, organized by the Houthis, was scheduled for the afternoon. The protests arrived at one of the more hopeful moments in the conflict. Last week, the warring sides agreed to a U.N.-brokered cease-fire that is scheduled to take hold April 10. A fresh round of peace talks is expected April 18 in Kuwait. Many Yemenis expressed skepticism Saturday about the peace talks. Previous attempts to implement a cease-fire quickly failed, as each side accused the other of violating the pact. I have no faith in any dialogue by the Security Council, said Adel Ahmed Mohammed, 22, a construction worker, referring to the United Nations. It is not serious, and any announcement by them for peace talks is nothing more than just a media announcement. Even if there is success next month, it may do little to stop the violent forces unleashed by conflict. On Friday, three suicide bombers from the Islamic State attacked security checkpoints in Aden, killing at least 26 people. And a U.S. airstrike Tuesday on an al-Qaeda training camp in the southeastern province of Hadramaut killed more than 70 fighters, according to the Pentagon. [U.S. targets al-Qaeda in Yemen airstrike] In the wars chaos, al-Qaedas Yemen branch al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known as AQAP has bolstered its grip on the countrys south and east, overrunning large swaths of territory. U.S. officials describe AQAP as the terrorism networks most dangerous branch, and it has been a target of U.S. counterterrorism efforts for more than a decade. A nascent affiliate of the Syria and Iraq-based Islamic State has also targeted both government and rebel forces in a series of assaults, signaling its intention to transform Yemen into one of its satellite strongholds. The war itself is an extension of the deepening Sunni-Shiite divide in the Arab world and the long-standing battle for regional influence between Saudi Arabias Sunni Muslim monarchy and Irans Shiite theocracy. The Houthis, who adhere to the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, are widely seen as being backed by Iran, although Tehran has denied the allegations. The United States is backing the Saudi-led coalition which includes other Persian Gulf nations along with Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Sudan by sending munitions, refueling aircraft and other others form of support. More than 6,000 people have been killed in the war and millions more displaced, according to the United Nations. Human rights groups have charged that the Saudi coalition airstrikes have indiscriminately killed hundreds of civilians, and they have urged the United States and its allies to stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. Ranked the Arab worlds poorest country long before the war, Yemen has been pushed to the edge of famine because of the violence and has possibly set back its economic development for decades. We have no fuel, in addition to many of the basic needs, said Hamid Mansoor al-Abed, 37, one of the protesters Saturday. Abed, who works at a grocery store in Sanaa, said his cousin was killed in a Saudi coalition airstrike while he was on a bus returning from work. The hands of the Saudis and the international community is stained by the blood of the Yemeni people, the mothers, fathers and children, he continued. You can hear the terrifying sounds of the Saudi airplanes now as we speak. They are trying to scare us and provoke us, but we dont care. We are not afraid. Raghavan reported from Cairo. Read more: 17 Yemeni Jews escape civil war for new life in Israel For those wounded in Yemens war, a feeling of abandonment in Saudi capital Leopards and lions are dying as Yemen burns Marjeh Square, at the heart of bustling downtown Damascus, is steeped in the blood of revolt. Its history is intertwined with the hope and tragedy of those who have dared question the authority of Syrias historic overlords. In 1916, the Ottoman governor Ahmed Djemal Pasha, nicknamed the Blood Shedder, executed Syrian rebels here, next to the striking bronze and basalt column that still rises above the square today. Later, the French did the same to those who fought against their mandate. Corpses were left hanging in the square as a grim warning to others. Today, it is filled with the stories of suffering from another revolution, one that has morphed into a war drawing in global powers and stretched for five years. Surrounded by cheap hotels and other lodging, it is a confluence of Syrians from across the broken country. They come from Raqqa and Deir al-Zour, from different existences where the Islamic State is in power and still strings up dissenters in public squares. Some are newly displaced with nowhere to go, others are visiting the capital for official paperwork or medical treatment, and plan to go back. They mix with office workers on their lunchtime breaks, with soldiers on patrol and with the children who feed the flocks of pigeons that gather. Its a crisscross of deeply contrasting lives. Men walk through Marjeh Square in Damascus. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) [Inside Syrias war: I went to three cities. This is what I saw.] A group of women sit in the dirt at the base of one of the squares four towering palm trees, their rural attire sticking out. Their belongings lie in bundles on the ground. One 30-year-old woman says she and her five children left their home just outside Islamic State-held Manbij two weeks ago. Her house had become a front line between U.S.-backed rebel forces and the Islamic State. Militants took over and punched holes in the walls to create fighting positions. The family was told to leave. When they arrived in Damascus, they rented accommodations near the square but were now out of money and had been kicked out that morning. It seems like well sleep here, she says, gesturing at the ground. Like others from Islamic State-held areas, she declines to be named to protect family members who remain there. A team of two women from Syrias Ministry of Health make their way over, giving polio vaccines to the children. They come every day to find the displaced, in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, which reemerged as vaccinations were disrupted during the chaos of war. We target kids from the hot zones, says Janet Awad, 36, as she gives a young boy a dose. There are always plenty here. Two men in traditional red and white headscarves sit on the other side of the square, on a bench in front of the monolith that was erected by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to commemorate the regions first telegraphic link. They are visiting from al-Bukamal in Deir al-Zour province, near the border with Iraq, to finish some paperwork. The Islamic State has made it more difficult for civilians to leave their territory but still sometimes grants permission for people to leave for medical treatment or other needs. Its black and bleak, says 78-year-old Abu Riyadh, using a nickname. A woman, also from Deir al-Zour, is in the capital for medical treatment for heart problems, which she says have been made worse by a lack of food. We are starving, its difficult to work, and they kill our sons, she says. If someone refuses to join them, maybe your family will be killed. [In Damascus, Syrians celebrate Putin as their hero. Will they miss him?] But now, shes briefly at the center of President Bashar al-Assads seat of power. A portrait of him in military uniform hangs nearby, with tanks, missile launchers and jet planes painted around him. The square is also home to Syrias Interior Ministry building, making it a gathering point for demonstrations back in 2011, when the uprising first reached Damascus. Later, as the revolution became war, it was the site of car bomb attacks. On another side is the silver-domed Yalbugha mosque, built on the site of an ancient Mamluk mosque that was ripped down by Bashars father, Hafez, in the 1970s for redevelopment. The new structure has been renamed the Mosque of the Martyr Basil al-Assad, the presidents older brother who died in a car crash. It, and a business center behind it, sat as empty shells for years in what some say was testimony to Syrias graft. But even here, in the center of Damascus, some travelers do not conceal their lack of opposition to the Islamic State. Two women are passing through from Raqqa to visit their husbands in Lebanon. They plan to return. The situation is very good, says one in a gold-trimmed headscarf. We dont need any interference from anyone. We just want to live our lives in peace. As she talks, a parade of Humvees decorated with the faces of Assad and the Lebanese Shiite leader Hasan Nasrallah passes through the square to mark the anniversary of Assads Baath Party seizing power. A tribute to Dr. Bashar Hafez al-Assad, the man of resistance, a female voice rings out over the speaker blasted by the convoy. A tribute to our heroes in the Syrian Arab Army and the honorable Syrian people. A big tribute and mercy for the souls of the honorable martyrs of Syria. Residents in the buildings overlooking the square gather in their windows to take photos and videos. Young boys jump on the back of the cars, waving to those gathered on the pavement. The women from Raqqa look up to see the convoy, then turn away. Read more: Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world The photo taken from video released by Nigeria's Boko Haram in 2014. A teenage who surrendered before carrying out a suicide bombing attack in Cameroon has told authorities she was one of the 276 girls abducted from a Nigerian boarding school by the group nearly two years ago. (AP) A teenager who surrendered before carrying out a suicide bombing attack in northern Cameroon has told authorities she was one of the 276 girls abducted from a Nigerian boarding school by Islamist extremists nearly two years ago, authorities said Saturday. If confirmed, the development would mark the first news of the missing Chibok girls in many months. It has long been feared that some are being used by their Boko Haram abductors to carry out such attacks, given the growing number of young female suicide bombers. The girl is about 15 years old and turned herself in before detonating her explosives, said Idrissou Yacoubou, the leader of a self-defense group in Limani, Cameroon. The girl looked tired, malnourished and psychologically tortured and could not give us more details about her stay in the forest and how her other mates were treated, he said. Cameroon has ordered investigations to determine the authenticity of the 15-year-olds declarations, said Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the Far North region. Cameroonian authorities declined to identify her by name because she is a minor. The office of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and the countrys military did not immediately respond to questions. Authorities said Saturday that two other young women with explosive belts came along with the 15-year-old one was arrested and the other managed to flee back across the border into Nigeria. In Chibok, a community leader said by telephone that the girls age could correspond to that of a 14-year-old who was the youngest among 276 girls abducted in the early hours of April 15, 2014, from a government boarding school. Dozens of the girls managed to escape on their own within hours, but 219 remain missing. The plight of the abducted girls drew international attention and prompted the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media. Dozens of them were last seen in a Boko Haram video with extremist leader Abubakar Shekau who boasted they had been converted to Islam and threatened to sell them off or marry them to his fighters. There have long been suspicions that Nigerias home-grown Islamist extremist group is using captives as suicide bombers. In recent months Nigerias military has reported freeing at least 3,000 people held captive by the insurgents. Most recently, the military said it rescued 829 hostages in raids Tuesday on several Boko Haram-held villages in the northeast. At the same time, there are reports of Boko Haram continuing to take dozens of new captives. - See all the pictures from Kwahu on Good Friday night - Also the Kwahu Easter paragliding festival kicked start on Friday Patrons at one of the street jams on Good Friday night The 2016 Easter celebration in Kwahu kicked start in a grand style with lots of activities and fun fairs on the mountain. Wisa on stage at Kwahu Good Friday night saw the streets of the Kwahu township locked-up with various musical shows and jams. One of such show is the mega street jam organized by the EIB Network group. Ghanas most sought after mainstream musicians played a nights concert to the satisfaction of patrons in Obomeng, Kwahu. The music was good on the night The satisfied the appetite of patrons in Obomeng, a suburb of Kwahu with lots of fun and music from stars like Atom, Kwaw Kese, Yaa Pono, 4x4 and Rudebwoy Ranking among a host of other acts. Musicians like Atom, Wisa and the likes gave the patrons a good night Comments from social media monitoring indicates that the Good Friday night lived up to expectation. Also the 11th Kwahu Easter paragliding festival kicked off in the Kwahu ridge on top of the Odwenanoma Mountain in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region. A short colourful ceremony was held Friday morning to begin the four-day festival, which has over the years become the flagship Easter holiday programme in the countrys tourism sector. In Kwahuland, Easter festival is synchronically marked by all the traditional towns on the expansive mountain range in the south-central part of Ghana and situated on the west shore of Lake Volta There are approximately 12 major towns dotted across the mountain range. Source: YEN.com.gh Rajahmundry: The Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to swoop down on food business operators (FBOs) -- hoteliers, restaurateurs and those who run roadside eateries and food joints -- who have been adding colour to food indiscriminately, endangering the health of consumers in East Godavari district. Artificial food colours, like lemon yellow, sunset yellow, metanil yellow, brilliant blue, indigo carmine, orange and others are being added to biryani and curries to make them look enticing. Gazetted food inspector B.V.S.R.K. Prasad said, There is a misconception among a section of FBOs that they can use food colour in preparation of food and sweets to make them more tasty and impressive. But in fact, only confectioneries are permitted to use such colours in preparation of sweets. They recently received a complaint from a Kakinada resident who said that the chicken lollipops served at a food joint located near Bhanugudi Centre had an excessive amount of food colour and sought action against the owner. Chicken lollipops served at a food joint located near Bhanugudi Centre had an excessive amount of food colour. By the time the authorities rushed there, the chicken lollipops were over, but they did find that the chicken biryani was emitting a foul smell and have sent samples of it to the state food laboratory in Hyderabad for analysis. They will proceed against the owner once the analysis report is in hand. The FSSAI officials had earlier carried out inspections at hotels and sweet shops in Vijayawada and found excessive use of food colour in mysore pak and other sweets and have booked cases against the owners under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Researchers found that individuals with less than 20 teeth were at a 20 per cent higher risk for developing cognitive decline. (Photo: Pixabay) Toronto: Scientists have found that tooth loss increases the risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, suggesting oral health strategies to preserve teeth may help fight such disorders. Researchers, including those from McGill University and Queen's University in Canada, systematically assessed the association between oral health and cognitive functions in adult populations. The objective of the study was to systematically examine if tooth loss leads to cognitive impairment and its most prevalent pathologic correlate - dementia. Eligible study reports were identified by searching various databases. From 1,251 identified articles, 10 were included in the systematic review and eight in the meta-analysis. Researchers found that individuals with less than 20 teeth were at a 20 per cent higher risk for developing cognitive decline and dementia than those with greater than or equal to 20 teeth. This information suggests that oral health strategies aimed to preserve teeth may be important in reducing risk of systemic disease, researchers said. The increase in cases of cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease in ageing populations is progressing worldwide and creating a significant burden on health systems, researchers said. Better insight into the nature and extent of the association between oral health and cognitive function is of great importance since it could lead to preventive interventions for cognitive performance, they said. The study was published in the JDR Clinical and Translational Research. A team of psychologists from France conducted an experiment in which 397 students were asked to take the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, which identifies potential schizophrenia markers in people. Have you ever tried to tickle yourself? If in reading this you just tried, the chances are it didnt work, and youd be in the majority of the population. The inability of most people to tickle themselves comes from the fact that the brain predicts sensory consequences of our actions, and then cancels them out, Christian Jarrett explains for the British Psychological Society. This may be a survival tactic. A team of psychologists from France conducted an experiment in which 397 students were asked to take the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, which identifies potential schizophrenia markers in people. The findings showed that those with schizophrenic tendencies found the self-tickling condition more ticklish. A symptom of the condition include delusions and hallucinations which can affect a sufferers senses including their sense of touch which could explain why they are able to tickle themselves. The report read: When considering a continuum ranging from the absence of a disorder to the full-blown symptoms of schizophrenia, our data provide a basis for understanding the illusions of control experienced by schizophrenic patients.While the findings arent conclusive, it does provide another nougat of knowledge about an illness that continues to baffle psychologists. Source: www.i100.independent.co.uk Hyderabad: Twenty more Hyderabad Central University students have been booked by the Gachibowli police for the violence at the Vice Chancellors lodge on last Wednesday, apart from those who have been arrested. Students have been protesting since Tuesday after Vice Chancellor Appa Rap Podile came back from a two-month leave following Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide. Furious students staged a protest against Appa Rao and vandalised his official residence. Students broke into Rao's office, vandalised and ransacked the premises while maintaining their demand of his resignation. A remand diary prepared by the police has names of girl students who claimed they were not present at the spot. Cyberabad police is yet to confirm if they are going to arrest 14 other students. One of the girl students named in the FIR, who is yet to be arrested, argued that the charges against girl students were false. These students did not damage any furniture nor attack any cop. They added the names by taking details from our rivals, she said but did not want to be named. The police contends that the arrested students should remain in custody to avoid law and order issues at the university. There is a possibility that they will rejoin the protests, police said. In the remand report, police argued that if the arrested students are given bail, they would escape. Read: Mother of Rohith Vemula: Do you want to give us justice? Since most accused belong to other states and districts, they might escape from Hyderabad and the court cannot ensure their presence. The students are without any moveable and immovable property in Hyderabad. It is possible that the students might rejoin the agitation and create law and order problems, said the report filed by Gachibowli sub-inspector K. Naveen Kumar. Regarding the presence of ABVP students inside the VCs residence at the time of vandalism, police said in the report, Sensing the mood of the accused, some students and non-teaching staff came from behind the building and stood protecting the VC and others. All the 25 arrested students and two faculty members are now in judicial remand. The court will hear their bail plea on Monday. The Joint Action Committee has alleged that the names of students were given to the police by ABVP members be added to the FIR. Read: PhD student Uday Bhanu: Police thrashed me; cops deny it Kin of protesters unaware of arrests The family of Prof. Konda Yesu Ratnam of the UoH came to know only on Wednesday that he had been arrested the previous day. He was trying to talk to the students during the violence at the VCs lodge when he was picked up, his colleagues said. The professors wife, Jaya Ratnam, came to know of his arrest through the media. The couple has two children, studying in Classes 9 and 7. The police did not bother to inform his family, or the kin of any of those who were arrested on March 22. Ms Jaya Ratnam rushed to the campus, where the university security officer told her that there was no need for worry and Prof. Ratnam would return in the evening. She went to the police where, she alleged, she received rude replies. It was only on Friday that she got clarity through the media and plans to meet her husband on Saturday in jail. Read: Uttam Kumar Reddy says TRS branding Dalit students criminals A professor said, Prof Ratnam was not protesting with students. Rather he was trying to be a bridge between the police and students to avoid any confrontation but he was picked up. The family of Mohammad Shah from Kerala, a comparative literature student and son of a construction worker, found out his arrest only after calling a professor on Thursday. His sister, R. Hiba, said, We came to know of the arrest only after we contacted one of the professors and a friend of Shah in Kerala. Our parents were worried but after speaking with the professor they are relieved. Neither they nor I am angry with Shah. He was fighting for justice and we support him. If he does not get bail on Monday, my father may visit Hyderabad. University of Hyderabad seeks parents support The University of Hyderabad issued a media release on Friday night, urging parents to advise their children ...to avoid any activity that will affect the reputation of the institution from which they wish to graduate. The university, it said, is committed to freedom of speech and expression, and differences of opinion and dissent are not discouraged the university, it will certainly not take kindly to vandalism and other acts of indiscipline. The current semester is drawing to a close and end-semester examinations will begin soon. Afterwards, several students will graduate and step out into the world in search of a meaningful life. The university seeks co-operation of parents and students in particular in the smooth functioning of the university, it said. Read: Google Maps shows University of Hyderabad as 'anti-national' The release said the university has set up a mechanism for grievance redressal at all stages of administration and requests parents to remain in touch with their wards and encourage them to seek redressal through those mechanisms. It also said the students should feel free to approach their mentees/heads to talk to them about any anxiety or problems. UoH will always be there for students and will not shirk its responsibility towards them, it said. Lucknow: Around 500 persons, including women and children, landed up in various hospitals due to drunken driving on the two-day Holi festival in Lucknow. Nineteen persons died in accidents and clashes in Lucknow during the festival that extended to two days this year. Across Uttar Pradesh, more than 30 persons have died in Holi revelry. Nearly 90 per cent of the injured persons suffered bone and head injuries. In almost all cases, the men were in the driving seat while women and children were accompanying them. The Trauma Centre of the King Georges Medical University (KGMU), which saw maximum cases, attended to more 300 persons on Wednesday and Thursday. Of these, 80 had to be admitted with serious nerve or head injuries and remaining were discharged after first-aid. KGMU spoke-sman Dr Ved Prakash said that as many as five patients were brought dead while 10 died during the course of treatment. Five of these cases were from Lucknow, while remaining patients were from adjoining districts. The neuro-surgery team saved about 70 lives, he stated. The second highest number of accident victims was admitted in the Balrampur Hospital which received 50 cases. Of these, 26 were admitted and rest sent home after a days treatment. Trauma Centre expert on road accidents with the King Georges Medical University, Dr Ajai Singh said, Intake of alcohol along with traditional intoxicants like bhang which is a part of Holi causes the driver to hallucinate and proves hazardous during driving. Mumbai: A woman allegedly threw hot oil on her husband on Thursday night after she was asked to change her promiscuous nature and refrain from adultery. The untoward spat also left minor daughters injured as the woman unknowingly ended up spilling hot oil on them, according to reports. The daughters were having dinner when they saw their parents fighting over their mothers alleged love affair. Being vexed by the brawl, they went to their parents to stop them. The spat triggered off when the husband asked wife not to meet her alleged boyfriend. Being irked at her husbands interference, she threw hot oil on his face, which she had kept in the pan for cooking. She also ended up hurting her daughters as the oil splattered on their faces unknowingly, said the police. The husband started shouting in pain and the neighbours rushed to the spot hearing him shout. The husband and daughters were immediately rushed to the hospital. A police official also added that the couple had earlier filed complaints against each other. Dr V. Ravinder, deputy commissioner of police, addressing the media with the alleged cheats standing behind. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Hyderabad East Zone Police on Friday detected a HMDA funds diversion racket and arrested a three member gang, including an HMDA employee and two others. The trio cheated HMDA to the tune of Rs 5.87 crore. The accused were identified as L. Shankar, Y. Vijaya Mohan Krishna and Raju Ahmed. DCP East Zone Dr V. Ravinder said that the prime accused L. Shankar 39, worked as a field officer at Sai Security Services, an outsourcing agency of HMDA. In 2008, he tampered with the first cheque of the company, changing the figures and words. He made 1 to 7 and 1 to 14, altered the amount written in words and deposited the forged cheque in a fake account created in the name of Sai Security services at Allahabad bank, the DCP said. Later he made his associate Raju Ahmed and opened fake accounts in various banks to deposit forged cheques in the accounts. Accounts officer Vijay Mohan Krishna noticed the fraud but colluded with the fraudsters. He was paid around Rs 85 lakh as his share. From 2008-09 to 2015-16, Shankars gang cheated HMDA to the tune of Rs 5.87 crores. Police recovered Rs 5.02 crore, procured using the misappropriated funds, including Rs 9.75 lakh cash, gold jewellery worth about Rs 8 lakh, land documents worth around Rs 3.73 crore, cars, insurance certificates and around 233.5 grams silver articles from Shankar and Rs 20.79 lakh cash and two residential plots worth Rs 25 lakh from HMDA employee Y Vijaya Mohan Krishna. Police registered a case against 75 people and arrested two of them for the attack. (Photo: PTI) Muzaffarnagar: Four policemen were injured when they were allegedly attacked by villagers, who were asked not to block an area during Holi celebrations in Maharajnagar village here. Police yesterday registered a case against 75 people and arrested two of them for the attack. A police team was in the village during Holi on Thursday. They asked the revellers not to block an area following which irate villagers started pelting stones on them. Four policemen, incharge of police outpost Sub-inspector Jitender Singh and constables Gaurav, Jayvir and Praveen were injured in the incident. Two accused Samerpal and Charansingh have been arrested, while police is searching for the others. District collectors have been asked to review the conditions daily and to take suitable measures to reduce heat-related casualties. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has directed schools not to hold classes between noon and 4 pm due to the scorching heat. Schools have been asked to operate between 8 am and noon till April 23, when they will close for summer vacations. District collectors have been asked to review the conditions daily and to take suitable measures to reduce heat-related casualties. Collectors have also been asked to stop RTC bus services from noon to 4 pm wherever required depending on the temperatures. The government issued instructions to the State Disaster Management Authority to this effect on Thursday and asked it to ensure strict implementation by taking the help of district collectors. State board, CBSE and ICSE schools have to follow these rules. However, 2,400 state board schools, in which SSC exams are currently being held, will get exemption till April 6. These schools will be allowed to function after noon. There are 14,000 schools in the state. The internal circular by the government mandates collectors to review education, health, transport and animal husbandry issues on a day-to-day basis to assess the impact of the heat and to take measures to mitigate the same. They have been asked to set up special wards to treat sunstroke patients in all hospitals and to set up 104 toll-free helpline desks to assist people besides keeping 108 ambulance ready at key locations. ollectors have also been asked to provide required medical facilities in long distance buses. On Thursday, VCAP students, along with their parents and faculty met AP HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and gave a representation to the minister. He promised a resolution of the matter in the next few days. (Representational image) Visakhapatnam: The AP government is likely to go in for talks with the TS government regarding de-affiliation of the Varaha College of Architecture and Planning of Visakhapatnam from the Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU). The affiliation had led to uncertainty over the future of hundreds of architecture students admitted before 2015. On Thursday, VCAP students, along with their parents and faculty met AP HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and gave a representation to the minister. He promised a resolution of the matter in the next few days. The JNAFAU in Hyderabad is stipulated as a common institution under Schedules IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act. However in 2015, the JNAFAU de-affiliated the VCAP and released an admission notification only for TS students. Later, the students from the 2015 batch were affiliated to JNTU-Kakinada, leaving the senior students in the lurch. So far, no semester-wise exams were conducted for the senior batches of the college. Speaking to this newspaper, VCAP principal Prof. Srinivasan said that Mr Srinivas Rao assured them of resolution of the issue. It was learnt that if the TS government doesnt pay heed to the request of the AP government regarding the de-affiliation, AP would have to issue a special GO to attach VCAP to another university in the state. Mumbai: The special court in Mumbai conducting trial in 2008 Mumbai terror attacks case on Friday witnessed high drama as Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley, who is deposing as a witness in the case, was annoyed with a number of questions asked by defence and answered sarcastically and even told the defence lawyer in Urdu that he was asking idiotic questions. On a series of questions over his plea agreement with US authorities, Headley said he was not aware of terms because he had left it to his attorney and was informed about conditions only at the end. However, when defence lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan insisted that he pleaded guilty only after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agreed to accept certain conditions put by him, including that he would not be extradited to India, he said, I was not present (when conditions were discussed with the FBI) I dont know. He also said, Mein samjha tha mujhe government ki behalf par gawahi dena hai. Mein bahut kharab insaan hun me ye maan gaya hun. Aap phir se saabit karna hai to phir maan leta hun. (I thought I have to testify on behalf of the government. I have accepted that I am a very bad man. You want to prove it again I am accepting it again. At one point when the defence lawyer claimed Headley was treated for mental illness because he was suffering from mix personality disorder and was in a rehab centre for a year, he said it was not true, adding, Ye kya kya cheezein mere khate me daal rahe ho Khan Sahab? (What kind of things you are putting in my account Mr Khan?) According to Headley he never met the 10 attackers involved in the 26/11 attacks but he did see the photograph of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone 26/11 attacker who was caught alive and later hanged, and had identified his picture in court. On this issue advocate Khan said Headley had addressed Kasab as Rehmatullah Alaih though this term cannot be used for a terrorist. However, Headley said this is a prayer and could be used for anybody. The defence on Friday put up a few completely new theories as suggestions to Headley. One of them was that during trial in a US court he had identified his own voice, which was amongst the handlers who were giving instructions to 26/11 attackers. Another was that Headley himself was present in the control room in Karachi that was managing the attacks. Headley denied both the suggestions and also said that he is ready to give his voice sample, which would prove if he was there in control room or not. Another claim made by the defence was that the FBI had sought Headleys assistance in locating 9/11 attackers and that he had traced them. However, Headley denied this and said he was never asked anything about 9/11. On many questions Headley said the question asked by defence lawyer was ridiculous and baseless. Nirmalas mother-in-law cries over her death along with the victims three children on Friday on GN Chetty road. (Photo: DC) Chennai: A 32-year-old-mother of three was killed in a freak accident, involving a crane used for metro rail work, in the service lane of GN Chetty Road, on Friday. The incident prompted the kith and kin of the deceased, Nirmala, (32), a resident of MK Radha Nagar, Teynampet, and the mother of a toddler, to block traffic in the narrow service lane for about 30 minutes. Police said Nirmala, who worked as a housemaid, was returning home when the accident occurred. She dropped the garbage she was carrying after work in a corporation dumper bin in the service lane of GN Chetty Road near GK Moopanar Memorial. While doing so her saree got disheveled, and she held her hand across to hold the loose end from further disheveling. In the process, her saree got entangled to the crane which was passing by. The crane dragged her for about a couple of meters before she came under the rear wheels and died on the spot. Fearing mob justice, the crane operator abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. As the news about the accident spread, her relatives and neighbours descended on the accident spot. They refused to allow police to remove the body before arresting the crane operator. "This is a service lane exclusively for light motor vehicles. Why did the crane come through this? We don't know who authorised cranes and other heavy vehicles to ply by this lane," said Iruthaya Mary, Nirmala's mother-in-law. Pondy Bazaar traffic investigation wing cops held talks with the protesters, pacified them and moved the crane and the body. Traffic was restored in the service lane after about 30 minutes. A case was registered and efforts are on to trace the crane operator. Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, who hails from Pala in Kerala, has been working at the Missionaries of Charity, a home for the elderly run by the church in Yemen. New Delhi: India on Saturday confirmed the abduction of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the priest from Kerala, by Islamic State in Yemen and said that efforts are on to ensure his safe return. "Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Fr Tom Uzhunnallil - an Indian national from Kerala was abducted by a terror group in Yemen. We r making all efforts to secure his release. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 26, 2016 Swarajs reaction came after a growing alarm among the Christian community following an ominous report by the terror outfit to crucify the priest around Easter. Father Tom Uzhunnalil, 56, who has roots in Kerala, was taken by Islamist gunmen, reportedly linked to ISIS, who attacked an old people's home in Aden, southern Yemen, killing at least 15 people, on March 4. Read: Islamic State to crucify Indian priest on Good Friday Several religious groups had posted on social media that they have received reports that Father Tom will be crucified on Friday during the Christian holiday. A group of South African nuns called the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen, posted this week: 'Was informed that the Salesian priest, Fr.Tom who was kidnapped by ISIS from the Missionaries of Charity Home in Yemen is being tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday. This calls for serious concerted prayers from all of us.' Yemeni authorities have blamed ISIS for the March 4 attack on the refuge for the elderly operated by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in main southern city Aden. Four gunmen posing as relatives of one of the guests at the home burst inside, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni female staff members, eight elderly residents and a guard. According to our information, the extremists who attacked the elderly care home in Aden have kidnapped priest Tom Uzhunnalil, who was taken to an unknown location, a Yemeni security official said. We are aware that no group has yet claimed the criminal attack... but information points to the involvement of Daesh, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous, using an Arabic acronym for IS. However, members of Father Tom's order have denied that he is due to be crucified, saying they have no information on his health or whereabouts. We have absolutely no information on Fr Tom,' Father Mathew Valarkot, spokesman for the Salesians' Bangalore province, said. But even today we do not know who has taken him and what their motives are because no one has claimed responsibility. CHICAGO - The blizzard that blasted Colorado and shut down Denver's airport swept through the US Midwest on Thursday, leading to at least two weather-related traffic deaths and dumping up to 12 inches (30 cm) of snow in Wisconsin, officials said. Two men walk in the snow in downtown Sioux Falls, S.D., Wednesday, March 23, 2016. A powerful spring blizzard stranded travelers at Denver's airport and shut down hundreds of miles of highway in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska as it spread into the Midwest on Wednesday. [Photo/IC] A woman and her 15-year-old sister died when their van crossed over the median of a slippery highway in the city of Hartford around 11:10 am local time and crashed into an oncoming semi-truck, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. The truck driver, a 61-year-old from Ontario, Canada, was not injured. National Weather Service meteorologist Bob McMahon in Milwaukee said sleet was falling in Washington County before it received as many as two inches of snow by the evening. McMahon said northern and central Wisconsin bore the brunt of the storm, pummeled by a band that dropped up to 12 inches (30 cm) of snow. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to severe winter weather and blizzard conditions. Snow is predicted again for parts of Colorado late on Friday and Saturday, but conditions will not be as severe as they were on Wednesday, when areas of the state saw up to more than two feet (60 cm) of snow and the Denver International Airport shut down, National Weather Service forecaster Andrew Orrison said. "We're not expecting snow like what we just had," Orrison said. A cold front moved across Louisiana, which received heavy showers and thunderstorms in the southeastern part of the state, Orrison said. The rain had dissipated by Thursday afternoon, forecasters said. A tornado watch was in effect until 7 pm CDT on Thursday for the central Gulf Coast region, from Gulfport, Mississippi, to Panama City, Florida, in the western half of the Florida panhandle, forecasters said. In addition, Mobile, Alabama, issued a flash flood warning that was in effect until 4 pm CDT on Thursday after the airport there saw more than 2.5 inches (5 cm) of rain in about 1-1/2 hours, a forecaster said. Video grab of Kul BhushanYadav, whom Pakistan has arrested for his alleged links with Indias foreign espionage agency RAW. New Delhi: Kul Bhushan Yadav, who has been arrested by Pakistani agencies claiming he was a RAW spy, was a businessman who owns a small ship, government sources claimed here on Saturday. Yadav often carries cargo to and from Iranian ports bordering Pakistan and has nothing to do with India's external Intelligence agency, government sources said adding that there was no proof that the retired navy officer, who owns a cargo business in Iran, was arrested in Balochistan as claimed by Pakistan. Read: India disowns ex-Navy officer arrested in Pakistan Yadav could have been arrested after he strayed into Pakistani waters and was being wrongly charged, they said. He owns a small ship and used to carry cargo from Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran and other adjoining areas to various destinations, sources said. It is a matter of investigation whether he accidentally strayed into Pakistani waters or was lured into Pakistan. All these needs to checked and hence India has sought consular access to Yadav but Pakistan so far has not agreed to it, the sources said. Yesterday, India had acknowledged that the arrested man had served with the navy but denied that Yadav had any connection with the government. "The individual has no link with government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Yadav was arrested on Thursday in a raid in Balochistan, Pakistani media said, claiming that the "Indian spy was sponsoring terrorist and subversive activities in Balochistan." In Islamabad, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale was summoned by the Pakistani government, which alleged that Yadav had instigated terror attacks in Karachi and unrest in Balochistan. Mumbai: In a startling revelation during his cross-examination on Saturday, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa Hafiz Saeed wanted to teach Shiv Sena supreme, Bal Thackeray, a 'lesson' and Headley told him he would take six months to complete the task. To a question, he said he had not requested for any time to accomplish this task, but said it would take six months. 55-year-old Headley, who turned approver in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial, told the court that he visited Bal Thackerays residence as well as Sena Bhavan in Mumbai for surveillance. Read: I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan: David Headley On Friday, Headley said that he had arranged a fund-raising programme for the Shiv Sena in the United States and had planned to invite the then party chief, Bal Thackeray, to the event. However, there were no plans to attack Thackeray, who was on the LeT hit list. Headley also rejected the suggestion of the defence lawyer that he took Ishrat Jahans name on instructions from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He also told the court that former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani had visited his house in Pakistan a few days after his fathers death. Read: Arranged fund raising event for Shiv Sena in US: David Headley Answering questions about Ishrat Jahan, Headley said, It is correct that I did not disclose any sort of womens cell of the LeT in the trial conducted against Tahawwur Hussain Rana in the US. When asked about a womens suicide bomber cell, he said, "I did not disclose this because I have no knowledge of this. Headley told the court that he hated India and Indians and had wanted to cause maximum damage to it since his childhood. Answering questions asked by defence lawyer Khan Abdul Wahab during cross-examination in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks trial, Headley said that on December 7, 1971 (during the Indo-Pak war) the Indian airplanes bombed his school in Pakistan, in which his school was destroyed and people working there had died. According to him one of the reasons for him to join Lashkar-e-Taiba was to avenge this. Read: Annoyed David Headley dubs defence questions idiotic On the third day of his cross-examination, Headley informed the court that he had told his other associates in LeT that the nine attackers who died during the Mumbai attacks should be awarded Pakistani Militarys highest gallantry award Nishan-e-Haider. Headley stated before the court that it was merely a suggestion by him. Another important aspect revealed by Headley on Friday was that the LeT was trying to free Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman caught alive after the 26/11 assault and later hanged, from police by trading hostages at Chabad House in Mumbai. Headley told the court that after the attacks were over his supervisor Sajid Mir had told him that during the attacks one attacker (Kasab) was arrested by the police and LeT was trying to free him and hence the handlers had asked the attackers in Chabad House to contact the Israeli Embassy and trade hostages for Kasab. Speaking about two earlier failed attempts to attack Mumbai, Headley said that the first attempt was cancelled because the boat carrying attackers had hit a rock and capsized. Though all the attackers had survived, all arms and ammunition was lost and the plan failed. He however for the first time also said that on the second attempt made two-three days later (on their journey) the attackers had spotted an Indian fishing vessel and had attempted to open fire on it but the vessel escaped. According to Headley, due to this the boys (attackers) were demoralised and were sent to a safe house in Karachi in Pakistan. Later LeT operative Sajid Mir had informed him that they were readying for a third attempt. Ishrat Jahan was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. (Photo: PTI) Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley on Saturday told a special court trying the 26/11 attack case that he has "no personal knowledge" about Ishrat Jehan and he had learnt about the case from the media. "It would be correct to say that I have no personal knowledge about Ishrat Jahan," he said during cross- examination via video link before judge G A Sanap. Also read: Hafiz Saeed wanted to teach Bal Thackeray a lesson: David Headley While deposing last month, Headley had told the court that Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl, was working for LeT. Ishrat was killed along with three others in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in 2004. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "When Lakhvi (LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi) introduced Muzammil Bhat to me, he told me that he (Bhat) is one of the top LeT commanders and has done some operations like Akshardham temple, Ishrat Jahan etc, the rest were my thoughts. I came to know about Ishrat Jahan from media. These are my thoughts as to why Ishrat Jahan operation resulted in failure," Headley said. The cross-examination of 55-year-old Headley, serving a 35 year prison term in the US, concluded today after four days of intense grilling. Headley had said during examination by prosecution last month that there was a women's wing LeT. However, during cross-examination, he stated that defence is pre-supposing this. Explaining this, Headley said, "I had no knowledge of women's wing that was for combat but there is a women's wing that takes care of women's issues and other social things. To a query by the defence lawyer on the "social issues" taken up by the women's wing, Headley replied it takes care of religious education, widows and other such things. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Wahab Khan on behalf of key accused Abu Jundal, Headley also claimed he had told NIA that "a female member of LeT who had died in an encounter in India was Ishrat Jahan" but could not say why that was ignored by NIA. Asked whether he had videographed the residence of India's Vice President during the surveillance done by him, he said only the outer walls of the building were videographed and it was en route from Sena Bhavan (Indian Army HQs) to National Defence College, New Delhi. Headley said LeT chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed had told him prior to the Mumbai terror attacks that Shiv Sena Chief late Balasaheb Thackeray "needed to be taught a lesson". The Lashkar terrorist had told Saeed that this would be done and might take six months to accomplish. In another development, the judge G A Sanap rejected the plea of defence lawyer to defer the cross-examination as he had to meet the accused Abu Jundal in Mumbai Central Jail to seek instructions for further cross-examination of Headley. The court said Headley's deposition cannot be deferred on this ground. Headley was discharged from cross-examination and soon thereafter, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam moved an application for re-examination which was allowed by the court. New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday summoned Indian high commissioner Gautam Bambawale to lodge its protest over subversive activities by an alleged RAW officer a day after the Pakistani security forces claimed to have arrested him. In New Delhi, the external affairs ministry said the person arrested had no link with the government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy. The MEA further said: India has no interest in interfering in the internal matters of any country and firmly believes a stable and peaceful Pakistan is in the interest of the region. Kul Bhushan Yadav, who was described by the Pakistanis as a commander-rank officer of the Indian Navy who was working for RAW, was reportedly arrested on Thursday in the Chaman area of Balochistan. He has been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, Pakistani officials said. Pakistan has lodged strong protest with India over the involvement of its spy agency RAW in subversive activities in the country, said an official in Islamabad. In this regard, Indian high commissioner Gautam Bambawale was summoned to the Foreign Office and deep concerns conveyed to him over RAWs interference in Balochistan and Karachi, the official added. This episode is likely to cause a further strain in India-Pakistan relations. The January terrorist strike on the Pathankot IAF base had given New Delhi an opportunity to raise concerns over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, but the Balochistan arrest will be used by Islamabad to accuse RAW of involvement in various acts of terror and other subversive activities in that province. MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup said the matter was raised on Friday by Pakistans foreign secretary with the Indian high commissioner. The said individual has no link with the government since his premature retirement from the Indian Navy. We have sought consular access to him. Some reports in Islamabad claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may raise the issue with Indian PM Narendra Modi when they meet in Washington next week on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit being hosted by US President Barack Obama. The issue may even figure in the foreign secretary-level talks that are expected to be resumed after the Pakistan Joint Investigation Team visits India to gather evidence on the Pathankot terror siege after New Delhi sought action against perpetrators of the terror strike hiding in Pakistan. Hyderabad: Do you want to give us justice or not, Radhika Vemula, mother of research scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide, asked of the Centre and the state government on Friday. Why is it that vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile is being allowed to continue despite a police case and judicial inquiry against him? Are we not being served justice because we are Dalits, Radhika Vemula asked while speaking to the media. Rohiths brother Raja Vemula asked, Why has no action been taken against people including Prof. Appa Rao against whom a SC / ST atrocity case was booked? On the other hand, students who have been peacefully protesting for months are being targeted, arrested and thrown into jail. The VC should have been arrested within 24 hours of booking the case as per law. The police should immediately arrest the VC. He also questioned the delay in hearing the bail petitions of UoH students and faculty members who had been arrested after Wednesdays violence. The hearings are scheduled for Monday. Mr Raja Vemula said, If Prof. Appa Rao did not commit any wrong, why did he try to meet me and my mother like a thief at night in our house without talking to us directly? When we tried to enter the university we were not allowed to do so. But so many policemen are allowed to stay inside the campus. He said that Union minister Smriti Irani had called my brother a son. Why is she silent when so many of her sons at the University of Hyderabad are arrested? If I question the Centre, may be they will call me anti-national. He demanded that the arrested students and teachers be released unconditionally. Alumni against VCs return A group of 274 alumni of University of Hyderabad came out with an open letter against the return of Prof Appa Rao Podile as Vice Chancellor of the university, saying it led to police brutality on the UoH campus. They said in their letter that in the light of the issue surrounding Rohith Vemulas suicide in UoH, citizens should keep asking unpleasant questions that Rohiths suicide has raised, questions about persistence of caste in educational institutions and the present governments apathy and refusal to hold the university administration accountable. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: India plans to provide the probe team from Pakistan access to all witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case but not security personnel from National Security Guard or the BSF. On the eve of the arrival of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team visit, official sources said India will also press for visit of its probe team to that country for carrying out investigations there. The sources said the five-member delegation led by Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai will not be provided complete access to the Pathankot air force base but to limited areas where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were engaged in an 80-hour gunbattle with security forces. The Pakistani team which also comprises Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer will be brought to the airbase in a special plane on March 29. The airbase will be visually barricaded by NIA to prevent any view of its critical areas. The team will be briefed thoroughly on March 28 at the NIA headquarters here which will include a 90-minute presentation on the investigations carried in the case so far, the sources said. This will be the first time that Pakistani intelligence and police officials are travelling to India to investigate a terror attack. Witnesses, excepting personnel of NSG, BSF and Garud commandos of IAF, have been lined up for the Pakistan probe team. The witnesses include Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal and 17 injured people. An armored vehicle moves near the Indian Air Force base that was attacked by militants in Pathankot. (Source: PTI) New Delhi: Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the terrorist attack on Pathankot Air Force Base will arrive in the national capital on Sunday. The team, which was granted visas on Friday, would visit the NIA headquarters on March 28 and Pathankot on March 29. Read: Pathankot attack: Ahead of Pak SIT's visit, NIA releases photos of terrorists According to sources, the JIT comprises of Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) AIG Rai Tahir as convener, Intelligence Bureau Lahore Deputy Director General Azim Arshad, Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed of the ISI, Lt Col Irfan Mirza of MI and Gujranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer. However, reports state that the team's movement would be restricted only to the area of the engagement between security forces and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that Pakistan's joint investigation team would arrive in India on March 27 and start functioning from the very next day. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said that the modalities for conducting the Pathankot attack probe would be worked out once Pakistan's joint investigation team arrives in the country. "Pakistan JIT team is coming on March 27 to probe the Pathankot terror attack. The modalities will be worked out once they arrive," Singh had told the media. On 2 January, terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, part of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force. Four terrorists were killed and two security personnel were martyred in the gun battle. Hyderabad: PhD student Uday Bhanu, who was hospitalised for two days after being allegedly thrashed by the police for cooking food on UoH campus on Wednesday, said that the Cyberabad police beat him semi-conscious and a policeman threatened to kill him. Police officials refuted the allegations. Madhapur DCP Karthikeya said that students mistook UoH security personnel in khaki to be police officials. UoH student leaders said they would move the SHRC. They were wearing TS police uniforms. SI Lal Madar was in civils and he was brutal. He hit me on my left ear, which started bleeding. Others put me down and thrashed me while crushing my fingers with their boots. One of the cops told me, We will kill you, said Mr Bhanu. Gachibowli SI J. Ramesh said that police did not beat the student. This person went to hospital for fun, he said. Students, who witnessed the incident, said that Bhanu fell down and was unable to walk. Bhanu said he was targeted for three reasons. The police had noticed me when I brought Rohith Vemulas mother to the protests. They took note of me when I accompanied Rohiths body for autopsy. I was also part of the bus yatra for Rohith, he said. Students were chased for protesting: Staff On Tuesday, the police did not just throw out students from the VCs lodge at the UoH, they also chased them as if they were criminals, according to teachers at the scene. That day after students protested at the premises of the VCs lodge for more than five hours, a senior police official announced in the evening that the students need to move out because it was a private space. When the students did not move the police threw them out using force. The police then chased the students in the public space inside the university for nearly 500 metres from the VCs lodge. When the students protested, the police did not hesitate to threaten them with arrest and sending them to jail. Some of the students were picked up and thrashed in the vans in which they were taken away. One such teacher is assistant professor P. Anupama of the computer science department. She said, Why is it that the police chased students outside the VCs lodge? Some students were pulled, thrashed and lathi-charged near the humanities department courtyard. When teachers tried to intervene and tell the police not to treat them so, they did not listen and even threatened the teachers. Ms Anupama said that on March 23 when JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was supposed to speak he was subsequently denied entry police vans and personnel were placed near the north shopping complex. There is tremendous intimidation by cops inside the campus. Some students said that it is like Jallianwalah Bagh, she said. Fitted with trademark Kamov coaxial rotors, the manoeuvrable, compact Ka-226T is designed to perform transport and special missions in any weather. (Photo: indiandefence.com) Panaji: Rostec State Corporation's Russian Helicopters will be part of the four-day DefExpo to be held in Goa from March 28, where its Mi-38 and Ka-226Ts models will be on display. "We intend to strengthen our market position in South Asia, increasing sales of serial production and offering comprehensive after-sales service of helicopters. India currently operates more than 400 Russian-made helicopters and plans to expand its fleet," said Alexander Mikheyev, General Director of Russian Helicopters. The product line of the holding Russian Helicopters on DefExpo India 2016 will present multipurpose helicopters, medium transport Mi-38 and the light utility Ka-226T, he added. "Fitted with trademark Kamov coaxial rotors, the manoeuvrable, compact Ka-226T is designed to perform transport and special missions in any weather, at any time of the day," Mikheyev said. Due to the absence of a tail rotor, the helicopter is safe for use on small pads and in complex terrain. Ka-226T can be used as health, police, search and rescue, passenger and transport helicopter, he added. Russia and India have already begun the implementation of the helicopter project cooperation agreement signed in December 2015, which provides for the joint production of at least 200 units of the Ka-226T. He said Ka-226T will be showcased in a medical version to the visitors at the DefExpo. In this version, the chopper is equipped with a stretcher to transport the injured, oxygen cylinders and the necessary medical equipment for providing first aid to the victims. For medical personnel, there are folding seats in the cabin of Ka-226T. New Delhi: The security agencies have increased their vigil at major airports across India following the heightened alert issued by the intelligence agencies after the Brussels attacks. As part of additional security measures, passengers are being made to take off footwear and belts and go through extra frisking. More commandos have also been deployed. Airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad have been selected for these measures, where CISF and state police personnel have increased vigil and passengers are being screened minutely. The security agencies have reintroduced risk-based Secondary Ladder Point Checks, which entails frisking people before they board the aircraft. Fliers are being asked to take off their footwear and belts to undertake a clean search, a second layer of profiling-based body search and frisking is being done just before passengers board an aircraft. The security teams along the peripheries have been told to be extra cautious as people can enter the terminal area unchecked, sources said. The frisking of passengers on the air side just before they enter the aircraft has been started for people who appear suspicious, thus not all passengers have to undergo it. More intensified checks are also being made of both hand baggage and booked cargo of fliers in the wake of the Brussels attack. Quick Reaction Teams of CISF commandos and the local police have been positioned at vantage locations around all major airports to enhance vigil along their peripheries. Special anti-sabotage teams and bomb detection and disposal teams and sniffer dogs have been asked to be on standby at these airports. Plainclothes security personnel have also been deployed in larger numbers to keep tab on suspicious movements at these facilities, sources said. Keeping in mind the security hold pattern at airports, where passengers enter the terminal area unchecked and are frisked later in a designated area, surveillance and patrol teams along the peripheries have been asked to be extra cautious, mainly keeping in mind the heightened security alert after the Brussels attack and in view of the vulnerability of these facilities, the sources said. India does not follow the concourse security plan for civil aviation operations that entails frisking of fliers and their luggage before they enter the airport. The security paraphernalia at places where there is a large public interface is definitely more proactive than earlier keeping in mind that there are no added hassles in their movement and the security of travellers, the sources said. The mortal remains of the soldiers are being evacuated from the area of the avalanche, after which, a wreath laying ceremony will be conducted to honour the martyrs. (Photo: Representational Image) Srinagar: Rescue teams, on Saturday, recovered the body of the missing Army jawan who was buried under snow following Fridays avalanche in Turtuk area close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Ladakh. The victim has been identified as Rifleman Sunil Rai. At 8 am on Friday, a military foot patrol was hit by an avalanche in Turtuk area, sweeping away two Army jawans. Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang who was rescued from beneath several feet deep snow immediately after the incident died of critical injuries he had sustained in the incident at a medical facility in the area later during the day. Rai who went missing has also been found dead. A 24-hour-long search led to discovery of his frozen lifeless body lying under several feet deep snow on Saturday morning, defence spokesman Colonel S.D.Goswami said. Turtuk in Nubra Valley at a height of 10,000 feet above sea level is pretty close to the LoC and was part of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir prior to 1971 war. Turtuk is one of the gateways to the Siachen Glacier. Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, Northern Command chief, has expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victim. He added, The Indian Army fraternity stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in their hour of grief". Col. Goswami said that mortal remains of the soldiers are being evacuated from the area of the avalanche, after which, a wreath laying ceremony will be held to honour the martyrs. Thereafter, they will be transported by air to their native places where they will be accorded funerals with full military honours, he said adding that Lance Havaldar Tamang is survived by his wife, a six year old daughter and his parents, whereas Rifleman Rai is survived by his parents and two younger brothers. In a similar incident two Army jawans were swept away when an avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake hit an Army post in Biamah area at an altitude of 17,500 feet above sea level close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil sector. One of them Sujit was immediately rescued and is recovering in a military hospital. But his colleague Sepoy Vijay Kumar K went who went missing in the mishap and his frozen lifeless body was retrieved from under fifteen feet of snow accumulated in the area of avalanche occurrence three days later by the rescuers. The victim was a resident of Vallaramapuram village of Thirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu. 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, Delhi three days later. The government proposes to procure land from owners and develop layouts abutting the Outer Ring Road and hand it over to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The TS government has readied a land pooling scheme (LPS) on the city outskirts along the Warangal and Vijayawada highways to develop growth corridors. The government proposes to procure land from owners and develop layouts abutting the Outer Ring Road and hand it over to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. In return, it will offer 50 per cent developed land to owners under the public-private partnership mode. TS has given in-principle approval for the LPS drafted by the HMDA, which is aimed at fast-tracking real estate growth on the outskirts and decongesting core areas. The final notification would be issued after the state Cabinet gives its approval. The minimum cap has been fixed at 50 acres for land pooling and there is no maximum limit. First phase of LPS in Ghatkesar In the land pooling system, the TS government has readied, if it procures 400 acres, it would utilise 40 per cent to develop roads, water connectivity, drainage system, power, parks, playgrounds, community halls and common facilities. Of the remaining 60 per cent, the HMDA would hold 10 per cent and the remaining space would be offered to owners. HMDA would pay for the development and the government hopes to recover HMDAs investment from its 10 per cent land share. In the first phase, the LPS would be implemented in Ghatkesar along the Warangal highway and Batasingaram along the Vijayawada highway. These areas are within a 1-km radius on either side of the ORR but lack approach roads, a senior official of the municipal administration department said. We plan to lay grid roads by spending Rs 200 crore. That will spur construction activity and enable decongesting the core areas as people would choose these new locations. In the next stage, this model would be extended to other locations along the ORR, he said. The TS governments proposed LPS is different from the AP governments LPS for constructing the Amaravati capital city. The AP government will pay Rs 1 lakh per acre for horticultural land in Amaravati. The farmers have to sign the development agreement with the CRDA to avail the compensation. Owners of irrigated land will receive Rs 50,000 per acre as annuity, and owners of dry land, Rs 30,000. The annuity will be paid for 10 years. Landowners will get developed residential and commercial plots ranging from 900 to 1,700 square yards for every one acre (4,840 square yards) of land surrendered. Hyderabad: TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has accused the TRS government of branding Dalits, ST, BC and minority students as criminals. Mr Reddy, who met the students of University of Hyderabad who have been lodged at the Cherlapally jail here, along with party chief spokesperson D. Sravan and NSUI state president Venkat, flayed the government for mistreating students and faculty members when they protested against the return of P. Appa Rao as the Vice-Chancellor. Instead of sending Appa Rao, an accused in SC/ST Atrocities case, to jail, the state government has targeted innocent students who were protesting peacefully. They were lathicharged and brutally beaten up even in the police vans. This is highly intolerable, he said. Mr Reddy blamed the NDA government at the Centre and the TRS government in TS for the present unrest in the UoH. Is it a crime to protest against the suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula? Is it wrong to demand Rohith Act to prevent caste discrimination in educational institutions? Is it wrong to demand the arrest of Appa Rao who has been booked under a non-bailable offence? he asked. The TPCC chief also criticised the TRS government for opposing the bail plea of UoH students and faculty who have been under arrest since March 21. By opposing the bail petition, the state government has clearly exposed its stand wherein it is treating Dalit students like criminals, he said. Mr Reddy said false cases cannot deter students from democratic struggles. The TRS government should stop implicating innocent students in false cases and immediately arrest Appa Rao. Similarly, the NDA government should stop interfering in educational institutions, he said. Nearly a year after the state government decided to revive the Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG) on Kasturba Road, the proposal to let private money and enterprise bring the art gallery up to world standards is in a whirlwind of controversy, with several prominent artists opposing it. But Tourism minister R.V. Deshpande, who is championing it, is not about to give up. In an informal conversation with Shwetha Satyanarayan, Mr. Deshpande tried to clear the air. As he settled down and we broached the topic, Mr. Deshpande decided to tackle it by painting no pun intended the big picture first. Tourism into this country has not increased in the past several years for a number of reasons, he began. While even smaller countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia boast of a higher contribution of tourism revenues to their national GDP, the sector still contributes only 6.5 percent of our GDP. Every state, even the Government of India wants to promote tourism, he explained, hoping we would begin to see the point. And as if he had anticipated what the next question would be, he continued, Yes, yes, I know, most of the concerns of tourists are around the safety of women, cleanliness, and world-class amenities. But its not as if we dont have a vision to provide all this. Look, when the Centre made it mandatory for corporates to spend two per cent of their profits on CSR activities, we thought we could leverage some of that money to promote tourism. The idea was validated when no less than the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar were adopted by private parties. Do you mean to say that the Centre lacks the vision or the money to maintain Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar or that it does not have the competence, he asked rhetorically. It was on these lines that he had started Adopt a Tourist Destination in Karnataka, and it was under this initiative, upon being requested by the state government, that mine baron and art collector Abhishek Poddar had come into the picture to revive Venkatappa Art Gallery. Now, here came a man with a passion for art and who is known internationally for the work he has done, Mr. Deshpande said, in defence of the decision to hand over the art gallery to Mr. Poddars Tasveer Foundation. When we signed the MoU with Tasveer, we put forth many conditions. We made it clear that the Tourism department does not own any of the properties, which means we cant sell anything or even lease the destinations. So, theres no question of privatization of any of them, let alone the art gallery. The government even decided to set up a committee to ensure that the interests of artists were protected. That should be enough to explain that Mr. Poddar and his foundation do not have the freedom to do whatever they like or claim ownership of the art gallery at the end of the five-year contract, the minister said. And most importantly, Mr Poddar is not going to make a single rupee out of this! All the earnings through exhibitions will go to the art gallery for maintenance and development. Citizens, tourists, art lovers are all stake-holders in the art gallery. When the city gets world-class facilities and institutions, everybody benefits. Let not false propaganda jeopardize that, Mr. Deshpande said, referring to the artists continuing protests on the VAG issue. The government signed the MoU transparently and Tasveer Foundation is not going to gain anything out of it. We must be thankful to Mr Poddar! he said emphatically. But why did his colleague Kannada and Culture minister Umashree seem to be distancing herself from the initiative, even announcing that nothing was afoot at the gallery? The minister corrected herself later. I dont blame her, because the agreement was made on behalf of the ministry, he shot back. Would he be willing to amend the MoU? Show me how I am wrong or convince me that someone is going to personally benefit from this, and I will make changes, he shot back. I called the artists for a meeting, but they refused to even read the MoU. Lets all accept reality and make our galleries world-class. And then came a little bombshell of a whisper, the proverbial cat among the pigeons! You know, artists havent come out in the open to support this cause, but some have called me personally to compliment me on the initiative to revive the gallery, he said, before going on to soften the blow. I urge artists not to make this a prestige issue. We respect all artists and the interests of all stake-holders are protected in this arrangement. Hyderabad: Radhika and Raja Vemula, mother and brother of Rohith Vemula, who have hit the road in protest since his suicide in January face a financial crisis. Raja, a project fellow at the NGRI, has been on leave for two months to deal with legal affairs, NGOs, the media, even as he travels from one place to another and speaking at various forums about Rohith. His contract for the project at NGRI comes to an end in March and he is not sure what his next source of income will be. When Rohith was alive, he used to send a part of his fellowship to his family. The promised financial package and the job offered by two ministers of the TD government in Andhra Pradesh have not materialised. Ms Radhika Vemula has been taking ill ever since Rohiths death, says Raja. On Saturday, Raja was in hospital where his mother was admitted with high BP. After Rohith died, I was hopeful that justice will be done to my brother and the culprits will be punished soon but I am losing hope now. The government is bent upon proving we are not Dalits but it is not bothered to examine the circumstances which led to his death, Raja told this correspondent. Hyderabad: Dargahs in the state, especially some which are under direct control of the Wakf Board, are ringing with cash. Spurt in the number of people, of all faiths, turning up to pray for the saints and seeking blessings, has resulted in the income of some of these dargahs shooting up from a couple of lakhs to about Rs 2 crore, in the past two decades. For Hyderabadis and others, Dargah Jahangir Peeran, about 40-km from the city, is among the most popular where people of all faiths, politicos, rich and commoners visit. From an annual income of Rs 30.45 lakh in 1996-1997, the dargah fetched Rs 1.6 crore in 2015-2016. But for local politics, the dargah income could have gone up to Rs 2 crore, say Wakf officials. Income of five dargahs in the state which are under direct control of the Wakf Board has steadily increased over the years. Some have touched Rs 2 crore. Next auction will be held shortly for the financial year 2016-2017. We expect a 20 per cent increase from the present income, said Mohd. Asadullah, CEO, Telangana State Wakf Board. The Wakf Board auctions the rights to the ghalla every year and the highest bidder gets to keep the contents of the donation box. Dargahs hold immense importance for followers of Sufi saints, irrespective of caste and creed. The followers of the saint believe that offering prayers to the Almighty while being physically close to the patron saint of the dargah improves the chances of the prayers being answered. Besides, the visitors also pray for the patron saint himself, and for others buried in the precincts of the dargah. Many believe that their Mannat (wishes) are fulfilled with the intercession of the patron saint and when they are, they make offerings. Among the famed dargah is the one of Hazrat Syed Saadullah Hussaini, popularly known as Badapahad dargah or Peddagutta in Nizamabad. The income of this dargah grew from Rs 24.75 lakh in 1996-1997 to Rs 2 crore. The dargah is located atop a hillock in Paidimal village of Varni mandal. Similarly, the income of Dargah Hazrat Yakoob Shaheed, Annaram Shareef, Warangal district, shot up from Rs 19.60 lakh to Rs 2 crore and of Dargah Hazrath Jaan Pak Shaheed, Nalgonda district from Rs 18 lakh to Rs 80 lakh. In Hyderabad city, Dargah Hazrat Baba Sharfuddin or Pahadi Shareef in Ranga Reddy is very popular. From Rs 2.82 lakh in 1996-97, this dargahs income rose to Rs 80 lakh and is expected to touch Rs 1 crore next year. The money collected is used for maintenance of the dargah including power, water, sanitation, staff salaries etc. Deputy Chief Minister Mohd. Mahmood Ali told DC that the TS government will protect all Wakf institutions, including dargahs in the state and improve amenities. Bengaluru: In 2012, the police, investigating the PU question paper leak case, arrested a treasury officer in Tarikere. They found the question paper was leaked from Malur, Kolar. Year 2016. The PU Chemistry paper. Also, leaked in Malur. Sources privy to the working style of the PU Board told Deccan Chronicle that the similarities between 2012 and the leak this year were striking, which meant that those who were behind the 2012 scam might be the same people who are involved in this year's leak too. Did they set the question papers or the PU board officials? Or both? Unlike the UPSC, the PU Board does not have a foolproof system to keep the question papers secure and away from the hands of dubious officials. It begins with the setting of question papers. The established code prescribes that the lecturers should not bring any material from outside on the day of setting question papers. This is rarely followed, with lecturers not body checked when they leave the premises. The code is stringent on paper but is never implemented. While leaving the premises, the check is casual, even cursory and anyone can leave with the answer papers tucked away on their person. They are never stopped, and if they are carrying the papers, no-one can do a thing," said an insider. From there, copying it on to CDs and sending it out on mail is easy. Was honest IAS officer the target? The question of why only the last paper was leaked has been the subject of much speculation. Sources said this was to put newly appointed director and upright officer Pallavi Akurati on the spot after she reportedly kept some officials away from examination work, effectively depriving them of the opportunity to make money off the scam. Pallavi Akurati The leak was revenge. And this is why, only the last question paper, the Chemistry test was 'intentionally' leaked. The conspirators were banking on her reputation being tarnished and action being taken against her. Instead, the government ordered a CID probe which might investigate the scam this year and preceding years, sources explained. Chennai: As senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad completed the first round of seat sharing talks with DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, the two parties have to sort out many problems including identification of seats in South Tamil Nadu, besides the number of seats. Azad who met Karunanidhi at the latter's Gopalapuram residence here said the talks were cordial and it will take a few more days to work out a deal. The major issue is the big gap in the number of seats demanded by Congress and the seats offered by DMK. The Congress obtained 63 seats in the 2011 Assembly elections and the DMK is said to have offered less than half of the allocation in the previous Assembly polls. The Congress is demanding above 50 seats as it is the only major ally of DMK and there is a large number of seats to be shared after DMDK leader Vijayakanth has joined the PWA alliance. On the other hand, the DMK which contested less than 135 seats in the previous two Assembly polls, wants to field candidates in a majority of seats. Besides, it also wants to take on AIADMK in as many as seats as possible, since a weaker party could be easily blown away by the ruling party. The Congress won only five out of the 63 seats last time and its polling percentage in 2014 Parliamentary elections was just above four per cent. Besides, identification of constituencies also poses problems since Congress is relatively strong in southern districts. The party crossed the five per cent vote share in 55 Assembly segments in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Out of this, 34 segments lie in southern districts, where DMK too wants more seats. Besides, the party has done well in 11 segments in the delta districts, but the present strength is unknown as the Tamil Maanila Congress leader G.K. Vasan, who has formed his own party, has good support in the area. The party has over five per cent votes only in seven constituencies of western Tamil Nadu as per 2014 Lok Sabha poll results when it contested alone. Besides, the Congress had polled above five per cent only in three Assembly segments in the north-Tiruttani, Sholingur and Ranipet. But, the party is seeking some of the seats like Sriperumbudur where it has not performed well. Such seats where the Congress is asking even without a good support base will be another problem during negotiations. Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao Saturday said that he would take up the Hyderabad Central University issue, including the demand to recall its Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister's comments came during a debate in the Legislative Assembly. MIM MLAs and some other parties demanded that Appa Rao be recalled, as sought by the students agitating against Rohith Vemula's suicide. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the Assembly should pass a resolution seeking the VC's recall. The Chief Minister also assured that he would take action after an investigation if the police were found to have committed any excesses while dealing with the students who protested resumption of duty by the VC. Several students have been arrested for vandalising the VC's residence. Pointing out that HCU does not come under the state government's jurisdiction, the Chief Minister said a resolution (by Assembly) for recall of Appa Rao may not be appropriate. Rao, who expressed anguish over the death of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at HCU, said Vemula hailed from Andhra Pradesh and details of the matter will have to come from there. During the debate, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said it had been established that Vemula was not a Dalit, but belonged to the Vaddera community. Referring to his comments, Congress MLA Sampath Kumar asked whether any action was taken against the officials who gave the Scheduled Caste certificate to Rohith Vemula if he was not a Dalit. On an alleged attack on the Congress MLA at Osmania University here in the aftermath of a dead body being found, the Chief minister said Kumar had not made any complaint. There were sharp exchanges between Congress, TRS, MIM and BJP MLAs. Congress's M Bhatti Vikramarka said the CM should have visited the HCU campus. Alleging that the NDA government tried to suppress the downtrodden sections, Kumar also attacked the TRS government for not taking action though law and order was under its ambit. In an apparent reference to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, BJP's NVSS Prabhakar alleged that leaders from Delhi came here and tried to create a tense atmosphere. Owaisi alleged that police treated the girl students badly, and asked why those who keep talking about 'Bharat Mata' were silent on this. To this, BJP floor leader K Laxman referred to MIM's stand on Yakub Memon execution issue. Earlier, the House saw repeated adjournments with the opposition Congress insisting on debate on the HCU issue. New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat rubbished the allegations of horse trading levelled against him by rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat on Saturday; he also said that efforts are being made to tarnish the image of state government. In an attempt to clear the air over the CD which was used by rebel Congress MLAs to allegedly tarnish the state governments image, Rawat said, I want to say it blatantly that the CD presented is completely false and fake. Through this CD, efforts are being made to tarnish the image of the state by the rebel leaders. Earlier, rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat had made serious allegations against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Singh released a CD which unveiled the chief minister's alleged involvement in 'Horse trading'. Further, He said that the nine legislators, who have joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are being lured by the present state government. Read: Uttarakhand sting operation: BJP demands dismissal of Congress govt Harak Singh, through a sting, has also claimed that Rawat threatened the MLAs. "There is an attempt being made to purchase the BJP MLAs, including the nine rebel Congress MLAs," Singh said. "We have asked the ruling dispensation at the Centre to make arrangements for us," he added. "The sting CD being shown on the news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence here, soon after the sting CD was released before the media in Delhi. Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. The nine rebel MLAs had earlier on Friday filed a petition in the High Court challenging the show cause notice issued to them by the speaker. The speaker had on last Sunday served a notice to the nine rebels, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat, questioning their move to join BJP legislators on March 18. The Uttarakhand battle reached the corridors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday with the BJP demanding President Pranab Mukherjee to dismiss the Harish Rawat- led government while the Congress accused the ruling dispensation at the Centre of attempting to destabilise the grand old party. Bahuguna and the other eight rebel MLAs have also been issued notices by the speaker under the anti-defection law. The Congress has also intimated its MLAs that any indiscipline will not be tolerated at any cost and strict action will be taken against the violators. Rawat had earlier this week accused the NDA Government of attempting to destabilise his government while rejecting the BJP's allegations of corruption in his state. Hyderabad: The recent violent incidents in the University of Hyderabad and Osmania University rocked the TS Legislative Assembly on Saturday. The Assembly was adjourned thrice after Opposition Congress and MIM stormed into the Speakers podium demanding a special debate on the issue, forcing the ruling TRS to agree. The issue led to heated exchanges between Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and MIM Floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi at one stage and also resulted in arguments between Congress, BJP and MIM members. Mr Owaisis mike was cut off when he was raising this issue in the House as Mr Chandrasekhar Rao intervened and said that there was no need to have a special debate since the members can express their views during the debate on Demands for Grants on Home Department, scheduled for Saturday. This angered Mr Owaisi who strongly argued with the Speaker and the Chief Minister over how his mike could be cut when he was speaking. Mr Owaisi said asking parties to take up debate on UoH as part of the Demands for Grants debate was nothing but an insult to the Dalit community. He accused the Chief Minister and the TRS government of becoming a tool in the hands of BJP-led NDA government due to which the issue was being ignored in the House. Home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said UoH incidents have nothing to do with Dalit issue since Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit and his caste certificate showed he was from Vaddera caste. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao countered, Mr Owaisi, As the leader of the House, I have the right to intervene. We didnt want to cut off your mike but I wanted to know your point. Whatever you are saying is not correct. Mr Owaisi said, The state government cannot escape from its responsibility by saying that the central university is not under its jurisdiction. When law and order problems crop up, there are provisions for the government to intervene and control the situation. Congress members, who wore black stoles to protest the attack on their MLA S.A. Sampath Kumar on the OU campus recently, also sought a debate on UoH and OU incidents. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao also took a dig at Mr Kumar, saying that he did not even lodge a police complaint so far over the attack on him but was blaming the government for not taking any action against the attackers. BJP MLA N.V.S.S. Prabhakar said, Congress and MIM are trying to use UoH incidents for political gains. When hundreds of students committed suicide for Telangana statehood, Rahul Gandhi never bothered to visit and console them. But when Rohith Vemula committed suicide, clearly stating in his suicide note that no one was responsible for his death, he visited UoH twice. Similarly, MIM supported students who took part in rallies organised in support of terrorist Yakub Memon. It is well-known that finance minister Arun Jaitley enjoys a special rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This bond did not stop Mr Modi from taking a dig at Mr Jaitley in public. At last weeks meeting of the BJPs national executive, when Mr Modi was delivering his valedictory speech, Mr Jaitley was busy with his phone. This obviously did not go unnoticed by Mr Modi. In his closing remarks, Mr Modi urged party leaders to use new tools of communication, especially social media, to disseminate information about the governments policies and programmes to the people. Referring specially to the finance minister, Mr Modi recalled Mr Jaitleys initial hesitation to use social media, but how he had now become its avid user. Mr Modi went on to add that he had noticed how Mr Jaitley was engrossed with his phone during his speech. Ever since he was roped in to assist the Congress in crafting its poll strategy for next years UP and Punjab Assembly elections, political strategist Prashant Kishor has got down to business. He is in the process of fleshing out the campaign after his discussions with leaders from the two states. Known for catchy and imaginative slogans, Mr Kishor is said to have come up with a few for Punjab. Since the campaign will focus on the projection of Punjab Con-gress chief Amarinder Singh as the partys chief ministerial candidate, one of the slogans which is under consideration is to pitch him as Punjab da captain. Mr Singh was in the Army and held the Captains rank when he left service. He is often referred to as Captain in informal conversations. The purpose is to position him as the natural leader of the state. Mr Kishor was credited with scripting similar creative slogans when he handled Mr Narendra Modis high-voltage 2014 Lok Sabha campaign and Mr Nitish Kumars poll strategy in last years Bihar Assembly elections. Mr Kishors one-liner Ab ki baar Modi sarkar proved to be an instant hit. His slogan Bihar mein bahar ho, Nitish Kumar ho also captured the peoples imagination. Will Punjab da captain work the same magic for Capt. Singh? When the ministry of finance invited the governor of Bangladeshs Central Bank, Atiur Rahman, to attend the IMF meeting on Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future between March 11-13, in Delhi, it was probably unaware that he was in deep trouble back home. Mr Rahman was in the eye of a storm after hackers siphoned off more than $80 million belonging to the Bangladesh Bank which was kept with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Not only did Mr Rahman sit on this information for over a month, he also ignored demands for his resignation when details of the cyber heist became public. To make matters worse, he decided to travel to New Delhi for the conference at the height of this controversy without informing Bangladesh finance minister A.M.A. Muhith. An unruffled Mr Rahman participated in several sessions and was spotted networking with participants while a furious Bangladeshi finance minister waited impatiently for his return. The Delhi visit did not prove to be much of a reprieve as Mr Rahman was asked to put in his papers shortly after he landed in Dhaka. The Congress visceral dislike for the BJPs ideological mentor, the RSS, is no secret. Its leaders, especially party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, do not lose any opportunity to hit out at the RSS and its agenda. It was, therefore, a surprise when Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh actually had something positive to say about the RSS. Speaking on the subject of the Narendra Modi governments policy to ignore environmental issues at a function last week, Mr Ramesh disclosed that unlike BJP leaders, the RSS was far more conscious about environment protection. The RSS, he said, was not in favour of Bt cotton and was also against big dams. The Congress leader revealed that several RSS members had even approached him to raise these issues with the government because their views were not being heard by their ministers. Mr Ramesh cited the example of minister of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation Uma Bharati who was on the same page with him on the issue of construction of big dams when she was in the Opposition and he was a minister, but then promptly changed her stand after the BJP came to power. The arrest in Pakistans troubled Balochistan province of a former Indian naval officer, accused of being an Indian spy and fomenting the separatist rebellion there, cannot have come at a more inopportune moment in India-Pakistan ties. There can only be one reason for inveigling Kulbhushan Yadav, who exited the Indian Navy 13 years ago, into a trap laid by Pakistans counter-intelligence unit, the Inter Services Intelligence and parading the Iran-based businessman as a Research and Analysis Wing agent. A special investigation team from Pakistan arrives on Sunday to probe the Pathankot attack. Yadavs arrest is also designed to wreck the rapprochement between India-leaning Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian PM Narendra Modi and derail India-Iran ties. Yadavs arrest was announced on the day that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was making his first visit to Pakistan. As UN trade sanctions on Iran are lifted, Indias push to open trade routes through Irans Chabahar port and Afghanistan into energy and resource-rich Central Asia to counterbalance a Beijing-backed Pakistan initiative to link Gwadar, on Pakistans coast, for a parallel and rival trade route, could come a cropper. Mr Sharif has miscalculated that freeing his former tormentor, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, would get the Pakistan Army off his back, that a Pakistan Army Chief who is half way out the door would not throw a spanner in the India-Pak works. Given the intense enmity between the two armies, Gen. Raheel Sharif, who retires in November, or any general who succeeds him, is unlikely to back the Pakistani PM on his pro-India track. The Pakistan Armys concern is that Mr Sharif and Mr Modi, to meet on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Washington on May 31, could strike a deal that would be inimical to their interests, even as Mr Modi heads for Saudi Arabia, which has distanced itself from its long-standing ally over the Pakistan Armys foot-dragging on backing the Saudi-led offensive against Shia elements in Yemen. Balochistan is the Punjabi-dominated Pakistan Armys biggest embarrassment. The restive province, which has no strategic provenance for the US, has seen Washington turn a blind eye to the 2006 assassination of Baloch leader Sardar Akbar Bugti, and scores of Balochis who stood up to the systematic exploitation of their home state. India doesnt need a Yadav to stir the Balochistan pot. Pakistans mishandling of the separatists has led to this rebellion in its own backyard. Balochistan is not Indias quid pro quo for the ISIs destabilisation of India. Grasping at an R&AW straw to cover up for its own malfeasance will only prove counter-productive. At a thousand words a minute, the hacker can take over the computer or gain access to a network within seconds (Photo: Pixabay) San Francisco: Marc Newlin and Balint Seeber are checking how far apart they can be while still being able to hack into each other's computers. It turns out its pretty far - 180 meters - the length of a city block in San Francisco. The pair work for Bastille, a startup cyber security company that has uncovered a flaw they say leaves millions of networks and billions of computers vulnerable to attack. Wireless mice from companies like HP, Lenovo, Amazon and Dell use unencrypted signals to communicate with computers. "They haven't encrypted the mouse traffic, that makes it possible for the attacker to send unencrypted traffic to the dongle pretending to be a keyboard and have it result as keystrokes on your computer. This would be the same as if the attacker was sitting at your computer typing on the computer," said Newlin, a security researcher at Bastille. A hacker uses an antenna, a wireless chip called a dongle, both available for the less $20 (USD), and a simple line of code to trick the wireless chip connected to the target computer into accepting it as a mouse. "So the attacker can send data to the dongle, pretend it's a mouse but say 'actually I am a keyboard and please type these letters'," added Newlin. "If we sent unencrypted keyboard strokes as if we were a mouse it started typing on the computer, typing at a 1000 words per minute," said Chris Rouland, the CTO and Founder of Bastille. At a thousand words a minute, the hacker can take over the computer or gain access to a network within seconds. Rouland says that while companies are very good at encrypting and securing their networks and websites, they do not compensate for all cyber traffic across the entire radio spectrum. He says it's time to re-think cyber security, especially in the world where smart phones are capable of transmitting massive amounts of data per second. "No one was looking at the air space. So I wanted to build this cyber x-ray vision to be able to see what was inside a corporation's air space versus what was just plugged into the wired network or what was on a Wifi hotspot," said Rouland. Bastille is hoping to cash in on its security flaw findings and offer new types of sensors that take into account more of the threats present in a wireless world. In the meantime, Bastille is keeping tabs on the wireless mouse problem. They say some companies are starting to offer firmware updates to correct the security issues. Bluetooth devices are not vulnerable to this type of attack. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the two Belgian brothers identified as the suicide bombers who struck Brussels. (Photo: AFP) Washington: Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the suicide bombers who struck the Brussels airport, was on a US counterterrorism watch list even before the November Paris attacks, CNN reported on Friday, citing a US official. His younger brother Khalid, who blew himself up at Brussels' Maalbeek metro station, was added to the list "soon after the Paris attacks," CNN said, without specifying which US counter-terrorism list. Tuesday's suicide attacks at Brussels airport and the metro station left 31 people dead and 300 wounded, and were claimed by the Islamic State group. Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who exploded himself along with one other individual at the airport, was deported by Turkey to the Netherlands in July, after being arrested in June by Turkish authorities near the Syria border. Prior to the deadly attacks, the Belgian brothers had long rap sheets with criminal convictions related to carjackings, robberies and shoot-outs with police. US television network NBC reported Thursday that the brothers were known to US authorities and listed in American terrorism databases, but did not specify which lists or when they were put on them. Khalid El Bakraoui was wanted on an international arrest warrant for terrorism in December and had rented an apartment used by the Paris attacks cell. A long list of blunders by Belgian intelligence is putting pressure on the government and raising urgent questions across Europe about whether the attacks could have been prevented. The National Enquirer, a tabloid known for its gossip and unflattering celebrity photos, published blurred images of five women with whom it said Cruz has had affairs. (Photo: AP) Washington: Republican Ted Cruz said on Friday an article in the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper accusing him of extramarital affairs was "garbage, complete and utter lies" and accused his opponent Donald Trump of being the source of the story. "It's tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen," Cruz told reporters at a press conference in Wisconsin, as the battle for the Republican presidential nomination reached new levels of personal rancor. A spokeswoman for Trump, the front-runner in the race for the nomination, rejected Cruz's accusation his campaign was behind the article. "There is zero truth to that," said Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks, in response to Cruz's charge. The National Enquirer could not immediately be reached for comment. Cruz said the story was evidence that Trump is unfit to be president. "This man would be an embarrassment," Cruz said. The National Enquirer, a tabloid known for its gossip and unflattering celebrity photos, published blurred images of five women with whom it said Cruz has had affairs. The newspaper did not name the women. Cruz is married to Heidi Cruz, who was campaigning with him on Friday. The article exploded on the social media site Twitter overnight on Thursday. Trump and Cruz have sparred in recent days about their respective wives. Earlier this week Trump accused Cruz of posting a nude photo of Trump's wife, Melania, on Twitter. Trump responded by threatening to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife. Brussels police failed to find the Schaerbeek flat in time, but were there shortly after the attacks, aided by the taxi driver who unwittingly took the three men to the airport. (Photo: AFP) Brussels: An empty apartment block on a quiet street turned out to be the perfect place for the three suspected Brussels attackers to prepare the home-made nail bombs used in Tuesday's airport and metro attacks that killed at least 31 people. In a building undergoing renovation, there were no near neighbours to notice them taking in large quantities of strong-smelling household chemicals, as well as a suitcase of nails, to concoct an unstable white explosive powder known as TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, that they later used in their attacks. "Even if someone had stopped them, they could have said the materials were for renovation," said Hassan Abid, an official at the local town hall, who was trying to determine why authorities had no knowledge of the men living illegally on the fifth floor. Belgian investigators do not answer questions on the case. Having moved in two months ago, the Belgian brothers Khalid and Brahim El Bakraoui used the apartment in the largely middle class borough of Schaerbeek as a laboratory-cum-hideout, from where Brahim and two other men took a taxi on Tuesday morning to the airport to commit their attacks. Their choice of low-cost explosives -- among ingredients are drain cleaner and nail varnish remover -- apparent knowledge of chemistry and ability to set up in an apartment 15 minutes drive from the airport should offer clues about ISIS bombmaking methods to investigators struggling to understand how the Syria-based group built a violent network of radicalised young Belgians. The ready availability of ingredients, compared to military explosives favoured by older terrorist groups like the IRA in Northern Ireland or Basque separatists ETA in Spain, highlights the risks across Europe of more big attacks. However, the need for premises to manufacture quantities of TATP over several weeks and the final mixture's "use by" date of just a few days make the bombmakers vulnerable to the intensive search efforts of detectives on their trail. French and Belgian police have successfully found and neutralised bomb "factories", most recently in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil on Thursday. Terrorists have used fake identities and premises listed with municipal authorities as unoccupied to evade residency checks. Brussels police failed to find the Schaerbeek flat in time, but were there shortly after the attacks, aided by the taxi driver who unwittingly took the three men to the airport. Prosecutors uncovered 15 kg (33 lb) of TATP, as well as 180 litres of the chemicals needed to make bombs. Mother of Satan TATP is a highly volatile explosive. Palestinian insurgents who experimented with it in the 1980s nicknamed it "the mother of Satan" because the white crystal powder can be easily detonated by a cigarette, a match or too much heat. It also loses its potency over time as the chemicals decay. Used in the 2005 London bombings and the November 13 Paris attacks, and found in a series of foiled bomb attempts in Europe since 2007, TATP appears to be ISIS's explosive of choice. However, unlike the smuggled firearms also used in the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, TATP offers no easy trail for European intelligence agents to track because purchasing the ingredients is easily done at any local hardware store or pharmacy and rarely attracts attention. Making a TATP bomb, although a more lengthy process than the fertilizer-based explosives used by other European militants, is cheap and simple and recipes and videos by chemistry buffs abound on the Internet. It was discovered by a 19th century German chemist and is very powerful, even in small quantities. All the ingredients - acetone found in cleaning products, hydrogen peroxide found in wood bleach and sulphuric acid used to unblock kitchen pipes - were available at one Brussels hardware store this week for less than 40 euros ($45). Nails and bolts can be added to increase the bomb's impact and afterwards stuffed into bags and taped into suicide belts. It goes undetected by airport scanners, leaving authorities to rely on sniffer dogs. Though the bombs can have a strong smell -- the bombers' taxi driver said he smelled chemicals on the ride to the airport -- there were few such dogs in the Brussels' airport check-in area on Tuesday when the men detonated the explosives hidden in holdalls on baggage trolleys, according to several witnesses, including an airport worker. Chemistry Student Ehud Keinan, an Israeli scientist who has spent 35 years studying TATP, said that as little as 4 kg could produce the kind of devastation seen in Brussels. "It is very easy to make, not like a conventional bomb," said Keinan, the dean of chemistry at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. "You don't need to be part of a large organisation or need training to do this." Still, one of the three Brussels suspects, Najim Laachraoui, a 25-year-old Belgian who blew himself up in the airport attack and is suspected of making suicide vests for Paris, had studied engineering at university and excelled in lab work. ISIS is also making TATP on an industrial scale in Syria and Iraq, according to a report last month by EU-funded Conflict Armament Research. The emergence of Kalashnikov assault rifles as a weapon of choice for Islamic State in Europe in the past two years, notably in Paris, has led to EU efforts to crack down on weapons traffickers. But disrupting TATP supplies is harder. The European Union in 2014 passed new legislation for all the bloc's 28 countries to restrict the marketing and use of chemicals that could be used to make explosives, and in some cases requires identity checks on those purchasing them. Within two weeks of the July 2005 London attacks, the British chemical industry and British hardware stores stepped up their reporting of suspicious or large purchases of chemicals. However, in France, the explosive precursor hydrogen peroxide is sold legally as a way to clean private swimming pool water and no one is considering banning nail varnish remover. "If you go into any pharmacy in Brussels, you can buy 50 ml of acetone. If you go into a hundred pharmacies, you can get that much more," said Peter Newport, the chief executive of Britain's Chemical Business Association, which sits on the European Commission's expert group on regulating precursors. "There are so many valid uses by the public of these substances." At least 30 people had died and over 200 injured in the deadly blasts in the Belgian capital. (Photo: PTI) Brussels: From Belgians to Americans, Britons, Germans and Indians, the suicide bombings in Brussels on Tuesday left casualties from more than 40 countries. At least 31 people were killed and 316 wounded after two bombs exploded at Brussels Airport and one at Maelbeek metro station between the city centre and the European Union headquarters. Prime Minister Charles Michel said there were more than 40 nationalities among the casualties. Nine foreigners have been identified so far, a Belgian foreign ministry spokesman said. "This is a preliminary number, the identification process is still going on and may take some time. We have one Peruvian, two Americans, one Briton, three Dutch, one Chinese and one French," spokesman Didier Vanderhasselt said. Leopold Hecht, a 20-year-old law student at the Saint-Louis University in Brussels, was one of those killed. His Facebook page, headed by the word "Remembering" over a backdrop of Paris, showed snapshots of a young blonde man smiling with his friends or on holidays abroad. Loubna Lafquiri, a 34-year-old mother of three and a gymnastics teacher at an Islamic school in Brussels, was believed to have been at the metro station and among about 20 people killed during Tuesday's morning rush hour. A Dutch brother and sister who lived in New York were also among the dead, their family said on Friday. They said Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski were not on the list of surviving victims given to family members by Belgian authorities. Briton David Dixon, a long-time resident in Brussels, died in the Maelbeek bombing, according to the British Foreign Office. A Chinese national was killed in the attacks, state media said, citing the Chinese embassy in Belgium. Germany on Friday confirmed its first casualty in the Brussels attacks, saying that a German woman had been killed in the bombings at Brussels airport. Police said the woman from Aachen was a dual citizen, declining to name her second citizenship. Raghavendran Ganesan, who has been working in Belgium on an Infosys project with Belgian telecoms provider Proximus and recently become a father, has also been missing since the attacks, according to a posting on Facebook by his brother Chandrasekar. Raghavendran usually took the metro on that route at the time the bomb exploded, he said. Delta Air Lines said its customers were among the fatalities in the deadly blasts at the airport departure hall. A number of the victims have still not been identified. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks during a press conference with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank President Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani, in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: AP) Baghdad: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for talks with senior officials on ways of assisting war-ravaged Iraq, the world body said. Ban, who had last visited the Iraqi capital in March 2015, was traveling with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank head Ahmad al-Madani. They went straight into talks with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Ban flew from Lebanon, where he called for an end to war in the region and visited some of the 1.2 million refugees the country hosts. A drop in oil prices has had a devastating effect on the economy of Iraq, already strained by the cost of the fight against the Islamic State group. As areas are gradually retaken from the jihadists in intense battles, Baghdad is left with little to spare on the reconstruction of ravaged cities. The government has asked for support from its foreign partners. During a visit to Baghdad on March 16, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said lenders would be urged to help. "We will work with our partners from the G7 in order to provide direct support to the Iraqi government, and also to put pressure on the international financial institutions to give bigger and quicker loan support to Iraq," he said. Suu Kyis equivocal attitude towards the violence suffered by Burmas Muslim minority has alarmed by even her most dedicated fans. London: Nobel Peace Prize laureate who remained under house arrest for 15 years in her native Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, lost her control during an interview to BBC when she was interviewed by a Muslim anchor. She lost her composure and was heard to mutter angrily, No one told me I was going to be interviewed by a Muslim, The Daily Mail reported. BBC Today presenter Mishal Husain gave Suu Kyi a rough ride during a BBC interview. Suu Kyis equivocal attitude towards the violence suffered by Burmas Muslim minority has alarmed by even her most dedicated fans. When she was repeatedly asked by Husain to condemn anti-Islamic sentiment and the wave of mobled massacres of Muslims in Myanmar, she declined to do so. I think there are many, many Buddhists who have also left the country for various reasons, she replied. This is a result of our sufferings under a dictatorial regime. As you may recall, the newly inaugurated President Bill Clinton in 1993 proposed a stimulus and deficit reduction package that included higher taxes on wealthier Americans. The $496 billion bill just scraped by Congress, passing without the support of single Republican lawmaker. As the New York Times reported at the time, "Historians believe that no other important legislation, at least since World War II, has been enacted without at least one vote in either house from each major party." Just as they did two decades later when President Obama sought to boost tax rates on America's richest taxpayers, Republicans warned Clinton's plan was "class warfare" and a "job killer" which will "kill the current recovery and put us back in a recession" and still "not give you deficit reduction." in all my 73 years I never heard of islam or the koran like aside from the other trubbles in the past why is it this suddenly poped up with hate for christains.. theres something else and its not religion or terrorist something else woke it up what is it. I think its a thing that is agenst jesus Christ from what I found the past few years they don't believe in jesus. only a god. are they trying to destroy our belief in jesus. and why. ... is it because the teachings of jesus a threat to islam.. after a few thousand years to now... it don't add up, but its something no one knows of yet as to the root of the reason. Pete Moss said: I'm going to respond to you in the exact same manner you initially address me. Grow up, punk ***. Click to expand... I'll tell you what moron, for a period of time I will address your posts w/o profanity and only in the most polite of terms.And your arguments, statements and semi-lucid rantings will STILL be made to look like the ranting and ravings of a RW fool.And what you will eventually do is resort to name calling and insults. And when I bring up that I did not talk to you that way your will try to excuse your dumbfuckery by saying I did it first and if pressed quote a post I wrote PRIOR to this one.You know it and I know it. If there is only one thing Americans need to comprehend about religious Republicans, it is that they absolutely hate the Founding Fathers for creating a Constitution that guarantees equal rights for all Americans. Click to expand... It is true that from the nations founding when Thomas Jefferson created the Declaration of Independence and declared that all men are created equal, it did not really include all human kind, Click to expand... This epidemic of religious Republicans passing theocratic laws in the states reveals that what they hate most about America is that the Founders failed to make the Christian bibles Old Testament the law of the land. Click to expand... The language in the North Carolina law, besides demonstrating the religious Republicans hatred of the Constitution, also shows their hatred of veterans. The bill, now a state law, puts an immediate end to any and all anti-discrimination protections for veterans across the state. Click to expand... There must be a substantial burden, states interest must be compelling, and it must satisfy the least intrusive doctrine. 42 U.S. Code 2000bb1 - Free exercise of religion protected a) In general Government shall not substantially burden a persons exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. There is nothing like a politicsusua and skews copy and paste job to demonstrate their unadulterated stupidity of the Constitution, RFRA laws, and their unabated hate for all things American.Here are just four puss-filled lies from this pustule of an article:The Founding Fathers did not create a Constitution that guarantees equal rights.The all men are created equal clause of the Declaration of Independence was directed at King George, and was a reference to equal in the eyes of God and that no man is born a subject of a King, thus the natural born citizen clause in the Constitution as opposed to natural born subject. It was in the opening paragraph as an appeal to the Laws of God as the standard.It is too bad for the lying anti-America crowd, but the most basic structure of the Constitution is based on Old Testament of the Bible, and several of the articles are based on the Old Testament. The Founders wrote laws that made it a crime to murder based on the Bible, laws that criminalized homosexuality based on the Bible, laws that criminalized abortion, and laws that criminalized blasphemy. Skews and the gay abortion loving crowed, contrary to skews and his copy and paste jobs lies, would all be in jail.The law has no negative effect on veterans and never mentions veterans. The North Carolina Session bill HB 2 does not repeal or affect non-discrimination laws nor does it weaken them.There is no bill in Missouri. It is a joint resolution for an amendment to the Missouri Constitution to be voted on by the people. It is not a RFRA law, but additional language to the Missouri RFRA law.The Missouri RFRA law was enacted in 2004, and has the same guidelines handed down by the Supreme Court in City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997):This language is still in the law and this amendment does not alter this language or intent of the current RFRA. The FBI submitted a classified declaration to a federal court judge late Friday explaining details about the bureau's "pending investigation" into the use of a private email server by Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The declaration addresses why the FBI can't publicly release any records about its probe in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by VICE News. In a separate public declaration, David Hardy, the chief of the FBI's FOIA office, said there are a number of documents exchanged between the FBI and the State Department relating to the FBI's ongoing investigation of Clinton's use of a private email server, which stored all of the official government emails Clinton sent and received during her tenure as Secretary of State. But the FBI, which consulted with attorneys within its Office of General Counsel "who are providing legal support to the pending investigation," cannot divulge any of them without "adversely affecting" the integrity of its investigation. Some of the documents at issue concern "server equipment and related devices obtained from former Secretary Clinton," Hardy said. The documents "consist of memoranda from the FBI to the Department of State regarding evidence. The purpose of these communications with the Department of State was to solicit assistance in furtherance of the FBI's investigation." The FBI has asked the judge to dismiss VICE News' FOIA lawsuit on grounds that the documents it has about Clinton's private email server are located in files pertaining to a pending investigation that is exempt from disclosure because their release would interfere with active law enforcement proceedings. "Materials that were retrieved from any server equipment and related devices obtained from former Secretary Clinton for the investigation, which would be responsive to [VICE News' FOIA request], are potential evidence in the FBI's investigation, or may provide leads to or context for potential evidence," Hardy wrote. "As this is an active and ongoing investigation, the FBI is continuing to assess the evidentiary value of any materials retrieved for the investigation from any such server equipment/related devices. Disclosure of evidence, potential evidence, or information that has not yet been assessed for evidentiary value while the investigation is active and ongoing could reasonably be expected to undermine the pending investigation by prematurely revealing its scope and focus." Hardy noted that the FBI's probe was launched after the bureau received a referral from inspectors general of the State Department and the intelligence community about Clinton's use of a private email server. FBI Director James Comey acknowledged during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last October that the FBI received a "security referral" from the watchdogs. But beyond that, "the FBI has not and cannot publicly acknowledge the specific focus, scope, or potential targets of any such investigation." ... Is there any way for Ted Cruz or John Kasich to wrest the Republican nomination from Donald Trump? With every tick of the clock, it looks less likely. The chances differ for the two candidates. Kasich needs a miracle. Cruz may possibly succeed with a new emphasis. Kasichs claim boils down to this: Hes a Midwestern moderate who may not perform well in deep-red states such as Texas and Utah but will find his natural constituency in the Northeast and West Coast states coming up. His electoral performance and his campaigns incompetence suggest otherwise. If Kasich is the regional/purple-state candidate, why did he come third in Michigan, fifth in Minnesota, fourth in Florida, third in Missouri, fourth in Virginia, third in Illinois and eighth in Iowa? Despite his Ohio win, Kasich has amassed fewer delegates than Rubio even today. Why, if his gambit is to win with moderates, did his campaign fail to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania (the challenge was withdrawn when Rubio dropped out) and even to field a full slate of delegates of Maryland? Kasichs behavior fits more consistently with a plan to be chosen as Trumps running mate than with a real strategy to win. When Rubio urged his supporters to vote for Kasich in Ohio (the better to deny Trump delegates), Kasich pointedly declined to return the favor. When Trump dropped out of the final debate, Kasich withdrew as well. And then there was his inexplicable decision to spend three quarters of a million dollars in Utah a state that awards all of its delegates to the candidate who gets 50 percent plus one despite polls showing Cruz with a commanding lead. (Cruz did win 69 percent.) Kasich could be a consensus candidate if there were any evidence that voters outside of Ohio liked him. As of now, there isnt. His path is a yellow brick road to Oz. Someone still needs to tell him its not a real place. Ted Cruz is also under water in many ways. The coming lull in primaries favors Trump, as the ratings-mad and Democrat-leaning media will continue to keep the reality star front and center, denying Cruz oxygen. Also, the coming primaries are mostly in blue and purple states: New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, California and a few more. There are some exceptions, but most of the voters Ted Cruz must appeal to in the coming six weeks are not just uninspired by him; they are repelled. The country-music, God, guns and no-amnesty shtick that worked moderately well in the South (though not according to plan, as Trump ran away with most of the voters Cruz was angling for) is like kryptonite on the coasts. It is too much to expect that Cruz can win a majority of the delegates at this point. Both math and geography are against him. He would need to win 85 percent of the remaining delegates (Trump needs 55 percent). But if Sen. Cruz can blunt Trumps momentum, especially toward the end, delegates would be freed to consider the convention an open contest. There is one message that Cruz can emphasize from here on out that would not conflict with his established identity but might rally voters not otherwise inclined toward him political decency. At every opportunity, he must stress that Trumps virtually naked appeal to racial hatred (his footsie with the KKK being exhibit A), his encouragement of mob violence, his tolerance for alleged violence against a woman by his campaign manager and his frightening admiration for dictators of all stripes make him utterly unfit to be the standard bearer for the party of Abraham Lincoln. Though Cruz has made his name disparaging the Republican Party, it now falls to him to defend its honor and that of the conservative movement against nativism, vulgarity, ignorance and authoritarianism. He must stress (as he has done in one or two debates) that being faithful to the Constitution doesnt just mean appointing worthy justices to the Supreme Court as crucial as that is. It also means respecting constitutional limits on government power, especially executive power. And he must emphasize that in a world made far more dangerous by the intentional weakening of the United States under Barack Obama, an erratic, ignorant and unstable commander in chief represents an unacceptable danger to the nation and the world. The time for Cruz to be the alternate Trump is over. If there is any chance for him, it will be as the clarion, bold anti-Trump. Independent candidates who are running for parliament without being nominated by their employers must finalise support from their colleagues by April 12 at the latest, said the chairman of Hanoi's Fatherland Front. Before finalizing the list of nominees running in Mays National Assembly elections, Hanoi's Fatherland Front held a meeting on Thursday to advise candidates on how to win confidence votes. The aim of the meeting was to prepare for the next stage of the vetting process that involves meetings with the candidates neighbors and co-workers. At this stage, candidates must have at least 50 percent of their support if they are to be nominated. Hanoi this year has 48 independent candidates, some of whom have thrown their names into the hat without seeking nomination from their employers. They are working for either the government or private organizations. Some are self-employed, meaning these candidates have no colleagues to secure the necessary support required. Vu Hong Khanh, chairman of Hanoi's Fatherland Front. Photo by Doan Loan. Vu Hong Khanh, chairman of Hanois Fatherland Front, said all candidates who were nominated by their employers had submitted their applications before March 13. Self-nominated candidates need to seek approval from their co-workers, but candidates who are self employed dont have to go through this process, Khanh explained. He also advised self-nominees to look into the results of the first round of talks where the provincial and central branches of the Vietnam Fatherland Front created a preliminary list of candidates based on their nominations to find out which groups of constituents they stand for. The candidates must know whom they represent, which is stipulated by law. When candidates run for office on the Peoples Council or National Assembly, this means representing democracies [where elected officials] speak for a certain group of voters, said Khanh. All candidates, either nominated by a specific institution or self nominated, are required to submit reports on the backing they have received from neighbors and co-workers by April 12. All of Vietnams National Assembly delegates are nominated through a vetting process that has five stages. Prior to the nomination of candidates, the outgoing National Assembly Standing Committee sets a structure for the upcoming National Assembly in terms of demographics. In this years election, the structure includes 90 ethnic minorities, 150 women, 50 non-Party members and 50 candidates under 40 years of age. They also divide the nomination process between the central party and government institutions and provincial institutions. This year, central-level institutions are allowed to nominate 198 candidates, while at the provincial level, the number of nominated candidates is 302. Setting the structure is the first stage. The second stage is for organizations to nominate candidates as structurally allotted. At this point, candidates are also allowed to self nominate. At the third stage, the provincial and central branches of the Fatherland Front hold meetings to draw up a preliminary list of candidates based on the nominations. The fourth stage involves meetings with the candidates neighbors and co-workers. At this stage, the candidate must have at least 50 percent support at each meeting. The final list of candidates approved by the local and central Fatherland Front completes the fifth stage. Quang Ninh police shot out the tyre of a pick-up truck on its way to Mong Cai city near the border with China after it refused to stop for an inspection on March 24. Police shot the tyre of the truck Two men abanded the broken-down truck and fled to a nearby hill. One of the men was arrested an hour later. One of the two men on the truck was arrested. Photo by Minh Cuong Police sezied several hundred pangolin scales from the truck, but the exact number has not be released. The case is under further investigation. It is estimated that over the last five months alone, at least seven tons of pangolin scales have been seized in Vietnam, including at least one ton of live pangolines. Pangolins are the most poached and trafficked animals on earth, according to CITES, with an estimated one million animals illegally traded over the past 10 years. Vienam and China are considered key hotspots in the international pangolin trafficking chain. Prime Minister in his last official government meeting on March 26. Phto: VnExpress On March 26, Nguyen Tan Dung chaired the regular Government meeting which is his last official session in the working term as Prime Minister with farewells to perennial staffs and partners. "In the next few days, the Party, Government and National Assembly will end my term of working office as Prime Minister. Totally, I have held this position for nine years plus ten months, PM Dung said. He said he and the 15 members of the cabinet who are not in the new government from April 6 will "take care of the health, be a good citizen, good party member and put effort to be a decent person. Each comrade keeps trying one best to contribute to Party and peoples sake in need. The last government meeting of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 26. Photo: VnExpress I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Government members, heads of Government offices and agencies who contributed dedicatedly in nearly 20 years to support me to fulfill my mission and obligations. I also would like to deliver my acknowledgement to competent experts with significantly active assistances Dung added. PM underlined that the government has executed assigned tasks, overcome many difficulties and challenges with strong solidarity during the past ten years. He indicated that being voted as confidence with the highest rate is the acknowledgement of government efforts. Dung gave congratulations to remaining government members I wish remaining comrades with more upcoming onerous missions such as Tran Dai Quang (Minister of Public Security), Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Deputy Prime Minister), Dinh La Thang (Secretary of Ho Chi Minh city Party Committee), Hoang Trung Hai (Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee), etc. to uphold, fulfill assigned missions. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was born in 1949 (Ca Mau province). In 1995 1996, he was appointed as vice minister of Public Security then Head of the Central Economic Committee. In 1997, Dung was appointed as the youngest ever Deputy Prime Minister (48 years old) and in 1998 1999, he concurrently held the position of governor of the State Bank of Vietnam. He was appointed as Prime Minister for two terms from 2006. The family of a young girl in the central highland province of DakLak who had to have her leg amputated after being treated in a local hospital has demanded compensation. According to the family, the district hospital was negligent in delivering proper treatment to the 15-year-old girl, who was being treated for a broken leg. She developed a condition known as caseous necrosis, in which the flesh of the afflicted area begins to die, requiring doctors in Ho Chi Minh City to remove the lower third of her right leg to save her life. The family has demanded those responsible for the incident provide financial compensation to the girl for her suffering as a result of the negligence. Le Thi Ha Vi broke her leg in a traffic accident on her way to school about three weeks ago. She was taken to Cu Kuin District General Hospital where the doctors cast her leg in plaster. In the evening on that same day, Vis leg became numb and she lost feeling in the limb. Despite the familys request, the hospital refused to remove the cast. Two days later, when the doctors finally agreed to cut open the cast, her leg was heavily swollen and covered with blisters. Even then, the hospital refused to allow her to be transferred, saying her case was not serious. By the time the family decided to move her to the provincial hospital on their own a day later, her leg had already become necrotic. Vi was subsequently moved to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City where her leg was amputated. Cu Kuin district hospital has yet not received the written request for compensation from Vis family. How the compensation will be made depends on the conclusions of the provincial medical board, said hospital director Nguyen Van Tam. The family should also send their claim to the police after the medical boards report has come out. Then the hospital will have a meeting with Vis family, he said. The Dak Lak Health Department is investigating the case and is due to report on March 28. Four doctors and nurses, including a vice director who is also head of the surgical department, have been suspended. Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visits Le Thi Ha Vi at Cho Ray Hospital Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visited Cho Ray Hospital on March 18 to speak with the teenager, and promised her she would receive the best available medical care free of charge. She added that the Ministry would try to support Vi in pursuing her chosen career, whether it was in medicine or any other field. She also requested Cho Ray Hospital to provide a detailed report about the case to clarify lines of accountability. Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down on his faltering invasion by declaring martial law in four illegally annexed Ukrainian regions. In addition, he set the stage Wednesday for draconian new restrictions and crackdowns throughout Russia. The drastic escalation appeared to be prompted by the threat of more stinging battlefield defeats, sabotage and troubles with his troop mobilization. Putin's order effectively belies the Kremlins attempts to portray life in the annexed regions as returning to normal, with the latest example the removal of civilian leaders and installation of a military administration and a mass evacuation in Kherson. Local officials said Wednesday that 5,000 had been evacuated already, with plans to pull out a total of up to 60,000. 125 YEARS AGO March 21, 1891: Notice is hereby given that Chris Baumbach has been appointed an authorized agent for the collection of all sums due the firm of Reckhart & Froelich, as well as for the transaction of all other business connected with the present management, such as the payment of bills, collection of, and receipting for moneys due, etc. Signed: C. Reckhart, surviving partner of the firm. The Fifteenth Session of the Nevada Legislature adjourned Thursday night. County Commissioner John Burns went up to Tuscarora yesterday and will remain for a week or two. During his visit he will turn his attention to several pressing needs in that vicinity. W.T. Smith, mother, sister and daughter, left Monday for a visit to San Francisco. 100 YEARS AGO March 21, 1916: It is not generally known that the county road north from Elko to the Idaho line and from there to Boise, is now in excellent condition for use by automobiles, and it is possible to leave Elko in the morning and arrive in Boise in time for supper. This has been made possible by the work that has been done by the Humboldt National Forest, through which the road passes for a long distance, and the work done by the county commissioners the past year. Leaving Elko, the traveler continues on the regular Gold Creek road to what is known as the Twin Bridges over Penrod Creek, this side of Gold Creek. At that place, the new road lies straight ahead down to Sunflower Flat, passes the Jenkins sheep dip on Poormans creek, cutting out the Hendricks Creek summit, which was one of the hard spots on the northern road. The new road gives a gradual, easy grade down to Sunflower Flat, and joins the old road at the end of the flat, cutting out the old adobe flats. The road continues through the Mahogany mountains, and here the road has been widened and the grade lowered to the Bieroth ranch on McDonald creek, a couple of miles from the Idaho state line. After reaching Idaho the roads are in good condition and the Idaho authorities have made arrangements to still further improve the road. The distance from Elko to the Idaho state line is about 95 miles and the soil across which the road passes makes an ideal road bed, and for miles and miles it is as smooth as a pavement. March 22, 1916: Mrs. Conrad Smith is in today from the ranch on South Fork. She says that the warm weather of the past week has turned the creek into a raging torrent, and the stream is now bank full. 75 YEARS AGO March 21, 1941: An estimate has been given for the installation of a sewer on the southside of the river. The amount has been placed at approximately $43,000. With use of WPA assistance this amount can be cut in two, in so far as the citys expenditure is concerned. Every effort should be made on the part of the city council to see that something is done to relieve the condition there. It is true that property values are low there, but it is just as true that they will be greatly increased if such a system was installed. Mayor Dotta pointed out that Elkos future growth depends, not only upon the development of one section of our city, but upon the improvements to every part of it. March 26, 1941: Elko countys annual spring and summer fight against the hordes of Mormon crickets will get underway on or about April 10, it was announced today by Lee M. Burge, supervisor in charge of Mormon cricket control in Nevada for the state department of agriculture. Announcement was made today that Joe Gregory, operator of the Eagle Service Station here for the past year, has sold the station to Clarence Swett. Swett will assume charge on April 1. The station, with auto court in connection, is located on the southwest corner of Idaho and Third streets. For the past three years Swett has operated the Texaco Circle Service across Third Street from the Eagle station, which deals in Associated products. 50 YEARS AGO March 21, 1966: The school bond election, which has developed into one of the most bitterly contested campaigns in the history of Elko County will be held tomorrow. Voters of the county will be given the opportunity of supporting or rejecting the issuance of $5,200,000 in bonds for the construction of new school facilities. Property owners and non-property owners must approve the bonds. An identical bond issue, in the sum of $5,200,000, was narrowly defeated in an election held Tuesday, April 20, 1965. Property owners defeated the issue at that time by 47 votes. The total count in the 1965 election was: Property owners, Yes, 879; No, 936; non-property owners, Yes, 427, No, 209. Fifty-two percent of the voters went to the polls in the 1965 election. March 22, 1966: Nevadas Reapportionment Plan was approved by a panel of three federal judges. It ends rural domination in the legislature and transfers 70 per cent of the voting to populous Clark and Washoe counties. The Judicial Triumvirate agreed that the reapportionment bill adopted by the Nevada Legislature last November was not the fairest and best plan that the Nevada Legislature could possible enact, but the court said it came within the legal guidelines. March 23, 1966: Elko County voters yesterday turned out in large numbers to narrowly defeat a proposed $5.2 million school construction bond proposal. For the second time in eleven months, the property owners voted by a slim majority defeated the proposal while non-property owners voted for its passage. Among property owners, 1,196 voted yes, 1,287 voted no; and among non-property owners, 537 voted yes, 334 voted no. Countywide, 65 percent of registered voters expressed their feelings on the issue at the polls. 25 YEARS AGO March 20, 1991: A secondary school to be built between the mobile home and housing sections in Spring Creek will be named Spring Creek High School. Groundwork for the new school should commence in the next few months with construction slated to begin within the year. It will be on land adjacent to Sage Elementary School. Superintendent Paul Billings explained the school will be referred to as a high school even though during the first few years it also will house junior high students. Eventually the junior high students will be in a separate facility. March 23, 1991: Elko County Commissioners rescinded a motion to give a 39-acre parcel of land to Spring Creek Association at a county meeting Wednesday. Instead commissioners will carve five acres out of the parcel and sell them to the Elko County School District, then lease the rest of the land to the SCA. The county was given the land by the McCulloch Corp. to hold in trust for the people of Spring Creek. McCulloch restricted the deed to require development be for a public purpose. The county has carved out parcels for a school and fire station. Shoppers emptied shelves at Elkos old DAlesandros store which re-opened March 15 for a sale of all remaining stock. We are liquidating all merchandise, Fleming Foods West spokesman Larry Olson reported. Most remaining goods were being sold earlier this week at 40 percent off the regular price. DAlesandros closed the store last November, when it lost its lease after defaulting in payments to Fleming Foods. The store is located on Mountain City Highway south of Interstate 80. Dilma Rousseff during the meeting with foreign journalists in Brasilia. Roberto Stuckert Filho Five journalists from various foreign media organizations, including EL PAIS, sat down with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in her office in Brasilia on Thursday. Over the last two weeks, the country has been turned upside down by the latest twists in a crisis that has seen Congress begin impeachment proceedings against Rousseff and that could see her removed from office within a month unless she is able to rally support, something that looks increasingly unlikely. From a legal standpoint, it is very weak. This is happening because the president of Congress Eduardo Cunha [Rousseffs enemy, even though he belongs to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), a theoretical ally] issued a threat to the government: if we didnt vote against an investigation into his activities, he would initiate the process. Cunha has been targeted by prosecutors after they found five illegal accounts. That is not my word, that is what the Republics Public Prosecutors office says. I recommend that you ask yourselves who benefits from this Question. You have said that this process could lead to a coup. Answer. We in Brazil have had military coups. In a democratic system, the method of the coups changes. And an impeachment without any legal basis is a coup. It breaks the democratic order. That is why it is dangerous. Q. How would you react to a defeat? What will you do if you lose? A. In a democracy we have to respond democratically. We will use every legal means at out disposal to make clear the nature of this coup. But I would recommend that you ask who benefits from this, many of whom have not yet even appeared on the stage, but they are there, behind the scenes. As with the case of the leaking of the conversations [between herself and former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, made public by judge Sergio Moro]: you cannot do that. The correct thing to do was not to leak the recording, but to send it to the Supreme Federal Court, which has the right to investigate me. A judge cannot play with political passions. Nobody can sack him, but at the same time he has to be impartial. And then there is the resignation. They want me to resign. Why? Because I am a weak woman? No, Im not a weak woman. That hasn't been my life. They want me to resign to avoid the bitter pill of having to overthrow a democratically elected president. They believe I must be very affected by this, confused, under a lot of pressure. But Im not, thats not the sort of person I am. I have had a very difficult life, and Im not going to stop fighting now. I was 19 years old and was a prisoner for three years under the dictatorship, and prison in those days was no small matter. I fought under very difficult conditions. So Im not going to resign, of course Im not. I dont know whats going to happen, but I trust in Brazilians peaceful nature Q. Many people have criticized the appointment of Lula as a minister, saying it is just a move to evade justice through the legal immunity that accompanies the post. A. That is part of the tactics of those who defend the idea of the worse things are, the better. And those tactics are also being used against my government and Lula was going to make my government stronger. To think that because he is a minister he can escape justice is to see a problem where there isnt one. Lets say this was true, that he has come here for protection. What a strange kind of protection, I would say, seeing as he can be investigated by the magistrates of the Supreme Federal Court. They are no worse or better than a judge in a lower court. The thing is that they don't want him here. But Lula is coming, as a minister or an advisor, in one way or the other, hes coming, and nobody is going to stop that. Q. Why didn't you choose him as a minister before? A. I have been saying that Lula should join the government for some time now, since I began my second term in office, in 2015. He turned me down. I have always used him as an advisor. But now he wanted to join us after seeing how the crisis had worsened. Q. You insist that you arent going to stand down, but isnt bringing Lula into your government giving up some of your power? A. Lula is my colleague. I helped him during his two terms in office. I like working with him. I am not sitting here thinking that Lula is going to steal the spotlight away from my presidency. I have had a very difficult life, and Im not going to stop fighting now Q. One of the consequences of this crisis is that Brazilians have lost any faith they might have had in politicians A. That is a serious consequence, because in Brazil when people start to question politicians, those who want to save the country come out of the woodwork. They create chaos and then come to save us from the chaos. We are defending a pact, we defend dialogue, but this has to happen without rupturing our democracy, without unfounded calls for impeachment. We need to debate and to reform the Brazilian political system. Here in Brazil we need 14, 13 or 12 parties to support a government; for there to be stability. In most countries it is two, three or four. So we need reforms. But without a pact there will be no reforms. Were not going to get reforms by demonstrating on the streets of Sao Paolo. In a series about Genghis Khan I once heard this line: Conquering is done from a horse, governing has to be done on foot. Q. Are you afraid of an outbreak of violence given the mounting instability in the country and the growing polarization? A. These outbreaks come above all from inequality and poverty. We have undertaken a major social transformation in recent years through democratic means: we have created 40 million new members of the middle class and rescued a further 36 million from poverty. We have even been able to maintain our social programs during the crisis. Thats why I don't think that the base of the country is unstable. We have no major religious differences or ethnic problems here. What is growing is political intolerance. Everywhere you look you see friends arguing, families arguing During the demonstrations against me I went on television to say that people had the right to do anything, except to use violence. I don't know whats going to happen, but I trust in Brazilians peaceful nature. Q. How is all this impacting on you as a person, all this stress? A. Well, Im not getting depressed; Im not a depressive kind of person. I don't feel guilty. At the end of the day, here in Brazil you can be arrested for having a dog or for not having one, so I don't know what the right answer is. Im sure some people will criticize me for not getting depressed about things. I sleep well. I go to bed at 10pm and get up at 5.45am. Every day. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression After negotiations- to the streets (video) Stepan Danielyan, representative of the civil society of 4+4+4 format, is sure that during the negotiations Serzh Sargsyan will not make any concessions in connection with the publication of the signed voter lists. But the negotiations are necessary, If there arent any negotiations, the ruling authorities will continue to claim that they are ready for concessions, but no one enters into dialogue with them. He thinks that Serzh Sargsyan falsifies several hundred thousand votes through voter lists, he will not refuse it, but he also needs negotiations so that he can show that he is having a dialogue with the opposition and the civil society, I think that those negotiations must be held, and the civil society and other opposition parties should only note that the authorities are not ready to make concessions over the key issues. But after pointing out the uncompromising stance of the authorities, the opposition and the civil society involved in the negotiations must make the next step- take to the streets and demand the publication of voter lists in that way, The question of coming to power will be solved not in the parliamentary elections of 2017, but will be solved during the upcoming months. If mass events are hold for that demand, and the society shows that it will insist on its demand, the question of the regime change in 2017 will be solved in the upcoming months. If during the upcoming months the opposition isnt able to force the authorities to add the publication of the signed voter lists in the Electoral Code, after the next elections, Armenia will have worse government compared to the current. In his turn Stepan Danielyan will add one more issue in 4+4+4 format negotiations, It is a very important issue that the party lists are formed during the conference through secret voting with the participation of journalists. It is important so that in the parties the party members can get the power and not one or two individuals. In any case, says the political expert, the negotiations are failed, the authorities will make cosmetic and trivial concessions, instead. After that the opposition must know what to do. Photo: VNA Chung made the statement at his reception in Hanoi on March 24th for Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Nienke Trooster, who handed over a letter of the Amsterdam Mayor to him. The Ambassador also delivered the Amsterdam Mayors wishes to bolster cooperation between the two cities in numerous fields, particularly urban and water resources management. According to Nienke Trooster, Hanoi and Amsterdam hold great cooperation potential in fresh water supply, wastewater treatment, urban planning and climate change response, following contents of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between them. The two sides implemented a project on improving the To Lich river and a research on underground water for local residents. Amsterdam has also supported Hanoi in lighting the Hang Dau water tower, built during the French domination, since 2015. However, these collaboration activities have yet to meet potential of the bilateral relations, she said. Chung told the guest that in its development plan for 2016-2020, Hanoi still has various areas that can be joined by Amsterdam. The two sides should expand projects related to the environment, wastewater treatment, urban landscape improvement, culture and education, he added./. Photo: VNA Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh and Chinese Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Chang Wan Quan will co-chair the program. The event is designed to consolidate friendship and solidarity between local armies, people and border security forces of the two countries. A series of activities including visits to several border guards units, bilateral patrols, and an inaugural ceremony for a Vietnam-China Border Friendship Culture House in Chi Ma hamlet in Loc Binh district will also be held during the event./. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the The militants in Donbas shelled Ukrainian security forces' positions 39 times over the past 24 hours, including with the use of weapons larger than 80mm in caliber, the press center of the military operation headquarters reported on Saturday morning. In particular, the militants fired "120mm and 82mm mortars, weapons mounted on armored fighting vehicles, hand and automatic grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns, and small arms," it said. The militants used 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, and large-caliber machineguns to intensely shell government forces' positions in the area around Avdiyivka, the headquarters said. A sniper also regularly fired shots in that area, it said. In the Donetsk sector, the militants shelled the populated areas of Luhanske, Novhorodske, Mayorsk, Zaitseve, Leninske, Pisky, and Opytne. The militants also shelled Ukrainian security forces' positions six times in the Mariupol sector over the past 24 hours, the headquarters said. In particular, they used grenade launchers and small arms near Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, and Vodyane, it said. Russia has already decided to transfer Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko, who has been sentenced by a Russian court to 22 years in prison, to Ukraine, says Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivschyna party. "Our information indicates that there is the decision that she would be passed to Ukraine either for a swap or she might be passed to Ukraine in keeping with international legal documents to serve her sentence in Ukraine. There are great chances for that," Tymoshenko said on the Shuster Live televised talk show. Such assurances have been given to "first-level world leaders, such as the president of the U.S. and the chancellor of Germany," who have persuaded Russia to hand Savchenko over to Ukraine, Tymoshenko said. Meanwhile, Savchenko's defense lawyer Ilya Novikov says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's negotiations in Russia on Savchenko's future passed well, and a decision on this should be made within two weeks. "According to my information, his negotiations concerning Nadia Savchenko passed successfully. The date when a way for her to return to Ukraine should be determined was publicly named during the negotiations," Novikov said. The lawyer pointed out this did not mean that Savchenko would return to Ukraine within two weeks but rather that the Russian leadership would decide within this period of time on the procedure for her transfer to Ukraine. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission for Ukraine (OSCE SMM) has seen the situation in the armed conflict area in eastern Ukraine worsening since mid-January, and problems with monitors' access to some districts still remain in place, OSCE Deputy Chief Monitor to Ukraine Alexander Hug said at a press conference in Odesa on Friday. In all instances, ceasefire violations can be explained by the fact that the conflicting parties stand too close to each other, Hug said. The OSCE SMM has also noticed heavy weapons returned to the security zone stipulated by the Minsk Agreements, Hug said. The ceasefire agreements have been violated by both conflicting parties, and mission monitors are still having problems with access to some districts in the conflict area, primarily those controlled by militias from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics and also those located near the border between Ukraine and Russia, he said. Through March 31 to April 1 Amsterdam for the first time will host the Days of Ukrainian Cinema 'Ukraine on Film: Way to Freedom', a press service of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported. According to the report, film showcase to take place in the Dutch capital ahead of the referendum on Ukraine-EU Association scheduled for April 6. The showcase will open with "The Eleventh Year" cinematic performance. The avant-garde documentary feature of the same name, shot by the pioneer of world cinema Dziga Vertov, will be accompanied by a live soundtrack performed by Ukrainian composer Anton Baibakov and musician Sofia Turta (piano). It is a documentary based on a Soviet newsreel shot during the 1920s, telling the story of the construction of socialism. The program also includes a documentary hit "The Russian Woodpecker" by Chad Gracia, the winner of Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance Film Festival. The showcase's closing is "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom", the nominee for this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film by Evhen Afineyevsky, shot in the midst of Euromaidan, was co-produced by Netflix and participated in the program of international film festivals in Venice and Toronto. Chronicling events that unfolded over 93 days in 2013 and 2014, the film witnesses the formation of a new civil rights movement in Ukraine. Days of Ukrainian Cinema "Ukraine on Film: Way to Freedom" will be presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the State Film Agency of Ukraine. Two Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 11 others wounded in the military operation area in the eastern part of the country over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said. "Two our warriors have been killed and eight others wounded in action over the past twenty-four hours. Three more National Guard servicemen were injured by hitting an explosive device," Motuzianyk said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Saturday. There have been no attacks in the Luhansk sector lately, Motuzianyk said. "In the Donetsk sector, along the entire frontline, the enemy has used heavy weapons, particularly 82mm and 120mm mortars. Illegal armed units violated the ceasefire in Troitske, Mayorsk, Luhanske, Pisky, Avdiyivka, and Zaitseve. A total of 40 mines have been fired upon the ATO [antiterrorist operation] forces' positions," he said. The most complicated situation is currently near Avdiyivka, where Ukrainian government forces "often have to return fire so as to stop provocations." "A private home was destroyed in Zaitseve as militants shelled it on Saturday morning. One woman was injured, and three other people were rescued," Motuzianyk said. As many as 180 Ukrainian National Guard members have been killed during the military operation in the southeastern part of Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko said. "We remember and honor the memory of each of the 180 National Guard members who have given their lives for our independence, our sovereignty, and our territorial integrity," Poroshenko said at the National Guard's training center in the Kyiv region on Saturday. The National Guard was set up in Ukraine soon after the start of the military operation in Donbas. Finance Minister of Ukraine Natalie Jaresko has discussed with EU Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks the ways to provide a financial aid to internally displaced persons along with the social protection of the citizens living in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea. "Yesterday I met EU Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks. We discussed the pressing issues related to the financial aid to internally displaced persons and social protection of the persons, who now live in the occupied Donbas and Crimea," Jaresko wrote on her Facebook account on Saturday. Amnesty International human rights organization called the hideous murder of lawyer Yuriy Hrabovsky, whose body was found in central Ukraine bearing gunshot wounds, is a "chilling reminder of the dangers faced by lawyers and activists perceived to challenge the authorities." "The killing of a criminal defence lawyer is a hideous crime and the Ukrainian authorities must immediately take all steps necessary to begin to rectify this ultimate abuse of human rights and justice," the organization quotes Anna Neistat, Senior Director for Research at Amnesty International. She said that lawyer's abduction and murder should be promptly, effectively and impartially investigated, and those responsible brought to justice in fair trial proceedings. According to the Amnesty International, Hrabovsky had complained that he was harassed by the authorities in connection with his role as the defence lawyer for a Russian serviceman Alexander Alexandrov. The Amnesty International called on the authorities to immediately provide Oksana Sokolovska, who defends interests of another Russian officer Yevgeny Yerofeyev, with effective protection and to ensure that she can safely carry out her legitimate work as a lawyer. "All lawyers must be able to perform their professional duties without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference in their work," said Anna Neistat. The Ukrainian authorities had opened a criminal investigation into Hrabovsky's disappearance, and reported that they had arrested two suspects they believe were involved in his abduction and killing. The issue of Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko was brought up during German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visits to Moscow, but this was not the main issue on the agenda of these talks, says Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov. "Kerry did not come to Moscow to press on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin regarding Savchenko. It is hardly possible to prioritize the Savchenko theme at such negotiations. It's true, though, that both German Foreign Minister [Frank-Walter] Steinmeier, who had visited the day before, and [U.S.] Secretary of State [John] Kerry did touch upon this issue," Peskov said in an interview in the Right to Know program to be shown on the TV Center television channel on Saturday evening, a fragment of which is available on the channel's website. "There is agitation verging on hysteria in Kyiv" regarding Savchenko's future, Peskov said. "I would qualify this as a side-effect of the general Russophobic hysteria that exists there, and this reaction is absolutely not conducive to the resolution of this problem but makes it much harder to resolve. Such issues are not discussed and not resolved amid such a noise. We deeply regret that there is such hysteria. This makes the resolution of this problem a much more complicated process. Such matters are settled much easier in silence," Peskov said. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducts a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery March 25, 2016, Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] PYONGYANG, March 25 -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Unhas guided a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery, which targeted South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the official KCNA news agency reported Friday. Involved in the drill were more than 100 long-range artillery pieces of various calibers including the DPRK-style artillery possessed by the large combined units on the front, the state media said. In response to the threat, on the same day, South Korea warned of stern and merciless retaliations if the North makes any provocations. Seoul said it has warned the DPRK against threatening terrorist attacks on the head of state and the Cheong Wa Dae and has urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such "nasty and shallow-minded" acts. On March 3, Kim guided the first test firing of a new-type large-caliber multiple rocket launcher. On March 10, he watched a firing drill of ballistic rockets, which Seoul said were two short-range Scud missiles. On March 21, Kim guided a second test firing of a new, large-caliber multiple rocket launcher. South Korea and the United Stateskicked off their joint annual war games "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle" on March 7. The "Key Resolve" command post exercise ended last week, but the "Foal Eagle" field training exercise would last until April 30. Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned and called for a suspension of the joint military exercises, saying they are "war rehearsals for northward invasion." Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un (right) guides a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery March 25, 2016, Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducts a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery March 25, 2016, Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducts a large-scale striking exercise of long-range artillery March 25, 2016, Friday. [Photo/Xinhua] Two staff dressed as Easter witches at the Aquaria Vatten Museum in Stockholm, Sweden on Holy Thursday March 24, 2016. In Sweden and parts of Finland, a mini-Halloween takes place on either the Thursday or Saturday before Easter. Little girls dress up in rags and old clothes, too-big skirts and shawls and go door to door with a copper kettle looking for treats. The tradition is said to come from the old belief that witches would fly to a German mountain the Thursday before Easter to cavort with Satan. On their way back, Swedes would light fires to scare them away, a practice honored today by the bonfires and fireworks across the land in the days leading up to Sunday. Yutaka Yokoi Japan appointed a diplomat with a specialized background in Chinese affairs as its new ambassador to China on Friday. Yutaka Yokoi, the former ambassador to Turkey, is one of Japan's "China-school" diplomats who underwent language training in China with a specific focus on the relationship with China. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida called Yokoi an expert on Chinese affairs and described the appointment as the "right man in the right place". He becomes the first ambassador to China from the "China school" since 2010. Yuji Miyamoto, who served in the top post in Beijing from 2006 to 2010, was Japan's last such ambassador. Since then, diplomats with different backgrounds have been appointed to the post. Masato Kitera, whom Yokoi will replace, is a French specialist. Uichiro Niwa, a former adviser to Itochu Corp, became ambassador to China in 2010 when the Democratic Party of Japan was the ruling party. Yokoi joined Japan's Foreign Ministry in 1979 and has held a number of posts, including director of the China and Mongolia Division, chief minister at the Japanese embassy in Beijing and ministry spokesman before becoming ambassador to Turkey in 2013. He also was consul general in Shanghai. According to ifeng.com, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television's website, Yokoi likes Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and the traditional Chinese comic performance known as crosstalk. His favorite crosstalk performer is Guo Degang, a well-known comedian who runs the De Yun She comedy club. Japan's Nikkei Shimbun newspaper said Yokoi's appointment is aimed at sharpening Japan's analysis of Chinese affairs. China and Japan will observe the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year. By sending a "China school" ambassador to Beijing, Japan is driving home the message that it is working to improve ties with China, Nikkei Shimbun said. Xu Dunxin, former vice-foreign minister and former Chinese ambassador to Japan, said Yokoi is an experienced diplomat who knows China well. "I worked with him before, and I hope that by appointing a 'China hand' as the new ambassador, it can help to improve the bilateral relationship and strengthen understanding between the people," Xu said. However, Xu added, "the problems between China and Japan cannot be solved by just an appointment, no matter who he is. It depends on Japan's foreign policy on China, and Japan should make concrete efforts to improve its ties with Beijing." BOAO, Hainan, March 25-- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday delivered a speech at the opening plenary of Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2016. The following is the full text of Li's speech: A New Vision for A Dynamic Asia Through Joint Efforts Speech by H.E. Li Keqiang Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China At the Opening Plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2016 Boao, 24 March 2016 Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, I am delighted to be back for the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference and to meet with so many friends, both old and new. On behalf of the Chinese government, let me extend warm congratulations on the opening of this year's annual conference and give my hearty welcome to all participants coming from afar. Just two days ago, Belgium was hit by serious terrorist attacks, and Prime Minister Charles Michel had to cancel his scheduled attendance and address today. Here, we give our deep condolences to the families of the victims. China stands firmly opposed to terrorism of all forms. We gather here in Boao at the beginning of the spring season, on an enchanting and peaceful day. But looking at the global economy, we see difficulties lingering and undercurrents lurking. Boao brings together heads of government and leaders from businesses, think tanks and the media. I look forward to hearing your wisdom and insights about how we could together open up a new vision for a dynamic Asia. Today, almost eight years after the international financial crisis struck, the ripples of its implication are still being felt around the world. The world economy is going through profound adjustments. Developed economies are experiencing slow recovery and emerging economies are performing unevenly. Global trade continues to contract, and both global commodities prices and financial markets are fluctuating. Geopolitical risks are growing, and uncertainties and destabilizing factors are on the rise. In Asia, the problems of underdevelopment and imbalances remain acute. Many Asian countries are faced with export decline, growing debts, and economic slowdown. Some have even witnessed sharp depreciation of their currencies coupled with faster capital flight. No wonder some say that the Asian economy is facing one of the toughest times in recent years. While things may not look good, we must not lose confidence. The truth is, Asia has emerged only stronger from the two previous financial crises. Quite many Asian countries have become much more experienced as to how to beef up the real economy and fend off financial risks. Regional cooperation in Asia has also delivered fruitful results. Last year, growth in Asia was still faster than the global average. Asia's share in the global economy further increased, and Asia contributed to about one third of global trade. This part of the world has remained one of the most dynamic globally. At last year's annual conference, President Xi Jinping put forward the major initiative to build a community of shared destiny and open up a new future for Asia. The theme of this year's annual conference is "Asia's New Future: New Dynamics, New Vision". The community that we are committed to build is one of development and cooperation. Asia is a major force for world peace and development, as well as a major engine driving world economic growth. It is also an important factor promoting progress of world civilizations. As long as Asian countries work together with firm commitment and unity, we will be able to get over difficulties and embrace an even brighter future. Along that line, I wish to share the following thoughts with you: First, we need to jointly uphold peace and stability. When we drink water, we should not forget its source. Asia owes the past decades of rapid growth to an environment of overall peace and stability in the region. As the saying goes, good neighbors mean good life. The past sufferings of war and turmoil have taught the Asian people the value of peace. Asia's post-war development shows that at all development stages, we must stay committed to good-neighborliness and must never let the minor differences or disagreements between us stand in our way. It is through dialogue and cooperation that we could find the "golden key" to development. We need to continue to treat each other as equals and live with each other in peace, and we need to work together to increase common ground, reduce differences, and build a solid foundation for peace and stability in the region. Second, we need to jointly promote economic growth. Emerging economies and developing countries now account for 40% of the global economy. They once contributed up to two thirds of the growth of the world economy, and played a major role in the global efforts to tackle the 2008 financial crisis. But things have been tough over the past two years, as some of them have experienced significant economic slowdown and even negative growth. Asia, which is home to the largest number of emerging economies, has on the whole maintained a strong growth momentum. Last year, the growth of developing economies in Asia reached 6.5% and accounted for 44% of global growth. Therefore, Asian nations should enhance confidence, foster new impetus of growth from within, and stimulate vitality to play a bigger role for economic recovery not only in this part of the world but also globally. It is our hope that countries in the world will join hands to deepen cooperation, form synergy, strengthen macro-policy coordination, oppose trade protectionism of all forms, adopt more growth-friendly policies, and try to avoid the spillover effect of the policy adjustments in certain countries. China proposes establishment of an Asian Financial Cooperation Association, and China stands ready to work with all parties to improve Asia's financial market and prevent massive regional financial turbulence from happening again. Third, we need to jointly deepen integrated development. To achieve development and prosperity in Asia, we must make sure that no one is left behind. China hopes to align its initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road with the development strategies of other countries in the region and regional organizations. Together, we could foster a new pattern of regional development through integrated planning and production and coordinated actions. China is ready to provide high quality and cost-effective equipment and production-lines that could tailor to the needs of Asian countries. We may carry out production capacity cooperation in infrastructure building and industrial equipment making. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is the biggest regional trade arrangement in Asia that attracts the largest number of participating members, and we hope that negotiations under the RCEP could be concluded by 2016. For the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund, their priority should be placed on serving developing countries of Asia first, and on connectivity and production capacity cooperation projects, so that people in the region could share in the benefits of such integrated development. Fourth, we need to jointly uphold openness and inclusiveness. Being open and inclusive is the fine tradition and very basis of Asia's culture. In Asia, over the millennia, different nations, religions and cultures have coexisted with and learned from each other and all have contributed their major share to the progress of human civilization. Almost all religions with world-wide influence originated from Asia. The people in Asia crave for peace, good-neighborliness and harmony. It is this piece of land that has given birth to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and brought into being the Asian way, highlighting mutual respect, consensus building and accommodating the comfort level of all parties concerned. Asian countries are linked by close people-to-people exchanges. Each year, several hundred million tourists travel among Asian countries. We need to make good use of all dialogue platforms in Asia to deepen people-to-people exchanges and enhance the unity of Asia. China proposes that an Asia Civilization Dialogue Conference be held and we welcome all countries and regional organizations to take an active part in the conference. The more challenging the task of development is in the region, the more imperative it is for us to join hands, build on our traditional friendship and pool our collective wisdom, so as to carry forward the Asian Consensus and achieve our common pursuit for development. Fifth, we need to work jointly to trigger innovation. Innovation holds the key to development. Asia is home to 48 countries and over four billion population, and the "Asian miracle" was created by the talented and hard-working Asian people. To keep up the momentum of prosperity and development in Asia, we need to give full play to Asia's unique advantage of abundant human resources, and bring out the potential and creativity of all its people. Asia's new future relies on innovation and talented personnel. We need to improve education and training in Asia to build a high-quality labor force, strengthen the talent pool and increase productivity. We need to step up R&D investment, adopt new models of development, including the "Internet Plus" model, and build cooperation platforms for innovation to develop the new economy and a shared economy. We may also conduct due exchange of experience. This way, the hundreds of millions of our people, especially the young people, will have the chance to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship, and have their ingenuity and creativity fully unleashed. This also allows countries in the region to quickly embark on a path of innovation-driven development and upgrade the level of growth. Ladies and Gentlemen, China's development is closely linked with that of Asia, and I know that many friends are interested in the economic situation in China. So I wish to take this opportunity to say something about how we should look at the Chinese economy and what we intend to do in China to ensure continued growth. First, how should we look at the Chinese economy? China's total GDP last year was RMB67.7 trillion yuan, or over US$10 trillion. Every move of this economy attracts world attention. Meanwhile, China is in the process of structural readjustment, and there is divergence among different regions and sectors. This is like what a Chinese poem says, one gets different impressions of a mountain when viewing it from the front, sideways, at a close range or from afar. Given the sluggish growth of the world economy, the lowest ever in six years, and with the Chinese economy undergoing transformation and upgrading, it is simply natural that different people may see the Chinese economy differently. In my view, when we look at the Chinese economy, we should first of all look at its overall performance. Last year, China grew by 6.9%, a bit slower than in the past, but still one of the fastest among the major economies. It was achieved on the basis of the huge size of the economy which was in the process of transformation. Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese economy has on the whole enjoyed steady performance and seen new, positive changes. The number of measures we introduced to promote steady growth, restructuring and reform are being paid off. Second, we need to look at the overall trend of the economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 13 million new jobs were created in China's urban areas last year, and the growth of people's income was faster than that of the GDP. The employment situation in the first two months of the year has stayed basically stable, with surveyed unemployment rate standing at around 5.1% in 31 major cities, roughly the same as last year. As industrial upgrading picked up speed, the service sector, high-tech industries and equipment manufacturing industries all maintained fast growth. Domestic demand continued to rise, and consumption growth stayed at double digit. Consumption and services have now become the main drivers of growth. Both energy intensity and the discharge of main pollutants went down, an indication that the quality of growth is getting better. Third, we need to look at the prospect of the economy for the long run. China has become the world's second largest economy, but its per capita GDP is still at the middle level in the world. There is both a gap to fill and a potential to tap, especially in China's central and western regions, where we see huge space and room for development. China is now in the process of industrialization and urbanization. There is strong impetus for reform and much space for expanding domestic demand. Development is resilient, and the tools are many to boost innovation. The fundamentals of the Chinese economy have stayed unchanged and will remain sound in the long run. Of course, we are fully aware that the Chinese economy is now deeply integrated with the world economy. Some international agencies have lowered the growth forecast for this year and destabilizing factors and uncertainties are on the rise. The impact will be felt in the Chinese economy. At the same time, in China, the deep-seated structural problems have become more prominent, and the economy still faces growing downward pressure. As the economy goes through transformation and upgrading, temporary problems have occurred, and companies in certain industries are facing a hard time with their operation. We will not dodge these problems. In fact, knowing where problems are have made us all the more confident. We will expand aggregate demand as appropriate, and at the same time press ahead with structural reform, supply-side structural reform in particular. On the whole, for the Chinese economy, we believe there are more hopes than difficulties. Next, what do we intend to do to ensure continued growth? The Government Work Report adopted by the NPC has laid that out in great detail. Yesterday evening, we took the bullet train to travel from Sanya to Boao. A bullet train is powered not just by its locomotive, but also the facilities installed in between carriages. If we are to compare the Chinese economy to a bullet train, what we need to do is to keep it steady and move at a reasonable speed. With growing environmental and resources constraints, high-speed is not economical; nor is it environment friendly or sustainable. Our goal is to maintain medium-high speed of growth. China's development will be guided by the new vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development. We will continue to give priority to development, and work to build dynamic engines to propel the economy, making sure that it maintains medium-high speed growth and moves towards the medium-to-high end of development. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijani serviceman, lance sergeant Elshad Abbaszade was killed as a result of armed clashes on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on March 25, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has expressed deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the killed serviceman. Abbaszade has been posthumously awarded with the third degree medal "For Distinction in Military Service" in accordance with the order issued by Azerbaijan's defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov. The losses of the Armenian side are yet to be determined. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 Trend: The information spread by the Armenian side that allegedly, Armenian civilians suffered as a result of the shelling by Azerbaijani armed forces, is false, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry told Trend March 26. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry denies these allegations of Armenians who suffer losses in manpower and military equipment. Azerbaijani armed forces hold only the positions, trenches, military facilities, vehicles and communications of the enemy at gunpoint, according to the ministry. "Each time, following the visit of representatives of Armenia's military and political regime to the front line, the tension on the contact line increases, which is aimed at artificially exacerbating the situation," said the Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Edited by SI Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijani gas price for European countries will be set on the Turkish border, Milliyet newspaper reported citing Gurkan Kumbaroglu, president of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). He said Turkey can play a key role in setting prices for gas to be transported to Europe from Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran. It is planned to annually transport 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian Sea region to Europe through Georgia and Azerbaijan within the Southern Gas Corridor project. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: China and the US are interested in constructing the third nuclear power plant in Turkey, Sabah newspaper reported. Turkey has already started talks on constructing the third nuclear power plant with the US Westinghouse Electric Company and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC). Earlier, Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources said that three nuclear power plants will be built in the country. Turkey plans to construct the first such plant in Akkuyu province jointly with Russia. The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in the fields of construction and operation of the country's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010. The plant's construction is expected to be completed in 2020. The second nuclear power plant in Turkey will be built in Sinop province on the Black Sea coast. The agreement on constructing the plant in Sinop was signed between Turkey and Japan in 2013. It is planned to complete the project's implementation by 2023. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijan supplied 594.46 million cubic meters of gas to Turkey in January of 2016, compared to 577.36 million cubic meters in January of 2015, said the report from Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). This is while the country delivered 6.17 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey in 2015, compared to 6.07 billion cubic meters in 2014. The report said that in January, Turkey imported 5.39 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 4.23 billion cubic meters were delivered via pipelines, while 1.16 billion cubic meters accounted for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Azerbaijan accounted for 11 percent of the total volume of Turkey's gas import in January of 2016. The remaining volume of gas imported via pipelines accounted for Russia (2.79 billion cubic meters) and Iran (852.88 million cubic meters). This is while the LNG was exported to Turkey from Algeria (468.5 million cubic meters), Nigeria (171.21 million cubic meters) and other countries (520.29 million cubic meters). Turkey imports gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum). The country has a contract for purchasing 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field per year. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 26 By Demir Azizov - Trend: Delegations from five Central Asian countries and Japan have discussed the prospects for cooperation in a multilateral format, Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry said. The parties focused on collaboration in such spheres as regional security, trade and investments, development of the transportation infrastructure and logistics, as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres. The 11th meeting of senior officials of the 'Central Asia plus Japan' dialogue held in Tokyo was attended by the officials from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Japan. They also reviewed the preparations for the upcoming 6th meeting of foreign ministers of the dialogue to be held in Ashgabat. Japan initiated the format of cooperation with Central Asian countries - 'Central Asia plus Japan' dialogue in 2004 in order to increase the efforts on expanding and strengthening close ties with these countries. In the same year, foreign ministers of the participating countries signed the joint statement which defined the principles of this dialogue - respect for diversity, competition and open cooperation. The dialogue envisages five main areas of cooperation between Central Asian countries and Japan: political dialogue, intraregional cooperation, promotion of business, intellectual dialogue, cultural and humanitarian dialogue. Edited by SI Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran is ready to increase bilateral trade with Pakistan from current level of $1 billon per year to $5 billion, the Islamic Republic president Hassan Rouhani said. Rouhani made the remarks during a joint business forum in Islamabad, attended by senior Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the official website of Iran's president reported March 26. Rouhani further said that the role of entrepreneurs, private and public sectors of the two countries for realizing the $5 billion annual trade target is very important. He also underlined that Tehran will contribute to the energy security of Pakistan. He ensured Pakistani people that Tehran, as a "strategic partner" will spare no effort to meet Pakistan's oil, gas and electricity needs. Iran can help Pakistan in infrastructure sector as well including construction of dams, Rouhani said. He added that Tehran has fulfilled its commitments regarding the transfer of electricity and gas to Pakistan, expressing readiness to boost cooperation. The Iranian president further said that Tehran sees economic stability and development of Pakistan as its own economic stability and development. The two sides should boost banking and trade ties and prepare grounds for free mutual trade, moving towards preferential trade, Rouhani noted. Rouhani arrived in Islamabad on March 25 and met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. During the meeting they discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as economic cooperation at regional and international levels. Iran and Pakistan signed six documents, mostly focused on boosting economic ties. The sides signed documents including the commercial 5-year strategic plan, cooperation between Iran and Pakistan's chambers of commerce, as well as the Central Insurance of Iran and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran rejected the reports claiming the Islamic Republic committed attacks against the US' financial sector. According to Hossein Jaber Ansari, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Iran never had such "dangerous actions" on its agenda, Fars news agency reported March 26. The US announced on March 24 that seven Iranians working on behalf of the Iranian government have been indicted for a series of cyber crimes between late 2011 and mid-2013 that cost US financial institutions tens of millions of dollars. Ahmad Fathi, Hamid Firoozi, Amin Shokohi, Sadegh Ahmadzadegan, Omid Ghaffarinia, Sina Keissar and Nader Seidi are identified in the indictment as the alleged attackers. Ahmadzadegan and Ghaffarinia claimed responsibility for hacking into Nasa servers and websites. Firoozi gained access to the computer system for the Bowman Dam in New York, and according to the indictment, he could have "operated and manipulated" a gate on the dam. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that the attacks threatened the United States' economic well-being and its ability to compete fairly in the global marketplace - both of which are directly linked to the US national security. "We believe that they were conducted with the sole purpose of undermining the targeted companies and damaging the online operation of America's free market," she added. Meanwhile, Ansari said that the US is not in a position to accuse Iran without any evidence. He accused the US of launching cyber attacks against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities in recent years, which could be resulted with an environmental disaster threatening millions of innocent people. Iran has been victim of complicated cyber-attacks supported by certain governments in recent years, Ansari said, adding that Iran itself has always been supportive of international efforts against cyber crimes. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran will respond to the US new actions against Tehran's missile program by strengthening its missile capabilities, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif said March 26. "We don't see any limitation for our missile program because it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons," Zarif said, Iran's state-run IRINN TV reported. The top Iranian diplomat further said that President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the defense ministry to strengthen Iran missile power. The US Department of the Treasury imposed financial sanctions on two more Iranian companies it claims are involved in the country's ballistic missile program. Washington's latest legal move against Tehran was announced on March 24, weeks after the United States imposed similar sanctions on 11 other companies and individuals alleged to be involved in the missile program. The United States said the companies are working for an industrial group, which Washington alleged is in charge of Iran's ballistic missile program. Early in March Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles from several bases across the country as part of a massive missile drills. While a couple of Western and regional states claims the recent tests have violated a UN resolution, Iranian officials have constantly reiterated that Tehran's ballistic missile tests do not violate the nuclear agreement it reached with the P5+1 group of countries and are not in breach of a United Nations Security Council resolution. President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif here on Saturday urged Muslim states to unite against terrorists, IRNA reported. Rouhani, referring to close cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries as well as deep cultural ties between the two nations said that Pakistan is of strategic importance as is Iran for Pakistan and this reality has been proven in hard times. Rouhani said that the Iranian and Pakistani governments intend to develop their regional cooperation and this necessitates that the two countries develop their relations and have closer defense cooperation. He felicitated the Pakistani armed forces in their success in fighting terrorism and underlined necessity of protecting and strengthening security of their common borders. Rouhani expressed hope that the security agreement between the two countries would take into effect promptly and more cooperation between the two armed forces in the fight against terrorism would take place in order to bring stability and development to the region. Referring to deep cultural, historical and religious commonalties between the two nations, Rouhani added that Iran is interested in cooperation between the two armed forces with their valuable experiences. Concerning the sorrowful situation in some countries, the president said that the sole solution to regional conflicts is political and constructive dialogue and added that time is ripe for the Islamic states to be united and act together against terrorists. Iran and Pakistan, as two important and influential countries in the region, may make joint effort in this concern. General Raheel Sharif, for his part, underlined that the Pakistani Army supports development and strengthening of cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad and believes these kinds of relations are beneficial to both nations. He emphasized that the Pakistan army's firm encounter with terrorists will continue and added that the two countries will witness a basic development in security of common borders soon. General Sharif said that Pakistan will not allow any action against Iran to take place from Pakistan territory. Referring to regional problems, he said the use of military force is not an appropriate option to remove problems, adding that efforts should be made to strengthen cooperation and unity among Islamic states. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 25 By Emil Ilgar - Trend: Iranian sources can meet the Pakistan's energy demand, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on March 25. Rouhani said that two countries have big potential to boost cooperation in economic, energy, transport, cultural and security issues, ISNA reported. His announcement came a day before his visit to Pakistan, scheduled for March 26. Shaha reported on March 25 that Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh will accompany Rouhani in visiting Pakistan. Previously, IRNA reported that negotiations over a long-delayed gas pipeline project is one of top agenda. Two countries is expected to sign a deal on power, aimed at exporting 3000 megawatts Iranian power to Pakistan. Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, is not dead and negotiations over realization of the project continue, the Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company Hamid Reza Iraqi told Fars News Agency on March 24. "Pakistan has agreed to build a 100km-pipeline from Gwadar port to Iran's borders to intake gas," Araqi added. Pakistan should have started importing Iranian gas in January 2015, but it has yet to begin building the pipeline in its territory. Iran can get a $200m compensation from Pakistan each month owing to delays, but they are still negotiating the gas deal. Iran's Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian told IRNA on March 22 that exporting 3000 megawatts of power to Pakistan is possible. US President Barack Obama will discuss with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during his visit to the White House on April 4, the US-led coalition's progress in its anti-Islamic State (IS, Daesh) campaign and Europe's migrant crisis, the White House announced in a statement, Sputnik reported. "President Obama will host NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on April 4, 2016, the White House said on Friday. "The President looks forward to discussing with Secretary General Stoltenberg the progress Allies are making in the international effort to degrade and destroy ISIL, as well as the important role NATO is playing in alleviating the refugee and migrant crisis spurred in part by the terrorist group." The White House said that Obama would also reiterate that Washington stands with NATO following the deadly terrorist attacks in Belgium. "The leaders will also discuss preparations for the July 8-9, 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland, including Allied efforts to reinforce deterrence in Europe, address instability on Europe's periphery, and strengthen NATO's base of capabilities and partnerships," the White House announced in a statement on Friday. The terrorist threat still looms over Europe despite recent successes in eliminating terrorists linked to the deadly Brussels and Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande said, Sputnik reported. "We have had success in finding the terrorists and both in Brussels and in Paris there have been some arrests and we know there are other networks, because even though the one that carried out the attacks in Paris and Brussels is in the process of being wiped out - with a number of its members arrested - there is still a threat looming," Hollande said on Friday as quoted by NBC. Earlier in the day, three suspects were arrested in Brussels during raids linked to the arrest of a suspected terrorist in France. On Thursday, French police arrested Reda Kriket who was previously sentenced in absentia in Belgium for ties with terrorists. Kriket, who was arrested in Argenteuil, a northwestern suburb of Paris, is likely an important member of a terrorist network, according to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. The arrests came after at least 31 people were killed and over 300 were injured in several terrorist attacks in Brussels on Tuesday. The Islamic State (ISIL, also known as Daesh) jihadist group, outlawed in a range of countries, including Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks. ISIL has also claimed responsibly for the deadly Paris attacks that took the lives of 130 people and injured some 350 in November 2015. The Brussels attacks came days after police arrested Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the Paris attacks. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Ten members of the "Islamic State" (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) terrorist group have been arrested in Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported March 26. The arrested, who were earlier detained on the Syrian border, are Turkish citizens. Some of them are suspected of preparing terrorist attacks in Turkey. Turkey has faced deadly terrorist attacks in recent weeks. On March 13, a car bomb attack in Ankara left 36 people dead. Istanbul was also targeted by a suicide attack on March 19, leaving four people dead. Turkish authorities have accused Daesh, the PKK and the PYD terrorist groups for the attacks. Edited by SI --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The "Islamic State" (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) terrorist group plans to commit terrorist attacks against Israeli and Russian citizens in Turkey, Haberturk newspaper reported citing the country's intelligence service. These plans were revealed following the arrest of the IS members in Turkey's Gaziantep province. Turkey has faced deadly terrorist attacks in recent weeks. On March 13, a car bomb attack in Ankara left 36 people dead. Istanbul was also targeted by a suicide attack on March 19, leaving four people dead. Turkish authorities have accused Daesh, the PKK and the PYD terrorist groups for the attacks. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The process for a new constitution is to be accelerated to meet the expectations of Turkish people, said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported. Davutoglu spoke during World Turkish Entrepreneurs Assembly of Foreign Economic Relations Board in Istanbul. Stating that a roadmap had been set, he added a constitution committee had been established within the Justice and Development (AK) Party. "Today, we carried out a long and detailed work with the members of this committee in Dolmabahce office. As of the following week, our committee will start writing it [the new constitution]. I hope, we are planning to complete writing it within the next month. During this process, we are open to any proposal from our business world." AK Party has made constitutional reform a central part of its government program. A "Constitution Conciliation Committee" of 12 deputies -- three from each of Turkey's four parliamentary parties -- had first met on Feb. 3 in a bid to redraw the current constitution, which dates back in parts to Turkey's military regime of the 1980s. The Turkish parliamentary committee tasked with planning the new constitution broke up on Feb. 17 after opposition party members walked out of it amid disagreement over the presidential system, which was proposed by AK Party. AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular to rollout Android Marshmallow soon for HTC One M9, M8; HTC One E8 & M8 Eye get Android M in China New Android Marshmallow release news for HTC Desire 816, One M8, Butterfly 3, One M9, Desire 826 and other devices for US carriers (Photo : YouTube/ Marques Brownlee) AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular are planning to rollout Android Marshmallow for HTC One M9 and HTC One M8, while HTC One E8 and One M8 Eye are getting Android Marshmallow in China. According to Android Pit, network carriers Sprint and T-Mobile have already started the Android Marshmallow rollout for their HTC One M9 and One M8 users. Canadian users of HTC One M9 have also received the update from their network providers Wind, Rogers, SaskTel and Videotron. Advertisement On the other hand, the HTC Desire series has also started to receive the update, according to Android Authority. HTC Desire 816 users have received the update from the network carriers such as Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, AT&T and T-Mobile. The other HTC devices such as HTC Butterfly 3, Desire 826, Desire 820, One M9+,One E8 EYE, One M8, One ME and One E9 are expected to follow suit soon. HTC has confirmed that it will not release the Android Marshmallow update for HTC One M7, as the device is now more than two years old. HTC One E8 and One M8 Eye are expected to get the Android Marshmallow soon in the European countries. Android Marshmallow update is expected to be released to other devices such as Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and Galaxy Note 5. Even the flagship devices of the Sony Xperia Z series may be getting the much-anticipated operating system update, later this month. Tech giant Google releases an improved version of Android every year. With Android Marshmallow, which is the latest version of Android, many brand new features are included which promise to make the devices even better. Meanwhile, the support for USB Type C connection is slowly becoming the main attraction of connections in this update. This will allow the device to be charged much faster. It comes with the capability to charge a Nexus 6P device in under two hours. Besides the charging upgrade, the feature of copy and paste has received a major enhancement. It may feel the same to some users, but it is much easier to use now. Watch the video to know more about the top-rated features of Android Marshmallow: An antique store is seen in Sheung Wan District in Hong Kong on March 20, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images) Shanghai police are investigating 26 criminal gangs involved in antique scams as part of a citywide crackdown, city officials told Shanghai Daily on Thursday. More than 450 suspects were picked up in the sweep and 370 have been detained for allegedly participating in the scam, which officials say involved more than 50 million yuan ($7.7 million). Advertisement The investigation began in January after police received multiple reports at the end of the previous year. According to police, the companies involved typically register as auction houses or art galleries and open up shops and offices in the city's high-end commercial buildings. They then set up scams that charge victims large amounts of money for appraisal and service fees. "The victims, who think they have precious antiques, are usually attracted by the companies' fake auction or exhibition online," a police officer, Wei Tao, told Shanghai Daily. "Any completely worthless artifact will be appraised as worth millions of yuan," he added. Wei said whenever the victim comes to the shop, a person claiming to be an appraiser tells them that the item is a genuine antique and charges a 600-yuan fee. However, in order to complete the sale to a fake buyer, the victim is instructed to send their "precious antiques" to a third-party institution for a "professional appraisal" worth 10,000 yuan. The appraisal never meets the requirements of the fake buyer, resulting in the cancellation of the transaction and the victim losing their money. Officials said there are 99 companies operating in Shanghai that fit the profile of the scam. "There's a lack of regulation in the industry, which makes supervision difficult," Wei said. Shanghai police have previously arrested 17 people in January for swindling more than 100 people of 6 million yuan ($913,806) via a fake auction house in Hongkou District. The modus operandi involved luring sellers with promises of clients willing to buy their antiques in exchange for high appraisal fees. International passenger flight Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in March 8, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to Beijing Capital International Airport in China. (Photo : YouTube/National Geographic TV) The Australian government is confident that debris found in the South of Mozambique is from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The government's recent confirmation has sparked hope that the remains of the ill-fated flight can be recovered. In a statement obtained by the Guardian, Darren Chester, Australian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport confirmed that the debris is "likely " to have been from MH370. According to reports, two separate pieces of debris were found in Mozambique fueling speculation that the search for the missing plane is close to being discovered. Advertisement According to the British publication, an American lawyer, Blaine Alan Gibson, who carried out an independent search for the plane, discovered the first piece of debris. Gibson discovered a meter long piece of metal washed up on the banks in Mozambique this year. Owing to the media exposure of Gibson's find, a teenager in South Africa came forward with a similar piece of debris. The youth claimed to have found it while on vacation in Mozambique as well. Both pieces arrived in Australia recently to be examined by investigators from Malaysia and Australia. In addition, it has been reported that a team of Boeing specialists also joined the team. Australian investigators comprised researchers from the Australian National University and Geoscience Australia. The investigations revealed that both pieces were consistent with panels from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft. Prior to this discovery, part of a wing from the missing flight in 2014 was discovered in the Indian Ocean. "That such debris has been found on the east coast of Africa is consistent with drift modeling performed by CSIRO and further affirms our search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean," Chester said in the statement. He further added that investigators are hopeful that the aircraft will be found. The discovery is likely to further pressure authorities to continue the search, Reuters reported. Furthermore, the wire agency claimed the recent revelations are more likely to call for the search to go on beyond the set 2016 schedule before it is wound up. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014. It was an international passenger flight which disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to Beijing's Capital International Airport in China. Watch a documentary on the mysterious missing flight MH370 below: Milly, a 13-week-old kitten waits with her brother Charlie (L) to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester. (Photo : Getty Images/Christopher Furlong) A new study revealed that a parasite found in cat litter boxes is connected to the explosive rage disorder in humans. People who are prone to getting sudden fits of rage might be under the influence of toxoplasmosis. According to the study published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, people who have intermittent explosive disorder are more likely to carry Toxoplasma gondii, which is the parasite that causes the illness. The parasite is usually found in cat feces and undercooked meat. Advertisement If a person has aggression problems, he or she needs to get it checked for the illness. He noted that because this study was not a clinical trial, the results did not establish a direct cause-and-effect link. There are also times that not everyone will have toxoplasmosis will have anger issues. In an interview with CBS News, Dr. Emil Coccaro, chair of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, said that their work suggested that the latent infection with the parasite may change the brain chemistry that it increased the risk of explosive rage. He explained that suicidal behavior is linked with aggression, which is linked with inflammation and anything that gets into the brain can impact its chemistry and can cause behavioral effects. The publication also quoted Teodor Postolache, a professor of psychiatry at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, as saying that one reason the parasite might be related to the psychiatric disorders is because it has genes to secrete dopamine. The parasite also influences the immune system, which will also have certain side effects on the brain. However, Dr. Royce Lee of the University of Chicago's department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, told the publicaiton that it is too early to judge the cats. He and Coccaro have yet to understand the factors involved with the illness and their study suggested that they need to do more research and uncover more evidence in humans. Coccaro is planning to continue his research on aggression and study what cause it in the hopes of developing new ways to diagnose and treat the problem. It will take more experimental studies to see if treating a latent toxoplasmosis infection with medication will reduce the rage. Check out the toxoplasmosis video below: Apple has introduced its new iPhone SE for the mid-tier sector, hoping to attract smartphone users in China and India. (Photo : Reuters) Smartphone users in China and India are expected to give up their large-screens for Apples new 4-inch iPhone, as the company is betting on its small, feature-rich and lower-priced iPhone SE, Reuters reported. Advertisement According to the report, Asian rivals such as Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi, which have been mass-producing smartphones to win market share in the mid-range and near-premium sector, may find Apple's plan challenging. "With the iPhone SE, Apple is choosing to aim at an under-served segment of consumers that prefer small screen smartphones and have been reluctant to upgrade," research firm IHS said in a note. "Importantly, Apple's competitors have chosen not to target the premium compact smartphone market," IHS added. Analysts said that if Apple's smaller phone can match up in features with their smartphones, users may be more willing to give up their larger screens. "This will appeal to more people who otherwise couldn't afford their flagship phone. This will make the market more competitive at that price point as Apple is preparing to take more share," Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner, said. Analysts added that with the price and features of the iPhone SE, Apple will be competing directly with phones made by companies such as One Plus, Oppo and Xiaomi. "Apple iPhone SE will target feature phone upgraders, first-time smartphone buyers and prepaid consumers in Asia who cannot afford, or are not familiar with, bigger-screen smartphones," Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, said. Greg Joswiak, Apple vice president of iPhone Product Marketing, singled out China as a target market during the product launch in Cupertino, California, on Monday, March 21, saying that for first-time smartphone buyers, the 4-inch displays like that on the iPhone SE were still popular. Joswiak argued that a phone with a 4-inch screen, just like the iPhone SE, is what Chinese buyers tend to start off with. Apple, which expects iPhone sales to diminish, sees China, Apple's second-biggest market, and India, one of the fastest-growing major markets in the world, as key market for the company. Apple's iPhone SE may have better chances than the iPhone 5C, launched three years ago, which was affordable but has fewer features than the top phone at that time, according to some analysts in China. "The Chinese market is not bringing as much growth as previously and is becoming more competitive than ever," Ronan de Renesse, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said. "Apple must decrease the entry price of new iPhones to sustain growth in China. The iPhone SE offers very high specifications for a low price, which is essential to appeal to Chinese consumers," the analyst added. The report said that the iPhone SE was made to correct missteps with the iPhone 5C and now comes with the latest processor, fingerprint scanner, Apple Pay and a powerful camera. As Apple enters the mid-tier smartphone market on second attempt, the iPhone SE is seen to be an improvement on the 5C technology and will challenge Android devices of rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Huawei. Going against the craze over huge screens, Apple has once again made headlines when it launched the iPhone SE this week, sending the tech world into thinking this is the company's attempt to lure buyers in China and India, two of the world's biggest market for mobile phones. On March 21, Apple launched the 4-inch smartphone, which runs on a 64-bit A9 processor, the same chip that powers the iPhone 6 and 6s. Advertisement The new device also boasts a 12MP rear camera, supports 4K videos and allows the latest 802.11ac networking standard, which aims to make browsing faster than the handset's predecessor, the iPhone 5s. However, the biggest appeal of the SE is on its price tag: $399 and $499 for the 16 and 64GB versions, respectively. The cheaper cost is likely to win budget-conscious buyers in China and India, where local makers such as Xiaomi and Micromax are leading the sales race. According to a report from research firm IDC, Chinese companies Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei were among the top five smartphone vendors in 2015, along with Apple and Samsung. Despite being in a safe position on the high-end market, Apple faces trouble as local makers continue to roll out Android-based handsets with features that compete with Apple's premium phones, but at a much cheaper price. The SE's launch also veers away from the trend set by big screens, a possible attempt to capture consumers who prefer phones with smaller displays yet smarter capabilities. Apple reported that it shipped more than 30 million units of the 4-inch iPhone 5s within two years of its release. Meanwhile, data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners suggests that sales of the iPhone 6 and 6s were slower than the 2014 forerunners. Emerging markets seem to be the focus of handset big-wigs, including Apple, but the presence of local players suggests that it is not going to be an easy feat. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomes the Chinese groups' $14 billion investments to build railway infrastructure in Scotland. (Photo : Reuters) Scotlands commuting system and local employment are expected to improve as Chinese investment group SinoFortone Group and China Railway No 3 Engineering Group have signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Scotland on Monday, March 21, to undertake infrastructure projects worth nearly 10 billion pounds ($14.3 billion), China Daily reported. Advertisement "With high-speed trains traveling at a speed of over 300 kilometers per hour, it certainly will help Scotland change the situation in which its ground commuting systems long been dominated by automobiles," Luo Renjian, a researcher at the Institute of Transport Research at the National Development and Reform Commission, said. "And related projects can generate a large number of jobs and construction materials supplying businesses." According to Luo, China's railway infrastructure building ability and rail equipment companies are flourishing due to cost advantages, reasonable delivery times and flexible financing models, although the country may be a latecomer in the field, compared with French and German rivals. Analysts said that significant investment in fields such as clean affordable housing, energy and transport may follow the agreement. Peter Zhang, the managing director of SinoFortone Group, Sir Richard Heygate, senior adviser for China Railway No 3 Engineering Group, and Chinese Consul General Pan Xinchun were joined by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Bute House during the agreement's signing ceremony. "We have been cooperating and engaging with China since 2007 and I further progressed Scotland's business credentials during my trip last year, and this Memorandum of Understanding will strengthen our economic links with China in a number of areas," Sturgeon said. "We have high hopes for Scotland's economy and it is in a strong position, but if we can drive further growth by looking beyond our shores and building relationships with firms across the world then we will seek to make that happen," the Scottish First Minister added. "We are delighted to act as a bridge between Chinese infrastructure expertise and finance with Scotland, to provide a real example of the benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative in action," Zhang said. Meanwhile, Consul General Pan, who congratulated all sides on this agreement, said that the project will benefit the Scottish people as much as Chinese enterprises. SinoFortone's investment will be good for Scotland's economy as it will create jobs and enable growth, Sir Brian Souter from Souter Investments said. Since the novel sales are doing pretty good, "Overlord" Season 2 might get aired on Spring 2016, covering the light novel's volume 4 to volume 6. (Photo : YouTube/Overlord) Fans are in frenzy rage about the thought of not seeing "Overlord" Season 2; however, speculations points out that the second season of the anime series will be happening, so fans can now relax and breathe. Rumors have it that the popular anime series will be released within Q2 2016. Advertisement The first season of the hit anime series, based on a Japanese light novel of the same title that written by Kugane Maruyama, ran for 13 episodes that aired from July 7 to Sept. 29, 2015, which covers volume 1 - volume 3 of the light novel counterpart. The Madhouse adaptation of the light novel was a success, which was rated by anime viewers 8.12 out of 10. Even though European and American distributors were not too interested to distribute "Overlord," with it only being broadcasted on two online sources such J-One and Anime Digital Network, the manga-turned-anime series took Japan by storm and was premiered to all major TV channels. No firm news yet about "Overlord" Season 2 air date or renewal; however, no announcement either of any "Overlord" cancellation. According to Anime news list, if "Overlord" Season 1 goes well and will have satisfactory ratings on its light novel and streaming websites such J-One and Anime Digital Network, then "Overlord" Season 2 will likely happen on Spring 2016. However, fans are being skeptic over "Overlord's" renewal, as even Reddit forums' comments points out that the chances of "Overlord" being renewed are slim due to Madhouse's tradition of rarely renewing its animes' after Season 1. Good thing is that some fans are still positive that "Overlord" anime series will get its well-deserved season 2. The ending of the first season has every clue that a next chapter will indeed come out; however, some says that the clues left in "Overlord" season 1 episode 13 was only to generate hype to its manga counterpart. Some took it positively as the light novel's goal is to reach 8k to 11k sales, which means that once they have sold over 8k copies (which they did reach their goal), chances of seeing "Overlord" Season 2 will be high. Besides, there is enough source material to create the second season's story. Since the novel sales are doing pretty good, "Overlord" Season 2 might get aired on Spring 2016, covering the light novel's volume 4 to volume 6. Watch the video below: Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of Yibada. Apple may announce new MacBooks during WWDC 2016. (Photo : YouTube/HandyAndy Tech Tips) Many fans expected the recently concluded Apple Spring event to introduce the new MacBook Air 2016 and MacBook Pro 2016. However, to the disappointment of many, the Cupertino-based tech giant did not reveal any news about the laptops, raising the question as to when the two laptops will come out. Advertisement Rumors show that the new line of MacBooks may be revealed in the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, slated for June. There is likelihood that the laptops will be unveiled earlier than the said event. In the past, Apple gave big discounts on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, a move that pointed towards the company gearing up for the new models of the laptops. Latest reports suggest that the company will present a new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook this year. The new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks are thinner than the current MacBook Air, according to DigiTimes. However, the laptops share the same design with the current 12-inch MacBook. According to the publication, the new MacBooks will launch at the end of the second quarter of the year. Seemingly, Apple will give a good competition when it comes to thinner laptops since, based on the report, the company's rivals like Asustek Computer, Lenovo, and Dell are as well preparing for new ultra-slim notebooks. Lenovo already launched a 14-inch enterprise ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which is only 1.65cm thin and weighs 1.18kg. The report concurs with other reports, as per Apple Insider, citing that the Cupertino tech giant is planning to refurbish the MacBook Air lineup. MacBook Air lags behind when it come to development and progress. In fact, the lineup is the only MacBook without a Retina display. It is rumored that Apple will scrap the 11-inch MacBook Air in favor of the upcoming 15-inch model. Reports about a thinner MacBook Pro and MacBook Air as well support the continuous speculations that MacBook Pro will be thinner, lighter, and more portable. Fans should wait to see these rumors come to fruition come June during the much awaited WWDC. Watch the footage below for more information on the upcoming laptops. An image of the Cryptotora thamicola or the blind cavefish in a cave in Thailand. (Photo : YouTube/NJIT) The scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have found a blind cave fish that can walk like a four-legged land creature in Thailand. It can walk and climb on waterfalls like a salamander. The blind cave fish is called the Cryptotora thamicola and it moves unlike any other fish that "walks" on land. It instead has developed tetrapod-like features that allow them to move like the early landwalkers, which developed the ability about 420 million years ago. Advertisement The tetrapods were the earliest four-limbed creatures to walk on land. They had features that allowed them to walk like stiff spines and the growth of pelvises. The walking, blind cave fish have many of the same features as the early tetrapods, according to a report in Nature. The cave fish eats microbes and organic matter that grows on the cave walls it inhabits. In 1985, it was discovered deep inside a system of caves in northern Thailand and cannot be found anywhere else, according to a report by the IUCN Red List. Since it is protected, the researchers can study it by visiting the cave, take videos and examine preserved specimens in Thai museums only. Brooke Flammang, an ichthyologist at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, said in a press release that the cave fish possesses morphological features that have previously only been connected to tetrapods. It has a pelvis and vertebral column that allows it to support its body weight against gravity and provide large areas for muscle attachment for walking, he added. The pelvic girdle of this cave fish allowed it to move with a side to side motion like a salamander or what the researchers involved in this research describe as a "standing wave." Some other fish would move with the familiar swaying motion. In the past, some scientists have found "trackways" made by dragging tetrapod fins in European caves that can be traced back to about 400 million years. Due to this discovery, researchers are now interested by the walking cave fish because it offers more insight into the evolution of the four-legged creatures like the tetrapod. Check out the cave fish video below: The government has been intensifying its efforts to revive China's indigenous culture, from Peking Opera to calligraphy writing. (Photo : Getty Images) Following an eight-year hiatus and amid the ongoing revival of calligraphy, the journal "Chinese Calligraphy Studies" has come back and resumed publication, Shanghai Daily reported. Advertisement The academic journal, first of its kind and is quarterly released, was first issued in 1979. Back in its heyday, it "claimed a circulation of 100,000 issues," the article said. "Chinese Calligraphy Studies" encountered obstacles around 2000 as digital media rose to popularity and people began to lose interest in traditional culture. The journal ceased publication indefinitely in 2008. "I feel honored to re-open the magazine this month," Wang Lixiang, publisher and editor-in-chief at the Shanghai Fine Arts Publisher, said. Shanghai Daily noted that the comeback of the journal comes along the government's and society's concerted efforts to boost China's indigenous culture--from calligraphy to papercutting to Peking opera. Calligraphy has been regarded as a heritage from ancient China as it was seen "as an essential skill among members of the country's literati class," the article said. "Today many of my friends have started to use a brush and copy sutras onto rice-paper. As I see it, calligraphy is an important practice to experience the beauty of China's ancient civilization," Wang added. The return of "Chinese Calligraphy Studies" was warmly welcomed by various calligraphy scholars. "I can clearly remember when my first article was published in this magazine decades ago," calligrapher Hua Rende shared. "When I heard the magazine had shut down, I was quite upset. But today I'm all too happy to hear of its return." The news has also earned praises from neophytes who have long-anticipated its return. "I intend to subscribe to the magazine. I'm curious to read it," said Jimmy Zhang, a white-collar worker whose hobby is calligraphy. Apart from commenting on its cultural significance, Chinese experts have also lauded the health benefits of this tradition. "Practicing calligraphy is a good way to exercise one's body," Lu Man, a local doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, said. "When one is writing calligraphy, one can't be in a hurry and practitioners often have slowed heart rates. It also works the muscles in one's legs, arms and wrist," the doctor added. Seve Gat Kenya Airways (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) Seve Gat China Mountainside (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) Seve Gat Great Wall of China (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) Seve Gat China 2 (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) Seve Gat (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) Seve Gat & Sam Gichuru (Photo : Facebook/Seve Gat) The last time a foreigner posted something about the Great Wall of China, the back story of Dorian Murray, the 8-year-old American boy who was then stricken with cancer, moved many netizens to give in to his request to post photos of themselves in front of the iconic Chinese landmark. This time, its a Kenyan woman who dreamt of going to China. Using Photoshop, Seve Gat posted on her Facebook page four images spread over six days that makes it appear that she went to China. But because the digital enhancement was not an experts work, people who saw her posts commented that it was obviously the result of using a software and she did not really go to China. Advertisement On Feb. 28, Gat posted a photo of herself with Kenya Airways plane on the background saying she left Kenya to visit China, reported Mashable. This photo was shared 618 times and elicited 285 comments. The first comment by Kendi Daniel that yur dream shall come true proved prophetic enough. Her next post, dated March 1, had her standing on a mountainside wooden footpath. The next day, March 2, had Gat on The Great Wall of China. Finally, on March 4, she posted a photo with a group of tourists and a Chinese landmark on the background, saying it was her last day in China. However, a businessman, Sam Gichuru, a growth hacker at Kuhustle.com, saw Gats images online and was touched by it that he raised money and sponsored her real trip to China. Gat, though, is still preparing for the trip as she is still applying for a passport. In the meantime, Twitter users did their own Photoshopping and made Gat travel elsewhere. There are photos of the young Kenyan in India beside a woman in sari, with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in the U.S., in outer space, on Mars and in Egypt with the pyramids as background. On Thursday, Gat posted that she met Gichuru at Nailab to update him on the progress of her trip to China. She shared that last week, she applied and got her birth certificate which she would use in her passport application. Gichuru also got her into kuhustle.com, an online community and marketplace of freelancers in Kenya, an internship as a project manager. Google is believed to be working on the successors of Nexus 5x and Nexus 6 P, dubbed the HTC Nexus M1 and S1. (Photo : YouTube/Google Nexus) Google Nexus 7 2016 release may come sooner than later as a new round of Nexus 6P discounts surfaced online. Consumers rarely see Nexus 6P discounts as Nexus 5X often received the price cut. In celebration of Google Store's first birthday, Google slashed $50 off on both Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. The Nexus 5X price is down to $299 from its original price of $349, while the Nexus 6P now costs $449 from its typical price of $499. The $50 discount is applicable on any color and storage variant. Unfortunately, this amazing deal ends on Easter Sunday. Advertisement Another hint that a new Google Nexus 7 2016 release is coming is because HTC slashed the price of HTC One M9 for $649 and get the Nexus 9 tablet for free. This saved buyers up to $399 for both devices. However, this enticing offer runs until supplies last. HTC Nexus 9 is only two years old and packs a 2GB RAM and is powered by Nvidia's Tegra K1 SoC and pure Android OS making it a great gaming tablet. Taiwanese manufacturer HTC will allegedly take the helm and will be in charged in making the new Nexus device. Moreover, the discounts on a myriad of Nexus devices hinted that a new device is coming, although it is still unconfirmed when it will be made public. Google Nexus 7 2016 is either a tablet or a phablet and will allegedly pack the same, old 7-inch screen display. It will be powered by NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Google Nexus 7 2016 is rumored to be a tablet with premium build and revolutionary features optimized for maximum productivity. Reports added that the tablet will come with features thanks to pure Android N operating system. The tablet will be marketed to professionals and businesses, which productivity is of utmost importance. Meanwhile, Google Nexus 7 2016 release is rumored to happen in May at the company's annual I/O Developers' Conference as its launching platform for the device; although, other rumors claim that the device will be released in October. However, there is still no official announcement from Google about the official release date and features of the rumored Google Nexus 2016. Major tech firm LeEco Holdings Co. Ltd. is targeting the U.S. and India as part of its bid to become a global firm. (Photo : Reuters) Major tech firm LeEco Holdings Co. Ltd. is aiming to enter several overseas markets within the year as part of efforts to establish itself as a global company, China Daily reported. On Wednesday, March 23, Hank Liu, co-founder and vice chairman of LeEco, said that it is targeting in 2016 two major markets outside China, namely, the United States and India. Advertisement "The year 2016 marks the beginning of our globalization," Liu said in the announcement on the sidelines of the 2016 Boao Forum for Asia, in Boao, Hainan Province. "We don't make it a goal to overtake tech giants, such as Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. or Tesla Motors Inc. But we do have an ambition to become a globalized company, because all great companies are globalized." The report said that LeEco opened online channels to sell its smartphones and smart televisions in the two markets. "Later in the first half of this year, we will make a major foray into Southeast Asia and in the second half of this year, we will enter the Russian market," Liu said, adding that the Beijing-based firm will replicate the business model in other markets overseas. Although Liu did not disclose the total amount it had invested for its globalization strategy, he said that the investment will be used to satisfy the demand of overseas consumers for online videos and provide them with a range of video content. Liu said: "We use different strategies to get contents into different markets. In the U.S., we adopt a strategy to open our platform to content producers, allowing them to reach audiences through our channel. And in some other countries, we could invest or even buy up some studios, so that we could produce our own programs." Analysts said that by setting a low price for its newly launched Super TV X65 equipped with a 65-inch 4K screen, which is priced at 4,999 yuan ($769) in China, LeEco would never make profit from it. Liu, however, said that their intention was not to make money from selling devices but from the contents and subscribers. "We had 12 million paid subscribers for our TV contents alone in 2015," he said. As top priorities for its overseas expansion, the company said it has chosen the U.S. market for its well-developed, cutting-edge tech companies, and India for being an important emerging economy with a large population. "If we could be successful in those two markets, we can be successful around the world," he said, adding that to become one of the top three players, LeEco should aim to succeed not only in terms of market shares but also in the number of users. The report said that the company's unique business model is based on a so-called ecosystem, which includes smart devices, video contents and now electric cars. The talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia is a positive step towards averting Yemen's worsening humanitarian crisis, MENA programme director of the International Crisis Group says Reaching a peace deal in conflict-stricken Yemen is crucial in order to avert a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis," said Joost Hiltermann, MENA programme director of the International Crisis Group. In a Wednesday lecture at the American University in Cairo, Hiltermann said he believes that the 8 March talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia were a breakthrough in the peace process and a positive step towards de-escalation between the two sides. On Wednesday, Ismail Ould Cheikh, the United Nations envoy to Yemen, announced a cease-fire on 10 April ahead of a new round of peace talks starting 18 April in Kuwait. Hiltermann said that negotiations should lead to an interim settlement that must include security arrangements which pave the way for a militia withdrawal from cities. According to the United Nations, more than 6,000 people have been killed since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen last year. Speaking on the challenges confronting the warring parties in successfully forging a deal in the talks, Hiltermann said that Saudi Arabia views the Houthis as part of an expanding Iranian threat in the region. In a report published by the International Crisis Group on Yemen, the Houthi/Saleh bloc is also considerably complicating peace prospects by increasing cross-border attacks into the Saudi kingdom, a move that makes it more difficult for the kingdom to halt the conflict when it cannot boast a clear military victory. Following the Iranian nuclear deal [with the US and its allies], there was a Saudi panic over Irans role in the international community, Hiltermann said, referring to the lifting of international sanctions on Iran in exchange for limiting its nuclear programme. For Saudi Arabia, the Houthis crossed the line when [they took over the Yemeni capital] Sanaa in September 2014, especially after [Yemen's] President Abd Rabbu Mansor Hadi was placed under house arrest. Following the Houthi takeover a year ago, a Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen with the aim of preventing the Iran-allied Houthi Shia rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the country. The Saudi Kingdom rallied a coalition of nine mostly Sunni Arab states. The United States, the United Kingdom, and France have lent support to the Saudi military operation, the International Crisis Group report said. Who has a stronger grip on Yemen? With each side fighting over control of Yemen, both have shown strength in different areas, making it difficult to speculate on who would likely come out on top. Whatever the results are, however, Yemens immediate future looks bleak. The Houthi militias' strength in Yemen, according to Hiltermann, has been reflected in its military capabilities, as they had prior fighting experience in clashes with Salehs forces in 2004. The Houthi militias have also been receiving weapons from their Shia ally Iran, though it is considered of little help. The Houthis also showed strength in their ability to forge an alliance with ex-president Saleh. In 2011, Saleh was given immunity from criminal prosecution for himself and his family in exchange for stepping down. In a bid to recover part of his 32-year grip on power, the ousted Saleh started aiding the Houthis. However, the Saudi kingdom is playing on the differences between Saleh and the Houthis, Hiltermann says. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, showed that it has an edge when it comes to bombings and airstrikes, as they have "outstanding" pilots. The support from the United States in refuelling planes in mid-air and offering weaponry and military advice was of great assistance to the Saudis. However, Saudi Arabia has no ground forces in Yemen, and it "cannot win with weak ground forces," according to Hiltermann. The Saudi kingdom needs to declare a victory soon, and they will need to announce their success in Yemen, he said. The only losers here are the Yemeni population, with many Yemeni areas on the verge of starvation. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian police said they found the passport of murdered student Giulio Regeni inside an apartment linked to a gang who robbed foreigners Cairo prosecution ordered Friday the detention for four days pending investigations of three family members related to an alleged gang member linked to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, state news agency MENA reported. Thursday, Egyptian police said they found the passport and other identity documents of the murdered Italian student inside an apartment linked to a gang specialised in robbing foreigners. Four gang members were killed hours before the announcement in an exchange of fire with police, the interior ministry said. Regenis belongings were found in the apartment of a sister of one the gang members. The sister, wife, and brother-in-law of the alleged gang member are the ones arrested. All three are being investigated for covering up for a criminal and hiding him from justice, and keeping stolen items, knowing they were the product of criminal activity. Regeni's body was found with signs of torture on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo nine days after he disappeared on 25 January. The 28-year-old doctoral student was conducting research on independent trade union movements in Egypt. Italian Investigators pointed to inconsistencies in the latest information in the case provided by Egypt, according to Italian news agency ANSA, to the effect that it would be unlikely that Regeni's kidnappers would hold on to compromising evidence weeks after his death. They also said the kidnappers were unlikely to torture the victim over the course of a week if their aim was to obtain a ransom. Search Keywords: Short link: Israeli envoy says the launch of the new site marks the 37th anniversary of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty The Israeli embassy in Egypt launched its new website on Friday, a day before the 37th anniversary of the peace treaty between the two countries. "To mark this occasion, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new website for the Israeli embassy in Egypt," Israeli envoy to Cairo Haim Koren said in a message on the website on Friday. "We hope this site helps bring the people of [our] nations together," he added. Israel reopened its embassy in Cairo in September 2015, four years after it was ransacked by a crowd amid public outrage over a cross-fire killing of five Egyptian policemen by Israeli forces chasing militants in Egypt's Sinai. In January, Egypt sent a new ambassador to Israel, after a three-year lapse. Ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi recalled Cairo's ambassador to Israel in November 2012 to protest an Israeli offensive against Hamas group fighters in the Gaza Strip that sparked weeks-long violence. Leaders across Egypt's political spectrum reject normalisation of Egyptian-Israeli relations, with processional syndicates and labour unions banning members from visiting Israel. Egypt's parliament earlier in March voted to expel an MP after he held talks with the Israeli ambassador during a dinner at the parliamentarian's home. The peace treaty was signed on 26 March 1979, and was the first such peace treaty between an Arab country and Israel. Search Keywords: Short link: Italian officials seem sceptical about the recent developments in the case Related Italian investigators find 'inconsistencies' in Egypts account of Regenis death: ANSA Italian FM satisfied with Cairo cooperation in Regeni inquiry: Egypt FM spokesperson Italy's foreign minister appeared unsatisfied with Egypt's new findings concerning the killing of Italian Giulio Regeni, after Egyptian police announced they had killed four gang members seemingly connected with the murder. "Italy insists: we want the truth," Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on his Twitter feed late Friday. #Regeni Italia insiste: vogliamo la verita Paolo Gentiloni (@PaoloGentiloni) March 25, 2016 On Thursday, Egypt's interior ministry said that police had killed all four members of a gang of kidnappers in a shoot-out. The men were known for robbing and kidnapping foreigners, police said, and Regeni's student identity cards, passport and bank card were found in a flat belonging to the sister of one of those killed. But the latest developments were met with scepticism by the Italian investigators and by Regeni's family. Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, said on Friday that the investigation into the murder must continue. He said in a statement that "elements thus far communicated by the Egyptian prosecutors are not satisfactory to shed light on the death of Giulio Regeni or to identify those responsible for the murder." Regeni's sister, BenzopIrene, posted a photo Friday on her Facebook page showing herself and Regeni's parents holding an Amnesty International flag with the words "Truth for Giulio Regeni" emblazoned across it. The Italian news website ANSA said Regeni's parents had no comment on the Egyptian authorities' latest account but quoted a source close to the family as saying "they found it hard to believe." Egyptian prosecutors ordered on Friday the detention of three relatives of the head of the alleged criminal gang on charges of concealing a criminal and hiding stolen items, state news agency MENA reported. The body of the 28-year-old PhD student, who was living in Cairo and conducting research on independent trade union movements, was found with signs of torture by a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo in February. He disappeared in the capital Cairo on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of Egypt's 2011 revolution. Egypt has vigorously denied claims that security forces were involved in Regeni's murder. Search Keywords: Short link: Hussein was found guilty of using religion to promote extremist thought and harm national unity, and of spreading false news to disrupt national peace A Cairo criminal court upheld on Saturday an eight-year prison sentence against pro-Muslim Brotherhood politician Magdi Hussein, which he received over a year ago during a trial in absentia. Hussein was among a group of ten jailed Islamist figures who prosecutors ordered to be released last week under conditions of house arrest while they await trial for various offences. The outstanding eight-year sentence against Hussein, on charges of using religion to promote extremist thought and harm national unity, and of spreading false news to disrupt national peace, was revealed prior to his conditional release. He may yet appeal the verdict before a higher court. Hussein has been in detention since 2014. A writer, he was head of the Islamist-oriented Istiqlal Party and a leading member of the now-banned pro-Morsi National Coalition in Support of Legitimacy. Search Keywords: Short link: Major General Mahmoud Hegazy will participate in a conference of chiefs of staff aiming to enhance military and security cooperation on counterterrorism between members of the Saudi-led Islamic coalition Egypt's military chief of staff Major General Mahmoud Hegazy headed to Saudi Arabia Saturday for a two-day official visit to attend a conference for chiefs of staff of the Islamic military coalition in Riyadh, Egypt's military spokesperson said in a statement. "The conference will tackle many issues related to military and security cooperation between Islamic countries, such as the international war on terror," the statement read. In December 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to "combat terrorism", including Arab countries such as Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab Gulf countries, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and some African states. The announcement cited "a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organisations, whatever their sect and name, which wreak death and corruption on earth and aim to terrorise the innocent." Shia Muslim Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's archrival for influence in the Arab world, was absent from the states named as participants, as proxy conflicts between the two regional powers rage from Syria to Yemen. Search Keywords: Short link: The programme statement will include seven main points on national security, democracy, the economy, social justice, development, transparency, and Egypt's role in the Arab world After a minor cabinet reshuffle that saw 10 ministers replaced on 23 March, Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail is scheduled to deliver his government's first policy statement before the House of Representatives Sunday. Under Article 146 of the 2014 constitution, the policy statement must be debated by parliament within 30 days, after which it will be up to the house whether or not to vote with or withhold confidence in the government. The session will be recorded and televised later, and will not be aired live, according to Ahmed Saad, secretary general of Egypt's House of Representatives. Parliament deputy speaker Al-Sayed Al-Sherif told reporters Saturday that Ismail's statement will take around one hour to deliver and that the issue whether it will be aired live on television or not will be left to the majority of MPs to decide tomorrow. "The sure thing is that a special parliamentary committee will be formed to discuss this statement, prepare a report about it within 10 days, and recommend whether it should be approved or not," said Al-Sherif. Al-Sherif said he is in favour of airing Ismail's statement live on television. "This is a national issue as highly important as President El-Sisi's statement before parliament and I think it should be aired live," said Al-Sherif, adding, "As the statement is directed to all Egyptians and not to parliament alone, it should be aired live." Al-Sherif said Ismail and all of his government's 33 cabinet ministers will come to parliament tomorrow and that Ismail will hold a private meeting with parliament's internal bureau before he delivers his government's statement. Al-Sherif said most MPs have already received print copies of Ismail's statement for review Saturday, ahead of tomorrow's session. According to Article 146 of the constitution, if the government and its programme fails to gain parliament's confidence within 30 days, the president of the republic will ask the majority party or coalition to form another government and name another prime minister within 30 days. If they fail to gain confidence, parliament would be considered dissolved. Al-Sherif disclosed that the parliamentary committee that will be in charge of reviewing Ismail's statement will include representatives from all political forces in parliament. "It will also include MPs who are experts in different fields, particularly finance and investment," said Al-Sherif. Ismail has already held meetings with MPs from different governorates in the past few days in an attempt to convince them to vote in favour of his government. MPs told reporters that although they might have no choice but voting in favour of keeping Ismail's government in office, they have strong tools to force its performance to serve the interests of the people more effectively. MP Anwar Al-Sadat disclosed that "in their meetings with Ismail, MPs argued that the government's policy statement must explain in clear-cut terms the government's strategy to combat terrorism, fight corruption and improve public services." Sadat noted that Ismail's government resorted to devaluing the Egyptian pound without getting parliament's prior consent. "Ismail risked taking this decision before delivering its programme before parliament tomorrow because he knew quite well that it would be rejected by MPs," said Sadat, adding that, "The most important thing now is to compel this government to make sure that the devaluation will not make it harder for millions of poor people meet their basic economic needs." In their meetings with Ismail, many MPs also warned that any plans to phase out subsidies on electricity and water or raise prices of basic goods or public transport could spark wide-scale street protests. Independent MP Abdel-Moneim Al-Oleimi told reporters that Ismail's 19 March meeting with Nile-Delta governorate of Al-Gharbiya MPs had shocked many of those who attended. "Not only did Ismail paint a bleak picture of the Egyptian economy, he also had the guts to announce that the government has no money to spend on new projects or improve public services," said Al-Oleimi. "All Ismail said is that MPs should rally behind the government because we are all in the same boat and that we must work together to reduce the budget deficit, and tackle the trade balance, in order to weather the current economic crisis," Al-Oleimi said. Informed sources told reporters that the government's programme to be presented before parliament tomorrow will include seven main points. "Ismail will vow that these points will be implemented by the end of June," said an informed cabinet source, adding that, "This well-timed programme will make it much easier for parliament to review the government and judge its performance." The source disclosed that the first three points focus on safeguarding Egyptian national security, reinforcing democracy, and devising a new economic programme. "Other points will deal with achieving social justice and improving public services, and boosting development in industrial, agricultural and commercial sectors," the source said. The source indicated that Prime Minister Ismail might propose phasing out in-kind subsidies in favour of cash subsidies. The remaining two points will focus on administrative reform (fighting corruption and enhancing transparency) and reinforcing Egypt's leading role in the Arab world. Search Keywords: Short link: In a move widely seen as toning down ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisia's Ennahda Party says it will accept state authority over religion and focus on political activities The Islamist Ennahda Party will make a separation between its religious and political activities and accept state authority over handling state affairs, a leading Ennahda figure told Tunisia's Al-Sharouq newspaper. Fathi Al-Ayadi speaking ahead of this summer's party conference said that Ennahda will focus on its political activities within an Islamic frame of reference, in accordance with the Tunisian constitution. Al-Ayadi noted that religious affairs should be handled by state authorities and civil society, a statement that reflects Ennahda's refusal of partisan interference in such issues. Al-Ayadi, head of Ennahda's Shura Council, said that preliminary meetings for the Ennahda conference resulted in a general consensus on amending the Islamist group's organisational affairs and charter. One of these amendments includes the suggestion of changing the name of the party's Shura Council to "National Shura Council." The statements of Al-Ayadi are seen as part of the "Tunisisation" of Ennahda, ending its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and teh combination of religion and politics. Representing unprecedented steps by the Islamist party, many Ennahda leaders issued positive statements about ex-President Habib Bourguiba and celebrated the 60th anniversary of Tunisia's independence, 20 March. Ennahda amid the failed attempts by the Islamic State (IS) group to establish an emirate for itself in Ben Gardane earlier this month was blamed recently for the rise of militancy in the country, in opening public space for Islamist extremists when the party was in power in the last few years. Search Keywords: Short link: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad Saturday for talks with senior officials on ways of assisting war-ravaged Iraq, the world body said. Ban, who had last visited the Iraqi capital in March 2015, was travelling with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank head Ahmad al-Madani. They went straight into talks with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Ban flew from Lebanon, where he called for an end to war in the region and visited some of the 1.2 million refugees the country hosts. A drop in oil prices has had a devastating effect on the economy of Iraq, already strained by the cost of the fight against the Islamic State group. As areas are gradually retaken from the Islamist militants in intense battles, Baghdad is left with little to spare on the reconstruction of ravaged cities. The government has asked for support from its foreign partners. During a visit to Baghdad on March 16, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said lenders would be urged to help. "We will work with our partners from the G7 in order to provide direct support to the Iraqi government, and also to put pressure on the international financial institutions to give bigger and quicker loan support to Iraq," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Thousands of Yemenis rallied in the rebel-held capital on Saturday to denounce the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign against the country's insurgents a year ago, an AFP photographer said. The intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi that began on March 26 last year has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Huthi rebels and their allies, who still control the capital Sanaa and key parts of the country. "Together against the tyrannical Saudi aggression," said a large banner in Sanaa's Sabaeen Square where protesters gathered, as coalition warplanes flew overhead, breaking the sound barrier in an apparent show of force. Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Iran-backed rebels and whose party had called for the protest, appeared briefly at the rally, an AFP photographer said. The Houthis have called for another protest later in north Sanaa. Rebel chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi addressed his supporters in a defiant televised speech on Friday. "One year on, we look at the outcome of this aggression... It was said to be aimed at helping and serving the Yemeni people. (But) this help came in the form of criminal killings and genocide," he said. "The aggression and those criminal aggressors have only caused huge damage at all levels in our country and in the rest of the region," he added, in an apparent reference to increased tension between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 then advanced south, raising fears in Riyadh that the Shiite rebels from Yemen's highlands would extend Iran's influence in its southern neighbour. Riyadh and its Sunni Arab allies in the coalition vowed to restore Hadi's government to power after he was forced to flee into exile in March last year. Loyalists backed by the coalition have since managed to drive the rebels out of five southern provinces including second city Aden, where Hadi has established a temporary capital. But the rebels have stubbornly held on to eight of Yemen's 22 provinces and heavy fighting has been raging for months in five others. The Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda have exploited the chaos, widening their footholds in the south and carrying out deadly attacks, mostly against forces loyal to Hadi. IS group claimed suicide bombings on Friday on checkpoints of loyalist forces in Aden that killed at least 22 people, including 10 civilians, according to a security official. Police in Turkey have warned of possible Islamic State group attacks against Christians and Jews over the Easter weekend, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported on Saturday. The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, according to the news agency. The security alert came after the latest attack last Saturday in a busy Istanbul shopping hub, blamed by the Turkish authorities on a militant with links to the IS group. IS group has been blamed for four of the six bombings that have rocked Turkey in the past eight months, including a double suicide attack at a peace rally in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead. A radical offshoot of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the other two attacks. The police have warned that IS group members may have scouted out places of worship as well as consulates and embassies, saying that churches and synagogues especially in Ankara, as well as foundations belonging to non-Muslims should be on their guard. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkey's military says a Turkish soldier has been killed in northern Iraq by rockets fired by Islamic State group militants. A second soldier was slightly wounded in the incident. A military statement said the rockets had been fired Saturday by IS group militants during a fight with Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and landed at a base in the Bashiqa region where some Turkish soldiers are stationed. The military said the Turkish soldiers responded to the attack by firing at IS group targets. It said the wounded soldier and the slain soldier's body were flown to Turkey. Search Keywords: Short link: The Islamic State (IS) group, which came under attack this weekend by regime forces in Syria and Iraq, has faced major setbacks in the two neighbouring countries over the past year. The latest offensives against IS, which has carried out brazen attacks in Europe, come as the militant group claimed suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and a metro station that killed 31 people. "The more IS loses territory in Syria, the more they will export attacks," a senior French counter-terrorism official warned this week after the Belgium bombings. Here are the key IS losses since January 2015: After a series of victories, IS suffers its first serious setback on January 26, 2015, in Kobane, a Syrian town near the border with Turkey known in Arabic as Ain al-Arab. Kurdish forces backed by intense US-led air strikes capture the town after four months of fighting. In June, Syrian Kurds also captured Tal Abyad, another town near the border that controls a supply route to Raqa, the IS de facto capital in northern Syria. Iraqi troops, police and Shiite-dominated paramilitary forces retake Tikrit, the home town of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, on March 31. The operation, at that time the largest by Iraqi forces against IS, was helped by the fact that much of Tikrit's 200,000 residents had fled the city. On November 13, Iraqi Kurds backed by US-led coalition air strikes drive IS out of Sinjar, northwest of Baghdad, cutting one of the group's crucial supply lines between Iraq and Syria. IS had seized Sinjar in August 2014 and carried out a brutal campaign against its Yazidi minority that included massacres, enslavement and rape. Iraqi troops retake a key district of the Sunni Arab city of Ramadi on December 8. Two weeks later the troops backed coalition air strikes reach the city's centre. Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province, Iraq's largest which stretches from the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to just west of Baghdad. IS had seized Ramadi the previous May following an assault by dozens of suicide bombers driving explosives-rigged vehicles. On Thursday, Iraqi forces ousted militants from villages south of Mosul, IS's main hub in the country. The army says the operation was the first phase of an offensive to recapture Nineveh province and its capital Mosul. In Syria, regime forces backed by Russian warplanes and allied militia enter the IS-held ancient city of Palmyra. Its recapture would be a major strategic and symbolic victory for the Syrian regime, since whoever holds it also controls the vast desert extending from central Syria to the Iraqi border. Known as the "Pearl of the Desert", the city was overrun by IS in May, 2015 and since then the militants have blown up UNESCO-listed temples and looted ancient relics. Search Keywords: Short link: Britain's press regulator on Saturday censured Rupert Murdoch's The Sun tabloid for a "significantly misleading" story claiming one in five British Muslims sympathise with militant fighters. The ruling on the front-page story from November comes amid heightened community tensions following the Brussels attacks this week claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, which left 31 people dead. The mass-selling daily claimed an exclusive poll revealed "1 in 5 Brit Muslims' sympathy for militants", and published a picture of Mohammed Emwazi, the British IS group executioner known as Jihadi John, alongside the shock headline. The story generated more than 3,000 complaints to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), most of them challenging the coverage on the grounds of accuracy. A graph inside the paper clarified that five percent of those surveyed had a lot of sympathy, 14 percent had some sympathy and 71 percent had no sympathy with "young Muslims who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria". Complainants argued that the question did not specifically mention the Islamic State group, and could include those fighting against IS group militants. The Sun had denied that the wording of its poll was ambiguous, saying that previous questions in the telephone survey had made explicit reference to the IS group. IPSO noted that the paper had provided various interpretations of the poll result inside but concluded that "the coverage was significantly misleading". The Sun published the adjudication on page 2 of the newspaper's Saturday edition as required by the regulator. Search Keywords: Short link: Russian state television has aired the final words of the pilots of the flydubai passenger jet that crashed in Rostov-on-Don last week killing 62 people, suggesting pilot error could be to blame. Russia's Rossiya-1 channel late Friday said it had obtained a transcript of the last words exchanged a minute before the Boeing 737 plunged to the ground from a source in the investigative commission with access to the plane's voice recorders. The plane, which was arriving from Dubai, exploded into a fireball last Saturday after missing the runway in the city in southern Russia while making a second attempt to land in heavy wind and rain. The transcript suggests that the pilot lost control of the plane immediately after switching off the autopilot. "Don't worry," the pilot says repeatedly in the transcript translated into Russian, before repeating seconds later "Don't do that!" The last words are repeated calls to "Pull up!" For the last six seconds of the plane's dive, all that can be heard are "inhuman screams," the channel's source said. The channel suggested -- citing specialists while stressing that this was not the official version -- that the pilot accidentally switched on a stabilising fin at the tail as he tried to pull the plane back to a horizontal position. With this fin activated, "the plane practically does not react to the pilot's control panel" the channel said. "The pilots clearly did not understand that the stabiliser was to blame for the steep dive." The channel said the pilot could have accidentally switched on the button activating the fin due to his reported "chronic fatigue." The only other possible explanation would be an "unprecedented glitch in the plane's automatic systems," the channel said. Investigators have launched a criminal probe into whether poor weather, pilot error or a technical fault were behind the crash, which killed all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. Search Keywords: Short link: An EasyJet flight from Vienna to London was halted just before takeoff on Saturday because a passenger believed the man sitting next to her might be an Islamic extremist, authorities said. "The woman believed that she saw messages related to Islamic State (IS) group on the man's mobile phone," Austrian interior ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck told AFP. The woman alerted cabin crew, security staff were called, the takeoff was cancelled and all passengers and all their luggage were taken off the plane for checks. "Nothing was found however, and the aircraft has since taken off, but without either the man or the woman. They are now being questioned," Grundboeck said. The man is an Iraqi citizen, he added. It was unclear what the woman's nationality is. The incident comes amid heightened security in Europe following Tuesday's bombings in Brussels, which were claimed by IS. Search Keywords: Short link: The Swiss, Germany-based conductor Christoph-Mathias Mueller should be familiar to the Egyptian audience, never mind how well-known he is on the international music scene. In Egypt as elsewhere throughout his career Mueller has made imprints on several levels. His biography includes numerous impressive achievements, among them serving as an assistant conductor to Vladimir Ashkenazy at the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin and to Claudio Abbado at the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Since 2005, Mueller has been Principal Conductor, Artistic Director and, since 2007, General Music Director of the Gottinger Symphony Orchestra, a post that he holds until today. Apart from this impressive biography, Mueller is a returning conductor with many renowned orchestras around the world. What makes Egyptian listeners well acquainted with this accomplished musician is the fact that in the 2004-2005 season, Mueller was the Cairo Symphony Orchestras Music Director and principal conductor. Ever since this time, he revisited Egypt on a number of occasions, conducting in Cairo and Alexandria. His most recent concerts with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra took place on 18 and 19 March, in an evening dubbed the Spring Concert, part of the Family Concerts series. Its programme included a lovely set of compositions targeting the whole family: fragments from Bizet/Guirauds Carmen Suite No. 1, Sarasates Carmen Fantasy, Massenets Meditation from Opera Thais, Brahms Hungarian Dances (No. 1, 3 and 5) and Offenbachs Can Can from Operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, among others. Attending a concert conducted by Mueller is an undoubted boon. Even though Muellers musical luggage incorporates much more demanding works, he managed to turn this evening to an accessibly profound experience. And, regardless the programme, it was fascinating to watch how his expertise, experience, understanding of music, conducting craft and unimposing yet apparent self-confidence all translated into one musical evening. My later conversation with Mueller uncovered a passionate musician, a profound artist with a sense of humour and a human being who not only lives through music but who always finds a way to invite the listeners to share the privilege with him. Obsessed with music My parents come from modest backgrounds; they were not musicians but they always loved music. Also, as primary school teachers they had to know the basics of music, play recorder, piano a little bit... My mother always sang a lot, Mueller reveals, underlining that classical music, especially from the Baroque era, was always predominant in his household. His sister has become a professional musician, playing oboe in an orchestra. Growing up in this environment, not only was music a natural part of his life, it also became a powerful part of his early development. Since early years I would collect LPs and today I have many of them. I would also do music quizzes with my mother, telling her to listen to fragments from different compositions and then asking her to recognise the composer, music period etc, he recalls how his passion for music was sometimes translated into terrorising the family with his inquiries, musical games and, above all, testing his knowledge. Born in Peru but growing up in Switzerland, Mueller was privileged to receive a solid basic music education at school. In addition, he taught himself how to play piano. Then I started taking violin lessons with a private tutor, which continued throughout my school years. I started composing, conducting the school orchestra, Mueller continues, adding that he eventually received high certificates in violin, and began earning a living with this instrument, giving solo concerts and playing in orchestras. In the meantime, however, conducting was his unique calling. Already during Muellers violin studies, he conducted his contemporary music ensemble. Though he was interested in this career, he knew it would not be a bed of roses, requiring a lot of work and even more luck. However, following the advice of his chamber music teacher, at the age of 25, Mueller decided to embark on conducting studies at Cincinnati, Ohio. He then became a Conducting Fellow in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, and worked with Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano and Leon Fleisher. It was all very new to me in the USA. But the important part of this experience was that unlike conducting studies in Europe, where a student can practice with a larger ensemble once a semester or so, in the USA I was able to conduct a student orchestra every week, he underscores importance of intensified practice since all young conductors learn from the many mistakes they make at the formative stage. From Ashkenazy and Abbado to the Cairo Symphony Orchestra Mueller spent a total of three years in the States, supplementing his conducting studies with playing the violin. It was in 1996 that he was offered the opportunity to be assistant to the renowned conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy in Berlin, a development he considers decisive in clarifying the path of his career. Two years later, Mueller was offered to assist Claudio Abbado in the Berlin Philharmonic orchestras performance of Mahlers Symphony no. 2, a work which in its finale includes wind orchestra (banda) playing backstage, giving a unique sensation of distant sounds. It goes without saying that an opportunity to work with Abbado (1933- 2014), one of the best known conductors of the 20th century, was an important sign of recognition. As the orchestra travelled with this programme, Mueller got closer to the musicians, who eventually invited him to conduct an ensemble of their own in contemporary works. Abbado attended my concert with those musicians when we performed in the Salzburg Easter Festival. I asked him for his opinion. One thing led to another and when back in Berlin he offered that I assist him in conducting the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra [2001-2005] and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra [2003-2005]. I worked with Abbado for a total of five years and it was an amazing time, Mueller recalls, pointing to the many new lessons he learnt from this artistic journey. "American conducting training focuses on clear beat and follows certain patterns in the score. In Europe, where the American technique of conducting is even sometimes frowned upon, the musicians stress expressing the music in a more evocative way. I learnt a lot from Abbado, for instance how to modulate a musical phrase. What he was also doing incredibly was that he always knew exactly where to place a breathing moment with the orchestra. I loved his colours too. He actually could be quite precise when he wanted to and, especially in his later years, he became very reduced in his conducting, Mueller explains. It is with this package of experiences that Mueller came to Egypt for the first time, becoming music director and principal conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra (2004-2005). Today, as he embraces one decade of his on-and-off relation with Egypt, he underlines his admiration for Cairo as a city, its people and food, and shares his observations on the orchestra. "When I came here for the first time, I already could see the potential. Cairo has a very nice opera building, backstage, rehearsal room, etc. The infrastructure is really good, better than many other buildings housing an orchestra that I know. It also has many talented young Egyptian musicians who at the time had a chance to play next to older and more experienced colleagues, and several foreign orchestra members, he comments. Today, over a decade later, Mueller feels however that the potential still remains the potential. I would hope to see this reach an actual goal. Of course I understand that the orchestra faces challenging realities where many musicians have to chase other jobs to make ends meet. This might make it difficult to sustain the orchestras discipline. Mueller says there might be still unexplored ways to make the musicians proud of being members of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, but since Egypt is among the countries that have their own national orchestras, people who have any degree of power should put this ensemble on their priority list. Mueller points that while the orchestra, like any artistic body, deserves support on a bigger scale, the seemingly small details also matter. The latter include for instance improved functioning of the music library, improved lighting in the rehearsal room so the musicians do not get tired fast, etc. Many simple things can actually make the musicians life much better and eventually improve the whole performance. Managing the Orchestra: Gottinger Symphony In 2005, Mueller completed his one year stay with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. In Germany, he was offered the position of the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Germanys Gottinger Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held to date. He speaks very highly of the musicians and the synergy he managed to develop with this remarkable ensemble. It is with Gottinger that Mueller practices his managerial skills. He underlines that though as a manager he learnt from observing other conductors, he does not necessarily choose to copy all their techniques. Mueller adopts a formula which, he believes, brings a lot of musical gains. Mueller explains that while any conductor and orchestra director has a lot of power, it is also a huge responsibility as one has to always strike a balance between creating music and seeing the humans behind it. Some conductors can be quite hard on the musicians, especially when they dismiss them for not reaching the standard expected by the conductor. This school of management seems extremely tough to my taste, especially when you realise how many dreams can be shattered in a matter of seconds, he references the well practiced strategy of Abbado and many others. Underscoring his admiration for Abbados musical power, Mueller explains that he nonetheless feels more comfortable with a different kind of management. He keeps underlining the importance of people whose whole careers and life paths can often depend, in a positive and negative sense alike, on one managerial decision or a few words uttered during even a short, one-time collaboration. Mueller explains, I always begin by trying to understand the material in front of me. Then I think of how to push the limits and this can be done through motivation, technical advice on how to perform certain things. This is when the musicians are happier, also proud of themselves, they become more aware of their capabilities or maybe their potential in a sense. They also begin to listen to themselves better and develop a healthy self-criticism which feeds their performance and of course, on a larger scale, this leads to a better quality of the whole orchestra. The art of conducting Still, managing the orchestra is only one aspect of Muellers work. His passion is encapsulated in conducting, standing on the podium and leading the orchestra through the most captivating musical experiences. For readers who might not be aware of the role of the conductor, Mueller tries to simplify: Let me give you an example of a larger orchestra, with the violins on the far left and double basses on the far right. You can imagine how with all those players in between, it is hard for the last violin stand to hear the very far double bass. Hence one of the conductors functions is simply policing the orchestra, just coordination, like in a traffic. This is something that can be learnt, and it involves certain agreed upon signs. However, Mueller adds, coordination becomes more complicated when for example rhythm steps in. Imagine 80 musician who might be required to start playing at the exact same moment. The conductor needs to prepare motion, Mueller explains the breathing technique which is often used by conductors when directing the musicians. He moves onto the musical interpretation, explaining that the conductor must have a clear idea which he conveys to the orchestral body. Interpretation is beyond rhythm or dynamics, soft or loud for instance. It can look into specifics of certain musical phrases. Each conductor has his own body language, to which the orchestra will be getting used. The challenge is to communicate all this in the shortest possible time so that those 80 musicians understand what you are actually doing. Finally Mueller also points to one more element which nobody really knows how to describe: an energy flow or this specific music magic. Its like a chemistry between a couple, a love affair. Something magical happens when everybody feels the same energy in that given moment. This intangible power transports the whole event onto a higher ground somehow. Of course this does not happen in each concert but when it does, everybody can feel it, the musicians and the audience. The conductor is very much a part of that but he is not alone in doing it. Mueller elaborates on the music magic, adding that the depth and/or the character of the relationship between a conductor and an orchestra is part of the equation. The magic can happen from the very first encounter with the orchestra and music, pretty much like when you meet this one very special person. It can also come with time as you develop a longer relationship with the orchestra. It can also be that you feel magic at first but then it disappears somehow, Mueller keeps comparing music, conducting and the whole artistic experience to the complex relationships between humans. Music's magic As he continues to talk about his craft, his striking passion for music emerges through every sentence. Evidently, Mueller lives with and within music which becomes the medium he probably cherishes the most. While he was lucky to learn from masters in the field, as much as he learnt from them, he has also shaped his own distinctive conducting vocabulary. When on stage, from the first breath given to the orchestra one can clearly recognise knowledge, expertise, experiences and above all passion. As if infusing the soul to the score, Mueller meticulously sculpts the details; without forcefully imposing himself, he remains in control, generous and clear in transmitting his concept to the orchestra. At times he is extremely evocative without being showy, at other times very reduced without lacking vocabulary. He ends up extracting many colours in a programme that allows him to move in between many musical layers while adding a pinch of humour. Apart from pure sound, Mueller also pays a lot of attention to silence as one of the vital components of the musical creation. And on this journey of carving through the silence and tones, the audience can see how at times he pushes the orchestra, injecting power into its components, white at other times he seems to loosen the reins. It definitely needs a certain level of artistic maturity and confidence in the musicians to refrain from using body movement incessantly and allow the orchestra to carry the music forward. I realise that on the podium, I am a very active conductor. Music has this very strong impact on me. With time, I learnt however that you do not need to do all for the orchestra; they can do it too. I feel that I am able to reduce more now. As you become older and more experienced, you realise that this way you still create your art. You are still there, you guide with your eyes, you are not losing anything. It takes time to realise that, he comments. But Mueller also enjoys silence, as he shapes music and plays little games with the audience when the moment allows it. This was the case in the Cairo performance of Hungarian Dances. It is also important for the musicians to feel different values in each concert. It breaks the monotony of presenting the same work throughout a number of evenings. It is interesting for the audience but also keeps the musicians somehow on their toes. Maybe it is about adding this element of surprise, of course as long as it is musically justified and doesnt lead to any disasters, he laughs. Undeniably, the conductor represents a crucial ring in the chain of collective artistic energy that fills the hall; it is a power which includes the composition, the orchestra, the conductors vision and the listeners. However, as this energy emerges, Mueller believes that the audience is an important factor in the whole equation. As much as I am obsessed with music, I can never do music just for myself. Ive always felt that performing to people is an amazing experience. Call it arrogance, but I feel that lifting everybody, for a moment, to a different, better world, is something I always hope Im able to do. And it doesnt always have to be something beautiful but it is this immersion into something higher than yourself. Thats the power of music. And audience is very important in the process. The listener is someone who reacts, regardless the number of people in the audience. In the concert in Cairo, I could see happiness on the audiences faces and this is a very rewarding feeling. On his creative journeys, Mueller underlines how he enjoys all music, from Renaissance to contemporary compositions. He points to Bach as the beginning of all music, yet soon drifts into praise for many other composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, etc. When you open a music score, you have an opportunity to deeply admire the genius who wrote this symphony or that opera. It is also such a humbling experience. While Mueller cannot imagine life outside conducting and music at large, he considers himself very lucky. But he also realises that the career he chose can often be hard and filled with insecurity. Before my job in Germany, I was always a freelance conductor. I was lucky to have good gigs as we call them, but there is no security; you never know what awaits you when you are old, etc. He says that many conductors have to reinvent themselves, choose a career in education for example. I have no idea what I will do in three years time, when my contract with Gottinger Symphony Orchestra ends. Conductors have many moments when the fear of existence knocks on the door. Nevertheless, I know how fortunate I am. I am also very satisfied with what I do. I enjoy working with the Gottinger Symphony Orchestra. The standing of the Orchestra in the city is good, my standing is good... I feel that artistically I receive a lot of support. Above all, I am growing and developing. Every day I feel Im getting better. What else is there to ask of life and music? This article was first published in Al Ahram Weekly For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: The antiquities minister embarked on an inspection tour to check on latest work undertaken to develop the world famous site Soon after swearing the oath, newly appointed Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany paid a visit this morning to the Giza Plateau to inspect development works at the site. El-Enany was joined by Minister of Tourism Yehya Rashid and Giza Governor Kamal Aldaly in order to draw up a plan to strengthen cooperation between both ministries and the governorate, to remove any obstacle in the way of the completion of the Giza Plateau development project. Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department, told Ahram Online that El-Enany visited King Farouk resthouse and the location of King Khufu's second solar boat as well as the plateau visitor centre located on the Giza-Fayoum road. Afifi added that the minister, during his inspection tour, gave orders to the head of Giza inspectorate to provide archaeologists and inspectors in every inch in the plateau and Saqqara necropolis, at opening times, in order to escort Egyptian and foreign visitors and explain the site archaeologically and historically to them free of charge. Afifi told Ahram Online that the ministry gave this order in an attempt to raise visitors awareness and keenness to protect and preserve Egypt's ancient heritage and civilisation. Search Keywords: Short link: A block engraved with the Star of David has been removed from the Osiris Nesmeti Temple on Elephantine Island in Aswan After an official report, a block engraved with the Star of David has been removed from the Ptolemaic temple of the god Osiris Nesmeti on Elephantine Island in Aswan. Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department, told Ahram Online that the engraved block was discovered 15 years ago by the German-Swiss archaeological mission on Elephantine Island that has been working there for 40 years. Affifi said the mission did not carve the Star of David on the block, as was claimed by some newspaper reports. The mission inserted the block within its rebuilding work of the temple. "The block is now removed to the site's archaeological gallery, in order to study its date of carving, and to inspect its authenticity," Afifi said. The block is of plain limestone engraved with two drawings of the Star of David, each 10 centimetres wide. Search Keywords: Short link: Families of sailors who went missing in the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan met surviving officers on Saturday in the Second Naval Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Geonggi Province. It is the first time that seven officers among the 58 survivors met with the families of the missing sailors since the ship sank 15 days ago. One relative of a missing soldier said on Sunday, "I know that five surviving officers met with the representatives of the families." The meeting went on for an hour, in a quieter and calmer atmosphere than the meeting between families and the ranks. They hardly talked at all about the factors leading to the sinking of the ship. The families of missing soldiers met 13 non-commissioned officers and 26 sailors on Thursday. There were thoughts of including officers in the earlier meeting Thursday, but the plan was called off as it would have prevented sailors in the lower ranks from talking frankly with the families. President Park Geun-hye is to preside on Tuesday over a ceremony at the National Cemetery in Daejeon marking the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in 2010. It will be attended by the families of 46 South Korean sailors who died in the attack, as well as the widow of Navy Warrant Officer Han Joo-ho, who drowned during the search for survivors. Park hopes to send a strong warning to North Korea against further provocations. Meanwhile, the military is coming up with detailed plans to respond to any North Korean provocations, possibly by launching surgical missile strikes on statues of the Norths nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il. The statues are considered sacred in the North, and any damage to them could deliver a huge psychological impact. "If North Korea launches another provocation, our military has developed a plan to respond with air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missiles to strike not only the source of provocation as well as support and command forces, but also some statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il," a government source here said Sunday. The military apparently began to consider the plan seriously after the Cheonan sank in March 2010 and reached a final decision following the North's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island later that year. There are some 35,000 statues and other monuments in the North deifying the two Kims, including two huge bronze statues atop Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang. The military has come up with a priority target list with detailed information on their location, size and other characteristics based on satellite photos and other information. Since the sinking, the Navy has boosted the number of random training missions involving fighter jets and anti-submarine operations. Eight new P-3CK maritime patrol aircraft have been deployed into service. But it is unclear whether the Navy has done all it can to bolster naval warfare capabilities and prevent another North Korean submarine attack like the one that sank the corvette. North Korea has apparently also increased the number of infiltration training missions involving submarines and semi-submersible vessels. Since earlier this month, North Korean semi-submersible vessels have been conducting drills near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas. The semi-submersibles are capable of being mounted with CHT-02D torpedoes like the one that sank the Cheonan. The Navy had planned to upgrade the submarine-detection capabilities of 30 naval vessels, including corvettes (1,200 tons) like the Cheonan and frigates (1,800 tons), by equipping them with enhanced sonar equipment. The old sonar equipment is capable of detecting targets only 2 km away, while the new system can sniff out submarines up to 10 to 15 km away. But most South Korean corvettes and frigates were made in the 1980s and are for the scrap heap within the next decade. It would cost a lot of money to refit them with advanced sonar, so the government has scrapped the plans. The Navy has almost finished installing underwater listening posts called SOSUS near the NLL, but it will take time before they can be put to full use since the Navy has not collected enough information about the audio signatures of North Korean submarines. The dispute over the islands, known as the Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, has strained the two countries' relations since World War II, when Soviet forces occupied four islands at the southern end of the chain. Russia this year will deploy some of its newest missile defense systems and drones to the Kurile islands, where Moscow and Tokyo have rival territorial claims, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday. Moscow and Tokyo still have not signed a formal peace treaty because the dispute is so acrimonious. The new weapons were part of a drive to rearm military units already deployed in the Kuriles, Shoigu said in comments broadcast on state TV. "Coastal missile systems Bal and Bastion and new generation Eleron 3 drones will be deployed there this year," he said at a Defense Ministry meeting. The Bastion is a mobile defense system armed with two anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 300 km (188 miles). It has also been deployed in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The Bal anti-ship missile has a similar range. Shoigu announced in October that Russia would build a military base on the Kurile islands.